Threat Level: E

Destructiveness: E

Killability: C

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Might: E

Survivability: E

Recovery: D

Mobility: D

Spark: D

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Powers: Enhanced Sight and Hearing, Sonic Blasts, Durable Arms, Metabolic Regeneration, Desert Jackal’s Reflexes, Aether Drain, Elastic Tension

Classification: Bruiser/Stalker

Danny was pleased to finally find himself alone with Druid. Fenrir, Mista Fista, and the Freaks needed time to recover after the rift outbreak. They had found leads of their own which the leading hero considered more reliable and Nyx agreed with him. The pair didn’t trust Danny’s probably tracking abilities either. However, Fenrir believed that leaving any stone unturned was a bad idea.

A pair of mushroom men walked ahead of them, moving between cover, and scouting the path ahead. Danny’s pull towards his remaining eye had drawn them to a decrepit neighbourhood ravaged by past rift attacks. It sat on the border of Islington and Hackney and mostly the homeless populated it. The MoDS and other government departments regularly cleared them out in interest of public safety—the neighbourhoods were breeding grounds for dangerous substances and villains, after all. However, bureaucracy and other priorities always delayed regeneration projects and others repopulated the vacant areas in that time.

An eye floated above Danny’s head kept him informed of all movement behind and around them. He walked casually with Druid. The licensed hero claimed there was no point in hiding. Power Merchant’s people and the civilians living in the decrepit neighbourhood would inevitably have people with enhanced senses.

“It’s perhaps better to look like two heroes on patrol than spies or infiltrators sneaking up on a hidden facility,” Druid had said.

Danny didn’t completely agree. It made his role as a Stalker-type pointless. Yet their reliance on his sensory abilities to find the objective and watch their back made him feel useful.

As the pair walked, squatters drew their curtains. He heard heavy furniture dragged across floors and barricades forming, too. Afterwards, conversations resumed like nothing had changed. Danny imagined such patrols and occurrences were a regular occurrence.

“How long ago did you awaken?” Druid asked, breaking the silence.

“Almost a year now,” Danny replied.

“Lie.”

“Since when is lie detection a part of your power set?”

Druid didn’t reply. Instead, he stopped walking and glared at Danny. “When I first gained my powers, I didn’t know what I was doing,” Druid said. “I had not long lost my family… it was a lonely time. It’s not easy awakening when you’re all alone and have no one you can confide in. That person for me was an Indian kid obsessed with supers and powers of all. He didn’t just help me understand my powers, but kept me sane. Do you have something like that?”

“I suppose, I do,” Danny replied, staring at the hero and pondering what he was getting at.

Is he fucking with me?

“Is that why you have said nothing to me yet?”

“What?”

“The kiwi might have passed through your system, mate, but I can still sense traces of my magic on you. My mushroom men can feel it, too.”

“What?”

“What? What? What? Is that all you’re going to say?” Druid chuckled. “I’m tired of beating around the bush. The point is, I know who you are.”

“How long have you known?” Danny asked.

“Since I first laid eyes on you,” Druid answered. “Don’t worry. I didn’t tell Fenrir or anything else. I wouldn’t ever… I am disappointed you didn’t tell me sooner, though.”

Danny sighed. “I tried to contact you, mate. You or whoever that was using your HoloLens turned me away. Believe me, you were the first person I wanted to tell.” He paused, frowning at his friend. “You never told me you were magic.”

“I didn’t know enough to explain it,” he answered. “My family didn’t tell me a whole lot before they passed. It wasn’t until I met Dryad that I figured it all out. But she made me swear an oath to keep it all secret.”

“I suppose we have a lot to talk about once this is all over, don’t we?”

Druid continued walking, and Danny followed. “There’s no telling how long this bloody mission will last. But, sometime soon for sure.” He laughed. “I can’t believe you finally have powers, mate. I’m ecstatic for you. Why the asset program, though?” Druid raised an eyebrow. “Is it because of the source?”

Danny nodded.

“Success on this mission should fast track your entry. Things will get easier when you join the League.” He paused. “Dryad was right. Ma—Supers like us attract one another.”

“So, I’ve heard,” Danny replied. “I can’t help but wonder whether we ended up meeting the way we did because of it.”

“It's for the best if we discuss this later.”

“Indeed. We’re close. I can feel it.” Danny pointed at an old estate. It stood tall above the neighbouring decrepit buildings. Most of it was dark, but muted lights leaked through several windows.

It felt like a subtle tug. The connection to the eye hovered at the back of Danny’s mind. The pull had grown significantly ever since they entered the decrepit zone. It surprised Danny that no one had found or destroyed the eye yet. As they got closer, he could see through the eye, too. It floated in a glass cube surrounded by similar containers filled with the knights he’d not long slain.

They must think it’s a rift creature or an extension of their abilities.

Druid recalled the mushroom men, and they shrank into his pocket. It surprised Danny for a moment, but when his eyes spotted a pair of shadowed figures hiding around the corner he understood. The hero wanted to appear casual. Danny sent a pulse into the nearby wall with his left hand. He detected two armed males and primed the taser gloves. Physiologically they appeared normal, so he hoped a good shock would be enough to stun them.

“We’re just here to talk!” Druid called, placing an arm on Danny's shoulder. He nodded towards the nearby alley. It led to the estate. Danny got the message and crept towards it. He heard a conversation start up behind him.

“There was two of you,” one man said.

“He’s checking the perimeter,” Druid replied. “We can’t have some League bastard listen in on our conversation.”

“Yer a League bastard, mate,” the second man said.

“I know but I’m not a right dickhead, am I. Look, I don’t want trouble. You do whatever you’re doing. I just want to know if any armoured trucks have been through here.”

“Don’t know, buddy. Why don’t you and your friend just turn around and get out? We don’t need your kind sniffing around.”

“Look. I know we’re not welcome here.” Druid sighed. “However, those trucks brought in dangerous rift monsters. This neighbourhood neither has the tech nor the manpower to keep them in check if things get out of control.” Danny’s hands detected rectangular items leaving the hero’s pocket. “I’ve brought gifts. All you gotta do is talk to me.”

Once Danny left hearing range and picked up the pace. The information broadcasted through the trapped eye got clearer. The one hovering above warned him about more people walking around above. They carried weapons similar to the two men with Druid. Danny guessed they were part of a gang or served the Power Merchant. Their presence slowed Danny down, but his senses helped him weave around them with ease.