Hanratty’s Pub had stood through the years in the middle of Technon Park. I’d been here before, as Belessar, but this was my first time as plain old Andrew Drake.

Strangely, the bouncer waved us to a booth without checking my ID. “That’s weird,” I muttered to Agni. “I thought they’d check.”

The supervillainess shook her head. “They make mistakes all the time. Besides, you look old enough.”

“Do I?”

“You’re three inches taller than the bouncer. You think he sees you as a kid? Even out of your … gear, you’re pretty intimidating.”

“That seems unlikely. Mostly the people I speak to don’t seem affected.”

“You spend most of your time hanging around with veteran soldiers, ultras, and the Phoenix Girls.”

“So?”

“So, how long is it since you spent time with normal people? Your friends aren’t representative of ninety-nine per cent of the population.”

I thought back. The last time I’d held a steady job had been Fry’s Electronics… which I’d left after the Damini raid. And it had been a long time since I’d gone to school too…. “Do you think I’m too isolated?”

“Pfft. Stop trying to psycho-analyze yourself. Order us some drinks instead.”

As it turned out, Agni had a preference for Singapore Slings. I contented myself with Huddlestone beers, while keeping a watch on my Intoxication Meter.

CURRENT INTOXICATION LEVEL: GARRULOUS (3).

8/10 POINTS TO NEXT LEVEL (DRUNK).

“Are you sure up for another round?” asked Agni.

“I can handle it,” I said. Possibly a little too loudly. “Besides, if you’re drinking, I’m drinking.”

Agni grinned sadly. “Sure. How about we walk for a bit instead?”

I inhaled the scent of the night air. Chill, bracing.

Tanisport’s Seawalk wasn’t a place I’d visited often. A slender paved bridge across the bay, it’s reserved for foot traffic and cyclists. In stormy weather, waves lash across the seawalk, splashing tourists and visitors. On calmer days you can gaze across the sunlit waters and take breathtaking photos.

Some of the Bay’s photos from the Seawalk even got featured on streaming device screensavers, which I understand is a Big Thing.

It’s beautiful by night, too. Calming. Watching the waves come in and go out helps you to center yourself… something I needed badly after overdoing the drinks.

Agni patted me on the back. “There, there.”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I think I ruined your evening.”

The supervillainess smiled sadly. “It’s not that bad. Everyone misjudges their alcohol tolerance the first time. You did okay - heck, you didn’t even throw up.”

“Did you ever get drunk like this?”

“Worse, actually, and when I was younger than you.”

“There’s got to be a story there.”

A shadow passed across her face. “It was the day after they exiled me.”

I gulped. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“You didn’t. Truthfully, I haven’t thought about that day in years…. It hurts a lot less now.”

“You ever talk about it with anyone?”

“No, not really.”

“Sorry again…. I shouldn’t intrude.”

“It’s all right. I just never met anyone I could talk to about that day.”

We stared across the bay in silence.

It was long minutes before she spoke. “I didn’t know about the families.”

“The families?”

“When I set their bases on fire. I thought the base area was fully military. You know, tanks, troops, soldiers only. I didn’t realize it included homes.”

“The… homes of the officers?”

“Officers and troops. The Pakistani troops had their families living on the base with them. Quarters, they’re called. Houses, schools, nurseries, hospitals, grocery stores, everything a soldier’s family needs to get by, all wrapped in one big space on one side of the base area.

“When I hit the troops, I teleported to their headquarters….”

She took a deep breath. “Hifara told me the bases would be surrounded by barbed wire, so I just ran my flames around the barbed wire fencing and then… pushed them inwards. I wanted to keep them away from civilians. I never thought there might be… civilians inside the base.”

“You couldn’t have been more than eighteen.”

“Fifteen, actually.”

I did a mental double-take. “Fifteen? That’s… too young.”

“For Rawalpindi, it wouldn’t have mattered if I was fifty. What I saw there… it’s not something that should be repeated to anyone.”

“But if you’d told people you were a minor…”

“That’s the least of the problems. Do you know, in South-East Asia, there’s still a stigma to being a victim of sexual abuse?”

“I did not know that.”

“The only crime where we blame the victim more than the perpetrator. Hifara and King Shah got a lot of the victims out, but if it had been known what happened…. King Shah begged me to keep quiet about it. My silence, for the lives of hundreds of women; a small price to pay.”

“What about their families? Surely somebody would know….”

“Their families were told they’d been arrested, detained, and rescued, but nothing more. More would have ruined their lives. Better that I be the villain of the story.

“It still hurt when I saw the news. The same politicians who wanted to shake my hand and salute me after the battle of Delhi - they cut all ties, named me a terrorist, and kicked me out of the country. I hadn’t expected Islamabad to welcome me, but it was Delhi’s reaction that hurt the most.”

“What did you do?”

“I was staying at King Shah’s friend’s condo. The dude had a friggin’ three-floor mansion… Anyway, I went downstairs and raided his liquor cabinet. Grabbed one bottle of, well, everything, then went upstairs and got royally drunk.

“They didn’t realize I was out for almost six hours. By the time I was conscious, it was evening, and Altaf Peerzada had declared himself Prime Minister of South Pakistan.”

“... What did you do afterwards?”

“There were thousands of people fleeing Karachi for Dubai because they thought the Army would march south and shoot Peerzada. The guy was smart, though. He had information leaked to the Indians that Pakistani troops were massing on the border in Kashmir, and the whole mess would quieten down once they launched an invasion… so the Indian Army rushed their troops to the border. Just like they always do.” Agni shrugged. “With six hundred thousand troops on the Indian side, and half the Pakistani Army dead, Islamabad had to rush troops north instead of south…. and those who were left didn’t pose much of a challenge to King Shah.

“King Shah got me a fake passport - I don’t know from where - and I left for Dubai, along with thousands of panicking Pakistanis. The Emiratis didn’t let us in at first, they didn’t want to end up with a refugee crisis… so the rest of the passengers got detained in the airport. I borrowed a lighter from a security guard and teleported into the city.

“I stayed under the radar for a week before I got a chance to call my family. Told my dad where I was, asked him to come get me.”

“Your parents?”

“They flew in a week later. It took them time to get visas - fortunately, I had money. My Bastionbank card, and my savings from the SURGE fees for New Delhi. Stayed in a small hotel, ate very little, hid from the world.”

“What did they say?”

“They were… disappointed, but I was still their daughter. Only… my younger sisters were five and seven, then. And I’d just become a target for the entire Pakistani intelligence network.”

“Your parents were worried about you being traced?”

“And my sisters becoming targets. So we decided that I’d go ‘abroad’ for studies. Avoid contact, avoid … anything that could help them find me.”

“... Do you still speak to them?”

“After Sudan, we decided it was best I not stay in touch at all. As far as my sisters know, I died in a tragic accident while studying overseas.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why? It’s not your fault. I got in too deep, too fast, and I had no-one to pull me out.” She shrugged. “You - and your sister - need to be careful you don’t get too deep.”

“You mean the military?”

“And the politicians. They’ll come for you, eventually, with smiles and handshakes and wanting to be seen with you in costume. Anything that helps them, right until they throw you under the bus.”

“Paul said something like that.” I took a deep breath. “Know the motives, even of your allies.”

“Wise words. You should listen to your dad.”

Something must have shown in my face, because Agni gave me a searching look. “What is it?”

“He’s not my biological dad,” I blurted. “I’m … adopted. Sort of.”

“Do you remember your parents?”

“No.”

“Then he’s your dad. And Nanocloud is your sister. Don’t worry about what you can’t remember.”

“Okay.”

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

I remember very little of the ride home. Fortunately, Tessie - like all autocars - could find her own way back.

Agni walked back with me to the door and rang the bell.

RELATIONSHIP WITH AGNI INCREASED TO FRIEND (5).

“I’m sorry about your evening,” I told her. “Ruining your evening.”

“Don’t worry. I had a good time.”

“How? I got drunk. I am drunk, I mean. You didn’t even get dinner.”

“It’s fine. I liked the Seawalk. Plus, I haven’t really talked about… that… for a long, long time. Felt good.”

“Oh.”

“It was nice spending time with you, Andrew.”

I smiled. “Thanks. Actually - what’s your real name?”

The smirk was back. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you, kid.”

The door opened, revealing a concerned Paul. “Andrew? Are you all right?”

“He’s fine, Mr. Drake. Had a bit more than he’s used to.”

Paul nodded in understanding. “I’ll take care of it. Thanks for dropping him home. Do you need Tessie to drop you back to your hotel?”

“No need.” Agni flicked on her lighter. “I haven’t needed a cab in years. Good night, Andrew.”

In a blink, she was gone.

I stared owlishly at the empty space. “She’s not half bad.”

“Yes, Andrew, I’m sure she isn’t. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”