Sonya adjusted the gloves on her hands and watched the disguised Legionnaires march their way onto the small luxury helicopter. They wore the faces of dead Pandora representatives. According to the official word, they were on their way to give their in-person testimony as to the real details of the Dharan event. Sonya smiled to herself as they boarded the helicopter, it took off, and she watched it go. It was headed for the UN Embassy in India, and from there they should be transported to the airport and back to The Hague.

It’s a shame the helicopter will have an accident when a villain starts raising a ruckus near the border. Those poor representatives, what a tragedy, Sonya thought.

Ma remains. He will be useful, Ishtar said, rising up in the back of her mind.

You’ve been quiet, Sonya thought.

You have it handled, and I wanted some time to myself. I also did some learning with Set and the others. I’ll share when we have time, Ishtar pointed out.

“Miss Chernovna! A word?” a voice called out from across the rooftop tarmac. Sonya turned and spotted several reporters approaching. She glanced towards Marta and almost asked her to hold them off but let out a sigh. Marta smiled tightly, knowing what she was thinking. Sonya rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. 

“Sure! Come on over; I’ve got a minute while the engines are warming up!” she called and gestured towards the helicopter to her right. She wanted to go in personally to speak with the victors ahead of the award ceremony. And shake a few hands, she thought wickedly. The reporters approached, and she scanned their names, not pausing when she saw the one she was looking for. Her eyes twinkled with mirth. Your plant needed to know the name of your contact, Mimir. You can’t hide everything from me.

“Jay Cash, World Open Broadcast!” the very man in question blurted out, somehow abruptly at the head of the pack rather than where he’d been near the rear.

Jeffrey Cash, Awakened

Not hiding your nametag at all, trying to be subtle. Funny.

She beamed at him and shot out her hand, all smiles. “Mister Cash!” she said brightly. “You know, I recently watched some of your organization's programming. Very interesting stuff. Your group has quite a perspective on things.”

He looked down at her hand and hesitated a little. She cocked an eyebrow at him. What? You aren’t going to lay on the honey here? You know I respond well to a good handshake. What’s it gonna be, Drifter? Lose my interest in your questions or shake my hand?

He cracked a comfortable grin - his poker face was amazing - and he took her hand. She gave it a brusque shake.

Now, Mimir. Did you take steps to block me? Or were you smart enough to not overplay your hand and make it obvious who you had sent? Analyze.

You have acquired the Product: Intuitive Kinesthesia

Ah, so that’s how you got through the crowd, mm?

She let his hand go and put her hands on her hips. “Just a few questions, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Sonya held up a finger. “Uh, uh! Just one. There’s a lot of you here, and it wouldn’t be fair!” she teased.

He didn’t even miss a beat. “There are a lot of concerns about the disposition of the profits for this event and the use of such an important historical moment for entertainment. How do you respond to those concerns?”

Damn, Sonya thought. Right for the jugular. It’s almost a shame he’s one of Mimir’s people.

“I think you’ll find the President’s announcement will clear things up on the former. As for the latter, it got them here, didn’t it?” Sonya said with a laugh.

“Even when you also knowingly brought Ishtar’s attention with you to a nation already wounded by the flash?” Jay pressed.

Oh… well, well, well.I can choose to not answer the question because of my rule I set earlier, but if I don’t, he’ll spin it, won’t he? She grinned at him. “I like you, Jay,” she said with a laugh. “Let me ask you a question instead. If you were being chased while trying to do some good in the world, would you hide or take the risk?”

Are you brave, or are you a coward?

“I’d take the risk,” he said. “But that-”

“And so did the heroes who came here!” Sonya declared. “Every single person here should have known the risks of attending. Even you lot,” she gestured to the reporters dramatically. “So what’s the problem?”

The helicopter blades started spinning over her head, and she glanced up. “Looks like time's up. Sorry all, Jay here wanted some special attention, it seemed!” she said and turned away as the other reporters glared at the man, who was still staring at her in confusion. She grinned at him. “I told you, Jay. I watched your stuff. Enjoy the winter weather!” she called, and Marta took her hand, pulling her onto the helicopter. The reporters scattered as the blades sent the snow around them into a whirlwind. She pulled the noise guards over her ears and glanced out the window at Jay, who was still looking up at her. She waved.

“Martin will come back with something else,” Sonya said with amusement. “He’s joined our little game of chess, but this was fun, wasn’t it, Marta?”

“You bullied that poor man,” Marta laughed.

“Oh, pish posh,” Sonya waved her hands. “He’s a big boy. He’ll survive and try again.”

She leaned back in the chair and pulled Jay’s ability out of her warehouse, examining the instincts. She visualized a route between herself and the other side of the helicopter and could see and feel arrows forming in her vision, probably assisted with her HUD. She could sense just how fast she needed to move to get to her destination and whether or not to pause at any point based on the shifting and moving of the helicopter. Oh, this is nice.

“I think Beyol is in for a surprise!” Sonya announced. “I’ve been meaning to get him a new toy. Poor thing was so flummoxed when Barry beat him to Claimancy.”

Marta laughed. “You’re in a good mood.”

Sonya grinned at her. “A big part of my goal for this trip has been cleared. The representatives who crossed me were dealt with. I still need to have a long talk with Polina about a few things, but I can let her stew for a little while.” Her smile turned wicked. “Speaking of good moods, what’s it like with a literal mythological figure?”

Marta stared at her, and her face turned red. “Wh-what?”

“Jason and Odysseus were Claimants, hun. Your boy’s on their level now,” Sonya teased.

“S-sonya! You dirty old man!” Marta chortled and slapped Sonya’s arm. The two of them burst into laughter, and Marta raised a hand to brush her hair back. “Colin agreed to officiate. He’s not a judge, but he’s the closest thing we’ve got.”

Sonya squeezed Marta’s arm. “I’m happy for you. I said it before, and I meant it. I wish-” she hesitated. “I wish what happened with Baldur’s Body hadn’t-”

Marta cleared her throat. “Sonya. I don’t need children to validate my feelings. If things continue as they are, we will have a long, long time to figure all that out.”

“You’re right,” Sonya said. “Take the wins where we can, right?”

“See the path?” Marta replied.

“Take it to the end.”

“Stand at the peak.”

“And look back with pride!” Sonya said and threw an arm over Marta’s shoulder. “Ready for things to get even crazier?”

“I was born ready, ma’am.”

–

As the helicopter descended, Sonya spotted a standout among the heroes starting to gather near the landing zone. A head of long brown hair partially obscured by a black hat held down with a delicate hand awaited her arrival. She pursed her lips. “Looks like Colin’s all done.”

“He’s waiting for us?” Marta asked.

“Mhm,” Sonya murmured. “I hope he made the adjustments and dropped the hints I suggested.”

“He’s never failed to get the deal right,” Marta said. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

The helicopter landed in the snowdrifts atop one of the more stable and wider roads within Dharan, and Sonya opened the door with a flourish. She had opted for something a bit more weather-friendly for her outfit. She wore a long white coat lined with monster fur and belted with a silver sash. She still had her sunglasses on, hardly for any practical purpose, but just because it was fun to look ostentatious. She walked over to the waiting lawyer, who took off his hat and grinned at her. “You are striking as ever, boss.”

“And you are in stilettos and hose,” Sonya shot back. “How are you not freezing, Floridian?”

Colin tilted his chin up. “Iron will, a good diet, and a temperature-regulating vest that Amos made me.”

Sonya rolled her eyes. “Oooh, my boyfriend’s a mad scientist that makes super gadgets, so I get all the perks,” she said, waving her head left and right. “Look at me and my fancy vest.”

He barked out a laugh. “How’d it go back over there, Sonya?”

“All settled,” Sonya said. “Just need to prepare for the after-party.”

“Good, we’re done here. Though you should go have a word with Nietz as soon as you can. He had some concerns he wanted to address with you,” Colin said.

“You aren’t just going to fill me in?” Sonya asked.

He grinned. “I think you need to hear this yourself.”

She sighed and looked back at Marta. “Now he’s bullying me! Help!”

“Colin, please stop picking on Miss Chernovna. You know she hasn’t had a soda in almost four hours. She’s going through withdrawal,” Marta said with all the patient seriousness she could manage.

Sonya turned an aghast look on her. “I am not-” she coughed and cleared her throat, and Marta gave her a startled look. Sonya rubbed her neck and squinted at her friend, who suddenly looked apologetic even as her lips trembled from suppressed laughter. Colin had no such compunctions and howled with mirth as he made his way towards the helicopter. “Leaving already?” Sonya called after him.

“I’m tired, and as nice as the vest is, my legs are freezing! Bye!” Colin shouted back and shut the door to the helicopter.

“You are so mean to me, all of you,” Sonya complained.

“I cannot imagine what you mean, ma’am,” Marta said politely and nodded towards the gathered heroes. “You have an audience.”

Sonya whirled like a dancer. “So I do! Hello, everyone!” Sonya shouted, waving towards the heroes. “Congratulations! People are talking about what you all did here all over the world!”

The cheers followed, and the heroes swarmed in. She talked, shook hands - analyzed, of course - and slowly made her way through. She was like a kid in a candy store. There almost wasn’t enough time to shake every hand, which was a little disappointing, but with the help of her HUD, a connection to the event server, and the list of heroes’ names and their scores on it, she picked her battles carefully.

Finally, though, she made her way to the other side of the initial clump and came face-to-face with just the man she was looking for. Nietz had bulked up a little. He was taller too, just a bit. His short brown hair had grown out, and his jaw was more defined. He wasn’t the boy she’d found insufferable on their first encounter. She had to admit to herself that part of her irritation had stemmed from his very presence during the debacle with Cass back at The Hague, something she now knew was entirely not his fault.

Now, though? She’d watched all the footage she could of him. She was disappointed she couldn’t see the action against the Rift-thing, but first-hand reports told her enough. He had kept his word to her and to Ishtar. A man willing to compromise his principles a little for the greater good and then act even harder to make up for it. The only role he needed to play in her plan now was to reject the Token to send First Wind into a frenzy. Then she’d leave him be; he deserved it.

She extended a hand to him, and he took it with a smile. She pulled him into a brief hug. “You kept your word. You have my respect, Nietz. I’m sorry for how I treated you when we first got to know one another,” she said and pulled back, squeezing his hand and letting it go.

He beamed at her. “Thank you, ma’am. I couldn’t have done it without the others’ help, though. We all made this happen.”

“Spoken like a true hero,” Sonya said with a nod. “The four of you made quite a team in the end.”

“We’re thinking about making that stick,” Nietz said. “With you as our sponsor, of course.”

An International Hero Team? She grinned. A few years early, but with Heroic Dungeons glitching into existence, I suppose it’s the perfect time. “I like it!” she said with a smile. “Now, Colin said you had some concerns.”

Nietz frowned. “I’d like to speak with you privately about that, if you don’t mind. There’s a tent over there,” he said and gestured towards one of the medical tents. “It’s empty now.”

She glanced back at Marta, and her companion shrugged. The two of them followed Nietz into the tent, and he turned around, standing amidst the packed-up beds and medical supplies. He rubbed his neck a little awkwardly. “I, uh, I want to talk to you about the Token,” he said and sat down on one of the crates. “Can you give it to someone else?”

Sonya just stared at him for a while. She hadn’t felt this baffled since the time she’d been cornered by Qilin and First Wind. She blinked at him several times. “Did… did Colin suggest this course of action?” she asked bluntly.

Nietz looked up at her in confusion. “No? This was my decision. I told him about my thoughts, and he told me to talk to you directly about it.”

That cheeky little- Sonya’s eyes fluttered, and she exhaled. “Why?”

He wound his fingers together and looked down at his feet. “My ability awakened a new feature around the time I got onto your ship, remember?”

Sonya raised an eyebrow. “I recall you saying that.”

“It’s done more for me than any other ability could possibly offer. I don’t need another ability; it might mess up my trajectory. My ability is a growth ability. It’ll keep getting stronger. If there’s another hero out there that can make better use of it, then…” he sighed. “...I’d much rather have there be more strong heroes out there who can do some good than me getting all the perks?”

He looked up and met Sonya’s eyes. Sonya reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek before reaching forward and cupping his face in her hands. “You are so good. I am so proud of you. Alright, I’ll find someone to give it to unless you have a suggestion.”

He scratched his nose and flushed a little. “Actually, I do have one idea.”