"What’s the report, Sarah?" Kim asked, making me look up from my new tablet.
IT had set it up, and I was spending my time looking through reports and trying to understand more about the bactimen.
From what I could tell, they had spread throughout the entire city’s sewer system.
And there was a serious risk of overflow, which is what they had called the event at the club the previous night.
They were filling up the sewers and venturing out for more space.
Sarah sat down with Kim and me in a quiet section of the massive tent.
She pulled out a tablet and flicked through menus with a stylus.
"I got her set up with a basic hero suit," Sarah started off.
I figured that meant Stella must have made it through whatever initial tests they used.
"We have some serious issues that need to be addressed, though." She looked pointedly at me, as if it was suddenly my problem.
I was about to tell her Stella was her problem, but then I remembered I was supposed to be her manager.
"Can you tell me more about how you found her?" Sarah asked.
Sarah’s question piqued Kim’s curiosity, and she turned, focusing on me.
"She was about to commit suicide." I was honest.
If they were going to be putting Stella out into situations that could trigger her, I owed it to her to not hide the fact.
Sarah clicked her tongue. "Worse than I thought.
She seems to have latched onto you on a psychological level.
For some reason, you keeping her from that act must have convinced her you were her savior, the solution to her problems.
She seems to believe her power is now reliant on you," Sarah scoffed, as if it was a ludicrous idea.
My mouth twitched as I suppressed a smile at Sarah’s dismissal before even considering I could affect someone’s power.
I understood why Stella would think that.
So far, I’d been the only person able to help her control her powers.
The crack in her superpower was only going to continue draining, leading to her taking it from elsewhere if I didn’t top her up.
Sarah continued. "We have some guides I can send you about how to build up her confidence and empower her to manage herself.
Until then, I’d recommend that we keep Zayn here in close contact with Stella for her stability."
"That’s not ideal. Under normal circumstances, we’d reject her for that." Kim clarified. "What else?"
"She’s intelligent, highly emotionally intelligent.
She has huge regrets about the people she’s killed.
And she has some serious abandonment issues.
Everything points to her using Zayn and this belief that he’s helping her powers as a crutch." Sarah shook her head. "If you walk away from her, she’d likely crumble and become a threat to hundreds, if not thousands, of lives."
I scowled at Sarah, not appreciating the pressure she was putting on me.
But Kim leveled a look at me of her own, breaking my focus. "Zayn, I know you didn’t ask for this, but it seems that she’s put you in a bind."
"I have to be honest with you, Kim. I didn’t sign up to be responsible for so many lives."
For so many years, I’d run from my power, using it for small needs or protection and nothing more.
It kept me under the radar, exactly where I liked to stay.
If I’d known Stella was going to pull me into all of this, I might have left her.
But now I was invested, and I just couldn’t walk away and endanger so many.
"We rarely want to be responsible for so many other humans.
Let’s be honest, humans are selfish by nature.
It is when we rise above those instincts that we become something better." Kim paused. "Like it or not, the choice is now in front of you.
I need you to do what is needed for the good of this city."
Blowing out a huge breath, I wanted to say no.
But I was already in so deep.
Stepping out would remove Stella from this effort to remove the bactimen.
And without her, the entire city could go down.
I ran a hand over my face, admitting to myself that it wasn’t only about saving the city.
I wanted to help Stella.
She’d grown on me a bit.
Her bubbly nature was hard to ignore.
"Fine." I couldn’t believe I was agreeing to work with the BSH.
"Good." Kim clapped her hands together with finality.
"We’ll give you all the support you need.
Go reconnect with your hero.
If that density under Fifth and Corway checks out, I’d like to send you two on your first mission."
Feeling dismissed, I stood up and tucked my tablet under my arm, taking two steps before turning and asking, "Where is she?"
"One tent over to the right.
That’s where the heroes can take a load off, and we have lockers," Sarah replied, quickly getting back to work on her tablet.
She meandered off, tapping away as she read whatever was on the screen.
Kim gave me a little wave with a grin on her face.
Shaking my head, I pushed the flap aside and left.
The tent that Sarah had indicated was obvious.
Heroes were walking in and out of it.
Almost all of them were women, but that was to be expected.
"Hey, good looking," one of them cat-called me with a little whistle and blocked my path.
"BSH management. Please step aside."
"Shit." She jumped out of her skin. "My bad."
I tried not to let the surprise show on my face.
I hadn’t expected that to work so well.
Stella was in the tent in a very plain-looking, blue and red super suit, checking herself out in the mirror.
My eyes caught hers in the mirror and she jumped, spinning around and looking at me with a giant smile on her face.
She bounced towards me immediately.
"You didn’t run away!" she squealed.
Her words caught the ears of a few supers lounging in the tent.
Most of them were eating and drinking sports drinks while entertaining themselves on their phones.
I held a hand up as she approached.
I had a feeling I was about to be enveloped in a hug.
She stopped, her head tilting but a smile still covering her face.
"We have a tentative first mission.
I wanted to let you know I’ll be managing you on this end while coordinating with the BSH," I replied.
"So you’ll be my manager?" Her eyes practically shone with hope.
"Yes." I let out a sigh. "I’m managing you, for now," I clarified.
But she seemed to ignore the modifier, her spirits still boisterous. "I’ll be ready.
When do I leave?"