3:26 PM December 31st

Diana Anthony's awakening had made it's way around the Police Precinct in waves of hushed whispers and awkward jokes. One Grazhe wakes up, another dies. It was cruel, but that kind of humor was how people survived here, not that it made things easy for Anthony. I know I didn't.

In Intelligence Squad 13's floor, it felt nostalgic being here with Choirmen and Anthony, but it also felt hollow without the presence of Risa Wickett, Kendrick Rorsche, and Indra Harmony. Even if all three of them were, face it, assholes.

But back then, in the very beginning, things had seemed simpler. Etched on Choirmen and Anthony's faces right now was a grave duty of the complexity of the task ahead; a part of me wanted them to run, to hide. I was putting them in danger, but they stayed brave in the face of it all, and I was especially surprised by Anthony's resolve.

I'd given him a few days to make his decision, I told him as such, but he spoke up in that Christmas meeting with fervor. "Skeleton killed my mother, Soul Killer tried to make me some sad note in your story, Diana. Dogwhistler tried to kill my aunt. Fuck them, Diana. We're destroying The Uncaged."

And it hadn't faltered, I was worried for him, one day he was looking to save me from Soul Killer, the next he woke up to a changed world. A world where Skeleton was taking the reigns, Soul Killer was a public menace, and The Dogwhistler had run to retirement…

Was it right for me to not chase her down right now? At Twilight's behest, she assured us that Elsa was taking a step in the right direction and if we tried to drag her back the results would be disastrous… I was tired of corpses being used like this. Even dead, you couldn't be respected.

That didn't make things easy for Alex, but she grimly accepted it. Or put on the appearance that she had, but the distinct flares of pain in her soul directed to Twilight spoke volumes. I had to be careful with the two of them.

"Hey," Anthony laid some boxes of his stuff down before he poked my arm, "you look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Are you okay?"

"No." I responded dimly.

He awkwardly chuckled, rubbing his head. "Yeah, uh, that was a stupid question for me to ask. You're obviously not, I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything… and your injuries are…"

I pulled my glove tighter. "It's fine, a little unstable, but… there's ways for me to control it. Twilight tested something out with me and… we just need time to figure things out."

"It's been six months since you've had your Implant, right…?" He looked over at a calendar. "Six months and this entire city's been turned upside down, from my granddad's death to all of this. And… now I know the only reason he has this city under control was because he was working with Soul Killer… Dogwhistler, wouldn't put it past that he was playing golf with Skeleton. Then my aunt, split between two minds, treated like a damn tool by everyone around us… and Omen's taken her place."

He barked to himself, finding some amusement in the absurdity of things. "All I ever wanted was to play guitar and make a song or two."

"You don't need to-"

"Yeah, I do." He turned to me, eyes honest as his fingers came to rest on my hands. "I… might have been nothing but an eyesore to my family, but someone's got to make things right. I can't run away from this, can't run away from anything, not anymore."

"Thank you." I held onto his fingers a little tighter, unwise thoughts echoing in my head.

"But I have to ask…" He pulled away a little, taking a second to formulate a question. "Why does… everyone think you have a thing with Ripley? It's like I can't search up Silvereye on the net without every other result having his name next to yours. Forgive me for... uh, prying, but you and that asshole didn't-"

"I didn't!" I rubbed my forehead, a little bit frustrated. "Things were just… he ended up being a lot more powerful than I thought he would be, dependable too. And- and... understanding. For while it lasted. He… he did help, until he didn't. I thought we had a partnership, but it was all just a lie for him to get what he wanted and now that he got it, I have to clean up his mess."

"Yeah, thought so, rumors are rumors." Anthony discarded. "But… I can tell something's off with you, about him…"

"Because, yeah, he has the other half of my powers. I... I've seen into his memories, Anthony. When his heart beat, I could feel it in my chest. More than anyone, I could feel into his soul and understand it, or I thought I could… and for a moment I thought I was friends with him. It was stupid of me to ever… to have ever gotten involved with him in that capacity." I grabbed my hair, more confused than ever.

"You know… my power feels different now." Anthony whispered. "When I woke up, I got a bunch of Meta-Mutations… my Mutation, Soul Whisper, I think it's what you called a Deviant Mutation?"

"Has 'Soul' in the name." I commented. "That's a pattern."

"Point is… Diana, it's upgrade is making me very confident in my assumption of your feelings?" He shrugged, a conflicted look appearing on his face.

"And what's that?" I shot him a hard look.

"Best way to describe it is… it feels like you went through a break-up." He announced with a bit of hesitance, and my cheeks reddened.

I stayed silent as I considered his words, before I groaned into my hand. "I'm willing to admit that… he made me consider more than a friendship… for a moment."

"I fucking knew it!" Twilight shouted in my head, as she appeared in front of my eyes, she shook her head at me before giving out a long drawn out sigh as she hugged me. "Guess we're birds of a feather, breaking up with the same man."

"Okay, now you're taking it too far." I tried pushing her back, but my fingers slipped through her. Anthony looked at me in confusion, so I clarified. "Twilight's just… teasing me."

Twilight propped her elbow on my shoulder, studying Anthony before whispering at me. "So is he gonna be your rebound?"

"What? No!" I shouted to her.

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"What's going on?" Anthony asked.

Twilight mumbled. "I mean… yeah, probably not wise. But hey, what say you and me go to the Hellfire Club and dance our grief away? You know, with you as Lillian Rose?"

"Twilight, I… have better things to focus on." I glared at her, but she gave me a mischievous grin before petting my head.

"There, there, Silvereye. We'll make sure you forget all about your non-existent fling with my ex." She then sighed and vanished, she'd been doing that a lot. Popping up at the worst times.

Anthony scratched his chin. "So you now have an AI living in your head?"

"I prefer her daughter." I sighed, before seeing that all of Anthony's stuff was packed in. "So, ready to move to Spec-Ops?"

"About that…" Anthony took a deep breath. "I think I'm gonna quit the police."

"Oh- wait… but you said-?"

"Let me clarify." He put his hands up. "I… Well, Dryder took me out to a bar the other day, he's an asshole but that's exactly how I remember him back when he was… Derrick. I think… I don't think it's wise for me to be in the police, not with Omen running things. So maybe it would be better if I became… a private investigator… sort of like his apprentice, I guess?"

"Apprentice? Oh god, he's gonna kill you." I deadpanned.

"Yeah, but… that way, I think we can cover more ground. I can't hold back with my powers anymore, and whatever Ripley's revival serum did gave it a serious boost. Dryder said it would be wise if I talked with…" He gulped. "The Crimson Heart."

"She… she has your aunt, as well. Maybe that's not the worst idea. I've been thinking that you could help her." I admitted, but I was uncomfortable with the idea of Anthony delving into that lane of the law.

"I know you're uncomfortable." He said. "You're a really open book, you know? But don't worry, I know last time I tried to get ahead and do stuff on my own, I fucked things up for you. So we'll play things smarter, take every advantage we get. That's the only way we can get past these Uncaged assholes. We know what we're dealing with now, we know what cautions to take care off, from now on… we'll become what this city needs."

"You're right." I nodded. "And you don't even need to use that Mutation to convince me."

"I really don't, you're good enough on your own. After all, you're-"

"-Silvereye" At the mention of my name, I felt control slip into my body. The right arm that had felt foreign to me suddenly became inert and a vessel of my power. "Huh… that's an interesting development. Could you call me Diana now?"

"Uh," his face scrunched in bewilderment. "Sure thing, you're…"

"-Diana" And then, my arm felt heavy and separated from me. Looking over at Anthony, it was clear now that his powers had taken a significant change from Ripley's revival serum. If I had to think, he likely used Soul Killer's Revenant Serum to engineer the cure in the first place. "Okay, I don't know how to explain this, but you're interacting with one of my Mutations. It basically causes my emotions to enhance the effects of certain mutations… when you call me Silvereye, I feel more… in control. We'll need to use that."

"Oh? Should I just start calling you a bunch of names to see how you react?" He chuckled, and I lightly smacked him with my left hand.

Then, I moved in to hug him again. "I missed you, man."

"I wish I could say the same, but I didn't exactly have the concept of time while I was in a coma." He laughed next to my ear, and I took a risk.

I kissed him on the cheek. He was stunned for a moment, before rubbing the spot where my lips met his skin. "I- uh… Diana-"

"I know." I gave an understanding nod. "Let's just give things some time…"

"Actually, I was going to say that…" He gulped. "Even though I'm quitting the force, I don't think you and I would be a good… match."

"O-oh." I took a step back, genuinely surprised.

"I mean…" His words stumbled on his lips. "You have to understand that I'm kind of able to sense your… let's call it a fluctuating emotional state? And uh, let's say that knowing your emotions effect your powers and that I'm able to effect your emotions could lead to a lot of… I don't know? Complications? Besides, we both have a lot of stuff to clear out on our plates and if I'm being honest I think I've realized that I might just sort of be a re-"

"Yeah, no, you're being smart and mature about it." I puckered my mouth before he could say anything else. "Uh, I suppose if you're not going to join Spec-Ops, we should probably get your stuff back to your place."

He nodded. "Yeah, we should, I'm glad I woke up just in time to spend New Years with my dad."

Awkwardly, I chuckled. "What a coincidence… I have the same plan."

———

11:30 PM

The Diamond Meridian Plaza was one of the most sought after hotels in all of Westcrook. The architecture was utterly alien to me, twisting platforms of flowing metal moved under my feet and walls of solidified light apparated between the hallways to make the hotel feel… sophisticated in a way that Westcrook was too crude to be. If I had to guess, it was a slice of the Corporate Cities installed in Westcrook, a home away from home for those Golds and Titaniums on rare business trips.

Brian Ulrich had the penthouse suite. A butler guided me to the door, opening the door as my father lounged in a hot-tub located in the main living room for some reason. "There you are," he laughed, tapping his frame as cloth weaved from his neck down his body to create a fashionable suit. "What do you think?"

"I hate it." I commented.

"You know I rented this place out for you for the next year, right?" He raised his eyes. "Only the best for Corporal Silvereye."

"I'll make a visit every once in a while to trash the place." I walked past him, finding a floating mini-fridge from which I took out whatever seemed like the most expensive liquor. As I did, a new bottle suddenly appeared in place with a beam of light.

"If you're curious, yeah, it teleported." He barked, his suit which had been wet was now utterly dry. "So, let's talk business. I've got a full tour for you to go on across New California, you'll be meeting a lot of investors for the next few months and-"

"Send them to me." I pulled the cork out with my teeth, moving to the wide windows which fizzled out at my touch and let me step onto the balcony. "I'm a woman whose time is very precious."

"Wow," I could feel him smiling behind me. "Now you're thinking with your genes, good that you finally recognized what you got the authority for."

"Of course, I'm Diana Ulrich." I looked back as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I repeated myself, slower and more focused on each word. "Diana… Ulrich, born in a Cradle using genetic material donated from you. Your sperm. I've been curious, whose egg was I born from?"

His smile remained unwavering. "A gal named Elen, though she lives all the way in New Atlantis."

"Don't you think it's fair I get to know who my mother is as well?" I sloshed the liquor in the bottle, gulping some.

"Not exactly, she'd only be exploitive of your new status. I know corporates like her well." He leaned in on the railing, looking down to the eager masses of the Pleasure Lanes awaiting the New Year's grand show. Here, we stood above them — as was my supposed birthright.

But was it my only birthright?

"What's the Founder Gene?" I flicked by gaze to him, and in those two words, I caught him in utter surprise.

His hands tightened around the hardlight railing, it glowed brighter with the tension he squeezed into it. His words, usually so suave, came out hardened and serious. "Where did you hear about that?"

"Not your business, but I know enough." I bluffed.

"Shit." He looked away from me, silver eyes drifting back to the city's mesmerizing glow. "You have to understand, this shit will get you killed… how many people have you told?"

"Oh, I thought the Uncaged were a threat enough, what's got you so terrified?" I taunted.

"It's in the fucking name."

"Founder." I said the word with the merit it deserved. "And a Founder Gene, doesn't take a genius to guess that likely… that's something which is passed on."

"You're right about that. So you don't need to know anymore. You probably figured it out." He barked, but I wouldn't let him get away from this topic.

"Then what's my real last name. If it's not Jones, not Ulrich… tell me who my fucking mother was and why it's such a big deal!" I gripped his arm, but no matter how much I tried to squeeze I couldn't even meet his skin… like there was a thin barrier of air solidified between us.

"If you know, then you have to pull up your big girl pants and accept that it's a secret which will get you killed if the wrong person hears about it." He shook his head. "And I'll be helpless to stop it, no matter how far I climb."

"Tell me. It's the one thing I'm asking from you… as your daughter." I squeezed tighter, but not out of anger.

Brian Ulrich commanded his breath to an ease, leaving the worst of his fears behind him as he reached for the bottle in my hand and drank it all in one go.

Then, he let out one word. "Mazhyr."

With the slightest flick of his finger, the glass bottle evaporated into shiny dust. "You're the granddaughter of Beauregard Mazhyr. Founder of The Free Cities."

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