When I finished up my session, I came out to see that Abby was gone.

I was met by a soldier who explained that she was called away to an urgent meeting. Whatever it was about I wasn't privileged enough to know, but it sounded important at the very least. Regardless, the guard showed me out of the building and there was a ride waiting for me.

I was taken back and dropped off in the school parking lot, where I promptly took my car and drove it back to my workshop. As I pulled up, I was met with a rather unusual sight.

Sam sat on the corner of the sidewalk with her head on her knees. When she heard me approaching, she looked up and waved. She was still dressed in her school uniform, so it seemed like she had just arrived.

I pulled in just outside the garage and stopped. Sam didn't move, so I decided to get out to see what the problem was. She offered a smile and another wave.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," I replied, strolling over. She turned back to stare at the asphalt. "Is everything okay? You're not one to mope like this."

"I'm fine— which isn't code for 'I'm not fine' by the way. It's just nice and cool out here so I didn't feel like staying inside. Come and sit," she patted the ground next to her, insisting with uncharacteristically pleading eyes. "C'mon. Sit with me for a bit and let's just enjoy some normalcy."

I snorted in amusement. I didn't contest her request and promptly dropped down next to her.

"Weren't you the one going on about leaving behind our normal lives because having powers is going to take us all over anyway?"

A smile broke out across her face.

"Dumbass, I'm still right about that. Doesn't mean we can't just sit down and enjoy the little things," she took a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction. "Mmm, carbon monoxide, concrete dust, and oh—" mock ecstasy overwhelmed her. "—microplastics. I'll tell you Max, it really gets me going. Mhm, yes sir. Love it, love it, love it."

"Ha ha," I mused, giving her a pointed look. "What's going on with you really? Seriously, I wouldn't say I'm weirded out just yet, but we are definitely getting there. This isn't like you."

"You don't know me," Sam's reply came out tired as the smile dropped off her face. There was no aggression or vitriol behind those words, just sad recognition. "Or maybe you do. Thinking about it I haven't really hidden anything from you, nothing important anyway. Stuff about my past wouldn't really change anything. I'm just… me— which is kinda weird because… I feel like you shouldn't know me."

Something was seriously wrong. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach, and every instinct I had told me that whatever it was, it wasn't good. I couldn't let her wallow around outside like this because she clearly didn't have her head on straight.

"Why don't we go inside? We can get everyone together and—"

"Nah," Sam interrupted me. "I really don't feel like it right now. I just need some time out here, away from all that." She threw out a hand and dismissively waved at the garage. "I'd like it if you could just… hang out with me for a bit. There's stuff I wanna talk about — super stuff. Something did happen at school today, but I'll get to that."

"...Okay," I said slowly, shifting to find a more comfortable position. "Don't leave me hanging for too long. I'm expecting Splicers equipment tonight and I want to start analyzing it properly."

"Ahuh," Sam replied disinterestedly. "The stuff is already here. I helped move it in."

I turned and looked back at the garage, and there was a truck parked outside my workshop.

"That's good to hear. One step closer."

Sam said nothing, and the look on her face betrayed her true feelings about the subject. All that did was add to my concern. On any other day, Sam would be talking about ways to utilize this tech for our benefit.

Now, it was like she didn't even care.

"You don't seem that excited about it," I observed calmly. "If we can crack those secrets like Gaea did, that doesn't just mean an upgrade for me. What could that mean for you? For Liam?"

"It's a nice thought, but I'm not in any hurry to jump a tank. After what happened to Mia it doesn't seem like a good idea," Sam said softly. "I don't think I have it in me either. There's too much that can go wrong."

I felt blindsided by her admission, and I suddenly felt like I had wasted my time.

"So it was all for nothing?"

"No," Sam grumbled. "I didn't say that. It's still good tech to have and I'm sure you can find other uses for it. Trying to imitate what Gaea achieved doesn't feel like it's the right way to go. Are you telling me it doesn't concern you that you're trying to mess with something you have no understanding of?"

"The whole point was that his tech can give me that understanding," I argued. "You said it yourself, Gaea being capable of this changes everything, and if she thinks I'm going to switch sides just on that temptation alone, she's sorely mistaken. She screwed up by showing me the possibility. I'm not going to just let that sit when I know the limits of my power can be expanded."

Sam groaned and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm going to be honest, I think we fucked up pushing for that tech," she said. I frowned, but she refused to meet my gaze. "Your power is incredible, but you still can't interface with biology and Splicer's specialty is some kind of biotech. Playing around with his stuff is risky – really risky. We might have it now, but… Max, don't chase this too hard."

"Are you kidding? You pushed just as hard as I did," I murmured. "Where's this coming from?"

Sam turned away.

"Please, I'll get to it. Just give me time."

There was a tremble in her voice.

The fuck?

I was properly concerned now.

Whatever could have Sam acting like this must have been big. Everything in me was screaming to push her for answers, but that might just make her close up; she already didn't want to talk to the rest of the team. Plus, if there was immediate danger, she'd have said so by now.

"You're freaking me out."

"With all that we've been through so far, this is what freaks you out?"

"You've always shared information, that's how we work. You don't mince words either. Whatever is bothering you has you rattled, I've never seen you like this, Sam." I watched her reaction carefully, noting her distinct lack of desire to interject. "See, now is when I would expect you to cut in and say I made an incorrect assumption three weeks ago based on the breakfast you ordered, and that threw my whole line of thinking off. You still did even when we were facing down Grim, but you're not now."

"Is that so bad? Everyone seems to hate it. Liam still gives me weird looks, Mia is hesitant to even approach me, and your friend doesn't seem keen on me either. I never thought being cordial could be so… so insulting."

I wanted to offer some advice, but what could I honestly say? Sam always had to be the one in control with all the answers. It never bothered me because she had been in my corner from the start. I trusted her to watch my back, and she trusted me. She saved my ass from The Cains, from becoming Mirage's pet Mechakinetic. Everything from there was just a bonus.

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"You can't help it, you said it yourself. It's part of your power. You can't turn it off or tune it out, I know what that's like," I gave her a supportive shoulder pat. "I can't get new ideas out of my head. Do you have any idea how hard it is to resist spending charges on stupid things just to make my life easier?"

Sam's smile returned, but it seemed lighter. There was no smugness to it like there usually was. No grin that made it seem like she was pitying your feeble, inferior intelligence.

This smile was… warm. Cute?

That description felt wrong for Sam, but it was true.

"Yeah, I can imagine. That console Liam has in his room looks pretty wild," she leaned over and gave me a light nudge. "Bet you had all sorts of fun spicing that thing up. TV too, man… that thing looks amazing."

"All the creature comforts. Back when I got my power I'd repair my blankets since it'd make my bed in the process. I still do it every so often."

"Bastard!" Sam giggled. "I bet it even removes the sweat stains. Better question is what the ultimate pillow would look like. Do you know?" She asked curiously. "Does it put you to sleep immediately and give you the best rest imaginable?"

"I wouldn't know," I chuckled, sharing in her amusement. "I've never dived that deeply into pillow improvements. Before, I turned them all into memory foam and then didn't really look into it much more. I figured I'd get better value out of using it on electronics."

"Yeah… you certainly did. Still can't help but wonder," Sam said wistfully. "We should retire. Go into the furniture business or maybe real estate. That would be fun… I think. Pink doesn't think so, but I don't care. I like it. You think we could do real estate?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Sure, Sam. Real Estate is our calling."

"One can dream… I did silly things with my powers at first too," she said, changing gears and backtracking to the previous topic. "I'd mess with my teammates with Pink; super speed made it easy."

"Oh yeah?"

"You betcha. I started getting nosey with Gold after Pink and I had our fun, but…" her smile twisted and became tense. "That's when I started to realize how messed up everything was. I started off small and only asked her innocent questions. I figured out that my rookie leader wasn't just being nice to make me feel included. He…" Sam shuddered. "Some people are gross."

"Yikes."

"Yup. Gold didn't hold anything back. She'd just tell it to me straight. Little Miss Super Special Aspect had her innocence shattered pretty quickly," she exhaled. "It's kinda sad. I don't have any fond memories of Gold. It's all just… she's—" Sam paused for a moment. "Just like that I guess."

Sam started fidgeting with her fingers, and I could tell whatever was eating her was getting worse.

"Sam—"

"Not yet."

"I know, I know. It's just… Alright, fine."

I was starting to get impatient, but I just had to trust it wasn't anything too important.

Sam sent a sympathetic smile my way and leaned into me.

"You overthink too much – which is ironic coming from me, I know. Like the dinner with Wildfire, yeah it's risky, but I can't fault you for trying to take the initiative. They're a big problem and getting Wildfire into a position where he's vulnerable could do some serious damage to Pandora. It was a headstrong approach and sometimes those are needed."

"Lucy doesn't want him hurt, which complicates things. Mia doesn't want to start another war, and Liam's probably going to side with her," I said, trying to lay things out on the table so we could both understand. "This… it's the perfect opportunity to take him down, but if we can't do that, then scraping him for information is the next best thing. Then I run into the problem of 'what information?' What am I even supposed to get from him without giving myself away?"

Sam was quiet and appeared distant, as if she were lost in her own thoughts. I knew she was listening, but I was suspicious that my words weren't having as big of an impact as I had hoped.

"Maybe it doesn't need to be complicated," Sam shrugged. "Just have dinner with him, there doesn't need to be an ulterior motive."

Stunned, I stared at her. We both agreed before that this could be a situation to take advantage of, but her dismissal was bizarre. Sure, there was no desperate need right now, but to suggest that I not even try? It twisted my stomach and made me feel… wrong.

"C'mon, are you serious? You think we should just trash this?"

"Shit's happened, Max, and now it's all had time to sink in. Ajax's war machines aren't just here to clean up Grim's mess. Something's causing those earthquakes and The Mothership is sticking around for some reason," Sam said. "Mirage is still a big problem, and we're no closer to figuring out how to kill him than we were a week ago. Richard and Seraphim—" Sam stopped, her lips snapping shut as she ripped her eyes away from me. "Fuck… I'm still not— I can't."

"What?"

I felt blindsided as the realization struck me.

"You said something happened at school today. Seraphim and her boyfriend?"

Sam twitched, and I saw Red take over. She began shaking violently, her knuckles going white as she crushed the sidewalk to dust in her hand.

"I should have bled him dry the moment I saw him."

Sam jolted again, and Blue was back in the pilot's seat. Her head fell into her hands, and for a moment, I was struck with indecision. I reached and rubbed her back in small circles. After some time, she regained her composure and stared defiantly across the street.

"I let my guard down for an instant, and paid for it. I overstepped and fucked up. Dammit, I should have seen it coming!" She angrily stamped the pavement with the soles of her feet. Over and over, she smashed them until the sides of her school shoes split open. "Should have realized the moment Nikki freaked out that she would've spilled the beans. I've been so caught up with all our planning that I – nor Gold – could see what was right in front of me."

"What happened?" I asked, itching with barely restrained anger. "What did they do to you?"

"He walked right into our school and twisted the minds of every ECU guard that accosted him, they just let him past, didn't even know something was wrong. I was in the bathroom when Nikki gave him the green light. I sensed it coming and tried to get out, but they… they cornered me." I saw the hint of moisture in her eyes as she quickly wiped them. "He stopped me from running with his power. His words — some form of… of emotional control. Inhibition of–of something, fuck," she wiped her eyes again. "He just told me not to move and I couldn't do anything. Gold actually forced me out – she promised she would never, but she did. She forced me out of control and wouldn't give it back."

I blinked in disbelief.

"I… I thought your powers couldn't do that?"

"I can control them to an extent, but they can force their way if they want. We have an understanding that I'm best suited as the main driver," Sam's voice was starting to become hoarse. "The danger sense helps me anticipate the danger. Most of the time, I switch to Pink so I can safely reposition. It just so happens that I'm the closest personality to what I was like before."

"Before being?"

"Back when I was on my medication? Gee, it's a bit of a blur," Sam said sarcastically. It was my question tread on sensitive ground. "I was mostly like this, though more awkward and quiet. I didn't like talking to people much because I always weirded them out." Her laugh was bitter. "That much hasn't changed, at least. My powers gave me confidence, direction, and a semblance of control over my own mind, but I've never been able to make friends – not ones that were worth keeping at least."

Puzzle pieces I never seemed to take notice of clicked into place. Sam's power didn't give her a Dissociative Identity Disorder, it empowered it.

"You already had multiple personalities before your awakening," I said softly. I wasn't sure how to feel. Sam wouldn't appreciate the pity, but I couldn't help but feel it anyway. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It's not something I like to talk about because… well, what is there to talk about? All that stuff is in the past and I'm a very different person now, we all are," her voice hitched. "But, something happened and I'm not sure what to do."

Richard…

The name was starting to boil my blood just as much as Mirage.

"What did he do to you?" I asked slowly, checking to see if she had any injuries I missed. I couldn't see any wounds, and there was no blood. The only thing that stood out to me was that her uniform looked dirtier than usual. "Did he hurt you?"

"Not physically," Sam lifted a hand and tapped her head. "Just up here. Turns out I'm resistant to his power. He didn't take too kindly to that." Her lips thinned, and I saw her flicker back and forth between Red and Blue. "He tried to wring information out of me to figure out why I was so interested in him and Nikki. It didn't take long for them to figure out that I had powers."

Hearing that Sam's cover was blown didn't surprise me. Given the way she was acting, I was already prepared for bad news. None of that stopped the anger simmering inside me.

Richard was a dead man.

"Well, you're still here so I imagine he didn't get what he wanted."

"No," Sam inhaled sharply. "He didn't, but that doesn't mean I came out unscathed. I—" she paused and took another breath. I expected her to continue, but she stayed quiet. I sat there listening to her slowly breathe in and out like she was trying to stop herself from having a panic attack. "He hurt her," Sam's voice turned guttural. "She knew what would happen and took the brunt of the assault anyway."

"Who? Seraphim?" I asked, confused.

Sam shook her head.

"No. Gold," Sam turned and met my eyes. She didn't bother to hide her pain and fear. "I can't hear her anymore, Max. She's gone." Her face twisted, and the tears finally overflowed. "He killed her."

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