The city is quiet as it is wrecked, as it is whole and untouched in other areas. Otherwise, it's a ghost town. This is the perfect timing and place if anyone dangerous wants to have a talk or make a point. Everything that’s just gone down is overwhelming, but I'm more concerned for my safety at the moment.

I step into the closest bus shelter, and skim my knuckles against a piece of graffiti, activating the protection protocols built within it. These things are designed to withstand anything up to an A-Rank attack, but I’d like to not find out the opposite from personal experience.

Then again, the Doctor's supervillains are more known for efficiency over their patience. I'm sure something like this wouldn't stop them.

A first sensory wave tells me how alone I am exactly. Sparking fallen electrical wires in the east side, a bit more damage to electrical infrastructure in the west, an entire part of the concrete from below burst open and the underground highway's emergency repairbots being deployed--that's about the extent of close, nearby damages. I send another one out, searching. Results from the CCTV cameras throughout the city catch the supervillains leaving by either the other graffiti tags specific to their organization, or other superpowers.

I'm okay. Just was unlucky coincidence, then. My shoulders slump in relief, and then I pull out my phone. According to the in-built map, it’d be four hours to walk home from here, and local transit services are suspended. I almost consider the trek, before I remind myself I have work tomorrow.

Grudgingly, I tap the Bus on Request app, looking for any that're going in the direction back to my place. There's three, but the other two will take over two hours to be here, and the closest one will be here in less than five minutes if I do an extra huge fee. Dammit Burner. I pay and send them my location.

Another steadier and controlled sensory wave later, I've also gone through the Guardian's phone and Lockdown's watch, earlier respect to his threat null and void now that he's upset Burner, and skipped Burner's. There's nothing to sift through there asides from the mildly interesting fact that the Guardian's been looking up PLANTS POISON?, WHAT R EASY PLANTS 4 BEGINNER, WHAT R CLEAN JOKES, FLIRTY JOKES, SEXY JOKES SFW, HOW 2 SEDUCE SUM1, HOW 2 MAKE SUM1 LAUGH, and TEMP DISABLE ANDROIDS. Lockdown’s last call was to Association PR, and I really don’t want to know.

Past the group, in a storage facility on the side of the river, I stretch out to two faint power sources surrounded by the largest areas where the city's electrical grid has the most damage.

No wonder I couldn’t find them earlier. They were almost out of range.

One's is the Sentinel's, controlled and continuous. The other one is the supposedly rogue android. Rogue android's power cycling is steadily dropping, which can only mean that it's been injured somehow, or on its way to powering off. The problem is that there's a massive energy spike every so often. It's agitated; whatever the Sentinel's doing with it is helping only a little. No risk of detonation, though whether that’s been disabled or not, I can’t tell from this far away.

It’s at that moment that my bus arrives. A rectangular prism in the same shade of orange as the uniform of the League officer driving it, the black doors open for me.

“Are you getting on?” the driver asks, when I don’t move. “I have another request pickup to get to.”

I deliberate for only a moment; then I climb on.

By the time Burner calls me to apologize, I've already had to transfer to two buses, each with a different fee. Frustration translates itself to composing a passive aggressive text I almost send in response, except I regret it almost instantly, and a calmer one to Wes asking if she’ll be staying over. She doesn’t answer—must be sleeping or something. I listen to some calming music in my brain and try to breath deeply, only to pick up wayward messages or texts from other passengers in my agitation.

"Sorry," Burner says, as soon as I pick up his call. I made him listen to the ringing for a minute on purpose and he knows it. "I didn't realize Neil would've taken it that badly. You were the first one I thought I should take with me, because he never calls from his work phone and a text from that groupchat means they’re calling for backup. I thought the worst.”

At the moment, I'm sitting sandwiched between a bunch of people who are giving me the sideeye because I've just made all of their devices flicker. I can't even find it in me to be apologetic, but then shame fills me close after. I shrink in my seat. "You didn't say that in front of him," I say, trying to keep my voice level as I press the phone to my ear. “That was uncomfortable as hell. They must think I don’t even know how to use my powers--"

"Nobody thought that," Burner replies. He sounds so confident. I wish I could believe him. "Even if they did, does the opinion of two strangers matter to you when you can send telemarketers to your worst enemies?”

"No. I’m just—“ I try to keep my voice light. Light. “I didn’t like being talked at like that. I guess it’s stupid, or whatever, like I’m still—“ I cut myself off. “Anyway, I’ll get over it.” I can’t keep the feeling out of my voice, and I know if I’m not paying attention, I’ll slip up in public. I know I shouldn't really care. I'll never see these other riders again; if I make it big enough, maybe they’ll recognize me, but it shouldn’t really matter. “Just—“ I breathe out. Try to pull myself in and recenter. “Is he always an asshole like this?”

“You’ve met him twice. Do you really want me to answer that?” Burner asks.

I think about Burner’s exes throughout our time in the Institute. All of them were the complete opposite of Lockdown. “Whatever,” I grumble, rubbing my eyes. I’m tired, but force myself to stand, apologizing when I knock my foot against someone else’s. “I’m getting off at this stop. Thanks for calling to check up, Burner. I appreciate it.”

“I really am going to reimburse you,” Burner says. “Sorry again. Tell Wes I said hi if you see here.”

“Will do.”

The bus drops me off a few blocks away from my place.

I play some classical and take the long way back.