Ronnie woke the next morning hours before his alarm went off. Sleep had been entirely out of reach. He spent the night tossing and turning, mind racing with the possibilities of tomorrow. “What are we going to do first?” he wondered. “When do I get a code name? Or a costume?” Everything was just too exciting to think about, like the first day of school, Christmas, and a vacation all rolled into one. 

Giving up on sleep, he leapt out of bed and got ready for the day. Ronnie was surprised to see that the bruise under his eye was already healing up, less purple, and more of a sickly green. The welts across the rest of his body were also starting to fade, while the pain under his ribs had changed from a sharp jolt to a heavy throb. Ronnie hoped that the memories of that night would fade away as well. He had a new life to look forward to now. 

Ronnie sat in the dark kitchen and ate a bowl of cereal before leaving a note on the table for Greg. His father was still asleep, and it seemed to be one of the first good night’s rest he had gotten in weeks. Heading out, not sure when I’ll be home. -R

The air outside was damp and humid. Dew still shimmered on the lawn, and a few birds were singing in the trees that lined the quiet street. The dingy old neighborhood was peaceful at this time of day. Soon everyone would be waking up, and more traffic would head down the road. But for now, Ronnie was enjoying the quiet. 

He started on his way towards the bus stop when something on the street caught his eye. The black town car that Taran used the night before was still sitting at the curb. Ronnie thought this was odd, as he had assumed the car would have automatically driven back to the Syndicate headquarters after Silver Cyclone few off on his emergency. But there it was, glossy black paint job shining bright in the early morning glow. Ronnie approached the car and studied it. “I wonder…” he thought. 

“Hello?” Ronnie said out loud to the vehicle. 

“IDENTITY REQUIRED,” a metallic voice responded. 

“Ronnie Nolan.” 

“IDENTITY NOT RECOGNIZED” 

“Well, shit.” 

An idea sparked. Ronnie reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Inside was the red keycard that Maya had given him when he first arrived at the Syndicate. He had forgotten to give it back to Taran when he left to go home. Ronnie held the card out and tapped it on the silver door handle. There was a metallic ring, and the door popped open. 

“ACCESS GRANTED. WELCOME, SYNDICATE GUEST” 

“Yes!” Ronnie got into the back seat of the car. “Syndicate Headquarters, please.” The car chimed, and the navigation route lit up on the screen in front of him. The car pulled away from the curb and zipped down the street. The storefronts he passed were still dark. Ronnie thought about what he’d typically be doing on a day like this. Probably just getting ready to fall asleep after a long diner shift. 

The diner. Ronnie called out to the computer. “I need to make a stop first. Take me to Rita’s Diner.” He felt the engine shift as the car seamlessly detoured down a side street and started heading away from the city center. 

The sign above the diner glowed red and orange in the murky light as Ronnie rolled up. He could see through the windows that the place was mostly empty. It was too late for the barflies, but still too early for anyone coming in for breakfast. The bell above the door jingled as he pushed his way inside, and a head popped up in the kitchen window. 

“Ronnie! What are you doing here?” 

“Hi Mari, you got a second to chat?” 

“Sure thing, be right out!” 

Ronnie found a seat in the corner booth and waited. The smell of strong coffee and bacon grease permeated everything, and he took a moment to soak up the silence of the restaurant. Everything seemed so bright with fluorescent lights glinting off of the chrome-accented counter and bright red and blue vinyl furniture. After a while, Mari came over with two cups of coffee and slid into the booth. 

“Shit, what happened to your face?” 

“Long story. Got held up the other night on the walk home.” 

“Damn. Sorry man. You doing OK?” 

He nodded and took a sip of coffee. “Mari, some stuff has happened, and I won’t be able to come to work anymore. At least not for a while.” 

She looked concerned and leaned in closer to him. “Are you in trouble?" 

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Ronnie glanced around to confirm that they were alone. No one else had come into the diner since he had arrived. “I’m, um… I’m going to be starting a Syndicate internship. I’m told it’s the same one that you did?” He let the question hang in the air. 

Mari raised her eyebrows in surprise as she took a drink of coffee. “I see. Well, that’s certainly something. It’s a little late for you to be starting, isn’t it?” 

“Apparently. I’m still trying to figure things out.” 

“Pretty scary, isn’t it?” 

Ronnie nodded. 

“Who’d they have you training with?” 

“Not sure yet. Silver Cyclone got me signed up. 

“No shit? Weather Boy’s doing orientations now? When I was there he was still early in his training,” she chuckled softly. “That kid took everything way too seriously.” 

Ronnie grinned. That sounded exactly like Taran. “I was told that you decided to not stay with the Syndicate. Why is that?” 

Mari sighed and took another drink. “The Syndicate and I didn’t quite see eye to eye on some things. They do alright on global level events, but a lot of the small neighborhood stuff falls through the cracks. Sure, they’re always there to stop a big bank from being robbed, but what about that?” She pointed to Ronnie’s bruised eye. “They don’t stop you from doing things on your own, but you can forget about any kind of official support. Besides, my family needs me more than the Syndicate does right now. I still try to do a neighborhood patrol when I can. Sorry I wasn’t able to keep you from getting beat up.” 

“It’s OK. If you stopped it, I might not have manifested any powers. Or done it during a time that would have been even more dangerous.” 

“I suppose that’s true. What can you do anyway?” 

“I.. I don’t really know how to explain it. Force fields, I guess?” he motioned with his hands “Like, big green energy domes.” 

“That’s pretty rad.” 

“What about you?” Ronnie's voice rose in excitement. It was so cool to talk about super powers with another person. 

Mari shrugged. “I lift a lot of heavy stuff, and I throw it at people.” 

“That’s awesome!” 

“Yeah. It’s also nice for when people park in front of the dumpster out back.” 

Ronnie watched the steam rise from his coffee cup and thought for a moment. There was something else he needed to know. “Mari, how do you keep it from your family?” 

“It’s tough. But it’s better than putting them in danger. Mom had enough worries about me taking over the night shift, and it took forever to prove to her I could handle it. Can you imagine if she knew I was super powered? Keeping your family out of the loop is just part of the job.” 

That wasn’t exactly what Ronnie was hoping to hear. He wanted to be told that it was possible to be a hero and not keep it a secret from the people he was closest to. But maybe Mari had a point. If something happened to his father, Ronnie knew he would never forgive himself. 

Ronnie and Mari talked for a while longer until a group of people came in looking for breakfast. Mari stood up to take their orders but turned back to the booth. 

“Good luck, Ronnie. Stay safe. And say hi to Taran for me.” 

“Thanks, Mari, I will. Tell Rita I’m sorry I couldn’t see her before I had to leave.” He finished his coffee and headed for the door. Ronnie had thought that talking with Mari might give him some clarity, as they came from similar backgrounds. Instead, he left with the same uncertainty as before.