Unfortunately, before I can probe any further, I hear something—mumbled, frantic, distant. "Shit, shit, shit."

I turn my head to find Three, dressed in a slightly different lost and found outfit, crouched in the corner. Not like before, when she was sitting. No, she's kneeling and scratching at the tiled floor. I frown, watching her do so, trying to figure out if what I'm seeing is from the past or the present. Unfortunately, this is one of the rare times where I can hardly tell.

I watch the version of Three from a different time as she continues clawing at the floor ruthlessly. I can't help the look of surprise on my face when she finally begins to make a dent, though. My eyes widen in shock as I watch the tiled floor crumble under her desperate scratching, and the way in which it does so throws me for a loop. It defies the laws of gravity and even the integrity of the tile with the way it falls apart under her touch. It's breaks like a cracker or a carrot would, but it has the consistency and texture of sand.

Once this happens, I finally hear the ringing. It's a ringtone unlike I've anything I've heard before.

I've never seen anything like it. I watch the floor crumble under her bloody, ruined fingers. She begins digging around until finally producing what appears to be some sort of device. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. I didn't even think today's technological advancements allowed for something like this, which is saying something. It's almost hologram-esque, similarly shaped to a cell phone but as thin as construction paper. I can see through it, which means I can see the call symbol flashing on the screen of it, with a contact name that just reads Unknown.

Three fastens the device to her ear, and I realize the dirt smudge on her cheek is actually dried blood from her hands, which are practically stripped of flesh from all the aggressive digging.

As soon as the villain has the futuristic earpiece on, it molds to her face. It blends in, practically becomes a part of her. If I didn't see her dig it out and put it on, I would have no idea the device was present to begin with.

"Look, I've done... I've done everything. They're always listening, I can't—"

Three must be cut off by a voice on the other end, because she stops speaking abruptly. I walk around the room so that I'm closer to the scene, but even when I kneel on the floor beside this version of Three, I can't hear the voice on the other end.

I begin to wonder if this girl is a time traveler or something. Sorry, but this technology is insane. I've never seen anything like it. She must have military ties or something, I don't know. That's the only thing I can think of.

"I know, I'm not. I'll get out, I promise." Okay, it's difficult to tell what she's talking about or who she's talking to in the context of the conversation. However, I think I caught that. She wants to escape, and if she's making promises, she's likely quite confident in her ability to do so.

"I promise," she tells the person, an expression of determination on her face, lips pursed. "I've done it before, I'll do it again. One and Two can fuck off, they've always thought they were better than me."

There's visible confidence in her demeanor, and it's quite a contrast to the girl I'm in the presence of now. As I study the colors and the lighting, I'm able to figure out that this interaction is from the past, though quite recent. The police must've assumed she was talking to herself when she was having this conversation. They must think she's crazy.

I wonder how much she's said that they've written off under the assumption she's crazy or in shock or something.

I wonder if it was intentional.

I know something about people thinking you're crazy when you're not, and the Three I'm seeing in this vision is very different from the Three currently in my company. It must be an act, so she can speak to whoever this person is and have everyone assume it means nothing. Even the part of the floor that somehow split open to present her the device was positioned perfectly so the table was in the way of the police's view of it.

These people are really careful. I've always known that, but I'm practically being slapped in the face with it at the moment. If I didn't have my ability, if I couldn't see through time, I'd have likely written her off just like everyone else.

"Trust me, they're scared. They had to break hero law to get their hands on me." She says so quietly that there's no way the microphones in the room picked it up. The only reason I can hear her is because I'm currently crouched right next to her past form. "But I'll be back. Soon."

She pauses as I assume the person on the other end answers. I have to assume this is her boss, the man she's referenced to the police. Of course, that could've been a ploy, too. I have no idea how much I can trust the things this girl says, but I'm willing to bet it's about as far as I can throw her.

There's one thing I'm sure of, though. The technology at her fingertips and the way the floor broke apart like nothing gives me the idea that she has access to some real power.

Three frowns at whatever the other person says, seeming to think for a moment. "Uh, I don't know. It was the purple one. The guy, I think he's dating Lacy Loveless?"

Okay, uh oh. I'm going to assume that Three describing me to this person is not good. Yeah, definitely not. The numbered having their eyes on me is something I should've expected, since I want to catch them more than anything. They're the only villains who have ever gotten the best of me, I want them all to fucking die.

Still, it's not ideal. I prefer staying under the radar in situations such as these. I'm not sure there was much I could've done, though. We barely caught Three to begin with.

"Okay. Got it." Three says a moment later, before touching a spot on her face deliberately, which I assume ties into the device on her face somehow. Then, the vision ends, and I'm back to the present.

I'm crouched in the corner, Three looking at me strangely and Day simply waiting patiently for me to be done. I stand up, running a hand through my hair and frowning. I don't even know what to make of what I just saw. Zaman was right, this is difficult to put together, especially since I don't know what all I can trust.

She clearly has a boss, someone who must be quite powerful if he was able to warp the floor—a hard, tiled surface—like that, since that definitely was not her ability. If he's that powerful, though... couldn't he free her himself? Maybe not. I don't know anything about this ability, all I know is that it was freaky to watch.

They also seem to have a decent relationship, since she didn't appear scared of him at all. It seems as though she's experiencing some competition with the other numbered, if her references to One and Two are anything to go by.

I've never met them. The only notable numbered we have encountered so far are Three, Four, Nine, and Eleven. Seems as though there's a person to go with each digit, which we weren't positive of before. This isn't good, to say the least.

I walk back towards the table, taking my spot next to Day and looking down at Three. She still looks like a mess, but her eyes are sharp. I hadn't noticed that before.

"No, I don't," Three answers my question from before the vision, when I'd asked if she had anything else to share. Her eyes are narrowed on me, and I get the sense she's familiar with my ability. At least familiar enough to have an idea of what I just saw, and she does not look happy about my eavesdropping. I narrow my eyes back, and something about this confrontation feels final. She was talking about escape, after all.

I place both of my hands on the table and lean forward, studying her. She's still fidgeting, but I can tell there's something methodic about it. I take the one side of the conversation I just listened to, and try to figure out a way to use my small amount of new information against her.

Well, the only serious emotional reaction I saw from her—irritation—happened when her fellow numbered were brought up.

"One and Two wouldn't have gotten caught like this," I tell her blandly, and I get an instant reaction. A fire ignites in her eyes, jaw clenching and posture tensing.

"You broke hero law!" She snaps at me, loudly. I feel Day grab my arm, but she doesn't pull me or anything. Yet.

"Still walking, aren't you?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Three growls at me, "mind your business."

I decide not to notify her of the obvious: half my job is not minding my business. I move on, choosing instead to focus on something I noticed at the start of the vision. Sure enough, her hands are nowhere in sight. She has strategically hid them from us this entire time.

"Show me your hands," I tell her, and she's instantly refusing. There's a panic to her anger, the unknown extent of my knowledge visibly stressing her out. She doesn't comply, instead just staring at me like she wants to watch me get shredded into ribbons.

"No."

"Now," Day says, tone resolute. Three flinches, and this time her restlessness and general anxiety seem to be more real. She still doesn't move, though she's shaking in fear, and the fact that she's not listening to Day just goes to show how secretive these people are. We don't want to physically force the girl to do anything, at least not on our first meeting, and I also seem to already have all the information I'll be getting.

I don't think I'll have another vision, at least, and Three isn't budging. So, Day and I cut things short, and multiple cops enter the room to do that job for us. Pretty soon they're able to restrain her enough to physically force her hands out of her pockets, and sure enough, they're covered in dry blood. The skin and muscle have been stripped almost to the bone on her fingers, and it's quite a sight. Maybe she is a little crazy, I can't even begin to comprehend the will it would take to do that to yourself.

"What else did you see?" Zaman asks me, after we've left the room containing Three and are finally back in the lobby. I shrug.

"I'll send you the report." It's exhausting to constantly describe my visions verbally, so I rely on my reports more than any other hero. I have to describe things nobody else saw, after all, so I need to be detailed. The voice to text function on my computer is a godsend, since literacy isn't exactly my strong suit. "You should search her for any kind of communication technology. I've never seen anything like it, but it seems to be giving her access to the other numbered even while in custody."

Zaman is beyond receptive to my information, like she always is, and Day and I are making our exit a while later. We patrol for a bit before eventually heading back to headquarters, where I immediately start on my extensive report. I need to get it to Zaman by tonight or she'll be hounding me about it all day tomorrow.

It's worth it, though, because the sooner I do this, the sooner I can search the square, only bringing me that much closer to finally reaching the center of the numbered.

Surely, Wolfe HSA will back me up on this.