By the time I'm heading to Delta's meeting, I've decided that I need to tell her about the informant business.

Not because I want to. Honestly, I'd prefer if nobody ever knew about that interaction ever again. I'd prefer if my brain stopped replaying every second of it on loop while I'm trying to water plants or feed fish or function in general.

I don't know what to do, though, and she has the right to know that my identity has been exposed. Even if it was mostly her fault for naming me over comms. She'll probably be mad at herself about that later, once she finds out.

The second I arrive at the Main Operative, I can already tell something's different. Nothing crazy, the energy is just louder.

It's not chaotic exactly, none more than usual, but people are acting differently. Excited. People are moving faster. Voices overlap across the massive headquarters while screens flash overhead with news clips, maps, articles, police reports.

And my face.

Well, technically The Executioner's face.

Or... silhouette.

One of the massive screens displays slowed footage of me stepping through smoke while red eyes glow beneath my hood. Another shows Clover being loaded into the ambulance from a dozen different angles.

A group of operatives nearby are literally taking bets on how long it'll be before the government authorizes military intervention.

"Three months."

"Two weeks."

"Guys, be realistic. We're definitely getting nuked."

"Can they even nuke Solace?"

"I dunno. Probably."

I walk past them quickly.

Unfortunately, that means I walk directly into another conversation.

"Did you SEE the blood?"

"I heard Clover flatlined twice."

"No way—"

I turn around and go a different route before they see me.

I reach the executive branch a few minutes later, already tired despite the fact I've hardly done anything yet. The giant holographic butterfly still drifts slowly through the massive chamber overhead, casting soft orange light over the room.

Delta stands on top of the meeting table.

Not beside it. On it.

"Okay, he's here, listen up!" she announces dramatically to the room below.

There are significantly more people gathered than usual this time, including media division, intelligence operatives, infiltration teams, and a concerning amount of people holding coffee.

The room quiets almost instantly.

Delta grins.

"So. Good news."

She spreads her arms. She's being extra dramatic and suspenseful today, likely because she's so happy about recent developments. I hate to ruin her mood, but I can't keep this to myself. I won't tell her my power doesn't work on him until I have to. I will tell her about the rest.

"We're terrifying."

Scattered applause breaks out.

I notice multiple people looking at me.

I stare at the floor.

"Like, genuinely terrifying," Delta continues proudly.

"The government's scrambling, the media's obsessed, the public's freaking out, and Mayor Saleh looks like she hasn't slept in two weeks."

One screen behind her flashes with headlines.

EXECUTIONER NEARLY KILLS CLOVER

IS MONARCH UNTSTOPPABLE?

SOLACE DEMANDS JUSTICE

Another screen is literally just zoomed-in paparazzi photos of Clover looking annoyed outside the hospital. Delta points at that screen specifically.

"And the best part? They still have absolutely no clue who Ex is."

I get a sinking feeling. This is so ironic. She is really not going to appreciate the news I have for her. Her words are met with more applause. I resist the urge to disappear somehow, mostly because I don't think I could get away with it. I've never been fond of attention, it's too much pressure. Stressful.

"You know what that means?" Delta asks.

Vec answers from somewhere near the back.

"That Ex traumatized the city?"

"Exactly!" Delta points at him excitedly. "And now we weaponize that."

Yeah, alright. I already know where this is going. She hinted at it in our phone call, I assume so she wouldn't be totally blindsiding me.

"We spent years hiding in the shadows," Delta continues, hopping off the table. "But why? Why are we hiding? We've already proven we can go toe-to-toe with the strongest heroes in the country."

Her grin sharpens. She loves the spotlight way too much, this suspense is insane. She tacks on, "and win."

The room erupts.

Somebody whistles.

Someone else bangs on the table.

I feel vaguely nauseous. They're too excited about this. I preferred when we were more low-profile. I'm not particularly fond of suddenly being the most hated person in the city.

But the thing is... they're not wrong.

Clover lost.

And everyone knows it.

"We're done playing defense," Delta says. "From now on, Monarch controls the narrative. If the city wants monsters? Fine. We'll give them monsters."

That gets a much louder reaction. God, people are way too excited. My power doesn't even work on him! I'm much more limited, and I doubt he will hold back the next time I see him. He went easy on me in terms of brute strength, but I don't think that's gonna last after what I did to him.

I still can't believe I saw him today. It feels like a fever dream.

Then again, that interaction was strange. I'm excited for Delta's input. I can't help but shift awkwardly in place, already knowing I won't like this plan.

Delta begins pacing as holographic maps appear behind her.

"We're increasing visibility," she explains. "More direct interventions. More public operations. Bigger statements."

A pause. Just a second too long for even more dramatic effect.

"And Ex is front and center."

Oh, absolutely not. I can't believe I agreed to this. She said 'more in the spotlight', not the actual spotlight! I wasn't prepared for this extent of exposure. I'm visibly tense, enough for Delta to notice instantly. Her eyes flick toward me briefly, lingering, and I nod. She's already made it a whole spectacle, not like there's much I can do. After that confirmation, she continues speaking to the room.

"The Executioner is currently the single most feared person in Solace International," she says proudly, like that's a compliment instead of horrifying. I wonder if people have nightmares about me. God, I hope not. "Which means the government's terrified to engage directly."

"That's because he folded Clover like a lawn chair," somebody cuts in. I don't understand that. I didn't 'fold' him. I cut him. Nearly in half.

"Our next operation is going to be loud," Delta continues. "Intentional. Public. We draw heroes in, control the battlefield, humiliate the DVA publicly, and leave before they recover."

Humiliating the Department of Villain Affairs sounds crazy. They pride themselves on all their little celebrity heroes, as far as I hear. They don't fail. Well... I guess Clover did. Was that really the best they had to offer?

One operative raises a hand cautiously. "You sure we wanna poke the hornet's nest again this soon?"

Delta waves a hand dismissively like she was expecting that. "They're scared now. That's the difference."

The rest of the meeting becomes strategy discussion after that. Routes, timelines, escape plans. Public interference probabilities. Media disruption tactics. I don't absorb most of it. Genuinely, I don't even pay attention to what the plan is. I'm just that distracted by everything going through my mind.

Because it's not just stress about publicity. My eyes wander to the screens, the various news footage showing Clover after the incident. I think about the fact that I've seen him since then.

My arm tingles where he touched it. Thankfully, the meeting ends before it distracts me.

I don't have to seek out Delta because she's already motioning to me. As soon as everyone dismisses, she calls me over before anyone else can take her attention. She pats the table next to her, so I stand near it. I don't want to sit down like she is, I'm not relaxed enough. Today has been stressful. I also don't like being this close to people in general.

"Everything ok?" She asks, a triumphant smile on her face that only barely covers genuine concern. She knows I don't like the attention.

"Clover knows my identity but he won't put me in prison." I notify her blandly, nervous for the reaction. As expected, that news does not make her happy by any means. Her expression darkens in disappointed stress, white eyes glancing around the room before she finally motions me to follow her to her private office. I do so. She sits on the table again.

"Tell me everything," she orders, and it's not personal. Still, it throws me off when she gets like this. All... business.

I'm unsure where to begin. I'm not good at telling stories, despite the fact that I've read so many of them.

"He showed up to my shop in civilian clothes. Called me by name. Made me kill my flowers. Told me I'm under arrest. I kicked him out and started packing my fish. Then he changed his mind and left. It was bizarre."

Delta blinks at me. She doesn't even acknowledge most of that at first, fixating on how Clover found me out at all, which was expected.

"So he heard me say your name." Delta mumbles to herself in disappointment. Disappointment in herself I'm sure, furious with herself for making such a dumb mistake. Which is fair, but being so active is new for us, so I won't hold it against her.

"And saw me. After I, uh... before he passed out, he saw my face," the fact that we share the blame seems to help her feel less guilty. We have equal roles here—if he didn't hear my name then he wouldn't have found me based off of only my face. And the other way around. Two clues were enough, and he was at my doorstep.

Delta is frowning, all of the fun and excitement having died down. She just seems intense, deep in thought, like she's trying to find a way out of this. Then, she pauses, glancing up at me in mild interest.

"So why won't he put you in prison?"

That's the question. No idea, I've been wondering it since lunch. "I don't know. He asked me a bunch of questions and then told me I'm an informant and ran away."

That piques her interest. I watch the girl sit up straighter, eyes unmoving from my face as her own expression brightens up exponentially. She narrows her eyes, smile coming back. "Did you agree?"

Delta's private office has a completely different atmosphere than the rest of headquarters. It's more personalized, less cyberpunk. The breeze of her fan blowing around the room on rotation hits me, and things feel strange. Why is she suddenly so fixated?

"I mean, no. He didn't give me a chance to answer at all." Seriously, it was so strange. I'm not telling him anything! What happens the next time I see him? Will it be at the shop or will it be in battle? Will things change? Will he expect me to spill all our secrets? Will he put me back in isolation if I don't?

He told me I'm not going back, though. It sounded like he meant it.

Delta hums, looking at me inquisitively while she absentmindedly gnaws on a glitter pen. She's not really looking at me, though. I recognize the expression on her face. She's scheming.

"We can use this," she decides after an unknown amount of minutes. It's no rush, I could sit still and do nothing for hours. I could wait forever. I like to think I have decent patience, honestly, I take pride in it.

"I don't know why, but that sounds like he has some sort of soft spot for you." Delta notifies me. Soft spot? Like... I'm an exception or something? I doubt that.

"I say do it. Feed him bullshit, obviously, but still. No harm would come from you getting close with Solace's golden boy. Think of the headlines! The intel!"

She's already dreaming big, that manic wonder back in her eye. I don't know what exactly I expected aside from the disappointment, but I shouldn't be surprised. Of course Delta would find a way to turn this in our favor. She wants me to entertain this, she wants me to... 'get close with' him.

The memory of my hand on his cheek rushes back to me. The feeling of his tightening grip on my arm flares up too, lingering.

I don't know if this is a good idea.

Not for Monarch. Obviously this is great for Monarch, but I'm talking about me as a person. I don't want to get close with him. I don't think that's even possible. What if we became friends and his probability fails one time and just like that, he's gone forever? I would be devastated.

"I'm not exactly the most charming person," I attempt a small effort to get out of this, which doesn't work. Obviously.

"Sunny, you're adorable. Minus the death. He's already caved once. I doubt you'll have to change anything."

Well that's good since I couldn't change my lack of social skills if I tried. Maybe earlier in my development I had a chance, but not now. Nothing comes naturally to me, I have to learn everything through trial and error or media. I decide not to acknowledge the compliment because she's always slipping strange comments like that into our conversations.

I don't want to do this, either. I didn't want to kill him, and now I don't want to see him. I don't like that he's met both Sunny and The Executioner. Both sides of my life. That doesn't happen—only with Delta.

It makes me uneasy, especially since it's looking like the next time I see him will in fact be in the heat of action. I doubt he'll go so easy on me when he sees me actively being... well... The Executioner.

So this probably won't last long. Yet he also said I wasn't going back to prison.

"Okay," I sigh. Delta reaches out and squeezes my gloved hand reassuringly. Through a layer. Touch over clothes doesn't usually affect me, but now that I think about it, back at my apartment I could barely think straight until I was finally able to get Clover away from me. Even without the skin. I never had that before, when Delta touches my hand, I feel nothing.