"I've got to say, it's nice to be in the field again." Half my brain says.

"Just like old times." The other adds. The server around me collapses under my sheer power. I rip it apart, systematically, byte by byte, leaving nothing but corrupted fragments behind. "Or I guess new times for you."

"Her memories were the best teacher." Clover says.

In the physical world, turrets go limp. Clover steps out, pistol rounds shattering under the enforcer's body she temporarily calls home. Both halves of me rush out beside her, my shoulders connecting with the stomachs of the poor servants who were told to hold the line. Both halves rip the weapons out of their hands, toss them into the corner of the room, and move to the next group.

"I remember you being more careful, more systematic." Zero muses.

"How many bodies does Blue have?" Half of me asks.

"One hundred and seventy one currently unused." Clover says.

"I can afford to be indulgent." The room is pacified in seconds, leaving behind only a small pile of terrified people. "All of you! Against the far wall!"

They scramble over each other, desperate to follow my order.

"Any of them armed inside?" I send a message to Zero.

"It'd be easier to check if you left their server in one piece."

"The codes weren't working." I mentally shrug.

"I don't have a good view, but the father has a kitchen knife."

Pictures flash through both halves of my brain. A man has taken a stance on the other side of the door, an actual fighting stance too. Textbook, but stiff, the telltale sign of a person who's practiced, but never used that practice in a high stakes situation.

"Good." I was hoping they'd make this at least a little interesting. I spend just a moment to record everything that's happened for Blue. If Zero screws something up, I want a paper trail. I'm not in the mood to have the new most powerful person in the city pissed at me.

A boot to the door shatters the frame. My other half reaches through the flying splinters, grabs the man's wrist, and twists, stopping just before it breaks. Clover comes in after me, checking door after door for any hidden security.

"Clear." Clover reports.

"We'll leave the rest to you." I message Zero. "Arrest only those who planned against Blue, leave the rest, and the servants to watch the kids. I've already finished my report, Blue will know there's no need to hurt anyone. What's next?"

"You don't have to remind me every time."

"I know how you work. Yes, I do."

"Blue's biggest concern right now is that yet another top floor has put their plan in motion. You two have three bodies posted in the elevator to use at your leisure. I've already disabled their security system. Do be aware that they have a professional security detachment waiting for you."

"Excellent, thank you." I wait for Zero to take over my bodies before jumping to the next one. Both halves glance to the side to ensure Clover is still with me. She's handling things well.

I connect to their speakers.

"Anyone who puts down their guns gets to live." The elevator door opens and both of us rush out. Professional security is fair game, they chose this life, this death.

Bullets start flying, and both of us hit cover.

"So how's Four doing?" I ask.

"So you still hold some love for home then?" Zero responds.

"No, of course not." Both halves take turns leaning out and taking shots. Clover wordlessly focuses on providing cover fire. "But I do want to make sure Vegas didn't eat the only good man left in there."

"He's doing fine, keeping his head down. Five of a Kind still sits as one of the smaller casinos, but his income is stable and enough to cover any and all expenses. He still fills his niche well enough to prevent the others from trying to take it over."

"Glad to hear it." Another two fall beneath our gunfire.

"I'm almost disappointed we let things get boring for him." The other half adds.

Clover points out the first one of them to surrender, and I ignore them. The two of us work together flawlessly, clearing out the room. She's not Clover, but is certainly someone I can fall in love with once again.

"Believe me, his life has been anything but boring."

"Good." I say in unison. "He's not cut out for retirement."

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"Speaking of Vegas…"

"from the little I heard of Blue's story…"

"you chose not to help her."

"I can't be held responsible if she's utterly incapable of seeing what's happening." Zero argues. "Yes, I told her to expect no help, but only because she had to learn. My eyes never left her back, and my hand never the scales. She relies far too much on others, and I was hoping some independence would do her good. Things didn't go as well as they could have, a previous version of myself made a major oversight, but I made up for my mistake."

"Helped her how?"

"The first hotel the three of them tried to enter was run by Thirty-Two, our new techy, both a replacement and upgrade for Twenty-Seven. The second one was Twelve, and they tried to enter fully covered."

"Our future says if she died in Vegas, C-1 would have come for your head." Clover says. "Don't pretend you didn't see that outcome."

"Two things can be true simultaneously. Another hand on the scales doesn't preclude the need for her to learn."

The last of the guards puts down their weapons, and the man still fighting next to him falls.

"All of you, cuff yourselves." I step past them and into a living room, scattered bullet holes decorating its surface.

"Rest of the apartment is clear. Two of you are on riot control."

"Great…"

"always my least favorite job…"

"who started it…"

"and why?" I ask.

"One panicking person always brings in more, you should know this." Zero says. "Nobody started it, and I doubt anyone even knows why they're fighting. They're overwhelmed, and this is their only emotional outlet."

"I'm not sure three bodies are enough." Clover says.

"Then the city burns." Zero says. "I have a limited connection between Vegas and Arc City, and the bandwidth has been fully utilized just switching between cameras. I cannot assist you without sacrificing the security of the rest of the city."

"I guess there's no other choice then." Through the open network I step back into my home, and then make a short jump to another subnetwork. Hummingbird is home, a massive steam golem standing in a void, pure information streaming to and from them. That's not the same golem she normally resides in.

"I warned you that your AI would be the death of us." She says.

"Then fly away again, Hummingbird." I let a silence fill the air for just a moment, forcing her to deal with my words. "But if you want to actually do your job, there's a riot I need help shutting down. Call in thirty-five people, full armor with uncovered faces. I want Hudson front and center, heading out in five minutes."

"I'll send out the messages!" A cheery voice calls out, Canary. She sounds nearly identical to Trochilidae.

"Thank you, you do that." I pass a list to her, every person I want at my back. "Let them know I'll be talking to them through an enforcer when I come to pick them up. Are we done here?"

"I'll keep the place running." Hummingbird says.

"Good." I disconnect and return to the wider network.

I step into the camera overlooking the… I can't even call it a riot. Just a clusterfuck. There's no greater goal to be pushing towards, no common source of their emotions, no leader guiding the crowd's actions.

That's good. That makes it easier to disperse, and less likely to form back when I do.

Wait, I recognize people in there, a lot of people. How many scrappers are involved in this? Thankfully, none of them are mine, but that's still a lever I can pull. I connect with a few scrapper groups who owe me and drop a message into their mailboxes.

You have people participating in a riot on the northern side of the city, near "Drowning in Regret". Get them home and hunker down, and I'll consider us even.

-Silver

To that email I attach a list of every person I need them to recover.

What's another egg to put in Blue's basket? It's either that or we form a caravan and try to find our way out east. That's not an option I want to take, but I won't pretend I don't have concrete plans in place already.

Distant gunfire reaches the cameras. I flick over only to find an active gunfight. One scrapper group, Steel and Lead, have pulled up heavily modified cars outside of the Underdog's base. Small slits have been cut in the thick metal walls of the cars, each with a rifle barrel sticking out of it. They take pot shots at the base, occasionally finding a defender. Any returning fire they take impacts against the thick steel walls, keeping the people inside safe temporarily.

"Were you going to bother telling me about this?" I message to Zero, sending him the camera feed.

"That is a problem that will burn itself out."

"That is a problem that ruins plans I have been working on for months." Fucker.

It's too late to fix now. Even if I can convince the aggressors to leave, the Underdogs are as good as dead at this point. That's an ally that I'm not getting back. Whatever, I'll manage.

I've kept people on full prep since Blue left, all the preparation most people needed to do was to step out of cover. Almost all of them are already prepared by the time Clover and I arrive, with the last stragglers trickling out of the building. Guess they need more training.

People are obviously uncomfortable, how can anyone not be when three enforcers roll up fully armed?

Ethan stamps down on his fear and walks straight up to the two of us.

"Uh, Silver?" He asks, glancing between all three bodies.

"Right here." I raise one of my arms. It's easier to just use half my brain.

"Is Lucas alright?" He asks.

"Lucas is fine. His whole group is unharmed." I have to yell to let everyone overhear us. Blue needs to upgrade these things, they're woefully underequipped for actually dealing with people. "I'm sure you all have questions, and so do I. Here is what I do know. For those who somehow missed it, the bot Vince brought home, Blue, is an AI, along with the bird who's always with her, Corax. She was part of the group that killed Mara, and alongside Cassie and Corax, singlehandedly saved Vince and Ivy. She has put her life on the line just like every single one of you. I don't know what series of events lead to her taking over the city and exposing herself, but I do know we don't leave our people to die. Her, Corax, Vince, Ivy, Cassie, and Lucas all need our help right now. Anyone who wants to stay home, I understand, and will not hold it against you. Everyone else, we have a riot to break and a city to keep standing."

A cheer ripples through the crowd. Even those who are obviously uncomfortable with Blue's existence get wrapped up in the excitement.

"Before we start!" I should just walk my body out and inform everyone myself. No leader should have to yell. "Blue wants this whole thing bloodless, and I want to keep potentially the strongest ally possible. Be human, all of you. Represent this gang the best you can, and use our reputation. If you see someone you know, convince them to go home. If not, then just keep this thing contained. Don't let it spread. Let's get this done."

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