“Because he thinks he can manipulate me,” she spoke in a low whisper. “He can make the unpredictable predictable, this way.”

He tried to pull away, and she held on. She whispered, “Don’t. I might involuntarily use my power. We’ve been so careful, it would be a shame if something happened to you now.”

He spoke, “They’re manipulating you. They know how you work and think and they’re using it to fuck with you.”

She reached out and she touched his face. He flinched, and the fear in his eyes was real.

It was her first time touching him with her hands, instead of being touched.

“What’s the power?” she asked. “Figuring me out? Something else?”

J shook his head.

“What’s your real name? How long have you been doing this?”

“It’s J. I’m on your side, Ashley,” J said.

“What do they call you? Do you have a cape name?”

He pulled his hand and phone away from her hand. Her power arced out, a band only a foot long, stretching and wiggling through the air.

“Hnnnnng!” He grabbed the ruined stump of an arm.

“I did warn you not to pull. What was your goal!? What were you going to manipulate me to do!?”

“I’m not— I wasn’t—”

“Stop lying!” she shouted.

O’Brien appeared in the doorway.

“Help,” J said, but it sounded more like ‘hep’, with his voice being strained as it was. He tried to stand, and she pushed him down, and her power took the top corner off of his shoulder, where it was attached to his still-intact arm.

She grabbed his arm and she used her power, clinging to the cold and the agitation that had snuck up on her amid the rush of adrenaline and the crush of emotions she wasn’t ready to feel or embrace.

“Just run, O’Brien,” she said. “Go. Be happy and treat your boyfriend right, and don’t mention this to anyone.”

She looked, and he was gone. She wasn’t sure he’d heard.

She hoped he would be okay. She hoped he would keep his mouth shut, for his sake.

“Talk to me, J,” she said. Her eyes widened, a smile touching her face. Agitation thrummed through her and made her feel just a little bit drunk. “That’s an order, and I’m supposed to be the boss.”

J shook his head. He was sweating so much that it looked like there was more sweat than blood. Except there really wasn’t. The shadows of the desk and the bed hid some of the growing puddle.

“Armstrong didn’t want to tell me because he was worried this would happen,” Ashley whispered. “Eliminating you will upset Accord. That’s as good as I’m going to get for now. I can’t go after him.”

J opened his mouth, but no sound came out except a squeal.