He had little doubt it would get harder if there was more to hold at bay, but… he could see the danger and addictiveness of Teacher’s influence, now. He’d heard some tales, but this was worrying.

“Come, let’s move quickly,” Teacher said. “We’ll want you back here before you’re missed.”

“What?” William asked. “Where? And I’m leaving? I’m coming back?”

“You’ll have your way out. You leaving is temporary for now, but you’ll be a free man soon enough. Let’s talk on the way. I don’t want to risk being overheard when I talk about the big picture.”

William hesitated, then followed.

Leaving the medical room, they entered a hallway. At one end, a portal was open, the edges ragged and crackling.

“I’m still refining transportation, but this works. We’ll need to take three trips to get where we want to be.”

“I can’t leave,” William said. He shook his ankle. The bomb was still attached.

“It’s fine. I’ve handled it, trust me.”

William hesitated.

“I wouldn’t come this far and give you this much of my time if I thought there was a possibility you’d lose your leg. Come. There’s not a lot of time.”

He walked toward the portal, following Teacher. The two white-shirts followed behind, eerily quiet.

“My deal is as follows, William. Give me the next five to ten minutes of your time, and I’ll make you one of the most dangerous and influential parahumans of our time. Believe it or not, you already have the tools to do it. In exchange, you’ll go back to the prison and pretend nothing is amiss. You’ll lie if they ask why you’re well and say you used your power on a mouse.”

“What if they test me or don’t believe me?”

“If you really want it, I can help tune your mindset. Some limitations can be tripped.”

“Giving you more control over me.”

Teacher chuckled. “Give me those five to ten minutes, and I promise you, you won’t be thinking like that.”

“That’s still worrying.”

“I won’t use my power on you again, not without permission. As I said, we don’t need to go any further.”

Through the portal, a smell of burnt ozone in the air, they were on a rocky clifftop. Rain pattered down around them.

Another device was rigged. Ten people with white shirts or white clothes were working on it. An archway with power from a chain of six generators feeding into it.

“Goddess is on Earth Gimel. I have her pinned, and she’s desperate. She will make a move for the prison soon, because she needs and wants subordinates, and it’s the best place to find them. You’ll be my trap for her.”

“What do I get out of this?”