2.02

Okay, here’s a 5x compressed summary, retaining the author’s style:

After a restless night and a close brush with death, I headed to school, feeling more than a little out of it. Homeroom was a tense affair, knowing I’d missed assignments, but computer class offered a small respite. No Emma, Sophia, or Madison, and I was ahead in the advanced group, which meant I usually finished early and had time to myself.

Naturally, I dove into researching the villains I’d encountered. Parahumans Online (P.H.O.) was the go-to for cape stuff. Tattletale’s wiki entry was a joke – basically a “help us out, hero” plea with one blurry picture. Grue had a bit more info: three years active, small-time stuff turned big, power listed as “darkness generation.”

Hellhound, or rather, Rachel Lindt, had a whole page. No secret identity, formerly homeless, joined up with Grue and the others about a year ago. Picture showed a tough-looking girl riding one of those monster dogs. Turns out, she got her powers at fourteen, trashed her foster home, and spent two years dodging heroes in Maine. No enhanced strength, but she could turn regular dogs into those nightmare creatures. Red warning box at the bottom: hostile, antisocial, violent – don’t approach.

Regent? Nothing. Not even a wiki stub. My mood, already sour, took another hit. I finished the busywork assignment – a simple calculator – and went back to the web.

I looked up Lung, info was mostly stuff I knew, though there was no mention of super hearing or him being fireproof. I didn’t add it, figuring it’d be deleted as unsupported speculation. His gang, the ABB, had a detailed page. Lots of Asian members, Lung absorbing gangs and recruiting anyone Asian, willing or not. Lieutenants were Oni Lee and Bakuda.

Oni Lee’s wiki had recent updates. Teleportation, but he leaves behind an active copy for a few seconds before it turns to ash. Also used as suicide bomber, guy’s a sociopath. Picture showed a ninja-looking dude with a demon mask. Definitely not someone you want to mess with.

Bakuda was new, added ten days ago. Picture was from the shoulders up, goggles, gas mask, no clear age or ethnicity. Held a university ransom with high-tech bombs. Link to a “Bomb Threat @ Cornell” video, which I saved for later.

Then, the “Defeats and Captures” section. Lung had apparently lost a few times but always got away, until last night. Armsmaster ambushed and took him down, weakened from a previous fight. He was being held until trial, probably headed for the Birdcage. I felt a weird mix of anger and excitement. Armsmaster took credit, but I was part of it.

I checked the message boards. Threats against Armsmaster, questions about the fight, worries about Bakuda using a big bomb to get Lung back. I pushed that thought away. It was a problem for the big-league heroes, not me.

Then, I searched for myself, using terms related to my powers. Two hits. One about a magic-using villain in the UK. The other, a message titled “Bug” in the Connections section.

Subject: Bug

Owe you one. Would like to repay the favor. Meet?

Send a message,

Tt.

Two pages of comments, some saying it was important, others calling them conspiracy theorists. But I knew. Tattletale was trying to reach me.