"Because it is," Alexandria said. "You can relax, I'm not going to kill you."

"...you're not?"

"Heavens, no," Alexandria smiled, her feet touching down on the roof in a puddle. "I knew we were going to have this conversation, but I expected it would be in my office on the other side of the country."

"So, so what, then?" I pleaded. "Why is the planet going to blow up?"

"How much do you know?"

The question seeped into my skin like winter desolation. She was going to kill me, it was a classic line the villain asks to know how much they've been found out.

"Cauldron either creates or found the source of powers. You exist in multiple dimensions. Your 'Cauldron Capes' owe you favours. You made the Case Fifty Threes. You buy plans to rule over the apocalypse world from Accord. You're already in charge of America. Society is going to collapse in twenty years. The 'Entity' is going to blow up the planet."

Alexandria nodded along genially. "Mostly correct, though we don't seek to rule what's left of the world once this is through. There is context you've missed, however. Imagine you came across the source of superpowers, and at the same time discovered that something was going to kill every human being in existence at some point in the future; what do you do?"

"Try to stop it."

"And that," Alexandria said. "Is the purpose of Cauldron."

"But why are you the power mafia?"

"In the course of saving the world, we have had to take some utilitarian courses of action. However, we funnel them into the Protectorate. Cauldron Capes are more mentally stable than natural triggers."

"I've noticed," I said.

Alexandria smiled again. "This is why I wanted to get you on my team, you're going to be a brilliant asset. You're a one in a million stable natural trigger, and not only are you stable you have an extraordinary power. I've heard you want to join us in the Triumvirate someday?"

"I do. I know you started the Protectorate, and it's the only reason we're not a shithole like almost all the other countries, but… Couldn't you be less scummy about it all? Like, not screw over the Case Fifty Threes?"

"The Entity would kill us." Alexandria shook her head despairingly. "If it knew what we were doing, that day of the apocalypse would be in a year rather than fifty or a hundred."

"The Entity made superpowers, didn't it?"

"It is the source of natural triggers, yes. The situation is enormous beyond anything you've imagined. For Cauldron, if even a hundred people out of all possible Earth's survive, that is more than we hope for," Alexandria took a step forward, holding out her hand. Our eyes were level, I'd always thought she was taller. "I'm sorry you have to shoulder this burden, knowledge can be a curse. We would love to have you onboard."

I shook her hand. It felt like I was being mugged.

Alexandria regarded me for a moment. "We're not going to kill you, Greg. If we operated like that we would have collapsed into anarchy years ago. You may have forced things ahead of schedule, but you can't be blamed for having a strong Thinker power and a natural curiosity. You already knew most of this, and you're one of us, you deserve the truth."

"What would you have done if I blabbed?"

"We knew you weren't that kind of person, but," Alexandria held up a palm. "If you were going to, we would have placed you on an alternate Earth where you could do some good until you calmed down."

"Right."

"We want you on our side, Greg, we're not going to kill you for finding us out."

"Ok, just," I rubbed under my visor, pushing up into my eyes. "I have good friends who're Case Fifty Threes. I know you saved their lives on whatever Earth they were on, but they're suffering now."

Alexandria nodded approvingly. "Yes, and we don't dismiss that. It's the price for trillions of human lives."

"I don't know if I want to be a part of that."

"I understand. I know you'll keep doing the right thing even out of the Protectorate-"

"No, I mean," I bit at a thumbnail. "I'm not quitting, I just don't know if I want to be a part of Cauldron."

Quest 'Stirring the Cauldron' complete!
Cauldron are the 'good guys', apparently.
Success: 250 000xp

New quests!

'Cauldron, yes!'!
Join Cauldron.

Opens 'Proud Cauldroneer' questline.

'Cauldron, no!'!
Reject Cauldron.

Opens 'Anti-Cauldron Operations' questline

You have levelled up!

"Of course. So long as we're both working to help people, why should there be any issue?"

Alexandria was smiling, what I could see of her expression looked completely genuine. My Body Language skill was getting better, and it wasn't giving me any 'bullshit' signals. Her heart rate was steady, shoulders relaxed. As best I could tell Alexandria was telling the truth.

I doubted it was the entire truth, but it was the truth nonetheless.

"And, of course," Alexandria continued. "You won't be telling anyone about the Entity. We would prefer you didn't speak about any of this to anyone, not even people in the know like Legend or Eidolon."

"Yeah, no, of course not," I crossed my arms, staring out over the city skyline. "I'm not an idiot. Can I not be sent to LA, either? Can I go to New York instead?"

"It can be easily arranged, Legend will be glad to have you. I think you would grow into a more capable leader under me, but it's your choice to make."

"Look, I don't want to get in your way," I uncrossed my arms and stood a little straighter. "I'm going to take your word for it, that Cauldron is a necessary evil. But it's fucked, and I know a lot about the world is pretty fucked and pretending it doesn't exist is retarded. I don't know if I want to join you guys at all, but maybe I will later after I've had a bit more of a think, y'know?"

"You have at least three years left in the Wards program, which I created, so you'll have plenty of time to come to a decision. If you ever want to help us save the world, don't hesitate to contact me."

She was telling the truth, but something was still wigging me out about all of this. A hunch. Everything she said added up, smoothed over details, filled in holes, but… I wasn't sure. It felt wrong, but maybe I was just too attached to the version of Cauldron that lived in my head, the one that I'd built up as the power mafia who'd whack me for looking at them funny. Alexandria was strong counter-evidence, she'd just fronted up the answers to the biggest conspiracy in the world because I asked. Plus, she was letting me go to New York.

God, I hoped this wasn't some kind of veiled hush-or-else bribe.

"I will, and thanks for being so transparent with me. I really expected you to just kill me," I chuckled painedly. "I thought Cauldron was evil for months, like, your plan was to wait for the Endbringers to trash civilisation so you could be kings of the heap."

"And yet you confronted me anyway?"

"I'm really high."

"As a courtesy for your service today," Alexandria frowned. "I'm going to choose to ignore that."

I felt that was a little unfair. She was corrupt as fuck, being in charge of both the PRT and Protectorate in different identities and selling powers for favours, surely she could forgive a little Tinker-grade nootropic MDMA to get you through an Endbringer attack.

"Yes, Ma'am," I demurred.

"We have something called the Terminus Program," she continued, a little coldly. "Sooner or later people with natural triggers will become most of the population and we, as Parahumans in positions of power, need to set a good example. Would you trust your leaders if you found out they were getting high on the job?"

Secretly, depending on what drug it was and the context, I'd think it was kinda based. "No."

"You're already occupying space in the public eye as an entertainer, something we fully endorse. Consider what would happen if it got out you had a drug habit," Alexandria pointed an accusing finger, raising up off the ground to loom over me. "People would lose faith. Years of goodwill, lost. If you want to work up the ranks you need to be squeaky-"

She punctuated this with a jab of her finger that connected with my chest plate with the sound of a bullet hitting a shipping container.

"Clean. If you do something untoward it must be in the interest of saving the world. Today, it was understandable, but this will be the last time; you understand?"

I nodded, shamefaced. "I understand. I won't do it again."

"Thank you," she drew back, touching down on the roof again. "I would prefer not to get on your case, but you must understand how bad things really are. The world is ending and trillions upon trillions may die, you don't have time to be honking on your crack pipe."

"I'm sorry."

"You have a bright future, Dark Smoke Puncher. Your music alone could do as much as our entire propaganda machine per year, I wasn't exaggerating when I said you were a brilliant asset for humanity. Ignoring your personal power, you have the potential to unite," Alexandria waved an arm over the broken skeleton of Brockton Bay. "To that end, you will have another song ready in time for the memorial in less than a week, then, you will stay in Brockton Bay for another three months before your transfer to New York goes through."

"Ok."

"Eyes are on you, Greg, don't let them down."

Alexandria stepped forward and I let her pick me up again. The feeling of being mugged still hadn't gone away. There was another jolting blur of motion and we were back in front of the hospital doors.

"Do us proud," Alexandria said before floating back inside.

I stood there for a moment longer.

Ok, so not dead. That was a plus. Cauldron wasn't evil, that was another plus. On the other hand, everyone was going to die which was a bit of a minus. Alexandria had never said they had a plan to win, or even that they could win. Shitballs.

I walked back inside, into the stinking humid hospital, and bee-lined through back to my new girlfriend.

"Hey," I said.

Savannah looked up from where she was still admiring the magic rose, "hey."

"I have great news," I slid into the empty seat next to her. "So I was just talking to Alexandria and she said I could go to New York instead of LA!"

Savannah bopped me on the nose with the rose, "how the fuck did you swing that shit?"

"I'm very influential, my Twitter account has at least thirteen followers."

"Well mine has, like, thirteen thousand," Savannah preened. "Are you really coming to New York just for me?"

"Yeah," I lay a hand on her gauntlet. "I have three more months here doing cleanup, then it's New York all the way. Do you like ice skating?"

"I love ice skating!"

Thanks, Lily, you beautiful lesbian.

"Well, I've never been. D'you reckon you could show me how?"

Savannah hmm'd. "I think I can do that."

Sorry, mum. I should have done this before Alexandria. I tapped her shoulder, setting her aglow.

She was in a different hospital than Brockton General and was currently blocked off from a lot of the city by wrecked roads. Luckily for me, I was a genius and had invented a way to fly. Well, not fly exactly, it didn't solve the quest I had for that, more very assisted gliding.

I could make a sort of hang glider as a Mana Object, with a propeller at the nose, and given the ultralight nature of it let my [Grace] give it more staying power in the air. I had used it to glide from one hospital to the other, and I was going to start healing people here for a while after I was sure mum was ok.

The machines attached to her told me her heart rate was picking up, and indeed, she was starting to stir. I picked up her hand, dad wasn't here but I could do my best to comfort her.

She jerked and spluttered through the tube down her throat, eyes fluttering open.

Quest 'Save Mother' complete!
Success: 50 000xp, +5 stat points

Thank god.

"Mum, hey, it's Greg!"

She looked around in confusion and panic, weak arms reaching for her face. I gently held her down, tears sliding down my nose.

"It's ok, I'll take them out. Just relax."

Expertly I removed the various apparatus used to keep coma patients as healthy as possible. She retched a little as I slid the tube down her throat out, coughing as soon as it was out.

"Greg? What happened?"

Her voice was weak and raspy, eyes bleary.

"You got hit by a Tinker pain grenade, you've been in a coma. It's only been about two weeks," I said hastily, patting her hand. "I got the power to fix you, but um, Leviathan just attacked the Bay this morning so things are pretty hectic-"

My voice caught on the lump in my throat. The Panacea had worn off a little while ago. It was so not cash money.

"So I'm going to b-be busy for a while and they can't find dad! Dad's missing, he was in the PRT bunker but that cracked and now it's empty and they don't know where anybody who was in it is."

I wanted to tighten my grip on her hand, but that would shatter her bones to powder.

"They think he's alive, but they can't find him and I can't go looking 'cause there's so many people who need healing and oh fuck, mum, I've missed you so much!"