The way to the base was normal enough; Ale had expected to find other minions on the way down, but it was quite interesting the fact that there seemed to be fewer people around. And those that she found…

 

“*Sniff*...Mom said it would be okay…." Had been mostly other [Child Stage] kids crying while they held the hands of [Adult Stage] minions as they moved with backpacks and wheeled boxes.

 

"Everything will be okay sweetie, Haephestus' Forge never forgets. We will take care of you just fine." The Minion said as they walked into an Elevator that Ale had never seen before.

 

"Oh, did we miss you little girl?" One of the Minions said walking to Ale, they had a table with some papers, "Can you tell me your name?"

 

"I'm Ale, and I should not be on that list." Ale said as she fiddled with her bracelet to turn it into her Mask, "Here, this should be proof enough."

 

And while the Minion in question seemed doubtful, Ale put on the Mask, and sure enough, there was a data transmission between the two masks.

 

"Rhapsody…was it?" The Minion said unsure, "I have a little girl claiming to be….yes she is blonde…around a meter or so tall….I see…"

 

The Minion had a conversation with someone using the internal communication system, Ale hadn't been able to listen anything since she did not have especial privileges anymore, not that she had used them during the mission. Who would have thought the mission would go to hell so fast that she didn't have enough time to direct anyone.

 

"Sorry about that Rhapsody," The Minion said turning to Ale, "We are…bringing the kids who lost their parents into a secure location, and some that had access to their parent's stuff are trying to pass as Minions. It is a headache."

 

"Pass as Minions? Can't they work as one?" Ale asked confused, she was capable of working as one after all, granted she was not a good metric to compare, but surely they could do basic work?

 

"Not so simple kiddo, we only have so many safe jobs for kids their age. Besides, if we start using kids, some other less moral villain groups will start doing the same, and they will source their child soldiers from less…reputable places," The Minion said shaking her head, "We will get enough flak from having you when the video of you does a few rounds. It is good that most of your fights were on that bigger form."

 

Right…she fought against Chrysalis on her then [Young Adult Stage] form, and the latest mission had been mostly on alternate shifted forms, and her fight against V-8. But that would probably not be shown around, unless the [Heroes] didn't mind her defeating one of their fighters.

 

Really, the only thing that worried her was if they somehow got a video recording of Alexandra speaking with Alexanders.

 

"I see…then what will be of them?" Ale asked as more and more [Kids] got herded into the new elevators that had been opening on the empty walls. Ale didn't know there were so many of these; what kind of building had this many empty shafts?

 

"If they have family they will go to them, should they pass up the evaluation from Cerberus," The Minion said.

 

Ale couldn't help but bark a laugh at that, after what she had attempted to do to them?

 

"I'm sure she meant well!" "They don't know about it, I doubt most of the minions will find out."

 

"I know, I laughed like that too when they said it. Passing an evaluation from Cerberus? Easier to find a Villain committing a crime." The Minion said with mirth in their voice, "But that's them rules. If any family is proven to be stable, they get a call. Should they accept the kiddos, we will deliver to them with scholarships all the way to Masters."

 

That sounded expensive.

 

"Should they fail or not want the kids. And let's be honest: if they pass the evaluation, they will want them, and then they will get sent to any of the multiple orphanages under our umbrella. Or to any of the families that are under Haephestus' Forge, some minions take orphans from other minions, keeping it all under family you know…" The Minion said turning to Ale, "We could probably get one of them to adopt you too you know…"

 

Adopt Ale?

 

"I'm fine as is," Ale said turning down the offer, "Besides I do have a guardian."

 

"That you do…Quite a few actually," The Minion said nodding at her, "Anyway, carry on. We will be done by the afternoon. I would advise you to stay away till we are done, unless you want more minions to think you are a lost child that is."

 

"Noted," Ale said, nodding her head and making sure the Mask was fixed on her face; there were plenty of Minions around, so she didn't stand out.

 

If anything donning her Mask made it easier for her to move around, so with that she walked down the staircase till she arrived to the ground floor, the place was…for some reason, quite desolate.

 

She could count the people here with both hands and have a few fingers left over, the only people she could see was a couple of guards at the entrance, the receptionist, [Fan Girl] and-

 

"There she is! Rhapsody this way!" [Fan Girl] said waving at her, she was with [Golem] standing in front of the Elevator.

 

[Golem] was in what seemed to be the most compact form so far she had seen him using, unlike his usual rocky exterior, this one seemed to be made of white wood, Ale wondered what kind of properties this one had.

 

"Rhapsody." [Golem] like always, only nodded at her and motioned for her to walk into the Elevator.

 

"Did you wait long for me?" Ale asked as she walked into the Elevator while waving at the receptionist.

 

"Nah, we were discussing whether we should have waited for you up there or not. The black masks asked us to not stay on the floor as it made their job harder." [Golem] answered as he shook his head.

 

"And I was telling him that we could have stayed, we are white masks. We are above them, they had no right to kick us out when we were just waiting for you." [Fan Girl] said crossing her arms over her chest as she grumped.

 

"We may be above them, but in that instance they held the power. They were doing their job, we weren't on a mission that required us to wait there. If you wanted to wait for Rhapsody, then we could have waited on her apartment." [Golem] said with a tired voice.

 

"I know!" [Fan Girl] said back in a stronger tone, "I know…but…after Eleanore….I don't want to overstep boundaries."

 

"We don't know what happened or why Eleanore was barred from Rhapsody's apartment." [Golem] said in his deep voice, Ale could hear his body tremble as if the materials were somehow sharpening itself within his body. "That is between Rhapsody and Eleanore."

 

"But-" [Fan Girl] attempted to continue the topic.

 

"That is all we will speak about the topic Sylph, for respect to both Eleanore and Rhapsody." [Golem] said shaking his head. "Sorry about that Rhapsody."

 

"I don't mind." Ale said shrugging, "Also I don't mind you two going into the apartment if you want. If you want I can tell you what happened too, I did told part of it to [Sylph]."

 

"That will not be necessary," [Golem] answered as he raised his hand and made the stop sign with his palm, "It would taint our perception more than it already is. Work is work, family is family and friendship is friendship."

 

What did that even mean?

 

"So? You are saying that we can't worry about Rhapsody? Just because Eleanore is higher on the totem pole?" [Fan Girl] grumbled as Ale felt a breeze in the closed room(Elevator).

 

“[Notice, detected a change in pressure within the Elevator.]”

 

"No. I mean to say that we don't have nearly enough power, influence, or means to deal with this problem as of now. I do not want information that may tip my actions more than they are already." [Golem] said as the sound of something hit the floor, turning her attention there Ale found debris from the woody material that [Golem] was made out.

 

The man merely steeped on the crumbled material as it was reabsorbed again, and his fists healed themselves. He had clutched his fists so hard that part of them had been damaged.

 

"We are Minions, our work is to follow the instructions of those above us. We work for Villains and SuperVillains, and we will encounter injustice and actions that will offend a normal person's sensitivities from time to time. I knew this when I signed, you should have known this when you signed." [Golem] said as he released the tension in his fists, "I signed here because no other work would have me. And so, till I have enough power to impose my will. Till I can right the wrongs I see, I will continue working, so knowing how or why Eleanore is barred as a legal guardian to one of my teammates is not something I need to know."

 

"...Fair." [Fan Girl] said as her shoulders also released the tension and the change in pressure disappeared, "I work here too for a similar reason…so does Rhapsody too, I guess."

 

"I work here cuz Alexa got offered Mango." Ale said with a shrug, "And because Frank said it was a good place."

 

Really, all of this had started because [Frank the Beetle] suggested this place…If he hadn't…

 

Well, Alexa would have probably stayed around and gone into the sewer system or tried to live with [Frank the beetle]; she would have probably not ended up creating the sub-personalities that were Alexandra and herself, Ale. So she may have not ended up being created.

 

In a way Ale was the creation of [Frank the Beetle]...and Eleanore. That was a fun train of thought to have.

 

"Frank? As in Frank the Beetle?" [Golem] said in a surprised voice, "You know him?"

 

"What's so special about that guy?" [Sylph] said from the side.

 

"He is…dangerous. He is known as one of the few cases of a bad trigger that managed to recover his sanity, but even so, he has a kill list as big as I am tall." [Golem] said shaking his head, "He is dangerous, not even the Heroes try to hunt him anymore for fear of triggering his bloodlust."

 

"Can't they just…you know…" [Fan Girl] said, making a weird sign with her fingers pointing at her head.

 

"Not quite, he is an Insect Core. They are resilient, and since he was a bad trigger, his Core Powers are all over the place. With high regeneration, miscellaneous powers, super strength, and sixth sense, he is one of those weird cases of better leave it alone." [Golem] said turning to Ale, "He also is known for guiding lost bad triggers to get help, and saving people before they are gone too far."

 

What were they staring at Ale for?

 

"I met him after I was almost hit by a random attack from a fight between the [Scorcher] and [SuperForce]." Ale answered, "He panicked when he found my [Core] was new, if Alexa had known that telling him that I already had a defined [Core] would be enough she would have probably remained at his side."

 

"....You do know he is dangerous, right?" [Golem] asked.

 

"How dangerous are we talking?" [Fan Girl] said.

 

"Very," Ale was the one to answer that question, "He is among the most dangerous [Human] that Alexa, Alexandra or myself ever meet."

 

"And yet you think you would rather stay with him?" [Fan Girl] asked confused.

 

"Alexa would yes, Alexandra I am not too sure." Ale said with a shrug.

 

"We gotta go visit him!" "I think I would at least say Hi to him, not too sure if he would be that cordial to me as he was to Alexa."

 

"As for me? I don't think I would remain with him, I don't mind him. But he seems to be more partial to Alexa than to anyone else." Ale answered pensative on the topic.

 

"Why does Alexa like him then?" [Fan Girl] asked confused, "Did he bribe Alexa with mango?"

 

"Or is it because she finds his visage interesting? As far as the tales say, he is quite…gruesome looking." [Golem] said from his side, shuddering, which was quite an interesting sight since he was currently made of white wood-like material.

 

"It's because he seems to be [Kindred]," Ale said with a shrug as the Elevator finally opened its doors, "He seemed to be a [Predator], so far one of two that we have found that are quite evident."

 

"One of two?" [Golem] asked suspicious tinged in his voice, "Have you found more of those?"

 

"Not me, Alexa found the second too, even if she left it to Alexandra to deal with," Ale said remembering the reaction they had to Sam, "I still don't know what Alexandra sees in Sam. His spider half is better."

 

"Do I want to know who Sam is?" [Fan Girl] asked.

 

"If the spider half is who I think. Then no, we got a list of Core Users to leave alone and at the top is someone called The Spider." [Golem] said shaking his head. "You don't do half-measures, do you?"

 

"It turned out that way," Ale said unbothered by the stares, "I'd rather deal with these kind of people. At least I don't need to wonder what they want."

 

And that really was the problem here. Unlike Alexa, Ale had a more complex outlook on the world. She couldn't help but wonder about motives, especially after what Alexandra found about Eleanore.

 

"Well, next time you decide to go call us in. He may have shown goodwill towards you. But there is a reason the known murder is lower on the list than The Spider." [Golem] said as he placed his hand atop Ale's head and ruffled her head, "We don't want you risking your life unnecessarily."

 

"Yeah, besides what's his deal with the edgy name anyway? Who even calls himself The Spider." [Fan Girl] said laughing a little, "Who else is on that list? We have a spider and a beetle. What's next a cat? Dog? stinkbug?"

 

That was a good question, if they had powerhouses like [Frank The Beetle] and [The Spider] (Aka Sam), then perhaps that list could be useful as a hitlist.

 

"Not much, some members of the Saintsworths Conglomerate. The Scorcher and other SuperVillains...some Minions..." [Golem] said turning to Ale, "Rhapsody here is on that list actually, on the lower end of it, but still is on the list."

 

"What?" [Fan Girl] said as she suddenly hugged Ale, "Why would they put a cutie pie like our Rhapsody there?!?!?!?"

 

"...she has shown an extreme degree of fighting prowess, defeated a known Hero. Survived Chrysalis and apparently has met two dangerous individuals on this list." [Golem] said with a shrug, "I don't mind her being there; if anything, that is a line of defense for her against some of the less... cordial members of our work environment."

 

"But she is cute." [Fan Girl] said without letting go of Ale.

 

"I'm pretty, not cute." Ale said raising her hand, "Alexa is the cute one."

 

And that distinction was important, she didn't want their stream of consciousness to mix. Not after they managed to confirm that they indeed existed as separate entities.

 

Granted, none of the three had mentioned anything about it at the moment, it was more like a silent approval to the fact.

 

"Whatever it may be, at least most of the minions that thought you were an easy target will think twice about messing with you." [Golem] said pointing at the doorway into what should be the hall where the fest was supposed to be going to happen.

 

"And what about those that still decide to go after Rhapsody?" [Fan Girl] asked.

 

"Well, failure is the mother of learning." [Golem] said shrugging, "That will depend on Rhapsody."

 

"Are there any rules of engagement I should take in mind?" Ale asked, if there weren't limitants... "And limits to the degree of fighting power I can use?"

 

"And eye for an eye," [Golem] said opening the door, "Fair is fair after all, if they come after you. They must deal with the consequences, so long it doesn't happen within the base, it is up to you and them how it devolves."

 

...Well well well... who would have guessed.

 

Ale would indeed get to eat dessert after all, without needing to search for that weird desert.