As Aurora meandered about in the skies to kill time she basked in the sunlight. She took in both the sights and the rays as she flitted around for a while. When it drew close to 4 PM, she glanced down at her communicator and sighed. “Holly, can you text Kirby for me? Just let him know I’m on my way.”

 

Of course! What would you like me to say?

 

“Something quick. Just ‘Angel incoming!’”

 

Holly nodded, calling up the messaging app and using her delicate fingers to tap the onscreen keyboard in Aurora’s boob pocket. The little hologram actually moved to physically tap each button, meaning she had to really reach for some of the letters. Cute~

 

Message sent!

 

When she reached the rooftop, Kirby was just stepping out to meet her, having rushed upstairs. He panted a bit as he waved. “Hi, Aurora! It’ll be a little bit, but you’re soon going to be meeting Agent Carlisle of ARISE. He’s a bit of a weird sort, but I’d guess you’ll need to deal with super stuff across federal lines at some point anyway, so a meet-and-greet now will help down the line.”

 

Aurora blinked. “ARISE?” She arched an eyebrow. 

 

Yes, the Agency for Registration and Investigation of Special Events, or ARISE, is the domestic law enforcement agency under whose umbrella of responsibility you most directly fall. They’re a relatively small department comparable to the FBI or Secret Service but focused on superpowered, extraterrestrial or otherwise anomalous incidents, Holly chimed in helpfully, but Aurora was already aware of them and their work. They were indeed not a very big agency, but were regarded as very professional and competent. It was the fact that there were so few rumors or wild speculation on the message boards about them that told her how truly tight a ship they ran. 

 

“Why would they want to see me?” She specified seamlessly for the AI’s benefit as she crossed her arms, thinking about it. “And what do you mean by ‘weird’ exactly? Is he an alien or something?” She tilted her head in further thought and confusion.

 

“Oh no, I’m ain’t spoilin’ nothing. You’ll see what I mean when you meet him, it’s the only way you’d believe it anyway. Don’t worry though, he seems earnest enough, just… like I said, weird. How have you been doing? Haven’t spoken to you directly in a while.” Kirby chuckled.

 

“Oh…” He interrupted Aurora before she could reply. “Sorry, but before I forget… I keep getting press requests asking about you. We’re going to set up a pre-screen so I don’t keep getting them, but you should think about giving an interview to some of them. Someone young like you would probably want to talk either to LT or Val North anyway though, right?”

 

As always, Kirby was like her best friend in the police department plus a PR manager.

 

“I’ve definitely been leaning toward talking to Valerie North,” Aurora said with a small smile. “She was the first journalist I gave any real information about myself to, and I’ve toyed with the idea of opening up more…” She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully before chuckling. “But honestly? I’m not sure what else I could tell her that I haven’t already.”

 

Aurora drummed her fingers lightly against her card as she mulled it over. Valerie had been fair—professional, even—but was there really anything new to share?

 

I can hear that, Aurora. Holly’s voice chimed in after a moment, her tone laced with dry amusement. You’re giving me a headache. Plus, if you keep tapping like that, you might accidentally call Midnight Avenger or Dragonmage.

 

Sorry, Aurora replied, forcing her fingers to still. Thinking about what this ARISE agent will be like has me anxious.

 

I understand. You probably felt the same way when you first visited a police department.

 

I did, Aurora admitted. I was nervous about how they’d see me, whether they’d give me a hard time. Ruffino ended up being exactly what I was afraid of, but the officers in Seaside City cheering me on really made up for it. I figured San Isidro would be the same… but it turned out to be the opposite.

 

“At least not stuff that wouldn’t compromise my secret identity or the privacy of others, anyhow,” she murmured, smiling wryly. If the world found out Aurora was involved with Mistral, it’d be a heck of a headline. As tempting as it was to be open, it wasn’t her place to compromise Mistral’s privacy or reputation.

 

Opposite?

 

Kirby being supportive, but the rest of the officers here, not so much. She sighed. Their attitude toward me was influenced by El Águila leaving San Isidro for Seaside City. I guess he didn’t have a great impression of this place.

 

I see. I recommend paying more attention to your conversation with Kirby, Aurora.

 

Aurora smirked, shaking her head slightly. Yes, ma’am.

 

Kirby nodded. “That’s up to you. If you don’t have much to say, you could make it a social call. She’d be annoyed to get nothing else solid, but too bad. Just remember, if a media personality decides they hate you, things can get pretty hot.”

 

“I know all about that kind of problem.” Aurora nodded. “Anyhow, I’m doing alright otherwise. I’ve been feeling more confident ever since I went to hero bootcamp.” She grinned.

 

“Well, these people usually are kept happy enough with puff pieces, or so I’d think,” Ben added in response. “Anyway, you want to head downstairs? I’ll buy you a coffee or something.”

 

“You can afford that with your income?” Aurora laughed, teasing.

 

Kirby chuckled. “You’re right, I still don’t have that fourth summer home yet. Even so, I’ll treat you.”

 

Aurora looked at him thoughtfully, smiling. “Should I be discreet?”

 

“Why bother?” Kirby shrugged. “This ARISE guy’s here to meet Aurora, and besides, we have a surprise for you.” He smiled. “Something that ought to make our lives a little easier here.”

 

Aurora raised an eyebrow. “Should I be nervous then?” Her lips twisted as she folded her wings behind her and stepped into the doorway heading downstairs. Saying that reminded her of something. Mistral had mentioned something about a present too, one that she hadn’t gotten yet. She wondered about both surprises as they walked down.

 

The superheroine followed along after Kirby until he signaled for them to pause when they reached a bank of vending machines. Kirby reached into his pocket and passed her money for the machines. She thought he had meant to grab a coffee in a café or a shop, but a vending machine was certainly more inside his budget. “I figure you don’t have any place to keep a credit card in that costume of yours, right?” 

 

“You’d be surprised,” Aurora teased.

 

The grin on his face was a bit less common than his chuckles were. “Then the next one’s on you. Come on back to my desk when you’re ready.”

 

Aurora stood in front of the machines, thinking about what to get when she heard an unfamiliar voice call out to her from behind. 

 

“You must be Aurora… unless they’re hiring angels for the police force, that is.” The voice was young, male, and somewhat suave if you went for that sort of thing.

 

It was a setup! Good old Kirby set her up! Aurora hesitated a moment and then proceeded to deliberately ignore the person, instead putting on a deliberate show of thinking more about what drink she wanted. 

 

The person watched her silently. She finally had to settle for a soda since there weren’t any canned coffees… for crying out loud though, this was a police station, there had to be a coffee station somewhere, not that it would be particularly tasty… well, not as much as Goonie’s café’s anyway.

 

As she reached into the dispenser bin, a faint flicker of light pulsed on the edge of her communicator’s screen. Holly materialized discreetly, perched on the display like a tiny observer. Her silvery-blue braid draped neatly over her shoulder, her teal eyes flicking between Aurora and the stranger.

 

Oh my, Holly mused in a voice only Aurora could hear. Introducing yourself by giving him the cold shoulder? How dramatic.

 

Aurora opened her soda and took a drink, finally looking at the guy. “Hmmmm… I guess you’re Agent Carlisle. Is it that time already? I thought I’d be shown into a room where you sat behind a desk and shot me sour looks of barely masked disapproval.” She tilted her head thoughtfully and sipped again.

 

Going purely by appearances, Carlisle looked pretty normal, actually. Young, well-groomed blonde hair slicked back like Gordon Gekko mixed with low-level mafia, square-jawed, freshly pressed gray suit and red tie, tall and lean. He looked like the kind of guy who would wake up before sunrise to train for a half marathon, go to work all day at his cubicle, then go to sleep reading Shakespeare or Wilde.

 

How was he weird, though?

 

Was it because he chose to make his grand entrance by a vending machine? Probably not. That wasn’t too unusual.

 

At his waist, a gun holster was belted under his jacket, but far more interesting than that was the first odd thing about him—he had a wakizashi hanging from his belt. His suit jacket covered it just enough that it wasn’t immediately obvious, but once she saw it, she couldn’t unsee it. That was a peculiar pairing, to say the least. She would understand a utility knife or multitool, but a Japanese short sword?

 

Was this guy LARPing as a Shinsengumi officer? Last she checked, openly carrying real swords was illegal in the U.S. Did ARISE agents get special legal exceptions—like some modern-day Shinsengumi? Maybe, for cops, any weapon was fair game as long as it wasn’t military-grade.

 

As Aurora was visually assessing him, he was assessing her as well. Ultimately, though, he simply shrugged and opened his arms, gesturing grandly, seemingly preening over being inspected in detail.

 

“What can I say, I’d rather be earlier than late. I noticed you from across the room, of course. I’m impressed, honestly. You’re much more impressive in person than in the terrible cell phone videos and pictures going around on the net.” He clinically looked at her choice of drink.

 

Holly hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head as she studied him over her shoulder, carefully to hide herself. An unusual accessory choice. Do government agents often carry historical weaponry, or is this one just eccentric?

 

“Though I must also say, it might be better to drink just plain water than any of that stuff.”

 

Aurora’s eyes rolled. Oh jeez… another Goonie, except with a strutting princeling palette swap?

 

Well… maybe not that bad, but his whole aesthetic was definitely weird—the clothing, the blade, the air of smug self-satisfaction.

 

After a moment of silence, he smirked. “Ah, but where are my manners? Allow me to introduce my humble self,” he said flatly despite the exaggerated wording. “Agent Chester Carlisle of ARISE. You can call me Chet.”

 

Aurora smiled politely. She had to admit, the flattery was nice—but she remained on guard. There was no doubt in her mind that this man was dangerous. Garish, gaudy, and flamboyant, sure—but dangerous nonetheless. Then again, any agent working for a government agency that handled superpowered cases had to be formidable. Any officer worth their salt should be able to hold their own.

 

She racked her brain for a response and chuckled. “This one is pleased to be seen as noteworthy by one such as yourself.” She grinned slightly and took another sip of the cloying beverage she was forcing herself to tolerate. “So what did you want? To get an impression of me, Chet?”

 

She wondered if this was a courtesy meeting, like a few of her rooftop conversations with Midnight Avenger, or if it was something more.

 

“Actually, there’s a specific thing I wanted to talk to you about. Specifically, the Xevolve incident you were involved with. But not just that, I wanted to give you, shall we say, a heads-up. Hmmmm…” He considered a moment. “Why don’t we adjourn to a more private place, say Detective Kirby’s desk? That should be more in keeping with what you were expecting.”

 

He laughed at his own quip before making a show of looking around at the walls and the building in general.

 

“Shame about the funding here. It’s sad to say that money probably found its way straight into the good mayor’s pockets,” he said with a hint of bitter cynicism.

 

“You’re suggesting there was money to divert in the first place?” Aurora looked at the run-down hallway and walked alongside Carlisle as he started moving, clasping his hands behind him. It wasn’t impossible to believe the Mayor was involved with petty theft or embezzlement in some way on some level. This was San Isidro after all, but it was still a rather dark joke coming from a federal agent.

 

Carlisle spoke, “I guess you don’t watch much news. I don’t blame you, no, I wouldn’t either if I didn’t have to. Code: Blue funding wasn’t passed through the city legislature. Again. Apparently, there was a grant authorized to provide funding for special police forces, but somehow the money just up and walked away. It could have only been done by a daring, crafty, and nefarious villain, surely.”

 

As they drew near Kirby’s desk, Carlisle waved for her to continue following him, but he changed his mind mid-step and led her past it instead. Aurora raised another eyebrow as she took another sip of her drink. He led her this time to Interrogation Room #5. As they passed, Kirby waved his fingers at him. Once the three of them were inside, Carlisle locked the door and took a seat at the table.

 

Not one to let the pace be dictated, Aurora simply enjoyed her drink, so Kirby was the one who broke the silence. “OK, so what’s all this about?” His voice was mildly put out.

 

In response, Agent Carlisle stood and walked around the table a few times before coming to a stop opposite the door.

 

Aurora tilted her head. O-kaaay. What was with all the drama? She watched him for a moment before asking a question of her own, “You mentioned that Code: Blue was going to be introduced here? Like you said, that is a shame. Hopefully, Detective Kirby was considered for the position of official liaison here.” She smiled. “But I suppose it’s a moot point if all the funding ‘up and walked away’, that is.”

 

“Yeah, I got the news about it last week, actually. It was in the Sunday edition of the Register-Post. To add insult to injury, my counterpart in Seaside is getting a full Code: Blue upgrade. Anyway, I’m sure that’s not what all this is about.” Kirby spoke to Aurora as though they were the only two in the room, happy to move the conversation along while Carlisle played theatrics in the background.

 

Finally triggered by something they said, Carlisle spoke, “Yes, I wanted to keep you in the loop about the Xevolve situation in your city.”

 

Ben’s brow wrinkled. “Something about the kids then? The ones from the camp?”

 

Carlisle nodded. “Well, something like that, yes. It’s more to do with their associates.”

 

Aurora blinked. “Associates? You mean like the children’s parents? Or the camp counselors that were arrested onsite?”

 

The eccentric man smiled faintly. “Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, you see. After looking at the Midnight Avenger’s reports, we’re considering keeping the kids… yes… every last one in quarantine for about four months.”

 

Aurora thought about it and sighed. “Considering the threat they pose, it might be the safest course of action, but I assume you thought about how they might feel about being separated from their parents? They’re all volatile as it is, ready to go off the moment something goes wrong. Good grief, something like an atomic bomb has been compared with a handful of hormonal kids in our city… and the moment someone puts a foot wrong and the kid has a meltdown, say good night.

 

“You have to remember these kids just got removed from authority figures telling them going into isolation would be good for them. It’s not gonna go over well, and you don’t want that. You’re putting huge chips on their shoulders by treating them that way. They’ll take it out on anyone they see as a source of their misery. I think it’s wiser to organize a less intrusive police watch and respond to threats rather than antagonize them. That is unless you want to send them on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Anaheim.

 

“Although, if something happened there, the government would have to fix it anyway, right?”

 

Giving that last line a beat to sink in, Aurora went on, crossing her arms. “I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll probably have to subdue a few of them since pre-treating them doesn’t seem to be an option, or else that would have been done long ago.”

 

Carlisle stared at her for a long moment before a broad smile sprang across his face. Kirby nodded to Aurora as Carlisle spoke. “I’m glad to see that you agree we can’t simply quarantine these children. The variance within the Xevolve situation should start to seriously ramp up over the next few months. By then, either there will be dangerous mutations, or it’ll have worked its way out of their systems entirely.

 

“I’m going to report to my superiors that local enforcement and metahumans agree that we should keep tabs on them but otherwise leave these kids more or less alone.”

 

He resumed his walking, this time in an oblique pattern across the room. The two looked at him as though he was insane with how stilted and unnatural his movements seemed to be. His lips twisted. “It’s a kata, my friends,” he quietly whispered, having anticipated the question. “Helps me think, you see? Anyway, surveillance is a problem. We want to keep it covert, but 24-7 manpower for what is essentially a stand-and-watch operation without any productivity would never get approved. So! I am going to set up—quietly—a temporary local office here for ARISE… and meet with the principals of the various schools to give them a contact number. Now,” he looked directly at Kirby, speaking onwards, “Detective, this is where you come in.”

 

“Oh, I’m suddenly involved in this conversation?” Kirby spoke wryly and looked back at Chet, who continued stepping and moving his arms in a deliberate manner. “Sure you don’t want to finish your kata first?”

 

“Don’t be silly,” Chet said, continuing to move. “It’s meditation in action. I can multitask, I’ll have you know. Technically, what I’m proposing is entirely within my jurisdiction,” he said. “The Agency for Registration and Investigation of Special Events, aka ARISE has full jurisdiction in any metahuman issue inside the borders of the United States… but I don’t want to be high-handed like many of my colleagues.” He stopped, bowing straight ahead, and then turned back to Kirby with hands clasped before him. “I want to develop good relationships with local authorities such as you, my good man. That’s why I cleared up the jurisdictional issues with the camp in the first place.”

 

Holly’s voice hummed softly in Aurora’s ear, barely above a whisper. Clever. He’s smoothing the edges, making himself seem reasonable. I wonder if he’s truly that cooperative… or if he’s just setting the board for a later move.

 

Exactly my thoughts, Holly!

 

“That was you, huh?” Kirby turned towards Aurora. “As you might know, Junker isn’t exactly in San Isidro or Seaside City limits… technically, we raided under dubious pretenses because of local kids being involved. Therefore, we needed to involve federal officials. They granted us federal powers by proxy until they could send agents.”

 

Chet spoke again. “I was contacted and talked to my friends in the FBI, who then conferred the powers by proxy to Detective Kirby here and his associates. I’ve been keeping an eye on events for the last few months while working another metahuman case. Anyway, now that I have authorization and resources to set up a local office, Detective, I would like the blessing of your department to set up surveillance equipment on the affected kids… covertly, of course.”

 

Kirby’s lips twisted. “Why talk to me, though? You should be talking to the Captain… or the Chief… I’m just a Detective.”

 

Carlisle laughed humorously. “My dear man, you are the de facto Code: Blue officer for San Isidro. None other comes even close. Besides, even without funding, you are basically the one they’re going to dump metahuman issues on, Detective. I’m coming to you because I want your personal approval from a metahuman point of view, so if I need to speak to the police administration, I can say that you approve of my plan and I wanted to move quickly with it, you see?” He smiled and nodded thoughtfully.

 

“So… I’m the scapegoat then. Thanks.” Kirby replied bitterly.

 

Carlisle took over again. “No, no, that’s not it at all. As I said, this is entirely my jurisdiction. I can do this whether the local police like it or not, as long as I have cause, of course, which I do. However, if I went to the San Isidro Chief, he’d call you and tell you to do it anyway, and likely you’d simply shrug.” He mock-shrugged comically to emphasize the point. “Then you’d say something snarky about your pay and just agree. This way, I cut out all the bureaucracy.”

 

Kirby sighed and shook his head. “Sheesh, well, you’re not wrong,” he said. “I’m on board as long as it doesn’t disrupt anything. So does this mean we’re going to have latex-suited commandos jogging through our streets?”

 

“I’m afraid I don’t have the pull to get a permanent STARS group installed locally, so we’ll have to depend on normal response times, which can be fifteen-plus minutes…” Carlisle trailed off, musing.

 

Kirby let him hang for a tick longer than was smooth before filling in the blanks. “Which is why we need an actual Code: Blue division here in town. Well, that’s fine.” Kirby shrugged in his authentic, non-mocked fashion. “Hmm, not fine, but no different than usual.”

 

Chet nodded and resumed. “Hopefully, we’ll have a little more warning than that in reality, and I can send out a call to cut down the response time.” He turned to Aurora with a grin. “Now Aurora, I’d like to add your number to my phone. Can I assume you have an SOS card? If you give me your number, I’ll be able to contact you and vice-versa. I’d be happy to work with you on metahuman matters, either in an advisory or a direct capacity.” He finally offered his hand to Aurora to shake.

 

Aurora hesitated, considering the matter. It all seemed like things the city was much in need of, and the deal seemed decent enough for the moment.

 

She took his hand and firmly shook it.

 

Holly’s voice hummed softly in her mind. A formal working relationship, just like that? My, my. I do hope he’s as trustworthy as he sounds.

 

While Aurora agreed, she was more frustrated by the message boards. How could there not be rumors or wild speculation about an agency that employed oddballs like Chet!?