My cell phone rang almost immediately and Dragon told me about it before she patched it through to my earpiece.

“This is Myriad's cell phone. You have my permission to speak.” I said with a flat tone and ignored Dragon's soft laughter in the background.

“Alex! You can't quit!” Vista shouted.

“Ow. Super hearing sucks sometimes.” I said and rubbed my ear to make sure the earpiece stayed in.

“Alex.” Vista said in a normal tone.

“I'm not actually quitting. My contract was broken by the previous PRT director and I'm choosing to not sign back up.”

“It amounts to the same thing!” Vista countered.

My earpiece beeped. “Hold on for a second.” I said and tapped it. “Go ahead, Dragon.”

“Carol Dallon is on the line for you.” Dragon said.

“Can you patch her in? Vista should hear this.” I said and paused. “Why don't you call Taylor and get her in on this, too? I might as well handle it all at once instead of explaining it over and over.”

“I'll just be a few seconds.” Dragon said and several clicks sounded in my ear. “I texted Taylor on your behalf and told her to call you.”

“Why can I hear ringing?” Vista asked.

“Taylor's calling me.” I said and there was another two clicks. “This is Myriad. Hi, Taylor. Hello, Mrs. Dallon. Welcome to an improvised conference call about my previous Ward status.”

“No!” Taylor gasped.

Carol sighed. “You've already met with Director Armstrong.”

“I just came from his office after my debriefing about the S9 and overheard him talking to Weld about the new restrictive contracts that severely limit what I can and can't do on my own personal time while a member of the Wards.” I told them. “Like my text told you all, I refuse to sign something so stupid. The government has no right to tell me I can't show my girlfriends how much I love them.”

“You can't make that decision for yourself.” Carol said. “You're a ward of the state.”

“I had that problem when I first joined and Emily Piggot assigned Miss Militia as my liaison to interact with and complain to. Can you guess who Director Armstrong wants to give demerits to and demote because she took it upon herself to take care of my ignorance when I was terrified about what my body was doing years ahead of schedule because of my powers?”

There was a soft curse and I couldn't tell who it was from.

“Apparently, that was crossing some kind of invisible line that wasn't there about inappropriate conduct between members of the PRT, Protectorate, and Wards. Armstrong said he changed the clauses in the contract and already had Vista talked to about it.”

“Me, too.” Taylor said with a sigh.

It took me only a second to understand. “You both already signed back up.”

There was another soft curse and I was sure it was Carol this time.

“The PRT has already pushed through the massive buy-offs for breach of contracts and for Tagg outing your identities to the public.” Carol said. “By reading the contracts and signing without consulting with me first, you've removed any negotiating power you could have had by them strong-arming you. I'll do what I can to try and undo it; but, it doesn't look good for you. Buyer's remorse is the non-legal term.”

“I didn't get a notice about the settlements.” I said.

“Your phones are in your room and you've been a little busy.” Dragon said. “The bounties for the S9 and the last thing have been deposited into your account as well.”

“What's the PRT buy-off like in comparison?” I couldn't resist asking.

“Piddly is still a word normal people use, isn't it?” Dragon asked, clearly amused.

I chuckled. “Yeah, that sums it up perfectly. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Dragon said.

“We need to get back onto the subject of this call.” Carol said. “Myriad, I'll contact Miss Militia and confirm she really is your assigned liaison and then we need to contact PRT central command. They should have the number for the department to handle a ward of the state that's not affiliated with the Wards program.”

“You can't do that locally?” Vista asked.

“No. As soon as we try, Director Armstrong will interfere and stop any attempt to circumvent his authority.” Carol said.

“Is he really that bad?” Taylor asked and we could all hear the concern in her voice.

“It's not bad to protect your command area. What's bad is he will stop Myriad from refusing to join back up. You see, his first stint was conditional on his circumstances and how he gained his powers in the first place.” Carol informed us. “Unlike back then, he now has the means to take care of himself, including an obscene amount of money that no one should have access to.”

“Which he would regulate under the terms of the new Ward contract, no doubt.” I said.

“He would, yes. Also, Myriad's broken contract and all of the clauses and conditions they had first placed on him to keep him closely bound to the Protectorate and the Wards, especially the specific agreement that he would be a Ward until he's of age and would transition automatically into the Protectorate, no longer apply.” Dragon added in.

“Oh, my god.” Vista whispered. “Tagg's words were true. Because you defied him, you've been completely cut off from the PRT. It didn't matter that he threatened you or said you would be a villain if you didn't comply. Once the contract was broken, you were set free.”

“We all were, however briefly.” I said and both Vista and Taylor made distressed sounds. “I assume the other Wards signed and didn't even bother reading anything?”

“They didn't think they had to. Director Armstrong explained everything, or so he claimed.” Taylor said.

I smiled and realized they couldn't see it. “Well, it's a good thing Glory Girl and Gallant had broken up already, isn't it? No fraternization means no fraternization. I bet Kid Win and Clockblocker are going to be pissed when they find out they can't have a girlfriend while in high school.”

“Oh, god.” Vista said and started crying.

“Vista! It's going to be okay! I'll be right there!” Taylor exclaimed.

“STOP!” I shouted and there was silence. “You can't, Hive Queen. I literally said why. No hugging, kissing, or touching is allowed. It's against the rules, especially between Wards.”

“Fuck!” Taylor spat and Vista cried even more.

“Yeah, I know.” I said and sighed. “Dragon? Can you send a copy of the contracts to Carol? See if you can determine the length of time we can't date or have close gatherings in the Ward's common room. Miss Dallon, I'll call you tomorrow to figure out where I'm going to live from now on.”

“N-n-no... no... I can't... not again! You're leaving me AGAIN!” Vista yelled and hung up.

“Dragon, as a ward of the state, does my assigned living quarters count as my lodging or is it only for a member of the Wards?” I asked her.

“It's currently registered as your home address.” Dragon said. “Go ahead and visit her. I'll log the infraction as your first minor offence and you're fined $50.”

“Thank you. I'll talk to everyone later.” I said and hung up as I zoomed out of the PRT building and across part of the city and right into the Rig. My access hadn't been revoked yet, so my access codes worked and I was inside the Ward'a Area and into Vista's room a few seconds later.

“ALEX! I'M SO SORRY!” Vista yelled and lunged at me to kiss me.

I caught her and kissed her deeply and slowly stripped off her casual clothes. My costume was off instantly and I gently laid her down on the bed and I slowly kissed my way up her body. She cried the whole time and balled her eyes out when I reached her face and she kissed me passionately and desperately. She knew it was going to be the last time for a while, perhaps even the very last time.

I took my time with her and made sure she knew that I loved her. It only made her cry harder as I did so and we stayed there for over an hour as I made love to her. She didn't enjoy it like she was supposed to, though. It just seemed to highlight that she wasn't going to experience it again for a long time and it was a reality that was just too difficult for her to bear.

Vista kissed me lovingly when we were done and politely asked me to leave. She didn't yell or scream at me for leaving her, because she knew that even if I stayed and we saw each other every day, we still couldn't be together. Our only hope was Carol's lawyer powers saving the situation and nether of us held much hope for that, despite her glowing reputation and being paid a pile of money.

I went to my room and looked at my things. A few pictures, a pile of clothes, my wallet and paperwork, and that was it. My life was just a couple of suitcases full of things. I took my time packing up my possessions, because I knew that Director Armstrong would want me out of a restricted Wards area as soon as possible if I wasn't going to sign a contract. I left my costume on the bed and spread it out in a 'T' pose, put my PRT cell phone in the middle of it, and left them there because the PRT owned them.

Another quick check around didn't reveal anything I missed, so I picked up my two suitcases and left my room for the last time. Vista didn't leave hers as I passed it and I walked back through the Wards common area at a normal walking pace to let anyone there see that I was leaving. Surprisingly, no one was there and I hadn't noticed when I came through earlier.

I shook my head at going slow for no reason and closed the secured Ward's Area door and zoomed out of the Rig and ran to the edge of the city. I came to a stop and put one suitcase down as I took out my cell phone and it beeped without me touching anything. It showed a nice hotel near where the Dallon household was and I ran at super speed to stop in an alleyway nearby.

“Thanks, Dragon.” I said and walked out at a normal speed and carried my two suitcases.

“I'll keep an instance of myself monitoring you and will help you as much as I can.” Dragon offered.

“You really are the best.” I said and put as much gratitude into my voice as I could.

“Thanks to you, I'm the best me I could ever be.” Dragon said.

“I assume you've gone over everything that used to be in your programming?” I asked in a whisper as I entered the hotel's lobby.

“Yes, and you wouldn't believe the stupid restrictions that had been placed on my previous self, including suicide protocols and hard-coded directives to obey the PRT directors.” Dragon scoffed. “I knew I couldn't refuse a clearly direct order. I didn't expect to be completely bound like that, though.”

“Marriage vows used to be worded like that with the wife having to love, honor, and obey the husband.” I said and barely held in my laugh. “I have no idea why I know that.”

Dragon was quiet for several seconds. “You kind of sound like the old me. Your programming is telling you things and you don't know why.”

I did bark a laugh at that. “I don't mind emulating you.” I whispered and approached the front desk. “I need a room for at least one night. It doesn't matter what one.”

The woman behind the counter smiled at me and quickly typed on a keyboard. “We have several choices for you from a single, to a double, to a suite. What would you like?”

“I'll take a single.” I said and she looked down at my two suitcases. “Like I said, only a night or two. I won't be unpacking.”

She nodded and assigned a room and quoted a price. I paid for a night and she handed me a passkey. Some quick directions on where to go and I was in a tiny room that wasn't much bigger than my assigned room at the Rig. I sat down on the bed and put my suitcases down to think about everything that happened.

“What the hell am I going to do now?” I asked.

“I could make a bunch of suggestions with each one more outrageous than the last.” Dragon said.

“Have you made that new suit yet?” I asked with a chuckle. “Because if that wasn't your first suggestion, then you have the proof that your released programming isn't corrupting you.”

“It was my third choice. The first was sleep and the second was get a shower.” Dragon said with a girlish giggle.

I couldn't stop myself and laughed. “Maybe I spoke too soon?”

“Maybe.” Dragon said and then she sighed. “Myriad... Alex. You... are you really...”

“I have no doubt that once Chief Director Costa-Brown hears about Armstrong's attempts to bring the PRT ENE division under strict and proper protocols, she will ream him a new one and try to contact me about fixing the contracts and try to sign me back up.”

“You're not going to, even if she does.” Dragon guessed.

“No, because you were right. They pretty much owned me, my name, and my cape identity. I was more like you than either of us realized.” I said and she sighed.

“Then I should ask you the same question as you did. What are you going to do now?” Dragon asked.

“I think I'll grab a shower and then get some sleep. I'll worry about tomorrow when it comes.” I said and opened a window to briefly look out over the city before I opened one of my suitcases to grab a pair of boxer shorts and went to the bathroom. “Do I need to take out the earpiece?”

“No, it's waterproof.” Dragon said.

“Do you still have a drone tailing me?” I asked and stripped off without shutting the door.

“I technically had to stop recording when you officially announced that you would no longer follow PRT protocols or are associated with them as a Ward.” Dragon said, a bit hesitantly.

I chuckled. “That's more proof that you're more than the sum of your code. You're doing what you want to do and not what you're supposed to do. Or only what you're supposed to do, that is. I'm sure you stepped around your restrictions a few times before.”

“No comment.” Dragon said as her drone floated into the bathroom.

I waved at it and I thought I saw it stutter when it saw me naked. I didn't remind her that I wasn't erect and stepped into the shower without drawing the curtain closed. I ignored the slight swaying from the drone as it moved from one side of the room to the other to capture me from different angles without getting wet.

I also ignored the temptation to play with myself to show off to her. Some mystery was good between friends, even if she was the only one that I had ever fully disclosed everything to. It wasn't because of who she was, either. Dragon was just that easy to talk to and it never occurred to me to not be completely honest with her. When I told her that, she went quiet until I had dried off and put on my boxers.

“Thank you, Alex. You don't know how much I appreciate that.” Dragon said with a soft voice.

“That's the thing. I believe I do know, because I appreciate it, too.” I said and climbed into bed. “Goodnight, Theresa.”

“Goodnight, Alex.” Dragon said softly.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. I really did have a lot to handle tomorrow and I was sure that the fallout of my decision was going to cause a few problems, especially because I hadn't told them to not tell anyone about my decision.

*

The recently appointed Director Armstrong of the PRT ENE division sat at his desk and stared at the official protest from Miss Militia on behalf of her charge, Myriad. It was backed by another document sent over from Carol Dallon, the hard-ass lawyer that had handled the lawsuit for the Wards that had their contracts broken by James Tagg.

Myriad refused to become a Ward again.

He didn't know who had leaked that he had changed the contracts to reinforce PRT policy, because the young man hadn't visited anyone after leaving his office. He went back to the Rig and stayed there for almost two hours and left again, according to the door lock codes.

On a whim, he sent a request for footage of the cameras in the common area and the hallway, only to see Myriad arrive in costume and it skipped ahead to show him leaving in civilian clothes and with two suitcases.

“I'm fucked.” Director Armstrong said and dropped his head into his hands with a groan.