Clara and Emmett walked hand in hand through the faux streets of the Gray Room. It was the same path they’d walked on Sunday to get coffee…

It was still Tuesday. …Had it really only been two days?

Venture sighed and dismissed the camera feed from the Gray Room, giving his daughter and her boyfriend their privacy. 

“Should I continue listening?” TINA asked. Her voice came from the central desk, giving the illusion that she was standing beside him. 

Venture cracked a smile. “That depends. Do you think you should?”

“...No. They’re conversation is in a private place, and they expect privacy. They’re unlikely to talk about anything secret or damaging.”

“And Clara is free to disclose certain things at her discretion.”

“They’ll likely be discussing Emmett’s new fusion cannon, or intimate details about their—”

Venture cleared his throat.

“...I’ll maintain passive monitoring.”

“Always.”

Venture went back to examining Emmett’s fusion cannon design. Schematics reappeared on the screen, then equations filled in the gaps. 

Venture rubbed the stubble on his chin in thought. 

“How much did you help Emmett with this?”

“He came up with the initial designs. I allowed him access to our research on fusion technology as well as Clara’s weapons systems so he had accurate schematics.”

“Did you run our usual diagnostics and simulations?”

“I only ran the diagnostics that Emmett requested, while running our own tests in the background.”

Venture nodded in approval. 

Ever since TINA began helping Emmett with his upgrade paths and research, Venture had stressed the importance of letting Emmett come to his own conclusions. TINA was supposed to assist Emmett—never to direct him. 

The last thing Venture needed was an AI assistant taking things into her own metaphorical hands. So far, it seemed that TINA was sticking to their arrangement. 

In addition to keeping TINA on some semblance of rails, it also allowed Venture to monitor Emmett’s progress, both as a super and as an artificer. He was already proving competent on the first front, but Venture was ultimately more concerned about the second. If all Emmett wanted was power, then Venture wouldn’t have had much use for the boy. He would’ve been a useful tool, not a true ally. Venture felt the same way about Clara despite her being his flesh and blood.

Venture didn’t want tools. He wanted allies. One day, even equals. 

He stared at the fusion cannon design on the screens, his own knack double-checking calculations almost as fast as the computer. 

Finally, Venture conceded that the design was quite good. Not complete, but a solid foundation. Clara might even want to try it out for herself. It could be integrated into her exosuit with only a few modifications.

That was the point of being an artificer, wasn’t it? 

Artificers created technology—the means to lift others up. Something that other supers could never do, and organizations like Gnosis only pretended to do. 

Emmett’s nervous system and prosthetic integration would in time revolutionize life for amputees. Venture remembered the day he shared the idea with him—Emmett had wanted to do more than just fight villains. 

He’d wanted to do good. 

It was an innocent, maybe even naive sentiment—especially in a world as corrupt and stagnant as their own. Even the Binary Brotherhood, an organization of artificers that should have been focused on moving humanity forward, were powerless. They were sworn to the same neutrality, stagnation, and stalemates like all other superhero organizations. Truly remarkable tech was not to be shared. 

But Emmett’s prosthetic nerve integration. That was harmless enough to fly under the radar. 

Venture had been proud to share the news with Emmett, and Emmett had been just as proud to hear it. It was one of the things that endeared the boy to him. 

“Emmett still needs debriefing after last night's events.”

TINA’s voice broke Venture out of his thoughts and brought him back to stark reality. TINA was right, of course. Emmett had been instrumental in the deaths of The Freakshow… every member but one. Havoc… Tatianna… Lou… Marie… 

At some point—soon—they would have to discuss that. 

Venture scoffed a laugh. “He was instrumental in the deaths of four people, and now he wants a fusion weapon.”

“You should talk to him about it.”

“I was hoping you’d do it. You’re more than capable.”

“It should come from a human who’s dealt with the same feelings.”

“...That would be best, wouldn’t it?”

Venture hung his head. TINA was right—again. It would mean more coming from him, not because TINA hadn’t killed anyone, but because Venture was human. And because he had killed someone. 

He knew exactly how it felt. 

Venture might’ve been a little further away, might not have used his hands to do it… but he knew. Just because it was easier to kill by pulling a trigger, didn’t make it any different. The bullets took little pieces of you with them when they left the chamber. Left holes in you, just like the people you…

“You also need to talk to Clara about what happened to Torque.” 

Venture waved away the concern. “Torque was my call. Clara didn’t do anything.”

“Clara doesn’t see it that way.”

An image of Clara appeared on the screen. It was the middle of the night—last night—and she was walking through the living room to get a glass of water. She shivered violently and wrapped her arms around her chest. Her face was wet with tears. 

Venture couldn’t remember the last time she looked so cold and vulnerable. Maybe the day after her mother…

Venture felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. He walked over to the lone chair in the room and sat down. Bile swirled in his throat, and Venture forced himself to breathe slowly and steadily. 

There hadn’t been any other way.

There hadn’t been…

Somehow, Emmett killing four people mattered far less than his own daughter being even partially responsible for one. She wasn’t responsible—Clara had to know that. She had to. 

Venture leaned forward, propping his elbows up and resting his head in his hands. 

“What can I say? What can I even say to her? I shouldn’t have…”

Venture remembered how utterly hollow he’d felt after that first time, and now he’d made his daughter feel the same way. 

Tears welled up behind his glasses. “What can I say to her, TINA? Tell me what to say.”

“Tell them the truth. Tell them how it made you feel. Tell them how long it took to get over. And then make sure they know why we’re doing this.”

The truth… 

“It made me feel hollow. Those first kills were the hardest. I never got over it, but each one gets easier and easier. And after that, I could never go back. Could never just be me again. Feeling hollow and numb is just another kind of armor, and I’ll never be able to take it off.

“But why… Why we’re doing this—they can’t know that. Not yet. Do you understand me, TINA? They cannot know that yet.

“Because things are going to get so much worse. And they’re not ready.”

~ ~

Clara and Emmett walked an entire block without saying anything. 

Her hand found his easily, and she focused on the warmth of his skin. Her shoulder brushed his arm, and each time it felt like a spark. Their steps slipped into a rhythm. Even though they were utterly alone in the Gray Room, even though the walls were white and fake, Clara swore she could hear the rest of the city. 

It was easy to forget that the city was under ten feet of water. 

Almost as easy as it was to forget the battles they’d just been through… Or the ache in his leg as he walked. 

Or that Emmett had visited her to talk about something. 

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Emmett finally said. 

“I’m glad you’re alright too,” Clara replied, leaning into his shoulder. 

They continued on for another block before the silence started to grate at Clara. 

“You can’t make a habit of leaving me hanging like this…”

Emmett sighed. “You’re right.”

“Besides, we’re almost at the coffee shop.”

Emmett’s words came in a jumble. “I want to duplicate your power and use it in a fusion cannon. I need something that can punch up. So I can fight a monstrosity if another one comes. So I can help—”

Clara had tried to keep her pace steady, but she nearly tripped. 

“Sorry,” Emmett said. “I’ve been trying to think of how to ask, and well, nothing sounded right. So I just asked.”

Clara scoffed a laugh. “Well, that’s what you’re supposed to do. So, what did you have in mind?”

Emmett pulled out his phone and pulled up the schematics. “This is what I had in mind.”

Clara scrolled through the pictures and soon stopped walking altogether. 

“Dad helped you with this?” 

Emmett shook his head. “TINA helped. Your Dad gave his blessing though. But both of us thought it wouldn’t be right without talking to you first.”

Tiles flashed in the corner of Clara’s vision. Both she and Emmett turned to see the schematics enlarged on the wall, completely covering the building. Clara handed Emmett’s phone back.

“It will be easier to see this way,” TINA said, her voice coming from all around. 

“Thanks,” Emmett replied quietly. Meanwhile, she focused on the schematics. 

Clara knew the designs of her exosuits intimately. Not only had they been designed around her unique power, she’d also helped refine them. Now, she recognized the same fusion tappers, heat sink, reflectors and focusing chambers… 

It was like looking in a mirror. 

“You’re really using my power…”

“Only for certain threats, and only if you’re okay with it. And I actually wanted to ask you something else… I need to see the schematics for your exosuit’s blasters. I think I can modify the fusion cannon so that it.”

Clara half-heard him. She was still focused on the schematics. 

Clara didn’t just see herself—she saw Emmett too. One of the first projects he’d helped with in the lab were the heat sinks. And now he’d redesigned the reflectors and modified them into a barrel. This was as much a part of him as it was of her—

Alright, maybe that was a stretch. It was based on her power, after all. 

Still… she found it oddly romantic. 

Clara smiled. 

“Of course, I’m okay with it. Shoot, I might use it too.”

“That’s fine by me.” Emmett chuckled and put his arm around her as they took in the sight of their new upgrades. They lingered there a moment before they turned to go.

The schematics disappeared. It was only then that Clara realized that they’d been covering up the wall of the Java Haven. 

If Emmett noticed, he didn’t say anything. The pair walked hand in hand across the street, toward the exit of the Gray Room, leaving the simulation of their first date behind. 

~ ~ ~