"Yet, all armor—from a lobster's shell to a Navy SEAL's flak jacket—ultimately reveals the same truth. All armor highlights vulnerability. It trumpets the fact that below that hard exterior lies an interior that is soft, fragile, and in need of protection."
― J.K. Franko

Tommy sits on the edge of a cot at a slanted angle that presses his knees against each other. Dyscardia sits in a similar position the moments she's on the cot, but she keeps standing up to reapply the healing ointment on her damp rag. When she returns, she presses the edge of the rag against his skin. It burns everywhere she touches, but once her hand retreats, some semblance of relief sweeps in to due away with the pain. Tommy knows it will return later. His older scars will grow agitated by the new companions. They'll all learn to live in harmony eventually, deciding to punish him less over time.

That's the thing with physical wounds. They hurt up until the point that they don't. With time, they heal. There will be times when pain will flare up again, but at least he can fix whatever the problem is at the moment. It's the mental wounds that continue to scrap against the edges of his mind no matter how many years he puts between him and that night everything went up in flames. Tommy really thought he was getting better. He's been sleeping well thanks to Serenade, and nearly everyone in the Syndicate ensures he is eating food other than his packets. Perhaps it is because his end goal is within view, but Tommy even feels happier than he did in the past. More accurately, he is a lot more prone to emotion, which is distinctively different but close enough that Tommy focuses on positivity.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jolt mutters, pressing a hand against Tommy's forehead. Tommy blearily looks up at Jolt's worried eyes. Tommy isn't strong enough to pull away, so he tilts his head forward. Jolt doesn't make any movements to remove his hand once Tommy has left gravity in Jolt's control.

"So, you went to the Trading Station. You met with Vendetta's informant, Passerine, to learn that the Red Army is recruiting for many positions and they've got their hands in almost every business, legal and not. Once you left, you went to some diner to meet with the Ace of Hearts. He gave you that folder. On your way here, you were attacked by Technician and some strange copper golem. He rigged the warehouse to blow after his escape. You two managed to get out in time and came here," Thermoculus summarizes, gesturing towards the folder left on the stand beside the cot Tommy is sitting on. The moment Dyscardia dragged Tommy's half-conscious body inside, the folder had all but been forgotten. Dyscardia was more focused on cleaning Tommy's wounds, keeping his heart beating with her powers. Jolt joined in immediately when he saw, but he's since taken on the duty of making sure Tommy doesn't have a fever or has passed out. Thermoculus stood in the corner of the room. He was listening and watching, waiting for something to happen as he extracted information from Dyscardia. Even Tommy, at times, though the blonde was reluctant to speak. His voice felt as far away as the current situation did.

"The cult wants Vendetta. Passerine specifically stated the cult was looking for him. Before we fought Technician, he mentioned that it was the Red King who wanted to see Vendetta. Although, from the way Technician was talking, it seems like not everyone in the Cult of Erythr is on board with this," Dyscardia mentions. Tommy's heart slows down by a fractionally margin. He picks his head up from Jolt's touch to look over his shoulder. Even though he told her not to, she continues to manipulate his heart. Not to kill him, strangely enough, but to ensure it is beating at a resting pace. Tommy told her not to, but she continues to do so with this weird expression on her face that Tommy refuses to name.

"I don't fucking know why. I have connections, sure, but I don't have any fucking allies. I wouldn't be a bargaining chip. I wouldn't be a spy. I couldn't have caught their interest, either. I haven't gotten more involved with them than anyone else has," Tommy explains, tilting his head away from Dyscardia to look at his hands. He runs his fingers along the scars on his wrists, feeling exposed with his armor removed and his undershirt pulled up enough for Dyscardia to see his back and arm. He doesn't wish to explain why he has these scars. Some of them have adventures behind them, hilarious stories meant to show off his foolishness or extreme skill. Most, however, are from times when he couldn't even fight back. Wounds from the Hunters, from himself, too. Not self-inflicted, exactly, but they do look like that, don't they? Tommy slowly lowers his hands into his lap. He will ignore it. If Serenade catches him messing with them, he'll take both of Vendetta's hands into his own, and it's so nice that Tommy would rather Serenade punch him in the face.

"If you're sure you don't know why," Dyscardia begins slowly, allowing Tommy to jump in. He doesn't. He really has no clue. He might be an A-rank hero, but he wasn't the only one. He might be part of the Hero's Guild, but everyone knows that the guild doesn't negotiate with terrorists. He might have a partnership with Croupier, but the Jester would never give anything up in exchange for Tommy's life. Tommy has nothing to offer. He would just be bait for whatever trap the Red King wants to set. Dyscardia continues, "We'll have to hold a meeting with the entire Syndicate."

"I agree. We should also tell them about all the members the informants of Las Nevadas found," Thermoculus proclaims, nodding to the folder.

"I hardly think this is worth everyone's attention," Tommy shakes his head. He really doesn't want the entire Syndicate to come together for his sake. He already knows they'll make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be. Tommy just needs to be extra careful from now on. He also knows that the Red King probably wants him alive, so he can be a little looser in his plans with that sort of reassurance. Other than that, nothing really changes. He's still giving it everything he's got to stop the Red Army.

"We work as a team, Vendetta. If the Red King is after you, it's our job to keep you safe," Jolt argues. He puts both of his hands on the sides of Tommy's face, his palms covering up Tommy's filter. That isn't what makes his breath hitch, though. It's the determined expression in Jolt's eyes, barely hidden by his colored goggles. Tommy feels like he's looking in the mirror for the moment. He's staring at someone who has lost something precious so they have resolved themselves to protect everything else they have. Tommy thought he had nothing left to protect, but Jolt's assurances made Tommy wonder if he could have this.

That wouldn't be fair. Tommy can't expect to protect Jolt when he can't even protect himself.

"Fine, bring all the bitches here," Tommy mutters. He already knows that he doesn't have a choice in the matter, but he likes the illusion of getting a say.

"I have to go get more supplies. Stay here, Vendetta," Dyscardia orders as she stands up from the cot. She gathers her rag and the bowl of the healing ointment into her arms. She walks to the door on the other side of the room. Thermoculus opens the door for her. She nods at him, leaving the room.

Before Thermoculus can fully shut the door, music plays in the room. Tommy looks around for the source, but he hears Jolt groan beside him. The vigilante fishes a communicator out of his pocket. He stares at the screen for a long moment. He keeps the communicator close to his chest as he starts walking away. He looks over his shoulder at Tommy when he opens the door."I have to take this. I'll be right back." And the door shuts.

There was a moment of silence. Tommy goes back to rubbing his scars. Thermoculus stays in the corner. He nods his head, listening to something in the hallway. When the sound of Jolt speaking with someone becomes more silent than muffled, Thermoculus pushes off the wall. He hesitates beside the cot right beside the one Tommy is sitting on. He places his hands against the blanket, gathering up some of it in his fist. Tommy eyes him warily, expecting a lot of things to happen. Instead, Thermoculus sighs, bowing his head. "Thank you for saving Dyscardia's life."

Tommy chokes on his breath again, and his voice modifier releases a sputtering noise. He could say so many things in response to that, but nothing feels right. Nothing feels true. He doesn't like how Thermoculus is staring at the bed, contemplative and dark, imagining a future where Tommy did nothing. Tommy tries to imagine that future, too. He isn't close to Dyscardia. He isn't sure he would exactly miss her if she was gone. But he can imagine how the others would feel. She had been with Thermoculus for at least nine years. They were vigilantes first and later became villains. Thermoculus even went to face the Syndicate alone when he thought Dyscardia had been kidnapped. Tommy relates to that, so instead of making a big deal out of this, he proclaims, "I'm getting better at this whole teamwork thing."

Thermoculus laughs bitterly. Tommy's smile drops away. Thermoculus looks up. It looks like there are tears in his eyes, but Tommy can't be sure with the colored, frameless glasses Thermoculus wears. He sounds broken even through a voice modifier. "I'm grateful because you didn't have to go in that building at all. You could have let Dyscardia deal with Technician on her own once you dealt with the golem. But you didn't."

"But I didn't," Tommy repeats softly. He meets Thermoculus' eyes unflinchingly. He goes back to his earlier thoughts about how Thermoculus would have been affected if Dyscardia had died in that explosion. Tommy sighs. "I... when you came by that morning... The day before I went on my mission with Ravager, we talked in the kitchen. You told me that Dyscardia was your only family."

Thermoculus completely deflates. He falls to his knees, resting his forehead on the white blanket of the cot. Tommy fears he's going to sob, but Thermoculus picks himself up. He walks around the cot to sit across from Tommy, so close their knees brush together. Thermoculus looks up at Tommy, something searching in his eyes. "How close were you to your family to go to all these lengths?"

Tommy ends up mirroring Thermoculus' earlier reaction. An ugly, wretched laugh spills forth from his mouth even when tears rise up in his eyes. Of course it's his longing for his family that allows him to understand a supervillain he should otherwise hate. Thermoculus has never done anything for Tommy. They've never been on the same side, and in the few times they have clashed in the past, it seemed like Thermoculus personally hated Vendetta, not the faraway disgust villains hold for heroes. Now, Tommy feels like he's sharing a touching moment with Thermoculus. He almost feels like he can understand the villain.

"Thank you, Vendetta," Thermoculus repeats softly, waiting for the laughter to reach a low point.

Tommy heaves in a sharp breath. He stares down at his hands as he whispers, "You're welcome."

Thermoculus moves once again, coming to sit beside Tommy. The blonde is about to say something when Thermoculus takes Tommy's hand, pulling his scarred wrist away from his prodding fingers. It reminds Tommy of what Serenade does when Tommy's picking at wounds, but then he actually feels Thermoculus' hands. They are hot like he's been working with metal in the summer for a few moments. They are scarred like he's been in a million fights without a healer at his side, knuckles broken and lines criss crossing his palm. These two distinct qualities bring tears to Tommy's eyes because they remind him of Jack.

Jack became part of their group shortly after Niki did. She was actually the one to find them. Jack had been in the system for a long time because his entire family had died in a fire when he was a baby. He lacked people in his life to care about for a long time. Niki only brought him along because she felt that Jack would fit in with them. Tommy accepted Jack far more easily than Wilbur and Eret did, but he was a young child then, so it wasn't a surprise. Jack taught Tommy how to fight. He showed Tommy how to play lots of fun games. He would tell the best ghost stories. He was always there for Tommy ever since the beginning. Jack would hold him in the winter, keeping him toasty as he promised that he would always love Tommy. The promise made him warmer than Jack's naturally hot skin did, but Tommy wouldn't trade the entire world for either. No matter how many people joined their group after that, Tommy never lost his deep companionship with Jack. Brothers in some ways, friends in others, but family all the same.

Tommy smiles bitterly behind his mask, squeezing the hand given to him. How many times is he going to get caught up in memories of the past? Jack is dead, just like everyone else. Thermoculus squeezes Tommy's hand back, and Tommy wishes he was alone so he could sob.

The door practically slams open. Argonaut rushes inside even before the door is fully open. She marches down the aisle between the cots on the right and left sides of the room. She stops in front of Tommy. She doesn't hesitate to put her hands on his face, twisting it around so she can see his eyes from all angles. She crawls onto the bed on the other side of Jack, pressing her glowing blue hands against the wound. The healing power crawls into his skin, nestling deep with enough strength to start cleaning up the minor burns and the tears from shrapnel. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Tommy responds to her. Dyscardia is hesitating at the doorway. She stares inside the room with a frown present on her face.

"How do you really feel?" Argonaut asks again, unhappy with his initial answer. Tommy feels the heavy fuzz start to descend across his thoughts. They all get tangled up until he's left with the simple truth and random details.

"The pain is negligible," Tommy assures her. He could handle it even if he didn't get any healing. He will admit that he's starting to feel better physically, though, and that is a welcome change since his heart continues to burn with the pain of remembering the warm hearth that went by the name Jack Manifold.

"Vendetta," Argonaut softly warns, still unhappy with his answer. Tommy doesn't know what he's supposed to tell her. Thankfully, she doesn't ask again. She stands up, the glow falling away from her fingertips. Tommy feels well enough to start sitting up straight without wincing. Argonaut stands in front of him, a hand on her hip as she speaks to the entire room. "The rest of the Syndicate has gathered in the other room."

Tommy wonders if he could stay behind. Even though part of the meeting will be about him, he really thinks it would be better if he didn't arrive. He didn't want to answer questions right now. If he tells Argonaut that he feels terrible or tired, she might let him rest in here. She seems to have some sway over the group considering she's their healer. Tommy could definitely go through with that plan.

Thermoculus stands up to leave the room and follows Argonaut out. Tommy feels the hand in his leaving. He closes his fingers around tighter. Thermoculus stops, looking back at Tommy still sitting on the cot. Tommy and Thermoculus stare at each other for a long moment, each wondering when the other will give in. Instead of one of them letting go, Thermoculus tugs at Tommy's hand, helping the hero onto his feet. He frowns once more as he follows behind Thermoculus. If he closes his eyes, he can almost imagine Jack dragging him along to witness something Jack deemed as cool. Tommy always agreed with Jack's assessment even if he would never tell the other as much.

Tommy opens his eyes when he enters the meeting room. The conversation dies down when he shows his face. He shifts uncomfortably, double-checking that his shirt is pulled back down to cover his scars. As he does this, he feels a lanky pair of arms drop over his shoulders. Tommy looks up to see Enderwalk pressing him so close that Tommy can barely see over his bodysuit. Reluctantly, Tommy lets go of Thermoculus' hand so he can wrap both of his arms around Enderwalk's middle.

When Enderwalk pulls away, Warden is standing there. He places a hand on Tommy's shoulder, partially hiding him from the room. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tommy says loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Once he's made that clear, he sits down in the chair between Jolt and Enderwalk. Everyone is here from Tommy's first meeting except for Ankh. The Ace of Diamonds isn't nowhere to be seen, but Red Dragon, a hero, is still at this meeting. Tommy wonders if he's an actual member who just spies on the Hero's Guild. He catches Serenade staring intently at him, but he can't make any snide remarks as Argonaut begins the meeting.

"We have information about the members of the Cult of Erythr. The official members are Crimson, the Red King, Retro, Reaper, Adamantine, Cait Sith, Technician and the Scarlet Demoness. We know most of their powers," Argonaut explains, pointing at the whiteboard behind her with a projected image displayed. There is a profile for every member of the cult. Crimson is known as the recruiter, the god of this faction. The Red King is the de facto leader with the ability to enhance the physical, mental, and Esper abilities of people. Retro could freeze time for a few seconds at a time. Reaper could manipulate souls, those of the living and the dead. Adamantine can transform parts or all of their body into a crystalline structure. Cait Sith could teleport short distances. Technician could manipulate technology. Scarlet Demoness had telekinesis and the ability to cause 'hexes' or bad luck.

There were dates underneath each of the members' names, an estimated time of joining. It seems the cult has been around for a few months. The motives for most of the members are left blank. Only the Scarlet Demoness seems to have anything, and her motive doesn't mean much when they don't know the exact purpose of the entire cult. "They have no one of note in the Red Army. All important or powerful members are part of the Cult of Erythr."

"Through my conversation with Technician, my meeting with Passerine, and some other inconsistencies, the cult is, among other things, after Vendetta," Dyscardia states.

"Why is that?" Serenade asks, keeping his eyes on Tommy. The blonde shrugs, deciding not to go down this line of questions again.

"It could be about that time you went to the abandoned G-Train station," Ravager points out.

"Warden and Jolt were at that, too," Tommy argues.

"All three of you may be the target, then," Argonaut remarks, rubbing her chin as she looks back at the board behind her. She taps the screen, and it shifts to bring up more information about Technician. Tommy is slightly surprised to see that she put something about Sparrow in the notes section of Technician's profile. He likes it when people listen to him.

"We'll have to protect Jolt, Warden, and Vendetta until we know better," Red Dragon proclaims, looking at Warden then Jolt. When his eyes settle on Tommy, the blonde finds himself looking away. Red Dragon is one of the few people in Tommy's whole life who seems genuinely kind for him for no reason greater than the fact Red Dragon was the one to show Tommy the ropes when he first joined the Hero's Guild. Tommy would like to keep it that way.

"You can protect Warden and Jolt all you fucking want, but I am going to laze around like some dumbass. The sooner we defeat the cult, the sooner we don't have to worry," Tommy argues. He doesn't like the sound of 'protection'. It seems worse than 'teamwork' does.

"No one is going to make you stop," Red Dragon swears. The other Syndicate members in the room startle. A few open their mouths to voice complaints, aborted words unable to finish because Tommy decides to take Red Dragon at his word and saying, "Thanks."

Argonaut audibly sighs, but she gets on with assigning everyone's missions. She glances at Tommy before looking back at Ravager and Dyscardia. "Vendetta, you will join Ravager and Dyscardia on their mission. Remember, teamwork."

"Understood," Tommy stands up to leave now that he's gotten his mission. He exits the room before anyone else.

He steps into the dim hallway, closing the door behind. Once he turns to walk, he feels a pair of arms around him. He startles, wondering what Enderwalk is doing. He blinks when he notices that the person is slightly shorter than him, by an inch or two. Tommy tilts his head down to see that it's Phil. Tommy returns the hug slowly, wondering what he's even doing. When Phil pulls away, he remains in Tommy's personal bubble. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. The explosion hurt like a bitch, but it wasn't that bad. Argonaut healed a lot of it, too, so I'm as good as new," Tommy explains, finally admitting to someone how much the explosion hurt. Tommy hardly remembers it since he doesn't like explosions, but he knows he lost enough blood that he hallucinated Niki holding him when it was Dyscardia that was trying to keep him alive. He must have been out of it for him to fancy that thought.

"Take it easy," Phil reminds Tommy before walking into the room where most of the supervillains are still gathered. Tommy shrugs off the homely exchange to grab his armor. He wants to get back to the Paradise Apartment as soon as possible. He doesn't like being at the Syndicate base, especially with his memories on the fritz and his loneliness rising to overtake his heart.

Tommy enters the medical room, but he notices someone standing in there. It's a man with dark hair and a beard, his eyes staring directly at Tommy's armor. He tilts it in his hands. When he notices Tommy standing at the edge of the cot, he smiles. "Hello. I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Sneeg."

"What are you doing here?" Tommy asks hesitantly, taking the armor from Sneeg. He starts to put it back on, strapping it into place. He reaches for the nightstand where Dyscardia had left the knife he let her borrow. He looks at his reflection for a split second, wondering if he should get Dyscardia a knife like his.

Sneeg must misunderstand Tommy's question as a general one because he doesn't answer why he's standing in the room, inspecting Tommy's armor. Instead, he says, "I do the paperwork for the Syndicate. It isn't a fun job, but it's a necessary one. Pays pretty well, too."

"I can understand that. Paperwork fucking sucks," Tommy decides to let the conversation flow that way instead of trying to backtrack. Plus, Tommy really does understand. After completing a commission, the hero who undertook it had a lot of paperwork to do. Most high-ranking heroes could hire a secretary to do it, but Tommy prefers to keep his business secret. This means he has to do it by himself. It is never interesting, but it's something to do with his time. He tries to stay on top of it.

Someone knocks on the door before they nudge it open. Red Dragon stands in the doorframe. He gestures towards Sneeg. "Phil is looking for you."

"Of course he is," Sneeg mutters to himself. He waves at Tommy as he leaves the room. Tommy almost goes after him, but he notices that Red Dragon has taken a step inside the room. Tommy tilts his head to the side questioningly. Red Dragon asks, "How are you?"

Tommy almost growls, tired of being asked that. Red Dragon shakes his head, rephrasing before Tommy answers, "How have you been since we last saw each other?"

Tommy frowns underneath his mask. He has found that it is nearly impossible to lie to Red Dragon. He can lie to literally everyone else in his life, but Red Dragon is one of those people that really makes him want to tell the ugly truth. Tommy doesn't want Red Dragon to know the truth, though, so he instead says something that is technically true: "Busy."

"Oh, I can imagine," Red Dragon laughs. When his laugh pitters out, he takes a step toward Tommy. He puts his hands on the hero's shoulders. He looks down with a serious look in his eyes. "Look, Vendetta, if you want out of this deal at any time, just go. I'll support you no matter what choice you make."

"I'm grateful, but that's unnecessary," Tommy informs his old mentor.

"The offer still stands. Think about it," Red Dragon leaves the room, turning away. Tommy hesitates, wondering if he should back out now. He shakes that thought away, realizing that Serenade is probably waiting for him. He rushes for the door to the outside with a reluctant smile on his face.