Sydney:

Evening, partner.

Yes, I’m very behind on emailing you back. Very sorry about that. But you know my schedule. And having a schedule like yours, of course, I know you understand. I’ve been trying. But I finally managed to pull off a small window of downtime here, so I wanted to get a note to you while I could. Better late then never, right?

And I’m writing to you from the base, actually. I just came here straight from the office after putting the paper to bed. I do that on occasion, in case I didn’t mention. I know with this snazzy new computer system Vanguard put together I could just log in from home and pull up the security cams, but those cams don’t cover every room, and this is a habit I’ve had ever since the thing with Kyra, and I just can’t seem to break it now. I just like to do a walk-through on the place, check all the rooms out, do a visual inspection. Just in case. Call me paranoid, but I think I’ve got a pretty good justification to be. So at least every two or three weeks, I drop by real quick on the way home. Tonight, though, I don’t have to be too quick about it. I’ve got nothing but an empty house waiting for me this evening, so I’m in no rush. So I thought this would be a good chance to kick back here in the computer room, put on a little music and get back to you.

My house is empty, by the way, because it’s girls-night-out at the Parker house. The women in my life are all at a concert right now. ‘N Sync, of all things. Ugh. Sabrina and Samantha took the twins. Don’t you think eight years old is a little young for girls to be going to concerts, even if their mom and their big sister are with them? Or am I just too old and out of touch? I guess there are a lot of kids at these things. My memories of concerts are quite a bit different, I guess. Anyway, they made it a whole thing. A fancy dinner out downtown, then off to Key Arena to get their senses assaulted by endless decibels of CRAP!!! I guess I shouldn’t bitch, huh? Considering the stuff so many other Seattle girls are listening to, I should be grateful my girls are into the pop stuff. Hope it stays that way. This concert is a reward, too, which I why I agreed to it (don’t you love how pretend I have any kind of say in these matters? Delusion keeps me happy). Monique is, of course, my little genius (having gotten her Mom’s brain), but you know the issues we’ve had with Nikki’s grades (she unfortunately got her father’s scholastic slackitude). Well, Nikki’s turning into my little hard-worker. She’s really started buckling down. I know it doesn’t come as natural to her as her sister, but she’s really started to focus and, I’m proud to say, it’s making a big difference. I think Samantha’s been a really big help with that. So since they’re both kicking so much second-grade tail, Sabrina decided a little positive reinforcement was in order. And this is what they wanted. So ‘N Sync it is. I think in most other civilized cultures that’s considered a punishment, isn’t it?

And speaking of my ladies…to answer your question, things are still going amazing at home. Thanks for asking. I’m kind of still waiting to wake up, you know? Having Samantha in the family is still a daily miracle, even eight months after her move here. It’s weird, but it almost feels like she’s always been here. Like she was always meant to be and we were just waiting for her to show up all this time. How is it possible that the same girl who became Helliquin could be this sweet, and this loving, and this full of life and hope? I treasure every moment I get with her. I really do. There’s still so much time to make up for. She may have already had a lifetime of memories with us over on her Earth, but we’re still getting to know everything about her and her life. Loving every minute of it, too. And her with Sabrina. Syd, I can’t start to tell you the difference it’s made for Sabrina. All that darkness she was carrying around…it’s like it all went away, like Samantha showed up and just replaced it. She tells me her UNCLE therapist is about ready to just kick her out (obviously, not really, since that therapy isn’t exactly optional)…she’s too damned happy to be in therapy now! The old Sabrina seems to finally be back. The one from before Professor Night, from before everything that happened to us and everything I put her through. I didn’t just gain a daughter when Samantha came over. I got my wife back. You should see the two of them together. Seems like the first sound I hear when I come in the front door every night is the two of them laughing. They do everything together. I find myself feeling a little envious of Sabrina, getting to work out of the house, because she gets to have all that Sam time while I’m stuck behind my desk downtown. But, God, what it’s done for her. I’m sure you’ve heard it in her voice on the phone or felt it in her emails. There’s hope in her life again. She got back the daughter she lost, a daughter that was a part of her and was stolen right out of her body. I often wonder if she felt that loss, subconsciously, when D’Arque took Sam from her womb? I mean I know she was moody at the time and dealing with depression, but come on…she was pregnant, and look what we were going through then. I think she did. I think she sensed and it and felt, up until a few months ago, that a part of her was gone. I think she’s finally whole again, Syd. Damn, but I love that woman.

So, as you can imagine, our marriage is running much better, too. There’s a closeness now that hasn’t been there for a long time. Maybe we finally got over our unspoken superstitious fear that us defying the gods and getting together put some kind of curse on us. You had start to wonder after a while with us, didn’t you? One disaster after another. Maybe Sam’s the proof that it’s not true…or at least the evidence that it’s finally over. Maybe we’ve paid our dues to the Scion powers-that-be. And Sabrina’s not the only one whose life has changed with Sam around. I’m so grateful to have her around that I hate having to go to work and being apart from her. Maybe that’ll pass with time, but it still hasn’t. Not to make it a competition in any way, but I think Sam and I have a bond that’s a little more special. We both lost each other, and got each other back. We both realize, deep down, that we’re not the SAME people that we lost. Her real dad is still dead. My real daughter is, too. But that just doesn’t seem to matter to us. We both feel like we have a second chance with each other, and we’re making the most of it every day. We can just talk for hours, figuring out which things are different between our two Earths, talking about what her world’s Dr. Jackal was like (which never ceases to fascinate the hell out of me. Believe me, he was a lot more together than I’ve ever been). Or just plain talking. Doesn’t matter about what. Just being together is enough. And there are plenty of times during those talks when I have to fight back the tears. Just realizing she’s really here and in our lives, and that we have a chance with her now. That chance that D’Arque took away from us here. Did I mention that those nightmares of mine finally stopped when we brought her back here? Not a one since. Again, it’s like she walked into our lives and magically fixed everything. Fixed us.

What does concern me a little is that her powers are coming back, fast. We saw, over there, how much power she really had, when D’Arque pulled it all out of her at once. You were there, you know what I mean. When a fraction of her powers seemed to be all that was left after he died, I expected it was going to be like that for quite a while (especially considering she hadn’t even manifested her powers at all before D’Arque showed up). But they’re really coming back, big time. Remember when she first got here and it took a lot out of her to open a portal back to her world? Which, of course, always made me nervous as hell until she got back, because I was afraid she suddenly wouldn’t be able to get back. Well, now, it’s takes her almost no effort at all. Which makes her mom back there plenty happy, I’m sure, since Sam can pop back home at will. But she’s started experimenting, and she seems to be able to do the same with just about any other dimension or reality. It’s kind of as though during that ceremony, when she was tied in with D’Arque’s big spell, her mind touched pretty much every other reality at once (if such a thing is possible, since I don’t think the number of other realities are supposed to be finite, right?), and then forgot all that after it was over. But she’s slowly getting little bits of pieces of that sense memory back. She can remember—or at least remember the “feel” of—a world, and then she can open a portal to there. That’s some major power to be throwing around, Syd. Plus the fact that she can already teleport to just about any place on our Earth she wants with a thought. She kind of “feels” that, too. If it’s somewhere she’s never been, she can look at a map, and her brain kind of makes a connection between that and what she senses…something she describes as kind of “ripples and hums”…and she can just reappear there, or open a portal to take company along. We’ve actually taken a few fun father/daughter “trips” that way, testing out what she can do. We pick a place, she opens a portal, and boom…we’re there. We’ve turned it into a kind of food theme, and we go places for lunch or dinner. Sushi in Japan. Shepherd’s pie in Ireland. Don’t even get me started on Rome. We’ve been back three times. And I’ve had to hit the gym a few more times because of it (urp!). Add to all this that her strength level has kept growing (I don’t know if it’s stopped yet…), and what you’ve got is a young lady that’s becoming a major force to recon with.

And that concerns me because the last thing I want is her trying to put on a costume and follow the family legacy. We just got her back, for crying out loud. Do we really want her going out and putting herself in danger? I don’t know if I could take that. She hasn’t made any specific mentions of that to me, but I know that growing up with her sisters having powers, and her seemingly not, always made her feel left out and kind of in their shadow. I worry that because of that—and because of her being here where she doesn’t have world-famous super-sisters to live up to—she might want to make up for lost time and start heroing on her own terms. She is nineteen years old and can make her own decisions, of course (though I’ll admit I’ve gotten old enough to think that nineteen is way too young to make those kinds of choices), and I don’t want it to cause any kind of issue between us if she did decide to suit up one day, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be thrilled about it. But it’s not even an issue yet, so I guess I shouldn’t waste energy worrying about it. But I do. Not an area I thought I’d have to be stressing about as a dad for a while, you know? I’ve been getting off easy with just making sure my girls know their times tables. God, I hope this isn’t a preview of what’s to come down the road with Monique and Nikki, too. If Sam’s “alternate timeline” ends up being a sneak peek at our own future, that means my little soccer girls start their own hero team. Can’t even start thinking about that yet. I’ll start drinking again.

Samantha seems to be loving and embracing her life here. It’s actually kind of fun for her, this whole “time travel” part of the crossover. It’s kind of like she’s gone back in time eleven years, which apparently is a kick. She’s having a great time in college. She’s made a couple of friends there, but I think she’s reluctant to get to close to people yet, since she’s still having to watch everything she says, both from that whole back-in-the-past thing and just all the secrets she has to keep. It’s easy to tell people you’re a transfer student from Canada, but a lot harder when they actually start asking questions about Canada (I told her to just say “eh” a lot and she’d do fine…). Hate having to put her through all that…and to make her have to tell people she’s our niece, not our daughter…but secrets are a way of life in our wacky lifestyle, aren’t they? She’s handling it all fine, though. And speaking of friends, she’s really becoming close pals with Wally’s daughter, Holly. Something made easier, of course, by them both being U-Dub students. Unfortunately, Wally still hasn’t gotten around to telling Holly that he was Electro Man (at least I know there’s a more over-protective father around here than me…), so the secrets have to stay in place, but Sam and Holly are definitely becoming buds.

You probably haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time with Holly yet, have you? You should. The girl is a pill, Syd. Totally cracks me up. Sharp as a tack, wicked sense of humor, just the right amount of attitude to impress me. Great kid, love having her around. I just hate that we have to be “on stage” when she’s over, though. I hope Wally decides to finally spill the beans sooner than later so we can open up to her more. I think before he just wanted to shield her from all that because she was too young, but now I think with her just starting to really come to terms with Rose’s death, he just doesn’t want to throw her another curve ball. I’m cautiously trying to encourage him to. They’ve both bounced back pretty well from losing Rose, I think. I’ve got to hand it to him for making the choice to sell the house in Portland and move here full-time. That couldn’t have been easy, letting go and moving on like that. He’s doing better, though. We’ve been making the effort to spend a lot of time with him, and he’s got Holly—who, to her credit, had no problem with her Dad moving here just to be close to her while she’s going to college, where most college girls would be horrified at the idea—and they’re a hell of a team, those two. They’re going to be just fine.

Speaking of Wally, Vanguard had what I think is a great idea. You know how we’ve been getting this whole Forte Museum idea together? Robert suggested that, if it happens, the best guy to run the thing would be Wally. Don’t you think that’s perfect? All the rest of us have other careers going on, or are living outside the area. Wally’s here, and he’s retired, and this could be the perfect thing to focus his time and his life on. Plus, could you think of a better curator that the public would love and trust? And who better to run a super-hero museum than a guy who’s been doing the cape thing a lot longer than any of us, and who has a lot more knowledge about it? And you’ve seen how he is with kids. He loves them, and they love him back. He’d be perfect with them and the rest of the public. Let’s talk about that idea. If this thing starts to get off the ground and we all agree on this idea, we could maybe discuss it with him, see what he thinks.

Well, I’d comment on your question about that bit of drama at the Bane family trial, but there have been so many of them since you wrote it, there’s not much point. America just loves a good courtroom drama, don’t they? Or, in this case, the world. I can’t decide if this is a PR nightmare for the state of Texas or the biggest boon to their tourism this century. What’s not to love? You got Texas mobsters, super-heroes, and even SHIELD dragged into the mix. Everything IS bigger in Texas. Even the bullshit.

Glad you’ve been following my paper’s coverage. I think it’d be fair to say it’s the best coverage outside of the lone star state. What, with our wonderful local Twostep angle and all. I, for one, will be very happy when I can finally start putting out a paper without a Bane trial insert in it every day. I’m sick of it. Sick of all of it. If I didn’t have the public’s interest in mind, I wouldn’t want any part of it. But it’s not just news. It’s one of the biggest news stories in recent history. And it’s got Seattle written all over it, thanks to Nathaniel. By the way, I still can’t get in to see him. I try about once a month. I’m sure it’s the same story with you. I can’t even pull it off with Dr. Jackal cred. Maybe they’re afraid one of us is going to try to break him out and steal their star witness. Can you blame them? Even if most of us didn’t know about it, people on our team let him go after the Moon Dragons thing and kept it a secret. In some way, this is all our fault. We let him start his little vendetta. At least one of us even helped him. Can’t really question the trust issues there in light of all that, can you?

The fact that your UNCLE commander status won’t let you see him or even find out where they’re keeping him hints at how big this is, how far beyond a simple mob trial it is. Of all the prevailing rumors, I’m most apt to believe that UNCLE’s not really handling the witness protection…at least not fully. I think SHIELD’s got him every minute he’s not in the courtroom. I’m thinking it’s been one big, long debriefing for him ever since the night he turned himself in. SHIELD, obviously, has a major interest in this. I can’t get Nick to give me any kind of confirmation. No surprise there. Not like Nick’s innocent either. Not only did he know Nathaniel was a ticking time bomb when he joined Forte, but after capturing him—after that thing with John—he let him go. At least according to Mark (which comes by way of according to Nathaniel). Guess that was only polite, seeing as how Nathaniel was their prisoner on the helicarrier and yet managed to stop a plot to crash the thing, plus saved Nick’s life in the process. Fair’s fair, I suppose. Nathaniel had plenty of enablers, didn’t he?

Am I sounding more bitter than normal about this? I am. It’s finally all starting to get to me, with the Bane trials getting close to over (word has it the prosecution thinks they can wrap up by Valentine’s Day. Isn’t that just sweet?). Maybe it’s having to deal with every detail of it day in and day out in my job. Maybe it’s just knowing what’s coming next. As soon as the Bane trials are over, Nathaniel’s—sorry, “James Caleb Bane’s”…still not quite used to his real name, no matter how many times a day I have to see it on my desk or on the screen on CNN every night—trial will start. And then every detail of what he did during his undercover time will be brought out fully. Every crime he committed to get close to the family. Every man he killed. All of it. And that’ll just be the warm-up. You know what comes next. The trial of Twostep, finally, here in Seattle. Have you gotten your brain yet wrapped around what a circus that’s going to be? A former Forte hero not only beats two punks to death, but then flees the law and disappears, then goes on cathartic vengeance crusade to take down his own criminal family, then turns himself in after all the smoke clears? This is going to be one of the most covered trials ever. There’s not going to be a hotel room available any closer than Boise. Press will be here from around the globe. Hell, the press from the other 4-Worlds Earths might even send some reporters through the gate. “Forte” isn’t going to just be in the body of the story anymore. It’s going to be the headline, on every front page, for months. And I have no doubt we’ll all be called in to hit the witness stand, down to the last member. Fucking…circus.

I know I’ve been pretty neutral about this. And maybe I will be again. But right now, at least this week, I’m just plain pissed. I’m pissed and I’m hurt. And since everyone else seems to be kind of looking to me for how to react, it’s probably best I keep this just between you and me. I know I’ve been carrying the banner for backing Nathaniel, for supporting him publicly and privately, reminding everyone that he’s our friend and our teammate and we need to stand by him. And he IS my friend. That’s the problem. He’s a good friend. Before I ever met him, when I was still in a coma, Nick sent him in to fill my boots during Intercrime, and he put his ass on the line against D’Arque within hours of arriving. And he was one of the ones who killed D’Arque. That first time. When it was time for me to finally step down from Forte life, he came back and filled in for me again. That’s when that group of us were living in the base, after the invasion. He lived with my family. He became part of my family. I trusted him with my children, with our secrets. And I never regretted it. Because he was my friend.

That trust didn’t go both ways. I know there’s a lot of opinion among the group now (and I’ve even used the words myself) that “He did what he had to”. “He didn’t have any other choice”. Thing is? He DID have a choice. He had many choices that he could have made that could have stopped all this before it happened. He could have trusted us. He could have told us about his real past, that he was a Bane. He could have told us about his powers, that every other super that Carson made went batshit NUTS at some point and went bad. And even if he didn’t feel he could trust us with all that at the start—out of shame, or guilt, or whatever was going through his head—when he lost it and killed those gang members he did NOT have to run. He could have told us then. He could have turned himself in and faced the music. Yeah, I know, in his head being jailed and going on trial could have led to him behind bars forever and not able to keep his promise to himself to take his family down. Even if that’s the case, WE could have done it for him. We fight gods and nuclear maniacs. I think between a bunch of super-heroes and couple of high-ranking government operatives we could have done something about a goddamn Texas mob. I don’t care what family he started with. WE were his family THEN. We could have helped. We would have. He didn’t have to make himself a fugitive and go on some big martyr this-is-my-destiny opus and try to do it all alone…and lose a good part of his soul—and a couple of fingers—in the process.

And his weren’t the only bad choices.

You know what else might have stopped all this? How about Mark and Akim not letting him go after forcing Carson to take out his powers? They knew what he was leaving to do. No, I’m sure they had no idea what it would turn into, but they knew. And they lied to the police, to UNCLE, to SHIELD, and most importantly, to us. I know they had a special bond with him. They were his teammates during that time. You and I both know what that does to relationships. I love Harry, but she and I are never going to have the kind of bond you and I do. Jeremy’s my friend, and my teammate, but I was never on the line with him, never put my life in his hands every day, so we’re never going to be as close and John and I. It’s just how it works. I know they had a different kind of loyalty to him. Mark especially. But they chose silence in their loyalty. They chose to trust him and not us.

And Mark. Mark’s another one of my best friends. Difference is, he IS Nathaniel’s best friend. And that didn’t just control that one decision. Or that one secret. Mark knew exactly where he was. Maybe not at first. I guess when Nathaniel showed up in Seattle that night on his way to Canada and confronted (tried to attack) Mark over the apparent death of Jennifer (gee, Nathaniel, maybe if you hadn’t run off and gone deep underground and cut yourself off from all your teammates you might have gotten the memo that we faked her death to keep her safe from your psychotic family…), that was the first Mark had seen him or heard from him, and he saw even then that the old Nathaniel was gone, that he was a changed man. But Mark made a pledge that night, at Nathaniel’s insistence. He swore that if anything happened to Nathaniel, he’d finish what Nathaniel started with the Banes. Again, loyalty. And friendship. Can’t say in the same situation I’d have promised any different. But when Nathaniel disappeared soon after and the people on his side down in Texas assumed the worst, they got the message to Mark. And keeping his word, Mark left his family behind and headed down to Texas. He had all Nathaniel’s secret files. He knew everything, and everything Nathaniel had been doing. He could have told us then. Of course, it was right then that Nathaniel’s people got word that the Banes had a lead on Jennifer and were after her and her son again. And he took off right after her to get there first. Could have called us. Didn’t. Just like Nathaniel (maybe his lone wolf code is contagious), he rushed off on his own. And then, of course, he and Nathaniel met up along the way, so Butch and Sundance were together again. I’m just glad they got to Jennifer and get her and the baby back to WEAVE. Even though I still don’t think Mark’s giving me the full details of what happened. I know he’s holding something back. I know him that well. Maybe one day he’ll trust me with that. With SOMEthing, for a change. Yeah, I know. That’s not fair in the bigger picture. Like I said…I’m just bitter right now.

And speaking of best friends? What the hell is wrong with John? Nathaniel and Mark are two of my best friends. John IS my best friend. One of my oldest friends. Next to you, and my wife, there’s nobody else in the world I’m closer to. And HE knew. And he didn’t bother to tell me either. What, is my being part of the press making people think I’m going to start quoting them or something? I know, he was as much of a sucker as me in the beginning. Hell, he was the one most pissed at him, and I understand he was in one of his famous John rages when he found Nathaniel in that warehouse raid, and he was even trying to arrest him and bring him in when Solomon Hilt’s people jumped and kidnapped them. I keep trying to imagine what was going through his head when he woke up in a dungeon with his Phantasm costume on with Nathaniel there in his Twostep gear. It’s funny, but Nathaniel still didn’t come clean on the details until they were hiding in the jungle, running for their lives. Guess he figured they were going to die anyway so what did he have to lose? I guess knowing John like we do we shouldn’t be surprised he understood it all. Maybe Nathaniel saving his life on that island helped the choice. He let him go, and even through SHIELD got him right away (though he escaped SHIELD not long after, thanks to Nick), John still didn’t let us in on it. He knew where he was and knew what he was doing. And he let him. Guess he understands that kind of macho payback bullshit better the rest of us.

And Mark was there at the end, at the Bane estate, helping Nathaniel finish it. Partners to the end. Do I believe Mark when he says he thought him being there would make things go down easier and quicker? Of course I do. But it ended up a bloodbath anyway, just like the rest of Nathaniel’s life after leaving Seattle. A lot of people died. If that hasn’t been made clear in these trials, it sure as hell will when the James Caleb Bane trial starts. And Mark was there in the middle of it. That’s going to go well. What is this power Nathaniel has, Syd? This power over people? The power to make otherwise sane men and women forgive him and understand him and help him? Is it the pain he went through all his life? Does that come through in his eyes or his voice or something? This whole thing never should have happened like this, and our people—and even the head of SHIELD—played a part in it. Unbelievable. And the luxury of keeping our secrets isn’t going to be afforded at any Twostep trial. Much of it, if not most of it, is going to come out. That’s the problem with me being in the press. I’m not just imagining how that’s all going to go, I can see it clearly. This could be the thing that flushes everything we’ve done over the years, all the good that’s attached to the name Forte. This could be our ultimate legacy, how the team is remembered. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the name Pete Rose? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Am I just being a doomsayer? Just being paranoid? I hope to God I am. Because I just don’t see this ending well for any of us.

And I guess I’m not immune to that power, either. Because for all this? I still can’t stop thinking about my friend Nathaniel. The man who my little girls loved. The man who literally came through the gates of Hell to rescue you, me, John and Miranda…and Monique. The man who put his life on the line against impossible odds to rescue Mark and Robert from FORCE Command. The man who got his ass kicked time and again in combat because he refused to fight women. Ha. There’s a metaphor for you. (Sorry). A man of decency and honor and loyalty. And thinking about how the hell he became the man he did. Maybe it’s because I come from a good family, but Christ, can your upbringing really screw you up that much? The more I’ve learned from the trials, the more I’ve come to contemplate what that must have been like to grow up in. A good and decent kid somehow being born into such a fucked-up group of psycho mobsters. I guess the bigger question should be how the man that he should have become turned into the man that we all knew? How does a kid raised by such an overpowering criminal father, groomed to take a place in the family business, witness from a young age of all kinds of acts of violence and evil (and being told that it’s the family way), decide to turn his own family over to the feds when he’s basically still a teenager? And how does a father order his own son killed to keep him from testifying? Makes you wonder how things might have been different if that first trial, years ago, had actually happened. If “James” hadn’t been “killed” and taken in by SHIELD. And how do you get over the knowledge that your own family tried to assassinate you?

I guess you don’t. Obviously. You carry it with you your whole life, even though you prove yourself above your genes by becoming a SHIELD agent, a member of THUNDER, and then a member of Forte. In the end, you carry that guilt for being a part of that family. And then you walk back into that family with your reconstructive surgery and your new name and you rise up the ranks and collect all the evidence on them that the courts need. While people around you that trust you die. While the woman you love is murdered. While you kill a couple of your own brothers (allegedly in self-defense both times). While you become everything you swore you never would for the sake of the greater good, and to rid the world of your family’s empire forever.

And I guess you do what you feel you have to, and you care enough about your friends to try to keep them out of it, keep the stink of it off them. You cut yourself off from those you care about so they don’t have to be involved. You try to block out their faces so you can do what you think has be done without thinking about what they’d think of it all. You do it alone. Like you feel you always have been.

Too many guesses. Too many maybes. I guess what I really want is just to sit down and talk with him. Too see his face, and his eyes, and have him explain it to me, what was going through his head, how it all makes sense. To get his side of the story. But the goddamn government (no offense) isn’t going to let me do that. So I’m left with my questions. And I’m left sitting here acting like it’s all about me when my friend is in a little dark room somewhere facing his endgame all alone. I’m pissed. And I’m ashamed. I have good days and bad. Maybe tomorrow I’ll go back to not blaming my teammates for doing what they felt was the right thing. Maybe I’ll go back to appreciating all the darkness Nathaniel has had to go through, the courage he showed and the conviction to do something that did more than avenge, but that’s probably saved countless lives and done something that law enforcement has been unable to do for decades. If these trials finish up like I think they’re going to, there’s not going to be so much as a backroom card game left in the Bane empire. He’s done it. For better or worse, he’s done what he swore he’d do. And now comes the consequences. How will history finish the tale of the man called Twostep? Or the team called Forte?

Well, that was uplifting, wasn’t it? Sorry. Necessary venting. But I’m currently in a much better mood. In the middle of writing this, I just got a video call from Kyra. Guess she logged on to the system and saw me online, and she dropped a hello, and we’ve been chatting for a while. Man, did I need that tonight. She says hello, by the way. If I needed a reminder that sometimes things do turn out okay, I just got it. She’s doing just great. You know in just a couple of months Chill will have been an official member of Angel Flight for one year? She’s found such a great home on that team. A new purpose, good friends. And New York is just crazy about her.

Right about that time, it’ll be two years since I found her here in the base. That was six months after her parents’ murders. And I’m still not able to forgive myself for not knowing she was right here in hibernation all that time. A couple of us even dropped into the base once or twice during that time for different reasons. But we never searched it. It’s like, since Forte was over, the base just seemed like a closed-up, defunct place, so it somehow never occurred to any of us that that’s where she’d be. I’ll never be able to forget that day, the day I found her. When she woke and had to realize it wasn’t all just a bad dream. We’ve been through a lot of shit over the years, you and I, but I think those few days that followed were the hardest of mine. Just staying there with her. Trying to piece her mind back together, letting her go through all the emotions, the loss, the rage, the guilt. Just holding her, just listening to her, just being there for her so she wasn’t alone. I’ve never seen a person so completely shattered. And God, why not? After everything that kid has been through? The rape when she was young. The attack on NRG that cursed her with the powers and made her a girl-cicle for the rest of her life. Having her parents butchered by her own stalker, one that she was unable to stop in time, and walking in and finding the bodies. He can she EVER close her eyes without seeing that image over and over? I don’t know how a person gets through any ONE of those things sane. By the time she was somewhat functional again, I practically had to carry her to the copter and deliver her to Megan in New York.

You just had to experience how broken and lost she was then to really appreciate the conversation I just had with her. I guess me being here again as we chatted made that more clear to me. Two years later, and the girl has somehow bounced back again. How, I have no idea. She is so damned tough. I love that kid. And I’m so proud of her. And tonight, accidentally, she popped up and reminded me what the word “perspective” means. You know, you THINK you have problems. You whine, you moan. And then you remember that maybe your bullshit problems aren’t that big after all. That if someone can overcome what she has, maybe whining ends up looking kind of silly. And you get a reminder on what you do with problems. You face them, you deal, you move on. Okay. I’ve had my reality check. Whining over. Facing, dealing and moving on coming up.

Um…what else? You been following our stories on this Seahawk guy? Seems we have a new hero in town (or maybe just a really rabid football fan…). There’s really not much on him. It’s all been sporadic witness sightings since this started over the summer, until we finally managed to get a couple of grainy photos. Neat armor. Not sure what to make of him yet. Seems he keeps to the night and the shadows. But is that to be more effective, or is he hiding something? Your guess, good as mine. I keep checking with UNCLE here for any new news, but he hasn’t tried any contact with them, apparently. I did talk to Captain Compass, though, who teamed up with him on an offshore drug smuggling thing (“teamed up” in the “accidentally bumped into each other” sense). I guess that armor is some kind of aquatic suit. Guess he goes pretty fast underwater. Compass says he’s okay. I still want to learn more. If you get anything before I do, let me know, would you?

And did you catch the big news last night with Armor Security saving the Church of goddamned Scientology? Hilarious. Okay, I guess not so funny for the “religion” getting its headquarter attacked by a group of people even more nuts than they are, but Armor saves the day and makes the headlines again. Man, things have changed. Remember when we used to butt heads (and fists) with those guys? Talk about your turnarounds. They’re really doing great. One big win after another. Matt’s been keeping me up on all the stuff happening there (though not recently…he’s been out of touch for a while. But who am I to talk, based on the lateness of this email?). I’m seriously impressed. Okay, they’re still taking money for much of their work, but give it to ‘em…a lot of their stuff for the city is free of charge (and mostly for the free marketing, sure, but everybody wins). At least they were being paid for the Scientology thing. Wonder if any of them have been converted yet?

So you’re telling me you’ve still got NOTHING on Archibold, Tanner & Creighton? Are we to believe that a Seattle-based law firm specializing in defending villains is not in ANYONE’s pocket? Not even Max Ravenscroft? You know if we could find any evidence of that we’d never have to buy Vanguard another birthday gift again… This is nuts. Are they actually clean, or are they just that good at covering their tracks? I’ve had my best reporters on it since they first showed up in town, with nothing to show for it after all this time, but I figured at least my friend the fed could dig something up. Lot of use YOU are. Guess we’ve both struck out. I just can’t buy that they’re not dirty. Yes, I’m biased. We all are. And I don’t care if I’m officially retired, it hacks me off that these humps are either getting villains off clean and clear or getting them embarrassingly short sentences. Are they just great at what they do, or have prosecutors just started sucking wholesale since we hung up the tights? Believe me, local UNCLE here would love to be all over them, if it wouldn’t end up looking like obstruction. And this James Avalon guy. He’s turned into their golden boy. I’m getting sick of seeing his quotes in my paper. Just keep on it, would you? I’ll do the same. Lets pretend we’re pissed-off super-heroes again and not law enforcement and media professionals who understand that even super-villain deserve due process and a fair trial. It’s more fun that way.

If you get a chance, by the by, hop on the database and read my entry on that whole trip to the Questors’ world last month. “Trip” is a nice word for it, isn’t it? I know you know the broad strokes, but all the fun-filled details are there. NEVER AGAIN. Vice Grip’s my friend and all, but he wants to see me, he can come over to THIS Earth. I went there to play poker…NOT to end up invading and becoming a political prisoner in fucking Texas. I don’t trust that Adleman and his “C.I.A. scientists” (what the hell is THAT?), I hated the French enough BEFORE I went to a world where they’re actually scary and trying to take over America, Sabot is a fucking nut job that almost got me killed, and I’ll now never be able to visit El Paso on my own Earth anymore because it’ll just bring back memories of how I was almost EXECUTED in theirs! Thank God Wingboy and Lionheart were there with me. Their Earths? Okay, I’ll still go. Where the Questors roam? NO. Drawing the line. Man, up until that, I thought it was going to be all fun and games getting linked up with three other Earths—and getting to see our buddies from there whenever we want. I think they can all come visit US for a while. I’m not feeling like crossing over again anytime soon.

So, speaking of UNCLE (as I was before the bitter Questors sidetrack), how’s life on the job since we last talked? Any sign of ANY kind of improvement? Any chance they’re going to free up even mercy resources for you? I don’t know how you put up with it, Syd, I really don’t. I’ve got lots of UNCLE sources around the country (shhh! You didn’t hear that, Commander!), and they all say the same thing about the San Fran branch—ass end of the universe. In case no one’s told you lately, you’re doing an amazing job under some pretty crappy circumstances. Keep swinging, Syd. You’ll make them listen. I swear. Glad to hear Kyle is taking care of business around the Bay. Nice to see at least a few of us are still active, huh? Sounds like he’s really making a name for himself on the streets there. Good for him. Glad Stephen and young master Caleb are also doing well. We’re looking forward to you guys visiting. Have you noticed Monique can’t manage to keep her eyes off Caleb for more than three or four seconds? Hey, quit laughing. Not funny! I’m not ready for my girls going boy crazy just yet, so tell that kid to turn off the dark and mysterious grammar school vibe, would you? Oh, and thanks for the update on Ellen. Sound like she’s really getting her life back together…or, more to the point, starting a new one. I hope she knows how much we owe her. Remind her for me next time you see her, would you? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bigger poster child for making you believe in second chances. How any woman ends up going from being married to Lucifer D’Arque to 1) staying sane and 2) ending up one of the good guys is beyond me. I hope she’s really able to put it all behind her and forgive herself. I know that’s going to take time. A lot more than eight months, that’s for sure. I think she can do it. She’s come this far. I think she’ll make it the whole way.

Can I just say it “out loud” one more time? He’s gone, Syd. D’Arque is really gone, forever. No more vendettas against my family. John and Jeanette can now just enjoy Andy growing up like a normal kid, without the specter hanging around of him maybe being flung back in time by D’Arque in the future and coming back to die in our time again and again. And Caleb is safe. I can’t even start to imagine what you guys have been through, knowing that D’Arque would always be patiently waiting to make his next move. Our kids are safe. Their destinies are all their own now. That son of a bitch lost, and he’s gone for good. We really did it. Every once in a while I just have to remind myself. If for no other reason than to get to have the feeling that comes over me every time I do. That feeling of peace, and freedom. The good guys won. And finally, we get our happily ever after.

Well, I’m here later than I expected (the Kyra call ate up some evening there. Notice me not complaining?), and I’d better hurry if I’m going to beat the Parker gals home. So I should probably let you go. It’s weird, being here. In the base. I mean, it’s home and all, yeah. But being here alone is strange. It’s way too quiet. Except, of course, for when those Johnny Quest cleaning drones suddenly start up and scare the shit out of me. So much happened in here, good and bad. Mostly good. So many friends that we shared this place with. So many memories. Something about the quiet is strangely making me feel old. You can really feel the weight of time in here now. I never thought I’d see it like this, did you? Guess I foolishly thought there’d always be a Forte running around Seattle, busting heads, coming back here for a soak on the hot tub and a cold one to nurse their wounds. I should be old enough to know that nothing lasts forever. But we had a hell of a run, though, didn’t we, partner? We started something really great. And look how far it all went. Ah, I’m also too young to be getting this nostalgic. Better knock it off before I turn into a washed-up varsity quarterback, bending everyone’s ear about the glory days, huh? Well, who knows? Maybe this place won’t just be our little retiree clubhouse forever. Maybe Forte’s still got some miles left in it. Maybe our kids will grow up and start it all up again and move into this place. Start some legends all their own (please join me in my prayers that this will NOT happen…). Or somebody else. Some new guys, maybe. I don’t know. As we keep learning (and not always in ways we want to), life’s full of surprises, and you never know what’s around the next bend.

All right. Got to lock up and head back home to what’s probably going to be an all-night yammer-fest with a couple of starry-eyed little girls regaling me with every last excruciating detail of their evening. Good thing tomorrow’s Saturday. I’m probably going to need the extra sleep. You take care of yourself down there, okay? We miss you around here. Don’t make us miss you too long. Get the family back up our way for a spell. Door’s always open. Deal?

Have a great weekend. Love you lots.

Jack