I have no nightmares that night, but I am apprehensive throughout the bike ride to work. And my apprehensiveness means I am more jumpy and prone to curt responses that some would call angry-sounding.

Aaron certainly thinks so.

"Hey, be nice to be people, remember?" Great. My guide is making it even more socially unacceptable to feel negative emotions. I should have added, "Don't bottle up your feelings," to the list.

"Sorry. Just a little jumpy."

"Jumpy doesn't mean you have to bite my head off."

"I wasn't..." I sigh. It's no use arguing with Mr. I Know Scriptor's Rules. "Listen, I figured out how to keep electronic supers from accessing Futurescape's tech."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? We could have skipped the trip to Vocal's hideout." Aaron gives me a knowing look. "Did you hide the information, so you could see it for yourself?"

"No!" As if I wanted to go to that horrible place. "I didn't figure it out until I saw it in action. Electronica can't change what a device does, but she can repurpose it. If a device is built around protecting something form intruders, it will always protect that something from intruders. Electronica can change who is classified as an intruder, but she can't force it to stop protecting that something."

"I fail to see your point."

How he became the team leader is beyond me. "If we change that device's programming to attack anything that moves within a certain radius to protect something, there's less Electronica can do to stop it. She can maybe identify the device itself as 'something that moves' and cause it to self-destruct, but she can't protect herself if she comes into the radius."

"So... the answer is designing a device that will kill its employee and any intruders?"

"No. The answer is designing a device for a very specific purpose that can't be changed just because Electronica messes with its designations."

I can see the wheels turning in his head, trying to find fault in my logic. "What about security cameras? Can't Electronica see through them?"

I frown. "Yeah, I guess she can. But there are at least ways to prevent her from messing with the footage that gets transmitted out of it."

"How?"

I think through it as I speak. "Videos are just a bunch of pictures, right? If the camera is told to send each frame automatically after it's taken to a computer who's whole purpose is to receive and view these videos, the footage should stay intact."

"What if Electronica adds herself as a 'camera' and sends false footage to the computer?"

"She can do that, but the correct footage would be sent on top of that. Then, we could see both sets of data."

"What if Electronica overloads the computer with 'new cameras?'"

"I... don't know."

To my surprise, Aaron smiles. "It's still a good idea. Our team can spend the rest of the week working out specifics. Well done, Ruby." I feel a burst of pride for my achievement. At least something good came out of our visit to the hideout.

As Aaron's shaggy head goes behind the wall, another head pokes over the opposite wall. "Ruby? ¿Quiúbole?" I almost fall out of my chair in shock. "Sorry!" Jina exclaims. She winces as I flail my hands for balance. "I did not mean to scare you."

"It's fine. I'm not used to anyone but Aaron doing that."

"Sorry. I thought it was a normal thing."

"It's normal for Aaron."

"Ah. Ok." She holds up a book. My book. "Thanks for lending me this. You were right: It is very helpful. The notes are helpful too."

For some reason, my face heats up when I realize she has read my notes. She had read my whole guide: why are my notes any different? "Really?" My voice is too squeaky. "That's good."

"Yah. Saturday was crazy." She gestures to her wrapped shoulder and the band-aid covering the cut on her face. "But I feel very prepared for the next time!" The next time. It saddens me to think Jina has already resigned herself to a life where the unusual is common. "I listened to your conversation with Aaron. You solved the problem!"

"Thank our near-death experience. Those drones were a real motivator."

Jina laughs. "Yes." Silence. "I think it would be cool to study the tech we found."

I beam. "I agree."

"That knife is scary. I want to learn its secrets!"

I chuckle. "Me too."

"Right?" She grins. "We could examine the tech at lunch?"

I am so close to agreeing. So close. How wonderful it would be to forget about Scriptor for one day and enthuse over inventions with a coworker. But I think about helping people like Jina every day through my blog, being present in the shop to help out a woman hiding from a supervillain attack, and selling books to people whose lives it changed. I have already missed one day... can I afford to miss another?

"I can meet you over breakfast this Saturday or Sunday," I compromise. And then, feeling the need to explain: "I have another job after this one."

"Fantastic!" She smiles at me, still so excitable after everything. "Can I keep your book longer? I need to read it again! There is so much info!"

"Yep. I have extra copies anyway." All the extra copies.

"Great!" She smiles again. "Hmm... we should work now."

"Yes. Work. Right." I nod my head, though every muscle protests against it. Who knew I would actually like talking with Jina?

Her head ducks back behind the wall, and I slowly turn back to the Futurescape project. I spend hours discussing every possible scenario with my team, designing the specific technology that Futurescape wants protected. It's an exhilarating and exhausting experience.

I grab a load of microwavable sliders (What? I'm hungry.) and walk over to Scriptor's with a skip in my step. A skip in my step and my head down to conceal my face, of course.

When I finish unlocking the shop and becoming Samantha, I'm not even upset to see Lucifugus waiting outside.

"Scriptor hasn't changed his mind," I tell him, putting my sliders into the microwave.

"I know. I'm here to see you."

So much for not being upset by his presence. He. Will. Not. Get. The. Hint. What. Do. I. Do? My. Guide. Does. Not. Prepare. Me. For. This. "What?"

"The team and I have determined Scriptor is cautious enough to keep himself out of trouble..." Ok, ok... I like where this is headed... "But we worry the employees will be targeted instead." NO!

"Why? I have never even seen Scriptor."

"They may try to use you as a hostage to... persuade Scriptor."

"Persuade him of what?" He doesn't answer. Well, my situation just got worse. I can't imagine a villain trying to bargain with me using me as a hostage would end well. 

"I have stood watch outside this shop--" Still? "-- and will continue to do so, adding in hourly checks inside to make sure you are alright."

"No."

"No?"

I huff. "Did you not hear my speech before when you wanted to protect Scriptor? I don't want your protection! I don't need it. You should be more focused on crime around the city!"

"There is no crime for me to focus on," Lucifugus protests. "Any crime that has happened since the supervillain attack has been contained by the police."

That gives me pause. Less crime should be good, but I find it strange instead. Usually, the heroes are too tired to deal with small-time criminals who crop up after villain showdowns. "I still don't want you prowling around the shop. Especially this shop. Do you know how much security Scriptor put into this place?"

"Aw. You care." He grins. "But just because there's a lot of security, doesn't mean villains can't get in. What if a villain came in during the day? That would be bad."

"You think I don't know that? This chaos of a city is my home too. I live here, and I don't have fancy superpowers to help me out. We citizens have to endure more than you supers can comprehend. Why do you think Scriptor wrote this guide?" I gesture at the shelves of books behind him. "But that doesn't mean we're defenseless. I have access to the camera watching the front door, can shoot a firearm, wear an army-grade vest every day to protect myself, and just ordered the new watch that dials nine-one-one if you press a button on it. Few villains have ever come in here and the ones who do have never been interested in the employees!"

"Sam..."

"It's Samantha."

"Samantha..." Wow. He finally uses my real name. I mean, Samantha's real name. Blast this confusion. "I'm just trying to help. I don't doubt you could protect yourself, but these villains are targeting you." Like I haven't had to deal with worse than this before. I try to ignore the memories that crop up to focus on the conversation. 

"I appreciate your concern. Now, please exit the shop before I call the authorities to kick you out."

"I'm one of the authorities."

"Well then. Why don't you kick yourself out?" I can feel myself cracking. That's dangerous. I can't trust the Gladiators to protect me. They have other citizens to protect. If they prioritize me, I would only set myself up for further attacks.

To his credit, Lucifugus doesn't press the issue. He silently goes to the door and exits. I imagine my whole spiel won't prevent him from watching my shop all day. Part of me is relieved. Part of me worries.

I eat my sliders slowly. I am more drained from this last encounter than I have been by the entire workday. When the day is finally over, I grab a cup of coffee to stay awake and bike home. I head straight to my bed. Even then, I barely manage to get there before my body collapses in on itself and shuts down for the night.