Dealing - 6

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"She just disappeared," I said.

Sumerset was at the computer, typing away. I was still staring at my hands--still slick with her blood. I'd never seen so much of it before. Frankly, I was surprised I hadn't freaked out.

I was kind of freaking out now, though.

"Yeah," he said. "I got that much. Looking up 'The Mulligan'. He's a registered cape."

"She said something about--something about getting things right this time," I said, and then I shivered. "God. What--what was this all about, Sumerset? I don't understand. How could she--how did she get here? Why?"

"You want to know the second rule?" he said, continuing to type.

"Huh?"

"The first rule of fighting is that everyone is a threat and that every fight is for your life," he said. "Do you want to know the second rule?"

"I--guess so?"

"Inevitably, you'll be confronted with situations you don't understand, circumstances you can't comprehend. You got two choices: Freak the fuck out or accept and deal. The second rule is just that: Always pick option 2. Adapt or die. No matter what happens, deal with it."

I continued to stare at my bloody hands. After a while, I headed off to wash them in the sink. When I got back, Sumerset was leaning back in his chair and smoking a cigarette.

"Can't access the Agency's files on the Mulligan," he said. "Since we ain't registered ourselves. So I don't know any details about the Mulligan, beyond what I could pick up from some research."

I glanced at the computer screen. "...is that a wikipedia page?"

He closed the tab. "No," he said. "It isn't."

"Right," I said. "So, what do we know?"

"Hardly anything. Except that he operates nearby--in the city, actually. He's part of a small crew of registered capes. Call themselves 'Epoch'."

"Okay," I said. "How do we contact him?"

"He doesn't have any contact info, but there's a contact for the team. We can get in touch with them."

"And, like, what? Just drop them a line? 'Oh, hey, some girl teleported into my top secret bunker with a pound of lead in her belly and told me I should keep in touch with you guys. Then she disappeared'."

"We'll tell them the Skull wants to talk to them," he said. "Tell them there's a new possible threat rearing its head."

"But--there isn't," I said.

"Isn't there?" he said. "That girl seems to have thought so. And she was right about the Inspector Gadget thing, remember?"

I stiffened, suddenly recalling what Mrs. Donovan had said. "A blind girl."

"Right. Probably the same person," he said. "Anyway, we'll get in contact with them. No harm in being prepared."

"Prepared for what? We don't even know what's coming," I said.

And then my phone started to ring.

It was Anna. As soon as I brought it up to my ear, she cut me off.

"Turn on your television," she said. "Right now."

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