A Second Chance

Part 27 - You sound surprised

"So, what now?"

"Not bad..."

"What?"

"Looks like you and your team isn't half-bad,"

What... did I just get complimented? As in, she didn't mock me? I've never thought that I'd get a compliment from someone like her. So far, she didn't seem like the type of person to compliment someone randomly.

"That's the first time you haven't insulted me so casually,"

"You held your ground during The Purge. And you've brought a record-breaking shift to the city. That's not nothing. So... I'll start taking your team more seriously from here on out."

Maybe I should consider telling her?

I always promised myself I wouldn't tell anyone my secret identity; only The Swordsman and Mark knew; maybe Mr. Parker, but he's more of Mark's connection than mine. But Emily has been a great help and she is technically part of the team now. She even talked to Mark; the only thing she doesn't know is our identities.

Eh, if I'm going to work closely with her, she should at least know who I truly am. If I told The Swordsman, than why not her?

"Hey, I have something to tell you," 

"What?" 

"I'm Power-Punch."

"Seriously?" 

"Yes. I didn't want you to know at first, but now that you're officially part of the team, I figured it was time. I don't know if you ever suspected it before, but I believe a team shouldn't leave one person in the dark while everyone else shares secrets. I mean, sure, everyone has their own personal stuff, but no one should be deliberately excluded. So... yeah. Don't take it personally. The team needs your skills. That's the only reason I brought it up now."

I paused to breathe. 

My throat felt dry from that rambling, but yeah. There was nothing I could do now. Emily could hang up. She could disappear. She could do what the ninja did ten years ago, except it would be more on my side than hers - wait, this isn't even remotely the same. 

Worst of all, she could tell Deathstroke. I just told a spy from The Vipers my identity. Granted, she wasn't working with any organization at the moment, but that did not mean she was harmless.

"Wow," she finally said. "You talk way too much."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

"You're not... mad?"

"No, I'm not mad," Emily said calmly. "There's nothing wrong. I got what I needed."

I froze.

Got what she needed?!

Was that her way of saying she was going to expose me?! Did I just dig my own grave?!

"You're going to tell Deathstroke, aren't you?" I muttered. 

Damn it, if she tells Deathstroke, then the only hope I have is the fact that I'm in The Sanction. But I'm not even sure that'll hold if they go in an all-out hunt against me. 

"What? No! That's not what I meant, you id- AHEM. You misunderstood me. What I mean is, I don't trust anyone, including you or them. If something feels off, I do what I need to do. That's how I work,"

Ohhhhh, that's what it was! I thought it was some malignant intention as if she wanted to expose my true identity. Part of me still thinks she does, but looks like that's just her personality. She wouldn't have told Mark about how to free me from Ripper if she was a fraud - I would have succumbed to the Dream State then.