Volume 2: Chapter 201 — Catching Up

"I hoped to track him down myself," Freya growled after Dan finished his story. His friends were all caught up on the month's events with the Evo Church, though he had left out his misadventures spying on Senator Madison. As far as Connor, Freya, and Gregoir were concerned, Dan had been asked to investigate the Church of Infinite Evolution by Anastasia Summers only to inadvertently stumble upon their old enemy, Edict.

"There wouldn't have been much satisfaction in it," Dan told Freya. "Whatever was done to him messed him up good. He was pretty vacant. Didn't recognize me at all, so far as I could tell."

Connor scoffed. "You were barely in his presence, Newman. Of course he wouldn't recognize you! Officer Pierre-Louise and I were the ones he thralled. Maybe I should take a trip to D.C., and see if my face wins a reaction. I certainly wouldn't mind a rematch with the bastard."

"He is in custody, that is what matters," Gregoir soothed his apprentice. "And it sounds like he is in no shape to flee."

"Not without outside help," Dan agreed. After a moment's thought, he added, "And a wheelchair."

"Good riddance then," Freya spat, tugging possessively on Connor's arm. The younger man winced as she squeezed almost hard enough to bruise, but he kept his mouth wisely shut.

"Does the Church of Infinite Evolution have a branch in Austin?" Connor asked, voice strained. "If they are engaged in shady dealings, perhaps they should be put under surveillance."

Gregoir squinted in thought for several seconds before shaking his head. "No, but if I recall correctly, there is a small parish outside of San Antonio." He frowned, turning to Dan. "You are certain they had a cosmic generator?"

"Absolutely," Dan said. "They tore it to pieces by the time we got there, but it was active and they've been using it. No doubt." He did not elaborate on how he knew this, and his friends knew better than to ask.

Everyone had secrets.

"There is a profound difference between disseminating illegal upgrades, and incarnating new Naturals," Gregoir said, his face set in stone. "The danger inherent in the latter cannot be exaggerated. I would hope the Evo Church is not so foolish."

"Sucker's bet," Dan commented. "They're already doing it. Anastasia believes the Church and their allies are at least partially responsible for the upsurge in vigilantes across the country."

"Like Galeforce," Gregoir rumbled. His face was twisted into a deep scowl, a foreign expression for the normally jovial man's face.

"Like Galeforce," Dan agreed. "We're pretty certain he was sponsored by an affiliate of the Evo Church. We're also pretty sure they incarnated at least one more person before we got there."

Connor straightened up in recognition. "I saw a report about a new vigilante in D.C. He's one of theirs?"

"Hard to say," Dan admitted. "Anastasia already had eyes on one suspect, but this new vigilante is an unknown. I want to track them down, but I haven't had much luck."

He was positive it wasn't the youngest Andeno, but that didn't leave out some other cultivated Church asset they'd missed. Alternatively, it could just be some random well-meaning kid with more power than sense. Dan couldn't know for sure until he tracked them down.

"You should speak to the DCPD leadership," Connor said immediately. "I'm sure they are just as interested as yourself in catching this vigilante. Given your close relationship with our own department, I'm sure they would be amenable to cooperation."

Gregoir shook his huge head. "An optimistic view, my young friend. The DCPD does not care how favorably we view Daniel." He turned to Dan. "You'd be better off approaching officers directly. Preferably those you worked with during the raid who might have a favorable impression of your competence. Their regard will hold much more sway among the rank and file, and rightfully so. Courting those officers will win you eyes and ears on the street."

"You should also consult with the federal agents who conducted the raid," Freya advised.

"One vigilante roaming the streets of D.C. isn't exactly a federal matter," Dan pointed out, though he questioned himself even as he said it. Dimension A didn't blur the line between state and federal authority so much as blend it. It was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.

Freya shrugged. "That may be so, but they will have cultivated contacts within the city who could help you. Besides, they owe you a favor for helping out with the raid. It never hurts to explore your options."

"It's more complicated than that," Dan replied, running a weary hand across his face. "The goal isn't necessarily to capture. Not immediately at least. In fact, it might even be better if they are left alone."

Several blank faces greeted that statement. Aw jeez, this would be difficult to explain.

"Look, the Evo Church's goal seems to be to foster new vigilantes and build public support for them. They created several catspaws to accomplish this goal and spread them out across the country. Now that the Church has been shut down in D.C., the local vigilantes are out in the wild without a major organization backing them. Anastasia thinks they will seek out, or be sought out, by others whose interests align with the Evo Church, and we want to be watching when contact occurs."

"You're talking about the People," Freya guessed, her voice like iron. "That's why Lady Summers had you investigate the Evo Church. She was looking for a connection with the People."

Dan shrugged, settling for ambiguity rather than an outright lie. "They've been quiet lately. They're up to something."

"They're always up to something," Connor scoffed. "They are literal terrorists."

"I am uncomfortable with allowing a vigilante free reign of a city, no matter the reason," Gregoir admitted. "Though many might have the best of intentions, it only takes a single mistake to cost lives. Galeforce proved how costly a single reckless Natural can be, and he wasn't even a particularly powerful specimen."

"Catching the People might be worth the risk," Freya mused, and Abby nodded along with her.

"It is my understanding that the People operate through isolated cells," Gregoir said, stroking his mustache with a gargantuan hand. "While uncovering a single cell would be a praiseworthy act, would it really inconvenience the movement as a whole?"

"No way to tell until it's done," Dan admitted. "But who knows what that cell might be planning in the meantime? Letting this opportunity pass by might be more disastrous than anything one vigilante could accomplish. It's a risk either way."

"But perhaps a weighted one," Gregoir admitted, sighing heavily. "The People are actively malicious, while the vigilante might merely be misguided. I suppose one takes priority over the other."

"Anastasia's priority is the People," Dan confirmed. "And right now, I think mine is too."

And now he had a decent plan of action to start. First the feds: Agent Carver owed him a favor for saving her team at the Evo Church. She was bound to have a friendly contact or two she could refer Dan to. After that, he'd hit the DCPD branch nearest the church. The two nincompoops who'd interviewed him about Edict were useless, but Dan remembered the names and faces of a few of the more competent cops who'd held the perimeter during the raid. They might be inclined to help him out.

Dan couldn't keep relying on internet rumors and whatever was leaked to the press to track this new vigilante. He needed solid evidence and a pattern of behavior, things the police and the feds could probably provide. Dan would take it from there.