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You didn’t exactly remember getting up and leaving the room, but you did have some vague recollection of hugging your family, promising them that you would return, and trying your best not to break your fragile father with your words or actions.
You weren’t the most eloquent guy around, and you didn’t trust yourself not to say something that might send him further down his downward spiral. Not now, at least. Right now, your teeth were clenched so tight that you thought they might break.
Not out of anger, per se, but…was it too much to fucking ask for something to go right today!?
Or…yesterday? Ugh. How long have you even been awake? It feels like it's been forever since you actually managed to sleep in your own bed. Cassandra’s beds were comfy, sure, but you were effectively in a psychically induced coma back then, and were thus unable to appreciate having slept in it.
You were vaguely aware of the fact that Cindy was dutifully and silently trailing after you, and you didn’t need to be an empath like Abe to know that she was throwing some rather concerned glances your way. You ignored them, stormed out of the hospital and suited up at your earliest convenience.
<span class="mu-r">“Julia. Tell Rintrah that I need a portal back to the mansion. And make sure that our new houseguest is ready for me when I get there.”</span> you demanded.
You needed three things right now. Answers, a way to blow off some steam, and a serious win for the Parker family. The first two were accomplished by you potentially beating the Chameleon senseless, and the third was dependent on your success in accomplishing your first objective.
If you could find out where the teleporter and his remaining goons were, you’d be one step closer to wrapping up this miserable chapter of your life.
—--------
A little while later, you and Cindy exited the portal and stepped onto Madame Webb’s front lawn, just outside of the teleportation ward’s range. The two of you silently trudged up to her front door and waited a second for it to swing open for you. No one had actually opened it for you, but Rintrah had made some minor modifications to the warding scheme that allowed pre-approved members of the team to enter, so long as they held a “keystone”. He’d apparently had it affixed to your utility belt while you were sleeping.
As soon as you stepped inside, you were greeted by Madame Webb and Julia in the sitting room.
<span class="mu-r">“I’ve finished sorting through his most recent memories.”</span> the older woman said, jumping straight into things. She could probably sense that you weren’t in the best of moods right now. <span class="mu-r">“I have the location of their designated fallback position, as well as a backup. However, I cannot guarantee that they will remain at either position for very long. If they believe that they’re compromised, they’re likely to scrub the whole operation and go to ground.”</span>
(Cont.)
