Nightfall has to be the one to stop Brainwash.

To do that, she might need some help.

Even before she consumed herself with being a vigilante, she never had an easy time making friends. Being social is a skill. One that she does not have.

Her skill set includes knives. Hardly a topic of small talk.

People don’t like when you bring up how you can kill someone. That tends to scare them off.

But what helps Nightfall is that Brainwash has made an enemy. One that could be out for revenge. The former prisitine superhero Beacon.

Nightfall never knew what to think of Beacon. She seemed nice. The kind of role model that you have your kids look up to. That she would do a good deed just because it is the right thing to do. She would be on cereal boxes because she was loved so much. But she had the power of a goddess. Her light magic is far beyond what Nightfall is capable of. If put in the wrong hands it could disastrous.

And Brainwash got ahold of Beacon’s powers. Or more accurately, her mind.

Gone is Beacon’s hero reputation.

Nightfall won’t let this crisis go. May as well take advantage of it.

They both want Brainwash stopped. Seems like a win win.

OoOoOoO

“Hello Beacon,” Nightfall greets.

Beacon literally stumbles. That might have to do with Nightfall slinking in the back of the room.

“Ahh!” Beacon yelps, flailing in the air to stay upright. You would think for a hero she would be coordinated and ready for surprise attacks.

Though Nightfall is in her civilian bedroom.

After she recovers, she asks, “How long have you been there?”

This isn’t their first interaction. But it will be their first one with words. Before, it’s just been passing by, acknowledging one another, never really getting in each other’s way.

They never needed to. They do the same thing, just different methods. And from what Nightfall hears, their methods aren’t that much different.

“About thirty-three minutes,” she answers honestly. She wasn’t exactly sure when Beacon would return. The hero just raises an eyebrow in question, “What’s this about? I assume this isn’t a social call.”

Shaking her head, she says, “Nope. I’m here about Brainwash.”

Immediately the temperature in the room plummets. Literally. Beacon powers down, revealing civilian clothes, jeans and a t-shirt. The room becomes even dimmer and colder.

Even with the physical temp, it doesn’t compare to the tense expression on her face.

“I’m going to stop him, but I can’t do it alone,” she reveals.

She lets Beacon take it in. It isn’t an easy admission for Nightfall, so she hopes it works to convince Beacon.

Beacon sits down on the edge of her bed. She gestures towards her desk chair, but Nightfall stays. She prefers the dark corner.

“How do I know this isn’t Brainwash right now controlling you?” She questions. Which is fair. Once you become a puppet for Brainwash, it is difficult to not be hyper aware and suspicious. You question everything and everyone. Nightfall knows that all too well.

“Because I’m the only one he won’t control,” she confides. Expecting skepticism, instead Beacon just stares incredulously, “Seriously? Why?”

It’s the first time Nightfall hesitates in her answer. She rehearsed this before coming here, knowing the inquiry would come up. “Brainwash and I, before we were these personas, used to know one another.” It still doesn’t feel natural coming out of her mouth, like a food you’ve never tasted and mulling it over and still not getting accustomed to it.

There is something about the glint in Beacon’s eyes. An understanding forming. Like she knows the weight of loving someone in this life means. What one is willing to do. Or won’t do.

This is why she came to Beacon.

Nightfall imagines that Beacon’s experience with Water Craze (whatever that entails) helps her see her position.

“How can I help? He obviously is able to get in my mind,” Beacon interjects. She also asks the right questions.

Nightfall stumbles with her next words, “I….I can’t hurt him. While he won’t mess with my head, I physically can’t bring myself to do that.” Internally cursing herself, she hates expressing her weakness. But it is interconnected to his weakness, so she has to.

And if she’s asking the light hero for help, she deserves to know why.

“That’s where I come in. You want to use my anger against him. I’m the muscle in this scenario,” Beacon concludes, leaning back on her bed, propping herself on her elbows. It’s not accusatory. Just a statement.

“I know what you did to Ink Spill.” Nightfall doesn’t mean to be cruel or unfeeling. She knows that it might seem to Beacon who probably has a conscious over that.

Beacon doesn’t miss a beat, not even a blink, “You want me to what? Kill Brainwash?”

“I need someone to not feel bad hurting him to contain him,” Nightfall corrects.

Killing him isn’t an option. At least not by Nightfall’s hand.

Her mind pauses at the thought that death might be the only way to stop him. But Nightfall doesn’t kill people who aren’t fully malicious.

She knew him before. Before the powers. Before being Brainwash. Maybe it’s too late for him.

But it still goes against her code. Because he used to be different.

“Contain him where exactly?” Beacon asks.

Ignoring her reasonable inquiry because she doesn’t have an answer for that part yet, she says instead, “He’s after the Medallion of Jove. We need to defend it.”

“Or steal it first,” Beacon suggests.

At first, Nightfall can’t tell if she’s being serious. It felt like a joke, but Beacon has this dead on stare. One that actually makes Nightfall uneasy.

She hadn’t thought of that. Now it’s in her head and it begins to make sense. Defending the medallion would be a constant worry until he showed up. Stealing it and hiding it only a place that Nightfall knows would be a good plan.

It’s morally questionable, sure, but that doesn’t bother Nightfall and it doesn’t appear to bother Beacon.

Beacon shrugs, “I could probably get it legally.”

“How?” Nightfall sputters, surprised, since Beacon was the one suggesting they steal it. The night light superhero grins. “I rescued it from Torch a while back. The owner of the museum was very grateful. If told him it was in danger, he would probably give it to me.”

Superheroes, Nightfall guesses, has its advantages. You’re more trusted. Trust goes a long way.

Something catches in her mind about something Beacon said. Like a fish swimming in her thoughts and plucked right out of her mind lake. It takes a moment, but it happens.

“Did you have contact with it?” Nightfall questions, her body going rigid, losing its calm composure.

The Medallion of Jove has immense power. It gives someone with abilities a boost, but the added gift is a warped sense of self. The power can take over someone’s mind. Make you believe power is everything.

Brainwash already is like that with his current level of mind capabilities. She can’t let him gain this artifact or there may be no stopping him.

“Once,” Beacon answers, her eyes faraway from the moment.

The medallion is attractive. Shiny gold with a maze pattern carved into it. It just begs for you to trace the lines. It’s addictive. Just one touch and it can drag you down. Like Aurora to the spindle.

A barrage of questions flood her mind. She had never heard of a superpowered being being in contact with it and give up the power. “How did you resist? It supposedly takes an incredible amount of willpower to not give in once you touch it.”

Beacon tilts her head, studying Nightfall’s change in demeanor. It actually unnerves her—to be the one studied so openly.

“It was just for a second. I honestly don’t know,” she pauses, trying to come up with the right words, “It just felt wrong. Like it wasn’t me.”

“Then you know how essential it is that Brainwash doesn’t get his hands on it.”

“Say that we do successfully hide it, what then? His quest won’t stop. And he can still take control of people without the medallion,” Beacon proposes. She really hates that she’s right.

Even if she can keep him away from it, he’ll retaliate. He knows where to push her buttons, even without searching into her thoughts, to get her to break.

He’ll just hang other people over her head. Threatening someone to get her to confess.

With no answer from Nightfall, Beacon catch on, “You don’t have an answer for that.”

“I don’t want to hurt him.” Her voice is so quiet, a whisper in a hurricane. Vulnerability isn’t something she is adept in. But she has to gain ground with Beacon.

And she needs to do whatever is necessary to halt any of his plans.

“I think we’re going to need some more help,” Beacon voices.

Nightfall winces. She hadn’t wanted to involve anyone else. Naively, she’d hoped that it could just be the two of them. That they would be enough to take Brainwash down.

She repeats the mantra in her head. Whatever is necessary.

Taking a deep breath in, she asks, “You have some people in mind?” Her tone is back to her normal no nonsense attitude. Her mind veering back into mission mode.

It’s easier to think of it like that. A mission.

She shoots Nightfall a sly smile. Nightfall isn’t sure if she should feel better or worse about their chances.

“A few.”