I narrowed the scope down to the pool of reflections that would contain each of my six targets, and then I narrowed the pool further to search for the scarred faces that would contain target number one. Dark skin, a slightly less dark, patchy scar along the bottom of an otherwise chiseled left jaw- "found one!"

　　"Look around his location," Daman drawled, and I startled when the weight of a hand settled against the back of my head.

　　"What are you doing?!" my mask-muffled voice squawked with alarm.

　　"Stay focused!" Daman demanded harshly. "I need to see what you see. Look around the room or something!"

　　"A mind-reading gift?!"

　　"Sort of. Focus!" Trying to ignore his grimy palm, I breezed through the reflective surfaces of the room, picking up useful details as I went. "Slow down! How do you see anything that quickly?!"

　　"Get out of my head!" I hissed back and began slapping at his arm.

　　He growled at me, literally. "Show me where he is first!"

　　I huffed, returning to the vantage point with the most context so Daman could collect his bearings. "Got it?!"

　　"Yes, that`s adequate," was the reluctant admission, his hand releasing its hold on my skull.

　　"Adequate!?" I turned away from the mirror to glower at him. "And what`s with the whole&?!" I gestured wildly to indicate the mechanisms of his gift I did not have the understanding to articulate. "You couldn`t warn me first or get my consent or anything?!"

　　"Did you ask for consent from all of your victims first?" he mocked dismissively, his eyes on the screen of his computer. "Just find the next one." His grabby fingers began flying over the keys of his laptop, and my jaw clenched through the sudden sucker-punch sensation in my gut.

　　"Fine," I mumbled bitterly and re-entered the web of light as much to distract myself from the guilt hollowing out my stomach as to fulfill my obligations. I quickly zeroed in on the next target by searching for weirdly shaped ears that stuck out a little too far for popular beauty conventions. Before announcing the find, I located and positioned my projection in the most scenic of the surrounding reflective surfaces to minimize contact with Daman`s hand. "I have the next one."

　　His fingers at the back of my head made me shudder involuntarily despite expecting them this time. "Got it," came his bored acceptance of my contribution.

　　I repeated the process four more times, completing the search for all six targets in just under twenty-seven minutes. I was feeling the strain of a forming headache at my temples, and, no longer distracted by my task, the sweat and discomfort behind the mask began building into a subtle claustrophobia that brought me to the edge of hyperventilation. But removing the mask was challenging with my fumbling fingers in a flux-like state, shifting between physical matter and something less tangible. I couldn`t quite undo the straps behind my head. My eyes pinched shut, the desire to rub them strong but unfulfilled with the mask still glued to my sweaty face.

　　"Oran? Are you ok?" Daisy asked from the other side of the circle. "Do you need help with that?"

　　"I just need a minute," I assured her through carefully measured breaths, but she was already gently tugging my mask off half a second later.

　　"Oran?"

　　"Thanks," I sighed tiredly, my eyes and headache finding relief in the cool pressure of my palms, and my shallow breathing returning to a slower, more manageable pace.

　　"Oran, are you sure you`re alright?" Daisy repeated. "You look& pale? Well, you look weird& like you`re-"

　　"Fading?" I supplied. "That`s normal. It self-corrects with time." Feeling less strained, my eyes blinked upwards to find her scowling down at me. She was donning a utility belt that I hadn`t noticed before. "Really," I insisted with a crooked grin that denied the very real dangers of pushing my limits too far, "this is normal. But thanks."

　　"I have a proposed order of targets," Daman said abruptly, his fingers still tinkering with his laptop. "We have eyes on all six targets, and they are actually reasonably clustered in the financial district. Convenient."

　　"Have you found a good dropspot?" Kane asked.

　　"An abandoned dry cleaners near target four, yes," Daman replied, his eyes never once deviating from his screen. "The large, shuttered windows act like a mirror, and you can leave acquired targets in the shop while you round up their friends& get them all through at once."

　　"Right," Kane nodded and rose to his feet, stretching and shaking out stiff muscles. He was wearing his own utility belt. "Kalak, you`re up."

　　"Remember the risks?" a soft voice emerged from Daman`s left, and it was stupid how easily I jumped at the sound. Kalak`s voice. I`d never heard it before then, and his absorption into the ambience of the room was so complete, I`d sort of forgotten he was there.The author`s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

　　"You remind us every time," Kane answered.

　　"It`s important." Kalak`s brown eyes appeared tired as he stood up to face the mirror. "Daman?"

　　The grumpy mind-reader unceremoniously plopped his computer into my lap so he could stand up and rest a hand against the back of Kalak`s head. "Do you need more context?" Daman asked uncharacteristically gently of the wallflower whose face was now scrunched in concentration.

　　"Zoom out. Give me the street map," Kalak instructed. "Oh. I know where that&. Yup. Found it." The mirror on the wall burst to life the moment Kalak opened his eyes, the reflection replaced by a haloed door into a dusty shop- the abandoned dry cleaners shop- and Kalak started counting the seconds down from ten.

　　"Stay in touch!" Kane chirped, tapping his ear as both he and Daisy stepped through the portal.

　　"4-3-2-1-0," Kalak`s voice seemed to fade with each number, his eyes closing on the zero, the portal vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

　　"Whoa!!!" I set Daman`s computer on his chair and stood up to inspect the mirror- a very nondescript, standard wall mirror. "That`s your gift?!"

　　"Mhm," Kalak hummed, and I turned in time to watch Daman unnecessarily help ease him back into his chair. "Thanks, Daman."

　　"Don`t mention it."

　　While Daman collected his computer so he too could sit down, Kalak slumped in his seat, his eyes closed, his face somehow even paler than before. "Hey, man, are& are you alright?" I asked awkwardly.

　　Kalak snorted softly, the corner of his lips twitching barely upwards. "This is normal. It self-corrects with time.` At least, I think that`s how you worded it."

　　My turn to snort. "Yeah. Something like that."

　　"Daman, guide me," Kane`s voice surprised me by sounding in my left ear, reminding me of the earbud I`d placed there earlier.

　　"Daisy, you might want to do that thing around the dry cleaners," Daman suggested, his eyes focused on the screen of his laptop. I wandered my way behind the semi-circle of chairs so I could glance over his shoulder and see what had him so preoccupied.

　　"You just want me to obscure it for now?" Daisy`s voice.

　　"Mhm," Daman hummed mindlessly. "Ok, Kane, two blocks north, tower on the opposite side of the street. Third floor, second left-"

　　"Slow down, Daman," Kane said good-naturedly, a new staccato in the sound indicating that he was jogging, the impact of his feet punctuating a chuckle.

　　"Fine. Daisy, once you`re finished there, I need you to help cover the exits. Same building," Daman said.

　　"On it," Daisy said, and over Daman`s shoulder, I was able to make out the top of her head bobbing in acknowledgement through the feed of a surveillance camera above the dry cleaners` door. "I need& about a minute to finish?"

　　"Daman, I`m at the building." Kane`s voice, and Daman switched the ordering of a series of computer tabs on his laptop to pull up a cluster of camera feeds showing Kane in one corner, his target in another, presumably the path Kane needed to take to get there split up between multiple camera angles, and what I assumed was a building blueprint with red lines indicating the optimal path to the target`s location.

　　"Third floor, southeast corner," Daman supplied, and Kane`s image ran through a series of camera angles to the stairwell of the building, following it up.

　　"Daman, is this enough?"

　　Another quick tab shift, and Daisy`s face appeared, knowingly peering into the camera above her head, something like steam surrounding her person. "Looks good, Daisy."

　　"Great. I`m right behind you, Kane."

　　Tab shift. Kane was now on the third floor, and for the first time, I noticed a blinking blue dot on the tower blueprint with the red route. "Kane, you`ve gone too far." Tab shift to the video feed from a body cam. "Stop. Give me a second." Daman leaned forward, squinting at his screen. "Go back& stop! Room 312. Daisy, are you in position?" Tab shift to the rest of the building`s camera feeds.

　　"Almost. Doors are& in sight," Daisy`s voice panted. "Want me to cover& the lobby?"

　　"Yup. Alright, Kane, you`re clear. Target is to the right of the door. Go!" Tab shift. Kane`s hand reached out for the doorknob. It was unlocked.

　　"Freeze!" Kane shouted, hands now holding a gun obscuring most of his body cam feed.

　　Click to enlarge a bird`s-eye surveillance video of the room, positioned somewhere above Kane`s head. The target`s hands were up, surprise on his face as Kane stood a few feet away by the door, holding him at gunpoint.

　　"Bloody rain, you guys were quick!" came the muffled exclamation of surprise through the comms.

　　"On your knees, hands behind your head," Kane instructed.

　　The target knelt down obediently, a small smirk crossing his face as his hands moved slowly to his head, a finger pausing at his ear. "Scatter."

　　"Scatter?" I frowned. "Is that what he said?"

　　Suddenly, five blinking red lights appeared across the top of Daman`s screen, and Daman started switching rapidly between more tabs. "Oh, bloody rain! I knew this was too easy!" he cursed. "Guys, they`re bolting! Kane, get him to Daisy as quickly as you can. Daisy, you`re going to have to get him to the drop spot on your own. Kane, I hope you`re warmed up."

　　"What about what we talked about, Daman? Should I start the surface thing we`ve been theorizing about?" Daisy asked, and Daman growled inarticulately.

　　"Go ahead, Daisy," Kalak was the one who ultimately made the call. "I don`t know if either of us are immediately up for it, but get it ready."

　　"On it," Daisy chirped.

　　"What`s the surface thing?" I asked, and Daman growled again, so I turned to the pale portal-wielder. "Kalak? What`s the surface thing?"

　　"Freezing rain," came the brief but thrilling reply.

　　"She`s turning the whole city into one giant mirror?!"

　　"No&. Just the financial district."