Chapter 30 : Vector Rising
June 2016 — DEO Medical Bay — Next Morning
I woke to the sound of Cat Grant's voice.
"—calling him THE VECTOR. Think about it. Vectors are mathematical directions. He redirects force, redirects electricity, redirects the very trajectory of battle. It's perfect."
The TV mounted on the medical bay wall showed Cat's morning editorial segment, her face perfectly composed as she addressed the camera with her usual combination of brilliance and ego.
"National City has a second hero," she continued. "And before the conspiracy theorists start—yes, I know who he is. I've known for months. Winslow Schott Jr., CatCo's own IT specialist, has been quietly saving this city alongside Supergirl since her debut. The only question is why it took this long for the rest of you to notice."
I laughed, which hurt my everything.
"She's something else." Barry sat in the chair beside my bed, nursing what was probably his fourth coffee of the morning. "In Central City, they call me 'the Flash' because I'm fast. In National City, you get your name from a media mogul's editorial."
"Cat's always had a talent for branding." I tried to sit up, winced, accepted Barry's help. "How long was I out?"
"Twelve hours. The docs said you absorbed enough electricity to power a small town. Your cells are still discharging trace amounts—very slowly, very safely, but it's like your whole body became a biological battery."
"That explains why I feel like I stuck a fork in an outlet."
"Yeah, about that." Barry's expression grew serious. "What you did yesterday—absorbing that attack, redirecting it into the ground—that was incredible. But it was also incredibly dangerous. If your system hadn't adapted in exactly the right way..."
"I'd be dead. I know." I met his eyes. "But I wasn't. And now the whole city knows I exist."
"How do you feel about that?"
I considered the question. Eight months ago, I'd woken in a strange body with strange powers, terrified of exposure. I'd hidden my abilities, trained in secret, revealed myself only to the people I trusted absolutely.
Now the secret was gone.
"Terrified," I admitted. "Also... relieved? Hiding was exhausting. At least now I can help openly."
"That's the spirit." Barry grinned. "Welcome to public heroism. The attention sucks, but the merchandise royalties are decent."
"There are merchandise royalties?"
"Central City has Flash action figures. I get twelve percent."
I laughed again, and this time it hurt less.
DEO Desert Facility — Command Center
J'onn summoned me to the main floor as soon as the doctors cleared me.
The command center was busier than I'd ever seen it—agents coordinating response to the media firestorm, analysts tracking public reaction, communications specialists fielding calls from government agencies and news organizations across the country.
All because of me.
"Mr. Schott." J'onn met me at the tactical display, his expression unreadable. "It seems your cover identity is no longer viable."
"No sir."
"This creates complications. Your CatCo position provided valuable access and intelligence. Your anonymity allowed for operational flexibility."
I nodded, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"However," J'onn continued, "it also creates opportunities. Public heroes inspire confidence. They provide symbols for people to rally around. And they can operate openly in situations where covert agents cannot."
"You're saying my exposure might be useful?"
"I'm saying we need to adapt to new circumstances." He pulled up a personnel file—my personnel file, I realized. "Effective immediately, you're being designated a full DEO field operative. Code name: Vector. You'll maintain your technical duties while also serving as Supergirl's official partner in public operations."
The words hit me harder than I expected. Not because they were bad—they were exactly what I'd been working toward for months. But hearing them made everything real in a way it hadn't been before.
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me yet. Public heroism comes with responsibilities you haven't begun to imagine." His expression softened slightly. "But you've earned this, Winn. Your performance against Livewire demonstrated capability beyond what we anticipated. You're ready."
Barry appeared at my shoulder, having followed me from the medical bay. "Does this mean I can officially add you to Team Flash's emergency contact list?"
"Within appropriate jurisdictional boundaries," J'onn replied. "Inter-agency cooperation, not integration."
"Close enough." Barry produced the communication device he'd mentioned earlier—a sleek piece of STAR Labs technology, small enough to fit in a pocket. "Direct line to Central City. Cisco's already programmed it with our frequencies. You need us, you call."
I took the device. Turned it over in my hands. Thought about all the impossible things that had led to this moment.
"Thanks, Barry. For everything."
"Hey, that's what friends are for." He pulled me into a hug—quick, genuine, the embrace of someone who understood exactly what I was going through. "Now go find Supergirl. She's been waiting to see you all morning."
CatCo Rooftop — Evening
Kara found me on our spot.
The city spread below us, glittering with the lights of a million lives going about their business. Most of them had seen the news by now. Most of them knew that the IT guy from CatCo was actually a metahuman who could absorb electricity and redirect force.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that yet.
"Vector." Kara sat beside me, shoulder brushing mine. "I like it. Very mathematical."
"Cat knows how to pick a name."
"She also knows how to keep a secret. All those months of suspicious looks, and she never said a word publicly until you were ready."
"I wasn't ready. It just happened."
"Maybe that's the same thing." She took my hand, interlacing our fingers. "How do you feel? Really?"
I thought about the question. About the terror of public exposure, the relief of no longer hiding, the strange pride of having a hero name that someone had chosen specifically for me.
"Terrified," I said. "Excited. Ready."
Kara smiled. "Good. Because we have work to do."
She was right. Somewhere out there, Astra was still planning her conquest. The Myriad program was still active. Threats I hadn't even imagined yet were probably taking shape in the shadows.
But right now, sitting on a rooftop with the woman I loved and the city I'd sworn to protect spread out below us, none of that seemed quite as frightening as it had before.
I was Vector now.
National City had two heroes.
And we were just getting started.
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