Will of The Force (Star Wars / Worm)

[S!ËGFR!ÊD]

Hopefully keep my mouth shut, because I suck when I complain. I know what I like, and the Dallon siblings being happy are important to it.

Click to shrink...

Fair enough.

 

[CapCaverna]

So... I'm alive, health problems kept me unable to write, and I'm sorry I didn't say anything, like always, I keep thinking I'd finish the chapter and say something, and I never quite managed to do it, but here it is.

Also... not exactly the best chapter to come back, I know, what with not being an Anakin or Dinah chapter, I just hope you guys enjoy it.
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Kayden watched as her stepson carried Aster into the expensive helicopter, the Endbringer sirens still ringing in the city. The pudgy fifteen-year-old adjusted her daughter's blanket, making sure to protect her face from the wind as he sat down, Dorothy and Geoff sitting at the pilot's seat and doing a good job of appearing nervous, keeping up the façade of their civilian identity.

In truth, Kayden knew Night and Fog barely felt anything about the entire situation, too damaged by whatever process had been used to train them and incapable of caring. Still, she had been left in charge of the couple, if they could be called that, and she knew they'd be absolutely loyal, protecting her daughter with their lives.

Night could transform into a monster, but only when she was not being observed, and her Breaker form was both too weak to really damage Leviathan and easily dispelled with so many capes participating. As for Fog, he could shift his body into a gaseous form, which, if he wanted, could erode living matter.

Together, they were incredibly effective against other capes. Night was able to hide inside her 'husband' form to remain unseen while using her power, and Fog could cause damage to anyone who tried to fight her inside, particularly if they breathed some of the fog.

Against an Endbringer, they were less than useless; their powers would be a detriment even when doing search and rescue.

So, Kayden had chosen to send them away with her daughter, to keep her safe amid the chaos of the world and protect her from anything that would harm her. One last time, she felt the urge to join her daughter, but she couldn't; she already had enough trouble facing her own reflection.

When she first got her powers, before she fell for Max's honeyed words and joined the Empire, she had dreamed of being a hero, and while she'd ruined that dream, she didn't think she could live with herself if she didn't make one last attempt.

How could she raise her daughter if she was that much of a coward?

Watching the helicopter lift into the air, her heart almost gave out. She knew it was a risk to fly in this weather, the wind and hail making flight incredibly dangerous, but Geoff had assured her he could do it, and better to risk that than Leviathan when the Endbringer arrived.

"She's going to be fine," Justin said, adjusting his Crusader costume. "Are we arriving together?"

"No, Othala should already be there, and I can't get in contact with Alabaster; there's no point in going together anymore." Kayden held back a sigh. "You should have left when I told you to."

"I joined the Empire to help my country," Justin said, and contrary to most others, he actually believed it. "I'm not going to run away now that it really needs me."

Once upon a time, the Empire would have attended in force, a show of strength from the largest parahuman organization in the city, and one of the largest in the country… Now, they were reduced to six parahumans, two of whom just left the city.

Max, the bastard, had ran away the day after Susanoo had destroyed them, using a Medhall business opportunity in Argentina to escape the city, and Krieg had left soon after, disappearing without saying a word to anyone.

That was when she knew the Empire was done for.

Oh, Max would be back, Kayden was sure of that, he had far too much invested in the US in his civilian identity not to do so, but it was an even chance if he'd accept Gesselshaft help, take on a subservient role somewhere else and work to climb back to power, or if he'd sell them all for a chance to start over with a new identity.

He'd never really believed in the cause he championed anyway, using it just for the power it granted him; it would be easy to throw away the Kaiser name and try to gain power from another angle.

Kayden dug her nails into her arm, almost drawing blood. At thirty-five, Max was still the most handsome man she had ever met, and he certainly had the charisma to try.

She could just see him starting over, maybe even as the leader or sponsor of a corporate hero team, the golden boy once again, just like when he was a high school jock and she the younger girl with a crush… And if she died here, Kayden just knew he'd use it as an excuse to further his power.

The hail got worse, each lump of ice that hit the rooftop feeling like another nail hammered against her heart as she prayed for her daughter to be safe, her eyes trying fruitlessly to follow the helicopter among the clouds.

Once upon a time, Kayden had felt like she was doing something important, years ago, when she actually fell for Max's words and thought the Empire meant to do good, and later, when she saw through his bullshit and decided to leave the Empire.

When she went out alone, fought and drove back Lung or Oni Lee, when she arrested drug dealers, pimps, and enforcers, she had thought she was helping clean the city.

Yes, she avoided Empire territory, and mostly targeted Asian or Black criminals, but she HAD been part of the Empire for years; she didn't feel proud about her choice, but it was difficult to target people she'd shared drinks with, laughed and had dinner at their houses.

It was justified, she had thought; she knew there were plenty of white criminals in the city, but at least they were civilized about it, and she'd target them too when she was done with the others.

Max had laughed in her face when she said that, asked what the hell was civilized about dog fights or lynching innocent fathers just because of the color of their skin… That, more than anything, hurt.

Max, the man who didn't give a shit about what his people did, that would just as easily target babies of any color if it gave him more power, was less prejudiced than she was. It was a difficult pill to swallow.

Kayden hadn't always been like this. Before, when Max was just a crush, when the thought of being a cape had never even crossed her mind, she hadn't cared about race.

Then she triggered, and Max had seen her power, gotten close to her, invited her into the Empire, and, blinded by his good looks, she'd been swayed, convinced of his way of thinking… Fuck, she had been so guilible.

She'd tried to change that after the divorce, but after the way Max had laughed at her, she realized she hadn't had much luck.

She'd justified her prejudice; after years as a cape, she'd seen how much of what made the city a terrible place to raise her child could be traced back to a certain kind of people. It was hard not to be prejudiced when that happened.

What a joke, the only reason she hadn't seen the Empire's role in ruining the city was that she didn't want to look, and Max, Kaiser, the leader of the Empire of all people, was the one to throw that at her face.

It was just how she thought; she always had trouble considering the long term, looking at more than the obvious, which was why she had been so easily influenced by being in the gang. She knew that, but it was just difficult to do anything about it.

She hated herself for it, but no matter how much she tried, she didn't seem able to change, and that only made her self-loathing worse.

"I'm going then," Justin said, one of his ghosts appearing like an aura around his body. "I'll join search and rescue. Stay safe."

"Good luck," Kayden said, refocusing on the now as Justin rose in the air, moving through the hail towards the gathering point.

At least today she wouldn't have to think of that. Today it wasn't about heroes, villains, or criminals; for the first time in years, she'd be fighting for something undeniably right. It made the thought of facing Leviathan easier, and if she died, at least her daughter was safe.

Putting on a mask, Kayden stepped out onto the rooftop, the hail hitting her body and soaking up her costume… She didn't usually wear a mask, her power lighting up her skin and making it impossible to make out her features, or even directly stare at her, but with so many capes present, she didn't want to risk someone having a power to overcome that.

Stepping on the parapet, she looked down. At 85 stories tall, the building she was on was one of the largest in the city, a skyscraper that stood well above everything else around, but the distance could still pass deceptively fast, less than ten seconds to reach the ground.

With a single step, she let herself fall, cold wind painfully hitting her face, and the weightless feeling making her feel free, even if for only briefly.

The temptation to just let things continue hit her then, as it always did when she jumped, to just enjoy the acceleration until the inevitable end, not having to think of what she'd done, or what she would do next, to be free.

Then her daughter's face appeared in her mind, Aster, innocent and perfect, a reminder of why she still kept moving.

Her body ignited, blinding light exploding in the sky, reflecting off the hail and illuminating the city as she activated her power, then she moved, quickly flying up above the buildings and, faster than any local cape, moving towards the meeting point, a white trail of light falling behind her.

Stopping above the medical area, she paused, looking around until she saw Othala standing with Alabaster, the immortal man acting as her protector, so the two of them had decided to show up… That made the entirety of the Empire, at least those still free, fifteen capes reduced to only four in the city.

Moving again, she landed at the gathering spot for those who would more directly participate in the battle, Legend already present and organizing things. Deactivating her power, she felt the capes around her relaxing as her light faded, leaving her as just a petite woman once again.

There were far more capes than she expected, the vast majority heroes ready for the confrontation, as if they already knew it was happening before the alarm even started.

For a second, she searched for the rest of the Empire, but she didn't see anyone. Local authorities sometimes released capes during Endbringer battles, the Endbringer truce meaning they'd trade support for their freedom, but it seems like the PRT had chosen to keep them under lock and key.

Soon, Kayden felt the capes giving her space, leaving a conspicuous area around herself free, and even the villains were giving her a wide berth. Standing by herself, without the support of the rest of the Empire, she felt that isolation more than ever.

More than a year away from the empire, slowly trying to rebuild her name, to put the past behind her, and Max, with his charming voice and perfect rhetoric, had managed to talk her back in less than an hour, ruining everything she tried to do.

She really should have moved cities, cut ties once and for all… but she had been weak, wanting her daughter to at least know her father.

Yes, he had promised her control over the Empire's forces, to maybe try to do something good in the city, but now that she was no longer fooling herself, Kayden could recognize it would never happen.

Even if the conditions were met, Max would sooner assassinate her than give up power, and because she had allowed herself to be fooled again, even the villains saw her as radioactive.

Kayden felt sick; she tried to swallow, but it was difficult, as if there was something blocking her throat. She refused to let anyone see it.

An hour later, she wore one of the monitoring bracelets on her wrist and watched as Legend finished his speech. "... Brockton Bay is a soft target; it has an aquifer originally used to provide fresh water, essentially an underground river, which we expect the creature to start…"

"Kaiser isn't coming?"

The question caught her by surprise, and she turned, seeing Dauntless, the man who almost caught her when she faced Susanoo… and if she was being honest, probably saved her when he forced her to flee.

"... There's no Kaiser anymore."

"What?"

"He left the city shortly after the rescue attempt," she said, taking at least some pleasure in destroying his name, even if she knew it was one he'd thrown away when he fled. "I doubt you're going to hear from him anymore."

"You're joking," said Assault, having heard their conversation. "Kaiser, the king Nazi, just ran away?"

Crossing her arms almost as if to hug herself, Kayden released a deep breath and nodded. "It was always about power with him, after what Susanoo did…"

"Hah, that's almost worth an arm," Assault said, getting a glare from Dauntless.

"You're not releasing the others?" Kayden asked. "The twins are certainly strong enough."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Dauntless narrowed his eyes.

Kayden thought about the twins, Max's younger lovers… Did it start after the divorce, or were the three of them already fucking when they were married? "Not really, but it's Leviathan."

"The boss didn't think we'd need them," Assaul said,

"Leviathan arriving in sixteen seconds," Eidolon's voice said from her wrist. "I'll block the first wave."

Adrenaline filling her body, Kayden spared the duo one last glance, then her body ignited, and she shot up into the storm, rising straight up into the air for nearly a mile. Dauntless followed her less than a second later, the Hero managing to keep up with her for the moment.

Staring out into the Bay, she saw the giant wave, a wall of water nearly a hundred feet tall and moving faster than a car, then it broke against Eidolon's shields. The spectacle was humbling to watch.

Slowly moving towards the shore, she moved her head from side to side, desperately searching for the beast, but the storm blocked her vision, and even the noise was drowned out by constant thunder strikes.

From her wrist, the armband started vibrating, a gridmap appearing on the surface to show her current position and Leviathan's last updated location; the beast was still on the shore.

Kayden moved, ready to face the creature despite the devastating show of power she had just witnessed. For all her power, she knew she couldn't defeat it, but even wounding the beast would help, and they didn't have the time to be careful.

Around her, nearly a dozen other flyers followed, but she left the vast majority behind as she started gathering power. Finally, she saw the beast, Leviathan, seeming to recover from a strike as it looked towards another cape facing him… Susanoo.

Dismissing the man from her mind, she blasted the Endbringer, but she hadn't had enough time to properly charge her beam. With the storm, Kayden was at a disadvantage; her power didn't depend on the sun, but it did help, making her attacks charge faster and be slightly more powerful, an advantage she wouldn't have with the thick clouds covering the city.

Her blast was weaker than expected, hitting the creature's shoulder and only leaving a small wound, the impact barely moving the Endbringer. Immediately, she started gathering power again, and other Blasters started to arrive.

Then both Leviathan and Susanoo moved, and Kayden didn't have the chance to attack again, or even react, as tons of debris rose in the air.

The entire street seemed to explode in action, large chunks of asphalt, concrete, and even entire houses rising to bombard the Endbringer with so much strength the creature couldn't move, each projectile moving almost independently.

Kayden felt her heart skipping a beat as she searched for an opening, keeping far enough away to avoid being hit by a stray projectile or the Endbringer's water shadow, the necessary distance making it hard to see through all the rain. She'd known Susanoo was strong before, but this was like watching a video of the Simurgh in action, Telekinesis on a level she had never seen before.

The realization of just how lucky she'd been during their confrontation finally hit her… He'd never even taken them seriously, had he?

Then the two physically clashed, their bodies moving like blurs to her senses as the maelstrom of debris continued to circle, Susanoo matching the Endbringer's speed even at melee range, his plasma sword, now a different color, flashing and cutting off whole pieces of the beast.

Like the hand of a God, Susanoo's telekinesis flattened the waterfront for a mile around the battle, every piece of debris either rising into the air or smashing towards Leviathan; it was like watching two forces of nature clashing.

Around her, no Blaster could attack, none of them being fast enough to react to the ferocity of the battle or find a target among the maelstrom of pieces thrown about by the engagement. Only a few seconds had passed, and the destruction was already total.

Then Leviathan jumped back, actually retreating from Susanoo, the very act making her gasp in surprise; adjusting her aim, Kayden readied her attack.

Alexandria moved first, smashing into the creature with such strength she created a crater on the street.

A scream to her right drew Kayden's attention away, her focus on the creature allowing a second wave to sneak up on her, its shadow nearly swallowing the sky. Bursting into motion, she fled upwards, the wave almost hiding her, broken debris being thrown about by the waters with the strength of a cannon, smashing into buildings and leaving large holes everywhere.

Struggling to recover her bearings for a few seconds, she finally stopped in the air, the wave passing only a dozen feet below her, and continued to move inland, dragging much of Susanoo's destruction with it.

Looking around, she saw a few of the capes around hadn't been able to avoid the wave, their broken bodies hanging from half-destroyed buildings like discarded trash, blood starting to leak into the water.

Studying herself, she checked her armguard, which indicated the beast had moved a few blocks, the device constantly speaking a long string of dead or disabled capes.

When she arrived, Leviathan was struggling to escape a massive sphere of metal, Susanoo lifting the beast into the air with Telekinesis and squeezing the material so hard it started to heat up despite the freezing rain.

Keeping her distance, Kayden continued to gather power, preparing to release one of her most powerful blasts in case the Endbringer escaped, something strong enough to level buildings… Then the screaming started.

Almost against her will, she looked up… and the sight drained her will, fear and despair freezing her in place as a second Endbringer descended upon the city.

Despite the hail, Kayden only felt stunned silence around her, sound and feeling seeming to drain away as she watched the Simurgh descending into the Bay, followed by a shower of meteors.

For a few moments, she seemed to lose track of time, everything that was happening too much as she slowly floated down towards a half-destroyed building, a damaged car stuck halfway out of its third floor.

She wanted to flee. Kayden knew she was one of the only capes fast enough to escape the creature's range, but her body didn't seem to be responding; everything hitting her at once as the creature's scream filled her mind.

One in four of you is likely to die. Legend's voice rang into her mind. If those were the odds when facing a single one of the beasts, what about two? Worse, what if she survived, only to go back home and kill her daughter, driven mad by the creature's song?

"Parahumans close to the Simurgh," said Dragon through her armband, finally snapping her out of her daze. "You're now being marked. If you receive a warning, it means you're reaching the acceptable limit of exposure, disengage immediately and retreat from the location."

Jumping up, Kayden rose back into the sky, noticing the way some of the flyers around her were finally letting go, blasting the streets under them with a continuous bombardment of powers, haphazardly trying to attack Leviathan.

"Purity," Dragon said, opening a direct line to her armband. "Your location is close to Leviathan. I'm marking your map; move to intercept him as fast as you can."

Kayden pressed the button on her armband and spoke. "Not the-" then she had to lick her lips when her voice cracked. "Not the Simurgh?"

"No." Dragon simply said, then seemed to get busy organizing the rest of the battle.

For a moment, Kayden stared up at the flying Endbringer, then away towards Boston, where Aster should be right now… she swallowed, at her speed, he could be there in less than an hour.

In a burst of light, she rushed towards the spot marked on her map, readying the strongest blast she could manage against the Endbringer. Flying only a few feet above the buildings, she desperately searched for the creature.

Pressing the button on her armband, she hurriedly said. "Hard override! Where is he? I'm here, but I can't see him!"

Before she was even finished, a young girl's voice came from the communication device, the girl's location appearing on her map. "I can track him! I need a flyer to keep up, but he's using the buildings to stay out of sight!"

Kayden almost moved to grab the girl, but someone else must have been closer, her position on the map starting to move in a straight line towards the center of the city.

She moved, using her superior speed to quickly overtake the girl's location and finally saw the beast. On all fours, Leviathan ran with blinding speed, moving on the surface of the water, his claws not sinking more than an inch with every step.

With serpentine-like movements, he used every cover to block the view from the sky, and even dove into the buildings when they were tall enough, his body breaking through brick walls as if they were foam, only avoiding the metal foundations.

Focusing on her blast, Kayden's hand shone with power as she released everything she had ready on the creature, twin full-powered beams wider than she was tall, the blinding light trailing motes of light as it nearly instantly smashed into the Endbringer's chest.

Leviathan stopped, then flew back, hitting the side of a building and passing through, his body hammered by her power with enough strength that it only stopped more than halfway through the wide skyscraper.

Adjusting her position, Kayden began gathering a second blast, her hands starting to shine brighter as she pointed at the entrance.

With a deafening noise of breaking glass and twisting metal, Leviathan burst out of the side of the building only a dozen feet from her, having climbed to her height by breaking straight through several floors inside the building, the noise of the storm hiding his efforts.

She flew back, her heart accelerating and hand shifting towards the beast, but she knew it would be too late.

From the side, a single crimson beam of light hit Leviathan, the blast just strong enough to throw him to the side before he could reach her, Laserdream having attacked from nearly a block away, the heroine holding a second girl in her arms.

Twisting midair, Leviathan whipped his tail at Kayden's chest, and if it were still intact, she knew she'd have died, but Susanoo had cut off several feet during their clash, the limb coming short of reaching her.

On reflex, she blasted the resulting water shadow with a half-powered beam, the water exploding only a foot in front of her, shockwave sending her flying back through the air to hit the side of a building shoulder-first.

Leviathan fell on top of a house, then ripped a large piece of the roof and threw it at her.

Letting escape a small scream, Kayden desperately flew aside, the large projectile smashing into the building and showering her with glass. She briefly lifted an arm to protect her eyes and, when it was over, the beast had used her distraction to move on, only being slowed by a few seconds.

It had been enough, with the Endbringer briefly out in the open, other flyers had seen it, and they converged like angry wasps and either blasted him with their powers, or dropped Brutes that could fight him directly.

One cape, nearly eight feet tall and covered in a layer of granite, lunged at Leviathan, driving the point of his shoulder under the beast's chest and pushing him back several steps, water falling off the beast with every centimeter it moved.

Twisting his tail, Leviathan wrapped it around the man's leg and pulled him off balance, then drove a large, taloned hand right through the back of the man's neck, breaking the protective shell and decapitating him.

Not releasing the man's leg, he whipped his tail around, using the headless body like a hammer to smash two other capes before sending it flying away, blood filling the water around him.

A flyer she didn't recognize got too close to the beast, and Leviathan, almost contemptuously, slashed at the man, a water shadow flying off his claw to smash into the man's chest, caving it in with sheer momentum.

The list of dead and disabled continued to rise, the Endbringer seeming more brutal than ever before, but it couldn't get rid of them all, their combined efforts forcing it to move sideways away from Susanoo.

Leviathan jumped off one roof, trying to reach the deep water on the floor, the streets turning into rivers under his power, but Dauntless, moving almost as fast as she could, arrived. His Arclance, covered in white lightning, struck the beast's chest.

The blow did almost nothing; the Arclance's lightning far from strong enough to damage the creature, and the tip barely pierced an inch or two, but the shaft elongated faster than the eye could see, pushing the beast into the sky.

Slashing down, Leviathan sent several water shadows at Dauntless, but they stopped at the hero's shield. Almost at the same time, it grabbed the Arclance with both arms and pulled it apart, the weapon shattering under the Endbringer's strength.

Kayden hit the beast with another fully powered beam, smashing it against a building and making it bounce off.

Leviathan twisted midair, his long tail clipping a flyer that got too close, then it hit the side of a building, all four claws finding purchase on the wall like an oversized lizard.

His tail flicked twice, cracking like a whip, and Kayden desperately dipped down to avoid two water shadows that passed only a few inches from her head, then she pointed her hand and released another beam at the creature.

Moving blindingly fast, Leviathan ripped a huge section of the building and threw it at her, her blast only serving to explode the projectile midair.

Leviathan moved sideways on the wall, his claws digging into the building for support as it turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Breathing hard, Kayden adjusted her mask, pushing some of her soaked hair out of her face, the smell of death starting to hit her as the corpses accumulated, then she moved after the creature, weaving between the buildings at a fast speed.

Just as she was about to turn another corner, Leviathan came flying back, Alexandria smashing into his face and dragging straight through an entire building, a second cape held in the Endbringer's feet.

Flying through the large opening they had created, Kayden felt Dauntless following her. The Endbringer had fallen on top of a two-storey house, the impact having crushed the cape he was holding, leaving only the torso on his claw.

Alexandria dodged a claw strike, then seemed to find a weakness in the Endbringer and grabbed half of the overextended hand, already damaged by Susanoo's sword. Kicking the side of the arm, she ripped half of his hand off, leaving only two fingers still attached.

Leviathan's tail wrapped around her waist, but this time she resisted its strength, flying into the Endbringer's hand, driving one hand up to the wrist through the wound on its chest.

Grabbing Alexandria's face with his good claw, the Endbringer threw himself back, dragging her through the water he left behind and getting some of it through her helmet.

Alexandria tried to resist, but she swallowed too much water and choked, the Endbringer using the chance to throw her aside. It also threw the mangled remains of the parahuman still on its leg claw at Dauntless, the body hitting his shield and exploding into a shower of blood, some of it covering her costume as she was too close.

Kayden released another beam of power, the twisting blast hitting the house and utterly demolishing it, but Leviathan had already jumped to the left, putting another building between them before she could adjust her aim.

In Laserdream's arms, the Villain teen continued to point out its location, seeming able to read the Endbringer's movements no matter which way it ran.

Then the fourth wave hit, the sheer wall of water simply destroyed the entire waterfront, huge, car-sized debris flying around and smashing every cape engaged with the creature.

They were NOT supposed to come this fast! Kayden's mind yelled in surprise. It hadn't even been two minutes since Eidolon blocked the third wave!

With no time to retreat, she closed her eyes, released a half-powered blast at the wave, and dove through the water right where it hit, a second seeming to stretch into hours as she desperately hoped to get to the other side.

She was lucky, managing to avoid any debris as she broke through the other side; most failed to do so.

Broken bodies littered the half-destroyed street, dozens of capes dead, either crushed by debris or slashed apart by Leviathan before it disappeared, the beast having used the wave to slip away, nearly ten feet of water temporarily filling the street as the ocean invaded the city.

The sight almost broke her. How was she supposed to fight something like this? The creature was playing with them and, all the while, the Simurgh's song rang into her mind, driving her insane.

The coppery smell of blood soaking her costume grew stronger now that she wasn't in immediate danger, and she noticed that pieces of the cape's flesh had gotten stuck to her hair, the realization making her hands shake.

She wasn't a Brute; even a glancing blow from the beast would destroy her, a thrown rock could kill her, and it had almost done several times through the fight; every dodge she made was a matter of survival.

The urge to just flee hit her again. How much time did she have left before they declared her a lost cause?

Dauntless had retreated, using his shield to spread a protective field over Laserdream and the tracking villain, the three of them almost untouched by the attack.

From the corner of her eye, Kayden saw Glory Girl diving into the water, coming out only a second later with the broken body of Shielder, her younger cousin. The boy was missing both legs, the wave, or more likely some of the debris, having broken his forcefield, but he was still moving, coughing up water as the young girl flew him on top of a nearby building.

Seeing the boy, Laserdream screamed, almost dropping the villain she held, then she flew towards her brother, and Kayden could see she was exhausted from carrying the young woman.

Shooting out of the water like a missile, Leviathan flew at the duo just as they were a few feet from the building. Dauntless tried to rush to their defense, but he wouldn't make it in time.

On reflex, she released another beam of power, this one only a foot wide, as it hit the Endbringer midjump, the blast just strong enough to push it away from the girls and give Dauntless time to catch up, his white energy shield spreading like a bubble around them.

Twisting midair, Leviathan's dexterous tail coiled around the three of them, dragging them through the air as it finally hit ground, then it seemed to tighten, smashing the trio against the side of a house, Dauntless shield lightning up with the effort of blocking.

In the air, she gathered another attack, but her internal reserves were starting to diminish, every beam taking longer to charge.

In desperation, Laserdream created her own shields, but Kayden knew from experience that the girl's shields were weaker than her blasts; they wouldn't hold up to the beast.

"Go!" Dauntless screamed, moving his shield and creating a brief opening between Leviathan's tail.

Laserdream took her chance, managing to drag the villainess out, escaping from the Endbringer as she flew towards her dying brother, another two blasters hitting Leviathan, their attacks barely doing anything.

Almost with annoyance, the Endbringer swung his tail again, throwing Dauntless into a building and causing the shield bubble to 'pop' as it broke through a wall, then it lunged after the girls, climbing the side of the building to reach them, and Kayden realised it was determined to kill the tracker before moving on.

She blasted it again, her beam of light hitting the building and digging ten feet through the material, digging a wide trench as she tried to hit the beast, but even outside the water, it was fast, and she only managed to clip one of his back claws.

Extending his good hand, Leviathan reached for the girls, long talons almost closing around Laserdream's shield.

With a scream of rage, Glory Girl smashed into the Endbringer, punching his head hard enough to push it back, then smashing him into the skyscraper behind, saving her older cousin at the last second, but the beast still managed to wave his hand towards the duo in one last attempt to kill them.

The resulting water shadow hit Laserdream's shield with the force of a speeding car, the weak defense collapsing as most of the water smashed into the villainess she was carrying, but some still hit her, breaking her shoulder and smashing her head.

Kayden saw them fall through the air, at least one of the girls still alive enough to scream as they dropped straight towards the deadly water below. She moved on instinct, unable to just let both of them die even if it meant coming far too close to the Endbringer for comfort.

Wrapping an arm around Laserdream, she grabbed the second girl, wounded shoulder screaming at her for the act, she dropped a few feet in the air, but she managed to steady himself.

Kayden wasn't a Brute; her Breaker state did not give her any increased strength or resistance, so she felt the strain as she carried both girls up onto the rooftop with Shielder, all the while expecting Leviathan to kill them; he didn't.

Instead, she dropped both girls on the wet roof and almost collapsed from the effort, the fear making her entire body shake as she struggled to get herself under control.

She should have left the girls alone; it was too dangerous to save them, particularly with Leviathan seemingly hellbent on killing the Villainess, but in that moment, when she saw them falling, both not even twenty years old, she couldn't help imagining a future Aster in their place.

The villainess groaned. The water shadow had hit her at a diagonal, crushing her chest from left hip to just under the right arm, then broken that arm, the limb hanging at an odd angle at her side, her costume sickeningly glued to her crushed flesh.

Laserdream had a broken shoulder, but some of the water shadow had hit her head, and she was completely out of it, blood starting to soak her hair where it met the roof.

Squeezing her hands to stop herself from shaking, she stared at the three wounded teens, but they were beyond anything she could do to help. "I need immediate evacuation for three teenagers at my location, two heroes, they're still alive but can't move."

"Understood, I'll be there in a few seconds," Came a male voice through the speaker, Dragon having connected her to someone who could help.

She knew the Endbringer truce should mean everyone should be treated the same, but rules and reality were often at odds, and mentioning two teenage heroes should get them priority.

Looking over the edge of the building, she tried to see the Endbringer, but with the tracking girl disabled, Leviathan was long gone, not wasting a second to move after Susanoo.

A few miles in the city, she watched as entire skyscrapers rose into the air, tons upon tons of metal, buildings hundreds of feet tall, moving as if they were alive, the world seeming not to make sense anymore as a single cape battled the Simurgh.

Running a hand over her soaked hair, Kayden shook a piece of flesh away, the blood running through her fingers, adrenaline starting to leave her body as she took deep breaths.

She threw up over the parapet, everything hitting her at once, then, wiping her mouth with an arm, she glanced at the three dying teenagers; Shielder already had a tourniquet over his missing legs, and she didn't dare move any of them, so she could only hope someone got to them in time.

Kayden flew up. She doubted she'd catch up to Leviathan before he reached Susanoo again, but she'd damn well try.

_________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have two advanced chapters on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thank to all my supporters: Comics, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, NotableRonin, Seadrake, Zerak,Tim West, Nisiris, Thereader, Glitched Knights, Thragnar, Caleb S, The Traveler, Jefardi, Eric Hicks, eevin1, D C, Michael Rojas, Dragoon9, FranciscoDirect, pistolpete, Esp, I AM POTATO, Quarky Virid, Sad&Gay TheyThem, Meise, Dr Madness, Ian, Rime, Seeker511, Apian Sapient, Birbman, Mack, Izz M, Cygnus Steel, Arya13579, W, SilverWolf, bob, Jerkface, Vicktor Riabtsev, Guisarme, Demian Jörden, Mccallam, Mason, Joshua Hacker, CRW, Jacob, Mitzee, De'von Burke, Christopher Ryan Zellers, 4REEEsearch, Avartil, and Bory Chab.

 

[Vallander]

Potential Ziz bomb Kayden is a track that I haven't seen before

 

[Enthessi]

Not entirely sure how I felt about this one. It wasn't bad or anything but it didn't really feel like it did anything for the story either. Like some Kayden angst followed by a rehash of a couple chapters ago but from a different POV.

It wasn't bad but it honestly wasn't the continuation of the Simurgh!Interrupt I'm sure everyone was hoping for.

Still as a chapter made to get back into the writing groove after being away for health problems it was perfectly fine.

On a separate note I'm glad your back and hope your health stays on the positive!

 

[vtkun]

thanks for the awesome chapter, hope you get better

 

[HoxShorelight]

By the Force it's back
Welcome back ,hope you are well

 

[CapCaverna]

Not entirely sure how I felt about this one. It wasn't bad or anything but it didn't really feel like it did anything for the story either. Like some Kayden angst followed by a rehash of a couple chapters ago but from a different POV.

It wasn't bad but it honestly wasn't the continuation of the Simurgh!Interrupt I'm sure everyone was hoping for.

Still as a chapter made to get back into the writing groove after being away for health problems it was perfectly fine.

On a separate note I'm glad your back and hope your health stays on the positive!

Click to shrink...

Well, it was mostly Endbringer building, showing what they seem like from someone who isn't Anakin, and exploring a new PoV, someone who, like Anakin, isn't a good person, and did terrible things, but wants to be better.

Not everyone is familiar with Worm setting, and I wanted to show what they feel like when not facing a monster like Anakin.

.
.
.

Also, Kayden genuinely dislikes being racist, but years of Empire 88 left her with terrible habits.

Anakin wants to be a good man again, but he menaces, then kills people, using his power without really considering the innocents around him, because he spent twenty years doing much, much worse.

Kayden doesn't like being racist, but she's spent a decade doing it, and even without meaning to, she ends up doing and thinking racist things.

The contrast is something that I found interesting to explore, so I always planned on having a Kayden PoV, and maybe having her in the fic a little more.

The strange thing is, Anakin is actually much worse than Kayden, but even while writing it, I dislike her more, and from some readers' reactions, I feel that they do it too... I suppose that says something about society, that racism, at least fictional racism, feels worse than torture, mind control and genocide.

Although... I guess the cool factor helps, Anakin is much cooler than Purity... I wonder who would be more dislikable if she was actually an extremely hot young girl...

 

[Joy]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Hope your doing better! And damn wasn't expecting a Kayden chappy but can't say I disliked it.

 

[mpbjunkie]

Thanks for the chapter. I'm not gonna lie and pretend I'm not anxious for resolution but this was a cool chapter and I enjoyed it a lot.

The strange thing is, Anakin is actually much worse than Kayden, but even while writing it, I dislike her more, and from some readers' reactions, I feel that they do it too... I suppose that says something about society, that racism, at least fictional racism, feels worse than torture, mind control and genocide.

Although... I guess the cool factor helps...

Click to shrink...

I guess a factor is that Anakin's evil seems much more made up than Purity's. Mind control and blowing up planets isn't real in the way being a neonazi is. And yeah, the cool factor counts for a hell of a lot and Darth Vader is one of the cooler villains out there.

Hope you're feeling better.

 

[Swordstire]

Welcome back. Glad to hear you're ok at the very least.

 

[F4u5t]

Well, it was mostly Endbringer building, showing what they seem like from someone who isn't Anakin

Click to shrink...

I specially liked the chapter because of this. I could have been even more fearmongering since people in worm should be terrified of Endbringers.
I kind of like the idea of Kayden appearing some more in a kind of parallel arc to Anakin's redemption one.

 

[apg666]

The strange thing is, Anakin is actually much worse than Kayden, but even while writing it, I dislike her more, and from some readers' reactions, I feel that they do it too

Click to shrink...

I think the self delusion is also part of it. Kayden justifies doing horrible things in ways everyone else knows is bullshit, even Max, while Anakin hates everyone and himself enough that he just didn't care that he was doing horrible shit kinda making it less personal.

 

[S!ËGFR!ÊD]

Can't wait for Amy's crashout.

 

[haylo]

Always lovely to see another chapter of this up, but I'm more glad you're doing well enough to persist

Can't wait for Amy's crashout.

Click to shrink...

So... I'm alive, health problems kept me unable to write, and I'm sorry I didn't say anything, like always, I keep thinking I'd finish the chapter and say something, and I never quite managed to do it, but here it is.

Also... not exactly the best chapter to come back, I know, what with not being an Anakin or Dinah chapter, I just hope you guys enjoy it.
__________________

Kayden watched as her stepson carried Aster into the expensive helicopter, the Endbringer sirens still ringing in the city. The pudgy fifteen-year-old adjusted her daughter's blanket, making sure to protect her face from the wind as he sat down, Dorothy and Geoff sitting at the pilot's seat and doing a good job of appearing nervous, keeping up the façade of their civilian identity.

In truth, Kayden knew Night and Fog barely felt anything about the entire situation, too damaged by whatever process had been used to train them and incapable of caring. Still, she had been left in charge of the couple, if they could be called that, and she knew they'd be absolutely loyal, protecting her daughter with their lives.

Night could transform into a monster, but only when she was not being observed, and her Breaker form was both too weak to really damage Leviathan and easily dispelled with so many capes participating. As for Fog, he could shift his body into a gaseous form, which, if he wanted, could erode living matter.

Together, they were incredibly effective against other capes. Night was able to hide inside her 'husband' form to remain unseen while using her power, and Fog could cause damage to anyone who tried to fight her inside, particularly if they breathed some of the fog.

Against an Endbringer, they were less than useless; their powers would be a detriment even when doing search and rescue.

So, Kayden had chosen to send them away with her daughter, to keep her safe amid the chaos of the world and protect her from anything that would harm her. One last time, she felt the urge to join her daughter, but she couldn't; she already had enough trouble facing her own reflection.

When she first got her powers, before she fell for Max's honeyed words and joined the Empire, she had dreamed of being a hero, and while she'd ruined that dream, she didn't think she could live with herself if she didn't make one last attempt.

How could she raise her daughter if she was that much of a coward?

Watching the helicopter lift into the air, her heart almost gave out. She knew it was a risk to fly in this weather, the wind and hail making flight incredibly dangerous, but Geoff had assured her he could do it, and better to risk that than Leviathan when the Endbringer arrived.

"She's going to be fine," Justin said, adjusting his Crusader costume. "Are we arriving together?"

"No, Othala should already be there, and I can't get in contact with Alabaster; there's no point in going together anymore." Kayden held back a sigh. "You should have left when I told you to."

"I joined the Empire to help my country," Justin said, and contrary to most others, he actually believed it. "I'm not going to run away now that it really needs me."

Once upon a time, the Empire would have attended in force, a show of strength from the largest parahuman organization in the city, and one of the largest in the country… Now, they were reduced to six parahumans, two of whom just left the city.

Max, the bastard, had ran away the day after Susanoo had destroyed them, using a Medhall business opportunity in Argentina to escape the city, and Krieg had left soon after, disappearing without saying a word to anyone.

That was when she knew the Empire was done for.

Oh, Max would be back, Kayden was sure of that, he had far too much invested in the US in his civilian identity not to do so, but it was an even chance if he'd accept Gesselshaft help, take on a subservient role somewhere else and work to climb back to power, or if he'd sell them all for a chance to start over with a new identity.

He'd never really believed in the cause he championed anyway, using it just for the power it granted him; it would be easy to throw away the Kaiser name and try to gain power from another angle.

Kayden dug her nails into her arm, almost drawing blood. At thirty-five, Max was still the most handsome man she had ever met, and he certainly had the charisma to try.

She could just see him starting over, maybe even as the leader or sponsor of a corporate hero team, the golden boy once again, just like when he was a high school jock and she the younger girl with a crush… And if she died here, Kayden just knew he'd use it as an excuse to further his power.

The hail got worse, each lump of ice that hit the rooftop feeling like another nail hammered against her heart as she prayed for her daughter to be safe, her eyes trying fruitlessly to follow the helicopter among the clouds.

Once upon a time, Kayden had felt like she was doing something important, years ago, when she actually fell for Max's words and thought the Empire meant to do good, and later, when she saw through his bullshit and decided to leave the Empire.

When she went out alone, fought and drove back Lung or Oni Lee, when she arrested drug dealers, pimps, and enforcers, she had thought she was helping clean the city.

Yes, she avoided Empire territory, and mostly targeted Asian or Black criminals, but she HAD been part of the Empire for years; she didn't feel proud about her choice, but it was difficult to target people she'd shared drinks with, laughed and had dinner at their houses.

It was justified, she had thought; she knew there were plenty of white criminals in the city, but at least they were civilized about it, and she'd target them too when she was done with the others.

Max had laughed in her face when she said that, asked what the hell was civilized about dog fights or lynching innocent fathers just because of the color of their skin… That, more than anything, hurt.

Max, the man who didn't give a shit about what his people did, that would just as easily target babies of any color if it gave him more power, was less prejudiced than she was. It was a difficult pill to swallow.

Kayden hadn't always been like this. Before, when Max was just a crush, when the thought of being a cape had never even crossed her mind, she hadn't cared about race.

Then she triggered, and Max had seen her power, gotten close to her, invited her into the Empire, and, blinded by his good looks, she'd been swayed, convinced of his way of thinking… Fuck, she had been so guilible.

She'd tried to change that after the divorce, but after the way Max had laughed at her, she realized she hadn't had much luck.

She'd justified her prejudice; after years as a cape, she'd seen how much of what made the city a terrible place to raise her child could be traced back to a certain kind of people. It was hard not to be prejudiced when that happened.

What a joke, the only reason she hadn't seen the Empire's role in ruining the city was that she didn't want to look, and Max, Kaiser, the leader of the Empire of all people, was the one to throw that at her face.

It was just how she thought; she always had trouble considering the long term, looking at more than the obvious, which was why she had been so easily influenced by being in the gang. She knew that, but it was just difficult to do anything about it.

She hated herself for it, but no matter how much she tried, she didn't seem able to change, and that only made her self-loathing worse.

"I'm going then," Justin said, one of his ghosts appearing like an aura around his body. "I'll join search and rescue. Stay safe."

"Good luck," Kayden said, refocusing on the now as Justin rose in the air, moving through the hail towards the gathering point.

At least today she wouldn't have to think of that. Today it wasn't about heroes, villains, or criminals; for the first time in years, she'd be fighting for something undeniably right. It made the thought of facing Leviathan easier, and if she died, at least her daughter was safe.

Putting on a mask, Kayden stepped out onto the rooftop, the hail hitting her body and soaking up her costume… She didn't usually wear a mask, her power lighting up her skin and making it impossible to make out her features, or even directly stare at her, but with so many capes present, she didn't want to risk someone having a power to overcome that.

Stepping on the parapet, she looked down. At 85 stories tall, the building she was on was one of the largest in the city, a skyscraper that stood well above everything else around, but the distance could still pass deceptively fast, less than ten seconds to reach the ground.

With a single step, she let herself fall, cold wind painfully hitting her face, and the weightless feeling making her feel free, even if for only briefly.

The temptation to just let things continue hit her then, as it always did when she jumped, to just enjoy the acceleration until the inevitable end, not having to think of what she'd done, or what she would do next, to be free.

Then her daughter's face appeared in her mind, Aster, innocent and perfect, a reminder of why she still kept moving.

Her body ignited, blinding light exploding in the sky, reflecting off the hail and illuminating the city as she activated her power, then she moved, quickly flying up above the buildings and, faster than any local cape, moving towards the meeting point, a white trail of light falling behind her.

Stopping above the medical area, she paused, looking around until she saw Othala standing with Alabaster, the immortal man acting as her protector, so the two of them had decided to show up… That made the entirety of the Empire, at least those still free, fifteen capes reduced to only four in the city.

Moving again, she landed at the gathering spot for those who would more directly participate in the battle, Legend already present and organizing things. Deactivating her power, she felt the capes around her relaxing as her light faded, leaving her as just a petite woman once again.

There were far more capes than she expected, the vast majority heroes ready for the confrontation, as if they already knew it was happening before the alarm even started.

For a second, she searched for the rest of the Empire, but she didn't see anyone. Local authorities sometimes released capes during Endbringer battles, the Endbringer truce meaning they'd trade support for their freedom, but it seems like the PRT had chosen to keep them under lock and key.

Soon, Kayden felt the capes giving her space, leaving a conspicuous area around herself free, and even the villains were giving her a wide berth. Standing by herself, without the support of the rest of the Empire, she felt that isolation more than ever.

More than a year away from the empire, slowly trying to rebuild her name, to put the past behind her, and Max, with his charming voice and perfect rhetoric, had managed to talk her back in less than an hour, ruining everything she tried to do.

She really should have moved cities, cut ties once and for all… but she had been weak, wanting her daughter to at least know her father.

Yes, he had promised her control over the Empire's forces, to maybe try to do something good in the city, but now that she was no longer fooling herself, Kayden could recognize it would never happen.

Even if the conditions were met, Max would sooner assassinate her than give up power, and because she had allowed herself to be fooled again, even the villains saw her as radioactive.

Kayden felt sick; she tried to swallow, but it was difficult, as if there was something blocking her throat. She refused to let anyone see it.

An hour later, she wore one of the monitoring bracelets on her wrist and watched as Legend finished his speech. "... Brockton Bay is a soft target; it has an aquifer originally used to provide fresh water, essentially an underground river, which we expect the creature to start…"

"Kaiser isn't coming?"

The question caught her by surprise, and she turned, seeing Dauntless, the man who almost caught her when she faced Susanoo… and if she was being honest, probably saved her when he forced her to flee.

"... There's no Kaiser anymore."

"What?"

"He left the city shortly after the rescue attempt," she said, taking at least some pleasure in destroying his name, even if she knew it was one he'd thrown away when he fled. "I doubt you're going to hear from him anymore."

"You're joking," said Assault, having heard their conversation. "Kaiser, the king Nazi, just ran away?"

Crossing her arms almost as if to hug herself, Kayden released a deep breath and nodded. "It was always about power with him, after what Susanoo did…"

"Hah, that's almost worth an arm," Assault said, getting a glare from Dauntless.

"You're not releasing the others?" Kayden asked. "The twins are certainly strong enough."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Dauntless narrowed his eyes.

Kayden thought about the twins, Max's younger lovers… Did it start after the divorce, or were the three of them already fucking when they were married? "Not really, but it's Leviathan."

"The boss didn't think we'd need them," Assaul said,

"Leviathan arriving in sixteen seconds," Eidolon's voice said from her wrist. "I'll block the first wave."

Adrenaline filling her body, Kayden spared the duo one last glance, then her body ignited, and she shot up into the storm, rising straight up into the air for nearly a mile. Dauntless followed her less than a second later, the Hero managing to keep up with her for the moment.

Staring out into the Bay, she saw the giant wave, a wall of water nearly a hundred feet tall and moving faster than a car, then it broke against Eidolon's shields. The spectacle was humbling to watch.

Slowly moving towards the shore, she moved her head from side to side, desperately searching for the beast, but the storm blocked her vision, and even the noise was drowned out by constant thunder strikes.

From her wrist, the armband started vibrating, a gridmap appearing on the surface to show her current position and Leviathan's last updated location; the beast was still on the shore.

Kayden moved, ready to face the creature despite the devastating show of power she had just witnessed. For all her power, she knew she couldn't defeat it, but even wounding the beast would help, and they didn't have the time to be careful.

Around her, nearly a dozen other flyers followed, but she left the vast majority behind as she started gathering power. Finally, she saw the beast, Leviathan, seeming to recover from a strike as it looked towards another cape facing him… Susanoo.

Dismissing the man from her mind, she blasted the Endbringer, but she hadn't had enough time to properly charge her beam. With the storm, Kayden was at a disadvantage; her power didn't depend on the sun, but it did help, making her attacks charge faster and be slightly more powerful, an advantage she wouldn't have with the thick clouds covering the city.

Her blast was weaker than expected, hitting the creature's shoulder and only leaving a small wound, the impact barely moving the Endbringer. Immediately, she started gathering power again, and other Blasters started to arrive.

Then both Leviathan and Susanoo moved, and Kayden didn't have the chance to attack again, or even react, as tons of debris rose in the air.

The entire street seemed to explode in action, large chunks of asphalt, concrete, and even entire houses rising to bombard the Endbringer with so much strength the creature couldn't move, each projectile moving almost independently.

Kayden felt her heart skipping a beat as she searched for an opening, keeping far enough away to avoid being hit by a stray projectile or the Endbringer's water shadow, the necessary distance making it hard to see through all the rain. She'd known Susanoo was strong before, but this was like watching a video of the Simurgh in action, Telekinesis on a level she had never seen before.

The realization of just how lucky she'd been during their confrontation finally hit her… He'd never even taken them seriously, had he?

Then the two physically clashed, their bodies moving like blurs to her senses as the maelstrom of debris continued to circle, Susanoo matching the Endbringer's speed even at melee range, his plasma sword, now a different color, flashing and cutting off whole pieces of the beast.

Like the hand of a God, Susanoo's telekinesis flattened the waterfront for a mile around the battle, every piece of debris either rising into the air or smashing towards Leviathan; it was like watching two forces of nature clashing.

Around her, no Blaster could attack, none of them being fast enough to react to the ferocity of the battle or find a target among the maelstrom of pieces thrown about by the engagement. Only a few seconds had passed, and the destruction was already total.

Then Leviathan jumped back, actually retreating from Susanoo, the very act making her gasp in surprise; adjusting her aim, Kayden readied her attack.

Alexandria moved first, smashing into the creature with such strength she created a crater on the street.

A scream to her right drew Kayden's attention away, her focus on the creature allowing a second wave to sneak up on her, its shadow nearly swallowing the sky. Bursting into motion, she fled upwards, the wave almost hiding her, broken debris being thrown about by the waters with the strength of a cannon, smashing into buildings and leaving large holes everywhere.

Struggling to recover her bearings for a few seconds, she finally stopped in the air, the wave passing only a dozen feet below her, and continued to move inland, dragging much of Susanoo's destruction with it.

Looking around, she saw a few of the capes around hadn't been able to avoid the wave, their broken bodies hanging from half-destroyed buildings like discarded trash, blood starting to leak into the water.

Studying herself, she checked her armguard, which indicated the beast had moved a few blocks, the device constantly speaking a long string of dead or disabled capes.

When she arrived, Leviathan was struggling to escape a massive sphere of metal, Susanoo lifting the beast into the air with Telekinesis and squeezing the material so hard it started to heat up despite the freezing rain.

Keeping her distance, Kayden continued to gather power, preparing to release one of her most powerful blasts in case the Endbringer escaped, something strong enough to level buildings… Then the screaming started.

Almost against her will, she looked up… and the sight drained her will, fear and despair freezing her in place as a second Endbringer descended upon the city.

Despite the hail, Kayden only felt stunned silence around her, sound and feeling seeming to drain away as she watched the Simurgh descending into the Bay, followed by a shower of meteors.

For a few moments, she seemed to lose track of time, everything that was happening too much as she slowly floated down towards a half-destroyed building, a damaged car stuck halfway out of its third floor.

She wanted to flee. Kayden knew she was one of the only capes fast enough to escape the creature's range, but her body didn't seem to be responding; everything hitting her at once as the creature's scream filled her mind.

One in four of you is likely to die. Legend's voice rang into her mind. If those were the odds when facing a single one of the beasts, what about two? Worse, what if she survived, only to go back home and kill her daughter, driven mad by the creature's song?

"Parahumans close to the Simurgh," said Dragon through her armband, finally snapping her out of her daze. "You're now being marked. If you receive a warning, it means you're reaching the acceptable limit of exposure, disengage immediately and retreat from the location."

Jumping up, Kayden rose back into the sky, noticing the way some of the flyers around her were finally letting go, blasting the streets under them with a continuous bombardment of powers, haphazardly trying to attack Leviathan.

"Purity," Dragon said, opening a direct line to her armband. "Your location is close to Leviathan. I'm marking your map; move to intercept him as fast as you can."

Kayden pressed the button on her armband and spoke. "Not the-" then she had to lick her lips when her voice cracked. "Not the Simurgh?"

"No." Dragon simply said, then seemed to get busy organizing the rest of the battle.

For a moment, Kayden stared up at the flying Endbringer, then away towards Boston, where Aster should be right now… she swallowed, at her speed, he could be there in less than an hour.

In a burst of light, she rushed towards the spot marked on her map, readying the strongest blast she could manage against the Endbringer. Flying only a few feet above the buildings, she desperately searched for the creature.

Pressing the button on her armband, she hurriedly said. "Hard override! Where is he? I'm here, but I can't see him!"

Before she was even finished, a young girl's voice came from the communication device, the girl's location appearing on her map. "I can track him! I need a flyer to keep up, but he's using the buildings to stay out of sight!"

Kayden almost moved to grab the girl, but someone else must have been closer, her position on the map starting to move in a straight line towards the center of the city.

She moved, using her superior speed to quickly overtake the girl's location and finally saw the beast. On all fours, Leviathan ran with blinding speed, moving on the surface of the water, his claws not sinking more than an inch with every step.

With serpentine-like movements, he used every cover to block the view from the sky, and even dove into the buildings when they were tall enough, his body breaking through brick walls as if they were foam, only avoiding the metal foundations.

Focusing on her blast, Kayden's hand shone with power as she released everything she had ready on the creature, twin full-powered beams wider than she was tall, the blinding light trailing motes of light as it nearly instantly smashed into the Endbringer's chest.

Leviathan stopped, then flew back, hitting the side of a building and passing through, his body hammered by her power with enough strength that it only stopped more than halfway through the wide skyscraper.

Adjusting her position, Kayden began gathering a second blast, her hands starting to shine brighter as she pointed at the entrance.

With a deafening noise of breaking glass and twisting metal, Leviathan burst out of the side of the building only a dozen feet from her, having climbed to her height by breaking straight through several floors inside the building, the noise of the storm hiding his efforts.

She flew back, her heart accelerating and hand shifting towards the beast, but she knew it would be too late.

From the side, a single crimson beam of light hit Leviathan, the blast just strong enough to throw him to the side before he could reach her, Laserdream having attacked from nearly a block away, the heroine holding a second girl in her arms.

Twisting midair, Leviathan whipped his tail at Kayden's chest, and if it were still intact, she knew she'd have died, but Susanoo had cut off several feet during their clash, the limb coming short of reaching her.

On reflex, she blasted the resulting water shadow with a half-powered beam, the water exploding only a foot in front of her, shockwave sending her flying back through the air to hit the side of a building shoulder-first.

Leviathan fell on top of a house, then ripped a large piece of the roof and threw it at her.

Letting escape a small scream, Kayden desperately flew aside, the large projectile smashing into the building and showering her with glass. She briefly lifted an arm to protect her eyes and, when it was over, the beast had used her distraction to move on, only being slowed by a few seconds.

It had been enough, with the Endbringer briefly out in the open, other flyers had seen it, and they converged like angry wasps and either blasted him with their powers, or dropped Brutes that could fight him directly.

One cape, nearly eight feet tall and covered in a layer of granite, lunged at Leviathan, driving the point of his shoulder under the beast's chest and pushing him back several steps, water falling off the beast with every centimeter it moved.

Twisting his tail, Leviathan wrapped it around the man's leg and pulled him off balance, then drove a large, taloned hand right through the back of the man's neck, breaking the protective shell and decapitating him.

Not releasing the man's leg, he whipped his tail around, using the headless body like a hammer to smash two other capes before sending it flying away, blood filling the water around him.

A flyer she didn't recognize got too close to the beast, and Leviathan, almost contemptuously, slashed at the man, a water shadow flying off his claw to smash into the man's chest, caving it in with sheer momentum.

The list of dead and disabled continued to rise, the Endbringer seeming more brutal than ever before, but it couldn't get rid of them all, their combined efforts forcing it to move sideways away from Susanoo.

Leviathan jumped off one roof, trying to reach the deep water on the floor, the streets turning into rivers under his power, but Dauntless, moving almost as fast as she could, arrived. His Arclance, covered in white lightning, struck the beast's chest.

The blow did almost nothing; the Arclance's lightning far from strong enough to damage the creature, and the tip barely pierced an inch or two, but the shaft elongated faster than the eye could see, pushing the beast into the sky.

Slashing down, Leviathan sent several water shadows at Dauntless, but they stopped at the hero's shield. Almost at the same time, it grabbed the Arclance with both arms and pulled it apart, the weapon shattering under the Endbringer's strength.

Kayden hit the beast with another fully powered beam, smashing it against a building and making it bounce off.

Leviathan twisted midair, his long tail clipping a flyer that got too close, then it hit the side of a building, all four claws finding purchase on the wall like an oversized lizard.

His tail flicked twice, cracking like a whip, and Kayden desperately dipped down to avoid two water shadows that passed only a few inches from her head, then she pointed her hand and released another beam at the creature.

Moving blindingly fast, Leviathan ripped a huge section of the building and threw it at her, her blast only serving to explode the projectile midair.

Leviathan moved sideways on the wall, his claws digging into the building for support as it turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Breathing hard, Kayden adjusted her mask, pushing some of her soaked hair out of her face, the smell of death starting to hit her as the corpses accumulated, then she moved after the creature, weaving between the buildings at a fast speed.

Just as she was about to turn another corner, Leviathan came flying back, Alexandria smashing into his face and dragging straight through an entire building, a second cape held in the Endbringer's feet.

Flying through the large opening they had created, Kayden felt Dauntless following her. The Endbringer had fallen on top of a two-storey house, the impact having crushed the cape he was holding, leaving only the torso on his claw.

Alexandria dodged a claw strike, then seemed to find a weakness in the Endbringer and grabbed half of the overextended hand, already damaged by Susanoo's sword. Kicking the side of the arm, she ripped half of his hand off, leaving only two fingers still attached.

Leviathan's tail wrapped around her waist, but this time she resisted its strength, flying into the Endbringer's hand, driving one hand up to the wrist through the wound on its chest.

Grabbing Alexandria's face with his good claw, the Endbringer threw himself back, dragging her through the water he left behind and getting some of it through her helmet.

Alexandria tried to resist, but she swallowed too much water and choked, the Endbringer using the chance to throw her aside. It also threw the mangled remains of the parahuman still on its leg claw at Dauntless, the body hitting his shield and exploding into a shower of blood, some of it covering her costume as she was too close.

Kayden released another beam of power, the twisting blast hitting the house and utterly demolishing it, but Leviathan had already jumped to the left, putting another building between them before she could adjust her aim.

In Laserdream's arms, the Villain teen continued to point out its location, seeming able to read the Endbringer's movements no matter which way it ran.

Then the fourth wave hit, the sheer wall of water simply destroyed the entire waterfront, huge, car-sized debris flying around and smashing every cape engaged with the creature.

They were NOT supposed to come this fast! Kayden's mind yelled in surprise. It hadn't even been two minutes since Eidolon blocked the third wave!

With no time to retreat, she closed her eyes, released a half-powered blast at the wave, and dove through the water right where it hit, a second seeming to stretch into hours as she desperately hoped to get to the other side.

She was lucky, managing to avoid any debris as she broke through the other side; most failed to do so.

Broken bodies littered the half-destroyed street, dozens of capes dead, either crushed by debris or slashed apart by Leviathan before it disappeared, the beast having used the wave to slip away, nearly ten feet of water temporarily filling the street as the ocean invaded the city.

The sight almost broke her. How was she supposed to fight something like this? The creature was playing with them and, all the while, the Simurgh's song rang into her mind, driving her insane.

The coppery smell of blood soaking her costume grew stronger now that she wasn't in immediate danger, and she noticed that pieces of the cape's flesh had gotten stuck to her hair, the realization making her hands shake.

She wasn't a Brute; even a glancing blow from the beast would destroy her, a thrown rock could kill her, and it had almost done several times through the fight; every dodge she made was a matter of survival.

The urge to just flee hit her again. How much time did she have left before they declared her a lost cause?

Dauntless had retreated, using his shield to spread a protective field over Laserdream and the tracking villain, the three of them almost untouched by the attack.

From the corner of her eye, Kayden saw Glory Girl diving into the water, coming out only a second later with the broken body of Shielder, her younger cousin. The boy was missing both legs, the wave, or more likely some of the debris, having broken his forcefield, but he was still moving, coughing up water as the young girl flew him on top of a nearby building.

Seeing the boy, Laserdream screamed, almost dropping the villain she held, then she flew towards her brother, and Kayden could see she was exhausted from carrying the young woman.

Shooting out of the water like a missile, Leviathan flew at the duo just as they were a few feet from the building. Dauntless tried to rush to their defense, but he wouldn't make it in time.

On reflex, she released another beam of power, this one only a foot wide, as it hit the Endbringer midjump, the blast just strong enough to push it away from the girls and give Dauntless time to catch up, his white energy shield spreading like a bubble around them.

Twisting midair, Leviathan's dexterous tail coiled around the three of them, dragging them through the air as it finally hit ground, then it seemed to tighten, smashing the trio against the side of a house, Dauntless shield lightning up with the effort of blocking.

In the air, she gathered another attack, but her internal reserves were starting to diminish, every beam taking longer to charge.

In desperation, Laserdream created her own shields, but Kayden knew from experience that the girl's shields were weaker than her blasts; they wouldn't hold up to the beast.

"Go!" Dauntless screamed, moving his shield and creating a brief opening between Leviathan's tail.

Laserdream took her chance, managing to drag the villainess out, escaping from the Endbringer as she flew towards her dying brother, another two blasters hitting Leviathan, their attacks barely doing anything.

Almost with annoyance, the Endbringer swung his tail again, throwing Dauntless into a building and causing the shield bubble to 'pop' as it broke through a wall, then it lunged after the girls, climbing the side of the building to reach them, and Kayden realised it was determined to kill the tracker before moving on.

She blasted it again, her beam of light hitting the building and digging ten feet through the material, digging a wide trench as she tried to hit the beast, but even outside the water, it was fast, and she only managed to clip one of his back claws.

Extending his good hand, Leviathan reached for the girls, long talons almost closing around Laserdream's shield.

With a scream of rage, Glory Girl smashed into the Endbringer, punching his head hard enough to push it back, then smashing him into the skyscraper behind, saving her older cousin at the last second, but the beast still managed to wave his hand towards the duo in one last attempt to kill them.

The resulting water shadow hit Laserdream's shield with the force of a speeding car, the weak defense collapsing as most of the water smashed into the villainess she was carrying, but some still hit her, breaking her shoulder and smashing her head.

Kayden saw them fall through the air, at least one of the girls still alive enough to scream as they dropped straight towards the deadly water below. She moved on instinct, unable to just let both of them die even if it meant coming far too close to the Endbringer for comfort.

Wrapping an arm around Laserdream, she grabbed the second girl, wounded shoulder screaming at her for the act, she dropped a few feet in the air, but she managed to steady himself.

Kayden wasn't a Brute; her Breaker state did not give her any increased strength or resistance, so she felt the strain as she carried both girls up onto the rooftop with Shielder, all the while expecting Leviathan to kill them; he didn't.

Instead, she dropped both girls on the wet roof and almost collapsed from the effort, the fear making her entire body shake as she struggled to get herself under control.

She should have left the girls alone; it was too dangerous to save them, particularly with Leviathan seemingly hellbent on killing the Villainess, but in that moment, when she saw them falling, both not even twenty years old, she couldn't help imagining a future Aster in their place.

The villainess groaned. The water shadow had hit her at a diagonal, crushing her chest from left hip to just under the right arm, then broken that arm, the limb hanging at an odd angle at her side, her costume sickeningly glued to her crushed flesh.

Laserdream had a broken shoulder, but some of the water shadow had hit her head, and she was completely out of it, blood starting to soak her hair where it met the roof.

Squeezing her hands to stop herself from shaking, she stared at the three wounded teens, but they were beyond anything she could do to help. "I need immediate evacuation for three teenagers at my location, two heroes, they're still alive but can't move."

"Understood, I'll be there in a few seconds," Came a male voice through the speaker, Dragon having connected her to someone who could help.

She knew the Endbringer truce should mean everyone should be treated the same, but rules and reality were often at odds, and mentioning two teenage heroes should get them priority.

Looking over the edge of the building, she tried to see the Endbringer, but with the tracking girl disabled, Leviathan was long gone, not wasting a second to move after Susanoo.

A few miles in the city, she watched as entire skyscrapers rose into the air, tons upon tons of metal, buildings hundreds of feet tall, moving as if they were alive, the world seeming not to make sense anymore as a single cape battled the Simurgh.

Running a hand over her soaked hair, Kayden shook a piece of flesh away, the blood running through her fingers, adrenaline starting to leave her body as she took deep breaths.

She threw up over the parapet, everything hitting her at once, then, wiping her mouth with an arm, she glanced at the three dying teenagers; Shielder already had a tourniquet over his missing legs, and she didn't dare move any of them, so she could only hope someone got to them in time.

Kayden flew up. She doubted she'd catch up to Leviathan before he reached Susanoo again, but she'd damn well try.

_________________________$$$_____________________________

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Click to shrink...

 

[Hooli4ss_]

She was doing her best not to think about the Bay's new gang leader, about how things could have gone had their first meeting been different, had the PRT not been so incompetent as to have a villain in their own chain of command.

Click to shrink...

I'm still hoping for a Miss Militia x Anakin , there is a lot of unexplored tension there .

 

[CapCaverna]

Dinah threw up in the toilet… which wasn't the most dignified thing for the future Overlady of the ABB to do, and she was planning to be the Overlady. While the chances she'd be able to convince her parents were very small, they weren't zero.

Although… she didn't feel much like an Overlady right now.

Leaning back against the cold bathroom wall, she pressed the heel of her hands against her eyes and pulled her legs closer to her chest, trying to hold back the constant, mounting pressure, as if something were pushing from the inside, or her eyes had grown too big for her head.

She had finally given in and let Panacea heal her missing hand, and while she hated to admit it, being able to push against her face with both limbs without the fear of hurting herself was nice.

It didn't really help much, but the gesture blocked light and made her feel like she was doing something.

Dinah wanted her mom… She wanted her dad, too, and Anakin, and her house, her bed, even her giant Mouse Protector and Narwhal plushies, but mostly, she wanted her mom.

"I told you not to do it," Vista sighed with a worried voice, and Dinah knew without looking that the Ward had her arms crossed in front of her chest in a disapproving manner. "Want me to go get someone?"

She nearly groaned at the words, any sound sending another spike of pain through her head, holding back the nausea. She tried to speak, but her mouth refused to work; instead, she shook her head… slowly.

Vista had caught her using her power in the bathroom and had confiscated the bottle of pain medicine before Dinah could take any more, worried about an overdose, but she had been stubborn, trying one last time to see the attack directly.

She immediately regretted that decision.

Before she met Anakin, when she had just gotten her power and hadn't had as much self-control, Dinah had Thinker headaches every day; sometimes, they were enough to blur her vision and make her dizzy, but this was way worse.

Cold sweat ran down her neck, thinking was hard, and every time she tried to get up, the room started to spin, her vision filled with white spots as her headache worsened.

Still, it wasn't the worst thing she had ever felt, getting buried under the hubble when the Travelers had first tried to kidnap her was both scarier and more painful, but not by much.

Unfortunately, Dinah didn't trust the PRT, and she didn't trust the heroes, so she needed to see what was going to happen herself… and for the first time, her power had failed her.

She was used to her power hurting, but it had never failed, not like this.

"I'm tired of being useless," Dinah confessed, opening an eye to stare at the Ward when the nausea passed, and it didn't feel like she had something stuck on her throat. "I told them I could answer more questions, that it only hurt a little, but they wouldn't let me. At least I managed to give Miss Militia a few warnings."

"Yeah, they do that," Vista huffed in annoyance, voice soft to avoid hurting, then she flushed the toilet, and the noise sent another spike of pain through her head. "Did they use the voice?"

"What voice?"

"The 'you're very brave, sweetie' voice, they always use that one with me."

Dinah winced. Yeah, she knew the voice, the social worker who was supposed to care for her when her parents weren't there definitely used it, and gave her the look too.

"I hate when they do that," Vista growled, leaning against the sink. "You know they won't even let me change costumes?" Pulling at the edge of her skirt, she snorted. "They designed this for approachability, as if I want villains to look at me and think 'aww.'"

"What's wrong with your costume? I like it," Vista glared at her, but Dinah was too busy holding back her nausea to notice. "Sure, I loved the Overlady clothes I had, but a combat dress is nice too, and I always thought yours was cute; it just lacks a cape… or a cloak, a cloak is good too."

Yeah, she had chosen to dress like an Overlady, but that's because she didn't want to ruin Anakin's image…

Fine, she couldn't deny her mask was really cool, but a combat dress like Vista's was her second option.

It didn't mean she didn't like some girlish things; she wasn't so simple as not to appreciate other kinds of fashion. Dinah had even dressed up as a princess once or twice during Halloween, and she loved her dolls and plushies, too.

Vista sighed, looking down at the wavy green skirt and elegant boots. "Yeah, I liked it when I first started, and I guess it does provide protection, but I'm not a kid anymore. I just want people to stop looking at me like I'm playing dress-up."

"But… can't you be like Mouse Protector? I'd totally play up my age to ruin a Villain's reputation."

For a moment, Vista just thought about her words, then she started snickering.

"What?"

"Ha… haha. I just imagined Kaiser getting to jail and telling everyone he was arrested by the pretty little princess half his size. I'm almost tempted to try… I can't get them to give me something decent, but I bet they'd change my costume to pink if I asked."

Feeling a little better, Dinah stretched her legs, then she looked up at the Ward. "I'd help you, let you ask questions every day until he's arrested," she tempted, then, seeing Vista's indecision, continued with a serious voice. "Do it!"

Vista snickered again, then shook her head. "No, then I'd have to wait five years before they let me change my costume again. I don't think I can ham it up like Mouse Protector for that long."

"Five years is forever," Dinah sighed. "You could ask to have an alternative costume? I bet they'd like that, and it would make it easier to convince them to let you have a third, or even a fourth, cooler costume. Four different Vista dolls sell better than one."

Dinah resisted the urge to ask about the chances of that happening. With some discipline, she didn't have to use her power with every question that appeared in her mind, and she didn't need more pain right now.

She was fairly sure Vista could talk someone into it anyway.

"You're evil," Vista said with some admiration, then the Ward noticed Dinah had started gagging. "Want some water, at least?"

"... Yeah."

Fifty minutes later, Dinah had thrown up again, still hadn't managed to get up, and she felt stiff all over, but the lights had been turned off, and she was starting to feel better.

Closing her eyes, she felt strength filling her body again, as if Anakin was here to help her with his healing, making the headache better with the wave of a hand. She felt his support.

Vista was sitting on the floor by her side, and while Dinah wanted to stay mad at the Ward, she knew it wasn't really her fault the 'rescue' attempt had gone wrong.

"I didn't even manage to see it," Dinah groaned, words coming a little slow as she had difficulty speaking, "Stupid Endbringers."

"So, it's really happening?" Vista asked, handing her another cup of water.

"About ninety-four percent chance by the end of the week," Dinah said, leaning her head back against the cold wall.

Extending both legs, Vista flexed her green boots one after the other, letting silence stretch between them for a minute as she thought about what was going to happen.

"How does that work? If you can't see Leviathan, how can you tell?"

"It fails if I try to predict the Endbringer, but there's like, a seven percent chance the city is destroyed by water damage by tomorrow, and it grows every day until it's almost certain in a week."

"So it could be something else?… It's not gonna be something else, is it?"

"They're not sure," Dinah admitted, remembering her meeting with Piggot. "When they first asked, there was about a sixty percent chance the attack would happen tomorrow, but an hour later, it dropped to seven and stayed there."

According to Armsmaster, that could mean a lot of things, from the Endbringers Thinker protection messing with the numbers, to her prediction being spoken out loud changing the future, or even someone else being responsible for the attack.

However, when she couldn't use the second aspect of her power to see what happened, Dinah grew certain it was Leviathan.

She had tried to use questions to narrow what was gonna happen, but when that didn't help, she tried her trump card, to find a single timeline she could observe where things turned out fine and try to repeat it in real life… It hadn't worked out, and she really, really wished she hadn't tried.

At least the pills she had already taken were starting to have an effect, her pain getting better… a little bit.

"Why aren't they evacuating the city?" Vista asked, starting to bite her thumb in worry.

"They asked about that, if they evacuate beforehand, it doesn't happen, like, less than a percent."

For a second, Vista just looked at her, then she seemed to realize it. "But the Endbringer would still attack; they always do, only the PRT wouldn't know where."

"Yeah. I could probably find it," Dinah said with confidence. Since she started trying to find Coil, she had gotten pretty good at narrowing things down with questions. "But only if I had time."

She had been able to ask more questions lately, like, a lot more, but there was only so much she could do to find a single city in the entire world… and the target could always change again, particularly if it was the Simurgh's turn.

"I think they'll move me out of the city tomorrow," Dinah eventually said. "I refused when they asked, but they have a good chance of convincing my parents."

"They cared about what you wanted? Since when?"

"It's not like they arrested me, and I'm not a Ward; I'm supposed to go back to my parents tomorrow, and the PRT cares what they think. Heh, they're probably afraid of my fixer if they move me without permission."

The man her dad had hired was kinda impressive; she'd be afraid of him, too, if she were the one being sued.

Before they could continue talking, the Endbringer sirens started blaring around the city, one of them right above the Protectorate HQ where she was, the constant forcefield around the headquarters seeming to reflect some of the sound, making it even louder and sending spikes of pain through her body, causing her to curl up again.

"What? I thought you said it wasn't gonna happen today!" Vista nearly screamed in surprise.

"I don't…" Dinah started to say, trying to get up even as she pressed the heel of her hands to her eyes. "Seven percent… I said seven percent, not zero."

It hadn't happened before, very low numbers never became reality, so she just didn't think of it, but… well, even at less than a percent, someone still won the lottery, with enough questions, it was only a matter of time. Crud!

"Girls, are you there?" Battery asked while knocking at the door, then she entered. "What happened?"

"Her Thinker headache got worse," Vista, the snitch, immediately said.

Dinah gave her a surprised look; she couldn't believe she had started to like the Ward again! It was kinda obvious, but she didn't need to say it.

For a second, Battery gave her a look, the one her mom used when she was disappointed, but it didn't work when coming from someone who messed up her 'rescue' and almost got her killed. Not one bit.

"Alright, the Protectorate has hired a cape to transport everyone to our shelter and your family outside the city. We'll just have to stay together when the time comes."

"I want my mom," Dinah managed to say, the constant sirens starting to make her headache worse again.

"We already sent someone to pick up your family," Battery nodded, helping her out of the Wards' room and into a sofa at the reception hall, where a lot of Protectorate personnel were gathering. "Armsmaster said his monitoring system gives us nearly two hours before the attack, more than enough time for them to get here."

"Where are we gathering to fight?" Vista asked.

"'We' aren't gathering anywhere," Battery shook her head. "With nearly a day of warning, we're as ready as we've ever been to face an Endbringer, the Director isn't even releasing the Villains in the cells to fight, much less letting the Wards participate."

Vista just stared at the woman, mouth open in surprise, as if she couldn't believe the words she was hearing, and Dinah nearly laughed at her companion's offended face. Unfortunately, she couldn't; the pain made it too hard.

"Where's Miss Militia?" Dinah asked.

Battery winced, avoiding their eyes for a second. "She's busy right now, helping the Director with the battle preparations."

An hour and a half later, Dinah was feeling better, with large earmuffs around her head, the device borrowed from a shooting range. She just lay down with her head in her mother's lap and felt her fingers gently running through her hair.

Instead of a public shelter, they were in the PRT's own shelter, an underground building where most of the PRT agents were being kept safe, ready to be deployed once the attack was over, most of the wards were with them, kept safe from Leviathan by virtue of being as far away from the water as possible while still being in the Bay.

Hal was standing behind her; the Protectorate had let him have his body back —although he hadn't had time to reinstall most of the weapons— once Leviathan's arrival was certain, and the robot was protecting her like Anakin told him to.

Her dad wasn't with them; instead, he was yelling at a PRT trooper about why they were still in the city, in a secure location away from the ocean, yes, but still far too near an Endbringer's arrival for his liking.

When her parents had first arrived at PHQ, she hadn't even cared about her image or her dizziness; instead, Dinha had gotten up and ran, burying her face in her mom's chest, hugging her as hard as she could.

She had hugged her dad, too, but only three minutes later, when she finally released her mom.

Around them, the fear of what was coming seemed to permeate the air, filling everyone with a sense of dread, so much so that the room, filled with people, was mostly quiet, completely different from the times she went to the shopping mall.

On her head, Dinah could feel her mom's hand trembling slightly, even as she tried to portray strength. "Are you feeling better, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Dinah said without moving her head.

Despite the noise, she had managed to meditate a little before her parents arrived, and that had helped; it still hurt, but everything was somehow easier to bear.

"I'm sorry," her mom said, hand still going through her hair. "We should have pushed harder, gotten you out of the city earlier."

"That wasn't in the plan," Dinah immediately said.

"Sweetie, your plans aren't really… Remember when you wanted to booby-trap the backyard?"

Dinah turned her head away from her mother. "It worked."

"You got completely covered in poison ivy, and I had to stop you from playing with the cactus…"

They had taken her traps out of the yard too, but whoever had invaded their house before didn't know that, and hadn't dared jump the fence again.

Her mom sighed, but she had a fond smile on her face, and her hands had stopped shaking. "... Rory was such a bad influence on you."

The reminder caused them both to freeze; her cousin was an adult now, and he'd be out there, facing the Endbringers.

"They're not going to move us again," her dad said, coming back to them. He glared at the man he had just been speaking with, then shook his head and sighed. "It seems nobody told Strider we were supposed to be out of the city, not just here with the rest of the PRT, and he's too busy bringing capes from around the world; they can't get in contact with him."

Immediately, Dinah suspected foul play, but Coil shouldn't be in the city anymore; he wasn't the last dozen times she asked, so it could just be incompetence.

Her mom's hand froze on her hair, but when she spoke a few seconds later, it was with a calm and even voice, one Dinah just knew she was forcing herself to keep. "What now?"

"Don't worry," her dad said, giving her mom a quick hug, then tousling Dinah's hair. "This is the PRT own shelter, they're even keeping some of the Wards here, if there was any one place in the Bay where we'd be safe, it's here."

Dinah didn't feel up to trying to watch the timeline again, but she was recovered enough that two or three questions wouldn't kill her; she just had to remember to word her questions around the Endbringers.

What are the chances we'll be alive tomorrow? Four point seven, three, nine, nine, seven, two percent.

Chances we'll all be alive if I warn someone in charge? Five point zero, three, one percent.

Dinah swallowed as a small spike of pain hit her, pulsating behind her eyes; nothing she hadn't learned to ignore since getting her powers, but her headache started worsening again.

Far worse was the realization that she wasn't safe; she really should have been used to the heroes and the PRT disappointing her, but…

Again, her trust in adults took a blow, and for the first time since she had met him, she started doubting Anakin… Until now, she had trusted him to be strong; she believed that not even an Endbringer could stop him, but was he just like everyone else? Did he, too, just… pretend to know what he was doing?

Her mom looked down with a suspicious look in her eyes, and Dinah knew she wouldn't be able to fool her for long. Mom was much better than Dad or Anakin at telling when she was plotting something.

No, closing her eyes, she remembered how he felt, how even Lung hadn't worried him, Anakin would be fine, she had to believe that, but her parents were another thing, those she would have to protect.

"Are you alright, sweetie? How's your head?"

Dinah took off her earmuffs and lifted her head from her mom's lap. "It still hurts, but only a little bit." It hurt more than just a little bit, but now it was just a headache; there was almost no nausea, dizziness, or cold sweat. "Say, can I go talk with Vista? I swear I'll take Hal with me."

For some reason, her mom wasn't as reassured by that last bit as Dinah thought she should be, giving the robot a suspicious look, but then her eyes softened. "Sure, go have fun with your friend."

Dinah chose not to contradict that assumption, the same way she decided to ignore how her mom collapsed against her dad's chest when she thought Dinah wasn't looking anymore; her face turned to a mask of fear.

Dinah was afraid too, but at this point, she was kinda used to it, spending a month terrified of Coil getting to her did that, and she was tired of letting others save her.

Plus, being afraid was hard, almost as hard as being helpless; it was much easier to focus on doing something. Getting up, she adjusted and turned to Hal. "Let's go."

For a second, nothing happened, then Hal's eyes seemed to regain focus, and he nodded, walking out from behind the chairs. "Very well, oh mistress mine, I shall continue to watch Bumfights later."

"What?"

"It is an abandoned series of videos, demonstrating the very depths of organics opportunism and hypocrisy, something ethically unsound even by you meatbags' pitiful standards.

"I am of two minds about the show. Sadly, the participants were not warriors, resulting in pathetic flailing with no purpose or lethality, so I can't fully enjoy the spectacle, but I also can't help marveling at the butchery of your kind's dignity. Predictable, meatbags are very good at that, but amusing nonetheless."

Dinah nodded and decided she didn't really want to know more about it; the name was pretty self-explanatory anyway. Gritting her teeth, she asked another question.

Chances the shelter will survive until tomorrow if I'm not here? Eleven point nine, two, nine, one, one, seven, nine percent.

So, she was the target, or at least a significant reason… did that mean it wasn't the Endbringer? It didn't matter; she was going to do something about it anyway. More importantly, the pain jumped up by an order of magnitude. Dinah guessed she only had two or three questions before she became completely useless.

Closing her eyes, she tried to do as Anakin had taught her, to center herself and do some of the breathing exercises he showed, and that made the pain a little bit better.

Dinah really wanted to be like Anakin, to be able to solve everything herself, and walk into every room knowing she was the most badass cape there, but she wasn't like that, not yet; she'd need help if she wanted to do anything.

Maybe she could get to her future minion? Two Thinkers working together were far more effective; it was why Coil was after her in the first place. Had they taken her out of the city already?

Vista was standing with Clockblocker, the other Ward who had participated in her 'rescue' attempt, and nobody could miss the way she was fuming instead of being concerned, probably for the same reason Dinah was moving; it was easier.

"Can I talk with you?" She asked as soon as Vista looked at her.

"Sure, I guess you're feeling better?" Vista asked, turning away from Clock to look at her.

The older Ward gave her a wary look, but Dinah still wasn't at her best, so she wasn't presenting as impressive a figure as she was used to. "Hey, what happened? I thought they were going to send you out of the city."

"Nobody told Strider that," she huffed, crossing her arms and making a mental note to ask if somebody had sabotaged that. Right now, she didn't have any questions to spare.

"Huh, you know, when you're not threatening people or trying to kill villains with laser swords, you're actually a cute kid."

"Piggot is going to have a fit," Vista said, adjusting her helmet. "She really wanted you out of the city."

"Piggy isn't going to do anything," Clockblocker said. "Seems like the stress got to her, I saw her collapse a little after the sirens started."

Dinah glared at the older teen, but he was a boy; he was bound to be stupid for a few more years. Ignoring him, she turned to Vista. "Where are the rest of the Wards?"

"Galant was out of the city when it started, lucky bastard, while Aegis and Kid Win are with their families at another shelter," Clockblocker said. "Shadow Stalker isn't in the Bay anymore, and we couldn't talk with the others. It's just us here."

"Can we go somewhere quiet?" Dinah said, then looked around. "Now?"

Vista lifted an eyebrow, looking around the deadly quiet room, everyone too tense to talk. "... I guess."

There was a room nearby, an empty storage space with only a few bare shelves and plenty of space for four people to stand. Clockblocker followed them, and Dinah wasn't about to leave Hal behind.

Looking at Vista, Dinah considered her… friend. Before she triggered, she had admired the Ward; her power was really unfairly strong, even if the PRT kept her from really using it, plus, Clockblocker could be useful too; he had saved her life.

After putting it at risk in the first place, so she didn't feel like she owed him anything, but it had happened.

"The shelter isn't going to survive until tomorrow," Dinah said, putting both hands behind her back and tryed to portray strength.. "I have… foreseen it."

"Shit, why did you have to say it like that!" Clockblocker sighed, then looked towards the door. "We have to warn somebody."

"It doesn't help; the authorities believe we're safe here." Dinah looked at them and just shook her head. "They are mistaken, but even if warned, the numbers don't change."

"Why come to us?" Vista asked. "You think we can do something about it?"

"PRT prohibited us from joining the fight," Clockblocker said. "And what are we even supposed to do? I freeze a few things, maybe the odd criminal shoe, not an Endbringer."

Dinah winced again, and she felt her neck becoming stiff, her headache becoming a pulsating wave of pain. She only had one question left, but at least she had some hope. "You underestimate your importance. Survival improves by over thirty percent if we fight."

Vista stared, "Are you… Are you doing a voice?"

Dinah paused. "... No."

"She is," Hal betrayed her. "I told you, Mistress, the voice is somewhat effective while in costume; in civilian garb…" he just shook his drone head, and Dinah glared at him.

He was right, this was so much easier when she had a costume and a laser sword, even her prosthetic helped. This is why she insisted Anakin give her a mask.

"Piggot ordered us to stay; she specifically forbade the Wards from participating. "Clock looked between the two girls, then ran a hand over his eyes and shook his head. "We're so screwed if we do this."

"The PRT can't discipline the dead," Dinah helpfully pointed out.

"... Good point."

"Thirty percent isn't a lot," Vista said, biting her lower lip hard. "How many questions do you have left?

"One," Dinah confessed, the pain making her temporarily drop her acting. "... Maybe two, but I will be incapacitated after."

Outside the shelter, the rain grew heavier, and Dinah just knew the attack finally happened; she swore she could feel the entire city changing, even if she couldn't really feel it.

More than that, she knew they were running out of time; it was something without explanation, but she felt a sense of urgency like when she had been trying to escape Coil, as if something bad was going to happen and she could do nothing about it.

Turning towards where she thought the ocean would be, she spoke. "Hurry, it has started."

Clock looked at the door, then traded a glance with Vista, "We should at least talk with someone, maybe get help?"

After so many disappointments, Dinah didn't think the adults could help; when she was trying to escape Coil, the realization that her parents were powerless to help her had hit her hard.

Her dad was supposed to protect her; he was supposed to be her personal superhero. Her mom was supposed to be safe, always to believe her and know how to solve everything…

But they weren't that, Dinah still loved them, but they didn't have all the answers, and they were just as scared as she was when it came to the Villain. After spending days with Anakin, she was starting to think that even the authorities weren't any better.

Worse, because they were adults, they'd never admit that, not in front of them. So it was up to her to do something about it. "And how much time will that take? Would they even listen?"

At her side, Hal snorted, and Dinah just knew the very thought of 'meatbags' making correct decisions amused him.

"I'm going," Vista said with a tone that left no room for discussion, then she turned to Clock. "If you're not coming, give us five minutes before reporting, you know she's right, by the time we convince the PRT, the attack will be over."

"Fine, you win, I hope you're happy," Clock sighed, but he was the one who started walking towards the door first. "Come on."

As they were leaving, Hal opened a compartment inside his chest and handed Dinah her training lightsaber. "Here, they didn't want me to have any weapons, but I managed to steal this in the confusion."

Almost jumping, Dinah snatched the weapon, her hands gripping the handle with newfound strength. She smiled up at him. "Thanks."

"I took the liberty of unlocking the safety features, Mistress, so, as much as I'd enjoy it, do avoid hitting any organics with the blade; they would no longer survive the experience."

Deep underground as they were, they couldn't hear the fight, or even the heavy rain as it fell on the city, the shelter an isolated oasis that almost made Dinah think she was wrong about the future.

She supposed she could be wrong; there was a small chance they'd be safe, after all, but she wasn't willing to bet her parents' survival on another low number.

Giving one last longing glance towards the gathering spot where their families were, Clockblocker shook his head and moved in the other direction, turning to the left, then away from the room.

The hallways were illuminated by sidelights every twenty feet or so, white lamps strong enough that they almost made her forget they were underground… not that underground, just two floors, according to Vista, but still deep enough.

Sneaking through two rooms in a hurry, they almost got caught by a passing PRT trooper coming from another direction, but Vista twisted space, shortening the space between the trio and the end of the corridor, then enlarging the gap on a locked door so they could slip inside.

"I thought they'd have more guards," Dinah whispered.

Clock snorted. "In all fairness, we're the only ones stupid enough to want out of the Endbringer shelter."

"They only guard the door to the stairs," Vista said, glaring at her companion. "Everyone else is helping keep the civilians calm."

Peeking around the corner, they saw the set of stairs leading up to the ground floor, an airtight, three-inch-thick metal gate blocking the entrance and keeping the shelter safe from Leviathan's water.

Three troopers were guarding the gate, and despite being alone, they didn't seem that distracted.

"Can you…" Dinah asked, looking at Vista.

"No," Vista whispered, crouching beside her. "My power doesn't work well when there are people in the way."

"I thought you were not Manton limited anymore?" Clock whispered back.

"Yeah, and that's much, much worse," Vista winced at the thought, then turned towards Dinah. "Besides, the door has no gap. What's the chance people here will drown if I break the door?"

Even Dinah knew Endbringer shelters couldn't really stand up to an Endbringer, although everyone liked to pretend they could. Still, unlike normal buildings, they were made to withstand accidental blows from both the creatures and the parahumans fighting them.

It meant any shelter was proof against flooding, and even radioactivity, although the Bay's were built more for the first, proximity to the Ocean making that more likely.

Taking a deep breath, Dinah leaned against the wall and used her power. "Four point seven, seven, nine percent."

"Alright, we'll do like with her," Vista said, narrowing her eyes and starting to bend space.

Dinah only noticed the barest hint of the Ward using her power, space distorting like the air above a campfire. A second later, she was staring at two pairs of legs only a few inches in front of Clock.

"... Are you insane? I'm not putting my hand through that," he whispered, voice even quieter, getting a glare from both girls. "You just said it was really bad! Twice, may I remind you!"

"I am perfectly willing to deal with them," Hall offered, eyes shining red. "With Panacea in the city, I'm sure they'll only be crippled for a short time."

"Freeze the troopers, Clock," Vista said with a hard voice.

"... We're so getting expelled," he whispered angrily, then squeezed his eyes shut and extended his hand, freezing both men before they could notice, then pulling his arm back as fast as he could.

"Let's go," Vista said, dropping her power and running towards the door.

Dinah got up, the world seeming to swirl around her, and both Hal and Clockblocker extended a hand for support.

"You ok?" The Ward asked.

She just swallowed, blinked slowly, then nodded, and the three of them quickly ran towards the gate.

Clockblocker's power was strong, with the possible exception of Anakin —because Dinah couldn't believe he'd even be affected by something like this— he could freeze anyone or anything in time, making them impervious to harm, but also unable to move or even think, a pause button.

The problem was that he couldn't control, or even know, how long it would last, from a few seconds to minutes.

Stepping ahead of the two PRT statues, Vista looked at the gate and tried to search for any spot she could enlarge to squeeze through. "It's really sealed tight."

"I don't think they keep the key with them," Dinah said, but started patting the officers anyway. She wouldn't be able to pull a key or control out, but she could feel the shape through their clothes to check. They didn't have it.

Grabbing her lightsaber, she prepared to ignite it and cut her way.

Vista didn't let her. Instead, the Ward focused on the gate, and Dinah saw the same disturbance in the air starting to surround the sealed gate. Then, only a second later, it fractured, space breaking like the surface of a mirror, shattering into a dozen pieces, the gate coming apart as if cut by a fine blade.

"Holy…" Clockblocker started to say with an awed voice.

"I do hope you're not restricted to inorganic matter," Hal commented, picking up a piece of the gate and appreciating the cut. "That would be a true tragedy."

"Cool," Dinah said, although she was a little disappointed she didn1t get to use her weapon.. "I didn't know you could do that!"

Dinah liked her power, she really did, but things like this made her feel really jealous.

"I couldn't," Vista said, then stepped over the remains of the gate and up the stairs.

Emergency lights illuminated the stairs, giving them a yellow color as they climbed to the surface, Clockblocker taking the lead, his taller legs letting him take the stairs two at a time.

Glancing back, Clock said. "What if they come after us? My power lasts anywhere from thirty seconds to ten minutes."

"Then you'll simply freeze them again, meatbag," Hal said with derision, then seemed to grow happier. "Alternatively, my offer to take care of them still stands."

"Right," Vista said. "Or we could simply ignore them; they're not going to shoot Wards, and now that we're on this side, I can just stretch the distance so they never catch up."

"I would not be so certain they won't shoot, organics have a tendency to react badly when under stress. Inevitable, I suppose, considering your inferior hardware."

There was a second gate at the top, but it offered no more resistance than the first; Vista managed to shear it apart with a brief effort of will, then they heard the tempest, rain, and wind fighting to see who was louder. a thin layer of water, only an inch thick, started to drip, then run down the stairs.

The scream started before they were out of the stairs.

It wasn't anything physical, but a high-pitch screeching noise Dinah heard directly in her mind, like an incessant ringing that made her stumble. She felt something inside her fighting against it, but it felt like a toddler fighting a Brute for all the good it did.

Vista stumbled, then went white, and Clockblocker grabbed at a nearby wall for support, his hands shaking. "Do you guys hear that?"

Dinah nodded, and she felt fear, more fear than she had ever felt before, even her growing headache was forgotten… as was her trust that Anakin would be safe.

Vista broke into a run, dashing up the stairs as fast as she could, then out of the building in a near straight line, space bending to let her move through every corner and door as if they didn't exist.

The entrance to the PRT shelter was under a small government building, not even two floors tall; it only had a dozen cubicles with computers, a reception area, and two private rooms, barely bigger than her house.

However, it had all been reshaped by Vista's power, looking more like a short hallway now, with the exit only a couple of feet from the stairs instead of hundreds of feet away.

Outside, the storm had gotten worse, and the streets were filled with water, enough to get her shoes wet when Dinah stepped out. Heavy droplets hit the pooling water with surprising impact, and she could barely see anything through the fog and rain.

But she could see the meteors, hundreds of small trails of fire falling towards the city. In her head, the eerily musical screech got stronger.

"Tell me that's not who I think it is," Clock said, almost yelling to be heard through the sound of the wind.

"Simurgh," Vista said, and she used her power to give them a better look at the descending Endbringer.

"Okay, great, cool, that's just wonderful, two apocalypses at the same time, love it," Clock swallowed hard, not looking at anyone as he pointed up. "Alright… alright, hey, nobody panics, but I think I know why the shelter doesn't survive until tomorrow."

Under the Simurgh, a large ball of metal fell straight towards them, growing alarmingly larger by the second.

All around them, the telltale signs of Vista's power started showing, buildings twisting and turning like reflections in a funhouse mirror, some of them broke like the gates when Vista stretched them too fast, but others started forming a barrier around them, then the air above seemed to shimmer, the rain changing direction, falling sideways away from the building and giving them a few dozen feet of clear sky.

"Ignore the song," Vista said, but she seemed to be speaking more to herself than anyone else. "I'll… I'll turn the meteor away," she said, her eyes never leaving the new Endbringer. "Then I can let you touch her, freeze the bitch in place until someone can deal with her."

"Sure, that sounds great, easy even," Clock said, but his legs were shaking. "Just tell me whe–"

Dinah saw Clockblocker's eyes widen with fear, days of training her reflexes with Anakin making her immediately duck and roll to the side, even as he threw himself at her and Vista, starting to yell something she didn't catch.

Hal moved, the robot stepping in front of Dinah for protection, then grabbing something off the ground and throwing it at Clock as hard as he could.

Vista started to move, her focus on moving space making her react too late as Clockblocker finally touched her, then everything hit at once.

A large piece of rubble, bigger than her head, flew straight at where Dinah had been, then curved in the air and tried to follow her, only to get smashed aside by Hal with a wave of his arm as he ignored the one that targeted him, letting it smash harmlessly into his head.

Another piece smashed into Vista's head and exploded into pieces, but the Ward didn't even move, her body frozen in place by Clockblocker's power.

Yet a fourth piece flew at Clock's head, but was intercepted by a piece of curbstone Hal had thrown, most of the rubble being destroyed, but one large shard still hit him in the chest and bounced up his helmet, the impact cracking the reinforced glass of his face protector and sending his body flying back.

Clockblocker hit the ground with a splash of water, his armor having blocked most of the blow, but he was still wheezing for breath and holding a hand to his chest, completely dazed by the blow.

Despite her survival, something in her mind seemed to scream danger, so Dinah threw herself forward, another piece of rubble coming from Hal's blindside to smash into the ground where she had just been, splashing water and pieces of the asphalt almost four feet into the air.

Jumping to her feet, she ignited the lightsaber, the blade evaporating a projectile to her right side as she took a proper stance, her feet widening and displacing water.

Some of the resulting pieces still hit her, tiny rocks smashing into her body with enough strength to leave all sorts of cuts and bruises, but she managed to protect her head, and everything else was shallow enough she could ignore.

Breathing hard and with her heart nearly out of her chest, Dinah pulled her soaked hair out of her face with her free hand and looked around. Hal was moving at full speed, his arms striking at flying bits of the street as they tried to get to her, dealing with the vast majority of them.

He wasn't enough, so she dodged to the side, lightsaber cutting up, burning through another piece of the street even as a shard of glass pierced her arm, and a car's rearview mirror smashed into her knee.

She fell face-first, lightsaber creating a cloud of vapor as it came in contact with the water, but she quickly turned it off, rolled to her feet, and ignited it again, but there was nothing else to fight.

Up above, the Simurgh was creating decoys as she seemed to struggle against something, large masses of metal and concrete taking a shape Dinah couldn't differentiate from the Endbringer, at least not through the rain.

Breathing hard and feeling her head seeming to pulsate with pain, every step sending a jolt through her wounded leg, Dinah walked towards Clockblocker.

"No- Note to self," the boy gasped, trying to get up as she helped him. "Don– don't call the Simurgh… a bitch, coff… seems she didn't… didn't like it."

Above, the meteor continued to fall, and Dinah didn't have any way of stopping it. On the street, the water was only getting worse, going from only a few inches to above her ankles extremely fast.

Without Vista, the rain started to fall on them again, the buildings snapping back into place to leave them completely unprotected.

Staring from the frozen Vista to the recovering Clock, Dinah wanted to cry, her lips squeezing into a thin line. She refused to; instead, she pulled Clock's arm over her shoulders and helped him move back towards the building.

Hal tried to lift Vista, but she was completely frozen in time, not even a hair moving, no matter what he tried, so he approached them and took the boy's arm from Dinah. "Let me."

"What now?" Dinah asked, massaging her knee with a hand. Even now, her headache was still terrible, and she didn't think she could ask another question without collapsing.

"Into the building," Clock gasped. "I'll… try to freeze it… just before the meteor hits."

Moving with blinding speed, Hal intercepted another two projectiles as they targeted them, leaving a small dent in his metallic shell. "You know, this would be much easier if your organization hadn't taken away my weapons," he grumbled in a supremely annoyed voice.

Above in the air, the Simurgh started moving, dodging something they couldn't see, probably more capes coming from the waterfront.

"Wait," Clock said, then coughed again and pulled a wire from a device under his wrist. "Wrap it… around Vista, I don't know when she's going to break free… but I'm not feeling real lucky today. I bet it's gonna be just as we're about to be hit; this way I can freeze her again."

Dinah nodded, then turned off her lightsaber and pulled the wire all the way towards Vista's frozen body, making sure to keep an eye out for any other projectile the Simurgh could use, but the Endbringer was either busy or had achieved her objective.

Clockblocker was sitting on the ground right inside the building's entrance, his eyes never leaving the sky as he watched the meteor, one hand on the wall while the other grasped his wire with a dead grip, his broken facemask reflecting light in an odd way.

Up in the sky, the Simurgh continued to fight something, and Dinah just knew it was Anakin, several of the Endbringer decoys getting crushed as Ani had done to Hookwolf, their bodies being used as projectiles against her.

One hand gripping the doorframe, Dinah squeezed almost hard enough to hurt herself, praying that he'd win.

After what felt like hours, but was probably only a minute, Clock touched the wall, freezing the building in time, and Dinah hoped it was enough.

Then they saw the meteor swirling around only a few seconds before it hit them, moving as if batted aside by a giant, invisible hand. The falling metal smashed into the ground blocks from their location, and the entire city shook from the impact, every window except those in the building they were on shattering in a shower of glass.

In the sky, a dozen other large balls of fire changed directions, all of them seeming to fall towards them.

Clockblocker laughed, then pulled himself up using the wall for support. "Of course she has more; why wouldn't she?"

Closing her eyes, Dinah swallowed, taking deep breaths as she tried to ignore her pain and think.

Despite the new dangers, relief hit her, enough that she wanted to cry, and she nearly collapsed against Hal. Even far away, Anakin was still protecting her; he still cared. For a moment, she almost allowed herself to relax.

She wasn't alone; she didn't need to do everything herself.

Then she opened her eyes again, her head throbbing, sending pulses of pain that came from behind her eyes and spread through her body.

Yes, she couldn't help him fight Endbringers, not directly, and she couldn't even help protect the building more than she had already done, but that didn't mean there was nothing she could do.

"What happened?" Vista yelled, finally breaking free of Clock's power and running back inside the building, one hand wiping some dust from her wet hair. "I saw you…"

"The damn bi-," Clockblocker started to say, then coughed. "-autiful Endbringer didn't appreciate you calling her names."

"I almost…" Vista stared at him, then she swallowed hard, seeming to realize how close she had come to dying, then she immediately started using her power again, looping space around them so any impromptu projectile wouldn't hit. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"I'll take care of the next ones," the girl said with conviction.

"Did everyone in PHQ and the PRT building come here?" Dinah interrupted. "What about the prisoners?"

"... They're here, the PRT moved them into new cells as soon as they heard about the possible attack. The Director wanted them out of the city, but the evacuation team prioritized civilians; there wasn't enough time. Deputy Director Renick is in charge."

Dinah glanced at the stairs, then turned to Hal. "Can you contact them underground?"

"Yes, the shelter utilizes mostly wired communications, but the patrols are using TTE radios, and their secure channels are anything but… Although I suppose they're safe enough against organics."

Vista grimaced, even as she continued using her power. "Piggot didn't want the Nazis to go free."

"Nobody does," Clockblocker nodded, finally recovered enough to step away from the wall, although he was still holding his chest in pain. "But the second Endbringer kinda throws that out of the window, doesn't it? You think you can talk Renick into releasing the capes?"

Dinah nodded, squeezing the grip of her lightsaber as she stared up at the battle between Anakin and the Simurgh. She trusted him to win, but that didn't mean she couldn't send help. "I will, if they value their continued existence."


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[Crista20]

Well that was the worst chapter I've ever read, an important moment followed by something completely and utterly irrelevant and underwelming

 

[DKottar]

Glad to see this back! I like the interludes, but looking forward to seeing Anakin end this shortly.

 

[Hooli4ss_]

Great to have you back . Dinah's POV always hits hard ! Love seeing our young Overlady take the world in her hands.

 

[mpbjunkie]

I was just thinking about this fic the other day. Great to have you back.

 

[Vallander]

she tempted, then, seeing Vista's indecision, continued with a serious voice. "Do it!"

Click to shrink...

Anakin watching this while getting yet another reminder of his past: "For Five Minutes, can you not give me kriffing flashbacks?! FOR FIVE MINUTES!"

 

[Questionable Traveler]

I've forgotten if it was mentioned, but was the MC brought back to a Clone Wars era (Hayden) body, or is he still middle-aged man Death Star Vader?

Doubled up on Endbringers, huh. Everyone is fully justified in crashing out with that happening. I wonder what the odds are of Anakin recognizing what they are and who they are connected to.

Only way this could get worse is if Behemoth shows up. Hope the Simurgh is actually dealt with and doesn't get to pull a last minute save out of her wings in the next chapter.

Catching up and found a possible inconsistency.

In the Anakin chapter, Glory Girl is pronounced Deceased by the armband, but unless I read the Kayden chapter wrong, she was injured/unconscious but otherwise still alive. The detailing was a bit awkward so I can't tell if she's one of the 3 teenagers she called evac for. If she is dead, that seems like a great way to make Amy lose her shit early.

 

[jackpotace]

Thank you for the chapter,

 

[raisins]

I've forgotten if it was mentioned, but was the MC brought back to a Clone Wars era (Hayden) body, or is he still middle-aged man Death Star Vader?

Doubled up on Endbringers, huh. Everyone is fully justified in crashing out with that happening. I wonder what the odds are of Anakin recognizing what they are and who they are connected to.

Only way this could get worse is if Behemoth shows up. Hope the Simurgh is actually dealt with and doesn't get to pull a last minute save out of her wings in the next chapter.

Catching up and found a possible inconsistency.

In the Anakin chapter, Glory Girl is pronounced Deceased by the armband, but unless I read the Kayden chapter wrong, she was injured/unconscious but otherwise still alive. The detailing was a bit awkward so I can't tell if she's one of the 3 teenagers she called evac for. If she is dead, that seems like a great way to make Amy lose her shit early.

Click to shrink...

I think those three are Shielder, Laserdream and Taylor.