"Purity first appeared in Brockton Bay in nineteen ninety-nine as an independent villain," Armsmaster started, his armour glimmering from the light of the projector he stood in front of. The only source of light that wasn't from the projector was the window where dark light pushed through the dustings of snow on the forcefield.
Behind him grainy photos of Purity went across the wall. Most of them were just a streak of white light with the photographer being lucky to catch the woman in the corner of the photos.
"She started as a petty thief under the name Aster, using her power to rob gas stations, liquor stores, clothing stores and the attempted robbery of a car dealership. Typical crimes for a person we suspect was still in high school. Six months in she escalated into hitting jewellery stores, bank cash transport trucks and electronic hardware shops. During these incidents she worked with various Empire aligned capes including Kaiser and Iron Rain, however, at the time it's likely this was only for support on difficult jobs."
He paused as the slideshow moved to show a picture of a woman that wasn't Purity. Instead she was naked with black and white skin that went in dizzying patterns like the camo on a battleship.
The glowing eyes of the Siberian stared at me from the picture and I was thankful that Armsmaster at least chose not to use her most famous photo. Once was enough.
"The appearance of the Siberian and the death of Hero, along with the deaths of other Protectorate members at the Leviathan battle in Naples the very next day changed everything. Independents across the country scrambled to teams and gangs for protection. She joined the Empire and adopted the name Purity where she would become their greatest enforcer, then lieutenant, then second in command under Kaiser before leaving six months ago to strike out on her own.
An odd sort of aura filled the room at the mention of Hero death. A somberness that went over the Protectorate capes. Hannah's eyes crinkled as she stared at the photo while Dauntless bowed his head. Even Piggot's face twisted into a mild frown.
A feeling I didn't share. Couldn't share.
Despite sitting in the same room as them it felt like I was watching through a window. An outsider. To them he was their mentor or one the greatest forces for good to ever exist but to me he was a body ripped in half.
I breathed through my nose.
Sometimes the whole other world thing sucked.
I reminded myself to read up on him later, so I could give him the respect he deserved.
"Since then we know she's periodically attempted to reach out to old members of the Empire trying to form her own group. Fortunately those efforts have stalled but it's only a matter of time before someone says yes. Especially when she has an impressive rapsheet backing her."
"The crimes she committed as a member and then lieutenant of the Empire are too numerous to state so in the interest of brevity I'll only mention the primary charges the courts are likely to pursue."
A click and the photo changed to a different cape. His costume was red and completely covered in blades, bone and dismembered fingers in a way that left no doubt what gang he was a part of.
"The second degree homicide of Bloodsport. Two-thousand and four."
Click.
"The murder of Black Diamond. Two-thousand and five. The second degree homicide of Toshizo and Mushashi. Two-thousand and six."
Click.
Armsmaster brought up a video that was taken from a security camera on the outside of one of the PRT trucks. On the video three trucks drove through a road in the middle of the woods before a bright blast came out of nowhere knocking the truck in the lead over.
The same happened to the second and third. A crack ran up the middle of the camera before it dissolved into static.
Then the slide changed showing the memorial photos of five people and a photo of another in a hospital bed.
"The breakout of Brad Meadows known as Hookwolf in two-thousand and seven. During this breakout and the byproduct release of Warm Fur, Murderhawk and Jargon, PRT troopers Helena Campbell, Anthony Dixson, Noah Washington, Ezekiel Hernandez and Protectorate hero Redwood lost their lives. Nathaniel Martin survived but lost the ability to walk permanently due to injuries sustained."
My head rose but before I could even make my offer Colin responded.
"He would later lose his life to suicide in two-thousand and nine."
Click.
I only caught a glimpse of the next photo before I had to look away.
"The sexual assault of Aniyah Williams, the murder Sasha Weyland, the arson of the Golden Terrence restaurant. All committed by Empire members while she was the second in command."
With that final slide the lights in the room turned back on. Dauntless reached under his helmet to rub his eyes clear. Below the table that cut the room in half Aipom let out a cute little yawn as she woke up from her nap.
"Purity is a dangerous person that has surrounded herself with even more dangerous people, enabling their actions just by the threat of her presence. She's more than a villain, she's a symbol for the white supremacist movement. Her being the face of the Empire encouraged capes from across America and Europe to join the Empire. Few stayed but those that left were filtered into the Clans, Biker groups and the Crowleys. Her previous crimes and criminal influence is more than enough to give her a Birdcage sentence."
"And yesterday Purity in her civilian identity made contact with Dawn," Armsmaster finished gesturing to me.
Taking my cue to stand I glanced at the monitor that Assault and Battery were watching the meeting through. They were in New York visiting family for Christmas and were staying at the New York HQ, part for the free accommodations and the other part to be as close to teleporters in case something happened.
The worst part of being on the S-rank roster was you could never really leave work behind and while Purity wasn't an S class threat as a Blaster eight anything involving her had to be a teamwide effort. No exceptions.
We weren't even allowed to fight her unless we outnumbered her ten-to-one.
"Three days ago during the event at the Weymouth I was alerted to a woman by one of my monsters," I recounted, "She gave off an intense feeling to Hatenna's danger sense and using that I was able to determine that she was a parahuman. Under the instructions of the Director I made contact with her and was able to learn why she had come to the event."
"She had been injured and having learned that I was a healer had come to the mall in order to use my power under the guise of a civilian needing help. Due to the restrictions of Hatenna's power and not wanting it to become public knowledge that I'm a healer, we moved to the disabled toilets for privacy. While she was in the process of getting healed, I questioned her and in order to get confirmation of her being a Cape I proposed a deal that as long as she went after ABB and didn't fight us I'd be on call to heal her."
"Damn, it's always the ones you least suspect. Corrupt on your first day? I think that's a new world record," Assault snarked.
Behind my helmet I just rolled my eyes. Of all the people he didn't have the right to talk about corruption.
"I lied. Everything I said was just to confirm she was a cape and get her to leave as soon as possible," I said, glancing around the room and meeting everyone's eyes.
Miss Militia nodded, "You gained valuable intelligence and kept the civilians safe. I don't think anyone can complain about how you managed to do that."
Assault on the screen gave a begrudging shrug at that as the sentiment spread through the room. It was a testament to her rep that if Miss Militia wasn't going to say anything was wrong then it wasn't worth arguing.
I wanted that kind of respect. I hadn't earned it yet but I knew one day my name was going to be in the same league as hers.
Director Piggot cleared her throat as I mouthed a thank you to Hannah.
"Dawns proposal with the woman was enough confirmation that she was a cape to justify Dragon to run a facial id check - Purely to assuage fears that she was a master," Piggot explained calm enough that if I didn't know she was lying I would've bought it completely, "She's match for one Kayden Russel, an interior decorator. The evidence points to her being Purity - Her vacation and sick days coincide with increased activity from Purity. Toll road payments place her in cities that Purity has committed attacks in at the same time. Her IP address is connected to numerous temporary accounts on Facebook and PHO that have only posted one or two intentionally vague comments that only people who know what they meant could understand them before being abandoned."
Her nostrils flared as she exhaled, "Nothing definitive right now but her trash is being collected and if Judge Valentine authorises it we'll send a phishing email embedded with spyware."
Piggot glanced around the room looking for questions and she caught my eye with a stare that told me not to mention anything else and I nodded back.
If she figured out Kayden's identity then she would've definitely figured out Kaiser's too. I wasn't sure why she hadn't mentioned it but there was no way she'd ever do anything to support him so I held my tongue.
"How did Purity learn that she's a healer in the first place?" Dauntless asked.
"As part of the Protectorate cooperation with local government Mayor Christner is kept apprised on the heroes and villains in his city," Piggot explained, "He jumped the gun in an attempt to encourage more funding for the Protectorate and let slip some details at his country club which made its way to Purity."
Dauntless frowned, "Guess I know who I'm not voting for next time."
"Typical suit."
It was a good thing Triumph wasn't here due to still being a Ward. I didn't want to imagine how awkward it'd be to hear your coworkers talk shit about your dad.
"You're free to vote for who you wish but don't hold this incident against him. Mayor Christner has been an ardent supporter of the PRT and Protectorate. The fault is mine for not stressing the need for secrecy enough."
"While a cause for concern I believe this to be a positive outcome," Armsmaster said.
"What makes you say that?" Dauntless asked.
Armsmaster gestured to me again, "While it was just to get confirmation that she was parahuman Dawn's 'deal' with Purity presents a unique opportunity to deal with her."
"She's not gonna go alone," Hannah pointed out immediately, "If we try to ambush her when they meet up if they meet up one of us will get spotted and she'll just break for it."
"Even if we managed to capture her without issue, that won't get the charges to stick, not at a Birdcage level. We suspect she's Purity but if she's smart she won't use her power in the arrest and that'll be enough to create reasonable doubt," Battery said.
"I'm aware, which is why this won't be an ambush," he said calmly, "Over the last decade of research into powers we haven't come any closer to discovering why parahumans exist but we have discovered the nuances within those powers, especially for the breaker classification."
Velocity, the only breaker in the room, gave a half hearted wave.
"Breakers in their transformed state always come with an inherent weakness that can be exploited; A vulnerability to a force, impaired senses, mobility limitations or a simple limit on how long they can use their powers. That is what we thought Purity had but after analysing her old appearances I've discovered that she doesn't have a time limit," He paused letting the weight hang, "she has a usage limit."
The room paused and I could practically see the gears turning in everyone's heads as they thought about it.
Battery hummed, "That does explain a few things."
Armsmaster flashed a proud grin, "I noticed a pattern in her power. Whenever there was a large gap between appearances her power was observably stronger, while during the times she used it frequently they weakened. This matches the parahumans study 'Debunking the Endless Well: Empirical Constraints on Parahuman Energy Reserves,' published by Cambridge this September. Their finding suggests her breaker form has some manner of battery or charge that fuels her power. A concept that I have personal experience with knowing Capes with similar restrictions to their power.
Miss Militia's eyebrow rose, likely knowing who he was talking about.
"I mean it's not exactly the same but even on this team there's me, Dawn and Battery if you squint," Dauntless pointed out.
Armsmaster shook his head, "Your powers fuel themselves overtime which isn't the case for Purity. I believe her power can only charge itself through-"
"Light," I said, completing the sentence without meaning to. When the attention of the room turned to me I shrugged, "She's covered in light and shoots blasts of it. Not a hard leap."
Especially when you read her interlude.
"Yes," Armsmaster said with a short nod, "Just as she's stronger between appearances in July and August—the months with the most sunlight—she's faster, and her blasts hit significantly harder. The inverse is true in the winter months."
My gaze trailed over to the window and the winter snow that was trailing down the barrier. It was late December now so that gave us two months where she was at her weakest.
With my power two months was more than enough.
"However we believe she's not the only one in the city that has a similar weakness," Piggot said, "Which is why we're going to undertake Operation Bright Snake."
"Bright Snake?" Velocity tried the name, "That's an odd choice for Purity. Does that mean this operation will involve Long?"
"Just say Lung man."
"I'm saying it how it's meant to be said," Velocity said back stubborn.
"Correct, this operation will involve Lung," Armsmaster said, "The exact mechanism behind his transformation is unknown but there have been times where it has been demonstratively quicker. During the battle at Kyushu, against the Chorus, against Purity, against us. Whenever the battle was on his terms it's been faster. Evidence doesn't point to a battery he needs to fill to use his power but instead whenever he isn't using it he likely builds up a charge that he can use for a temporary boost to his power."
'Just like Exalt,' his look to Miss Militia said.
Hannah nodded and I couldn't help but do the same. I was impressed. Everything he said was mostly right but I only knew that from reading their interludes, he had to figure that out the hard way. Then again analysing his enemies was his speciality and knowing how to take advantage of that was the sign of a good tinker.
And he was a very good tinker.
"So we've got two powerful villains with stamina issues and they hate each other's guts," I summarised.
In a way it made sense that they were natural enemies. To Purity Lung was everything a racist feared wrapped into one package. An immigrant, an other, a monster that didn't follow the rules whether written or unwritten. He flooded the streets with drugs, abused women and made every day worse than the last. One that she could fight but never beat, one that would only get stronger as she got weaker.
To Lung it was the opposite, Purity was someone he couldn't conquer no matter how much he grew and grew. Just like Contessa or Leviathan he'd never beat her, she just held too much of an advantage over him. A constant reminder that for as much as he pretended he was a dragon, he really was just a Koi climbing a never ending waterfall.
There was a reason that even though he grew wings he couldn't fly.
"Yes. Using your contact with Purity we will feed her information to cause a confrontation between her and Lung. Not that it's required with their history but this will grant us some measure of control on when it'll happen. When either retreats we'll take advantage of their weakened state to capture Purity and if circumstances allow, Lung."
Even though I heard it once already I could help but grin as the aura of the room shifted. I saw furrowed brows and eager smiles that showed teeth spread across the room. Everyone here had been dealing with the both of them for far, far too long and they were just as excited as Armsmaster was in getting rid of them.
"Normally I said you're getting a little ambitious but with our new fire power I think we can manage it," Dauntless said.
"I know your name's Dauntless and all but it sounds like we missed something important if you're that confident. Care to fill us in?" Assault asked.
"I'll send you the video my helmet captured. Review it when you can."
"Purity is one thing by herself but what are the chances of the Empire getting involved?" Battery asked.
"Low," Piggot answered leaning forward, "After we arrest her a response is guaranteed but none of the five Empire villains confirmed to be currently within the city have a recorded mover rating and will not be able to intervene during the Operation. To be sure of that I'm currently in talks with other departments and the FBI to share information and minimalize the unknown factors. Additionally I've arranged Dragon to give both capes priority transport out of the city the moment we capture them."
"If she's coming down here anyway what are the odds we can get her help for the arrest itself?" Velocity asked and Piggot paused long enough for it to become apparent that it wasn't an immediate no, "Wait seriously?"
"This department is not suited to dealing with flying artillery. Dauntless' mover rating isn't comparable to Purity's and I'm not interested in the fines the Youth Guard will level against us if we send Aegis against a murderer without assurances. So in the event that Purity proves too much of a threat, Dragon will have her Ladon suit ready to intervene. However, that is a last resort. Her suit needs to remain in top condition in preparation for late February."
Frowns marred faces across the room at the mention of the date. Everyone knew what that meant. That was when the next Endbringer attack was scheduled and the lineup was the terrible two.
The City killer and the Hope killer. Each had their own problems but Dragons suit was needed for both. Taking out Purity and Lung wasn't worth it if that suit could've turned the tide at the next one.
Not to mention that if she had to intervene we could kick the plan to market me to other departments goodbye. No point if the reinforcements needed reinforcements.
Dragon intervening would be a failure on all fronts.
"That would normally be the case for us as well," Armsmaster said, "This operation would've had the hard deadline of February first to prevent injuries that could impede our response. However with Dawn's healing we can extend the deadline to February fifteenth, giving us roughly six and a half weeks to come up and implement a way to handle both villains."
It was ironic that Purity kinda had a point - The Protectorate being the main organisation responsible for handling the Endbringers did negatively impact our ability to deal with villains. We couldn't risk losing another city because a top hero had to sit out due to getting their legs broken in a fight and we couldn't start a fire without knowing if the people that could put it out would make it back - But that point was the only reason she wasn't in Birdcage already.
"Well good news then. At around-" I said as I checked at the clock on the wall and did some quick mental maths on the charge brewing in my chest, "-Oneish today I can evolve one of my monsters and it'll be able to fly. Not fast but it's better than nothing. In some not so good news, I'll evolve another more powerful one that can also fly in three days."
I just flat out didn't want to deal with Dartrix. Impidimp was already enough of a pain in my ass and that neat freak of a bird was an obnoxious asshole, so to skip over that I decided to put my charges into evolving Decidueye as soon as possible. Fortunately, because of Uber and Leet it only took three days.
"Why's that the not so good news?" Battery asked.
I winced because there was no way to make the next part sound good, "The form it evolves into has a itty bitty, tiniest hint of a problem. One that's totally unique to it. The monster it'll evolve into is powerful and it's…Completely prone to rampaging. With lasers."
I mean sure there were a ton of Pokemon that went berserk all the time. But Gyarados was the only one known for doing that and shooting hyperbeams at the same time.
It wasn't lying, I was just being very specific.
The silence in the room that followed was deafening. Across the table eyebrows raised and Piggot bored a hole into my head with her stare.
"Let's call that one plan Z," Velocity said dryly.
"Or plan A," Assault muttered and I wasn't sure he even meant for the mic to pick that up.
"Let's not," Piggot said.
"Agreed," Armsmaster said, "Dawn you know your power best. If you believe the value of this monster outweighs the risk then we have no right to dictate how you spend your charges. Just know that this 'Rampaging monster' will have to be assessed if it's going to be allowed during the operation."
"I understand."
"Moving on everyone please mark down that Flying Artillery drills will start the fourth of January, attendance is mandatory. Other than that I believe we've said all we can on the topic. With the Christmas and New Years rush we're going to be too busy to schedule anything else till that's passed."
He clapped his hands once, his suit's gauntlets making it sound like he tapped two bricks together.
"Assault, Battery, Dauntless. Thank you for making this meeting and I apologise that it interrupted your holidays."
"It's fine sir," Battery said, "It's good to know there's something worth celebrating this year."
Dauntless shrugged, "That's my thoughts too."
"Looks like I'm outvoted here, if I make a fuss now I'll look bad."
Battery snorted, "Not like that's hard."
"Still I appreciate it," Armsmaster said, "Velocity and Miss Militia I know you're both busy but when you can find the time make sure to show Dawn The Folder."
He said it with such emphasis that I could hear the fucking capital letters on it. Confused, I glanced around the table.
Miss Militia upon hearing that instantly made the sign of the cross. Next to her Shawn let out a deep painful wince as Velocity stared at Armsmaster soullessly with the hint of betrayal.
"It claims another victim," Assault cackled like a hyena and although Battery pushed her husband out of the frame of the camera and turned to me apologetically she, notably, didn't offer anything to contradict him.
Shawn reached forward and put his hand on my shoulder. He held me in a tight grasp, the kind you gave when you were worried you'd never see someone ever again.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered.
Worst of all.
I believed him.
I thought I was a good reader, after work the quiet forty minute train ride where I could escape into the latest book or web serial I bought was the highlight of my day. But staring at The Folder made me sick in a different kind of way than usual. I felt cold, nauseous and like my organs were failing me.
It was thicker than my pillow, easily more than two thousand pages in full and even when Velocity gently placed it on his desk the pens in a mug rattled like that scene in Jurassic Park.
"This," Velocity said, rapping his knuckles on the top of The Folder, "is evil incarnate, worse than even the Necronomicon. If you told me the Devil wrote this I'd think you were lying as this is too cruel for even him. When you die and your life flashes before your eyes I guarantee you half of what you see will just be reading this."
Knowing I had to stop looking at it or I'd throw up I looked around the office desperately trying to find something to hold my attention.
I failed. Velocity's office was sparse and deliberately so. There were no decorations, no mementos, no touch of personality. The kind of office you wouldn't even need a box to take anything with you if you got fired.
I glanced back at the man and his red costume which was the only hint of colour in the room.
He was kinda plain to be honest. He wasn't tall but neither was he short enough that it was noticeable, that mid range where every other guy was taller than him but he still stood over every woman that wasn't playing in the WNBA.
He wasn't jacked like Armsmaster or Shawn were but he was still fit enough that I could tell he worked out. The only real noticeable thing about him was how his helmet was open at the top letting his dirty blond hair loose.
"But as evil this thing is, we need it," Velocity said picking up The Folder with both hands and the weight of it made him grunt under his breath, "This is every bit of data we have on known villains with racist ideologies, has anti gay beliefs or constantly preaches the bible but conveniently forgets about the 'Love thy neighbour part,' and those that worked with them. All collected by the PRT, FBI, Suits, The King's men and the United Nations."
I eyed the door stopper in his hands, "That's a big folder dude. I know there's a lot of losers out there but surely there can't be that many right? Please say yes, my faith in humanity depends on it."
"You have to lose that someday," he said, "It's just like baby teeth."
"Not hearing a no."
"No," he half chuckled, half winced, "Fortunately half the people in here are either dead or in prison. We just keep them catalogued because powers run in families. The other…I wanna say twenty to thirty percent? are Mercs that are amoral enough to work with them."
I smiled with relief.
"You'll still have to read their pages at some point but they're not the essential ones."
That smile faded.
"Is it still too late to quit?" I asked.
"And disappoint Miss Militia? Trust me her guns hurt but her real power is her disappointed mom face," he said leaning against his desk and flipping open The Folder he pulled a few photos out.
I just rolled my eyes.
"You know I'm starting to notice you're kinda weird about Miss Militia."
He nodded unashamed, "That I am Dawn, that I am. But so is every other crayon eater and to be honest can you really blame me?"
My mind flashed back to the intense training sessions we had together. How she held her arm against my throat and how I knew she could snap my neck with a single hand.
"No, no I really can't," I said, my face flushing red.
Velocity smirked and extended a fist to bump, "knew you'd understand."
I just rolled my eyes but didn't leave him hanging.
Velocity slid the folder back onto the desk and after picking a marker from a cup he had on his desk his body flickered and like a video that had been sped up he traced a crude map of the United States on the glasswall. I knew he wasn't a true speedster but watching a man twist the fourth dimension into his bitch was rad as shit.
"So you were a marine?" I asked curious. I hadn't known that which felt strange. I knew almost everything about everyone on the team but Velocity was a total blank spot to me, which thinking about it was probably good for my mental health.
All I really knew about him was that he was a friendly enough guy that was on good terms with everyone on the team. He was someone that I could trust with my back but nothing personal.
It made me want to know who the man beneath the mask was.
"Still am if you think about it," he said, voice buzzing like he was speaking through a fan, "Jobs a little different but it's the same oath, same risks. Just now the peaks are taller and the valleys lower."
I wasn't sure that was an endorsement.
His body stopped flickering as he pinned some of the photos on the wall as he scattered through the states the emblems of some organisations I recognised and some I didn't. The Empire, The Fallen, The Clans and half a dozen more.
"So you must be wondering why we need to read all this just deal with the Empire," he said, "That's because when you pick a fight with a group formed around an ideology, you're not just picking a fight with the group. You're picking a fight with everyone that holds that ideology. We call these types of villains 'Believers' and it really doesn't matter what they believe in; Communism, Eco Terrorism, Monarchism or, in the most famous example with Lustrum, Feminism. The point is they're united to a cause and even when they don't like each other they still believe they're on the same side which means when one of them is in trouble they lend a hand."
He scratched the side of his head.
"Take this for example: We capture Krieg and news breaks that we're sending him to the Birdcage. So across different parts of the country Pasty Pete, Skinhead Sally and…" He paused, struggling.
"Adolf Rimmler," I offered
He snorted but nodded, "Right. So Pasty Pete, Skinhead Sally and Adolf Rimmler all independently get the bright idea to do the quickest stickup they can pull off and use that money to hire a breakout specialist. Next thing we know, the transport's been hit by three different fucking people and Krieg's in the wind."
I frowned.
No wonder Piggot arranged for Dragon for a quick transport if that was an issue.
"If we can even get that far. It's not uncommon for unpowered believers to try to get onto the jury to sway votes or if they're desperate even confess that they're the one who did the crimes if it means keeping a villain out of jail."
"That's…" I said, stunned that someone would go that far, "Did that actually happen before?'
"Yeah," he sighed, "That's just the small timers. Once we get to the gang level that's when the real issues emerge. That's when they start donating guns, trading street soldiers or depending on how popular you are, Capes. And trust me with The Empire pimping out Hookwolf as a hatchetman to every group that needs one they're very popular."
That was the part I was familiar with at least. It was nice to know I hadn't wasted my time reading case files for nothing.
Contrary to what most civilians thought the Empire didn't just causally have twenty capes in the Bay. What they instead had was a rotation of capes that would come and go based on the favours that Kaiser could cash in.
Hookwolf was the main reason for that. His face and name were made public when he got sentenced to the Birdcage and it deservedly ruined his life. With the Kill Order he couldn't leave whatever safehouse the Empire stashed him in without fear that it'd attract mercs after his bounty or Legend popping in to laserbeam him during the two minutes of free time he had a day.
But even that wasn't enough. He barely spent more than a week in Brockton every month as the number one question every snitch got asked when they were booked was where Hookwolf was.
So the Empire killing two birds with one stone shuffled him around the country lending him to any group that wanted the rep of taking action for the cause but couldn't handle the consequences that breaking the rules brought.
Which made Hookwolf and by extension Kaiser very popular.
It was why during Bakuda's rampage after Purity rejoined the Empire had so many capes with them that they didn't usually have. Capes like Alabaster, Crusader, Cricket, Stormtiger, Victor, Rune and Othala who weren't card carrying members of the Empire and instead belonged to their own factions or were adjacent. They'd came down to help with the bombings and then between Coil revealing the Empire's identities and Leviathan got stuck in the city.
I chewed on my lips, "So that's why I have to read up on every cape they have. I need to be prepared for when they retaliate after we capture Purity."
I glanced back at the folder on Velocity's desk. It somehow felt larger and smaller all at the same time and it left me with a dread for the future but beneath that I was eager. Like I was lining up for a roller coaster.
Each name was an obstacle between me and a better world. It was a mountainous task but at least I knew it was finite. I knew someday I'd get through each and every one of those names and no one would have to worry about getting jumped for the colour of their skin or that they liked boys or didn't believe in the same god.
That was a promise.
"Sign here, here and here," Quartermaster Quinn grunted as he marked the boxes on the paper for me. He handed me a pen and I scribbled my hero id number and after a glimpse at the calendar on the wall wrote down the date as well, taking great care not to put twenty twenty-five at the end.
Dawn 20/12/2010.
"Looks good," he said as he took back the paper and after checking it twice pulled out a small cardboard box from behind the counter. Inside it was the bare essentials to being a hero.
A first aid kit, a high powered flashlight, six specialty designed restraints and a trio of flash, smoke and tear gas grenades. It didn't take long for me to clip them onto my belt where they hid beneath the dress of my costume.
My costume looked the same as when I first got it, my fight with the loser duo hadn't damaged it that much and the marks that had been there from the fight had been fixed up by the in house tailor on the rig.
It looked the same but it felt better somehow. Which was weird to think since it already felt like my second skin. The armour didn't feel like it weighed as much and the boots didn't hurt like they did before. Though whether that was because I finally broke them in or because I wised up and got thicker socks was anyone's guess.
"And take this. It gets cold at night" Quinn said, tossing a pack of hand warmers as if it was an afterthought.
"Thanks."
"If you really want to thank me then do me a favour," Quinn said, glancing to the side of me, "Hold off on the creatures till Christmas is over. My princess is already begging for the pink and blue hat thing. I don't want to imagine how she'll react to Robin Hood."
"Eye?" Decidueye met Quinn's gaze coolly, craning his so that the light reflected just right in his golden and red eyes.
Decidueye looked exactly as he did on the 3DS. Five feet tall with a mix of brown and white feathers. His arms were long enough that they scratched the floor more than his talons did. Around his head and trailing down his back like a cloak was a set of green, almost grass like feathers that left everything except his beak cast in shadows.
My lips widened, "Sorry but you're gonna be buying that kid a lot of toys. I can talk to Sarah to hook you up if you want?"
"Just enjoy your damn patrol," Quinn waved me off with a grumble and I walked off chuckling but I couldn't help but feel excited.
After all the training and time ticking off check boxes I was finally going on my first patrol. I forced myself to walk slowly because I knew I'd start skipping if I didn't focus.
Behind me Decidueye's footsteps clacked like the keys on a typewriter as he followed me observing everything with that same kind of constant vigilance that Miss Militia had. A situational awareness that was both trained and instinctual at the same time. That was until he saw something that caught his attention and when that happened he gawked at it like the owl he was. From water cooler to the security camera's he stared at them like they held the secrets to the universe.
I couldn't blame him. Just a week ago he was short enough to ride along on my shoulder and now he was in the firm short king size range. A literal whole different perspective on the world.
But it was more than that. His evolution and becoming a Ghost type had changed something in him. He wasn't dead, not like what his type implied but neither did he fully belong to this world anymore. It was hard to explain, someone that didn't have a link to him wouldn't be able to tell but to me it was like he was standing in a doorway one foot on Earth Bet while his other stood in another world. A place he was tethered to like a fish was to water. Somewhere that I felt once before.
When I put my first charge into the Lord of the Reverse World.
I wasn't sure what that meant. All of this was just gut feelings that I knew were true but couldn't fully explain except I knew one thing for certain.
His newly acquired move Foresight was not just a move that let him hit ghost types with Normal and Fighting type moves. I called fucking bullshit on that.
We made our way down to the garage and it was like walking through a maze. Prefabbed walls that weren't there yesterday had changed the route slightly and I knew better than to trust the signs. The Protectorate took stranger protocols seriously and a sign to the cafeteria easily could've led to the gym or something.
Except the signs that pointed to the security room. Everyone knew that was schmuck bait, even if we weren't allowed to say it outloud.
But they couldn't actually move entire rooms around and once you knew where those had to be you could use them as landmarks on the mental map to guide you. It was as I found out the only reliable way to get around on the rig.
Which led me to the Janitor's closet, which like every door in this goddamn building had an eye scanner locking it. A quick scan later and the door opened up leading to stairs that took me down to the garage.
Miss Militia was leaning against the hood of a van talking with a PRT trooper. She had a styrofoam cup in one hand and a binder in the other. Her eyes slid over to the stairs reflexively and after seeing it was me waved me over.
"-We're getting low on containment foam," I caught the tail end of the trooper complaining as I approached, "Villains in Montreal keep ambushing the supply planes."
"Just containment foam or is everything else running low?" Miss Militia asked.
"A bit of everything but the foam is the priority. We're not lacking in fuckers that can walk off getting shot here."
"I see. I'll mention it to Narwhal and see if she could focus on those planes but if she hasn't done anything then something else must be taking her attention."
"Come on Ma'am," The trooper complained, "I know how this shit works. We haven't scratched Montreal's back in a while so they're holding off till we have to beg them for help."
"Maybe that's true. It could also just be that we don't know enough about what troubles they're dealing with and the trucks really are the lesser priority."
The trooper sighed walking off, "Doesn't feel like the lesser priority to me."
"I know," Miss Militia said to his back. Her eyes focused on something I couldn't see.
I felt awkward just standing there so I coughed politely, "Trouble?"
"A little," Miss Militia admitted. She reached under her mask so she could take a sip of her drink, "the last attack was early enough that a lot of heroes are able to take their leave for the first time since Madison and that's left most departments running skeleton crews. Nothing that should be an issue for you or what we talked about in the meeting."
I just smiled and didn't call her out on it.
Because it had already been an issue. Assault and Battery being gone is what pushed Piggot to accelerate my hero introduction and was why when Uber and Leet attacked instead of having a Protectorate hero with me the only backup I had was a Ward.
It turned out fine because of an aspect of my power we didn't know about but if it hadn't my hero career would've started out with me being humiliated. Which was definitely what Coil had planned.
"You got all your paperwork with you?"
"Yeah, here," I said, handing her all the things I had to get signed off before I was allowed to patrol; health assessment, drivers test, eyes and hearing test, hazard awareness test, psych test, equipment check, powers test and about a week of takedown training that she'd instructed me on.
Miss Militia scanned them over before she slid them in her folder.
"All seems to be in order," she said, tossing a set of keys at me. Before I could even think to react, Decidueye's arm snapped up over my shoulder and caught it in his three-fingered hand.
He brought the keys so close to his face as he looked at them from every angle that he almost poked out his eye. Sighing I just held out my own hand and after a quick order he dropped them in my palm.
Clicking the unlock button the truck Miss Militia had been leaning on flashed green and white lights. It was a big truck only a little bit shorter than those giant SWAT cars. Instead of SWAT it had the three letters of P.R.T stenciled on the side and it had a purple stripe going diagonally across it. The front was covered with a giant bullbar, metal platings along the sides and the iron bars over the tinted windows.
All and all it looked like it could take an RPG and the people inside could maybe survive.
Miss Militia blinked, giving Decidueye an up and down, "Isn't that the one that threw leaves at me?"
"Eye?" my pokemon hooted his neck doing that gross thing where he tilted it almost a full two hundred degrees while staring at her.
Heat rushed the back of my neck. I'd been hoping she'd forgotten about that. Inwardly I cursed, my own Pokemon was clam jamming me.
"Yeah," I admitted sheepishly.
She hummed, "It's good that it's gotten stronger. What can it do?"
"Oh nothing special really. Just shoot arrows that can hit a coin sized target from one end of a football field to the other, fly and react four times faster than a normal person, see in darkness perfectly and hear better than any animal. He can even turn into a highly mobile shadow or go invisible and intangible for short bursts."
Her eyebrow raised, "So a highly accurate blaster with a good mix of Breaker, Mover, Thinker and Stranger ratings? Truly nothing special then."
I just laughed at her dry tone and opened up the truck's door. A small ladder built into the door helped me up into the driver seat. On the other side of the car Miss Militia did the same.
"He can also pin people in place if he shoots their shadows. But since the power testers aren't here…"
Miss Militia agreed, "No using that power till it's cleared."
Adjusting the mirrors I was unsurprised to find Decidueye already waiting in the backseat. Ghosts were awesome like that.
While Decidueye wasn't the best grass type possible I could've gotten he was versatile and acted as enough of a rogue to form a three-mon party with a Hatenna as the cleric and Kommo-o as the warrior and fit my theme enough that Branding wouldn't ride my ass about him.
It left me wondering what kind of Pokemon I wanted to fill my last three slots with. A ride Pokemon was guaranteed and so would Duraludon if he managed to evolve. For that final slot I wanted a good support Pokemon. Screens, statuses, helping hand, terrains, heal block, the various rooms. There were so many niche options that became useful when I didn't have to worry about four move-slot syndrome.
But before that I had to consider what could take down Lung and Purity.
Lung was easy, comparatively speaking. Kommo-o, Gyarados and Dachsbun hitting him hard and fast alongside Armsmaster should be enough but ideally I wanted a mon with Hypnosis or unideally Heal Block or Toxic. They were something I wanted to hold off using because those kinds of moves risked killing him.
I could admit to myself that I wasn't opposed to him dying, but I wasn't an executioner. That wasn't the kind of hero I wanted to be. Plus he triggered from almost dying and I didn't want to risk him getting a Senchen boost.
Purity was the bigger issue. My pokemon kinda sucked at range and while Decidueye helped he wasn't hitting her once she flew out of his range. No, I'd need my own flying pokemon if I wanted to safely take her in.
The problem was most flying types leaned on the frailer side. One blast and they'd be mission killed. Not exactly a problem admittedly but I didn't want to waste my charges on weaklings if they were only gonna serve as literal cannon fodder. Every charge I used on them was one that I wasn't using to get a legendary.
Unsurprisingly it turned out trying to safely take out a Blaster-Eight was complicated.
The click of Miss Militia's seatbelt reminded me to do the same as I turned to her, clicking the toplights on to see better.
"So when you're about to start your patrol you open up the computer and select 'Generate route,'" Miss Militia in full mentor mode instructed me, pointing at a thick laptop built into the console of the truck.
Pulling it open and turning it on a map of Brockton Bay popped up and I navigated the UI and hit the button that she told me to after putting in my password of one-one-zero-three-seven. A spinning circle of an western dragon chasing its tail appeared and a minute later the map had a purple line on the map directing me on a route that took me around the entire city.
"Good. This algorithm is what we use to ensure we're close enough to other heroes in case we or they need reinforcements. It doesn't have to be followed religiously but try to keep on the general path it outlines,"
"Does it matter? We're the only heroes on duty tonight," I pointed out.
"It's still good to get into the habit. Now you want to press on the side of it and a taskbar will appear. Tell me what's on it.
Following her instructions, I blinked, struggling to read the words on the small screen.
"Ah, it says; 'Trainwreck spotted in the Trainyard,' 'Coils men seen loitering around Maple street,' 'Suspected pyrokinetic in Hillside,' 'Crisis point,' Crisis point,'... your never gonna guess what this next one says."
"Crisis point?"
"Actually it says 'man claims god has given him the ability to read the future after sniffing used gum'."
"That's a crisis point. What you're looking at is the secondary objectives list. We use it when we haven't been scheduled something on the calendar. Since this is just to teach you about Patrolling, ignore it for now."
Opening her file she handed me a piece of paper from it. Flipping it over I saw it was another map of Brockton Bay.
"This is your task for this week. As we patrol, you're gonna fill out the sheet for every landmark, hospital, school and high volume streets. You will be tested on it so pay attention. The point is to get you familiar with the city like you're a native."
Implying I wasn't on?
I wasn't surprised they knew. Even without thinkers and trying my best to mask it I knew I had a slight accent. Not a Bogan one but one all the same. It wouldn't have been hard for anyone with the iq above room temp to figure it out. It was only because I was a hero they hadn't called me out on it. The benefit of the doubt was the real superpower to being a hero in this world.
So that left us in the classic 'I knew that they knew that I knew that they knew' ad nauseam.
I chose to ignore that. As long as they didn't call me out on it and interrupt my chance to be a hero I didn't care.
"I get it."
"Good. Then before we start do you need to use the restroom? We will be patrolling for three hours before we can have a break so if you have too, you need to do it now," she said with the tone of a woman who definitely dealt with someone that said no when they needed to.
"Nah I'm good."
She gave me the once over gauging if I was lying before she nodded. "Then start the engine and let's begin."
I nodded back, turning the key. The engine sputtered to life like a fifty year old man with sleep apnea. Pressing down on the pedal the acceleration was shit and a little touch and go considering I never once wore shoes while driving before. Add in that this was certainly the largest thing I've ever driven so I took my time making the way out of the garage.
"So why are patrols only three hours long anyway?" I asked.
"Offically, the answer is that keeping patrols short deters villains. While they know we're always patrolling they won't know who is patrolling so they're forced to assume the worst case scenario. Whoever that may be dependant on the villain. However after a couple hours the opposite occurs and any villain smart enough to know how to use social media would be emboldened if the patrolling hero is one they have a favourable matchup against."
It was the same reason why every hero had to do night patrols. Even if it was better for our sleep schedule, having a dedicated night shift team was too predictable. At least that was what I had been told.
"And unofficially?"
"Villains hold grudges. There's a reason the heroes that patrol longer are bulletproof."
Of course.
"And here I thought it was because of bathroom breaks."
She snorted, "True. Some costumes aren't designed to be taken off easily."
A couple digits punched into the computer sent a message to the person manning the console and very quickly after the forcefield that surrounded the HQ shut off and a bridge made out of light extended from the rig to the shore. Driving over it made the back of my head itch. I always expected it to be slippery like ice but it was as firm as concrete. It was enough to make a physics major weep.
The road wasn't perfectly straight, halfway down it bent to the old ferry station near the docks. I knew that because it was the same road we used when going to the Weymouth Mall. It didn't have to go to either ferry stations either, anywhere along the beach was a valid place for the lightbridge to connect too.
The forcefield reappeared behind us with a crack of light, it was bright enough in the night sky that I wondered how anyone with a window facing it could even sleep at night.
Maybe they slept soundly in the knowledge that heroes were patrolling the streets, dedicated to keeping them safe, braving all manner of horrors or maybe they just had good blinds.
When tires hit the bay's soil and a brief moment to remember to drive on the opposite side of the road we started patrolling the dark streets of Brockton and it felt like a small weight had been lifted from my chest. It was the first time I'd left the PHQ since the Alcotts and it felt nice to see something that wasn't covered in a pink glow from the forcefield.
I wasn't a prisoner, I could come and go whenever I wanted like any other employee with my clearance but when you lived with all your needs met leaving was more of a hassle than it was worth. Briefly I considered heading out to a nightclub to find someone to scratch an itch or two or maybe even five at the same time if I was lucky but whether it was a Brockton thing or an American thing the city was not very navigable when you didn't own a car. It wasn't exactly fun when you'd been dropped into the city with only the clothes on your back either but that was a separate issue.
The wipers turned on automatically, swiping the dustings of snow off the windshield.
"Silent alarm tripped at the Bromfield Jewellers in The Towers. Officers respond," the police scanner buzzed. Automatically I flipped my indicators and was already doing a head check to change direction towards downtown.
"Don't respond," Miss Militia said, shaking her head, "Just continue following the route."
"Why aren't we going?"
"They asked for officers, not heroes. This is an important lesson on being a hero Dawn. Our responsibility isn't on responding to crime, it's on managing parahumans. The two just tend to go hand and hand together when villains are involved."
My gauntlets squeaked after hearing that as I gripped tight to the steering wheel, the chainmail that wrapped around my fist clinked with every movement. In my chest I felt as my heart began to beat faster and faster.
"...So does that mean we don't deal with crime at all if it's not related to a cape?" I asked slowly. The words sounded utterly alien to me, as if I just said the sky was green. If she was here I knew Hatenna would already be crying.
Dimly I was aware how I stopped hearing the engine as it sputtered or the snow crunching under the tires. It felt like everything else was underwater as one hundred percent attention was focused entirely on Hannah's next words.
"No. If it happens in front of you, stop it," Miss Militia explained to my relief, "If we were closer we'd respond even but we can't run ourselves into the ground responding to threats other officers can handle and risk missing the threats only we can handle. Managing a city is a marathon, not a race. Conserving stamina is a factor we need to consider."
I let out the breath I was holding. Reflexably I glanced in my mirror seeing two black eyes staring back at me. He was mobile enough that he could make it Downtown to deal with the issue and, well, it wasn't like stamina was an issue for my Pokemons.
I was tempted to send him but I forced that impulse down. Decidueye's were not a species that handled surprise well and if there was a crime he wouldn't be able to get any arrest to stick and voided their insurance.
There were just a thousand reasons for why I couldn't. Without the standards in place I'd just harm more than I helped.
But even though I knew it was the right decision it still frustrated me. I could help now but I had to hold off because of the larger picture.
This must be how Armsmaster felt.
No wonder he became such an asshole.
But begrudgingly I had to admit that she knew what she was talking about. We were the first only heroes patrolling tonight.
If Lung killed someone tonight because I was too busy to stop him I'd never be able to forgive myself.
I frowned but followed her instructions, turning off the indicators. I went straight through some traffic lights going into the docks instead of turning left towards the heart of Downtown.
Driving through the Docks was a painting on the decline of Brockton. The buildings ranged from abandoned factories, warehouses and big blocky apartment buildings. It seemed like every third window was broken and every wall was covered in tags. The bad part of town was an understatement.
It was no Gotham but it was the kind of place that before my Pokemon I wouldn't have been caught dead walking alone in the day let alone at night.
Though I forced myself to remember that this wasn't the Brockton Bay everyone lived, this was the Brockton Bay I'd been trained to see. Late nights reading files and sessions with squadies primed my brain to see threats. If this was the morning the streets would've been filled to the brim with life. Buskers, street artists, bakeries and people living their lives the best they could.
Not that most had a choice. Even though it was late the streets weren't empty and there were a half a dozen people walking on the sidewalks or in small groups loitering around streetlights. The walkers moved with purpose and kept it a pushing, whenever their paths would've crossed the mouth of an alley they'd start walking on the street to give it a wide berth.
A boy young enough to be in his first year of high school watched us as we drove down the street with a tired look. With the tinted windows the kid couldn't see into the truck but as we passed him Miss Militia hit the button on the side of the door that brightened the frame letting him see the two of us inside.
The kid's eyes went wide and he fumbled with baggy pants to pull out an old nokia phone. We passed him before we could hear what he said but in the mirror I could see him talking to someone, the phone pressed against his ear.
Miss Militia hit the button again tinting the window once more.
"Trouble?" I asked.
She shaked her head, "The opposite. That child's a lookout, he'll call ahead and the organised crime will go to ground. This won't be a very exciting patrol if that's what you were hoping for."
"It's fine. It's a marathon, not a race right?"
"Exactly. While not as effective as arrests, not being able to conduct business tonight will cost the ABB. It won't be crippling but a few missed payments can snowball badly for any organisation."
It kinda reminded me of that Breaking Bad scene and the logistics of crime. Footsoldiers needed to be paid, mules and dealers needed to be paid and every time they didn't the chance they flipped got higher and higher.
It sounded true but I wasn't sure if that logic applied when your boss was a fire breathing dragon.
"Do we need to worry about reprisal then?"
She kept an eye out the window looking up at the rooftops, "No. The truck will protect us against Oni Lee and Lung, despite his power, is a coward. His weakness is being taken out faster than he can grow so he won't confront us without preparations."
"I would think not wanting to fight the woman that can shoot javelin missiles like it's nothing would make you smart, not a coward," I snarked, flipping on the right indicator and turning into the street that ran down the middle of the docks.
Lord Street was one of those old timey roads built before cars were invented, made out of cobblestone and gravel instead of asphalt. I felt a little bad driving over it with the heavy truck but I also preferred not getting shanked by a Demon-Ninja so I dealed with it. In the middle dividing the street in half was a bronze statue on an elevated platform and illuminated by lights.
The statue was the figure of a large boy standing on top of a sinking sailboat. He wore a military uniform, the kind from colonial times and with broken shackles hanging off his wrists he bared a bronze saber to victory even as the water hit his feet. On the platform there was a small plaque but it was too far to read what it said.
But that was fine, Triumph had told me all I needed to know about this statue and I doubted it was written on that plaque.
At the base of it and all up and down the street were women wearing clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination. I wasn't the most streetwise woman but even I knew what they were on sight.
Surprisingly they weren't all Asian which meant from the PRT files that this area where all the independents and non-cape gangs hung around.
"It can be both," she admitted, "Never had the chance to talk with Lung but the reputation he has cultivated tells me everything I need to know. Lung is a petty warlord who seeks to be feared so no-one will dare test him and realise he's not as invincible as he appears."
A woman that had dyed blue hair and wore a sparkling dress whose hem stopped just below her pelvis and thigh length red boots smiled when she saw us and gave a little wave.
I knew exactly what she was feeling. Capes, no matter how scary they got were still cool in a way comics couldn't describe.
Hitting the button that undimmed the window I waved back to her.
"Isn't that why we're here? To show the people that live here that we're not afraid of him."
I couldn't see her lips but I got the impression that she was smiling, "Yes. Truthfully when Armsmaster told us his theory on how Lungs power worked I didn't doubt it. It explained everything about Lung that I've been wondering about for a while. The little things I noticed."
Or your shard noticed.
With Armsmaster and Hannah I wondered if there wasn't a little bit of their shards pressing cosmic thumbs on the scales and guiding them to the correct answers, just like Fragile One and Antares. It fit with what I knew about them, both were very experienced capes and had experienced more conflict individually than a dozen capes put together.
If there was anyone in sync with their shards it'd be them.
As we were driving down the street something in my foot began to itch. A drop of sweat from all the accelerating and breaking had formed on the back of my ankle and no matter how I shifted my foot I couldn't scratch it. The heel protection of my boots restricting how much I could twist inside the shoe.
Frustrated I tried hitting the back of my shoe with my other foot but could barely feel it with the armour.
I snuck a peak at Miss Militia's power. It was currently a small SMG that she had holstered against her chest. I paused trying to find the right way to politely ask for a bayonet when Decidueye leaned forward to hand me one of his feather arrows.
It was long as my forearm and there were white bonelike protrusions on the back that acted like fletching that was perfect for scratching at least one of my itches.
Free of itching I leaned to the side using the door as a place to rest my elbow and prop my head up. Helmets were a killer on the neck, "So what's your thoughts on the Ope-"
"Don't," Miss Militia cut me off, "Never talk about things like that outside the PHQ."
"Ah, right," I said chastised, "But still, your thoughts?"
"Keeping it vague I'm not sure about the timing of it. I understand the factors necessitating it but so soon after you join? Or because you joined? I can't help but be worried that Armsmaster is taking that as an excuse to do something he's been holding himself back from doing for good reason."
"What?" I asked, "Think I can't handle it?"
"I wouldn't know, we haven't fought together yet. But I do know that the villain is dangerous and despite my faith in my teammates I'm not sure everything will go to plan."
"Then you should've said something."
"And if I thought it put us at risk I would've. Don't misunderstand me, it's not a bad plan. Piggot and Armsmaster would never approved of this unless they truly believed it could succeed."
"But?" I asked.
She let out a deep breath, "But we've tried this before. Big plans that never get put into action because something always comes up."
Her gun dematerialised into a blur of green and black energy as it formed into a mix of weapons before it settled onto a trench knife that she sheathed without pausing.
"We planned to deal with Lung when he first arrived but had to put that on hold to deal with the consequences of the Boston Games. We tried to deal with the Empire multiple times but had to put that on hold to deal with Lab Rat, Teacher and then the Chorus. I'm hopeful this time will be different but I won't be surprised when it isn't."
Pity, not in anger, pooled in the pit of my stomach for her. I knew exactly what she meant. Being a hero in this world was just desperately trying to fill a hole while a thousand other people were digging. A deliberately designed game of pointlessness and I knew how bad things were and were going to get. But where'd I read it, she lived it.
I wish I could tell her that things were going to change. That in a couple months I'd pull Gods out of my ass and fix everything. But I couldn't, I wouldn't believe me either.
"...Wanna bet?" I said instead.
Her green eyes glanced at me, "I'm sorry?"
I shrugged deliberately casually, "You think it won't happen? Then put your money where your mouth is."
She stared at me for a long moment before she looked away and returned back to gazing out the window for threats and saw the blue haired woman waving at us.
"No," she said, voice quiet but firm, "I don't bet against hope."
"How do you spell Massachusetts?" I asked, clicking on the end of my pen twice.
"It's written on the side of the building," Miss Milita pointed out while slurping on her third cup of coffee for the night. It hadn't taken long for me to learn that the truck had its own coffee pot and that Hannah treated it like her own baby.
Normally I would've been worried she was one sip away from a heart attack but she was the one with an alien the size of a continent modifying her nervous system and brain chemistry so she never slept so I figured she knew what she was doing.
"That's cheating," I said writing in Lord Street on the sheet I had been given at the start of this patrol. I'd nearly filled in everything in the docks and had given it a second pass to catch the ones I'd missed. Right now we were parked outside the loading bay of the Massachusetts Trauma Center, the primary hospital in the Docks.
"It's not cheating when the building is right there."
"Well maybe I just want to learn how to spell it."
Hannah sighed, fingers tapping the steering wheel, "M. A. Double S. A-"
The radio cut her off, "Black smoke and mutated dogs reported in between the Trainyard and the Docks. Suspected to be the Undersiders - Heroes respond."
Oh, Brian.
Hey shitcrumb!
The pen I was holding pushed a hole through the paper and made it halfway through the folder that I was using as a surface to write on.
"Miss Militia and Dawn responding," Miss Militia said, grabbing and speaking into the radio without a second of hesitation.
"Armsmaster responding."
My head was spinning as she hit the sirens. Green and Whites flashed as the truck let out a loud droning noise that sounded more like a firetruck than a police whine. She tossed her coffee in the back of the van with one hand and with the other we pulled out onto the streets.
Decidueye squawked at the loud noise tightening the strings on his hood till only a single eye poked out.
It felt like everything was happening too fast, I knew that one day I'd run into the Undersiders but I didn't expect it to be so soon and I had no idea what to do. So far I'd been operating on a general plan of 'Fix things,' but I hadn't come up with anything specific for them yet.
Fuck it took me a week just to figure out what to do about Dinah.
"What options do you have to deal with the Undersiders Dawn?" Miss Militia asked.
Tactics and threat assessments. The idea felt like a raft in a sea of thoughts right now and I pulled myself into it without hesitation. I knew that wasn't going to solve the problem but that was future Dawns problem.
I went over all the Pokemon I had right now and their abilities and something between relief and anxiousness pooled in the pit of my stomach. Because without Skitter, Imp or Foil I knew I could take them.
I rubbed the side of my helmet, "The biggest problem will definitely be B- Grue. His darkness is going make tracking them difficult but Hatenna has her emotion sense and Impidimp will definitely be able to see through it."
"I thought you're not allowed to use that one?"
I bit my lips, "Publically yeah. But if I have no choice I'll use him. He's not dangerous, just PR cancer."
"Don't use it then, even if it costs you a fight. The rules are set in place for a reason and I don't want you to get in the habit of ignoring them whenever they aren't convenient," Miss Militia said and I got the impression that she wasn't talking to me specifically as she blew through a set of traffic lights pushing the max speed that the truck could handle. It was a straight line to the Trainyard and she flipped the high beams giving us a perfect view of the darkness cloud almost six blocks away.
It was like a void in space. When I imagined his power I always visualised it a wisps of smoke like the kind that came off a campfire but in the snow and night light it was like someone painted over parts of the city in a coat of vantablack. Snow, light and even entire buildings just seemed to disappear in the darkness.
"Kommo-o and Falinks will be enough to handle Rachel's dogs," I concluded.
Armsmaster was enough to solo the Undersiders and once Brian's darkness was gone I had no doubt that Kommo-o would fare even better. Falinks at that point was just insurance against Regent.
"Hellhound," she corrected, "And I agree. Just remember when you face Masters don't waste your time dealing with the minions, you need to deal with the controller first and foremost."
"I know," I said, though that tactic didn't work against Rachel. It worked against me though so I kept it in mind.
"The Undersiders have two other Capes, powers unknown. I'll handle them."
"Understood," I agreed even though I knew Regent would shit on her. I wish I could say I just couldn't deal with everyone wondering how I knew how his power worked right now but I knew it was because I didn't want to deal with Tattletale and the issues she caused me. Because as much as Dinah was essential, Lisa was indispensable. There was a reason between the two Ziz tried to kill her first.
As we drove closer it details popped in and it slowly stopped looking like a black void and more like the power I knew it was. I could make out the parts where the wind had pushed clumps of darkness apart and created patches where snow following the path of least resistance slid down in batches.
But the thing that hit me was just how much larger it was up close. Grue wasn't holding back and every block between the trainyard and Lord Street was coated in darkness. Six to fifteen story buildings completely smothered by his power. I had seen them less than an hour before but if I hadn't I would've been convinced that they never existed at all.
We hit the ground running. The moment the truck stopped in front of the cloud Miss Militia was already halfway out the door with Decidueye and I trailing not far behind her.
My training wasn't done but securing the scene and analysing the situation was the basics that I had drilled into me by now.
"Eye?" My Pokemon tilted his head as he leaped into the air flapping his wings and making no noise. He perched on a nearby light pole and quirked his head, eyes narrowing at the darkness.
Getting out of the truck I released my Pokemon; Kommo-o, Falinks, Hatenna, Fidough and Magikarp bursting out around me with a flash of light. A small army, comparatively speaking.
Magikarp appeared mid air and flopped to ground with a sound like she was a dropped cannon ball. There were no words I could use to describe just how fucking big Magikarp was. With red scales and black whiskers she was round and fat enough that I could've bowled her and gotten two strikes.
"Karp, karp!" The fish floundered on the ground before with a look to Kommo-o my punch dragon picked her up and rolled her softly into the darkness.
We waited a moment and all I could feel through the link was a pitch blackness. Normally I could at least get a vague sense of what they were doing but from Magikarp there was nothing but steady fuzziness that let me know she was alive and not in pain.
"Smoke isn't toxic," I reported. It was one of those things we knew but had to confirm every time. The fact was powers weren't predictable and even without a second trigger there was always the chance that a previously thought safe power would one day give you cancer whenever the shard thought it funny.
Poor Tritium.
Miss Militia with her finger pushed to the radio in her ear gave me a brief thumbs up to confirm she heard me as her attention was fully on the call. After a moment her eyebrows furrowed.
"Bad news," she said to me, "New Wave asleep and aviation's busy. We've got no air support and no way to track the Undersides direction.'
"Decidueye can fly," I said, "He can track them."
"I know but that's pointless unless it can communicate what it can see and coordinate with console."
Dammit she was right. We were gonna have to outfit my mons with camera's in the future. Especially if we wanted to loan them out to other cities.
"So instead we're going to form a perimeter around Downtown and the Docks to try to catch them as they leave. Imagining it as a clock, Armsmaster will take the ninth spot, we'll take the fourth and the PRT squads with your monsters to reinforce them will fill the spaces in-between."
It wasn't a bad plan but it wasn't perfect either.
The Undersiders could still escape into the Trainyard by going North or if they didn't mind getting wet they could try getting around us by having the dogs swim in the ocean but with the late notice and amount of people we had available it was the best plan we were gonna get short of throwing Eidolon at them.
But there was a small bit in the back of my mind that doubted that it would be enough. Even without Coil this was what the Undersiders were built for, they were escape artists and we didn't have the manpower to cover all the exits.
I nodded as I looked back into the void of complete darkness.
It might've been late but there were still people on the streets tonight. People that were just living their lives before they were suddenly blind and deaf. Chances were they'd freak out, try to call for help or run and with the snow they could slip and crack their heads open.
Someone needed to get them out of there.
"I'm gonna take Hatenna and work on clearing the streets."
"You understand the risks in that plan, Dawn?" Miss Militia asked with a firm voice.
I took a deep breath, "Yeah."
I swear to god if I wasn't going to be allowed to help because it was too dangerous-
"Good. Civilian evacuation is the number one priority when dealing with Shakers," Miss Militia said as her gun warped into a coalesce of energy. Gripping it she split it into two identical looking switchblades.
She held out one of them to me handle first. When I grabbed it, the knife buzzed in my hand thrumming with anticipation that told me all I needed to know about the shard that controlled it.
Eager fucker aren't you?
Well it wasn't like I couldn't understand that.
"Grues power blocks communication so keep the knife somewhere that you'd notice if it goes missing. If that happens then that'll mean I've been attacked and you'll need to escort the civilians to a safer place," she said her voice dropping a pitch, "And Dawn it's really important that you don't lose this."
"I understand," I said. Going dark while there were unknown parahumans around? Well, people had been shot for less. "I'll leave Falinks with you for the same reason."
"Agreed."
I slipped the knife down the top of my dress and under my sports bra as I returned Magikarp replacing her with Aipom.
Scooping Hatenna into my arms the rest of my Pokemon broke off making their way to their positions. I wasn't too worried about them, unlike Falinks they actually had a brain in between their ears so I didn't have to hold their hands. They knew where to go from seeing it through my eyes.
Kommo-o, the fastest of all my Pokemon, lifted Fidough and Aipom into his arms and with a running start leapt onto a nearby tenement building and another leap brought him to the next. The sound of smashing pots and pans following him.
Decidueye took his exit more subtly; One moment he was there and the next he was gone, phasing out of reality like he was only a mirage.
I very pointedly did not pay attention to what my link with him was sending me and said to Miss Militia, "Heading in there now. Wish me luck?"
"You won't need luck Dawn."
Her words was the only push I needed to take the step forward into the darkness.
The first thing that hit me wasn't the darkness but the silence. It was like I was underwater, a black sea all around me that drowned any and every sound leaving only an aching in my ears from the half remembered echo of tinnitus that Hatenna had long since fixed. An eldritch silence that I knew if I spent hours in here would've been enough to drive me insane and even just entering it was enough I felt dizzy with only the support from my boots reminding me I wasn't falling.
Fucking hell, Brian was supposed to have the tame power.
The second was Hatenna. The moment we entered the darkness she started writhing and squirming trying to break my grasp with enough ferocity that I had to use both hands to keep her contained. When she realised that there was no escape she buried herself in the gaps between my armour and dress, trying to hide away from everything.
Without the armour between us I felt how her body was cold and vibrating with every heartbeat. She wasn't crying nor was she shivering in anticipation.
She was shaking in terror.
Instantly I realised just how much I fucked up.
Because unlike Falinks or Jangmo-o who were natural warriors or Rowlet and Impadimp whose species were built to live in darkness Hatenna was, for her species, just a child.
And kids were scared of the dark.
I softened, loosening my grip on her so while I still held her tight it wasn't suffocating. With the back of my thumb I rubbed the base of her namesake as I rocked her side to side whispering things I never got the chance to say even though, or maybe because, I knew she couldn't hear them.
Slowly she stopped shaking and when I was confident that she wasn't going to bite I stuck my pinkie in her mouth. Without lips, teeth or any real jaw strength to speak off when Hatenna sucked on my finger like a pacifier it felt weird, like I was being chomped on by a marshmallow.
With my other hand I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the heat packs that Quinn gave me. Shaking it to activate it I slipped it between the plates and chain mail letting it warm Hatenna without the risk of burning her.
Hatenna relaxing shifted positions so that she was facing the darkness letting out a hum that I felt more than heard and the tip of her witches hat glowed with a pulsing pink light. It was barely brighter than the swallowing darkness but she pointed it anyway to somewhere further into the darkness.
With that as the only guide I had I started walking. The smoke moved in alien ways and it had a resistance to it like I was pushing my way through poorly mixed jelly. I made sure to count my steps so I could trace my way out of here.
After a minute of moving through the cloud a shape appeared in the darkness. It was human, probably. The lighter than air darkness clung to it distorting its profile adding mass around the chest and head but leaving the legs thinner.
Hatenna's pulsing hat shined brighter and the figure's misshapen arm rose almost lunging at me. I tensed thinking it might've been a punch but I didn't feel that same shivering that I felt in the mall. Taking a risk I reached forward grabbing the arm.
The arm grabbed me back and based on how it felt it was a man's hand, slick with sweat. He clung to me desperately as if afraid the moment we lost touch he'd lose me forever. Manoeuvring my finger into the middle of his palm I traced the words 'Hero,' and 'Rescue,' into his skin. The relief I felt in him was instant, just as instant as how Hatenna, overwhelmed by his emotions, started sucking on my finger harder.
Her witches hat turned pointing somewhere else into the darkness and leading the man behind me we followed the light to another figure and then another that was only a few feet next to them and they never knew.
The cycle continued as we gradually formed a human chain twenty people long and with no more people that Hatenna could detect I led everyone to the exit while keeping an eye on the cloud that was still all around us.
It had been at least twenty minutes and it hadn't disappeared. It should've dissipated by now. Had the Undersiders doubled back? That didn't make sense, Hatenna would've sensed them. The only explanation that I could've come up with was a Sechen boost, but Brian triggered from trying to protect his sister.
So what was so dangerous that he needed to protect them?
It couldn't be Oni Lee or Lung. We would've heard about it earlier, Trainwreck? No he wasn't fast enough to keep up with Rachel's dogs. I couldn't come up with an answer. There just wasn't a villain in town dangerous enough that the Undersiders couldn't run from.
I was so focused on what could've caused this that I almost didn't notice as I walked out of the darkness. The bright lights of the PRT truck and ambulances formed a wall of light that was almost blinding but standing by the truck, shielded by the opened door was Miss Militia. I exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding and with two fingers pulled the switch blade out tossing it into the snow next to me.
It burst into a mass of green energy shooting towards Miss Militia before it even hit the ground. I heard a sound behind me and I glanced over my shoulder as the guy I was pulling on walked through the cloud and into the light.
He was a Chinese man wearing a waiters uniform not much larger than I was. He must've been walking home from his shift when the Brian used his power. He looked around college age with bright hazel eyes and a patchy beard that needed a trim.
"Never thought I'd be so happy to see this shitty neighbourhood," he coughed, letting go of my hand to cover his mouth. Following behind him more people began to appear out of the darkness. Men and women of various ages that looked relieved to be able to see and hear again.
"Casey!" An older woman shouted, pushing her through the crowd to hug a woman that must've been her daughter based on the similar features.
A sniffle caught my attention as Hatenna tried to bury herself in my dress once more. I chuckled and with a whispered thank you I sent Hatenna back to where my Pokemon went when I didn't summon them for a well deserved rest.
The burst of pink light and the actual superpowers had the entire crowd looking at me for guidance. I could only imagine what they saw, a woman in a mix of knights armour and a princess dress. A symbol of Hope maybe? Though that was just my ego talking, but I knew in a better world it would've undoubtedly been one of the coolest things that'd ever see. If only Kommo-o and Duraludon were here to complete the effect then I knew it would be the coolest thing they'd ever see in their lives.
But what I saw was different. I saw people that were cold and had just gone through the scariest experience of their lives. They needed to know that they were going to be okay, that they were safe.
They needed a hero.
"Alright people!" I said, forcing a warm smile on my face as my training kicked in, "Here's what's going to happen! We're gonna get you all checked out by the EMTs over there! While the power you just experienced isn't hazardous there's no reason to risk your health! If there's people you need to contact, your phones should be working now and if you're cold I have heat packs!"
The crowd broke off as they followed my instructions, some lining up to take one of the hand warmers, others moved away to call their family while the rest went to the ambulances. There was some trouble as one of the women had a bad ankle but the waiter guy and another man who I learnt were called Bao and Nathan let her lean against them so she could hop to the medics.
It was chaos but it was manageable chaos. Especially when Miss Militia came over to give me a hand directing people where they needed to go. When it was done I was breathing a sigh of relief, feeling like for once in my life I actually felt like I could stomach a cup of coffee.
"Well done," Miss Militia murmured in an odd tone.
I glanced at her. She laser focused on the darkness looking something was about to jump out at her. A tired wariness in her gaze.
My heart sank to my stomach. I knew instantly that something bad must've happened.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Miss Militia looked around making sure no one could hear her as she leaned close to me and said under her breath.
"We think the Undersiders might've murdered someone."
Day 28-31: Dartrix evolves into Decidueye.
awn_Type Chart -
