- Pronouns
- he him
What happened to Sparky?
-
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From Hated to Hero (Worm AU, Trump!Greg) [Complete]
- Thread starter Distraktion
- Start date
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Honestly, from what I remember of him in Worm (2.3), "He was a drummer, long haired, and was so out of touch with reality that you could stop talking in the middle of a sentence and he wouldn't notice. He just went through life in a daze, presumably until he could do his thing, which was his band."
Going off that, I imagine he's back at Winslow right now wondering what the heck happened to that skinny blonde kid with the bowl cut who used to talk all the time. Then he puts his head down and sleeps, and forgets about it.
Interlude 11: Stepping Out of My Own Shadow
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Interlude 11: Stepping Out of My Own Shadow
"I'm going to need a second form of ID." The guard was implacable, staring between the card in his hands and the smiling face of the tall brunette leaning across his desk. Her build suggested some kind of acrobat, her smile suggested that she belonged inside this asylum, and there was a typo on her driver's license. "This is either a forgery or-"
"Or my mom was on so many drugs after I was born that she misspelled my name." Vera shook her head, chuckling despite Missy whispering at her to be serious. She dug three more cards from her wallet, all of them with the same name and picture. "See, M-I-N-V-E-R-A Oswald. It's on my Lucky Rabbit Fanclub card, my credit card, and my-"
Missy put her face in her hands. Vera had been an oddball since day one. She'd shown up out of nowhere days after Sophia was taken away, hanging off Hannah and getting glares from Piggot. Vera never seemed to frown, always had a kind word, and was strangely good at cheering people up. Then Hannah told her that the woman was going to be adopting Sophia...
It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that a certain Mouse-themed hero had appeared in Brockton Bay the same day Vera arrived. Missy had been let in on the woman's secret identity, as had Sophia, and she was 100% on board with this. Honestly, Sophia couldn't ask for a better foster mother...a friendly hero to help her learn what Jackie and Terry Hess had failed to teach.
Unfortunately, she had a habit of rambling and annoying people, possibly a result of one of her grab-bag powers. Anyway, it was a good thing Sophia would be living with Vera and Hannah, or the Ward might have had a chance of picking up Vera's more annoying habits. Case in point...
"Look, do you really want to put up with her any longer than you have to?" Missy interrupted, ignoring Vera's mock hurt expression and seeing the guard smirk. "I haven't seen my best friend in weeks, please just let us in? It's a long drive back, and...I really miss her."
Sighing, the guard handed over the cards, pressed the green button, and let them both inside. On the other side of the door, after signing several papers and speaking to a familiar doctor, they reclaimed one of the best things (according to Missy) about Brockton Bay.
Still, she couldn't help but notice how different Sophia was, and wondered just what had happened to change her this much. As the three began the long drive back home, she was able to get a few details out of Sophia.
It wasn't a very happy story.
***
[Sophia]
Sophia's normal wakeup routine used to be a series of stretches, followed by pushups, situps, a few dozen pullups (she'd installed a bar in her room), and then a run around the block. If it was raining or snowing, that was just an extra challenge. Like parkour.
When she woke up in the Asylum, she was annoyed to find that she didn't have anything she could use as a pullup bar. The room only had a bed, a desk, a sink, a toilet, and a computer. Oh, also plenty of cameras and a window on the door. Ignoring them, she started her workout.
The ceiling yelled at her before she even got a few minutes into this routine, telling her to stop.
Not that she was crazy or anything, even if she was in an Asylum, there was just a speaker up there. The voice sounded soft and nice, but it was telling her she was wrong and that meant it was yelling at her. Just like Mom, Terry, Piggot, and everyone else who hated her.
She told it she had to stay fit, in case she needed to fight, then went back to her routine.
A doctor came in, and introduced herself as Yamada. She asked questions whose answers made Sophia get confused, get scared, and get angry. Yamada kept writing things down, her pencil scratching endlessly.
Eventually she chased the woman off, and instead of feeling victory Sophia felt ashamed.
She felt so tired, so empty, and so lost...all just from talking.
***
Sophia soon realized she had no idea what day it was anymore, and asked for a calendar...or at least a clock. Yamada asked why she needed one, and Sophia explained that she had to hurry up and get better. She had to get back to Brockton Bay and stop Terry.
Yamada was very interested in that, but did her best to hide it. Sophia knew, though...because she'd seen that look in Terry's eyes when he would catch her unaware during a spar. Then he'd hit her in a weak spot, and she'd learn to be stronger. She accidentally said that out loud.
Next thing she knew Yamada was grilling her about his training. How she got stronger, but only because she'd been weak. But Yamada went pale when Sophia talked about how Terry would sometimes punish her. Punishment she had deserved, for being weak.
When the doctor handed her a tissue, Sophia realized she was crying and didn't know why.
That night, she worked out extra hard, to remind herself she was strong.
***
Sophia woke because her computer was chirping at her, courtesy of a chat program.
There were messages, already pouring in from her fellow...inmates. The word stung her brain. She was a prisoner now. She had fallen, and was crazy, weak, idiotic, stupid…
Sophia went back to bed, hiding her face in the pillow. She told herself they weren't sad tears, they were just angry ones! Angry because she was hiding, like a coward, instead of pushing past the pain. Growling, she returned to the computer.
All the messages were from anonymous usernames. For instance, Sophia was S2, another person was K2, and so on. They'd seen that she was new here and had been messaging her, wanting to talk to her for some reason. She read the messages, and her fingers twitched.
Sophia couldn't remember the last time she'd talked to someone for fun. Was it Taylor, just before everything went to shit? Or Missy, the night before she lost her only friend? Or Emma, before the redhead started blackmailing her? Now she was here, alone...
Even her family had abandoned her, and she began to weep. She heard Terry laughing at her, felt Mom slapping her, Terry growling at her to get up, Mom screaming and calling her a-
Yamada came in, as if she could smell weakness, and stared at Sophia with eyes full of pity.
She used to be motivated by pain, but now she was overwhelmed by it.
So for once she let some of it out, and Yamada thanked her.
She still had horrible nightmares that night.
***
The next day, Sophia woke up to chirping. Annoyed, she opened a chatroom with everyone.
She tried to tell them why she was someone they didn't want to talk to, but they kept pulling her off track. She told them things about herself, making more and more typos as she typed faster. She could have left at any time, but she felt so defensive and angry. They wouldn't stop!
At one point she mentioned she came from Brockton Bay, and suddenly a private chat opened.
One inmate, S1, said that she had a friend in Brockton Bay, and started asking about Sophia. Before she knew it, she was talking about all the things she missed, bragging about her accomplishments to this stranger. Being at Winslow, being on the track team, being the star-
Sophia stopped. She hadn't run in days. She was expelled from Winslow. She was repeating the grade at Arcadia. They'd never let her join the track team, even if her community service wasn't going to eat all her time. Running made her feel free, alive...and it was gone.
Then Yamada came in. Sophia talked about what she had lost, how she hated herself.
The doctor didn't ask questions, and actually smiled at Sophia.
If anything, that made her feel worse.
***
The next morning, there were no chirps.
When she went to her computer, Sophia tried to start another chat with S1, but got an error message. She tried some others, but they all gave her the same message. She posted in the public chat, but nobody replied.
A popup told her that she had been blocked, but noted that blocks reset at midnight every night.
She didn't tell Yamada, because she didn't want more pity.
***
The next morning, there were no chirps.
Everyone had blocked her again.
***
It was the same the next day, and the next, and the next...
***
One night, Sophia didn't sleep. She faked taking her pills, didn't eat the obviously drugged food, and just sat there at her computer. She was waiting. She needed to know why.
At midnight, Sophia sent a message to everyone. She said she was sorry, that she didn't know what she had done, and apologized. Then she waited, tapping her fingers as hours passed.
Nobody responded. She tried again, and saw they had all blocked her. Again!
Sophia smashed her computer, screaming.
The door burst open, and she saw an orderly step inside as if he'd been waiting.
She threw the shards of her computer at him, already in motion. He covered his face, and by the time he recovered she had already passed through him. Sophia slammed the door behind her.
Left was another orderly. Right was a long hallway. She went right, and turned left at the end.
It took her three turns to realize it was a big square. Worse, there were now a lot of orderlies, so she tried sticking her head through a door. Inside was a loud noise, ear-splitting, but no sign of what was causing it...just some guy.
Sophia tried another door, and inside was a squid monster curled around a pole. Before she had time to try another, she saw that there were orderlies coming at her from both sides.
She begged them to let her go, that she didn't belong here, but they came closer.
She pleaded with them, said she would go back to her room, but they came closer.
She said she was sorry, that being ignored had hurt so much, but they came closer.
Sophia saw all the faces of all the other inmates, staring at her from their windows.
They were all against her. She was a failure. She had lost.
Someone grabbed her from behind, wrapping something around her body. She tried to turn Shadow, but there were metal wires in it that stung her.
Sophia tried to scream, to bite, to thrash, but something went in her mouth and she felt a shot.
She felt like she was falling, and found her eyes drawn to one of the windows.
There was a face in it. No ears. No scalp. Little wires around it.
There was a small letter C on its cheek, like a tattoo.
The face stared at her, crying black tears.
Sophia slept.
***
When Sophia woke up, she was tired. She was strapped to her bed. Yamada was there.
Her powers didn't work. Her head hurt. Her whole body burned with shame.
She started crying, babbling, and didn't know how to stop.
Yamada held her hand, and just listened.
***
Eventually they let her free, but she stayed in bed. She had lost, everyone hated her...
She didn't want to talk, didn't want to eat, and just lay there, like a weak loser.
Then her new computer...chirped? Confused, Sophia approached.
S1: Not a lot of Winslow track stars who vanished recently. You kinda doxxed yourself, Sophia.
S1: I hate what you did. You're a bully. You hurt people. Why did you do it?
Me: Every time I trusted someone, they just used me. Then I wised up, but it was too late.
Me: I'm sorry. I belong here, where I can't hurt anyone ever again. Go back to ignoring me.
She started to get up, but the computer chirped at her again.
S1: One of the people you hurt is my friend. I wanted to punish you, we all did.
S1: We blocked you, so you'd know what it was like to be the loser. The one getting bullied.
S1: But I saw you in the hall. Heard you. We went too far. Seeing you suffer...hurt me. Sorry.
Me: It's okay, I deserved it. I hurt a lot of people. I'm better off here. Leave me alone.
S1: No! Being alone sucks! I was alone, before my friend. I was just an ugly monster.
Me: I don't know you, but I'm more of a monster than you could ever be.
S1: LOL. Okay, whatever track star. So anyway, I wanna give you another shot.
Sophia growled to herself, what the hell was with this guy? Why couldn't they take a hint?
Me: Stop it! You should hate me. I'm a bully, a jerk, a weakling, and a total f****** b****.
S1: Yeah, curse filter, sorry. You have to get more creative. I'm a 8@d@$$, I can teach you.
Me: Why? I hurt your friend. I hurt a lot of people. You don't have to pretend to be nice.
S1: My friend is kind of dumb sometimes, but he still tries to help people in trouble.
S1: Even if they're jerks, bullies, or monsters, he's willing to try. He inspires me to be better.
Me: The things I did...how do I come back from that? I don't get you. Why are you doing this?
S1: Maybe I'm just bored? Anyway, what are you into? Capes? Fanfic? Video games?
Me: ...I know a bit about capes and video games. What the hell is fanfic?
S1: Oh, you sweet summer child...
Sophia said she had no family, no friends, and everyone hated her for damn good reasons.
S1 said she had no memory, no family, and everyone looked at her like a monster.
So the two of them talked, day after day, and began to bond. Capes, sports, favorite movies, books...they even wrote fanfic together, where Sophia was a real hero without a dark past.
Sophia talked to the other inmates, and began to understand that she wasn't the only one with regrets. But most of all, that her past didn't have to define her. She was in control, now.
When Yamada said it was time for Sophia to leave, she was afraid it was too soon.
But someone assured her she was ready, and Sophia believed her.
Sveta was her friend, after all.
***
[Missy]
Hannah's apartment was a nice little 3-bedroom, 2-bath affair with a decent garage, kitchen, and living room. After a brief tour from Vera, Sophia excused herself to explore. Missy was caught up in helping the older woman make a snack, but soon went looking for her friend.
It wasn't hard to find her, but Missy wasn't sure what to say when she did. Sophia was sitting in the middle of her new room. It had a nice bed, a medium-sized closet, and a box. A dented box.
Jackie Hess had torn most of Sophia's clothes, looked to have poured water on her books, and cut up several pictures to remove Jackie, Paula, and Terry from them. All Sophia had left were a few shirts, a worn pair of running shoes, and pictures of herself with other people ripped out.
"The whole time I was in the asylum, she never called me. Whenever I asked about her, the doctors just changed the subject. Guess now I know why." Sophia whispered, as much to Missy as to herself. Sophia picked up one of the shoes, so old and worn. "She was so proud when she bought these, after I made the team. Now they're all I have left of her. I ruined everything..."
Missy wanted to tell Sophia that Jackie just needed time, but knew that was bullshit. This was the same person who tried to get Hannah to testify against Sophia in a civil suit a few weeks back. Jackie was stubborn, refusing to see that her son had been an abusive monster and that she'd been a terrible mother to a girl who desperately needed help. Missy hated her so much.
"Forget about her, we'll be your family." Missy leaned in to hug the morose girl, hoping to cheer her up a little. "The people who care about you are your real family, not a pair of old shoes."
Vera slipped into the room and sat on Sophia's other side, oddly silent. Her foster daughter seemed content to just stare at the shoe in her hands, squeezing it angrily. Missy could feel her muscles flexing, and wondered if she should suggest they go for a run or something.
"Wanna go fight?" Vera asked, drawing a look from both. "Always makes me feel better."
***
[Sophia]
"Go left, I'll go right." Sophia called out, making hand signals that Missy nodded at before both started an obvious pincer maneuver. Vera adjusted her stance slightly, seeing both slow down for some reason. Grinning to herself, Sophia suddenly leapt into the air and shouted, "Now!"
Vera adjusted her stance and grinned, acting as if she was going to catch Sophia. Given that she'd shifted to her shadow form and was now floating towards the independent hero, it would seem that this was little more than a distraction. But then Missy warped the air and...rolled?
Sophia drifted right into Vera, covering her head with a miasma of shadow that made her sputter and stumble. The stumble turned into a trip as Missy rolled twenty feet in an instant to hit Vera's legs, grappling them and making the older woman have to fight to stay upright. Then Sophia, who had spun around in midair, turned back to flesh and hooked an arm around Vera's throat.
With one girl holding her legs and another (lightly) choking her, as well as wrapping her legs around Vera's torso, Vera started to fall. It was only her powers and perfect perfect physique that kept her from toppling completely, and she gasped out, "I surrender. Lemme go!"
In a moment, the pressure released and Missy rolled to her feet. With much less grace, Sophia fell off Vera's back. She was the only one who was winded, gasping as she started to collapse. Vera spun and caught Sophia, slowly lowering her to the ground as Missy looked on in concern.
"Damn, I'm so weak." Sophia grunted, body quivering despite her best efforts to hide it. Her fists clenched, and she looked down at them to avoid seeing the pity in Vera and Missy's eyes. "Too much time talking about feelings instead of, what's the word, maintaining my physique."
"Bah, I once broke both legs jumping off a roof. By the time I got the casts off, I looked like a skeleton." Vera rubbed Sophia's shoulders, smiling despite her charge's mood. She rose to her feet and winked at Missy. "Even without a perfect physique, that was still a great tactic!"
"Yeah, we practiced hand signs back in 2010, when Miss Militia used to have all the Wards train together." Missy plopped down next to her friend, and eventually Sophia smiled a little. "Sophia's shadow form is practically made for big jumps and confusing people. Hey, remember the time-"
After a few more minutes of reminiscing, Vera got a call she had to take, and warned them not to fight while she was gone. Neither seemed to notice, caught up in an argument about which of the other Wards would win in a fight without powers, so she crept off. Sophia actually saw her go, but still didn't know what to say to the older woman.
She seemed nice, but was still so...new. How could anyone be that happy, that nice to her?
Vera had just waved a card at the PRT and gotten them to clear out the gym, saying that the three of them needed it for special training. All three were only wearing cloth masks, but that had been enough. Now they'd just spent the last hour sparring and talking tactics, and it felt…
It felt so fun. Good. Nice. Strange. Wrong. Safe? So many feelings, and they worried her.
"What? You seriously think Chris would beat Dennis? Are we talking about the same Chris who built a hoverboard without actually learning to surf or skateboard first?" Sophia laughed, and Missy's face went red as the older girl shoved her a little. "He's weak, has no sense of tactics-"
Missy tackled Sophia, and for a brief moment the former inmate was afraid she'd gone too far. But then she looked up and saw Missy giggling, and remembered. Missy had rushed to save her at Winslow, had tried to support her despite all her stupid choices, and stayed her friend despite everything. This wasn't anger or fear, it was friendship.
So with a grin on her face, Sophia ignored her fears and worries and the sound of Vera opening the door far behind her, and used her shadow form to slip backwards through Missy. In a moment she was behind the girl, grabbed her in a headlock with one arm and started tickling. Missy squealed and laughed, fighting to get free, and Sophia turned to look at Vera-
Something that felt like a cannonball hit her in the side, and Sophia lost her grip on Missy. Even as the two broke apart, she could hear a pounding in her head and took another blow. Someone was shouting but all she could do was think about how scared and ashamed she was, so guilty.
Tears came to her eyes and even as other emotions faded she still felt the shame. Three voices were arguing nearby, and all she could do was whimper on the ground like a baby. Like a victim.
"-wasn't hurting me you idiot, we were just wrestling!" Missy nearly shrieked, and Sophia finally made it to her knees as a metallic clunk came from that direction. She looked up to see that Missy had just struck Gallant in the chest with the heel of one hand. "Just because you've been talking shit about her all month doesn't mean you have the right to blast her with your fu-"
"Whoa, hey, let's take this down a notch." Clockblocker stepped in and put a hand on Missy's shoulder, pulling her back a little. Seeing both of them in costume provided a contrast, one that let Sophia see that Gallant's armor was a dented and scratched mess. "We just came here to see if the rumors were true that Sophia was back, and Gallant jumped to the wrong conclusion."
"I walked in and saw Sophia choking Missy out, as she screamed for her to stop." Gallant crossed his arms, scoffing at Clockblocker's summary. He turned to look in the ex-Ward's direction, practically snarling. "Did you forget she sent a kid to the hospital?"
"That's not how it went and you know it! Stop!" Missy started to reach for him, but backed off as Clockblocker held up a hand. "She's had a rough day. Can you just-"
"She deserves a rough day. She deserves a lot more, in fact." Gallant flipped his face plate up, and now the sneer that had been in his voice was evident on his face. "Sophia didn't just drop the ball, she spiked it into the ground and you almost fell in after her. If I were leader, I'd have ensured she never came back to Brockton-"
"Well, good thing you're not the leader, then!" Missy started turning red again, then paled as someone else stepped up beside her.
"No, he's right." Sophia forced herself to look at Gallant, trying to catch his gaze, and he snapped his faceplate back down. This close she could see the damage to his armor, that it was mid-repair, and wondered what had happened. "I'm sorry. I messed up, and I'm trying to be better. I know I have a lot to make up for, but-"
The armored boy spun without a word, going back out the door. Clockblocker stayed behind.
"Sorry. He's still pissed because Miss Militia reamed both him and Aegis after they unloaded on you a few weeks ago." Dennis sighed, crossing his arms. He pulled off his mask, looking a little older somehow, and smirked. "How strange is it that I'm suddenly the responsible one?"
"Excuse you, I seem to recall I was the one who actually forced Chariot and Kid Win to stop and eat last week, while you were egging them on to build a jetpack." Missy seemed to take some delight in the redhead's sudden coughing fit, and caught Sophia up. "Chariot's a Tinker from out of town, came over for the weekend to help with a project. See, Uber and Leet left a bunch of their old tech to the PRT when they left town, and we've been shuttling it over from their old hideout to let other Tinkers learn from it, then taking it to a storage vault. Really crazy stuff-"
"A whole lot of video game stuff, for one thing. Also a bunch of movie props made real." Dennis cut in, and for a minute Sophia felt like an outsider as they talked about all manner of cool gadgets they'd seen. "Like, yesterday a full set of Tinkertech armor that let the wearer turn invisible, had a bolt launcher in the arm, and strange dreadlocks coming out of the helmet."
"That's part of why Gallant was kind of pissy today. During the transport last night he ran into some trouble, and got knocked around a bit." Missy started to say more, but must have seen that the mention of the armored hero had killed the mood, because she stopped. "Anyway…"
"Yeah, I'd better go get changed, write my report, and all that jazz." Dennis stepped closer to Sophia, holding out a hand, and seemed surprised when she took it without hesitation. She knew that she had a lot of trust to rebuild, and at the same time felt so tired. "Sophia, I'm sorry you had to go through that just now. He was way out of line."
"It's fine, I deserve it. I screwed up. Everyone always said I was a screw-up, so I guess-"
"Sometimes people can surprise you." Dennis stepped closer, putting his other arm around her and giving her a brief hug. Her jaw dropped as he added, "Like the way you faked Missy out so she wouldn't have to see you leave. You're better than you think, Soph. Welcome back."
Sophia was so shocked that she barely realized he'd left until he was already halfway to the door. She glanced down at Missy, saw her blushing, and got the smaller girl to admit that Dennis had been nicer since he'd heard what really happened at Winslow. More mature, even.
Sophia found herself wanting to take the blame for that. Dennis had always struck her as a goofball, and here she'd made his childlike innocence flee in the face of her crime.
Before she could say so, Vera came back and apologized for taking so long. Apparently Hannah had found out she was in the building, and needed to talk to them about something.
***
The moment the door was shut and Hannah had taken her mask off, Sophia apologized.
"My reflexes are shot, I haven't exercised in weeks...I can't protect the city like this, much less myself." Sophia glared at her arms, as if she could make them grow, but Hannah remained silent. "Why aren't you more angry? I thought you brought me back to be a Ward?"
"I brought you back to let you continue to get better." Hannah held up Vera's phone, and Sophia saw pictures of herself. Talking to Missy in Vera's car. Laughing at a joke. Sleeping alongside the smaller girl. Smiling, upon seeing her new home. "Seems to be working so far. Vera and I will care for you. Missy is your friend. As for protecting the city...that's not your job, right now."
The terms of her probation were very specific. Before she could even be considered for Ward duties, Sophia had to spend at least a month attending regular therapy, doing community service, and proving that her bad habits were behind her. Until then, she was essentially a civilian, albeit one whose foster mother was an Independent hero from out of town. Also one who was chaperoned by someone PRT-approved 24/7.
Then Sophia brought up the elephant in the room. Terry. Her brother. Her...failure.
"Doc Yamada told us that you were always asking about your brother. Before we tell you this, you need to know that the PRT, Protectorate, and BBPD are handling him. Got it?" Vera was unusually serious for once, and after a long moment Sophia nodded at her. She gently put an arm around Sophia. "Okay, so this is what we know about your...about Terry. Hannah?"
"For the past month, the PRT has been investigating certain people and connections found in files that were recovered from Terry's home. He was gathering information on local gangs, building dossiers on parahumans, and building a small mercenary company of his own."
Sophia nodded, her stomach becoming an icy pit despite Vera whispering this wasn't her fault.
"Based on what was found in his files, Terry wormed his way into a small drug gang, then grabbed several of their people and split off on his own. Along with a parahuman capable of controlling trash, he has nearly twenty soldiers who have been flying under the radar." Hannah brought up a video on her computer. "Until yesterday, that is..."
The video was to be taken from a camera mounted on a PRT van, one that Hannah explained was transporting Tinkertech to a storage facility. A loud thump made the camera go wild.
By the time Sophia realized the vehicle was rolling, it had come to a stop on its side. Stumbling and with a hand on his head, a dented Gallant emerged, but was immediately knocked down.
The video continued as nearly a dozen people appeared, surrounding a strange monster. Its body was like a mix of garbage, metal chunks, and slimy fluids. The creature stomped on Gallant, then tore the van open and began to unload it.
"Stay down, boy." A gravelly voice came from one of the criminals, as he put a foot on Gallant's head and pointed a fancy-looking gun at him. "No need to die today. We'll be out of your hair shortly. Maybe next time you'll have actual warriors, instead of prey."
The video froze, and Sophia turned. She'd have run out of the room to start tracking him down if not for Vera's grip and Missy crashing into her stomach. Sophia felt lightheaded...
As Hannah talked and Missy whispered and Vera hugged her, Sophia only heard one thing.
Terry's voice, as he threatened Gallant, and nearly killed him because of her.
Because she'd been too weak to stop him on her own.
***
[Missy]
A few pizzas, some schlocky action movies, and a foster mother who had no concept of bedtime worked wonders for helping Sophia relax that night. Missy had gotten permission to sleep over, and they did their best to have fun. All three dozed off in a pile of blankets on the floor...
Then Missy awoke to Sophia thrashing in a nightmare, Vera holding her and whispering to the crying teen. It wasn't the first time that had happened, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
The next morning, as they were eating breakfast, Sophia seemed surprised that neither of them asked about her nightmares. She ended up telling them a little anyway, but when she trailed off they just changed the subject. The smile that spread on her face made Missy want to stay all day, but her phone's alarm eventually made her leave. Today was a big day, after all...
A big day she'd completely forgotten about!
Missy raced into the Wards common room with minutes to spare, waving off Gallant's lecture and rushing into a spare room to get changed. She was just putting on her visor and stepping up to stand beside Clockblocker when a loud BEEP drew her eyes to the timer above the door.
The door soon slid open, revealing a very familiar face. Sure, it was behind a domino mask, and he looked a little bigger than he had a month ago, but that was definitely Steve...er, Greg.
"Hi." He waved, stepping inside and looking around with wonder. The door shut behind him, startling the boy as he blushed. "Sorry, I'm kind of nervous about this."
"Take your time." Gallant crossed his arms, armor mostly repaired. "Maybe start with a name?"
"Oh! Yeah, that makes sense. I'm G-" He cut himself off, coughing into his fist. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to it being my name. Let me try that again."
He set his shoulders, took a deep breath, and smiled.
Then their newest Ward introduced himself.
***************************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Find out why the name was chosen, why others didn't make the cut, and then finally the name itself. Also some Wards, some fears, and some friends.
"I'm going to need a second form of ID." The guard was implacable, staring between the card in his hands and the smiling face of the tall brunette leaning across his desk. Her build suggested some kind of acrobat, her smile suggested that she belonged inside this asylum, and there was a typo on her driver's license. "This is either a forgery or-"
"Or my mom was on so many drugs after I was born that she misspelled my name." Vera shook her head, chuckling despite Missy whispering at her to be serious. She dug three more cards from her wallet, all of them with the same name and picture. "See, M-I-N-V-E-R-A Oswald. It's on my Lucky Rabbit Fanclub card, my credit card, and my-"
Missy put her face in her hands. Vera had been an oddball since day one. She'd shown up out of nowhere days after Sophia was taken away, hanging off Hannah and getting glares from Piggot. Vera never seemed to frown, always had a kind word, and was strangely good at cheering people up. Then Hannah told her that the woman was going to be adopting Sophia...
It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that a certain Mouse-themed hero had appeared in Brockton Bay the same day Vera arrived. Missy had been let in on the woman's secret identity, as had Sophia, and she was 100% on board with this. Honestly, Sophia couldn't ask for a better foster mother...a friendly hero to help her learn what Jackie and Terry Hess had failed to teach.
Unfortunately, she had a habit of rambling and annoying people, possibly a result of one of her grab-bag powers. Anyway, it was a good thing Sophia would be living with Vera and Hannah, or the Ward might have had a chance of picking up Vera's more annoying habits. Case in point...
"Look, do you really want to put up with her any longer than you have to?" Missy interrupted, ignoring Vera's mock hurt expression and seeing the guard smirk. "I haven't seen my best friend in weeks, please just let us in? It's a long drive back, and...I really miss her."
Sighing, the guard handed over the cards, pressed the green button, and let them both inside. On the other side of the door, after signing several papers and speaking to a familiar doctor, they reclaimed one of the best things (according to Missy) about Brockton Bay.
Still, she couldn't help but notice how different Sophia was, and wondered just what had happened to change her this much. As the three began the long drive back home, she was able to get a few details out of Sophia.
It wasn't a very happy story.
***
[Sophia]
Sophia's normal wakeup routine used to be a series of stretches, followed by pushups, situps, a few dozen pullups (she'd installed a bar in her room), and then a run around the block. If it was raining or snowing, that was just an extra challenge. Like parkour.
When she woke up in the Asylum, she was annoyed to find that she didn't have anything she could use as a pullup bar. The room only had a bed, a desk, a sink, a toilet, and a computer. Oh, also plenty of cameras and a window on the door. Ignoring them, she started her workout.
The ceiling yelled at her before she even got a few minutes into this routine, telling her to stop.
Not that she was crazy or anything, even if she was in an Asylum, there was just a speaker up there. The voice sounded soft and nice, but it was telling her she was wrong and that meant it was yelling at her. Just like Mom, Terry, Piggot, and everyone else who hated her.
She told it she had to stay fit, in case she needed to fight, then went back to her routine.
A doctor came in, and introduced herself as Yamada. She asked questions whose answers made Sophia get confused, get scared, and get angry. Yamada kept writing things down, her pencil scratching endlessly.
Eventually she chased the woman off, and instead of feeling victory Sophia felt ashamed.
She felt so tired, so empty, and so lost...all just from talking.
***
Sophia soon realized she had no idea what day it was anymore, and asked for a calendar...or at least a clock. Yamada asked why she needed one, and Sophia explained that she had to hurry up and get better. She had to get back to Brockton Bay and stop Terry.
Yamada was very interested in that, but did her best to hide it. Sophia knew, though...because she'd seen that look in Terry's eyes when he would catch her unaware during a spar. Then he'd hit her in a weak spot, and she'd learn to be stronger. She accidentally said that out loud.
Next thing she knew Yamada was grilling her about his training. How she got stronger, but only because she'd been weak. But Yamada went pale when Sophia talked about how Terry would sometimes punish her. Punishment she had deserved, for being weak.
When the doctor handed her a tissue, Sophia realized she was crying and didn't know why.
That night, she worked out extra hard, to remind herself she was strong.
***
Sophia woke because her computer was chirping at her, courtesy of a chat program.
There were messages, already pouring in from her fellow...inmates. The word stung her brain. She was a prisoner now. She had fallen, and was crazy, weak, idiotic, stupid…
Sophia went back to bed, hiding her face in the pillow. She told herself they weren't sad tears, they were just angry ones! Angry because she was hiding, like a coward, instead of pushing past the pain. Growling, she returned to the computer.
All the messages were from anonymous usernames. For instance, Sophia was S2, another person was K2, and so on. They'd seen that she was new here and had been messaging her, wanting to talk to her for some reason. She read the messages, and her fingers twitched.
Sophia couldn't remember the last time she'd talked to someone for fun. Was it Taylor, just before everything went to shit? Or Missy, the night before she lost her only friend? Or Emma, before the redhead started blackmailing her? Now she was here, alone...
Even her family had abandoned her, and she began to weep. She heard Terry laughing at her, felt Mom slapping her, Terry growling at her to get up, Mom screaming and calling her a-
Yamada came in, as if she could smell weakness, and stared at Sophia with eyes full of pity.
She used to be motivated by pain, but now she was overwhelmed by it.
So for once she let some of it out, and Yamada thanked her.
She still had horrible nightmares that night.
***
The next day, Sophia woke up to chirping. Annoyed, she opened a chatroom with everyone.
She tried to tell them why she was someone they didn't want to talk to, but they kept pulling her off track. She told them things about herself, making more and more typos as she typed faster. She could have left at any time, but she felt so defensive and angry. They wouldn't stop!
At one point she mentioned she came from Brockton Bay, and suddenly a private chat opened.
One inmate, S1, said that she had a friend in Brockton Bay, and started asking about Sophia. Before she knew it, she was talking about all the things she missed, bragging about her accomplishments to this stranger. Being at Winslow, being on the track team, being the star-
Sophia stopped. She hadn't run in days. She was expelled from Winslow. She was repeating the grade at Arcadia. They'd never let her join the track team, even if her community service wasn't going to eat all her time. Running made her feel free, alive...and it was gone.
Then Yamada came in. Sophia talked about what she had lost, how she hated herself.
The doctor didn't ask questions, and actually smiled at Sophia.
If anything, that made her feel worse.
***
The next morning, there were no chirps.
When she went to her computer, Sophia tried to start another chat with S1, but got an error message. She tried some others, but they all gave her the same message. She posted in the public chat, but nobody replied.
A popup told her that she had been blocked, but noted that blocks reset at midnight every night.
She didn't tell Yamada, because she didn't want more pity.
***
The next morning, there were no chirps.
Everyone had blocked her again.
***
It was the same the next day, and the next, and the next...
***
One night, Sophia didn't sleep. She faked taking her pills, didn't eat the obviously drugged food, and just sat there at her computer. She was waiting. She needed to know why.
At midnight, Sophia sent a message to everyone. She said she was sorry, that she didn't know what she had done, and apologized. Then she waited, tapping her fingers as hours passed.
Nobody responded. She tried again, and saw they had all blocked her. Again!
Sophia smashed her computer, screaming.
The door burst open, and she saw an orderly step inside as if he'd been waiting.
She threw the shards of her computer at him, already in motion. He covered his face, and by the time he recovered she had already passed through him. Sophia slammed the door behind her.
Left was another orderly. Right was a long hallway. She went right, and turned left at the end.
It took her three turns to realize it was a big square. Worse, there were now a lot of orderlies, so she tried sticking her head through a door. Inside was a loud noise, ear-splitting, but no sign of what was causing it...just some guy.
Sophia tried another door, and inside was a squid monster curled around a pole. Before she had time to try another, she saw that there were orderlies coming at her from both sides.
She begged them to let her go, that she didn't belong here, but they came closer.
She pleaded with them, said she would go back to her room, but they came closer.
She said she was sorry, that being ignored had hurt so much, but they came closer.
Sophia saw all the faces of all the other inmates, staring at her from their windows.
They were all against her. She was a failure. She had lost.
Someone grabbed her from behind, wrapping something around her body. She tried to turn Shadow, but there were metal wires in it that stung her.
Sophia tried to scream, to bite, to thrash, but something went in her mouth and she felt a shot.
She felt like she was falling, and found her eyes drawn to one of the windows.
There was a face in it. No ears. No scalp. Little wires around it.
There was a small letter C on its cheek, like a tattoo.
The face stared at her, crying black tears.
Sophia slept.
***
When Sophia woke up, she was tired. She was strapped to her bed. Yamada was there.
Her powers didn't work. Her head hurt. Her whole body burned with shame.
She started crying, babbling, and didn't know how to stop.
Yamada held her hand, and just listened.
***
Eventually they let her free, but she stayed in bed. She had lost, everyone hated her...
She didn't want to talk, didn't want to eat, and just lay there, like a weak loser.
Then her new computer...chirped? Confused, Sophia approached.
S1: Not a lot of Winslow track stars who vanished recently. You kinda doxxed yourself, Sophia.
S1: I hate what you did. You're a bully. You hurt people. Why did you do it?
Me: Every time I trusted someone, they just used me. Then I wised up, but it was too late.
Me: I'm sorry. I belong here, where I can't hurt anyone ever again. Go back to ignoring me.
She started to get up, but the computer chirped at her again.
S1: One of the people you hurt is my friend. I wanted to punish you, we all did.
S1: We blocked you, so you'd know what it was like to be the loser. The one getting bullied.
S1: But I saw you in the hall. Heard you. We went too far. Seeing you suffer...hurt me. Sorry.
Me: It's okay, I deserved it. I hurt a lot of people. I'm better off here. Leave me alone.
S1: No! Being alone sucks! I was alone, before my friend. I was just an ugly monster.
Me: I don't know you, but I'm more of a monster than you could ever be.
S1: LOL. Okay, whatever track star. So anyway, I wanna give you another shot.
Sophia growled to herself, what the hell was with this guy? Why couldn't they take a hint?
Me: Stop it! You should hate me. I'm a bully, a jerk, a weakling, and a total f****** b****.
S1: Yeah, curse filter, sorry. You have to get more creative. I'm a 8@d@$$, I can teach you.
Me: Why? I hurt your friend. I hurt a lot of people. You don't have to pretend to be nice.
S1: My friend is kind of dumb sometimes, but he still tries to help people in trouble.
S1: Even if they're jerks, bullies, or monsters, he's willing to try. He inspires me to be better.
Me: The things I did...how do I come back from that? I don't get you. Why are you doing this?
S1: Maybe I'm just bored? Anyway, what are you into? Capes? Fanfic? Video games?
Me: ...I know a bit about capes and video games. What the hell is fanfic?
S1: Oh, you sweet summer child...
Sophia said she had no family, no friends, and everyone hated her for damn good reasons.
S1 said she had no memory, no family, and everyone looked at her like a monster.
So the two of them talked, day after day, and began to bond. Capes, sports, favorite movies, books...they even wrote fanfic together, where Sophia was a real hero without a dark past.
Sophia talked to the other inmates, and began to understand that she wasn't the only one with regrets. But most of all, that her past didn't have to define her. She was in control, now.
When Yamada said it was time for Sophia to leave, she was afraid it was too soon.
But someone assured her she was ready, and Sophia believed her.
Sveta was her friend, after all.
***
[Missy]
Hannah's apartment was a nice little 3-bedroom, 2-bath affair with a decent garage, kitchen, and living room. After a brief tour from Vera, Sophia excused herself to explore. Missy was caught up in helping the older woman make a snack, but soon went looking for her friend.
It wasn't hard to find her, but Missy wasn't sure what to say when she did. Sophia was sitting in the middle of her new room. It had a nice bed, a medium-sized closet, and a box. A dented box.
Jackie Hess had torn most of Sophia's clothes, looked to have poured water on her books, and cut up several pictures to remove Jackie, Paula, and Terry from them. All Sophia had left were a few shirts, a worn pair of running shoes, and pictures of herself with other people ripped out.
"The whole time I was in the asylum, she never called me. Whenever I asked about her, the doctors just changed the subject. Guess now I know why." Sophia whispered, as much to Missy as to herself. Sophia picked up one of the shoes, so old and worn. "She was so proud when she bought these, after I made the team. Now they're all I have left of her. I ruined everything..."
Missy wanted to tell Sophia that Jackie just needed time, but knew that was bullshit. This was the same person who tried to get Hannah to testify against Sophia in a civil suit a few weeks back. Jackie was stubborn, refusing to see that her son had been an abusive monster and that she'd been a terrible mother to a girl who desperately needed help. Missy hated her so much.
"Forget about her, we'll be your family." Missy leaned in to hug the morose girl, hoping to cheer her up a little. "The people who care about you are your real family, not a pair of old shoes."
Vera slipped into the room and sat on Sophia's other side, oddly silent. Her foster daughter seemed content to just stare at the shoe in her hands, squeezing it angrily. Missy could feel her muscles flexing, and wondered if she should suggest they go for a run or something.
"Wanna go fight?" Vera asked, drawing a look from both. "Always makes me feel better."
***
[Sophia]
"Go left, I'll go right." Sophia called out, making hand signals that Missy nodded at before both started an obvious pincer maneuver. Vera adjusted her stance slightly, seeing both slow down for some reason. Grinning to herself, Sophia suddenly leapt into the air and shouted, "Now!"
Vera adjusted her stance and grinned, acting as if she was going to catch Sophia. Given that she'd shifted to her shadow form and was now floating towards the independent hero, it would seem that this was little more than a distraction. But then Missy warped the air and...rolled?
Sophia drifted right into Vera, covering her head with a miasma of shadow that made her sputter and stumble. The stumble turned into a trip as Missy rolled twenty feet in an instant to hit Vera's legs, grappling them and making the older woman have to fight to stay upright. Then Sophia, who had spun around in midair, turned back to flesh and hooked an arm around Vera's throat.
With one girl holding her legs and another (lightly) choking her, as well as wrapping her legs around Vera's torso, Vera started to fall. It was only her powers and perfect perfect physique that kept her from toppling completely, and she gasped out, "I surrender. Lemme go!"
In a moment, the pressure released and Missy rolled to her feet. With much less grace, Sophia fell off Vera's back. She was the only one who was winded, gasping as she started to collapse. Vera spun and caught Sophia, slowly lowering her to the ground as Missy looked on in concern.
"Damn, I'm so weak." Sophia grunted, body quivering despite her best efforts to hide it. Her fists clenched, and she looked down at them to avoid seeing the pity in Vera and Missy's eyes. "Too much time talking about feelings instead of, what's the word, maintaining my physique."
"Bah, I once broke both legs jumping off a roof. By the time I got the casts off, I looked like a skeleton." Vera rubbed Sophia's shoulders, smiling despite her charge's mood. She rose to her feet and winked at Missy. "Even without a perfect physique, that was still a great tactic!"
"Yeah, we practiced hand signs back in 2010, when Miss Militia used to have all the Wards train together." Missy plopped down next to her friend, and eventually Sophia smiled a little. "Sophia's shadow form is practically made for big jumps and confusing people. Hey, remember the time-"
After a few more minutes of reminiscing, Vera got a call she had to take, and warned them not to fight while she was gone. Neither seemed to notice, caught up in an argument about which of the other Wards would win in a fight without powers, so she crept off. Sophia actually saw her go, but still didn't know what to say to the older woman.
She seemed nice, but was still so...new. How could anyone be that happy, that nice to her?
Vera had just waved a card at the PRT and gotten them to clear out the gym, saying that the three of them needed it for special training. All three were only wearing cloth masks, but that had been enough. Now they'd just spent the last hour sparring and talking tactics, and it felt…
It felt so fun. Good. Nice. Strange. Wrong. Safe? So many feelings, and they worried her.
"What? You seriously think Chris would beat Dennis? Are we talking about the same Chris who built a hoverboard without actually learning to surf or skateboard first?" Sophia laughed, and Missy's face went red as the older girl shoved her a little. "He's weak, has no sense of tactics-"
Missy tackled Sophia, and for a brief moment the former inmate was afraid she'd gone too far. But then she looked up and saw Missy giggling, and remembered. Missy had rushed to save her at Winslow, had tried to support her despite all her stupid choices, and stayed her friend despite everything. This wasn't anger or fear, it was friendship.
So with a grin on her face, Sophia ignored her fears and worries and the sound of Vera opening the door far behind her, and used her shadow form to slip backwards through Missy. In a moment she was behind the girl, grabbed her in a headlock with one arm and started tickling. Missy squealed and laughed, fighting to get free, and Sophia turned to look at Vera-
Something that felt like a cannonball hit her in the side, and Sophia lost her grip on Missy. Even as the two broke apart, she could hear a pounding in her head and took another blow. Someone was shouting but all she could do was think about how scared and ashamed she was, so guilty.
Tears came to her eyes and even as other emotions faded she still felt the shame. Three voices were arguing nearby, and all she could do was whimper on the ground like a baby. Like a victim.
"-wasn't hurting me you idiot, we were just wrestling!" Missy nearly shrieked, and Sophia finally made it to her knees as a metallic clunk came from that direction. She looked up to see that Missy had just struck Gallant in the chest with the heel of one hand. "Just because you've been talking shit about her all month doesn't mean you have the right to blast her with your fu-"
"Whoa, hey, let's take this down a notch." Clockblocker stepped in and put a hand on Missy's shoulder, pulling her back a little. Seeing both of them in costume provided a contrast, one that let Sophia see that Gallant's armor was a dented and scratched mess. "We just came here to see if the rumors were true that Sophia was back, and Gallant jumped to the wrong conclusion."
"I walked in and saw Sophia choking Missy out, as she screamed for her to stop." Gallant crossed his arms, scoffing at Clockblocker's summary. He turned to look in the ex-Ward's direction, practically snarling. "Did you forget she sent a kid to the hospital?"
"That's not how it went and you know it! Stop!" Missy started to reach for him, but backed off as Clockblocker held up a hand. "She's had a rough day. Can you just-"
"She deserves a rough day. She deserves a lot more, in fact." Gallant flipped his face plate up, and now the sneer that had been in his voice was evident on his face. "Sophia didn't just drop the ball, she spiked it into the ground and you almost fell in after her. If I were leader, I'd have ensured she never came back to Brockton-"
"Well, good thing you're not the leader, then!" Missy started turning red again, then paled as someone else stepped up beside her.
"No, he's right." Sophia forced herself to look at Gallant, trying to catch his gaze, and he snapped his faceplate back down. This close she could see the damage to his armor, that it was mid-repair, and wondered what had happened. "I'm sorry. I messed up, and I'm trying to be better. I know I have a lot to make up for, but-"
The armored boy spun without a word, going back out the door. Clockblocker stayed behind.
"Sorry. He's still pissed because Miss Militia reamed both him and Aegis after they unloaded on you a few weeks ago." Dennis sighed, crossing his arms. He pulled off his mask, looking a little older somehow, and smirked. "How strange is it that I'm suddenly the responsible one?"
"Excuse you, I seem to recall I was the one who actually forced Chariot and Kid Win to stop and eat last week, while you were egging them on to build a jetpack." Missy seemed to take some delight in the redhead's sudden coughing fit, and caught Sophia up. "Chariot's a Tinker from out of town, came over for the weekend to help with a project. See, Uber and Leet left a bunch of their old tech to the PRT when they left town, and we've been shuttling it over from their old hideout to let other Tinkers learn from it, then taking it to a storage vault. Really crazy stuff-"
"A whole lot of video game stuff, for one thing. Also a bunch of movie props made real." Dennis cut in, and for a minute Sophia felt like an outsider as they talked about all manner of cool gadgets they'd seen. "Like, yesterday a full set of Tinkertech armor that let the wearer turn invisible, had a bolt launcher in the arm, and strange dreadlocks coming out of the helmet."
"That's part of why Gallant was kind of pissy today. During the transport last night he ran into some trouble, and got knocked around a bit." Missy started to say more, but must have seen that the mention of the armored hero had killed the mood, because she stopped. "Anyway…"
"Yeah, I'd better go get changed, write my report, and all that jazz." Dennis stepped closer to Sophia, holding out a hand, and seemed surprised when she took it without hesitation. She knew that she had a lot of trust to rebuild, and at the same time felt so tired. "Sophia, I'm sorry you had to go through that just now. He was way out of line."
"It's fine, I deserve it. I screwed up. Everyone always said I was a screw-up, so I guess-"
"Sometimes people can surprise you." Dennis stepped closer, putting his other arm around her and giving her a brief hug. Her jaw dropped as he added, "Like the way you faked Missy out so she wouldn't have to see you leave. You're better than you think, Soph. Welcome back."
Sophia was so shocked that she barely realized he'd left until he was already halfway to the door. She glanced down at Missy, saw her blushing, and got the smaller girl to admit that Dennis had been nicer since he'd heard what really happened at Winslow. More mature, even.
Sophia found herself wanting to take the blame for that. Dennis had always struck her as a goofball, and here she'd made his childlike innocence flee in the face of her crime.
Before she could say so, Vera came back and apologized for taking so long. Apparently Hannah had found out she was in the building, and needed to talk to them about something.
***
The moment the door was shut and Hannah had taken her mask off, Sophia apologized.
"My reflexes are shot, I haven't exercised in weeks...I can't protect the city like this, much less myself." Sophia glared at her arms, as if she could make them grow, but Hannah remained silent. "Why aren't you more angry? I thought you brought me back to be a Ward?"
"I brought you back to let you continue to get better." Hannah held up Vera's phone, and Sophia saw pictures of herself. Talking to Missy in Vera's car. Laughing at a joke. Sleeping alongside the smaller girl. Smiling, upon seeing her new home. "Seems to be working so far. Vera and I will care for you. Missy is your friend. As for protecting the city...that's not your job, right now."
The terms of her probation were very specific. Before she could even be considered for Ward duties, Sophia had to spend at least a month attending regular therapy, doing community service, and proving that her bad habits were behind her. Until then, she was essentially a civilian, albeit one whose foster mother was an Independent hero from out of town. Also one who was chaperoned by someone PRT-approved 24/7.
Then Sophia brought up the elephant in the room. Terry. Her brother. Her...failure.
"Doc Yamada told us that you were always asking about your brother. Before we tell you this, you need to know that the PRT, Protectorate, and BBPD are handling him. Got it?" Vera was unusually serious for once, and after a long moment Sophia nodded at her. She gently put an arm around Sophia. "Okay, so this is what we know about your...about Terry. Hannah?"
"For the past month, the PRT has been investigating certain people and connections found in files that were recovered from Terry's home. He was gathering information on local gangs, building dossiers on parahumans, and building a small mercenary company of his own."
Sophia nodded, her stomach becoming an icy pit despite Vera whispering this wasn't her fault.
"Based on what was found in his files, Terry wormed his way into a small drug gang, then grabbed several of their people and split off on his own. Along with a parahuman capable of controlling trash, he has nearly twenty soldiers who have been flying under the radar." Hannah brought up a video on her computer. "Until yesterday, that is..."
The video was to be taken from a camera mounted on a PRT van, one that Hannah explained was transporting Tinkertech to a storage facility. A loud thump made the camera go wild.
By the time Sophia realized the vehicle was rolling, it had come to a stop on its side. Stumbling and with a hand on his head, a dented Gallant emerged, but was immediately knocked down.
The video continued as nearly a dozen people appeared, surrounding a strange monster. Its body was like a mix of garbage, metal chunks, and slimy fluids. The creature stomped on Gallant, then tore the van open and began to unload it.
"Stay down, boy." A gravelly voice came from one of the criminals, as he put a foot on Gallant's head and pointed a fancy-looking gun at him. "No need to die today. We'll be out of your hair shortly. Maybe next time you'll have actual warriors, instead of prey."
The video froze, and Sophia turned. She'd have run out of the room to start tracking him down if not for Vera's grip and Missy crashing into her stomach. Sophia felt lightheaded...
As Hannah talked and Missy whispered and Vera hugged her, Sophia only heard one thing.
Terry's voice, as he threatened Gallant, and nearly killed him because of her.
Because she'd been too weak to stop him on her own.
***
[Missy]
A few pizzas, some schlocky action movies, and a foster mother who had no concept of bedtime worked wonders for helping Sophia relax that night. Missy had gotten permission to sleep over, and they did their best to have fun. All three dozed off in a pile of blankets on the floor...
Then Missy awoke to Sophia thrashing in a nightmare, Vera holding her and whispering to the crying teen. It wasn't the first time that had happened, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
The next morning, as they were eating breakfast, Sophia seemed surprised that neither of them asked about her nightmares. She ended up telling them a little anyway, but when she trailed off they just changed the subject. The smile that spread on her face made Missy want to stay all day, but her phone's alarm eventually made her leave. Today was a big day, after all...
A big day she'd completely forgotten about!
Missy raced into the Wards common room with minutes to spare, waving off Gallant's lecture and rushing into a spare room to get changed. She was just putting on her visor and stepping up to stand beside Clockblocker when a loud BEEP drew her eyes to the timer above the door.
The door soon slid open, revealing a very familiar face. Sure, it was behind a domino mask, and he looked a little bigger than he had a month ago, but that was definitely Steve...er, Greg.
"Hi." He waved, stepping inside and looking around with wonder. The door shut behind him, startling the boy as he blushed. "Sorry, I'm kind of nervous about this."
"Take your time." Gallant crossed his arms, armor mostly repaired. "Maybe start with a name?"
"Oh! Yeah, that makes sense. I'm G-" He cut himself off, coughing into his fist. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to it being my name. Let me try that again."
He set his shoulders, took a deep breath, and smiled.
Then their newest Ward introduced himself.
***************************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Find out why the name was chosen, why others didn't make the cut, and then finally the name itself. Also some Wards, some fears, and some friends.
- Location
- edinbrugh
Beginnings are false.
I really like how you're tackling Sophia.
3.7: Learning Who I Want to Be
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
3.7: Learning Who I Want to Be
[Sunday, February 19, 2011]
Something I had learned back when I first got my powers was that any plan made in a vacuum was probably going to have flaws. It had nearly gotten me killed, jailed, and ruined a lot of my relationships. Before making any major plans for the future, it didn't hurt to get a second opinion.
Sveta had helped me see that, so she was the first person I thought of when it came to making the perfect cape name. Plus, she had once said she had once told me that she had a whole bunch, back during the "fanfic." What kind of friend would I be if I let them all go to waste?
Thus, the day before my meeting with the PRT, I wrote down my favorites and then got online.
GstringGirl: Wait, you want to know what? Names? I thought the Gregfic was over?
Me: Yeah, but I have to admit that all those cape names you came up with had me wondering.
GstringGirl: Eh...are you sure? Some of them are pretty dumb. I think I even used a few.
Me: Used them? On what? Sveta, are you writing fics again? That's great news!
GstringGirl: Oh, stop. I made a new friend, and got her into capefic. I'm helping her write one!
GstringGirl: I told her about that Bat-guy comic from Earth Aleph, and she's doing a self-insert.
GstringGirl: I'll ask her next time she's on, maybe you can be our Pre-reader this time?
Me: Sure, I look forward to ripping your work apart. In kindness, of course.
GstringGirl: Of course. [eyeroll.gif] Anyway, over to those names...ready, Greg?
Me: Hit me!
GstringGirl: Kaleidoscope: He's like a strange mirror of others. Also, the personality thing.
Me: True, but I'll bet people would misspell the hell out of that. I mean, I know I do.
GstringGirl: Inspiration: Same as before, he can use personalities to grow as a person.
Me: Probably shouldn't advertise the fact that his brain changes when he uses powers.
GstringGirl: Passion: Because all this started because of his passion to be better.
Me: That sounds more like the name of a porn star. Or a Master of some kind. Or both.
GstringGirl: Hey, I did warn you that most of these were pretty dumb...anyway, next one.
After Sveta had finished, I moved on to my parents, who shot down the vast majority of the names. Almost an hour later, we were down to the last nine, and even those didn't last long...
"Alloy is nice, since it has a strong meaning of combination, as well as a resistance to corrosion." Mom shook her head, tearing the card in half. She threw it in the huge pile of names we'd already crossed off, including all the PRT suggestions. "But your powers have nothing to do with metal, and it's another case of naming yourself after what your powers can do, Greg."
"If that's the case, then these can also go." Dad piped up, fanning out the cards for Meld, Union, Compound, and Composite. "Also, can probably toss Fusion as well. Didn't you used to watch an Earth Aleph cartoon once, where some glowing guys yelled that after a silly dance?"
Before I could correct Dad's terminology, I noted that we only had three cards left. Then Mom picked up Unity and read off her phone that someone in Virginia had it. Two names left...
"I'm not going to say that Blend is a bad idea, but it's another case of naming the power. Plus, I know you're not a coffee fan." Dad stood, stretching and grabbing the torn up cards to take to the trash. "Speaking of which, I'm getting another cup. Sandra?"
"I'm fine." Mom took a sip of her water, and I looked between my two choices. My phone buzzed and I snatched it up, but it was just a reminder to go to bed early. "Greg? You okay, sweetie?"
"Yeah." Maybe it was something in my tone, but Mom put her water down and gave me her full attention. I tried to distract her with a compliment. "Thanks for helping me with this."
"Of course, Greg!" She gave me a wide smile, one Dad shared as he returned with a fresh cup of coffee. Her smile started to fade, and she asked, "Do you want to talk some more about-"
"You've already helped me so much this weekend. I mean, your advice is usually so good, and you guys have told me a lot of stories over the years, some less believable than others…" I felt bad for talking over her, but I'd spent all last night crying, and didn't want a repeat performance. Taking one of Dad's tactics, I tried to distract her with a bit of teasing. "Like Mom's claim that she keeps randomly running into Alexandria every few years at libraries, parks, and grocery stores."
"Hand to God, I saw her at the Shop-mart a few months back, buying Frooty-Toots."
"Yeah, right…" All three of us laughed, and then Mom reached out and took my hand. Her expression was the same one she'd worn last night, and I finally sighed. "It's okay, Mom."
"Greg, I'm not going to push you, but we're here if you want to talk more." Mom's gaze was one I was hesitant to meet, especially after she added, "You have nothing to be ashamed of."
"Don't I, though?" I pulled out my phone and checked. Still no replies. "I should've been braver."
"Well, maybe that's your answer then?" Dad swiftly changed the subject, drawing a look from Mom. He held up the other card, smiling at me. "The story behind this one, wasn't it about you being afraid, and finding the courage to be honest with yourself and others?"
"Yeah, I guess." I took the card, brightening as I remembered that day. "It was inspiring."
"How did that go again?" Mom saw what Dad was doing, and pretended that I hadn't told the story a dozen times. "About wanting to be braver, more honest, and to learn from your friends?"
"Well, it was about a month ago…"
***
[Monday, February 21, 2011]
"...back when I was doing power testing. I was scared. Test anxiety, fear of failure, the whole deal." I stood nervously in front of the PRT's Image department, trying not to think about the fact that Glenn Chambers (Head of Image) was on the other side of the video teleconference they'd set up. "I got changed, came out of my room, and practically ran into one of the researchers, Frank. He had some good advice for me, and it really stuck with me…"
"But you know, just because I can't help you is no reason to give up." His eyes twinkled, and Frank tilted his head. "This facility is full of scientists, heroes, and teens, including the ones you arrived with. Why not ask them? After all, we're all human at our cores. We're all just people."
"-and I guess I figured that he was right. I talked to a lot of people that day, and they all gave me good advice. By the end of the day, I felt like I had succeeded. All thanks to what I took from others, and made a part of me." I started writing a word on the whiteboard, large enough that they could see it from anywhere in the room. "So I want this to be my name."
"Okay, I'll entertain this for a moment, even if it is simple." Glenn still sounded unsure, and I didn't blame him. "It's a nice change of pace from flashy ideas and powerful forces, but I still need you to sell it to me. So, if a reporter asks you what it means, what will you say? Go."
I took a deep breath, trying not to think about the adults and all their experience, and instead focusing on my name. On what it meant to me, and how I wanted to spread it to the world.
"What Frank said was right. Parahuman or not, when you peel away our costumes and powers we're just people. We all have motivations, goals, and passions...but by placing another cape's power in my core I can learn from their insight and understand them better." I smiled, trying to project confidence. "I hope that someday, any team I'm on can see me as being there for them. That they know I'll support them, because I understand they're just like me...no matter the power or the person. Because when you get right down to it, we're all human at our cores."
"Huh. That's quite a speech, kid. Not the sort of thing I usually hear. " Glenn's voice sounded different, and I heard him scratching something on paper for a few seconds. "Fine, I guess you've convinced me. If nothing else, at least you're good at thinking on your feet."
Glenn continued to talk, assigning some people to making costume prototypes and others to getting me scheduled for fittings. That's where I was headed next, since they needed to have my costume done by the end of the week. Soon the only people left in the room were a blonde woman and I, along with the voice of Glenn Chambers.
He must have seen on camera how nervous I was getting about everything going on around me, and that had only spiked when he mentioned my debut in...six days. After introducing the blonde as Helen, my personal PR rep, he put my mind at ease about the debut. For one thing, it was less of a debut and more of an interview. That confused me, so I asked why.
"Well, for one thing, we know that you're seeing a therapist for anxiety and panic attacks." Helen was writing on a stack of 3x5 cards, switching between different colored highlighters. "Throwing you to the wolves, in public, with hundreds of people watching...seems like a recipe for disaster."
"So instead, it'll be an in-person interview on Channel 12, with a few dozen people in the live studio audience. Pre-recorded, even." Glenn sounded particularly proud of that, and I had to admit that I felt a lot better. Well, up until Helen handed me a ticket voucher. "Your parents already know that they shouldn't show up, but if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend…"
"Thanks." My voice sounded a little choked, and I quickly asked. "Won't people say it's staged?"
"Do you think anyone aside from trolls and idiots are going to get on you for admitting you're not perfect?" Glenn sounded almost insulted, and Helen gave me a gentle smile. "Didn't you once tell us that before you were a cape you always identified better with people who were honest about their problems and mistakes? A lot more people feel that way that you know, Greg."
"So, with that in mind I've prepared a series of cards for you to look over. Here you go." Helen handed me the cards, and waited patiently while I read over them. Each had a few sentences, put together from my own discussions with the PRT. "The parts in green are safe to expand on."
"I'm guessing the parts in red are things I should stay away from?"
"Right. For instance, saying 'I can see powers in parahumans even when they're not in costume' is a big no-no." Helen reached over and tapped the card I was reading at the moment. "Instead, you're going to say that you can only comprehend the powers of people who trust you. The more they trust you, the more you can copy, and even then it takes real effort."
The PRT had stressed that with me in all of our meetings, and at this point it felt burned into my skull. The idea was that as I got to know more heroes and assist other teams, I'd get more powerful and versatile. I may have been new, but I had a lot of room to grow as a hero.
***
[Friday, February 25, 2011]
Time had passed so quickly, and even with advice from Image, my parents, George, and Larry, I was still worried about this. I'd left school at noon for an "appointment," changed in the PRT's locker room, and now stood in front of a very shiny door with a timer above it.
I wonder if they make the door shiny so people can admire themselves in their cool costumes?
Honestly, the costume had been the most interesting part of the last week, and had helped take my mind off what happened over the weekend. It was hard to be worried about terrible mistakes you'd made in the past when working with Glenn. This costume was my future, and I loved it!
Heavy armor was out, as the bone growths I'd gotten from Velocity's power had exploded my shoes. What I needed was flexibility, since I could copy and blend a lot of powers. At the same time, without other capes I was just an ordinary kid, and needed protection from bullets, knives, and fireballs. I needed a costume that provided armor without stifling me and gave me style without making me a target.
Glenn knew a lot about costumes, and had been happy to give me a lecture on the complex and interesting world of colors, styles, and what they represented. Despite coming off kind of gruff at first, he had a real passion for heroes and cape culture, and I could see why he was the boss. This costume, my costume, was like a dream come true, and I was proud to wear it.
It started off with a blue bodysuit, one that was streaked with a green similar to Eidolon's (Glenn called it Viridian). It was stretchy, breathable despite having some kind of padding, and had heavy gloves built into it. The mask covered everything but my mouth and chin, with reflective goggles and an earpiece in it, as well as a microphone at my jawline.
My feet felt snug and secure in some light boots built into the suit, with light armor throughout and a utility belt that could hold anything from medical supplies to small tools. For protection from both cold and weapons, we decided on a heavy jacket that matched Assault's shade of red. It was like an armor-plated motorcycle jacket, and even zipped I could move easily.
Then a buzzer went off, the door opened, and I ran out of time to worry.
Hoping I didn't make a fool of myself, I entered. There was a table with drinks, food, and plates. But despite the knowledge that all this had been set up for me, I was still filled with anxiety.
Standing in front of me, as if they were posing for a picture, were Aegis, Vista, Clockblocker, Gallant, and Kid Win. All of them were in full costume, and they were looking right at me. After stumbling and nearly unmasking myself, I coughed and tried again.
I set my shoulders, took a deep breath, and held out my hand.
"Hi, I'm Core. Thanks for having me."
"Hello Core." Aegis stepped forward, taking my hand and shaking it. Even though I knew he was Carlos, the guy who had taught me Yoga, I felt like I was meeting someone entirely different. "Welcome to the team. When are you going to be going active?"
"They...um...told me that it'll be the day after my interview on Channel 12, tomorrow."
"Great. The sooner we have more help, the better." Vista stepped forward, holding out a hand. Even with my recent workouts, she still had a hellishly strong grip. "Nice to have you, Core."
"Ow...I mean, thanks. Glad to be here." I flexed my hand as she let it go, and turned to the next person in line as he approached...Clockblocker. "I've been told to keep an eye on your hands."
"That's probably smart advice." He laughed, giving me an air-high five, "I'll get you next time."
"Clockblocker!" Gallant approached, shaking my hand with an oddly light grip. "Ignore him."
"Um...I like your symbol. It fits the name." Kid Win shook my hand, and I couldn't help but beam with pride. On both my belt buckle and over my heart, there was a sphere that had been cut into segments, radiating out from a smaller core inside it. Like the planet, like a team, and like a person, it was a core. "So I hear you're a power-copier? How's that work?"
We retreated to the couches, and I gave them a brief rundown of my power, admitting that I'd been advised not to make any new blends without adult supervision. It was annoying, but what I'd done to myself with Aegis and Gallant's powers way back when had been a literal nightmare.
By the time I was done, they were just about to cut the cake, but I knew that in order to eat it several would have to unmask. Thinking about that power combo had reminded me of something else, and how I'd acted the last time I was here without a mask. "I need to apologize for something. Last time I was here, on a Wards tour...I was an asshole to several of you."
"You're not the first person to be a jerk, Core. I mean, we put up with Shadow Stalker-" Gallant stopped talking, and judging by Vista's hand squeezing the couch beside me, he probably saw her anger with his powers. "Anyway, it's no big deal."
"It's a big deal to me. I was nervous, I got scared, and I...used my powers to try and help myself feel better. After I hid in the bathroom, of course." I put my hand on my mask, already feeling like this had been a mistake, but unable to stop myself. Keeping my fears to myself had already ruined one relationship, I didn't need it to ruin another. "I just want to say that I'm sorry. I'm a lot better at controlling my powers now, but that still doesn't excuse me. I hope you can forgive-"
"Hey, Core?" Aegis' voice interrupted me, sounding less muffled than before. I looked up to see he had taken his mask off. In fact, I was the only one still wearing a mask! Aegis...no, Carlos, smiled at me. "Like I said before, welcome to the team. I'm Carlos."
I smiled at my new team, and they went around the room introducing themselves. I had to do a double take when it turned out that Misty was actually Missy. Finally, it was my turn.
"My name is Greg." My mask came off, pulled back like a hood. "Thanks for...accepting me."
Then we had cake, and talked about nothing in particular. Not powers. Just...stuff.
It wasn't perfect by any means. Dean kept badmouthing Shadow Stalker and Missy kept glaring at him. Chris was shying away from them and whispering with Dennis, who looked annoyed at the pair. Carlos just watched, as if afraid to call them out while I was here.
But I still felt great, because this was my team.
***
I was practically walking on air after that, and had to check to make sure I hadn't nabbed Aegis' power by mistake. No, I was just really happy, and was looking forward to seeing them again. My life was about to change in a big way, and thanks to Larry and Hobson I was actually ready.
I'd been afraid it would confuse them when I suddenly switched to half-days at Arcadia, went on patrols with the Wards, trained with heroes, and maybe fought criminals. So Larry had worked out a great cover story with me, hiring me on as his part-time assistant. Not only was it an excuse to be unavailable, but it gave me a reason I couldn't talk about my work or get visitors.
I could have just texted them, but school had just let out and I wanted to tell them in person. Taylor was headed to work, so I started with Theo. He was already done with his workout when I got there, so we just hung out while he stretched.
"Working for your therapist? Congrats! Guess I'm not the only one making a change." He took a drink from his water bottle, smiling at me and gesturing at Brian, up at the front of the gym. "Brian's tutoring got me up to speed, so now I'm going to be joining his tutor team. He said that I was 'barely good enough,' and one of his other teammates stopped growling at me all the time."
I had to laugh at that, thinking about the time that Rachel had growled at me back around Christmas. I wondered if Brian's team was anything like-
I stopped, and was glad I was turned away from Theo as it hit me.
Brian has smoky powers, and knows both Lisa and Rachel. He's an Undersider. Is Theo…?
Months ago I might have run to the PRT. Brian was working in a gym, had recruited my friend to join his gang of villains, and who knew what they were making him do? I heard Brian's voice...
He was talking to his mother near the entrance, Aisha laughing as the siblings badgered Celia. They were saying something about an art gallery, and she kept shaking her head. Eventually she left, but only after taking a flier from them and yelling that they owed her for trying.
I glanced at Theo. He was stronger, more confident, and maybe a villain, sure...but maybe it wasn't as black and white as that. If Brian had been one of the reasons he was better, then maybe...he wasn't so bad? He was just another guy with a family, like me and everyone else.
"Crap, I lost track of time, need to get going." Theo said, capping his water "See you next time?"
"Sure, I look forward to it." I waved at the newest member of the least evil team of villains in town. Would I have to fight him someday? "Catch you later, Theo."
I just prayed there'd never be double meaning in my statement.
***
All week long, Taylor had been extra nice to me, especially after what happened on Saturday. She didn't judge me for what I'd said, didn't call me an idiot, and was great at changing the subject just in time. When I said I had some good news for her, she insisted I come over and watch a movie to celebrate. I felt like I owed her, and besides...her voice sounded kind of off.
Soon we were eating Greek food and watching a monster movie, her dog snoozing at our feet.
"Oh my god, why are these campers so stupid?" Taylor shook her pita wrap at the screen, as we watched a pair of teenagers get PG-13 naked and have PG-13 sex. Before they could do more than kiss, they got torn in half by Jackson Borhees, the mystical murderer in the football helmet. "Also, how do they not hear this guy coming? Does he have some kind of Stranger power?"
"I think the implication is that they're so caught up in having sex that they don't notice him, like the football camp counselors who didn't hear him screaming for help when he got stuck under the bleachers at the start of the movie." I explained, then paused and added, "...or maybe he's a Mover and teleports? That explains how he can walk so slow and still keep up with them."
The movie soon reached its obvious conclusion, with Jackson being killed by a cheerleader. As the credits rolled, we turned to smalltalk, but it was only a matter of time before one of us slipped up. Finally, she blurted out something that it seemed she'd been chewing on all week.
"Honestly, the whole thing's my fault anyway." She lifted a hand, stopping me before I could disagree. "I'm the one who set you guys up, based on Mom's books. This is half on me, I gave you bad advice and pushed you two together. I kept telling you to take your time, and..."
And there it was. The fact I'd been avoiding all week, doing everything I could to stay distracted. The day after our big moment in the gym, when I'd declared myself his eternal friend...
Allen had dumped me.
Of course, I panicked. I babbled. I said some dumb things. Now Allen wasn't talking to me.
"To be fair, it was the nicest dumping ever." The words still felt a bit raw in my throat, but it hurt less to talk about than last time. "He very calmly explained that with his test results, new therapist, new medication, joining the baseball team, and so many other things, a relationship wasn't a good idea right now. Besides, he was right that I wasn't ready. Every time he tried to kiss me or talk about feelings or stuff, I'd change the subject. I was just too afraid to admit it."
I'd wanted to be angry at the time, but now I just felt stupid. It had taken weeks, but I'd finally realized that I just didn't feel the same way about Allen that he did about me. I kept assuming based on movies and comics that I'd suddenly want to do things with him like kiss or...other stuff, but it just never happened. So I just kept waiting and delaying, and now...it was over.
"If he's so nice, then why hasn't he talked to you since Saturday? I know you panicked a bit and said some dumb stuff, but when don't you panic and say dumb shit?" Taylor cut herself off and slapped her forehead, then slumped and sighed loudly. "Sorry, it's been a crappy day."
"Well, you helped with my crappy week, so...wanna talk about it?" She didn't respond, and began to hunch in on herself. I waved a hand. "Never mind. Anyway, I have this part-time-"
"I got dumped today." Taylor cut me off, her voice catching. "Also, maybe fired."
***
"How the...how did that happen? You kick ass at that job, and you weren't dating anyone!"
"After what happened with you and Allen, I started to wonder what else I was wrong about. I mean, I just read some books and assumed I was an expert, like an idiot." Taylor scoffed, crossing her arms and refusing to look at me. "There was someone I thought I was attracted to. Someone I thought was interested in me. But I wanted to be sure, and she's smart as hell, so...I asked at work today. Babbled for a few minutes, then finally asked her to be honest."
"Ah, and what did she say?" Assuming this was Lisa, she was smart enough to calmly-
"She was honest. Brutally honest." Taylor sniffled, then waved me off as she pulled out a tissue and started to fold it. "Practically psychoanalyzed me. Said my 'long period of bullying and rejection had made me latch onto her kindness, and that this was more infatuation than actual attraction.' She just kept going on and on, cutting me off, talking about my age, Dad, Emma..."
The dog Emma must have noticed her human's voice trailing off, because she stood suddenly. Nosing Taylor's hand, she hopped up on the couch and let out a little whine. A hand rubbed the dog's back, but its owner still looked worried. How had I missed this? What could I say?
"Anyway, we started arguing, and I just unloaded. Called her a bitch, shoved her when she tried to stop me from leaving, and she just...she told me to get the hell out!" Taylor sobbed, burying her face in Emma's fur. "God, I'm such an idiot. I ruined everything! I should've stayed quiet!"
"No, you shouldn't have." I slid closer, squeezing her shoulder, hoping I wasn't overstepping. She looked up at me, but didn't pull away...or sic Emma on me. "The reason my relationship with Allen failed was because I stayed quiet. Instead of telling him things weren't working, I kept waiting for them to get better. But you? You were brave, and I'm sure Lisa doesn't hate you."
"I called her a bitch! She deserved it, but what the hell!? Why did she just snap like that?"
I knew how hard it was for Lisa to control her power, remembering how it erased my memory when I had it. Maybe she had panicked, like I did with Allen a few days ago? But even then, I couldn't say any of that to Taylor, not without doing more harm. She'd hinted once at how she was after Emma had betrayed her, over a year ago...I hoped this wouldn't go that way.
Taylor wrapped her arms around Emma again, mumbling into the dog. I shifted, feeling something sharp dig into my side from inside my pocket. An idea hit me, a long shot...
"Um...how about...here!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out the voucher Helen had given me. Seeing Taylor like this was painful, especially after she'd been there for me all week. I started to babble. "I started working part-time for my therapist, and he does some work with the PRT, so he got this for me. But I think you could use it more...and I'm busy that day. So...here!"
Taylor wiped her face with one hand and took the voucher with the other. I could see her eyes moving over it, and then her eyes bugged out so much I thought they'd knock her glasses off.
As she looked back and forth between the voucher and my face, like it was an illusion, I felt a surge of panic go through me. Taylor was smart, and if she was in the front row there was no way she wouldn't recognize my voice tomorrow. Had I just unmasked myself? Shit!
"Oh my god, thank you!" She lunged forward, dislodging her dog and grabbing me in a hug that nearly took both of us off the couch. I let out a little gasp, my ribs creaking as she squeezed me, and then froze as I realized she was shaking a little. "Thanks for trying. I feel...less like shit."
"I just wanted to cheer you up." It sounded dumb, but as I put my arms around her I could feel my fears fade a little bit. Soon she was filling me in on all the rumors about the latest Ward.
Things still sucked, for both of us, but maybe this would make them a little better.
*********************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Things get pretty crazy from here on out, so let's have a quick Kalpin and Hobson interlude! Tune in for imagination, excitement, and adventure!
[Sunday, February 19, 2011]
Something I had learned back when I first got my powers was that any plan made in a vacuum was probably going to have flaws. It had nearly gotten me killed, jailed, and ruined a lot of my relationships. Before making any major plans for the future, it didn't hurt to get a second opinion.
Sveta had helped me see that, so she was the first person I thought of when it came to making the perfect cape name. Plus, she had once said she had once told me that she had a whole bunch, back during the "fanfic." What kind of friend would I be if I let them all go to waste?
Thus, the day before my meeting with the PRT, I wrote down my favorites and then got online.
GstringGirl: Wait, you want to know what? Names? I thought the Gregfic was over?
Me: Yeah, but I have to admit that all those cape names you came up with had me wondering.
GstringGirl: Eh...are you sure? Some of them are pretty dumb. I think I even used a few.
Me: Used them? On what? Sveta, are you writing fics again? That's great news!
GstringGirl: Oh, stop. I made a new friend, and got her into capefic. I'm helping her write one!
GstringGirl: I told her about that Bat-guy comic from Earth Aleph, and she's doing a self-insert.
GstringGirl: I'll ask her next time she's on, maybe you can be our Pre-reader this time?
Me: Sure, I look forward to ripping your work apart. In kindness, of course.
GstringGirl: Of course. [eyeroll.gif] Anyway, over to those names...ready, Greg?
Me: Hit me!
GstringGirl: Kaleidoscope: He's like a strange mirror of others. Also, the personality thing.
Me: True, but I'll bet people would misspell the hell out of that. I mean, I know I do.
GstringGirl: Inspiration: Same as before, he can use personalities to grow as a person.
Me: Probably shouldn't advertise the fact that his brain changes when he uses powers.
GstringGirl: Passion: Because all this started because of his passion to be better.
Me: That sounds more like the name of a porn star. Or a Master of some kind. Or both.
GstringGirl: Hey, I did warn you that most of these were pretty dumb...anyway, next one.
After Sveta had finished, I moved on to my parents, who shot down the vast majority of the names. Almost an hour later, we were down to the last nine, and even those didn't last long...
"Alloy is nice, since it has a strong meaning of combination, as well as a resistance to corrosion." Mom shook her head, tearing the card in half. She threw it in the huge pile of names we'd already crossed off, including all the PRT suggestions. "But your powers have nothing to do with metal, and it's another case of naming yourself after what your powers can do, Greg."
"If that's the case, then these can also go." Dad piped up, fanning out the cards for Meld, Union, Compound, and Composite. "Also, can probably toss Fusion as well. Didn't you used to watch an Earth Aleph cartoon once, where some glowing guys yelled that after a silly dance?"
Before I could correct Dad's terminology, I noted that we only had three cards left. Then Mom picked up Unity and read off her phone that someone in Virginia had it. Two names left...
"I'm not going to say that Blend is a bad idea, but it's another case of naming the power. Plus, I know you're not a coffee fan." Dad stood, stretching and grabbing the torn up cards to take to the trash. "Speaking of which, I'm getting another cup. Sandra?"
"I'm fine." Mom took a sip of her water, and I looked between my two choices. My phone buzzed and I snatched it up, but it was just a reminder to go to bed early. "Greg? You okay, sweetie?"
"Yeah." Maybe it was something in my tone, but Mom put her water down and gave me her full attention. I tried to distract her with a compliment. "Thanks for helping me with this."
"Of course, Greg!" She gave me a wide smile, one Dad shared as he returned with a fresh cup of coffee. Her smile started to fade, and she asked, "Do you want to talk some more about-"
"You've already helped me so much this weekend. I mean, your advice is usually so good, and you guys have told me a lot of stories over the years, some less believable than others…" I felt bad for talking over her, but I'd spent all last night crying, and didn't want a repeat performance. Taking one of Dad's tactics, I tried to distract her with a bit of teasing. "Like Mom's claim that she keeps randomly running into Alexandria every few years at libraries, parks, and grocery stores."
"Hand to God, I saw her at the Shop-mart a few months back, buying Frooty-Toots."
"Yeah, right…" All three of us laughed, and then Mom reached out and took my hand. Her expression was the same one she'd worn last night, and I finally sighed. "It's okay, Mom."
"Greg, I'm not going to push you, but we're here if you want to talk more." Mom's gaze was one I was hesitant to meet, especially after she added, "You have nothing to be ashamed of."
"Don't I, though?" I pulled out my phone and checked. Still no replies. "I should've been braver."
"Well, maybe that's your answer then?" Dad swiftly changed the subject, drawing a look from Mom. He held up the other card, smiling at me. "The story behind this one, wasn't it about you being afraid, and finding the courage to be honest with yourself and others?"
"Yeah, I guess." I took the card, brightening as I remembered that day. "It was inspiring."
"How did that go again?" Mom saw what Dad was doing, and pretended that I hadn't told the story a dozen times. "About wanting to be braver, more honest, and to learn from your friends?"
"Well, it was about a month ago…"
***
[Monday, February 21, 2011]
"...back when I was doing power testing. I was scared. Test anxiety, fear of failure, the whole deal." I stood nervously in front of the PRT's Image department, trying not to think about the fact that Glenn Chambers (Head of Image) was on the other side of the video teleconference they'd set up. "I got changed, came out of my room, and practically ran into one of the researchers, Frank. He had some good advice for me, and it really stuck with me…"
"But you know, just because I can't help you is no reason to give up." His eyes twinkled, and Frank tilted his head. "This facility is full of scientists, heroes, and teens, including the ones you arrived with. Why not ask them? After all, we're all human at our cores. We're all just people."
"-and I guess I figured that he was right. I talked to a lot of people that day, and they all gave me good advice. By the end of the day, I felt like I had succeeded. All thanks to what I took from others, and made a part of me." I started writing a word on the whiteboard, large enough that they could see it from anywhere in the room. "So I want this to be my name."
"Okay, I'll entertain this for a moment, even if it is simple." Glenn still sounded unsure, and I didn't blame him. "It's a nice change of pace from flashy ideas and powerful forces, but I still need you to sell it to me. So, if a reporter asks you what it means, what will you say? Go."
I took a deep breath, trying not to think about the adults and all their experience, and instead focusing on my name. On what it meant to me, and how I wanted to spread it to the world.
"What Frank said was right. Parahuman or not, when you peel away our costumes and powers we're just people. We all have motivations, goals, and passions...but by placing another cape's power in my core I can learn from their insight and understand them better." I smiled, trying to project confidence. "I hope that someday, any team I'm on can see me as being there for them. That they know I'll support them, because I understand they're just like me...no matter the power or the person. Because when you get right down to it, we're all human at our cores."
"Huh. That's quite a speech, kid. Not the sort of thing I usually hear. " Glenn's voice sounded different, and I heard him scratching something on paper for a few seconds. "Fine, I guess you've convinced me. If nothing else, at least you're good at thinking on your feet."
Glenn continued to talk, assigning some people to making costume prototypes and others to getting me scheduled for fittings. That's where I was headed next, since they needed to have my costume done by the end of the week. Soon the only people left in the room were a blonde woman and I, along with the voice of Glenn Chambers.
He must have seen on camera how nervous I was getting about everything going on around me, and that had only spiked when he mentioned my debut in...six days. After introducing the blonde as Helen, my personal PR rep, he put my mind at ease about the debut. For one thing, it was less of a debut and more of an interview. That confused me, so I asked why.
"Well, for one thing, we know that you're seeing a therapist for anxiety and panic attacks." Helen was writing on a stack of 3x5 cards, switching between different colored highlighters. "Throwing you to the wolves, in public, with hundreds of people watching...seems like a recipe for disaster."
"So instead, it'll be an in-person interview on Channel 12, with a few dozen people in the live studio audience. Pre-recorded, even." Glenn sounded particularly proud of that, and I had to admit that I felt a lot better. Well, up until Helen handed me a ticket voucher. "Your parents already know that they shouldn't show up, but if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend…"
"Thanks." My voice sounded a little choked, and I quickly asked. "Won't people say it's staged?"
"Do you think anyone aside from trolls and idiots are going to get on you for admitting you're not perfect?" Glenn sounded almost insulted, and Helen gave me a gentle smile. "Didn't you once tell us that before you were a cape you always identified better with people who were honest about their problems and mistakes? A lot more people feel that way that you know, Greg."
"So, with that in mind I've prepared a series of cards for you to look over. Here you go." Helen handed me the cards, and waited patiently while I read over them. Each had a few sentences, put together from my own discussions with the PRT. "The parts in green are safe to expand on."
"I'm guessing the parts in red are things I should stay away from?"
"Right. For instance, saying 'I can see powers in parahumans even when they're not in costume' is a big no-no." Helen reached over and tapped the card I was reading at the moment. "Instead, you're going to say that you can only comprehend the powers of people who trust you. The more they trust you, the more you can copy, and even then it takes real effort."
The PRT had stressed that with me in all of our meetings, and at this point it felt burned into my skull. The idea was that as I got to know more heroes and assist other teams, I'd get more powerful and versatile. I may have been new, but I had a lot of room to grow as a hero.
***
[Friday, February 25, 2011]
Time had passed so quickly, and even with advice from Image, my parents, George, and Larry, I was still worried about this. I'd left school at noon for an "appointment," changed in the PRT's locker room, and now stood in front of a very shiny door with a timer above it.
I wonder if they make the door shiny so people can admire themselves in their cool costumes?
Honestly, the costume had been the most interesting part of the last week, and had helped take my mind off what happened over the weekend. It was hard to be worried about terrible mistakes you'd made in the past when working with Glenn. This costume was my future, and I loved it!
Heavy armor was out, as the bone growths I'd gotten from Velocity's power had exploded my shoes. What I needed was flexibility, since I could copy and blend a lot of powers. At the same time, without other capes I was just an ordinary kid, and needed protection from bullets, knives, and fireballs. I needed a costume that provided armor without stifling me and gave me style without making me a target.
Glenn knew a lot about costumes, and had been happy to give me a lecture on the complex and interesting world of colors, styles, and what they represented. Despite coming off kind of gruff at first, he had a real passion for heroes and cape culture, and I could see why he was the boss. This costume, my costume, was like a dream come true, and I was proud to wear it.
It started off with a blue bodysuit, one that was streaked with a green similar to Eidolon's (Glenn called it Viridian). It was stretchy, breathable despite having some kind of padding, and had heavy gloves built into it. The mask covered everything but my mouth and chin, with reflective goggles and an earpiece in it, as well as a microphone at my jawline.
My feet felt snug and secure in some light boots built into the suit, with light armor throughout and a utility belt that could hold anything from medical supplies to small tools. For protection from both cold and weapons, we decided on a heavy jacket that matched Assault's shade of red. It was like an armor-plated motorcycle jacket, and even zipped I could move easily.
Then a buzzer went off, the door opened, and I ran out of time to worry.
Hoping I didn't make a fool of myself, I entered. There was a table with drinks, food, and plates. But despite the knowledge that all this had been set up for me, I was still filled with anxiety.
Standing in front of me, as if they were posing for a picture, were Aegis, Vista, Clockblocker, Gallant, and Kid Win. All of them were in full costume, and they were looking right at me. After stumbling and nearly unmasking myself, I coughed and tried again.
I set my shoulders, took a deep breath, and held out my hand.
"Hi, I'm Core. Thanks for having me."
"Hello Core." Aegis stepped forward, taking my hand and shaking it. Even though I knew he was Carlos, the guy who had taught me Yoga, I felt like I was meeting someone entirely different. "Welcome to the team. When are you going to be going active?"
"They...um...told me that it'll be the day after my interview on Channel 12, tomorrow."
"Great. The sooner we have more help, the better." Vista stepped forward, holding out a hand. Even with my recent workouts, she still had a hellishly strong grip. "Nice to have you, Core."
"Ow...I mean, thanks. Glad to be here." I flexed my hand as she let it go, and turned to the next person in line as he approached...Clockblocker. "I've been told to keep an eye on your hands."
"That's probably smart advice." He laughed, giving me an air-high five, "I'll get you next time."
"Clockblocker!" Gallant approached, shaking my hand with an oddly light grip. "Ignore him."
"Um...I like your symbol. It fits the name." Kid Win shook my hand, and I couldn't help but beam with pride. On both my belt buckle and over my heart, there was a sphere that had been cut into segments, radiating out from a smaller core inside it. Like the planet, like a team, and like a person, it was a core. "So I hear you're a power-copier? How's that work?"
We retreated to the couches, and I gave them a brief rundown of my power, admitting that I'd been advised not to make any new blends without adult supervision. It was annoying, but what I'd done to myself with Aegis and Gallant's powers way back when had been a literal nightmare.
By the time I was done, they were just about to cut the cake, but I knew that in order to eat it several would have to unmask. Thinking about that power combo had reminded me of something else, and how I'd acted the last time I was here without a mask. "I need to apologize for something. Last time I was here, on a Wards tour...I was an asshole to several of you."
"You're not the first person to be a jerk, Core. I mean, we put up with Shadow Stalker-" Gallant stopped talking, and judging by Vista's hand squeezing the couch beside me, he probably saw her anger with his powers. "Anyway, it's no big deal."
"It's a big deal to me. I was nervous, I got scared, and I...used my powers to try and help myself feel better. After I hid in the bathroom, of course." I put my hand on my mask, already feeling like this had been a mistake, but unable to stop myself. Keeping my fears to myself had already ruined one relationship, I didn't need it to ruin another. "I just want to say that I'm sorry. I'm a lot better at controlling my powers now, but that still doesn't excuse me. I hope you can forgive-"
"Hey, Core?" Aegis' voice interrupted me, sounding less muffled than before. I looked up to see he had taken his mask off. In fact, I was the only one still wearing a mask! Aegis...no, Carlos, smiled at me. "Like I said before, welcome to the team. I'm Carlos."
I smiled at my new team, and they went around the room introducing themselves. I had to do a double take when it turned out that Misty was actually Missy. Finally, it was my turn.
"My name is Greg." My mask came off, pulled back like a hood. "Thanks for...accepting me."
Then we had cake, and talked about nothing in particular. Not powers. Just...stuff.
It wasn't perfect by any means. Dean kept badmouthing Shadow Stalker and Missy kept glaring at him. Chris was shying away from them and whispering with Dennis, who looked annoyed at the pair. Carlos just watched, as if afraid to call them out while I was here.
But I still felt great, because this was my team.
***
I was practically walking on air after that, and had to check to make sure I hadn't nabbed Aegis' power by mistake. No, I was just really happy, and was looking forward to seeing them again. My life was about to change in a big way, and thanks to Larry and Hobson I was actually ready.
I'd been afraid it would confuse them when I suddenly switched to half-days at Arcadia, went on patrols with the Wards, trained with heroes, and maybe fought criminals. So Larry had worked out a great cover story with me, hiring me on as his part-time assistant. Not only was it an excuse to be unavailable, but it gave me a reason I couldn't talk about my work or get visitors.
I could have just texted them, but school had just let out and I wanted to tell them in person. Taylor was headed to work, so I started with Theo. He was already done with his workout when I got there, so we just hung out while he stretched.
"Working for your therapist? Congrats! Guess I'm not the only one making a change." He took a drink from his water bottle, smiling at me and gesturing at Brian, up at the front of the gym. "Brian's tutoring got me up to speed, so now I'm going to be joining his tutor team. He said that I was 'barely good enough,' and one of his other teammates stopped growling at me all the time."
I had to laugh at that, thinking about the time that Rachel had growled at me back around Christmas. I wondered if Brian's team was anything like-
I stopped, and was glad I was turned away from Theo as it hit me.
Brian has smoky powers, and knows both Lisa and Rachel. He's an Undersider. Is Theo…?
Months ago I might have run to the PRT. Brian was working in a gym, had recruited my friend to join his gang of villains, and who knew what they were making him do? I heard Brian's voice...
He was talking to his mother near the entrance, Aisha laughing as the siblings badgered Celia. They were saying something about an art gallery, and she kept shaking her head. Eventually she left, but only after taking a flier from them and yelling that they owed her for trying.
I glanced at Theo. He was stronger, more confident, and maybe a villain, sure...but maybe it wasn't as black and white as that. If Brian had been one of the reasons he was better, then maybe...he wasn't so bad? He was just another guy with a family, like me and everyone else.
"Crap, I lost track of time, need to get going." Theo said, capping his water "See you next time?"
"Sure, I look forward to it." I waved at the newest member of the least evil team of villains in town. Would I have to fight him someday? "Catch you later, Theo."
I just prayed there'd never be double meaning in my statement.
***
All week long, Taylor had been extra nice to me, especially after what happened on Saturday. She didn't judge me for what I'd said, didn't call me an idiot, and was great at changing the subject just in time. When I said I had some good news for her, she insisted I come over and watch a movie to celebrate. I felt like I owed her, and besides...her voice sounded kind of off.
Soon we were eating Greek food and watching a monster movie, her dog snoozing at our feet.
"Oh my god, why are these campers so stupid?" Taylor shook her pita wrap at the screen, as we watched a pair of teenagers get PG-13 naked and have PG-13 sex. Before they could do more than kiss, they got torn in half by Jackson Borhees, the mystical murderer in the football helmet. "Also, how do they not hear this guy coming? Does he have some kind of Stranger power?"
"I think the implication is that they're so caught up in having sex that they don't notice him, like the football camp counselors who didn't hear him screaming for help when he got stuck under the bleachers at the start of the movie." I explained, then paused and added, "...or maybe he's a Mover and teleports? That explains how he can walk so slow and still keep up with them."
The movie soon reached its obvious conclusion, with Jackson being killed by a cheerleader. As the credits rolled, we turned to smalltalk, but it was only a matter of time before one of us slipped up. Finally, she blurted out something that it seemed she'd been chewing on all week.
"Honestly, the whole thing's my fault anyway." She lifted a hand, stopping me before I could disagree. "I'm the one who set you guys up, based on Mom's books. This is half on me, I gave you bad advice and pushed you two together. I kept telling you to take your time, and..."
And there it was. The fact I'd been avoiding all week, doing everything I could to stay distracted. The day after our big moment in the gym, when I'd declared myself his eternal friend...
Allen had dumped me.
Of course, I panicked. I babbled. I said some dumb things. Now Allen wasn't talking to me.
"To be fair, it was the nicest dumping ever." The words still felt a bit raw in my throat, but it hurt less to talk about than last time. "He very calmly explained that with his test results, new therapist, new medication, joining the baseball team, and so many other things, a relationship wasn't a good idea right now. Besides, he was right that I wasn't ready. Every time he tried to kiss me or talk about feelings or stuff, I'd change the subject. I was just too afraid to admit it."
I'd wanted to be angry at the time, but now I just felt stupid. It had taken weeks, but I'd finally realized that I just didn't feel the same way about Allen that he did about me. I kept assuming based on movies and comics that I'd suddenly want to do things with him like kiss or...other stuff, but it just never happened. So I just kept waiting and delaying, and now...it was over.
"If he's so nice, then why hasn't he talked to you since Saturday? I know you panicked a bit and said some dumb stuff, but when don't you panic and say dumb shit?" Taylor cut herself off and slapped her forehead, then slumped and sighed loudly. "Sorry, it's been a crappy day."
"Well, you helped with my crappy week, so...wanna talk about it?" She didn't respond, and began to hunch in on herself. I waved a hand. "Never mind. Anyway, I have this part-time-"
"I got dumped today." Taylor cut me off, her voice catching. "Also, maybe fired."
***
"How the...how did that happen? You kick ass at that job, and you weren't dating anyone!"
"After what happened with you and Allen, I started to wonder what else I was wrong about. I mean, I just read some books and assumed I was an expert, like an idiot." Taylor scoffed, crossing her arms and refusing to look at me. "There was someone I thought I was attracted to. Someone I thought was interested in me. But I wanted to be sure, and she's smart as hell, so...I asked at work today. Babbled for a few minutes, then finally asked her to be honest."
"Ah, and what did she say?" Assuming this was Lisa, she was smart enough to calmly-
"She was honest. Brutally honest." Taylor sniffled, then waved me off as she pulled out a tissue and started to fold it. "Practically psychoanalyzed me. Said my 'long period of bullying and rejection had made me latch onto her kindness, and that this was more infatuation than actual attraction.' She just kept going on and on, cutting me off, talking about my age, Dad, Emma..."
The dog Emma must have noticed her human's voice trailing off, because she stood suddenly. Nosing Taylor's hand, she hopped up on the couch and let out a little whine. A hand rubbed the dog's back, but its owner still looked worried. How had I missed this? What could I say?
"Anyway, we started arguing, and I just unloaded. Called her a bitch, shoved her when she tried to stop me from leaving, and she just...she told me to get the hell out!" Taylor sobbed, burying her face in Emma's fur. "God, I'm such an idiot. I ruined everything! I should've stayed quiet!"
"No, you shouldn't have." I slid closer, squeezing her shoulder, hoping I wasn't overstepping. She looked up at me, but didn't pull away...or sic Emma on me. "The reason my relationship with Allen failed was because I stayed quiet. Instead of telling him things weren't working, I kept waiting for them to get better. But you? You were brave, and I'm sure Lisa doesn't hate you."
"I called her a bitch! She deserved it, but what the hell!? Why did she just snap like that?"
I knew how hard it was for Lisa to control her power, remembering how it erased my memory when I had it. Maybe she had panicked, like I did with Allen a few days ago? But even then, I couldn't say any of that to Taylor, not without doing more harm. She'd hinted once at how she was after Emma had betrayed her, over a year ago...I hoped this wouldn't go that way.
Taylor wrapped her arms around Emma again, mumbling into the dog. I shifted, feeling something sharp dig into my side from inside my pocket. An idea hit me, a long shot...
"Um...how about...here!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out the voucher Helen had given me. Seeing Taylor like this was painful, especially after she'd been there for me all week. I started to babble. "I started working part-time for my therapist, and he does some work with the PRT, so he got this for me. But I think you could use it more...and I'm busy that day. So...here!"
Taylor wiped her face with one hand and took the voucher with the other. I could see her eyes moving over it, and then her eyes bugged out so much I thought they'd knock her glasses off.
As she looked back and forth between the voucher and my face, like it was an illusion, I felt a surge of panic go through me. Taylor was smart, and if she was in the front row there was no way she wouldn't recognize my voice tomorrow. Had I just unmasked myself? Shit!
"Oh my god, thank you!" She lunged forward, dislodging her dog and grabbing me in a hug that nearly took both of us off the couch. I let out a little gasp, my ribs creaking as she squeezed me, and then froze as I realized she was shaking a little. "Thanks for trying. I feel...less like shit."
"I just wanted to cheer you up." It sounded dumb, but as I put my arms around her I could feel my fears fade a little bit. Soon she was filling me in on all the rumors about the latest Ward.
Things still sucked, for both of us, but maybe this would make them a little better.
*********************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Things get pretty crazy from here on out, so let's have a quick Kalpin and Hobson interlude! Tune in for imagination, excitement, and adventure!
Interlude 12: The Days are Just Packed
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
AN: Figured I'd post this early, since the end is in sight. It has a few hints of what's to come, but mostly it's an interlude about two characters I deeply enjoyed. Since Kalpin and Hobson are adult Calvin and Hobbes expies, I had fun writing this in a...unique way. Hope you enjoy it!
********************
Interlude 12: The Days Are Just Packed
"All right, all right, I'm going!" Spacemaster Spiff growled at the hulking space squids who directed him towards their gross leader. He might have been lacking his Death Ray Zorcher, but even his wits were enough to keep them at bay. "Your queen doesn't scare me one bit!"
"Haw haw, you say that now, Spiff...but Queen Worm isn't known for her kindness." One of the Zogwargs laughed, acidic spittle narrowly missing him. It wrenched open the rusted gate leading to the torture chamber and motioned for him to enter. "Your gruesome fate awaits!"
Hopelessly outnumbered, Spiff had no choice but to enter the darkened room, and stood at the ready in front of the vast console. Numerous implements designed to elicit pain and information from victims lay across its surface, but Spiff was unbowed. He didn't even flinch as the door slammed behind him, leaving him alone with the brutal being who called this room their home.
A chair behind the console slowly rotated, revealing the grim visage of Queen Worm, a foe that had tried and failed to make Spiff talk on more than one occasion. He just grimaced at her, smiling inwardly as he saw the vein on her forehead pulse.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Spiff drawled, carefully reaching behind his back for the Holdout Atom Blaster he'd stashed in his briefs. "Miss my winning personality?"
Certainly, the aliens had taken the Death Ray Zorcher from his hands and the Atomic Napalm Neutralizer from his ankle holster. As they'd started to pat him down though, he had made an off-color joke about being 'debriefed' and both had gotten into a fight. Such fragile masculinity in these aliens, really a shame.
Regardless, it meant they'd missed the tiny weapon hidden in the band of his space pants, one that was warming up even now. He gently spun its dial from 'Medium-well' to 'Frappe,' and tried not to let his confidence show on his face. All he needed were a few more seconds…
Time was not on his side though, as the Zogwarg Queen leapt across the console and grabbed the Spacemaster in her slimy tentacles. She began to shake him, roaring loudly.
"Kalpin! Wake up!"
***
"Kalpin!" Hobson shook his partner again, annoyed at the short blond's propensity for dozing off when given half a chance. Both had been up all night, Hobson reading files and Kalpin cleaning up a video they'd recovered. Already Hobson was on his second cup of coffee, and Kalpin was out like a light. Luckily, his partner began to wake up at last. "Come on!"
"No...not the Zogwargian rocket scooters...I left my emergency jetpack at home…" Kalpin muttered, slowly coming back to the real world. He blinked slowly, saw Hobson standing over him, and had the good sense to look embarrassed. "Oh, hey buddy, sorry about that."
"It's not an issue, given that we got here before everyone else, but maybe some breakfast would perk you up?" Hobson gestured at the small basket of mixed fruits and cereal bars Deacon seemed to send them every week, getting a face from Kalpin. "Or I guess there's cereal."
"Now you're talkin' my language!" Kalpin was suddenly wide awake, and within moments was eating handfuls of Chocolate Frosted Honey Bombs that Hobson kept stocked in a filing cabinet. "You always know just what I need, pal. Thanks for havin' my back!"
"No problem, Kalpin." Hobson chuckled at his long-time friend's expression, choosing not to point out that the other man's teeth had already turned brown. Instead he simply sat back down at his desk and looked over some paperwork he'd been working on. Both had arrived early to get first crack at the patrol cars, since they'd been looking forward to going on patrol for-
"Kalpin! Hobson!" A voice both had learned to dread startled the two of them, papers and cereal going flying, and they turned to see a hulking figure stomping past. Before either could ask for clarification or apologize for their mess, orders were being barked. "My office! Now!"
Both looked at each other, looked down at the papers and diabetes-causing (according to several lawsuits) cereal littering the floor, and shrugged. Where most would have been shaking in fear having Chief Wormwood shout at them, for Kalpin and Hobson it was just Tuesday.
A dozen other PRT agents and officers all watched them go with a mix of disapproval and relief. Everyone knew that the pair had the highest amount of complaints...as well as the most closed cases. A few people passed money between themselves, and one even erased the number '4' from a nearby whiteboard and replaced it with a '0.'
"Close the door!" Were the first words they heard as they entered the darkened office, and only after complying did Wormwood flick on her lights and send her patented armor-piercing glare at Hobson. She'd long since learned that Kalpin was either too stupid or too happy to be affected by it. "What the hell do you two have to say for yourselves? Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be called out by Deputy Director Renick for the stunt you pulled?"
"In our defense, despite originally being a loud asshole, Deacon has really proved himself." Kalpin started to explain, ignoring the way his partner was poking him. "I mean, sure we had to threaten one guy's butler, but butlers are always committing crimes according to TV! I'm sure we prevented a dozen more crimes, and now we've got a burly dude who owes us his life for-"
"This isn't about that." Wormwood cut him off, and if Kalpin were smart he'd have quit.
"Okay, then I guess this is about the thing with the confoam. I keep telling Supply that they need to put stronger springs on them, because I can't help that my grip makes a little squirt every time I pick one up. It's not like it doesn't wash off-"
"This also isn't about that." Wormwood cut Kalpin off again, this time continuing before he could dig himself any deeper. "This is about you and Velocity. You've been spreading rumors about him, and I haven't had Director Piggot yell at me so loud since that thing with the noodles-"
"Ma'am, may I remind you that 'The Noodle Incident' has been sealed by Chief Costa-Brown, and cannot be spoken of without a court order." Hobson spoke over Wormwood, drawing a glare from the older woman. Kalpin started muttering about his explanation being 'the unvarnished truth,' but quieted after Hobson elbowed him. The tall man tried to smooth things out, "But at the same time, our animosity with Velocity is actually quite simple. It has to do with our respective-"
"I don't have time for another crazy story about 'Easy-going Professionalism,' or whatever tale you two want to spin today." Wormwood lifted a thick folder from her desk and dropped it for emphasis, a loud thud echoing through the office. "This is a list of complaints and issues the Legal Department just sent over regarding the two of you. This is just a few years' worth!"
"Oh, is that so?" Kalpin's eyes focused on the folder, seeing the name on the cover. His smile faded, and his voice lowered. "Have to admit, I'm surprised. Can't believe that she-"
"Normally I would just suspend you idiots, but as cliché as it is I have to admit you get results." Wormwood steepled her fingers, barely hiding the smile on her elderly face. "So after talking with Armsmaster and a special consultant, I think I have the perfect solution to this."
Suddenly, Kalpin wished he'd stayed at his desk , fast asleep in an exciting dream.
Because as Wormwood explained their horrific punishment...
He realized he was trapped in a nightmare.
***
Name's Hiram, Hiram Caliber.
Some folks call me Hi. Others call me to look into people. Still more call me things that ain't fit for the mouths of children. I've got a lot of names, but I've earned all of 'em.
Got an office on 33rd street, a bad relationship with my landlord, and a great relationship with my bartender. He's one of the two reasons I'm always loaded, and the other reason's in my shoulder holster. One slug in my flask, and six in my revolver, and I'm ready for anything.
"You Caliber?" Said a voice like liquid velvet, and I looked up from the face of my old pal Jack Daniels to see a dame waltzing into my office. She had a figure that told me she was no stranger to running, clothes that told me she could afford my fifty dollars a day (plus expenses), and eyes that told me to stop narrating and get to it. "Heard you were a private eye."
"Yeah, I'm a professional snoop. You got someone you need found, or something lost?" I stood, pulling my trench coat off my chair and throwing it over my shoulders. It covered up the rumpled clothes of a man whose only true love was a good night's sleep. I'd been single for a long time, in that regard, but that didn't mean I'd stopped looking. "What's your deal, toots?"
"Need some help finding something." She looked away, cheekbones so sharp you could cut yourself, and took in my mess of an office. A hundred cold cases spread across the floor and walls, people whose families had never been given closure, all more important than my sad-sack life. She smiled, motioning for me to follow. "Come on, I'll take you where I last saw it."
A smart man would've let her just walk away, knowing something was up. But I've never claimed to be a smart man…
A few minutes later, I realized we were in a dark alley that just screamed 'ambush' and decided to head things off before they went from worse to even worse. I reached for my oldest friend, my .38, and maneuvered myself between her and the exit.
"I'm sorry," she said, and if I'd had a heart left her tone might've broken it. But I'd already lost everything that mattered to me a long time ago. She turned her honey-smooth words to my ego, and started to explain, "I wasn't trying to get you and Hobson in trouble, it was my boss..."
***
"...he waited until I was out sick, and then snatched it off my desk." Suzanne sighed, shaking her head and leaning against the shelving. So loaded with boxes and files, it didn't even quiver as her slender frame slumped against it. She put a hand to her forehead, rubbing at a temple. "I only just found out, and rushed in to work to try and warn you...but I was too late."
"Yeah, but why were you even collecting all that anyway?" Kalpin tried not to sound accusatory, but it was hard when those same reports had just been used to blindside Hobson and him mere minutes earlier. "I mean, I know we bend a few rules sometimes, but you really went deep on us. There was stuff in there from back when we had just joined!"
The two had come out of Wormwood's office and found Suzanne sitting at Kalpin's desk. He'd wanted to tell her off, but she had just grabbed his arm and dragged him into the empty file room. The heavy door had closed behind them, and even though they were alone she still pulled him to the far end of the narrow corridor created by two high shelves.
"I know, I know!" She held up both hands, surrendering to his annoyance and even sharing it. "My boss needed something to show that he deserved a bonus, so he grabbed the half-finished report I was working on and pretended it was a complaint. In fact, it was the exact opposite!"
The two of them couldn't have been more different. Kalpin was short, muscular, and looked like he hadn't pressed his suit in weeks, his messy blond hair and slouched frame making him appear constantly disheveled. Suzanne was almost as tall as Hobson, narrow, and wearing a pressed pantsuit, her hair neatly styled and her posture the picture of professionalism.
She started to say more, but sniffled. Kalpin flinched, worried that he'd gone too far.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you…" Kalpin trailed off, then winced as Suzanne pulled a tissue out of one pocket and blew her nose wetly. "Oh damn...are you still sick?"
"Yeah, I tried to call you, but you seem to have forgotten to charge your phone again." Even in the dim light, he could see that her eyes were red, her face blotchy, and her nose raw. "By the time I got here, Wormwood was already chewing you guys out. I just...didn't want you thinking I had it out for you or anything. I care too much about you guys to try and get you in trouble."
"Nah, I get it, we rack up a lot of problems with how we work." Kalpin shrugged, trying to pretend that today's horrible punishment was no big deal. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "So, if we only got the bad half of the report, what was the other half going to be about?"
"Well, your successes, obviously." Suzanne wrinkled her nose and lifted both hands, a smile starting to spread across her face. "For all your problems, you two still have the highest success ratio of any PRT duo within a few hundred miles. I wanted to see if we could extrapolate that, and get you guys some recognition for that 'easy-going professionalism' you always talk about."
"All that just for us?" Kalpin leaned against the shelving opposite Suzanne's, a smile growing on his face. "I'm pretty sure Wormwood would tell you that we were just sick in the head and lucky. Given the way you just exposed me to the Bubonic Plague, I guess we're now sick overall."
"Well, if you're already sick, then I guess it can't get any worse." Suzanne moved closer, putting an arm around her boyfriend and pressing her lips to his. A long minute went by without any words passing between them, though there was certainly a lot of communication. Finally, she drew back, grinning. "I feel better already. Thanks for understanding, Kal."
"Anytime, Suzie." Kalpin yelped as she poked him in the gut, and he wrapped her in his arms before she could do it again. "Sorry, sorry! I'll just stick to Suzanne. Such a hostile workplace!"
"Don't you forget it." She gave him another peck, then wiggled out of his arms and headed for the door. "Come on, we'd better get back out there before Hobson gets lonely. Didn't you guys have some sort of horrible punishment today? What did Wormwood give you, anyway?"
"Ugh, way to kill the mood." Kalpin followed, sighing theatrically. "She said we have to…"
***
My name is Kally, Agent Kally of the FBI.
I've been partnered with a man named Tiger, a crazy conspiracy theorist who will follow any lead, any angle, any possibility to try and find the truth. He claims that the truth is out there all the time, almost like it's some sort of catch phrase, and I just roll my eyes at him.
It's my job to keep him on the straight and narrow. My job to ignore the strange explanations he has for perfectly ordinary coincidences. My job to stay by his side, no matter what, as we delve into the darkness of humanity. My job to support him...a job I take seriously.
Last week we came across a strange body that had been drained of all its blood, two small holes on the neck. Tiger claimed it was a vampire, but I pointed out that no creature would be able to drink all the blood from a human male in one go.
1.5 gallons of blood all has to go somewhere, after all. Later we watched a man turn into a cloud of bats. May have been a hallucination. We had both inhaled some swamp gas a few minutes earlier, but I put it in my report.
Today we're hunting for someone who can supposedly do something that normally only exists in the world of comic books and fantasy. Most agents would reject the case, or pretend that they had better things to do...but not us.
These are...the Hess Files.
***
"Wait, why do you call them the Hess Files?" Velocity asked, and rather than replying Kalpin just turned the car's radio up to drown him out. Unfortunately, the crappy car they'd been given by the motor pool barely had a working engine, much less a radio. "Hold up, as in Sophia Hess?"
Kalpin remained silent, as if pretending that there hadn't been a voice from the back of the car.
"You are at least partially correct." Hobson turned around and looked at Velocity as they hit a red light, glad to see the cape was still wearing his seatbelt. "Her information led us to visit her brother, Terrence. He escaped, but we got his files on the criminal and parahuman elements of Brockton Bay he was interested in recruiting. His crew has been more active lately, but he keeps evading arrest, so we're trying to get his targets before he can. But-"
"But you guys think that one of the junkie parahumans he mentioned in his files is in this area, okay. Got it, I remember now, thanks." Velocity quickly replied, bouncing his hand on his knee as he pulled at the too-tight seatbelt for the hundredth time. "Also, can I please take this-"
"No, you can't." Hobson cut him off, pointing at the car's dashboard and reprimanding the other man. "As long as the engine is on, you will wear a seatbelt, or this car will not move."
"Okay, okay." The Protectorate hero turned as red as his costume, then let out a little grunt as Hobson hit the brakes. They appeared to have hit every single red light in the area, and were only halfway done with the patrol. "Sorry, I just can't believe that Wormwood and Armsmaster are forcing us to spend time together. A lock in? It's like something out of a bad sitcom!"
"Finally, something I agree with him on! This is a complete waste of..." Kalpin piped up, then crossed his arms and clamped his mouth shut. He had refused to speak to the hero ever since they'd gotten in the same car over an hour ago. "I mean...whatever. I'm taking a nap."
One of the reasons Kalpin had been up all night was because he'd been working on cleaning up a video of Hess in action from a few days back. He'd been caught on camera training his men, and now they knew what his 'work clothes' looked like. The teenager who had taken the video from between wooden fence slats had even gotten a closeup of Hess' face.
Thanks to Kalpin, his file had been updated, and BBPD was on the lookout for a big black guy in heavy clothing, barely covering the bulky Leet-made Tinkertech armor he'd stolen a while back. What stood out most about Hess was the way his eyes always seemed to be moving, his deep rumbling voice, and his obsession with pushing his men to their limits. Hence, today's patrol.
The three sat in silence for several minutes, the only sound being the muffler scraping on the ground outside, Kalpin's fake snores, and Velocity's finger tapping on the sole of his boot. Both PRT agents glanced at each other as they noted that the tapping was starting to speed up.
"Gah! I can't take this silent treatment anymore!" Velocity threw his hands in the air, ignoring the way his hands left small dents in the car's ruined upholstery. "This is why I hate you guys! You throw an immature fit every time I try to interact with you. I don't know why you hate me for trying to help, but I'm seriously not trying to steal your glory...or whatever your excuse is!"
Unbeknownst to Velocity, Kalpin and Hobson played a quick game of rock paper scissors, which Hobson won thanks to his partner's tell. The shorter agent sighed, and turned around.
"Okay, it's true that we hate how your appearances always turn any interview with us into 'The Velocity Show.' Capes tend to take center stage in anything they're involved in, so if we spent a week on a case and you just show up, it all goes to you." Kalpin held up a hand as Velocity started to reply. "But! That's not why we're always trying to get rid of you. Your presence forces us to escalate the charges, handling, and so on for what's usually a very low-key crime. You just being onsite can change a sentence from a few months to a few years!"
"But my presence, even if I don't do anything but stand there, can also mean that people are more willing to give up." Velocity argued back, then shifted to his breaker state and tapped Kalpin's seat a dozen times at high speed. The seat's upholstery barely moved. "Plus, you know that with my power I'm more of a presence than a force multiplier. I don't even need to fight!"
"As much as I'd love to make fun of you for having punches as effective as those of a toddler, and really, that's all I want to do right now..." Kalpin cut himself off, seeing his partner glaring at him, and took a deep breath. "You're a sledgehammer in a city full of hammers and nails. Thing is, you treating all of us PRT hammers like we can't even handle a few nails is honestly kinda insulting. Plus, you smashing tiny little shoplifter nails will drive them into a board, but it'll also bend them and make sure they'll never be anything useful again. Wait, I mean...um..."
"I think your analogy is starting to fall apart, Kalpin." Hobson muttered, and his partner checked to make sure they were at a red light before slugging him in the arm. "Worth...it…"
"Fine, then how about this? I'll try to be better about asking permission before just showing up, and you two stop acting like I have some kind of vendetta against you. I'm the fastest speedster on the east coast, no matter what Battery says, so I can come or go in no time. Just be polite!" The hero shook Kalpin's hand, then glanced at his partner. "Hobson? You've been mighty quiet up there...you got any grievances you wanna air? Might as well keep this going..."
"Hmm? Oh no, I was just thinking about the weather. This wind is very...unique."
In fact, Hobson was actually using every bit of his self-control to keep himself from smiling. He had suggested this lock-in plan to Armsmaster and Wormwood weeks earlier, and knew both Velocity and Kalpin would be mad if they found out. Maybe he'd tell them someday.
"You know, now that you mention it, the sound of it is kind of strange." Kalpin rolled down his window, cocking his head and putting a hand to his ear. "It almost sounds like...screaming?"
Moments later, their car was up on the sidewalk, siren blaring.
***
They screeched to a halt a hundred feet away from what appeared to be a miniature tornado. All three leaned forward to see just what the hell the source of this strange weather phenomenon was. Unsurprisingly, it was exactly what (or rather, who) they had expected.
"Looks like you guys were dead on," Velocity whispered, looking down at the photograph Hobson had handed him earlier, then back up. "The Hess Files finally came through."
Before them were nearly a dozen men and women with an assortment of knives and broken bottles, dressed in mismatched pants, jackets, and hats. All had pale skin, and eyes that were red from irritation. The source of the irritation was the same force keeping them all at bay...as well as whipping up an irritating dust storm. She was also the one screaming.
It was a young woman, perhaps no older than her late teens, dressed in gray overalls and with hair covering her face. Her skin was dark, but it was hard to tell how much of that was from genetics and how much from grime. From what they could see, she had been sleeping in a dumpster when the junkies came after her, and she didn't take kindly to the interruption.
"Hess' files refer to her as Whirlygig, although that might just have been his nickname for her." Hobson quickly explained, pulling out his taser and checking it. Kalpin was already digging something out of the glove box, a hand-held confoam sprayer, cursing as he accidentally let a glob leak out of it. "She can spin things around her, creating a sort of one-person tornado."
"Yeah, but she's also known for heavy drug use, and Hess' notes say she steals from dealers." Velocity had skimmed over the file as well, and even now he winced as he saw one of the girl's opponents throw a broken bottle at her. It spun around her twice, then flung itself right back at the grungy man. He shrieked and ran. "They must have come to collect, and she's panicking."
Indeed, in the time it had taken them to check their gear and call it in, the parahuman had already wounded four other people. Whirlygig was screaming at the top of her lungs, swinging her hands around like a wild beast. Whatever drugs she was on had given her an almost berserker rage, and Velocity knew that his powers would be integral to...to…
"Crap!" The speedster pulled at his seatbelt, pressing the button to release it a dozen times in a second. "My seatbelt is stuck! I can't...get...free! Wait for me, this is too much for you-"
"Like I said, we can handle ourselves." Kalpin winked at Velocity, then popped the door open and headed out. "I can't let her hurt anyone else, or herself!"
"He's right, we'll just have to occupy her as best we can." Hobson tossed his satchel at the hero, going out as well. He shouted over his shoulder, "Knife in the satchel, cut yourself free!"
Then both were gone, running headlong into the storm regardless of the consequences.
Velocity stared at them for a moment, then started to dig for a knife.
***
Stupendous Guy flew through the massive hurricane at top speed, doing his best to dodge the debris that was trapped in its dastardly clutches. The storm was the size of a small city, growing ever-larger with each passing minute, and far too great for lesser heroes to handle.
Even fellow hero Speed Force had advised Stupendous Guy to stay away, but he knew that this was no ordinary hurricane. His Super Hearing was picking up screaming from inside, and as he finally reached its eye...he saw the source.
A monstrous bug creature, latched onto a young woman...its tentacles digging into her veins. She floated in the middle of the hurricane, screaming with fear and anger as the bug pumped horrible drugs and chemicals into her.
She may have once been an ordinary girl, perhaps even a hero, but this terrible monster was twisting her to its evil ends. Worse, she was surrounded by a dozen smaller monsters, all preventing her from fighting off the bug!
Normally Stupendous Guy would never think to tackle such a challenge on his own...but he wasn't alone. Floating beside him was his stalwart companion, Master Tiger. Knowing that there was nothing they couldn't handle together, the two shared a single nod.
Then with speed that shattered the sound barrier, both blasted towards their foes…
They would save the girl, stop the monsters, and win the day!
***
"I still don't understand how you guys pulled that off." Velocity shook his head, looking on as Hobson hugged the crying Whirlygig. Kalpin just smiled, setting down another orange cone, then standing back as the speedster blurred. In moments, a large area around them was blocked off with police tape. "I thought for sure she was going to... I mean...you know."
"Yeah, but Hobson knows so much about child psychology that he could practically open a practice, and I'm used to thinking outside the box. We both saw that she was scared, and once we cleared out the people attacking her it was easy to talk her down." He checked his phone and saw that backup was a few minutes out. "Not being treated as a scary monster helped."
"Well, speaking of scary stuff, I'd better go handle that mess." He pointed with his chin at the Channel 12 news van, letting out a sigh as he walked off. "Great job, guys."
Over the next few minutes, Velocity talked to an ever-growing crowd of reporters while Kalpin and Hobson talked to Whirlygig (or Denise, as she preferred to be called). Hobson gave her some water and a cereal bar, the girl having gone days without food. When the PRT arrived, they gently handed her off, promising to check on her in a few hours.
Both were about to leave, but turned back to see Velocity waving at them. Rolling their eyes and approaching, both prepared to be mere guest stars in the Velocity Show, and were surprised to hear something different for once.
"-so there I was, trapped, and these two stepped in and saved my butt." The hero grabbed Kalpin's shoulder and pulled the shorter man to his side. He put the PRT agents between himself and the reporters, adding, "They took her on, no powers, and talked her down while I recovered. I don't often fall down, but when I do I'm proud to have people like Kalpin and Hobson by my side. They're the real heroes here."
Then he turned and walked away, but Hobson caught his arm.
"Velocity, before you go. First, thank you for your candor today." The red-suited speedster started to shake his head, but then saw Hobson turn his notebook towards the man. The PRT agent whispered, "Whirlygig said she got her drugs from this address, and that her dealer was extremely high last night when she stole from him. Could you look into it?"
Velocity grinned, nodding, and took off after calling for backup. Upon arriving and opening the door, he was struck with a horrible smell. The sole inhabitant of the room was barely coherent, but that actually worked out in the Protectorate hero's favor. Even as the PRT were loading him into a van, the man was telling anyone who would listen about a cool party he'd been invited to.
"There's even gonna be some big names there, and I can totally get you in as a VIP!" The dealer bragged, waving his cuffed hands at them as they 'helped' him retrieve various baggies and bottles from his run-down apartment. Leaning in close and trying not to recoil at the man's breath, Velocity heard him whisper, "Hey, I'll split the finder's fee if ya let me recruit ya. Ever since Hess stole Mush and some guys, Skidmark's been desperate for capes. You in?"
"Sure, I'd love to join a gang." Velocity acted cheerful, then whispered, "In fact, I have a whole bunch of other capes I know. Maybe they could come along too? Where's this party gonna be?"
That night, Velocity was filling out his report, checking Armsmaster's helmet camera for details. The Tinker had only gloated a little bit when Velocity explained that his tip came from those guys Armsmaster had forced him to work with. Colin's ego grew three sizes that day.
Still, it had been a hell of a tip. The Protectorate and PRT had arrested dozens of criminals, recovered thousands of pounds of drugs, and picked up a loud Tinker who'd drunkenly wrecked her own battle-car. Skidmark had gotten away, but it was still a successful night.
All thanks to Velocity's two new friends. He wondered how he could pay them back...
Speaking of, he heard a familiar voice and looked up, seeing that Armsmaster was watching the news nearby. They were replaying the interview with Kalpin and Hobson, and both looked happier than he'd ever seen them.
"-but in the end, after her aggressors were chased off, she settled down and saw reason. It didn't matter that we were PRT and she was a criminal…" Hobson paused, tapping his heart and smiling. "As a friend of mine once told me, we're all the same at our core."
"Excuse me, Agent Kalpin?" The camera turned to Kalpin, who currently had an invisible person in a headlock, acting out a fight. "Why did you and your partner throw yourselves into danger? How'd you know you could talk her down?"
"Funny you should ask that..." Kalpin smiled, winking at Hobson and taking the microphone in his hand, "There's something my partner and I have been developing for years. We call it Easy-going Professionalism, and we think it's going to change the entire culture of..."
Velocity just laughed and shook his head, watching them talk. Those two were far better than he'd given them credit for. He was actually looking forward to seeing them again. So much had changed in his life, in his town, just in the last few months...it was amazing.
"You know what's weird?" Velocity asked Armsmaster, then continued when the man raised an eyebrow. "Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon...everything's different."
******************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: An old enemy becomes a teacher, an old friend helps someone find happiness, and a dark secret is revealed.
********************
Interlude 12: The Days Are Just Packed
"All right, all right, I'm going!" Spacemaster Spiff growled at the hulking space squids who directed him towards their gross leader. He might have been lacking his Death Ray Zorcher, but even his wits were enough to keep them at bay. "Your queen doesn't scare me one bit!"
"Haw haw, you say that now, Spiff...but Queen Worm isn't known for her kindness." One of the Zogwargs laughed, acidic spittle narrowly missing him. It wrenched open the rusted gate leading to the torture chamber and motioned for him to enter. "Your gruesome fate awaits!"
Hopelessly outnumbered, Spiff had no choice but to enter the darkened room, and stood at the ready in front of the vast console. Numerous implements designed to elicit pain and information from victims lay across its surface, but Spiff was unbowed. He didn't even flinch as the door slammed behind him, leaving him alone with the brutal being who called this room their home.
A chair behind the console slowly rotated, revealing the grim visage of Queen Worm, a foe that had tried and failed to make Spiff talk on more than one occasion. He just grimaced at her, smiling inwardly as he saw the vein on her forehead pulse.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Spiff drawled, carefully reaching behind his back for the Holdout Atom Blaster he'd stashed in his briefs. "Miss my winning personality?"
Certainly, the aliens had taken the Death Ray Zorcher from his hands and the Atomic Napalm Neutralizer from his ankle holster. As they'd started to pat him down though, he had made an off-color joke about being 'debriefed' and both had gotten into a fight. Such fragile masculinity in these aliens, really a shame.
Regardless, it meant they'd missed the tiny weapon hidden in the band of his space pants, one that was warming up even now. He gently spun its dial from 'Medium-well' to 'Frappe,' and tried not to let his confidence show on his face. All he needed were a few more seconds…
Time was not on his side though, as the Zogwarg Queen leapt across the console and grabbed the Spacemaster in her slimy tentacles. She began to shake him, roaring loudly.
"Kalpin! Wake up!"
***
"Kalpin!" Hobson shook his partner again, annoyed at the short blond's propensity for dozing off when given half a chance. Both had been up all night, Hobson reading files and Kalpin cleaning up a video they'd recovered. Already Hobson was on his second cup of coffee, and Kalpin was out like a light. Luckily, his partner began to wake up at last. "Come on!"
"No...not the Zogwargian rocket scooters...I left my emergency jetpack at home…" Kalpin muttered, slowly coming back to the real world. He blinked slowly, saw Hobson standing over him, and had the good sense to look embarrassed. "Oh, hey buddy, sorry about that."
"It's not an issue, given that we got here before everyone else, but maybe some breakfast would perk you up?" Hobson gestured at the small basket of mixed fruits and cereal bars Deacon seemed to send them every week, getting a face from Kalpin. "Or I guess there's cereal."
"Now you're talkin' my language!" Kalpin was suddenly wide awake, and within moments was eating handfuls of Chocolate Frosted Honey Bombs that Hobson kept stocked in a filing cabinet. "You always know just what I need, pal. Thanks for havin' my back!"
"No problem, Kalpin." Hobson chuckled at his long-time friend's expression, choosing not to point out that the other man's teeth had already turned brown. Instead he simply sat back down at his desk and looked over some paperwork he'd been working on. Both had arrived early to get first crack at the patrol cars, since they'd been looking forward to going on patrol for-
"Kalpin! Hobson!" A voice both had learned to dread startled the two of them, papers and cereal going flying, and they turned to see a hulking figure stomping past. Before either could ask for clarification or apologize for their mess, orders were being barked. "My office! Now!"
Both looked at each other, looked down at the papers and diabetes-causing (according to several lawsuits) cereal littering the floor, and shrugged. Where most would have been shaking in fear having Chief Wormwood shout at them, for Kalpin and Hobson it was just Tuesday.
A dozen other PRT agents and officers all watched them go with a mix of disapproval and relief. Everyone knew that the pair had the highest amount of complaints...as well as the most closed cases. A few people passed money between themselves, and one even erased the number '4' from a nearby whiteboard and replaced it with a '0.'
"Close the door!" Were the first words they heard as they entered the darkened office, and only after complying did Wormwood flick on her lights and send her patented armor-piercing glare at Hobson. She'd long since learned that Kalpin was either too stupid or too happy to be affected by it. "What the hell do you two have to say for yourselves? Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be called out by Deputy Director Renick for the stunt you pulled?"
"In our defense, despite originally being a loud asshole, Deacon has really proved himself." Kalpin started to explain, ignoring the way his partner was poking him. "I mean, sure we had to threaten one guy's butler, but butlers are always committing crimes according to TV! I'm sure we prevented a dozen more crimes, and now we've got a burly dude who owes us his life for-"
"This isn't about that." Wormwood cut him off, and if Kalpin were smart he'd have quit.
"Okay, then I guess this is about the thing with the confoam. I keep telling Supply that they need to put stronger springs on them, because I can't help that my grip makes a little squirt every time I pick one up. It's not like it doesn't wash off-"
"This also isn't about that." Wormwood cut Kalpin off again, this time continuing before he could dig himself any deeper. "This is about you and Velocity. You've been spreading rumors about him, and I haven't had Director Piggot yell at me so loud since that thing with the noodles-"
"Ma'am, may I remind you that 'The Noodle Incident' has been sealed by Chief Costa-Brown, and cannot be spoken of without a court order." Hobson spoke over Wormwood, drawing a glare from the older woman. Kalpin started muttering about his explanation being 'the unvarnished truth,' but quieted after Hobson elbowed him. The tall man tried to smooth things out, "But at the same time, our animosity with Velocity is actually quite simple. It has to do with our respective-"
"I don't have time for another crazy story about 'Easy-going Professionalism,' or whatever tale you two want to spin today." Wormwood lifted a thick folder from her desk and dropped it for emphasis, a loud thud echoing through the office. "This is a list of complaints and issues the Legal Department just sent over regarding the two of you. This is just a few years' worth!"
"Oh, is that so?" Kalpin's eyes focused on the folder, seeing the name on the cover. His smile faded, and his voice lowered. "Have to admit, I'm surprised. Can't believe that she-"
"Normally I would just suspend you idiots, but as cliché as it is I have to admit you get results." Wormwood steepled her fingers, barely hiding the smile on her elderly face. "So after talking with Armsmaster and a special consultant, I think I have the perfect solution to this."
Suddenly, Kalpin wished he'd stayed at his desk , fast asleep in an exciting dream.
Because as Wormwood explained their horrific punishment...
He realized he was trapped in a nightmare.
***
Name's Hiram, Hiram Caliber.
Some folks call me Hi. Others call me to look into people. Still more call me things that ain't fit for the mouths of children. I've got a lot of names, but I've earned all of 'em.
Got an office on 33rd street, a bad relationship with my landlord, and a great relationship with my bartender. He's one of the two reasons I'm always loaded, and the other reason's in my shoulder holster. One slug in my flask, and six in my revolver, and I'm ready for anything.
"You Caliber?" Said a voice like liquid velvet, and I looked up from the face of my old pal Jack Daniels to see a dame waltzing into my office. She had a figure that told me she was no stranger to running, clothes that told me she could afford my fifty dollars a day (plus expenses), and eyes that told me to stop narrating and get to it. "Heard you were a private eye."
"Yeah, I'm a professional snoop. You got someone you need found, or something lost?" I stood, pulling my trench coat off my chair and throwing it over my shoulders. It covered up the rumpled clothes of a man whose only true love was a good night's sleep. I'd been single for a long time, in that regard, but that didn't mean I'd stopped looking. "What's your deal, toots?"
"Need some help finding something." She looked away, cheekbones so sharp you could cut yourself, and took in my mess of an office. A hundred cold cases spread across the floor and walls, people whose families had never been given closure, all more important than my sad-sack life. She smiled, motioning for me to follow. "Come on, I'll take you where I last saw it."
A smart man would've let her just walk away, knowing something was up. But I've never claimed to be a smart man…
A few minutes later, I realized we were in a dark alley that just screamed 'ambush' and decided to head things off before they went from worse to even worse. I reached for my oldest friend, my .38, and maneuvered myself between her and the exit.
"I'm sorry," she said, and if I'd had a heart left her tone might've broken it. But I'd already lost everything that mattered to me a long time ago. She turned her honey-smooth words to my ego, and started to explain, "I wasn't trying to get you and Hobson in trouble, it was my boss..."
***
"...he waited until I was out sick, and then snatched it off my desk." Suzanne sighed, shaking her head and leaning against the shelving. So loaded with boxes and files, it didn't even quiver as her slender frame slumped against it. She put a hand to her forehead, rubbing at a temple. "I only just found out, and rushed in to work to try and warn you...but I was too late."
"Yeah, but why were you even collecting all that anyway?" Kalpin tried not to sound accusatory, but it was hard when those same reports had just been used to blindside Hobson and him mere minutes earlier. "I mean, I know we bend a few rules sometimes, but you really went deep on us. There was stuff in there from back when we had just joined!"
The two had come out of Wormwood's office and found Suzanne sitting at Kalpin's desk. He'd wanted to tell her off, but she had just grabbed his arm and dragged him into the empty file room. The heavy door had closed behind them, and even though they were alone she still pulled him to the far end of the narrow corridor created by two high shelves.
"I know, I know!" She held up both hands, surrendering to his annoyance and even sharing it. "My boss needed something to show that he deserved a bonus, so he grabbed the half-finished report I was working on and pretended it was a complaint. In fact, it was the exact opposite!"
The two of them couldn't have been more different. Kalpin was short, muscular, and looked like he hadn't pressed his suit in weeks, his messy blond hair and slouched frame making him appear constantly disheveled. Suzanne was almost as tall as Hobson, narrow, and wearing a pressed pantsuit, her hair neatly styled and her posture the picture of professionalism.
She started to say more, but sniffled. Kalpin flinched, worried that he'd gone too far.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you…" Kalpin trailed off, then winced as Suzanne pulled a tissue out of one pocket and blew her nose wetly. "Oh damn...are you still sick?"
"Yeah, I tried to call you, but you seem to have forgotten to charge your phone again." Even in the dim light, he could see that her eyes were red, her face blotchy, and her nose raw. "By the time I got here, Wormwood was already chewing you guys out. I just...didn't want you thinking I had it out for you or anything. I care too much about you guys to try and get you in trouble."
"Nah, I get it, we rack up a lot of problems with how we work." Kalpin shrugged, trying to pretend that today's horrible punishment was no big deal. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "So, if we only got the bad half of the report, what was the other half going to be about?"
"Well, your successes, obviously." Suzanne wrinkled her nose and lifted both hands, a smile starting to spread across her face. "For all your problems, you two still have the highest success ratio of any PRT duo within a few hundred miles. I wanted to see if we could extrapolate that, and get you guys some recognition for that 'easy-going professionalism' you always talk about."
"All that just for us?" Kalpin leaned against the shelving opposite Suzanne's, a smile growing on his face. "I'm pretty sure Wormwood would tell you that we were just sick in the head and lucky. Given the way you just exposed me to the Bubonic Plague, I guess we're now sick overall."
"Well, if you're already sick, then I guess it can't get any worse." Suzanne moved closer, putting an arm around her boyfriend and pressing her lips to his. A long minute went by without any words passing between them, though there was certainly a lot of communication. Finally, she drew back, grinning. "I feel better already. Thanks for understanding, Kal."
"Anytime, Suzie." Kalpin yelped as she poked him in the gut, and he wrapped her in his arms before she could do it again. "Sorry, sorry! I'll just stick to Suzanne. Such a hostile workplace!"
"Don't you forget it." She gave him another peck, then wiggled out of his arms and headed for the door. "Come on, we'd better get back out there before Hobson gets lonely. Didn't you guys have some sort of horrible punishment today? What did Wormwood give you, anyway?"
"Ugh, way to kill the mood." Kalpin followed, sighing theatrically. "She said we have to…"
***
My name is Kally, Agent Kally of the FBI.
I've been partnered with a man named Tiger, a crazy conspiracy theorist who will follow any lead, any angle, any possibility to try and find the truth. He claims that the truth is out there all the time, almost like it's some sort of catch phrase, and I just roll my eyes at him.
It's my job to keep him on the straight and narrow. My job to ignore the strange explanations he has for perfectly ordinary coincidences. My job to stay by his side, no matter what, as we delve into the darkness of humanity. My job to support him...a job I take seriously.
Last week we came across a strange body that had been drained of all its blood, two small holes on the neck. Tiger claimed it was a vampire, but I pointed out that no creature would be able to drink all the blood from a human male in one go.
1.5 gallons of blood all has to go somewhere, after all. Later we watched a man turn into a cloud of bats. May have been a hallucination. We had both inhaled some swamp gas a few minutes earlier, but I put it in my report.
Today we're hunting for someone who can supposedly do something that normally only exists in the world of comic books and fantasy. Most agents would reject the case, or pretend that they had better things to do...but not us.
These are...the Hess Files.
***
"Wait, why do you call them the Hess Files?" Velocity asked, and rather than replying Kalpin just turned the car's radio up to drown him out. Unfortunately, the crappy car they'd been given by the motor pool barely had a working engine, much less a radio. "Hold up, as in Sophia Hess?"
Kalpin remained silent, as if pretending that there hadn't been a voice from the back of the car.
"You are at least partially correct." Hobson turned around and looked at Velocity as they hit a red light, glad to see the cape was still wearing his seatbelt. "Her information led us to visit her brother, Terrence. He escaped, but we got his files on the criminal and parahuman elements of Brockton Bay he was interested in recruiting. His crew has been more active lately, but he keeps evading arrest, so we're trying to get his targets before he can. But-"
"But you guys think that one of the junkie parahumans he mentioned in his files is in this area, okay. Got it, I remember now, thanks." Velocity quickly replied, bouncing his hand on his knee as he pulled at the too-tight seatbelt for the hundredth time. "Also, can I please take this-"
"No, you can't." Hobson cut him off, pointing at the car's dashboard and reprimanding the other man. "As long as the engine is on, you will wear a seatbelt, or this car will not move."
"Okay, okay." The Protectorate hero turned as red as his costume, then let out a little grunt as Hobson hit the brakes. They appeared to have hit every single red light in the area, and were only halfway done with the patrol. "Sorry, I just can't believe that Wormwood and Armsmaster are forcing us to spend time together. A lock in? It's like something out of a bad sitcom!"
"Finally, something I agree with him on! This is a complete waste of..." Kalpin piped up, then crossed his arms and clamped his mouth shut. He had refused to speak to the hero ever since they'd gotten in the same car over an hour ago. "I mean...whatever. I'm taking a nap."
One of the reasons Kalpin had been up all night was because he'd been working on cleaning up a video of Hess in action from a few days back. He'd been caught on camera training his men, and now they knew what his 'work clothes' looked like. The teenager who had taken the video from between wooden fence slats had even gotten a closeup of Hess' face.
Thanks to Kalpin, his file had been updated, and BBPD was on the lookout for a big black guy in heavy clothing, barely covering the bulky Leet-made Tinkertech armor he'd stolen a while back. What stood out most about Hess was the way his eyes always seemed to be moving, his deep rumbling voice, and his obsession with pushing his men to their limits. Hence, today's patrol.
The three sat in silence for several minutes, the only sound being the muffler scraping on the ground outside, Kalpin's fake snores, and Velocity's finger tapping on the sole of his boot. Both PRT agents glanced at each other as they noted that the tapping was starting to speed up.
"Gah! I can't take this silent treatment anymore!" Velocity threw his hands in the air, ignoring the way his hands left small dents in the car's ruined upholstery. "This is why I hate you guys! You throw an immature fit every time I try to interact with you. I don't know why you hate me for trying to help, but I'm seriously not trying to steal your glory...or whatever your excuse is!"
Unbeknownst to Velocity, Kalpin and Hobson played a quick game of rock paper scissors, which Hobson won thanks to his partner's tell. The shorter agent sighed, and turned around.
"Okay, it's true that we hate how your appearances always turn any interview with us into 'The Velocity Show.' Capes tend to take center stage in anything they're involved in, so if we spent a week on a case and you just show up, it all goes to you." Kalpin held up a hand as Velocity started to reply. "But! That's not why we're always trying to get rid of you. Your presence forces us to escalate the charges, handling, and so on for what's usually a very low-key crime. You just being onsite can change a sentence from a few months to a few years!"
"But my presence, even if I don't do anything but stand there, can also mean that people are more willing to give up." Velocity argued back, then shifted to his breaker state and tapped Kalpin's seat a dozen times at high speed. The seat's upholstery barely moved. "Plus, you know that with my power I'm more of a presence than a force multiplier. I don't even need to fight!"
"As much as I'd love to make fun of you for having punches as effective as those of a toddler, and really, that's all I want to do right now..." Kalpin cut himself off, seeing his partner glaring at him, and took a deep breath. "You're a sledgehammer in a city full of hammers and nails. Thing is, you treating all of us PRT hammers like we can't even handle a few nails is honestly kinda insulting. Plus, you smashing tiny little shoplifter nails will drive them into a board, but it'll also bend them and make sure they'll never be anything useful again. Wait, I mean...um..."
"I think your analogy is starting to fall apart, Kalpin." Hobson muttered, and his partner checked to make sure they were at a red light before slugging him in the arm. "Worth...it…"
"Fine, then how about this? I'll try to be better about asking permission before just showing up, and you two stop acting like I have some kind of vendetta against you. I'm the fastest speedster on the east coast, no matter what Battery says, so I can come or go in no time. Just be polite!" The hero shook Kalpin's hand, then glanced at his partner. "Hobson? You've been mighty quiet up there...you got any grievances you wanna air? Might as well keep this going..."
"Hmm? Oh no, I was just thinking about the weather. This wind is very...unique."
In fact, Hobson was actually using every bit of his self-control to keep himself from smiling. He had suggested this lock-in plan to Armsmaster and Wormwood weeks earlier, and knew both Velocity and Kalpin would be mad if they found out. Maybe he'd tell them someday.
"You know, now that you mention it, the sound of it is kind of strange." Kalpin rolled down his window, cocking his head and putting a hand to his ear. "It almost sounds like...screaming?"
Moments later, their car was up on the sidewalk, siren blaring.
***
They screeched to a halt a hundred feet away from what appeared to be a miniature tornado. All three leaned forward to see just what the hell the source of this strange weather phenomenon was. Unsurprisingly, it was exactly what (or rather, who) they had expected.
"Looks like you guys were dead on," Velocity whispered, looking down at the photograph Hobson had handed him earlier, then back up. "The Hess Files finally came through."
Before them were nearly a dozen men and women with an assortment of knives and broken bottles, dressed in mismatched pants, jackets, and hats. All had pale skin, and eyes that were red from irritation. The source of the irritation was the same force keeping them all at bay...as well as whipping up an irritating dust storm. She was also the one screaming.
It was a young woman, perhaps no older than her late teens, dressed in gray overalls and with hair covering her face. Her skin was dark, but it was hard to tell how much of that was from genetics and how much from grime. From what they could see, she had been sleeping in a dumpster when the junkies came after her, and she didn't take kindly to the interruption.
"Hess' files refer to her as Whirlygig, although that might just have been his nickname for her." Hobson quickly explained, pulling out his taser and checking it. Kalpin was already digging something out of the glove box, a hand-held confoam sprayer, cursing as he accidentally let a glob leak out of it. "She can spin things around her, creating a sort of one-person tornado."
"Yeah, but she's also known for heavy drug use, and Hess' notes say she steals from dealers." Velocity had skimmed over the file as well, and even now he winced as he saw one of the girl's opponents throw a broken bottle at her. It spun around her twice, then flung itself right back at the grungy man. He shrieked and ran. "They must have come to collect, and she's panicking."
Indeed, in the time it had taken them to check their gear and call it in, the parahuman had already wounded four other people. Whirlygig was screaming at the top of her lungs, swinging her hands around like a wild beast. Whatever drugs she was on had given her an almost berserker rage, and Velocity knew that his powers would be integral to...to…
"Crap!" The speedster pulled at his seatbelt, pressing the button to release it a dozen times in a second. "My seatbelt is stuck! I can't...get...free! Wait for me, this is too much for you-"
"Like I said, we can handle ourselves." Kalpin winked at Velocity, then popped the door open and headed out. "I can't let her hurt anyone else, or herself!"
"He's right, we'll just have to occupy her as best we can." Hobson tossed his satchel at the hero, going out as well. He shouted over his shoulder, "Knife in the satchel, cut yourself free!"
Then both were gone, running headlong into the storm regardless of the consequences.
Velocity stared at them for a moment, then started to dig for a knife.
***
Stupendous Guy flew through the massive hurricane at top speed, doing his best to dodge the debris that was trapped in its dastardly clutches. The storm was the size of a small city, growing ever-larger with each passing minute, and far too great for lesser heroes to handle.
Even fellow hero Speed Force had advised Stupendous Guy to stay away, but he knew that this was no ordinary hurricane. His Super Hearing was picking up screaming from inside, and as he finally reached its eye...he saw the source.
A monstrous bug creature, latched onto a young woman...its tentacles digging into her veins. She floated in the middle of the hurricane, screaming with fear and anger as the bug pumped horrible drugs and chemicals into her.
She may have once been an ordinary girl, perhaps even a hero, but this terrible monster was twisting her to its evil ends. Worse, she was surrounded by a dozen smaller monsters, all preventing her from fighting off the bug!
Normally Stupendous Guy would never think to tackle such a challenge on his own...but he wasn't alone. Floating beside him was his stalwart companion, Master Tiger. Knowing that there was nothing they couldn't handle together, the two shared a single nod.
Then with speed that shattered the sound barrier, both blasted towards their foes…
They would save the girl, stop the monsters, and win the day!
***
"I still don't understand how you guys pulled that off." Velocity shook his head, looking on as Hobson hugged the crying Whirlygig. Kalpin just smiled, setting down another orange cone, then standing back as the speedster blurred. In moments, a large area around them was blocked off with police tape. "I thought for sure she was going to... I mean...you know."
"Yeah, but Hobson knows so much about child psychology that he could practically open a practice, and I'm used to thinking outside the box. We both saw that she was scared, and once we cleared out the people attacking her it was easy to talk her down." He checked his phone and saw that backup was a few minutes out. "Not being treated as a scary monster helped."
"Well, speaking of scary stuff, I'd better go handle that mess." He pointed with his chin at the Channel 12 news van, letting out a sigh as he walked off. "Great job, guys."
Over the next few minutes, Velocity talked to an ever-growing crowd of reporters while Kalpin and Hobson talked to Whirlygig (or Denise, as she preferred to be called). Hobson gave her some water and a cereal bar, the girl having gone days without food. When the PRT arrived, they gently handed her off, promising to check on her in a few hours.
Both were about to leave, but turned back to see Velocity waving at them. Rolling their eyes and approaching, both prepared to be mere guest stars in the Velocity Show, and were surprised to hear something different for once.
"-so there I was, trapped, and these two stepped in and saved my butt." The hero grabbed Kalpin's shoulder and pulled the shorter man to his side. He put the PRT agents between himself and the reporters, adding, "They took her on, no powers, and talked her down while I recovered. I don't often fall down, but when I do I'm proud to have people like Kalpin and Hobson by my side. They're the real heroes here."
Then he turned and walked away, but Hobson caught his arm.
"Velocity, before you go. First, thank you for your candor today." The red-suited speedster started to shake his head, but then saw Hobson turn his notebook towards the man. The PRT agent whispered, "Whirlygig said she got her drugs from this address, and that her dealer was extremely high last night when she stole from him. Could you look into it?"
Velocity grinned, nodding, and took off after calling for backup. Upon arriving and opening the door, he was struck with a horrible smell. The sole inhabitant of the room was barely coherent, but that actually worked out in the Protectorate hero's favor. Even as the PRT were loading him into a van, the man was telling anyone who would listen about a cool party he'd been invited to.
"There's even gonna be some big names there, and I can totally get you in as a VIP!" The dealer bragged, waving his cuffed hands at them as they 'helped' him retrieve various baggies and bottles from his run-down apartment. Leaning in close and trying not to recoil at the man's breath, Velocity heard him whisper, "Hey, I'll split the finder's fee if ya let me recruit ya. Ever since Hess stole Mush and some guys, Skidmark's been desperate for capes. You in?"
"Sure, I'd love to join a gang." Velocity acted cheerful, then whispered, "In fact, I have a whole bunch of other capes I know. Maybe they could come along too? Where's this party gonna be?"
That night, Velocity was filling out his report, checking Armsmaster's helmet camera for details. The Tinker had only gloated a little bit when Velocity explained that his tip came from those guys Armsmaster had forced him to work with. Colin's ego grew three sizes that day.
Still, it had been a hell of a tip. The Protectorate and PRT had arrested dozens of criminals, recovered thousands of pounds of drugs, and picked up a loud Tinker who'd drunkenly wrecked her own battle-car. Skidmark had gotten away, but it was still a successful night.
All thanks to Velocity's two new friends. He wondered how he could pay them back...
Speaking of, he heard a familiar voice and looked up, seeing that Armsmaster was watching the news nearby. They were replaying the interview with Kalpin and Hobson, and both looked happier than he'd ever seen them.
"-but in the end, after her aggressors were chased off, she settled down and saw reason. It didn't matter that we were PRT and she was a criminal…" Hobson paused, tapping his heart and smiling. "As a friend of mine once told me, we're all the same at our core."
"Excuse me, Agent Kalpin?" The camera turned to Kalpin, who currently had an invisible person in a headlock, acting out a fight. "Why did you and your partner throw yourselves into danger? How'd you know you could talk her down?"
"Funny you should ask that..." Kalpin smiled, winking at Hobson and taking the microphone in his hand, "There's something my partner and I have been developing for years. We call it Easy-going Professionalism, and we think it's going to change the entire culture of..."
Velocity just laughed and shook his head, watching them talk. Those two were far better than he'd given them credit for. He was actually looking forward to seeing them again. So much had changed in his life, in his town, just in the last few months...it was amazing.
"You know what's weird?" Velocity asked Armsmaster, then continued when the man raised an eyebrow. "Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon...everything's different."
******************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: An old enemy becomes a teacher, an old friend helps someone find happiness, and a dark secret is revealed.
- Location
- United States, CA
Wait until Kalpin starts talking about his favorite sport.
Funny thing though, the rules always seem to change...
Funny thing though, the rules always seem to change...
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"Easy going professionalism" is just their "pr friendly" name for Kalpinball, obviously
3.8: Learning to Explain Myself
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
3.8: Learning to Explain Myself
Even after several weeks as a Ward, every day was a new exciting experience.
Why, this very morning I'd been working with a few teammates on power combinations. For instance, blending Clockblocker's power with Gallant's had given me a cool time-stopping projectile, which had then inspired Kid Win. As he started to sketch out an idea for a gun that could temporarily freeze objects or people, I had gotten a text from George.
Naturally, I ignored it, since he usually sent me little articles and such throughout the day. Then I got another text, this one from Dad, followed by one from Mom, and finally an actual call from Deputy Director Renick. With an odd tone in his voice, he told me to drop everything, copy Gallant's power to sense emotions, and go to an office on a floor I hadn't visited. Now.
I arrived at what appeared to be a small conference room minutes later, but despite the obvious importance the secretary at the door told me to take a seat and wait. So, with nothing else to do, I put in my earphones and rewatched my interview from a few weeks ago.
I skipped through the first few minutes of Nick introducing me and getting the softball questions out of the way, like my powers and what my name meant.
Then the real interview started, and I realized how prophetic some of my answers had been...
***
"Being a teen hero, I have to imagine you deal with a fair bit of drama." The crowd laughed at that, and I wondered if there was a sign telling them to. "But your powers depend on how much your teammates trust you. So, are you doing anything special to make that happen?"
"Right now I'm getting to know them, and figuring out what they want me to be." I paused, and decided to rephrase. "I've put my foot in my mouth by talking too much before, but other times I've stayed quiet when I really should have said something. It's hard to find a middle ground."
[Saturday, February 26, 2011]
I had called Lisa after my interview, hoping to get her side of things. It didn't go well...
"You think I wanted this? I wanted to convince her that we should stay friends, because I knew that she knew nothing about my...other life. But she kept talking and pushing and telling me to be honest and then I panicked and my powers just...fucked it all up! Everything I said to make up for what I'd just said made it worse, and she got so pissed, and...just leave me alone!"
Then she hung up on me. When I tried to call back, I found she'd blocked me.
Exhausted, I'd taken a nap in one of Wards dorm rooms. By the time I got up, I could hear Missy's voice down the hall, so I went to join her...
But it turned out she wasn't alone, and I froze as I saw a familiar face turn to stare at me.
Sophia Hess.
Missy, fast on her feet as ever, had dragged her friend over to me and started telling a tale of my time as a Ward. Judging by how much she embellished our exchanges during power testing, it seemed like the preteen was doing her best to paint me in a good light. The whole time, Sophia was just looking between us, her expression slowly shifting into a frown.
Missy eventually ran out of things to say, and I just stood there staring at Sophia. She looked smaller than I remembered, and kept avoiding my gaze. It was as if she was nervous, and that wasn't an emotion I associated with her. Missy finally took pity on us and made a suggestion.
"So I was thinking maybe we could all get some food, then we could-"
"Nope." Sophia turned and walked towards the door. She didn't even hit the button to open it, just passing right through. Her transition into her Shadow form was seamless.
Missy turned the full force of her annoyed gaze on me.
"What the hell was that?" She waved at the door, then poked me in the chest. "I talked you up as some nice guy who had helped bring us back together, and you just stood there like you'd taken a vow of silence! Couldn't you say anything? Compliment her? Welcome her back?"
"I couldn't think of anything to say." I admitted, stepping back as she moved to poke me again. "Seriously, what could I have said? 'Hey Sophia, wow you look so skinny, lose some weight?' Or maybe 'congrats on fighting your way out of the asylum I helped get you sent to?' Perhaps-"
"Okay, I get it!" She clenched her fists, then closed her eyes and took a breath. When her eyes opened, she looked contrite. "Sorry. She's been having a crappy week, Gallant keeps just waiting for her to slip up, and...I'm trying to get her back to normal."
"What's normal for her? Spending all day in the gym and all night kicking butt?"
Missy shook her head, sighing. "Her accesses are locked until she finishes more community service. No PRT gym, no kicking butt, no...anything without a PRT-approved chaperone."
"That explains why she walked through the door." I muttered, then accidentally said something I would come to regret within a very short amount of time. "Too bad she can't just join Ethan's gym, Compensation. Most of the patrons are PRT, and Carlos works there. Oh well."
Missy's face lit up.
***
"So, one of the biggest questions we had on our site was: are you here to replace Shadow Stalker?" Nick tried to phrase it as a gentle question, but I could practically feel the writhing annoyance of the thousands of people who probably thought a cool shadow badass was being replaced by a skinny geek. "I mean, you did sort of pop up a month after she vanished."
"Nick, to start off, let me say that no Ward could ever replace another. We're all unique, and not just because of our powers." I took a moment to think, then shrugged. "I'm pretty sure if I tried to replace Shadow Stalker, she'd glare a hole in my head. She's pretty...unique."
[Sunday, February 27, 2011]
"Sophia's still glaring at me." I muttered to Missy, and she waved me off. It was impossible for either of us to miss with the mirrors in front of us. If it weren't for the fact that I'd been on a treadmill when she came in with Missy ten minutes ago, I'd probably have run right out of Compensation to avoid Sophia. "If she throws that weight at me, I'm blaming you."
"It'll be fine. What's the worst that could-" We both winced as a metal crashing noise echoed through the gym. I started to hit the pause button, but Missy reached out with her power and slapped my wrist. "No! This is all part of my plan, and Ethan has her well in hand. Well, mostly."
Behind us, I could see Sophia in a quiet argument with Ethan, his legendary patience likely wearing thin at her antics. Rather than kick her out, he just pointed at the weights she'd knocked over. She eventually let out a huff, then started cleaning up her mess for the third time.
"If nothing else, it's a good workout for her, taking all the dumbbells down and then putting them back on the rack again." Missy neared the end of her run, switching to a cooldown speed. I was extremely jealous of her, both for her even breathing and speed. "Getting back in shape is all she's talked about all week, so I dunno why she's so pissy. She has a gym, you're a workout partner that Carlos said is here all the time, and she's acting like you're trying to replace her."
"At the risk of sounding nothing like the teenager I play on TV, have you tried just talking to her? Like, asking her why she's so pissed off at me? I mean, what could it possibly be?"
"Best I can figure is that she wants to prove herself, and you threaten her." Missy and I wiped our machines and headed off to stretch by the unused fighting ring. "She's still kind of getting used to the idea of being able to talk to people about things. Trusting people isn't easy, for her."
"No, I understand, I just wish I could do more than make her glare at me." I turned at the sound of metal on metal, and was relieved to see that Sophia had just dropped a weight a bit harder than normal onto the rack. I leaned against the ring, adding, "We're supposed to be teammates, or we will be sooner or later...but all she wants to do is fight me. I don't get it."
"Hmm, you know...I have an idea if you're up for trying it." Missy was looking back and forth between Sophia and I, chewing her lip. Sophia had started to trudge over, but stopped halfway and looked down at her feet. This was nothing like her, and it bugged me. "I know how to make that dumbass respect you, although fair warning that it might take a while...or backfire horribly."
"Remind me to tell you about my plan to infiltrate the ABB sometime." I shook my head as she looked at me oddly. I waved it off, smiling. "Like I said, later on. My point is, I'm used to dumb plans backfiring horribly. You're my teammate now, so it's all good."
"Okay, well don't say I didn't warn you." Missy jogged over to her friend, then whispered something in her ear. I just stood there nervously, then recoiled as I saw Sophia was stalking towards me with murder in her eyes.
She beat the crap out of me, but at least we were wearing gloves and pads.
***
"There must be a lot of pressure on you, I can't imagine what that's like. I mean, I just read things people put in front of me and look handsome, so my job's pretty easy." Nick grinned as the audience laughed, and I joined them. "But seriously, how do you deal with the pressure of knowing that you might fail? Brockton Bay isn't exactly the safest town to be a hero."
"You're right, it's not nearly as safe as some places in the country, but I'll be entirely honest with you, Nick. I'm scared out of my mind almost all the time." I kept my voice light, but nobody laughed as I paused. "Anxiety plagues me, worries assail me, and I'm constantly afraid that I'm going to mess up. But the thing is, a fight where I have teammates beside me is a fight I have a chance to win. So even if I don't get the plan, I know I'm not fighting alone."
[Friday, March 04, 2011]
Just like the last dozen times Missy told me to get into the ring with Sophia, I took Missy aside and asked her to explain the plan to me. Like every other time, she told me, "Things are in motion, just give it some more time. We're nearly there."
Nearly every day of the week I'd come to Compensation to find Sophia here, working out despite her obvious exhaustion. She'd take one look at me, talk with Missy, then challenge me to fight her in the ring. Best three out of five, but each time she took all five wins and then walked out of the ring without a word. Ten fights a day, against an impossible opponent!
This time was no different, and I started to wonder if this was just Missy paying me back for accidentally calling her Misty all the time. It was hard to unlearn that, come on!
The first fight, Sophia beat me easily, but I saw it coming. Fighting (and losing to) her over fifty times in a week had given me some insight into her fighting style.
For the second fight I fought defensively, keeping my distance and guarding, but still lost. I managed to land a few blows, and nearly tripped her over the course of a full minute.
The third fight went the same way, but I was getting better at dodging her now. She was getting really tired, and I made the mistake of laughing as she went sprawling after a missed grab.
Fight four was so fast I barely tracked what she did, payback for my laugh probably. But from the way she was gasping it must have tired her out. I'd learned not to ask if she needed a break, and just let her limp back into place and take a stance.
As she moved, I looked around and saw nearly a dozen people watching, including Theo. He'd been watching our fights all week, even recording them once, and I couldn't blame him. Sophia was a hell of a fighter, even if she was beating the tar out of me on a regular basis. I'd seen him talking to Sophia and Missy a few times, the latter more than the former, and wondered why.
"3...2...1...Go!" Ethan called out, and the others let out a cheer.
Sophia went in for a punch that I barely saw, my hands already coming up to block it. It had been a feint, but I managed to dodge to the side and avoid the real one. I'd noticed that she usually followed a 1-2 like that with a kick, so I hopped back and was rewarded with a curse as a breeze flashed across my ankles.
I darted in close, lifting my left arm to catch her elbow. It hurt, but left her open for a strike to her kidneys. Well, I assume they were her kidneys. Whatever they were, she let out a grunt and staggered forward, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and try to grapple her.
Turning, I was taken by surprise when I found her knee in my stomach. Sophia must have faked her fall forward, spinning around on one foot and bringing her knee up. The air blasted out of my lungs, along with my mouthguard, and I quickly brought my hands up to block the punch I knew was coming.
Her jaw nearly dropped as I pushed the blow high enough that I could duck under it. Then I returned the favor with the same move I'd used on Julia, driving my shoulder up into her gut and lifting with all the strength I had. Either she'd lost some weight or I'd gained some strength, because it felt like a few seconds before her back slammed into the mat.
Unfortunately, I made the same mistake as with Julia, mashing my face into Sophia's stomach, dazing myself enough that she was able to roll away before I could grab her. I started to get up, but she slipped behind me and I felt her hand on my ankle.
Before I could do anything, she pulled so hard that I went face-first into the mat again. Next thing I knew, Sophia had my left shoulder under her knee and my right ankle still pulled back so hard that I could feel my hip and spine straining.
I tapped the canvas, twice, and she let go.
I guess I should have expected that. She was tired, but way faster than me. Damn, so close!
What I hadn't expected was to open my eyes and roll over, seeing a hand in my face. Confused, I took it, and Sophia pulled me to my feet with some effort. I thanked her, but she just shrugged.
I accepted condolences from the other patrons, but it didn't escape my notice the way most of them were crowded around Sophia. Even Theo had given me little more than a smile before joining the Sophia crowd, and I couldn't really blame him.
"So, it looks like I'm still the genius in our group." Missy swaggered up to me, leaning against the ring. I rubbed my face, feeling with my tongue to make sure all my teeth were still there. "My plan finally paid off, like I knew it would. They really ought to make me the leader, right?"
"Explain the plan to me again. I mean, if the idea was to let her work off stress by beating the crap out of me, then mission accomplished." I heard a groan, and saw that Sophia was shaking her head and frowning at Theo. "Oh great, I'd better grab Theo before she murders him."
"Hold up, this is part of the plan." Missy grabbed my arm, lowering her voice. "She connected you on the battlefield after you did something worthy of respect. She's been basking in praise all week. Now, she's giving advice to someone in need. It was how we became friends way back-"
"No, widen your stance more!" Sophia nearly shouted, kicking Theo's feet until he moved them further apart. Once that was done, she moved behind him and grabbed the top of his head in one hand and put the other on his left hip. "You left-handed? Okay, you need to twist less. Try-"
Their lesson was still going after I'd changed, and both barely glanced at me as I headed out the door. Praying for Theo's survival, I nearly ran into someone just outside. An apology halfway to my lips, I paused as I looked up...and up...and up at a huge black guy who was glaring at me.
"S-sorry about that. I was just looking at...um…my friend Theo." I was a little intimidated as he seemed to loom over me before suddenly backing off. He was dressed in thick winter clothing with a hood up, looking beefier than Brian and almost as tall. "Are you joining Compensation?"
"No, I just recognized someone I used to spar with, that young lady over there." He gestured at Sophia, a grin appearing on his face, and chuckled. His voice was a deep rumble that unnerved me a little bit. "I hadn't seen her in a while, and was glad to see her making friends. Anyway, I need to get going, but I'll be sure to stop by later so we can...catch up. Have a nice day."
He turned and left, jogging away so fast that if it hadn't been for the lack of haze around him I'd have thought he was a parahuman. Still, if he knew Sophia, he was probably in great shape.
Then I got a call from Dean that I was late for patrol, and took off just as fast.
***
"Going from an ordinary teenager to a Ward must be a heck of a change of pace. You need to train with your team, learn to use your powers, patrol, and still keep up with school, a social life, and more! I'm sure dating can't be easy…"
"Actually, I'm kind of taking a break from dating right now. I recently-" I stopped as I saw Taylor flinch, and tried not to think about all the other times she'd done that. Grasping for an escape, I tried something sappy. "I spent so much time focusing on my powers at first, that I'm trying to balance that out by helping my friends. Having powers doesn't mean I don't make mistakes, and so being a good friend and holding myself accountable is more important than ever."
[Monday, March 07, 2011]
"I'm sorry."
Allen stared back at me impassively, but he waited for me to continue.
"You were doing what was best for you, and your mental health. I should have tried to see things from your point of view, but instead I panicked." It was hard to resist making a self-deprecating joke, or looking down at my feet, but any moment now he might decide to walk away. Even though he'd been polite the past few days, I still felt like something was broken between us, and that it was my fault. "I said some stuff I regret, and I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"
"You asked whether my medication was making me crazy." Allen's words made me flinch, but he was only throwing my own words back at me. Larry, my parents, Taylor, and everyone else had told me how dumb that had been. I had just been so scared...but that wasn't an excuse. My dumb mouth had ruined everything, and that was my fault. "That hurt, Greg. It hurt a lot."
"I know, I remember how much it hurt when people teased me for-" I cut myself off, shaking my head. No, this wasn't about me. This was about Allen. Overhead, the bell rang and the hallways started to clear. I started to panic a little, "I can't take that back, but I can promise that I'll try to be better. I hope that someday you'll call me a friend again, but if not I totally understand-"
"We never stopped being friends, Greg. I just needed time to remember why I wanted to be your friend in the first place." Allen's hand patted me on the back, and as if drawn by his gravitational pull I followed him towards the cafeteria. "Apologizing like this, after thinking things through? It jogged my memory, and tells me that you want to be my friend just as much. That's all there is."
Just like that, after weeks of tearing myself apart, I had my friend back. Not only that, but that gravitational pull had apparently gathered a new celestial body during our time apart. While we'd been at odds, he'd started eating lunch with Carlos. They had a lot in common, both in their physiques and their taste in books, and today he was happy to join our table for lunch.
As the two of them chatted about something related to baseball, I looked across the table at Taylor. It had turned out that she wasn't fired, and in fact Lisa had blamed her own outburst on sleep deprivation and a migraine. They were talking again, albeit only through text, but they were making progress. Lisa had even unblocked my phone number, so...back to normal?
Finally, beside me was Theo, calmly eating lunch despite the bruises covering his arms and cheek. He kept insisting to everyone that he'd gotten them taking a self-defense course, and that had earned him some real respect. As I dug into my lunch, I was surprised to see that he was openly smiling, and asked, "Theo, you've been grinning all day, what's up? Good news?"
"Oh, nothing big." He answered quickly, then paused and blushed. "Actually, I recently got some extra self-defense training. I found someone really good at pointing out my many weaknesses."
"Oh, really?" Given how Sophia had mulched me, she must have gone easy on him. "Congrats."
"After our first lesson, I had learned so much that I tried to pay her back. She said she didn't want anything, but then her friend Missy suggested I buy her lunch." Theo lowered his voice as he talked, but still looked so happy. "She agreed, and we had a lot of fun. In fact, she agreed to train me again tomorrow night...in exchange for another meal afterwards. So it's...kind of a date?"
"Wow, that's..." I cringed inwardly, then flicked my eyes at Taylor. She was eating and reading a book, unaware we were talking about Theo having a date with the girl who used to bully her. Time to strategically change the subject! "Speaking of training, what's your opinion on-"
I made a mental note to talk to Missy, get her help making Sophia work things out with Taylor.
On the other hand, it was just one date. No way this would work out.
***
"Well, it sounds like you've got quite a career ahead of you, and we're just about out of time, so I'll hand it over to you. Core, do you have anything you want to share with the world?"
"Sure, I'll take a shot at it." I turned to face the camera that was lit up, and tried to project the confidence that heroes always seemed to have in spades. "I can't promise that I'm going to be the best hero ever, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. In fact, if there's one thing I can promise all my friends, my family, my teammates, and every single person I know, it's that I won't stop trying no matter what. If anyone tries to hurt the people I care about, I-"
RING
[Saturday, March 19, 2011]
I nearly jumped out of my chair as the video suddenly cut out, a ringing sound replacing my super-inspirational speech. I pulled my earphones out and answered my phone.
"Hello?" Theo's voice was clear, and I smiled as I heard him crunching through gravel somewhere. Seemed like he was always on the move these days, especially since he started dating someone who used to run track. "Greg? Hey, just wanted to let you know I'd be missing our usual training session today. I've got...um...plans."
"Really, do these plans involve a girl who kicked my butt for a week straight?" There wasn't a hint of malice in my words, not since I'd managed to beat Sophia in the ring thanks to her own training. Though Theo got the lion's share of her teaching, the three of us had teamed up to really push each other to new heights of fitness and skill. "What are you up to?"
"We're meeting up at the gym, then I'm taking her out for lunch and a movie. Missy's coming too, since we're going to sneak her into the third Breakneck movie. Apparently Sophia promised her, and I'm pretty sure Missy only puts up with me because Sophia likes me."
"Eh, I think there's more to it than that. You're good for her, man." I may not have been an expert on relationships, but even I could see why Theo and Sophia had hit it off. Both had shitty family problems, but had managed to rise above it. Add in Sophia's need to get back in shape and Theo's need to get in shape, and you had a hell of a team. They seemed to meet up every other day, thanks to Missy. "Anyway, I'm meeting my family for...lunch. So I'll see you-"
"Excuse me, but you look incredibly familiar for some reason." A deep, rumbling voice in the background interrupted me, and I heard Theo pull his phone away from his ear. The voice sounded familiar, and continued, "Ah yes, Theo! I've seen you at Compensation. You're quite a fighter. Say, can I borrow your phone for a moment, I lost mine and need to call my sister."
"Sure thing, just a second." Theo's voice came back, sounding slightly nervous. His voice lowered a bit, "Looks like someone needs my help. Later, Greg."
Almost as if she'd been waiting, the moment I hung up was when the secretary finally directed me towards a nearby conference room. Inside, I found Mom, Dad, George, and some guy in a PRT dress uniform. They sat around a table covered in folders, and before I could speak Mom and Dad both rose and hugged me. I saw an aura of relief around both, with some fear.
"Greg, sorry to call you away from your friends, but this is…" Mom trailed off, pulling back and leading me to the table. It was covered in folders stamped with a variety of symbols from the PRT, FBI, CIA, Interpol, and WEDGDG. I knew the last one was a sort of financial sub-group within the PRT, so was this about all the cape merch I'd sold through Ren before joining?
I took a quick glance around the room with Emotion Sense, as I sat between my parents. George was worried, Mom was nervous, Dad was worried and nervous, and the uniform guy was...calm. Silently, he slid a folder to me and I found several NDAs inside.
Mom immediately walked me through signing them all, and I noticed hers and Dad's signatures already on there. What puzzled me was that the dates on their signatures were nearly two years old. They didn't say anything when I asked, exchanging a glance. I was getting creeped out, and having the door suddenly lock and a popping noise (electronic countermeasures?) didn't help.
"Thank you, Gregory. I'm sure you're wondering why you're here, and why Deputy Director Renick told you to copy Gallant's power. The reason is so that you can use it to see that we're telling the truth, since we don't have time to dally." The guy in the uniform calmly explained, flashing a PRT badge. "You may call me Nutcracker. I've been investigating the Empire 88 and their backers for the last several years. We had hoped you would never have to learn of it…"
"But because of Kaiser, we've had to move the timetable up a little." George finished, and I felt the temperature drop in the room. I saw pride, worry, and a hint of fear in his aura. "I'm sorry Greg. I had to keep it a secret to protect you, but that meant I had to lie for so long. But now that the deadline changed, my role just got a lot more dangerous, so I demanded we tell you-"
"Demanded? Your role? George, what the hell is going on? Is this a joke?" I stood and staggered backwards, looking at my parents for support. Neither so much as smiled, and I saw fear and sadness blazing in both of them. "P-Please, tell me this is a joke. Why are you..."
My mind raced as I thought of the secret missions I knew from TV and movies. Usually, an idiot kid like me would only find out about them by accident, when the mission was over, or if they needed me. This was none of those, and George had said his role had gotten more dangerous, the timetable was changing, and he'd demanded to talk to me first. I felt lightheaded as it hit me.
"It's happening soon, isn't it?" I wanted them to disagree, or for Gallant's power to flag a lie when they agreed. But I didn't see any deceit as he nodded. "W-What's your role, George?"
"I helped infiltrate a company that worked as a front and money laundering operation for the E88. I helped make deals, find out schedules, pay off mercenaries, and plan takedowns for all their parahumans...including Kaiser." George's voice caught, and I was afraid to look at his emotions. "Tonight I'm leaving for Boston. This was the last chance I would have had to see you, and I wanted you to know...I wanted to tell you the truth, because...I might..."
He trailed off, and I turned to Mom and Dad. Both were both trying not to cry, and failing.
Nutcracker told me a story about what George had been doing the last few years.
Gallant's power said it was all true, every single word, no matter how crazy.
But the worst part was the ending...that George might die tomorrow.
Because he was going after Kaiser.
*****************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: A secret revealed, lives in danger, friends in peril, an old enemy returns, a hero risks everything, and an epic battle...
Even after several weeks as a Ward, every day was a new exciting experience.
Why, this very morning I'd been working with a few teammates on power combinations. For instance, blending Clockblocker's power with Gallant's had given me a cool time-stopping projectile, which had then inspired Kid Win. As he started to sketch out an idea for a gun that could temporarily freeze objects or people, I had gotten a text from George.
Naturally, I ignored it, since he usually sent me little articles and such throughout the day. Then I got another text, this one from Dad, followed by one from Mom, and finally an actual call from Deputy Director Renick. With an odd tone in his voice, he told me to drop everything, copy Gallant's power to sense emotions, and go to an office on a floor I hadn't visited. Now.
I arrived at what appeared to be a small conference room minutes later, but despite the obvious importance the secretary at the door told me to take a seat and wait. So, with nothing else to do, I put in my earphones and rewatched my interview from a few weeks ago.
I skipped through the first few minutes of Nick introducing me and getting the softball questions out of the way, like my powers and what my name meant.
Then the real interview started, and I realized how prophetic some of my answers had been...
***
"Being a teen hero, I have to imagine you deal with a fair bit of drama." The crowd laughed at that, and I wondered if there was a sign telling them to. "But your powers depend on how much your teammates trust you. So, are you doing anything special to make that happen?"
"Right now I'm getting to know them, and figuring out what they want me to be." I paused, and decided to rephrase. "I've put my foot in my mouth by talking too much before, but other times I've stayed quiet when I really should have said something. It's hard to find a middle ground."
[Saturday, February 26, 2011]
I had called Lisa after my interview, hoping to get her side of things. It didn't go well...
"You think I wanted this? I wanted to convince her that we should stay friends, because I knew that she knew nothing about my...other life. But she kept talking and pushing and telling me to be honest and then I panicked and my powers just...fucked it all up! Everything I said to make up for what I'd just said made it worse, and she got so pissed, and...just leave me alone!"
Then she hung up on me. When I tried to call back, I found she'd blocked me.
Exhausted, I'd taken a nap in one of Wards dorm rooms. By the time I got up, I could hear Missy's voice down the hall, so I went to join her...
But it turned out she wasn't alone, and I froze as I saw a familiar face turn to stare at me.
Sophia Hess.
Missy, fast on her feet as ever, had dragged her friend over to me and started telling a tale of my time as a Ward. Judging by how much she embellished our exchanges during power testing, it seemed like the preteen was doing her best to paint me in a good light. The whole time, Sophia was just looking between us, her expression slowly shifting into a frown.
Missy eventually ran out of things to say, and I just stood there staring at Sophia. She looked smaller than I remembered, and kept avoiding my gaze. It was as if she was nervous, and that wasn't an emotion I associated with her. Missy finally took pity on us and made a suggestion.
"So I was thinking maybe we could all get some food, then we could-"
"Nope." Sophia turned and walked towards the door. She didn't even hit the button to open it, just passing right through. Her transition into her Shadow form was seamless.
Missy turned the full force of her annoyed gaze on me.
"What the hell was that?" She waved at the door, then poked me in the chest. "I talked you up as some nice guy who had helped bring us back together, and you just stood there like you'd taken a vow of silence! Couldn't you say anything? Compliment her? Welcome her back?"
"I couldn't think of anything to say." I admitted, stepping back as she moved to poke me again. "Seriously, what could I have said? 'Hey Sophia, wow you look so skinny, lose some weight?' Or maybe 'congrats on fighting your way out of the asylum I helped get you sent to?' Perhaps-"
"Okay, I get it!" She clenched her fists, then closed her eyes and took a breath. When her eyes opened, she looked contrite. "Sorry. She's been having a crappy week, Gallant keeps just waiting for her to slip up, and...I'm trying to get her back to normal."
"What's normal for her? Spending all day in the gym and all night kicking butt?"
Missy shook her head, sighing. "Her accesses are locked until she finishes more community service. No PRT gym, no kicking butt, no...anything without a PRT-approved chaperone."
"That explains why she walked through the door." I muttered, then accidentally said something I would come to regret within a very short amount of time. "Too bad she can't just join Ethan's gym, Compensation. Most of the patrons are PRT, and Carlos works there. Oh well."
Missy's face lit up.
***
"So, one of the biggest questions we had on our site was: are you here to replace Shadow Stalker?" Nick tried to phrase it as a gentle question, but I could practically feel the writhing annoyance of the thousands of people who probably thought a cool shadow badass was being replaced by a skinny geek. "I mean, you did sort of pop up a month after she vanished."
"Nick, to start off, let me say that no Ward could ever replace another. We're all unique, and not just because of our powers." I took a moment to think, then shrugged. "I'm pretty sure if I tried to replace Shadow Stalker, she'd glare a hole in my head. She's pretty...unique."
[Sunday, February 27, 2011]
"Sophia's still glaring at me." I muttered to Missy, and she waved me off. It was impossible for either of us to miss with the mirrors in front of us. If it weren't for the fact that I'd been on a treadmill when she came in with Missy ten minutes ago, I'd probably have run right out of Compensation to avoid Sophia. "If she throws that weight at me, I'm blaming you."
"It'll be fine. What's the worst that could-" We both winced as a metal crashing noise echoed through the gym. I started to hit the pause button, but Missy reached out with her power and slapped my wrist. "No! This is all part of my plan, and Ethan has her well in hand. Well, mostly."
Behind us, I could see Sophia in a quiet argument with Ethan, his legendary patience likely wearing thin at her antics. Rather than kick her out, he just pointed at the weights she'd knocked over. She eventually let out a huff, then started cleaning up her mess for the third time.
"If nothing else, it's a good workout for her, taking all the dumbbells down and then putting them back on the rack again." Missy neared the end of her run, switching to a cooldown speed. I was extremely jealous of her, both for her even breathing and speed. "Getting back in shape is all she's talked about all week, so I dunno why she's so pissy. She has a gym, you're a workout partner that Carlos said is here all the time, and she's acting like you're trying to replace her."
"At the risk of sounding nothing like the teenager I play on TV, have you tried just talking to her? Like, asking her why she's so pissed off at me? I mean, what could it possibly be?"
"Best I can figure is that she wants to prove herself, and you threaten her." Missy and I wiped our machines and headed off to stretch by the unused fighting ring. "She's still kind of getting used to the idea of being able to talk to people about things. Trusting people isn't easy, for her."
"No, I understand, I just wish I could do more than make her glare at me." I turned at the sound of metal on metal, and was relieved to see that Sophia had just dropped a weight a bit harder than normal onto the rack. I leaned against the ring, adding, "We're supposed to be teammates, or we will be sooner or later...but all she wants to do is fight me. I don't get it."
"Hmm, you know...I have an idea if you're up for trying it." Missy was looking back and forth between Sophia and I, chewing her lip. Sophia had started to trudge over, but stopped halfway and looked down at her feet. This was nothing like her, and it bugged me. "I know how to make that dumbass respect you, although fair warning that it might take a while...or backfire horribly."
"Remind me to tell you about my plan to infiltrate the ABB sometime." I shook my head as she looked at me oddly. I waved it off, smiling. "Like I said, later on. My point is, I'm used to dumb plans backfiring horribly. You're my teammate now, so it's all good."
"Okay, well don't say I didn't warn you." Missy jogged over to her friend, then whispered something in her ear. I just stood there nervously, then recoiled as I saw Sophia was stalking towards me with murder in her eyes.
She beat the crap out of me, but at least we were wearing gloves and pads.
***
"There must be a lot of pressure on you, I can't imagine what that's like. I mean, I just read things people put in front of me and look handsome, so my job's pretty easy." Nick grinned as the audience laughed, and I joined them. "But seriously, how do you deal with the pressure of knowing that you might fail? Brockton Bay isn't exactly the safest town to be a hero."
"You're right, it's not nearly as safe as some places in the country, but I'll be entirely honest with you, Nick. I'm scared out of my mind almost all the time." I kept my voice light, but nobody laughed as I paused. "Anxiety plagues me, worries assail me, and I'm constantly afraid that I'm going to mess up. But the thing is, a fight where I have teammates beside me is a fight I have a chance to win. So even if I don't get the plan, I know I'm not fighting alone."
[Friday, March 04, 2011]
Just like the last dozen times Missy told me to get into the ring with Sophia, I took Missy aside and asked her to explain the plan to me. Like every other time, she told me, "Things are in motion, just give it some more time. We're nearly there."
Nearly every day of the week I'd come to Compensation to find Sophia here, working out despite her obvious exhaustion. She'd take one look at me, talk with Missy, then challenge me to fight her in the ring. Best three out of five, but each time she took all five wins and then walked out of the ring without a word. Ten fights a day, against an impossible opponent!
This time was no different, and I started to wonder if this was just Missy paying me back for accidentally calling her Misty all the time. It was hard to unlearn that, come on!
The first fight, Sophia beat me easily, but I saw it coming. Fighting (and losing to) her over fifty times in a week had given me some insight into her fighting style.
For the second fight I fought defensively, keeping my distance and guarding, but still lost. I managed to land a few blows, and nearly tripped her over the course of a full minute.
The third fight went the same way, but I was getting better at dodging her now. She was getting really tired, and I made the mistake of laughing as she went sprawling after a missed grab.
Fight four was so fast I barely tracked what she did, payback for my laugh probably. But from the way she was gasping it must have tired her out. I'd learned not to ask if she needed a break, and just let her limp back into place and take a stance.
As she moved, I looked around and saw nearly a dozen people watching, including Theo. He'd been watching our fights all week, even recording them once, and I couldn't blame him. Sophia was a hell of a fighter, even if she was beating the tar out of me on a regular basis. I'd seen him talking to Sophia and Missy a few times, the latter more than the former, and wondered why.
"3...2...1...Go!" Ethan called out, and the others let out a cheer.
Sophia went in for a punch that I barely saw, my hands already coming up to block it. It had been a feint, but I managed to dodge to the side and avoid the real one. I'd noticed that she usually followed a 1-2 like that with a kick, so I hopped back and was rewarded with a curse as a breeze flashed across my ankles.
I darted in close, lifting my left arm to catch her elbow. It hurt, but left her open for a strike to her kidneys. Well, I assume they were her kidneys. Whatever they were, she let out a grunt and staggered forward, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and try to grapple her.
Turning, I was taken by surprise when I found her knee in my stomach. Sophia must have faked her fall forward, spinning around on one foot and bringing her knee up. The air blasted out of my lungs, along with my mouthguard, and I quickly brought my hands up to block the punch I knew was coming.
Her jaw nearly dropped as I pushed the blow high enough that I could duck under it. Then I returned the favor with the same move I'd used on Julia, driving my shoulder up into her gut and lifting with all the strength I had. Either she'd lost some weight or I'd gained some strength, because it felt like a few seconds before her back slammed into the mat.
Unfortunately, I made the same mistake as with Julia, mashing my face into Sophia's stomach, dazing myself enough that she was able to roll away before I could grab her. I started to get up, but she slipped behind me and I felt her hand on my ankle.
Before I could do anything, she pulled so hard that I went face-first into the mat again. Next thing I knew, Sophia had my left shoulder under her knee and my right ankle still pulled back so hard that I could feel my hip and spine straining.
I tapped the canvas, twice, and she let go.
I guess I should have expected that. She was tired, but way faster than me. Damn, so close!
What I hadn't expected was to open my eyes and roll over, seeing a hand in my face. Confused, I took it, and Sophia pulled me to my feet with some effort. I thanked her, but she just shrugged.
I accepted condolences from the other patrons, but it didn't escape my notice the way most of them were crowded around Sophia. Even Theo had given me little more than a smile before joining the Sophia crowd, and I couldn't really blame him.
"So, it looks like I'm still the genius in our group." Missy swaggered up to me, leaning against the ring. I rubbed my face, feeling with my tongue to make sure all my teeth were still there. "My plan finally paid off, like I knew it would. They really ought to make me the leader, right?"
"Explain the plan to me again. I mean, if the idea was to let her work off stress by beating the crap out of me, then mission accomplished." I heard a groan, and saw that Sophia was shaking her head and frowning at Theo. "Oh great, I'd better grab Theo before she murders him."
"Hold up, this is part of the plan." Missy grabbed my arm, lowering her voice. "She connected you on the battlefield after you did something worthy of respect. She's been basking in praise all week. Now, she's giving advice to someone in need. It was how we became friends way back-"
"No, widen your stance more!" Sophia nearly shouted, kicking Theo's feet until he moved them further apart. Once that was done, she moved behind him and grabbed the top of his head in one hand and put the other on his left hip. "You left-handed? Okay, you need to twist less. Try-"
Their lesson was still going after I'd changed, and both barely glanced at me as I headed out the door. Praying for Theo's survival, I nearly ran into someone just outside. An apology halfway to my lips, I paused as I looked up...and up...and up at a huge black guy who was glaring at me.
"S-sorry about that. I was just looking at...um…my friend Theo." I was a little intimidated as he seemed to loom over me before suddenly backing off. He was dressed in thick winter clothing with a hood up, looking beefier than Brian and almost as tall. "Are you joining Compensation?"
"No, I just recognized someone I used to spar with, that young lady over there." He gestured at Sophia, a grin appearing on his face, and chuckled. His voice was a deep rumble that unnerved me a little bit. "I hadn't seen her in a while, and was glad to see her making friends. Anyway, I need to get going, but I'll be sure to stop by later so we can...catch up. Have a nice day."
He turned and left, jogging away so fast that if it hadn't been for the lack of haze around him I'd have thought he was a parahuman. Still, if he knew Sophia, he was probably in great shape.
Then I got a call from Dean that I was late for patrol, and took off just as fast.
***
"Going from an ordinary teenager to a Ward must be a heck of a change of pace. You need to train with your team, learn to use your powers, patrol, and still keep up with school, a social life, and more! I'm sure dating can't be easy…"
"Actually, I'm kind of taking a break from dating right now. I recently-" I stopped as I saw Taylor flinch, and tried not to think about all the other times she'd done that. Grasping for an escape, I tried something sappy. "I spent so much time focusing on my powers at first, that I'm trying to balance that out by helping my friends. Having powers doesn't mean I don't make mistakes, and so being a good friend and holding myself accountable is more important than ever."
[Monday, March 07, 2011]
"I'm sorry."
Allen stared back at me impassively, but he waited for me to continue.
"You were doing what was best for you, and your mental health. I should have tried to see things from your point of view, but instead I panicked." It was hard to resist making a self-deprecating joke, or looking down at my feet, but any moment now he might decide to walk away. Even though he'd been polite the past few days, I still felt like something was broken between us, and that it was my fault. "I said some stuff I regret, and I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"
"You asked whether my medication was making me crazy." Allen's words made me flinch, but he was only throwing my own words back at me. Larry, my parents, Taylor, and everyone else had told me how dumb that had been. I had just been so scared...but that wasn't an excuse. My dumb mouth had ruined everything, and that was my fault. "That hurt, Greg. It hurt a lot."
"I know, I remember how much it hurt when people teased me for-" I cut myself off, shaking my head. No, this wasn't about me. This was about Allen. Overhead, the bell rang and the hallways started to clear. I started to panic a little, "I can't take that back, but I can promise that I'll try to be better. I hope that someday you'll call me a friend again, but if not I totally understand-"
"We never stopped being friends, Greg. I just needed time to remember why I wanted to be your friend in the first place." Allen's hand patted me on the back, and as if drawn by his gravitational pull I followed him towards the cafeteria. "Apologizing like this, after thinking things through? It jogged my memory, and tells me that you want to be my friend just as much. That's all there is."
Just like that, after weeks of tearing myself apart, I had my friend back. Not only that, but that gravitational pull had apparently gathered a new celestial body during our time apart. While we'd been at odds, he'd started eating lunch with Carlos. They had a lot in common, both in their physiques and their taste in books, and today he was happy to join our table for lunch.
As the two of them chatted about something related to baseball, I looked across the table at Taylor. It had turned out that she wasn't fired, and in fact Lisa had blamed her own outburst on sleep deprivation and a migraine. They were talking again, albeit only through text, but they were making progress. Lisa had even unblocked my phone number, so...back to normal?
Finally, beside me was Theo, calmly eating lunch despite the bruises covering his arms and cheek. He kept insisting to everyone that he'd gotten them taking a self-defense course, and that had earned him some real respect. As I dug into my lunch, I was surprised to see that he was openly smiling, and asked, "Theo, you've been grinning all day, what's up? Good news?"
"Oh, nothing big." He answered quickly, then paused and blushed. "Actually, I recently got some extra self-defense training. I found someone really good at pointing out my many weaknesses."
"Oh, really?" Given how Sophia had mulched me, she must have gone easy on him. "Congrats."
"After our first lesson, I had learned so much that I tried to pay her back. She said she didn't want anything, but then her friend Missy suggested I buy her lunch." Theo lowered his voice as he talked, but still looked so happy. "She agreed, and we had a lot of fun. In fact, she agreed to train me again tomorrow night...in exchange for another meal afterwards. So it's...kind of a date?"
"Wow, that's..." I cringed inwardly, then flicked my eyes at Taylor. She was eating and reading a book, unaware we were talking about Theo having a date with the girl who used to bully her. Time to strategically change the subject! "Speaking of training, what's your opinion on-"
I made a mental note to talk to Missy, get her help making Sophia work things out with Taylor.
On the other hand, it was just one date. No way this would work out.
***
"Well, it sounds like you've got quite a career ahead of you, and we're just about out of time, so I'll hand it over to you. Core, do you have anything you want to share with the world?"
"Sure, I'll take a shot at it." I turned to face the camera that was lit up, and tried to project the confidence that heroes always seemed to have in spades. "I can't promise that I'm going to be the best hero ever, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. In fact, if there's one thing I can promise all my friends, my family, my teammates, and every single person I know, it's that I won't stop trying no matter what. If anyone tries to hurt the people I care about, I-"
RING
[Saturday, March 19, 2011]
I nearly jumped out of my chair as the video suddenly cut out, a ringing sound replacing my super-inspirational speech. I pulled my earphones out and answered my phone.
"Hello?" Theo's voice was clear, and I smiled as I heard him crunching through gravel somewhere. Seemed like he was always on the move these days, especially since he started dating someone who used to run track. "Greg? Hey, just wanted to let you know I'd be missing our usual training session today. I've got...um...plans."
"Really, do these plans involve a girl who kicked my butt for a week straight?" There wasn't a hint of malice in my words, not since I'd managed to beat Sophia in the ring thanks to her own training. Though Theo got the lion's share of her teaching, the three of us had teamed up to really push each other to new heights of fitness and skill. "What are you up to?"
"We're meeting up at the gym, then I'm taking her out for lunch and a movie. Missy's coming too, since we're going to sneak her into the third Breakneck movie. Apparently Sophia promised her, and I'm pretty sure Missy only puts up with me because Sophia likes me."
"Eh, I think there's more to it than that. You're good for her, man." I may not have been an expert on relationships, but even I could see why Theo and Sophia had hit it off. Both had shitty family problems, but had managed to rise above it. Add in Sophia's need to get back in shape and Theo's need to get in shape, and you had a hell of a team. They seemed to meet up every other day, thanks to Missy. "Anyway, I'm meeting my family for...lunch. So I'll see you-"
"Excuse me, but you look incredibly familiar for some reason." A deep, rumbling voice in the background interrupted me, and I heard Theo pull his phone away from his ear. The voice sounded familiar, and continued, "Ah yes, Theo! I've seen you at Compensation. You're quite a fighter. Say, can I borrow your phone for a moment, I lost mine and need to call my sister."
"Sure thing, just a second." Theo's voice came back, sounding slightly nervous. His voice lowered a bit, "Looks like someone needs my help. Later, Greg."
Almost as if she'd been waiting, the moment I hung up was when the secretary finally directed me towards a nearby conference room. Inside, I found Mom, Dad, George, and some guy in a PRT dress uniform. They sat around a table covered in folders, and before I could speak Mom and Dad both rose and hugged me. I saw an aura of relief around both, with some fear.
"Greg, sorry to call you away from your friends, but this is…" Mom trailed off, pulling back and leading me to the table. It was covered in folders stamped with a variety of symbols from the PRT, FBI, CIA, Interpol, and WEDGDG. I knew the last one was a sort of financial sub-group within the PRT, so was this about all the cape merch I'd sold through Ren before joining?
I took a quick glance around the room with Emotion Sense, as I sat between my parents. George was worried, Mom was nervous, Dad was worried and nervous, and the uniform guy was...calm. Silently, he slid a folder to me and I found several NDAs inside.
Mom immediately walked me through signing them all, and I noticed hers and Dad's signatures already on there. What puzzled me was that the dates on their signatures were nearly two years old. They didn't say anything when I asked, exchanging a glance. I was getting creeped out, and having the door suddenly lock and a popping noise (electronic countermeasures?) didn't help.
"Thank you, Gregory. I'm sure you're wondering why you're here, and why Deputy Director Renick told you to copy Gallant's power. The reason is so that you can use it to see that we're telling the truth, since we don't have time to dally." The guy in the uniform calmly explained, flashing a PRT badge. "You may call me Nutcracker. I've been investigating the Empire 88 and their backers for the last several years. We had hoped you would never have to learn of it…"
"But because of Kaiser, we've had to move the timetable up a little." George finished, and I felt the temperature drop in the room. I saw pride, worry, and a hint of fear in his aura. "I'm sorry Greg. I had to keep it a secret to protect you, but that meant I had to lie for so long. But now that the deadline changed, my role just got a lot more dangerous, so I demanded we tell you-"
"Demanded? Your role? George, what the hell is going on? Is this a joke?" I stood and staggered backwards, looking at my parents for support. Neither so much as smiled, and I saw fear and sadness blazing in both of them. "P-Please, tell me this is a joke. Why are you..."
My mind raced as I thought of the secret missions I knew from TV and movies. Usually, an idiot kid like me would only find out about them by accident, when the mission was over, or if they needed me. This was none of those, and George had said his role had gotten more dangerous, the timetable was changing, and he'd demanded to talk to me first. I felt lightheaded as it hit me.
"It's happening soon, isn't it?" I wanted them to disagree, or for Gallant's power to flag a lie when they agreed. But I didn't see any deceit as he nodded. "W-What's your role, George?"
"I helped infiltrate a company that worked as a front and money laundering operation for the E88. I helped make deals, find out schedules, pay off mercenaries, and plan takedowns for all their parahumans...including Kaiser." George's voice caught, and I was afraid to look at his emotions. "Tonight I'm leaving for Boston. This was the last chance I would have had to see you, and I wanted you to know...I wanted to tell you the truth, because...I might..."
He trailed off, and I turned to Mom and Dad. Both were both trying not to cry, and failing.
Nutcracker told me a story about what George had been doing the last few years.
Gallant's power said it was all true, every single word, no matter how crazy.
But the worst part was the ending...that George might die tomorrow.
Because he was going after Kaiser.
*****************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: A secret revealed, lives in danger, friends in peril, an old enemy returns, a hero risks everything, and an epic battle...
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3.9: Learning to Make Sacrifices
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
AN: We're entering a big crunch time at work in about 2-3 weeks, and so I've been speeding up my updates. Luckily, the remaining chapters are already finished, but I didn't want to risk accidentally failing to post the rest of it due to burnout.
***************
3.9: Learning to Make Sacrifices
[Saturday, March 19, 2011]
The story went on for a while, and Gallant's power kept showing me sadness, anger, and determination, but not a single lie. My mind was whirling at the revelations, one after another, since the mission was going off tomorrow and they believed me to be trustworthy enough. Or even if they didn't, George's (possible) impending death was letting him bend the rules for me.
George is a spy? Mom and Dad knew? Theo's dad is a super-nazi? Theo's step-mom is...Purity?
They hadn't actually unmasked anyone, but it wasn't hard to connect the dots. Empire 88 was meshed with Medhall, headed by Max Anders, Theo's dad. Kaiser had been married to Purity at one point, and they'd had a daughter. He also had a son who had recently run away from home.
Which explained so much of the way he acted, and why he hated his dad. A note assured me that Theo was living with [redacted], but context clues told me they were the Undersiders. Still, all I could think about was what had made him run away, and based on the timing...
Did my call during power testing make Max beat him into triggering? How do I apologize for that?
"-Purity was difficult to deal with, but her pride was her biggest weakness. She sees herself as some sort of hero, so we used that against her." George bragged, pointing at a map of the town and some lines drawn on it. "She agreed to only patrol in neighborhoods of our choosing, ones with low crime rates and mostly white inhabitants. She also checks in with us every morning, and ever since Theo ran she away isn't even doing surveillance for Kaiser. With a stipend and fancy food deliveries, we've turned her, Night, and Fog into shut-ins patrolling a nothing beat."
"So what, you give her money and deliver fancy food to her apartment, and in exchange she's just sitting around pretending to be good? So she gets away with all the horrible shit she's done because she's been coloring inside the lines for a few months?" I growled, and saw a spike of annoyance join the pride in George's aura. "This deal is all give and no take! She's tricking you!"
"I said we had a deal with her. She broke it a week ago, and that's a reason I'm glad we're moving the timetable." He tapped papers signed by Director Costa-Brown, gritting his teeth and continuing, "We have all three on video assaulting people with their powers, and that's just the start of our evidence. By this time tomorrow, all three will be in custody. She's got a lifetime of consequences, and her lackeys are going to the Birdcage. Tomorrow, it all ends."
Hearing George talk like this, so cold and determined, was freaking me out a little bit. My baseball-loving, medical-minded, geeky older brother...and he was actually some kind of secret agent spy doctor? Working for a company with connections to nazis, a parahuman gang, and international crime syndicates? He'd been doing this for months...years, even!
Then they got to Melody, and I got so angry I nearly passed out. This was why I hadn't seen her since I got my powers! George claimed that after the mission she'd be spending life in prison, that she'd been integral to his cover and intel-gathering. He called her a useful criminal, said she'd spend the rest of her life paying for her crimes. That their relationship was just a cover...
But I was barely holding back from choking George to death. He'd brought a fucking murderous nazi into my house. Near my parents! A few weeks ago I'd been jealous of him for having such a cool, hot, awesome girlfriend, and now...I wanted to beat the shit out of her. Who cared if she betrayed the identities of all her fellow nazis, got Purity to make a deal, and...
"Wait, if you know the civilian identities of the Empire, why didn't you take them down years ago?" I tried to distract myself from the thought of George fucking a nazi assassin, asking a question that had been bugging me. "Why go through all this? All these tricks and traps?"
"Because this is bigger than just a bunch of nazi capes. Allfather built an empire, and it's only grown since he took over. Kaiser has a hundred rat holes to hide in, failsafes in place, lawyers on retainer, and allies in Germany." Nutcracker had mostly just been confirming things, but now he tried to play the voice of reason. "If we'd struck back then, he'd have called in every favor and burned every bridge...and killed thousands. Then, he'd escape, regroup, and start over."
"So instead, we gathered intel and planned. Found every one of his traps, all of his safe houses, all his money, and all his allies." George took over, standing and pointing to his documents like they proved this was worth all the lies and danger. "So when we take him down, nothing is left but the ashes of his Empire. Nobody gets hurt except his people. The Empire shall fall-"
"Stop it! Stop making inspiring speeches! This isn't some big adventure!" I slapped my hand on the table, and glared at George. "Why does it have to be you? Why can't someone else go?"
"Because in three days, Kaiser is going to go to Germany and bring back reinforcements. We have to strike now! I leave for Boston tonight, because..." George's voice caught, and he looked away before continuing. "Because I'm tired. I'm so tired of all the lies. I'm sick of pretending to laugh at their jokes, and just watching while these monsters ruin my town. I want to stop them, to finally put an end to their hatred. So we're calling on all our allies, throwing everything we-"
"But why does it have to be you?" I choked on the last word, wiping at my eyes and trying to explain this to my stupid, brave, idiotic brother. I sprang to my feet, shrugging off Mom's hands and stalked around the table, looming over him. "Why? I d-don't wanna lose you! Please!"
He stood and looked at me, a hundred emotions flashing through his aura in that moment. I wanted to grab him, to shake him, to hold on so he couldn't leave. Then he hugged me, and I couldn't even speak, something like a whine and a wet sob coming out of my mouth.
I barely heard him as he assured me that he'd been training for years. That he'd have one of the most dangerous women in town with him...to protect him. The same person who had been his partner all these years. That he had a whole squad, and had backup plans upon backup plans.
But none of that erased the fact that he was putting his life on the line against a madman. That he'd be walking right up to Kaiser with only Cricket at his side, and arresting him.
Eventually I wiped my face, wished him luck, and said I was going home. George's voice called after me as I left...
But I kept walking, because I refused to say goodbye to my brother.
***
I lied about going home. My room reminded me of how George had helped me clean it up. Our living room reminded me of family game nights. Even the kitchen reminded me of that recipe for meatloaf he'd taught me. No, I needed to find something else to do, anything else!
I tried calling my friends, but all three went straight to voicemail. So I went to the gym.
"Greg!" Missy was by the door, dragging me to the side as I entered. It was odd, since she was supposed to be at the movies with Sophia and Theo. But no, Sophia was over there, walking on a treadmill and staring at her phone. She looked dressed for a date, with a purple long-sleeved top, red shorts, new sneakers, and styled hair. "Have you seen Theo? Heard from him?"
"What, he didn't show up?" I looked at the clock just inside the door, and realized I'd been in that meeting for a long time. By now, the three of them should have been halfway through a bloody horror movie. "That's impossible. I talked to him over an hour ago, and he was on his way here."
"Well, he's not here, and every time Sophia calls him it goes straight to voicemail. Luckily I reminded her that Daylight Savings was a few days ago, and that bought us some time." Missy tried to smile at that, but I could see worry in her aura. "She's kinda freaking out. Any ideas?"
"Yeah, hold on a minute." I stepped outside, not even bothering to call Theo. Instead I texted Taylor and Allen, but neither had seen him, which meant that I was going to have to play a card I was hoping to avoid using. "Hello, Lisa? Is Theo working with you guys right now, because if-"
"Theo? Theo from the gym? Greg, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Lisa, stop." I lowered my voice, glancing around before continuing. "I know he's on your team. I'm worried about him, his girlfriend is worried, and I just want to make sure he's okay."
"His girlfriend? That murderous shitheel?" Lisa sounded pissed, and started to rant. "Do you have any idea the kind of crap she's done? She shot Brian! Tried to kill him because-"
"I don't care! Sophia doesn't matter right now! Theo does!" I roared, ignoring the passersby who gave me a wide berth. I tried to calm down, begging, "Please, we can deal with all that other crap later. But right now, I just want to make sure Theo's okay."
"Fine. Let me just...huh, that's odd..." I heard clicking in the background, and my phone let out a little buzz. "The tracking app I installed on his phone pinged at this location seventy-nine minutes ago, but it's offline now. Without a shutdown sequence."
"Wait, you have a tracking app on his phone?" I paused for a moment, remembering when she'd borrowed my phone a few weeks ago. "I'll check it out. Hey, did you put one on my phone too?"
"Well, the thing about that is…" Lisa paused, then hung up on me.
"Heard you shouting. You got something?" Sophia nearly spooked me into dropping my phone, and I turned to see her and Missy. Her aura was filled with hope and worry. "Was that Theo?"
"N-no, that was someone from...school. She saw him an hour ago." It sounded lame, but neither of them seemed to care. The address Lisa had sent me was in a part of town the Wards weren't allowed to patrol, a mile or two away. "She gave me the address. We should call the police and-"
"Fuck that, he might be hurt." Sophia growled, reaching for my phone. I danced away from her, sliding it into my pocket and holding up my hands. "By the time the cops get off their asses and get over there, the trail will be cold. Either tell me where and I'll go, or come with me."
"How about this? All of us go, and if there's trouble then we hang back and call for help." Missy stepped between us, glaring at her. "Besides, one of us is still on double secret probation."
At a full run, we made it to a deserted alley in record time. I gasped and tried to catch my breath, while the other two split up. Seeing Missy take her phone out reminded me to check in.
Even as I was texting Lisa for an update and Missy was talking to the police, Sophia was pacing around the alley and looking for clues. Her sneakers crunched on gravel, reminding me of Theo's phone call. When I turned to say so, I saw her aura was bubbling and frothing...
There was a silver phone in her hands, one that had been shattered beyond repair. She made a choking noise, and I waved Missy over as Sophia's aura boiled over with rage.
"Okay, cops are on their way, what's...is that Theo's phone?" Missy's aura went from hopeful with a side of worry to fearful with a large helping of anger in a moment. Sophia's eyes blazed as she seemed to spot something, then took off down the alley and around the corner. "Wait!"
I joined the chase, barely able to keep up, but slowed each time I saw the trail she seemed to be following. A splatter of blood on a brick wall. A trash can that had been dented by something heavy. A shoe that looked like one of Theo's. Then finally, making me sick to my stomach...
Twin furrows in the gravel, as if someone had been dragged in this direction.
I rounded one last corner to see the trail had ended at a little run-down warehouse with a small grass-filled courtyard. It had a big metal door in front, two huge windows on either side of it. One was cracked, the other boarded up, and I slipped up to the latter alongside Missy and Sophia.
Missy was texting madly with Sophia's phone while the older girl was using her power to pull nails out of the wood. Soon, Missy slid the phone back into Sophia's pocket, just in time as she pulled a board aside and gestured at us. We crowded around and looked inside.
The interior was well-lit thanks to a giant hole in the ceiling. As our eyes adjusted to the light (and our noses to the smell), we realized the place was almost knee-deep with trash. Aside from a heavy metal door at the back of the room, there was no other way inside. The center of the room was mostly cleared, and there we saw a table, a chair, and two figures.
One was huge, bulkier than Brian and covered in heavy clothing from head to toe. It was hard to see, but they were doing something with a soldering iron, glancing occasionally at someone in a chair nearby. What looked like a metal bowl with wires coming out of it was also on the table, along with a phone, some rope, and a first aid kit
The rope and the first aid kit had been used on Theo, who was tied to the chair.
He looked...horrible.
***
Theo's clothes were torn, his arms and legs tied to those of the heavy chair he was in, and his breathing ragged. It looked like one eye was swollen shut, and as we watched he let out a choking noise and looked around. He spat some blood, then whined, "Please, let me go!"
"You only have yourself to blame, Theo. I gave you a script, told you to call Sophia, and you smashed your phone. Then you tried to run, and here we are." I recognized his rumbling voice. This was the person I'd heard earlier, before Theo had hung up on me! He gripped Theo's forearm, eliciting a gasp of pain. "Now, are you ready to cooperate?"
"I told you, I barely know Sophia!" Theo wailed, straining. "She trains me, that's-"
There was a snapping noise as the big man grabbed Theo's hand, and my friend screamed. He started to say something, but another snapping noise came and he let out a choking sob.
Another snap. Another. Beside me, Sophia made a small noise, and I saw that she was just staring. Her aura was entirely fear, and she was shaking slightly as he kept talking.
"Four lies so far today. Four fingers. I have pictures of you two doing more than training...you move fast for such a coward. Don't know what she sees in you." He released Theo's broken fingers, then grabbed the phone and some paper from the table. "Let's try this again. Are you ready to read the script, and get a ride to the hospital? Or do I have to break you, piece by piece, until you do it anyway? Next will be your arm-"
"Okay, okay!" Theo gasped, shuddering and crying. He let out little gasping noises as the man dialed, clearing his throat. Sophia's phone didn't ring, and I realized that this was a test...but Theo didn't know that. The moment someone answered, he spoke with fake cheerfulness. "Hey Sophia, I was wondering-There's a guy who wants to kill you! He's got me at-"
Theo's plea shifted into a scream, as the big man dropped the phone and grabbed his arm. A horrible crunching noise was barely audible over his keening wail, and then it suddenly cut off. Theo's head drooped, the pain obviously making him faint, bone poking from his forearm...
"N-no. No. No. No!" I turned to see Sophia shaking and breathing quickly, her emotions all over the place before anger took over. She started to move for the door, but Missy grabbed her legs and the two went down. I dropped Gallant's power and copied Sophia's, having trained with her enough that I knew what her next tactic would be in a grapple. "Get off me! I have to stop him!"
She shifted into her shadow form and stood, but I was already shifting into mine as I tackled her. Weighing much less, my flying tackle floated both of us under the cracked window. I struggled to hold her, and was glad when Missy slid beside us.
"Let me go!" She shifted back to flesh, and I did the same, but she was stronger than me. "Let-"
"Shut up!" Missy hissed, slapping Sophia. "He'll hear us! What's wrong with you? Who is that?"
"Th-that's...Terry." Sophia whispered back, her voice thick. "My brother, Terry."
***
"He...that's your brother? That's the bastard who did all this to you?" Missy's jaw dropped, and she shook her head as if she couldn't wrap it around this detail. Theo moaned from inside, and we could hear something heavy and metal being torn. "We need to go get help."
A felt calm, all the sudden. It was like how I felt back at Winslow, when I saw Sophia giving up. Or maybe this was how she felt, when I talked about being powerless. Terry had hurt Theo, he had tortured Sophia, and Missy was talking about retreat. But above all that...was George.
George's situation had me feeling so helpless. But this? I could do something about this.
"We already called for help, and I'm guessing you updated them a minute ago?" I asked, getting a nod from Missy. I rolled off Sophia, getting into a crouch just under the window's lip, and pulled a cloth mask out of my jacket. "What we need to do is buy time. I can copy Missy's power, then the two of us can distract him while Sophia runs and gets help. She's the fastest, after all."
"No! Y-" Sophia's shout was cut off as Missy slapped a hand over her mouth. She grabbed it and pulled the hand away, trying again in a hiss. "No! This is my fault, I can't run away from this!"
"You're on probation, and unlike us, you don't have a mask." Missy pulled a cloth mask from her pocket and tied it on. We stood over Sophia. "Besides, even hearing his voice wrecked you..."
"Fuck that. Fuck fear. Fuck panic attacks." Sophia stood, taking her shirt off and wrapping it around her head in a practiced motion. In shorts, sneakers, a tank top, and a purple shirt mask, she growled, "He's my nightmare, so he's my responsibility. Theo needs me. Let's go."
I kind of wished I still had Gallant's power, because I was pretty sure that right now she was blazing with confidence and determination like never before.
The three of us, standing in front of a cracked window, ready to take on a villain who had tormented her for years. I looked in the window, and saw that...the back door was open and Terry had van-
WHAM
Something that felt like a mule hit me in the back, blasting me through the window.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sophia flying alongside me, but she shifted into her shadow form and slowed down. By the time I remembered I could do that as well, I was already hitting the trash-covered floor. Thanks to Brian's combat training, I rolled until my momentum bled off, eventually coming to my feet as Sophia landed beside me.
"Bad form, Sophia! Standing in front of your target's window, crying like a weakling? Did you forget everything I taught you?" Terry's voice sounded strange, and I couldn't see him anymore. What I was able to see was Missy, hovering in the air and grabbing at her throat. There was an odd distortion in the air beside her. "Maybe you need a reminder...motivation to be strong!"
Missy choked, kicking something that sounded like metal, and then a man in familiar armor appeared. One arm had shattered blades coming off it, the other a control panel with a cracked display, and the whole thing looked damaged. But what really drove it home for me was what looked like nets on the body, and a helmet with dreadlock-like wires coming off of it. Was that...
It's a Predator. Someone made armor that can turn invisible, and...god damn it, Leet...
As Terry continued to rant, Missy tapped one of her hands to her head, four fingertips pressed to the side of her thumb. Even as her face turned red, she lifted both hands and focused. A small distortion formed in the air, and Sophia broke into a run, leaping at it feet-first…
Suddenly she traveled twenty feet in an instant, both feet slamming into Terry's head. Missy dropped to the ground, gasping and choking, while Terry stumbled backwards. Sophia rushed after her brother, with Missy following moments later.
I found myself torn. On one hand, Theo was unconscious right over there, tied to a chair and with a lot of blood on him. For all I knew, Terry had broken his ribs as well as his fingers and arm, and moving him around might cause more damage.
On the other hand, the faster we beat Terry, the faster we could get Theo the help he needed. Despite his fancy armor, Terry didn't have a haze, so it was three parahumans versus a guy in half-busted armor. Missy was already joining the fight, so maybe I should?
On the other other hand...what was up with all this trash?
Ever since Sophia and I landed in it, the trash had been swirling around. There was no wind, and as I backed up I could see it was gathering in a big pile, about thirty feet away.
Then the pile shifted, and began to moan.
The pile grew arms and legs, standing over ten feet tall.
"Mush kill!" The pile, apparently named Mush, tried to kill me.
***
The good thing about fighting a huge monster like Mush was that he was slow as hell.
Because of that, I was able to use Sophia's power to dodge through him, and keep an eye on her fight with Terry. Despite his experience, armor, strength, and camouflage, Terry actually seemed to be losing. Chris had once told me that tinkertech required regular maintenance, and my guess was that Terry had never bothered to get a tuneup. Both were taking full advantage of this, and they used hit-and-run tactics to further damage his armor and its exposed components.
Missy used her warps and shifts to keep the man off-balance, the two using a series of hand signals to communicate. Meanwhile, Sophia was using her powers in ways I never considered, shifting individual body parts to shadow in a split second for feints, dodges, and attacks. I saw Sophia swing her shadowy leg through both of Terry's, making him block low, and thus be completely unprepared when Missy leapfrogged off her back to slam both feet into his helmet.
As for me, I was struggling to come up with a plan for beating Mush. Sophia's power was good for defense and stealth, while Missy's was one I hadn't really practiced. Plus, it was only a matter of time before I slipped up, or he went after Theo.
Actually, that gives me an idea. The floor is cement, and Mush has a power to...hmmm. Okay.
I took one last shadow leap to get distance, turning around in mid-air, and then reached out with three mental hands. I knew this could work, I just had to focus!
Theo's Body Projection plus Sophia's Angry Cloud plus Mush's Junk Armor equals...oh cool!
Mush let out a howl of victory, his swing missing me by inches as I engaged my triple blend and fell backwards...into the ground. It was like falling into a swimming pool full of pudding, and I took a deep breath before my body submerged into the floor.
Across the room, I stood up, my head brushing the ceiling.
I marveled at my stone body, slipping a bit as I noticed one of my feet was stuck to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia and Missy had stopped to stare at me, a twelve-foot tall golem. Terry vanished, his camouflage activating, but I knew they could handle him.
I slammed my fists together, grabbing Mush's attention in an instant. He let out a shriek, rushing at me, then going right through me as I went shadow-form. Like something out of a cartoon, the idiot slammed into the wall, half his trash falling as he was stunned by the impact.
I quickly grabbed at what I was pretty sure was his real body. Then, putting the corn-shucking moves I had learned at a Harvest Festival to good use, I began removing his trash. Once he was mostly clean (of trash), I closed my hands around him. Trapped, he shrieked.
I laughed silently, and it took me a moment to realize that my new body didn't need to breathe. That was funny for some reason. Actually, I was starting to feel kind of lightheaded...
Lightheaded? Oh yeah, I'm holding my breath down here. Better eject, quick!
I crouched the stone body so it wouldn't fall over, pulled my real body out, and collapsed...
As an afterthought, I dropped the powers, and relief flowed through me.
"Nobody moves." A shadow fell over me. "Or he dies."
Terry stood over me, gun pointed at my head.
***
"I've had enough of this shit." Terry's armor was in even worse shape than before, and I could see Missy start to lift her hands. "Hey! Stop that! I'll shoot this dumb-"
"Nah, I used Vista's power to make a curved tunnel between us." I lied, trusting my mask to hide my fear. Above, I saw something that made me smile. "You shoot me, you hit yourself."
"You're bluffing." He growled, and I just laughed, making a trash angel to cover up other trash shifting behind him. "What's wrong with you? Were you down there so long your brain rotted?"
"No, you're just such a movie villain cliche. Holding a gun to someone's head and thinking that it's going to work out for you. You shoot me, and even if you escape you'll become enemy number one. Killing a kid, especially an idiot like me, even the villains will go after you."
"That's-"
"Crazy, I know. If there's one thing I've learned in the last few months it's that even the bad guys have standards." I sighed, then grinned as my soon-to-be savoir leapt and twisted into an awesome kick. "Also, that some of them are really easy to distract."
CRACK
Terry took a pair of feet to the head for the third time today, except this time they belonged to an adult. Terry went flying, slamming into the leg of my discarded stone body, and his helmet shattered against it. I let out a sigh of relief, glad he hadn't heard her drop in from the skylight.
"Thanks for covering for me, kid." Mouse Protector helped me up, keeping an eye on Terry until Miss Militia ran in and trained a glowing rifle on him. Sophia and Missy came in just behind her, and carefully freed Theo to lay him out on the floor. "Y'know, when you two said you were going to sneak into an R-rated movie, I thought you meant the kind on the silver screen. Not real life!"
"R-rated? You told me it was-" Miss Militia cut herself off, shifting her weapon to a bigger rifle as Terry climbed to his feet. His armor looked even worse than before, and he was smiling. "We'll talk about this later. Terry Hess, disarm yourself and lie down, hands behind your head!"
"Disarm? No problem." Terry slowly reached for the arm that had the broken blades, flipping a few switches and then removing it. He did the same to his other gauntlet, but then tapped a few buttons on the control panel. "Or maybe I'll switch to Plan B! Back off, or my bomb kills us all!"
Red digits appeared on the control panel, and it began to beep. I couldn't read the numbers, but the beeping sped up as Terry moved towards the door. The older heroes pulled us back, but Sophia slipped under Miss Militia's arm and slammed into him with a wild tackle.
"You have to choose, Sophia!" Terry roared, striking her with punishing blows, the bomb's beeping getting louder and faster. Miss Militia shouted for Sophia to let him go, but she shook her head and pulled at his beeping gauntlet. "Me, or the bomb? Strength, or weakness?"
"I fucking choose...both!" She grunted, pulling his gauntlet off and spinning into a high kick. He caught it and swept her other leg, then delivering a kick to her ribs that lifted her off the ground.
Terry ignored his sister's pain, and ran out the door before anyone could stop him.
Sophia made it to her feet, the bomb in both hands, and turned back to see Miss Militia knock the table over so we could take cover beside Theo. We were shouting for her to get rid of it, to come back and join us, but it was getting faster and faster. She shook her head and ran.
We tried to get to her, but Miss Militia held Missy and I back as Mouse Protector vanished.
We saw her reappear next to Sophia, trying to pull the bomb away from her.
Sophia shadowed away, then tripped and fell, curling herself around it.
Mouse Protector jumped over her, hugging Sophia tight.
Miss Militia pulled us both down, shouting.
The beeping got louder...
The beeping got faster...
Then it all...
Stopped.
***
"Damn it. I knew he gave that glove up too easy." Sophia started to hit her armrest, then winced as Vera caught her arm. She had cracked ribs and hands that were in bad shape, but her painkillers and annoyance made for a bad combination. "The fucking bomb was a dud!"
"No. While Terry may have let you take the gauntlet as a distraction..." Miss Militia held up notes Armsmaster had given her. "Once the timer hit zero, it would have overloaded the armor's power cells and exploded. By removing the gauntlet, you actually disarmed the bomb."
"Whatever. He's in the wind, everyone got hurt, I'm going to juvie, Theo…" She cut herself off, fumbling her phone and seeing no updates. "Still nothing on his surgery. I nearly got him killed."
"He'll be okay." I wished I could have told her more. Lisa had texted me a few minutes ago, saying she'd gotten a special deal for Theo to get parahuman healing. She also promised the Undersiders would make Terry pay. "He's strong. You helped make him that way, remember?"
The door to Renick's office opened and he stepped out, followed by Missy, her parents, and my parents. While the Biron family carefully hugged their daughter (broken wrist and bruised throat) before letting her sit down on Sophia's other side, mine did the same for me. My injuries were minor, a few bruises and cuts, so I was fine after a few showers to remove the trash stench.
The other Wards had already left after making sure we were okay, and getting a rundown on what had happened. Dean had reacted strangely, staring silently as Vera hugged Sophia when they got to the end of the story, and I wondered what was going through his head. Maybe he'd go easier on her now, since she'd nearly killed herself (unnecessarily) trying to save us?
Speaking of being speechless, Sophia was gobsmacked a few moments later, when Renick turned and explained our punishment. Or rather, our distinct and utter lack of punishment.
"While I can't say I'm pleased with certain elements of how today went, I think all three of you went above and beyond the call of duty." Renick smiled, counting off on his fingers. "When a friend went missing, Missy called the police and told them his last known location. When you found the end of his trail, Sophia texted Miss Militia to inform her of the kidnapping. Finally, all three of you remained masked, saved a civilian, and captured a parahuman criminal."
"But what about Terry?" Sophia interrupted, shaking her head like this was some sort of trick. "He got away because of me! He knows who I am, and kidnapped Theo to try and get to me!"
"Yes, and your friend is currently in Boston, getting special medical care and PRT protection." Renick walked back to his office, pausing at the door to smile at her. "In the future, please throw bombs out the window, instead of trying to cover them with your body. We may be heroes, but that doesn't mean we have to make heroic sacrifices our first option, okay?"
The door closed, and while everyone else celebrated, she remained silent.
"You know, Sophia…you never got to see Breakneck 3." I nudged her, noting the way she kept staring at her phone. "Theo's not big on scary movies, so watch it without him. That way, when he gets out of his surgery and you watch it together, you'll know all the scary parts!"
"Hey, since I'm already staying over tonight, how about we go see it now? I'm sure seeing an R-rated movie with an adult is fine, right?" Missy glanced over at Miss Militia, likely remembering her earlier comments. The older hero sighed, then nodded. "Sweet!"
"I guess..." Sophia paused as she was getting up, then looked at me. "You wanna come too?"
My parents allowed it, hoping it would distract me from George, and as we walked to the car I tried to cheer Sophia up. "Hey, I heard that they were sending Mush to the Parahuman Asylum, so he can actually get a chance at a better life! Looks like we saved him, too!"
"Oh my god, Sveta was right." Sophia moaned, putting her face in her hand. "You really do have a thing for helping monsters and terrible people."
"Well I...wait...how do you know Sveta?"
*******************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: The Empire Falls.
***************
3.9: Learning to Make Sacrifices
[Saturday, March 19, 2011]
The story went on for a while, and Gallant's power kept showing me sadness, anger, and determination, but not a single lie. My mind was whirling at the revelations, one after another, since the mission was going off tomorrow and they believed me to be trustworthy enough. Or even if they didn't, George's (possible) impending death was letting him bend the rules for me.
George is a spy? Mom and Dad knew? Theo's dad is a super-nazi? Theo's step-mom is...Purity?
They hadn't actually unmasked anyone, but it wasn't hard to connect the dots. Empire 88 was meshed with Medhall, headed by Max Anders, Theo's dad. Kaiser had been married to Purity at one point, and they'd had a daughter. He also had a son who had recently run away from home.
Which explained so much of the way he acted, and why he hated his dad. A note assured me that Theo was living with [redacted], but context clues told me they were the Undersiders. Still, all I could think about was what had made him run away, and based on the timing...
Did my call during power testing make Max beat him into triggering? How do I apologize for that?
"-Purity was difficult to deal with, but her pride was her biggest weakness. She sees herself as some sort of hero, so we used that against her." George bragged, pointing at a map of the town and some lines drawn on it. "She agreed to only patrol in neighborhoods of our choosing, ones with low crime rates and mostly white inhabitants. She also checks in with us every morning, and ever since Theo ran she away isn't even doing surveillance for Kaiser. With a stipend and fancy food deliveries, we've turned her, Night, and Fog into shut-ins patrolling a nothing beat."
"So what, you give her money and deliver fancy food to her apartment, and in exchange she's just sitting around pretending to be good? So she gets away with all the horrible shit she's done because she's been coloring inside the lines for a few months?" I growled, and saw a spike of annoyance join the pride in George's aura. "This deal is all give and no take! She's tricking you!"
"I said we had a deal with her. She broke it a week ago, and that's a reason I'm glad we're moving the timetable." He tapped papers signed by Director Costa-Brown, gritting his teeth and continuing, "We have all three on video assaulting people with their powers, and that's just the start of our evidence. By this time tomorrow, all three will be in custody. She's got a lifetime of consequences, and her lackeys are going to the Birdcage. Tomorrow, it all ends."
Hearing George talk like this, so cold and determined, was freaking me out a little bit. My baseball-loving, medical-minded, geeky older brother...and he was actually some kind of secret agent spy doctor? Working for a company with connections to nazis, a parahuman gang, and international crime syndicates? He'd been doing this for months...years, even!
Then they got to Melody, and I got so angry I nearly passed out. This was why I hadn't seen her since I got my powers! George claimed that after the mission she'd be spending life in prison, that she'd been integral to his cover and intel-gathering. He called her a useful criminal, said she'd spend the rest of her life paying for her crimes. That their relationship was just a cover...
But I was barely holding back from choking George to death. He'd brought a fucking murderous nazi into my house. Near my parents! A few weeks ago I'd been jealous of him for having such a cool, hot, awesome girlfriend, and now...I wanted to beat the shit out of her. Who cared if she betrayed the identities of all her fellow nazis, got Purity to make a deal, and...
"Wait, if you know the civilian identities of the Empire, why didn't you take them down years ago?" I tried to distract myself from the thought of George fucking a nazi assassin, asking a question that had been bugging me. "Why go through all this? All these tricks and traps?"
"Because this is bigger than just a bunch of nazi capes. Allfather built an empire, and it's only grown since he took over. Kaiser has a hundred rat holes to hide in, failsafes in place, lawyers on retainer, and allies in Germany." Nutcracker had mostly just been confirming things, but now he tried to play the voice of reason. "If we'd struck back then, he'd have called in every favor and burned every bridge...and killed thousands. Then, he'd escape, regroup, and start over."
"So instead, we gathered intel and planned. Found every one of his traps, all of his safe houses, all his money, and all his allies." George took over, standing and pointing to his documents like they proved this was worth all the lies and danger. "So when we take him down, nothing is left but the ashes of his Empire. Nobody gets hurt except his people. The Empire shall fall-"
"Stop it! Stop making inspiring speeches! This isn't some big adventure!" I slapped my hand on the table, and glared at George. "Why does it have to be you? Why can't someone else go?"
"Because in three days, Kaiser is going to go to Germany and bring back reinforcements. We have to strike now! I leave for Boston tonight, because..." George's voice caught, and he looked away before continuing. "Because I'm tired. I'm so tired of all the lies. I'm sick of pretending to laugh at their jokes, and just watching while these monsters ruin my town. I want to stop them, to finally put an end to their hatred. So we're calling on all our allies, throwing everything we-"
"But why does it have to be you?" I choked on the last word, wiping at my eyes and trying to explain this to my stupid, brave, idiotic brother. I sprang to my feet, shrugging off Mom's hands and stalked around the table, looming over him. "Why? I d-don't wanna lose you! Please!"
He stood and looked at me, a hundred emotions flashing through his aura in that moment. I wanted to grab him, to shake him, to hold on so he couldn't leave. Then he hugged me, and I couldn't even speak, something like a whine and a wet sob coming out of my mouth.
I barely heard him as he assured me that he'd been training for years. That he'd have one of the most dangerous women in town with him...to protect him. The same person who had been his partner all these years. That he had a whole squad, and had backup plans upon backup plans.
But none of that erased the fact that he was putting his life on the line against a madman. That he'd be walking right up to Kaiser with only Cricket at his side, and arresting him.
Eventually I wiped my face, wished him luck, and said I was going home. George's voice called after me as I left...
But I kept walking, because I refused to say goodbye to my brother.
***
I lied about going home. My room reminded me of how George had helped me clean it up. Our living room reminded me of family game nights. Even the kitchen reminded me of that recipe for meatloaf he'd taught me. No, I needed to find something else to do, anything else!
I tried calling my friends, but all three went straight to voicemail. So I went to the gym.
"Greg!" Missy was by the door, dragging me to the side as I entered. It was odd, since she was supposed to be at the movies with Sophia and Theo. But no, Sophia was over there, walking on a treadmill and staring at her phone. She looked dressed for a date, with a purple long-sleeved top, red shorts, new sneakers, and styled hair. "Have you seen Theo? Heard from him?"
"What, he didn't show up?" I looked at the clock just inside the door, and realized I'd been in that meeting for a long time. By now, the three of them should have been halfway through a bloody horror movie. "That's impossible. I talked to him over an hour ago, and he was on his way here."
"Well, he's not here, and every time Sophia calls him it goes straight to voicemail. Luckily I reminded her that Daylight Savings was a few days ago, and that bought us some time." Missy tried to smile at that, but I could see worry in her aura. "She's kinda freaking out. Any ideas?"
"Yeah, hold on a minute." I stepped outside, not even bothering to call Theo. Instead I texted Taylor and Allen, but neither had seen him, which meant that I was going to have to play a card I was hoping to avoid using. "Hello, Lisa? Is Theo working with you guys right now, because if-"
"Theo? Theo from the gym? Greg, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Lisa, stop." I lowered my voice, glancing around before continuing. "I know he's on your team. I'm worried about him, his girlfriend is worried, and I just want to make sure he's okay."
"His girlfriend? That murderous shitheel?" Lisa sounded pissed, and started to rant. "Do you have any idea the kind of crap she's done? She shot Brian! Tried to kill him because-"
"I don't care! Sophia doesn't matter right now! Theo does!" I roared, ignoring the passersby who gave me a wide berth. I tried to calm down, begging, "Please, we can deal with all that other crap later. But right now, I just want to make sure Theo's okay."
"Fine. Let me just...huh, that's odd..." I heard clicking in the background, and my phone let out a little buzz. "The tracking app I installed on his phone pinged at this location seventy-nine minutes ago, but it's offline now. Without a shutdown sequence."
"Wait, you have a tracking app on his phone?" I paused for a moment, remembering when she'd borrowed my phone a few weeks ago. "I'll check it out. Hey, did you put one on my phone too?"
"Well, the thing about that is…" Lisa paused, then hung up on me.
"Heard you shouting. You got something?" Sophia nearly spooked me into dropping my phone, and I turned to see her and Missy. Her aura was filled with hope and worry. "Was that Theo?"
"N-no, that was someone from...school. She saw him an hour ago." It sounded lame, but neither of them seemed to care. The address Lisa had sent me was in a part of town the Wards weren't allowed to patrol, a mile or two away. "She gave me the address. We should call the police and-"
"Fuck that, he might be hurt." Sophia growled, reaching for my phone. I danced away from her, sliding it into my pocket and holding up my hands. "By the time the cops get off their asses and get over there, the trail will be cold. Either tell me where and I'll go, or come with me."
"How about this? All of us go, and if there's trouble then we hang back and call for help." Missy stepped between us, glaring at her. "Besides, one of us is still on double secret probation."
At a full run, we made it to a deserted alley in record time. I gasped and tried to catch my breath, while the other two split up. Seeing Missy take her phone out reminded me to check in.
Even as I was texting Lisa for an update and Missy was talking to the police, Sophia was pacing around the alley and looking for clues. Her sneakers crunched on gravel, reminding me of Theo's phone call. When I turned to say so, I saw her aura was bubbling and frothing...
There was a silver phone in her hands, one that had been shattered beyond repair. She made a choking noise, and I waved Missy over as Sophia's aura boiled over with rage.
"Okay, cops are on their way, what's...is that Theo's phone?" Missy's aura went from hopeful with a side of worry to fearful with a large helping of anger in a moment. Sophia's eyes blazed as she seemed to spot something, then took off down the alley and around the corner. "Wait!"
I joined the chase, barely able to keep up, but slowed each time I saw the trail she seemed to be following. A splatter of blood on a brick wall. A trash can that had been dented by something heavy. A shoe that looked like one of Theo's. Then finally, making me sick to my stomach...
Twin furrows in the gravel, as if someone had been dragged in this direction.
I rounded one last corner to see the trail had ended at a little run-down warehouse with a small grass-filled courtyard. It had a big metal door in front, two huge windows on either side of it. One was cracked, the other boarded up, and I slipped up to the latter alongside Missy and Sophia.
Missy was texting madly with Sophia's phone while the older girl was using her power to pull nails out of the wood. Soon, Missy slid the phone back into Sophia's pocket, just in time as she pulled a board aside and gestured at us. We crowded around and looked inside.
The interior was well-lit thanks to a giant hole in the ceiling. As our eyes adjusted to the light (and our noses to the smell), we realized the place was almost knee-deep with trash. Aside from a heavy metal door at the back of the room, there was no other way inside. The center of the room was mostly cleared, and there we saw a table, a chair, and two figures.
One was huge, bulkier than Brian and covered in heavy clothing from head to toe. It was hard to see, but they were doing something with a soldering iron, glancing occasionally at someone in a chair nearby. What looked like a metal bowl with wires coming out of it was also on the table, along with a phone, some rope, and a first aid kit
The rope and the first aid kit had been used on Theo, who was tied to the chair.
He looked...horrible.
***
Theo's clothes were torn, his arms and legs tied to those of the heavy chair he was in, and his breathing ragged. It looked like one eye was swollen shut, and as we watched he let out a choking noise and looked around. He spat some blood, then whined, "Please, let me go!"
"You only have yourself to blame, Theo. I gave you a script, told you to call Sophia, and you smashed your phone. Then you tried to run, and here we are." I recognized his rumbling voice. This was the person I'd heard earlier, before Theo had hung up on me! He gripped Theo's forearm, eliciting a gasp of pain. "Now, are you ready to cooperate?"
"I told you, I barely know Sophia!" Theo wailed, straining. "She trains me, that's-"
There was a snapping noise as the big man grabbed Theo's hand, and my friend screamed. He started to say something, but another snapping noise came and he let out a choking sob.
Another snap. Another. Beside me, Sophia made a small noise, and I saw that she was just staring. Her aura was entirely fear, and she was shaking slightly as he kept talking.
"Four lies so far today. Four fingers. I have pictures of you two doing more than training...you move fast for such a coward. Don't know what she sees in you." He released Theo's broken fingers, then grabbed the phone and some paper from the table. "Let's try this again. Are you ready to read the script, and get a ride to the hospital? Or do I have to break you, piece by piece, until you do it anyway? Next will be your arm-"
"Okay, okay!" Theo gasped, shuddering and crying. He let out little gasping noises as the man dialed, clearing his throat. Sophia's phone didn't ring, and I realized that this was a test...but Theo didn't know that. The moment someone answered, he spoke with fake cheerfulness. "Hey Sophia, I was wondering-There's a guy who wants to kill you! He's got me at-"
Theo's plea shifted into a scream, as the big man dropped the phone and grabbed his arm. A horrible crunching noise was barely audible over his keening wail, and then it suddenly cut off. Theo's head drooped, the pain obviously making him faint, bone poking from his forearm...
"N-no. No. No. No!" I turned to see Sophia shaking and breathing quickly, her emotions all over the place before anger took over. She started to move for the door, but Missy grabbed her legs and the two went down. I dropped Gallant's power and copied Sophia's, having trained with her enough that I knew what her next tactic would be in a grapple. "Get off me! I have to stop him!"
She shifted into her shadow form and stood, but I was already shifting into mine as I tackled her. Weighing much less, my flying tackle floated both of us under the cracked window. I struggled to hold her, and was glad when Missy slid beside us.
"Let me go!" She shifted back to flesh, and I did the same, but she was stronger than me. "Let-"
"Shut up!" Missy hissed, slapping Sophia. "He'll hear us! What's wrong with you? Who is that?"
"Th-that's...Terry." Sophia whispered back, her voice thick. "My brother, Terry."
***
"He...that's your brother? That's the bastard who did all this to you?" Missy's jaw dropped, and she shook her head as if she couldn't wrap it around this detail. Theo moaned from inside, and we could hear something heavy and metal being torn. "We need to go get help."
A felt calm, all the sudden. It was like how I felt back at Winslow, when I saw Sophia giving up. Or maybe this was how she felt, when I talked about being powerless. Terry had hurt Theo, he had tortured Sophia, and Missy was talking about retreat. But above all that...was George.
George's situation had me feeling so helpless. But this? I could do something about this.
"We already called for help, and I'm guessing you updated them a minute ago?" I asked, getting a nod from Missy. I rolled off Sophia, getting into a crouch just under the window's lip, and pulled a cloth mask out of my jacket. "What we need to do is buy time. I can copy Missy's power, then the two of us can distract him while Sophia runs and gets help. She's the fastest, after all."
"No! Y-" Sophia's shout was cut off as Missy slapped a hand over her mouth. She grabbed it and pulled the hand away, trying again in a hiss. "No! This is my fault, I can't run away from this!"
"You're on probation, and unlike us, you don't have a mask." Missy pulled a cloth mask from her pocket and tied it on. We stood over Sophia. "Besides, even hearing his voice wrecked you..."
"Fuck that. Fuck fear. Fuck panic attacks." Sophia stood, taking her shirt off and wrapping it around her head in a practiced motion. In shorts, sneakers, a tank top, and a purple shirt mask, she growled, "He's my nightmare, so he's my responsibility. Theo needs me. Let's go."
I kind of wished I still had Gallant's power, because I was pretty sure that right now she was blazing with confidence and determination like never before.
The three of us, standing in front of a cracked window, ready to take on a villain who had tormented her for years. I looked in the window, and saw that...the back door was open and Terry had van-
WHAM
Something that felt like a mule hit me in the back, blasting me through the window.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sophia flying alongside me, but she shifted into her shadow form and slowed down. By the time I remembered I could do that as well, I was already hitting the trash-covered floor. Thanks to Brian's combat training, I rolled until my momentum bled off, eventually coming to my feet as Sophia landed beside me.
"Bad form, Sophia! Standing in front of your target's window, crying like a weakling? Did you forget everything I taught you?" Terry's voice sounded strange, and I couldn't see him anymore. What I was able to see was Missy, hovering in the air and grabbing at her throat. There was an odd distortion in the air beside her. "Maybe you need a reminder...motivation to be strong!"
Missy choked, kicking something that sounded like metal, and then a man in familiar armor appeared. One arm had shattered blades coming off it, the other a control panel with a cracked display, and the whole thing looked damaged. But what really drove it home for me was what looked like nets on the body, and a helmet with dreadlock-like wires coming off of it. Was that...
It's a Predator. Someone made armor that can turn invisible, and...god damn it, Leet...
As Terry continued to rant, Missy tapped one of her hands to her head, four fingertips pressed to the side of her thumb. Even as her face turned red, she lifted both hands and focused. A small distortion formed in the air, and Sophia broke into a run, leaping at it feet-first…
Suddenly she traveled twenty feet in an instant, both feet slamming into Terry's head. Missy dropped to the ground, gasping and choking, while Terry stumbled backwards. Sophia rushed after her brother, with Missy following moments later.
I found myself torn. On one hand, Theo was unconscious right over there, tied to a chair and with a lot of blood on him. For all I knew, Terry had broken his ribs as well as his fingers and arm, and moving him around might cause more damage.
On the other hand, the faster we beat Terry, the faster we could get Theo the help he needed. Despite his fancy armor, Terry didn't have a haze, so it was three parahumans versus a guy in half-busted armor. Missy was already joining the fight, so maybe I should?
On the other other hand...what was up with all this trash?
Ever since Sophia and I landed in it, the trash had been swirling around. There was no wind, and as I backed up I could see it was gathering in a big pile, about thirty feet away.
Then the pile shifted, and began to moan.
The pile grew arms and legs, standing over ten feet tall.
"Mush kill!" The pile, apparently named Mush, tried to kill me.
***
The good thing about fighting a huge monster like Mush was that he was slow as hell.
Because of that, I was able to use Sophia's power to dodge through him, and keep an eye on her fight with Terry. Despite his experience, armor, strength, and camouflage, Terry actually seemed to be losing. Chris had once told me that tinkertech required regular maintenance, and my guess was that Terry had never bothered to get a tuneup. Both were taking full advantage of this, and they used hit-and-run tactics to further damage his armor and its exposed components.
Missy used her warps and shifts to keep the man off-balance, the two using a series of hand signals to communicate. Meanwhile, Sophia was using her powers in ways I never considered, shifting individual body parts to shadow in a split second for feints, dodges, and attacks. I saw Sophia swing her shadowy leg through both of Terry's, making him block low, and thus be completely unprepared when Missy leapfrogged off her back to slam both feet into his helmet.
As for me, I was struggling to come up with a plan for beating Mush. Sophia's power was good for defense and stealth, while Missy's was one I hadn't really practiced. Plus, it was only a matter of time before I slipped up, or he went after Theo.
Actually, that gives me an idea. The floor is cement, and Mush has a power to...hmmm. Okay.
I took one last shadow leap to get distance, turning around in mid-air, and then reached out with three mental hands. I knew this could work, I just had to focus!
Theo's Body Projection plus Sophia's Angry Cloud plus Mush's Junk Armor equals...oh cool!
Mush let out a howl of victory, his swing missing me by inches as I engaged my triple blend and fell backwards...into the ground. It was like falling into a swimming pool full of pudding, and I took a deep breath before my body submerged into the floor.
Across the room, I stood up, my head brushing the ceiling.
I marveled at my stone body, slipping a bit as I noticed one of my feet was stuck to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia and Missy had stopped to stare at me, a twelve-foot tall golem. Terry vanished, his camouflage activating, but I knew they could handle him.
I slammed my fists together, grabbing Mush's attention in an instant. He let out a shriek, rushing at me, then going right through me as I went shadow-form. Like something out of a cartoon, the idiot slammed into the wall, half his trash falling as he was stunned by the impact.
I quickly grabbed at what I was pretty sure was his real body. Then, putting the corn-shucking moves I had learned at a Harvest Festival to good use, I began removing his trash. Once he was mostly clean (of trash), I closed my hands around him. Trapped, he shrieked.
I laughed silently, and it took me a moment to realize that my new body didn't need to breathe. That was funny for some reason. Actually, I was starting to feel kind of lightheaded...
Lightheaded? Oh yeah, I'm holding my breath down here. Better eject, quick!
I crouched the stone body so it wouldn't fall over, pulled my real body out, and collapsed...
As an afterthought, I dropped the powers, and relief flowed through me.
"Nobody moves." A shadow fell over me. "Or he dies."
Terry stood over me, gun pointed at my head.
***
"I've had enough of this shit." Terry's armor was in even worse shape than before, and I could see Missy start to lift her hands. "Hey! Stop that! I'll shoot this dumb-"
"Nah, I used Vista's power to make a curved tunnel between us." I lied, trusting my mask to hide my fear. Above, I saw something that made me smile. "You shoot me, you hit yourself."
"You're bluffing." He growled, and I just laughed, making a trash angel to cover up other trash shifting behind him. "What's wrong with you? Were you down there so long your brain rotted?"
"No, you're just such a movie villain cliche. Holding a gun to someone's head and thinking that it's going to work out for you. You shoot me, and even if you escape you'll become enemy number one. Killing a kid, especially an idiot like me, even the villains will go after you."
"That's-"
"Crazy, I know. If there's one thing I've learned in the last few months it's that even the bad guys have standards." I sighed, then grinned as my soon-to-be savoir leapt and twisted into an awesome kick. "Also, that some of them are really easy to distract."
CRACK
Terry took a pair of feet to the head for the third time today, except this time they belonged to an adult. Terry went flying, slamming into the leg of my discarded stone body, and his helmet shattered against it. I let out a sigh of relief, glad he hadn't heard her drop in from the skylight.
"Thanks for covering for me, kid." Mouse Protector helped me up, keeping an eye on Terry until Miss Militia ran in and trained a glowing rifle on him. Sophia and Missy came in just behind her, and carefully freed Theo to lay him out on the floor. "Y'know, when you two said you were going to sneak into an R-rated movie, I thought you meant the kind on the silver screen. Not real life!"
"R-rated? You told me it was-" Miss Militia cut herself off, shifting her weapon to a bigger rifle as Terry climbed to his feet. His armor looked even worse than before, and he was smiling. "We'll talk about this later. Terry Hess, disarm yourself and lie down, hands behind your head!"
"Disarm? No problem." Terry slowly reached for the arm that had the broken blades, flipping a few switches and then removing it. He did the same to his other gauntlet, but then tapped a few buttons on the control panel. "Or maybe I'll switch to Plan B! Back off, or my bomb kills us all!"
Red digits appeared on the control panel, and it began to beep. I couldn't read the numbers, but the beeping sped up as Terry moved towards the door. The older heroes pulled us back, but Sophia slipped under Miss Militia's arm and slammed into him with a wild tackle.
"You have to choose, Sophia!" Terry roared, striking her with punishing blows, the bomb's beeping getting louder and faster. Miss Militia shouted for Sophia to let him go, but she shook her head and pulled at his beeping gauntlet. "Me, or the bomb? Strength, or weakness?"
"I fucking choose...both!" She grunted, pulling his gauntlet off and spinning into a high kick. He caught it and swept her other leg, then delivering a kick to her ribs that lifted her off the ground.
Terry ignored his sister's pain, and ran out the door before anyone could stop him.
Sophia made it to her feet, the bomb in both hands, and turned back to see Miss Militia knock the table over so we could take cover beside Theo. We were shouting for her to get rid of it, to come back and join us, but it was getting faster and faster. She shook her head and ran.
We tried to get to her, but Miss Militia held Missy and I back as Mouse Protector vanished.
We saw her reappear next to Sophia, trying to pull the bomb away from her.
Sophia shadowed away, then tripped and fell, curling herself around it.
Mouse Protector jumped over her, hugging Sophia tight.
Miss Militia pulled us both down, shouting.
The beeping got louder...
The beeping got faster...
Then it all...
Stopped.
***
"Damn it. I knew he gave that glove up too easy." Sophia started to hit her armrest, then winced as Vera caught her arm. She had cracked ribs and hands that were in bad shape, but her painkillers and annoyance made for a bad combination. "The fucking bomb was a dud!"
"No. While Terry may have let you take the gauntlet as a distraction..." Miss Militia held up notes Armsmaster had given her. "Once the timer hit zero, it would have overloaded the armor's power cells and exploded. By removing the gauntlet, you actually disarmed the bomb."
"Whatever. He's in the wind, everyone got hurt, I'm going to juvie, Theo…" She cut herself off, fumbling her phone and seeing no updates. "Still nothing on his surgery. I nearly got him killed."
"He'll be okay." I wished I could have told her more. Lisa had texted me a few minutes ago, saying she'd gotten a special deal for Theo to get parahuman healing. She also promised the Undersiders would make Terry pay. "He's strong. You helped make him that way, remember?"
The door to Renick's office opened and he stepped out, followed by Missy, her parents, and my parents. While the Biron family carefully hugged their daughter (broken wrist and bruised throat) before letting her sit down on Sophia's other side, mine did the same for me. My injuries were minor, a few bruises and cuts, so I was fine after a few showers to remove the trash stench.
The other Wards had already left after making sure we were okay, and getting a rundown on what had happened. Dean had reacted strangely, staring silently as Vera hugged Sophia when they got to the end of the story, and I wondered what was going through his head. Maybe he'd go easier on her now, since she'd nearly killed herself (unnecessarily) trying to save us?
Speaking of being speechless, Sophia was gobsmacked a few moments later, when Renick turned and explained our punishment. Or rather, our distinct and utter lack of punishment.
"While I can't say I'm pleased with certain elements of how today went, I think all three of you went above and beyond the call of duty." Renick smiled, counting off on his fingers. "When a friend went missing, Missy called the police and told them his last known location. When you found the end of his trail, Sophia texted Miss Militia to inform her of the kidnapping. Finally, all three of you remained masked, saved a civilian, and captured a parahuman criminal."
"But what about Terry?" Sophia interrupted, shaking her head like this was some sort of trick. "He got away because of me! He knows who I am, and kidnapped Theo to try and get to me!"
"Yes, and your friend is currently in Boston, getting special medical care and PRT protection." Renick walked back to his office, pausing at the door to smile at her. "In the future, please throw bombs out the window, instead of trying to cover them with your body. We may be heroes, but that doesn't mean we have to make heroic sacrifices our first option, okay?"
The door closed, and while everyone else celebrated, she remained silent.
"You know, Sophia…you never got to see Breakneck 3." I nudged her, noting the way she kept staring at her phone. "Theo's not big on scary movies, so watch it without him. That way, when he gets out of his surgery and you watch it together, you'll know all the scary parts!"
"Hey, since I'm already staying over tonight, how about we go see it now? I'm sure seeing an R-rated movie with an adult is fine, right?" Missy glanced over at Miss Militia, likely remembering her earlier comments. The older hero sighed, then nodded. "Sweet!"
"I guess..." Sophia paused as she was getting up, then looked at me. "You wanna come too?"
My parents allowed it, hoping it would distract me from George, and as we walked to the car I tried to cheer Sophia up. "Hey, I heard that they were sending Mush to the Parahuman Asylum, so he can actually get a chance at a better life! Looks like we saved him, too!"
"Oh my god, Sveta was right." Sophia moaned, putting her face in her hand. "You really do have a thing for helping monsters and terrible people."
"Well I...wait...how do you know Sveta?"
*******************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: The Empire Falls.
Interlude 13: The Fall of an Empire
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
*click*
"If things go...bad, please make sure that my family gets this. I wish I could leave a message that I'm bravely charging into danger or that everything is going to go perfectly…but I'm scared."
"Despite years of training and planning, I'm scared to death. Yesterday I finally told Greg that I've been lying to him for years. He begged me not to go, and I wish I could have stayed. But we're doing this weeks earlier than planned, so at this point it's all or nothing. We have to go!"
"Many of us might die today, and those who survive could end up on the run for the rest of our lives. After all, we're about to go after villains in their civilian identities, and that breaks the so-called Unwritten Rules. But these nazis have been hiding behind them for years."
"That's why I'm doing this. Why I joined this fight. Even if we didn't have the head of the PRT and the President of the United States giving us permission and warrants, I'd still be here."
"Any moment, I'm going to get out of this van with Melody. Within minutes, we'll be face-to-face with Kaiser. We'll lie to him, trick him, and try to arrest him."
"Meanwhile, at that exact moment, we'll be taking down Medhall, Gesellschaft, and all of his capes. Finally making them pay…"
"But it might not work out. I might die today, just like everyone else fighting by my side."
"I wish I had more time. I wish this wasn't necessary. I wish..."
"Mom, Dad, Greg...I wish I had said 'I love you' more."
"But if I didn't love you, I wouldn't be here."
*click*
Interlude 13: The Fall of an Empire
Alabaster was used to being stared at.
His skin, hair, and even eyes were the purest of white. No matter how many wounds he took, blood he spilled, or enemies he slaughtered, he remained untouched. His appearance alone made cars crash, people stop, and children point. But in this strip club, dragged along by Hookwolf and Stormtiger, he was being looked at for another reason. Jealousy.
"Two girls at once? Why not three?" Brad shouted, waving over another busty waitress to join her two friends. Already a blonde and brunette were going to town with some strange, sensual dance in the large brute's lap, one on each leg. He grinned despite himself, wondering where the third girl would go. "Hell, my man here can probably take on the whole wait staff!"
"Not all of them, some aren't worth his time." Derek growled, pointing at two waitresses he'd seen acting a little too friendly with each other and flipping them off. The owner of this place knew that Brad and Derek always dropped by around this time, and it insulted the man who normally wore the mask of Stormtiger. "The standards around this place have really dropped."
"My deepest apologies, gentlemen!" A rotund man with greasy hair and far too many rings stumbled out from a side room and bowed before the three E88 parahumans. Though they were in civilian clothes, their identities were an open secret in this establishment, especially after Brad and Derek had used the back rooms to do some roleplaying...in costume. "Perhaps I can offer you a chance to sample our fresh hires? Straight from Germany, and...well-trained."
Moments later, all three were following the lumpy man into a side room with grins on their faces. It was dim inside, but they could see several shapely forms waiting for them on a bed in the shape of a heart. The door shut behind them, and the light flipped on to reveal...
"Hey boys, I've been looking forward to this for a long time..." A masked man in a blue costume sat there, surrounded by blow-up dolls. For a moment, Alabaster was annoyed that the owner had stuck them in a room with some roleplaying cape perv. Then the Strider cosplayer rose to his feet, took a step towards the three of them, and-
POP
Alabaster thought for a moment that the freak had taken a picture of them, the light was suddenly so bright. But after a few seconds of blinking he realized that the lights were brighter because they were no longer in a dark strip club.
All around the four of them-
POP
All around the three of them were the cement walls, floor, and ceiling of a huge warehouse-like area. There were no doors or windows. Brad and Derek immediately began to attack the walls, but they barely left a scratch. In fact, aside from a dent, the walls appeared untouched...
Then a voice interrupted them.
"Hmm, what's that noise?" A projector popped out of the ceiling, displaying an image on all four walls. On it was a man in a green lab coat, his face far too close to the camera. He grinned, seeing the three nazi parahumans. "Ah, look at that Frank, some rats snuck into our spare testing room. They certainly seem angry, but my ability to care is at an all-time low."
"I know the feeling, Doctor Forrester." The camera pulled back to display a man in a black clothing, sitting on a couch with a janitor in a red jumpsuit. "The Birdcage transport for Hookwolf is already on the way. In the meantime, I guess we'll just have to put up with them."
"Well, we can't just leave them there, they might get bored." The janitor piped up, grinning and holding up a bucket of popcorn. "Hey, how about we show them those crappy movies from the psychological study that got rejected last year? Seeing nazis suffer will sure entertain me."
"Wonderful idea, Joel! Technically, this isn't torture...just a special kind of deep hurting." Forrester laughed as all three fought harder. "Let's start with...Manos, the Hands of Fate."
"The microphones in that test room have been turned off, so you can stop shouting threats. Just sit back, watch the movies, and know that even now our friends are destroying your gang." Frank said, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "We can't hear you, we don't care what you have to say, and soon...nobody will. Any power you had is long gone. Your time is over."
"Well said, old friend." Forrester turned to his assistant and smiled, "Push the button, Frank."
All three nazis switched from threats to pleading, and Joel munched popcorn.
It was nice to see a movie with a happy ending for once.
***
Jessica stretched and sighed, feeling the luxurious sheets run over her body. The past several months had been like a vacation compared to her time in Brockton Bay. Out there, every day was like traveling through a sewer to get from battle to battle. Some fights were in the streets as Fenja, others were putting up with the numbskulls who worked for Max, and still more were with her own sister to determine who got Max's bed that night.
But here in Boston? She lived in a penthouse, wanted for nothing, trained with Max's new foot soldiers only when she couldn't get her sister to take a turn, and slept beside her man every night. Sure, she had to share the bed with Nessa, but that wasn't so bad. Even now, she saw that Nessa was still exhausted from last night, and gently flung the blanket over her.
Glancing at a nearby clock, she realized that the strapping young boytoy who always brought their food was due to arrive any moment. With Max gone until the evening, Jessica wrapped a sheet around her naked form, letting it trail behind her.
Opening the door, she could already smell the late lunch...but was confused to see that young Peter was strangely absent. Stepping out into the hallway, she looked around, wondering if he was playing some sort of joke on her.
She felt something brush against the nape of her neck, and whirled around in time to see a strange orange tentacle brush by her blonde tresses. Jessica stumbled backwards, starting to look up, but tripped over something and fell to the floor.
Dizzy, she saw an arm sticking out of the cart, and moved the curtain on its side aside to behold the unconscious form of Peter. He was smiling, drooling slightly, and asleep. The two E88 bodyguards Max had left at her door were also on the floor, sleeping quietly.
She felt something drip onto her face and looked up, her head already swimming with the motion. There was someone clinging to the ceiling, looking down at her, with an orange...tail?
It fell towards her in a blur, and a hand pressed over her mouth. She started to let out a muffled scream, but after only a moment it tapered off into a low moan. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she had a wonderful dream about an orange Max.
Nessa didn't even wake up, courtesy of an orange hand that cupped her cheek.
After clearing the floor, Newter called up the PRT agents to collect the sleeping amazons. He took the elevator back down, planning to brag to the rest of the Crew about his awesome solo mission. The elevator doors opened and…
He watched as Faultline, Gregor, Spitfire, and the others mopped up the last few E88 goons Kaiser had filled the hotel with. Fire to the left of him, men stuck to the ceiling, and a huge column having fallen across the lobby floor...he swallowed nervously.
Maybe it hadn't been a solo mission after all?
***
Kayden was sleeping in, last night's "errand" and the meal that followed it having put her out. She hadn't heard Aster crying, so Dorothy was probably taking care of her. Any moment, the PRT would be calling for their normal check-in, as per the deal she'd made months ago.
They gave her money, delivered food from the finest restaurant in town, and promised a fresh start for Kayden, Aster, Night, and Fog. In exchange, all she had to do was make a few changes. Report on Kaiser's activities, limit her work for him to surveillance, and only patrol in neighborhoods they chose. Night and Fog signed on as well, following her lead.
At first it had rankled her that the most violent areas of town were off-limits, and her power use was limited to flying, patrols, and self defense. How often was Purity, the most powerful hero in Brockton Bay, going to have someone actually threaten her? Then Theo ran away from home, and her job got even more boring, which made Kayden think she'd been tricked by the PRT.
As the days turned into weeks, her power began to bubble inside her. Why was the PRT only giving a hero like her neighborhoods full of upstanding citizens? After a particularly boring patrol a week ago, she'd gone to a bar in one of the neighborhoods she used to patrol. A few drinks later, forced to ignore the car alarms and violent thugs around her, she went home and...
Someone tried to mug her. Given his skin tone, he probably meant to rape her as well, and she panicked. Next thing she knew, Kayden was standing over his smoking body in a dark alley, a feeling of relief flowing through her. It felt so good to finally let loose...and then Kayden had an amazing realization. That had been self-defense with her powers!
She told Geoff and Dorothy, and all week they'd been going out on "errands" to the most dangerous parts of town. Sometimes it took a bit of encouragement, or a brief foot chase, but every day they were taking criminals and rapists off the streets. Best of all, they ended each night by coming home and celebrating with fancy food delivered by the PRT.
RING
She grinned, answered the phone, and began to explain her latest act of self-defense, when...
"Nope, you're all out of quarters." The PRT agent sighed. "The bugs I put in your clothes recorded you last week explaining the plan to Night and Fog. I have you on tape threatening people and ignoring their cries for mercy. Last night, one of my drones followed you as you three nearly killed some homeless men. Deal broken. You get the Bad Ending, Kayden."
In an instant Kayden's power bloomed around her, and she rushed for the hallway. She had to-
Purity slammed into a concrete wall where her hallway was supposed to be, and crashed to the ground. She rolled to her feet, barely feeling it, and lashed out with a bolt of power. "Night! Fog!"
"Night and Fog? Nah, I already took care of them before we moved you." The same voice from the phone was above her now, so Purity destroyed the ceiling. Above her was a cracked glass ceiling, and above that was...water? "That food last night contained a drug Panacea made. Put all three of you right out. Night's still sleeping, but I had to deal with Fog personally."
"What did you do to him?" She fired at the wall, blowing away drywall to reveal glowing cement. Meanwhile, the crack in the ceiling grew as water leaked into the room. "Where am I?"
"I took care of Fog with the Poltergust 3000 from Luigi's Mansion, after some tweaks from Dragon." Looking around, she could see that this was a replica of her room, like a movie set. "As for you, you're under a lake right now, so maybe power down before you drown? Our tinkertech is keeping the walls secure, but even Tecton can only reinforce glass so much..."
Growling, she obeyed. A monitor slid out of the wall, revealing someone behind a computer.
"We had a deal, and this is kidnapping! Just because I used to be a criminal, you can't treat me like some common thug. I'm a hero now!" She felt tears prick at her eyes as he laughed. "Shut up! You have no idea how hard it is, everyone treating me like shit because of who I used to be!"
"Who you used to be? Seriously? You kept calling yourself Purity, kept attacking minorities, never came to the PRT despite staying in Brockton Bay, kept helping Kaiser..."
"I was trying to support my daughter! I had to make sacrifices, but what would you know-"
"You think I don't know about sacrifices, or how much consequences suck? Lady, I wrote the book on that shit." His voice turned cold, cutting her off, and he began to rant. "I was a villain, an asshole, a troll, and so much more. I inspired other people to be just as bad, pretending that I was some kind of artist! Then I nearly died, nearly lost my best friend to get some views, and realized I'd been ignoring all my doom flags. The PRT gave me an extra life, and I took it."
"Wait, I know you…" All the stupid game references, that voice, he was... "Leet! What are-"
"No, not anymore. I called myself that because I thought I was the best, but this takedown? It came from Tecton, Panacea, Fuse, Armsmaster, Dragon, and me...all working together." A door opened in the wall, and PRT officers entered alongside a man in a dress uniform with papers. "I could have just quit, but I wanted to keep going. To try again. To win, alongside my friends."
"Good work, Continue. We'll take it from here." The man with the papers glared at her. "Kayden, my name is Nutcracker. You say you care about Aster? That everything you've done is for her?"
"Y-yes...yes!" The PRT had foam, so she decided to bide her time. "Where is she?"
"Far from Brockton Bay, with a loving adoptive family." Nutcracker continued speaking even as Kayden tried to interrupt, and held out the papers. "You wanted a new life? Either join Night and Fog in the Birdcage, or sign this contract. You will travel the country, fighting alongside other so-called former criminals, as part of a special Squad-"
"What about Aster? She needs her mother!" Kayden's hand glowed, but a PRT officer quickly sprayed it with foam. She started to panic, shrieking, "Please, give my baby back!"
"By the time you've paid back your debt to society, she'll be old enough to decide for herself if she wants to see you. Now, either power down and sign, or...what's the phrase, Continue?"
"Game over."
***
"Again, I'm sorry that we came all the way out to Boston, but George insisted." Melody rolled her eyes, ignoring the goofy smile on her boyfriend's face as he shuffled in place. "He said he had something urgent to show you, and needed your approval. So I came along, since there was no other way to get past all your security."
"It's fine, Melody." Max nodded, his face blank despite the sense of worry that hovered at the edge of his mind. Something had felt off about this whole day, and having these two show up and request a meeting alone in his office had only added to it. "George, how can I help you?"
"Sir, I just want to start by apologizing again, Veders kind of have a habit of overdoing things." The man handed over a folder, hands shaking slightly as he put himself between Melody and the folder. She took the hint and moved away, pulling out her phone and fiddling with it as her boyfriend leaned forward to whisper. "Melody doesn't really have any family, but she told me that she kind of sees you as being like a...father figure to her. So I was wondering…"
Max opened the folder, and saw several pictures of wedding cakes, dresses, and a hand-written letter. A smile split his face as he reached for the letter, the sense of danger fading as-
His phone buzzed twice, and he put the folder down to glance at it.
Victor: PRT hit Medhall and our safehouses. Hookwolf, Alabaster, and others vanished. Taking Othala and Rune to Location C9.
Coil: Since you refused to pay for my help, here's a late freebie. Those PRT spies you ran to Boston to hide from? Veder and Cricket. Enjoy the Birdcage.
Max made a mental note to pay Coil back in blood for the insult. But first...
"I can't help with a wedding, George." Metal shrieked as it grew over Max, the armored form of Kaiser being one that he had no reason to hide from them. "But I'll gladly help with your funeral. After that, I'll make sure your family pays for your-"
The door blasted off its hinges, and all hell broke loose.
***
Despite her past experiences, Melody had been hoping to get this done without any violence. The letter George had handed Max had been dusted with a powdered sedative, and would have weakened him. Still, that was why you had a Plan B, because Plan A was usually crap.
Even as the door hit the ground, George was already diving in the opposite direction from Melody. He flipped the small table there and took cover as two people in fatigues rushed into the room, smoke and the fallen forms of E88 bodyguards behind them. One tossed a gun to George and took cover alongside him, the other three spreading out and shouting at Max.
The shrieking sound of metal on metal made her skin crawl, but Max taking time to cover himself in armor had given them all time to get in position. Melody just took out the twin carbon fiber knives she'd snuck past security, hucking one at Kaiser to get his attention.
Then he started to attack her, and there was no more time to think.
She dodged his weapons easily, having fought by his side long enough to know his moves even without vibrations in the air warning her. He created blades, threw and swung them, and placed them in her path. All the while, George and the others were shooting at Max, non-lethal rounds barely bruising him through his armor, making more noise than anything.
Then the E88 leader seemed to catch onto the fact that they were just delaying him, right around the same time Melody realized she'd slipped up. He had trapped her in a web of blades, and the light armor she wore prevented her from slipping through. Kaiser tried to run, but a soldier stepped into his path and took his blade without so much as a drop of blood spilled.
"Yeah, didn't expect that, did ya?" The soldier slammed the butt of her gun into Max's helmet, the man's sword doing little more than bruising her ribs. "With your blade fetish, we've all got stab vests. Guess your little sword can't cut it, eh?"
"Vests. Smart." Melody grimaced as Kaiser adjusted his stance and his sword's edge seemed to change slightly. "Thanks for telling me where not to aim."
His second swing took the woman's arm off, and she fell with a strangled shout. Before the other soldier could react, Kaiser had sliced through the man's legs at the knees. Kind, stupid, medically-minded George tried to pull the injured man to cover, but only narrowly dodged back as the sword went for him next.
Kaiser's second swing missed as well, Melody's thrown knife taking him in the back of his leg where his armor wasn't fully formed. Despite that, he remained focused on George, even as she screamed insults at him and struggled to get free. He growled, swinging for George's throat.
It was only thanks to his training that George was able to partially deflect the third swing with his gun, diverting it to the side of his head rather than his throat. He let out a strangled cry and fell to his knees, hand and head filled with searing pain. George refused to look away as Kaiser's arms went back for one final swing, then smiled as he saw his partner had come to his rescue.
Covered in cuts, her bulky armor abandoned, Melody grabbed Kaiser's arms just before the cape started to swing his blade forward. Taking advantage of his weight and lack of balance, she wrenched him backwards hard enough that he rolled into his heavy wooden desk. The nazi was forced to take cover behind said desk as the woman he'd disarmed opened fire on him.
A voice in her ear told Melody that reinforcements had met heavy resistance, and she knew that she only had moments before the one-armed gunner ran out of bullets. She grabbed a patch from her medical kit and slapped it over the mess that used to be George's ear, then sprayed the remains of his hand liberally with something foamy and numbing.
Seeing his grateful smile, she wanted to say something badass...but then felt the vibrations in the air. Kaiser was stumbling towards the door, the wound in his leg leaking blood and slowing him down. Despite George reaching for her, Melody moved to intercept him.
She knew what he would do if he got away. Knew about all the secret tunnels and escape hatches in this building. Knew that it would be her fault, for failing to rise to the challenge. So she dashed in front of the open door, hoping she could buy some time for-
A sword stabbed between her ribs, but she had angled herself so the blade would exit...there!
He pushed against her, but his blade had gotten stuck in the metal doorframe. Melody ignored the pain, ignored the sword, ignored that stupid precog's prediction, and ignored her fear.
She ignored all of that, grabbed onto his armor, focused on her power, took a deep breath…
...and then screamed.
***
George reflected that if Kaiser hadn't chopped one of his ears off, this would hurt twice as much.
Even now, the armored nazi was holding his metal-helmeted head with both gauntleted hands and writhing. Unable to pull away from Melody's deathgrip, the man finally tore off his helmet with one hand and made a crude knife in the other, smashing and stabbing her wildly. George could see the older man's ears and nose leaking blood, his mouth open in a silent scream.
But Melody wouldn't let go, directing the full force of her voice at him. It wasn't a method she normally used, preferring echolocation and causing confusion instead. But she'd learned over the years that if she focused, and pushed herself, she could really make some noise.
Finally, Max managed to pull free, falling to the ground and putting both hands over his ears. He gurgled, struggled, and wept as his destroyed senses wreaked havoc on him.
George was on his feet in seconds, barely pausing to kick Max's head like a nazi football, then continuing to Melody. Behind him, George could barely hear their reinforcements finally arriving.
"Melody! Hey! Someone get a medic in here!" George wasn't sure where to put his hands (well, hand, now), Melody's body was a mess. The sword was still in her, she was leaning back against the doorframe, and there was so much blood... "Hang on. You're going to be okay!"
"No I'm not." Melody gasped, teeth red and eyes unfocused. She winced as he put pressure on her wounds. "George, stop. We both knew this was coming. That he'd kill me."
"He didn't kill you, though." George argued, interrupting. "You're still talking. I work in medical implants, it'll be okay. You just need some new organs, fresh blood. We c-can go together, get me a new hand and a new ear. J-just...wait...what the hell do you mean we both knew?"
"Precog." Melody held up four fingers, wincing. "Your precog said I'd die in four years, by Max's hand. That was four years ago. Guess I sh-shouldn't have taken off my stab vest, huh?"
"Stop it! This isn't a joke, Mel. You're not..." George wanted to shake her, but she wouldn't stop smiling. Wouldn't stop bleeding. Wouldn't stop… "Dying. You're dying. You fucking idiot! Why did you throw yourself at him without weapons? We could have regrouped, caught up to him!"
"No! He'd have-" Melody broke off, coughing up blood. "-gone after your family. Even after what I did, they still...tried to pretend. Like I was normal. But I'm a monster. A coward. Threw myself at...a worse monster. Didn't wanna...die in prison. It hurt...but I tried to...tried to stop..."
"I saw you try. You saved everyone." He held Melody, as she wheezed and choked. "You saved me."
"Of course, dumbass." She whispered, coughing. "You were the b-best part...of trying..."
"Pretty good last words, Mel." He felt her go limp. "Eight out of ten, easy."
"Like you...could do...any...better? Fine, what should...I...say..."
George started to respond, but she was already gone.
***
In a secure building in Germany, a group of elderly men and women sat around a table in an opulent room, watching monitors. The news was breaking in America that the Empire 88 and Medhall had been connected, and hundreds of arrests were being made. Money was being traced to international criminal organizations. The work of decades, gone in days.
"So, Max Anders has fallen." The man at the head of the table pressed a button, muting all the screens and freezing them. Ignoring the babbling of his underlings, the leader of Gesellschaft raised his voice. "We have been brought low before, but this is only a minor inconvenience. A trifle. Nothing can destroy us. We are eternal."
All at the table began to cheer, pump their fists, and nod in agreement. In this room were some of the richest and most powerful people in Germany, as well as capes like the world had never seen. The parahumans had been developed to be unflinchingly loyal to their masters, and would rain destruction upon the PRT. They all began to relax, knowing the future was theirs...
One parahuman felt his chest swell with pride, and not just because of his leader's speech. This man was Krieg, formerly of the E88 before Max Anders had attempted to poison him months back. He would return to America, to gather the remnants of the E88, and nothing would stand in their way! He felt lightheaded, he was so happy! He yawned, sleepy...for some reason...
Just outside that room, pressed against the walls, a dozen men and women waited for a signal. All wore tinkertech camo that let them to blend in with their surroundings, and they were just waiting for the gas being piped into the conference room to reach a certain level of thickness.
One of them sighed, and another whispered to him. "Hey. What's da matter wit' ya?"
"Just realized that when we get home, I need to change my name." Uber whispered back, grimacing at a piece of art on the wall across from him. "All this time, I thought my name meant that I was better, stronger, and smarter...but after this mission? I can't use it anymore."
"I get it, and don't worry. I know dat you're nothing like these scumbags." A heavy metal hand patted Uber on the shoulder, and the former villain felt his spirits lift. "Leet became Continue, and if he can rename himself, anyone can. Maybe you'll even get a great name like me?"
Laughing quietly at Gun Guy's bravado, Uber joined the Meisters as they kicked in the door and charged into battle.
As he punched a nazi in the face, the former villain finally felt like a hero.
***
Max woke to a slap, and was annoyed that he couldn't strike them back.
Looking around, he could see that he was in a concrete cell of some kind, a pair of cameras in the corners with blinking lights. The door was a heavy steel affair, much like the shackles binding his arms and legs to his rather uncomfortable metal chair.
Then he saw his captors, and smiled. One of them was covered in bandages and dried blood, having been relieved of an ear and a few fingers. Still, couldn't hurt to twist the knife...
"Well, George Veder, as I live and breathe." He ignored the man beside George, keeping his tone nonchalant despite his situation. "Speaking of living and breathing, how is dear Melody?"
George reared back to strike Max again, but stopped as his apparent boss ordered him to leave. The door opened, letting noise inside, then closed and returned them to total silence.
"I don't think I need to tell you how much trouble you're in, Max." The remaining man wore a PRT dress uniform, several ribbons declaring him as accomplished by someone's metric. "Medhall, white supremacy, the Empire 88, all your crimes as Kaiser...quite a list."
"A list that I'm certain my lawyers will whittle down quite a bit, given that you unmasked and attacked me. I'm sure my Medhall employees and business contacts will also frown upon this farce." Max had various contingencies in place, and was certain that his lawyers were already en route. His remaining parahumans were plotting his rescue. His money was paying off judges. "I'll see my lawyer now, and you can remove these ridiculous shackles as well."
"Lawyer?" The PRT stooge smiled, walking away. "Funny, no lawyer has shown up yet. As for the rest, your grunts in Boston and Brockton Bay have been surrendering by the dozens since we closed Medhall and arrested their leaders. You're up shit...hold on...what?"
Max paused as the man put a finger to his ear, wondering what he was up to now.
"Sorry, he says his name is what? And he checks out?" The man growled, shaking his head and frowning. He glanced back at Max, stared for a few moments, then sighed. "Fine, turn the cameras off in here. We can't watch or listen to this, legally."
Moments later, Max was alone in the room with his son, Theo. The door was closed, the cameras were off, and Theo was nervously shuffling as he poked his fingers together.
"F-father? W-what happened?" Theo whispered, his eyes locked on Max's knees, body quivering as he stepped closer. Tears pricked at his eyes as he began to babble, his voice cracking as he blubbered at Max. "Y-you were right, father. The way they treated me when I came, they acted like I was a m-monster. I'm s-sorry I didn't listen, sir. I'm so s-scared..."
It appeared that the last few months had done nothing to help the boy's confidence, weight, or sense of self. He still draped himself in heavy clothing, feared eye contact, and was a quivering lump of useless flesh. He'd gotten his little rebellion over with, and was ready to serve.
Perfect.
"Yes, I admit things may look dire, Theo, but all is well." Max projected bravado he hadn't actually started feeling until just this moment. Max always had a plan, after all. "Come closer my boy, it's time for you to do your part. I shall give you power, through purpose. Listen carefully…"
Despite all his other failings, Theo had an excellent memory, and now that would finally serve a purpose. Over the course of several minutes, Max gave the boy a PO Box to visit, a phone number to call, and an address where Victor had fled.
The PO Box was in both their names, and held hundreds of thousands of dollars. The phone number was for Victor, a signal to gather allies to the safehouse. Finally, the address was where Victor had taken Rune and Othala, as well as being where he'd left guns and a suitcase with a vial in it. From there, the remnants of the E88 would gather, make a plan, and rescue Max.
With confidence in his eyes, Max swore to Theo that this was the boy's destiny. The idiot nodded nervously at his father, gave a weak little smile, and then knocked on the door to be let out. Now all Max had to do was wait.
Two hours later, Theo returned...but this wasn't the same Theo as before.
***
As Theo stepped into the cell, he took a moment to remove his sweatshirt. He smiled slightly as he saw Max's eyes lock onto his muscles, and approached with strong purposeful strides.
"What the hell are you doing back here, boy?" Max barked, voice pitched just so to drive the child to his knees. When Theo didn't fall, he became more conversational. "Have you come to wait by my side, standing alongside me rather than in my shadow? Perhaps you seek wisdom?"
"Nah, just wanted to watch you squirm one last time. It was part of my deal with the PRT. They got some goat guy to heal me, and offered me the chance to help take you down for good." Theo shrugged, eyes wandering around the cell as if he were talking about the weather. "They emptied out that PO Box, cleared out your safehouse, and nabbed Victor and Othala. I even got to punch Rune out, when she ran. Sorry old man, but it looks like your empire has fallen."
"Ha! You think that was the only plan I had in mind? Fool!" Max blustered, then gritted his teeth as Theo once again failed to react. Finally, he settled on the very words that had driven Theo to tears months ago. "Besides, my greatest plan is already in motion. My blood runs through your veins, your destiny runs parallel to my own. No matter what you do or say, no matter how many of my plans you attempt to overcome, the PRT will always see you as a monster. A devil who-"
"Bullshit." Theo spat the word, and for the first time in his life...Theo let Max see his anger. It silenced him, and Theo took advantage of it. "I make my own destiny. I'm going to fix everything you broke, even if I have to spend the rest of my life being hated by the world. I can never make up for all the evil I condemned, all the terror I failed to stop...but I'm damn sure going to try."
"Fine words, but we both know that they're little more than words." Max scoffed, straining against his shackles as he leaned forward. "You are weak. Directionless. Powerless. Even if you spend your whole life trying to overcome my legacy, I know that your children will spend their lives rebuilding it. Like I said, it's in your blood."
"Funny thing about blood. You can spill it to hurt people, but you can also donate it to save them." Theo grinned as Max rolled his eyes. "Yeah, imagine how I felt every time you used to spout pseudo-philosophical bullshit at me. How's it feel to be on the receiving end for once?"
Max ignored him, and Theo finally laughed.
"I had this whole big speech planned, but in the end...you're not worth it. To think, I used to be afraid of you...and when I was a kid I kind of looked up to you." Theo moved to his father's side, crouching in front of him and looking up at the man. "But I want you to know, while you're gone I'm going to destroy everything you ever created."
"Pointless promises from a weak, powerless child." Max stared at the boy, his face a mask of stone. "Begone, Theodore. You have outlived your usefulness...assuming you ever had any."
"Ha, that's just like you, Max. You can only destroy, after all." Theo held up a hand, and then before Max's eyes he jammed it into the metal chair. A metallic hand appeared just over Max's shoulder, then grabbed him by the chin, covering his mouth and nose. "But me? I can build. I can create."
Max let out a muffled grunt, his lungs starving as he struggled.
"I'm going to build a new world for people of all races, colors, beliefs, and bodies. I'm going to do what you failed to accomplish, and truly change the world. To make a world for everyone." Theo pulled the hand back, merging it into the chair again, and Max gasped. "I don't even care that you know I have powers, because you don't matter anymore."
The boy who used to be Max's son stood and stretched, then began to walk away. He kept talking, ignoring the man's sputtering. "You're going to sit in the Birdcage, watching me succeed where you failed. Knowing that your legacy of hatred dies with you."
Theo stopped at the door, pausing to look back at Max one last time.
"Who's powerless now?"
***************************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Now that the E88's gone, everything's great, right? Nope!
"If things go...bad, please make sure that my family gets this. I wish I could leave a message that I'm bravely charging into danger or that everything is going to go perfectly…but I'm scared."
"Despite years of training and planning, I'm scared to death. Yesterday I finally told Greg that I've been lying to him for years. He begged me not to go, and I wish I could have stayed. But we're doing this weeks earlier than planned, so at this point it's all or nothing. We have to go!"
"Many of us might die today, and those who survive could end up on the run for the rest of our lives. After all, we're about to go after villains in their civilian identities, and that breaks the so-called Unwritten Rules. But these nazis have been hiding behind them for years."
"That's why I'm doing this. Why I joined this fight. Even if we didn't have the head of the PRT and the President of the United States giving us permission and warrants, I'd still be here."
"Any moment, I'm going to get out of this van with Melody. Within minutes, we'll be face-to-face with Kaiser. We'll lie to him, trick him, and try to arrest him."
"Meanwhile, at that exact moment, we'll be taking down Medhall, Gesellschaft, and all of his capes. Finally making them pay…"
"But it might not work out. I might die today, just like everyone else fighting by my side."
"I wish I had more time. I wish this wasn't necessary. I wish..."
"Mom, Dad, Greg...I wish I had said 'I love you' more."
"But if I didn't love you, I wouldn't be here."
*click*
Interlude 13: The Fall of an Empire
Alabaster was used to being stared at.
His skin, hair, and even eyes were the purest of white. No matter how many wounds he took, blood he spilled, or enemies he slaughtered, he remained untouched. His appearance alone made cars crash, people stop, and children point. But in this strip club, dragged along by Hookwolf and Stormtiger, he was being looked at for another reason. Jealousy.
"Two girls at once? Why not three?" Brad shouted, waving over another busty waitress to join her two friends. Already a blonde and brunette were going to town with some strange, sensual dance in the large brute's lap, one on each leg. He grinned despite himself, wondering where the third girl would go. "Hell, my man here can probably take on the whole wait staff!"
"Not all of them, some aren't worth his time." Derek growled, pointing at two waitresses he'd seen acting a little too friendly with each other and flipping them off. The owner of this place knew that Brad and Derek always dropped by around this time, and it insulted the man who normally wore the mask of Stormtiger. "The standards around this place have really dropped."
"My deepest apologies, gentlemen!" A rotund man with greasy hair and far too many rings stumbled out from a side room and bowed before the three E88 parahumans. Though they were in civilian clothes, their identities were an open secret in this establishment, especially after Brad and Derek had used the back rooms to do some roleplaying...in costume. "Perhaps I can offer you a chance to sample our fresh hires? Straight from Germany, and...well-trained."
Moments later, all three were following the lumpy man into a side room with grins on their faces. It was dim inside, but they could see several shapely forms waiting for them on a bed in the shape of a heart. The door shut behind them, and the light flipped on to reveal...
"Hey boys, I've been looking forward to this for a long time..." A masked man in a blue costume sat there, surrounded by blow-up dolls. For a moment, Alabaster was annoyed that the owner had stuck them in a room with some roleplaying cape perv. Then the Strider cosplayer rose to his feet, took a step towards the three of them, and-
POP
Alabaster thought for a moment that the freak had taken a picture of them, the light was suddenly so bright. But after a few seconds of blinking he realized that the lights were brighter because they were no longer in a dark strip club.
All around the four of them-
POP
All around the three of them were the cement walls, floor, and ceiling of a huge warehouse-like area. There were no doors or windows. Brad and Derek immediately began to attack the walls, but they barely left a scratch. In fact, aside from a dent, the walls appeared untouched...
Then a voice interrupted them.
"Hmm, what's that noise?" A projector popped out of the ceiling, displaying an image on all four walls. On it was a man in a green lab coat, his face far too close to the camera. He grinned, seeing the three nazi parahumans. "Ah, look at that Frank, some rats snuck into our spare testing room. They certainly seem angry, but my ability to care is at an all-time low."
"I know the feeling, Doctor Forrester." The camera pulled back to display a man in a black clothing, sitting on a couch with a janitor in a red jumpsuit. "The Birdcage transport for Hookwolf is already on the way. In the meantime, I guess we'll just have to put up with them."
"Well, we can't just leave them there, they might get bored." The janitor piped up, grinning and holding up a bucket of popcorn. "Hey, how about we show them those crappy movies from the psychological study that got rejected last year? Seeing nazis suffer will sure entertain me."
"Wonderful idea, Joel! Technically, this isn't torture...just a special kind of deep hurting." Forrester laughed as all three fought harder. "Let's start with...Manos, the Hands of Fate."
"The microphones in that test room have been turned off, so you can stop shouting threats. Just sit back, watch the movies, and know that even now our friends are destroying your gang." Frank said, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "We can't hear you, we don't care what you have to say, and soon...nobody will. Any power you had is long gone. Your time is over."
"Well said, old friend." Forrester turned to his assistant and smiled, "Push the button, Frank."
All three nazis switched from threats to pleading, and Joel munched popcorn.
It was nice to see a movie with a happy ending for once.
***
Jessica stretched and sighed, feeling the luxurious sheets run over her body. The past several months had been like a vacation compared to her time in Brockton Bay. Out there, every day was like traveling through a sewer to get from battle to battle. Some fights were in the streets as Fenja, others were putting up with the numbskulls who worked for Max, and still more were with her own sister to determine who got Max's bed that night.
But here in Boston? She lived in a penthouse, wanted for nothing, trained with Max's new foot soldiers only when she couldn't get her sister to take a turn, and slept beside her man every night. Sure, she had to share the bed with Nessa, but that wasn't so bad. Even now, she saw that Nessa was still exhausted from last night, and gently flung the blanket over her.
Glancing at a nearby clock, she realized that the strapping young boytoy who always brought their food was due to arrive any moment. With Max gone until the evening, Jessica wrapped a sheet around her naked form, letting it trail behind her.
Opening the door, she could already smell the late lunch...but was confused to see that young Peter was strangely absent. Stepping out into the hallway, she looked around, wondering if he was playing some sort of joke on her.
She felt something brush against the nape of her neck, and whirled around in time to see a strange orange tentacle brush by her blonde tresses. Jessica stumbled backwards, starting to look up, but tripped over something and fell to the floor.
Dizzy, she saw an arm sticking out of the cart, and moved the curtain on its side aside to behold the unconscious form of Peter. He was smiling, drooling slightly, and asleep. The two E88 bodyguards Max had left at her door were also on the floor, sleeping quietly.
She felt something drip onto her face and looked up, her head already swimming with the motion. There was someone clinging to the ceiling, looking down at her, with an orange...tail?
It fell towards her in a blur, and a hand pressed over her mouth. She started to let out a muffled scream, but after only a moment it tapered off into a low moan. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she had a wonderful dream about an orange Max.
Nessa didn't even wake up, courtesy of an orange hand that cupped her cheek.
After clearing the floor, Newter called up the PRT agents to collect the sleeping amazons. He took the elevator back down, planning to brag to the rest of the Crew about his awesome solo mission. The elevator doors opened and…
He watched as Faultline, Gregor, Spitfire, and the others mopped up the last few E88 goons Kaiser had filled the hotel with. Fire to the left of him, men stuck to the ceiling, and a huge column having fallen across the lobby floor...he swallowed nervously.
Maybe it hadn't been a solo mission after all?
***
Kayden was sleeping in, last night's "errand" and the meal that followed it having put her out. She hadn't heard Aster crying, so Dorothy was probably taking care of her. Any moment, the PRT would be calling for their normal check-in, as per the deal she'd made months ago.
They gave her money, delivered food from the finest restaurant in town, and promised a fresh start for Kayden, Aster, Night, and Fog. In exchange, all she had to do was make a few changes. Report on Kaiser's activities, limit her work for him to surveillance, and only patrol in neighborhoods they chose. Night and Fog signed on as well, following her lead.
At first it had rankled her that the most violent areas of town were off-limits, and her power use was limited to flying, patrols, and self defense. How often was Purity, the most powerful hero in Brockton Bay, going to have someone actually threaten her? Then Theo ran away from home, and her job got even more boring, which made Kayden think she'd been tricked by the PRT.
As the days turned into weeks, her power began to bubble inside her. Why was the PRT only giving a hero like her neighborhoods full of upstanding citizens? After a particularly boring patrol a week ago, she'd gone to a bar in one of the neighborhoods she used to patrol. A few drinks later, forced to ignore the car alarms and violent thugs around her, she went home and...
Someone tried to mug her. Given his skin tone, he probably meant to rape her as well, and she panicked. Next thing she knew, Kayden was standing over his smoking body in a dark alley, a feeling of relief flowing through her. It felt so good to finally let loose...and then Kayden had an amazing realization. That had been self-defense with her powers!
She told Geoff and Dorothy, and all week they'd been going out on "errands" to the most dangerous parts of town. Sometimes it took a bit of encouragement, or a brief foot chase, but every day they were taking criminals and rapists off the streets. Best of all, they ended each night by coming home and celebrating with fancy food delivered by the PRT.
RING
She grinned, answered the phone, and began to explain her latest act of self-defense, when...
"Nope, you're all out of quarters." The PRT agent sighed. "The bugs I put in your clothes recorded you last week explaining the plan to Night and Fog. I have you on tape threatening people and ignoring their cries for mercy. Last night, one of my drones followed you as you three nearly killed some homeless men. Deal broken. You get the Bad Ending, Kayden."
In an instant Kayden's power bloomed around her, and she rushed for the hallway. She had to-
Purity slammed into a concrete wall where her hallway was supposed to be, and crashed to the ground. She rolled to her feet, barely feeling it, and lashed out with a bolt of power. "Night! Fog!"
"Night and Fog? Nah, I already took care of them before we moved you." The same voice from the phone was above her now, so Purity destroyed the ceiling. Above her was a cracked glass ceiling, and above that was...water? "That food last night contained a drug Panacea made. Put all three of you right out. Night's still sleeping, but I had to deal with Fog personally."
"What did you do to him?" She fired at the wall, blowing away drywall to reveal glowing cement. Meanwhile, the crack in the ceiling grew as water leaked into the room. "Where am I?"
"I took care of Fog with the Poltergust 3000 from Luigi's Mansion, after some tweaks from Dragon." Looking around, she could see that this was a replica of her room, like a movie set. "As for you, you're under a lake right now, so maybe power down before you drown? Our tinkertech is keeping the walls secure, but even Tecton can only reinforce glass so much..."
Growling, she obeyed. A monitor slid out of the wall, revealing someone behind a computer.
"We had a deal, and this is kidnapping! Just because I used to be a criminal, you can't treat me like some common thug. I'm a hero now!" She felt tears prick at her eyes as he laughed. "Shut up! You have no idea how hard it is, everyone treating me like shit because of who I used to be!"
"Who you used to be? Seriously? You kept calling yourself Purity, kept attacking minorities, never came to the PRT despite staying in Brockton Bay, kept helping Kaiser..."
"I was trying to support my daughter! I had to make sacrifices, but what would you know-"
"You think I don't know about sacrifices, or how much consequences suck? Lady, I wrote the book on that shit." His voice turned cold, cutting her off, and he began to rant. "I was a villain, an asshole, a troll, and so much more. I inspired other people to be just as bad, pretending that I was some kind of artist! Then I nearly died, nearly lost my best friend to get some views, and realized I'd been ignoring all my doom flags. The PRT gave me an extra life, and I took it."
"Wait, I know you…" All the stupid game references, that voice, he was... "Leet! What are-"
"No, not anymore. I called myself that because I thought I was the best, but this takedown? It came from Tecton, Panacea, Fuse, Armsmaster, Dragon, and me...all working together." A door opened in the wall, and PRT officers entered alongside a man in a dress uniform with papers. "I could have just quit, but I wanted to keep going. To try again. To win, alongside my friends."
"Good work, Continue. We'll take it from here." The man with the papers glared at her. "Kayden, my name is Nutcracker. You say you care about Aster? That everything you've done is for her?"
"Y-yes...yes!" The PRT had foam, so she decided to bide her time. "Where is she?"
"Far from Brockton Bay, with a loving adoptive family." Nutcracker continued speaking even as Kayden tried to interrupt, and held out the papers. "You wanted a new life? Either join Night and Fog in the Birdcage, or sign this contract. You will travel the country, fighting alongside other so-called former criminals, as part of a special Squad-"
"What about Aster? She needs her mother!" Kayden's hand glowed, but a PRT officer quickly sprayed it with foam. She started to panic, shrieking, "Please, give my baby back!"
"By the time you've paid back your debt to society, she'll be old enough to decide for herself if she wants to see you. Now, either power down and sign, or...what's the phrase, Continue?"
"Game over."
***
"Again, I'm sorry that we came all the way out to Boston, but George insisted." Melody rolled her eyes, ignoring the goofy smile on her boyfriend's face as he shuffled in place. "He said he had something urgent to show you, and needed your approval. So I came along, since there was no other way to get past all your security."
"It's fine, Melody." Max nodded, his face blank despite the sense of worry that hovered at the edge of his mind. Something had felt off about this whole day, and having these two show up and request a meeting alone in his office had only added to it. "George, how can I help you?"
"Sir, I just want to start by apologizing again, Veders kind of have a habit of overdoing things." The man handed over a folder, hands shaking slightly as he put himself between Melody and the folder. She took the hint and moved away, pulling out her phone and fiddling with it as her boyfriend leaned forward to whisper. "Melody doesn't really have any family, but she told me that she kind of sees you as being like a...father figure to her. So I was wondering…"
Max opened the folder, and saw several pictures of wedding cakes, dresses, and a hand-written letter. A smile split his face as he reached for the letter, the sense of danger fading as-
His phone buzzed twice, and he put the folder down to glance at it.
Victor: PRT hit Medhall and our safehouses. Hookwolf, Alabaster, and others vanished. Taking Othala and Rune to Location C9.
Coil: Since you refused to pay for my help, here's a late freebie. Those PRT spies you ran to Boston to hide from? Veder and Cricket. Enjoy the Birdcage.
Max made a mental note to pay Coil back in blood for the insult. But first...
"I can't help with a wedding, George." Metal shrieked as it grew over Max, the armored form of Kaiser being one that he had no reason to hide from them. "But I'll gladly help with your funeral. After that, I'll make sure your family pays for your-"
The door blasted off its hinges, and all hell broke loose.
***
Despite her past experiences, Melody had been hoping to get this done without any violence. The letter George had handed Max had been dusted with a powdered sedative, and would have weakened him. Still, that was why you had a Plan B, because Plan A was usually crap.
Even as the door hit the ground, George was already diving in the opposite direction from Melody. He flipped the small table there and took cover as two people in fatigues rushed into the room, smoke and the fallen forms of E88 bodyguards behind them. One tossed a gun to George and took cover alongside him, the other three spreading out and shouting at Max.
The shrieking sound of metal on metal made her skin crawl, but Max taking time to cover himself in armor had given them all time to get in position. Melody just took out the twin carbon fiber knives she'd snuck past security, hucking one at Kaiser to get his attention.
Then he started to attack her, and there was no more time to think.
She dodged his weapons easily, having fought by his side long enough to know his moves even without vibrations in the air warning her. He created blades, threw and swung them, and placed them in her path. All the while, George and the others were shooting at Max, non-lethal rounds barely bruising him through his armor, making more noise than anything.
Then the E88 leader seemed to catch onto the fact that they were just delaying him, right around the same time Melody realized she'd slipped up. He had trapped her in a web of blades, and the light armor she wore prevented her from slipping through. Kaiser tried to run, but a soldier stepped into his path and took his blade without so much as a drop of blood spilled.
"Yeah, didn't expect that, did ya?" The soldier slammed the butt of her gun into Max's helmet, the man's sword doing little more than bruising her ribs. "With your blade fetish, we've all got stab vests. Guess your little sword can't cut it, eh?"
"Vests. Smart." Melody grimaced as Kaiser adjusted his stance and his sword's edge seemed to change slightly. "Thanks for telling me where not to aim."
His second swing took the woman's arm off, and she fell with a strangled shout. Before the other soldier could react, Kaiser had sliced through the man's legs at the knees. Kind, stupid, medically-minded George tried to pull the injured man to cover, but only narrowly dodged back as the sword went for him next.
Kaiser's second swing missed as well, Melody's thrown knife taking him in the back of his leg where his armor wasn't fully formed. Despite that, he remained focused on George, even as she screamed insults at him and struggled to get free. He growled, swinging for George's throat.
It was only thanks to his training that George was able to partially deflect the third swing with his gun, diverting it to the side of his head rather than his throat. He let out a strangled cry and fell to his knees, hand and head filled with searing pain. George refused to look away as Kaiser's arms went back for one final swing, then smiled as he saw his partner had come to his rescue.
Covered in cuts, her bulky armor abandoned, Melody grabbed Kaiser's arms just before the cape started to swing his blade forward. Taking advantage of his weight and lack of balance, she wrenched him backwards hard enough that he rolled into his heavy wooden desk. The nazi was forced to take cover behind said desk as the woman he'd disarmed opened fire on him.
A voice in her ear told Melody that reinforcements had met heavy resistance, and she knew that she only had moments before the one-armed gunner ran out of bullets. She grabbed a patch from her medical kit and slapped it over the mess that used to be George's ear, then sprayed the remains of his hand liberally with something foamy and numbing.
Seeing his grateful smile, she wanted to say something badass...but then felt the vibrations in the air. Kaiser was stumbling towards the door, the wound in his leg leaking blood and slowing him down. Despite George reaching for her, Melody moved to intercept him.
She knew what he would do if he got away. Knew about all the secret tunnels and escape hatches in this building. Knew that it would be her fault, for failing to rise to the challenge. So she dashed in front of the open door, hoping she could buy some time for-
A sword stabbed between her ribs, but she had angled herself so the blade would exit...there!
He pushed against her, but his blade had gotten stuck in the metal doorframe. Melody ignored the pain, ignored the sword, ignored that stupid precog's prediction, and ignored her fear.
She ignored all of that, grabbed onto his armor, focused on her power, took a deep breath…
...and then screamed.
***
George reflected that if Kaiser hadn't chopped one of his ears off, this would hurt twice as much.
Even now, the armored nazi was holding his metal-helmeted head with both gauntleted hands and writhing. Unable to pull away from Melody's deathgrip, the man finally tore off his helmet with one hand and made a crude knife in the other, smashing and stabbing her wildly. George could see the older man's ears and nose leaking blood, his mouth open in a silent scream.
But Melody wouldn't let go, directing the full force of her voice at him. It wasn't a method she normally used, preferring echolocation and causing confusion instead. But she'd learned over the years that if she focused, and pushed herself, she could really make some noise.
Finally, Max managed to pull free, falling to the ground and putting both hands over his ears. He gurgled, struggled, and wept as his destroyed senses wreaked havoc on him.
George was on his feet in seconds, barely pausing to kick Max's head like a nazi football, then continuing to Melody. Behind him, George could barely hear their reinforcements finally arriving.
"Melody! Hey! Someone get a medic in here!" George wasn't sure where to put his hands (well, hand, now), Melody's body was a mess. The sword was still in her, she was leaning back against the doorframe, and there was so much blood... "Hang on. You're going to be okay!"
"No I'm not." Melody gasped, teeth red and eyes unfocused. She winced as he put pressure on her wounds. "George, stop. We both knew this was coming. That he'd kill me."
"He didn't kill you, though." George argued, interrupting. "You're still talking. I work in medical implants, it'll be okay. You just need some new organs, fresh blood. We c-can go together, get me a new hand and a new ear. J-just...wait...what the hell do you mean we both knew?"
"Precog." Melody held up four fingers, wincing. "Your precog said I'd die in four years, by Max's hand. That was four years ago. Guess I sh-shouldn't have taken off my stab vest, huh?"
"Stop it! This isn't a joke, Mel. You're not..." George wanted to shake her, but she wouldn't stop smiling. Wouldn't stop bleeding. Wouldn't stop… "Dying. You're dying. You fucking idiot! Why did you throw yourself at him without weapons? We could have regrouped, caught up to him!"
"No! He'd have-" Melody broke off, coughing up blood. "-gone after your family. Even after what I did, they still...tried to pretend. Like I was normal. But I'm a monster. A coward. Threw myself at...a worse monster. Didn't wanna...die in prison. It hurt...but I tried to...tried to stop..."
"I saw you try. You saved everyone." He held Melody, as she wheezed and choked. "You saved me."
"Of course, dumbass." She whispered, coughing. "You were the b-best part...of trying..."
"Pretty good last words, Mel." He felt her go limp. "Eight out of ten, easy."
"Like you...could do...any...better? Fine, what should...I...say..."
George started to respond, but she was already gone.
***
In a secure building in Germany, a group of elderly men and women sat around a table in an opulent room, watching monitors. The news was breaking in America that the Empire 88 and Medhall had been connected, and hundreds of arrests were being made. Money was being traced to international criminal organizations. The work of decades, gone in days.
"So, Max Anders has fallen." The man at the head of the table pressed a button, muting all the screens and freezing them. Ignoring the babbling of his underlings, the leader of Gesellschaft raised his voice. "We have been brought low before, but this is only a minor inconvenience. A trifle. Nothing can destroy us. We are eternal."
All at the table began to cheer, pump their fists, and nod in agreement. In this room were some of the richest and most powerful people in Germany, as well as capes like the world had never seen. The parahumans had been developed to be unflinchingly loyal to their masters, and would rain destruction upon the PRT. They all began to relax, knowing the future was theirs...
One parahuman felt his chest swell with pride, and not just because of his leader's speech. This man was Krieg, formerly of the E88 before Max Anders had attempted to poison him months back. He would return to America, to gather the remnants of the E88, and nothing would stand in their way! He felt lightheaded, he was so happy! He yawned, sleepy...for some reason...
Just outside that room, pressed against the walls, a dozen men and women waited for a signal. All wore tinkertech camo that let them to blend in with their surroundings, and they were just waiting for the gas being piped into the conference room to reach a certain level of thickness.
One of them sighed, and another whispered to him. "Hey. What's da matter wit' ya?"
"Just realized that when we get home, I need to change my name." Uber whispered back, grimacing at a piece of art on the wall across from him. "All this time, I thought my name meant that I was better, stronger, and smarter...but after this mission? I can't use it anymore."
"I get it, and don't worry. I know dat you're nothing like these scumbags." A heavy metal hand patted Uber on the shoulder, and the former villain felt his spirits lift. "Leet became Continue, and if he can rename himself, anyone can. Maybe you'll even get a great name like me?"
Laughing quietly at Gun Guy's bravado, Uber joined the Meisters as they kicked in the door and charged into battle.
As he punched a nazi in the face, the former villain finally felt like a hero.
***
Max woke to a slap, and was annoyed that he couldn't strike them back.
Looking around, he could see that he was in a concrete cell of some kind, a pair of cameras in the corners with blinking lights. The door was a heavy steel affair, much like the shackles binding his arms and legs to his rather uncomfortable metal chair.
Then he saw his captors, and smiled. One of them was covered in bandages and dried blood, having been relieved of an ear and a few fingers. Still, couldn't hurt to twist the knife...
"Well, George Veder, as I live and breathe." He ignored the man beside George, keeping his tone nonchalant despite his situation. "Speaking of living and breathing, how is dear Melody?"
George reared back to strike Max again, but stopped as his apparent boss ordered him to leave. The door opened, letting noise inside, then closed and returned them to total silence.
"I don't think I need to tell you how much trouble you're in, Max." The remaining man wore a PRT dress uniform, several ribbons declaring him as accomplished by someone's metric. "Medhall, white supremacy, the Empire 88, all your crimes as Kaiser...quite a list."
"A list that I'm certain my lawyers will whittle down quite a bit, given that you unmasked and attacked me. I'm sure my Medhall employees and business contacts will also frown upon this farce." Max had various contingencies in place, and was certain that his lawyers were already en route. His remaining parahumans were plotting his rescue. His money was paying off judges. "I'll see my lawyer now, and you can remove these ridiculous shackles as well."
"Lawyer?" The PRT stooge smiled, walking away. "Funny, no lawyer has shown up yet. As for the rest, your grunts in Boston and Brockton Bay have been surrendering by the dozens since we closed Medhall and arrested their leaders. You're up shit...hold on...what?"
Max paused as the man put a finger to his ear, wondering what he was up to now.
"Sorry, he says his name is what? And he checks out?" The man growled, shaking his head and frowning. He glanced back at Max, stared for a few moments, then sighed. "Fine, turn the cameras off in here. We can't watch or listen to this, legally."
Moments later, Max was alone in the room with his son, Theo. The door was closed, the cameras were off, and Theo was nervously shuffling as he poked his fingers together.
"F-father? W-what happened?" Theo whispered, his eyes locked on Max's knees, body quivering as he stepped closer. Tears pricked at his eyes as he began to babble, his voice cracking as he blubbered at Max. "Y-you were right, father. The way they treated me when I came, they acted like I was a m-monster. I'm s-sorry I didn't listen, sir. I'm so s-scared..."
It appeared that the last few months had done nothing to help the boy's confidence, weight, or sense of self. He still draped himself in heavy clothing, feared eye contact, and was a quivering lump of useless flesh. He'd gotten his little rebellion over with, and was ready to serve.
Perfect.
"Yes, I admit things may look dire, Theo, but all is well." Max projected bravado he hadn't actually started feeling until just this moment. Max always had a plan, after all. "Come closer my boy, it's time for you to do your part. I shall give you power, through purpose. Listen carefully…"
Despite all his other failings, Theo had an excellent memory, and now that would finally serve a purpose. Over the course of several minutes, Max gave the boy a PO Box to visit, a phone number to call, and an address where Victor had fled.
The PO Box was in both their names, and held hundreds of thousands of dollars. The phone number was for Victor, a signal to gather allies to the safehouse. Finally, the address was where Victor had taken Rune and Othala, as well as being where he'd left guns and a suitcase with a vial in it. From there, the remnants of the E88 would gather, make a plan, and rescue Max.
With confidence in his eyes, Max swore to Theo that this was the boy's destiny. The idiot nodded nervously at his father, gave a weak little smile, and then knocked on the door to be let out. Now all Max had to do was wait.
Two hours later, Theo returned...but this wasn't the same Theo as before.
***
As Theo stepped into the cell, he took a moment to remove his sweatshirt. He smiled slightly as he saw Max's eyes lock onto his muscles, and approached with strong purposeful strides.
"What the hell are you doing back here, boy?" Max barked, voice pitched just so to drive the child to his knees. When Theo didn't fall, he became more conversational. "Have you come to wait by my side, standing alongside me rather than in my shadow? Perhaps you seek wisdom?"
"Nah, just wanted to watch you squirm one last time. It was part of my deal with the PRT. They got some goat guy to heal me, and offered me the chance to help take you down for good." Theo shrugged, eyes wandering around the cell as if he were talking about the weather. "They emptied out that PO Box, cleared out your safehouse, and nabbed Victor and Othala. I even got to punch Rune out, when she ran. Sorry old man, but it looks like your empire has fallen."
"Ha! You think that was the only plan I had in mind? Fool!" Max blustered, then gritted his teeth as Theo once again failed to react. Finally, he settled on the very words that had driven Theo to tears months ago. "Besides, my greatest plan is already in motion. My blood runs through your veins, your destiny runs parallel to my own. No matter what you do or say, no matter how many of my plans you attempt to overcome, the PRT will always see you as a monster. A devil who-"
"Bullshit." Theo spat the word, and for the first time in his life...Theo let Max see his anger. It silenced him, and Theo took advantage of it. "I make my own destiny. I'm going to fix everything you broke, even if I have to spend the rest of my life being hated by the world. I can never make up for all the evil I condemned, all the terror I failed to stop...but I'm damn sure going to try."
"Fine words, but we both know that they're little more than words." Max scoffed, straining against his shackles as he leaned forward. "You are weak. Directionless. Powerless. Even if you spend your whole life trying to overcome my legacy, I know that your children will spend their lives rebuilding it. Like I said, it's in your blood."
"Funny thing about blood. You can spill it to hurt people, but you can also donate it to save them." Theo grinned as Max rolled his eyes. "Yeah, imagine how I felt every time you used to spout pseudo-philosophical bullshit at me. How's it feel to be on the receiving end for once?"
Max ignored him, and Theo finally laughed.
"I had this whole big speech planned, but in the end...you're not worth it. To think, I used to be afraid of you...and when I was a kid I kind of looked up to you." Theo moved to his father's side, crouching in front of him and looking up at the man. "But I want you to know, while you're gone I'm going to destroy everything you ever created."
"Pointless promises from a weak, powerless child." Max stared at the boy, his face a mask of stone. "Begone, Theodore. You have outlived your usefulness...assuming you ever had any."
"Ha, that's just like you, Max. You can only destroy, after all." Theo held up a hand, and then before Max's eyes he jammed it into the metal chair. A metallic hand appeared just over Max's shoulder, then grabbed him by the chin, covering his mouth and nose. "But me? I can build. I can create."
Max let out a muffled grunt, his lungs starving as he struggled.
"I'm going to build a new world for people of all races, colors, beliefs, and bodies. I'm going to do what you failed to accomplish, and truly change the world. To make a world for everyone." Theo pulled the hand back, merging it into the chair again, and Max gasped. "I don't even care that you know I have powers, because you don't matter anymore."
The boy who used to be Max's son stood and stretched, then began to walk away. He kept talking, ignoring the man's sputtering. "You're going to sit in the Birdcage, watching me succeed where you failed. Knowing that your legacy of hatred dies with you."
Theo stopped at the door, pausing to look back at Max one last time.
"Who's powerless now?"
***************************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Now that the E88's gone, everything's great, right? Nope!
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
All of the above, I suppose. There's no world I can think of where having less nazis is a bad thing, so life just got better for a lot of people. At the same time...Brockton Bay has a lot of other criminal elements, and the biggest game in town just had most of their teeth pulled out.
- Location
- edinbrugh
Makes sense. And I bet those Nazi sympathizers won't just disappear either. Though, perhaps some will change?
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This takedown has several issues that I see.
1. Gelleschaft are and international group mentioned on par with the Elite, aka, not taken down easily. The Gelleschaft upper tier would have to be on Par with the Elite's upper tier, like Bastard Son and Ziggurat. Taking down the leaders should have involved Triumverate support, or at the least, several powerful capes.
2. Watchdog are a group of non-combat Thinkers that monitor the world's economy.
3. Why were three unpowered agents sent in to take Kaiser down? He's a Shaker 8, which means parahumans should engage only when supported by their team. As in, whole team of Capes. Also, Kaiser has successfully survived and fought off Galvanate and the mafia he worked with, Marquis and the Marche, the Brockton Bay Brigade/ New Wave, the Brockton Bay Protectorate and PRT, Lung and the ABB, the Slaughterhouse 9, and the Teeth, led by the Butcher themselves, when the visited the Bay.
4. Kaiser was in Boston, so taking him down would be the work of the Boston Protectorate and PRT. So why weren't the Boston Protectorate involved?
5. I doubt that every fascist or white supremicist group that Gesselschaft and the Empire had links to were taken out. That will cause problems.
6. Villians will stop showing up at Endbringer fights, or just start doing as much damage as they can, because if the Empire is suddenly taken down out of nowhere, who's to say they won't come after you next.
7. Except immediate gang wars and new triggers in Brockton Bay and Boston, as local and out of town villians seek to grab territory. Also,,taking down the capes in charge doesn't stop the racist ideology that drives people to join the gang in the first place. It just makes them scatter and go underground.
8. Cleaning up your city of all villians and making it a peaceful place, or other "fixing the world activities" tend to invite Endbringer attacks. Just ask Sphere or Richter.
That, being said, I do quite enjoy this story and can't wait for the next update.
1. Gelleschaft are and international group mentioned on par with the Elite, aka, not taken down easily. The Gelleschaft upper tier would have to be on Par with the Elite's upper tier, like Bastard Son and Ziggurat. Taking down the leaders should have involved Triumverate support, or at the least, several powerful capes.
2. Watchdog are a group of non-combat Thinkers that monitor the world's economy.
3. Why were three unpowered agents sent in to take Kaiser down? He's a Shaker 8, which means parahumans should engage only when supported by their team. As in, whole team of Capes. Also, Kaiser has successfully survived and fought off Galvanate and the mafia he worked with, Marquis and the Marche, the Brockton Bay Brigade/ New Wave, the Brockton Bay Protectorate and PRT, Lung and the ABB, the Slaughterhouse 9, and the Teeth, led by the Butcher themselves, when the visited the Bay.
4. Kaiser was in Boston, so taking him down would be the work of the Boston Protectorate and PRT. So why weren't the Boston Protectorate involved?
5. I doubt that every fascist or white supremicist group that Gesselschaft and the Empire had links to were taken out. That will cause problems.
6. Villians will stop showing up at Endbringer fights, or just start doing as much damage as they can, because if the Empire is suddenly taken down out of nowhere, who's to say they won't come after you next.
7. Except immediate gang wars and new triggers in Brockton Bay and Boston, as local and out of town villians seek to grab territory. Also,,taking down the capes in charge doesn't stop the racist ideology that drives people to join the gang in the first place. It just makes them scatter and go underground.
8. Cleaning up your city of all villians and making it a peaceful place, or other "fixing the world activities" tend to invite Endbringer attacks. Just ask Sphere or Richter.
That, being said, I do quite enjoy this story and can't wait for the next update.
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Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
1. The Meisters were mentioned, and they're "the major hero group in Germany." Still, I probably could have explained that better.
2. Watchdog in this story have been built up as more capable than canon's version, thanks to many connections/precogs/Thinkers. I always wondered how a group that had precogs couldn't see the end of their own group coming, but this also ties into my note at the end of this post.
3. The plan was to take him nonviolently, with a sedative and through surprise, but he caught on. They engaged, and had reinforcements handling his soldiers, as well as Faultline's Crew a few blocks away. Their biggest mistake was that the plan was actually supposed to happen in a few weeks, but Kaiser's travel plans forced them to strike NOW, rather than wait. So they got sloppy, and screwed up with a Trojan Horse.
4. Technically since this was an attack on his civilian ID, keeping the Boston Protectorate outside meant that they couldn't be connected to a strike on Max Anders. But if he ran outside in costume they could easily engage Kaiser.
5. True, but this did take care of the E88's capes, several leaders, and Gesellschaft's upper echelons/base. So it's a big hit either way. Also see #3, where the plan was forced to go off earlier than planned because they couldn't risk Max getting reinforcements/etc.
6. As we'll see next chapter, everyone was taken down in secret so that the PRT and US/German Governments could control the story. Germany can claim that Gesellschaft was planning to buy nukes (as in canon) or launch a terrorist attack, and the US/PRT can use capes like Purity (who already "went hero") to claim that the E88 just turned on itself and imploded. The few Thinkers or reporters/leakers who actually get the truth will have to decide whether they really want to spread news that will only help nazis, and that's assuming they're not drowned out by the hundreds of other stories that follow the narrative.
7. Yep, next chapter is the repercussions of this action, since having your capes/leaders suddenly vanish are likely to tick off the rank and file E88. Furthermore, now all the other criminals will see a fresh pie on the windowsill and decide they want a piece, leading to chaos. In fact, the E88 might actually end up with more capes, since they just lost their leaders and their whole way of life is under threat now.
8. #7 will probably prevent this, since the chaos that's about to follow will likely lead to some amount of destruction, unrest, and a pile of new triggers for both good and bad. Besides, I'm sure Brockton Bay has other reasons an Endbringer would want to visit it...
All that aside, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but still kind of regret the way this chapter came about. Originally I'd written Interludes 1 and 2 as a way to avoid having to write about the E88 at all in the main story. But then we got near the end, and I realized that I had a competent PRT/Watchdog and a big plan I'd talked up so much...and was afraid to leave this part unwritten. Next time I think I could handle it better, but it would take a few chapters and some rewrites. Still, it's been an important lesson for me in both planning and conviction.
3.10: Learning to Be a Team
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
AN: This chapter was a personal lesson in the weakness of a first-person perspective. I wish I had time to turn some of it into an Interlude, to expand/show things from E88, ABB, PRT, and other viewpoints, as well as the Brockton Bay citizens. There's more telling than showing in parts, because our POV character (Greg) is kept safe and therefore doesn't see it firsthand.
I'm releasing it because I love most of the chapter, but acknowledge it could be better. I also freely admit that it feels like things move too fast, and that there's too much going on in one chapter. I wish I had time to make this better, to split it up, and to rewrite...but I don't right now.
***********************
3.10: Learning to Be a Team
[Sunday, March 20, 2011]
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I ended up sleeping through the Empire 88 takedown.
I'd spent Saturday night on Sophia's couch, exhausted after the whole kidnapping, fighting, near-death experience, and of course seeing Breakneck 3: Beyond Murderdome. I woke up Sunday to Hannah arguing with Missy about how unrealistic the movie had been. Elsewhere, I heard Sophia on the phone with Theo...loudly apologizing despite his best efforts to forgive her.
Luckily, Vera turned on the TV to drown them out, but…
"-PRT representatives saying that members of the E88 joined them in taking down the leaders-"
"-Purity said I was young...still had my whole life ahead of me, and I never liked being Rune-"
"-I told Fenja that Kaiser had taken my baby daughter from me...excuse me, I need a moment-"
"-had no idea Medhall was a part of that, but when I checked their finances I realized white-"
"-Kaiser killed Cricket, and she was like a sister to me, in the pit. I hated to fight Hookwolf-"
"-as Chief Director of the PRT, I couldn't risk them doing more damage, so we joined Purity in-"
"-so now I'm no longer Purity. We're no longer E88. But we have so much to make up for-"
"-story out of Germany, as Vornehm of the Meisters says that they found nuclear material-"
"-they had plans to wipe Israel off the map, and as a proud German hero I couldn't let them-"
"-had we waited then Gesellschaft might have hurt people. As Prime Minister I couldn't let-"
On every station were the stories George and the PRT had written ahead of time. Former E88 capes had been pressed into recording interviews, and that added to the realism of it. The way they spun the narrative, Kaiser had kidnapped Purity's daughter. She'd gone to the PRT after convincing Rune, Cricket, Stormtiger, and others to join her against Kaiser and his loyalists. Now they were all surrendering to the PRT, to spend years making up for their many crimes.
Meanwhile, Germany was saying they'd stopped the E88's backers from sending nukes to blow up Israel. They had documents, testimony, informants, and it laid bare the connections between E88, Medhall, and nazis. People were so busy thanking the valiant heroes for striking a huge blow against white supremacy, they barely thought to question how it had all gone so perfectly.
The PRT had known that there would be all kinds of theories on PHO, and among both the cape and civilian communities. But all the arguments about unwritten rules and use of force would be drowned out by the mass celebrations. Every Thinker, reporter, or leaker who knew the Truth would have to decide between fighting for the rights of nazi murderers who regularly broke the unwritten rules, or just taking this as a net positive. Within a few weeks, it would be the truth.
It certainly worked on our sample group. Vera and Hannah thought this was great news, Sophia was actually smiling, and Missy worried about Purity's baby having to grow up with a mother like that. We were still talking about it as we all got into the car to head to the PRT...
But then we saw that not everything was sunshine and roses. Emergency vehicles everywhere, clouds of black smoke in the air, distant shouts and explosions...something had gone horribly wrong. Even at the PRT, it was like World War 3, and I ran for the locker rooms.
I don't think I'd ever put my costume on so fast before.
***
Soon we were gathered in a huge meeting of all the hero capes in town. Director Piggot and Deputy Director Renick were presiding, and screens displayed the faces of city representatives, the Youth Guard, and more. Piggot raised a hand, and then started to explain the situation.
Despite the PRT prepping extra police, supplies, and emergency workers for the inevitable chaos...they'd still fallen short. With the E88's leadership and capes gone, their members were rioting...on top of every other criminal in town popping up to take advantage.
The ABB had started hitting old Empire bases, grabbing weapons and drugs, eating up territory and fighting any who stood against them. Some out-of-town villains called The Travelers had popped up, potentially working in concert with Coil and his well-armed soldiers. Meanwhile, the Undersiders had been robbing Lung's smaller bases as he was forced to spread his forces thin.
Terry's mercenaries had been spotted, their boss wearing what was left of his armor, calling themselves The Predators. Rather than attacking they were actually defending, because a gang I'd never heard of was coming after them. A small-time gang called The Merchants, previously thought to be a bunch of junkies led by a cape called Skidmark, had it out for Terry and his men.
Even after a few hours, things were bad. A PRT informant claimed that Coil had made a pre-emptive attack on the Merchants. Trying to counterattack, Skidmark pulled five previously unknown capes out of nowhere...but their control over their powers was crap. One had accidentally killed a Merchant cape called Trainwreck, and another blew up part of Winslow.
No kids were hurt, but the Mayor closed down all schools for the time being, just in case. I let out a sigh of relief at that, knowing that at least Taylor and Allen would be safe, but this wasn't a permanent solution. The PRT was already scrambling to get people to safety, and the whole city was like a powderkeg that was already on fire. What the hell could I, a teen cape, do to help?
Apparently the PRT had the same thought, finally granting the Youth Guard's wish...temporarily taking the Wards off the streets. Since we couldn't patrol, we were going to get special training opportunities, as well as learning from Wards from other towns. Strider was already going to be bringing in extra heroes, after all. Plus, there was one other, special change being made...
It was a good thing Panacea had healed us when we came in, because when Renick said they were temporarily reinstating Shadow Stalker I think Vista nearly broke her ribs hugging her. It wasn't exactly a full pardon or anything, she was just being changed from special probation to normal probation. She still had a pile of community service and therapy in her future.
People were getting injured, killed, and triggered, including the E88. Their leaders had vanished, people were coming for their blood, and we'd already had sightings of a new cape with swastika tattoos and electricity powers. He was calling himself Lichtenberg, and I was afraid what would happen if he gathered more nazi capes...or if more criminals like him triggered...
But we were all equally scared and determined, and I knew we were stronger for it. All of our bickering and disagreements could be put aside, because our city needed us more than ever!
With all of us working together, nothing could stand in our way!
***
[Monday, March 21, 2011]
We only made it an hour into training before everything screeched to a halt.
It had started so well, with Strider bringing Weld and Hunch from the Boston Wards to train with us. We were all costumed up in the PRT gym, and had spent a few minutes talking about little things as we waited. Hunch made a few puns, Weld talked about a cooking class he was taking, I'd just seen a really awesome movie (can't wait for the sequel), and so on.
Armsmaster came in, we were put in groups of three, and gathered around a large taped circle in the center of the room so he could explain the exercise. One Ward would stand in the middle with three flags on their body (bicep, waist, and thigh) while two others 'fought' them. Anyone who left the circle was out, and the solo Ward had to defend their flags for one minute.
The training went well at first, especially since after each match we'd talk about what we learned. Aegis beat Clockblocker and Kid Win, teaching them about their mobility problems (especially once Chris lost his hoverboard). Meanwhile, Vista and Hunch beat me easily and taught me about my inexperience with ranged attacks (or precogs with guns).
Then came the third group, Gallant and Shadow Stalker versus Weld.
It wasn't that either of them did a bad job, but the way they kept arguing was...worrisome. First match they failed to get his flags (makes sense, he was the one who created the exercise), and they blamed each other. Then on the second match they succeeded, but kept trying to take the blame for not doing it faster. In the third match they didn't even start, because Armsmaster had to separate them, and by then Missy was taking Sophia's side and Aegis took Dean's.
Honestly, it was hard to tell just what the heck they were even arguing about. Shadow Stalker kept apologizing to Gallant for what Terry did to him and he kept saying she wasn't treating herself like a hero. What the hell did all that even mean?
Luckily, Skidmark's Tinker girlfriend broke out of prison, so Armsmaster had to run off to chase her down. He directed us to return to the Common Room for now, and wait for further orders. The others went ahead, and I was left to lead our two guests. Strider and Miss Militia were talking in the hallway, and I had no words for them as they directed mystified looks my way.
We arrived just as Shadow Stalker and Vista were heading back out, the sound of Gallant and Clockblocker shouting at each other down the hall. Aegis and Kid Win were nowhere to be seen, leaving the five of us standing awkwardly in the doorway blocking each other's path.
"Hey, um...if you guys aren't doing anything." I held up a hand, smiling and praying that they agreed to go along with this. "I have a way to cheer us all up...and one other person."
Unsurprisingly, they all agreed, and minutes later we were off.
***
"Sorry this took so long, I've just had a lot going on..."
"No. I understand. You were busy being a hero. I'm so proud of you."
"Me too." I smiled, glad I'd chosen a mask that let her see it. "Thanks for being patient, Sveta."
I was kind of glad she'd never tried to describe herself, because this person before me was so unique. She was a face, suspended in a writhing mass of finger-thin tendrils, a cute little C-shaped tattoo on her cheek. Despite her smile, the scratches on the glass dividing the room and marks on the pole she was wrapped around told me how stressed she was.
But eventually she nodded at me and settled down, and I finally removed my mask. I'd sent her a picture of myself weeks ago, and promised that I'd find a way to visit. Now, as I gently placed my palm on the glass between us, a quintet of tentacles spread out mirroring my fingers.
"Sorry..." She sniffled, black tears leaking out of her eyes. "I'm just really happy. Tears of joy."
"Well, save some tears for the others, because I didn't come alone." I pulled some paper out of my pocket, pressing it up against the glass so she could read four names on it. "See, Strider's power is actually Mass Teleportation. Don't feel pressured, but if you're up to seeing them-"
"Wait, you brought..." Her eyes bugged out, and she practically danced in place. "Yes! Please!"
I pulled my mask back on and knocked at the door, letting in two guests. There was a limit of three people per visit, but from how Sveta reacted you'd never have thought it was an issue.
Sveta was over the moon to meet Weld and Hunch. She had a hundred questions, and they traded PHO usernames. She seemed to know more about their exploits than them, talking a mile a minute. Both were puffing out their chests at the praise, and even had advice for her.
For instance, she was always finding it hard to hold her strength back, something Weld admitted he was familiar with. He suggested several of his own mental and physical exercises, even demonstrating right there. I saw Sveta drinking in his every word and nodding, staring at him.
Well, that or she has a crush on him. Eh, I can see it...they're both awesome people. I ship it.
Once we were halfway through visiting hours, I let her say goodbye to the two of them. Both promised to send her action figures, and she promised to send Weld links to some art she'd commissioned of him. They headed to a different part of the Asylum to meet other patients, and I let the other two I'd brought in to replace them.
"Shadow Stalker! I heard you had a rough day." Sveta waved a tentacle, ignoring the way the Ward in question glared at me. Her whole body seemed to relax as Sveta continued, "I'm so glad to see you again! Oh my gosh, Vista! I'm such a huge fan!"
"You kidding? I'm a fan of yours, Sveta!" Vista didn't even miss a beat, stepping closer and waving at Sveta. "Stalker's always bragging about you, and I heard what you did for Core with that dumbass self-insert fanfic of his. Anyone that can help these two idiots deserves a medal!"
It wasn't long before they kicked me out of the room. Doctor Yamada gave me a tour of the facility, as well as letting me meet a few other patients. Seeing their faces light up, remembering how happy Sveta and the others had been, a warm feeling went through me.
After the past few days, and the weeks likely to come, this was the sort of thing that made me feel like a real hero. Bringing friends together, and helping them find common ground.
Maybe I could figure out a way to do something like this for the rest of my team?
***
[Friday, March 25, 2011]
"Test 67, in three, two, one…" Chris pressed the button. A paper target on a metal rod popped out of a box in the middle of the room, cement blocks behind it. Exactly three seconds later, what looked like an oversized peripheral for a mid-90s gaming system spat out of a bolt of energy. A split second before the bolt hit the target, the clamps holding it released.
The paper fluttered down to the floor, not even a scorch mark on its surface, covering up the last 66 targets we'd failed to affect. Sighing, I joined Chris at the blueprint we'd been using, consulting it to try and figure out what had gone wrong. This was an attempt to make a gun that could shoot a Time Ball, like when I'd blended Gallant and Clockblocker's powers.
"I think it's this part here, where the solenoid valve interacts with the magnetic field." I pointed at the part of the blueprint we hadn't already covered in copious pencil marks and notes. I had blended Chris' Tinkering with Clockblocker's power, hoping it would give me some insight into chronological Tinkering or something. "Sorry I can't be more helpful, I'm still learning as I go."
"Are you kidding me? Every time we do a test you spot a problem, that's way better than I'd get working alone!" Chris seemed ecstatic, even though I was little more than a glorified proofreader for electronics. 67 tests, 67 problems found, and now...67 alterations to his original design. "Okay, give me a few minutes, I want to try trading out the ferromagnetic core for one made of something other than iron. I think I have some cobalt or nickel around here somewhere…"
As Chris hunted around, I sat next to Dennis on the folding chairs we'd set up in the lab, well out of the way of the gun's barrel. I'd spent most of the day with Dennis, both of us having gone for wellness checks at the hospital earlier. Way too many people had been triggering lately.
Seven of the nine people we'd met earlier had powers, and with the three a few days ago that made ten this week alone! Most of them seemed interested in being a hero (especially after I told them about their powers), but Dennis had been down ever since our last meeting. Two men had been shouting at him in Chinese, and we were both afraid they were destined for the ABB...
"Something on your mind, Dennis?"
"A lot of things." He answered quickly, then glanced at Chris and lowered his voice. "Actually, it's a mix of advice and a favor, if you're up for it? I need you to do something for me."
"As long as it's not relationship advice, I'll take a shot. Unless you want bad advice, anyway."
"I feel like there's a story there..." Dennis trailed off, then sighed. "Dean and Sophia are fighting, refusing to talk about it, and I can't get Aegis to fix it. So, I want you to talk to them. Thoughts?"
"Why don't you do it?" I asked bluntly, and he recoiled. "Seriously? You've known them both longer than me, why are you trying to make me the easily-killed messenger?"
"Dude, haven't you seen any of my PR events or PHO posts in the last two years? I've spent most of my time as a Ward being a goofy slacker, who would actually listen to my advice?"
"I would." Chris spoke up, startling both of us. He pointed a thumb back at the device. "Ready for the next test, and I couldn't help but overhear. Anyway, you've given me a lot of good advice, so I think if you're worried you should try to help them. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Okay first of all, don't drop that doom flag on me." He held up a finger, adding, "Second, the worst that could happen is that I make it worse. They hear the silly goofball trying to give them advice, and either feel like crap or just get even angrier at me for trying to talk down to them."
"Dennis, are you still mad at me for the crap I did on that Wards tour?" I interrupted, an idea suddenly coming to me. This sounded like a really familiar complaint, honestly. "When I came out of the bathroom and insulted everyone? All that crap I said, making everyone feel terrible?"
"What?" Dennis looked worried, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Greg, no! I told you, that was before I knew you were all filled with anxiety and shit. You got better, and you're trying to be better, so that guy's a completely different...oh. I see what you're saying."
"Yep, people are always changing." I clapped him on the shoulder, laughing as realization flashed across his face. No wonder Lisa was always doing this to me, it was a hell of a rush! "We evolve beyond the person we were before. Little by little, we advance a bit further."
"That's familiar." Chris closed his eyes, muttering, "Isn't that a line from-"
"Who cares!" Dennis jumped to his feet. "It doesn't matter if he stole that from an anime about big robots with drills, it's a damn good point. Greg, after this test, you wanna go brainstorm some ways to make this happen?"
"Sure!" I already had a dozen ideas, and the first was one based on a story Hobson had told me about something his boss had forced him to do the other day. "But first, let's make a cool gun!"
While Chris started up the firing sequence, Dennis leaned closer and whispered, "Hey, talking about romance earlier reminded me of something. One of the nurses who helps my dad has a daughter named Delilah, and she has a huge crush on Amy. I was thinking of introducing them."
He held up his phone, showing a cute girl around my age, standing beside a nurse. Wait, was that the nurse I had screamed at back when I was in my ABB cosplay? She had a daughter?
"Amy said she was going to heal my dad, and I figured, what better way to pay her back?"
Before I could try to explain many better ways to pay her back, Chris hit the button.
The target melted...as well as the wall behind it...and the wall behind that.
But the target was also frozen in time for a few seconds.
We treated it like a success anyway.
Then we made plans.
***
[Tuesday, March 29, 2011]
"Are you serious?" Dean jogged along behind me, and I did my best to avoid looking back at him. I had no poker face to speak of, so I just pretended to be worried. "Sophia said that?"
"Yeah, after I told her about those three new E88 capes who burned down a synagogue, she said that enough was enough. She ran into a spare room and pulled a crossbow out of the wall, saying that she was going to fix this." I shuddered a bit, since I could actually imagine her doing that...even though I'd made it all up. "Anyway, here we are! Dennis has been keeping a lookout."
"I locked her inside, but she's threatening to go out the window." Dennis whispered, leaning closer to the two of us and pointing at the door. There was an odd device attached to it giving off little blue sparks, and Dennis quickly explained, "Chris put this together a few days back, just in case something like this happened. Aegis is busy, so...it's all up to you Dean."
"I'll do what I can. Turn it off and open the door. Greg, wish me luck." Dean nodded, a look of intense focus on his face as he reached out and shook my hand. Dennis quickly flipped a switch on the device, then opened the door. "Here we go!"
Rather than letting me go, Dean pulled on my arm and tripped me through the open door. Before I could get my bearings I heard a squawk, and then Dennis tripped over me and fell as well. I rolled over to see Dean closing the door behind him. "Dean, what the heck? This is-"
"Some kind of forced team-building idea that you and Dennis cooked up?" Dean finished, raising an eyebrow. "I saw your emotions the whole way here, Greg."
"That's what this shit is? They told me that they found one of my old crossbows and were afraid to touch it, then locked me inside." Sophia, sitting on the nearby bed, glaring at us and waving a bandaged hand. "Fucking electrified the door. Only reason I didn't go through the wall was because I wanted to fix my hand and then kick the shit out of them both."
"Wait! Before anyone kicks the shit out of anyone, can you two just talk about why you're treating each other like crap?" Dennis waved his hands, and I nodded rapidly. We both moved to the other side of the room, afraid to sit near Sophia, and looked between them. "The whole reason we Parent Trapped you two was to work things out! Also, sorry about the door."
"I'm sorry that Chris' device hurt you, Sophia." I saw her face relax a little, and then rocked my head back and forth. "But there's so much fighting in the streets already, can't we as a team-"
"Fine! Whatever, my therapist is always saying to do this sort of shit." Sophia groaned and stood up, taking a deep breath before gritting her teeth. "Dean, I can't do anything about the shit I did before I got sent away, besides try not to do it anymore. I'm also sorry that Terry nearly killed you because of me. I'm putting everything I have into getting stronger, so I can kick his ass."
"Wait, Terry nearly...are you talking about the transport he attacked?" Dean's jaw dropped as she nodded. He slapped his forehead. "Sophia for...I don't blame you for that! He attacked that transport the day before you even got out of the Asylum! Plus, I was in my armor!"
"Still my fault. I shoulda stopped him before." She stalked closer. "But real talk? I like that you treat me like shit, and remind me what I used to be. Terry's the worst piece of shit villain there is, and if I'd kept up with the bullying and vigilante shit I'd have been just as bad eventually."
"But you're not a vill-" Dean started to retort, but she slapped a hand over his mouth. He pulled her hand away, grabbing her shoulder. "You tried to sacrifice yourself to save heroes and your boyfriend! That's not something a villain does. You're not a villain, Sophia."
"I was!" Sophia shouted, then spun away from Dean. She began to pace, ranting. "I hurt people, I killed people, I stole and lied and cheated. I was a villain! But then people like you called me out on it, and my life got a whole lot fucking better! So keep calling me out. Keep pushing me!"
"Fine! I will!" Dean roared, stabbing a finger at her. "I'll keep pointing out your mistakes, but you'd better f-fucking believe that I'll also point out the good stuff! Just you wait! Every time you get it right, I'm gonna praise you 'til the cows come home, no matter what!"
"Good fucking luck! I've got all kinds of problems and shit!" She shouted as he threw the door open, stomping down the hall, and Sophia ran after him. "For one thing, I'm-"
We heard their voices receding as they shouted back and forth, and looked at each other.
"So...mission accomplished?" Dennis asked, slowly raising a hand.
"Yep." I gave him a high-five. "We nailed it."
***
[Saturday, April 09, 2011]
The Wards Review Meetings had originally been a mix of training updates and disciplinary hearings, but they'd grown more important in the last few weeks. Without the ability to patrol, it was our only source of confirmed information on our town. The past week had been...rough.
The war between the Merchants and Predators had reached a fever pitch a few days earlier, with their fight in the streets somehow drawing the attention of the ABB. The three-way battle got even worse when Lung showed up with his two new capes, and the other two gangs scrambled to escape the slaughter. He'd killed three of Skidmark's five new capes!
But sometimes the good news didn't require violence...
"I have three big pieces of good news before we close. First, school will be starting back up again next week." Renick paused as we all groaned, but we'd been learning from home so it was mostly for show. "Well, normally I'd be annoyed by that reaction, but our second bit of news wouldn't have happened if not for the schools closing. Just let me get us some privacy..."
He tapped a button, locking the doors and engaging electronic countermeasures with a pop.
"A few weeks back, a young woman triggered, gaining powers having to do with probability. She was getting headaches from an overload of questions at school, and being at home let her parents see it firsthand." He laughed, shaking his head for a moment, then let us in on the joke. "Apparently her parents were trying to help her with homework, and soon caught on to her powers. They called us, and now she's on track to being our newest Ward, codenamed Maybe."
"Wait, probability? Are you saying she's a precog?" I asked, suddenly understanding why the school closure was good. If not for that, what might've happened? "Is she our new teammate?"
"Maybe someday, but right now she's getting special protection and training. Armsmaster is currently with her, and once Doctor Forrester and Frank finish her power testing she'll likely spend some time helping Watchdog." Renick answered a few more questions, then cleared his throat. "Finally, we recently got an anonymous phone call that led us to a building three of you may be quite familiar with. There, we found...well, just watch the bodycam video, I suppose."
He tapped a button, and a video timestamped for yesterday began to play. It was a run-down neighborhood that did indeed look oddly familiar, and as I heard Missy and Sophia whispering it hit me why. That was the same building Terry had taken Theo to, a few weeks back!
On the video, the metal door was thrown open, and a flashlight shined on a figure tied to a chair in the middle of the room. It was a huge half-naked figure, their body covered in blood, but their head slowly raised at the noise. The camera zoomed in on the face, revealing...Terry!
"Broken arms, broken legs, but nothing he won't heal from. He's currently in the hospital, and will be charged with-" Renick went on, but I heard Dean let out a little gasp and turned to see him staring at Sophia. She looked...angry? She excused herself to go to the bathroom, and shadowed through the door at a run. Renick proudly continued, "-top of that, documents were found at the scene identifying his mercenaries, hideouts, and several criminal connections."
Unsurprisingly, Sophia wasn't in the bathroom after the meeting, but I had a pretty good idea where she'd gone. Even as Missy started reenacting that one scene from The Fugitive, I told her I'd check the gym. On my way out I sent two texts, then broke into a run for the bus stop.
I was a few minutes into my bus ride when I got a call from the second person I'd texted.
"So, I'm guessing this was your revenge on Terry?" I asked, getting an affirmative noise. Knowing she was just dying to brag, I sighed and asked, "How'd you do it, Lisa?"
"We stole one of his getaway cars and took out the others, knowing if things went bad he'd save himself first." In the background, I heard a distant door slamming. "Then I threw the ABB into the mix, calling Lung and telling him the two groups were teaming up to come after his territory."
"Wait, and Lung just listened to you? Haven't you guys been robbing him for weeks?"
"I started learning Japanese a while back, so I just pretended to be one of his people named Yan. She's got a reputation as a gossip and has contacts in other gangs, so it was easy to get Lung to crash their fight." I could almost hear her shrug through the line. "Then we just picked Terry up in his own car, gassed him, tied him to a chair, and..."
"Broke him, then left him with incriminating evidence. But doesn't this point the finger at Theo?"
"Relax! I made sure that Theo spent Thursday and Friday with Sophia and her hero mommies." She grumbled and added, "He was over the moon, especially after all the shit Terry did to our Theo...and I guess all the shit he did to his Sophia and everyone else, too."
"I notice you're not calling her names this time." I stood as the bus came to a stop, and stepped off to begin the short walk to the gym. "I thought you hated her? Is all forgiven?"
"Oh no, I still hate her guts. Half the reason we did it this way is because of how much it'll piss her off. We just did in a single day the thing she's been training to do for months!" Lisa laughed, then trailed off and sighed. "But when Brian and I told him to dump her, Theo fought back."
I stayed silent, having arrived at the gym. Through the front doors I could see Sophia and Theo at one of the heavy bags. She was beating the hell out of the bag as he held it, looking angry.
"When Theo first joined us, he had...issues. Brian made him strong, Rachel made him confident, Alec taught him to have fun, and I did everything else." She paused, as she had to force herself to talk. "But Sophia made him...happy, dumb as it sounds. When you texted him just now, he dropped everything to run to her. So Brian and I agreed to give her a chance. One chance."
As Lisa rambled on for a while about other things, I saw that Sophia had finally run out of energy, staggering a little. Theo was there in an instant, and he helped her sit down and drink some water. He accidentally spilled it on her, then she sprayed him back, and both laughed.
A villain and a hero, working together to get through tough times...
Maybe things really were getting better.
***
Within a few days of Terry's arrest and the PRT going after his base, the gang war petered out. It had already been winding down for a while, but maybe having an entire gang get taken down like that reminded everyone how all this had started. Nobody wanted to be next on the list.
Lung and the ABB had claimed a large amount of territory, the Travelers and Undersiders had made off with plenty of money, and Coil's men hadn't been seen in days. As for the Merchants, they had sunk back into the depths of Brockton Bay, their membership scattered and scared. Skidmark had gone into hiding, his capes mostly in custody or dead, the gang all but dissolved.
The E88 was a different story. Although their power and reach was far weaker now, they were still a threat. Lichtenberg had survived the gang war, taking control and spreading the many capes who had joined him among smaller cells throughout the city. Their grip of fear on the city had finally broken...because we had learned that they could be beaten if we all worked together.
Unfortunately, it wasn't just the villains we had to fear...
Everyone started calling Director Piggot out for her handling of the gang war. Fires, destruction, gang violence, real estate, and so many new villains...all of it painted an ugly picture. They put her on leave pending a full investigation, with Renick filling in as Acting Director in the interim.
Word eventually came that Renick was going to be replaced with a different Acting Director at the end of May...Commander Thomas Calvert. Apparently he'd been a PRT field agent and parahuman consultant for a while. A few weeks from now, everything would change...
Still, I was just focused on finally being on the team of my dreams...as a Ward.
But then halfway through May, we all had a horrible nightmare.
A living nightmare, one that had killed countless capes.
Leviathan had come to Brockton Bay.
*****************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: The hardest part about being a hero that people can depend on...is realizing that those people would be sad if something happened to you.
I'm releasing it because I love most of the chapter, but acknowledge it could be better. I also freely admit that it feels like things move too fast, and that there's too much going on in one chapter. I wish I had time to make this better, to split it up, and to rewrite...but I don't right now.
***********************
3.10: Learning to Be a Team
[Sunday, March 20, 2011]
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I ended up sleeping through the Empire 88 takedown.
I'd spent Saturday night on Sophia's couch, exhausted after the whole kidnapping, fighting, near-death experience, and of course seeing Breakneck 3: Beyond Murderdome. I woke up Sunday to Hannah arguing with Missy about how unrealistic the movie had been. Elsewhere, I heard Sophia on the phone with Theo...loudly apologizing despite his best efforts to forgive her.
Luckily, Vera turned on the TV to drown them out, but…
"-PRT representatives saying that members of the E88 joined them in taking down the leaders-"
"-Purity said I was young...still had my whole life ahead of me, and I never liked being Rune-"
"-I told Fenja that Kaiser had taken my baby daughter from me...excuse me, I need a moment-"
"-had no idea Medhall was a part of that, but when I checked their finances I realized white-"
"-Kaiser killed Cricket, and she was like a sister to me, in the pit. I hated to fight Hookwolf-"
"-as Chief Director of the PRT, I couldn't risk them doing more damage, so we joined Purity in-"
"-so now I'm no longer Purity. We're no longer E88. But we have so much to make up for-"
"-story out of Germany, as Vornehm of the Meisters says that they found nuclear material-"
"-they had plans to wipe Israel off the map, and as a proud German hero I couldn't let them-"
"-had we waited then Gesellschaft might have hurt people. As Prime Minister I couldn't let-"
On every station were the stories George and the PRT had written ahead of time. Former E88 capes had been pressed into recording interviews, and that added to the realism of it. The way they spun the narrative, Kaiser had kidnapped Purity's daughter. She'd gone to the PRT after convincing Rune, Cricket, Stormtiger, and others to join her against Kaiser and his loyalists. Now they were all surrendering to the PRT, to spend years making up for their many crimes.
Meanwhile, Germany was saying they'd stopped the E88's backers from sending nukes to blow up Israel. They had documents, testimony, informants, and it laid bare the connections between E88, Medhall, and nazis. People were so busy thanking the valiant heroes for striking a huge blow against white supremacy, they barely thought to question how it had all gone so perfectly.
The PRT had known that there would be all kinds of theories on PHO, and among both the cape and civilian communities. But all the arguments about unwritten rules and use of force would be drowned out by the mass celebrations. Every Thinker, reporter, or leaker who knew the Truth would have to decide between fighting for the rights of nazi murderers who regularly broke the unwritten rules, or just taking this as a net positive. Within a few weeks, it would be the truth.
It certainly worked on our sample group. Vera and Hannah thought this was great news, Sophia was actually smiling, and Missy worried about Purity's baby having to grow up with a mother like that. We were still talking about it as we all got into the car to head to the PRT...
But then we saw that not everything was sunshine and roses. Emergency vehicles everywhere, clouds of black smoke in the air, distant shouts and explosions...something had gone horribly wrong. Even at the PRT, it was like World War 3, and I ran for the locker rooms.
I don't think I'd ever put my costume on so fast before.
***
Soon we were gathered in a huge meeting of all the hero capes in town. Director Piggot and Deputy Director Renick were presiding, and screens displayed the faces of city representatives, the Youth Guard, and more. Piggot raised a hand, and then started to explain the situation.
Despite the PRT prepping extra police, supplies, and emergency workers for the inevitable chaos...they'd still fallen short. With the E88's leadership and capes gone, their members were rioting...on top of every other criminal in town popping up to take advantage.
The ABB had started hitting old Empire bases, grabbing weapons and drugs, eating up territory and fighting any who stood against them. Some out-of-town villains called The Travelers had popped up, potentially working in concert with Coil and his well-armed soldiers. Meanwhile, the Undersiders had been robbing Lung's smaller bases as he was forced to spread his forces thin.
Terry's mercenaries had been spotted, their boss wearing what was left of his armor, calling themselves The Predators. Rather than attacking they were actually defending, because a gang I'd never heard of was coming after them. A small-time gang called The Merchants, previously thought to be a bunch of junkies led by a cape called Skidmark, had it out for Terry and his men.
Even after a few hours, things were bad. A PRT informant claimed that Coil had made a pre-emptive attack on the Merchants. Trying to counterattack, Skidmark pulled five previously unknown capes out of nowhere...but their control over their powers was crap. One had accidentally killed a Merchant cape called Trainwreck, and another blew up part of Winslow.
No kids were hurt, but the Mayor closed down all schools for the time being, just in case. I let out a sigh of relief at that, knowing that at least Taylor and Allen would be safe, but this wasn't a permanent solution. The PRT was already scrambling to get people to safety, and the whole city was like a powderkeg that was already on fire. What the hell could I, a teen cape, do to help?
Apparently the PRT had the same thought, finally granting the Youth Guard's wish...temporarily taking the Wards off the streets. Since we couldn't patrol, we were going to get special training opportunities, as well as learning from Wards from other towns. Strider was already going to be bringing in extra heroes, after all. Plus, there was one other, special change being made...
It was a good thing Panacea had healed us when we came in, because when Renick said they were temporarily reinstating Shadow Stalker I think Vista nearly broke her ribs hugging her. It wasn't exactly a full pardon or anything, she was just being changed from special probation to normal probation. She still had a pile of community service and therapy in her future.
People were getting injured, killed, and triggered, including the E88. Their leaders had vanished, people were coming for their blood, and we'd already had sightings of a new cape with swastika tattoos and electricity powers. He was calling himself Lichtenberg, and I was afraid what would happen if he gathered more nazi capes...or if more criminals like him triggered...
But we were all equally scared and determined, and I knew we were stronger for it. All of our bickering and disagreements could be put aside, because our city needed us more than ever!
With all of us working together, nothing could stand in our way!
***
[Monday, March 21, 2011]
We only made it an hour into training before everything screeched to a halt.
It had started so well, with Strider bringing Weld and Hunch from the Boston Wards to train with us. We were all costumed up in the PRT gym, and had spent a few minutes talking about little things as we waited. Hunch made a few puns, Weld talked about a cooking class he was taking, I'd just seen a really awesome movie (can't wait for the sequel), and so on.
Armsmaster came in, we were put in groups of three, and gathered around a large taped circle in the center of the room so he could explain the exercise. One Ward would stand in the middle with three flags on their body (bicep, waist, and thigh) while two others 'fought' them. Anyone who left the circle was out, and the solo Ward had to defend their flags for one minute.
The training went well at first, especially since after each match we'd talk about what we learned. Aegis beat Clockblocker and Kid Win, teaching them about their mobility problems (especially once Chris lost his hoverboard). Meanwhile, Vista and Hunch beat me easily and taught me about my inexperience with ranged attacks (or precogs with guns).
Then came the third group, Gallant and Shadow Stalker versus Weld.
It wasn't that either of them did a bad job, but the way they kept arguing was...worrisome. First match they failed to get his flags (makes sense, he was the one who created the exercise), and they blamed each other. Then on the second match they succeeded, but kept trying to take the blame for not doing it faster. In the third match they didn't even start, because Armsmaster had to separate them, and by then Missy was taking Sophia's side and Aegis took Dean's.
Honestly, it was hard to tell just what the heck they were even arguing about. Shadow Stalker kept apologizing to Gallant for what Terry did to him and he kept saying she wasn't treating herself like a hero. What the hell did all that even mean?
Luckily, Skidmark's Tinker girlfriend broke out of prison, so Armsmaster had to run off to chase her down. He directed us to return to the Common Room for now, and wait for further orders. The others went ahead, and I was left to lead our two guests. Strider and Miss Militia were talking in the hallway, and I had no words for them as they directed mystified looks my way.
We arrived just as Shadow Stalker and Vista were heading back out, the sound of Gallant and Clockblocker shouting at each other down the hall. Aegis and Kid Win were nowhere to be seen, leaving the five of us standing awkwardly in the doorway blocking each other's path.
"Hey, um...if you guys aren't doing anything." I held up a hand, smiling and praying that they agreed to go along with this. "I have a way to cheer us all up...and one other person."
Unsurprisingly, they all agreed, and minutes later we were off.
***
"Sorry this took so long, I've just had a lot going on..."
"No. I understand. You were busy being a hero. I'm so proud of you."
"Me too." I smiled, glad I'd chosen a mask that let her see it. "Thanks for being patient, Sveta."
I was kind of glad she'd never tried to describe herself, because this person before me was so unique. She was a face, suspended in a writhing mass of finger-thin tendrils, a cute little C-shaped tattoo on her cheek. Despite her smile, the scratches on the glass dividing the room and marks on the pole she was wrapped around told me how stressed she was.
But eventually she nodded at me and settled down, and I finally removed my mask. I'd sent her a picture of myself weeks ago, and promised that I'd find a way to visit. Now, as I gently placed my palm on the glass between us, a quintet of tentacles spread out mirroring my fingers.
"Sorry..." She sniffled, black tears leaking out of her eyes. "I'm just really happy. Tears of joy."
"Well, save some tears for the others, because I didn't come alone." I pulled some paper out of my pocket, pressing it up against the glass so she could read four names on it. "See, Strider's power is actually Mass Teleportation. Don't feel pressured, but if you're up to seeing them-"
"Wait, you brought..." Her eyes bugged out, and she practically danced in place. "Yes! Please!"
I pulled my mask back on and knocked at the door, letting in two guests. There was a limit of three people per visit, but from how Sveta reacted you'd never have thought it was an issue.
Sveta was over the moon to meet Weld and Hunch. She had a hundred questions, and they traded PHO usernames. She seemed to know more about their exploits than them, talking a mile a minute. Both were puffing out their chests at the praise, and even had advice for her.
For instance, she was always finding it hard to hold her strength back, something Weld admitted he was familiar with. He suggested several of his own mental and physical exercises, even demonstrating right there. I saw Sveta drinking in his every word and nodding, staring at him.
Well, that or she has a crush on him. Eh, I can see it...they're both awesome people. I ship it.
Once we were halfway through visiting hours, I let her say goodbye to the two of them. Both promised to send her action figures, and she promised to send Weld links to some art she'd commissioned of him. They headed to a different part of the Asylum to meet other patients, and I let the other two I'd brought in to replace them.
"Shadow Stalker! I heard you had a rough day." Sveta waved a tentacle, ignoring the way the Ward in question glared at me. Her whole body seemed to relax as Sveta continued, "I'm so glad to see you again! Oh my gosh, Vista! I'm such a huge fan!"
"You kidding? I'm a fan of yours, Sveta!" Vista didn't even miss a beat, stepping closer and waving at Sveta. "Stalker's always bragging about you, and I heard what you did for Core with that dumbass self-insert fanfic of his. Anyone that can help these two idiots deserves a medal!"
It wasn't long before they kicked me out of the room. Doctor Yamada gave me a tour of the facility, as well as letting me meet a few other patients. Seeing their faces light up, remembering how happy Sveta and the others had been, a warm feeling went through me.
After the past few days, and the weeks likely to come, this was the sort of thing that made me feel like a real hero. Bringing friends together, and helping them find common ground.
Maybe I could figure out a way to do something like this for the rest of my team?
***
[Friday, March 25, 2011]
"Test 67, in three, two, one…" Chris pressed the button. A paper target on a metal rod popped out of a box in the middle of the room, cement blocks behind it. Exactly three seconds later, what looked like an oversized peripheral for a mid-90s gaming system spat out of a bolt of energy. A split second before the bolt hit the target, the clamps holding it released.
The paper fluttered down to the floor, not even a scorch mark on its surface, covering up the last 66 targets we'd failed to affect. Sighing, I joined Chris at the blueprint we'd been using, consulting it to try and figure out what had gone wrong. This was an attempt to make a gun that could shoot a Time Ball, like when I'd blended Gallant and Clockblocker's powers.
"I think it's this part here, where the solenoid valve interacts with the magnetic field." I pointed at the part of the blueprint we hadn't already covered in copious pencil marks and notes. I had blended Chris' Tinkering with Clockblocker's power, hoping it would give me some insight into chronological Tinkering or something. "Sorry I can't be more helpful, I'm still learning as I go."
"Are you kidding me? Every time we do a test you spot a problem, that's way better than I'd get working alone!" Chris seemed ecstatic, even though I was little more than a glorified proofreader for electronics. 67 tests, 67 problems found, and now...67 alterations to his original design. "Okay, give me a few minutes, I want to try trading out the ferromagnetic core for one made of something other than iron. I think I have some cobalt or nickel around here somewhere…"
As Chris hunted around, I sat next to Dennis on the folding chairs we'd set up in the lab, well out of the way of the gun's barrel. I'd spent most of the day with Dennis, both of us having gone for wellness checks at the hospital earlier. Way too many people had been triggering lately.
Seven of the nine people we'd met earlier had powers, and with the three a few days ago that made ten this week alone! Most of them seemed interested in being a hero (especially after I told them about their powers), but Dennis had been down ever since our last meeting. Two men had been shouting at him in Chinese, and we were both afraid they were destined for the ABB...
"Something on your mind, Dennis?"
"A lot of things." He answered quickly, then glanced at Chris and lowered his voice. "Actually, it's a mix of advice and a favor, if you're up for it? I need you to do something for me."
"As long as it's not relationship advice, I'll take a shot. Unless you want bad advice, anyway."
"I feel like there's a story there..." Dennis trailed off, then sighed. "Dean and Sophia are fighting, refusing to talk about it, and I can't get Aegis to fix it. So, I want you to talk to them. Thoughts?"
"Why don't you do it?" I asked bluntly, and he recoiled. "Seriously? You've known them both longer than me, why are you trying to make me the easily-killed messenger?"
"Dude, haven't you seen any of my PR events or PHO posts in the last two years? I've spent most of my time as a Ward being a goofy slacker, who would actually listen to my advice?"
"I would." Chris spoke up, startling both of us. He pointed a thumb back at the device. "Ready for the next test, and I couldn't help but overhear. Anyway, you've given me a lot of good advice, so I think if you're worried you should try to help them. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Okay first of all, don't drop that doom flag on me." He held up a finger, adding, "Second, the worst that could happen is that I make it worse. They hear the silly goofball trying to give them advice, and either feel like crap or just get even angrier at me for trying to talk down to them."
"Dennis, are you still mad at me for the crap I did on that Wards tour?" I interrupted, an idea suddenly coming to me. This sounded like a really familiar complaint, honestly. "When I came out of the bathroom and insulted everyone? All that crap I said, making everyone feel terrible?"
"What?" Dennis looked worried, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Greg, no! I told you, that was before I knew you were all filled with anxiety and shit. You got better, and you're trying to be better, so that guy's a completely different...oh. I see what you're saying."
"Yep, people are always changing." I clapped him on the shoulder, laughing as realization flashed across his face. No wonder Lisa was always doing this to me, it was a hell of a rush! "We evolve beyond the person we were before. Little by little, we advance a bit further."
"That's familiar." Chris closed his eyes, muttering, "Isn't that a line from-"
"Who cares!" Dennis jumped to his feet. "It doesn't matter if he stole that from an anime about big robots with drills, it's a damn good point. Greg, after this test, you wanna go brainstorm some ways to make this happen?"
"Sure!" I already had a dozen ideas, and the first was one based on a story Hobson had told me about something his boss had forced him to do the other day. "But first, let's make a cool gun!"
While Chris started up the firing sequence, Dennis leaned closer and whispered, "Hey, talking about romance earlier reminded me of something. One of the nurses who helps my dad has a daughter named Delilah, and she has a huge crush on Amy. I was thinking of introducing them."
He held up his phone, showing a cute girl around my age, standing beside a nurse. Wait, was that the nurse I had screamed at back when I was in my ABB cosplay? She had a daughter?
"Amy said she was going to heal my dad, and I figured, what better way to pay her back?"
Before I could try to explain many better ways to pay her back, Chris hit the button.
The target melted...as well as the wall behind it...and the wall behind that.
But the target was also frozen in time for a few seconds.
We treated it like a success anyway.
Then we made plans.
***
[Tuesday, March 29, 2011]
"Are you serious?" Dean jogged along behind me, and I did my best to avoid looking back at him. I had no poker face to speak of, so I just pretended to be worried. "Sophia said that?"
"Yeah, after I told her about those three new E88 capes who burned down a synagogue, she said that enough was enough. She ran into a spare room and pulled a crossbow out of the wall, saying that she was going to fix this." I shuddered a bit, since I could actually imagine her doing that...even though I'd made it all up. "Anyway, here we are! Dennis has been keeping a lookout."
"I locked her inside, but she's threatening to go out the window." Dennis whispered, leaning closer to the two of us and pointing at the door. There was an odd device attached to it giving off little blue sparks, and Dennis quickly explained, "Chris put this together a few days back, just in case something like this happened. Aegis is busy, so...it's all up to you Dean."
"I'll do what I can. Turn it off and open the door. Greg, wish me luck." Dean nodded, a look of intense focus on his face as he reached out and shook my hand. Dennis quickly flipped a switch on the device, then opened the door. "Here we go!"
Rather than letting me go, Dean pulled on my arm and tripped me through the open door. Before I could get my bearings I heard a squawk, and then Dennis tripped over me and fell as well. I rolled over to see Dean closing the door behind him. "Dean, what the heck? This is-"
"Some kind of forced team-building idea that you and Dennis cooked up?" Dean finished, raising an eyebrow. "I saw your emotions the whole way here, Greg."
"That's what this shit is? They told me that they found one of my old crossbows and were afraid to touch it, then locked me inside." Sophia, sitting on the nearby bed, glaring at us and waving a bandaged hand. "Fucking electrified the door. Only reason I didn't go through the wall was because I wanted to fix my hand and then kick the shit out of them both."
"Wait! Before anyone kicks the shit out of anyone, can you two just talk about why you're treating each other like crap?" Dennis waved his hands, and I nodded rapidly. We both moved to the other side of the room, afraid to sit near Sophia, and looked between them. "The whole reason we Parent Trapped you two was to work things out! Also, sorry about the door."
"I'm sorry that Chris' device hurt you, Sophia." I saw her face relax a little, and then rocked my head back and forth. "But there's so much fighting in the streets already, can't we as a team-"
"Fine! Whatever, my therapist is always saying to do this sort of shit." Sophia groaned and stood up, taking a deep breath before gritting her teeth. "Dean, I can't do anything about the shit I did before I got sent away, besides try not to do it anymore. I'm also sorry that Terry nearly killed you because of me. I'm putting everything I have into getting stronger, so I can kick his ass."
"Wait, Terry nearly...are you talking about the transport he attacked?" Dean's jaw dropped as she nodded. He slapped his forehead. "Sophia for...I don't blame you for that! He attacked that transport the day before you even got out of the Asylum! Plus, I was in my armor!"
"Still my fault. I shoulda stopped him before." She stalked closer. "But real talk? I like that you treat me like shit, and remind me what I used to be. Terry's the worst piece of shit villain there is, and if I'd kept up with the bullying and vigilante shit I'd have been just as bad eventually."
"But you're not a vill-" Dean started to retort, but she slapped a hand over his mouth. He pulled her hand away, grabbing her shoulder. "You tried to sacrifice yourself to save heroes and your boyfriend! That's not something a villain does. You're not a villain, Sophia."
"I was!" Sophia shouted, then spun away from Dean. She began to pace, ranting. "I hurt people, I killed people, I stole and lied and cheated. I was a villain! But then people like you called me out on it, and my life got a whole lot fucking better! So keep calling me out. Keep pushing me!"
"Fine! I will!" Dean roared, stabbing a finger at her. "I'll keep pointing out your mistakes, but you'd better f-fucking believe that I'll also point out the good stuff! Just you wait! Every time you get it right, I'm gonna praise you 'til the cows come home, no matter what!"
"Good fucking luck! I've got all kinds of problems and shit!" She shouted as he threw the door open, stomping down the hall, and Sophia ran after him. "For one thing, I'm-"
We heard their voices receding as they shouted back and forth, and looked at each other.
"So...mission accomplished?" Dennis asked, slowly raising a hand.
"Yep." I gave him a high-five. "We nailed it."
***
[Saturday, April 09, 2011]
The Wards Review Meetings had originally been a mix of training updates and disciplinary hearings, but they'd grown more important in the last few weeks. Without the ability to patrol, it was our only source of confirmed information on our town. The past week had been...rough.
The war between the Merchants and Predators had reached a fever pitch a few days earlier, with their fight in the streets somehow drawing the attention of the ABB. The three-way battle got even worse when Lung showed up with his two new capes, and the other two gangs scrambled to escape the slaughter. He'd killed three of Skidmark's five new capes!
But sometimes the good news didn't require violence...
"I have three big pieces of good news before we close. First, school will be starting back up again next week." Renick paused as we all groaned, but we'd been learning from home so it was mostly for show. "Well, normally I'd be annoyed by that reaction, but our second bit of news wouldn't have happened if not for the schools closing. Just let me get us some privacy..."
He tapped a button, locking the doors and engaging electronic countermeasures with a pop.
"A few weeks back, a young woman triggered, gaining powers having to do with probability. She was getting headaches from an overload of questions at school, and being at home let her parents see it firsthand." He laughed, shaking his head for a moment, then let us in on the joke. "Apparently her parents were trying to help her with homework, and soon caught on to her powers. They called us, and now she's on track to being our newest Ward, codenamed Maybe."
"Wait, probability? Are you saying she's a precog?" I asked, suddenly understanding why the school closure was good. If not for that, what might've happened? "Is she our new teammate?"
"Maybe someday, but right now she's getting special protection and training. Armsmaster is currently with her, and once Doctor Forrester and Frank finish her power testing she'll likely spend some time helping Watchdog." Renick answered a few more questions, then cleared his throat. "Finally, we recently got an anonymous phone call that led us to a building three of you may be quite familiar with. There, we found...well, just watch the bodycam video, I suppose."
He tapped a button, and a video timestamped for yesterday began to play. It was a run-down neighborhood that did indeed look oddly familiar, and as I heard Missy and Sophia whispering it hit me why. That was the same building Terry had taken Theo to, a few weeks back!
On the video, the metal door was thrown open, and a flashlight shined on a figure tied to a chair in the middle of the room. It was a huge half-naked figure, their body covered in blood, but their head slowly raised at the noise. The camera zoomed in on the face, revealing...Terry!
"Broken arms, broken legs, but nothing he won't heal from. He's currently in the hospital, and will be charged with-" Renick went on, but I heard Dean let out a little gasp and turned to see him staring at Sophia. She looked...angry? She excused herself to go to the bathroom, and shadowed through the door at a run. Renick proudly continued, "-top of that, documents were found at the scene identifying his mercenaries, hideouts, and several criminal connections."
Unsurprisingly, Sophia wasn't in the bathroom after the meeting, but I had a pretty good idea where she'd gone. Even as Missy started reenacting that one scene from The Fugitive, I told her I'd check the gym. On my way out I sent two texts, then broke into a run for the bus stop.
I was a few minutes into my bus ride when I got a call from the second person I'd texted.
"So, I'm guessing this was your revenge on Terry?" I asked, getting an affirmative noise. Knowing she was just dying to brag, I sighed and asked, "How'd you do it, Lisa?"
"We stole one of his getaway cars and took out the others, knowing if things went bad he'd save himself first." In the background, I heard a distant door slamming. "Then I threw the ABB into the mix, calling Lung and telling him the two groups were teaming up to come after his territory."
"Wait, and Lung just listened to you? Haven't you guys been robbing him for weeks?"
"I started learning Japanese a while back, so I just pretended to be one of his people named Yan. She's got a reputation as a gossip and has contacts in other gangs, so it was easy to get Lung to crash their fight." I could almost hear her shrug through the line. "Then we just picked Terry up in his own car, gassed him, tied him to a chair, and..."
"Broke him, then left him with incriminating evidence. But doesn't this point the finger at Theo?"
"Relax! I made sure that Theo spent Thursday and Friday with Sophia and her hero mommies." She grumbled and added, "He was over the moon, especially after all the shit Terry did to our Theo...and I guess all the shit he did to his Sophia and everyone else, too."
"I notice you're not calling her names this time." I stood as the bus came to a stop, and stepped off to begin the short walk to the gym. "I thought you hated her? Is all forgiven?"
"Oh no, I still hate her guts. Half the reason we did it this way is because of how much it'll piss her off. We just did in a single day the thing she's been training to do for months!" Lisa laughed, then trailed off and sighed. "But when Brian and I told him to dump her, Theo fought back."
I stayed silent, having arrived at the gym. Through the front doors I could see Sophia and Theo at one of the heavy bags. She was beating the hell out of the bag as he held it, looking angry.
"When Theo first joined us, he had...issues. Brian made him strong, Rachel made him confident, Alec taught him to have fun, and I did everything else." She paused, as she had to force herself to talk. "But Sophia made him...happy, dumb as it sounds. When you texted him just now, he dropped everything to run to her. So Brian and I agreed to give her a chance. One chance."
As Lisa rambled on for a while about other things, I saw that Sophia had finally run out of energy, staggering a little. Theo was there in an instant, and he helped her sit down and drink some water. He accidentally spilled it on her, then she sprayed him back, and both laughed.
A villain and a hero, working together to get through tough times...
Maybe things really were getting better.
***
Within a few days of Terry's arrest and the PRT going after his base, the gang war petered out. It had already been winding down for a while, but maybe having an entire gang get taken down like that reminded everyone how all this had started. Nobody wanted to be next on the list.
Lung and the ABB had claimed a large amount of territory, the Travelers and Undersiders had made off with plenty of money, and Coil's men hadn't been seen in days. As for the Merchants, they had sunk back into the depths of Brockton Bay, their membership scattered and scared. Skidmark had gone into hiding, his capes mostly in custody or dead, the gang all but dissolved.
The E88 was a different story. Although their power and reach was far weaker now, they were still a threat. Lichtenberg had survived the gang war, taking control and spreading the many capes who had joined him among smaller cells throughout the city. Their grip of fear on the city had finally broken...because we had learned that they could be beaten if we all worked together.
Unfortunately, it wasn't just the villains we had to fear...
Everyone started calling Director Piggot out for her handling of the gang war. Fires, destruction, gang violence, real estate, and so many new villains...all of it painted an ugly picture. They put her on leave pending a full investigation, with Renick filling in as Acting Director in the interim.
Word eventually came that Renick was going to be replaced with a different Acting Director at the end of May...Commander Thomas Calvert. Apparently he'd been a PRT field agent and parahuman consultant for a while. A few weeks from now, everything would change...
Still, I was just focused on finally being on the team of my dreams...as a Ward.
But then halfway through May, we all had a horrible nightmare.
A living nightmare, one that had killed countless capes.
Leviathan had come to Brockton Bay.
*****************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: The hardest part about being a hero that people can depend on...is realizing that those people would be sad if something happened to you.
- Location
- United States, CA
Oh joy, the snake is in charge now.
But Dinah isn't trapped in his base so...
Call it a draw?
3.11: Learning to Save Lives
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
3.11: Learning to Save Lives
[Sunday, May 15, 2011]
As the other Wards and I entered the six story building that was serving as the staging ground for the fight against Leviathan, I slowed down to take it all in.
I was already a little shocked after seeing the fancy energy shield that had been outside the building for diverting waves, and had heard all about that and the new sensors on the drive over. Several Tinkers had worked together with Armsmaster to improve our Endbringer preparations. The fact that a few new Tinkers had triggered as a result of the gang war meant that we had more hands, hearts, and heads to draw upon, after all.
Of course, the gang war was impossible to forget about; there were already nearly thirty capes here, and the new ones stood out. Over near Oni Lee were two men in robes, wearing halloween masks. With the Protectorate were a half-dozen nervous people in plain bodysuits, and I recognized some of their powers from the many wellness checks I'd done last month.
But the ones that worried me most were the ones who stood away from everyone else. Nearly ten people with masks and E88 symbols, all with powers that might have impressed me if not for the convictions of the people they resided in. At their center was Lichtenberg, glaring at anyone who dared look his way. Already, their hateful group was bouncing back from-
"Wow, that's not ominous at all." Clockblocker pointed up at a huge digital clock on the wall, drawing my attention away from the new faces of the E88. "It's literally a doomsday clock."
"Wards over here, a moment of your time." Miss Militia waved at us, then motioned for us to lean into a huddle with her. The veteran cape looked concerned, and lowered her voice slightly as we gathered. "Strider will be arriving shortly with capes from Boston, and before he leaves you have the option to go with him. There will be no shame or judgement if you choose to leave."
"I'm not leaving, dunno about the rest of you. Behemoth was tough, but no way I'm abandoning my hometown." Shadow Stalker broke the sudden silence after her mentor walked away, and I let out a sigh of relief. If anyone was going to be brave in the face of danger, it would be Sophia.
As if she'd set off a string of fireworks, the rest of us spoke up as well. We were all staying.
As the rest of the Wards started to head deeper into the building, I paused upon seeing a very familiar parahuman. Someone I hadn't seen in person in a while, whose eyes slid over me as if I wasn't worth his time. A violent killer who pretended to be civil despite being a monster.
Lung.
Normally he ignored Endbringer fights, but now he had a hell of a lot more territory to protect.
I overheard Lung say he was only here because Leviathan was attacking his property.
I went outside, because if I'd stayed I probably would've punched him.
***
Unfortunately, the phone lines were overloaded at the moment, so my plan of calling friends and family was a non-starter. As more vehicles pulled up and capes poured into the building behind me, I sent out text messages to literally everyone on my phone, just in case.
Then I saw something so strange that I nearly dropped my phone.
Three huge dogs and a bunch of smaller ones were galloping towards me. They slowed as they got closer, but what had me so surprised was who was on them. Astride each dog were three Undersiders, which was confusing since the team usually only had five members.
There were three women in leather jackets with plastic dog masks, two men in black leather with skull helms, two Regents, a Tattletale, and a Golem. Only five of the nine "Undersiders" had powers, and all nine quickly dismounted a dozen yards from me. As they ran by, I noticed one Regent had long hair, one Grue was skinny, and two of the Bitches were thin and black.
"I get the feeling I'm missing something here!" I shouted at Tattletale, the wind having picked up and a light rain falling around us. Rachel (the real one) ordered her dogs to stay put and then lead half of the Undersiders to the front door. "A whole lot of something! Hey, get back here!"
"No time, move! We gotta move, now! This could go to shit at any moment!" Lisa shouted back, dodging around me and ushering the four unpowered members through a side door instead.
Confused as to why she was going this way, I paused to look around for threats. Seeing nothing, I followed a minute later. The door led down some stairs, through a tunnel, and to another door that opened-
"Freeze!" Inside were all the four unpowered "Undersiders," as well as several PRT who immediately pointed guns at me. Armsmaster was crouching over a metal hatch in the floor, and as he glanced up at me he seemed rather angry. "Oh, it's just you, Core. Sorry, you have to go."
"It's fine!" Tattletale groaned, putting a hand to her face and stalking over to me. She grabbed my arm and dragged me to the others. "This idiot would have just copied my powers to find out what was going on. I'll fill him in after we're done. Speaking of which, you ready, Armsy?"
"Indeed." The Tinker in question rose, lifting the hatch and revealing a ladder. He held out a hand, and Tattletale put a baggie of thumb drives in it. "Is that all of them?"
"All the stuff we agreed to, passwords in the encrypted sample email I sent an hour ago." She kept a tight grip, her eyes fixed on his visor as I saw her powers flickering madly. "Remember, this isn't everything, and some of what I have isn't nice. You screw us, or let them get hurt…"
"I am a man of my word, no matter how dire the situation." He placed the baggie in his armor, then nodded at her. "If this checks out, we'll talk about the rest of our agreement after Leviathan is dealt with. Until then, you and your team will be protected, and your guests guarded."
With that, everyone but Tattletale, Armsmaster, and I went down the ladder. The last to go down was the unpowered Regent, because Tattletale was hugging him and whispering something in his ear. Something seemed familiar about him, but he left before I could figure it out...
Armsmaster waved for me to follow, then stalked through the door. I would have followed, but Tattletale put a hand to her head and started to say something to me.
Then she stumbled, and fell over.
***
I barely caught Lisa in time, helping her to the wall and sitting next to her as she moaned.
"Thanks. Just...give me a minute." Lisa buried her face in her hands, letting out a nervous laugh that almost sounded like a sob for a moment. I put an arm around her shoulders, feeling her shudder, and said nothing as she dry-swallowed a pill she'd dug out of her pocket. A few minutes passed, and she quietly mumbled, "I ever tell you how we got Help Hounds going?"
"I assumed you just stole a lot of money and freed a bunch of dogs."
"Well yeah, but we only got so much at once thanks to a certain Watchdog operative and his nazi girlfriend feeding us info on Hookwolf's movements and operations." She leaned her head back against the cool stone of the wall, wiping at her face before glancing at me. "Boss didn't like that, and he made some pretty big threats. When the gang war kicked up, it scared me. I was sure he'd use it to kidnap Danny, Taylor, Celia, and Aisha. So I made a plan to save them."
Wait...the fake Regent had hair like Taylor's, and...four of them...oh shit, Lisa you clever little-
The wan grin she sent my way told me that I was right. She'd snuck Danny, Taylor, Aisha, and Celia here via spare costumes, to protect them. Of course, I wasn't a complete idiot...
"I'm guessing that you heard the sirens, and decided to escape Coil?" She looked a bit shocked that I'd figured it out, so I explained. "I have this smug Thinker I'm always dealing with, who taught me to think about opportunities and angles. Your actions during the gang war benefited Coil the most, so he had to be your boss. What I don't get is why he vanished at the end."
"He probably saw the writing on the wall. Merchants and Predators are done, E88 is rebuilding, but Coil and Lung are the biggest fish now. I'm pretty sure a bunch of the new capes, like Lichtenberg, work for him...and it was only a matter of time before the PRT figured that out. Whatever he's up to, I've been seeing his body double lately and he's been moving resources out of his base. He's up to something huge...so I took my shot." She stood, rubbing her temples. "I don't get it. He could have stopped us, and yet he just...let us turn ourselves in. Why would Coil let me give the PRT everything I have? Why let us make a deal like this? Is he gonna-"
"Don't worry, whatever his plan is, we'll stop him together. I know you're used to being a villain, but you're with the heroes now!" I grinned as she glared at me, then left. "Welcome to the team!"
The door slammed behind her, and I let my smile fall off my face. She was right, there was no way Coil would just let her do this. I hated to think about it...but maybe she was only pretending to join the heroes? Or he was letting her join up and then he'd find some other way to blackmail her? Maybe his plan was to infiltrate our side? Take advantage of the situation? But why? How?
Eh, we've got a precog, awesome teams, a new Acting Director on the way...we'll be fine, right?
As if to prove me wrong, Armsmaster was waiting for me in the tunnel with bad news.
"Core, let me preface this by saying that I'm truly sorry..." Armsmaster caught me, voice thick with emotion, and I felt a sudden dread. "Recently, incoming Director Calvert proposed an idea to your parents and the PRT. He noted that in mere months you'd had many life-threatening incidents, as well as frequent contact with villains as both cape and civilian. He suggested a temporary transfer, somewhere you could get special training, a place safer than Brockton Bay."
"Temporary? What, like Boston?" Armsmaster shook his head slowly. "New York? Where?"
"San Diego." I nearly lost my balance, and he had to catch me. That was all the way on the other side of the country! What the heck? "The plan was for us to talk about it today, with your parents and the Youth Guard attending. Your parents seemed amenable, since it was rather like a summer camp, and you'd be around powerful heroes. They even said you liked the idea..."
"W-wait, that wasn't what I meant!" I thought back to a week ago, when Mom and Dad had asked about my plans for the summer. I had told them I wanted to meet other heroes, and they had seemed so pleased. They said that they'd get back to me about it. "They tricked me!"
"If not for Leviathan, that would be easy to fix. But because Brockton Bay likely won't escape unscathed, a few hours ago the decision came down to move up your timetable. Rather than leaving mid-June, you will leave next Sunday." He gently placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling in a way that even I could tell was fake. "You'll get to meet new Wards, train with a variety of amazing people, and while you're gone we'll clean up Brockton Bay to be better than ever."
"No! This is my home! I can't just leave it, especially after an Endbringer attack! Can't I appeal?" This didn't make any sense? I knew my parents wanted to protect me, but how could they let Calvert and the Youth Guard trick them into- "Can I just talk to Calvert, maybe explain that I-"
"Calvert won't be meeting with any capes until a full week after you leave. But it's only for a few months..." He trailed off, gritting his teeth, and it took me a moment to realize he was mad at...himself. "I should have been a bigger part of your cape life, helped guide you. If I hadn't ignored you that night in the alley, when you triggered...maybe things would have turned out better. I promise, I'll do everything I can to bring you back early...and keep the town safe while you're gone."
He patted me on the shoulder, but I had no words for him. Then he was gone, and I was alone.
I lasted a full minute before I started screaming and kicking the tunnel wall. My whole cape career I'd been making friends and learning from capes, regardless of their affiliation. Lisa, Brian, Theo, Ren, Fuse...they were just people, and I was being punished for knowing them?
Some random asshole was tearing me away from my home, my friends, and my life...all without even giving me a chance to defend myself? Fuck Thomas Calvert! Fuck everything!
I cried, wailed, and shouted at myself until I was hoarse. But eventually I had to rein myself in, wipe my face, and go back upstairs with the other heroes. No amount of screaming would fix this, and I was suddenly filled with motivation to do something that mattered. Something big.
Already, Legend was giving a speech about how many capes died during these things, but all I could think about was how much I'd wasted my life making stupid mistakes. I was surrounded by powers, my temper running hot, and I wanted to be a hero one last time before I...left.
The best gift I could give my town, my family, my friends...was to protect them from the monster closing in on us. If I stopped the Endbringer, then they could all remember me as a hero!
In fact, I'd have grabbed a few powers and gone off to kill Leviathan right then...
If my parents hadn't called me at that very moment.
***
I dashed outside, phone to my ear and an apology on my lips as I nearly smacked into Dovetail. I copied her flight power and flew straight up, hoping that the roof would give me a strong signal.
I assured my parents I was okay, avoiding the topic of San Diego and going a mile a minute. I knew that if I started talking about the temporary transfer, then I'd lose my temper. I didn't want my last words to my parents to be from me yelling at them. If Leviathan killed me, I wanted them to remember me as a...as a...
As I grew lightheaded from babbling at my parents, I sat on the edge of the roof. I hadn't done that in a while, perhaps a testament to my mental state being so scattered. Mom weathered it with practiced ease, and finally started talking as I worked to catch my breath.
"No it's okay dear, we're all fine." Mom's voice was a little bit difficult to hear, but only because of all the voices in the background. I heard something squeak, a metallic bang, and then it was easier to hear her. "Sorry, I had to hide in the car. We're in the middle of helping people get set in the Endbringer Shelter. It's like these people have never organized anything in their lives."
"Well, lucky you guys happened to be nearby, huh?" I faked a laugh. "What Shelter are you in?"
"We're in the southeast part of town, near that beach that Armsmaster cleaned up with that tinker thingy you were telling us about last month. George has been entertaining children by explaining it." She sounded tired, but I was just glad that all three of them were together. I'd forgotten that they'd all gone to the beach today. "Oh, George is knocking on the window, he wants to talk to you."
The phone crackled a bit, I heard the car door slam, and I nervously asked, "George?"
"Yeah, sorry. Just tired from talking, trying to keep people distracted. Tinkertech, my new hand, anything I can do to settle them down." George sounded tired, but that determination I'd always heard in his voice was back. Despite his confidence, he sounded so scared as he said, "Greg, I want you to promise me. Promise me you won't fight the Endbringer."
"George, I have to-"
"No! Don't argue with me on this Greg, please." George let out what might have been a sob, and I heard him hit the dashboard with his fist. "Remember how you felt when I was going to take on the E88? When I was going to face down Kaiser? That's how I f-feel right now. I could have died that day...imagine how you'd have felt if I had. Please, don't fight the Endbringer. Please!"
The sounds he was making, the words he was saying...they had me thinking of the argument we'd had the day before I'd run off to infiltrate the ABB. How much it had hurt him that I was pushing him away, doing dumb stuff, and suffering in ways he couldn't stop. The pain that had been in his voice back then...it was twice as bad now.
"I'll do the best I can, George." He started to talk, but I raised my voice for a moment and he stopped. "But I'm a hero...I can't just stand by and watch people suffer. If it's the choice between someone dying and me getting hurt...I can't promise to just stand by. I didn't do it for Taylor, I didn't do it for Theo, and I'm not going to start doing it now."
"I love you Greg. We all do. Just...try to love yourself as well. Don't forget that you matter, too."
George put Mom back on, and as I tried to get myself under control she told me to be careful. More realistic than George, she seemed to know that there was no controlling a battlefield, but begged me to think before I acted. I could hear a note of panic in her voice, and I felt it too.
"I know that you want to help, to fight evil, and I don't blame you for your passions. But at the same time, you can do so much good with your kindness, your leadership, and the way you inspire others. The way you inspired us." I heard the line crackle, and felt like I was losing her.
I tried to assure her it would be fine, but just minutes ago I'd been planning to go straight for Leviathan. I didn't want to lose my family or to make them worry about losing me, but I couldn't just not fight! Could I? Did I really have to choose between my family and my town?
Another week and it won't even be my town anymore...was I really going to kill myself for...
"Mom, I…" I choked, taking off my mask so I could wipe my tears. "I love you!"
"I can't hear you, Greg. But I love you. We all do." She started to say something else, but I couldn't make her out over all the static. " Just...don't...depending...you..."
The line went dead, and I pulled my mask back on. I had to be brave, I had to...
Looking down at my phone, I saw I'd received dozens of texts.
Allen: I'm okay. In a shelter. Going to pray for you and your family. I love you, Greg.
Ren: My business partner has been quiet all week, so I left town. Good timing, eh? Be safe, kid!
Deacon: In a Shelter with my sister and her lady. You're strong, so I know you'll be fine.
MrG: I know you're not my student anymore, but you were a hero at Winslow. Stay safe, Greg.
Hans: Dunno how you got my number, but...thanks. I guess I'll pray for you. Good luck, guy.
Susan: Oh yeah, I'm safe in a shelter. I mean, what am I gonna do, lawyer it to death?
Sparky: Who the heck are you? Greg? That sounds familiar. Do we have Quinlan together?
More and more replies came in, from friends and acquaintances, all telling me to stay safe.
All telling me that I mattered to them, and that my life meant something to them.
Sighing, I floated down to have the most difficult conversation of my life.
***
I came back inside just as Legend finished his speech, but I'd heard audio of it before. I quickly flew up after him, following him to a small observation deck above the crowd.
But when I landed, I saw he wasn't alone.
"Ah, so you're the new Ward...Core, was it?" Alexandria and Legend turned to face me, the latter speaking to me. "We were just talking about how best to utilize your abilities today."
"Actually, that's why I came up here, er...sir." I was so startled by the fact that I was talking to The Triumvirate that for a moment my mind blanked, and I blurted, "I can't fight today."
They traded a glance, and I glared down at my feet. I was like a little kid who'd been invited to play with the big kids, but now had to tell them that my mommy didn't want me getting dirty.
"I'm sorry. I know you probably wanted me to fight, and that my powers could have done so much to blend some cool powers together. But...I talked to my family." I'd been all ready to run off and beat up Leviathan by myself, wanting to stop it before it could hurt the people I cared about. But hearing those very people tell me how much they cared about me... "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
My gaze snapped up, and I saw that Legend had left. It was just Alexandria and I, standing together on the observation platform. I was struck silent by her strangely kind reassurance, her voice sounding kind of familiar and amused at the same time. But it was her powers that really captivated me. Her haze was so unique, powers crisp and...solid. It was scary how perfect they-
"Core. I understand your power, and why this must feel like a betrayal to you." I started to say something, but just by breathing in she silenced me. "But you have nothing to be ashamed of."
"But I thought we were all here to fight? Legend even said that so many heroes die, so doesn't having someone stay out of the fight mean more people are going to die?" I started to turn away, pretty sure she was just taking pity on me for being a coward. A hand that could have molded steel stopped me, gently settling on my shoulder like a butterfly. "What good am I?"
"Working with the Healers today, you can save many lives, and that's just the start. Search and Rescue, moving supplies, and more...all are jobs you can take thanks to the myriad of powers you can copy and blend." I hadn't thought of that, and for a moment felt like such an idiot. Of course, I could do more than fight! "Someday, we'll find a way to beat the Endbringers. But until then, we need to survive, and rebuild after. This is your real duty. This is why people need you."
"I'll be there, every day. Every time." I replied, trying to save some face and knowing how stupid I sounded. "I won't give up. We'll win someday, I swear it."
"I know we will, as long as we have heroes like you on our side." She laughed, and I couldn't help but think it sounded familiar. Then she kept talking, and I froze. "Sandra always brags about you and George, and now I see why. There are so many heroes in your family…"
By the time I thought to ask how she knew Mom, she'd already flown off.
As for me? A PRT agent took me down below.
I had lives to save.
***
After I was directed to a locker room and made to trade out some parts of my costume for a surgical mask, goggles, and a heavy smock, we started looking for powers.
Our first stop was a group of just over a half-dozen people in matching jumpsuits and domino masks. All wore the same kind of blinking collar, and it took me a few moments to recognize them. They were surrounded by PRT, and each had a hero shadowing them.
Othala, Stormtiger, Rune, Fenja, Purity, Alabaster...all E88 who didn't go to the Birdcage!
Rumor was that they were traveling around the country on one of Dragon's ships, guarded by heroes and fighting S-class threats. At this rate, they'd be at it for a few decades before they made up for all the damage they'd done. Even looking at them now, all seemed ragged. Good.
I didn't even spare a word for them, just copying one of Alabaster's powers (Body Reset) and then moving on with my escort. He took me to the place I'd be spending most of my day, the medical area. I could already see Strider there, memorizing the drop zones he'd be using.
Panacea's Body Understanding would allow me to touch someone and see what ailed them.
Scapegoat had several powers, and while some actually kind of hurt to look at, one was a sort of Self-Sacrifice ability. It was like I could push my own wellbeing, be it blood, healthy organs, or unmarked flesh, into another person. Even if I weren't O Positive, it seemed like the power changed what I sacrificed into something that fit their body...at the cost of mine.
Finally, since that second one would certainly have led to an early grave, Alabaster's power would let me reset my body back to a pristine state every fifteen seconds. After a few uses, I saw my skin get several shades lighter as it streamlined itself to eight. The triple blend fit nicely together in my core, and I tested it out by fixing a nearby hero's broken finger.
It felt...strange. Like I had just given him my finger. But a few seconds later, mine reappeared.
Then I was alone, staring up at the doomsday clock, watching time tick down...down...down...
A hand grabbed my arm, dragging me into a group of familiar powers, and I was introduced to all of New Wave. Glancing at the person who had grabbed me I saw Panacea. She muttered that this was her first Endbringer fight as well, and she recognized my facial expression. Her whole family thanked me for healing alongside her, and swore to protect both of us.
We talked about all manner of subjects, from my thoughts on Thinker headaches to Shielder's gossip about Victoria's snoring. They laughed and joked, just like a family of heroes...
Brandish warned her daughter not to overdo it, Panacea hugged her mother and tried not to cry. Flashbang was explaining tactics to Glory Girl and Shielder, both listening with rapt attention. Suddenly I understood what George had been feeling when he told me not to fight...
I crept off from the family moment, and stopped when I saw another familiar face. I'd been worrying about this earlier, but now I knew that I couldn't let him go off to fight for me without at least introducing myself. If nothing else, he deserved to know that I appreciated his sacrifice.
"Happy ta meet ya, kid. Name's Gun Guy." A man with a metal arm shook my hand, and I decided to start fresh with him instead of worrying about our past. "Core, eh? Nice name."
Beside him was a woman in a trenchcoat, Fuse. I thanked her for helping with my power testing, and soon she was bragging to her brother about how she'd taught me to use my powers.
I knew that this was the sort of thing that had given Calvert ammo to exile me, but I ignored it. They were helping, trying to be better, and that deserved respect. Calvert could kiss my ass.
Then a tidal wave hit the shields, and everyone else ran off to save the day.
Panacea grabbed my hand, pulling to the medical area.
Leviathan was here.
***
There was a huge monitor in the triage room, with a feed from a bunch of drones (suspiciously gold-colored, like a legion of Leet's Snitches) that were keeping an eye on Leviathan. There was barely any sound, but I found myself being distracted during every free moment.
Legend knocked Leviathan down with a barrage of lasers...stop firing into the dust cloud, dude!
"Need another set of hands here, she's bleeding out!" I rushed over, but by the time I placed my hands on her and found the problem, it was too late. "That's enough Core, she's dead."
People were dying all around me, and it was all I could do to keep up with the real healers.
Panacea rushed from bed to bed, like some sort of machine. Othala was touching patients as directed, her PRT handler on her like a shadow. Scapegoat, the teenager in the odd costume, was either pressing his hands to someone's body or muttering in the corner. Even Sanguine (the red kid) was snapping his fingers and pointing at people as their wounds crusted up.
Shit! Tidal wave! Oh man, Adamant was there, does he have air in his suit? What if he drowns?
I kept freezing up every time I heard Dragon's voice, praying it wasn't anyone I knew. Her voice somehow broke through, every few minutes listing off people whose lives would soon be in our hands...or whose lives had ended at the hands of Leviathan.
"Adamant down, CD-5. Aegis down, CD-5. Assault down, CD-5. Brandish deceased, CD-5. Daunt-"
I looked back to see that Panacea staggered as she heard her mother's name, but despite the tears flowing from her eyes she kept going. Kept healing, even when she wanted to grieve.
How could I do any less? I ran to the next patient, fixing their lungs (one at a time, I had learned) by giving up my own, then pausing as my own snapped back into existence. The man gasped, and it was only as he was being wheeled away that I realized he had been Stormtiger.
Sweet! Kid Win nailed it with the Temporal Immobilizer we made. Oh crap, the gun blew up-
POP
As much as I wanted to make sure Kid Win was okay, I turned at the sound of a muffled thunderclap. Strider was there, one of his arms gone below the elbow, and a pair of red-suited heroes at his feet lay motionless. Then I saw blood and water start to pour out of them both...
It took me a moment to realize who they were, and then I was jamming my hands into the closest one. There were so many things wrong that I called out for help, and was relieved when Panacea and Othala both came to my rescue. In the minutes that followed, motivated by a heart that was somehow still beating, we put everything we had into him.
With a gasp, with wet coughs that would have worried me had it been anyone else, Aegis finally took a breath on his own. He looked around, confused, and then started to weep and curse us.
It was the most emotional I'd ever seen the hero, but I couldn't blame him. Beside him, dead for several minutes, lay his friend, boss, and mentor...Assault. I looked away, hoping it was over...
A monster burst out a collapsing building, tentacles grabbing at heroes and eating them and-
The monster was attacked by Leviathan, and roared from a dozen mouths as it fought back. A legion of Coil's soldiers poured out of the building after it, as well as a tall skeletal man in a skintight...holy shit! That was Coil! Was that building Coil's base?
I watched the villain shout and slap at his men, then recoil as one of them spun and shot him in the gut. Coil fell to his knees and pulled off his mask, vomiting blood into the knee-deep water.
Tall, skinny, paler than me...this is the true face of Coil? His own men are killing him! Mutiny?
The Travelers ran up, covering the retreat of Coil's now-leaderless men. The capes shouted something at the monster, sounded like...Noelle? Was that its name? How did they know it?
Noelle vomited out some naked people? Whoa! They have powers! Take that, Leviathan!
I was prying a screaming man's hands off my arm when a huge Lung finally made his appearance. Leviathan looked up from all the naked capes it had killed and-
POP
Strider had arrived with more injured capes. We had barely dealt with the ones we had!
Even with his arm gone, he refused to give up. He refused to stop. He was so strong!
I tried to stay strong, but things just kept getting worse, people kept dying.
I started to feel overwhelmed…
Time began to blur...
The Travelers and Noelle started to retreat, but Trickster was sliced in half by Leviathan's tail-
I reattached someone's leg, trying not to throw up as they screamed and their kneecap-
Noelle bellowed and attacked Leviathan, Sundancer turned back to support it, a sun blazing-
I slipped on blood and hurt my ankle, but couldn't waste time and just pushed through the pain-
Lung tore at Leviathan, Leviathan tried to tear Noelle in half, Sundancer's sun burned all three-
I had started crying at some point, but every time I tried to wipe my face blood smeared all over-
More tidal waves. More died. Manpower, Menja, Ballistic, Oni Lee, Chubster...it was hopeless-
I was too slow and too weak and too stupid and everyone was depending on me but I couldn't-
Why wasn't I out there, with them? Armsmaster's leg torn off, Gallant's armor shattered, Vista-
Strider wouldn't stop coming! My friends lay dying around me! I didn't know who to help first-
Alexandria punched Leviathan, but it still sliced through three more capes as it flew, their blood-
Vista wasn't breathing, Armsmaster's stump gushed blood, Gallant's armor and bones were-
Sundancer wept over Noelle's remains, holding her human half...Leviathan looming over them-
People started to cheer as a golden light blasted Leviathan away from Sundancer.
Scion had come, launching bolts of power at Leviathan, making it flee.
I wanted to collapse, but knew my job wasn't over yet.
Alexandria had said I had a duty to the people.
In a week I'd be shipped to San Diego.
Until then, I couldn't rest.
I was needed.
*************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: When he started his journey to become a hero, Greg decided he wanted to make sure the person under the mask was ready first. But what happens when he forgets that the person under the mask, for all his power, is merely human?
EDIT: Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I've changed Armsmaster's talk with Greg to be smoother, the location to San Diego (Wards training camp), and the time more temporary (Summer). The exact location never mattered, more that he was being torn from his home. It lets Calvert get rid of him for a bit, looks good to parents and Youth Guard, and helps the PRT. It still hurts, but feels more like a natural idea that he accidentally agreed to, being moved up a week due to circumstances (Endbringer).
[Sunday, May 15, 2011]
As the other Wards and I entered the six story building that was serving as the staging ground for the fight against Leviathan, I slowed down to take it all in.
I was already a little shocked after seeing the fancy energy shield that had been outside the building for diverting waves, and had heard all about that and the new sensors on the drive over. Several Tinkers had worked together with Armsmaster to improve our Endbringer preparations. The fact that a few new Tinkers had triggered as a result of the gang war meant that we had more hands, hearts, and heads to draw upon, after all.
Of course, the gang war was impossible to forget about; there were already nearly thirty capes here, and the new ones stood out. Over near Oni Lee were two men in robes, wearing halloween masks. With the Protectorate were a half-dozen nervous people in plain bodysuits, and I recognized some of their powers from the many wellness checks I'd done last month.
But the ones that worried me most were the ones who stood away from everyone else. Nearly ten people with masks and E88 symbols, all with powers that might have impressed me if not for the convictions of the people they resided in. At their center was Lichtenberg, glaring at anyone who dared look his way. Already, their hateful group was bouncing back from-
"Wow, that's not ominous at all." Clockblocker pointed up at a huge digital clock on the wall, drawing my attention away from the new faces of the E88. "It's literally a doomsday clock."
"Wards over here, a moment of your time." Miss Militia waved at us, then motioned for us to lean into a huddle with her. The veteran cape looked concerned, and lowered her voice slightly as we gathered. "Strider will be arriving shortly with capes from Boston, and before he leaves you have the option to go with him. There will be no shame or judgement if you choose to leave."
"I'm not leaving, dunno about the rest of you. Behemoth was tough, but no way I'm abandoning my hometown." Shadow Stalker broke the sudden silence after her mentor walked away, and I let out a sigh of relief. If anyone was going to be brave in the face of danger, it would be Sophia.
As if she'd set off a string of fireworks, the rest of us spoke up as well. We were all staying.
As the rest of the Wards started to head deeper into the building, I paused upon seeing a very familiar parahuman. Someone I hadn't seen in person in a while, whose eyes slid over me as if I wasn't worth his time. A violent killer who pretended to be civil despite being a monster.
Lung.
Normally he ignored Endbringer fights, but now he had a hell of a lot more territory to protect.
I overheard Lung say he was only here because Leviathan was attacking his property.
I went outside, because if I'd stayed I probably would've punched him.
***
Unfortunately, the phone lines were overloaded at the moment, so my plan of calling friends and family was a non-starter. As more vehicles pulled up and capes poured into the building behind me, I sent out text messages to literally everyone on my phone, just in case.
Then I saw something so strange that I nearly dropped my phone.
Three huge dogs and a bunch of smaller ones were galloping towards me. They slowed as they got closer, but what had me so surprised was who was on them. Astride each dog were three Undersiders, which was confusing since the team usually only had five members.
There were three women in leather jackets with plastic dog masks, two men in black leather with skull helms, two Regents, a Tattletale, and a Golem. Only five of the nine "Undersiders" had powers, and all nine quickly dismounted a dozen yards from me. As they ran by, I noticed one Regent had long hair, one Grue was skinny, and two of the Bitches were thin and black.
"I get the feeling I'm missing something here!" I shouted at Tattletale, the wind having picked up and a light rain falling around us. Rachel (the real one) ordered her dogs to stay put and then lead half of the Undersiders to the front door. "A whole lot of something! Hey, get back here!"
"No time, move! We gotta move, now! This could go to shit at any moment!" Lisa shouted back, dodging around me and ushering the four unpowered members through a side door instead.
Confused as to why she was going this way, I paused to look around for threats. Seeing nothing, I followed a minute later. The door led down some stairs, through a tunnel, and to another door that opened-
"Freeze!" Inside were all the four unpowered "Undersiders," as well as several PRT who immediately pointed guns at me. Armsmaster was crouching over a metal hatch in the floor, and as he glanced up at me he seemed rather angry. "Oh, it's just you, Core. Sorry, you have to go."
"It's fine!" Tattletale groaned, putting a hand to her face and stalking over to me. She grabbed my arm and dragged me to the others. "This idiot would have just copied my powers to find out what was going on. I'll fill him in after we're done. Speaking of which, you ready, Armsy?"
"Indeed." The Tinker in question rose, lifting the hatch and revealing a ladder. He held out a hand, and Tattletale put a baggie of thumb drives in it. "Is that all of them?"
"All the stuff we agreed to, passwords in the encrypted sample email I sent an hour ago." She kept a tight grip, her eyes fixed on his visor as I saw her powers flickering madly. "Remember, this isn't everything, and some of what I have isn't nice. You screw us, or let them get hurt…"
"I am a man of my word, no matter how dire the situation." He placed the baggie in his armor, then nodded at her. "If this checks out, we'll talk about the rest of our agreement after Leviathan is dealt with. Until then, you and your team will be protected, and your guests guarded."
With that, everyone but Tattletale, Armsmaster, and I went down the ladder. The last to go down was the unpowered Regent, because Tattletale was hugging him and whispering something in his ear. Something seemed familiar about him, but he left before I could figure it out...
Armsmaster waved for me to follow, then stalked through the door. I would have followed, but Tattletale put a hand to her head and started to say something to me.
Then she stumbled, and fell over.
***
I barely caught Lisa in time, helping her to the wall and sitting next to her as she moaned.
"Thanks. Just...give me a minute." Lisa buried her face in her hands, letting out a nervous laugh that almost sounded like a sob for a moment. I put an arm around her shoulders, feeling her shudder, and said nothing as she dry-swallowed a pill she'd dug out of her pocket. A few minutes passed, and she quietly mumbled, "I ever tell you how we got Help Hounds going?"
"I assumed you just stole a lot of money and freed a bunch of dogs."
"Well yeah, but we only got so much at once thanks to a certain Watchdog operative and his nazi girlfriend feeding us info on Hookwolf's movements and operations." She leaned her head back against the cool stone of the wall, wiping at her face before glancing at me. "Boss didn't like that, and he made some pretty big threats. When the gang war kicked up, it scared me. I was sure he'd use it to kidnap Danny, Taylor, Celia, and Aisha. So I made a plan to save them."
Wait...the fake Regent had hair like Taylor's, and...four of them...oh shit, Lisa you clever little-
The wan grin she sent my way told me that I was right. She'd snuck Danny, Taylor, Aisha, and Celia here via spare costumes, to protect them. Of course, I wasn't a complete idiot...
"I'm guessing that you heard the sirens, and decided to escape Coil?" She looked a bit shocked that I'd figured it out, so I explained. "I have this smug Thinker I'm always dealing with, who taught me to think about opportunities and angles. Your actions during the gang war benefited Coil the most, so he had to be your boss. What I don't get is why he vanished at the end."
"He probably saw the writing on the wall. Merchants and Predators are done, E88 is rebuilding, but Coil and Lung are the biggest fish now. I'm pretty sure a bunch of the new capes, like Lichtenberg, work for him...and it was only a matter of time before the PRT figured that out. Whatever he's up to, I've been seeing his body double lately and he's been moving resources out of his base. He's up to something huge...so I took my shot." She stood, rubbing her temples. "I don't get it. He could have stopped us, and yet he just...let us turn ourselves in. Why would Coil let me give the PRT everything I have? Why let us make a deal like this? Is he gonna-"
"Don't worry, whatever his plan is, we'll stop him together. I know you're used to being a villain, but you're with the heroes now!" I grinned as she glared at me, then left. "Welcome to the team!"
The door slammed behind her, and I let my smile fall off my face. She was right, there was no way Coil would just let her do this. I hated to think about it...but maybe she was only pretending to join the heroes? Or he was letting her join up and then he'd find some other way to blackmail her? Maybe his plan was to infiltrate our side? Take advantage of the situation? But why? How?
Eh, we've got a precog, awesome teams, a new Acting Director on the way...we'll be fine, right?
As if to prove me wrong, Armsmaster was waiting for me in the tunnel with bad news.
"Core, let me preface this by saying that I'm truly sorry..." Armsmaster caught me, voice thick with emotion, and I felt a sudden dread. "Recently, incoming Director Calvert proposed an idea to your parents and the PRT. He noted that in mere months you'd had many life-threatening incidents, as well as frequent contact with villains as both cape and civilian. He suggested a temporary transfer, somewhere you could get special training, a place safer than Brockton Bay."
"Temporary? What, like Boston?" Armsmaster shook his head slowly. "New York? Where?"
"San Diego." I nearly lost my balance, and he had to catch me. That was all the way on the other side of the country! What the heck? "The plan was for us to talk about it today, with your parents and the Youth Guard attending. Your parents seemed amenable, since it was rather like a summer camp, and you'd be around powerful heroes. They even said you liked the idea..."
"W-wait, that wasn't what I meant!" I thought back to a week ago, when Mom and Dad had asked about my plans for the summer. I had told them I wanted to meet other heroes, and they had seemed so pleased. They said that they'd get back to me about it. "They tricked me!"
"If not for Leviathan, that would be easy to fix. But because Brockton Bay likely won't escape unscathed, a few hours ago the decision came down to move up your timetable. Rather than leaving mid-June, you will leave next Sunday." He gently placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling in a way that even I could tell was fake. "You'll get to meet new Wards, train with a variety of amazing people, and while you're gone we'll clean up Brockton Bay to be better than ever."
"No! This is my home! I can't just leave it, especially after an Endbringer attack! Can't I appeal?" This didn't make any sense? I knew my parents wanted to protect me, but how could they let Calvert and the Youth Guard trick them into- "Can I just talk to Calvert, maybe explain that I-"
"Calvert won't be meeting with any capes until a full week after you leave. But it's only for a few months..." He trailed off, gritting his teeth, and it took me a moment to realize he was mad at...himself. "I should have been a bigger part of your cape life, helped guide you. If I hadn't ignored you that night in the alley, when you triggered...maybe things would have turned out better. I promise, I'll do everything I can to bring you back early...and keep the town safe while you're gone."
He patted me on the shoulder, but I had no words for him. Then he was gone, and I was alone.
I lasted a full minute before I started screaming and kicking the tunnel wall. My whole cape career I'd been making friends and learning from capes, regardless of their affiliation. Lisa, Brian, Theo, Ren, Fuse...they were just people, and I was being punished for knowing them?
Some random asshole was tearing me away from my home, my friends, and my life...all without even giving me a chance to defend myself? Fuck Thomas Calvert! Fuck everything!
I cried, wailed, and shouted at myself until I was hoarse. But eventually I had to rein myself in, wipe my face, and go back upstairs with the other heroes. No amount of screaming would fix this, and I was suddenly filled with motivation to do something that mattered. Something big.
Already, Legend was giving a speech about how many capes died during these things, but all I could think about was how much I'd wasted my life making stupid mistakes. I was surrounded by powers, my temper running hot, and I wanted to be a hero one last time before I...left.
The best gift I could give my town, my family, my friends...was to protect them from the monster closing in on us. If I stopped the Endbringer, then they could all remember me as a hero!
In fact, I'd have grabbed a few powers and gone off to kill Leviathan right then...
If my parents hadn't called me at that very moment.
***
I dashed outside, phone to my ear and an apology on my lips as I nearly smacked into Dovetail. I copied her flight power and flew straight up, hoping that the roof would give me a strong signal.
I assured my parents I was okay, avoiding the topic of San Diego and going a mile a minute. I knew that if I started talking about the temporary transfer, then I'd lose my temper. I didn't want my last words to my parents to be from me yelling at them. If Leviathan killed me, I wanted them to remember me as a...as a...
As I grew lightheaded from babbling at my parents, I sat on the edge of the roof. I hadn't done that in a while, perhaps a testament to my mental state being so scattered. Mom weathered it with practiced ease, and finally started talking as I worked to catch my breath.
"No it's okay dear, we're all fine." Mom's voice was a little bit difficult to hear, but only because of all the voices in the background. I heard something squeak, a metallic bang, and then it was easier to hear her. "Sorry, I had to hide in the car. We're in the middle of helping people get set in the Endbringer Shelter. It's like these people have never organized anything in their lives."
"Well, lucky you guys happened to be nearby, huh?" I faked a laugh. "What Shelter are you in?"
"We're in the southeast part of town, near that beach that Armsmaster cleaned up with that tinker thingy you were telling us about last month. George has been entertaining children by explaining it." She sounded tired, but I was just glad that all three of them were together. I'd forgotten that they'd all gone to the beach today. "Oh, George is knocking on the window, he wants to talk to you."
The phone crackled a bit, I heard the car door slam, and I nervously asked, "George?"
"Yeah, sorry. Just tired from talking, trying to keep people distracted. Tinkertech, my new hand, anything I can do to settle them down." George sounded tired, but that determination I'd always heard in his voice was back. Despite his confidence, he sounded so scared as he said, "Greg, I want you to promise me. Promise me you won't fight the Endbringer."
"George, I have to-"
"No! Don't argue with me on this Greg, please." George let out what might have been a sob, and I heard him hit the dashboard with his fist. "Remember how you felt when I was going to take on the E88? When I was going to face down Kaiser? That's how I f-feel right now. I could have died that day...imagine how you'd have felt if I had. Please, don't fight the Endbringer. Please!"
The sounds he was making, the words he was saying...they had me thinking of the argument we'd had the day before I'd run off to infiltrate the ABB. How much it had hurt him that I was pushing him away, doing dumb stuff, and suffering in ways he couldn't stop. The pain that had been in his voice back then...it was twice as bad now.
"I'll do the best I can, George." He started to talk, but I raised my voice for a moment and he stopped. "But I'm a hero...I can't just stand by and watch people suffer. If it's the choice between someone dying and me getting hurt...I can't promise to just stand by. I didn't do it for Taylor, I didn't do it for Theo, and I'm not going to start doing it now."
"I love you Greg. We all do. Just...try to love yourself as well. Don't forget that you matter, too."
George put Mom back on, and as I tried to get myself under control she told me to be careful. More realistic than George, she seemed to know that there was no controlling a battlefield, but begged me to think before I acted. I could hear a note of panic in her voice, and I felt it too.
"I know that you want to help, to fight evil, and I don't blame you for your passions. But at the same time, you can do so much good with your kindness, your leadership, and the way you inspire others. The way you inspired us." I heard the line crackle, and felt like I was losing her.
I tried to assure her it would be fine, but just minutes ago I'd been planning to go straight for Leviathan. I didn't want to lose my family or to make them worry about losing me, but I couldn't just not fight! Could I? Did I really have to choose between my family and my town?
Another week and it won't even be my town anymore...was I really going to kill myself for...
"Mom, I…" I choked, taking off my mask so I could wipe my tears. "I love you!"
"I can't hear you, Greg. But I love you. We all do." She started to say something else, but I couldn't make her out over all the static. " Just...don't...depending...you..."
The line went dead, and I pulled my mask back on. I had to be brave, I had to...
Looking down at my phone, I saw I'd received dozens of texts.
Allen: I'm okay. In a shelter. Going to pray for you and your family. I love you, Greg.
Ren: My business partner has been quiet all week, so I left town. Good timing, eh? Be safe, kid!
Deacon: In a Shelter with my sister and her lady. You're strong, so I know you'll be fine.
MrG: I know you're not my student anymore, but you were a hero at Winslow. Stay safe, Greg.
Hans: Dunno how you got my number, but...thanks. I guess I'll pray for you. Good luck, guy.
Susan: Oh yeah, I'm safe in a shelter. I mean, what am I gonna do, lawyer it to death?
Sparky: Who the heck are you? Greg? That sounds familiar. Do we have Quinlan together?
More and more replies came in, from friends and acquaintances, all telling me to stay safe.
All telling me that I mattered to them, and that my life meant something to them.
Sighing, I floated down to have the most difficult conversation of my life.
***
I came back inside just as Legend finished his speech, but I'd heard audio of it before. I quickly flew up after him, following him to a small observation deck above the crowd.
But when I landed, I saw he wasn't alone.
"Ah, so you're the new Ward...Core, was it?" Alexandria and Legend turned to face me, the latter speaking to me. "We were just talking about how best to utilize your abilities today."
"Actually, that's why I came up here, er...sir." I was so startled by the fact that I was talking to The Triumvirate that for a moment my mind blanked, and I blurted, "I can't fight today."
They traded a glance, and I glared down at my feet. I was like a little kid who'd been invited to play with the big kids, but now had to tell them that my mommy didn't want me getting dirty.
"I'm sorry. I know you probably wanted me to fight, and that my powers could have done so much to blend some cool powers together. But...I talked to my family." I'd been all ready to run off and beat up Leviathan by myself, wanting to stop it before it could hurt the people I cared about. But hearing those very people tell me how much they cared about me... "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
My gaze snapped up, and I saw that Legend had left. It was just Alexandria and I, standing together on the observation platform. I was struck silent by her strangely kind reassurance, her voice sounding kind of familiar and amused at the same time. But it was her powers that really captivated me. Her haze was so unique, powers crisp and...solid. It was scary how perfect they-
"Core. I understand your power, and why this must feel like a betrayal to you." I started to say something, but just by breathing in she silenced me. "But you have nothing to be ashamed of."
"But I thought we were all here to fight? Legend even said that so many heroes die, so doesn't having someone stay out of the fight mean more people are going to die?" I started to turn away, pretty sure she was just taking pity on me for being a coward. A hand that could have molded steel stopped me, gently settling on my shoulder like a butterfly. "What good am I?"
"Working with the Healers today, you can save many lives, and that's just the start. Search and Rescue, moving supplies, and more...all are jobs you can take thanks to the myriad of powers you can copy and blend." I hadn't thought of that, and for a moment felt like such an idiot. Of course, I could do more than fight! "Someday, we'll find a way to beat the Endbringers. But until then, we need to survive, and rebuild after. This is your real duty. This is why people need you."
"I'll be there, every day. Every time." I replied, trying to save some face and knowing how stupid I sounded. "I won't give up. We'll win someday, I swear it."
"I know we will, as long as we have heroes like you on our side." She laughed, and I couldn't help but think it sounded familiar. Then she kept talking, and I froze. "Sandra always brags about you and George, and now I see why. There are so many heroes in your family…"
By the time I thought to ask how she knew Mom, she'd already flown off.
As for me? A PRT agent took me down below.
I had lives to save.
***
After I was directed to a locker room and made to trade out some parts of my costume for a surgical mask, goggles, and a heavy smock, we started looking for powers.
Our first stop was a group of just over a half-dozen people in matching jumpsuits and domino masks. All wore the same kind of blinking collar, and it took me a few moments to recognize them. They were surrounded by PRT, and each had a hero shadowing them.
Othala, Stormtiger, Rune, Fenja, Purity, Alabaster...all E88 who didn't go to the Birdcage!
Rumor was that they were traveling around the country on one of Dragon's ships, guarded by heroes and fighting S-class threats. At this rate, they'd be at it for a few decades before they made up for all the damage they'd done. Even looking at them now, all seemed ragged. Good.
I didn't even spare a word for them, just copying one of Alabaster's powers (Body Reset) and then moving on with my escort. He took me to the place I'd be spending most of my day, the medical area. I could already see Strider there, memorizing the drop zones he'd be using.
Panacea's Body Understanding would allow me to touch someone and see what ailed them.
Scapegoat had several powers, and while some actually kind of hurt to look at, one was a sort of Self-Sacrifice ability. It was like I could push my own wellbeing, be it blood, healthy organs, or unmarked flesh, into another person. Even if I weren't O Positive, it seemed like the power changed what I sacrificed into something that fit their body...at the cost of mine.
Finally, since that second one would certainly have led to an early grave, Alabaster's power would let me reset my body back to a pristine state every fifteen seconds. After a few uses, I saw my skin get several shades lighter as it streamlined itself to eight. The triple blend fit nicely together in my core, and I tested it out by fixing a nearby hero's broken finger.
It felt...strange. Like I had just given him my finger. But a few seconds later, mine reappeared.
Then I was alone, staring up at the doomsday clock, watching time tick down...down...down...
A hand grabbed my arm, dragging me into a group of familiar powers, and I was introduced to all of New Wave. Glancing at the person who had grabbed me I saw Panacea. She muttered that this was her first Endbringer fight as well, and she recognized my facial expression. Her whole family thanked me for healing alongside her, and swore to protect both of us.
We talked about all manner of subjects, from my thoughts on Thinker headaches to Shielder's gossip about Victoria's snoring. They laughed and joked, just like a family of heroes...
Brandish warned her daughter not to overdo it, Panacea hugged her mother and tried not to cry. Flashbang was explaining tactics to Glory Girl and Shielder, both listening with rapt attention. Suddenly I understood what George had been feeling when he told me not to fight...
I crept off from the family moment, and stopped when I saw another familiar face. I'd been worrying about this earlier, but now I knew that I couldn't let him go off to fight for me without at least introducing myself. If nothing else, he deserved to know that I appreciated his sacrifice.
"Happy ta meet ya, kid. Name's Gun Guy." A man with a metal arm shook my hand, and I decided to start fresh with him instead of worrying about our past. "Core, eh? Nice name."
Beside him was a woman in a trenchcoat, Fuse. I thanked her for helping with my power testing, and soon she was bragging to her brother about how she'd taught me to use my powers.
I knew that this was the sort of thing that had given Calvert ammo to exile me, but I ignored it. They were helping, trying to be better, and that deserved respect. Calvert could kiss my ass.
Then a tidal wave hit the shields, and everyone else ran off to save the day.
Panacea grabbed my hand, pulling to the medical area.
Leviathan was here.
***
There was a huge monitor in the triage room, with a feed from a bunch of drones (suspiciously gold-colored, like a legion of Leet's Snitches) that were keeping an eye on Leviathan. There was barely any sound, but I found myself being distracted during every free moment.
Legend knocked Leviathan down with a barrage of lasers...stop firing into the dust cloud, dude!
"Need another set of hands here, she's bleeding out!" I rushed over, but by the time I placed my hands on her and found the problem, it was too late. "That's enough Core, she's dead."
People were dying all around me, and it was all I could do to keep up with the real healers.
Panacea rushed from bed to bed, like some sort of machine. Othala was touching patients as directed, her PRT handler on her like a shadow. Scapegoat, the teenager in the odd costume, was either pressing his hands to someone's body or muttering in the corner. Even Sanguine (the red kid) was snapping his fingers and pointing at people as their wounds crusted up.
Shit! Tidal wave! Oh man, Adamant was there, does he have air in his suit? What if he drowns?
I kept freezing up every time I heard Dragon's voice, praying it wasn't anyone I knew. Her voice somehow broke through, every few minutes listing off people whose lives would soon be in our hands...or whose lives had ended at the hands of Leviathan.
"Adamant down, CD-5. Aegis down, CD-5. Assault down, CD-5. Brandish deceased, CD-5. Daunt-"
I looked back to see that Panacea staggered as she heard her mother's name, but despite the tears flowing from her eyes she kept going. Kept healing, even when she wanted to grieve.
How could I do any less? I ran to the next patient, fixing their lungs (one at a time, I had learned) by giving up my own, then pausing as my own snapped back into existence. The man gasped, and it was only as he was being wheeled away that I realized he had been Stormtiger.
Sweet! Kid Win nailed it with the Temporal Immobilizer we made. Oh crap, the gun blew up-
POP
As much as I wanted to make sure Kid Win was okay, I turned at the sound of a muffled thunderclap. Strider was there, one of his arms gone below the elbow, and a pair of red-suited heroes at his feet lay motionless. Then I saw blood and water start to pour out of them both...
It took me a moment to realize who they were, and then I was jamming my hands into the closest one. There were so many things wrong that I called out for help, and was relieved when Panacea and Othala both came to my rescue. In the minutes that followed, motivated by a heart that was somehow still beating, we put everything we had into him.
With a gasp, with wet coughs that would have worried me had it been anyone else, Aegis finally took a breath on his own. He looked around, confused, and then started to weep and curse us.
It was the most emotional I'd ever seen the hero, but I couldn't blame him. Beside him, dead for several minutes, lay his friend, boss, and mentor...Assault. I looked away, hoping it was over...
A monster burst out a collapsing building, tentacles grabbing at heroes and eating them and-
The monster was attacked by Leviathan, and roared from a dozen mouths as it fought back. A legion of Coil's soldiers poured out of the building after it, as well as a tall skeletal man in a skintight...holy shit! That was Coil! Was that building Coil's base?
I watched the villain shout and slap at his men, then recoil as one of them spun and shot him in the gut. Coil fell to his knees and pulled off his mask, vomiting blood into the knee-deep water.
Tall, skinny, paler than me...this is the true face of Coil? His own men are killing him! Mutiny?
The Travelers ran up, covering the retreat of Coil's now-leaderless men. The capes shouted something at the monster, sounded like...Noelle? Was that its name? How did they know it?
Noelle vomited out some naked people? Whoa! They have powers! Take that, Leviathan!
I was prying a screaming man's hands off my arm when a huge Lung finally made his appearance. Leviathan looked up from all the naked capes it had killed and-
POP
Strider had arrived with more injured capes. We had barely dealt with the ones we had!
Even with his arm gone, he refused to give up. He refused to stop. He was so strong!
I tried to stay strong, but things just kept getting worse, people kept dying.
I started to feel overwhelmed…
Time began to blur...
The Travelers and Noelle started to retreat, but Trickster was sliced in half by Leviathan's tail-
I reattached someone's leg, trying not to throw up as they screamed and their kneecap-
Noelle bellowed and attacked Leviathan, Sundancer turned back to support it, a sun blazing-
I slipped on blood and hurt my ankle, but couldn't waste time and just pushed through the pain-
Lung tore at Leviathan, Leviathan tried to tear Noelle in half, Sundancer's sun burned all three-
I had started crying at some point, but every time I tried to wipe my face blood smeared all over-
More tidal waves. More died. Manpower, Menja, Ballistic, Oni Lee, Chubster...it was hopeless-
I was too slow and too weak and too stupid and everyone was depending on me but I couldn't-
Why wasn't I out there, with them? Armsmaster's leg torn off, Gallant's armor shattered, Vista-
Strider wouldn't stop coming! My friends lay dying around me! I didn't know who to help first-
Alexandria punched Leviathan, but it still sliced through three more capes as it flew, their blood-
Vista wasn't breathing, Armsmaster's stump gushed blood, Gallant's armor and bones were-
Sundancer wept over Noelle's remains, holding her human half...Leviathan looming over them-
People started to cheer as a golden light blasted Leviathan away from Sundancer.
Scion had come, launching bolts of power at Leviathan, making it flee.
I wanted to collapse, but knew my job wasn't over yet.
Alexandria had said I had a duty to the people.
In a week I'd be shipped to San Diego.
Until then, I couldn't rest.
I was needed.
*************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: When he started his journey to become a hero, Greg decided he wanted to make sure the person under the mask was ready first. But what happens when he forgets that the person under the mask, for all his power, is merely human?
EDIT: Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I've changed Armsmaster's talk with Greg to be smoother, the location to San Diego (Wards training camp), and the time more temporary (Summer). The exact location never mattered, more that he was being torn from his home. It lets Calvert get rid of him for a bit, looks good to parents and Youth Guard, and helps the PRT. It still hurts, but feels more like a natural idea that he accidentally agreed to, being moved up a week due to circumstances (Endbringer).
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Interesting - now the question is, is this actually Coil getting what he deserves, or is it a body double so he can abandon the identity as he steps in as local PRT Director?
- Location
- United States, CA
Calvert's solution to the "avoid Greg" problem?
Send him to the American equivalent of Siberia.
Send him to the American equivalent of Siberia.
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Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Just a quick note: A reader very nicely pointed out to me that Greg's talk with Armsmaster felt out of character for his parents, that they wouldn't just agree to toss their own son to Alaska without talking to him. I've edited that scene to make it a bit smoother, as well as more Greg. Now, it's San Diego (the Wards Training Camp), just for the summer (moved up a week due to Leviathan), and Greg technically supported the idea to his parents without knowing it. It doesn't change the scene that much, but it feels a lot better to me overall, and seems more within the realm of possibility. We'll see how that continues next chapter...
3.12: Learning to Be a Hero
Distraktion
Trying. Sometimes succeeding.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
3.12: Learning to Be a Hero
[Sunday, May 15, 2011]
The moment one of the doctors told me to take a break, I ran for the door. I was tired, sore, and soaked in blood, but I couldn't waste time. I nearly slipped on all the blood, but Sanguine was kind enough to pull it off me with his powers. He had a lot of work ahead of him, that kid.
I burst through to the main room to see that most of the capes had returned, then blended flight from Dovetail and Victoria. Already, Dragon and Legend were starting to divide jobs among capes, planning rescue efforts, but I went for the door. Unfortunately, I wasn't alone in that goal.
I frowned as I saw many villain capes leaving, nearly all the E88 and ABB, glaring at each other as they headed back to their territory. I just hoped they'd stay out of trouble for a week or so, while we worked to fix the town. Renick didn't even look at them as he assigned work to PRT.
While trying to get his attention so I could tell him where I was going, I had to suffer through hearing some of the PRT agents praise Calvert. Somehow he'd managed to find a whole lot of food and medical supplies, and was hard at work trying to organize things. I could see that Renick didn't exactly love hearing his men talk about his replacement, but he didn't give up.
Sighing, I gave up on waiting for Renick, and took off for the shelter my family had been in.
As I flew, all I could think about was how much we'd lost. From up here I could see all the destruction laid bare, hear people's cries echoing through the streets, and realize just how little help I'd been. Despite my training, powers, time in the gym...I'd failed so many people...
But I wasn't going to just give up. I'd use these feelings to motivate myself to try harder!
Everything that I did, from this moment forward, would be done to honor them. I'd heal everyone who needed help, search for every lost child, rescue every buried person, feed everyone who needed it, fix everything that was broken, and more. But first, I had to check on my family.
Renick must have seen me and called ahead, because when I arrived at their shelter I was directed to a private room to speak to them. The first thing they did was hug me, making me glad Sanguine had cleaned me, and then there was a nice, long, awkward silence.
"San Diego." I finally said it, and crossed my arms as they opened their mouths. "Wait. I get that Brockton Bay isn't safe. That you were trying to protect me. But I still feel like you tricked me."
"We weren't trying to trick you, son." Dad held out a hand, then dropped it as I flew backwards. He sighed, leaning against Mom as she put an arm around him. "Mr. Calvert called us, saying that your powers would make you a perfect fit for the Wards Training Camp. You could learn so much, teach others about their powers, and then you said you wanted to go train with capes-"
"I said I wanted to-" I cut myself off, realizing I had been about to scream at them. My parents, who had just spent hours huddled in a shelter, fearing for my life and theirs. "Sorry. Why didn't you talk to me? Tell me? Why not make sure that was what I meant, before you just...did this?"
"We were going to do that today. I set the meeting myself." George piped up, holding out his phone with a calendar app. "The paperwork was filled out, but nothing was approved yet. The plan was to get all of us in a room, let Calvert make his pitch, and then try to convince you-"
"Convince me? So what if I said I didn't want to? What if I said I wanted to stay here?"
"We d-didn't want you to stay here." Dad's voice caught, and he stuttered a bit as he started getting emotional. "Calvert reminded us that you nearly d-died at Winslow. Nearly d-died to Lung. Got shot by his henchman. The bomb. The k-kidnapping. Mastering yourself. Then he listed off all these villains you were friends with, and we j-just…we were s-so..."
"We were worried about you." Mom looked like she was fighting not to reach out and hug me, and started talking faster and faster as her Veder blood sang in her veins. "You have such amazing powers...but just like us you see the best in people and get in over your head. Calvert said you had all these villains around you, like the ones that nearly killed George, and when we heard the Endbringer sirens we...panicked. On the way here we asked the PRT to move you as soon as possible, but Strider couldn't find you and we called you and you sounded so scared-"
"I know! I get it! Stop!" I shouted, putting my hands over my ears. All three of them were staring at me with what looked like pity, and I let out a shuddering sigh. "I'm sorry. Thanks for looking out for me. I just...I need time to process this. I need space. I need to go help people."
"Okay, we should do the same." George stepped between us, trying to smile. "I called a friend in the PRT, and they're going to provide a place for you to stay this week. I know things are kind of heated right now, and that maybe we need some time...apart. Time to think and plan."
"Yeah, t-that's a good idea." Dad cleared his throat, arm around Mom as she wiped at her face. "We're sorry, son. We'll be going to shelters all week, helping out, if you want to...talk. In the meantime, try not to overdo it. Take some time for yourself, okay?"
"Thanks." I walked to the door, then paused and looked back at my parents. "I'm sorry, too."
I hugged them before I left, then made my way to the hospital and changed clothes.
Three powers later and I was ready to heal all the people I'd let down.
I had so little time left, and so much to make up for.
***
[Monday, May 16, 2011]
"I still can't believe you knew for so long and never said anything." I groaned, putting my masked face in my hand as Taylor giggled beside me. She patted my shoulder, having just finished explaining that she was far smarter than I'd expected, and had an excellent ear for voices. "I knew I should have started using an accent or something in costume..."
"Even if I hadn't recognized your voice from that TV interview I went to, Core told a bunch of stories about his civilian life that were a match to stories Greg had told me before." Her laughter died down as the leash in her hand tugged, and the dog on the other end of it started to bark. Sighing, Taylor pulled out her radio. "S&R Team 5 at the corner of Maple and 23rd, dog's picking up the smell of blood in the apartment building here, number 1322. Thank you."
We waited for the reply, and she absently tossed a treat to her dog (a yappy little beagle she called Madison) before they told us it had already been checked, and we continued onwards. Beagles had powerful noses, and this one had been in training for exactly this sort of thing. I tried not to think about the bodies it was finding, and was glad when she changed the subject.
"Still, back to the other conversation, wanting to do more to help? That's why I'm here now. Lisa showed up at my house on a giant dog, stuffed Dad and I into costumes, and then had the PRT bury us in a bomb shelter." We'd been doing search and rescue for over an hour, and Shadow Stalker was nearby (acting as both S&R and Taylor's bodyguard). "While we were safe, so many people died. Everyone we lost...all the heroes, too. I can't even keep track of them all."
So many heroes died. Just like that. Battery, Assault, Manpower, Chubster, Brandish...
"I was trying to talk to Amy this morning, and accidentally mentioned Carol. I saw the video..." It had been horrifying, seeing Brandish turn into a ball of light before Leviathan just...shattered her. "Amy finally connected with her, and now she's gone. I want to be there for people, but all my friends and family are fine. It's like I'm smiling at a funeral, know what I mean?"
"I know how that is, but in my case it's because what I'm losing isn't nearly as bad as what everyone else lost." She turned away from me, pretending to watch Madison as the dog investigated a storm drain. "All I can think of are my own problems. Rachel's...leaving."
"Leaving? What do you mean? She can't just leave Help Hounds, it's like her baby!"
"According to Lisa, Help Hounds was part of her strategy to prove Rachel was a decent person." Taylor rolled her eyes, smirking slightly at that. "She helped a lot of dogs, stayed out of trouble for months, and proved she was more than a villain. Susan got her a deal with the PRT to travel to other cities, training police dogs and helping to shut down dog fighting rings. Problem is, they want her to go to some Wards training camp in San Diego first, and she leaves in a week."
"So what happens to Help Hounds?" I was tempted to mention I'd be going to the same place, but then I'd have to tell Taylor I was leaving her as well. This wasn't the time for me to whine about my problems...not when so many other people were suffering. "Wasn't she the owner?"
"Technically Lisa was the owner, and she made me Manager last week. I mean, everyone comes to me for help, I may as well be the owner." Taylor looked proud at that, but there was a little worry gnawing at her that she kept trying to hide. "I know that we'll be fine, but I'm really afraid to lose her like this. I feel like such a selfish jerk, when I should be happy for her."
"Bullshit!" She nearly tripped, then turned to look at me as I cursed myself for shouting. "Sorry, but that's complete bullshit, Taylor. Look, during power testing, I told Auroch I was worried about my powers making me get some kind of superiority complex. She said if I could worry about it, then I wasn't there yet. You convinced me not to go back to Winslow, helped me patch things up with Theo and Allen, and you're asking for advice because you're worried about Rachel. As a former self-absorbed asshole, you're so far from being one I'd need a telescope to see you."
"Well, I guess you are the expert on the subject, even if you have gotten better." She threw an arm around me, squeezing me close for a moment before pushing me away. "Thanks, though. Also, thanks for reminding me how much you owe me for saving you all those times."
"Well, I guess I can start paying you back now. What else has been bugging you?" I tried to keep my tone light, but after hearing about Rachel all I could think of was that I needed to track down all my friends. I had to make sure they were fine, so I could leave with a clear conscience. "I mean, don't think I didn't notice you staring at Lisa at breakfast. Is this about her...old life?"
"No, we talked about that and I've accepted that she was in a bad situation. This is…" She took a deep breath and started rambling, "Even if we weren't meant to be a couple, I still like her. Not like dating, but...like a sister or something. She's done so much for me, even if she can be a judgy bitch sometimes. Now that she's with the heroes I thought it would be better, but she's so stressed out...so I want to pay her back. But I don't really know what I can do to help her."
"Well, this is just a suggestion, but I have it on good authority that she needs support right now." Taylor shot a 'no kidding' look at me, and I held up a hand. "I mean, she just betrayed her boss, threw everything away to save the people closest to her, and is basically homeless..."
I saw Taylor's eyes light up, and soon she was telling me an idea that I poked many, many holes in. Each one, she figured out a solution, and by the time we separated she was in a great mood.
It motivated me to try even harder, because there were so many more who needed help.
***
[Tuesday, May 17, 2011]
It was hard getting out of bed after all the walking yesterday, but I couldn't quit.
Today I was using Rune's power, moving huge crates of food and supplies to various Endbringer Shelters. Most of them were empty now, but a few still had people whose homes had been so badly damaged that they'd be there for a while. Until the local hotels could get cleaned up, I had to do everything I could for them. It was hard being so cheerful, but I did it.
While I was taking a break, waiting for the next shipment to be ready, I got a phone call. The networks were up and down depending on power usage around town, but of course the person calling had connections to know exactly when to call. My cool brother always knew the score.
George was just checking in, and I tried to keep my voice light and happy. It took so much out of me, pretending to be a Greg who wasn't exhausted. He suggested meeting up, but I still felt bad about Sunday's talk. I didn't want to yell at my family again, and...people needed me. Time was running out before San Diego, and there were so many people to heal, save, and help.
He must have caught onto my reluctance, and changed the subject to his own work. Apparently Nutcracker had floated the idea of him starting a new project soon...in the UK. It was a few months off, but the superteam called The Suits had been having problems. If nothing else, George thought it would be a nice change of pace from spying on nazis.
With a sigh, I lied and told him that my new shipment was ready, so I had to go.
After another six shipments, all I could think about was losing George. I was so distracted that I accidentally took a shipment to the wrong location. I broke up a fight, moved the food again, and got hit in the head with a bottle thrown by someone who accused me of 'stealing' the food.
By the time I got to bed, night had fallen and I was too tired to eat dinner.
***
[Wednesday, May 18, 2011]
On Wednesday, Panacea finally broke down. She'd been working practically non-stop, even though a girl named Delilah kept trying to get her to take a break. I think she was the one Clockblocker had been talking about, and the two certainly seemed friendly. Someone called Glory Girl to come talk to Panacea, and that went about as badly as it could.
She started yelling that taking a break was what had gotten her mother and so many others killed, despite Victoria trying to calm her down. Luckily rage can be exhausting, because it was only a few minutes into their argument before Panacea stumbled and fainted.
Standing just behind her had been Delilah, who caught the healer and gently lowered her to the ground to check her vitals. All business, she requested fluids for her friend, and a wheelchair. Amy just needed rest, and her sister and friend promised to make sure she got it as they left.
But in the meantime, it meant that I had to work twice as hard, so that she could have time to recover. The doctors and nurses just shared a look as I explained that, then a group of injured people came through the doors and work resumed. There were always more people to heal.
So imagine my surprise when, after failing to convince me to get some lunch around noon, a nurse came to tell me that Aegis was here looking for me. They had brought in Scapegoat to take my place, despite my complaint that both of us would make things go twice as fast…
At that, they bodily shoved me out the door, telling me I was banned for the rest of the day.
"Hey Aegis, heard you wanted to talk to me?" I tried to play it off as if I'd meant to fling myself through the doors, but wasn't sure how well it worked on him. He looked worried about something, and I hoped it wasn't another lecture about me working too hard. "What's up?"
"Mind taking a walk with me, Core? There's someone on the third floor you need to talk to." The red-suited hero gestured and I quickly fell into step beside him, both of us making our way through the crowded hospital. "We can take the stairs...more privacy there as well."
It was still hard to look at him and not see the torn-up form I'd been struggling to heal a few days back. Going toe-to-toe with Leviathan, having his mentor shove him out of the way of a deadly blow, and working Search & Rescue a few days later. He was one of the bravest people I knew.
"As you're already aware, several shelters were damaged in the attack, some even taking on icy water that put their inhabitants in danger. Someone we both know was brought here a few days ago, and was lucky enough to only experience minor frostbite." Aegis reached the third floor and stopped, then leaned against the wall for a moment. "Allen can see visitors as of a few hours ago, and I want you to talk to him. But first, I need you to understand why..."
"I already know why." I sighed, then started to walk away before his hand caught me. "I need to get back to work, Aegis. This seems like something more down your alley, anyway."
"Down my...are you kidding?"
I ignored him, remembering the haze I'd seen around Allen when I'd visited him earlier. He'd been sleeping, and thus hadn't seen me nearly collapse against the wall. Even my miniature panic attack didn't disturb him, and I'd staggered out of the intensive care unit as fast as I could.
The doctors had said that Allen had nearly died from hypothermia after saving people from icy water, and that all his injuries had healed by the time they got him to the hospital. It looked like a Brute power of some kind, and I should have been happy that my friend was going to be okay...
But all I could think about was that I'd failed my friend. That he had powers now, and his life was infinitely more complicated. That I was going to have to abandon him in a few days, just like I'd broken his heart weeks ago. This was yet another problem that was my fault because I hadn't been strong enough to stop Levia-
"Hey!" Aegis snapped his fingers in my face, and I blushed as I realized I'd been saying all that out loud. "We're all to blame, man. What matters now is what we do, and the people we help. For instance, you can talk to Allen about his situation, and we can get him into the Wards."
I couldn't help myself, I burst out laughing. Hit with the worry that he'd just stalk off, I managed to drop my powers and copy his, letting some of his calm personality creep over me.
"Dude, I'm literally the last person to talk about making good life decisions when it comes to getting new powers!" I started counting off my fingers, talking over him as he tried to interrupt. "In the first month I had powers I tried to infiltrate the ABB! I attacked Lung! I did homebrew power testing! I Mastered myself, and nearly died a dozen times!"
Now that I say it out loud, no wonder my family wanted me to go to San Diego...I'm horrible.
Shaking off my self-recriminations, I looked up to see Aegis shaking his head a little, and poked him in the chest. I tried to project confidence, and remind him he was the leader for a reason.
"He needs a cape who makes good choices. Someone who he knows and trusts. Someone he can identify with, and confide in. Someone who will...still be here in a few days, and can stay by his side..." I trailed off, then felt a bit of relief as Aegis headed towards the door that would take him where he needed to be. "You check every box, Aegis. Save my friend...please."
The door closed, and I headed for the roof. Allen was in good hands.
As for me? I'd use these powers to cover Aegis' S&R shift.
He'd help Allen, and I'd help everyone else.
Time was running out.
***
[Thursday, May 19, 2011]
While I was eating breakfast, a slim hand snaked in and grabbed my bacon. I barely reacted.
"Wow, you're looking almost as ragged as your costume, Core." I looked up to see Lisa, dressed in civilian clothing and a domino mask today. She smiled, and I looked back down at my food instead of returning it. "Too bad Circus showed up and stole Parian, or I'd ask her to help."
"I'll be fine." I didn't need her to point it out, but since I hadn't taken my costume off in days it was getting pretty nasty. The jacket and pants were fine, but the bodysuit was starting to fray...as well as my mask. I had to stay ready. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Despite all the data I gave them, the PRT's messing with my deal. That incoming Director wants Alec and I shipped off to some Wards summer camp in San Diego, and they won't let me talk to him face-to-face. I mean, I know I'm a Thinker, but they've got his whole floor locked down!" She stole more of my bacon, crunching on it as I finished off my eggs. "Plus, I wanted to chew you out for inspiring Taylor to ask me to move in with her and Danny. Seriously, what the-"
"Do it." I must have startled her, because she dropped the bacon. "I know that she used to have feelings for you, but this isn't that. She wants to help you, and right now you need all the help-"
"Okay, I get it! Look, she stayed my friend, even after everything that's happened. Worse, when she looks at me now, it's different. It's like she's seeing..." She trailed off, then shook her head and sighed. "I don't know. I did so much terrible crap, but she claims she's forgiven me. I'm afraid to look at her with my powers and see how she really feels, because I can't bear to-"
"Core!" Glory Girl called out, and I shot to my feet. A look at the clock told me I'd lost track of time. I had people who needed me! "We're heading out, you can schmooze later!"
"Coming! Gotta go, too many people still need help. Time's running out." I guzzled down my orange juice, reminded of all the people I'd failed. There were only a few days left, so I had to work even harder. Lisa stared at me, her face falling as I saw her powers flicker. "Later!"
As I waited for the crowd at the door to clear, I glanced back and saw Lisa jog over to another table. Vista and Shadow Stalker were there, and they leaned in her direction as she started talking to them. All three of them looked at me, and I waved before heading out.
Maybe if I worked hard enough today, it would mean less work for the rest of them?
***
[Friday, May 20, 2011]
When I woke on Friday, I wasn't sure if it was Saturday or Friday...
I dozed for a moment, remembering how a few Saturdays ago I'd been cooking breakfast for my family, laughing and having a great time. George, Mom, Dad, and I, all together...at home.
Then I woke up, on the frayed cot the PRT had assigned me, and remembered that everything was still broken. That I was running out of time. That there was still so much to do.
Even though I wasn't hungry, I made my way to the cafeteria out of habit.
I stopped in the doorway, seeing Taylor and Lisa sitting at one of the tables. Neither saw me, and for a moment I was tempted to see how they were doing. Maybe I could apologize for running out on Lisa...was it yesterday? The day before?
As I combed my foggy mind for the exact date, I saw Taylor take Lisa's hand and place a key in it, then fold her fingers closed. Lisa started to say something, but Taylor covered her mouth with a finger and said something that made the other girl sag a little. Lisa started shaking her head.
Taylor drew the blonde into a hug, one she slowly returned. It felt like an eternity before they separated, both wiping at their eyes, and then laughed at something Taylor said.
Smiling, I turned and left. I could eat later.
Maybe if I worked hard enough, they could take a break. That way, they could stay happy.
But for some reason it was hard to get everyone else to concentrate. I ended up in a search and rescue group with Shadow Stalker and Vista, but both kept trying to get me to take a break.
It was like that all day. A few other Wards tried to interrupt me, but I told them I had work to do.
Sveta and Yamada called me on a conference call, but I told them I'd call them back.
My parents, George, and Larry all called, but I let them go to voicemail.
Armsmaster told me to meet him at the hospital, but I forgot to go.
I just kept working, because I couldn't stop...not yet.
Not while people still needed my help.
***
[Saturday, May 21, 2011]
I didn't really sleep Friday night, and ended up going to the hospital around sunup.
After a few hours of healing, Strider came in for a checkup. I had replaced his missing arm on Monday (Tuesday?), and was happy to make time to check on it. We stepped into a side room, he pushed his sleeve up, and I touched his ar-
POP
Suddenly, we were in Acting Director Renick's office, the teleport so quiet I barely heard it. Before I could copy Strider's power and get back to work, he vanished again with hardly a whisper. Renick appeared beside me, as if he'd teleported as well, and smiled at me.
He led me into a side room and asked me to change into scrubs for a checkup. Apparently I was last on the list, and as Renick took my costume to get cleaned he promised it would be quick. A PRT doctor swept in and got to work, as well as asking a lot of strange questions. I answered as best I could, but it was hard to think...hard to talk...time kind of blurred for a bit...
Then I was back in Renick's office, my costume nowhere to be seen, slouching into my chair as he lectured me. He pointed out the condition of my costume, my decreased body weight, the huge bags under my eyes, and that everyone was worried about me.
It was humiliating, and nonsense! He accused me of overworking myself! Like that mattered!
I tried to counter with the fact that people were still suffering, that I had powers, and I had sworn an oath to help. The E88 and ABB were committing crimes as of this morning, they had new capes that had recently triggered, and there were even new solo villains!
"Isn't a little suffering on my part worth helping people in need?" I growled, standing up and waving a hand at the window. There was still smoke, suffering, and fear in my town. I staggered, then added, "Besides, you're getting rid of me tomorrow, anyway! Am I so useless that I can't-"
"Enough!" Renick rarely raised his voice, but even with a few extra decibels it was enough to silence me. I felt like an idiot, and turned to trudge away, but felt his hand on my shoulder as he came up beside me. "Come with me, I want to show you something. Something secret."
I walked alongside Renick as we traveled down the hall, up the stairs, and to another office area. A sign said that capes weren't allowed up here, but Renick was willing to bend the rules. I could hear a commotion ahead, and he motioned for me to stop. Renick whispered for me to peer around the corner and look. I could hear laughter, voices, and shuffling paper, and saw…
A large group of people, all gathered around someone who stood head and shoulders above them all. Not just because of his commanding presence, but because he was literally a good foot taller than most of them. Agents in suits, officers in uniform, and analysts in casual clothing, all with a huge spread of food. All of them were drinking up every word the man was saying.
I couldn't make most of it out, and couldn't even see his face, but even from behind I could see that he had an aura of charisma. He spoke of the future, plans to fix the town, getting capes back into the workforce, and swore to make them all proud of him. They cheered, and I found myself transfixed by him, by the power he wielded, with words and...something else.
I barely said a word as Renick led me back the way we'd come, and onto an elevator. That man had seemed so powerful, and there was something else that my exhausted mind kept trying to grasp. Something that set him apart from the others, but my mind was so hazy...
"That's my replacement. Thomas Calvert." Only when we were back in the elevator did Renick start talking, and now I could see the normally straight-backed soldier start to fold in on himself a bit. "Despite all my years of service, it only took a few words from him to get everyone on his side. He doesn't even start for a week, and he's already taking over. It's like he always knows just what to say, never makes mistakes, and...I know how you feel, Greg. Change is scary."
"So you're just giving up?" I felt my mind whirling, something I'd noticed just at the edge of my mind, but I couldn't concentrate. Seeing Renick like this was...heartbreaking. "You're quitting?"
"No, Greg. I'm picking my battles. I'm making sure that the people I leave behind remember me well, and that I take care of everyone I care about." The elevator doors opened, and he gently pushed me out into the lobby. "That includes you. Go home and think about how you want the people you leave behind to remember you. Trust me, it doesn't involve you burning out like this."
The elevator doors closed before I could argue, and a PRT agent marched me to a car.
***
After I was dropped off at home, I found it hard to follow Renick's directions. I wanted to be remembered for helping, but I'd been banned from helping! It didn't make any sense!
My room was carefully packed up, and I could tell that George had done it because of how neat it all was. Books here, clothes there, and...notes from my family. It hurt my heart to see their words, and I couldn't bear to read them all the way through. To see them try to make me feel better about leaving my friends behind, abandoning my town in its hour of need...
I dozed off on my bed, waking up hours later to a call from my parents. They had heard from Renick that I was at home, and would be here in an hour. I panicked, then lied and replied that I was hanging out with friends for my last night. They allowed it, but sounded kind of hurt...
A shower, fresh clothes, and my favorite jacket, and I trudged back into town. I ended up at the Boardwalk, sitting on my favorite bench and watching the sun set in Brockton Bay one last time.
Here I am. Sitting on a bench. Wasting time when people need me. With so little time left...
"So here you are." Lisa sat beside me, and I turned to see her looking off into the distance. No mask or costume for her, either. She was just in jeans, a sweater, and sneakers. "Sitting on a bench, thinking that taking some time for yourself is wasting time."
"Shut up." I grumbled, trying to ignore her. "I am wasting time. I could be doing something useful, but some dumbass tattled on me and now I'm literally benched from helping."
"Well, since you know I like getting credit, I'll just tell you that it was me." She wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I turned away with a growl. I couldn't even bear to look at her, messing with me like this. "Oh, I'm not messing with you, I mean Tattletale. It's in the name. You dodged Shadow Stalker, Vista, the Wards, your parents, and even Armsmaster, so I went to Renick."
"I just wanted to be useful." I whispered, hanging my head. "One last time, before I...leave."
She stared at me for a long minute, and then her hand squeezed my shoulder.
"I heard about your trip to San Diego, and I get why you've been working so hard. I...know how scary change can be." She stood and started to pace, her words slowly speeding up as she started listing things off. "Tomorrow, Brian's joining the Protectorate. Theo's joining the Wards. Rachel and Alec and I are being shipped to San Diego. On top of all that, Taylor's trying to convince her Dad to adopt me! Everything's changing! I should be freaking out! But..."
"But you're not." I wanted it to be a question, but it came out as a statement. She looked so happy, like she knew something I didn't. So brave... "You're not scared at all, are you?"
"No, because I know that everyone else is freaked out, too. That we're going to look out for each other, even when some of us are too dumb to look out for ourselves." She crossed her arms, glaring at me. "You nearly worked yourself into a coma, Greg. All because what...you thought we were going to fall apart without you? That all this destruction was your fault? Bullshit."
My own parents even warned me, and I still overdid it. I forgot how strong my friends are...
"Tonight, I'm throwing a going-away party for everyone." Lisa made jazz hands, a smile appearing. "Taylor's got music, Rachel's got puppies, and Allen made so much food we could barely fit it in Danny's car. We've got loads of people coming...Theo, Missy, Sophia, Carlos, Amy, Hunch, Weld, Aisha, and of course you. Might even get a few surprise guests..."
I was embarrassed, surprised that she invited me after I ignored her help all week...
"You're going away, too. So you have to come, whether you like it or not." Lisa held out a hand. "Now, are you going to come and have a great time, or am I going to have to kidnap you?"
***
The party was amazing. No masks, no costumes, just a bunch of friends hanging out and trying to have fun. It was hard to just relax, knowing that so many people needed help. But I tried.
That night, I learned that everyone else felt the same way I had. Everyone wished they had been faster, stronger, braver…and swore that next time they would be.
I talked to the villains I knew and thanked them for giving me unique perspectives, even if talking to them was one of the reasons I was going to San Diego.
I talked to the heroes I knew and thanked them for helping me become so strong, and swore I'd pass on their lessons when I was in San Diego.
Renick crashed the party eventually, glad that I had taken his advice...and willing to ignore the fact that Alec had given me a beer or two.
I'm a bit of a lightweight, because I started babbling about cool powers I'd seen at one point, but nobody stopped me.
Not even when I accidentally unmasked Mr. Calvert, talking about how cool his powers had looked earlier.
Renick and Lisa wanted to know more about his powers, so I copied Lisa's power to try and explain.
I blended Hunch's precog with Lisa's power, all three of us talking faster and faster to figure it out.
Renick got really mad, calling the Chief Director about how Calvert hadn't disclosed his powers.
Lisa got really happy, calling Armsmaster to say she'd made a breakthrough on Coil.
I was glad to help, and went around reading palms with Hunch until I passed out.
I forgot most of the night, between the beer and Thinker confusion.
When I woke up, they told me I didn't have to go to San Diego.
Calvert was being investigated, his decisions under review.
Rachel still wanted to go. Alec thought it was a vacation.
But as for me? I was staying here, with my friends...
Taylor, Theo, Allen, Lisa, and all of the Wards.
Lead by Piggot, Renick, Hannah, and Colin.
With my team and my mentors.
With my family and my town.
Learning to be a hero.
***************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Two chapters left! Not everyone is a hero, but that doesn't mean they can't make an impact. In the Arc 3 Epilogue, time (and people) move forward.
[Sunday, May 15, 2011]
The moment one of the doctors told me to take a break, I ran for the door. I was tired, sore, and soaked in blood, but I couldn't waste time. I nearly slipped on all the blood, but Sanguine was kind enough to pull it off me with his powers. He had a lot of work ahead of him, that kid.
I burst through to the main room to see that most of the capes had returned, then blended flight from Dovetail and Victoria. Already, Dragon and Legend were starting to divide jobs among capes, planning rescue efforts, but I went for the door. Unfortunately, I wasn't alone in that goal.
I frowned as I saw many villain capes leaving, nearly all the E88 and ABB, glaring at each other as they headed back to their territory. I just hoped they'd stay out of trouble for a week or so, while we worked to fix the town. Renick didn't even look at them as he assigned work to PRT.
While trying to get his attention so I could tell him where I was going, I had to suffer through hearing some of the PRT agents praise Calvert. Somehow he'd managed to find a whole lot of food and medical supplies, and was hard at work trying to organize things. I could see that Renick didn't exactly love hearing his men talk about his replacement, but he didn't give up.
Sighing, I gave up on waiting for Renick, and took off for the shelter my family had been in.
As I flew, all I could think about was how much we'd lost. From up here I could see all the destruction laid bare, hear people's cries echoing through the streets, and realize just how little help I'd been. Despite my training, powers, time in the gym...I'd failed so many people...
But I wasn't going to just give up. I'd use these feelings to motivate myself to try harder!
Everything that I did, from this moment forward, would be done to honor them. I'd heal everyone who needed help, search for every lost child, rescue every buried person, feed everyone who needed it, fix everything that was broken, and more. But first, I had to check on my family.
Renick must have seen me and called ahead, because when I arrived at their shelter I was directed to a private room to speak to them. The first thing they did was hug me, making me glad Sanguine had cleaned me, and then there was a nice, long, awkward silence.
"San Diego." I finally said it, and crossed my arms as they opened their mouths. "Wait. I get that Brockton Bay isn't safe. That you were trying to protect me. But I still feel like you tricked me."
"We weren't trying to trick you, son." Dad held out a hand, then dropped it as I flew backwards. He sighed, leaning against Mom as she put an arm around him. "Mr. Calvert called us, saying that your powers would make you a perfect fit for the Wards Training Camp. You could learn so much, teach others about their powers, and then you said you wanted to go train with capes-"
"I said I wanted to-" I cut myself off, realizing I had been about to scream at them. My parents, who had just spent hours huddled in a shelter, fearing for my life and theirs. "Sorry. Why didn't you talk to me? Tell me? Why not make sure that was what I meant, before you just...did this?"
"We were going to do that today. I set the meeting myself." George piped up, holding out his phone with a calendar app. "The paperwork was filled out, but nothing was approved yet. The plan was to get all of us in a room, let Calvert make his pitch, and then try to convince you-"
"Convince me? So what if I said I didn't want to? What if I said I wanted to stay here?"
"We d-didn't want you to stay here." Dad's voice caught, and he stuttered a bit as he started getting emotional. "Calvert reminded us that you nearly d-died at Winslow. Nearly d-died to Lung. Got shot by his henchman. The bomb. The k-kidnapping. Mastering yourself. Then he listed off all these villains you were friends with, and we j-just…we were s-so..."
"We were worried about you." Mom looked like she was fighting not to reach out and hug me, and started talking faster and faster as her Veder blood sang in her veins. "You have such amazing powers...but just like us you see the best in people and get in over your head. Calvert said you had all these villains around you, like the ones that nearly killed George, and when we heard the Endbringer sirens we...panicked. On the way here we asked the PRT to move you as soon as possible, but Strider couldn't find you and we called you and you sounded so scared-"
"I know! I get it! Stop!" I shouted, putting my hands over my ears. All three of them were staring at me with what looked like pity, and I let out a shuddering sigh. "I'm sorry. Thanks for looking out for me. I just...I need time to process this. I need space. I need to go help people."
"Okay, we should do the same." George stepped between us, trying to smile. "I called a friend in the PRT, and they're going to provide a place for you to stay this week. I know things are kind of heated right now, and that maybe we need some time...apart. Time to think and plan."
"Yeah, t-that's a good idea." Dad cleared his throat, arm around Mom as she wiped at her face. "We're sorry, son. We'll be going to shelters all week, helping out, if you want to...talk. In the meantime, try not to overdo it. Take some time for yourself, okay?"
"Thanks." I walked to the door, then paused and looked back at my parents. "I'm sorry, too."
I hugged them before I left, then made my way to the hospital and changed clothes.
Three powers later and I was ready to heal all the people I'd let down.
I had so little time left, and so much to make up for.
***
[Monday, May 16, 2011]
"I still can't believe you knew for so long and never said anything." I groaned, putting my masked face in my hand as Taylor giggled beside me. She patted my shoulder, having just finished explaining that she was far smarter than I'd expected, and had an excellent ear for voices. "I knew I should have started using an accent or something in costume..."
"Even if I hadn't recognized your voice from that TV interview I went to, Core told a bunch of stories about his civilian life that were a match to stories Greg had told me before." Her laughter died down as the leash in her hand tugged, and the dog on the other end of it started to bark. Sighing, Taylor pulled out her radio. "S&R Team 5 at the corner of Maple and 23rd, dog's picking up the smell of blood in the apartment building here, number 1322. Thank you."
We waited for the reply, and she absently tossed a treat to her dog (a yappy little beagle she called Madison) before they told us it had already been checked, and we continued onwards. Beagles had powerful noses, and this one had been in training for exactly this sort of thing. I tried not to think about the bodies it was finding, and was glad when she changed the subject.
"Still, back to the other conversation, wanting to do more to help? That's why I'm here now. Lisa showed up at my house on a giant dog, stuffed Dad and I into costumes, and then had the PRT bury us in a bomb shelter." We'd been doing search and rescue for over an hour, and Shadow Stalker was nearby (acting as both S&R and Taylor's bodyguard). "While we were safe, so many people died. Everyone we lost...all the heroes, too. I can't even keep track of them all."
So many heroes died. Just like that. Battery, Assault, Manpower, Chubster, Brandish...
"I was trying to talk to Amy this morning, and accidentally mentioned Carol. I saw the video..." It had been horrifying, seeing Brandish turn into a ball of light before Leviathan just...shattered her. "Amy finally connected with her, and now she's gone. I want to be there for people, but all my friends and family are fine. It's like I'm smiling at a funeral, know what I mean?"
"I know how that is, but in my case it's because what I'm losing isn't nearly as bad as what everyone else lost." She turned away from me, pretending to watch Madison as the dog investigated a storm drain. "All I can think of are my own problems. Rachel's...leaving."
"Leaving? What do you mean? She can't just leave Help Hounds, it's like her baby!"
"According to Lisa, Help Hounds was part of her strategy to prove Rachel was a decent person." Taylor rolled her eyes, smirking slightly at that. "She helped a lot of dogs, stayed out of trouble for months, and proved she was more than a villain. Susan got her a deal with the PRT to travel to other cities, training police dogs and helping to shut down dog fighting rings. Problem is, they want her to go to some Wards training camp in San Diego first, and she leaves in a week."
"So what happens to Help Hounds?" I was tempted to mention I'd be going to the same place, but then I'd have to tell Taylor I was leaving her as well. This wasn't the time for me to whine about my problems...not when so many other people were suffering. "Wasn't she the owner?"
"Technically Lisa was the owner, and she made me Manager last week. I mean, everyone comes to me for help, I may as well be the owner." Taylor looked proud at that, but there was a little worry gnawing at her that she kept trying to hide. "I know that we'll be fine, but I'm really afraid to lose her like this. I feel like such a selfish jerk, when I should be happy for her."
"Bullshit!" She nearly tripped, then turned to look at me as I cursed myself for shouting. "Sorry, but that's complete bullshit, Taylor. Look, during power testing, I told Auroch I was worried about my powers making me get some kind of superiority complex. She said if I could worry about it, then I wasn't there yet. You convinced me not to go back to Winslow, helped me patch things up with Theo and Allen, and you're asking for advice because you're worried about Rachel. As a former self-absorbed asshole, you're so far from being one I'd need a telescope to see you."
"Well, I guess you are the expert on the subject, even if you have gotten better." She threw an arm around me, squeezing me close for a moment before pushing me away. "Thanks, though. Also, thanks for reminding me how much you owe me for saving you all those times."
"Well, I guess I can start paying you back now. What else has been bugging you?" I tried to keep my tone light, but after hearing about Rachel all I could think of was that I needed to track down all my friends. I had to make sure they were fine, so I could leave with a clear conscience. "I mean, don't think I didn't notice you staring at Lisa at breakfast. Is this about her...old life?"
"No, we talked about that and I've accepted that she was in a bad situation. This is…" She took a deep breath and started rambling, "Even if we weren't meant to be a couple, I still like her. Not like dating, but...like a sister or something. She's done so much for me, even if she can be a judgy bitch sometimes. Now that she's with the heroes I thought it would be better, but she's so stressed out...so I want to pay her back. But I don't really know what I can do to help her."
"Well, this is just a suggestion, but I have it on good authority that she needs support right now." Taylor shot a 'no kidding' look at me, and I held up a hand. "I mean, she just betrayed her boss, threw everything away to save the people closest to her, and is basically homeless..."
I saw Taylor's eyes light up, and soon she was telling me an idea that I poked many, many holes in. Each one, she figured out a solution, and by the time we separated she was in a great mood.
It motivated me to try even harder, because there were so many more who needed help.
***
[Tuesday, May 17, 2011]
It was hard getting out of bed after all the walking yesterday, but I couldn't quit.
Today I was using Rune's power, moving huge crates of food and supplies to various Endbringer Shelters. Most of them were empty now, but a few still had people whose homes had been so badly damaged that they'd be there for a while. Until the local hotels could get cleaned up, I had to do everything I could for them. It was hard being so cheerful, but I did it.
While I was taking a break, waiting for the next shipment to be ready, I got a phone call. The networks were up and down depending on power usage around town, but of course the person calling had connections to know exactly when to call. My cool brother always knew the score.
George was just checking in, and I tried to keep my voice light and happy. It took so much out of me, pretending to be a Greg who wasn't exhausted. He suggested meeting up, but I still felt bad about Sunday's talk. I didn't want to yell at my family again, and...people needed me. Time was running out before San Diego, and there were so many people to heal, save, and help.
He must have caught onto my reluctance, and changed the subject to his own work. Apparently Nutcracker had floated the idea of him starting a new project soon...in the UK. It was a few months off, but the superteam called The Suits had been having problems. If nothing else, George thought it would be a nice change of pace from spying on nazis.
With a sigh, I lied and told him that my new shipment was ready, so I had to go.
After another six shipments, all I could think about was losing George. I was so distracted that I accidentally took a shipment to the wrong location. I broke up a fight, moved the food again, and got hit in the head with a bottle thrown by someone who accused me of 'stealing' the food.
By the time I got to bed, night had fallen and I was too tired to eat dinner.
***
[Wednesday, May 18, 2011]
On Wednesday, Panacea finally broke down. She'd been working practically non-stop, even though a girl named Delilah kept trying to get her to take a break. I think she was the one Clockblocker had been talking about, and the two certainly seemed friendly. Someone called Glory Girl to come talk to Panacea, and that went about as badly as it could.
She started yelling that taking a break was what had gotten her mother and so many others killed, despite Victoria trying to calm her down. Luckily rage can be exhausting, because it was only a few minutes into their argument before Panacea stumbled and fainted.
Standing just behind her had been Delilah, who caught the healer and gently lowered her to the ground to check her vitals. All business, she requested fluids for her friend, and a wheelchair. Amy just needed rest, and her sister and friend promised to make sure she got it as they left.
But in the meantime, it meant that I had to work twice as hard, so that she could have time to recover. The doctors and nurses just shared a look as I explained that, then a group of injured people came through the doors and work resumed. There were always more people to heal.
So imagine my surprise when, after failing to convince me to get some lunch around noon, a nurse came to tell me that Aegis was here looking for me. They had brought in Scapegoat to take my place, despite my complaint that both of us would make things go twice as fast…
At that, they bodily shoved me out the door, telling me I was banned for the rest of the day.
"Hey Aegis, heard you wanted to talk to me?" I tried to play it off as if I'd meant to fling myself through the doors, but wasn't sure how well it worked on him. He looked worried about something, and I hoped it wasn't another lecture about me working too hard. "What's up?"
"Mind taking a walk with me, Core? There's someone on the third floor you need to talk to." The red-suited hero gestured and I quickly fell into step beside him, both of us making our way through the crowded hospital. "We can take the stairs...more privacy there as well."
It was still hard to look at him and not see the torn-up form I'd been struggling to heal a few days back. Going toe-to-toe with Leviathan, having his mentor shove him out of the way of a deadly blow, and working Search & Rescue a few days later. He was one of the bravest people I knew.
"As you're already aware, several shelters were damaged in the attack, some even taking on icy water that put their inhabitants in danger. Someone we both know was brought here a few days ago, and was lucky enough to only experience minor frostbite." Aegis reached the third floor and stopped, then leaned against the wall for a moment. "Allen can see visitors as of a few hours ago, and I want you to talk to him. But first, I need you to understand why..."
"I already know why." I sighed, then started to walk away before his hand caught me. "I need to get back to work, Aegis. This seems like something more down your alley, anyway."
"Down my...are you kidding?"
I ignored him, remembering the haze I'd seen around Allen when I'd visited him earlier. He'd been sleeping, and thus hadn't seen me nearly collapse against the wall. Even my miniature panic attack didn't disturb him, and I'd staggered out of the intensive care unit as fast as I could.
The doctors had said that Allen had nearly died from hypothermia after saving people from icy water, and that all his injuries had healed by the time they got him to the hospital. It looked like a Brute power of some kind, and I should have been happy that my friend was going to be okay...
But all I could think about was that I'd failed my friend. That he had powers now, and his life was infinitely more complicated. That I was going to have to abandon him in a few days, just like I'd broken his heart weeks ago. This was yet another problem that was my fault because I hadn't been strong enough to stop Levia-
"Hey!" Aegis snapped his fingers in my face, and I blushed as I realized I'd been saying all that out loud. "We're all to blame, man. What matters now is what we do, and the people we help. For instance, you can talk to Allen about his situation, and we can get him into the Wards."
I couldn't help myself, I burst out laughing. Hit with the worry that he'd just stalk off, I managed to drop my powers and copy his, letting some of his calm personality creep over me.
"Dude, I'm literally the last person to talk about making good life decisions when it comes to getting new powers!" I started counting off my fingers, talking over him as he tried to interrupt. "In the first month I had powers I tried to infiltrate the ABB! I attacked Lung! I did homebrew power testing! I Mastered myself, and nearly died a dozen times!"
Now that I say it out loud, no wonder my family wanted me to go to San Diego...I'm horrible.
Shaking off my self-recriminations, I looked up to see Aegis shaking his head a little, and poked him in the chest. I tried to project confidence, and remind him he was the leader for a reason.
"He needs a cape who makes good choices. Someone who he knows and trusts. Someone he can identify with, and confide in. Someone who will...still be here in a few days, and can stay by his side..." I trailed off, then felt a bit of relief as Aegis headed towards the door that would take him where he needed to be. "You check every box, Aegis. Save my friend...please."
The door closed, and I headed for the roof. Allen was in good hands.
As for me? I'd use these powers to cover Aegis' S&R shift.
He'd help Allen, and I'd help everyone else.
Time was running out.
***
[Thursday, May 19, 2011]
While I was eating breakfast, a slim hand snaked in and grabbed my bacon. I barely reacted.
"Wow, you're looking almost as ragged as your costume, Core." I looked up to see Lisa, dressed in civilian clothing and a domino mask today. She smiled, and I looked back down at my food instead of returning it. "Too bad Circus showed up and stole Parian, or I'd ask her to help."
"I'll be fine." I didn't need her to point it out, but since I hadn't taken my costume off in days it was getting pretty nasty. The jacket and pants were fine, but the bodysuit was starting to fray...as well as my mask. I had to stay ready. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Despite all the data I gave them, the PRT's messing with my deal. That incoming Director wants Alec and I shipped off to some Wards summer camp in San Diego, and they won't let me talk to him face-to-face. I mean, I know I'm a Thinker, but they've got his whole floor locked down!" She stole more of my bacon, crunching on it as I finished off my eggs. "Plus, I wanted to chew you out for inspiring Taylor to ask me to move in with her and Danny. Seriously, what the-"
"Do it." I must have startled her, because she dropped the bacon. "I know that she used to have feelings for you, but this isn't that. She wants to help you, and right now you need all the help-"
"Okay, I get it! Look, she stayed my friend, even after everything that's happened. Worse, when she looks at me now, it's different. It's like she's seeing..." She trailed off, then shook her head and sighed. "I don't know. I did so much terrible crap, but she claims she's forgiven me. I'm afraid to look at her with my powers and see how she really feels, because I can't bear to-"
"Core!" Glory Girl called out, and I shot to my feet. A look at the clock told me I'd lost track of time. I had people who needed me! "We're heading out, you can schmooze later!"
"Coming! Gotta go, too many people still need help. Time's running out." I guzzled down my orange juice, reminded of all the people I'd failed. There were only a few days left, so I had to work even harder. Lisa stared at me, her face falling as I saw her powers flicker. "Later!"
As I waited for the crowd at the door to clear, I glanced back and saw Lisa jog over to another table. Vista and Shadow Stalker were there, and they leaned in her direction as she started talking to them. All three of them looked at me, and I waved before heading out.
Maybe if I worked hard enough today, it would mean less work for the rest of them?
***
[Friday, May 20, 2011]
When I woke on Friday, I wasn't sure if it was Saturday or Friday...
I dozed for a moment, remembering how a few Saturdays ago I'd been cooking breakfast for my family, laughing and having a great time. George, Mom, Dad, and I, all together...at home.
Then I woke up, on the frayed cot the PRT had assigned me, and remembered that everything was still broken. That I was running out of time. That there was still so much to do.
Even though I wasn't hungry, I made my way to the cafeteria out of habit.
I stopped in the doorway, seeing Taylor and Lisa sitting at one of the tables. Neither saw me, and for a moment I was tempted to see how they were doing. Maybe I could apologize for running out on Lisa...was it yesterday? The day before?
As I combed my foggy mind for the exact date, I saw Taylor take Lisa's hand and place a key in it, then fold her fingers closed. Lisa started to say something, but Taylor covered her mouth with a finger and said something that made the other girl sag a little. Lisa started shaking her head.
Taylor drew the blonde into a hug, one she slowly returned. It felt like an eternity before they separated, both wiping at their eyes, and then laughed at something Taylor said.
Smiling, I turned and left. I could eat later.
Maybe if I worked hard enough, they could take a break. That way, they could stay happy.
But for some reason it was hard to get everyone else to concentrate. I ended up in a search and rescue group with Shadow Stalker and Vista, but both kept trying to get me to take a break.
It was like that all day. A few other Wards tried to interrupt me, but I told them I had work to do.
Sveta and Yamada called me on a conference call, but I told them I'd call them back.
My parents, George, and Larry all called, but I let them go to voicemail.
Armsmaster told me to meet him at the hospital, but I forgot to go.
I just kept working, because I couldn't stop...not yet.
Not while people still needed my help.
***
[Saturday, May 21, 2011]
I didn't really sleep Friday night, and ended up going to the hospital around sunup.
After a few hours of healing, Strider came in for a checkup. I had replaced his missing arm on Monday (Tuesday?), and was happy to make time to check on it. We stepped into a side room, he pushed his sleeve up, and I touched his ar-
POP
Suddenly, we were in Acting Director Renick's office, the teleport so quiet I barely heard it. Before I could copy Strider's power and get back to work, he vanished again with hardly a whisper. Renick appeared beside me, as if he'd teleported as well, and smiled at me.
He led me into a side room and asked me to change into scrubs for a checkup. Apparently I was last on the list, and as Renick took my costume to get cleaned he promised it would be quick. A PRT doctor swept in and got to work, as well as asking a lot of strange questions. I answered as best I could, but it was hard to think...hard to talk...time kind of blurred for a bit...
Then I was back in Renick's office, my costume nowhere to be seen, slouching into my chair as he lectured me. He pointed out the condition of my costume, my decreased body weight, the huge bags under my eyes, and that everyone was worried about me.
It was humiliating, and nonsense! He accused me of overworking myself! Like that mattered!
I tried to counter with the fact that people were still suffering, that I had powers, and I had sworn an oath to help. The E88 and ABB were committing crimes as of this morning, they had new capes that had recently triggered, and there were even new solo villains!
"Isn't a little suffering on my part worth helping people in need?" I growled, standing up and waving a hand at the window. There was still smoke, suffering, and fear in my town. I staggered, then added, "Besides, you're getting rid of me tomorrow, anyway! Am I so useless that I can't-"
"Enough!" Renick rarely raised his voice, but even with a few extra decibels it was enough to silence me. I felt like an idiot, and turned to trudge away, but felt his hand on my shoulder as he came up beside me. "Come with me, I want to show you something. Something secret."
I walked alongside Renick as we traveled down the hall, up the stairs, and to another office area. A sign said that capes weren't allowed up here, but Renick was willing to bend the rules. I could hear a commotion ahead, and he motioned for me to stop. Renick whispered for me to peer around the corner and look. I could hear laughter, voices, and shuffling paper, and saw…
A large group of people, all gathered around someone who stood head and shoulders above them all. Not just because of his commanding presence, but because he was literally a good foot taller than most of them. Agents in suits, officers in uniform, and analysts in casual clothing, all with a huge spread of food. All of them were drinking up every word the man was saying.
I couldn't make most of it out, and couldn't even see his face, but even from behind I could see that he had an aura of charisma. He spoke of the future, plans to fix the town, getting capes back into the workforce, and swore to make them all proud of him. They cheered, and I found myself transfixed by him, by the power he wielded, with words and...something else.
I barely said a word as Renick led me back the way we'd come, and onto an elevator. That man had seemed so powerful, and there was something else that my exhausted mind kept trying to grasp. Something that set him apart from the others, but my mind was so hazy...
"That's my replacement. Thomas Calvert." Only when we were back in the elevator did Renick start talking, and now I could see the normally straight-backed soldier start to fold in on himself a bit. "Despite all my years of service, it only took a few words from him to get everyone on his side. He doesn't even start for a week, and he's already taking over. It's like he always knows just what to say, never makes mistakes, and...I know how you feel, Greg. Change is scary."
"So you're just giving up?" I felt my mind whirling, something I'd noticed just at the edge of my mind, but I couldn't concentrate. Seeing Renick like this was...heartbreaking. "You're quitting?"
"No, Greg. I'm picking my battles. I'm making sure that the people I leave behind remember me well, and that I take care of everyone I care about." The elevator doors opened, and he gently pushed me out into the lobby. "That includes you. Go home and think about how you want the people you leave behind to remember you. Trust me, it doesn't involve you burning out like this."
The elevator doors closed before I could argue, and a PRT agent marched me to a car.
***
After I was dropped off at home, I found it hard to follow Renick's directions. I wanted to be remembered for helping, but I'd been banned from helping! It didn't make any sense!
My room was carefully packed up, and I could tell that George had done it because of how neat it all was. Books here, clothes there, and...notes from my family. It hurt my heart to see their words, and I couldn't bear to read them all the way through. To see them try to make me feel better about leaving my friends behind, abandoning my town in its hour of need...
I dozed off on my bed, waking up hours later to a call from my parents. They had heard from Renick that I was at home, and would be here in an hour. I panicked, then lied and replied that I was hanging out with friends for my last night. They allowed it, but sounded kind of hurt...
A shower, fresh clothes, and my favorite jacket, and I trudged back into town. I ended up at the Boardwalk, sitting on my favorite bench and watching the sun set in Brockton Bay one last time.
Here I am. Sitting on a bench. Wasting time when people need me. With so little time left...
"So here you are." Lisa sat beside me, and I turned to see her looking off into the distance. No mask or costume for her, either. She was just in jeans, a sweater, and sneakers. "Sitting on a bench, thinking that taking some time for yourself is wasting time."
"Shut up." I grumbled, trying to ignore her. "I am wasting time. I could be doing something useful, but some dumbass tattled on me and now I'm literally benched from helping."
"Well, since you know I like getting credit, I'll just tell you that it was me." She wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I turned away with a growl. I couldn't even bear to look at her, messing with me like this. "Oh, I'm not messing with you, I mean Tattletale. It's in the name. You dodged Shadow Stalker, Vista, the Wards, your parents, and even Armsmaster, so I went to Renick."
"I just wanted to be useful." I whispered, hanging my head. "One last time, before I...leave."
She stared at me for a long minute, and then her hand squeezed my shoulder.
"I heard about your trip to San Diego, and I get why you've been working so hard. I...know how scary change can be." She stood and started to pace, her words slowly speeding up as she started listing things off. "Tomorrow, Brian's joining the Protectorate. Theo's joining the Wards. Rachel and Alec and I are being shipped to San Diego. On top of all that, Taylor's trying to convince her Dad to adopt me! Everything's changing! I should be freaking out! But..."
"But you're not." I wanted it to be a question, but it came out as a statement. She looked so happy, like she knew something I didn't. So brave... "You're not scared at all, are you?"
"No, because I know that everyone else is freaked out, too. That we're going to look out for each other, even when some of us are too dumb to look out for ourselves." She crossed her arms, glaring at me. "You nearly worked yourself into a coma, Greg. All because what...you thought we were going to fall apart without you? That all this destruction was your fault? Bullshit."
My own parents even warned me, and I still overdid it. I forgot how strong my friends are...
"Tonight, I'm throwing a going-away party for everyone." Lisa made jazz hands, a smile appearing. "Taylor's got music, Rachel's got puppies, and Allen made so much food we could barely fit it in Danny's car. We've got loads of people coming...Theo, Missy, Sophia, Carlos, Amy, Hunch, Weld, Aisha, and of course you. Might even get a few surprise guests..."
I was embarrassed, surprised that she invited me after I ignored her help all week...
"You're going away, too. So you have to come, whether you like it or not." Lisa held out a hand. "Now, are you going to come and have a great time, or am I going to have to kidnap you?"
***
The party was amazing. No masks, no costumes, just a bunch of friends hanging out and trying to have fun. It was hard to just relax, knowing that so many people needed help. But I tried.
That night, I learned that everyone else felt the same way I had. Everyone wished they had been faster, stronger, braver…and swore that next time they would be.
I talked to the villains I knew and thanked them for giving me unique perspectives, even if talking to them was one of the reasons I was going to San Diego.
I talked to the heroes I knew and thanked them for helping me become so strong, and swore I'd pass on their lessons when I was in San Diego.
Renick crashed the party eventually, glad that I had taken his advice...and willing to ignore the fact that Alec had given me a beer or two.
I'm a bit of a lightweight, because I started babbling about cool powers I'd seen at one point, but nobody stopped me.
Not even when I accidentally unmasked Mr. Calvert, talking about how cool his powers had looked earlier.
Renick and Lisa wanted to know more about his powers, so I copied Lisa's power to try and explain.
I blended Hunch's precog with Lisa's power, all three of us talking faster and faster to figure it out.
Renick got really mad, calling the Chief Director about how Calvert hadn't disclosed his powers.
Lisa got really happy, calling Armsmaster to say she'd made a breakthrough on Coil.
I was glad to help, and went around reading palms with Hunch until I passed out.
I forgot most of the night, between the beer and Thinker confusion.
When I woke up, they told me I didn't have to go to San Diego.
Calvert was being investigated, his decisions under review.
Rachel still wanted to go. Alec thought it was a vacation.
But as for me? I was staying here, with my friends...
Taylor, Theo, Allen, Lisa, and all of the Wards.
Lead by Piggot, Renick, Hannah, and Colin.
With my team and my mentors.
With my family and my town.
Learning to be a hero.
***************
Next time on From Hated to Hero: Two chapters left! Not everyone is a hero, but that doesn't mean they can't make an impact. In the Arc 3 Epilogue, time (and people) move forward.