99.2 Interlude Gully
Gully stood frozen at the edges of the convention hall. The intricate decorations of the center had provided more than enough places for her to hide from the crowd, and more importantly from the cameras. Unfortunately, it seemed her attempts at stealth were particularly meaningless in the face of one specific cape.
'Face' probably wasn't the best turn of phrase to use, considering who she was currently interacting with. Just interacting, not actually speaking because there wasn't speaking involved. Well, not more than the occasional mumbled response based on Gully's best guess as to what Garment was trying to convey.
She nodded absently as the animated purple and black dress gestured in a friendly and welcoming manner. Despite the strangeness of the experience, Garment wasn't difficult to interact with. Just the opposite really. Gully had dealt with plenty of capes with non-human anatomy and Garment behaved more naturally than the vast majority of them.
No, the awkwardness was purely on Gully's part, and was significantly more pronounced than the typical discomfort she experienced when trying to deal with other people. The awkwardness was because this was Garment. Garment, who had publicly debuted on the same night as Apeiron.
The potential connection was nothing but mad rumor, but that was basically what Gully had been reduced to. Chasing any remote chance of contacting Apeiron or the Celestial Forge. She hadn't had any luck since her sighting of Lady Khepri, and that hadn't exactly been a productive interaction. For a chance to speak with someone who might be connected to someone in the Celestial Forge Gully had been willing to brave a public event, one that Everett was specifically attending.
She had spent half of the event hanging in the back, politely nodding to other guests from the most discreet positions she could find and trying to figure out how she could manage to speak with Garment. Then, the moment that she was free from the stage, the fashion cape had begun making rounds, seeking out anyone she hadn't been able to welcome personally. Gully couldn't believe her 'luck'. More specifically, she couldn't believe how badly she was wasting it.
Garment was right there in front of her, every bit the friendly and gracious hostess she had been described as. And Gully was at a loss for words. The fact that the interaction was happening in public definitely wasn't ideal. She couldn't exactly up and ask the woman if she was secretly an associate of Apeiron, especially not when there were camera phones, photographers, and television cameras trained on them.
Garment seemed to have picked up on her reluctance and, more specifically, on the precise reason for that reluctance. She gave Gully one last amicable gesture before very deliberately drawing the public attention away from her hulking form. Gully felt a sense of relief at being out of the spotlight even as she despaired at seeing her only possible lead walk away into the crowd. She wrestled down her emotions and turned her attention back to the puppet show currently playing out on the stage. There would be other opportunities. There had to be. It would probably be possible for her to 'drop by' for a visit to Garment's studio now that she's been introduced. That was another long shot, but it was the best she had at the moment.
The puppet show playing out was really very well put together. The tone was definitely a departure from the more serious themes that had dominated the earlier portions of the event, but it seemed the audience was more than ready for something light and familiar. She wasn't as familiar with Parian's work, but those giant stuffed animals definitely made an impression when you saw them in person.
And there were also the models. It was a reminder that Parian was also a designer. With the scale of the display it would have been easy to overlook the girls showing off the elaborate gowns that the cape had designed. Fortunately, the models seemed to know what they were doing, working smoothly with both the giant animals and each other as the display played out.
The red headed girl in front definitely made an impact. Everything from the way she moved to the smile on her face just radiated energy and good will. It almost looked like she was in a different dress from the other models, but at a second look Gully could see it was the same design, she just wore it so much more naturally, it was almost like it was a part of her body.
She turned away from the admittedly impressive show before those dark thoughts could resurface. It was stupid, those feelings of envy and inadequacy, but sometimes they were nearly impossible to ignore. All the work she had done, all the effort she had put into adjusting, to finding a place for herself, a role she could be content with, it could all come crashing down at the most inopportune moments.
Fortunately, she was good at covering that as well. Gully was a master of concealing her true feelings. It was necessary for anyone who worked in a public environment like the Wards, even if they didn't have her particular issues. She took a breath before turning back to the show.
It would have been a shame to miss a display like that. Apparently, this was a fairly standard performance for Parian. The doll masked cape stood in the center of the stuffed animal menagerie, coordinating events with no visible effort. It was an impressive show of control that stood independent from her artistic elements. In her role as team leader in all but name Gully couldn't help but fall back into a round of threat assessment. A pile of squishy animals didn't come across as overly threatening, but the puppets moved with speed and confidence. Just their size and mass could probably overwhelm an unprepared cape. They didn't appear to have any level of independence, so the standard master protocol of hitting the controlling cape first probably applied.
Really, it was all an academic exercise. Something she could focus on to distract herself from the display in front of her. The tone shift from Parian's performance seemed to have raised the spirits of some of the guests, but she couldn't bring herself to join them. To her it just came across as another example of how she didn't belong in this place.
Not yet, not now. Maybe not ever, but she had to try. She had a chance and she couldn't let it slip.
Even though she just did.
Maybe she should have asked Garment if she was also a Case 53. That was another wild theory driven by hope and desperation, but the same could have been said about every reason Gully had for coming to this city. Even if Garment hadn't wanted to answer when they were observed, it would at least have been a start.
And maybe she would have had an answer. Maybe Garment was a Case 53. Maybe part of Apeiron's team, or maybe in the city for the same reason as Gully and the others who had made the trip. She knew that more Case 53s were showing up in the city, and not just from the hero side. She was far from the only person grasping at straws, and she knew some people in the community would be less delicate than her. The hope of maybe being able to make contact through Garment was a pipe dream, but it had been enough to bring her to the event. There were some Case 53s who would go much further.
That had been something that drove her to get to the city as quickly as possible. The chance at a cure, or even a treatment, was beyond belief, but it was also the kind of thing that every Case 53 in the country would be after. On top of all the concerns about the nature of the treatment and the difficulty in acquiring it, there was also a ticking clock, a countdown until someone did something stupid or dangerous. Probably both.
Desperate people made bad decisions. She fully acknowledged that her own actions could be viewed that way, but she was being reserved compared to some of the tactics that could be employed by the truly desperate. There was a burning fear that the longer this went on, the more people came to the city, the greater the chance that some disaster would happen. Some stupid, half thought out scheme designed to get Apeiron's attention or force his hand, as if that wasn't the worst idea imaginable.
She had hoped that she could get ahead of any of that chaos. Maybe even mitigate it, if at all possible. But she wasn't even in a position to help herself, much less anyone else. And now the problems of her old life had followed her to Brockton Bay.
Everett. Fortunately, she had managed to avoid the leader of the Chicago Wards, at least so far. It was unsettling how quickly she had gone from treasuring time she was able to spend with him to suddenly dreading any encounter. She was just grateful for the event schedule currently folded up in the pocket of her costume. The Chicago Wards weren't that involved in the activities, but knowing when they were arriving, when they had their interviews set, and their relation to the other teams at least gave Gully a few moments of security where she didn't feel the need to hide away in a corner.
It was lucky that Crystal had been able to charm that boy. Or maybe it had been the other way around. Either way, it was adorable, particularly considering how flustered she got whenever Gully brought up the subject.
It also caused another pang of envy that Gully expertly buried. Of course Crystal would be able to catch the eyes of the cutest boy working at the event. And Gully meant that, both in her assessment of Crystal and the boy who she'd managed to charm. That statement didn't carry any anger or derision for Crystal. She might have been more reserved than her cousin, but both her and Glory Girl shared an iconic hero look. It was the kind of thing that naturally drew eyes and attention. The good kind of attention, not the type Gully needed to live with.
It was easier to quash those feelings with Crystal involved. Their situations weren't remotely similar, but it had been nice meeting someone who also preferred to stay out of the spotlight. Apparently, Crystal has always been regarded as a lesser version of her mother and later her cousin. The combination of a 'generic' powerset and a need to maintain distance during fights meant she never got the level of attention that the press had showered on Glory Girl, something that she was more than happy about.
Crystal was unusually focused on staying in the background and not being recognized, almost to the point where Gully wondered if there was more to the story. Regardless, it had been a point of common ground for the two of them. It was definitely easier than dealing with some excessive extrovert who was always trying to drag her to social events. Really, Gully cherished Facetime's friendship, but that girl could be a bit much.
There was more common ground to be found with members of New Wave in the fact that they also couldn't escape their cape identities. It wasn't really the same, but unlike so many other heroes, Crystal didn't have the option of not being Laserdream. Just like Gully was always Gully, whether she was on the clock or not.
She looked over to where Crystal was doing the rounds, so to speak. Most of the attention was on Parian's show, but there were still quiet interactions between guests as well as constantly roving cameras catching reaction shots. Another thing Gully was keen to avoid.
She knew Crystal would have preferred to avoid them as well. This would be the first public appearance from a member of New Wave since the entire situation had begun. Family drama, playing out for the world with no way to avoid it. Gully could recognize the signs of extensive public relations training as Crystal politely interacted with the other attendees, making sure to move on quickly and show no discomfort regarding her situation. Or as little discomfort as possible.
Crystal spotted Gully in the corner of her eye, but made a point to avoid drawing attention to her location. She quickly wrapped up her exchange with an older man in an expensive business suit, one of the civilian guests and donors, before circling back towards the edge of the hall. Gully watched Crystal's progress as Parian's show wrapped up with a rather impressive display of dexterity from the stuffed animals that created a scene framing the cape and her models. A ripple of applause spread through the hall and Crystal used the distraction to close the distance to Gully's not quite hiding spot.
"That went over well." Gully said, watching the stage as Parian and her models took a polite bow before retreating backstage.
Crystal smiled at the sight. "Yeah. I must have seen that routine a half dozen times. It's one of her most popular shows." She turned towards the stage. "It's nice seeing it here. Like, after everything, things are actually getting back to normal. Or they might be, you know?"
Gully shrugged. "I guess." She hadn't known much about Parian before she came to the city. Really just that she existed. That Brockton Bay had a cape who made giant stuffed animals. Even that wouldn't have been notable if she hadn't been operating independently as a rogue. Independent operators were rare and it had been enough for someone to mention Parian. "I haven't seen one of her shows before, so it's all new to me."
Crystal nodded. "Probably to a lot of people." Her eyes darted up to the cameras. Gully felt her stomach lurch.
"So, the stream is popular?" She asked. Crystal nodded again and took out her phone.
"A lot more than anyone expected." She let out a huff. "If my mom had known she probably would have put something together for the team, despite everything…."
Gully just gave a slow nod. If the eyes of the country were on the event, having Crystal here on her own probably said more about New Wave's situation than the complete absence of the team would have.
Crystal brushed it off and turned back to Gully. "It looked like Garment was headed this way. Did you…?" She asked. Gully shook her head.
"It was… nice, to meet her." She said, taking a breath. "She really is very expressive. I couldn't get most of it, but it was clearly positive. Welcome. At least, I think…"
"Yeah." Crystal turned and scanned the crowd for the sight of those pure white gloves framing the beautiful black and purple gown. "That's pretty common, from what I hear. Not like it's bad to interact with her, but there's a sense you're only getting about fifteen percent of what she's trying to get across."
Gully nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"So I'm guessing you didn't get to ask anything?" Crystal said sympathetically. With a form of sympathy that Gully could actually bear being directed at her.
"No." She said with a sigh. "There was too much attention. It wasn't the time to ask anything like that, and I don't know if I would have been able to understand her if the answer was any more complex than a straight yes or no."
Crystal nodded in understanding. "Probably not the best place to bring out a phone and start typing."
"No." Gully agreed. "And it probably would have delayed the show."
They shared a smile, but the subject drew Gully's eyes towards Garment's position at the other end of the hall. Plenty of Case 53s had trouble communicating, as well as other capes who were adversely affected by their powers. Garment's situation wasn't unique, but there was an unusual aspect to it. She could clearly understand other people and recognize spoken and written communication, but there seemed to be some critical problem when it came to her responses.
There were endless theories on the subject. Some people actually thought it was a gimmick, something Garment was using to draw attention, as if she would have needed to resort to those kinds of tactics. It was obvious that she could form responses to people, but it seemed to take a titanic amount of effort to translate them into even basic English communication, to the point where Garment rarely bothered with more than a single word at a time. Obviously, there was something more complicated going on, but that was just another barrier for Gully to contend with on what might end up being a dry well.
As Parian's puppets and models began to retreat from the stage Crystal glanced at the crowd, then back to Gully. "Um, I saw Tecton, with the Chicago wards."
Gully stiffened slightly then nodded her head.
"Just an introduction." Crystal continued. "I don't think he knew that we knew each other."
Gully nodded again and let out a breath. "Maybe this was a mistake." She muttered.
"Is it going to be that bad?" Crystal asked. "I mean, from what you've told me about him… and he seemed nice."
"He is nice." Gully said. "Too nice. That's the problem. It's easy to get caught up, to lose track of things, and then…" She trailed off and shook her head.
"I get it." Crystal said in an understanding tone.
Gully looked down at the other girl and felt a sense of amusement at the situation. "I suppose so. You know, seeing as you can't pick up a bottle of water without snaring a cute technician."
Crystal flushed and seemed to pull into herself. "That was… I mean…" She shook her head. "I just stumbled across when he was stuck dealing with personal stuff in public. I'm just lucky he didn't take it badly."
It was really way too much fun to tease Crystal about what had happened. "Well, I for one am glad that you were able to seduce a member of staff and get us all that inside information."
"Oh, stop." Crystal said with a playful smile. "He offered, and I knew you were worried about it. There was no seduction involved."
"Right." Gully said, eying the much smaller girl. "So, when is he meeting you for coffee?" It really was adorable the way Crystal could blush as red as the accents on her costume. Gully watched as the embarrassment seemed to recede, being replaced with a kind of weariness as Crystal looked up at her.
"I shouldn't be bothering with this." Gully raised an eyebrow. Crystal let out a short breath. "With Amy and my parents and everything happening with the team this is about the worst time possible for these kinds of distractions."
Gully looked down on her and shook her head. "In my very, very limited experience, you really don't get to pick when 'these kinds of distractions' show up." She glanced out over the crowd, picking out the armored figure that towered over most of the rest of the guests. Thankfully Everett's back was to her and he was engaged in a discussion with some of the other guests.
"That's another thing." Crystal said. "With what you're dealing with, I shouldn't…" She shook her head. "Maybe I should call it off."
"No." Gully said firmly. Crystal looked up at her. "At least not on my account. Definitely not on my account." She muttered.
"Sorry." Crystal said quickly. It was about as close as she had come to pitying Gully's situation, but Gully had a feeling that it wasn't really about that.
"If you're dealing with too much to handle this kind of thing, that's fine, just don't back out for my sake." She added.
Crystal nodded. "You're right. After all, it's just coffee with some friends.
Friends who would be helping Crystal vet Joe. Gully hadn't gotten any red flags from her interaction with the boy. That was despite what a public confrontation about a failed past relationship would typically indicate. The way Crystal had described it, the situation wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Still, Gully could understand how Crystal might have been a little too distracted to pick up on everything. She could specifically understand several prominent ways that Crystal might have been distracted. It definitely helped to get your friend's opinions on stuff like this. Providing they didn't end up equally distracted.
Crystal looked up at Gully and almost seemed to be following her train of thought. "Hey, would you like to come as well? I know my friends would love to meet you."
Gully slowly shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass." It wasn't just about being a third wheel, since that was kind of the point of how the not coffee-date was set up. "I'm more comfortable getting my coffee at the shop by the fire station."
Crystal nodded and thankfully didn't comment further. The unfortunate fact was, not a lot of places were built to accommodate someone of her size. That went for scale as well as weight. She didn't know what the university's coffee shop was like, but she'd prefer not to have everyone need to work to accommodate her.
Additionally, while Crystal clearly had confidence in her friends' reactions, Gully wasn't as sure. There was usually some level of discomfort or unease at her presence, even if people knew she was coming. Some could hide it better than others, but it was rare to meet someone who didn't have some level of reservation about her.
Joe hadn't really reacted to her like that, but Crystal had already told him about her. Also, he'd been working with recovery efforts. She had to smile slightly at that. Sure, it was a little cynical being valued for what she could do, but that didn't change the fact that her arrival on any of the city's disaster sites was met with completely genuine elation. She might be working as a glorified earthmover, but compared to the effort needed to clear rubble by hand a mobile earthmover who could operate in the Dark Zone was exactly what the city needed.
That felt good. It was like her presence in the city was for more than just selfish reasons. It probably helped that there wasn't really anything drawing her away from helping. She could chase dead or hopeless leads, or she could help people who needed it and hope to stumble across something, like she had that first night. If she had the chance, would she have left the city to fend for itself while she chased down a lead or sought out a possible solution? Maybe. She wished she could say that she would definitely have done the right thing, but it was hard to be certain. Maybe it was for the best that there hadn't been any hard choices. That she could help without having to give anything up beyond time that she could more than spare.
Crystal looked towards the crowd again. Uppercrust had made his way back onto the stage with the help of his cane and was introducing the upcoming auction, to be streamed from New York. From what Gully understood, it was set up for remote bidding, but anyone serious about that kind of thing was tied in directly rather than attending the event in Brockton Bay. The hall was set up for observation rather than participation.
Which also meant that the guests would be a lot less engaged. The stream was going to be focused on the auction, as well as the occasional reaction to it. Which meant it was going to be easier to move around without attracting attention. Which meant it would be harder to avoid anyone that you had been carefully trying to avoid.
Gully could see Crystal had reached the same conclusion. She looked up at Gully in concern. "Tecton… he's going to try to speak with you about all this, isn't he?"
Gully let out a long breath. "Probably." She looked back towards the cluster of out-of-town Wards. "I just don't want to have THIS conversation. Not here, not like this." Not ever, if she was being honest.
It was so damn complicated, and it wasn't fair. That was nothing new for Gully, but this was worse than the general bad hand she had slowly adjusted herself to be able to deal with. Everett was NICE. He was kind and considerate and accepting. He was interested in her. Not just in how her power worked, but all the little details of her life and personality. Things that most people assumed she either didn't have or that they would be uncomfortable or disturbing.
It was supposed to be professional. She was professional. He was professional. Their collaboration was professional. Somehow, taking things any further than that seemed like a betrayal of that professional partnership. Worse, like a burden that she was unfairly placing on Everett. Something he had to deal with, despite doing nothing to deserve it.
She hadn't meant for it to happen, but like she said to Crystal, you didn't get to pick opportune moments for this kind of thing. She had done a poor job of concealing her feelings. Shocking really, but it turns out a lifetime of burying emotional reactions doesn't automatically qualify you to be able to deal with things when you get unexpectedly blindsided by feelings you never wanted to develop.
They had been polite about the situation. Really, there wasn't any other alternative. Only now Everett was here, because… well, it could be because of any number of reasons, but most of them trailed back to that stupid emotional weakness that she hated herself for.
Crystal nodded. "He's probably not going to say anything too direct if you're in public, and if you can slip away…"
Gully shook her head. "I'm not slipping out anywhere." She admitted. "Subtle was never my strong suit." She sighed.
"Are you going to be okay?" Crystal asked. "Anything I can do to help?"
"You're already helping." Gully said. Then she put on a weak smile. "And not just because of your expert use of feminine wiles earlier."
Crystal flushed again, but there was a slight smile on her face. Really, the schedule had been helpful, but mostly for the first half of the event. After the auction things would begin wrapping up and there weren't many commitments that could keep Tecton busy enough for Gully to avoid him.
Really, Everett chasing her down was like something out of a daydream, but of course it ended up twisted into the worst form imaginable. This was likely the dreaded awkward conversation about how Gully felt coupled with every concern she had already heard about her plan to seek out Apeiron. Only it would be so much worse because it would be coming from him.
"Well, I don't know about any wiles, but I'm here if you need me." Crystal said.
"Thanks. I…" Gully cut herself off as she felt her phone vibrate. Specific pulses, meaning a call from Facetime. A direct call, when it was only… eleven in the morning in California. Okay, not that early for Facetime, but probably a call right when the tinker had woken up. She fished out the oversized smartphone her friend had built for her and glanced at Crystal.
"Right. I'll catch you later." She said, splitting off and leaving Gully to fade further towards the edge of the hall as she answered the call.
"Hello?" She said as softly as she could in her rough voice.
"Hey girl!" Her friend's familiar voice came through the line. "Saw you on the stream and had to check in. Glad to see you made it to the party."
Gully let out a short huff. "Laserdream dragged me here." She said, "I didn't want to end up on the broadcast."
"Guess I owe her for that. And don't worry, you looked great. Really caught your best angle. Plus you got to meet Garment." There was a leading edge at the end of Facetime's sentence.
"Yeah." Gully said. "I didn't get much time with her, and she's not that easy to understand, but you can tell she's really nice."
"Right. Nice." Facetime said. "And that's all you got from her?"
Gully shifted awkwardly. Really, there was no way that Facetime wouldn't be on top of every rumor surrounding the Celestial Forge. Given the complete lack of leads that Gully had seen since the night of the Ungodly Hour it was easy to tell what her friend was getting at.
"Like I said, we didn't have much time. It wasn't really a talk." She said sadly.
"Yeah, but you didn't notice anything else?" Facetime said pointedly.
"Not really…" Gully said in confusion.
"Nothing about her dress?" Facetime asked pointedly.
Gully blinked. "Um, I've never really been into fashion." For obvious reasons. "I couldn't even tell you what kind of dress it was-"
"Modern take on the Victorian half-mourning dress, indicating the reintroduction of colors following a period of grieving. It's tied into the thematic elements of the event with commentary on the city's broader circumstances." Facetime said quickly. "And she's going to be releasing a video about it tonight, along with the other design elements of the event."
"Oh." Gully said. "Well, that's great but…"
"Girl, you know I love you, so just listen for a minute. I've been working on a lot of the stuff your awesome self has been sending me from that crazy city, and thank you for that, sincerely, but you know how the higher ups can get about this kind of thing." Gully tensed and found herself standing taller as Facetime spoke. "I really, really wish I could have a proper heart to heart about everything I've been working on, but you know that's not possible. So I'm asking you, did you personally notice anything special about Garment's dress? That modernized half-mourning dress, the one with the detailed embroidery?" Facetime said. "Like the embroidery she has on all of her dresses, but only HER dresses?"
Gully froze. She remembered the design. A deep purple blending the mix between the fabrics, sewn in a way that just barely shimmered in the light of the hall. Had there been something about that? Well, obviously there had been. Facetime was being as blatant as she could without being immediately censored, and even then this was probably brushing close enough to get her in some serious trouble if it got out.
Something about the embroidery on Garment's dress. Gully hadn't followed all of Garment's videos, not with the hours she was working, but she had at least skimmed the titles. She knew Garment had done instructional videos on that sewing technique and every dress she remembered seeing from the video thumbnails had some kind of design incorporated into it.
There was a link between that and the things Gully had been working with. The things she had been sending back to Facetime. Those were limited to the particle samples and some small samples of the elemental material from the energy trails. Most of that had been handed over to the local PRT, but Facetime had managed to get some requisitions through for direct access.
The elemental trails that had spread when Apeiron was attacked. Elemental powers that had been tied to symbols on his costume. Incredibly complex designs, not anything like the ones that Garment used, but she could see the link.
Her experience with that material was probably the only reason why Facetime was able to be this open about her questioning. Most of the samples she had retrieved were crystalline dusts of various colors or effects, but they were still mineral, at least according to her power.
Her power still worked best with the samples that produced rock, sand, glass, or other solids when discharged, but she could somewhat affect any of the types. Not to the same degree of control, but enough to extract samples and isolate the material from the surrounding rock. Considering the way the material responded when stressed, it was one of the few safe methods of isolating it. That was probably why recovery efforts had been so limited. A source of magical tinker rocks was a lot less appealing when they were likely to do nothing but burn, shock, or explode on the person trying to work with them.
Had she been able to sense that material in Garment's dress? Not exactly. It hadn't been the earth or stone variants that she could easily control, and the other types were more nebulous, but from what Facetime was saying, it was obvious that the Protectorate knew something, something they were either looking to Gully to confirm, or checking to see if there had been an information breach on a matter of incredibly high security.
A matter like Garment's association with the Celestial Forge. Like evidence of one of Apeiron's technologies worked into her dress. Technology that she might actually have been the creator of.
"I'm not sure." Gully said carefully. Carefully enough to avoid admitting to knowing a secret of that level.
Garment WAS associated with the Celestial Forge. She didn't know how closely, but there was a link. A tangible link, the first one she had seen in nearly a week. The only one that she might be able to follow through with, providing she could catch Garment after the show. A tall order, but not nearly as impossible as somehow tracking down Apeiron directly.
"Well, that's a shame." Facetime said in a highly artificial tone. "Be sure to let me know if you notice anything. You know, if you happen to speak with her again." Gully could practically hear the smile in Facetime's voice.
"Trust me, you'll be the first to know." Gully said. "And thank you."
"Anything for you, girl. Now, go knock 'em dead." Gully felt a genuine smile bloom on her face as she ended the call.
Then she felt that smile wither as she heard the all too familiar sounds of mechanical footsteps approaching her. That precise series of actuators and hydraulics. The exact cadence that came from legs of a frame slightly oversized for the occupant. She remembered when that sound approaching would fill her with joy and excitement, rather than dread.
Slowly, Gully turned and found herself face to face with the leader of the Chicago Wards. Actually face to face. A rare occurrence, but one facilitated by the scale of the power armor he wore. It was a beautiful piece of work, glossy brown with brass highlights. Piledriver gauntlets, the product of their time together, the study of her power applied to Everett's specialization. His face was covered by a helmet that left the back of his head exposed, but his eyes were visible through the mask's large lens, letting Gully see the concerned expression on his face.
Slowly she stowed her phone as Everett covered the last of the distance between them. They were about as out of the way as possible, meaning they were hidden from the majority of the guests and the cameras handling the stream. It meant their conversation wouldn't be public, but it also meant there wouldn't be cause to avoid the topics that Gully desperately wanted to avoid.
"Gully." He said cautiously. "It's good to see you."
"Tecton." She said, nearly stammering. Moments like this made her acutely aware of exactly how deep her voice was. With the background noise from the auction she couldn't speak as softly as she would have liked, leaving her feeling exposed.
Tecton moved closer, which mean she was less exposed but also dealing with a lot of additional problems she'd very much rather not have to address at the moment.
"I wasn't sure you'd be here." He said.
"I've been helping with the recovery." She said, trying to keep her tone from coming across as defensive. It was a better excuse than using the event as an opportunity to approach Garment, particularly now that she had confirmation of Garment's connection to Apeiron.
"I know." He said. She couldn't see his face, but his eyes suggested he was smiling. "Everyone I've talked to has been singing your praises."
"Right power in the right place." She replied, downplaying her contributions. After all, she wasn't here for purely altruistic reasons. But then again, neither was Everett.
"I guess it was lucky you were here." He said. Gully cringed internally, but was able to maintain a front of calm. It was something she had a lot of practice with.
Fortunately, he seemed almost as adrift as she was. She had been worried he would sweep in with a series of condemnations, accusations, and directives from the higher ups. Instead he was floundering. The suit concealed his body language, but Gully could tell from his eyes. Now that he had found her he had no idea what he was doing.
At least that made two of them.
"Um, we're going to be working the edges of the Dark Zone later today." He said in a much less certain voice than she was used to hearing from him. "With Shuffle and the rest of the team, we're pretty well equipped for clearing rubble, but I know there's a lot of restoration that's needed to get things functional again. I wanted to ask, would you'd be open to coordinating with the team?"
It was the kind of thing she would normally have jumped at. It was also an excuse to delay this conversation. Meaning it wouldn't happen in a crowded convention center. No, it would probably happen in a location that she couldn't back out of with the support of the rest of the Chicago Wards, Shuffle, and whatever heroes they could drag in to try to talk her out of this.
Looking at Tecton, she knew it probably wouldn't be that bad. There was real concern in his eyes. Concern for her, which was simultaneously heartening and devastating. That was the thing that frightened her most about this. The idea that maybe her conviction would falter. Maybe she could be talked down. Convinced to give up and slink back to California under admonishing looks and cries of 'I told you so'.
She couldn't let that happen.
"I don't think that's a good idea." She said, "I've been working with the fire service and they've got things pretty well mapped out. Also, most of the work is inside the blackout area, and…" She gestured to his suit.
"Right. Right." He said, managing to look bashful through eight feet of power armor. "That's crazy stuff. The Protectorate has guides on hardening technology against that field, but it's not an easy process. I haven't had a chance to look into it."
"They must have sent you down here on short notice." She said more sharply than she intended.
Everett shifted again, causing the bulk of his armor to rise before resettling. He took a breath before looking across at Gully. "They didn't send me down here. I volunteered."
"That was nice of you." She said, "Did the rest of your team volunteer as well?"
"I asked them to come." He said. "We have some new members, and this kind of work is what we're specializing in. It's being allocated as training as well as disaster relief."
"Right." She looked at Everett. "And how much do they know about the other reason why you're here?"
Everett looked back at her. "You mean the reason why you're here?" He asked. It was almost an accusation, but Gully bore it without flinching. Everett met her gaze, but he was the one who acquiesced first.
"They don't know." He admitted. "Not exactly. There are theories, rumors online, but nothing more than that."
Gully relaxed slightly as she nodded. At least this wasn't likely to turn into an intervention from Everett's entire team. "But you know more than that?" She asked.
Everett nodded. "The PRT explained things to me. About what was happening."
"What exactly did they say was happening?" She asked.
Everett checked their surroundings again before replying. She knew his thinker power gave him a better sense of spatial awareness than most people, but she could tell he was nervous. They were relatively isolated and most of the focus was on the stream of the New York auction, but they were also capes. Two of the largest capes in the room. Hoping to go completely unnoticed was mostly a lost cause.
Fortunately no one was paying attention to them, at least not closely enough to overhear. Still, Everett moved in to close some of the distance between them.
"I know Weld made a deal with Apeiron and was able to get some treatment." He said. "I know he was able to leak what happened, and I know other Case 53s have been coming to the city to try to find Apeiron."
Gully gave him a direct look. "You know that, and you're trying to stop me?"
She could see his expression soften. "Gully, I'm worried about what might happen."
"Worried?" She asked. "That's why you're here? Not because the PRT or Protectorate wants to keep things quiet until they figure out how to spin the situation?"
"I know what the PRT is trying to do, but that doesn't change the situation." Everett said. "This is dangerous. Insanely dangerous. I don't want to see…" He trailed off and Gully almost wished she couldn't see his expression.
"What?" She asked.
Everett took a breath before he continued. There was a firm conviction in his eyes as he spoke. "When they explained what happened they showed me records of other people who tried to 'help' Case 53s." The amount of concern in his voice was almost painful. "Lab Rat, Orchard, even Ingenue. It was bad, Gully. Really bad. I didn't realize how dangerous this was. A lot of times the subjects were lucky to survive and there were physical or… mental consequences."
The sheer sincerity of the concern in his words was almost impossible to bear. This was what she had been worried about. Not anger or derision. Not the kind of patronizing dismissal that she had dealt with her entire life. Words of concern from someone who actually cared about her.
"They… they weren't Apeiron." Gully said quietly. "No one is like Apeiron. And Weld hasn't had any problems." If he had, the PRT would have led with them, rather than digging up every biological horror story short of Bonesaw's personal projects.
"Not yet." Everett said, "But it's barely been a week. Nobody is sure what's going to happen. There's no way to tell what was done to him was safe."
She gritted her teeth. "Is there any way that is 'safe'? Some secure method that I don't know about, or is it all just a matter of degree? Or worse, a choice between risk and nothing? And I should choose nothing?"
"That's not what I meant." He said.
"Then what did you mean?" She asked. She had to work to keep the emotion out of her voice. To keep her tone quiet enough to avoid drawing attention. "You want me to sit back until someone tells me that it's safe enough for me to try, and then hope that I haven't missed my chance?" She spared a quick glance towards the crowd. "Things have been moving insanely fast. Too fast for anyone to keep up. How long am I supposed to wait to make sure that things are safe enough? A month? Six months? A year? Or do I need to wait for long term studies?"
Everett shook his head. "Things have been moving fast." For a second it almost seemed like he wasn't just talking about the situation in Brockton Bay. "This would have been risky enough if it was just a tinker with a new type of treatment, but with everything else that's happened with him and his team…" He dropped his eyes. "It's too much to deal with."
"So I shouldn't try?" She asked. "I should just sit back and hope things work out?"
"The Protectorate is working on this." He assured her with more faith than she could muster on the subject. "You can trust them to work something out, make an arrangement…"
"I can trust the Protectorate to look out for the Protectorate." She said coldly. "You said it yourself. Things are moving fast and this is a lot to deal with. Where do you think people like me are going to stand in terms of their priorities when it comes time to make a deal with Apeiron?"
Everett slumped inside his armor. "I don't know." He admitted.
She at least appreciated that. Everett wasn't blind to the situation that Case 53s dealt with. They were something that the Protectorate couldn't ignore, but they were far from a top priority. Even he could recognize that a lot of their efforts were performative. It was more about creating the sense that they were doing something than actually doing something.
"I just don't want you getting hurt." He said. "I don't want you to rush into something dangerous because of-" He caught himself and quickly shut his mouth.
Gully felt a storm of emotions welling inside her. Every instinct had to be restrained lest she cause a scene like no other. Without the threat of ending up broadcast across the country she didn't know if she would have been able to contain her emotions. Instead she bit down on every one of the feelings she had far too much experience containing and forced herself to present a front of calm.
"Because of what, Tecton?" She said in a low voice. "Because of you? Because of us?"
She could see the shame in his eyes. He looked at her with a soft expression and spoke quietly.
"You don't have to do this."
That nearly broke her. The implied meaning wrenched at her insides. Everett knew. She knew that he knew and he knew that she knew that he knew, but they never actually talked about it. It was better that way. It let Gully pretend that she was fine. That things were fine and she was happy with how they were. And most of all, it meant that Everett didn't have to address them. That he didn't need to make a choice.
Everett liked her, at least on a certain level. Not liked-liked, to use juvenile phrasing, but they were friends. Close friends. Intellectually and professionally they got along well. Too well. That was probably how it happened. Gully hated herself for developing feelings. It wasn't fair to someone in her situation and it definitely wasn't fair to Everett. It wasn't fair to put that on him.
And he was willing to… she couldn't even bring herself to put it into words. He was willing to try. The idea was hard enough under normal circumstances, but for him to present it like this, as a way to stop her from taking a dangerous risk, that was so much worse.
It was too much like he was taking on a burden to save her from herself. And that's what it would be. They might be close, but there were barriers that her condition presented that couldn't be ignored.
"Yes, I do." She said, "There isn't another choice." She looked directly at Everett. Just being able to look someone in the eyes. It was so nice. Something she had missed. Something that had crept up on her. "They showed you what the other options were. There's nothing else I can try."
Everett took a breath. "And you have to try? Right now, you have to do this?"
"Yes." She said, drawing up conviction from the storm of emotions within her. "I want a chance to have a normal life."
"You don't need to do something like this for that." He tried to counter.
"No, but I want to do this." She said quietly. "If I'm… with someone, I don't want other people feeling sorry for them, or thinking they're acting out of PITY." She spat. "Or worse, that they're only with me because their… interests fall in that direction."
Even Everett blanched at that. The sad fact was, she wasn't totally without romantic prospects, they were just rather specialized. Thankfully, as a Ward that kind of thing was filtered out of any fan mail she received, but being a Case 53 didn't stop the cape shipping, it just took it in a very particular angle.
The whole situation was a bad look. It tended to tar any potential relationship a Case 53 could have, leaving the community to mostly stick to their own. That made the speculation even worse in certain circles, but at least it stopped things from spilling over onto other heroes.
Like it would if anything happened between her and Everett. She didn't want any potential relationship that had to be the product of some noble self-sacrifice, and she didn't need to be saved from herself.
"I'm sorry." He said with sincerity.
"It's not your fault." She assured him. Well, everything up to this moment wasn't his fault. She still would very much have preferred he stay in Chicago until things played out, one way or the other.
"Still, I'm sorry for butting in. It wasn't my place." He said.
"You were worried." After the PRT ensured he would be. "And I wasn't exactly making myself accessible."
"I understand why." He said. "Gully, a lot of people are worried about this, and not just about the ways that the treatment could go wrong. The whole situation has the potential to get really ugly."
"Wait, you mean the Protectorate is more concerned about the politics of a situation than helping the people caught up in it?" Gully snarked. "Color me shocked."
"That's fair." He said. "And I guess I was playing into it. But please, be careful. I don't want to see you hurt."
Gully glanced away and pawed at the coarse hair of her bangs. "I don't think there's a careful way to approach this kind of thing."
"Still…" Everett said, leaning forward.
"I'll try." She said, glancing back at him. She could see him relax. Not completely, but it seemed he was willing to count that as a small victory.
"Thank you." He said. "Though I'm guessing you don't have anything lined up?"
Gully gave a small shrug. "If I did, I wouldn't be here." She shook her head. "Apeiron isn't easy to reach. The closest I got was running into Lady Khepri after the Ungodly Hour, and that wasn't exactly a productive exchange."
"I heard about that." He said. Because of course they would have briefed him on what she'd been doing. "Things were pretty bad in the aftermath."
"Things are still bad." She said, "But yeah, when the ABB was coming down and everything they'd done came to light, that was a special kind of bad."
"I heard about it." He said. "Some of the stuff they found…" He shook his head. "I can't believe they let things get that bad."
"I don't think anyone's really considering the local department to be well managed." Or even basically competent, judging by some of the local opinions on the matter.
"Tell me about it." Everett said. "The kind of dispatch they've set up for us is usually reserved for situations where there's a complete breakdown in local command structure. I mean total, like no local office anymore." He looked back to the crowd, picking out the occasional local hero. "It's like the rest of the country is trying to distance themselves from how things played out here."
"I can understand why." Gully said diplomatically. Nobody wanted people to think that any aspect of the situation in Brockton Bay was normal. What that meant for the people dealing with the situation was yet to be seen. "Have you heard anything about the local department? Any rumors?"
"Well, there's an investigation, but that's to be expected. And people always throw around crazy ideas like the city being put under the authority of another department or something like that." He shook his head. "It's all nonsense. As far as I can tell, things are too unstable for anyone to have a clear picture of what's happening."
"But not too unstable to send in a team of Wards?" Gully asked.
"They're keeping us on a short leash." He said. "Special dispatch. Technically, it's an extended mission under Shuffle. And I think they were hoping we would help make things less unstable."
"The team, or you specifically?" Gully asked.
Tecton shrugged, but the motion was somewhat diminished by his armor. "I know this was a chess move from the higher ups, but I wouldn't have come if I wasn't worried. Please, be careful." He said, "I don't want anything bad happening to you."
Gully glanced down at her oversized hands and callused fingers. "Something bad already happened to me." She raised a hand. "You can dress it up and avoid bringing attention to it, but that doesn't change what I have to live with every day."
"I know." He said. "That wasn't what I meant, but I know, for you and all the other Case 53s."
She took a breath. "A lot of them are heading for the city?" He nodded. "I don't suppose you're giving this talk to all of them?"
"I don't think I'm the best person for that." He shook his head. "Probably wasn't the best person for this, whatever this turned out to be."
Gully had to smile at that. Whatever the Protectorate and PRT had hoped to accomplish clearly wasn't panning out. That was enough to give her some level of satisfaction and helped shift the tone of the encounter just a little.
"I'm glad you're here." She said. Everett looked at her with a shocked expression. "Not why you're here, but it's nice to see you."
He nodded. "You too." He turned back to the crowd and let out a long, slow breath. "So, I guess if PRT scheming is a bust, we might as well start fresh."
"See, the problem was relying on you for scheming." She said.
"Are you saying I can't scheme?" He asked. "What about all those training matches?"
"Those are tactics, not schemes." She corrected. "We both know you're too straight laced for any proper scheming."
He let out a short laugh and she smiled at his reaction. "I guess I'll just have to rely on my team for that."
"You seriously put together a group of shakers?" Gully asked. It was a very Everett thing to do, the kind of idea that he would ruminate on when they were working together. She was just surprised to see it actually come together.
"Not all shakers, but generally environmental manipulation. Enough to build on each other's strengths and cover weaknesses. And there's a spot open for you if you want it."
Gully shook her head. "I think I'm committed as far as Brockton Bay goes."
He looked at her and she had the feeling he was smiling. "I wasn't talking about Brockton Bay."
Gully raised an eyebrow. "You're launching into a recruitment pitch? After that?"
He shrugged again. "I know it's a long shot, particularly to get you away from California." That was no lie. Gully had thoughts about what they referred to as weather in Chicago.
"Yeah, I still don't know how you managed to convince Wanton." Gully said with a weak smile. "For me, that's going to be an uphill battle."
"Can't fault me for trying." He said. "We can talk about it later. Would you like to get dinner, while we're both in town? Maybe tomorrow night?"
Gully knew it was probably an attempt to keep track of her, but she couldn't help but smile. The restaurant scene was one area she could negotiate with confidence, even if they typically stuck with takeout most of the time.
"I'd like that." She said with a smile.
Turning back to the crowds Gully could spot Crystal keeping an eye on her while half focusing on a conversation with a group of civilians. Apparently she had been ready to swoop in if things got out of hand, but hadn't wanted to interrupt out of hand. On the main screen the stream from the auction showed the current bid close out and the next outfit introduced. Everything was progressing normally. No interventions, no concerned heroes looking to step in. The million nightmare scenarios she had pictured playing out fell away, leaving a familiar interaction in their place.
"You aren't going to get in trouble for not talking me out of this, are you?" She asked.
Tecton shook his head. "Some people will be disappointed, but all this is buried too deep for anyone to really come down on me over it. Honestly, there are so many layers to this situation that I'm not even sure how deep it goes."
"You think they were keeping things from you?" She asked.
"I know they were keeping things from me. I just don't know if this is the typical Protectorate information control situation, or if there's something serious being covered up." He shook his head. "I mean, this is all surface level, but at least people are actually dealing with the surface level stuff."
"Yeah, that's good for the people who actually live on the surface." Gully said. The Protectorate and PRT could play their games with misdirection and concealment, but that didn't matter to the people who had lost their homes or jobs, people who were injured and hungry. The deeper stuff might be important, but it doesn't mean that normal people should be overlooked.
"Hey, would you like to meet my team?" Everett asked. "I get it if you want to lie low, but…"
Gully considered the number of cameras. The amount of exposure she would be bringing on herself. But then again, she'd already shown up on the stream. Disappearing completely would probably raise more questions than just being there in the background.
"No, I can handle it." She said, turning to the crowd. "Let's go."
They attracted a degree of attention as they moved through the main floor, but that was mostly down to their size. The auction seemed to have been taken as a slight break period, at least for people not participating. A few of the better dressed guests had mobile devices out, though how many of them were actually bidding was anyone's guess. There was a lot of money tied up on the richer side of the city, but Gully was still getting her head around the scale of it.
For the rest of the guests her and Everett were what they came to events like this to see. Face to face time with heroes, even if they weren't particularly well known ones. It was slow progress through the crowd with the number of people they had to greet. Slower since they had to repeatedly introduce themselves and explain what they were doing in the city. Gully had gotten used to being recognized on sight, but apparently the reputation she'd built up was limited to parts of the city that didn't typically attend expensive charity shows. There were a few flashes of recognition, but it was mostly the fact that some cape had been doing good work in the recovery, rather than any recognition of her personally.
Following the trail of cape fans as they were passed from one introduction to another had the additional effect of seeing them cross paths with other heroes walking the same route.
"Tecton, correct?" The woman in army fatigues and an American flag mask said as she greeted Everett.
"From the Chicago team? I don't believe I've had the chance to welcome you."
"Yes ma'am." He said to the acting head of the local Protectorate. "It's nice to meet you."
"Yes." Gully said in an even voice.
"And Gully." Miss Militia was a little more formal with her. "I'd like to personally commend you on your work with the city's recovery."
Everett turned to her with bright eyes, but they dimmed when he saw her expression. It was a minor thing, but Miss Militia was personally commending Gully. Not on behalf of the Protectorate or in her role as leader. Personally, meaning no official statement being issued.
"Thank you." Gully replied. The woman was clearly earnest and good natured, but she was tied to the mess of politics and scandal that was the local office. Nearly a week of listening to local opinion about the PRT's handling of the crisis hadn't improved her impression of the situation.
And that wasn't even getting into what had been revealed in the aftermath of the Ungodly Hour. The things that ABB had been doing weren't examples of a gang's actions getting out of hand, they were the kinds of things that would warrant a national response. She was grateful she only had to deal with the aftermath rather than the worst examples of their crimes.
"Will you be working with the Chicago team on further recovery work?" Miss Militia asked.
Gully eyed her carefully. Once again, she came across as earnest and friendly, but she couldn't help her suspicions. A lot of that was probably bleeding over from the complaints of emergency workers, but still, did she know. She glanced at Everett but saw no hint of recognition. How many people knew why he had been sent? Who had put together this effort and what else would they have in the works?
It was the kind of thinking that could suck a person in and cause them to go crazy. She didn't want to end up jumping at shadows, particularly when she finally had a lead on the Celestial Forge. But for the same reason, she couldn't afford to miss something. How far would the PRT go to keep this secret? Weld had basically been locked down from the moment he'd been able to leak news of his treatment, being conspicuously absent from the Wards attending the event.
Gully shook off those thoughts and turned to Miss Militia. "I'll be continuing my work with The Brockton Bay Fire Service." She explained. "They have vehicles that can access the blackout zone, where Tecton would not be able to operate." Everett lifted a gauntlet clad hand in demonstration.
"I see." Miss Militia said. "I'm sure they are very happy to have your assistance."
"They've been very accommodating." Gully said. "Particularly given the losses they experienced during the first waves of attacks. And the effort needed to relocate and house those displaced by the Ungodly Hour." She considered if she should push further.
"That's very commendable work." The cape said in a neutral tone.
Gully blinked. Well, if she wasn't going to bring it up… "Yes." She said, "They've also been supporting the captives freed from the ABB's holdings." She looked at Miss Militia. "And the Farms."
The woman briefly froze at Gully's statement. She could pick up on Everett's discomfort next to her. It was a topic that was so uncomfortable that reports barely wanted to touch on it. Nobody liked the idea of an industrialized human trafficking operation on US soil. Not to say it didn't happen, but generally it was considerably smaller in scope. Not freely run through a third of a major city.
The horror of the ABB's operations was nearly as damning as the attacks they had unleashed on the city. It effectively reframed what could have been dismissed as a single out of control incident from an accident of circumstances to a near systemic issue that was raising serious questions about the state of Protectorate regulation.
"Ah." Said Miss Militia. "That was unfortunate."
Gully raised an eyebrow as she looked down at the much shorter woman. At that moment she didn't even care what the expression would do to her facial structure. The mildness of the language was outright offensive given what was being described.
"Yes. I think many people find it unfortunate." Gully said. She wasn't quite glaring at the more experienced cape, but she was definitely doing less to downplay her naturally intimidating nature than she normally would. The pistol at Miss Militia's side broke apart into a field of energy before reforming into a slightly different model. Gully couldn't tell if it was a conscious display or some kind of nervous habit.
The display drew the attention of another cape. A tall man in a costume patterned like overlapping playing cards. There was some effect that caused them to seem to shift back and forth as he moved. Shuffle. The Protectorate cape leading Everett's team.
"Gully!" he said, inserting himself into the conversation. "It's nice to see you again. I've been hearing nothing but good things about your work in this city."
"Thank you, sir." She said formally. She was familiar with most of the Chicago Protectorate from her work with Tecton. Shuffle was one of the more personable members of that branch, and someone she had always gotten along with well.
Which was probably why he'd been chosen to lead the team. Well, potentially. Unless they sent Myrddin himself you would be hard pressed to find a better choice for recovery work. Maybe it was just complete chance, but it was so easy to start seeing conspiracies everywhere she looked. The fact that there actually was a plan in place, one put forth by the Protectorate, to get her to give up and go home, definitely didn't help. There was a saying that it wasn't paranoia if they actually were out to get you, but there were limits to that. She couldn't afford to be jumping at every shadow and burning every bridge. Not when she was this close.
"It's good that you had the chance to speak with Tecton." He said. There was an element to his tone that suggested something. Maybe reluctance or reservation? Once more, jumping at shadows. Even if he had been the mastermind of this entire thing, it didn't matter now.
Well, hopefully it wouldn't matter. She didn't know if they had anything else in play to head off attempts to contact Apeiron. Eventually the amount of effort needed to keep details of the situation concealed would be counterproductive in terms of results, but that didn't mean she was free and clear just yet. She had to work to keep from frowning. This was political and strategic on a level she had never wanted to touch. Probably the only good thing about not officially being the leader of the San Diego Wards was the fact that she got to stay out of that nonsense.
"Just a short conversation, sir." Tecton said. "But we'll be meeting again tomorrow."
"That's great." Shuffle said, nodding. Gully glanced at Tecton and had to hold back a smile. Had he just framed their dinner as part of his 'mission'? At the very least he was pretty much guaranteed to get the time off if the Protectorate thought he'd spend it convincing Gully to give up and go home.
"So I'm guessing you won't be joining our team?" Shuffle asked.
Gully shook her head. "I'm pretty committed to the fire service, and there are sites in the Dark Zone that still need to be dealt with." She turned to Miss Militia. "I was just explaining how thinly stretched the emergency workers are from dealing with the unfortunate situation."
"We at the Protectorate East North East are grateful for your assistance." Miss Militia said. "All of your assistance. Given the number of requests issued, it's gratifying to see help finally arrive."
Gully became aware of how carefully the woman was carrying herself. She remembered someone saying she was a noctis cape, but even then, it looked like she had been pushing herself to the limits of even her expanded capacity.
"I'm sorry you weren't able to receive assistance sooner." Tecton said politely.
It looked like Miss Militia was going to say something, but Shuffle spoke first. "I'm familiar with the requests Director Piggot issued prior to this emergency." He said, looking at Miss Militia. "General transfer requests aren't typically prioritized outside of an emergency situation. Of course, if the severity of the situation in Brockton Bay had been made public, I'm sure a more serious response would have been deployed in time to address the situation before it reached this point."
Gully could see the woman tense. She glanced to the side, spotting the nearest reporters. Still far enough away that their group wouldn't be present on anything but wide shots, and most of the room's attention was still directed towards the mounting bidding for some kind of evening dress.
"I think everyone can admit that management of the situation up to and during the initial phases of the attacks was less than ideal." Miss Militia said.
Gully's mind jumped back to the ABB's victims that had been pulled out of their businesses. To the hundreds of innocent people forced to fight and die for the gang. She ground her teeth together to keep from saying anything else, but even that produced an audible rumbling that drew the woman's attention.
Fortunately, Shuffle seemed to be on the same page as Gully. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in towards Miss Militia. "I get that you need to keep a professional tone, but given what happened, the softer phrasing isn't doing you any favors. Not with what was happening with the ABB."
Miss Militia let out a breath before replying. "There is an active investigation into the full scope of ABB operations. Until the investigation is complete, department policy-"
"Right, right." Shuffle said, pointedly looking at the nearest reporter rather than the acting leader of the Protectorate. "Can't argue with department policy."
It looked like Miss Militia did want to argue, and not specifically about department policy, but suddenly she tensed and lifted a hand to her earpiece. Gully could see her eyes widen and a quick glance around the room saw similar reactions from the other members of the local Protectorate.
But not the Wards. Gully's convenient vantage point gave her a clear view of the Brockton Bay Wards and none of them seemed to have received the same message.
"If you'll excuse me, there's a matter I need to attend to." She said sharply and broke off, making her way out of the room as quickly as she could without attracting attention. Gully saw similar movement from Dauntless and Triumph. Assault and Battery she hadn't seen since near the start of the event, but that might have been intentional.
"Well." Said Tecton, somewhat unnecessarily.
"Yeah." Gully said, glancing around again. No warnings, calls for concern or evacuation. That suggested whatever had happened was well separated from the Regency Center. Still, another conflict was the last thing the city needed, to say nothing of what would happen if Apeiron got involved.
Shuffle shook his head. "I'm going to go check in. We aren't under the local Protectorate, but if this gets bad…"
"I understand." Tecton said.
"I know I'm not currently affiliated, but if you need me out there…" Gully offered.
"Thank you." He said. "Hopefully we can avoid needing to bring Wards into this mess." The Chicago cape muttered something that sounded like 'shitshow' as he made his way out of the hall.
That left Gully and Tecton standing somewhat uncomfortably in the middle of the hall as the latest auction closed. They clapped politely, each being careful to avoid excessive enthusiasm given the size of Everett's gauntlets and Gully's hands. The next item was being introduced as a shock of blond hair slipped through the crowd towards the two of them.
"Crystal!" Gully said as the girl reached them.
"Hey." She said before turning back to where the protectorate capes were slipping out of the hall. "Is that what I think it is?"
Gully nodded. "Probably the Teeth." She muttered as quietly as possible. She didn't have any inside knowledge, but everyone knew about the gang's arrival and had been waiting for something to happen. They'd been lucky enough to have a few days grace, but it seemed that luck had run out.
"Shit." Crystal said in a harsh whisper.
"Do you need to do anything?" She asked.
"No." Crystal said glumly. "Mom's in a meeting, Vicky's in New York, Eric will never make it in time, and Dad and Uncle Mark would take even longer." She looked towards the side exit Miss Militia had used. "I'm going to go, see if there's something I can do. I mean, probably not, but if I can make it in time…"
"I understand." Gully said. She shifted slightly and gestured towards Everett. "Oh, and this is Tecton. Tecton, this is Crystal Pelham. Laserdream."
"Hello." Evert said, looking down at the girl.
"Hey. Gully's mentioned you." She said, eyeing the tinker.
"Nothing bad, I hope?" He asked.
"That depends. You good?" She asked, looking at Gully while maintaining an aprasing stance towards Everett.
"I think so." Gully said, looking to Tecton. "For now anyway."
"Great." Crystal said before giving Tecton a hard look. "Let me know if that changes."
She kept her eyes locked on his mask for a moment before nodding to Gully and hurrying off through the crowd.
"She seems nice." Everett said.
"She is." Gully replied. "She's dealing with a lot, but she's a good friend."
"I can tell." He said. "Well, seeing as we're not being called into service, still want to meet the team?"
Everett's team had found themselves standing with the Brockton Bay Wards, but from the look of things that might have been as much about avoiding further interactions with the other guests as socializing. Gully knew how events like this could wear on someone and without the capes being an official part of the event they didn't have the same kind of pacing they usually enjoyed. Creating the impression of a hero centric meeting was a fairly effective way of closing yourself off from most of the guests.
Of course, that impression would have been more convincing if there was any level of camaraderie between the groups. The fact that Everett's team was specifically being held separate from the local command structure probably didn't help. Nor did them being both recent arrivals and relative unknowns.
Which probably wasn't fair to Wanton. The changer's eyes lit up when he saw Gully, but he was the only member of the team who seemed excited by her arrival. The local Wards watched her with cautious expressions, at least for the cases where Gully could actually see their faces. The rest of Everett's team consisted of a fresh recruit and apparently a recent trigger. Gully had never met Annex or Cuff before, though they were polite enough when Tecton introduced her.
For the Brockton Bay Wards, polite seemed to be a high bar. The current group consisted of Clockblocker, Vista, Kid Win, and Shadow Stalker. Flechette and Browbeat were also at the event but had split off from the main group for a location closer and further away from the stage respectively.
"Browbeat's not really one for attention." Clockblocker explained, tilting his head towards where the brute was not quite sulking at the back of the convention hall. Even that didn't seem to be enough to keep him from attracting a stream of guests looking for introductions and pictures.
Shadow Stalker scoffed as she leaned on a table. "Figures. Guy's all front. You know he signed up after losing a fight to Bitch and Regent?" She asked.
Clockblocker cleared his throat. "Hellhound is a bad matchup for any solo cape, particularly with Regent providing support." He explained. "Browbeat has been moving into a support role thanks to his biokinesis. Medical work carries a lot of stress, but the director felt it was important to recognize his actions during the recovery."
"In other words she's sending out cut-rate Panacea to distract people from the fact that the real deal is locked up." The girl attempted to counter.
"I doubt the people Browbeat saved care if you consider him cut rate." Vista shot back. The shaker was almost comically tiny compared to Gully and seemed to be particularly on edge.
"We've all been active in recovery efforts." Clockblocker said in a diplomatic tone that couldn't quite hide the weariness in his voice. Gully only knew the local Wards from reputation and Crystal's stories, but Clockblocker was surprisingly unlike how she had described him. The level headed peacemaker didn't seem to have anything in common with the practical joker from Crystal's stories. Obviously he had changed a lot since Crystal had left high school.
"Whatever." Shadow Stalker muttered, then looked to the main screen as the latest auction closed. "I can't believe someone paid twenty five grand for that dress."
"I mean, has anything sold for less than ten thousand?" Cuff asked.
"The hats." Kid Win said, looking up from a side discussion he had fallen into with Tecton. "And the unpaired accessory collection isn't anticipated to bring in significant numbers. Most of the focus is on the outfits and iconic pieces."
The tinker had a floating screen above one of his bracers displaying information from the auction on a much more detailed level than what was being shown to the general audience. It was too much for Gully to follow, but Everett seemed enamored with some aspect of the analysis.
"Still, not like it matters, with what we're missing." Vista muttered.
"If the situation was severe enough to warrant bringing us in they would have already informed us." Clockblocker explained. Gully couldn't see his face through the animated clock mask, but he seemed to share some unspoken exchange with the younger girl. Not enough to completely mollify her, but enough for her to settle in to watching the rest of the auction.
With exchanges like that Gully could see where the Spacetime idea came from. Obviously not romantic, but the two capes clearly had a connection that went beyond the synergies of their powers. They were lucky to have such a good working relationship.
"Hey, is that kind of thing something you'd normally get sent to deal with?" Wanton asked. Vista frowned deeply but pointedly kept her mouth shut. Shadow Stalker scoffed again and seemed to be rolling her eyes behind her mask. Once again, it fell to Clockblocker to handle things.
"Ward engagement rates for Brockton Bay are higher than a lot of other cities." He explained as if he was discussing a scheduling quirk rather than deployment of minors against dangerous villains. "The policy is under review, so outside of emergency situations the team has been stood down to foot patrols, shadowing of Protectorate heroes, and public outreach."
Gully shared a glance with Wanton. What Clockblocker was describing was pretty much the entirety of what Wards were supposed to be doing, with the exception of highly experienced teams under close supervision. Of course, just operating in Brockton Bay was probably enough for someone to count as 'highly experienced' within a week of their debut.
It struck Gully that Vista was essentially sulking because she wasn't allowed to be sent into combat with the Butcher. A cape who would have most heroes staying as far away as possible and by all appearances both Shadow Stalker and Vista would have been more than happy to jump directly into the fray.
No wonder Clockblocker sounded so tired.
As the next auction wrapped up with an even higher price there was a faint buzzing from Shadow Stalker's direction. She paused for a second, then pulled out a cell phone that was definitely not Protectorate issue. She looked down at the screen and froze.
"Shit." She hissed.
"Stalker?" Clockblocker asked while quickly checking their surroundings. Fortunately, it didn't seem like anyone in the media or general public had caught the profanity.
"It's personal." She spat. "I need to make a call." She added, climbing to her feet.
"What is it?" He asked again.
"It's personal." She said more firmly while locking eyes with Clockblocker. Well, while presumably locking eyes. It was an expressionless female face staring down a blank mask covered in clocks.
Clockblocker tilted his head towards the side of the hall. "Back rooms are reasonably secure. Let some of the staff know you need privacy before you call. Check in afterwards, even if you need to leave immediately."
"Whatever." She said, but did head towards the side rooms. Vista looked over at him with one eyebrow raised under her visor.
"Security briefing before the event. This kind of thing came up." He explained with a shrug. Vista seemed both surprised and impressed for some reason.
"It's probably nothing. Or her typical BS." Vista said quietly.
"Um, she seems quite… direct?" Cuff offered a little lamely. Vista just scoffed.
"If we weren't in public I'd be able to tell you what she 'seems like'." She muttered.
"Um, was that a personal phone? While she was in costume?" Gully asked. "Isn't that a security breach?"
She knew damn well it was. Not really a problem for her since personal didn't really split from professional, but she had heard more than enough of Facetime's rants on the subject.
"It is." Clockblocker said. "I'll have to speak with her about that later." For a second the placement of the clock faces on his mask almost looked like dark circles of eyes. Maybe just a trick of the light, but Gully wouldn't be surprised if they had built up enough to leak through.
Things were more amicable for the rest of the auction, largely helped by Shadow Stalker's absence. Either the call was taking much longer than anyone expected, or the personal emergency was a lot more complicated. She hadn't checked in, so either she was still on site, or she had completely disregarded orders. Somehow, Gully wouldn't put it past her.
Kid Win's predictions were dead on regarding the accessory collection, but the bids became progressively more outrageous as they approached the end of the auction. It seemed something of a not-quite betting pool had broken out on the Protectorate forums between tinkers and thinkers regarding the outcome of the auction. Gully wasn't surprised to see Facetime's involvement, though her friend seemed to be erring high on most of her predictions.
Well, for all except the final item.
"Okay, that's getting ridiculous." Vista muttered. Gully was forced to agree. Granted, the gown was possibly the most impressive dress Gully had ever seen. No, it definitely was the most impressive dress she had ever seen, in real life or media. It was probably the most impressive dress she could conceive of.
It was like someone had decided to include every feature a dress could possibly have, and yet managed to balance the elements and styles without making them look jumbled or cluttered. It had layers upon layers of skirts perfectly blending into a train. High shouldered with elaborate sleeves and an exacting cut of bodice. And everywhere, detail. There was enough embroidery to give a legion of seamstresses carpal tunnel. And it was everywhere, adding detail or texture to every single element of the dress.
There was no question it was going to be the most expensive piece in the auction. Just the dress on its own was a work of art, but actually seeing the video of it on the model, the way all the elements came alive as it moved, it was something else.
Even then, Gully hadn't expected the bidding to reach quite this high.
"Six figures." Kid win said as the price rolled over a hundred thousand. And kept going.
"That can't be right." Vista said. "Is it a tax deduction or something?"
He shook his head. "There's a couple of breakdowns of the piece. If you tried to recreate it the embroidery alone would cost ten times as much just in labor. This would cost more to make as a custom piece than a display model."
"Wait, this is the low end of prices?" Cuff asked, stunned.
"Well, yeah. Personalized work always costs more." Kid Win explained.
"Right." Annex said. "So if someone happens to want a version of that for their wedding or whatever, I'm guessing Garment's going to make a lot more from it."
"Definitely." Kid Win said. "Probably enough that NEPEA-5 would come into play."
"So this is advertising and charity?" Cuff asked.
"These things usually are." Clockblocker explained. Vista and Kid Win nodded along. "You get used to it."
"Well, you try." Tecton said in a good-natured tone. Cuff returned a nervous grin.
Having crossed into truly ridiculous territory, the bidding slowed down save for a handful of determined participants. The final price capped out at just under a hundred and forty thousand, which seemed like a staggering amount for a dress that wouldn't even fit ninety percent of the population. The applause at the closing of the auction was considerably more enthusiastic, dying down as Uppercrust took the stage once more. Gully shifted towards Tecton.
"He looks better than I expected." She said. She'd seen the reports from the previous day. While the man looked worn down, he didn't seem to be at risk of collapsing any time soon.
"Yeah." Tecton said. "But it makes sense that he'd be here for-"
"Coastal defense." Kid Win said abruptly. Tecton turned to the other tinker, then noticed the reporter standing overly close to the group while filming the stage. "Coastal defense and the Protectorate Headquarters."
"Right." Tecton said quickly as the cameraman moved further away from the group. "It's been a couple of years since I've seen him in person."
"That training trip in New York?" Gully guessed.
"Yeah." Everett said, turning back to the stage. "He doesn't look bad, all things considered." He turned to Kid Win. "He's working on the Protectorate Headquarters, right? Are you helping with that."
"No." The boy said, shrinking slightly. "I handled some of the damage assessments for the PHQ and ran into him at Garment's studio, but I haven't worked with him directly."
Gully perked up. "Garment's studio is open?" She asked. "I mean, she's taking customers?"
"Well, not directly. I stopped by with Flechette at the end of a patrol." He explained, gesturing to where the New York Ward was standing near the stage. "It was a semi-official thing, but Uppercrust stopped by while we were there."
"That was convenient." Tecton said and Kid Win nodded, clearly understanding the drivers behind that kind of convenience. "Did he want anything from Garment?"
"No. He just said hello and left a card." He said. "And thanked me for my work on the broken Rig." He added, largely as an afterthought.
"He thanked you?" Everett said, suddenly focused on the other tinker. "What did he say?"
Kid Win seemed a little uncomfortable with the attention. He let out a short breath before responding. "He said I had a talent for breaking down systems." He continued in a morose tone. "That it was excellent work."
Everett froze, going absolutely still. Gully looked at him in concern before her friend finally spoke.
"No he didn't."
"What?" Kid Win asked.
"Uppercrust didn't say you did excellent work." He repeated.
"Um, he did?" Kid Win said. "It was about my damage analysis of the PHQ's systems. I have a copy if you want-"
"I'm sure it's very good, but Uppercrust did not say excellent work." Everett insisted.
"That's what he said." Kid Win replied, looking to Gully for help, but she was as lost as him.
"You're remembering it wrong." Everett said. "It was probably something like 'satisfactory' or 'commendable'."
"No, I remember what he said." Kid Win insisted. "Look, Flechette was there, I don't know if she'll remember exactly, but you can ask her."
Everett looked from Kid Win to Flechette, then back again. "Okay." He said as he moved to depart.
"You're seriously going to ask her?" Gully asked. Everett's behavior was bordering on concern.
"Look, I just want to check something." He turned back to Kid Win. "And actually, could I see that report, if it's not locked down?"
"Um, sure?" Kid Win said. "I mean, it will have to go through normal channels."
"I'll handle it." He said before making his way towards Flechette's position near the stage.
Gully watched him go as Kid Win turned to her in confusion. "Do you have any idea what that was about?"
"Sorry." She said, "Uppercrust is a pretty big deal in tinker circles. I figured you'd have a better idea than me."
Kid Win glanced to the side. "I wasn't really that active on the forums before everything happened and since then I've been too busy to really socialize."
"Yeah." Gully said. "One of my friends is a tinker back in the San Diego Wards. Facetime?" Kid Win nodded. "I can ask her next time I speak with her, but I don't know if she'll be able to help. This might just be something with Tecton. He put a lot of research into building that armor."
"Yeah." Kid Win said, running his hand over one of his bracers. "I get that."
On stage Uppercrust finished his speech, something about goodwill towards the city and all the people who would be helped. While the event wasn't actually over they were past the major elements. There were still some presentations along with the various other elements included to wring out additional donations, plus all the interviews and post-event elements. Something that the two Ward teams were on the hook for to a far greater degree than her.
She didn't know if she'd get a chance to approach Garment, but it was worth sticking around on the outside chance. Meanwhile Clockblocker broke up his team, putting them back in circulation through the floor.
"Great. More photo ops." Vista said, plastering an artificial smile on her face. "Does Shadow Stalker get out of this?"
"I'll chase her down and meet up with you later." He said, even more exhaustion seeping into his voice.
"And we should meet up with Tecton." Wanton said as the three Chicago Wards split off on their own. Gully nodded and was about to see if she could find out what happened with Crystal when Clockblocker waved her over.
"I'd like to speak with you, privately." He said. Gully tensed, but nodded. It figured that she couldn't hide the intentions for her visit from someone on Clockblocker's level. Of course he would be concerned for his team.
He led her out of the stage floor to one of the more private areas. Places that were apparently included in the security briefings and would have been perfect for when she had been avoiding Tecton. They hadn't helped her then and now she was stuck having the exact same conversation all over again. Probably.
"I know you're here to get treatment from Apeiron." Clockblocker said directly.
Make that definitely.
She towered over the Ward, but in the face of that iron demeanor it didn't feel like any kind of advantage. He didn't even leave her room to deny him before he carried on.
"Apeiron was able to treat Weld. Partial improvement in taste, smell, touch, and control of his abilities. He was put under a gag order but was able to inform other Case 53s before he had his communication privileges revoked. I'm guessing you're one of the people he called?"
"I am." She said. She hadn't known about the sense of touch. Just taste and control over his metal absorption.
"Do you have any way of contacting Apeiron?" He asked her directly.
"No." She said. The clock faces looked up at her and she found herself faltering. "Not exactly. I have an idea, but it might not work out. I'm not sure."
"I see." He said, dropping his head.
"Are you going to report me?" She asked. He looked up and tilted his head. "Or tell me to stop? That it's too dangerous or not worth the risk."
"No." He said.
Gully blinked. "Then what do you want?" She asked.
"I want a way to contact Apeiron." He replied.
"What?" She asked. Looking again, he did wear a full body suit. Sometimes that meant… but no. He had switched costumes as a ploy during that bank robbery that went wrong. It wasn't that. "Why?" She asked.
The clocks on his costume ticked the seconds away as she waited for his answer. Finally, he gave his response.
"My father has cancer." He said. "Leukemia. He beat it once, but he's relapsed."
Understanding dawned on her. "The treatment? It's not going well?"
He dropped his head. "It's not at a critical point, but even with the treatment going 'well'…" He looked up at her. "You know what chemotherapy does to a person?" She nodded blankly. "His chances aren't terrible, but they're still chances. I don't want to roll those dice, and the situation in this city isn't helping the odds. If Panacea was out of containment I'd be chasing her, but as it stands…"
"Apeiron's your only hope." She said. He nodded at her. "Won't this get you in trouble? Your position, everything you've built?"
"If it's my father's life I'll take that trade. What's a position or a trust fund against that?" He said with confidence. Given how serious he seemed about his work, she had to respect his willingness to risk it all. She was in the same position, after all.
"What do you want from me?" She asked.
"I want to find Apeiron." He said. "If I can help you do that, it's the same end."
"I don't know if I'll be able to help you." She said, "I don't know if I'll even be able to help myself."
"I'm not asking you to prioritize this, but if you find a way to contact him or actually get in touch…" He asked. There was a weary desperation in his voice that Gully fully understood.
"I'll try." She promised.
"Thank you." He said. "And if there's anything I can do to help, let me know."
"I will." She said, letting out a breath and releasing a mountain of tension with it.
First Everett, then Clockblocker. Neither the obstacle she had been worried about. Both possibly helping her a step towards her goal. She had a plan, a direction, and a goal. She just hoped everything would actually come together this time.
