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Canned Sunshine (a Going Nuclear spinoff/remake)

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Interlude 3.1 - Friday, 1800 hours
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    • Amy's side story kind of ballooned. Have some more words, or Wordz™ even!

    "This is Director Emily Piggot of the PRT ENE. The time is 1800 hours, July the Third, 2009. This debriefing is in regards to the incident at Weymouth Mall in Brockton Bay, New Hampshire at 1300 hours today. In attendance are Armsmaster, Commander of the Protectorate ENE. Assault of the Protectorate ENE, Shroud and Shade of the Wards ENE and Glory Girl of New Wave are present as witnesses to the event. Also here are Lady Photon and Brandish of New Wave on behalf of the principal of the incident, Amy Dallon, who experienced a Trigger Event at that time. Dragon is recording this meeting via secure teleconference."

    "Before we begin, let me officially state that there are NO criminal charges currently being filed against Miss Dallon. Eyewitnesses and video evidence clearly indicate that Miss Dallon was acting both in self-defense and justifiable defense of others while under extreme duress. However, due to the graphic and public nature of the incident an official response must be made by the PRT to assuage any fears that might arise from the public. Is everyone present in agreement to these statements?"

    At th end of the table, Amy quietly spoke up. "That's not my name."

    Carol and Sarah paled slightly while Vicky looked at her sister in confusion. "Ames?"

    "Miss Dallon? Would you care to elaborate?" the Director asked.

    "Before... before that man shot me, he said some things. He called me by a name I hadn't heard since I was very young. It made me remember something. I can't see his face but I remember my Daddy's voice. He told me to hide. That he would do ANYTHING, give up EVERYTHING, to protect me from the bad people, to keep me SAFE."

    Amy glared at the adult members of New Wave, eyes glistening with tears. "Aunt Sarah, CAROL. Is there something you want to tell me?"

    Brandish's face, which had been steadily paling as Amy had spoken, suddenly flushed red, her features twisting with pure, unadulterated rage. "I knew it... You're just like HIM. He planted you like a viper in our midst! A vile seed just waiting for the right moment to sprout and destroy our family! I KNEW IT!" She roared before a massive sword of blazing light erupted from her hands. She leapt at Amy in a frenzy, fully intending to cleave her in twain in one mighty blow.

    Amy fell back against the floor, the searing claymore pressing her down but not burning her. Amy grabbed the energy blade and squeezed. The construct shattered like glass in her hands. Brandish stood back, utterly dumbfounded for a moment before Armsmaster slapped his hand against her neck. A loud pop was heard and sparks crackled from his gauntlet as Brandish's eyes rolled up in her head from the potent taser discharge.

    A pair of troopers stormed into the conference room then, Armsmaster quickly taking command of the situation. "Take Brandish to the Brute holding cell, M/S protocols." He then turned to Amy and offered a hand to help her up. "Miss Dallon, are you injured? Do you require medical attention?"

    Amy patted her chest, putting out the embers of where the borrowed sweatshirt had been burned through. "No... No, I'm not hurt. Just... Holy shit. I was... I was just telling Vicky before everything started about how badly fucked up in the head our family is. I... I feel like I need to hit something. I need to hit something really, really hard right now and just keep hitting it until i can't stand up anymore. Is that normal?" She was looking up at Armsmaster, then over to Vicky and Aunt Sarah with pleading eyes.

    "Heavy bag therapy." an oddly sepulchral voice stated.

    "Shroud?" Director Piggot asked the new Ward.

    "Sorry, Director. But you know the phrase 'Pound sand'? It's not pointless. Sometimes you just have to go somewhere and beat on something mindlessly to work all your pent up frustration out."

    "I'm familiar with that. But I don't believe we have anything capable of handling Miss Dallon's probable Brute rating."

    Shade spoke up then. "What about the Boat Graveyard? People supposedly go out there all the time to wreck sh...stuff. Nobody's out there to get hurt and even toddlers like going nuts in the ball pit."

    "The PRT can't condone wanton destruction."

    Assault chipped in. "Who says it has to be wanton? We call up the Mayor, have him okay us demolishing a few blocks of abandoned buildings that need tearing down anyway as an urban renewal project. Better than fireworks tomorrow. We can sell tickets and hot dogs."

    "You just want in on the mayhem, don't you."

    "Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am." Assault replied with a cheeky grin.

    Emily sighed. "I'll call the Mayor directly after we're finished here. I'll be surprised if anything can be done on such short notice, but we'll see." She turned to Amy who'd retaken her seat. "Miss Dallon, in light of what just happened I'm willing to offer accommodations for you tonight. Do you think you can control your admitted urges until something can be arranged?"

    "Yes, Director. That might be a good idea. I might see something at home and have it set me off. And... it's Amelia. Amelia Lavere."

    "Very well, Miss Lavere. I'll let Challenger know she'll be hosting a guest tonight." The Director did not smile when she faced Lady Photon, but the impression of a predatory one was still there. "Now then, Mrs. Pelham. Is there anything you'd like to share with us?"

    Emily Piggot was medically discharged from active duty after Ellisburg, but it's because of a leg injury that required an amputation and not kidney damage. She's in good health despite the stress she's under and makes a point of maintaining her range qualifications. Think Peggy from Grrl Power but Ace. ("I don't have TIME for a relationship!") She's not AS biased against Parahumans as in canon, but she does think (rightly) they have subscriptions instead of issues.

    Peggy image - PG but somewhat sexy.
     
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    • Well damn that will be very different change to Piggot though I wonder what they psychological profile is like. Thank for this interesting piggot.
     
    Peggy looks like the correct form of address is either "yes, ma'am" or "yes, Sergeant" and one only ever picks the wrong one once.
     
    This is a very interesting AU
    Less Bigot Piggot are always nice to see
    Now, Amelia is somewhat immune to master effects due to the hormonal control in her body so
    no more pseudo incest lover but she cannot heal other people (unless...) so more "cautious" heros and villains in BB...
    And she's somewhat immune to Taylor after effects,she can rebuild her self from radiation damage.
     
    Amelia, welcome to the new feelings being introduced to you by the [Conflict Drive] your shard is happily providing.

    Find some Nazi's to work your frustration out. Stabby Puppy should make a good heavy bag for you to pound on, and it doesn't matter if you break him. He needs a good timeout, of the permanent kind.
     
    Normal_Whale said:
    Now, Amelia is somewhat immune to master effects due to the hormonal control in her body so
    no more pseudo incest lover but she cannot heal other people
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    Yup, Brandish doesn't have a healbot to gaslight and exploit to the point she turns into the Red Queen.

    Vicky's aura does still make Amy feel good, but it's because Amy's actually absorbing the energy and getting a tiny buff from it rather than a direct Pavlovian mental whammy. Sort of like Taylor and solar neutrinos.
     
    Amy is not gonna be having a good time with these powers, true, but the fact that she has a lot less reason to be afraid of her powers is going to be a help. She's not gonna be afraid she can change Vicky's brain after all - and since she didn't trigger saving Vicky's life, she might not have Vicky as her trigger obsession, if you take that reading as being part of why she was so obsessed with her.

    Even if she still has feelings for Vicky, the fact that she doesn't have to worry about doing something to her will be an improvement for her psyche. And Shaper's probably not gonna hate Amy as much as it did in canon.

    I look forward to seeing where this different Amy goes. She's still got enough issues to outfit a Hudson News, just a smaller one than canon... maybe.
     
    So, Brandish's issues result in embracing the ID-ten-T ball and sprinting for the mur-'Doh!' line. I'll assume that Photon Mom's lack of reaction was pure shock that her sister would take that running leap off the side of El Capitan, face first, without any flight assist.
     
    Ah shoot. Well there goes that hope. No good home life Amy.

    Also Carol. What the God Damned Fuck Woman?!? She remembers her father and suddenly you're trying to murder her in cold blood. What the hell kinda thinking goes from, 'she suddenly remembered that her father was a villain' to 'I must kill the hidden monster who has never harmed anyone in her life before her trigger event'?

    You know what? No I do not want to know how anyone can think like that. It might be infectious.

    Sarah is probably really regretting not being the one to take Amy in now though. Or at least regretting not forcing her sister into therapy.

    Setting all that aside for now. We have apparently gotten expert human Emily Piggot. Which is a fun Piggot to have, especially when she has a reduced anti-parahuman grudge.
     
    Kylia Quilor said:
    And Shaper's probably not gonna hate Amy as much as it did in canon.
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    Agreed. Especially since Amelia isn't gonna be lacking in desire to change her body, probably often, depending on situation. Shaper only hated her for not going beyond healing, and was bored with it..

    Draxsis said:
    Also Carol. What the God Damned Fuck Woman?!? She remembers her father and suddenly you're trying to murder her in cold blood. What the hell kinda thinking goes from, 'she suddenly remembered that her father was a villain' to 'I must kill the hidden monster who has never harmed anyone in her life before her trigger event'?
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    Carol has always had the fear in the back of her mind that Amy would go bad. It's why she's always treated Amy as more of a task to be handled than a loved one. The problem with that, of course, is that it's a self fulfilling view. Amy gets treated like crap for years & years, and turns out spiteful against her mother. Now that the secret is out, maybe Amelia will find someplace else to live.

    What are chances she can changer herself back to her old self?
     
    Assembler Maniac said:
    Carol has always had the fear in the back of her mind that Amy would go bad. It's why she's always treated Amy as more of a task to be handled than a loved one. The problem with that, of course, is that it's a self fulfilling view.
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    Exactly. Considering Carol's also given up on the Heroing part of her life to focus on the Attorney part of her life, she has to appear to hold herself to a higher standard than EVERYONE.

    Kidnapping a 5-year-old girl from her father, regardless of the circumstances, is something the Bar tends to look VERY poorly upon.

    The Brigade always knew in the back of their minds the decision they made that night could come back to bite them. Sarah's just gobsmacked at how bad her control freak of a sister lost it when it did.
     
    Carol's always been kind of a shit mother. She only really loved Vicky because she came from her. She married Mark because his depression made him easy to control. Amy, on the other hand, is not only the child of a villain that she has an unreasonable hatred for, she doesn't have anything that lets her control her easily and is insanely powerful.

    I'm not sure of whether or not this is canon, but I remember reading somewhere that when Amy got her powers in canon, she turned a rat into a unicorn. When Carol discovered it, she broke its neck right in front of her, threatened her into never doing anything like that again, and then destroyed the corpse. Ever since that day, she'd been gaslighting Amy into being a healer first and foremost while ignoring/fearing every other aspect of her power.

    It's no surprise that Amy eventually snapped.
     
    Well, that was a roller coaster series of chapters and interludes to catch up on. Part of me wants to see Amy experiment with her powers and show Lung what it's like to face a real Dragon.

    Granted I imagine her and Taylor would be an absolute fucking nightmare to fight if they tag team, as Taylor can pretty much give Amy all the energy she needs to go all out.

    Edit: Also neat seeing Uber and Leet being competent.
     
    Kotar said:
    I'm not sure of whether or not this is canon, but I remember reading somewhere that when Amy got her powers in canon, she turned a rat into a unicorn. When Carol discovered it, she broke its neck right in front of her, threatened her into never doing anything like that again, and then destroyed the corpse. Ever since that day, she'd been gaslighting Amy into being a healer first and foremost while ignoring/fearing every other aspect of her power.
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    I'm fairly certain that's from a fanfic.

    Plus, while I always sideeye Wildbow's many WoG, he did have a WoG that basically said 'Carol didn't care how often Amy went to the Hospital one way or the other' which feels a little unlikely to me, but Amy's issues with her power come from her own scrupulosity issues/neuroses/etc (Issues and neuroses she got from being raised by Carol the way she was, granted, but)
     
    Interlude 3.2
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    • THE WORDS! THEY KEEP COMING!

    Emily had reluctantly granted Lady Photon's request to discuss the matter in private. After Brandish's attack on Amelia, the Director saw fit to not give the young lady any additional stress tonight. She would provide a recording of this part of the meeting in the morning, when emotions weren't running so high.

    When Sarah Pelham had finished her tale, Emily was regretting that decision. Because if Amelia or Victoria had killed Lady Photon in a well founded outburst of rage, she wouldn't be tempted to draw her service pistol and do it herself right now.

    She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh.

    "I have heard the rumors, the whispers that make the rounds. That I do not like Parahumans. That I am a bigot. That is not true. I believe in the PRT. I believe that Capes should be monitored. Supervised. That they should have some sort of oversight so they do not run around like children in their pajamas playing cops and robbers with their finger guns."

    She paused to let the statement sink in. "Because the guns in this case ARE REAL."

    Emily opened the bottom drawer of her desk and began pulling out paperbacks. Carrie. The Shining. Firestarter. Cujo.

    "    These are not works of fiction. These are prophetic, cautionary tales that the public chooses NOT TO HEED. Every parahuman is a potential weapon of mass destruction. We shouldn't fear a bullied teenager showing up at school with a handgun, we should fear them suddenly being able hurl cars around with their MIND."

    Emily put the books back in her desk. "And even if a Parahuman chooses the higher path, to serve and protect their fellow man, they are still human. They are not infallible. They are prone to mistakes. Errors in judgement. They need to have responsibility commensurate with their power."

    Emily then pointed a shaking finger at Sarah. "What the Brigade did a decade ago... THIS is the sort of rank idiocy that gets people KILLED. Had you taken a moment before the act to consult with the PRT, the FBI, Brockton Bay Police, even Child Protective Services might've been enough, this entire shitshow could've been avoided!"

    Lady Photon curled back in her seat at the tongue lashing.

    "But, no. The Brockton Bay Brigade had to be Heroes. They had to go in and take down Marquis on their own."

    "We had to act right then. Carol Insisted."

    "And that is the one saving grace in this scenario. Because it was all Brandish's idea."

    "What do you want us to do? Join the Protectorate?"

    "No. I can't do that. Ever since I took this post I have fought tooth and nail for every dime of funding. Every single trooper and vehicle. For whatever reason Washington refuses to send me the materiel and men I NEED to make this department work properly. Every transfer request into this post is denied. I'm losing Dauntless to Houston at the end of the month and while I have been 'promised' a suitable replacement, it will be 'when one becomes available'. If I suddenly have an entire family of experienced capes under my authority, the other branches will DEMAND their share of the pie. Your family will be scattered all over the country and I will be left with NOTHING. I need New Wave HERE, in Brockton Bay, and INDEPENDENT if I'm to have any hope of maintaining a lid on this goddam pressure cooker of a city."

    Lady Photon started to look relieved before Emily continued.

    "But I will NOT be an accessory after the fact. I doubt Armsmaster or Dragon will want to be complicit either. New Wave is all about accountability? The bill for your past misdeeds has finally come due and someone is going to pay."

    "You're going to arrest Carol?"

    Emily began counting off on her fingers. "Felony kidnapping. Numerous counts of felony child endangerment based on any time Amelia was injured or otherwise jeopardized while living in the Dallon home. And let's not forget the murder attempt that happened right in front of me. Three strikes."

    "You'd send my sister to the Cage?"

    "I'd send MY sister to the 'Cage if I had one and they pulled something this idiotic. Either Carol Dallon pleads guilty and takes all the blame or I'm forced to arrest the lot of you as co-conspirators."

    "They'll kill her. She won't last five minutes in that place."

    "I'd go down to holding and shoot her myself if I thought that would make the paperwork easier. This is the best option I have. I suggest you think it over."
     
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    • YuffieK said:
    And let's not forget the murder attempt that happened right in front of me.
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    Yeah, to be fair, even setting aside everything older than an hour before, a (legal?) parent/guardian attempting to kill their underage teenager who has displayed no physically aggressive action of any kind in the middle of a meeting full of law enforcement is kind of a one way ticket to jail or the morgue.
     
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    This is the first worm fic that I read that has Carol to be Caged, I'm all for it!
    This Carol is a psychotic woman who knows she could get help with a therapist but nooooo ,"What if they lie and are mean to me or backstab me with a pen?!".
    This woman deserves everything that happens to her in the Birdcage!

    But now, Who's going to break the news to the others?
     
    Nobody deserves the Birdcage. The very existence of that prison is the biggest symbol of the moral bankruptcy of this fictional US, and just the idea of building it should get the architects and politicians behind it sent straight to master/stranger testing.
    Having said that, I'd love to see Brandish getting what she deserves.
     
    Fortunately, Carol basically snapped, and they can use that as reason to birdcage her. It will keep the courts from digging into every single case she's worked on, possibly freeing members of society that should remain imprisoned. She's basically been holding a kidnap victim for a decade and that would taint her legal career if it were to become public.
     
    Morden said:
    Nobody deserves the Birdcage. The very existence of that prison is the biggest symbol of the moral bankruptcy of this fictional US, and just the idea of building it should get the architects and politicians behind it sent straight to master/stranger testing.
    Having said that, I'd love to see Brandish getting what she deserves.
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    Yeah, I have to agree with this on both counts. Objectively, no one deserves the Birdcage, but as long as it exists...
     
    Kylia Quilor said:
    Yeah, I have to agree with this on both counts. Objectively, no one deserves the Birdcage, but as long as it exists...
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    I'd actually kinda disagree. There are most definitely people who deserve nothing more than to be tossed in the deepest darkest pit available, locked in there and the key tossed. Unfortunately in Worm it seems that most of the people who actually deserve this aren't getting it and a lot of people who don't deserve it are.
     
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