Found a small typo
Nope. The AriaOS needs after all time to reboot
Hymn of Harmony (Worm/Ar Tonelico Crossover Alt Trigger Taylor) (Complete)
- Thread starter dingbat779
- Start date
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- ar tonelico worm alt!power
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Found a small typo
Nope. The AriaOS needs after all time to reboot
Interlude The Mouse and the Dockworker
- Location
- PA
Hymn of Harmony
or Melody of Escalation
Interlude: The Mouse and the Dockworker
They met sometime in early March. It was just an ordinary day for Danny as he sat in his office. His desk was clear for once as the backlog of paperwork sat in the out box. He leaned back tiredly in his chair, but with a satisfied air. The coffee mug in his hand saying "Number 1 Dad" brought a smile to his face. The pictures on his desk warmed his heart as well. There was a picture of his departed wife holding their daughter. The smile on her face that used to fill him with the pain of loss now filled him with pleasant nostalgia. Another picture was of just Taylor. Her smile was so much like her mother's that it shamed him how much he had let slip away. The next image was of his daughter and granddaughter mugging for the camera. Sonata Annette Hebert didn't even realize just how much like her mother and grandmother she was. He laughed softly. The very last picture was of his entire family sitting on the porch. Taylor and Sonata sitting on either side of him with Despedia, Cocona, and Lisa seated around them. The intercom buzzer brought him out of his contemplation.
"What is it, Judy?" He asked.
"There's someone here to see you. She doesn't have an appointment. Want me to schedule her one?" The secretary, Judy, was a good sort. She just started working here. The poor girl was clearly troubled by something, but he didn't pry.
"That's okay. I'm not busy at the moment." Danny assured her. The door opened soon after and a rather pretty woman stepped into his office. Her curly brown hair was just to her shoulders and there was an openness about her. The smile she flashed him was full of mischief and goodwill. Her hazel eyes were bright and cheerful. She was of average height, but clearly fit. Her clothes consisted of jeans and a jacket. All very casual. The way she moved, on the other hand, reminded him of Cocona. He stood up to greet her.
"Hello there. I'm Danny Hebert." She shook his hand before taking a seat at his invitation.
"Nice to meet you. My name's Kat Donovan." A look of amusement crossed her face at some secret joke.
"It's nice to meet you, Kat. What brings you down here?" He leaned back comfortably in his chair. "If you'd like some coffee it's fresh." The coffeemaker was absolutely the most vital part of his job.
"Don't mind if I do." Kat continued speaking as she made her coffee, "I'm new in town and wanted to get acquainted with the area. I was just curious about what sort of job opportunities there were." She sat back down after adding a splash of cream and four sugars. He cringed inwardly.
"Unfortunately there isn't much work around the docks. I can give you a list of places that hire for day work. Just tell them I sent you." Danny wrote out the names and slid the paper across the desk. Kat took the paper and folded it neatly.
"Thanks. It's hard starting up in a new place. I guess you must be pretty busy..." She moved to stand, but something prompted him to say something.
"I'm not. Busy that is. If you've got some time. You haven't even finished your coffee yet." That came out more garbled than he intended. The woman eyed him for a moment before sitting back down with the coffee. The look of amusement felt to him like a joke somehow shared between them.
"Well it would be a shame to waste good coffee." She raised her mug in a toast. He never did figure out that day why having her stay was so important. Maybe his daughter was rubbing off on him. She was following her heart now and making miracles. It was about time he took a little more interest in his own life.
March madness was in full swing apparently as he once more tried valiantly to combat the rising tide of paperwork. One would think that with job situation being what it is there wouldn't be as much paperwork. He stared at the stack of files in his in box and sighed heavily. More people were being lead away by promises of better pay in the gangs. Danny could understand the desire to put food on the table. Of wanting to provide clothing and shelter to your family. They just didn't seem to understand that joining a gang only caused the city to decay faster. It put your own family at risk by rival gangs. With any luck a solution would be found to this dilemma. The intercom buzzed.
"Yes, Judy?" Danny asked.
"The woman from the other day is here." Judy informed him. Kat? He looked at the in box. The stack seemed to taunt him. Perhaps a distraction was in order.
"Sure. Send her in." He wasn't running away from his problems. He was manfully retreating. Just for a few minutes. Kat walked into his office in that same jeans and jacket combo. Today she was wearing a Mouse Protector t-shirt. It seemed to fit her very well.
"Hey Danny." She greeted him with a smile.
"Hey Kat. The coffee's fresh. Help yourself." He gestured with a welcoming smile.
"Don't mind if I do." She prepared her coffee with a splash of cream and four sugars. "What a place this is...I've been in the Bay for about a week now and the things I've seen..." Kat shook her hand as she sat down. He nodded slowly.
"It wasn't always like this, but lately things have gotten a lot better." That was certainly the truth. It wasn't a miracle fix, but the new developments were making the city safer.
"I know, right? Just yesterday I saw the Tinker that has everyone in such a tizzy. Aria's a sweet kid. She's like Brockton Bay's own junior celebrity." Kat's words filled him with pride. He wanted to crow from the rooftops about how great his daughter is, but that wasn't happening. Danny would have to content himself with this.
"She's been good for the city. I'm sure her parents must be proud." They sipped their coffee for awhile longer. He looked her over again. She sat in her chair quietly, but there was a sense of barely contained energy. Like she could explode into motion at a moment's notice. One leg was folded over the other in calm repose. She arched an eyebrow at having caught him staring.
"How have you been?" Kat asked with a hint of humor. It didn't help that it looked like the picture of his wife was laughing at him too.
"Fighting the good fight. We're starting to hit an upswing in employment." A factory was scheduled to be built for the PRT to construct the medical scanners and other such tech. The only issue was finding space for it. If the Ship's Graveyard was removed that would be even better.
"What have you been up to?" Danny asked her in return.
"I found a job. It's certainly never dull. I haven't had a chance to leave the office since I started." She smiled wryly.
"If you're not doing anything tomorrow...How about we meet for lunch?" Even as the words left his mouth he wondered where that came from. Judging by the surprise that glimmered in her eyes that was a question she'd like to know as well.
"I'd love to. When and where?" Her response took them both by surprise. Plans were made before the parted company for the day. Danny had no idea why he asked, but a stirring inside told him it was the right thing to do.
The lunch date went well. They just seemed to click and had an easy camaraderie. Phone numbers were exchanged and messages sent. He almost felt like a teenager again. It was such a strange thing, but other parts of his life started to line us as well. The situation at home was growing stronger and better by the day. There was more work to be found as the PRT needed more assistance. They had never sent jobs their way before, but now they were. Danny was just grateful for all of the opportunities. His time with Kat was also proving rewarding. He wanted to introduce her to Taylor, but their schedules never could line up. It was just a bit maddening. She had time to spend with him, but not to meet his daughter. Eventually he was going to have to do something. He just hoped it didn't explode in his face.
Taylor was missing. All of his children were out looking for her, but it didn't change that fact. His talk with Mir had helped a lot. They had shored each other up and eased their troubled minds. The song, Harmonious, brought a smile to his face. That was what had healed Taylor. He sat in his chair with a mug of coffee and stared at the television screen. The urge to get a bottle of beer was there, but ignored. Alcohol didn't save and it didn't help. He stared at his phone for a bit. There was someone else he could call. The sky was dark and evening at settled in. Hopefully she was home. The number was dialed with the ease of familiarity.
"Danny?" Kat's voice was welcome, but something was wrong. Their was a tenseness to her tone.
"Hello, Kat. If this is a bad time I can call back." Danny assured her. She blew out a breath.
"Yeah that's probably a good idea..." She sounded like it wasn't, but the relief in her tone was genuine. A voice in the background called out, "Mouse? Where are you?" Kat's breathing hitched, "Uh...gottagobye!" The phone clicked as the connection was cut. That voice was very familiar. He stared at the phone in his hand for several moments as the jigsaw pieces fit into place.
"Kat...? With Miss Militia...?" The Mouse Protector t-shirt. The energy when sitting still. He rubbed at his face. "Oh God...that makes so much sense..." No wonder she didn't want to meet his daughter. They already knew each other, but from work.
He was dating Mouse Protector.
With that realization he knew that his life had taken a nosedive into the absurd. He briefly considered whether to be upset or not and tossed all of that to the side. She never lied to him. Kat was there when he needed another adult to talk to that wasn't Kurt and Lacey. It didn't hurt that she was a very good looking woman and fun to be with. They did need to talk about this though.
A few hours later Aria was found but it would be some time before they had a chance to discuss anything. Which brings us to the present day...
or Melody of Escalation
Interlude: The Mouse and the Dockworker
They met sometime in early March. It was just an ordinary day for Danny as he sat in his office. His desk was clear for once as the backlog of paperwork sat in the out box. He leaned back tiredly in his chair, but with a satisfied air. The coffee mug in his hand saying "Number 1 Dad" brought a smile to his face. The pictures on his desk warmed his heart as well. There was a picture of his departed wife holding their daughter. The smile on her face that used to fill him with the pain of loss now filled him with pleasant nostalgia. Another picture was of just Taylor. Her smile was so much like her mother's that it shamed him how much he had let slip away. The next image was of his daughter and granddaughter mugging for the camera. Sonata Annette Hebert didn't even realize just how much like her mother and grandmother she was. He laughed softly. The very last picture was of his entire family sitting on the porch. Taylor and Sonata sitting on either side of him with Despedia, Cocona, and Lisa seated around them. The intercom buzzer brought him out of his contemplation.
"What is it, Judy?" He asked.
"There's someone here to see you. She doesn't have an appointment. Want me to schedule her one?" The secretary, Judy, was a good sort. She just started working here. The poor girl was clearly troubled by something, but he didn't pry.
"That's okay. I'm not busy at the moment." Danny assured her. The door opened soon after and a rather pretty woman stepped into his office. Her curly brown hair was just to her shoulders and there was an openness about her. The smile she flashed him was full of mischief and goodwill. Her hazel eyes were bright and cheerful. She was of average height, but clearly fit. Her clothes consisted of jeans and a jacket. All very casual. The way she moved, on the other hand, reminded him of Cocona. He stood up to greet her.
"Hello there. I'm Danny Hebert." She shook his hand before taking a seat at his invitation.
"Nice to meet you. My name's Kat Donovan." A look of amusement crossed her face at some secret joke.
"It's nice to meet you, Kat. What brings you down here?" He leaned back comfortably in his chair. "If you'd like some coffee it's fresh." The coffeemaker was absolutely the most vital part of his job.
"Don't mind if I do." Kat continued speaking as she made her coffee, "I'm new in town and wanted to get acquainted with the area. I was just curious about what sort of job opportunities there were." She sat back down after adding a splash of cream and four sugars. He cringed inwardly.
"Unfortunately there isn't much work around the docks. I can give you a list of places that hire for day work. Just tell them I sent you." Danny wrote out the names and slid the paper across the desk. Kat took the paper and folded it neatly.
"Thanks. It's hard starting up in a new place. I guess you must be pretty busy..." She moved to stand, but something prompted him to say something.
"I'm not. Busy that is. If you've got some time. You haven't even finished your coffee yet." That came out more garbled than he intended. The woman eyed him for a moment before sitting back down with the coffee. The look of amusement felt to him like a joke somehow shared between them.
"Well it would be a shame to waste good coffee." She raised her mug in a toast. He never did figure out that day why having her stay was so important. Maybe his daughter was rubbing off on him. She was following her heart now and making miracles. It was about time he took a little more interest in his own life.
March madness was in full swing apparently as he once more tried valiantly to combat the rising tide of paperwork. One would think that with job situation being what it is there wouldn't be as much paperwork. He stared at the stack of files in his in box and sighed heavily. More people were being lead away by promises of better pay in the gangs. Danny could understand the desire to put food on the table. Of wanting to provide clothing and shelter to your family. They just didn't seem to understand that joining a gang only caused the city to decay faster. It put your own family at risk by rival gangs. With any luck a solution would be found to this dilemma. The intercom buzzed.
"Yes, Judy?" Danny asked.
"The woman from the other day is here." Judy informed him. Kat? He looked at the in box. The stack seemed to taunt him. Perhaps a distraction was in order.
"Sure. Send her in." He wasn't running away from his problems. He was manfully retreating. Just for a few minutes. Kat walked into his office in that same jeans and jacket combo. Today she was wearing a Mouse Protector t-shirt. It seemed to fit her very well.
"Hey Danny." She greeted him with a smile.
"Hey Kat. The coffee's fresh. Help yourself." He gestured with a welcoming smile.
"Don't mind if I do." She prepared her coffee with a splash of cream and four sugars. "What a place this is...I've been in the Bay for about a week now and the things I've seen..." Kat shook her hand as she sat down. He nodded slowly.
"It wasn't always like this, but lately things have gotten a lot better." That was certainly the truth. It wasn't a miracle fix, but the new developments were making the city safer.
"I know, right? Just yesterday I saw the Tinker that has everyone in such a tizzy. Aria's a sweet kid. She's like Brockton Bay's own junior celebrity." Kat's words filled him with pride. He wanted to crow from the rooftops about how great his daughter is, but that wasn't happening. Danny would have to content himself with this.
"She's been good for the city. I'm sure her parents must be proud." They sipped their coffee for awhile longer. He looked her over again. She sat in her chair quietly, but there was a sense of barely contained energy. Like she could explode into motion at a moment's notice. One leg was folded over the other in calm repose. She arched an eyebrow at having caught him staring.
"How have you been?" Kat asked with a hint of humor. It didn't help that it looked like the picture of his wife was laughing at him too.
"Fighting the good fight. We're starting to hit an upswing in employment." A factory was scheduled to be built for the PRT to construct the medical scanners and other such tech. The only issue was finding space for it. If the Ship's Graveyard was removed that would be even better.
"What have you been up to?" Danny asked her in return.
"I found a job. It's certainly never dull. I haven't had a chance to leave the office since I started." She smiled wryly.
"If you're not doing anything tomorrow...How about we meet for lunch?" Even as the words left his mouth he wondered where that came from. Judging by the surprise that glimmered in her eyes that was a question she'd like to know as well.
"I'd love to. When and where?" Her response took them both by surprise. Plans were made before the parted company for the day. Danny had no idea why he asked, but a stirring inside told him it was the right thing to do.
The lunch date went well. They just seemed to click and had an easy camaraderie. Phone numbers were exchanged and messages sent. He almost felt like a teenager again. It was such a strange thing, but other parts of his life started to line us as well. The situation at home was growing stronger and better by the day. There was more work to be found as the PRT needed more assistance. They had never sent jobs their way before, but now they were. Danny was just grateful for all of the opportunities. His time with Kat was also proving rewarding. He wanted to introduce her to Taylor, but their schedules never could line up. It was just a bit maddening. She had time to spend with him, but not to meet his daughter. Eventually he was going to have to do something. He just hoped it didn't explode in his face.
Taylor was missing. All of his children were out looking for her, but it didn't change that fact. His talk with Mir had helped a lot. They had shored each other up and eased their troubled minds. The song, Harmonious, brought a smile to his face. That was what had healed Taylor. He sat in his chair with a mug of coffee and stared at the television screen. The urge to get a bottle of beer was there, but ignored. Alcohol didn't save and it didn't help. He stared at his phone for a bit. There was someone else he could call. The sky was dark and evening at settled in. Hopefully she was home. The number was dialed with the ease of familiarity.
"Danny?" Kat's voice was welcome, but something was wrong. Their was a tenseness to her tone.
"Hello, Kat. If this is a bad time I can call back." Danny assured her. She blew out a breath.
"Yeah that's probably a good idea..." She sounded like it wasn't, but the relief in her tone was genuine. A voice in the background called out, "Mouse? Where are you?" Kat's breathing hitched, "Uh...gottagobye!" The phone clicked as the connection was cut. That voice was very familiar. He stared at the phone in his hand for several moments as the jigsaw pieces fit into place.
"Kat...? With Miss Militia...?" The Mouse Protector t-shirt. The energy when sitting still. He rubbed at his face. "Oh God...that makes so much sense..." No wonder she didn't want to meet his daughter. They already knew each other, but from work.
He was dating Mouse Protector.
With that realization he knew that his life had taken a nosedive into the absurd. He briefly considered whether to be upset or not and tossed all of that to the side. She never lied to him. Kat was there when he needed another adult to talk to that wasn't Kurt and Lacey. It didn't hurt that she was a very good looking woman and fun to be with. They did need to talk about this though.
A few hours later Aria was found but it would be some time before they had a chance to discuss anything. Which brings us to the present day...
Fifth Arc 5.5
- Location
- PA
Hymn of Harmony
or Melody of Escalation
Fifth Arc 5.5
-April 29, 2011-
-Ramada Inn Wilkes-Barre: Aria's Room-
I was pretty sure there were better ways to react to my dad dating anyone, but fainting did the job too. Of course now I was stuck in bed listening to how my dad met Mouse Protector. Kat. Dear Wills her name was Kat. How absolutely ironic is that? Despedia was on one side of me, totally entranced with the tale with Cocona on my other side helping me stay upright on the bed. Sonata had claimed my lap for a pillow while Lisa was on the other side of Cocona. I was surrounded. Nowhere to escape. If I passed out again it would be a brief reprieve at the most. Now my dad and Mouse...er...Kat...were looking at me expectantly. They were worried about how I would handle this. On second thought, fainting was a bad idea. The initial fainting definitely.
"I'm...huh. To be honest I'm stumped on how to react. I'm not mad or anything. It's not like you're betraying Mom since she'd have told you to live. That's not it. Dating Kat? Still not the weirdest thing. At the end of the day you're people too." What was it that was bugging me about this whole thing? Oh yeah. "Just answer me this. Why were you even at the Docks that day, Kat?" She blinked in confusion.
"I was running from my escort detail. They wanted me to go straight to the PRT building, but I wanted to meet your father. Figured I should know him on sight, y'know? Then one thing lead to another and it was coffee dates, lunches, and phone calls." She smiled at my Dad affectionately. He returned her look with a smile of his own.
"That was my only issue. Okay." It really was okay. Making people miserable over their romantic choices was pointless. If it was a good match then don't judge. It it was a bad match then be a good friend and help pick up the pieces.
"This is so cool..." Des squeaked happily as she pinched herself again. No, Des, you're not dreaming. Cocona rested her head on my shoulder.
"Does anyone else know about this?" Lisa asked curiously. Her melody was fishing for information in case she needed to plan for protection. I reached across to pat her hand reassuringly.
"Missy, Miss Militia to you, does. She wouldn't let it go and I understood completely. A phone call like that with everything else that was going on? Totally weird." Kat replied. Dad looked sheepish.
"I didn't mean to cause any trouble." He rubbed her back soothingly. She just shook her head.
"It's fine, Danny. If I was in your position I would have done the same." The out of costume heroine looked right at me. "I am so happy that you're alright. Even if I've said it before it bears repeating. You and your father are good people." Her melody was still a dramatic swell, but it fit the mood.
"Okay girls we still need to unpack. Then we can pick where we go for dinner. I know you wrote up a travel itinerary Lisa, but we'll get to that tomorrow." Dad gave the blonde a hug. Lisa looked surprised for a moment before melting into the embrace with a vulpine mrrr of satisfaction. She was still surprised at random bouts of affection. They filed out of the room shortly thereafter. I tracked my dad's melody and Kat's heading...into...the same room...? Abort abort abort! I tuned my melody sense way down in their direction. It would still let me catch if they were in danger, but there are some things no child needs to know.
"You're still in shock." Mir's voice came to me. I laughed softly at the amusement in her tone. My decision to not even unpack was a good one. If I needed a different outfit then the clothing field would suffice.
"I am, kinda, yeah. It's great to see them together. They look so happy together." I said wistfully. It would be a total lie if I didn't wish it was my birth mother with dad right now. He and Kat still fit together nicely.
"Most children aren't as understanding as you are. You grew up too fast, but it certainly deepened your emotions." The dark Reyvateil commented. "You feel deeper and hold your love stronger. Most Reyvateils wouldn't be as potent as you are without a fully functioning Tower. That's due to the nature of your bonds. They strengthen all of us in a myriad of tangible and intangible ways. Your mother...mothers...are very proud of you." I smiled warmly at hearing the affection in her voice.
"Trying to distract me from my revelation isn't going to help much." My warm smile turned sardonic. She laughed in response.
"I had to try. Just do me a favor and talk to Cocona before too long. You're not clueless like Lyner." Mir said with whole volumes of unspoken feelings.
"I liked your version of the Magical Girl story from the Cosmosphere, but it's not exactly everyone's taste. They even managed to capture some of the innocence of the original opening chapters. Lyner and Shurelia weren't trying to snug you. Though it would have been a lot better if they had just asked you to do it since the writing quality suffered." Okay so I occasionally like a tragic love story. I won't look for one in my real life, but something poignant and heartfelt is nice.
"I suppose a rewrite wouldn't have been terrible. If it was me at the helm. Though it was amateurish there was a sense of life and heart. Don't tell Shurelia or Lyner that I don't exactly hate the changes anymore." She warned. Like I would do that to her. Nope. With her luck she'd do it to herself. We talked for awhile longer, but a knock at the door ended the conversation.
First night in Wilkes-Barre and it was time to get the party started. Dad's idea that we go out to dinner was a good one, but finding a place was tricky. There were a lot of choices, but Lonestar Steakhouse came up and that settled it for us. Sometimes I forget just how many carnivores we have in the family. The food was good and the service was nice. It was even better being someplace where we didn't have to worry about random gang violence ruining the evening. I wish that it was an exaggeration, but some parts of the city were that bad. A sharp nudge Cocona drew me out of my slightly gloomy thoughts and back to the fun.
Afterwards we went out to see a movie. They were showing some sci-fi flick from Earth Aleph that had my inner scientist screaming. Much of it was highly plausible, but then you had multiple ton robots jumping like they were in the matrix. The story was so-so and the romance was forced. Neither of the leads were all that compelling. At least everyone else enjoyed it and I was able to fake interest. Strangely enough I found Megatron to be the most multifaceted character. Optimus Prime was clearly the paragon of virtue and chosen leader type. A cliche stereotype that worked well. We headed back to the hotel afterward. The real treat was spending the whole night with my family. I went to head into my room, but Cocona stopped me.
"Hey Taylor. Can we talk?" She asked hesitantly. I invited her in and shut the door. My friend and maybe more looked nervous before plopping down on the bed. I sat down next to her.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked her. She shifted nervously. I put my hand over hers in a comforting gesture.
"Okay so I said that we should talk...but now...argh!" Cocona groaned in annoyance.
"I want to be with you. Date you. I was hoping you would be my girlfriend." That could have gone smoother, but I wanted it out in the open. It wasn't fair to her to make her make the first move. She already did that and I had been too blind to see. Her eyes widened as she stared at me.
"Uh okay...yeah. I'd like that." She smiled warmly and I was blinded by how beautiful she looked. I wrapped my arms around you and just held her. She was so small, but fit in my arms so right.
"I think I'm getting the best part out of this bargain." I joked playfully. She snuggled closer.
"I think we're both pretty lucky. The best vanguards are the ones that love their charges." Cocona murmured quietly. My heart was pounding at her words. It felt so good to hear her say that. She was my vanguard. My partner. We would be together and that's what mattered. The night was long, but we had each other.
-April 30, 2011-
-Brockton Bay: The Bay-
Work had begun on the Ship Graveyard. Mostly cleaning and hauling. Several attacks by rogue parahumans and the BB Dragonzord had left most of it already demolished. The men down on the ground were grateful for the extra work. The shape of the city was changing. More money was coming in and tourism had increased even further. The Bay was becoming a safer place to live. It wasn't that all of their problems were gone, but the ones that remained were content to remain quiet. Today was just another day. People heading to work and living their lives. The only difference was the equipment being used. The upright walker mechs that the Dockworkers Association were using made the job go much faster. One of the men stretched as another man brought him a clipboard.
"Let's see. We're ahead of the projected schedule. Good work. It's going to be nice to have all of this land returned to the city." Kurt, Danny's best friend, commented.
"Man did he sell his soul to get us this deal?" The younger man asked teasingly.
"Not likely. That man could swindle the devil." Grins were shared between the men. The normal sounds of construction were interrupted by the Bay bubbling with froth.
"What's the Dragonzord doing? There's nothing to fight." The younger man looked confused and apprehensive. Had Uber and Leet decided to stop playing hero with their giant mech? It seemed that their fears were born out at first as a silvery blue head started to part the water. Their expressions changed to stunned amazement as what looked like a mechanized Godzilla emerged from the water.
"That...is not the Dragonzord..." Kurt hit the alarms. There was nothing they could do against a thirty foot tall mecha. The sheer number of visible weapons would make a stout man shudder. The men hurried to retreat. Abandoning the equipment.
"Hey can the Dragonzord come out to play? Motor Boss and Mecha Godzilla wanna say hi!" The voice that came from the loudspeakers was familiar, but the name wasn't. The giant machine let out a roar taken straight from an iron works. "If they don't show up then we're gonna huff, and puff, and blow all this shit away!" A rapid whirring of gears was heard as a volley of artillery exploded around the Graveyard. The workers were trying to escape, but they were being bombarded by high speed dirt and rocks. Some fell as others tried to save them.
Kurt snarled as he ran towards the problem. The gigantic machine that Dragon left for them was to be used for hauling the large steel chunks. He didn't know if the Labor would be able to handle fighting a war machine, but he would be damned if these men suffered. The yellow machine with black chevrons came to life as a glowing blue visor lit up. There was a feeling in his gut as the titan rose to the challenge. The Bay would not be kicked around by anyone again! Mecha Godzilla noticed the twenty foot tall machine's activation and pointed it's weapons. Kurt grabbed a chunk of steel and used it as a shield to block the volley of bullets.
"Get the fuck outta here!" He roared as the machine hurled the now smoking hunk at the larger mech. The deafening clang was a rewarding sound. Mecha Godzilla staggered briefly before staggering again as smaller pieces of steel were hurled with pneumatic might. Kurt kept track of the evacuation even as he grabbed a huge steel I-Beam that was being used to shore up the parts they worked on. In the hands of the yellow Labor it was a fitting weapon to slay a metal beast.
"What the hell!? Grrr...! No fuckin' way am I retreating! Not until I've smashed the fuckin' Dragonzord!" A loud roar from the mech preceded a blast of conical power. The metal I-Beam was shattered as the construction machine was forced back. The war machine was intent on teaching this interloper the difference between construction and destruction as it charged forward. Kurt tried to bring the unresponsive systems back online. Whatever the hell that thing was it scrambled something.
"Come on big guy...come on..." He jerked the control yokes, but nothing was working. Kurt would have to reset the entire thing, but it looked like he didn't have the time.
The saying goes that the Judgment of Heaven is slow and sure, but at others it was swift as Hell. There was no fanfare as the Dragonzord exploded from the water with it's signature roar and body checked the saurian mech at full speed. Kurt released a sigh of relief before immediately hitting the reset switch. Whether the BB Dragonzord needed help or not, this would not stand.
"What the hell!? Dragonzord can't move that fast!" Mecha Godzilla's pilot sounded offended, but the saurian mech proved it was fast as well with a spinning tail slap. The resounding boom caused waves to erupt and shook the earth.
"Hey you called us. We didn't call you." The voice of Uber was heard as the dragon finger jabbed the silvery blue war machine in the chest while firing the claw missiles. The double attack made it's equally enormous counterpart reel but a sudden head butt knocked Dragonzord off balance.
"You got what you wanted so no complaining!" Leet shouted as the other claw was brought down with savage ferocity on the skull of the enemy machine. Mecha Godzilla's eyes glowed malevolently just before firing off it's Blast Roar. It's opponent was hammered in the torso an forced backwards by the blast. The Dragonzord appeared slow to respond.
"Ya like that!? A focused EMP blast with the roar!" Motor Boss bragged as the wicked metal monster rushed for it's staggering opponent. Kurt grinned ferally as the message reporting system's green let him know he was back in action. The surprisingly agile yellow construction mech moved in a forward lunge for Mecha Godzilla. The pilot realized, too late, that the formerly neutralized mecha was still functional. She tried to check her advance, but Dragonzord proved he was playing possum. The red eyes glowed with unholy glee as it sounded out a triumphant cry. The yellow mech crashed into Mecha Godzilla's hip assembly just as Dragonzord gave the torso a bear hug. The other mech's limbs were trapped and it's entire lower body unresponsive. There was the sound of squealing metal as the war machine's eyes guttered and died.
"Fuckin' assholes! You haven't heard the last of me!" Before they could react an escape pod was jettisoned away from the disabled machine. Dragonzord dropped the twisted hulk on dry land while the Labor dragged the legs and tail ashore.
"Thanks guys. We really needed your help back there." Kurt said in relief over the comm system.
"No problem. We were happy to be of assistance." Uber responded. Dragonzord extended his curled fist to the battle scarred yellow machine. The Labor completed the fist bump with a righteous crash. Unbeknownst to them there was one worker still on the scene that caught the whole thing. He would go on to put this picture up on PHO with the caption "True Heavy Metal."
-Undisclosed Location-
Motor Boss cursed angrily as she exited the escape craft. Mecha Godzilla 1 was a total loss. At least she had the data recorder. This was an expensive set back, but it gave her a better idea of the opposition. Nowhere in any of her calculations did a construction mech factor in or that it would be so powerful. She stopped and thought that over.
"No, there's no reason it wouldn't be that powerful. Construction equipment have to be durable and strong for their work. Also it wasn't carting around weaponry so that explains the speed." The loss was easier to see in hindsight. If it had just been Dragonzord or the yellow worker bot it would have been her victory. She entered the conference room of the base. Her subordinates were already gathered.
"Well that was a spectacular flop." Angel commented snidely.
"Really? Okay. So that means you failed your assignment?" Motor Boss asked with a deceptively sweet tone. Even Smack and Fleabag shuddered at the threat of menace. Angel folded her arms defensively.
"We succeeded, Motor Boss." Gent assured her as he slid the case in her direction. She grinned in response.
"Excellent work. There will be a bonus involved of course." Motor Boss was giddy as she opened the case. Inside was a green colored metal fragment. It was a tiny sliver, but more than enough.
"What did you want that for anyway, boss?" Fleabag asked while scratching his head. She checked and he did not actually have fleas.
"This little bit of metal will tell me what the BB Dragonzord is made of. There is no way it's made of ordinary steel. Not even the Tinker metals that the fabricator can produce. With this I will finally have the answer to defeating it." She closed the case with a sense of satisfaction. "What about the second part?"
"I managed to get into the bank and retrieve the account numbers." Gent said with smug self assurance.
"Good. Very good. Next phase it to lay low. We're starting off small. This was a gambit that still paid off in spades." Inwardly she was pissed at losing Mecha Godzilla, but with this data and her genius? It was only a matter of time.
or Melody of Escalation
Fifth Arc 5.5
-April 29, 2011-
-Ramada Inn Wilkes-Barre: Aria's Room-
I was pretty sure there were better ways to react to my dad dating anyone, but fainting did the job too. Of course now I was stuck in bed listening to how my dad met Mouse Protector. Kat. Dear Wills her name was Kat. How absolutely ironic is that? Despedia was on one side of me, totally entranced with the tale with Cocona on my other side helping me stay upright on the bed. Sonata had claimed my lap for a pillow while Lisa was on the other side of Cocona. I was surrounded. Nowhere to escape. If I passed out again it would be a brief reprieve at the most. Now my dad and Mouse...er...Kat...were looking at me expectantly. They were worried about how I would handle this. On second thought, fainting was a bad idea. The initial fainting definitely.
"I'm...huh. To be honest I'm stumped on how to react. I'm not mad or anything. It's not like you're betraying Mom since she'd have told you to live. That's not it. Dating Kat? Still not the weirdest thing. At the end of the day you're people too." What was it that was bugging me about this whole thing? Oh yeah. "Just answer me this. Why were you even at the Docks that day, Kat?" She blinked in confusion.
"I was running from my escort detail. They wanted me to go straight to the PRT building, but I wanted to meet your father. Figured I should know him on sight, y'know? Then one thing lead to another and it was coffee dates, lunches, and phone calls." She smiled at my Dad affectionately. He returned her look with a smile of his own.
"That was my only issue. Okay." It really was okay. Making people miserable over their romantic choices was pointless. If it was a good match then don't judge. It it was a bad match then be a good friend and help pick up the pieces.
"This is so cool..." Des squeaked happily as she pinched herself again. No, Des, you're not dreaming. Cocona rested her head on my shoulder.
"Does anyone else know about this?" Lisa asked curiously. Her melody was fishing for information in case she needed to plan for protection. I reached across to pat her hand reassuringly.
"Missy, Miss Militia to you, does. She wouldn't let it go and I understood completely. A phone call like that with everything else that was going on? Totally weird." Kat replied. Dad looked sheepish.
"I didn't mean to cause any trouble." He rubbed her back soothingly. She just shook her head.
"It's fine, Danny. If I was in your position I would have done the same." The out of costume heroine looked right at me. "I am so happy that you're alright. Even if I've said it before it bears repeating. You and your father are good people." Her melody was still a dramatic swell, but it fit the mood.
"Okay girls we still need to unpack. Then we can pick where we go for dinner. I know you wrote up a travel itinerary Lisa, but we'll get to that tomorrow." Dad gave the blonde a hug. Lisa looked surprised for a moment before melting into the embrace with a vulpine mrrr of satisfaction. She was still surprised at random bouts of affection. They filed out of the room shortly thereafter. I tracked my dad's melody and Kat's heading...into...the same room...? Abort abort abort! I tuned my melody sense way down in their direction. It would still let me catch if they were in danger, but there are some things no child needs to know.
"You're still in shock." Mir's voice came to me. I laughed softly at the amusement in her tone. My decision to not even unpack was a good one. If I needed a different outfit then the clothing field would suffice.
"I am, kinda, yeah. It's great to see them together. They look so happy together." I said wistfully. It would be a total lie if I didn't wish it was my birth mother with dad right now. He and Kat still fit together nicely.
"Most children aren't as understanding as you are. You grew up too fast, but it certainly deepened your emotions." The dark Reyvateil commented. "You feel deeper and hold your love stronger. Most Reyvateils wouldn't be as potent as you are without a fully functioning Tower. That's due to the nature of your bonds. They strengthen all of us in a myriad of tangible and intangible ways. Your mother...mothers...are very proud of you." I smiled warmly at hearing the affection in her voice.
"Trying to distract me from my revelation isn't going to help much." My warm smile turned sardonic. She laughed in response.
"I had to try. Just do me a favor and talk to Cocona before too long. You're not clueless like Lyner." Mir said with whole volumes of unspoken feelings.
"I liked your version of the Magical Girl story from the Cosmosphere, but it's not exactly everyone's taste. They even managed to capture some of the innocence of the original opening chapters. Lyner and Shurelia weren't trying to snug you. Though it would have been a lot better if they had just asked you to do it since the writing quality suffered." Okay so I occasionally like a tragic love story. I won't look for one in my real life, but something poignant and heartfelt is nice.
"I suppose a rewrite wouldn't have been terrible. If it was me at the helm. Though it was amateurish there was a sense of life and heart. Don't tell Shurelia or Lyner that I don't exactly hate the changes anymore." She warned. Like I would do that to her. Nope. With her luck she'd do it to herself. We talked for awhile longer, but a knock at the door ended the conversation.
First night in Wilkes-Barre and it was time to get the party started. Dad's idea that we go out to dinner was a good one, but finding a place was tricky. There were a lot of choices, but Lonestar Steakhouse came up and that settled it for us. Sometimes I forget just how many carnivores we have in the family. The food was good and the service was nice. It was even better being someplace where we didn't have to worry about random gang violence ruining the evening. I wish that it was an exaggeration, but some parts of the city were that bad. A sharp nudge Cocona drew me out of my slightly gloomy thoughts and back to the fun.
Afterwards we went out to see a movie. They were showing some sci-fi flick from Earth Aleph that had my inner scientist screaming. Much of it was highly plausible, but then you had multiple ton robots jumping like they were in the matrix. The story was so-so and the romance was forced. Neither of the leads were all that compelling. At least everyone else enjoyed it and I was able to fake interest. Strangely enough I found Megatron to be the most multifaceted character. Optimus Prime was clearly the paragon of virtue and chosen leader type. A cliche stereotype that worked well. We headed back to the hotel afterward. The real treat was spending the whole night with my family. I went to head into my room, but Cocona stopped me.
"Hey Taylor. Can we talk?" She asked hesitantly. I invited her in and shut the door. My friend and maybe more looked nervous before plopping down on the bed. I sat down next to her.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked her. She shifted nervously. I put my hand over hers in a comforting gesture.
"Okay so I said that we should talk...but now...argh!" Cocona groaned in annoyance.
"I want to be with you. Date you. I was hoping you would be my girlfriend." That could have gone smoother, but I wanted it out in the open. It wasn't fair to her to make her make the first move. She already did that and I had been too blind to see. Her eyes widened as she stared at me.
"Uh okay...yeah. I'd like that." She smiled warmly and I was blinded by how beautiful she looked. I wrapped my arms around you and just held her. She was so small, but fit in my arms so right.
"I think I'm getting the best part out of this bargain." I joked playfully. She snuggled closer.
"I think we're both pretty lucky. The best vanguards are the ones that love their charges." Cocona murmured quietly. My heart was pounding at her words. It felt so good to hear her say that. She was my vanguard. My partner. We would be together and that's what mattered. The night was long, but we had each other.
-April 30, 2011-
-Brockton Bay: The Bay-
Work had begun on the Ship Graveyard. Mostly cleaning and hauling. Several attacks by rogue parahumans and the BB Dragonzord had left most of it already demolished. The men down on the ground were grateful for the extra work. The shape of the city was changing. More money was coming in and tourism had increased even further. The Bay was becoming a safer place to live. It wasn't that all of their problems were gone, but the ones that remained were content to remain quiet. Today was just another day. People heading to work and living their lives. The only difference was the equipment being used. The upright walker mechs that the Dockworkers Association were using made the job go much faster. One of the men stretched as another man brought him a clipboard.
"Let's see. We're ahead of the projected schedule. Good work. It's going to be nice to have all of this land returned to the city." Kurt, Danny's best friend, commented.
"Man did he sell his soul to get us this deal?" The younger man asked teasingly.
"Not likely. That man could swindle the devil." Grins were shared between the men. The normal sounds of construction were interrupted by the Bay bubbling with froth.
"What's the Dragonzord doing? There's nothing to fight." The younger man looked confused and apprehensive. Had Uber and Leet decided to stop playing hero with their giant mech? It seemed that their fears were born out at first as a silvery blue head started to part the water. Their expressions changed to stunned amazement as what looked like a mechanized Godzilla emerged from the water.
"That...is not the Dragonzord..." Kurt hit the alarms. There was nothing they could do against a thirty foot tall mecha. The sheer number of visible weapons would make a stout man shudder. The men hurried to retreat. Abandoning the equipment.
"Hey can the Dragonzord come out to play? Motor Boss and Mecha Godzilla wanna say hi!" The voice that came from the loudspeakers was familiar, but the name wasn't. The giant machine let out a roar taken straight from an iron works. "If they don't show up then we're gonna huff, and puff, and blow all this shit away!" A rapid whirring of gears was heard as a volley of artillery exploded around the Graveyard. The workers were trying to escape, but they were being bombarded by high speed dirt and rocks. Some fell as others tried to save them.
Kurt snarled as he ran towards the problem. The gigantic machine that Dragon left for them was to be used for hauling the large steel chunks. He didn't know if the Labor would be able to handle fighting a war machine, but he would be damned if these men suffered. The yellow machine with black chevrons came to life as a glowing blue visor lit up. There was a feeling in his gut as the titan rose to the challenge. The Bay would not be kicked around by anyone again! Mecha Godzilla noticed the twenty foot tall machine's activation and pointed it's weapons. Kurt grabbed a chunk of steel and used it as a shield to block the volley of bullets.
"Get the fuck outta here!" He roared as the machine hurled the now smoking hunk at the larger mech. The deafening clang was a rewarding sound. Mecha Godzilla staggered briefly before staggering again as smaller pieces of steel were hurled with pneumatic might. Kurt kept track of the evacuation even as he grabbed a huge steel I-Beam that was being used to shore up the parts they worked on. In the hands of the yellow Labor it was a fitting weapon to slay a metal beast.
"What the hell!? Grrr...! No fuckin' way am I retreating! Not until I've smashed the fuckin' Dragonzord!" A loud roar from the mech preceded a blast of conical power. The metal I-Beam was shattered as the construction machine was forced back. The war machine was intent on teaching this interloper the difference between construction and destruction as it charged forward. Kurt tried to bring the unresponsive systems back online. Whatever the hell that thing was it scrambled something.
"Come on big guy...come on..." He jerked the control yokes, but nothing was working. Kurt would have to reset the entire thing, but it looked like he didn't have the time.
The saying goes that the Judgment of Heaven is slow and sure, but at others it was swift as Hell. There was no fanfare as the Dragonzord exploded from the water with it's signature roar and body checked the saurian mech at full speed. Kurt released a sigh of relief before immediately hitting the reset switch. Whether the BB Dragonzord needed help or not, this would not stand.
"What the hell!? Dragonzord can't move that fast!" Mecha Godzilla's pilot sounded offended, but the saurian mech proved it was fast as well with a spinning tail slap. The resounding boom caused waves to erupt and shook the earth.
"Hey you called us. We didn't call you." The voice of Uber was heard as the dragon finger jabbed the silvery blue war machine in the chest while firing the claw missiles. The double attack made it's equally enormous counterpart reel but a sudden head butt knocked Dragonzord off balance.
"You got what you wanted so no complaining!" Leet shouted as the other claw was brought down with savage ferocity on the skull of the enemy machine. Mecha Godzilla's eyes glowed malevolently just before firing off it's Blast Roar. It's opponent was hammered in the torso an forced backwards by the blast. The Dragonzord appeared slow to respond.
"Ya like that!? A focused EMP blast with the roar!" Motor Boss bragged as the wicked metal monster rushed for it's staggering opponent. Kurt grinned ferally as the message reporting system's green let him know he was back in action. The surprisingly agile yellow construction mech moved in a forward lunge for Mecha Godzilla. The pilot realized, too late, that the formerly neutralized mecha was still functional. She tried to check her advance, but Dragonzord proved he was playing possum. The red eyes glowed with unholy glee as it sounded out a triumphant cry. The yellow mech crashed into Mecha Godzilla's hip assembly just as Dragonzord gave the torso a bear hug. The other mech's limbs were trapped and it's entire lower body unresponsive. There was the sound of squealing metal as the war machine's eyes guttered and died.
"Fuckin' assholes! You haven't heard the last of me!" Before they could react an escape pod was jettisoned away from the disabled machine. Dragonzord dropped the twisted hulk on dry land while the Labor dragged the legs and tail ashore.
"Thanks guys. We really needed your help back there." Kurt said in relief over the comm system.
"No problem. We were happy to be of assistance." Uber responded. Dragonzord extended his curled fist to the battle scarred yellow machine. The Labor completed the fist bump with a righteous crash. Unbeknownst to them there was one worker still on the scene that caught the whole thing. He would go on to put this picture up on PHO with the caption "True Heavy Metal."
-Undisclosed Location-
Motor Boss cursed angrily as she exited the escape craft. Mecha Godzilla 1 was a total loss. At least she had the data recorder. This was an expensive set back, but it gave her a better idea of the opposition. Nowhere in any of her calculations did a construction mech factor in or that it would be so powerful. She stopped and thought that over.
"No, there's no reason it wouldn't be that powerful. Construction equipment have to be durable and strong for their work. Also it wasn't carting around weaponry so that explains the speed." The loss was easier to see in hindsight. If it had just been Dragonzord or the yellow worker bot it would have been her victory. She entered the conference room of the base. Her subordinates were already gathered.
"Well that was a spectacular flop." Angel commented snidely.
"Really? Okay. So that means you failed your assignment?" Motor Boss asked with a deceptively sweet tone. Even Smack and Fleabag shuddered at the threat of menace. Angel folded her arms defensively.
"We succeeded, Motor Boss." Gent assured her as he slid the case in her direction. She grinned in response.
"Excellent work. There will be a bonus involved of course." Motor Boss was giddy as she opened the case. Inside was a green colored metal fragment. It was a tiny sliver, but more than enough.
"What did you want that for anyway, boss?" Fleabag asked while scratching his head. She checked and he did not actually have fleas.
"This little bit of metal will tell me what the BB Dragonzord is made of. There is no way it's made of ordinary steel. Not even the Tinker metals that the fabricator can produce. With this I will finally have the answer to defeating it." She closed the case with a sense of satisfaction. "What about the second part?"
"I managed to get into the bank and retrieve the account numbers." Gent said with smug self assurance.
"Good. Very good. Next phase it to lay low. We're starting off small. This was a gambit that still paid off in spades." Inwardly she was pissed at losing Mecha Godzilla, but with this data and her genius? It was only a matter of time.
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Dreitus
Oh, Canada!
did you mean Hannah?
If she rebuilds Mecha Godzilla it's only a matter of time until she pisses of the real Godzilla and gets a surprise Visit
No, she means Missy. As in Miss-y. The fact that it's Vista's real name likely doesn't matter for MP, since I get the feeling that she's been calling MM that for longer than Vista's been a parahuman.
Also, where's Jehuty when you need it.
- Location
- PA
Kat wasn't going to give out Miss Militia's real identity with non PRT people there. Hammy she may be, but Mouse Protector is still careful. Mostly.
Dreitus
Oh, Canada!
So she gives out a Ward's name instead?...
She wasn't referring to Vista in the scene.
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- Location
- PA
She said "Missy. That's Miss Militia to you." By this point most of them know that Missy is her nickname for Miss Militia.
- Location
- PA
lmfao. Thanks, Deus. I needed a good laugh. I have two more Arcs planned after this to resolve the story. I love this story and want to end it while the affection is still there. It will be a resolved and completed story first.
Fifth Arc 5.6
- Location
- PA
Hymn of Harmony
or Melody of Escalation
Fifth Arc 5.6
-April 30, 2011-
-Wyoming Valley Mall-
The mall was pretty much like any other mall. There wasn't a great deal of difference between this one and the ones back in Brockton Bay. At least on the surface. The people here were much friendlier and the shops gleamed invitingly. There wasn't a single person with a recognizable gang affiliation either. They probably existed, but I couldn't sense anything amiss. Bizarrely that was more distracting than if I sensed danger. Cocona squeezed my hand reassuringly. She looked amused at my plight. I gave her a rueful smile in return. Dad had driven us to the mall and we spread out. He and Kat were wandering around somewhere alone. They certainly didn't need a chaperon. Despedia found herself entranced by browsing through the clothing stores with Lisa and Sonata. That just left Cocona and I to entertain ourselves. We had plans to meet up with the others around lunchtime and decide what to do with the afternoon. The funny thing was that I just wanted to stay in today and just hang out. No running around. No going anymore. Maybe cuddle with my girlfriend.
"If you don't stop that weird giggling I'm gonna pretend I don't know you." The aforementioned girlfriend informed me with a smirk. I draped my arm around her shoulders.
"Hey I'm in a good mood. What more do you want from me?" I demanded with poorly hidden amusement.
"Maybe if you told me why you're giggling like that. It's creepy." She said with a mock shudder. Impulsively I kissed the top of her head.
"Just thinking about how lucky I am." She blushed a bit at the unexpected PDA. We were walking by an electronics store when one of the TVs started showing the national news. I was planning on just walking by, but Cocona stopped dead which brought me to a halt.
"Taylor...look." She pointed at the screen. I looked to where she indicated and had to stop myself from gawking. Brockton Bay made national news again with a video that went viral within minutes of posting. The sight of the BB Dragonzord, a construction mech, and Mecha Godzilla was too bizarre. Cocona and I shared a look.
"Isn't it nice that the insanity happens even without us there?" I asked with forced cheer. We moved away from the store as people behind us boggled at the images. The Heavy Labor Construction Unit was not designed for combat, but it was a very sturdy piece of hardware. I could already picture the interest in giant mecha that this would bring on. As long as it was Uber and Leet only they were content. Now that it was shown these big monsters of metal weren't just because of Leet tech? Interest would increase greatly. She sent a message off over the chat channel to Mir about having Dragon make a formal overture to Uber and Leet.
"I hope that's the only work you plan on doing during this vacation." Mir responded. Oh no. No more work for her. "Good."
"I would be happy if the insanity always avoided us." Cocona replied to what I said out loud. She knew I was doing other things mentally, but was being understanding. I gave her a more affectionate squeeze and resolved to let my mind unwind. There was nothing else that needed doing except spend time with her and that would be my pleasure.
-Sonata-
My mom and vacation were like two strangers that met in Sweden to discuss dinner in German when they only understand Swahili. With one of them being mute. It probably sounds like an exaggeration, but that's because her mind processes information at a rate superior to humans. Superior to most super computers. I was designed to process things at human speeds. She wasn't. So when people suggest she needs to stop thinking so much it's akin to asking a high performance race car to take you to the grocery store. Lisa and Despedia, Emma in public, were checking out the different clothing stores. It wasn't my first choice, but getting ideas for her outfits was not a bad idea. I wasn't as much of a fashion plate, but I had my feminine pride. Even if I looked like a twelve to thirteen year old girl. The fun part was that I actually did grow. My prosthetics had the capability, but the ones on the market didn't. I was the test bed for a reason. My aunts, because let's face it Des is as close as a sister to Mom again, were cooing over something pretty.
"Hey I'm going next door. Okay?" I asked them. No sense in vanishing without telling them where I'm at. Sometimes they forgot we knew where the other ones were.
"Sure thing, kid. Just don't get lost." Lisa teased while ruffling my hair.
"You've got your whistle, right?" Despedia asked. Pepper spray and a whistle were expected to defend me in the event something bad happened. They didn't want me hurting people any more than I had to, but it still rankled. I was a third dan in several martial arts. Wait. Did I remember to tell anyone that? When I was compiling data before my birth that was something I picked. Lisa looked bemused.
"You know kung fu?" She stared at me curiously.
"Well yeah. If you had access to the whole internet wouldn't you do it too?" I grinned at her gobsmacked expression. "Oh and I have my whistle."
"Good. It avoids more lawsuits that way." The redhead playfully swatted my shoulder. How did Des know, but Lisa didn't? I left them to their own devices and wandered into the local branch of a national anti-Conformist clothing chain. The more they sought to avoid conforming the more they did. The way some of these people were dressed made me want to get out a crucifix. I like black. Black is my favorite color. I could not wear so much black. The chokers and collars were kind of neat, but everyone was playing it up so much as to be silly.
"You don't look like you're from around here." I looked at the person who addressed me. My first thought was that he needed more sun. A lot more sun.
"Nope. I'm just here with my family on vacation." There was no harm in being polite. He nodded his head. His hair was black, unnaturally so, and there was a faint slouch to his appearance. He was trying for disinterested loner, but came off as more sexual predator.
"Parents are such a drag. At least you got away from their leash for a while." He smiled engagingly right after insulting my family. I beamed back at him.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested. My mom's awesome and so is my family. Better luck next time." I finished with a pleasant chirp. He nodded slowly. Without saying another word he wandered off back into the night, or at least the dark at the back of the shop.
"Seriously. Why is this shop so dark? I can barely see anything. The colors are all muted. How does this help a customer buy anything?" Oh no. I'm turning into my mom. Well, that's not actually a bad thing. Strong opinion and knowing what you want is never a bad thing. I walked out of the shop feeling strangely pleased with myself. Then again the brightly lit mall made me feel better. I went back into the clothing boutique to hang out with my aunts again. The one thing that reassured me the most was that I was not turning into a fake goth. Conformist wimps.
-Despedia and Lisa-
They watched the younger girl walk out of the shop and take a right towards the shop next door. Despedia and Lisa exchanged knowing glances. That girl was so much like her mother it was scary which meant she would probably be back soon.
"Ten says she's back in five minutes." Despedia said.
"You're on." Lisa replied. The shop was decent sized with a good selection of clothing to choose from. Designer brands, national brands, and generics. When they said there was something here for everyone they weren't kidding.
"Did you seriously not know that Annette learned martial arts?" The redhead asked curiously.
"I knew. It's Taylor that doesn't and until she starts imitating Jackie Chan it will probably stay that way. Though trolling the kid is fun." The blonde commented with a vulpine grin.
"Trolling Taylor is fun too. I swear it's about time one of them made a move." This was something of an old topic between the two. It wasn't quite so obvious when Cocona first arrived, but the signs had steadily grown. The only one more protective of Taylor than Des was Cocona. The blue-black haired girl was easy to read. She wore her heart on her sleeve. Their more oblivious friend managed to miss all the signals.
"I was about to lock them in a broom closet together and just let nature take it's course." Lisa huffed.
"Then Taylor would have constructed something, somehow, from what was in the closet and escape. If Cocona didn't just knock the door down." When people looked at the barely five foot tall girl they didn't see the warrior. They saw a tiny little thing that couldn't hurt a fly. From their own experience they knew that wasn't true.
"At least they've made progress. What about you and Amy?" Lisa asked curiously.
"We're good friends. There isn't that much to tell. We did try dating, but that was one date. It wasn't bad, but it didn't go anywhere. We kind of flopped. Is there anyone you've got your eyes on?" Despedia asked playfully. The blonde pondered that for a minute.
"I never really gave it any thought. Due to my issue I knew everything about a person. Even the creepy stuff. When you can tell for certain what someone's kinks are it makes dating kind of weird. Being able to just ignore it all is such a relief. I'm still not looking, but it's nice that the option is mine again." Her power was the worst blocker in existence at times, but now she could turn it off.
"You could always ask Cocona if she's willing to share. At least let you borrow Taylor for a bit." Despedia grinned wickedly. Lisa flushed to the roots of her hair even as her power kicked on by itself to assure her that Des was kidding. The redhead looked chagrined.
"It's okay, Emma. I know you were joking." Lisa assured her. That didn't stop the other girl from giving her a hug in apology. Sometimes the redhead wore her own heart on her sleeve. The blonde let herself relax in the comforting embrace. She managed to tune out the world. This was the scene that Sonata walked in on.
"Hey guys. What's up?" She settled for a low key approach. The two disengaged slowly. Lisa just looked at Despedia.
"You owe me ten bucks." The redhead laughed while Sonata was left in total confusion.
-Danny and Kat-
He was fairly certain the girls would be fine. It wasn't that he worried about them all the time, but they had a habit of attracting trouble. Danny looked around the department store. His attention was drawn back by someone lightly squeezing his hand. The only person that should be squeezing that was his girlfriend so he smiled in her direction. She smiled back, but then frowned slightly. He sent her a questioning look and she indicated the crowd by the electronics store. Occasionally the words Brockton Bay and giant robots would be heard over the din.
"At this rate Brockton Bay is going to get a reputation and not for the crime rate." Kat said in bemusement.
"I know what you mean. Power armor walks the streets, the police are no longer outgunned, and even giant robots. I know that Aria was hoping to make a difference with medical tech, but with everything taken together. It's just a bit overwhelming." Danny wasn't shy about admitting this to her.
"You're right. The Triumvirate should just show up and make her a member. She's pretty much reached that point." The brown haired woman grinned teasingly. Taylor's father briefly lost himself in a vision of Aria joining the likes of Alexandria, Eidolon, and Legend. The vision then turned to her playing some sort of prank on them in short order. Why was he picturing his Taylor as a troll?
"That would be something alright. I'm glad you were able to get from work for awhile." Danny smiled at Kat. The irony was not lost on him that a woman named Kat would be Mouse Protector.
"So am I. I told them it was a working vacation, which it kind of is, but this has been a treat." She leaned into his arm contentedly. The feel of her so close made his mind race. This was neither the time or place for such thoughts, but it was nice to have them again. Unfortunately the sound of screams drew their attention. The two rushed towards the sound only to find a woman in a skintight costume going into the jewelry store. The cape wasn't one that Danny was familiar with, but Kat sucked in a breath.
"Who is that?" Danny asked.
"Ravager. Shit." She swore. It was uncharacteristic of her, but the way her lips peeled back gave off a predatory vibe. This was not someone she liked.
"Old history?" He asked as they hurried away from the scene. Kat was looking for somewhere, anywhere, to change. She had a bag slung over her shoulder that had the bulkiest pieces of gear.
"She tried to get the S9 to kill me. I let the home office know and that's how I ended up in good ol' BB." She laughed darkly. The sound of an echoing boom reached them from the direction they just came from. They exchanged a look.
"The kids." They said at the same time before running back towards the scene of the crime.
-With Taylor-
Ravager at the mall robbing a jewelry store. Oh hell no. This was our vacation. A chance to relax before dealing with this shit again. My eyes narrowed in fury as the building's cameras showed everything. The woman was in a spandex outfit with a feral looking mask. She had talons on her gloves and metal claws on the backs of her hands. The woman was menacing the customers. A quick check of the parahuman database showed that her abilities were heightened reflexes, a type of combat precog, and she could cause any wounds to fester and smoke. She liked to leave people scarred and wounded.
"Taylor..." Cocona said warningly. I grumbled a bit, but calmed down. In all the madness and people being evacuated there wasn't much room to do anything. Not and maintain our identities anyway. Though I did have an idea that made me smile. An evil smile is still a smile.
"Yeah...they're close by. This should be fun." I commented. The ELMA Linkage Mark IV was already en route with three Cutey ELMAs. A mental nudge and the armor unfolded. Magnet clips were engaged as the three ELMAs connected to the larger unit. The result was a white and gold armored figure with black and red add-ons that burst onto the scene. I wasn't in it, but I could direct the machine. Cocona had moved us further into the parking lot with Despedia, Lisa, and Sonata. Dad and Kat were still inside.
"That looks like a Gundam. The head's wrong, but definitely a mobile suit." Sonata sounded amused. The people weren't quite so frightened anymore. That was good. The remote controlled unit slammed through the front doors of the jewelry store and threw several white discs towards the crowd.
"What the hell is this!?" Ravager yelped in surprise as her hostages were now protected by glowing blue force balls. She used the capture spheres as protection. The villainess attempted a back flip over the counter, but several containment foam grenades slammed into her. She spun faster in mid air before getting slammed into the wall, the foam expanding quickly.
"That was anticlimactic." Taylor said aloud. The machine summoned the capture sphere discs back before taking off for the skies once more. They would dive into the river, disassemble there, and then make their way back to the vehicle Kat brought them in after dark.
-With Danny and Kat-
The adults watched blankly as a well over six foot tall machine of white, gold, black, and red dealt with Ravager. The hostage situation was taken care of and no one was hurt. The villainess was hit with enough containment foam that she resembled an enormous marshmallow. Danny looked at Kat.
"She needed a vacation." He commented. She just nodded her head.
"Now I had better call in to the PRT and let them know what happened. Yay. Responsible adult go!" Kat cheered with a plastic smile on her face. She got out her cellphone to call her superiors. Wrapping up Ravager like she was a naughty child made her entire year. The villainous cape had caused a great deal of suffering with her powers. To see her taken out like she was a non issue made her shiver delightedly. That was Danny's daughter who did that. He certainly deserved something special for having a kid like her.
Danny felt like howling at the moon with no idea why.
-Nearby-
A mysterious and highly competent woman in a fedora watched the scene from a distance. From start to finish the entire sequence of events had lasted minutes, but advanced others by years. She smiled faintly. Ravager was minor in the grand scheme of things. This test of their target's capabilities had gone splendidly. She took a bite of the Philly style pretzel with gusto. The results spoke for themselves. This girl was the one. Her own abilities were considerable, but some things still blindsided her. She knew immediately that the girl, Aria, was vital. The exact measure of how vital eluded her. There were precious few that eluded her like that, but this young woman was one as well. Sometimes Aria was perfectly clear to her abilities and at others invisible. Mapping her was a headache and a half. In order to justify her fascination with the girl a test was arranged.
Ravager was all too eager to take the job. She didn't know who they were, but a sufficient amount of money got her on their side easily enough. Money. With the world falling apart and society collapsing the villainess wanted money. In another few years when everything fell money would be worthless. The woman shook her head. This test was to allow her compatriots, and herself, to have a clear look at this girl. No posturing. No grandstanding. Just do the deed and leave. Precision and efficiency. It still didn't help with her own problem of only being able to map Aria half the time. That wasn't important. She finished her pretzel while heading for the staff exit. A door of light appeared as she stepped through the exit and vanished without a trace.
or Melody of Escalation
Fifth Arc 5.6
-April 30, 2011-
-Wyoming Valley Mall-
The mall was pretty much like any other mall. There wasn't a great deal of difference between this one and the ones back in Brockton Bay. At least on the surface. The people here were much friendlier and the shops gleamed invitingly. There wasn't a single person with a recognizable gang affiliation either. They probably existed, but I couldn't sense anything amiss. Bizarrely that was more distracting than if I sensed danger. Cocona squeezed my hand reassuringly. She looked amused at my plight. I gave her a rueful smile in return. Dad had driven us to the mall and we spread out. He and Kat were wandering around somewhere alone. They certainly didn't need a chaperon. Despedia found herself entranced by browsing through the clothing stores with Lisa and Sonata. That just left Cocona and I to entertain ourselves. We had plans to meet up with the others around lunchtime and decide what to do with the afternoon. The funny thing was that I just wanted to stay in today and just hang out. No running around. No going anymore. Maybe cuddle with my girlfriend.
"If you don't stop that weird giggling I'm gonna pretend I don't know you." The aforementioned girlfriend informed me with a smirk. I draped my arm around her shoulders.
"Hey I'm in a good mood. What more do you want from me?" I demanded with poorly hidden amusement.
"Maybe if you told me why you're giggling like that. It's creepy." She said with a mock shudder. Impulsively I kissed the top of her head.
"Just thinking about how lucky I am." She blushed a bit at the unexpected PDA. We were walking by an electronics store when one of the TVs started showing the national news. I was planning on just walking by, but Cocona stopped dead which brought me to a halt.
"Taylor...look." She pointed at the screen. I looked to where she indicated and had to stop myself from gawking. Brockton Bay made national news again with a video that went viral within minutes of posting. The sight of the BB Dragonzord, a construction mech, and Mecha Godzilla was too bizarre. Cocona and I shared a look.
"Isn't it nice that the insanity happens even without us there?" I asked with forced cheer. We moved away from the store as people behind us boggled at the images. The Heavy Labor Construction Unit was not designed for combat, but it was a very sturdy piece of hardware. I could already picture the interest in giant mecha that this would bring on. As long as it was Uber and Leet only they were content. Now that it was shown these big monsters of metal weren't just because of Leet tech? Interest would increase greatly. She sent a message off over the chat channel to Mir about having Dragon make a formal overture to Uber and Leet.
"I hope that's the only work you plan on doing during this vacation." Mir responded. Oh no. No more work for her. "Good."
"I would be happy if the insanity always avoided us." Cocona replied to what I said out loud. She knew I was doing other things mentally, but was being understanding. I gave her a more affectionate squeeze and resolved to let my mind unwind. There was nothing else that needed doing except spend time with her and that would be my pleasure.
-Sonata-
My mom and vacation were like two strangers that met in Sweden to discuss dinner in German when they only understand Swahili. With one of them being mute. It probably sounds like an exaggeration, but that's because her mind processes information at a rate superior to humans. Superior to most super computers. I was designed to process things at human speeds. She wasn't. So when people suggest she needs to stop thinking so much it's akin to asking a high performance race car to take you to the grocery store. Lisa and Despedia, Emma in public, were checking out the different clothing stores. It wasn't my first choice, but getting ideas for her outfits was not a bad idea. I wasn't as much of a fashion plate, but I had my feminine pride. Even if I looked like a twelve to thirteen year old girl. The fun part was that I actually did grow. My prosthetics had the capability, but the ones on the market didn't. I was the test bed for a reason. My aunts, because let's face it Des is as close as a sister to Mom again, were cooing over something pretty.
"Hey I'm going next door. Okay?" I asked them. No sense in vanishing without telling them where I'm at. Sometimes they forgot we knew where the other ones were.
"Sure thing, kid. Just don't get lost." Lisa teased while ruffling my hair.
"You've got your whistle, right?" Despedia asked. Pepper spray and a whistle were expected to defend me in the event something bad happened. They didn't want me hurting people any more than I had to, but it still rankled. I was a third dan in several martial arts. Wait. Did I remember to tell anyone that? When I was compiling data before my birth that was something I picked. Lisa looked bemused.
"You know kung fu?" She stared at me curiously.
"Well yeah. If you had access to the whole internet wouldn't you do it too?" I grinned at her gobsmacked expression. "Oh and I have my whistle."
"Good. It avoids more lawsuits that way." The redhead playfully swatted my shoulder. How did Des know, but Lisa didn't? I left them to their own devices and wandered into the local branch of a national anti-Conformist clothing chain. The more they sought to avoid conforming the more they did. The way some of these people were dressed made me want to get out a crucifix. I like black. Black is my favorite color. I could not wear so much black. The chokers and collars were kind of neat, but everyone was playing it up so much as to be silly.
"You don't look like you're from around here." I looked at the person who addressed me. My first thought was that he needed more sun. A lot more sun.
"Nope. I'm just here with my family on vacation." There was no harm in being polite. He nodded his head. His hair was black, unnaturally so, and there was a faint slouch to his appearance. He was trying for disinterested loner, but came off as more sexual predator.
"Parents are such a drag. At least you got away from their leash for a while." He smiled engagingly right after insulting my family. I beamed back at him.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested. My mom's awesome and so is my family. Better luck next time." I finished with a pleasant chirp. He nodded slowly. Without saying another word he wandered off back into the night, or at least the dark at the back of the shop.
"Seriously. Why is this shop so dark? I can barely see anything. The colors are all muted. How does this help a customer buy anything?" Oh no. I'm turning into my mom. Well, that's not actually a bad thing. Strong opinion and knowing what you want is never a bad thing. I walked out of the shop feeling strangely pleased with myself. Then again the brightly lit mall made me feel better. I went back into the clothing boutique to hang out with my aunts again. The one thing that reassured me the most was that I was not turning into a fake goth. Conformist wimps.
-Despedia and Lisa-
They watched the younger girl walk out of the shop and take a right towards the shop next door. Despedia and Lisa exchanged knowing glances. That girl was so much like her mother it was scary which meant she would probably be back soon.
"Ten says she's back in five minutes." Despedia said.
"You're on." Lisa replied. The shop was decent sized with a good selection of clothing to choose from. Designer brands, national brands, and generics. When they said there was something here for everyone they weren't kidding.
"Did you seriously not know that Annette learned martial arts?" The redhead asked curiously.
"I knew. It's Taylor that doesn't and until she starts imitating Jackie Chan it will probably stay that way. Though trolling the kid is fun." The blonde commented with a vulpine grin.
"Trolling Taylor is fun too. I swear it's about time one of them made a move." This was something of an old topic between the two. It wasn't quite so obvious when Cocona first arrived, but the signs had steadily grown. The only one more protective of Taylor than Des was Cocona. The blue-black haired girl was easy to read. She wore her heart on her sleeve. Their more oblivious friend managed to miss all the signals.
"I was about to lock them in a broom closet together and just let nature take it's course." Lisa huffed.
"Then Taylor would have constructed something, somehow, from what was in the closet and escape. If Cocona didn't just knock the door down." When people looked at the barely five foot tall girl they didn't see the warrior. They saw a tiny little thing that couldn't hurt a fly. From their own experience they knew that wasn't true.
"At least they've made progress. What about you and Amy?" Lisa asked curiously.
"We're good friends. There isn't that much to tell. We did try dating, but that was one date. It wasn't bad, but it didn't go anywhere. We kind of flopped. Is there anyone you've got your eyes on?" Despedia asked playfully. The blonde pondered that for a minute.
"I never really gave it any thought. Due to my issue I knew everything about a person. Even the creepy stuff. When you can tell for certain what someone's kinks are it makes dating kind of weird. Being able to just ignore it all is such a relief. I'm still not looking, but it's nice that the option is mine again." Her power was the worst blocker in existence at times, but now she could turn it off.
"You could always ask Cocona if she's willing to share. At least let you borrow Taylor for a bit." Despedia grinned wickedly. Lisa flushed to the roots of her hair even as her power kicked on by itself to assure her that Des was kidding. The redhead looked chagrined.
"It's okay, Emma. I know you were joking." Lisa assured her. That didn't stop the other girl from giving her a hug in apology. Sometimes the redhead wore her own heart on her sleeve. The blonde let herself relax in the comforting embrace. She managed to tune out the world. This was the scene that Sonata walked in on.
"Hey guys. What's up?" She settled for a low key approach. The two disengaged slowly. Lisa just looked at Despedia.
"You owe me ten bucks." The redhead laughed while Sonata was left in total confusion.
-Danny and Kat-
He was fairly certain the girls would be fine. It wasn't that he worried about them all the time, but they had a habit of attracting trouble. Danny looked around the department store. His attention was drawn back by someone lightly squeezing his hand. The only person that should be squeezing that was his girlfriend so he smiled in her direction. She smiled back, but then frowned slightly. He sent her a questioning look and she indicated the crowd by the electronics store. Occasionally the words Brockton Bay and giant robots would be heard over the din.
"At this rate Brockton Bay is going to get a reputation and not for the crime rate." Kat said in bemusement.
"I know what you mean. Power armor walks the streets, the police are no longer outgunned, and even giant robots. I know that Aria was hoping to make a difference with medical tech, but with everything taken together. It's just a bit overwhelming." Danny wasn't shy about admitting this to her.
"You're right. The Triumvirate should just show up and make her a member. She's pretty much reached that point." The brown haired woman grinned teasingly. Taylor's father briefly lost himself in a vision of Aria joining the likes of Alexandria, Eidolon, and Legend. The vision then turned to her playing some sort of prank on them in short order. Why was he picturing his Taylor as a troll?
"That would be something alright. I'm glad you were able to get from work for awhile." Danny smiled at Kat. The irony was not lost on him that a woman named Kat would be Mouse Protector.
"So am I. I told them it was a working vacation, which it kind of is, but this has been a treat." She leaned into his arm contentedly. The feel of her so close made his mind race. This was neither the time or place for such thoughts, but it was nice to have them again. Unfortunately the sound of screams drew their attention. The two rushed towards the sound only to find a woman in a skintight costume going into the jewelry store. The cape wasn't one that Danny was familiar with, but Kat sucked in a breath.
"Who is that?" Danny asked.
"Ravager. Shit." She swore. It was uncharacteristic of her, but the way her lips peeled back gave off a predatory vibe. This was not someone she liked.
"Old history?" He asked as they hurried away from the scene. Kat was looking for somewhere, anywhere, to change. She had a bag slung over her shoulder that had the bulkiest pieces of gear.
"She tried to get the S9 to kill me. I let the home office know and that's how I ended up in good ol' BB." She laughed darkly. The sound of an echoing boom reached them from the direction they just came from. They exchanged a look.
"The kids." They said at the same time before running back towards the scene of the crime.
-With Taylor-
Ravager at the mall robbing a jewelry store. Oh hell no. This was our vacation. A chance to relax before dealing with this shit again. My eyes narrowed in fury as the building's cameras showed everything. The woman was in a spandex outfit with a feral looking mask. She had talons on her gloves and metal claws on the backs of her hands. The woman was menacing the customers. A quick check of the parahuman database showed that her abilities were heightened reflexes, a type of combat precog, and she could cause any wounds to fester and smoke. She liked to leave people scarred and wounded.
"Taylor..." Cocona said warningly. I grumbled a bit, but calmed down. In all the madness and people being evacuated there wasn't much room to do anything. Not and maintain our identities anyway. Though I did have an idea that made me smile. An evil smile is still a smile.
"Yeah...they're close by. This should be fun." I commented. The ELMA Linkage Mark IV was already en route with three Cutey ELMAs. A mental nudge and the armor unfolded. Magnet clips were engaged as the three ELMAs connected to the larger unit. The result was a white and gold armored figure with black and red add-ons that burst onto the scene. I wasn't in it, but I could direct the machine. Cocona had moved us further into the parking lot with Despedia, Lisa, and Sonata. Dad and Kat were still inside.
"That looks like a Gundam. The head's wrong, but definitely a mobile suit." Sonata sounded amused. The people weren't quite so frightened anymore. That was good. The remote controlled unit slammed through the front doors of the jewelry store and threw several white discs towards the crowd.
"What the hell is this!?" Ravager yelped in surprise as her hostages were now protected by glowing blue force balls. She used the capture spheres as protection. The villainess attempted a back flip over the counter, but several containment foam grenades slammed into her. She spun faster in mid air before getting slammed into the wall, the foam expanding quickly.
"That was anticlimactic." Taylor said aloud. The machine summoned the capture sphere discs back before taking off for the skies once more. They would dive into the river, disassemble there, and then make their way back to the vehicle Kat brought them in after dark.
-With Danny and Kat-
The adults watched blankly as a well over six foot tall machine of white, gold, black, and red dealt with Ravager. The hostage situation was taken care of and no one was hurt. The villainess was hit with enough containment foam that she resembled an enormous marshmallow. Danny looked at Kat.
"She needed a vacation." He commented. She just nodded her head.
"Now I had better call in to the PRT and let them know what happened. Yay. Responsible adult go!" Kat cheered with a plastic smile on her face. She got out her cellphone to call her superiors. Wrapping up Ravager like she was a naughty child made her entire year. The villainous cape had caused a great deal of suffering with her powers. To see her taken out like she was a non issue made her shiver delightedly. That was Danny's daughter who did that. He certainly deserved something special for having a kid like her.
Danny felt like howling at the moon with no idea why.
-Nearby-
A mysterious and highly competent woman in a fedora watched the scene from a distance. From start to finish the entire sequence of events had lasted minutes, but advanced others by years. She smiled faintly. Ravager was minor in the grand scheme of things. This test of their target's capabilities had gone splendidly. She took a bite of the Philly style pretzel with gusto. The results spoke for themselves. This girl was the one. Her own abilities were considerable, but some things still blindsided her. She knew immediately that the girl, Aria, was vital. The exact measure of how vital eluded her. There were precious few that eluded her like that, but this young woman was one as well. Sometimes Aria was perfectly clear to her abilities and at others invisible. Mapping her was a headache and a half. In order to justify her fascination with the girl a test was arranged.
Ravager was all too eager to take the job. She didn't know who they were, but a sufficient amount of money got her on their side easily enough. Money. With the world falling apart and society collapsing the villainess wanted money. In another few years when everything fell money would be worthless. The woman shook her head. This test was to allow her compatriots, and herself, to have a clear look at this girl. No posturing. No grandstanding. Just do the deed and leave. Precision and efficiency. It still didn't help with her own problem of only being able to map Aria half the time. That wasn't important. She finished her pretzel while heading for the staff exit. A door of light appeared as she stepped through the exit and vanished without a trace.
Last edited:
- Location
- PA
A reader over on SB pointed out that Sonata was pretty harsh to the emo kid so I changed it to be less harsh.
Fifth Arc 5.7
- Location
- PA
Hymn of Harmony
or Melody of Escalation
Fifth Arc 5.7
-May 1, 2011-
-Ramada Inn-
The family decided that going out today was a great idea, but I put my foot down. I was staying at the hotel and vegging out. They wanted me to take this vacation and I planned on enjoying it. Which is why I was still curled up in bed somewhere around noon in blissful rest. Cocona had opted to stay behind as well and was also vegging in my bed with me. Everyone else would be back soon enough, but for now it was just the two of us. The only problem with trying to lay in bed all day is that eventually your stomach decides to complain.
"Sounds like you have a bear in there." Cocona teased as she poked my stomach. I poked her in return.
"That was definitely a two part harmony. Want to order room service?" I asked.
"Let's see what they got." She got the menu from where it was left for our convenience. We called down and had our lunch delivered to the room. The bellhop brought in the cart, accepted his tip, and was sent off once more. He did look a little curious as there was only Cocona and myself with enough food for at least five people. That reminded me. We hadn't been to a buffet yet while here. That was a good idea for dinner.
"I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet. Yesterday was not quiet." It wasn't quiet. An actual villain, Ravager, had decided that robbing a jewelry store in broad daylight was a brilliant idea.
"Yeah, but it put Kat in a good mood. Your dad certainly agreed." Cocona said with a grin.
"I'm of two minds about that. They're so cute together and it's nice to see him happy. For some reason the thought of having three mothers won't leave me alone." I cocked my head to the side. It wasn't like anyone but us would know.
"You never know. Danny might just decide to give it a shot and then you'd have a Mouse Mommy." The blue-black haired girl said with a laugh. I snickered.
"Okay. That was a good one. Now I want to find a way to work that into a conversation." Just imagining the looks of slowly dawning shock almost sent me into hysterics. Instead I continued to eat, but the smile was definitely there.
"I'm so glad you came on vacation with us Mouse Mommy!" Cocona chirped with her fists balled up under her chin adorably. We both fell back laughing at that. Thankfully we didn't knock anything over in the process, but still it was nice to laugh.
"Oh my sides...that would do it alright. The purpose of the joke is twofold! We have a laugh and reassure the male parental unit!" I pointed dramatically at the ceiling. It got a little silly after that. Lunch passed in laughter that should have waited until we were done eating. Snorting a french fry is not fun. I don't recommend it. Honestly I had no idea what couples even did. Thankfully one of us had an idea. Apparently it's not too different than being best friends. There was just more kissing involved. Which was certainly a point in it's favor as we passed the time after lunch with some snuggling and kissing.
"Mmm...that was nice." Cocona said softly from the ring of my arms.
"I'd say a bit more than nice..." I said teasingly. She gave me a light shove. I looked into her eyes and something clicked for me. A crystallization of thought. There was something I wanted her to do for me. For us.
"Taylor...? What is it? You're staring..." She squirmed bashfully. My mouth was dry as I tried to formulate the words.
"Cocona...would you...Dive with me?" I will never know how I managed to say that without stuttering. She stared at me with wide eyes. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. I gave her a quick peck on the lips which seemed to give her a reboot.
"O-okay...uhhh...right here...? We don't have the right equipment..." She looked around as if assuring herself that the full Dive equipment hadn't mysteriously appeared.
"It has to be built, but I didn't want to wait to ask." My throat locked up suddenly. Reyvateilic instincts were making me even more tongue tied. I was asking her to go inside of my very soul and see my everything.
"You're serious about this." She cupped my cheek. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Her eyes sparkled, "When the time comes then I'll be glad to." The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur.
Everyone else got back in time to go out for dinner as planned. Lisa was practically leaping out of her skin. She clearly wanted to get me alone. I had to send soothing thoughts to her. Later. We could get together later. Part of this trip was to spend time with her as well. Despedia was practically glued to Kat. Dad and Sonata looked exhausted. Everyone was happy, but those two definitely looked tired. I drew Sonata to my side.
"What happened sweetheart?" I asked her. We were sitting in the back of the van together. Cocona was humming softly to herself with a self-satisfied look. Despedia opened her mouth to comment, but a quelling look from Lisa stopped her.
"We found a person in a Mouse Protector costume at the park. Des and Kat decided to out ham the performer." She turned a haunted gaze on me.
"It could have been worse. Nyamo Mask could have been there too." I beamed at her. Her look turned to one of stunned horror. Dad burst out laughing along with Kat.
"You're right of course. That would have been much worse." She nodded so fast her ponytail hit me in the face. I sputtered at the unwelcome sensation of hair in my mouth. Why was I tasting strawberries? Sonata giggled at my bemused look.
"The villains of Brockton Bay would run in fear of the Titanic Trio of Mouse Protector, Despedia, and Nyamo Mask!" Kat declared in an over the top voice. The only sounds heard in the van for the rest of the drive were the rest of us laughing ourselves silly. Sadly we had to behave ourselves when we got to the restaurant. The servers looked at our enormous group and seemed to have a premonition. They just didn't know how bad the carnage would be. At least half of us were blessed with a hyperactive metabolism. The battle was long and the dishes were many, but somehow they managed to outlast us. The restaurant was good and the food delicious. It was just too bad we couldn't come back sometime. Then again if we came back too often they would be out of business. Oh well. Reality intrudes on another dream.
We made our way back to the hotel after dinner. Dad and Kat were going to spend some time in his room. We knew it was their room, but let us have our fantasy. Despedia wrangled my daughter and girlfriend towards her room. Cocona gave Lisa a mysterious smile and a nod before blowing me a kiss. I looked at the blonde in confusion as she looked utterly befuddled. We went into Lisa's room. She sat on the bed and I took the chair.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Damned if I know. She seemed to expect me to pick up on something. I probably could have used my power, but I've been feeling pretty relaxed." Lisa shrugged.
"No idea at all? Like maybe how close you and Despedia have grown?" It was a shot in the dark. An old trick where you watch for verbal and physical cues. It was also called cold reading. Lisa's power made her enormously good at it.
"Hey now no trying to set me up. I'll admit it's not a terrible idea. The thing is we're more the heterosexual life partners than homosexual. Though the looks on my team member's faces would be pretty funny." She grinned at the mischief that would cause.
"You're all heart. How have you been?" I asked her.
"Pretty good. The rebranding is a pain, but we'll manage. Madison is pretty much a one girl PR booster. The cat girl thing and cute costume? It's like we got our own Vista with a hundred percent more cuteness overload. The issue we're having is that Browbeat brought home a stray. Remember the duo of Angel and Crystal? Apparently they had a falling out over the Boardwalk mess. We now have our very own reformed Merchant cape. She was a bad fit for the criminal life anyway. Too nice by half. We're giving her the name Diamond. Like Diamond in the rough." Lisa giggled at the imagery.
"Sounds to me like you've got a good sized team. That's impressive." I complimented her. The Protectorate, New Wave, and the Undersiders. Three full hero teams in one city. "The number of heroes in Brockton Bay has skyrocketed."
"Which is good. The PRT can't just reassign heroes because they need their own roster. Why do they keep telling us not to work? This isn't work at all." She burst out in annoyance.
"I'm pretty sure this is covered under the relaxation thing. We're reconnecting, talking over events, or is someone in your head telling you to stop working?" I asked her curiously.
"Despedia just sent me a message saying naughty naughty. Oh. Never mind. I'm not explaining that one to you." The blonde blushed to the roots of her hair. A laugh was heard through the wall followed by a thump. The laughter stopped.
"I hope she didn't just laugh her head off. Literally. Anyway. I get to construct Dive equipment when we get back. Cocona said yes." I was excited about this. The jitters were still there, but the absolute certainty that this was what I wanted buoyed me.
"I'm happy for you two. Shurelia just sent me information on what a Dive entails. You were skipping a step in your explanation." Lisa wagged her finger at me.
"Sometimes I forget. I'll make sure there's protection. We don't want any accidents. It's my first time and well...I want it to be special." I smiled. My friend gazed at me for a long moment.
"You see absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. Beautiful." She commented in a deadpan tone. My head tilted in confusion. What was her problem?
-Elsewhere-
The woman in the fedora sat across the table from a brown haired woman with startling blue eyes. The two stared across the table at one another. Neither giving an inch. They were clearly not friends. There was palpable aura of tension that kept even the most stalwart away. The woman in the suit tilted her fedora back before folding her hands on the table. The brunette grinned smugly. The bar was loud and smoke choked the air. Someone at the microphone was singing show tunes, badly.
"How did you get my number?" The woman in the fedora cracked first.
"There isn't much that I don't know, dear Contessa." The brunette smirked at the discomfited woman.
"How do you know my name?" She asked. Her voice taking on a dangerous quality that utterly failed to impress her unwanted companion.
"I was just curious to see you in person. It's so hard to single out just one ant from on high." The woman was unspeakably beautiful. Her skin was like porcelain with a perfection normal women just could not match. Something in her tone spooked Contessa.
"What is it that you want?" The unnerved woman asked.
"Nothing much. Just to experience life and get away from work for awhile. That is the purpose of a vacation." The smirk grew wider until it was merely a dark parody of human expression.
"Now for our next song! Come on up, Simone!" The DJ called out. The frightening atmosphere faded as she stood up from the booth.
"It was a pleasure meeting you. Continue to watch that girl for me, would you?" The brunette laughed as she walked up to the podium. The song that played was Evanescence "Wake Me Up." Contessa had the strangest feeling that it was a message to her. A dark foreboding came over her as she left the bar.
"Continue to watch that girl...? Who the hell is she...?" She stared up at the sky with the song following her out into the night.
AN: Sorry this was so short, but I honestly couldn't see how to expand it any further. I didn't want to run into the problems that the original "Vacation Arc" ran into like overstaying it's welcome. A new Arc begins next time on Hymn of Harmony Rewrite!
or Melody of Escalation
Fifth Arc 5.7
-May 1, 2011-
-Ramada Inn-
The family decided that going out today was a great idea, but I put my foot down. I was staying at the hotel and vegging out. They wanted me to take this vacation and I planned on enjoying it. Which is why I was still curled up in bed somewhere around noon in blissful rest. Cocona had opted to stay behind as well and was also vegging in my bed with me. Everyone else would be back soon enough, but for now it was just the two of us. The only problem with trying to lay in bed all day is that eventually your stomach decides to complain.
"Sounds like you have a bear in there." Cocona teased as she poked my stomach. I poked her in return.
"That was definitely a two part harmony. Want to order room service?" I asked.
"Let's see what they got." She got the menu from where it was left for our convenience. We called down and had our lunch delivered to the room. The bellhop brought in the cart, accepted his tip, and was sent off once more. He did look a little curious as there was only Cocona and myself with enough food for at least five people. That reminded me. We hadn't been to a buffet yet while here. That was a good idea for dinner.
"I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet. Yesterday was not quiet." It wasn't quiet. An actual villain, Ravager, had decided that robbing a jewelry store in broad daylight was a brilliant idea.
"Yeah, but it put Kat in a good mood. Your dad certainly agreed." Cocona said with a grin.
"I'm of two minds about that. They're so cute together and it's nice to see him happy. For some reason the thought of having three mothers won't leave me alone." I cocked my head to the side. It wasn't like anyone but us would know.
"You never know. Danny might just decide to give it a shot and then you'd have a Mouse Mommy." The blue-black haired girl said with a laugh. I snickered.
"Okay. That was a good one. Now I want to find a way to work that into a conversation." Just imagining the looks of slowly dawning shock almost sent me into hysterics. Instead I continued to eat, but the smile was definitely there.
"I'm so glad you came on vacation with us Mouse Mommy!" Cocona chirped with her fists balled up under her chin adorably. We both fell back laughing at that. Thankfully we didn't knock anything over in the process, but still it was nice to laugh.
"Oh my sides...that would do it alright. The purpose of the joke is twofold! We have a laugh and reassure the male parental unit!" I pointed dramatically at the ceiling. It got a little silly after that. Lunch passed in laughter that should have waited until we were done eating. Snorting a french fry is not fun. I don't recommend it. Honestly I had no idea what couples even did. Thankfully one of us had an idea. Apparently it's not too different than being best friends. There was just more kissing involved. Which was certainly a point in it's favor as we passed the time after lunch with some snuggling and kissing.
"Mmm...that was nice." Cocona said softly from the ring of my arms.
"I'd say a bit more than nice..." I said teasingly. She gave me a light shove. I looked into her eyes and something clicked for me. A crystallization of thought. There was something I wanted her to do for me. For us.
"Taylor...? What is it? You're staring..." She squirmed bashfully. My mouth was dry as I tried to formulate the words.
"Cocona...would you...Dive with me?" I will never know how I managed to say that without stuttering. She stared at me with wide eyes. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. I gave her a quick peck on the lips which seemed to give her a reboot.
"O-okay...uhhh...right here...? We don't have the right equipment..." She looked around as if assuring herself that the full Dive equipment hadn't mysteriously appeared.
"It has to be built, but I didn't want to wait to ask." My throat locked up suddenly. Reyvateilic instincts were making me even more tongue tied. I was asking her to go inside of my very soul and see my everything.
"You're serious about this." She cupped my cheek. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Her eyes sparkled, "When the time comes then I'll be glad to." The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur.
Everyone else got back in time to go out for dinner as planned. Lisa was practically leaping out of her skin. She clearly wanted to get me alone. I had to send soothing thoughts to her. Later. We could get together later. Part of this trip was to spend time with her as well. Despedia was practically glued to Kat. Dad and Sonata looked exhausted. Everyone was happy, but those two definitely looked tired. I drew Sonata to my side.
"What happened sweetheart?" I asked her. We were sitting in the back of the van together. Cocona was humming softly to herself with a self-satisfied look. Despedia opened her mouth to comment, but a quelling look from Lisa stopped her.
"We found a person in a Mouse Protector costume at the park. Des and Kat decided to out ham the performer." She turned a haunted gaze on me.
"It could have been worse. Nyamo Mask could have been there too." I beamed at her. Her look turned to one of stunned horror. Dad burst out laughing along with Kat.
"You're right of course. That would have been much worse." She nodded so fast her ponytail hit me in the face. I sputtered at the unwelcome sensation of hair in my mouth. Why was I tasting strawberries? Sonata giggled at my bemused look.
"The villains of Brockton Bay would run in fear of the Titanic Trio of Mouse Protector, Despedia, and Nyamo Mask!" Kat declared in an over the top voice. The only sounds heard in the van for the rest of the drive were the rest of us laughing ourselves silly. Sadly we had to behave ourselves when we got to the restaurant. The servers looked at our enormous group and seemed to have a premonition. They just didn't know how bad the carnage would be. At least half of us were blessed with a hyperactive metabolism. The battle was long and the dishes were many, but somehow they managed to outlast us. The restaurant was good and the food delicious. It was just too bad we couldn't come back sometime. Then again if we came back too often they would be out of business. Oh well. Reality intrudes on another dream.
We made our way back to the hotel after dinner. Dad and Kat were going to spend some time in his room. We knew it was their room, but let us have our fantasy. Despedia wrangled my daughter and girlfriend towards her room. Cocona gave Lisa a mysterious smile and a nod before blowing me a kiss. I looked at the blonde in confusion as she looked utterly befuddled. We went into Lisa's room. She sat on the bed and I took the chair.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Damned if I know. She seemed to expect me to pick up on something. I probably could have used my power, but I've been feeling pretty relaxed." Lisa shrugged.
"No idea at all? Like maybe how close you and Despedia have grown?" It was a shot in the dark. An old trick where you watch for verbal and physical cues. It was also called cold reading. Lisa's power made her enormously good at it.
"Hey now no trying to set me up. I'll admit it's not a terrible idea. The thing is we're more the heterosexual life partners than homosexual. Though the looks on my team member's faces would be pretty funny." She grinned at the mischief that would cause.
"You're all heart. How have you been?" I asked her.
"Pretty good. The rebranding is a pain, but we'll manage. Madison is pretty much a one girl PR booster. The cat girl thing and cute costume? It's like we got our own Vista with a hundred percent more cuteness overload. The issue we're having is that Browbeat brought home a stray. Remember the duo of Angel and Crystal? Apparently they had a falling out over the Boardwalk mess. We now have our very own reformed Merchant cape. She was a bad fit for the criminal life anyway. Too nice by half. We're giving her the name Diamond. Like Diamond in the rough." Lisa giggled at the imagery.
"Sounds to me like you've got a good sized team. That's impressive." I complimented her. The Protectorate, New Wave, and the Undersiders. Three full hero teams in one city. "The number of heroes in Brockton Bay has skyrocketed."
"Which is good. The PRT can't just reassign heroes because they need their own roster. Why do they keep telling us not to work? This isn't work at all." She burst out in annoyance.
"I'm pretty sure this is covered under the relaxation thing. We're reconnecting, talking over events, or is someone in your head telling you to stop working?" I asked her curiously.
"Despedia just sent me a message saying naughty naughty. Oh. Never mind. I'm not explaining that one to you." The blonde blushed to the roots of her hair. A laugh was heard through the wall followed by a thump. The laughter stopped.
"I hope she didn't just laugh her head off. Literally. Anyway. I get to construct Dive equipment when we get back. Cocona said yes." I was excited about this. The jitters were still there, but the absolute certainty that this was what I wanted buoyed me.
"I'm happy for you two. Shurelia just sent me information on what a Dive entails. You were skipping a step in your explanation." Lisa wagged her finger at me.
"Sometimes I forget. I'll make sure there's protection. We don't want any accidents. It's my first time and well...I want it to be special." I smiled. My friend gazed at me for a long moment.
"You see absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. Beautiful." She commented in a deadpan tone. My head tilted in confusion. What was her problem?
-Elsewhere-
The woman in the fedora sat across the table from a brown haired woman with startling blue eyes. The two stared across the table at one another. Neither giving an inch. They were clearly not friends. There was palpable aura of tension that kept even the most stalwart away. The woman in the suit tilted her fedora back before folding her hands on the table. The brunette grinned smugly. The bar was loud and smoke choked the air. Someone at the microphone was singing show tunes, badly.
"How did you get my number?" The woman in the fedora cracked first.
"There isn't much that I don't know, dear Contessa." The brunette smirked at the discomfited woman.
"How do you know my name?" She asked. Her voice taking on a dangerous quality that utterly failed to impress her unwanted companion.
"I was just curious to see you in person. It's so hard to single out just one ant from on high." The woman was unspeakably beautiful. Her skin was like porcelain with a perfection normal women just could not match. Something in her tone spooked Contessa.
"What is it that you want?" The unnerved woman asked.
"Nothing much. Just to experience life and get away from work for awhile. That is the purpose of a vacation." The smirk grew wider until it was merely a dark parody of human expression.
"Now for our next song! Come on up, Simone!" The DJ called out. The frightening atmosphere faded as she stood up from the booth.
"It was a pleasure meeting you. Continue to watch that girl for me, would you?" The brunette laughed as she walked up to the podium. The song that played was Evanescence "Wake Me Up." Contessa had the strangest feeling that it was a message to her. A dark foreboding came over her as she left the bar.
"Continue to watch that girl...? Who the hell is she...?" She stared up at the sky with the song following her out into the night.
AN: Sorry this was so short, but I honestly couldn't see how to expand it any further. I didn't want to run into the problems that the original "Vacation Arc" ran into like overstaying it's welcome. A new Arc begins next time on Hymn of Harmony Rewrite!
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Yup, wouldn't be a Dive without copious amounts of accidental innuendo
Yup, wouldn't be a Dive without copious amounts of accidental innuendo
I mean, if I understand what it is correctly it's pretty much an equivalent of sex, right? Why would you not load as much innuendo in as you could?
No, its completely SFW and purely mental. Its more like Psychonauts.
Beyond the fact SFW is a relative term, that isn't what I was referring to. It's not a physical thing but it's still something that's only done between two people who trust each other, given what it entails, which is - very generally - the same as sex in this day and age.
Well, yeah, trust actually has a major effect on the usefulness of a Dive. Those similarities are why they're loaded with ridiculous amounts of innuendo.
I feel like we're arguing the same thing here.
- Status