Author's Note:
Putting a finger on the dial of fate with this one.
Edit: (I was gonna put in 2 points for the LL roll next update, but I guess I got beat to the punch for that, LMAO. I'll just be saving this for private rolls, then.)
Songstress
By MrKermie
Horizon, City of Leviathan's Rest – Old Industrial District– December 2, 2064
You are Linh Nguyen. That's spelled Nguyen, not Ngyuen. Very small difference, but very important. You've had some of Steelheart's robots completely get your name's pronunciation wrong because of it.
And right now, you are doing something very ill-advised. You have a microphone on your headset and a sniper rifle in your hands. And you are aiming at a Gold Rank Behemoth.
For reference, you are currently 46. Others would say that this is not something you should be doing by any means, especially with two children at home. Unfortunately, Addie and Leah are the exact reason why you're here, so that argument does nothing to persuade you from taking your metahuman powers unfit for combat and hunting down rabid animals with the help of three other guys and girls actually doing the punching and running.
It wasn't always like this. Your powers were always seen as a minor thing. About as impressive as Hydrocity's infinite sweat flow.
(What? Didn't everyone think of it like that?)
When you debuted with your suit, tie, and opera mask, people thought that you were Gentleman James without any actual effectiveness, which would seem like a fair assumption on the surface. Everyone knew you as "Solferina, the performer", "Solferina, who sings in the OID and French Quarter Streets", "Solferina, that girl with the beautiful singing voice", "Solferina, who we ship with Crimson Soprano as a meme".
...To this day, you never did get to figure out if Crimson ever swung that way before the Defiance Unit faced the consequences of their actions. Might've helped with the post-divorce phase. (You still want your dog, Beethoven, back.) But yeah, everyone thought of you as "Solferina, the girl with the power to make people who hear her voice a bit happier".
"SOLFERINA! GET DOWN!"
And Solferina, who's currently ducking her head! You hunker down, as what can best be described as a huge wasp with stupid amounts of speed almost takes your head clean off with its stinger. It's one of five that you've been hunting.
As you get up, the bee/wasp thing gears up for another attack, but you swiftly pull out a combat knife from your suit pocket to parry away a sting. Things have gotten bad. It's about time to use your power.
You dodge a stinger thrust, before tapping a button on your headset. On the other end, Luminary, one of your temporary teammates for this hunt, chimes in. "Solf! Any idea what to do here?"
You bite your lip, before responding. "Stick tight right there. I'm only fifty feet behind you guys!"
You pack up your rifle, get into a squat, before exploding forth in a burst of motion. You don't have any enhanced speed, but the fear of getting impaled by a bee is enough to spur you into action. You dive into the group, and look around. What can you do here?
Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 3. Solferina has OPERATIONS 6.
You rolled: 14.
14 + 1 = 15. Major Success!
You look at your new teammates, (who you've only known for like an hour after a post and call to action on Hero For Hire) and try to think. It's not that much harder than when you had to help coordinate stage plays for the local theater— just faster and under a bit more pressure.
Minette Cho. Compactor. She can take small objects and store them in little capsules, which she can deploy instantly. She can also change any of the objects in said capsules to whatever she wants, as long as the mass stays the same.
Hanzo Suzuki. Luminary. He can shoot beams of light out of his arms when his arms are crossed. Only catch is that the beams are weak and don't do anything at first, but their power increases exponentially the more that they're reflected.
Some guy who chose to hide his civilian identity. Stoneface. (That's an unfortunate name.) Hard skin and helmet made of stone, probably a transformation or a suit. Punches hard, takes hits. Communicates non-verbally.
And you. Solferina. A single mom with a power that's mostly non-combative. Oh dear.
But… you can do this. You have to. You crack your neck, before yelling to your teammates. "Everyone! Stay within my range. Luminary, get ready for a big attack. Compactor, try and create out as many mirrors as possible, and them throw em out. Stoneface! Uh, be a distraction!"
The younger metahumans nod in agreement, as you take a deep breath…
Almost immediately, you start to hear an electric guitar's accompaniment playing in the background. A side effect of your powers-- you tend to hear the respective background music to whatever you sing, and you can project your voice quite far as well. Just singing into your microphone is much easier on your throat, however.
🎶The swarm raised, the fate that man obeys
The thoughts, the fakes, like the monsters man can't face
A calm, clear mind, no signs that I can find and
What's left inside is an empty human life🎶
Stoneface smiles (or at least you think he does) as the effects of your powers begin to set in. That's because your songs don't just lift (or dampen) people's spirits. You discovered something new recently: They can also strengthen or weaken anybody who hears them. He dashes forward and punches a wasp attempting to sting you, moving with much more grace than before. Another wasp attempts to sting him, but the stingers bounce off his natural stone armor.
You sing louder and louder.
🎶I'll never cry in the place between dreams…
Although I know how I'm meant to be,
What kind of look is wanted from me,
Still, you should answer my plea!🎶
Compactor runs forward, and throws out capsule after capsule, spawning them from her internal hammerspace. You've only seen her use her energy on three at a time, but your song lets her push forward. With a clap and a grunt of exertion, the capsules pop open, and whatever was within them morphs into a gray goo, which changes into a group of handheld mirrors. "That's already pushing way above my limit! Luminary, Solferina, make this count!" she yells out.
You sing the chorus, and scream at Luminary with your eyes to go for it.
🎶Go battle the dark now, go battle the dark now!
Our cue is the moment when the curtain of night falls down!
Face to face to where this front line waits,
Spit out the meaningless waste, go on and throw it away!🎶
Finally, as all the mirrors fall through the air, Luminary crosses his arms and closes his eyes. A huge laser shoots out from his arms, bigger than what you've seen before. The beam refracts around, up, and down. Stoneface jumps away from the wasp he's clashing with, and you gasp for air as the laser finishes moving… and pierces straight through all five of the bugs.
And the Behemoths fall down to the ground, completely scorched like the bugs they are.
Compactor takes a picture to prove that the hunt is done, before Luminary obliterates the bodies with another laser. The group laughs as you all high five, to commemorate a job well done. Luminary in particular seems extremely hyped, almost punching the air.. "Man, that was great! We could be the perfect team! Like… the new SLAYERS! Hunters?"
Compactor raises an eyebrow, but doesn't seem to be annoyed. More amused. "Really? I dunno man, I just needed a quick bag to buy the new console… but I wouldn't be opposed to trying this again."
For the first time since you've met him, you hear Stoneface talk. "I mostly do this for the fun and the fights, but if all you guys want to be a part time team, I'm up for that."
Luminary is practically vibrating now. If you didn't know the kid, you'd think that he had enhanced speed. "Alright! Sounds great, everyone."
Luminary then turns to you, and seems to raise an eyebrow. "Just one thing I wanted to ask though, Solferina. Aren't you that one stage performer? Don't you have better things to be doing? Your daughters need you, and this isn't really an old person's game, if you get what I'm saying..."
You smile, before taking off your mask.
"Oh, don't worry! I'm actually doing this for my daughters," you respond, "I mean, college tuition isn't cheap in the Uni District." Author's Note:
The song that Linh was singing was this cover of "Kaikai Kitan", the first opening of Jujutsu Kaisen. I considered having her sing Robin's song from HSR, but nixed that idea. Too obvious and cheesy. As for the protag of this story, Solferina is not alive anymore. She died in the Movement. However, it's reasonable to assume that her two daughters could have had something with her DNA or medical records...
Also, weird coincidence that the other Omake made for this update from @Wing101r was also about behemoth hunting, and also from someone with a DNA submission. Sorry about the coincidence, man. I already submitted Solferina as a DNA sample earlier, so… yeah.
Sorry if I didn't specify: this was just an Omake about an OC in this setting. Specifically, the one I gave to Bitterman as a DNA sample. So realistically, it's up to him to decide where you can find her powers.
I also submitted a dead hero in DMs, and I'm glad I went with my second choice because the first idea I had would have stepped on Shell Game's toes a bit.
Yeah, I think people shouldn't get their hopes up on targeting Faust too much. While I'm in agreement that he overplayed his hand, I wouldn't count on him not having countermeasures.
Indeed, the mission is, and has always been, extracting Hiver and getting out in one piece. At this point, taking down Faust would be a bonus (although there's no telling what means, up to and including killing him, would nullify his current contracts), but Hiver's apparent loophole still counts as a major source of intel on Powers, as well as getting another friendly metahuman working for us.
…I wonder if we'll gain a Global action to smear Powers as a bunch of slavers after this.
Chihiro is absolutely high up on my list of what to do next turn, given that she'll help with PR and she's already expressed anti-Powers/Dominion sentiments.
And to be fair, I don't want to kill Faust, I don't think it'll be possible, I just think that Handyman threatening him would be a good way to get some more info and get everyone to Step The Fuck Back.
See right now I wish/hope that someone-Rhys slyly, Maddie or Mona on that nearby rooftop-has pulled out their phone and started filming this for future use to slander Powers/Dominion.
Wanted to note that Hiver is actually really good in terms of stats. Like, he's Mona, but a little less strong in Hit and Rep in exchange for workable Operations.
If Maddie cloned something that was venomous, would the clones also have venom bites?
Also, I understand focusing on the four she has around her, but I do think it would be fun if she also found some bugs in the Apiary's garden and made a few flies, mantises, beetles etc. for the collection.
If there was ever a time for me to be motivated to write an omake, now sounds like the best time to get on that... even if I might not be able to contribute the point right now. Michiko's character bio did include a bit of an incident, so it's time I try to elaborate on this.
But first, since this is partially an adaptation of TTRPG stuff, I've added a spoiler below that holds a bit of context.
In the campaign where I played Michiko, the villain was a girl who, in part thanks to some deals with literal demons, was capable of mind controlling others, a power she used to make others act as her maids, outfit included. Yes, this included males. Especially males.
I have not exaggerated a single detail in the paragraph above, and for that, I apologize. The fighting of these maids happened, of course, even if no maids are directly fought by Michiko in this omake. The "shock the sprinkler system" tidbit was a part of one of said combats, but not "blowtorching a lock open" - that had nothing to do with maids.
All that said, I have tried to keep some details deliberately vague so as to minimize potential issues with canonicity, such as anything involving the true intentions of the maid as depicted here, and whatever happened to stop her.
A Number Greater Than Zero An omake in which Michiko has a moment of heroics
You are Michiko Katou.
Under normal circumstances, your choice of hangout spots generally isn't anything close to the upscale buildings you're currently walking past, but you aren't here to really hang out in the first place. On account of being accepted to a surprisingly prestigious school, you've had to move away from your parents and in with your older brother just to be decently close by it. You can't really complain about the situation, but at the same time, you should get him something for everything he's done for you so far.
The only problem with this plan is that you're really out of your element right now. No way he'd be interested in anything really fancy like watches, you can't exactly bring furniture home with any form of subtlety, and there's nothing new in electronics he's talked about being interested in.
You continue to question if this was even a good idea in the first place as you approach the next shop - some kind of clothing store, and... hold on, what's the maid doing outside? You can't say you've ever seen anybody wearing one of those outfits unless they're dressing up as that one magical girl show, and she most certainly isn't. You slow down just a little to eavesdrop on whatever her and that security person outside are talking about...
"-order from the Master was very clear. You were supposed to deliver us outfits for the rest of our staff."
"Well, as I've already told you, we can't fulfill an order that didn't have a single detail as to what you wanted."
"We gave you more than sufficient reference material as to what we had requested."
"And you've refused to give us any measurements for a single one. There's no way for us to possibly accommodate attempting to make every single one of these a one size fits all-"
"...Excuse me?" You catch a glance of the maid furrowing her brow as you feel like you should take a step back.
"If you want your order, you're going to need to clarify it and place it again before we can work on it-"
And you can barely react before you watch the guard get smashed directly in the face as he tumbles into your half of the street, to the shock of multiple other bystanders. He's out cold, and you can see blood.
"It's a shame. Master had high expectations of your establishment. I suppose I need to deal with this eyesore."
You watch as another girl tries to run, but the maid immediately sprints into action as you watch her get sent directly into the pavement. She doesn't get up, either.
It's a villain - the completely lunatic kind. And just your luck this is a day where you aren't packing an airsoft gun. You instantly dive into cover, and the many repetitions of the advice school has given you about how to handle this immediately come to mind...
Call someone for help.
Run away and hide somewhere safe.
And holdout until rescue arrives.
You pull out your phone, and are greeted by a complete lack of signal. What?! But you were just using it two minutes ago! Don't tell me this maniac had some signal jammer in her clothes...
Okay, focus! There's a psychotic maid who seems to be primarily rampaging against anyone trying to run away and call for help specifically, and every minute you're forced to stay here only puts you further in danger as to what she's actually going to do. You can't just sit here, you need to do something already! You need an idea!
...With her distracted by other people that you try not to think about right now, you slowly reach for the obvious taser clipped to the guard's belt and pull it off. It's a start, but definitely not enough for you to stop her yourself. Think! What else can you do with this?!
Your eyes dart around the street, looking for anything else that you could use to help you, even turning around to the steakhouse your back's been put to...
Hold on a second. A steakhouse means there's a kitchen. A kitchen means that there has to be a fire alarm, and most commercial fire alarms alert the fire department automatically! If you can just trip the thing yourself...
You have an idea.
You sprint through the doors of the rapidly emptying steakhouse clutching the taser in a death grip as you rush to the front counter, vault yourself ontop of it, and jump for the ceiling to catch one of the sprinklers as you turn the taser on. You see a brief moment of sparks flying, and you feel yourself get drenched in water immediately afterwards as you hear an alarm going off. Success.
But now you have the different problem of being the girl who just triggered a fire alarm with a still active threat in the area. She's gonna find you if you don't hide, and fast, as you tumble into the kitchen area proper. There's not a lot of opportunity to conceal yourself in a place like this... oh, there's a full walk-in freezer here?
It'd definitely be your best bet, but the padlock on the door doesn't make it very accessible... but you're in too deep to be put off by that. You search the kitchen for any way to get around this simple security measure, first taking a knife just in case. You can't exactly cut through the lock with such a simple tool... but you hold on for another second.
You're surrounded by equipment designed specifically for heating stuff up... maybe you can actually cut through the lock. You quickly turn on the first burner next to you and hold the knife to it to start getting it heated up.
You make your first slice after a good thirty seconds of waiting, to little effect. Come on, you can't wait this long! How long do you have before she tries searching for you?!
Slice. It barely chips the shackle, but that means you're actually progressing! Slice. Another chip deepens the wound. Slice. The knife is getting so hot you're starting to feel your hand burn, but that's not important right now.
Slice. You barely manage to catch the lock before it can clatter to the ground and further alert your presence, as you slip inside the freezer and shut the door behind you without a moment of rest as you sit on the slightly icy floor, feeling every breath you take as the adrenaline surge finally starts to die down.
All you can do now is hold on and hope that somebody comes to resolve... well, whatever was going on with that maid. Without the ability to hear much outside your hiding place, you can't say for certain what's going on anymore. Is this even a situation worth calling a metahuman for? The fire department always has some police come along with, right?
Without anything to do, you've tuned yourself out to the world outside as minutes pass... probably hours, at this rate. Man, why does waiting around hoping for things to get better have to be so boring? Not even the potential of hypothermia from staying in a fridge is helping with that!
After waiting for what feels like an eternity, you hear somebody push open the door to the freezer, and you definitely don't momentarily panic when that happens before your brain catches up with your instincts.
"...Hey, dispatch, this is Xander from the 16th Medical Team." The paramedic who you definitely didn't think was the maid coming for you says to his radio. "I found another girl in the steakhouse - no visible injuries. Gonna bring her out now." He says, as he walks up closer to you. You pull yourself off of the floor, prepared for a long time of having to explain yourself...
One explanation to the police later...
Surprisingly, this isn't the first time you've been escorted home in the back of a police vehicle. It's just the first time you've been there without actually being in trouble - thanks, security cameras, for proving your breaking and entering was completely justified!
Unfortunately, it's going to do nothing to help you as the policeman walks you up to the apartment you and Kousei live in and knocks on the door, summoning him to see you standing right next to him. The disappointment in his face still stings you.
"...What'd she do this time?" He asks, glaring directly at you.
"I'm NOT in trouble!" You instantly refute before the policeman can even get a word in. He sighs.
"Yes, she isn't in any trouble. She was involved in an incident, but she was also the one who initially alerted us to the situation."
"Really now?" He looks to you, curious and likely surprised at how you don't look very injured. You nod.
"Yes. She wasn't injured, but it'd still be good to give her a day to recover..." You step inside the apartment, and the policeman doesn't stay around for much longer.
"...So." Your brother finally breaks the awkward silence as you struggle to find a good way to discuss what you've gotten yourself into.
"Listen, it wasn't like I was trying to get into trouble! It was that place with all the fancy stores, I didn't think anybody would deliberately cause trouble there! I had to do something!" You start to explain.
"Huh. I didn't think you'd have gone somewhere like there. What's the occasion?" He asks.
...Shit! It turns out that being under attack by a killer maid makes it really easy to forget what you were doing in the first place! You need to come up with something to fulfill your intentions of getting something nice, fast!
"...I found a nice steakhouse. Maybe I can take you there sometime?"
You might not be a real hero. But at least you did something right today.