Log entry 15 12.15.10***********************************************
Stalker and I were escorting Brandish back to the law offices, she had left her car parked nearby and needed it. The fact that only I flew out of the PRT garage entrance, and even then "I" was a projection while all three of us were inside Freyja.
Brad Meadows raped Fleur.
It is totally not my fault that he was carrying his wallet with his civilian id that was scanned as part of the process of beaming him on and off the ship.
As we entered the garage by flying through the window slits –designed to keep jumpers in– Freyja perked up.
"Records search indicates that there is a two thousand ten GMC Sierra registered to one Brad Meadows. Location … there." Freyja highlights a vehicle visible from where we are, parked across a handicap spot.
"How did you locate it?" I ask.
The smug look given by the puppet hand formed face seems to widen. "His keyfob was with his wallet." She turns to apparently look at the screen. Brandish is off to the side, looking around owlishly at the medical table, the controls.
On the screen, I note a slight flicker and the truck is gone.
"Acquisition of materials from fallen enemies is a common practice among those who strive for the warrior ethos. Besides, we have yet to create transport for your team."
"Most of us can fly at this point." I note.
Two of the hands go palms up and wiggle up and down in a balance. "One does not know what is needful until it is needed."
I turned to find Brandish marching over to me. "All this, it looks like Star Trek in here. Is that a medical station?"
I nod, knowing that Freyja translated the readouts to English for Pestilence's benefit.
"Can it cure inoperable cancers?" The hope building is palpable.
Freyja's voice cuts in. "It cannot." Brandish slumps visibly, hope draining. "However, that would require there to be a condition that is inoperable. You understand that the transporter technology that brought you aboard breaks the body down at a submolecular level and reassembles the energy pattern in a new location. With a minor tweak to targeting parameters, it does not have to reassemble in the exact same pattern."
Firming up, Brandish asked me something I was hardly expecting. "Can you fix my husband?"
I frowned. "There is something Panacea can't heal?"
"She can't fix brains. Or she isn't confident that doing so isn't going to result in losing him with a living body left behind." She blinked. "You, ah, haven't said no yet."
Freyja nodded. "An examination must be made. There is the possibility that an unknown factor relating to parahuman powers would prevent treatment. Consider it a maybe."
"In that case, would you consider coming over for dinner?" Brandish offered. "It is a family night, and Mark still manages to grill a mean burger."
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"Hon, Taylor just called. She and Sophia got invited to dinner with the Dallons." Alan noted to Zoe. "Something about Carol wanting her daughters to hang out with normal teenagers."
Zoe raised an eyebrow at his attitude, "You do remember that Henry Fenway took an interest in all three girls."
Waving his hands in defeat. "Oh I know that, but does she?"
Now Zoe rolled her eyes. "I hope Emma is having fun at the fashion show. Anne left to catch the end of it and drive her home."
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Emma grimaced as the villainous duo posed in front of the entire lineup of models, both sporting green things over their heads. Well, all of them had glowing green diamond things floating above their heads. It was something Uber and Leet had insisted on, streaming the giggles.
"Now everyone, walk the walk. If you manage the full path without a misstep to the beat, your Plumbob will stay green. Every point lost will take your color from green to red." Uber's suave delivery into the microphone was washed away by Leet's next remark.
"And if you fail!" His strident voice took on an Urkel tone –wait was he wearing suspenders? He was dressed as a Caucasian Urkel Sim– "If you fail, Patty here will get to chomp on you." He pointed over his shoulder to a box that stood six feet tall.
The box walls split open and fell to the sides showing a potted plant that lifted up in a very not plant like way. It had a cow head, and TEETH!
"MOO!" The thing slavered as it loomed forward.
Thud. Thud. Crack.
It was shuffling closer with hops. The pot broke, losing dirt as it moved, tentacle roots showing as it moved.
"Ladies, hop to it!" Uber pressed play on the music. As each girl took up their position in line, one of the minions with blue Plumbob's passed them an egg and a spoon.
Leet laughed uproariously as the cow plant licked its lips suggestively.
"You can get positive points for shaking it without breaking it." He made a smooch face. "And a fifty point bonus for kissing one of us!"
Trista and Janice were conferring briefly. Emma heard them arguing over getting the bonus points, whether it was worth it overall.
Janice was one of the heavier girls they brought into the show to model for the 'large' crowd, and she would be nice if she didn't try to chum up with the bitchy ones.
I was considering doing something when I heard them say, "All we have to do is stall them for a while for the Protectorate, hell, even the Wards would work."
"So get a quick fifty points and then do badly while keeping them busy." Trista sneered. Turning to me. "Are you in?"
I nodded.
The line was moving, I was near the end so I took a moment to size up the cow plant. It was focused on the girls moving down the catwalk, snorting at one who fumbled and almost dropped an egg.
"I said SHAKE IT!" Uber's suave voice broke suddenly as he watched Trista move up.
I guess he didn't like that she kissed Leet and not him.
Well, that made me the last one to move into position. But I had my wits and Freyja's training. No way were a couple of nerds gonna make me shake –unless I want to. I knew this place as well as anyplace. I let my hand slip down to the edge of the stairs, finding gum stuck there in passing. Not just one, but many layers of pieces.
Ah, a fresh one. I scraped a pinch off and used it to stick my egg to the spoon. And then, because I could hold my spoon more casually, I did a bit of strutting in front of Uber.
"Hey boys, which one of you is the better gamer, anyway?" I winked.
Both turned red, immediately pointing at themselves.
"I AM!"
"No you aren't. HEY!"
They crowded their way onto the catwalk, pushing each other as they followed me. I was putting on the swaying walk that would be more normally seen near the Boardwalk. The dress I had been wearing for the Fashion Show was shorter than I'd normally wear. So I made sure to give them a reason to follow along.
And then Janice stumbled ahead of me. She fell to one knee, almost falling to the side of the walk.
Thud. Thud.
The cow plant was heading her way, passing up Uber and Leet and me. Oddly, the other girls seem to have gotten out through the service door.
Ah. I see. In the dim lighting of where the audience would be –when did the audience leave?-- a group of three capes were kneeling, ready to pounce. Vista in green, Clockblocker in white, and Aegis I think in red.
Uber and Leet had started a slapping fight, ignoring me as I moved ahead in a quick jog to grab Janice. The cow plant oriented on me –or the … egg.
Janice had lost hers.
I could see a bit of yolk on the cow plant's fanged mouth parts. Raising the spoon up like a wand I waved it right and left to get the plant's attention further up. Janice scrabbled on all fours away with a mumbled thanks.
There was a blurring effect and then Janice was gone.
Vista.
The arguing ground to halt as they noticed the room was cleared of everyone but me.
"What did you do?" Leet asked, pointing at me.
I waved my spoon back and forth, up and down, mesmerizing more than just the cow plant as I passed it in front of my chest. Clockblocker and Aegis were almost in position to grab them but they too froze.
Too much of a good thing I suppose. I took a deep breath, coming closer to their stun faced position. "I … did … THIS!" I smashed the egg right into Leet's face. Then, recalling the time at the dojo I sent him back with a front kick, pushing him back into Uber's arms and both of them right off the catwalk into the waiting cow plant's mouth.
It swallowed them up to their waist, trying to gulp them further down but failing.
I snapped my fingers. "And that is that."
Clapping noises.
Aegis, Clockblocker and Vista were right there behind me, clapping.
"Allow me to congratulate the winner, Miss?" Clockblocker was in the lead here.
"Emma. Emma Barnes." I smile. I can't see his face, but I can tell where his eyes are.
Aegis cleared his voice, "Clock, hit them with a ribbon so we can freeze and foam them. Who knows when the … thing… will decide to chomp down."
Muffled cursing.
The cow plant tilted its head back to point to the ceiling.
The cursing grew more high pitched, a note of fear coming through.
The white costumed teen flicked his hand forward, a roll of ribbon shooting out to wrap the roots. He let the extra fall to the ground and knelt so that when he froze it there wasn't any just hanging in the air.
"Time!" He called out. The color drained from the ribbon up to the cowplant, the thing stopping as it too became white. Uber and Leet began to turn white as well.
Then they were… gone.
"Blast it. We took too long and they triggered a return teleport." Aegis looked around. "We got a couple of minions in custody outside, all the hostages freed. I think we are about done here. Do you want us to tell anyone your part in this, Miss Barnes?'
I must've looked confused.
Vista piped up. "If we play up your part in it, then Uber and Leet might come looking for payback."
Aegis flew up and swung at something that escaped his grasp. The golden thing buzzed around a circle and then zoomed out the doorway, just missing being caught by Vista shrinking the passage down to doggy door size.
"Dangit, there's a potted plant in the way!" She groaned.
Chuckling, "Well, there's no way to keep you out of the limelight now. They have the footage and they got away… again." He held out a hand. "Time to meet the press."
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Madison had a quiet day of study. She was working her way through the training schedule that Freyja had set to make sure she could act like an officer. As well there were 'breaks' thrown in where she could see the fauna of other worlds in action, expanding her repertoire of insects and arthropods immensely. There were even humanoid races with insect origin here.
Freyja was a task mistress at the classes,
"I will remind you, the Keptain has ordered you not to use alien insects except under her command." Freyja noted. "That said, she did not disallow you to take the form of Federation member races."
Best teacher ever.
Ooh. This one could jump like a grasshopper!
"Pay attention now. These are diagnostic devices, something like a tricorder in your Star Trek. Unlike those, they can seal wounds with the application of materials produced as a paste…"
Madison wondered when Freyja would consider her 'ready' to act as a crewmember without one of the others with her.
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Back at HQ, the Wards were writing up their after action reports.
"Something is bothering me though." Missy scratched her nose. "Didn't that girl, Emma whats-her-face, seem familiar to you?"
She was looking at Dennis so she didn't see Carlos behind her waving his hands in a 'NO' pattern at the other boy.
Dennis frowned and looked back at her seriously. "Yeah, she totally kicked ass. You don't think she is Shadow Stalker out of costume, do you?"
Missy nearly spewed soda, fooled by his tone into thinking she was safe. "Not even as a joke!" She laughed. "But we know Stalker is ah, darker skinned, from her initial costume efforts. She didn't bother to cover her neck and arms fully in the first few months out."
Aegis nearly groaned. Dennis could have given it all away. Or did he not notice that Emma Barnes was Gingembre? I mean, she wore the same perfume, and had the same poise. Of course she didn't speak with the faux French accent, but that was part of the cape stuff, like him being taught to talk with a deep voice as Aegis.
Browbeat came in and distracted things further. "Did you guys hear? Brandish took down Hookwolf! And the Keptain and Shadow Stalker brought in Night and Fog at the same time."
"Really?" Missy crowed. "I knew they were cool but –wait, was Gingembre there?"
"No." Browbeat looked confused.
"Aww, I was hoping there was footage of her in action!"
Dennis and Aegis exchanged looks behind her, then shrugged.
"Oh, there will be some footage of Uber and Leet getting their ass handed to them by a mere teenaged girl, a model if you can believe it."
"Hey, I remember now, she was with the brunette who was there when the Empire was making a fuss. No wonder she could kick like that, they were members of that dojo." Missy trailed off a little. "I wonder if I could take some classes there as a civilian. Then the Youth Guard couldn't say 'no' to it like they have to any other special training…"
