azoicennead
Overly-Affectionate Zombie Squad
- Pronouns
- He/They
Not any power. It can give a power that fits any of the PRT ratings. There is a vast difference between these two statements.
Worm's Finest: Darkness Rising (Worm/DC fusion; Bat!Grue)
- Thread starter Cyclone
- Start date
Some trigger's just for fun
Forensic Thinker
Gadget Tinker
Bat control Master
Canary cry Blaster
Super acrobatics Mover
Sleep touch Striker.
Sophia has been going by Huntress for quite a while now. You really need to reread the story if you forgot about that.
Poison Ivy. You know you want it to be so.
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- Location
- Fabulously Rainbow Ireland
Obviously Aisha has to become Robin (she totally has the attitude for Stephanie Brown) and then she can become Batgirl to free up the position for Bruce and she might even enjoy acting like the classic Burt Ward!Robin "Holy Gangbangers Batman! The dastardly Empire are attacking that Grocer!"
Xero Key
Flying high, spinning webs!
And that is perfectly in character with her canon self (or am I confusing it with THE TECHNO QUEEN *krackthoom*?) Ah well, Aisha would do that anyway.
Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King
Cyclone
Robotech Nerd
- Location
- Earth, Sol System
(Cape 3.9 | Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King | Knight 4.1)
(Cape 3.9 | Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King | Dawn 1.1)
Worm's Finest: Darkness Rising
Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King
(Cape 3.9 | Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King | Dawn 1.1)
Worm's Finest: Darkness Rising
Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King
Armsmaster turned as she approached, raising his signature halberd warily.
"Wait!" she said. "I'm here to help."
"We don't need the Empire's help."
"I'm not with the Empire anymore," she said quietly. "I'm trying to be a hero."
Armsmaster stared at her for a long moment, his jaw working wordlessly, then shook his head, turning his attention back to Lung. "You know what? Fine. We can discuss this after we finish dealing with the rampaging dragon man."
"Wait!" she said. "I'm here to help."
"We don't need the Empire's help."
"I'm not with the Empire anymore," she said quietly. "I'm trying to be a hero."
Armsmaster stared at her for a long moment, his jaw working wordlessly, then shook his head, turning his attention back to Lung. "You know what? Fine. We can discuss this after we finish dealing with the rampaging dragon man."
Kayden shook off the memory as she exited the elevator. True to his word, they had discussed the matter after they had finished dealing with Lung. Well, for a definition of "dealing with" that included him walking away unscathed and unhindered, despite their best efforts.
She stepped into the office with a little trepidation. Ever since she joined Max, she hadn't thought she'd ever find herself in the Protectorate's headquarters, at least not without shedding a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Now, here she was, in the Protectorate's headquarters in New York, and all she had had to surrender were names and words and a little bit of freedom.
She'd been hesitant at first, but for Aster's sake, it had been an easy bargain.
They had already been investigating Max and his connections throughout Brockton Bay, after all. It was what had given her the courage to defy him. In little ways at first, like taking Theo and Aster to that basketball game, until she'd finally decided to make a clean break.
"Hello?"
"Ah, Mrs. Anders!" the garishly dressed, overweight man behind the desk greeted her, rising to his feet and holding out a hand. "I'm Glenn Chambers, head of Image."
"A pleasure," she said, shaking his hand, "though I'd prefer to go by my maiden name."
He nodded briskly. "Understandable, given the situation. I understand Legal's looking into annulling the marriage." He sat back down and gestured for her to take a seat.
After she sat down, he clasped his hands on the desk in front of him. "You present an unusual case for us, Ms. Russel."
"I can understand that," she said, inclining her head. "How often do you have former villains signing on?"
He chuckled. "More often than you'd think, actually. Normally, it falls to my department to help make sure no one finds out."
She blinked. "Really?"
"Really." He nodded. "Public Relations -- which is not the same as Image -- would prefer we present the Protectorate and Wards as squeaky clean heroes with spotless records. Image handles branding, costuming, and marketing for all our heroes, and that includes rebranding former villains so that no one is the wiser. However, as I said, you present an unusual case for us."
She frowned. "In what way?"
"Your powers," he said bluntly. "They're visually highly distinctive... unless you can control the color? Maybe, say, green?" She shook her head. "Pity. That makes seriously hiding your previous identity pretty much a non-starter, unless we did something like give you a full body costume to hide your glow; we'd probably need tinkertech so you could still use your powers while hiding it. Fortunately, we've received good feedback from when we piloted Steel's Reform Initiative in DC with Mister Freeze, so PR is willing to risk pushing the envelope with you."
"So, I won't need a new name and costume?" Then why was she here?
"Oh, you'll need one," he assured her. "Given your prior affiliation, your nom de guerre is positively filled with unfortunate implications. We won't openly admit you were Purity, but we'll play up the whole 'fresh start, leaving the old life behind, born anew' angle." He plucked a printout from his desk. "I had my department generate a few possible names."
"Actually, I was thinking 'Radiance,'" she interjected.
"Taken," he said without missing a beat. "Unlike independents, I'm afraid we have to proactively avoid any risk of trademark or copyright infringement. How does 'Doctor Light' sound?"
Kayden shook her head. "I'm no doctor."
"'Lady Lantern'?"
She frowned. "Hmm..."
"I'll mark that as a 'maybe.' How about 'Dazzler'?" Her expression was answer enough. "'Solstice'?
She tilted her head and considered that, nodding slowly.
"I think I can work with 'Solstice.'"
"Great!" he said. "So, for costume, I was thinking something in black, with white highlights, maybe a star burst on the chest. Everything goes well with black..."
* * *
Lisa jerked her head back, and Mr. Grant aborted the punch before it had ever really started.
She hated this. She really did. But the Waynes and Mr. Pennyworth -- or Dad, she supposed she should get used to thinking of him as -- had been quite insistent she learn how to defend herself.
She threw a tentative punch, only for her power to scream at her, and she flung herself back, falling on her ass. When her head cleared, she looked up to see Mr. Grant standing over her, offering her a hand up. Gratefully accepting it, she allowed him to pull her to her feet, then turned to pick up her water bottle, taking a long pull.
"You've got potential."
Huh. He was being honest. That was... actually high praise, considering she was pretty sure Mr. Grant was a cape, a low-level regenerating Brute at that.
"What do you mean?"
"I've put a lot of practice into making it hard to read my moves," he said, "but it's clear I'm still an open book to you. You just don't have the right reflexes to react properly, and that's something we can fix with training."
"Uh huh," she murmured. "Right." The TV hanging in the corner of the gym -- an old-school CRT set -- caught her attention, and she grabbed the remote, turning the volume up.
"-frozen the assets of Medhall Corporation, a local pharmaceutical company, over suspected ties to the Empire Eighty-Eight. President and CEO Max Anders was not available for comment. In related news, Commissioner Loeb has resigned after investigation revealed corruption at all levels of the BBPD-"
PRT had inside informant, her power supplied. Knows Max Anders is Kaiser. Uncovered Empire moles in the BBPD. Tried to apprehend him, failed. Kaiser on the run.
And just like that, her entire reason for approaching Batman had gone up in smoke.
She couldn't stop laughing.
* * *
Mal waited with Gordon on the precinct rooftop. Others would disagree with this approach. He was the head of the Protectorate ENE, after all -- well, nominally, at least; he'd already delegated most of those duties and responsibilities to Armsmaster to prepare him for the position -- and the man they were waiting for was an independent, one who had coopted one of their Wards to go up against one of the most powerful villains in the city. Others would say the man needed to be taught respect.
He disagreed. That kind of accomplishment deserved respect. Mal had gone toe to toe with Lung when he'd first come to town, so he understood better than most what an accomplishment it was to bring in the gang lord; if it hadn't been for his own regeneration, Mal would still be in traction.
He was in costume, of course: a rugged, lightly armored body suit in three dark or grayish shades of blue, accentuated by golden knee pads and bracers, a matching belt buckle, and a golden helmet that covered most his head and framed his chin but otherwise left his lower face exposed in a compromise between protection and approachability. It also flaunted his African-American heritage to the Empire 88, which was a major plus in his book.
"Commissioner, Challenger." The voice came from behind them, startling them both.
Mal turned, eyes searching the shadows, Gordon following suit a moment later.
"What is it?"
"Batman," Mal said, both in answer and greeting.
"Commissioner, Challenger," Batman said, stepping out of the shadows and nodding at each of them in turn, seemingly unfazed at being caught out.
Gordon controlled his surprise admirably. "So you heard."
"Hard not to. It's all over the news." Batman looked over at the floodlight and inclined his head questioningly.
"A donation from Power Girl," Gordon explained as he shut off the Bat signal.
"You could have called."
"This was my suggestion, actually," Mal interjected, stepping forward. "I didn't want to ambush you or risk spooking you into not coming."
"I see," Batman said. "Is this where you try to recruit me?"
Mal considered his response.
"Pretty much," he admitted with a shrug. "You could do a lot of good with Protectorate resources."
"Not interested," Batman said, turning toward the roof's edge. "Too many rules, and I work better in the shadows."
"Not interested," Batman said, turning toward the roof's edge. "Too many rules, and I work better in the shadows."
"Officially, yes," he replied instead, rolling his broad shoulders. "Unofficially... you're doing pretty well on your own. I'd hate to tie you up with red tape." He quirked a smile. "Besides, it would ruin the mystique that makes you so effective."
Batman said nothing.
"Mostly," Mal continued, "I just wanted to meet you. Get a measure of the man, so to speak. I like what I see." He reached into one of his costume's concealed pockets. "My card, in case you need to contact me."
Batman accepted the business card and tucked it away.
"I look forward to working with you," Mal tried.
"Gordon has my number," Batman said. "Call me when you need me. Not before."
With that, he turned and fired a grapple gun, swinging away.
"Well," Mal mused aloud, "I think that went well."
* * *
Sophia was deep in thought as she wandered the city.
The PRT had tried to downplay Sophia and Batman's involvement in taking down Lung, instead crediting it to the Protectorate, New Wave, and "an independent local hero." No surprise, really. No need to scare off Ward parents or share credit with someone who wasn't fighting for PR, after all, right? Besides, it'd be embarrassing if it got out that the villain who stomped the entire Protectorate ENE and New Wave was taken down by two teenagers and an independent who preferred working with the BBPD over the PRT. Not naming Batman hadn't exactly worked out, though, not with the footage that had surfaced on PHO of him taking on Lung with nothing but a pair of tinkertech gauntlets and a pneumatic injector. The fact that the footage hadn't included Power Girl or Sophia's own contributions to the fight hadn't helped either.
Still, Sophia didn't mind much. Like she'd told Batman, she was okay with not getting credit. Besides, the past several weeks had been exhausting.
Director Piggot hadn't been happy with her going off the reservation, but it was hard to argue against bringing in Lung, so the director had suspended her punishment of a month's ban on patrols. Besides, with recent events in the city -- events which, Sophia had to admit, she had had a direct hand in causing -- they couldn't afford the loss in manpower.
With Lung's capture, the Azn Bad Boys had been left bereft of leadership and were pretty much done for until and unless their out of town branches decided to send reinforcements, and that left the existing members scrambling. With Medhall's assets frozen and Kaiser on the run, the Empire 88 had been dealt a body blow as well, and they were closing ranks. That left the Rising Sons and White Jade to gobble up whatever territory they could and free to take their pick of the gangbangers jumping ship from the ABB. Some had left town, but most couldn't and were desperately trying to get in good with another gang instead, and desperate people do stupid things.
Sophia paused as her path took her past an alley entrance. She stepped back and gave a double take. Was that-? Yeah, it was. The redhead she'd rescued last week. She looked like a wreck, in even worse shape than she'd looked when she was trying to fight off the former ABB thugs who were about to mutilate her a week ago.
She needs help, Sophia thought. Just... a few words so she can pull herself together, she decided, before stepping out into the alleyway and announcing herself.
"Takes guts."
The redhead wheeled around, panic in her eyes.
"'Guts'?" she repeated, disbelief clear in her voice.
"Coming back," Sophia clarified. "The only reason I can think of is if you were looking for revenge. Or maybe you were looking for me. Maybe even both, for all I know."
Come on, girl. You're stronger than you think you are.
The girl opened her mouth, then closed it, realization crossing her face.
"You saved me."
Sophia shrugged, faking nonchalance. "We try. Me and Batman, the rest of the Wards and the Protectorate. You were lucky."
"'Lucky'?!" the other girl snarled.
"Yeah," Sophia confirmed, plowing on. "Lucky. Trust me, it's never as bad as it seems. You tried to fight back, and that's good. Everyone who's willing and able to fight is one less we have to protect, and maybe some day, the world won't need heroes like us. But imagine if I hadn't been there."
The redhead shuddered and looked down, her mind obviously somewhere else. Sophia winced as the girl began hyperventilating. She was in a worse headspace than she'd thought.
"It could have been worse" was obviously not the right approach.
What to say? What to say? Sophia wondered, panicking slightly. Damn it, I'm not good at this sort of shit! Her mind flashed back to her sessions with the PRT therapists; how would they handle this? Hell, how would Batman handle this?
"Let you in on a little secret?" she said finally.
The redhead blinked. "Wh-what?"
Sophia walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. The girl flinched back slightly, but Sophia didn't let go.
"You're much stronger than you think you are," she said, giving voice to her earlier thoughts. "Trust me." Letting go of her shoulder and thumping the girl on the chest, Sophia added, "In here? You're even stronger than me."
Disbelief was written all over the girl's face.
"I mean it," Sophia said. "Do you know what a 'trigger event' is?"
"N-no."
"It's when a cape gets their powers," Sophia explained. "You've probably heard stuff about traumatic events and shit like that, yeah?"
"Yeah." The girl nodded. "You get, like, one bad day, and bam, superpowers."
"'One bad day,'" Sophia echoed, then barked a bitter laugh. "It's more than just one bad day, Red. It's the worst moment of your life, the moment you lose hope, when something in here," she tapped herself on the chest, "breaks. Completely."
"S-s-so?"
"So," Sophia said, "stuff like that? Stuff like what you went through? It's like a... a what's the word? A thing that tests strength, makes things stronger?"
"A crucible?"
"Yeah, a crucible. So, every cape, when put through their crucible, got powers to make them stronger. Because we weren't strong enough, and we broke. Last week was your crucible. You fought back, even when it was hopeless, but you didn't get powers. You didn't break. Instead, you survived. That takes strength."
"Strength," the girl repeated. "I'm strong," she asserted tentatively. "I'm a survivor."
"Exactly," Sophia said, nodding. "Hang onto that. Whatever it takes, don't ever forget how strong you are, you hear me?"
The redhead nodded shakily. "Yeah," she said. She clenched her fists, forced herself upright, and gave a firm nod. "Yeah, I hear you."
Sophia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
She gave a wry smile. "You gonna be okay?"
The redhead flashed a faint smile in return.
"I'll survive."
* * *
King surveyed the city before him with anticipation. With Lung's fall and Kaiser going underground, the city's underworld was in chaos.
It was perfect.
"Ahh," he said, "Brockton Bay, such untapped potential."
He heard a derisive snort from behind him. "'Potential'? This place is a shithole. A boring shithole."
King glanced over and glared. The boy -- he would always be a boy to King -- was playing with his knives again. Typical. "Jack," he said warningly.
The boy gave a rebellious look but nodded, and with a flash of movement, the blades had vanished into whatever hiding place he kept them in.
King turned his attention back to the city skyline.
"While I appreciate your need for... entertainment, Jack," he continued, "it can wait until we've announced our arrival in a... suitable fashion." He strode for the door, and others rose and followed. But not all of them. He looked over his shoulder at the youngest member of the team. "Come along, girl. We have things to do. You can tinker with him later."
"Hmm?" the girl blinked and looked up from where she had her hands buried in the abdomen of her current project. As his words registered, she nodded, shaking a loose ringlet of blond hair out of her eyes. "Oh, yeah, right, sure," she said as she hurriedly started putting her current's subject's internals back in, if not necessarily where they'd originally been; she had been making some improvements, after all. "I'm coming! Just... let me close him up and put everything away first, okay?"
"Of course!" he agreed cheerfully. "We wouldn't want to leave a mess, after all."
* * *
A/N: I really, really wanted to make Kayden Dr. Light, but giving her a doctorate would have felt contrived, and giving her the title without her actually having a doctorate backing it up would have been disrespectful to Freeze. Oh, well. Instead, we get double meta-irony.
Lisa's power really gives her so much potential if she were to just train to apply it differently, don't you think? And she gets to be the only one so far to get a section in two of these end-arc interludes.
Challenger has all of a one line mention in Worm canon, but he's there. If you think he seems familiar... you're probably right.
Surprise surprise, Sophia sucks at the whole "talking" thing. This scene was the reason I had originally planned to hold off on doing a Sophia interlude until much later than when I actually did it.
And yes, some of Sophia's lines were lifted directly from All-Star Superman.
I have plans for Taylor and Emma. Multiple, conflicting, and diametrically opposed plans, unfortunately, so I kind of need to figure out which way I actually want to go.
Seriously, I'm torn between two major directions. One I think has a lot of potential for a really deep character arc for Sophia, while the other has the virtue of being less cliched and predictable. And giving us happy Taylor too!
(Cape 3.9 | Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King | Knight 4.1)
(Cape 3.9 | Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King | Dawn 1.1)
(Cape 3.9 | Interlude 3B - Kayden, Lisa, Malcolm, Sophia, King | Dawn 1.1)
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Oh well, crap happens Lisa. At least you're not alone anymore.
Mal has a weak Thinker/precog power? Hmm.
Somewhat covered by the AN, but something tells me Emma didn't take Sophia's words in the manner she intended...
Massive butterflies I see. Jack and Harbinger didn't kill King, eh? This will likely turn out to be messy, given King's powerset.
Very interesting interlude, Cyclone.
While that would be cliched and predictable, I doubt that it would fit with the "really deep character arc for Sophia" description. I'm pretty sure that Taylor's bullying by Sophia and Emma has been butterflied away by this point.
Cyclone
Robotech Nerd
- Location
- Earth, Sol System
You guys should keep in mind that while Emma was the one who obsessed over being "stronger" then Taylor, it was Sophia who initially designated her as a viable "prey". Without Sophia to aim Emma at her, Taylor's good.
- Location
- Fabulously Rainbow Ireland
No Emma was the one who chose Taylor as their target.
Stratagemini
Totally a Fire Ferret.
- Location
- Central Park
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
Tattletale is Cassandra Cain?
.IronSun.
I don't descriminate, I hate all of you equally.
- Location
- IN UR BASE, PUNCHIN UR DOODZ
I honestly want to see a fic where Emma goes Turbo Bitch and Sophia is more than a little horrified at what her pep-talk created. There was a crossover with Please Don't Tell My Parent's I'm a Supervillain that did it, but that fic's either dead or in really deep cryo at this point. Which sucks, because it was awesome.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Nah, she lacks the skill and reaction times. Cain might be a young dojo student who is trying to avoid going up against the ABB though....
There was a difference in how Sophia gave her "weak" vs. "strong" speech here. In canon, Sophia told Emma that the "weak" are the victims who allow themselves to be bullied, whereas the "strong" are the ones who fight back. Here, Sophia says that the "weak" are the ones who break under stress (and get powers) and the "strong" are the ones who endure despite not having any powers. Emma should not feel that she has anything left to prove, at least not with respect to Taylor.
Of course, that bit of encouragement still has the potential to escalate in ways that Sophia did not intend. Emma might decide, for instance, that she's strong enough to be a vigilante despite not having any superpowers.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Honestly, with Lung gone Cass Cain could likely take them.
Stratagemini
Totally a Fire Ferret.
- Location
- Central Park
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
Emma could end up as killer croc. I can't think of any other batman rogues that might fit.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Nah, Croc'll be a Case 53, if anything.
Xero Key
Flying high, spinning webs!
Red haired girl trying to be a vigilante without powers? Dark Knight Returns Robin (Cassie) fits that description... Of course she could be Red Haired bat-themed vigilante, Batgirl (Barbra Gordon).
Shaithan
Re-class is happiest class
- Location
- The worst part of Germany
Unfortunately she's not old enough to qualify for the third possible Bat-Redhead. Batwoman. Then again, Grue is pretty young to call himself Batman, so one could let that slide.
Alternatively, if she goes Villain? Becoming Poison Ivy might be a possibility.
Xero Key
Flying high, spinning webs!
Ivy would require powers, which would require breaking. This Emma seems to have gained the opinion that she can never break if she wants to remain strong. Getting powers would most likely make her suicidal...and in irony her power would specifically be designed to prevent her death in any way.