4.25 Malebolge
18th of April, 2011
Keith was absolutely livid.
Nowadays, it took more and more to get him really angry. He had been a hero for a long, long time by now, and had seen way too many horrors in his career, horrors which had inured him greatly to humanity's darkness. Between all the insane megalomaniacs he had put behind bars, the Butcher and his Teeth regularly running havoc in his streets, the aftermath of the attacks of the Slaughterhouse Nine, the madness of the Endbringer fights…
Keith had seen some shit – enough that his husband no longer blinked when he woke to find him brooding at the window after another sleepless night.
The sad reality was that it had been getting easier and easier. Or he had just grown more and more numb to it, which was a more likelier and far more depressing hypothesis.
Yet he kept finding the strength to keep going, because he had to.
But if there was one thing that sent his blood boil, it was when someone tried to hurt the children.
Always has, always will.
Which is why he instantly dropped what he was doing to fly on a straight path to Brockton Bay once Director Wilkins told him about the ongoing situation without even informing Rebecca about it.
He hadn't exactly known what he had expected to find when he answered the call for help, but he was nonetheless very pleasantly surprised to learn that the locals had started to get the situation in hand during the fifteen-ish minutes it took him to get the update.
"–we're still waiting for Dragon to shut down the broadcast to breach in," the local Director informs him in a no-nonsense tone, angled half-away from him as her eyes keep darting between different computer screens, "Apparently, the Fallen are giving her some troubles. It seems that they roped up some hackers to help their efforts."
"Do you have any recommendations on where I should go first?" he asks, his jaw grimly set and his fists tightly balled at his sides.
"I'd appreciate it if you made Clarendon your priority," the stocky woman answers while side-eyeing him, "We still haven't reestablished contact with the Ward schooled there. We know for sure that the situation has been handled both at Arcadia and Juniper–" she explains while pointing at two dots on a map, "–even if the Wards involved had to out themselves to rescue their schoolmates for the former, and the vigilante who warned us intervened rather heavy-handedly for the latter."
The Director pauses, before adding.
"Not that I begrudge him for it; better a dead Master than an entire school of preteen under his sway," Keith privately admits that he thinks the same, even if his image prevents him from saying so outloud, "We've got a team two minutes away from Winslow High," she points at a third dot, before gesturing to a bird-eye view of three buildings crawling with the biggest teaming mass of insect he has ever seen in his life, "But we're almost confident that the situation has been resolved here too, although with a more lukewarm success. We know the parahuman responsible for this, and they're heroically inclined. The swarm has also grown far less frantic than a couple minutes ago, so we're assuming that the Fallen aren't an issue anymore here."
"In the event," he slowly starts, having to make a conscious effort not to growl his words so angry he is, "That they too got 'heavy handed' in their approach, I'll personally ensure that the appropriate backtracked Kill Orders will be signed."
And if he has to personally yell at Rebecca until she gives in, he would.
"Thank you," the Director nods, her lips pressed thinly as she adds, "One of my Wards will probably need the same favor. I don't know what he did, but the laser was visible from three city blocks away."
"Director, let me be perfectly blunt," he answers, "I will not see anyone who took up arms in the defense of children condemned for it, no matter their affiliation."
"Good," the severe-looking woman answers after a moment's pause, "It'll make things easier–"
"Director, urgent update," her jaws click shut as a young blonde woman wearing a tweed-patterned dearstalker hat and a domino mask waves to get her attention, "The Empire made contact. Kaiser just learned of the situation and is pledging his support to deal with the Fallen."
Keith watches as the Director's expression curdles like expired milk before she lets out a powerful exhale through her nose while nodding at her subordinate – another Ward, possibly?
She certainly looks too young to be Protectorate.
"If nothing else, we could use another healer, I guess," the woman grumbles under her breath, "Tell him that the Truce will be honored, and that he's welcome to send Othalla to Brockton Bay General if he wants."
"Will do, ma'am," the teenager answers with a lazy salute, before picking her phone back up.
Under Keith's middly puzzled look, the Director elaborates:
"Insight was on base when this shitshow started," she explains, "The girl already has her GED and it would be a waste of everyone's time to send her back to school. Tests and grades are absolutely meaningless for her due to her power."
"Thinker," he realizes, the cape name and the short explanation being dead giveaways.
"Thinker," the woman nods back.
"Director, Delta squad reached Winslow High," another person hollers, prompting both of them to look at a visibly stressed out brown haired middle-aged man, "Should they establish a cordon or–"
"Tell them to try to communicate with the swarm!" the same Ward as earlier yells back, "I'm positive Arachne can see and hear through it now! If she has shut down the power, they can go in!"
Keith almost does a double-take when the no-nonsense woman with the seemingly permanently affixed frown snorts, before nodding to the man.
"You heard the girl, Eliot. Do it," she clips.
"Ma'am," the man nods back, before redirecting his attention toward his radio.
"...You seem to trust this young woman a lot," he can't help but comment, welcoming the distraction while he is stuck cooling his heels waiting for the broadcast to get shut down.
"Insight has proven herself to me when she helped deal with a rather… explosive situation a few weeks ago, pushing herself beyond exhaustion in an attempt to save lives," the Director answers back while side-eyeing him, the brunt of her attention back on the screens arrayed in front of her, "There are still some rough edges between the two of us, but she's been doing her hardest to make it work, and I personally value her dedication and counsel, even if I always keep in mind to take the latter with a grain of salt."
Reading between the lines, Keith deduces that the Ward in question is probably a probationary one who recently had a change of heart.
"Director, Beta squad has reached Juniper Middle School," the same man as earlier says.
"Finally," the woman grumbles, before saying, "Priority is to establish contact with Vista, she should still be with the other children in the school's gymnasium; Ser Callidus allegedly still has what he calls a War Platform on site; team lead is to politely informs him that we're now officially under Truce and let whatever Tinker fuckery he has deployed go; try to stabilize the teaching staff, apparently our man had to rough them up to stop them from killing each other; and for fucks sake, get the children away from the crime scene!"
***
Missy cannot help but welcome the faceless PRT troopers walking inside the gymnasium with military methodology like a woman dying of thirst in a desert welcomes an oasis.
"Captain, here!" she hollers at the man at the front of the pack, who promptly nods back his acknowledgement before barking and gesturing some orders at his ten men squad.
Only then does he do a beeline straight for her, parting the dozens of children crowding her in like the sea.
"Vista," the man greets, making no pretense of not knowing who she is, which is more than fair considering the entire school has by now cottoned on her secret identity, "...Ser Callidus?"
The last part is directed at the wolfish metallic construct still hovering at her back and between the 'incapacitated' teaching staff and the rest of the school.
"Captain," Missy watches as the metallic jaw opens with a loud click as the construct's head angles the duo's way.
"...The Director told me to inform you that we're officially under Truce until the situation gets resolved, and that you're officially free to retrieve your… War Platform?" the Captain – whose name Missy still doesn't know! – explains a little haltingly, his hands fiddling with his foam launcher, "Although she would undoubtedly appreciate it if you kept in touch with the PRT for the duration of the crisis."
"I will happily do so," the construct jerkingly nods its head, baleful red eyes lost shining a tad ominously as they bob up and down, "I suggest making due haste taking care of Juniper's teaching staff. This Platform wasn't equipped for non-lethal takedowns."
"We've got a couple of medics who should be able to stabilize them," the Captain answers bluntly, "If we may…?"
"Hmm? Oh, by all means," the imposing piece of machinery abruptly stands on all four before making a show of stepping away from the pile of broken bodies.
"Fuck me," the Captain swears under his breath after taking one good look, before looking over his shoulder, "McArty, Rowl, on the double!"
Two other PRT troopers instantly react to the call and start jogging toward the injured.
"I'll be taking my leave, then," the construct adds after both the Captain and Missy turn back to it, "I'd wish you a pleasant day, but I wager it would be in bad taste."
"No shit," the Captain snorts, before adding, "For what it's worth, thank you for what you did, Callidus."
A pause.
"It was no issue, Captain," the construct haltingly nods once again, "Goodbye, Miss Vista. And thank you for listening to me, you may have just saved your teacher's life."
Missy flushes a little at the words, and ends up mutely nodding back, not knowing what to say in return.
The wolfish robot about-face without ceremony and leaves the scene without another word the same way it came in, brushing against half-crumbled masonry and cement dust as it does so.
"Alright, that's dealt with," the Captain sighs, his faceless mask going to look at the pile of groaning bodies that she's been doing her hardest to ignore for the past five or so minutes, "...And this is getting handled. Vista, the children look like they're trusting you right now. Can I count on your help so that we can move them away from the crime scene?"
Missy takes a breath, already dreading having to subject herself to the fawning worship of her schoolmate, before nodding.
"Of course, Captain," she answers, while studiously doing her best to ignore a pair of particular eyes locked on her every move among the crowd.
***
"Time's up," I comment a little idly as Missy and the squad Captain start to corral the children out of Juniper's gymnasium, "Scoot away, Dell is going to resume my disguise."
"Aww, but I still had so many questions!" Louise whines.
"...Think about it this way," I let an impish smile grace my face, "Now we're free to do something very funny."
"And what is it?" she blinks.
"Trolling Missy by playing the hardcore fangirls," I cackle, "Dell has been showing us looking all starry-eyed at her and whispering and giggling between ourselves for the past five or so minutes!"
Louise makes a little 'oh' of realization, before scooting away from me as fast as she can.
I giggle as Dell's disguise snaps back to only covering me.
I watch my friend take a big inhale.
"Missyyyyyy!" she yells while dashing in the girl's direction, "How could you keep this from me?!"
The half-pleased as punch, half-mortified look on the blonde face as I add my own shy fawning to the pile shortly after?
Priceless.