Chapter 852 - 2.1

"If she's not trying, then why is she even coming to school?"

Despite the way the conversation sounded, they were talking to me. They were just pretending to talk to one another. It was both calculating in how they were managing plausible deniability while at the same time they were acting totally juvenile by pretending I wasn't there.

Well.

I could do one better. Their immature comments had long lost any appeal in even assessing how pathetic they were. I was stuck too. Emma, Madison and Sophia had crowded me into a corner with six other girls backing them up. If I tried to squeeze past them, they pushed or elbowed me back. I could get past them, but they weren't worth it. They were just words, after all. And if I wanted, I didn't even have to hear them

In fact ...

I reached out with my thoughts, made an adjustment to the space around me, just as Emma, who had been quiet for the most part, a slight smile on her face, stepped forward.

Her lips moved, sure sign that she was saying something, but the sounds never reached my ears. I could still hear the movement of people up and down the hall, but the girls around me, nothing they said reached my ears. They could hear one another, but all it appeared to me was that they were moving their mouths and pretending to speak.

Emma's expression never wavered as I turned fully from the window. Her smile, though, did widen as she clearly thought whatever she had said had produced an impact. I wondered what it was she had said. Then decided I didn't care. Whatever reason had prompted this change in her, nothing she did could touch me now. Nothing anyone did.

The moment stretched out and I continued to merely stare at her, unspeaking. Apparently my unblinking stare seemed to unsettle them as they glanced among each other. Expressions lit with gleeful malice and their mouths began moving again. More immature insults, I guessed. Maybe I should look into learning lip reading so I could acquire context, or turn off what I had done. But that would defeat the purpose of cutting off the flow of their speech to my ears, so no.

Growing bored with the entire affair, I shouldered my bag and turned, pushing my way past them. I was sure they thought it was retreating, but I didn't care. They couldn't touch me.

I didn't have to look to know that one of them, probably Sophia, moved to tangle my feet, using the grouping of the others to hide her actions. The field around me compensated and her attempt to trip me was halted as the movement of one of my tormentors drew her into the path of Sophia's attempt. There was a moment of panicked flailing and I slipped through the opening provided.

I didn't once look back to see what the results were, but from the other sounds that I could pick up, a few of the rowdier boys laughed at the scene, the ones who found everyone's misfortune funny.

Class was pointless to go to for the rest of the day. I was sure they would try something else in retaliation, blaming me, rightfully, even if they didn't know it, for the embarrassment of falling down. It wasn't anything I couldn't deal with, but the aggravation of having to avoid them, or adjust things was just that, aggravation. Better to just go home. Or to the library. Or anywhere. I could get a better handle on what I could do.

* * *​

There was some sort of fight going on up ahead. A conflict between parahumans? I wondered at it, then shrugged. It wasn't as if anything happening there could bother me. I slipped my hands into my pockets and kept walking. One was a mass of blades in the vague shape of a wolf. Hookwolf, I thought. One of the Empire Eighty-Eight. The other was oriental, I thought, who kept appearing and disappearing, leaving behind duplicates of himself that usually exploded if Hookwolf didn't tear into them first.

I kept walking even as their conflict, whatever the reasons for it, continued to tear up the street. Hookwolf mauled a clone, interrupting its attempt to detonate a grenade, even as more clones appeared, each popping the pins on the grenades they held.

The explosion was visually quite stunning, I had to admit, as I consciously adjusted my field, muting the noise and dampening the light and heat so that they could not hurt me. The debris thrown out from the explosion scattered around me, leaving a perfectly formed space where nothing was touched.

Another adjustment and the air was cleared around me as well, the sense of smoke and ash fading from my perception. I stood still for a moment and then released a sigh. I tapped my foot on the ground once.

The smoke billowed upward and away, the fires from the explosions winked out. Anything that had been heated to an unnatural degree returned to its normal temperature. At the epicenter of the blast, his blades of metal still tinged red from the heat, was Hookwolf. Oni Lee was nowhere in evidence.

I said nothing as the figure of blades and metal shifted. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was staring at me. After a moment, I shrugged and kept walking, idly shifting the debris that littered the sidewalk out of my way with my field. Somewhere distant, I could hear the approach of sirens. The PRT on its way, I assumed. Nothing to do with me, though. None of them could touch me. AwardReport1194chibipoe5/2/2014Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.2 View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)5/2/2014Add bookmark#2Six months prior:

Sounds of revulsion rang out as the lock was cut away and the locker spilled open. The contents were rancid, falling out into the floor, the smell overpowering. Amid the entire mess, her clothing stained by exposure to the waste and vomit, a slender brunette collapsed, twitching every once in a while. Silence filled the hall as the students that had gathered stared, some with derision, some with ill-looks, but most with worry.

"Ms. Hebert?" The school official who had accompanied the janitor spoke in a soft voice. "Can you hear me?"

Her lips moved, but he could not make out what she was saying. Carefully, he moved closer, grimacing as he picked his way through the debris. "Ms. Hebert?"

"i̧͞n̢̧v̴́ȩ̕͜͡͡r͢͢͜͟͢t͟͜t̴̶̀͠h̵͘͝͏̛èp̛͢͞͡á̵̸̶ţ̵̵̀͝h̷́r̴͘҉̛e̴̸͟͢͡v̨͠͡e̛̕͡͡ŗ̡́ş͟͝͝e͏̴̨̛d̶͟͏̀͘i̢͟͟r̛e̸̢̕c̸̀t̸̷̢͜͡ì̧ò̢n̸͠à̛͡l̷̨̢̕͢l͏̵͠a͡҉͜p̵͝͏̧p̴̛͡r̷̵͘͟͡ớ̀̕a̸҉̨c̛͢h͘͞͝e͘s̴͜͟͞b̷͢͏͏͢é͞͏n̷̵d̶̛́͜p̴͢҉l̶̨͟͟͞e̶҉̷̶͡a̶̶̕͜s̀̕͞e̵̶͡͞͞s͜͏̢͠͠t͜͠o̶p̵̨̨̀͘p̴̷̛͠ļ̵́͟ę̴̶̸á͞ś͏̨͞é̡̕͠͏s̷̵͜͝ţ͘͘͠o̡̕͠p̸̨̨ṕ̧͜l̡͘͟e҉̀́a͞͞͝s͡҉̀ę̷s͏̢̢t̴҉̶o̧̡p͏̶͢͡͡ " the official frowned at the incoherent stream of sounds from her mouth and his gaze flicked to her eyes. They were wide open, the pupils stretched until they seemed to almost swallow everything else.

He stepped back, swallowing. Whatever had happened to place her inside that locker, it had left her in shock, he gathered. Drawing in a deep breath, he straightened and looked around at the crowd gathered around.

"I believe all of you have classes," he said sternly. "Get to them, if you would." He cast a glare around until they had dispersed, then turned to the other staff that had arrived.

"Ambulance is on its way," the vice-principal said, turning a distasteful look at the waste scattered across the floor and the girl lying in the middle of it. "Is that sanitary?"

"No," the janitor said with a derisive snort, giving them both a dark look before crouching down and slipping his arms around the near-comatose girl. He lifted her easily. "I'll get her to the infirmary so the nurse can at least look her over before they get here."

"You're actually carrying her?" the assistant asked, looking queasy.

"What?" the janitor said, shaking his head. "I'm not going to leave her laying in the middle of a pile of bloody tampons and pads. Maybe you should consider exactly why she was in there, because if this was a prank, it's a pretty foul one. " He started down the hall, muttering to himself.

* * *​

Present day:

They hadn't stopped. The school still refused my requests to transfer. I tried to report what was being done and it was brushed aside. My lack of acknowledgement of their activities since the locker had just driven them to try harder.

I didn't care. They couldn't touch me now, but I saw the way Sophia eyed me with suspicion whenever some attempt went awry. She suspected, but I hadn't done anything to them, just used my power to deny them the ability to do anything. It was easy, now.

But it was worse than the antics of a high school students. Hookwolf had seen me. And now, word had spread within his group. Which lead to the situation now.

Stormtiger and Cricket.

"We have someone who would like to talk to you." Cricket said.

"Not interested," I reply, turning away. There was a rush of air and Stormtiger was in front of me, blocking my way. Aerokinesis, if I remembered my research. And Cricket had accelerated reflexes as well as sound manipulation.

"It's just for a talk." he tried again, irritation in his voice. I wondered why, if it was really for a talk, that they had sent someone who got irritated so easily to try and convince me. Then I decided I didn't care.

"I said not interested," I enunciated. "Could you move, please? I'd like to go home."

There was a sound behind me. Cricket had drawn her weapons.

I sighed.

"It wasn't a request," Stormtiger said, looming over me, apparently deciding intimidation was the way to go.

"You really don't want to do this," I said, taking a deep breath. Sound manipulation. Enhanced reflexes. Aerokinesis. I made an adjustment to the space around me.

"Just come for a talk and no one has to get hurt," he said, claw-shaped forms appearing around his hands.

A bully. He was another bully. Both of them. Just like at school. Now I had to deal with this outside of Winslow?

"I decline," I said tightly. "Now go away before you get hurt."

Cricket laughed behind me, but said nothing. They clearly didn't think me a threat.

Screw this. I stamped my foot and the ground erupted, with me at the epicenter. The asphalt and concrete cracking and shattering in a rapidly growing circle. Stormtiger launched upward, and the claw shapes he had called up shot toward me. The air he had shaped dispersed and I saw his eyes widen.

Behind, I heard Cricket dancing through the uneven footing, using her enhanced abilities to bridge the distance between us, intending to incapacitate me or something. I didn't even bother looking in her direction as my abilities caught her and reversed all of her momentum. She slammed into the nearby wall with a thunderous crack, the surface spider-webbing from the impact.

She didn't get up.

Stormtiger shouted angrily and slammed his hands down, the air visibly rippling as he attacked. I looked up as it rushed at me and then detonated, another aspect of his powers. Fire erupted in the air between us and I heard his shout of triumph even as my power immediately dampened any heat or sound from reaching me. I let him have a moment before I exerted myself and dispersed the fire and smoke.

His eyes went wide as he saw me standing there, unscathed.

I don't think my smile was very nice as I spoke.

"My turn."

I nudged a rock at my feet onto the top of my shoe, then kicked it into the air. It rocketed up at speeds my careless gesture could not have produced and he swore, barely avoiding the projectile.

"Hah, you missed!" he snarled. "Now I'm gonna-"

Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted as the rock changed direction and slammed with bone breaking force onto his shoulder. A choked sound emerged and one of his arms dropped to his side, useless.

"You're going to do ... ?" I asked, trailing off, then shrugged. He swung his other arm at me in an arc and I rolled my eyes. Again? When it didn't work the first time? How unimaginative.

I stamped my foot again and broken pieces of pavement shot upward. Too many for him to dodge. They pelted him mercilessly and exactly five seconds later, he dropped to the ground, unconscious. The way he landed made me think that his other arm was now useless too.

I waited for a moment to see if either was going to stir or if someone else was laying in wait. When nothing happened, I walked away. Maybe dad would make spaghetti and his special garlic bread if I asked.

I had not even gone a block when the street around me was flooded in darkness. AwardReport1232chibipoe5/2/2014Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.3 View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)5/2/2014Add bookmark#3Acceleration 1.3

This. I didn't know what this was. It resisted my field, both the passive and when I tried to actively move it. Everything felt off, like it was weighted down by wet blankets. What was this?

A memory passed my mind from when I had been researching other parahumans for a project. One of the villain groups had someone who manipulated darkness. Was this an attack from him for some reason? I grimaced, trying to ignore the oppressive weight and the difficulty I was having in using my powers. I hadn't done anything to anyone without them instigating, so maybe this had nothing to do with me. I nodded to myself after mulling over my reasoning a bit more. That made sense. I just happened to be in the area where they were doing whatever they were doing.

Well. I didn't like this darkness. Not being able to see is a problem if you're out for a walk. And it was darkness. Not shadows. But complete inky blackness. There weren't any distinguishing features for anything wherever I looked.

I paused briefly as a random though that the darkness was going to eat me alive and leave nothing but bones behind before shrugging it away. The time in the hospital had left me with little to do beyond reruns of some old science fiction show. No one had powers like that, that I knew of.

I took a deep breath, trying to work around this darkness with my own power. It seemed to interfere with my own powers so I wasn't sure how much I could do, but at the least maybe I could clear some space so I could see again.

As it had any time I tried to do something new, my vision seemed to shift, the variables around me manifesting as equations that I immediately understood. I couldn't see where this darkness was coming from, but I didn't need to. I wanted a free space from it. The equations answered and I made adjustments, testing what worked and didn't. It didn't appear to have substance, or at least not any substance that I could move around with it interfering with abilities. But maybe I could ...

I stood there for a moment longer as I processed what I needed and adjusted my field. Around me, for about five feet in any direction, the darkness receded. Daylight was visible there and I wondered briefly if the darkness was entirely a matter of being perceived rather than actual. I dismissed it as if it were just something someone was making me see, it wouldn't interfere with my powers this way.

Still, with my cube of space, I could see again, so I started walking.

I had to stop several times, turning to look as I could hear sounds in the distance, muted somehow by the darkness outside of my cleared space. Explosions?

Silence fell again and I resumed walking. I kept listening for the sounds but I had to stop several times as the calculations I had made needed adjusting. The darkness kept trying to force its way back around me. Was its creator aware I had pushed it away and trying to blind me again?

I grimaced. I hadn't calculated for the increased exertions from the creator of this mess. How annoying. The space I had claimed was already starting to fray. Maybe if I ...

The darkness abruptly receded and I blinked, looking around curiously. I was standing not far from a street corner and as I looked to my left, I saw a group of people on what looked like some huge mutant monstrosities. They barreled down the street past me and I watched them pass by. There was one I recognised as female whose head turned toward me, blonde hair streaming behind her. The upper half of her face was covered with a mask and for a moment, our eyes met. Then they were gone and I wondered what they were running from, if anything.

I started forward, intending to seize the advantage that the lull in traffic offered and crossing.

There was no warning for what came next.

The moment I stepped into the road, I had a split second to realise something had crossed the range of my field. There was a thunderous retort, followed by a flash. My head whipped around and I stared at the person tumbling away across the pavement. It was only when he rolled to a halt and I had a good look that I identified him.

Velocity.

And he wasn't moving.

"No," I whispered and rushed toward him, eyeing the way his limbs were arranged, that his head lay. Was his chest rising? Panic welled up and I slid to my knees beside him, reaching toward his neck to check for a pulse.

"Move away from him," a harsh voice ordered and I turned my head, frozen in the act of reaching toward Velocity, to stare at the new person.

Armsmaster. And his weapon was pointed at me.

"I said," he began and I flinched at the way his voice raised, immediately adjusting my field to modulate the sound.

"I'm-" I began in the same moment, leaning forward some more to check on Velocity. Please let me not have killed him. Please. Oh god.

There was a crackling sound and something roared toward me. A projectile launched from his weapon's tip and hit my field.

It was immediately reversed, smashing into the Protectorate leader with the same amount of force that had been directed at me.

"What the hell!" I shouted, staring at him as he staggered, nearly being knocked over. "I was trying to-"

He didn't let me finish.

"You will move away from him, now, then submit yourself for arrest for assault with a parahuman ability." he said, overriding me. He wasn't listening, wasn't letting me finish. Why?

"Look, I'm trying to-" I started again, only to be interrupted a third time as one of the huge things from earlier reappeared abruptly, slamming into Armsmaster and sending him tumbling. He tried to rise, but the beast caught him between powerful jaws and shook him the way a dog would before tossing him aside. I blinked and saw two more skid to a halt beside me, the blonde from earlier staring down at me and offering a hand.

"Come on, before he gets up," she said urgently, glancing toward where the hero lay. "He won't stay down long and he already has made his mind up about you. If you want to go to jail, or worse, then all you have to do is stay here."

Jail? I frowned, running back what had happened through my head. I felt the color leech from my face. Oh god. He thinks I attacked Velocity on purpose. That I was trying to... kill him? Something else? I felt sick.

"Come on," the girl repeated, worry clear in her voice. I took a deep breath and stared at her hand for a moment longer, then shook my head.

"No," I said clearly. "I need to fix this. He's hurt because of me. Thank you, but no."

"T, we need to go," the one with a motorcycle helmet emblazoned with a skull said, his voice a deep growl. "We'll have incoming shortly."

What I could see of the blonde's face showed frustration as she glanced at Velocity then to where Armsmaster was stirring. Her shoulders slumped slightly and she nodded. There was a sharp whistle and the dog things bounded away down the street once more. I watched them go, then turned back to Velocity and began checking him over.

This close, I was able to tell that his chest was rising. Still breathing. That was good. One of his arms was bent at an awkward angle and I guessed it was broken. Not dead. That was good.

I could hear the distant sound of sirens and I sighed as I kept watch, wary as Armsmaster was starting to rise, albeit slowly.

Having Dad's spaghetti for dinner was apparently something the universe didn't want me to do. AwardReport1163chibipoe5/2/2014Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.4 View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)5/2/2014Add bookmark#4Armsmaster got to his feet and shook his head. He was clearly shaking off the effects of being used as a chewtoy. With Velocity apparently suffering from nothing more than a broken arm, I straightened, dusted off my pants and looked in his direction.

"Before you kept interrupting me and then attacked me, I was trying to tell you that I was trying to see if he was alright," I said, feeling a fair bit of disgust now that the edge of worry that I might have killed someone inadvertently was fading. "You should probably get him to a hospital, though."

"You interfered in the pursuit of parahuman criminals and injured a member of the Protectorate," Armsmaster countered. "I have access to the video feeds showing your actions. You responded with hostile force after I instructed you to move away."

I stared at him. "Are you even listening to yourself? I was trying to make sure he was alright. And, before you go on, he," I indicated Velocity with my foot, "crashed into me. I didn't even have time to move when I noticed he was there."

"Cooperate and it will be easier for you," he said gruffly. "We have video of you, it will be a simple matter of finding you at home if need be. Your parents might not take kindly to us coming to arrest you there."

I felt my face freeze in place, fighting the urge to scream and stamp my feet. He had apparently made up his mind about me. Ugh. Standing here trying to talk to him was pointless.

"I'm leaving," I announced. "Make sure he gets some medical attention and tell him I'm sorry about that, it was an accident."

"Remain where you are or I will have to incapacitate you!" Armsmaster said.

"Yeah, sure, good luck with that," I muttered absently, shoving my hands into my pockets and turning to walk away. I heard that crackling noise again and I assume another projectile was launched at me and deflected. I wondered what it was. Some sort of concussive device, maybe? Meant to stun, perhaps. I heard a muttered profanity as he dodged his own attack. He started ranting more at me to stop and I frowned. Did this guy ever stop talking?

Oh well. A quick adjustment and I couldn't hear him any more. I felt my field ping several more times as he tried other things with no more success than the others. Eventually, though, it stopped. He wasn't willing to leave Velocity to pursue me, I guess.

I felt cold as I remembered him mentioning coming to arrest me at home. Would he really do that? The way he had just made up his mind and hadn't really considered anything I had said did make him seem pretty unreasonable.

I sighed as I kept walking. Home wasn't far away now and maybe dad wouldn't have started dinner. I could convince him to make his garlic bread and then I guess I had something to tell him.

* * *​

" ... Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"The garlic bread is really good."

"Thanks."

"The spaghetti too."

"I'm glad you like it, Taylor,"

"And I think I'm now considered a villain by the Protectorate."

"That's nice, Ta- What?" AwardReport1397chibipoe5/2/2014Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.5 New View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)5/2/2014Add bookmark#1431.5

The video feeds of multiple traffic cameras and any closed circuit security systems that she could access scrolled across the monitors, the information assessed in an instant.

There. She focused herself on that exclusively, watching a distant camera that had captured a running battle from days ago between Hookwolf and Oni Lee. It had ended when Oni Lee detonated multiple clones in a bid to kill Hookwolf. It had failed. The amount of collateral damage though, had been surprisingly small.

Now she knew why. The video showed a figure, a slender girl, walking down the street absently. Dragon slowed the video, watching as debris thrown up by the final act of the fight bent around the person, leaving a perfectly spherical area untouched by the explosion.

The girl stood a moment, her head turned toward the flames and smoke that was billowing out. A minor gesture, tapping her foot on the ground, and the smoke and fire dispersed, exposing Hookwolf crouched at the center of a crater. The girl stood there for a moment, apparently making eye contact, before continuing on.

Dragon considered what she had seen, then accessed another video feed, more recent. The lack of audio was a complication, but only a minor one. Two members of the Empire Eighty-Eight. Stormtiger and Cricket. Hookwolf's close accomplices, approaching the girl while she was passing through their territory. Conversation exchanged, the two followers of Kaiser growing irritated with the girl's apparently refusal.

The ensuing conflict was short and completely one-sided.

Some sort of imitation ability, Dragon wondered. A Trump? Possible, but equally something else. The dispersal of the heat and flames from Oni Lee's grenades and the way the area around her was undamaged meant it could be any number of things. It was hard to tell from the angles afforded in the recording, but she appeared to have mimicked and improved upon Stormtiger's aerokinetic powers.

She dismissed the speculation. There wasn't enough displayed examples to draw any proper conclusions.

She forwarded her search on, tracking the girl as she walked away from that. Darkness blanketed several streets and she lost track of her for a bit until it dispersed.

Dragon watched the Undersiders barrel past the girl and the events that followed. Were it possible, she would have sighed. Oh, Colin ...

A shift of her attention and a video feed of the Protectorate leader came up. He was glowering at something before him on a work bench, his lips moving occasionally as he muttered. She opened a text window.

Guild.Dragon: You have a minute?

PHQ.Armsmaster: Trying to repair these after that business when Velocity got hurt. What's up?

She adjusted her systems and sent the call.

"Colin," she said as he fitted on a headset. "You should be resting."

"Can't," he said shortly. "Have to fix this. The impact knocked a lot of the circuitry out of alignment. Several pieces have to be replaced. The inertial dampeners were overloaded trying to compensate and are fried, those will need fixed as well."

"Colin."

The tools he held dropped to the table, his voice raising. "What? We've been dealing with the recent eruption of E88 and ABB conflict for days. The only good thing about that mess is Lung hasn't taken the field much directly. This other group, the Undersiders, playing hit and run in all of this. And now, fuck, what happened with Velocity ... "

"Colin." Dragon tried again, then raised the volume. "Colin! Listen to me. Velocity was not your fault."

"Maybe not," he said, grudging as a video of the girl stepping out into the street and Velocity's collision came up at Dragon's command. "But what happened after was."

"What happened, exactly? I reviewed the data from your cameras, but it only shows me the events up until something knocked it offline." she asked. "I had to access traffic cameras for the rest and no audio for those."

He scowled. "Another thing I have to fix."

"Colin," she said, her image appearing on the screen and smiling at him. "Focus."

He sighed. "I was following Velocity for backup as we pursued the Undersiders. He was, you'll note, carrying one of my cameras with an earpiece so we could keep in touch. I saw the feed up until the girl stepped into the street. Then the feed went crazy before cutting off. I came up on the scene a few minutes later and she was crouched over him, reaching toward his throat. I-" He cut off and exhaled.

"I saw him down and he wasn't moving and the device was also to monitor his vitals, to see how use of his power affects him for a project I have in mind, it wasn't registering anything at all. I ordered her to move and she didn't immediately agree. He had been pursuing the Undersiders and then she just happened to step out. I assumed she had done something intentionally."

"And?"

"When she didn't do what I said, I moved to incapacitate her, decided the situation could be sorted out here. I fired the stun cudgel. And then she did ... whatever that was she did. I tried to engage her verbally, but whatever it was she did made the blow hit hard. Then I got run over by that damn dog of Hellhound's and when I came to, she was still there."

He grimaced. "What I did after that isn't very clear. I think one of those hits addled my brain. I still attempted to subdue her, threatened her with being arrested by PRT squads in front of her parents." Colin shook his head, looking disgusted.

"She walked away then, correct?" Dragon prompted.

Colin nodded. "Yes. And I tried to subdue her again. With as little effect as before. At least I avoided getting hit by those."

"You've been checked over?"

"Yes," he said. "They had the Dallon girl come by. I'm fine. Just have a lot of work in front of me. Fixing all of this. I ... I think I screwed up here."

"You could have handled it better, yes," Dragon said. "But, your conclusion was not out of the realm of possibility."

"I tried to run her face through a recognition system, but I came up with nothing. Have you had any luck?"

Her avatar shook its head. "No. Nothing in any of the local high schools. I'm expanding my search wider, though. I'll let you know what I find, if anything."

"Thank you," Colin said, his face stony as he regarded the parts of his suit that he had partially disassembled in preparation for working on them. "Let me know whatever you find."

"I will, Colin," she said, giving him a smile. "But be sure you get some rest."

"I want to at least reseat the lens on the camera, then I will," he said absently, but her image had already vanished from the screen. He stared at the table for a long moment then shook himself, picking up his tools even as he replayed the actions from the day before.

"I have to fix this," he said to himself, and resumed work. AwardReport1270chibipoe5/2/2014NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.6 New View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)6/2/2014Add bookmark#3361.6

"So, you're a parahuman," my dad said, looking shocked as he settled back into his chair. "And it happened after the ... locker. That was why you were ..." He trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

I nodded. "The things I could see, all the ways things moved. It was too much. It took a while to get a handle on it."

"When did you find out?"

A shrug. "At first, I thought it was just some sort of Thinker ability. I found myself getting distracted with things. Someone would be walking by and I'd find myself calculating exactly how much force their movements generated, what sort of disturbance they cause in the air. Things like that." I paused and felt a faint smile surface briefly. "Math got really easy."

"Then?"

"I went to clean up some stuff I had spilled in the kitchen," I explained. "The mop had apparently shifted in the closet. When I opened the door, it fell towards me. But it didn't touch me. It rebounded and hit the wall of the closet pretty hard."

"What-" my dad began, then paused, thinking, before he continued, "What can you do."

It was my turn to be silent as I considered his question and how to answer as simply as possible. "Easiest way of explaining it without going into a lot of complicated math is to say I redirect."

My dad blinked. "Redirect? Redirect what?"

"Everything."

* * *​​My dad was going to ask more questions, but there was a knock on the door. We exchanged looks and I held up a hand.

"I'll get it," I told him. "I know it's a lot to take in." He nodded and I rose, heading toward the front door. The knock came again just as I reached the door. I glanced through the hole and saw it was a man, perhaps his late twenties or early thirties, with a neatly trimmed beard. I didn't know him, but he looked vaguely familiar for some reason.

I opened the door. "Yes?"

"Taylor Hebert?" He asked, sounding uncomfortable for some reason. I nodded and he took a deep breath.

"May I come in? I'd like to speak with you," he asked. I tilted my head, trying to determine what was familiar about him. Hearing him speak made me want to frown. Where had I spoken with this person before?

"Um, certainly," I said, stepping back to allow him to enter. "May I ask why?"

"A variety of reasons," he answered. "Not the least of which is an apology."

An apology? I frowned. "Alright. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Thank you, water is fine," he said simply. He stepped inside easily, with a confident, if wary, motion.

"Dad!" I called out. "Could you get some water, we have a guest."

"Sure," I heard him reply and I lead the stranger to the living room, indicating one of the chairs.

"Your father's here?" he asked and there was definitely some uneasiness in his voice now. I wondered why.

"We were having a talk," I shrugged. "What is it you wanted to talk about, Mr. ... ?" I trailed off.

He looked even more uncomfortable, then sighed. "Colin. You can call me Colin. And well, I'm here on behalf of an individual you recently met, to offer an apology and explain that there isn't going to be any actions taken against you."

"You're with the Protectorate? Or the PRT?" I asked, my hands tightening on the chair I had reclaimed.

Colin nodded. "I am. The circumstances surrounding your encounter with .. Armsmaster were reviewed and he himself," his face twisted oddly for a moment, "wanted to tender his apologies for his behavior. The initial encounter, he felt, was a reasonable conclusion to the information he had, but overall the situation as a whole was handled poorly. Given that, it was felt that it would be better if I came to deliver this instead of Armsmaster himself."

He gave an embarrassed smile. "My job, among other duties, is to smooth over situations like this. There were several factors in play there, most of which you weren't privy to and so on behalf of the Protectorate and Armsmaster himself, I formally apologise."

I considered this, then sighed. "He was kind of a jerk. Didn't let me explain and jumped right to trying to attack me."

"In his defense," Colin said, looking like he'd swallowed a lemon, "if you came upon a comrade downed under unusual circumstances while in pursuit of a known criminal group and the person apparently responsible reaching toward him with unknown intentions, what would be your response?"

I thought about that, then nodded reluctantly. "I suppose I can see that, under the circumstances."

"In addition," Colin continued, looking hesitant now, "I was asked to ascertain your interest in joining the Wards."

Dad came back with a glass of water and Colin accepted it with a word of thanks. Dad didn't appear to be particularly happy and I wondered how much of this he had heard as I refocused on Colin.

"I'm not," I said simply. He blinked, then scowled for a moment, before smoothing his expression out.

"Might I ask why?" he finally queried.

I shrugged. "No particular reason."

"We could offer you resources to learn more about your powers-" he began.

"She told you no," my dad said, apparently having settled into anger after everything I had told him. "Is there anything else?"

Colin held up a hand and sighed. "Fair enough. I had to ask. All the same," he produced a business card and held it out to me. "If you should change your mind or if you need anything, anything at all, my contact information is there. As well as a contact for Armsmaster."

I accepted the card and then glanced at it. It was a plain card, with his name, Colin Singer and a contact number. What interested me was the emblem printed on it. It was a blue visor-like shape on a silver background and a different number beneath that. I recognised the emblem. Hell, I'd once owned some underpants with that emblem imprinted on the front. I flushed at that thought, then looked up at Colin, my eyes widening as I realised what it might mean.

"Are you ... " I trailed off, unsure how to ask what I was thinking. My Dad looked confused as Colin said nothing in response to my half-formed question.

"Again, my most sincere apologies, Ms. Hebert. If you need anything, let me know." he said.

"One thing," I asked, still stunned.

"Yes?"

"Is Velocity alright?"

Colin smiled. He had a nice one, I decided. "He complains of soreness, but he's perfectly fine. Even the arm. We have excellent contacts."

He rose and I nodded, folding my hand around the card carefully. "It was nice talking to you, Colin. I'm glad he's alright."

"As I said, let me know if you need anything," he rose, then paused. "Just so we're clear, though, a few people do know about your status, but it isn't something that is being spread around so you shouldn't have any worries on that front."

"Thank you," I said. Colin excused himself and left, leaving my mind awhirl with thoughts.

--

I may come back with this later and add in some other scenes, but wanted to put this up for people to see while it was in my brain. AwardReport1328chibipoe6/2/2014NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.7 New View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)6/2/2014Add bookmark#4721.7

School again.

Dad had convinced me that I should go, but I truthfully didn't see the point. Math was ridiculously easy since the locker and other subjects were too. I ended up bored out of my mind as I outpaced anything the teachers were trying to instruct. Overall, the time spent there became an exercise in frustration. Emma, Madison and Sophia hadn't let up, if anything, they'd started upping the stakes as their efforts fell on my intentionally deaf ears.

I wondered what they were going to do as I finished off the quiz that the the algebra teacher had dropped on us. I didn't know why he had but given the looks I kept noticing from Emma and her cadre suggested they had something in the works.

The bell rang and I began gathering my things, careful to avoid rising until any of her cronies were clear. I had to keep an eye out constantly for any attempts at physical intimidation and use my field to carefully redirect them so it appeared like they would just miss or things thrown at me were off-course. No matter how satisfying the idea of throwing back whatever they did at them was, it wasn't worth the aggravation.

"Taylor, if you could stay after, please," the teacher asked. I blinked as I was shouldering my bag, then noticed the smirks directed at me as Emma and company left. This was probably their doing somehow.

"Sure, Mr. Keller," I absently replied.

The door closed and it was just me and the teacher.

"Taylor, I have some concerns about your efforts in class," he began, his expression somewhere between stern and uncomfortable.

"What is it?" I asked, frowning. "Did I miss anything on the test? I took a moment with that last one as it was something I hadn't seen before ..."

His expression settled on stern. "No, you didn't miss anything. It was perfect. All of it is perfect. And that's the issue. I haven't determined how yet, but I've reviewed your previous performance in class and I want to make it clear that I take a very dim view on cheating."

I stilled, the words not immediately making sense to me. "Mr. Keller, I am not cheating."

"You pay little to no attention in class," he said. "And yet somehow all of your work is flawless, even superior to students who have maintained a straight A's since the year began. Your efforts before the ... incident were average, at best. If this continues, I will bring my concerns to the the remaining faculty and the Principal. Start presenting your own work, Ms. Hebert, or there will be consequences."

"I am," I insisted, irritation flaring briefly at his words. Then it hit me. This. This is what they had been smirking about. They smiled and charmed and now they're attacking me through the teachers.

Mr. Keller shook his head. "Consider this your warning, Ms. Hebert."

I clenched my fists at the uncompromising tone of voice he said that in, turned on my heel, and started toward the door. I wanted to rail at him, to shout about this. But I had already seen the futility of that. Still, I couldn't resist the last word.

"I am not cheating," I said over my shoulder, then I glanced at the equations still scribbled on the whiteboard. "And the third one from the bottom is wrong. X is twenty-eight, not 13." I didn't wait to see if he had a response, heading out of the classroom.

Near my locker, they were waiting.

"Well, well," Emma opened. Sophia was leaning against my locker, blocking my access to it. I stared at her. She returned a bored look.

"So, Taylor's been cheating in class," Emma continued. "Pretty sad. So desperate for attention that she resorts to that."

I tuned Emma out. I didn't use my power. I just ignored her. It was just words and I could always cut them off if it got really annoying. My focus was on Sophia.

"I need to get into my locker," I said.

Sophia made a careless gesture and looked at Emma. "Did you hear something?"

This again. Bullies. It was really getting tiresome. My field felt like it was sizzling at the back of my head. The need to do things growing with my irritation at all of this.

Emma said something in response and there was some laughter, but I ignored it, not taking my eyes from Sophia. She couldn't do anything to me now, but that didn't mean I had to just ignore them.

"Move." I said, almost surprised at how hostile I sounded. Sophia blinked and straightened.

"Oh, Hebert's trying to grow a spine, is she?" she sneered, starting to loom over me. One hand came up and she moved to push my shoulder. I used my field and her attempt ended up flopping weakly in the air. A frown appeared on her face briefly and she stepped closer, staring down at me balefully.

I admit, I thought briefly of seeing how long I could draw out her trying to shove me and missing constantly by the barest of margins but as she made another move to shove me, I let go of my conscious control of my field.

Sophia's attempt to shove me rebounded and she staggered away from me, unbalancing and then crashing to the floor. I opened my locker quickly and took out what I needed, then closed it. Sophia had gained her feet just as I locked it. There was fury in her eyes.

"Think that's funny, Hebert?" she snarled. "Some weirdass kung-fu bullshit? You're going to pay for that."

"I told you to move," I retorted, moving so that Emma was behind me and to my left slightly. "Your own fault for not listening. And yeah, weird-ass kung-fu bullshit, we'll go with that."

"You're gonna pay," she repeated.

I laughed. "Really? How? What could be worse than what you've already done? You got away with it, but kind of hard to top the locker." I assumed direct control of my field again as her temper broke and she lunged. The motion was turned to an undignified stumble that carried her into Emma.

They went down. Somehow dragging Madison down with them without any effort from me. That made me smile as I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked away. There would probably be repercussions from this. They'd spin it somehow, but I found that I simply didn't care. They couldn't touch me, none of them, but that didn't mean I had to just ignore what they were doing.

I needed to think about this.

--

I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with this, but we're back to Taylor. AwardReport1241

1.8

52.75% chance she would be caught if she went that way.

Her breath burned in her lungs and she wanted to cry. A question she wanted to ask burned in her mind but she refused. Asking would make it real and then she would know. All that mattered was that she got away from him.

The numbers changed constantly and the way her head hurt worse each time she asked a question. That man was doing something. Some sort of power. She ran, but his men were constantly catching up or forcing her in directions she didn't want to go. She had evaded so far, but the numbers were getting worse.

A shout rang out and she almost jumped, fighting the impulse to start running.

82.3% chance they are trying to spook her so they resume pursuit.

A deep breath, then another. The ache in her head eased a bit. Two roads. She knew the numbers for the right. The left?

100% chance of escaping him.

Her eyes widened. 100%? That had never happened before. She didn't hesitate. Breath still burning, her legs trembling from exertion, Dinah Alcott threw herself into a run down the left road. Her eyes briefly looked a street sign as she did, noting that it was a one way street.

* * *​

"I'd like to extend my apologies for the unfortunate actions of my colleagues toward you," the platinum-blond haired man before me said smoothly. Another from the Empire Eighty-Eight. "They were over-eager in their attempt to introduce you to our group."

I gave him an unamused look. "They tried to bully me into coming with them and then attacked me."

He nodded slightly, an almost regal gesture. "I don't deny that. Your intervention may have saved one of ours from death and we wanted to convey our gratitude. They are not the most personable and their eagerness to meet with you and feel out whether you would be amenable to a further association was ill-advised. They departed without approval."

I sighed. "Not interested, like I told them." I eyed him. He didn't seem hostile, but moods could change quickly. "You're not going to do as they did and not take no for an answer, are you?"

He sighed regretfully. "I shall defer to your wishes. But, if I may ...?" When I didn't object, he continued. "Despite the ill-feelings instilled by Stormtiger and Cricket, we would prefer to avoid any unnecessary confrontations. If we do not bother you ... "

I shrugged. "I don't look for trouble."

"Something of a truce then," Victor nodded. I didn't agree or disagree, I just turned and walked away, idly mulling over their reasons for approaching me. It had to be more than just a desire to convey gratitude. Hookwolf had been caught at the center of the blast, sure, but I don't think he had been in any real danger. Something else to worry about, I supposed.

Of more concern was events at the school. I had let my field apply its passive effect against Sophia rather than consciously diverting their physical assaults in tiny ways. Thankfully for her, she hadn't applied enough force to do any serious harm. But if she had, it could have been bad.

And I wasn't at all bothered by the thought. I simply didn't care. That worried me more than the thought of Sophia splattered across the hallway. The fact that I wasn't bothered by the thought was more upsetting than the actual thought.

I fished around in the depths of my wallet, retrieving the card that Colin had given me. His name and the number beneath it, side by side with Armsmaster's emblem and a different number. I thought of the conversation at home and what I had speculated in my thoughts. Was Colin Armsmaster? Was that even his real name? It felt like it might be, but my powers didn't come with a lie detector.

He had said that if I needed anything, I could contact him.

I stared at the numbers. One was Armsmaster's, the other, Colin's. Or they were both to the same person if Colin was Armsmaster. He hadn't explicitly said he wasn't Armsmaster. Just that he had been tasked with tendering the official apology. Maybe he thought of himself as two separate people?

I had no way to be sure and replaced the card. Making that call required some more thought. The last thing I wanted to do was word things poorly. Calling and telling him to help because I'm afraid of what I'll do if they continue likely wouldn't go over well.

I turned onto a different street, noting how the sun was starting to go down. I had an excellent view of the bay and the way the sunlight played across the water was pretty. Even the ship graveyard held an ethereal quality, coated in orange and golds. For a drawn out moment, I simply stood there, taking in the sight and relaxing.

A pained cry broke me from my reverie and I turned my head. Roughly twenty feet from where I stood, a girl had come off of a side street, turning in my direction when he feet tangled and she went down.

"Hey," I said, frowning as she tried to get up, failed. Her torso was heaving as she tried to gulp in air and even at the distance, her clothing looked dirty and torn. She had straight brown hair that was fairly disheveled. Dark smudges were visible on her arms. Dirt or soot. And, before my field bent it away, I caught a brief taste of that acrid scent smoke carries. "Are you alright?" It was a stupid question, honestly. She clearly wasn't, but I had to say something.

I walked over and crouched down, carefully helping her into a sloppy seated position. Her face was red and she was still gulping air. Closer, I could see that she had several bruises and scrapes. And with how she was running. Was someone chasing her?

I didn't have to voice the question, as a group of armed men swept into the suddenly empty of people area around us, accompanied by a man in a black body suit with a white snake on it.

"Nowhere else to run," he said, his voice oddly muffled. "You there, step away from the girl."

All of the men were armed and there weapons were pointed in my direction, the meaning clear.

I smiled. And I knew it wasn't a nice one. Then I straightened and stepped in front of the barely conscious girl.

"If you know what's good for you," I said simply. "You'll turn around and leave."

"We're taking the girl," the man said.

"No," I replied softly, "you aren't." He shifted, a sign of irritation and made a small gesture. Three of the men came forward, spaced far enough apart to keep from interfering with one another. Their obvious competence might have been unnerving months ago, but now, it was almost laughable. They were wary, but the speed at which they approached said they didn't view me as a threat.

The center man moved to use a taser on me. I didn't wait for my field to repel him. The force produced by his arm moving forward was redirected, magnified and the taser crumpled. He made a sound as I overdid it and his hand and fingers turned into a oddly angled mess. Seconds later, all three tumbled into an unmoving heap at the feet of the costumed villain.

"So," he said.

The remaining mercenaries raised their weapons, all intent on me. I considered this. I didn't want to kill them, and bouncing bullets back would do that. Maybe if I ...

Their weapons fired as I extended my hand. The bullets all slowed, and it almost seemed like they made ripples in the air as they came to a halt, suspended before me. I picked one out of the air, staring at it for a second, then let it fall to the ground. I looked at the others, then at the ground, and they all fell at once, punctuated by multiple metallic tinks.

"Last chance," I said. "Go away and leave her alone."

"Parlor tricks," the man snarled. He was shaking. From anger? I wasn't sure. "Take her out! Triple pay!"

They charged.

I tapped my foot on the ground, much as I had done against Stormtiger and the pavement erupted into a broken mess. The men were all down. The costumed man was moving to run now, panic replacing his anger.

"You're not going anywhere," I muttered and kicked a rock. It shot across the space between us, slamming into his back with enough force to send him tumbling. Tapping my foot again and I smoothed out the pavement, bending a portion of it around the legs of the men. I pinned all of the costumed man's limbs, just in case.

The girl was staring with wide eyes at me as I turned to face her.

"I'm going to use the phone over here so I can call someone," I told her. "Do you want to stay here? None of them will be able to touch you, I promise. And I'll be right over there."

"I'd like to stay with you," she said in a small voice. I nodded and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile before holding out my hand.

"I'm Taylor."

"Dinah," the girl said quietly as she placed her small hand in mine.

We walked over to the phone booth and I fished out the card again, staring at it for a moment in consideration. Decision made, I tossed some coins in and dialed one of the numbers on the card.

Someone answered after two rings. "Yes?"

"Hi, Colin," I said. "This is Taylor. Listen, you said I could call you if I needed anything ..." AwardReport1352chibipoe6/2/2014NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.9 New View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)6/2/2014Add bookmark#7101.9

The PRT transports were moving away with the men in custody. One of them held only one person, the costumed man. I sat under an overhang with the girl, Dinah. She hadn't wanted to move very far from me and a paramedic was checking her over. Her injuries hadn't seemed too severe, some scrapes and a twisted ankle from when she fell. What really got me was the things the medic couldn't fix.

The look in her eyes. Whatever had happened to get her running like that, it had left its mark. The look was haunted and I recognised it. I'd had the same look after Mom.

I felt an irrational surge of hate and turned to stare at the transport holding the costumed man, then looked away. It would be satisfying, but ultimately wouldn't serve any purpose. The authorities would deal with him.

I was a bit saddened that Colin hadn't been able to come himself, but our brief conversation had suggested that a lot of things were going on that demanded his attention, though he had made sure to dispatch a PRT squad to pick up everyone I had subdued. He had mentioned that a consultant for the PRT was on hand and would be coming to assist as well.

Beside me, with the medic having finished her check of Dinah, the girl had curled up, leaning against me and fallen asleep. Her hand still held me even so, holding it like it was her only lifeline.

"She should be fine," the medic said in a low voice, so as not to disturb her. "Rest will take care of most of her problems." I nodded at this and the woman packed away her kit before departing.

The lead PRT officer, a Danica Wilson, approached, in the company of an almost unhealthily thin man.

"Ms. Hebert, this is Thomas Calvert. He's a consultant from Fortress Securities and a former member of the PRT." she introduced us and I nodded absently, wondering why the man's stare was so unsettling. He offered his hand and he had a firm handshake, but all the same, I couldn't shake the notion that I was being measured.

"Ms," she said with a smile. "We wanted to thank you for reporting this. Is there any place we can drop you off while we go return the young lady to her relatives?" Her smile slipped a bit at that statement, confirming what I had begun to suspect from the way Dinah had been staring blankly.

I was silent for a moment and then looked at her. "I was just out for a walk when this all happened."

Dinah stirred, looking groggily around. " 'aylor?"

"Shhh," I said soothingly, slipping my free arm around her awkwardly. "We were just looking to see about getting you to your relatives."

The groggy look receded, replaced by a distant one. "Twenty-two point three percent chance of being taken if I go to them."

Danica and Thomas Calvert exchanged looks and Danica dropped into a crouch. "Dinah, we've taken the men who tried to take you. They won't bother you again."

Dinah shook her head, an almost frantic gesture, and her hold on my hand tightened. "The n-numbers d-don't lie. Twenty-two point three percent chance I'll be taken if I go to my aunt and uncle."

"Dinah," I said softly, a thought occurring to me. "When you say that, are you seeing it? What do you mean?"

She swallowed. "I see numbers. Tells me chances. Hurts."

Danica and Calvert exchanged another look and he adopted a thoughtful expression before speaking. "A parahuman ability, perhaps? Would that be why they came after her?"

"Possibly," Danica said before looking back to Dinah. "Dinah, we're going to go to the PRT headquarters, would you like to come with us?"

Dinah looked at her for a moment, then to me. "Will you come with?"

I nodded. "If you want me to, sure."

Danica nodded. "Alright, we'll head over there and then we can get some people looking into things in a more secure environment." She straightened. "You'll see about finishing up here, Mr. Calvert?"

He nodded, though he seemed distracted for some reason. "I can supervise, yes."

"Perfect, if you'll both come this way, then. We've got a transport ready," Danica indicated a dark truck with the PRT logo on it. I rose and Dinah stood as well, not relinquishing my hand as we walked over to go to the PRT headquarters.

​--​​​Ok, I'm ending 1.9 here. Will be a 1.10, then an interlude and we'll finally see some Calvert pov(and maybe some others) after I get some lunch and whatnot AwardReport1199chibipoe6/2/2014NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 1.10 New View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)7/2/2014Add bookmark#8161.10

The room they escorted us to after we arrived was nice. A couch with a low-lying coffee table in front of it. They had brought us some snacks and drinks. I'd tried a cookie, but Dinah had succumbed to fitful sleep, her head in my lap. She made occasional sounds that told me her attempts to rest were not peaceful.

It was just the two of us at the moment as Danica had excused herself to make some calls. She'd advised me that i could ask the guards for anything as she was posting two given the potential that Dinah would be a target.

I wasn't worried about anyone taking her while I was here, though. I didn't know what my limits were yet, but nothing I had done in testing the past few months gave me even a hint of actually having any. It was a bit frightening, actually when I thought about it, honestly. If had a direction, more precisely, a vector, I could control it. Some of the things I envisioned being capable of, though, required knowledge I didn't have. Yet. It was something I hoped to change as the range of what I could do would expand enormously if I was correct.

Dinah shifted and made a pained sound. Without even thinking, I moved a hand and lightly brushed my fingers through her hair. The gesture had an immediate effect and she subsided, though what I could see of her face suggested she was still pained. I frowned, worried about her. She hadn't explicitly said so, but based on the look in her eyes and the words of the PRT agent, I was fairly certain that her parents were dead. Worse, she might have been witness to it.

The man in the body suit. I couldn't think of who he might be, but I wasn't familiar with all of the heroes and villains in Brockton Bay. I had followed them for a bit, before, but since the locker, I'd had other concerns. Whoever he was, I was rather unhappy with him. Dinah was a little girl and he taken her parents, hunted her like one would a fox or such. All for what? Her power? Something even more unsavory?

I wandered off into thinking of things he could have been after her for and felt a little sick. Having powers didn't mean you couldn't be utter scum. There wasn't, unfortunately, a requirement that you be a decent person to get them. Otherwise, why would we have things like the Slaughterhouse 9. Or the Endbringers.

The door opened quietly, drawing me from my unpleasant thoughts. Colin appeared, looking rather tired and nodded to me before settling into a chair.

"Busy day?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Unbelievably so," he murmured. "We'd been dealing with surges in conflict prior to your meeting with Armsmaster and it seems like today everything decided to go crazy. We've had city hall breathing down our necks and had to pull all our available assets to try and deal with everything. It seems to have quieted down, though we had to call in a contractor to assist." He looked displeased for a moment, then it smoothed out.

"That man, Thomas Calvert, I assume?" I asked and he nodded.

"You're alright?" he asked.

"They couldn't touch me," I said, then glanced at Dinah. "She, on the other hand ..." I trailed off with a sigh.

"Dinah Alcott, you said her name was?" he asked, tapping on a portable tablet as I nodded. He grimaced at whatever he saw there. "Ah, yes. Unpleasant bit. And she may be a parahuman. Hrm." He frowned at something.

"Percentages," I said. "Stated if she went to her relatives, there was a twenty-two percent chance of being taken."

"Precognitive, Thinker," Colin said absently, his expression growing intent. "Excuse me a moment, Taylor. I need to make some calls and someone will be back in to check on you soon." He left quickly, still with that focused look on his face and I watched the door close, bemused.

"My but people come and go quickly here," I said to myself whimsically.

* * *​​Colin Wallis strode with purpose, worrying over the information he had on hand and coming to a disturbing conclusion. The sudden activities today. The Travelers striking at one bank, the Undersiders another. Another round of Empire Eighty-Eight and ABB fighting along with the general nuisances that were the Merchants. And while the Protectorate and Wards were dealing with all of that, this villain they knew little of, Coil, leads a strikeforce after Dinah Alcott. The attempt results in her parents being killed and her being chased until she encountered Taylor.​​"What's the status on the transports bringing in the soldiers and this Coil?" he asked brusquely as he approached Danica. She was one of the PRT's more effective agents and one he'd worked with in the past.​​She sighed, looking somewhere between anger and resignation. "I took charge in bringing Ms. Hebert and Ms. Alcott in so we could be sure she was safe against other attempts." He nodded, not letting it show that his suspicions were that were she was was irrelevant as long as Taylor was present, from what he knew so far.​​"Calvert was accompanying the transports bringing in the prisoners," she went on and now he knew it was anger she was exhibiting. "They got hit a few minutes ago. Hard and fast. Calvert took a pretty nasty bump, is the report I'm getting. This Coil character and his men escaped."​​Colin took in a slow breath. "Anything on who was responsible for the escape?"​​She shook her head. "I sent a request up through the appropriate channels to see if Dragon could find anything, but the traffic cameras in the area were taken out just before by an unseen assailant. It was well-executed and professional, whoever was responsible. Calvert said transports were hit from the side and he was out for a short time and came to to find the prisoners gone."​​"Damn," he muttered. "This entire thing stinks."​​"Coincidences are usually not," Danica said with a scowl. "Has the Mayor be informed?"​​"I'm on my way to contact him and get some others in," Colin told her. "We still don't know what this Coil's abilities are, if any and as much faith as I have in your people, I want more on hand in case of anything unforeseen."​​Danica chuckled faintly. "I'm not offended, Colin. There are limits to what we can deal with, I know."​​He nodded and moved off after touching her shoulder, already accessing his phone and dialing a number.​​"Mayor Christner, please," he said, looking at his tablet and sending a message to Triumph while he waited to be transferred.​​* * *​​Dinah had apparently relaxed from whatever had plagued her sleep when the door opened again. This time, it wasn't Colin. It was, assuming I had the face right from when election time came up, the Mayor. And beside him was Armsmaster.​​I looked at Armsmaster first, trying to decide if my suspicion was right. The beard could be the same, but the helmet obscured much of his face and so it wasn't possible to get a good of the lines of his face beyond what was covered by the beard.​​The Mayor looked at me, then to Dinah and I saw relief in the lines of his face. Was he her uncle?​​"Ms. Hebert," Armsmaster said, his voice a baritone rumble. "Let me apologise in person in addition to what Colin has already relayed."​​I nodded, permitting a small smile. Even if I was right, I wasn't going to be crass and parade the information about openly. "It was a misunderstanding, but thank you."​​"I don't know about all of that," the Mayor said carefully, "but if I am given to understand correctly, I should be thanking you, young lady."​​"It was what anyone would do, I'm sure," I said politely.​​"I'm not so certain," he disagreed. "But nonetheless, you have my gratitude." He looked uncertain for a moment, then looked to Armsmaster. "You mentioned some issues?"​​"Unfortunately," Armsmaster said grimly. "The individual that made the attempt on Dinah escaped from custody while in transit. We're still investigating how this was accomplished precisely, but our concern is that, given her apparent abilities, he will attempt to kidnap her again."​​"And Dinah has parahuman abilities?" The Mayor asked, frowning.​​"Some sort of precognitive ability if my understanding is correct," Armsmaster said. "Given her ordeal, we're disinclined to acquire specifics. I suspect she'll be largely incapable of its use for a few days. The medical team who looked her over noted some of the signs of overuse for powers of that type."​​"Are there any we can task with keeping a watch on her?" the Mayor asked. I observed the byplay in silence. Armsmaster had some sort of angle here, but he was waiting to suggest it to the Mayor for some reason. "Triumph, perhaps?"​​"I've advised him of the situation," Armsmaster said carefully, "I have a suggestion, though. It will seem unorthodox, sir, but hear out my reasons before you decide."​​"Should I go?" I asked quietly before he could continue. "I'm not a PRT member, or a Ward or anything..."​​"Stay, please," he asked, holding up a hand before turning to the Mayor. "Given the architect of the assault on your niece's escape and the fact that Ms. Hebert here was involved in preventing that, I would suggest Dinah remains with her. We'll assign a rotating cycle to remain on or near the premises with her so that they'll both be guarded."​​The Mayor looked uncertain, glancing at me for a moment. "I don't disbelieve you, Armsmaster, but when you say she was involved in preventing it, are you saying ...?" He trailed off and Armsmaster looked to me, a question in his demeanor.​​I made a decision.​​"Mr. Mayor?" I asked, drawing his attention. "The reason the men and their leader weren't able to take Dinah is because I stopped them. I'm a parahuman."​​Armsmaster made a rueful sound. "My first encounter with Ms. Hebert was a comedy of errors, unfortunately, but what I have determined of her abilities leads me to believe that keeping Dinah close would be the best course of action. Not, as I said, that I'm trusting either of their safety to just that, you understand, hence the supplement from our assets."​​I blinked and looked at the Protectorate leader. "What you determined?"​​"I've seen footage of the encounter with Stormtiger and Cricket," he said simply.​​"Oh."​​The Mayor still looked dubious, but he nodded his consent. "If you're certain this is best. Ms. Hebert, again, my sincerest gratitude. If there's anything I can do, let me know."​​My hands tightened a little at the words. My mind flashed to the school and what was going on there. "Actually, Mr. Mayor, Armsmaster. There might be. I ..." My voice failed me as I tried to find words. How did I say this without sounding like I was demanding a reward for helping Dinah?​​I cleared my throat again and took the plunge. "There is something I'd like to talk to Armsmaster about, Mr. Mayor, and it might be something you could do for me, if it isn't too much trouble." I had their full attention and I took a shaky breath. Here goes nothing ...​​---​​And that ends arc 1, save for an interlude to come. To borrow from Sad Cat Diary and my omake. "Like Sisyphus, I am bound to hell."​ 

Interlude 1.a New View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)7/2/2014Add bookmark#840Ok, I lied, 2 interludes. This one is short though.

Interlude 1a - Armsmaster

Sometime between then and now:

The reports on the screen almost stared at him in accusation.

Dragon's efforts to gather information on the girl had been thorough and now he knew who she was and where to find her. More, he'd learned other things that were highly disquieting. This incident six months prior had to be when she gained her powers, but the reports she had found tucked away on an antiquated pc used by the administration containing Taylor's claims regarding the incident were most damning.

She had made accusations against those she believed responsible. And the school had taken no action. There were other reports, all documented to electronic format and then shoved into a non-descript named folder. Some overzealous clerk, perhaps? He had no way to tell that for sure and it truthfully didn't matter.

Still, he needed more to justify action if he were to bring this to the Director. And there was still the matter of addressing the potential issues with Taylor herself. Dragon had forwarded what video she had found to him and the casual ease that she'd crushed Stormtiger and Cricket with was terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time. Dragon suspected aerokinesis or possibly some sort of Trump ability to mimic and improve upon powers used against her.

He wasn't so sure. She hadn't even done anything but stand there when he made his ill-starred decision to try and subdue her. Further review of the Velocity crash showed him bouncing from a point several feet away from her. Some sort of field around her? A passive effect in addition to the active one?

Colin grimaced at that thought, that his attempts to subdue her were swatted aside by some sort of automatic defense.

It was humiliating.

He shook his head. No. That line of thought was pointless. How to fix this.

Several options were reviewed and discarded, then he set one of his inventions to working, spitting out a polished business card. He applied a different last name to it but placed it beside his logo as Armsmaster.

Briefly, the thought of his poor choice in merchandising products when he first started out occurred to him and he scowled. That had not been one of his smarter decisions. The idea of underpants with his logo on the front... what had he been thinking?

Colin sat the card down and accessed a terminal, quickly cobbling together basic information and applying an entry into the list of PRT employees. Outright stating it left him uncomfortable, but the details on her grades showed a definite level of intelligence. If she figured it out as he thought she would, that was one thing. Telling her another.

All she would need to connect Colin Singer, the PRT's handpicked representative for smoothing away unfortunate issues for Armsmaster, and Armsmaster, would be in her hands. And there'd be nothing that, if lost, would reveal this fact to anyone else. The card would disintegrate if separated from the person it was intended for after a certain amount of time.

Nodding to himself, he went to find suitable clothing. He had apologies to offer. Apologise, build rapport, and then see if he could get her to open up and give him more information about the situation at Winslow once he had her confidence. Her faith in authorities could not be particularly strong and that was the first thing he had to correct. The fractures his own actions had created first. Then, other issues.

* * *​​Sometime sooner between then and now:​​His helmet clattered onto the table and he released a sigh. Gods, he was tired. This was insane. All this activity, all at once? Some of it could be random. E88 and the ABB were a simmering pot waiting to boil at any time, but the Travelers? The Undersiders? They had contained it, but the feeling that there had to have been a purpose behind it escaped him.​​His mind flashed to the call he had gotten. Taylor. Some sort of issue had come up. He had passed it along, being occupied with getting bounced around by Trickster's antics at the time. Now he could look into it.​​His phone rang and he picked up, the ring telling him who to answer as. "This is Colin."​​"Colin, it's Danica. Listen, we're bringing in the girl, Dinah, and her companion, Taylor. We've got a troop of hired soldiers and a downed parahuman. Info we got from you pegs him as Coil, based on the costume. He was apparently trying to abduct the girl, Dinah Alcott."​​That name. He frowned, then felt his eyes widen. "The Mayor's niece? Any idea why?"​​"Possibly a parahuman. Precognition in the form of percentages, is my guess."​​He nodded, though she couldn't see it. "And you brought her and Taylor in? Has the Mayor been informed yet?"​​"Concerning that," she said, "not presently. There's something else. We tried to make contact with her parents first and received no response. Police reports we accessed show that the neighbors reported loud sounds. The parents are.. well, they're both dead."​​"Damn," he said, grimacing. "And the girl?"​​"Exhaustion, a few minor injuries, a turned ankle is the worst of them. We broached getting her to her relatives but she informed us of a twenty-two point three percent chance that she would be taken if she went to them. Since, when she's coherent, she's staying pretty close to the young woman and refusing to be separated if she can help it."​​"An attachment because of being saved?" he mused aloud, though to himself. Danica knew him well enough to recognise the tone.​​"Sir ..." she began. "I saw the street where the soldiers were. What the hell did this girl do? It looked like she'd tried to smooth it out, but it was still wrecked. What sort of power has she got?"​​"Nothing concrete yet," Colin told her. "Not enough information for a proper classification. Suffice to say, letting the girl stay with her should be fine for the moment. I'll be there shortly."​​"Yes, sir," Danica replied and he cut the call, his thoughts racing. Precognition. And she found Taylor. If it was precognition, then it's entirely possible she had seen her best route of safety was with Taylor and that was fueling her need to stay nearby. He considered that. Dinah Alcott was the Mayor's niece as well.​​He started up the small shower adjacent to his lab so he could get cleaned up and changed before heading to the PRT headquarters. All the while, he began considering options as the germ of an idea started to develop. Now how to sell the Mayor on it when the time came ...​ AwardReport1157chibipoe7/2/2014NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Interlude 1.b New View contentchibipoeCatradora is life, Catradora is loveHonorary Staff (Mostly Harmless)7/2/2014Add bookmark#919Interlude 1b - Coil

One week ago:

Thomas Calvert grimaced, dismissing the other option as the events spiraled out of control. It looked like things were going well, his distraction issued and they moved to take the girl, but she evaded the soldiers somehow and lead them right into the middle of a conflict between the Empire Eighty-Eight and the ABB before he could have them pull back.

He sat at his desk, doing paperwork as he considered this and the day to come. Perhaps she was sighting his attempts and using her ability somehow to evade his men. No matter. He could try again tomorrow, or as often as he needed to. If she escaped again, he'd be able to eliminate options for her. It was only a matter of time until there was no way for her to avoid capture.

Six days ago:

A second time. Irritating, but little more. He had identified the methods she used this time and would advice his men to be alert for them.

Five days ago:

A third time? This was progressing past irritation. But it only reaffirmed that having her in his possession would grant him an unbeatable edge. Still, he had the advantage and could try as many times as he wanted without anyone the wiser. The advantage was his, always.

Four days ago:

How? This was becoming absurd.

Three days ago:

Coil collapsed the timeline, shaking his head in disgust. Perhaps he needed to take a more active role in all of this. Something to consider.

Two days ago:

.... He was glad that only he recalled these events. His men would quit if they did.

One day ago:

A birdbath? Really?

Today:

ABB and Empire Eighty-Eight were fighting over territory or whatever insipid plan they had. Perfect. This time, he would direct more actively. He sent messages to his vassals and dispatched his soldiers, with a double operating as Coil so that he could focus on using his powers and relaying results to them. Finally, the girl would be in his grasp.

He kept an ear on the radio reports and other sources, noting exactly when Wards and Protectorate stretched their numbers even thinner to address the issues his vassals had created.

Perfect.

"Move in," he said into the headset, turning his attention to the camera feeds they were carrying with them. In the other, he had them wait. They forced into the house roughly but quickly, aiming to disable any adult occupants before they could react. Then it was just a matter of taking her from her room.

A grimace appeared on his face as conversation was exchanged between his double and the parents. The father had a weapon. He noted that for reference and watched as the mother started fighting as well. The primary camera was damaged, the picture becoming static-distorted and he switched to another, observing the signs of a scuffle and then shouting. The father yelling for his soon to be pet to run.

A door slamming somewhere in the background, then swearing from his double and bullets rang out. Followed by two thuds.

"Report." he said coldly.

"The parents are down," was the reply. "And the girl is on the run."

He paused a moment, listening to the reports he was getting on the disturbances and how the Protectorate, PRT, and Wards were occupied. This was not optimal, but if he made full use of his power now, committed to this course, he could leverage victory. With the authorities occupied, he would never have such a perfect arrangement of distractions in his favor.

"Pursue. I will relay instructions as needed," he said, dismissing the choice where they had waited at his orders. He divided again, observing as the soldiers moved efficiently in direction of his goal.

What followed took longer than he expected. But it again reaffirmed his decision. Tired, dirty, likely in a great deal of pain from using her power, the girl led them on a merry chase. He split constantly, choosing the best options that narrowed her avenues down. She was canny, but too young to fully leverage her gifts to their fullest. It was only a matter of time until she was cornered.

He noted that his double was growing more irritated. Unsurprising, the girl was proving quite resourceful and seeing her escape repeatedly had to be an annoyance when you were that close to the situation.

A report came in that she had gone down a one-way street. He checked the street map, noting that it opened onto a road that had no outlet. He gave instructions to move some of the soldiers around and block off the road so she would be pinned against the buildings. It was over. The men moved forward in both timelines, one aggressively, the other cautiously.

The aggressive option turned into a cacophony of screams so fast he blinked twice, watching as they had moved to subdue a bystander that was tending to his pet. Noise overloaded the earpiece and he swore, jerking it away even as the video feeds died. He collapsed that, staring at the scene.

What had just happened?

A frown appeared. There was a boy... no, a girl.. standing near his pet.

"Intimidate," he said, splitting just before he gave the instructions.

"Nowhere else to run," his double said. "You there, step away from the girl."

In the other:

"Offer compensation for her to back away." he said. Whatever had happened, he was confident the girl was involved, but it had occurred so fast that the cameras had given him little to work with.

"You, move," the double said. "This is not your business. Twenty grand to walk away and leave her to us."

She laughed. The sound sent a chill down his spine even as he stood there, distant. His double said something else, offering more and she answered with something profane, moving in front of the girl. He stared at the image, memorising her appearance. Slender. Dark hair, curls. A high school student? She seemed about the right age, but none of the female Wards matched her appearance.

His attention refocused and cursed his lack of it for a moment. Lacking direction from him, his double had carried on, his efforts offending the girl. She had decided his double's intent was that of the lowest scum, judging from her invective. He gave the order to attack, watching closely.

Bullets shot at the girl, carefully aimed to avoid his pet. The brunette didn't flinch, or try to evade. And yet nothing touched her. There were several screams and five of his windows with feeds went dark. What had happened? Deflected the bullets back at them?

The girl was smiling now, and it was not a pleasant smile. It stretched a bit too far and he thought her eyes had shrunk a little. Her lips moved and then, just like before, everything went to hell.

He collapsed to the first.

"If you know what's good for you," the girl said. "You'll turn around and leave."

"We're taking the girl," his double retorted.

"No," she told him, "you aren't."

He split again.

"Rook, Bishop, and Knight," he said. "Move forward. Flanking. Bishop, attempt to subdue her with a taser."

In the other:

"Flash grenades," he ordered. They were deployed, then rebounded before ever reaching her. Several cameras shorted out and those that remained gave him hints of fire in counterpoint to screams from his stand-in. He grimaced, observing the other.

The three men approached, keeping equal distance from one another. Bishop moved to taser her. Before he reached her, he fell back, choking off a scream. A glance at one of the other feeds showed that his hand had been pulverised, the fingers bent at odd angles. Still the girl hadn't visibly done anything but stand there. Telekinesis of some sort?

A moment and the three crashed to the ground before his stand-in. Calvert grimaced. He had committed, but this was rapidly degenerating and his splits so far hadn't yielded any better results. Best to call this a wash and arrange for the recovery of his men. He began sending a message.

"So," he heard his stand-in say, apparently at a loss after several minutes without input from him. The soldiers opened fire and the girl held out a hand. Thomas Calvert released a loud profanity at the image before him as the bullets all slowed to a stop in the air before her.

What the hell sort of bullshit was this?

Then, to compound matters, she plucked one from the air, looked at it for a moment, and let it fall. The rest dropped a moment later.

"Last chance. Go away and leave her alone."

"Parlor tricks," his stand-in snarled. "Take her out! Triple pay!"

And now, the girl took action again. She stamped her foot and all of his cameras but the one giving intermittent bursts of static with his stand-in died as a sound like stone rending came over the speakers. He managed to piece together that the fool was running when there was a choked cry and that camera went out as well.

Thomas Calvert gave the now blank screens a disgusted look, then turned to answer the phone that began ringing a short time later.

"Thomas Calvert here," he said.

"Mr. Calvert, this is Danica Wilson with the PRT," a pleasant voice said. He checked the number that had been called, confirming that it was related to his company.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"We've got a bit of a situation and needed to request your assistance, please," she said. "Standard rates apply. I'm forwarding the location info, if you could meet me there to assist in containment?"

He glanced as it came across his email, eyeing the location. It was where his men had gone down. And the PRT wanted his assistance in clearing things. He split timelines.

"Certainly, Agent Wilson," he said smoothly. "I'll be there shortly." In the other, he offered agents, but politely declined being able to come personally. If they knew that he was Coil, he would know and be mindful of this. If not, well ...

Perhaps he would be able to gather something from this debacle.

* * *​​Taylor Hebert.​​So that was her name. This irritant that had ruined his acquisition of his tool. He mused on that while he let the medics tend to the injury he had taken in 'Coil's escape. Once that was done, he delivered his printed report of the escape and went home. Once he was securely within his own walls, he dropped the timeline where he had not gone out at Agent Wilson's request. It was unneeded now.​​Then, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.​​Three rings and a voice answered.​​"Ms. Livsey," he said urbanely. "I have a task for you."​​