I leaned back into my chair and sighed deeply, my gaze focused on the world outside while I waited for my tea. It was the day after Amy had revealed to me that she knew my secret, and thankfully for me it was now the weekend. I needed some time to myself so I could sort things out, try to see what might happen now that Amy knew I was an alien. Would she really keep my secret, and if so, for how long? Even if she didn't tell her friends and family, she might let it slip to the PRT that she had found something really strange about my biology...
My thoughts were interrupted when the waitress came over and delicately placed my tea on the table. I thanked her, then focused my attention on the tea. Wisps of steam rose from its surface, and it shone brilliantly in the infrared spectrum. It would seem weird to anyone watching if I just casually gulped down boiling hot tea, so I forced myself to keep up appearances and blow gently on it before I took a sip.
To my surprise, a thin layer of ice formed over the tea, then quickly melted away. I shifted my eyes to make sure that no one was watching, then took a deeper breath and repeated the process. Sure enough, a thicker layer of ice formed over the tea, then began to melt once more. The tea was much dimmer in the infrared now, so I decided to drink it before it got cold and nasty.
Had I discovered a new power? It was strongly possible; I didn't even know how to fly before last week. Jor-El had said that the Sun's radiation would give me my powers, was my continued exposure to it giving me new ones. If that was the case, I wonder what would happen if I tried to increase my exposure...
Suddenly, a cry for help reached my ears, rousing me from my speculations. I turned to the source of it, peering through buildings and people as I tuned my vision to the proper frequencies. It was a girl, likely in her late teens. She was in a warehouse of sorts, slowly walking backwards into a corner as a group of thuggish looking men advanced on her, making lewd gestures and saying things not fit for anyone's ears. The girl's heartbeat was like rabbit on cocaine, I honestly thought she was going to collapse at any second from the strain her heart was under.
I rose from my chair, fishing a crumpled five out of my pocket and leaving it on the table as I left the cafe. I walked hurriedly to the nearest alleyway, removing my glasses as I did so. I shrugged off my sweatshirt and pulled out my cape, then secured it over my shoulders. With my costume ready, I took to the sky and made a beeline for the warehouse.
S
I announced my entry into the scene by smashing through the roof of the warehouse like it was wet tissue paper, the concrete beneath my feet shattering as I landed between the thugs and the girl. I whirled towards the girl, her eyes locking with mine. "Run!" I shouted.
The girl did as told, her footsteps echoing through the now-silent warehouse as I turned back to the thugs, my jaws clenched with restrained anger. Their eyes were as wide as saucers, and they began to take a few steps back, raising their hands defensively. Something seemed off about it, however. The shock seemed too forced, and I realized that their heartbeats were much calmer than expected. It was almost as if they were...
A blast of light suddenly struck me in the back, sending me crashing into the ground with enough force to shatter the concrete on the ground. I rose groggily, trying to find my bearings, only for another blast of light smash into me. I was better prepared this time, however, and I managed to stay upright as me heels dug furrows in the ground. I spun about to face my attacker, my fists raised.
It was a woman. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, and a brilliant white glow was radiating from every square inch of her body. Her eyes, her hair, her skin, everything was a bright white that would've blinded any normal human looking directly at it. She hovered above the ground, slowly drifting towards me. It was then I realized that she was Purity, the E88's flying artillery cape.
I became aware of more heartbeats now, these ones forming a rough circle about me. I looked about the warehouse, and my blood turned to ice.
They were all there. Cricket. Krieg. Menja. Fenja. Kaiser. The entirety of the E88's cape force was in the warehouse, their attention focused on me.
An ambush. I was caught in a fucking ambush.
I could retreat. If I was fast enough to catch a bullet, I was certainly fast enough to make a run for it, even Purity wasn't that fast. There was always a chance they might be able to trail me back to Dad, though, and I definitely didn't want them to continue their operations. I was a hero, and that meant protecting others. My fists clenched even tighter, and time once more seemed to come to a crawl.
I would fight, then.
S
Oni Lee casually flicked away the blood on his knife and slid it back into his sheath. The thug at his feet gurgled weakly as he choked to death on his own blood, then became still.
"That is all of them," he said in a disturbingly calm voice.
Lung said nothing as he walked by Lee, his gaze instead focused on the warehouse in the distance. "They must be there, we've found them nowhere else," he finally said.
"Do you wish to gather the men before we attack?" Lee inquired.
An E88 goon on the ground moaned weakly, smoke rising from the severe burns on his back and legs. Lung casually stepped on his head and crushed his skull under his partially-scaled foot, paying no attention to the gashes in his skin caused by the act. "I'll handle this myself," he said in a low tone. He began to advance towards the warehouse, his skin rippling as dark scales began to protrude from it.
S
Purity attacked first, a flash of light heralding another one of her blasts. I watched as her arms sluggishly rose to fire, then I sprung to the side. The blast missed me by a wide berth, instead slagging the distant warehouse wall. Menja and Fenja were charging at me as well, each of them already ten feet tall. Kaiser and Krieg stayed in the distance; they didn't need to be close for their powers to work.
One of the twins brought down her spear in a painfully slow arc, hoping to catch me in the head with it. I stepped back, letting the spear hit the ground in front of me, then took hold of it with both hands. I heaved lightly, using the spear as a lever to flip Menja (Fenja?) over my head. The giantess sailed over the group and smashed clean through the warehouse wall, rolling to a stop in the street with a weak moan.
Of course, this did not curry favor with the other twin. I turned back in time to receive a trashcan-sized boot to my stomach, a faint shockwave expanding from the point of impact. I rocketed through the air, coming to a stop when I smashed into the roof. I managed to right myself as I fell and flew right back at Fenja (Menja?), slamming right into her gut and knocking the air out of her massive lungs. She stumbled back, gasping for breath, and I caught her across the jaw with a mean right hook. The giantess fell with earth-shaking force, a gallon-sized drop of blood trickling down her chin.
Unfortunately for me, my attack had taken me too close to the roof of the warehouse. Before I could react, a massive spike emerged from the ceiling and struck me in the shoulder. I smashed into the ground, a cloud of dust billowing into the air as I rose to my feet. Purity rushed forward to meet me, closing the distance so I wouldn't have time to dodge her blasts. A beam of light thicker than a baseball bat smashed into my gut, knocking the air out of my lungs and smashing me into the warehouse wall. Another one of Kaiser's spikes emerged from where I hit the wall, striking me in the small of my back and sending me crashing into the ground face-first.
"This is the Übermädchen that's been such a thorn in your side, Kaiser?" I heard Purity say, a twinge of disbelief in her voice. "She's just some thirteen-year old girl playing hero."
"There's far more to her than meets the eye," Kaiser warned.
I decided to demonstrate just how true his statement was. I sprung from the ground before anyone could react and planted my fist into Purity's gut, straddling the fine line between lethal and extremely painful. Her face slowly contorted with agony as she stumbled back from me and fell onto her back, then she spilled the contents of her stomach onto the cold concrete floor.
Two down, four to go.
Krieg swore angrily as soon as Purity went down, only to be silenced when I suddenly appeared before him and swung my fist across his jaw. I knew about his powers, and I wasn't going to let him use them. He stood for a second or so, dumbfounded, then crumpled to the ground like a house of cards.
Half-way done.
The ground beneath me trembled, and I dodged to the side in time to avoid getting stomped into the ground by a furious Fenja (Menja?). I took to the air, catching her in the chin with a double-fisted uppercut and shattering her helmet in the process. She groaned in pain, shrinking as she did so, then collapsed to the floor.
Two left.
Cricket charged at me, a subsonic shriek clouding out all over sounds and making me feel sick to my stomach. That must have been the echolocation PHO was talking about, the one that she used to fight at night. I decided to get rid of the annoying sound with a light (by my standards, anyway) jab to her throat. Cricket dropped her kama and fell to her knees, making a pathetic choking sound. I wrenched the blades free of her kama and wrapped them around her wrists as makeshift handcuffs, then turned my attention back to Kaiser.
The leader of the E88, one of the most dangerous and powerful gangs in the entire city, was running away. Of course, I was more focused on the fact that there was a massive bloom of infrared light radiating from the wall he was running towards. Before I could adjust my vision, the wall exploded in a blast of dust and slagged steel. There was a cry of pain, and I realized that Kaiser had been pinned underneath a broken girder of steel. A cursory glance revealed that he had broken both of his legs in several places.
The source of the explosion revealed itself as it stepped through the smoke, the ground shaking with each colossal footstep it took. It was, for lack of better terms, a dragon over fifteen feet tall. Wreathes of flame rolled off its massive and scaly body as it stomped into the warehouse. The dragon flexed its claws and roared as the flames about its body burned ever brighter, casting a hellish scene to those who could witness it. It focused its gaze on the wounded form of Kaiser, then to me.
"Ooo'er'url," it growled in an inhuman tone, even more scales sprouting out of its dark flesh.
It was then that I realized that Lung, the leader of the ABB and widely considered the most dangerous cape in the city, was focused on me.
Fuck.Lung scanned the warehouse with eyes bigger than my head, his gaze briefly resting on each of the unconscious E88 capes. "Ooo ed is?" he asked, straightening himself as much as he could.
You did this? I translated. Lung's voice was hard to understand. I folded my arms across my chest and gently took to the air so I could be at eye level with him. "Yeah, so what?" I replied, trying to sound far more confident than I actually was.
Unfortunately for me, Lung was able to see just how nervous I actually was and chuckled. It was a hideous sound that reminded me more of someone dragging a rock against concrete than anything else, and I felt a tingle of fear run up my spine. "Ooo ill ite me, ilil gurr?" he asked in a taunting manner.
You will fight me, little girl?
Most people would have ran at that, praying that Lung didn't feel like a chase that day. Only the very powerful or the very foolish would dare to try and pick a fight with him.
"I will," I replied in a low tone. It was time to really see if I belonged to the former or the latter.
Lung lurched forward, paying no attention to Kaiser's cries of pain as he "accidentally" stepped on the metal pinning the cape down. There was a sickening crunch too soft for human ears to detect, and with a pang of nausea I realized Kaiser's left leg had practically been severed.
"Ool," he growled, the amusement in his voice now evaporated. With that, he lunged.
When I imagined Lung in combat, I imagined him to be like some slow hulking monster, kinda like Behemoth. I didn't expect his massively clawed hand to lash out with such alarming speed. I just barely managed to dodge back in time to avoid being swatted to the ground, letting his arm complete its long arc before flying forward and decked him across the jaw. Lung's head snapped back, and a tooth the size of my forearm popped out of his bloodied mouth, imbedding itself into the floor beneath us. There was a brief pause, then Lung twisted his head to glare at me, thick blood trickling out of the corner of his jaw.
Uh oh.
Lung swung at me again, roaring as he did so. His clawed hand slammed into my torso, sending me smashing into the concrete floor like a human bullet. I rose groggily in time for a foot the size of a fridge to stomp down on me, burying me up to my waist in the ground. Lung began to put more weight behind his foot, trying to squash me into paste like a bug. In response, I raised my hands against the scaly skin of Lung's foot, then heaved.
The pressure on me disappeared as Lung stumbled back, struggling to regain his balance. I sprang out of the concrete and smashed into his stomach like a cannonball, finally sending him to the ground with a resounding crash that shook the warehouse and sent debris flying everywhere. A glance beneath his seemingly-intact scales revealed broken bones and pulped organs that were already beginning to regenerate, and the nausea returned.
Lung roared, his flames intensifying as he rose to his feet with alarming speed. I could see even more scales appearing under his skin and bursting through to provide ample protection as he ramped up to better match my strength. In a matter of seconds he had grown to eighteen feet in height, and a pair of wings were slowly beginning to protrude from his back. He roared again, sending a gout of flame my way. I raised my arms reflexively in defense, even though the flames did nothing as they washed over me.
They did, however, distract me and allowed Lung to strike at me again. A hand the size of a small car wrapped itself around my torso and squeezed, trying to crush the life out of me. I struggled against his grip and began to pry his fingers open, ignoring the fire engulfing my body.
Lung changed tactics, shifting his grip so he only had my cape in his grasp. He began to spin me about like a small toy, only increasing in speed as he righted himself. My mind raced back to my fight with Glory Girl, and I decided to try and stop what was likely the next phase of his attack. I took hold of a clawed finger in both of my hands, then twisted.
There was a horrifyingly wet sound of flesh being torn, and the finger was ripped free of his hand. Lung howled in agony and released his grip on my cape, allowing me to dart through the air in an uncontrolled tumble. I punched through the distant wall of the warehouse as if it was putty and finally came to a stop when I smashed into a thankfully unoccupied car, nearly cleaving it in half with the impact. I staggered to my feet and gasped for breath, rubbing my throat absentmindedly as I did so.
Lung emerged from the warehouse, the steel wall warping with heat as he tore it open with his claws. The finger I had ripped out had already regenerated, and he had ramped up to the point that he was now over twenty feet in height. He straightened himself, and a great pair of wings stretched themselves out as he glared at me with strangely human eyes.
"Il ooo!" he bellowed, charging at me on all fours. Kill you!
I now realized what the others felt when they talked about Lung. This was the Dragon of Kyushu, the monstrous cape who had managed to battle Leviathan to a standstill, the one who had managed to fight off the entirety of the local Protectorate team. I gulped nervously, and a knot began to form in my stomach. I was out of my league here, this was too much for me.
Then my mind raced back to the day I had saved Emma.
If I ran now, Lung would remain unopposed. His main rivals were lying unconscious in the warehouse at my hands, there would be nothing to stop him from spreading until he practically owned the city. The Protectorate wouldn't be able to stop him, that would be for sure. Lung would have free reign to order and commit horrible crimes, like the one that almost befell Emma and myself all those weeks ago in that alleyway.
Except me.
I screamed a challenge to Lung's roar and charged at him, a sonic boom sounding in my wake as I tackled him head on. A visible shockwave erupted from the point of contact, and all of the windows within a hundred feet of us shattered. Lung made a wet gurgle as the force of my attack practically liquefied his organs, gallons of blood spraying out of his maw in the process. I pushed onward, angling myself so that Lung would be dragged against the ground. A trail of blood and flesh followed us as the asphalt scraped away at him, only for his regeneration to seal up his wounds with increasing speed.
I took to the air, dragging a roaring Lung up with me. I briefly let go of him, then slammed my fist into his gut with all of my strength.
S
"Did anyone feel that?" Assault asked warily. "That felt a lot like a explosion."
"I did," Battery replied as she finished handcuffing the mugger they had apprehended. "What do you think might have caused it?"
"There are several possibilities," Armsmaster said. "I've been investigating some of the Merchants' latest activities, I wouldn't be surprised if-"
His lengthy diatribe was interrupted when a massive shadow fell over them. The trio of Protectorate capes looked up in time to see a hulking shape fly overhead, flames trailing behind it as it flew in a parabolic arc towards the center of the bay. A second or so later, a furious roar reached their ears, prompting a wince from Battery.
"Uh... did anyone else just see that?" Assault inquired with a twinge of nervousness in his voice.
"You're not alone on that, honey," his wife replied. "What was that?"
"That," Armsmaster said slowly, the shock beginning to work its way into his system, "was Lung."
S
I followed after Lung, stopping right above the general vicinity of where he had fallen into the bay. The water was boiling and churning where he had sank, and glance below revealed that he was just now beginning to swim up.
It was astounding just how much punishment he could take. His lower torso was pretty much raw organ soup with a liberal sprinkling of shattered bone, yet he was still awake and healing. Not just healing, but ramping up as well. He was close to thirty feet in height now, and a second pair of wings, small and shriveled in comparison to his first pair, had emerged from his back.
My mind raced back to the research I had done on him while trawling through PHO discussion boards, trying to think of any weaknesses I could use against him. I remembered reading that his power was fueled by combat, whether it be by the adrenaline rush involved or some unknown factors at work. If I left him alone for a short while, would he decrease in power enough to be more manageable?
The idea didn't seem especially appealing. It was possible that he'd retain his monstrous form long enough to make landfall again and restart the destructive cycle, something that would put innocent lives at risk if he decided to come ashore in a more populated area. I needed a way to subdue him without furthering his transformation.
Suddenly, I remembered the incident earlier in the day when I had accidentally frozen my tea. Could I replicate that power on a scale large enough to actually subdue Lung?
There was only one way to find out. I began to breathe deeply, trying to get as much air into my lungs as possible. Small wavelets began to converge on my position as inhaled with all of my strength, until I felt as though my chest was about to burst.
Lung finally broke the surface of the bay, his maw wide open as he bellowed furiously. I floated before him, chest held proud, then exhaled with as much force as I could exert. A massive white cloud blasted from my mouth in a rough cone, striking him dead on. His flames were still pitifully weak from the impromptu bath I had given him, they weren't strong enough to counteract the frost covering his body. The water about him froze in an instant, practically caging him with spires of ice as they expanded and crushed his body. By the time I had finished exhaling, he was completely encased in ice, his face frozen in a look of fury directed at me. Despite it all, his heart still beat strong in his armored breast. A few seconds passed, and he remained trapped.
Satisfied that he was subdued for the moment, I turned my attention back to the warehouse, panting heavily. Smoke was rising from it, and a quick glance inside revealed that a fire was raging inside. If left unattended, the lives of the E88 capes inside would be at risk.
I sighed wearily, then sped over towards the warehouse.
S
Armsmaster gently applied the brakes to the motorcycle until it came to a complete stop, then dismounted. He began to advance on the warehouse, unslinging his halberd as he did so. According to eyewitness accounts, the source of the explosion (or whatever it was) was in this general area. It was also deep within E88 territory, yet he had not encountered any resistance as he did so.
He paused, then made sure his halberd was set to plasma.
The warehouse was clearly visible now, and Armsmaster began to understand why there had been a flurry of noise complaints. It was a miracle the building was still upright, massive sections of its walls were simply gone. A few small fires burned weakly around the building, and he realized that there were several bodies as well. He entered a light jog, soon arriving at one of the bodies on the ground. It was one of the E88's thugs, his throat neatly sliced open. Oni Lee's handiwork.
"I was wondering when you were gonna show up."
Armsmaster spun to the source of the voice, his halberd raised. He relaxed, if only a little, when he realized that it was the Hebert girl. She stood twenty feet or so away, several unconscious forms behind her. With no small shock he realized that one of them was Purity.
"Is that who I think it is?" he inquired as he stepped forward, his halberd still raised.
Supergirl eyed the halberd briefly, then gave him an exasperated look. "Please."
Reluctantly, he shouldered his halberd. "Is that Purity?" he asked.
"Yup," Supergirl replied casually. "I also bagged the rest of her little gang, too."
Armsmaster looked past her and realized that she was telling the truth. "You managed to take down the entire cape roster of the E88?" he asked incredulously.
The girl shrugged. "They set up an ambush, hoping they'd get me. It didn't really pan out well for them."
"That is a mild way of putting it," Armsmaster muttered. "That means you were the cause of the noise complaints, no?"
Supergirl chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head, eyes averted away from him. "That was probably during my fight with Lung. I don't really know my own strength."
The visor showed that she was telling the truth, prompting him to sigh with exhaustion and scratch his beard. The sheer incredulity of the situation was starting to be too much for him. "You also took down Lung," he deadpanned.
"You guys didn't let him get away, did you?" Supergirl inquired with concern clear on her face.
Armsmaster shook his head. "We're currently retrieving him as we speak. There was a small delay as we acquired the ice picks."
"It was the only way I could keep him subdued," Supergirl replied.
"You didn't tell us you were a cryokinetic," Armsmaster said.
"I didn't know I was," came her response.
She was telling the truth again. "You are becoming quite a headache for us," he said wearily.
"Better me than a bunch of Neo-Nazis," Supergirl retorted. "Speaking of, you might want to get a medic over here ASAP. Kaiser's missing a left leg because of Lung."
Armsmaster brushed past her and knelt by Kaiser's unconscious form. A tourniquet had been neatly tied around the jagged stump of his leg, staunching the bleeding.
"I'm alerting the PRT as we speak," Dragon said over his helmet's communicator.
Armsmaster rose and turned back to Supergirl. "He'll make it in time for the paramedics to arrive."
"That's good to hear, I guess," she replied.
"Quite the girl scout, huh?" he said dryly. "Even the lives of scum like him matter to you."
"All lives matter," came her soft reply. With that, she began to gently rise into the air.
"Wait."
She stopped, hovering about ten feet or so in the air. "What is it?" she asked
"Why did you enter the hero business?" Armsmaster inquired after her.
For a few seconds, she said nothing. Then, she spoke.
"Because I could."
With that, she was gone.Topic: Supergirl Dismantles E88 and ABB in Massive Brawl
In: Boards ► Brockton Bay ► Cape Doings ► Heroes
Lurker (Original Poster) (The Guy in the Know) (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
The PRT report on the massive brawl witnessed deep within E88 turf has finally been released. As it turned out, our city's newest cape was lured into a trap by the E88 and attacked by all of their powered members. She, against all expectations, managed to beat them down and then took out Lung when he arrived during his big assault on E88 turf. You can read about it on their official website.
(Showing Page 1 of 37)
OneEyedPeopleEater (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Chews last dregs of popcorn with slow satisfaction, then swallows.
Someone better get me a telephone, because I fucking called it.
Lurker (Original Poster) (The Guy in the Know) (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
I guess you did. To be frank, I wasn't expecting something like this to happen.
Armsy_&_Halberd (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Jesus H. Christ. I knew that Supergirl was tough, but dayum. In one fight she did more than the ENE Protectorate's done in years. They must be nursing their bruised egos at the moment :D
Dacor_2004 (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Well, that escalated quickly.
kharneloever69
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Seriously, that fight was insane. I lived a few blocks away from that warehouse, I could fucking feel the shockwave when she punched Lung into the bay. And according to the report she froze him in a block of ice while she was at it?
Supergirl too OP, pls nerf.
Lurker (Original Poster) (The Guy in the Know) (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
I wonder if she'll be continuing with the hero work, or if she was just some cape who had a beef with the E88 and ABB because they were encroaching on her own activities? God help us all if it's the latter...
Armsy_&_Halberd (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
I'm going with the former, personally. She seems pretty cool; she did stop the bank robbery some time back and went out of her way to rescue the civilians. Hell, she helped one of my neighbors get her pet kitten out of a tree.
OneEyedPeopleEater (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
She froze Lung in ice? So far, she seems to be a high ranking Alexandria package with some cryokinetic ability as well. I wonder what other tricks she has up her sleeve?
Dacor_2004 (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Maybe she has the same type of package that Eidolon has?
kharneloever69
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Armsy_&_Halberd: Seriously? She actually helped a girl get her kitten out of a tree? It sounds almost too good to be true.
OneEyedPeopleEater (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
All we need is for her to beat up the Merchants and we'll be set, amirite?
(End of Page) 1,2,3...37
(Showing Page 2 of 37)
Armsy_&_Halberd (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
kharneloever69: Yes, seriously. Not all heroes are self-centered dicks, you know.
OneEyedPeopleEater: If by "beat up", you mean "punch into the stratosphere", then I wholeheartedly second that motion.
Dacor_2004 (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Now that Supergirl has established herself as a certified badass, we need to give her a better name than Supergirl. It's a stupid name.
OneEyedPeopleEater (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
One of the most powerful heroes in the Protectorate named herself after a species of toothed whale, and the greatest Tinker ever called himself Hero. Your argument is invalid.
Lurker (Original Poster) (The Guy in the Know) (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Besides, it's the Protectorate that gave her that name. She'd have to join or something if she wanted to change it.
kharneloever69
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
I'd imagine that they'd have to play kiss-ass if they wanted to get her to join the team. How old is she, BTW? Would she be part of the Wards or the main team?
Dacor_2004 (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Considering that she's called Supergirl, I'd imagine she'd be in the Wards.
As for new names, how about Juggernaut?
OneEyedPeopleEater (New Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Nah, that seems too brutish. I think Supergirl will suffice for now. Maybe change it to Superwoman to make it seem more mature and respectable?
kharneloever69
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Considering that she's nice enough to help little girls get their kittens out of trees, I'd go with Samaritan. It's a fitting name, and she gets to keep that weird-squiggly S on her chest.
Lurker (Original Poster) (The Guy in the Know) (Veteran Member)
Posted on October 1st, 2009:
Nah, Samaritan's the name of some Mover in Los Angeles. Whatever her name is, I'm glad she's here.
S
"I must say, I am surprised and delighted by this turn of events," Director Armstrong said. "Two of the largest gangs in Brockton Bay, gone in one day."
"I would hardly say gone," Director Rebecca Costa-Brown replied curtly. "Both gangs still have a large number of non-powered members, and the ABB still has Oni Lee."
"Against the local Protectorate division? Not that much trouble," Armstrong said.
"It wasn't the ENE Protectorate that took down those capes," Costa-Brown retorted in a low tone. "It was the cape that Director Piggot has decided to name 'Supergirl'." Her mouth twisted slightly as she said the last word.
"Ah yes, young Taylor Hebert," Glenn said, his eyes glancing over the report. "I don't think I've heard of such a powerful Alexandria package, except perhaps for the originator of that particular moniker."
"That was a foolish thing Director Piggot permitted," Armstrong said. "Uncovering her identity like that puts other lives at risk, not just hers, and something tells me it didn't endear her to us."
"We can discuss what to do about Piggot's lapse in judgment at a later time," Costa-Brown interjected. "For now, the subject is the Hebert girl."
"If you ask me, she's a dangerous liability," Assistant Director Tagg said, leaning forward in his seat. "Someone with her level of power needs to be reined in as soon as possible, we can't just let an independent like her make an embarrassment of the local team."
"How would you go about that?" Armstrong asked dryly. "She's already rejected the Wards, and something tells me strong-arming her will be more trouble than it's worth."
"Strong-arming is out of the question, but I believe the Wards isn't, not yet anyway," Costa-Brown said. "Perhaps we could somehow make it more appealing for her, focus more on the benefits that membership entails."
"That could work," Armstrong said, absentmindedly scratching his chin. "She's already quite popular in the city, so having someone like her join the Wards could lead to a spike in memberships."
"It's settled then," Costa-Brown said, rising from her seat. "We'll attempt to recruit Taylor Hebert again, this time with someone not from the local team. Perhaps we'll have better success if we get her a little star-struck, no?"
"What do you mean by that?" Glenn inquired.
"I happen to know that a certain cape's schedule is clear for next Tuesday," Costa-Brown replied with a slight smile on her lips. "Something tells me he wouldn't object."The weather was getting colder as winter neared, though I didn't notice any difference. I had to remind myself to wear heavier clothing as the leaves began to turn red and the grass began to lose its color; it would draw too much attention if they saw me in shorts while there was snow on the ground. There was one benefit of the colder weather, however: it made it easier to hide my costume under my clothes.
"I'm freezing," Emma groaned as she walked beside me, rubbing her arms in a futile effort to warm them up.
Not everyone saw the benefits.
"Cheer up," I told Emma as we neared my house. "At least you don't have to worry about the ABB anymore."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered under her breath. "That was pretty cool."
"And pretty destructive," I said. "I kinda feel bad for leaving all of those big ice chunks in the bay."
"Why didn't you tell me you had ice powers, anyway?" Emma inquired.
"I didn't know I had them," I replied with a shrug. "It was a happy little accident."
"That's a rather interesting way to describe something that took down Lung and froze a big portion of the bay," Emma retorted with a small laugh. She turned down her street and waved me goodbye. "See ya tomorrow, Taylor!"
I returned her wave and turned towards my house, then stopped in my tracks when I realized that a black car was parked in our driveway. Cautiously, I extended my hearing and became aware of three heartbeats in the living room. One was Dad's, that I could easily discern. It was slightly elevated, but otherwise he seemed calm; he wasn't in danger. I breathed a sigh of relief, then finally decided to peer into the living room to see who was in the house with him.
One of the visitors was a dark-skinned woman in a tailor-made suit. You didn't need x-ray vision to see that the body underneath was strong and athletic; there was just something about her that oozed confidence. She looked young enough to be in her twenties, yet there was something about her that hinted that she was older than that. Nothing specific, just a vague feeling. Her long jet-black hair was neatly tied into a bun, and she sat opposite my dad on the couch.
The other visitor, however, was easily recognizable. He was in a blue and white bodysuit that did nothing to hide his toned body, and he wore a small mask that barely hid his handsome face. I gasped with the realization that Legend was actually sitting in my living room.
Why was the leader of the Protectorate here? Did my fight with Lung and the E88 draw the attention of the big leagues? Or did the PRT somehow find out my secret and were waiting for me so they could take me away for experimentation, using Legend as an enforcer?
I dismissed the second notion almost immediately, there would be no way my Dad could be so calm if that was the situation. Of course, the only way to be sure was to find out myself. I took a nervous gulp, then walked up the porch steps and opened the door slowly.
Dad was the first to notice my entrance and gave me a small smile as I stepped inside. "Taylor, there's someone who would like to talk to you," he said cheerfully.
The woman rose from the couch and extended her hand. "Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown of the PRT," she said in a firm tone of voice.
There was a split-second's hesitation on my part, then I warily shook her hand. There was something off about her; I felt as though I was shaking hands with a warm statue instead of a living and breathing person. Her gaze unsettled me as well; there was something... cold about it, as though she was regarding bacteria in a petri dish. It was then that I realized one of her eyes was actually a well-made prosthetic.
"Pleased to meet you," I replied half-sincerely.
"Likewise," Legend said, rising from the couch and shaking my hand as well. "I heard about your fight with Lung."
"You did?" I asked weakly. I groaned inwardly as the words escaped my lips; It was getting hard to think straight with one of the world's greatest heroes in my living room.
Legend flashed me a smile. "Of course I did. We've been trying to get Lung for a long time now, I'm glad someone was finally able to take him down."
"T-thanks," I replied, suddenly aware of a blush rising in my cheeks.
"Of course, we didn't just come here to compliment you on taking down Lung," Director Costa-Brown said. "Something tells me you're smart enough to figure out why we're here."
"You want me in the Wards," I said, the blush disappearing. "I've already refused membership."
"Admittedly, Piggot and Armsmaster aren't exactly the best at recruitments," Legend replied. "I can't blame you for balking at their offer, I probably would've done so myself if I were in your shows. I'm hoping that we can change your mind by showing you how the Wards will benefit your career as a hero."
"To be quite frank, Ms. Hebert, you are strongly desired by the Protectorate," Director Costa-Brown interjected. "Legend and I were there when Lung fought Leviathan. We saw just how strong he could be if he had sufficient time to ramp up. He fought off the entirety of the East North East Protectorate." She leaned forward ever so slightly, and I saw a the barest hints of a smile on her face. "And you beat him without a scratch. You defeated Lung when he was close to the height of his power, and that was after you just fought off the largest cape gang in the city. That takes a lot of strength, both mental and physical. Do you know how valuable you'd be in an Endbringer fight?"
"Well..." I trailed off, rubbing the back of my head. "I guess I brushed them off too quickly."
Legend smiled again. "That's good to hear, Taylor." He gestured towards the chair near Dad. "Would you take a seat, please?"
I sat down by Dad. "So, how would the Wards be helpful?" I inquired.
"Well, you do know that you get a college fund right?" Legend asked. "It's small, but it's there. Even if you don't really need it, it's good financial security for your education. You'll also only have to take half a normal school day, the other half is vocational and can be substituted for time at HQ and patrols."
"It means that your activities will not be limited to after-school hours," Director Costa-Brown added. "You'll be able to do more hero work without having to worry about your education; there's optional schooling at the HQ if you feel the need."
"What requirements are there for Protectorate membership?" Dad inquired. "Does she need certain grades, physicals, any of that stuff?"
One of the corners of Director Costa-Brown's mouth turned slightly. "The only requirements necessary for Wards membership are that you are a parahuman, that you are under 18, and that you have a relatively clean criminal record. If you are concerned about any allergens, we can consult with your pediatrician."
I had to admit, they made a good point. The official Protectorate website had already listed all of those benefits, but there was something different about them when you heard it from someone like them. Besides, it put to rest my biggest concern about joining the Wards. I furrowed my brow and rested my chin on my hand, considering the offer.
Legend seemed to notice that I was still on the fence. He rose from his seat on the couch and stretched slightly. "If you're still indecisive about it, how about we go on a patrol?"
A patrol with Legend, accompanying him as we fought crime together? Hell fucking yeah.
"O-of course," I replied.
"That doesn't-" Director Costa-Brown began, only for Legend to silence her with a half-raised hand. He turned to Dad, lowering his hand as he did so.
"Mr. Hebert, do I have your consent to take Taylor on a standard patrol around the city with me?" he asked in a respectful tone. "She'll be in good hands."
"Well, I don't see any reason why not," Dad replied with a small sigh. "Be sure to have her back by 11."
Legend flashed another smile; it never seemed to waver when he did it. "That's good to hear, Mr. Hebert." He turned back to me. "How much time do you need to prepare?"
"I'm wearing my costume underneath, actually," I replied. I shrugged off my sweatshirt and glasses, then fixed my cape around my shoulders. "What do you think?" I asked, making sure my shirt was nice and tidy.
Legend eyed it from top to bottom, rubbing his chin. "It's quite well done for a homemade costume, I must say. If you do agree to join the Wards, we could make one that seems more... capeish."
"Thanks," I replied giddily. Legend just complimented my costume!
"What does the 'S' stand for?" Director Costa-Brown inquired, her eyes fixated on my sigil.
"Uh, it's something I found in a mythology book," I lied. "It stands for Hope."
The corners of her mouth curled down slightly, but otherwise she said nothing. I rose from my chair, making sure to blur my face. "I'm ready to go," I told Legend.
A grin appeared on his face. "Splendid."
S
Director Costa-Brown stepped out of the house, watching the dwindling shapes of Legend and the Hebert girl for a few moments, then entered the backseat of the black car parked nearby. "Drive," she ordered in a low tone. "Back to the lot."
The Tinker-designed automatic driver did as commanded, the car smoothly traversing the roads better than any human could. Barring any traffic jams, it would take only 10 minutes to arrive at the lot. Of course, for someone like Rebecca, it was a painfully long trip. It was necessary, however, to avoid suspicion.
As the car sped along the roads of Brockton Bay, her mind raced back to the sigil on Taylor's chest. It had been unnecessary for her to ask the question; she could recall even the most trivial bits of information as easily as her own birthday, but it did let her know that the Hebert girl would change stories as to where she got the design. Was it indeed based on the sigil for "the House of El", or was it simply a fiction she had created? Either possibility held a host of complications.
The House of El. Rebecca ran that name several times through her mind, trying to see where it fit in with what she knew. El was a Northwest Semetic word that meant god or deity. The gods of several religions in that area shared the moniker, including the Caananite supreme god and the God of the Tanakh. Despite that, however, she could not recall there being any known group that called itself the House of El.
She was confounded, and she didn't like it.
Finally, the car rolled to a halt in the lot, interrupting her thoughts on the matter. Rebecca stepped out and calmly straightened her suit, delicately smoothing out cloth with hands that could crush concrete like rice cakes. "Door," she stated clearly, taking a deep breath of the crisp air.
A rectangular portal formed in the air before her, revealing a long alabaster hallway. Rebecca stepped in, and the portal closed behind her.