Ch 1:
Two Weeks Ago. Docks.
"Fuck…" Edward drops the broken bat on the floor while looking at corpses scattered around him. He tries to walk but his legs are in no condition to listen to his orders as he stumbles on the ground.
'Of all the fucking bodies you could have possessed why the hell did you make me possess the body of some random gang victim?!' He can't even feel his mouth completely, the feeling of numbness is still haunting in his body.
"Not exactly in peak form, are you?"
The voice was cold, mocking, and satisfied? Hard to tell, if Edward hadn't seen a towering figure standing in front of him he would have suspected hearing things. Even though flickering cheap street light illuminated his surroundings a little his blurred vision evens things out.
Figure examines the corpses, some of them bleed to death laying on a pool of their blood and the rest died from blunt force trauma smashed skulls, and all that. "I like the work you did here and I think I know place you can do even more."
'Fuck my luck I guess, where the hell is my plot armor when it's needed?'
Like that Edward gets forcefully recruited to Empire Eighty-Eight by Hookwolf. Now you think about it, it seems pretty anticlimactic and then it's not fiction but reality now isn't it?
And you guys probably have your own idea of what happened next.
…
"Things are just rolling towards the wrong direction aren't they?" Edward aggressively takes a bite from donut in frustration, since he is getting pulled to whatever storm the Empire is brewing maybe it's best in his interests if he becomes the eye of the storm.
The original plan was to activate his system silently harbor cards and usurp once Leviathan obliterated Brockton Bay. Then possibly push his influence till he gets a strong enough card that can solve the problem of certain depressed space whales.
"Isn't that just how things always were?" Edward glances at a girl dressed in black jeans, with a purple-pinkish sweater with a leather jacket to cover it, her blond hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail, and the most eye-catching thing about her is her eyes glimmering with unsettling brightness.
"If you want a free drink or something here." He takes out a three hundred dollars bill from his pocket and hands it to her, not really well maintained probably because it was inside his pocket without any protection. "I'm sure you know which way the club is."
"Well, first I was just curious about you because not every day you will see someone with Rolex eating a donut while sitting on the street. But now? Now you got my wholehearted attention my good sir" She snatches the dollar bills from him with swift movement before sitting beside him.
'Why is Hookwolf such a pain in the ass today?' "Aren't you a little too brazen?" Edward's eye starts twitching from annoyance.
"I like to call it honesty." She gives him a cheeky smile adding charm to her already pretty face.
Edward raises an eyebrow. "Aren't chu making your friends wait a little too long?"
"I told them to go on without me so we got the whole night to ourselves." She then stretches her hand towards the box of donuts take picks one.
"That just sounds wrong and…" he caught her hand from her wrist and said in a serious tone. "I am not the kind to share my food with strangers."
Girl and Edward stare at each other before she pulls her hand back and shakes it a little as if it were aching. "You aren't as much gentleman as you seem like aren't you?"
"Everything just rolls towards the wrong direction, that's how things work isn't it?"
"Sure thing smart guy. Use my words against me." She puffs her cheek a little bit but it was clear that it's more of a joke than anything. "Don't you know acting as you do will plumber your chances with ladies?"
"Good thing is I am not hitting on you." Edward finishes his half-eaten donut before closing the box of donuts.
"That can be changed if we play our cards right." Edward and her stare at each other silently for a few seconds as the cool breeze of the sea blows from the direction of the dock.
"Okay, this talk isn't going anywhere." He gets up from where he was sitting with a box of donuts in his hand and then starts walking. Seeing this girl tried to follow he quickly stopped her. "No, just no."
"What's wrong? I tried to just talk."
"I don't know what the big picture is, I don't know if you are just trying to hook up or have any other hidden motive but just get this! That's not happening! Just leave me alone and go bother someone else!" With that he speeds up his pace as the stunned girl is left behind, looking confused by his sudden outburst.
After turning a corner hidden from her sight Edward leans against the wall as he holds his head in a headache. 'Hey system, what's up with this headache more I spent time with her stronger it became.'
[Shard tried to connect you.]
'What do you mean?'
[I am sure you know you are connected with your summons at a really deep level to the point allowing you even allowing you use their powers.]
'Okay, I am following.'
[And I am sure you do realize they are from many different worlds not only that you are in a completely different world too.]
'So this world is resisting me or something?'
[No, the world itself has no idea that you even exist. It's more of a connection between you and your summon currently leaving you a little bit open to the other extradimensional beings like Shards.]
'Okay, so I need to close it? How do I do that?'
[Simple, summon one of your summons to this world. The reason you are so open to Shards is because there is no summon in this world so it is a little weak against things from this world.]
'But something like that didn't happen when I was with Hookwolf.'
[His powers didn't try to affect you so his Shard didn't notice you. But the girl tried to use her power on you so her Shard noticed you.]
'So there was an ulterior motive after all. Okay, this shit is a little too forced upon me now but a change of plans tonight I'm gonna try my luck with Lung.'
[Not gonna pursue the girl?]
'I'll deal with her when we meet next time even if that time comes.'
[As you wish then.]
…
Tattletale opens the door to the Undersiders's hideout in a mood that can be only described as foul.
"Failed?" She turns her head looking at man Grue sitting on the chair while eating a sandwich.
"Don't utter a word..." Tattletale then just lets herself fall on the sofa.
"Pay up." Grue then extends his hand towards Regent who gives him fifty bucks while growling.
"Seriously Lisa? You lost my faith in you." Regent got a middle finger for his words from Tattletale aka Lisa.
"Guy was either mentally ill or a cape just like us. If it's the second one Thames that explains why Hookwolf was so into him." Lisa's voice was somewhat muffled because her face was planted on the sofa but it was still audible.
"What if it was the first one?" Regent asks her.
"Then he has a high chance to possibly trigger."
"And why are you so sure about that?" Grue raises an eyebrow at Lisa's words.
"My power didn't work on him."
"It didn't work on him?" Grue asks.
"Yep."
"Your power? It didn't work on him?"
"Yeah."
"The power you are so proud of didn't work on a possibly normal guy?"
"Oh for fuck's sake Brian, yes my goddamn power didn't work on that guy okay?! It was as if it glitched or something when used on him! Data that my power feedbacks to me were all messed up, so chaotic, and so wrong! It's as if I am trying to analyze some kind of abomination!"
"Which means he is probably cape and probably specialized in countering Thinkers like yourself. And now he probably knows you used your power on him." Brian aka Grue said in a serious tone.
"Oh, I don't like where this is going." Regent stops sipping his juice midway as he watches the scene unfolding.
"Probably." Lisa lifts her head and looks at Brian.
"Lisa! Do you have any goddamn idea of what you did?! You possibly declared fucking war with E88 if Rachel's actions haven't already declared one!" Brian jumps up from his seat and starts walking towards her.
"I know I messed up this one but it's not that big of a deal I am pretty sure he doesn't know even who I am."
"Not a big deal? Not a Big Deal?! This can't be a bigger deal! When we ran into Aegis because of your miscalculation it wasn't a big deal! When Regent got shot because you made us believe they won't shoot it wasn't a big deal! When we get head to head with fucking Armsmatser and escaped? That wasn't a big deal either! What's the fucking big deal in your eyes?! We fucking facing against Scion himself?!"
"And what do you want me to do? Wipe that guy's memory?" Lisa and Brian stared at each other's eyes.
"Do that if it's necessary because we are in no situation to take on E88 right now. It's already troublesome enough that we are on bad sides with ABB if another big force gets added we might not be able to survive what comes next."
Their staring contest intensified as neither of them was in the position or mood to give up. "Aren't you a little too president on this problem? We can handle this like we always do, aren't we? Or are you too afraid to fight back? Our. Dear. Leader?"
"You put me up as the leader of this team and I am doing what I need to do as the leader! Keeping us all alive!" Brian starts emitting a pitch-black smoke-like substance making Lisa finally give up.
"Fine, give me about a week I'll make sure that guy will stay silent and won't bother us anymore." She finally gets up from the sofa and stretches her aching neck.
"And how are you gonna do that?" Brian questions her.
"I know his face and that's more than enough for me to… make a "contingency" plan for him." She then goes into her room.
"Tsk, she is going to be death of us, I tell you." Brian then falls on the sofa with a defeated look on his face.
"Wanna bet on if we are gonna save her in the end or not?" Regent's words pull out laughter from Brian's mouth.
"Hundred?" Regent said with a smirk.
"Make it a grand and you got yourself a deal." Brian replied with a grin on his face.
"Deal." With that Brian and Regent share a chuckle.
•••
I hope I haven't done complete character kill with this and sorry for my grammar.
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