**Akane**
I smiled a small, successful smile as I glanced back down the table at the others. Vicky and Amy were wide eyed in shock, as was Katie, Taylor meanwhile looked at me and spocked an eyebrow so I acted like I was texting with my hands until both eyebrows rose and she nodded slightly. Texting was a marvelous thing, and I had been doing it almost constantly since we had left the mall in the aftermath of the incident. Getting Aunt Em to look up Rune’s known and or convicted crimes was relatively easy, and while she wasn’t star material, she was possibly redeemable. All of her crimes were juvenile, a couple of minor battery charges, and some defacement of public and private property between her masked and unmasked time with the Empire. The worst she could probably be charged with was assault against an officer and resisting arrest with violence, but to get another Ward, I was almost certain that those charges could disappear or at least be knocked down to something she could get probation for.
“Carolyn,” the older woman said calmly, “remember what the Wards program is here to do, and furthermore, remember that almost no one is beyond redemption.” The younger woman looked at her elder, the shock on her face evident before turning back to glare at Katie.
Katie smiled at that, “Thank you ma’am,” she said to Miz Burns, “and also to you director, I assumed that my trigger was public record, especially since I used it to escape confinement, but I think that if you can get me clear of my guardians, that I would be happy to join your team.” Aunt Emily nodded to this before turning to look at the Youth Guard members.
“Now,” Aunt Emily said calmly, “we were about to hear their report of what happened. Skitter, No No, you were exiting the cinema at Weymouth Mall having just finished the movie that you had gone to see, what happened as you walked out?”
“Four gangsters with Kalashnikov rifles met the group exiting the cinema and directed us to the central court.” Taylor said calmly. “In the central courtyard Skidmark waited with ten non-powered people also with firearms, some sort of powered throne and Mush. I used my power to scout the area while we waited, as well as to make contact with a pair of independents as well as PRT, Protectorate and police forces. Once we had contact, a plan was developed that used the independents to lead both Brockton Bay SWAT and the PRT Fast Reaction force into position. Initiating once they were in position was left up to us because a distraction was needed to ensure that Skidmark couldn’t protect his people from the officers and endanger the civilians. Glory Girl and I provided the distraction, first by me activating the Public Address system and playing music over it, and her by charging Skidmark in flight.”
“Why did you have to provide the distraction,” Smither snapped, “why couldn’t the police or the PRT simply neutralize him along with his grunt?”
“Because of his particular power set” Katie answered, “He produces bands of directional force and as a defensive measure usually surrounds himself with them. Getting his attention away from his grunts was necessary so that a containment foam grenade could be dropped by Skitter’s insects onto the seat of his power chair from directly above. The music got him to stand and consequently actually dismissed most of the bands surrounding the throne that he had. Glory Girl’s charge turned him to one side and while he was distracted dealing with her, Skitter dropped the grenade on his chair. The sound of that caused him to spin around and get a face full of containment foam, keeping him from using bands of force to protect his grunts.”
“A very concise report ladies thank you,” Aunt Emily said and glanced at the two Youth Guard members. “Ladies, do you have any questions for them?”
“Miss Rune,” the Burns woman said calmly, “If I may ask, what were you doing there today?” Katie flushed a bit under her mask and muttered an answer that I didn’t catch. Taylor and Vicky did, both going wide eyed and smiling. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you,” the older woman said with a slight smile. “Could you please repeat that?”
“I had a date,” Katie said turning an even brighter red. “He doesn’t know anything about this but he, he has gotten me to take a new view on what I have been taught all my life.”
“I see,” the elder woman said with a slight smile. “And does your young man know where you are now?” Katie’s eyes went wide, realizing that she had not before shooting a look at my aunt.
“Go ahead into the other half of the conference room,” Aunt Em said kindly, pointing at the dividing partition. “Just make it quick ok”
“Yes ma’am.” Katie said getting up and moving toward the mostly closed partition.
“Ma’am,” Taylor said gaining my aunt’s attention. “Could I call my father and let him know what’s going on as well?” Aunt Em only nodded and pointed in the same direction so Taylor got up, “Thank you ma’am,” was all she said before she was also heading through the partition.
**Katie**
This had to be the weirdest week of my life. A couple of years ago I would have said that there was no way this would have happened. No way I would join the Wards, no way I would betray “The Cause,” and yet, here I was having, (at least verbally) joined the Wards, and planning on telling the PRT everything I knew about Kaiser’s little empire. It was in a way, insane, and all because I had stuck up for another person, a weakling who was getting his ass handed to him by a pair of bullies because he was smarter than they were.
**Wednesday, January 5th 2011**
“Look, I can’t give you the answers,” the voice said from the alley as I walked past. “The questions are randomized by section, as are the answers for each question.” The voice caused me to stop just past the mouth of the alley behind the testing center. This was another instance of the situation Hookwolf had told me about. Be strong by defending the weak, earn their gratitude and acceptance, and while they may not join, maybe they would have family that would at least turn a blind eye to what we did that broke man’s laws. Reaching into my jacket pockets I wrapped my hands around the rolls of dimes and imbued them with my power. Alone, my muscles didn’t have much strength, but my power could and did make up the difference when needed, especially when used on a pair of brass knuckles or a roll of coins.
“Just tell us the answers nerd,” one of the thugs said lifting the boy up by the collar of his jacket. “If you don’t, I might just have to hurt you.”
All three of the people in the alley were white, and the two that had cornered the third were considerably bigger than the third who I somewhat recognized from around Winslow. “Hey assholes,” I called out as I stepped into the alley, “why don’t you try just go to Clarendon, he’s already told you he can’t help you.”
“Buzz off bitch,” one of them called back without turning around. “Little geek doesn’t want to talk, but we’ll make him. Besides, I don’t want to have to get up that damn early just to go someplace I don’t like.”
The other punk turned around and looked for a moment and blanched, “Oh hell,” he said turning back, “Jimbo, it’s that Fleischer cunt the boss said we had to listen to.”
“Fuck that and fuck her,” “Jimbo said with a snarl. “She’s just another uppity bitch that needs to learn…” I never learned what it was that I was supposed to learn as the punch I threw connected with his short ribs and probably his kidneys. Neither had seen me come closer, as I had started steadily advancing once the smarter one had turned back to warn his buddy, but the one I hit knew I was there when I connected. In response he dropped the boy he had picked up, spinning on me with a haymaker that I easily ducked, putting another empowered punch to his body before dancing back far enough to put my empowered boot in his crotch.
“Jimbo” went down to his knees with that blow, the only reason he wasn’t screaming was that he had no breath in his lungs. This allowed me to focus on his partner for the moment who was moving into a position to try and tackle me while I was distracted with his slightly bigger partner. “You have the chance to run,” I said to him, “I won’t say anything, but if you stay and fight.” At this point I shrugged slightly, “Well, I’ll kick your ass, and then tell everyone why I did it.” He stayed, he fought, and while I had to give the idiot props for sticking with his buddy, but this guy, while big, had no more clue how to fight than the other one. Three blows later, he was down on the ground with his friend, and I was picking up the person they had attacked, “You alright there?”
“Yeah,” he muttered as he checked his glasses to make sure they weren’t broken. “Just a few bruises, nothing I haven’t received from these assholes before, damn Empire wannabes.”
I chuckled slightly, a comment like that meant that I wasn’t likely to get a recruitment out of this guy, still though, beating these losers had felt good. “Well, can’t really do much about them but beat them down when they raise their ugly mugs. I’m Katie Fleischer, I transferred into Winslow at the start of the school year, and while I know I’ve seen you around I don’t think I know your name.”
“Greg Veder,” he said smiling as he offered me his hand which I shook. “And thanks for the help, if you need help with any of the subjects in school, let me know and I’ll be there.”
“Sure,” I said as I smiled back at him, “though you seem a bit confident you’re going to get into Arcadia.”
He shrugged, “I was sick the day we took the test to get at the end of middle school.” He said calmly, “As a result I couldn’t focus on the test and got over half the answers wrong. And while Winslow was hell, I figured if she could take what they were doing to her, I could put up with the jocks and the gangers.”
I looked at him as we walked out of the alley and toward the nearby bus stop. “You’re talking about Hebert, right?” he nodded and let a little bit of a dejected sigh escape.
“She was always at least polite to me,” he said. The tone was not quite wistful, but it almost had an air to it of envy to it to be honest. That said, at the same time it also was a tone that said, Not happening, so don’t even bother to dream it. “She included me in the class projects for Gladly’s class when no one else would, and she helped me pick up my things when the jocks or the trio would knock them out of my hands in the hallway if she was there.” At that point he shook his head, smiling slightly. “Still though, I couldn’t help her, and any thought of there being anything between us other than mutual victims was long since a lost cause.” He shook his head more firmly and raised it as we reached the bus stop. “Don’t bother paying me any attention,” he said with a slight smile. “How do you know Taylor?”
“I don’t actually,” I answered leaning against the stop shelter’s pillar. “I mean I was there in the crowd when they pulled her out of the locker, and I told the cops and Blackwell what happened.” At this point I chuckled remembering the look on that Hess bitch’s face as her head was slammed into the locker. “But the thing is I don’t actually know her. I mean, what was the bitches three’s deal with her?”
**
So Greg told me what he knew, about how Taylor and Emma, the redhead, had been friends before coming to Winslow, but something had changed that summer before their freshman year, and Taylor didn’t know what. “That was also when Hess and Clements showed up,” he told me as we rode the bus toward his mother’s apartment. “But from what Taylor said in passing, Hess had been there before the start of the year, and Emma was meaner when she was around.”
I nodded at this and got up with him as he went to get off the bus. “Something must have happened,” I said more to myself than to anyone else, “and I would bet that whatever it was, Hess probably helped Barnes out of it.”
“Makes sense,” he said as we got off the bus and started deeper into the docks. “Hey, you obviously know how to fight, would you mind teaching me?”
“Me?” I asked. “Will your pride let you let a girl beat the hell out of you, so that you’ll learn?”
He snorted and smiled, “What pride,” he said, “I’ve had my ass kicked by girls that did it strictly for their own enjoyment and because Hess told them I was taking pictures of them in the shower room at school.” I raised my eyebrow at that, and he shook his head, “I didn’t do it, but they believed I did and beat the ever loving shit out of me as a result. Besides,” he continued, “at least this way I learn from someone who at least has a clue about being the smaller person in the fight.”
I chuckled at that, “Alright,” I answered, “Since I work in a gym I can get you in to work out and maybe a little training time, but there’s going to be some changes to things, and if you don’t listen I’ll stop teaching you. Do you know Beast Bod downtown?”
“Yeah,” he answered, “or at least I know of it. What’s a nice girl like you doing working for an Empire front?” I stopped dead in my tracks gaping, People knew the gym was an Empire front, what’s next, the IRS auditing the books? Greg turned to look at me and grimaced, “You didn’t know huh,” he said calmly, “It’s not the most apparent of Kaiser’s recruitment and laundering sites, but if you know what to look for, it’s pretty obvious. The fact that the awning sports a likeness to Hookwolf if nothing else would be a dead giveaway.”
I was still staring at him when I finally managed to say something, “It’s a family issue,” I told him, “they got me the job, and at least it pays decent and allows me to train.”
“There is that I suppose,” he said as we started up the street once again. “Still, I don’t think I should be seen there.”
“I understand,” I said, a frown entering my voice, “but if that’s the case then you’re going to have to push this stuff on your own. I can help you get the tools, and I’ll see about finding another gym where you can work on your training, but none of it will work if you don’t put in the effort.”
“Effort I can give you,” he said as we reached a fairly rundown apartment building. “So, can I expect to hear from you tomorrow?”
“If you give me your number you will,” I answered back with a smile as I pulled out my cellphone. He gave me his home and his cell number and I put them into my phone, giving him mine in exchange, “I’ll call you about ten in the morning, by then I’ll know when I’m getting off and we can arrange to meet up.”
“Works for me,” he said smiling and waving as he unlocked the outer door to the building and went in, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said before shutting the door, I waved back and started back towards the bus stop. Something about me felt better since I had done this, and I felt that things would probably proceed to go well. Unfortunately I was wrong.
I smiled a small, successful smile as I glanced back down the table at the others. Vicky and Amy were wide eyed in shock, as was Katie, Taylor meanwhile looked at me and spocked an eyebrow so I acted like I was texting with my hands until both eyebrows rose and she nodded slightly. Texting was a marvelous thing, and I had been doing it almost constantly since we had left the mall in the aftermath of the incident. Getting Aunt Em to look up Rune’s known and or convicted crimes was relatively easy, and while she wasn’t star material, she was possibly redeemable. All of her crimes were juvenile, a couple of minor battery charges, and some defacement of public and private property between her masked and unmasked time with the Empire. The worst she could probably be charged with was assault against an officer and resisting arrest with violence, but to get another Ward, I was almost certain that those charges could disappear or at least be knocked down to something she could get probation for.
“Carolyn,” the older woman said calmly, “remember what the Wards program is here to do, and furthermore, remember that almost no one is beyond redemption.” The younger woman looked at her elder, the shock on her face evident before turning back to glare at Katie.
Katie smiled at that, “Thank you ma’am,” she said to Miz Burns, “and also to you director, I assumed that my trigger was public record, especially since I used it to escape confinement, but I think that if you can get me clear of my guardians, that I would be happy to join your team.” Aunt Emily nodded to this before turning to look at the Youth Guard members.
“Now,” Aunt Emily said calmly, “we were about to hear their report of what happened. Skitter, No No, you were exiting the cinema at Weymouth Mall having just finished the movie that you had gone to see, what happened as you walked out?”
“Four gangsters with Kalashnikov rifles met the group exiting the cinema and directed us to the central court.” Taylor said calmly. “In the central courtyard Skidmark waited with ten non-powered people also with firearms, some sort of powered throne and Mush. I used my power to scout the area while we waited, as well as to make contact with a pair of independents as well as PRT, Protectorate and police forces. Once we had contact, a plan was developed that used the independents to lead both Brockton Bay SWAT and the PRT Fast Reaction force into position. Initiating once they were in position was left up to us because a distraction was needed to ensure that Skidmark couldn’t protect his people from the officers and endanger the civilians. Glory Girl and I provided the distraction, first by me activating the Public Address system and playing music over it, and her by charging Skidmark in flight.”
“Why did you have to provide the distraction,” Smither snapped, “why couldn’t the police or the PRT simply neutralize him along with his grunt?”
“Because of his particular power set” Katie answered, “He produces bands of directional force and as a defensive measure usually surrounds himself with them. Getting his attention away from his grunts was necessary so that a containment foam grenade could be dropped by Skitter’s insects onto the seat of his power chair from directly above. The music got him to stand and consequently actually dismissed most of the bands surrounding the throne that he had. Glory Girl’s charge turned him to one side and while he was distracted dealing with her, Skitter dropped the grenade on his chair. The sound of that caused him to spin around and get a face full of containment foam, keeping him from using bands of force to protect his grunts.”
“A very concise report ladies thank you,” Aunt Emily said and glanced at the two Youth Guard members. “Ladies, do you have any questions for them?”
“Miss Rune,” the Burns woman said calmly, “If I may ask, what were you doing there today?” Katie flushed a bit under her mask and muttered an answer that I didn’t catch. Taylor and Vicky did, both going wide eyed and smiling. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you,” the older woman said with a slight smile. “Could you please repeat that?”
“I had a date,” Katie said turning an even brighter red. “He doesn’t know anything about this but he, he has gotten me to take a new view on what I have been taught all my life.”
“I see,” the elder woman said with a slight smile. “And does your young man know where you are now?” Katie’s eyes went wide, realizing that she had not before shooting a look at my aunt.
“Go ahead into the other half of the conference room,” Aunt Em said kindly, pointing at the dividing partition. “Just make it quick ok”
“Yes ma’am.” Katie said getting up and moving toward the mostly closed partition.
“Ma’am,” Taylor said gaining my aunt’s attention. “Could I call my father and let him know what’s going on as well?” Aunt Em only nodded and pointed in the same direction so Taylor got up, “Thank you ma’am,” was all she said before she was also heading through the partition.
**Katie**
This had to be the weirdest week of my life. A couple of years ago I would have said that there was no way this would have happened. No way I would join the Wards, no way I would betray “The Cause,” and yet, here I was having, (at least verbally) joined the Wards, and planning on telling the PRT everything I knew about Kaiser’s little empire. It was in a way, insane, and all because I had stuck up for another person, a weakling who was getting his ass handed to him by a pair of bullies because he was smarter than they were.
**Wednesday, January 5th 2011**
“Look, I can’t give you the answers,” the voice said from the alley as I walked past. “The questions are randomized by section, as are the answers for each question.” The voice caused me to stop just past the mouth of the alley behind the testing center. This was another instance of the situation Hookwolf had told me about. Be strong by defending the weak, earn their gratitude and acceptance, and while they may not join, maybe they would have family that would at least turn a blind eye to what we did that broke man’s laws. Reaching into my jacket pockets I wrapped my hands around the rolls of dimes and imbued them with my power. Alone, my muscles didn’t have much strength, but my power could and did make up the difference when needed, especially when used on a pair of brass knuckles or a roll of coins.
“Just tell us the answers nerd,” one of the thugs said lifting the boy up by the collar of his jacket. “If you don’t, I might just have to hurt you.”
All three of the people in the alley were white, and the two that had cornered the third were considerably bigger than the third who I somewhat recognized from around Winslow. “Hey assholes,” I called out as I stepped into the alley, “why don’t you try just go to Clarendon, he’s already told you he can’t help you.”
“Buzz off bitch,” one of them called back without turning around. “Little geek doesn’t want to talk, but we’ll make him. Besides, I don’t want to have to get up that damn early just to go someplace I don’t like.”
The other punk turned around and looked for a moment and blanched, “Oh hell,” he said turning back, “Jimbo, it’s that Fleischer cunt the boss said we had to listen to.”
“Fuck that and fuck her,” “Jimbo said with a snarl. “She’s just another uppity bitch that needs to learn…” I never learned what it was that I was supposed to learn as the punch I threw connected with his short ribs and probably his kidneys. Neither had seen me come closer, as I had started steadily advancing once the smarter one had turned back to warn his buddy, but the one I hit knew I was there when I connected. In response he dropped the boy he had picked up, spinning on me with a haymaker that I easily ducked, putting another empowered punch to his body before dancing back far enough to put my empowered boot in his crotch.
“Jimbo” went down to his knees with that blow, the only reason he wasn’t screaming was that he had no breath in his lungs. This allowed me to focus on his partner for the moment who was moving into a position to try and tackle me while I was distracted with his slightly bigger partner. “You have the chance to run,” I said to him, “I won’t say anything, but if you stay and fight.” At this point I shrugged slightly, “Well, I’ll kick your ass, and then tell everyone why I did it.” He stayed, he fought, and while I had to give the idiot props for sticking with his buddy, but this guy, while big, had no more clue how to fight than the other one. Three blows later, he was down on the ground with his friend, and I was picking up the person they had attacked, “You alright there?”
“Yeah,” he muttered as he checked his glasses to make sure they weren’t broken. “Just a few bruises, nothing I haven’t received from these assholes before, damn Empire wannabes.”
I chuckled slightly, a comment like that meant that I wasn’t likely to get a recruitment out of this guy, still though, beating these losers had felt good. “Well, can’t really do much about them but beat them down when they raise their ugly mugs. I’m Katie Fleischer, I transferred into Winslow at the start of the school year, and while I know I’ve seen you around I don’t think I know your name.”
“Greg Veder,” he said smiling as he offered me his hand which I shook. “And thanks for the help, if you need help with any of the subjects in school, let me know and I’ll be there.”
“Sure,” I said as I smiled back at him, “though you seem a bit confident you’re going to get into Arcadia.”
He shrugged, “I was sick the day we took the test to get at the end of middle school.” He said calmly, “As a result I couldn’t focus on the test and got over half the answers wrong. And while Winslow was hell, I figured if she could take what they were doing to her, I could put up with the jocks and the gangers.”
I looked at him as we walked out of the alley and toward the nearby bus stop. “You’re talking about Hebert, right?” he nodded and let a little bit of a dejected sigh escape.
“She was always at least polite to me,” he said. The tone was not quite wistful, but it almost had an air to it of envy to it to be honest. That said, at the same time it also was a tone that said, Not happening, so don’t even bother to dream it. “She included me in the class projects for Gladly’s class when no one else would, and she helped me pick up my things when the jocks or the trio would knock them out of my hands in the hallway if she was there.” At that point he shook his head, smiling slightly. “Still though, I couldn’t help her, and any thought of there being anything between us other than mutual victims was long since a lost cause.” He shook his head more firmly and raised it as we reached the bus stop. “Don’t bother paying me any attention,” he said with a slight smile. “How do you know Taylor?”
“I don’t actually,” I answered leaning against the stop shelter’s pillar. “I mean I was there in the crowd when they pulled her out of the locker, and I told the cops and Blackwell what happened.” At this point I chuckled remembering the look on that Hess bitch’s face as her head was slammed into the locker. “But the thing is I don’t actually know her. I mean, what was the bitches three’s deal with her?”
**
So Greg told me what he knew, about how Taylor and Emma, the redhead, had been friends before coming to Winslow, but something had changed that summer before their freshman year, and Taylor didn’t know what. “That was also when Hess and Clements showed up,” he told me as we rode the bus toward his mother’s apartment. “But from what Taylor said in passing, Hess had been there before the start of the year, and Emma was meaner when she was around.”
I nodded at this and got up with him as he went to get off the bus. “Something must have happened,” I said more to myself than to anyone else, “and I would bet that whatever it was, Hess probably helped Barnes out of it.”
“Makes sense,” he said as we got off the bus and started deeper into the docks. “Hey, you obviously know how to fight, would you mind teaching me?”
“Me?” I asked. “Will your pride let you let a girl beat the hell out of you, so that you’ll learn?”
He snorted and smiled, “What pride,” he said, “I’ve had my ass kicked by girls that did it strictly for their own enjoyment and because Hess told them I was taking pictures of them in the shower room at school.” I raised my eyebrow at that, and he shook his head, “I didn’t do it, but they believed I did and beat the ever loving shit out of me as a result. Besides,” he continued, “at least this way I learn from someone who at least has a clue about being the smaller person in the fight.”
I chuckled at that, “Alright,” I answered, “Since I work in a gym I can get you in to work out and maybe a little training time, but there’s going to be some changes to things, and if you don’t listen I’ll stop teaching you. Do you know Beast Bod downtown?”
“Yeah,” he answered, “or at least I know of it. What’s a nice girl like you doing working for an Empire front?” I stopped dead in my tracks gaping, People knew the gym was an Empire front, what’s next, the IRS auditing the books? Greg turned to look at me and grimaced, “You didn’t know huh,” he said calmly, “It’s not the most apparent of Kaiser’s recruitment and laundering sites, but if you know what to look for, it’s pretty obvious. The fact that the awning sports a likeness to Hookwolf if nothing else would be a dead giveaway.”
I was still staring at him when I finally managed to say something, “It’s a family issue,” I told him, “they got me the job, and at least it pays decent and allows me to train.”
“There is that I suppose,” he said as we started up the street once again. “Still, I don’t think I should be seen there.”
“I understand,” I said, a frown entering my voice, “but if that’s the case then you’re going to have to push this stuff on your own. I can help you get the tools, and I’ll see about finding another gym where you can work on your training, but none of it will work if you don’t put in the effort.”
“Effort I can give you,” he said as we reached a fairly rundown apartment building. “So, can I expect to hear from you tomorrow?”
“If you give me your number you will,” I answered back with a smile as I pulled out my cellphone. He gave me his home and his cell number and I put them into my phone, giving him mine in exchange, “I’ll call you about ten in the morning, by then I’ll know when I’m getting off and we can arrange to meet up.”
“Works for me,” he said smiling and waving as he unlocked the outer door to the building and went in, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said before shutting the door, I waved back and started back towards the bus stop. Something about me felt better since I had done this, and I felt that things would probably proceed to go well. Unfortunately I was wrong.
Wolf wins every fight but the one where he dies, fangs locked around the throat of his opponent.
Currently writing BROBd
Currently writing BROBd