A CYOA in Worm or I think my name is No No

[Rajvik]

**Taylor**
“Hebert residence,” my father answered, probably as soon as he got the house phone up to his head.

“Hey dad,” I said glancing at the clock, “Have you watched the news yet tonight?”

“No,” he answered slightly questioningly, “Should I be concerned?”

“There was an incident at the mall today,” I answered looking over at Katie who was chatting on her own phone. “Downside was that we ended up being involved, the upside is that I made a new friend.”

“Was anyone hurt?” he asked, concern coloring his tone.

“Only Mush,” I answered smiling and letting it show in my voice, “Rune hit him with a table and slammed him into a pillar.” My dad chuckled his amusement, “Currently I’m kinda stuck here for the after-action review, but I’m likely going to end up staying over with Rune and Akane, at least until everything gets settled.”

“Which will be when?” Dad asked concern entering his voice again.

“Getting Rune settled in will likely take most of the night,” I answered, “possibly some action tomorrow but I don’t think that will be likely. I promise, I’ll be home for dinner tomorrow night no later.”

“Alright kiddo,” he said, his tone grudging at best. “You take care of your friends, I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow, just remember, it is your turn to cook.”

“Thanks Dad,” I chirped, “I’ll talk to you later, ok.”

“Love you kid,” he replied, “you be careful.”

“Love you too Dad,” I said back, “and you too, I’ll see you tomorrow, bye.”

“Bye Taylor,” he said and then I hung up. Looking over I saw Katie waiting to go back into the conference room, “You ready to face these idiots?” She nodded and pushed the partition door open leading the way back in.
**Katie**
RING…RING…RIN-“Hello, Katie? Where are you, they still have the mall cordoned off.” Greg gasped in my ear, near panic apparently.

“Greg,” I cast a look over at Taylor who was talking with her father and ignoring me, “I’m fine, I had to go down to the PRT building to give my statement.”

“Never figured you would sit that out,” he said, the smile evident in his voice. “Word is from the other civilians that Rune was there and took out Mush, any truth to that?”

“Yeah,” I answered, “Look I got to get back into this debriefing thing, try again tomorrow, same time and place?”

“I guess,” he answered hesitantly, “but what about your job?”

I smiled at that, “Screw them,” I said confidently, “I just got an internship offer by the PRT, and they pay more with better hours.”

“Well then tomorrow we’ll celebrate,” Greg answered the smile in his voice obvious. “Till then?”

“Till then,” I answered and hung up my cell. What the hell was it about that damn geek that got my damn motor running. He was a cape geek and an uber nerd that spent more time banned on PHO than any three other users combined. And I think I’m falling for him, damn it I thought and remembered yesterday.
**Friday 2pm**
“So I asked around and this place, while they pay their protection money, isn’t an empire front.” I told Greg as I opened the outer door to the gym. The place was obviously built around the boxing ring in the center area, and the equipment was meant to aid people in learning the art. At the edge of the ring, an older black man was directing the pair inside the ring. One was a man a decade or so younger than the man outside the ring while the other was only a couple years older than me at a guess. Beefcake my brain commented at how the two in the ring were built, big, muscular, and while the younger one wasn’t as large as the bruiser he was fighting against, he was faster, and used that smaller size to his advantage. Suddenly the man outside the ring sounded the bell and the two men inside separated.

“Good work Brian,” the man outside the ring said as he threw each of them towels. “You keep moving and landing a series of shots,” he said to the younger man. “Using your smaller size to your advantage but never afraid to close and land a solid hit, that’s good tactics.” Turning to the older man he continued. “Jonathan, you need to learn to close faster, keep him from dodging out of your range while he pegs you like that. He’s right there within your reach why aren’t you hitting him?”

“He’s” the older man gasps, “he’s to damn fast, seems every time I swing he’s already gone or at least far enough back to lean back out of my reach.”

“That’s because you started throwing those damn barroom haymakers,” the oldest of them said. “If you would keep a short jab right from here,” he demonstrated dropping his right arm slightly and lancing out with it at chest height almost faster than you could follow, “then you would have connected more. You get sloppier the more tired you get, work on it,” he finished. “Now, Jonathan, you go hit the showers, Brian, there’s supposed to be a pair of white kids coming in here soon, one of them needs training in weights and exercise.”

“I think they’re here pops,” the younger man said pointing causing the older to turn around and look at us.

“So they are,” he replied. “Well boy, get to work, I ain’t paying ya to stand there and look pretty, cause she’d do it far better than you do.” I snorted and I think the young man rolled his eyes as the two older men climbed out of the ring and headed for the door labeled “Men’s Locker Room” standing next to the door labeled “Office”

“Don’t worry you two,” Brian said once the other two had left the gym proper and he had climbed out of the ring. “The old man’s bark is far worse than his bite, just don’t get in the ring with him unless you know a whole hell of a lot about fighting.”

“How much more should I know about fighting before getting in the ring with him?” I asked, curious at what the man’s son would say.

“Well first,” he said looking at both Greg and I. “You should know that in the ring he’ll have no problem knocking your head off, girl or not. The man makes Rocky Balboa seem like a lightweight with the strength of his punches and since he grew up street fighting, he probably knows every dirty trick in the book and then some.”

“Good things to know,” I said calmly. “Look, I’m Katie and this is Greg, and we were hoping to be able to train here since he won’t be welcome where I work.”

“Where do you work?” Brian asked cocking his head to one side.

“Beast bod,” I answered. “Greg pointed out that it’s an empire front, and I know that while your dad pays his protection, he doesn’t allow any of their bullshit in here. So I figured it would be a good place for Greg to get in shape and learn to protect himself.”

“I’m in shape,” Greg said with a tone that said it was false hurt, so I shot him a look. His reply to the look was to say, “Round is a shape after all.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled at that, his sense of humor was a bit twisted, but he was funny, “Anyway,” I continued. “He is going to be in here daily, and I’ll be with him as often as possible barring my job and finding a new one, and he’s going to need help. In return, I’m arranging to cover your old man’s protection fee’s while he’s here.”

“I can work with that,” Brian said calmly nodding, “which means you don’t get to quit Greg, and by this time next year, you’ll likely have shed that baby fat for good solid muscle and she’ll be beating the other girls away with a stick.”

Greg’s jaw dropped at that in disbelief, though whether that was the comment about beating the other girls off with a stick or that he would look good enough that I would have to I didn’t know. “Anyway,” I said catching both of their attention. “I was thinking getting a baseline for him today so we could tailor the routine and judge his advancement over time,” I said causing Brian to nod.

“You’ve done this before,” he said, and I nodded. “Works for me, I get paid either way. So let’s get started.” With that said he clapped his hands together and led us through the workout equipment.

Two hours later Greg was effectively a limp noodle, barely able to hold himself upright as I guided him to the bus stop. “You did good in there Greg,” I told him and smiled. “Soon you’ll look back on today and smile knowing it was the turning point in your life.”

He smiled slightly, something that caused my heart to skip a beat for some reason. “No,” he said shifting, probably to ease a muscle that was aching. “The turning point in my life was meeting you yesterday,” I blushed slightly at that, “and while I doubt someone like you would…”

“Now you shut that shit down right the fuck now Greg,” I snapped at him. “You have had enough people in your life giving you shit, you don’t need to be doing it to yourself. Now what would you like from me?”

“Would you like to go see a movie with me tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said smiling. “Now that wasn’t too hard was it?”

His smile was fit to break his face as the bus pulled up in front of us. “No,” he said. “No it wasn’t. Weymouth Mall has a cinema and we can grab dinner before or after, your choice”

“Meet me at the food court at four then,” I told him as I pushed him onto his bus. “We’ll see what’s playing and then make the call about dinner.” He nodded and stepped back, waving as the door closed and the bus pulled away. Turning I walked the opposite direction, whistling happily while I walked toward home.
**Taylor**
As we stepped into the room you could feel the tension on the air as Akane was glaring across the table at the Youth Guard attack dog. “Say again,” she said, barely able to be heard from where I stood in the partition doorway. What was able to be heard though was the anger in her voice and that her accent was extremely thick instead of practically nonexistent. “Say again, I not have physical powers, but I put you head through table easy.”

“Miss No No,” the director growled, “That is enough. You know she is wrong; I know she is wrong, and Ms. Burns knows she is wrong, and it is Ms. Burns that is in charge of her. That said, Ms. Burns, please.”

“Quite right Director,” Ms. Burns said calmly. “I think this meeting has been sufficiently derailed Carolyn.”

“Ma’am?” the assistant answered continuing her glaring contest with Akane.

“I said that’s enough!” Burns snapped. “I apologize director,” Burns continued coolly. “Carolyn should never have made that comment, and while I think Miss No No is a bit hot headed on the subject, she has not done more than threaten Carolyn.”

“Yes,” Director Piggot said calmly. “Something she and I will have a long talk about later I assure you.”

As Katie and I headed back to our seats I looked at Vicky and Amy. Both were staring at the two hotheads with their eyes wide. What the hell happened in here while we were out?

[Rajvik]

**Akane**
The three of us watched as Taylor and Katie walked into the partitioned half of the room to make their phone calls while the rest of us sat and waited with the director and the Youth Guard representatives. “Director,” Smither’s said, almost growling at Aunt Emily, “I find it appalling that you have let this go on like you have.”

“Carolyn,” Ms. Burns said laying a hand on her companion’s forearm, only for the younger woman to shake it off as she continued.

“You allowed two Wards, teens under sixteen to participate in a combat action around civilians,” she continued. “You should have never allowed it to happen.”

“And how should I have done that Ms. Smithers.” Aunt Emily said coldly to the assistant. “They were there amongst the crowd already.”

“You could have not used them,” the aide snapped. “You shouldn’t have used them in fact, maybe the police and your PRT Troops would have taken a few injuries, but better that than to involve children in a military style strike.”

“Kuso baka,” I muttered drawing a lifted eyebrow from the older woman and a sneer from the younger.

“Do you have something to comment on?” the aide asked snidely. I glanced at Aunt Emily who only nodded.

“Excuse please,” I said deliberately making it seem like I didn’t speak English very well. “But what you said, stupid. No person capable of helping would have kept out. Age not matter, only skill.” Aunt Em and Ms. Burns shared a look, the older woman lifting an eyebrow while Aunt Em only looked at the ceiling. “So why what we do problem?” I asked.

“Her job,” the aide said slowly, probably to make sure I “understood,” “is to ensure your safety, she failed at that.”

I spocked an eyebrow at her, “She not precog, have no way of knowing what happen.” I snorted and smiled at her. “This not kids show, villains not schedule attacks.”

“Regardless,” Smithers said waving her left hand in the air and offhandedly dismissing my argument. “You and Skitter should have been her first priority.”

I shook my head at that, Ideology blinded fool, I thought. “First duty to civilians,” I told her. “We not civilians.”

“You are children,” she countered before sniffing disdainfully. “You are supposed to be protected the same as the civilians, if not before them.”

Again I shook my head, trying to not laugh out loud at her. “Excuse please,” I said keeping up the façade of not being good with English. “But first life lesson I learn after life not fair was with power comes responsibility.” The look she gave me almost sent me into a fit of giggles, so I continued. “With knowledge, patience, with strength, mercy, and with skill, self-control. For many century family has protected people from excess, and today no different.” Beside me Vicky and Amy both nodded in agreement, and Ms. Burns smiled slightly.

“You sound like you have been trained for many years miss No No,” the elder woman asked cordially. “May I ask where?”

“Initially at family dojo on Kyushu,” I answered honestly. “But after Leviathan, what you call YMCA in Tokyo by grandfather. I also learn from friend’s family, but belief is from family.”

“Then may they burn in hell,” the aide muttered drawing every eye in the room.

“Excuse please,” I said, my smile going from friendly to brittle in a heartbeat. “Explain please?”

“They taught you that violence is the solution,” she said giving me a sad look. “That is a horrible thing to do to a child. Now all you expect is the fight, you don’t look for other solutions.”

“Violence is a solution,” I said, carefully enunciating every word there to get my point across as I tried to suppress my anger. “It is tool like anything else, only fool believe otherwise.”

The aide was the one shaking her head this time. “Brainwashed from birth,” she said softly. “I truly do hope they burn in hell for that.”
**Taylor**
As Katie and I sat back down, we both kept an eye on Akane as she visibly suppressed her anger and swallowed her pride. “I apologize,” she finally ground out. “I should not have lost my temper like that.” Her words were slow and carefully spoken, as if she were, She’s faking a heavy accent, the thought ran through my mind like a wild animal. The question was why?

“You have my apologies as well miss No No,” Ms. Burns said in response. “Carolyn and I will be having a long conversation on the inappropriateness of her remark today.”

“But…” Smithers started but was glared down by her superior.

“Are there any other questions?” the Director asked. Ms. Burns replied with a negative headshake, so she turned to us. “Thank you for coming to this debrief Victoria, Amy, you can either go home or join the other three in going to the Wards area.”

“Thank you, Director,” Amy replied before Vicky could say anything. “We actually need to go home now.” At that point Amy directed her attention at Vicky, “We are late for dinner, and Mom isn’t exactly happy about what happened today.”

Vicky sighed in response, but then nodded before standing. “Alright Ames,” she said, “home it is. Skitter, I’ll call you or No No tomorrow to see how the evening went.”

I nodded but before I could say anything the Director spoke again, “No No, Rune, Skitter, unless you are going home?” I shook my head at that causing the Director to nod, “then you are restricted to the Wards area. Akane and I both raised an eyebrow at that, and she explained. “You’re not in any trouble, but we do have other things to go over and I need to know where to find you.”

Akane and I nodded at that and stood to leave as well. “You know we only do this for your own protection.” Smithers prattled, earning a glare from both Ms. Burns and the Director. Heedlessly she continued, “it’s for your own good that we try and keep these myrmidons from turning you into child soldiers.”

“Miss Smithers,” I said, intentionally not using the “correct” honorific. “When you finally get a clue what your protection actually accomplishes, I hope you understand why we need that level of discipline in this city, and not your Pollyannic attempts that hamstring us.” She looked at me and blinked so I took another tact. “We appreciate the thought that goes into that desire on a personal basis Miss Smithers,” I told her. “What we need, instead of your good intentions, is that more people, such as yourself, try and save this city. Now, if you will excuse us Ms. Burns, Director.” Both of the other, older women nodded, and while Carolyn Smithers just sat there dumbfounded, the rest of us filed out of the conference room.
**
“What the hell is wrong with that girl?” Carolyns Smithers muttered softly to herself as her and Ms. Burns sat down in their car. In the wake of the teens leaving the conference room, Piggot had stonewalled them on the question of how long those two had been Wards members, trying to redirect her ire towards what had happened where Sophia Hess had been…”I’m such an idiot.” She suddenly said out loud as the pieces clicked together in her mind. “Skitter is the girl that Hess stuffed into that locker.”

“Congratulations Carolyn,” Montmorency Burns said closing the divider between them and the driver. “You have managed to figure out why the girl does not hold people like us in high esteem. Now,” the elder woman continued, “would you care to take a guess as to why she is even bothering to work with the PRT and the Protectorate instead of turning to one of the gangs?”

“Because the girl that pulled her out of that locker is No No,” Smithers said sitting back covering her face with her hands. “Which means that she has been here for about the same amount of time that Skitter has had her power and thus has no blame in the situation.” Smithers rubbed at her face, mortified at what had happened in that room, happened because of her overzealousness. “And then I go and insult what was probably the first friend that Skitter has had in years, condemning No No’s parents for raising her in a way that ensured that she would intervene and save Skitter. God I have fucked up.”

“Yes Carolyn, you have,” Ms. Burns said as the car slid to a stop in front of their building. “Hopefully those girls will not hold a grudge, indeed I highly doubt they will. You will not get a friendly reception from them in the future however, and I wouldn’t expect them to treat you with any more respect or deference than your position requires until you somehow show your reticence.” At that point Ms. Burns climbed out of the car and walked into the office building where the Youth Guard’s local offices were quartered, Carolyn scrambling to get out of the vehicle and catch up.

“Ms. Burns,” Carolyn said as she caught up to the elder woman and started to hover in her wake. “How do I fix this?”

“Honestly Carolyn,” Burns said as they entered the elevator and settled in for the five-floor ride, “I don’t know if you can. A sincere apology to each of them would be a start, but the problem is that they both know you believe what you said to them whole-heartedly, so it would come off as insincere and conniving.” Carolyn’s face fell, and she and her boss contemplated the situation as it traveled upwards.

[Rajvik]

**
You say you were wrong,
To ever leave me alone,
Now you’re sorry,
you’re lonesome and scared.[/url]
Kagome Kuno groaned a bit as the strains of a six-string guitar woke her from her sleep. It took a minute for her to realize where she was and why she was hunched over a kotatsu. Looking around she saw two of her cousins equally passed out, face down in their books from the late-night cram session they had endured last night. Why do I hear Akane?” she asked herself mentally as her mind wound itself into wakefulness. Suddenly she threw the top of her laptop open to see the girl in question sitting in a chair with a blank wall behind her singing along with nothing but her six-string. “Megumi, Ayame, wake up!”
 
“Purple pinwheels in Paris,” Megumi snapped out, sitting up completely as she spoke, then blinking once before faceplanting back into her math workbook.

Meanwhile Megumi’s twin-sister Ayame snuggled deeper into her own arms while muttering, “But I don’t have to go to school today Auntie Nabiki,” before dropping back into unconsciousness.
 
Kagome facepalmed at her cousin’s antics and then sighed. Because it was Sunday, which was their only day off from school, it was the only day that the old man was not allowed to wake them up. Because of that, Saturday nights tended to be the night that they did group things such as sleepover study sessions, which they usually also took to the Kuno estate. (This was also partially because Genma-oji would not raise the ire of Mr. Green Turtle AND her mother at the same time.) That all said and done, this time the study session was only amongst family, and only amongst their age group, but while Aunt Ran’s other daughter Mayumi might have broken up with Akane, Kagome still thought of the younger girl as a friend.
 
“Souske-oji?” she said sticking her head out of the small study building’s only window.
 
“Yes, mistress Kagome?” the old family retainer said from above her on the roof.
 
Looking up, Kagome found the head of the elder retainer and that of his eldest son sticking over the roofline. One of the things Takahashi-sensei had gotten right in her story was the level of devotion that Souske’s family held toward the Kuno’s. (That and the fact that they were probably one of the last remaining ninja clans in existence.) “Akane has shown up on our groups video chat server,” she said mimicking her mother’s usual business tone. “Please inform the rest of the band that we will be proceeding with practice as fast as everyone can arrange.”
 
“As you wish young mistress,” the elder retainer said and then vanished.
 
“Momo-kun,” Kagome continued, smiling at the boy who she had grown up with. “Please tell the kitchen staff that we would like breakfast out here in the study shed. All three of us, please.”
 
“Yes Mistress Kagome,” the young man said, his head snapping back over the roofline and disappearing. He wasn’t quite as experienced as his father, and she could hear his footfalls as they raced across the length of the shed roof.
 
Now, she thought. Now to wake the twins. Perhaps a bucket of water from the pond. It should be sufficiently cold. Besides, there’s no reason to upset Mr. Green Turtle.
**Katie**
When we reached the Wards area Akane was dead silent as she stormed to the back, “That’s where the rooms are,” Taylor told me. “She’s probably getting something.” Sure enough, a couple of minutes later the enraged teen came storming back out, a guitar case in one hand, and a laptop bag in the other. Quickly and surely, she shifted the coffee table and an easy chair from how they had been setup to ensure a blank wall behind her before setting up the laptop and plugging it into the wall for power, and the television for display. A handful of keystrokes and the TV only showed her along with a bundle of empty image slots, and then the guitar came out. It was old, dinged here and there from being roughly handled at times, but seemingly loved. Some slow plucks and strokes and then the turn of the guitar’s keys to tighten the strings and it was in tune, then she softly started to play.
 
Angie, Angie
When will those dark clouds all disappear
Angie, Angie
Where will it lead us from here
With no lovin' in our souls
And no money in our coats
You can't say we're satisfied,
 
I knew the song, an old Rolling Stones tune, but the way she played and sang it, it was haunting. There was real loss, real pain in the words, more than what could have possibly happened in the conference room, This is older than that, I thought as listened. Whatever was said in the conference room pissed her off, but backing off like that, it reminded her of another pain, something that isn’t healed yet.
 
She played through “Angie” and then through other songs. Nothing held firm about what she played except that the slow haunting melodies were all ballads, and all were sung with the same pain that had filled the first song. It wasn’t until after an earie rendition of “Beth” that something else started. An almost thunderous crash came from the television and took our attention from Akane to it and the people who now populated it’s screen.
**Akane**
The thunderous downbeat of drums and keyboard snapped me from my introspective playing of various ballads and love songs first to the big screen and then to Taylor and Katie looking first at the TV, and then at me. My problem had been that I wanted Mayumi, I had wanted that one person who had been there for me when my grandmother and grandfather had died, and while she hadn’t been there after mother’s death, I could understand how much I had scared her. With me in Brockton Bay, there was a 13-hour time difference between me and Tokyo, there it was Sunday morning, and I had not expected anyone to be awake quite this early. Still, as what had become one of our signature songs thundered through the room, I smiled, and then I started to sing.
**Taylor**
I've got a dream 'bout an angel on the beach
And the perfect waves are starting to come
His hair is flying out in ribbons of gold
And his touch has got the power to stun
I've got a dream 'bout an angel in the forest
Enchanted by the edge of a lake
His body's flowing in the jewels alive
And the earth below is starting to shake
But I don't see any angels in the city
I don't hear any holy choirs sing
And if I can't get an angel
I can still get a boy
And a boy'll be the next best thing
The next best thing to an angel
A boy'll be the next best thing[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eln48BCELk]
 
Akane’s sang, the song was slow, haunting, just like the ballads she had been singing before, and maybe that is why the people on the screen had chosen it. But as it hit a point, the music changed. No longer the slow, haunting but loud ballad type of song, but a hard, driving rock and roll song that I found myself drawn into smiling. After the first chorus I found myself remembering the Aleph import movie, and the soundtrack that my parents had loved. What was more, these people had the sound to pull it off. Akane’s image sat at the center of the screen, this time doing pure vocals. A boy, with messy brown hair sat at the drums above her, keeping up with the dark-haired girl that was on a separate screen below Akane’s playing a keyboard. Finally, there was two more girls whose screens sat to either side of the Akane, both were identical redheads that were playing guitars. It took a moment of watching but while at first one could think that maybe there was a video glitch showing two screens of the same person, a closer look showed that one was playing lead guitar, while the other played bass. This made it clear that they were different people.
 
The song came to an end and the lead guitarist said something in Japanese that I couldn’t understand, but Akane was there as always to help things. “Kagome,” she said still smiling, “there are others here that don’t speak Japanese, could you please all speak English?”
 
“Sure, sure, Akane,” Kagome answered. “I take it you’re making new friends?”
 
“Somewhat,” Akane answered, and with opposing hands the two redheads facepalmed on the screen.
 
“You’ve been being your usual stoic, Takamachi self haven’t you Akane?” the one on the left of the screen grumbled out.
 
“I think she probably made friends in her usual style,” the right-side redhead countered. “Beating the hell out of troublemakers and or bullies.”
 
“She did that,” Katie and I chimed in simultaneously, followed by us sharing a look and laughing before stepping around behind Akane and getting into the camera’s view.
 
“This is Taylor, and Katie,” Akane said pointing at each of us in turn. “Girls,” she continued, “on keyboard, we have Kagome Kuno, and on guitar, her cousins Megumi and Ayame.” As Akane named each girl, the girl bowed at their respective camera. “on drums we have Kyon,” the boy waved, and behind the cameras and the technical details we have his girlfriend Haruhi.” A brunette girl with a yellow hair ribbon stuck her head out into the view of Kyon’s camera and waved.
 
“So Akane, what have you been up to for the past week?” Kagome asked, “get into a skating school like you planned?”
 
Akane just blew a raspberry at the camera causing everyone to laugh. Katie broke in, “Oh she got in, and then was promptly kicked out when she embarrassed the administration and caused the entire school to be shut down, what, maybe thirty minutes after you arrived?”
 
Akane shrugged, “Maybe, I was already on my way to jail by that point.” A statement that caused the girls on the TV to all gape.
 
“You’re joking right?” one of the redheads asked, causing Katie to shake her head no. “Damn Akane, that’s faster than mom ever managed.”
 
“Or dad for that matter,” the other redhead chimed in. “How did you manage that?”
 
Akane didn’t say anything so Katie continued. “She took out a pair of bullies, rescued a damsel in distress, and in doing so exposed a hellacious cover up that the school administration had been hiding for years once the investigative team was done searching the building for the various code violations that they found.” I noticed that Akane’s gaze had shifted to Katie as mine had. I had only known that they had shut Winslow down, not why, and Akane’s eyes had gone wide as Katie had listed off what had happened. Katie was suddenly the one getting all the attention as everyone on the screen chimed in at the same time asking questions. Shifting her gaze from the laptop’s camera to Akane and myself her face went from smiling to a total deadpan. “You didn’t know?”
 
“They expelled me before I even got to Aunt Emily’s office.” Akane answered.
 
“I was in the hospital, and then here,” I answered slightly shocked.
 
“Well that’s what happens when a Takamachi makes an impression.” Kagome said quelling the babbling on the screen and causing Katie to smile. “So what kind of music do you two like?”
**

[Norgarth]

some broken coding near the start of the chapter (the link is larger than I think you intended), but overall a nice installment

[Rajvik]

some broken coding near the start of the chapter (the link is larger than I think you intended), but overall a nice installment

must have been something that happened during the copy from word to the forums because it's not happening with the other two sites i post this on. I'm also getting a mess of code at the very start of the paste, but it seems to be all type/font/size coding and i just delete it to keep things clean. fixed an italics issue and a spelling issue thanks for reading

[Rajvik]

**Emily Piggot**
I sighed as I stepped out of the stairwell and onto the Wards level of the headquarters. I could already hear music playing, which meant that the girls had apparently turned the sound up on the stereo system in the lounge to near deafening levels. This caused me to shake my head in exasperation as it was something that I would have to nip in the bud immediately if for no other reason than to keep them from destroying their hearing. One song ended and another started as I got closer to the door, and because of that, the music, and in particular the singer could be heard more clearly. Honestly, it shouldn’t have surprised that it was Akane singing. When the bureaucrat from the Japanese consulate had contacted me and informed me of Hitomi’s death and that they were questioning whether to leave her with a local family to finish her schooling in Japan, or send her to me, I had jumped on the chance to get to know her better. We were as close as we could be living on opposite sides of the planet and in completely different cultures, but we were family, and we did have a connection of sorts thanks to my brothers old six-string guitar. When she had been in middle-school she had joined the light music club there because she wanted to learn an instrument. It was during a phone call, as she had told me about it, that I had suggested sending her father’s guitar to her for her to learn on she had jumped on the opportunity. Sending it was easy, my parents had long since died, and James and their things were simply gathering dust in storage, so a quick trip to the storage facility and then to the post office and an old six-string was winging its way across the Pacific to a little girl who was happy to have another piece of the father that she had never known to hold. The problem was that the government official handling the case on this end though was worried about my health.
 
**2-weeks prior**
“Madam,” the consulate official said from across the table as she flipped through what appeared to be my PRT Personnel file. “I frankly don’t know how you do what you are doing. You’re on near nightly dialysis, severely overweight and would qualify for an eighty percent disability if you would be willing to take it.” I lifted an eyebrow at her as she looked up at me from the file. “You refuse both Parahuman healing, or tinker-tech replacements for your damaged body parts and yet you continue to operate in a high stress job where you are forced to be both desk bound and unable to eat any more healthily than your average desk jockey. Quite frankly madam I am surprised you haven’t keeled over from the stress  and hyperglycemia.” I smirked a bit at that, at least until the next words left her mouth. “That said, I have to lay down an ultimatum. Either you get healed, either through Panacea’s ability or tinker-tech, or you take the disability. Refusal to do either will mean that I will have to tell the Public safety office that you are unfit to take Akane in as your health is likely to fail within the next few years, once again leaving her an orphan before her majority.”
 
It honestly surprised me that my heart didn’t stop right then. The life insurance payment, if husbanded properly, would allow Akane to either go to a decent university for the full four years while living on campus, or else survive for the next few years until she could get out of high-school and find a job to work her way through college. “So you’re saying that for Akane to be able to come to the US and live with me, I have to either quit my job, something that while I know there are other people who could do it, I feel they are likely to make a mess out of before they got a handle on it, or trust the kind of people who left me high and dry in a combat situation and caused me to have these injuries in the first place.”
 
To give the woman credit she blinked when I said that, though that may have been because of my tone of voice, then she blinked again and asked, “Director Piggot, has no one told you?”
 
“Told me what?” I asked coldly, I wasn’t going to like what was about to be said, I could tell just by the way the woman’s face became sympathetic.
 
“Akane triggered as a parahuman about a week before her mother’s death as near as we can figure.” She answered. “We, that is the Japanese government, don’t really have a junior version of the Sentai. The underage members usually join in full and work in a sort of apprentice position with other members. We unfortunately do lose a lot of potential members to the Triads and the Yakuza, however I highly doubt that Akane would be one of those. The families that we expect to be willing to take her in are in their own ways very law abiding, though sometimes the damage to the scenery can get a little out of hand.”
 
“How?” I asked white faced, “How did she trigger and with what kind of powers?” I wasn’t scared of my own niece, not so long as she hadn’t ended up with a power that changed her, and frankly I didn’t think that even triggering could change the upbeat future troubleshooter that much.
 
“Did you hear about the Japanese Airlines flight that was hijacked two weeks ago,” I nodded, and then if possible, went even more white faced causing the other woman to nod. “Akane’s class was taking a trip and was on that flight when it was taken. We don’t know the particulars, but whatever happened between the time they landed and the time they left caused her to trigger. When the class landed back at Narita her clothes were covered in blood, but she was unharmed.”
 
“And her powers?” I asked and the woman simply shrugged. 

“We don’t have the ability to test parahumans, at least not minor parahumans. From interviews with her classmates we believe she became some sort of low-level combat thinker, but that could simply have been her previous martial arts experience. The upside is that once she was back home, she seemed to revert to normal, but…” the woman trailed off and I nodded.
 
“But then a week later, her mother died, and she has had to deal with that by herself ever since.” I finished for her and then sighed. “I’ll contact people and see what it will take to get myself healed, I’m not leaving Akane as a Ward of the state, nor am I going to see her end up apprenticed to someone who will take her into danger with little to no care for her well-being.”
 
“Thank you, director,” the official said simply. “Let us know when you have made your decision and effected either the healing or your discharge.” I nodded to the woman before levering myself out of the chair and leaving.
 
A quick phone call to both Armsmaster and then to Brandish and it was arranged. Armsmaster didn’t have the ability himself to make anything to replace my kidneys or right hip joint, but Panacea was scheduled to be at Brockton Bay General Hospital that night and Brandish told me that she would make sure that Panacea knew to expect me at some point that evening.  I wasn’t going to leave my niece to the system, pride and insecurities be damned.
**now**
Bypassing the alarm and delay on the door with my ID pass I opened the door to see Akane, Taylor and Katie sitting off to one side of the lounge, Akane’s laptop sitting out on the coffee table open and facing them, but hooked up to the big screen and showing the faces of several young women and one guy. Each of the people on the TV screen had an instrument and were playing readily as was Akane while Taylor and Katie joined in on the singing. Checking the time, I nodded to myself and called out as the music ended. “Alright girls, I think its time to call it a night, noise ordinances and all that you know.”
 
“Can we do one more song Aunt Em,” Akane called over which was followed by a bevy of pleading from the television.
 
“Alright then,” I said smiling, “One more, but keep it softer than that last one, we don’t want the neighbors complaining.”
 
Akane, Taylor and Katie all smirked at that but nodded. The dark-haired keyboardist nodded, “I know just the song, and so do you, so lead us off Akane.” Then to the others around the TV she called out, “Last song,” and Akane started to play.
 
**Saotome Mayumi**
I sighed as I approached the study shed in the back corner of the Kuno family property. I hadn’t been sleeping properly since the class trip and with school having been back in session for a week, I had the feeling I was starting to fall behind. It was because of these things that I had tried to beg off going to my aunt’s home for the weekly family dinner. My mother had insisted though, so I gathered my study materials and brought them with me in the hopes that I could either get some studying done, or maybe even a nap in the shed. Band practice would keep me from taking a nap prior to dinner, but maybe I would be able to concentrate on studying instead by letting the music keep me awake. Stepping up to the door, I could already hear the sound of Nirvana’s ”Smells like Teen Spirit” being played, I couldn’t hear who they had singing though. Akane always loved to take Cobain’s role in that song, my brain commented flashing an image of Akane working her way through the song’s opening. She also loved how that song then turned on its head and dove into the grunge. I smirked at the thought as I shifted from my winter shoes to a pair of house slippers and pulled the inner door of the space open after putting the shoes in a cubby. “Last song,” I heard Kagome say and frowned a bit. If they were stopping now then either whoever they had on acoustic wasn’t making the cut, or else they had been going at it for hours already. Been at it for hours, my mind provided when I spied the dirty breakfast dishes sitting on the kotatsu. Well at least I might manage… It was then that my mind froze as the opening acoustic guitar riff started playing from the sound system.
 
Here she comes, mm, just like an angel.
Seems like forever that she's been on my mind.
Nothing has changed, she thinks I'm a waste of her time.
There she goes.
No, she don't know what she's missing.
Can't she see I'll never give up the fight.
I'll do all I can.
She understands my desire.
 
My heart clenched afresh as her voice filled the room. This had been the song she had gotten the music club to practice with her so she could ask me out that first time. It hurt hearing her sing it now, the memories it brought to the front of my mind, just as I was sure it did the same for her. Looking around, I spotted Kagome’s laptop sitting on the sound board and plugged in, so I walked over and opened it. Seeing Akane sitting there playing her father’s old acoustic guitar also hurt as I remembered the hours that she and I had spent, me watching and listening to her learning the chords and frets and how each one sounded when “picked” or “strummed.” Hours spent in each other’s company just talking, listening, solving each other’s problems, secrets shared between us, and then sharing ourselves. Hugging myself I realized, I missed her, and I regretted asking her to stay away.
 
Everything hurt, including seeing that gaijin girl that looked eerily similar to me sitting next to Akane, but what made this so painful was that I couldn’t blame her, not for anything. Even as my mind played back what happened on the plane as a part of the memory montage of our lives together, I couldn’t find it in me to blame Akane. She had been protecting me, just like she always had, ever since the first day we met, and I had always let her. I had always known, deep down, that there was a ruthlessness in Akane, there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to keep me safe from anything and everything, including herself if I thought that was what was needed, and apparently, maybe even from myself. No, I thought, I ended our relationship, I was the one that told her to never contact me again. Spirits, three weeks, almost a month, and just hearing her voice and seeing her face made me want to hold her again. I couldn’t do that right now as she had moved to where her aunt lived. What I could do, was possibly get a message out, maybe get through to her, and maybe, just maybe, she would forgive me enough to at least talk to me.
 
**Akane**
I wiped my face, clearing the small bit of tears from my face as the last notes died out. Looking up at my screen as I was about to tell the others good night, I froze at who was in the new window. It was then that she started to sing.
 
[i] Looking back over the years
Of All the things I've always meant to say
But words didn't come easily
So many times through empty fears
Of all of the nights I tried to pick up the phone
So scared of who might be answering.
 
By the third line the rest of the group had picked up the song while I simply stared dumbfounded at the screen of my laptop. This was the song that she and I had learned to sing together, that we had done acapella for our mothers before explaining how we felt about each other. To me this and the song I had just done…THAT’S IT! the light came on in my mind and just in time for me to pick up the second verse.
 
**Taylor**
I smiled as I could hear both the love, and the heartbreak in their singing of the song. Glancing over at Katie I could see the wonder in her eyes as well. She senses it as well, I thought and then used a fly to catch her attention before pointing over to the Director. She nodded slightly and slipped off out of camera view and over to her, leaving me to do the same. Go get her Akane, I thought with a smile.
**
[/i]

[Rajvik]

**Miss Militia**
Walking into the Ward’s common area I looked around and counted five of the six Wards I was hoping to find here. “Where’s Chris?” I asked scanning their faces.

“Getting a snack,” Dennis answered pointing towards the kitchenette causing me to turn and see Kid Win coming out with a bag of chips.

Once he sat down and had offered the bag around the group, I spoke, catching their attention. “There are some things that we need to discuss this afternoon,” I told them. “And while I know you are here off the clock this is rather important so pay attention.” I pinned Dennis with a stare with that last point as he had a habit of only half listening. “As many if not all of you may know, yesterday the Merchants hit Weymouth Mall. They did this while Akane and Taylor were there with Glory Girl and Panacea.” The response to this was expected, chuckles and cringes at what they expected happened to the Merchants. “Also, amongst the crowd was one other parahuman who, because of her actions yesterday, was offered a position as a probationary Ward.”

“Another new Ward?” Dean asked. “We seem to be hitting the lottery when it comes to new capes this month.”

“Is the newbie a complete rookie?” Carlos asked, “or do they have some experience?”

“Oh they have experience,” I answered, “a serious Striker with Mover and Blaster sub-ratings,” they all blinked at that. “The point being though is that because of her home-life she’s going to be living here in Headquarters for a little while, at least until we can get her housing situation sorted out.”

“Miss Militia,” Missy piped up, “I’m sorry but I can’t think of a hero anywhere, independent, vigilante, or Ward that fits those criteria.”

“That’s because until yesterday she was considered a villain,” I stated calmly and then let the screams of “What?!?” wash over me.

Finally though, the hubbub died down and Dean asked the question, “Vicky told me that Rune helped with the situation at the mall, is that who’s joining us?”

I nodded and Dennis gave a rueful shake of his head. “So Sabrina the Teenaged Nazi is pulling a Von Stauffenberg,” he commented earning raised eyebrows from the rest of the group. “I have only two questions regarding this.” I nodded for him to continue. “First, how likely is this to be a feint or ploy to gain inside intel on the Wards and Protectorate? Second, whatever reason she gave for turning to us, do you believe her?”

The others nodded to this making me smile, When Dean and Carlos move up to the Protectorate, you’re going to find leadership very interesting Dennis. “To answer your second question first, Yes, both the director and myself believe her, as does Akane and Taylor.” The group all nodded to this giving it the weight each person felt that it deserved. “Furthermore, her bridges with the Empire are thoroughly burned. In fact, if it wasn’t for the unwritten rules, I think Othala would be sitting in a holding cell about now going by what happened when we went to get Rune’s things this morning.

**9am**
Getting into the building downtown was easy, even deep into Empire territory like it was, it still had a delivery entrance for large, heavy items. That entrance only needed an occupant’s key card to operate, the same as the freight elevator which we used to transport a four-man team, Rune and myself up the apartment building and to the apartment that Rune was sharing with her cousin and her cousin’s husband. “Hopefully they will be gone,” Rune said. “If that’s the case, we’ll be able to just grab my stuff and go. In case they aren’t though, I will go in first to diffuse any possible issues. Ophelia means well, but she’s given herself completely over to the cause.”

I nodded to that, zealots could cause issues for anyone, and someone with that kind of belief and a willingness to die for their beliefs would be trouble. it’s what suicide bombers are made of, my mind jibed at me. “I’ll go in with you, the others can wait in the hall unless they are needed.” Rune nodded to that and when the elevator opened led the way to a non-descript door where she once again used her keycard to unlock the door.

I heard the electronic clunk of the lock disengaging as Rune turned the handle and pushed the door in, “This won’t take long,” Rune said as we walked in, and then I could hear someone talking to her from deeper inside the apartment.

“Oh thank God you finally showed up,” a woman said from inside the apartment and to the right. “Everyone has been worried that something had happened. Get changed real quick and I’ll let everyone know that you’re fine…” she trailed off as she rounded the corner and saw us, even as the winter coat she had been shrugging into settled on her shoulders. “Well this is unexpected.” She finished flatly.

“Ophe, just stay calm,” Rune said raising her hands to show they were empty. “We’re just here for me to get my stuff and then we’re out of here.”

“Really,” the other person, a young brunette woman about 25-years of age said. “And why is the PRT and one of their “Heroes” here with you to get your things?”

“Because I’ll be joining the Wards this afternoon,” Rune answered maybe a little hotly. “I’ve finally seen through the BS that,” she paused for a minute before continuing, obviously having chosen a different word than what she had planned. “I’ve seen through what he’s been shoveling to us for years and I’m leaving while there’s an offer on the table.”

The pair glared at each other for a couple of minutes before the older one sagged, sighed and nodded. “Alright Katie,” she said moving over to a table set in a dining nook. “Go get your things, I know when I’m not going to change your mind.”

“Thanks Ophelia,” Rune replied and took off down the side hall at a jog.

“Simmons,” I said calling forward a female trooper. “Go with her, help her pack her things.” The trooper nodded and followed Rune at a more sedate pace. Turning my attention back to the young woman that I assumed was Rune’s cousin, I continued talking. “I imagine there are a lot of questions running through your mind at the moment, and while I can’t tell you much, I can say that she chose this without any pressure whatsoever.”

“Ophelia,” snorted slightly at that. “I don’t know if there could be a truer statement than that in the entire world,” she said, a wistful smile crossing her face. “With her it is an easy thing to say that no one can force that girl to do anything she doesn’t want to do. She’s stubborn as a goat and twice as hardheaded that’s for certain, but a good heart in her all the same.”

I smiled at that, “I don’t know her yet,” I replied, “but she could have kept her head down yesterday and she didn’t. That makes her good people in my book.”

Ophelia nodded to that, “Just keep her clear of Shadow Stalker please.” She said causing me to raise an eyebrow at that. “It’s nothing to do with the, cause, but the girl had a habit of shooting first and asking questions never and Katie would usually be the one tasked with bringing in the wounded after an ambush.”

I sighed at that and mumbled, “Nobody is perfect, but that girl…” I let myself trail off for a moment before looking at Ophelia and replying, “Shadow Stalker is well out of the picture and no longer capable of being an issue.” This caused both of her eyebrows to move towards her hairline only for Rune and Simmons to return to the room. Rune had a backpack and a suitcase while Simmons was dragging a rolling case in her off hand.

“That’s all of it,” she said looking at the two of us. “Ophe, heres the keycard to the place,” she continued laying the keycard that had gotten us in and up the freight elevator in the first place. “I wiped the laptop once I had all my files pulled out, so it should be good to use again.”

“You could have the computer, you silly girl,” Ophelia said standing up and pulling Rune into a hug. “And also remember, you can always come home if you choose.”

Rune hugged her back before holding her at arms-length, “It’s a nice and generous though Ophelia,” Rune said smiling sadly. “But unless you suddenly decide to come join me, then this is goodbye.”

“Never goodbye cousin,” Ophelia said letting go of Rune and stepping back. “Only good luck, and good hunting,” she continued. “No matter which side either of us is on. Now get out of here before my husband comes to see what’s taking so long.”

Rune smiled before grabbing the handle of her suitcase and leading the way back out of the apartment and back the way we had come. “One last thing Miss Militia,” Ophelia said as we reached the door. “Make sure someone has her back, some of our mutual, acquaintances are not as, accommodating or accepting as I am.

“I won’t say don’t worry,” I told her in a low voice, “you will anyway. But she has a couple of good ones watching out for her, both in and out of costume.”

“Thank you,” Ophelia said with a nod and then closed the door behind me, leaving me to go back the way we had come in, to the freight elevator, and the quiet trip to our next stop.
**10am**

“Katie, what are you…” the brunette that opened the door stopped speaking when she saw me off to one side of Rune. I had changed clothes to a set of PRT undress BDU’s instead of my usual costume. “Katie, is there a problem?”

“Can we come in Kayden?” Rune asked looking a bit sheepish. “What we need to discuss, it’s not for open discussion.” The brunette raised an eyebrow at that but nodded and stepped back, allowing us to enter.

Closing the door Kayden asked, “What is the issue Katie,” as we stepped into a combination living room/dining room and Kayden gestured at the small table.

“Were you serious about going to the light side Kayden?” Rune asked in a low voice causing the woman’s head to snap up and glare at Rune. “I remember when you left Max you said you had to change things to keep her safe, to raise Aster right. Do you still want to do that?”

The woman cut a glance at me and then sighed, “I do,” she answered looking back at Rune. “The problem is that Max has such power and reach, I highly doubt I could get Aster, let alone Theo clear of him.”

“Depending on what you can give us on him,” I said softly, “we could likely get you into witness protection. Between that and rebranding as a hero,” I looked her in the face, “if we can get enough on him, he won’t be an issue to anyone but the prison system, the Birdcage if he pushes matters to far.”

Kayden’s eyes went wide at that, looking at me and then returning her gaze to Rune who nodded. “I’m telling them everything I know about him, Brad, and Uncle James, and then thinking about it, I remembered you wanting to do better. I didn’t give anyone your name, and Hannah here will keep this quiet, but I was hoping you would come in with us and help take them down.”

Kayden thought about it for a moment while looking at the infant sleeping in the playpen. “Do you really think they’ll relocate us? Get us clear of their reach, the Gesellschafts’ reach?”

“I won’t lie to you, and I won’t make you any promises,” I told her. “But if what Katie tells me is true, you knew Mr. Anders and his operations better than anyone else, and I know a series of three letter agencies that would love to know what you do about him.”

Kayden smiled a grim, but apparently infectious smile. “This is going to go international, and it’s going to embarrass some big names in certain communities.” Kayden finally answered. “That said though, I’m in I’ll do anything for my little girl.”

I nodded at her, “Then let’s get the two of you out of here.”

[Rajvik]

**Taylor**
“1 Tsuki 3-nichi no 7-ji 45-bu made ni rokkā.” Akane was muttering in her sleep as I checked on her. “Kyanbera no 2 tsuki no kibō satsujin-sha.” I was planning to wake her up as it was already ten, but standing in the doorway watching her mumble in her sleep was entertaining in its own way and I wished I had my phone on my so that I could record her and ask her what it all meant. “Man'naka no kodomo wa 5 tsuki chūjun ni burokkuton o osoimasu.”

“Akane,” I said trying to wake her gently. Her response was to mutter “Chōnan wa 8 tsuki ni Indo o otozuremasu.” So I raised my voice a little and called her name again, “Akane!”

“Mphll” she answered into her pillow before raising her head and looking at me blearily.

“Time for breakfast,” I told her before heading back to the Wards lounge and the kitchenette where the bacon was cooking. “How do you want your eggs Akane?” I called back as I turned the current crop of pork strips.

A minute or so later Akane stumbled into the common room and looked at me, “What did you ask?” she asked me.

“How do you want your eggs,” I said as I pulled the current strips of bacon out of the pan and dropped another set in. The pan was only big enough for three or four full sized strips at a time, thus making it a small production to cook an entire pound. “I can make you some fried, scrambled, or an omelet, take your pick.”

She looked at me for a moment before shaking her head and giving me a hug, “Thanks Taylor,” she said resting her head against my shoulder. “Just a couple scrambled is fine, I’m going to get a shower and fully wake up, I’ll be back in about ten or so.”

“Kay,” I said as she shambled back toward the rooms and showers and I turned my attention back to the bacon before reaching over and turning up the radio that sat on another counter. I was in too good a mood for too much silence.
**Akane**

Hot water cascading across my head seemed to wake me up, even as I scrubbed my face with my water filled hands. I hated waking up after long nights like last night, I had ended up spending until about five in the morning talking with Mayumi and her family, getting my life back there back on track a bit. At least I could call and talk with her again without upsetting her, or at least I hoped it would be without upsetting her. The fact that she had spent the last few weeks getting little to no sleep due to what happened on the flight disturbed me. I never intended to scare her, I had just wanted to keep her safe, and dealing with the terrorists had seemed like the best way to do that. The problem was of course that dealing with the terrorists had required being a bloodthirsty and cold-hearted bitch.

I sighed and shut off the water. Last night had allowed some closure though, and at least Mayumi and I were talking again. Part of the problem was that it happened at all, and it was going to take more discussion to work things out, assuming the two of us decided that we wanted to try and make a go of things. It wasn’t long before I stepped out of the bathroom, my thoughts having carried me through drying off and dressing. Re-entering the kitchen, I found Taylor finishing up putting breakfast together. It wasn’t anything particularly difficult, just scrambled eggs and bacon with toast and juice to go with it, still though, it made me happy that she had at least thought of me. “Thanks Taylor,” I said as she handed me one of the two plates, “it smells great.”

Taylor blushed a little at the compliment and sat down opposite me at the counter, “Hanging out with your friends last night was fun,” she said after a moment. “I never realized I was tired until it was over.”

I nodded, “Adrenaline crash,” I explained, scooping some eggs up from my plate. “That was perfectly normal after something like yesterday, did you at least sleep well?” Having asked a question, I took a bite of the eggs and felt my eyes start to roll. She had scrambled them but had used the bacon grease to keep them from sticking to the pan. So Good! I thought, almost not hearing her answer

“I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow,” She answered. “You seemed a bit out of it this morning though, how late did you stay up talking?”

“Almost five,” I answered, and Taylor got this look of utter panic on her face. “Don’t worry about having woke me up,” I continued. “I need to keep the same sleep cycle as everyone else, it just means I will probably go to bed a little earlier tonight so that I can get up on time for school tomorrow.” She eyeballed me a for another minute while I enjoyed a piece of bacon before finally calming down and asking another question.

“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, and that’s fine if you don’t,” she said looking away for a minute. “But what did that Youth Guard twit say that had you so steamed last night?”

I sighed around another mouthful of eggs, Taylor, for all her issues, cared more about those around her than herself. Kind of like I would, she put her friend’s feelings, needs and desires ahead of her own. Gotta love her, I thought as I finished the food in my mouth before answering. “She cursed my parents and grandparents, not realizing that both were dead,” I said as calmly as I could. “She one of those people who thinks that violence is never the answer, or at least if violence must be used, then it should be an adult using it against an adult, not a teen.”

And there’s the expected explosion, I thought as I watched Taylor’s eyes go wide and her face go an interesting shade of red. “That FUCKING BITCH! Taylor snarled standing up and leaning on the counter. “Next time I see that little fucking shit stain…”

“Taylor,” I said, cutting off her rant and drawing the flashing eyes of her anger, Holy fuck she’s hot, I thought for a heartbeat. “I can fight my own battles when it comes to bureaucratic little turds like her, don’t worry about it. Calm down, sit down and enjoy your breakfast.”

Taylor looked at me for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting back down. “At least tell me she got called down for it,” Taylor said before shoving an entire piece of bacon in her mouth angrily.

“I think they tried,” I answered. “Though they both may have been a bit in shock as I went toe to toe with the bitch.” At that point I took a second to breathe and center myself. “That said, I did sort of start it,” Taylor spocked an eyebrow at that so I explained. “She tried to harangue Aunt Emily, and I stepped in, playing like I didn’t speak English very well and called her a fucking idiot in Japanese. Her main problem is that she is blinded by her ideology, and between her can’t we all just get along, kumbaya mentality and her need to make a mark protecting children from people who in her mind will only abuse them, well, it’s easy for someone like her to be blinded to the truth.”

“The truth being that sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in,” Taylor said more calmly than she seemed to feel. “It doesn’t matter if we want to or not, it has to be done.”

“Not quite, but close,” I replied. “Violence is one possible solution, should we always default to it, no. Having it available when it is needed however, should always be on the table.” Because sometimes all you can do is smash your opponent.

Taylor nodded, a thoughtful look on her face as we finished our breakfast. As we were cleaning up she finally spoke up again, “That girl that showed up at the end, just as your aunt was breaking up the party, the one who started that last song,” she said as she handed me a plate to dry.

“Yeah,” I answered, “what about her?”

“That was Mayumi, right?” Taylor asked. “You never told me how much she and I resembled each other, nor why you broke up.” And there went my face, bright as a fire engine I was sure, TAYLOR!?! I moaned mentally.
**

[Rajvik]

**
Ingredients:
2-4 Boneless pork chops
8oz can of pineapple juice
8oz soy sauce
1tsp minced garlic
1-small can pineapple chunks
1 medium can Chinese vegetables
1 small bag frozen stir fry vegetables
Directions:
Cut pork chops into bite size pieces and place in bowl with soy sauce, pineapple juice and minced garlic to marinade for one-half hour
While the meat is marinating start rice or noodles as preferred.
Once meat has marinated, brown in an oiled skillet before adding the vegetables and pineapple chunks, (all drained/thawed).
Mix contents of pan thoroughly and heat through until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are warmed but still crunchy. (can be cooked until vegetables are soft if necessary but not recommended)
Serve with or over rice/noodles as preferred.
**
I could hear Taylor’s father coming down as I slipped out the back door of her house and then out the side of her back yard. They needed to have some time together and my pork stir-fry recipe was just enough for two, maybe three depending on how big a portion you took. That said though, between my time talking with Mayumi this morning and helping Taylor cook this afternoon, I was feeling a bit nostalgic. So instead of waiting and catching the bus back toward downtown and the PRT building, I caught the first one that came along, the one that headed deeper into the docks and toward the local Asian community center.

One of the things about Brockton Bay that I liked was that the bus system was considered neutral territory. Almost everyone here needed the busses to get around, at least unless you lived within walking distance of where you worked, and even then, it helped. That said, because practically everyone used the busses, no one could afford for fights to break out on them, thus the transit peace was agreed to, the first rule being that you did NOT start anything, nor drag anything onto a bus. Busses were for quiet and peaceful travel so that the people on them could get where they needed to go. Gang members who had been glaring daggers of hate at each other moments before, had been reported helping the other remove problems from the busses, and short of outside interference, they were probably the one safe place in the city for everyone.

Riding toward the area where the Asian community had centered, I watched the docks degrade further and further. This was considered Merchant territory for the most part, an area of town so run down that even squatters were few and far between, the only people that spent time out here were scrappers and those to high to care where they laid their heads. Slowly they turned bad, and then almost as slowly, they improved again as the bus trundled into occupied and habitable territory.

As the bus turned the corner to head back east in its meandering journey, I found myself looking on something you would expect in New York or San Francisco’s Chinatown areas, that is, if Chinatown had gone by way of Las Vegas. Neon signs were everywhere, as were people moving around, and as the bus came to its first stop, I found myself filing off with the rest of the passengers, if for no other reason than to wonder around.
**
I honestly couldn’t believe what I was looking at, there was no way in all the possible hells that this was here, and yet I was standing in front of the shop looking at the sign that declared its name. “The Cat Café” was a Nerima staple and had been since the early 80’s when a Chinese exchange student had talked her grandmother into coming over with her to Tokyo and setting up shop. Sometime after that, after the second Chinese civil war and the destruction, (or maybe absorption) of the communist party into the Chinese Imperial Union, the group known only as the Chinese Amazons had become refugees. This is one of the many places Lung earned his reputation, helping the women warriors of the Amazons hold off the Imperial army, the Yangban and another tribal group known only as “the Musk” while first their non-combatants, followed by their leaders and the rest of the tribe, evacuated. Most passed through Hong Kong and Singapore to ships which carried them elsewhere in the world. A handful, or more accurately an extended family group, came through Tokyo, to The Cat Café and Elder Ka Lon.
*Eight years prior- Nerima, Japan**

“Greetings young ones,” the old woman said as we walked into the café. The elder was a bit shorter than I was, old, wrinkled, and tottered around with a cane, and yet she was still somehow fast on her fast on her feet as she served steaming hot bowls of ramen and other food. “Have a seat and tell this old lady what she can get for you.”

“One Wrecking crew sized serving of pork ramen please,” Mayumi said as she laid down our combined money. Weeding her aunts flower beds and scrubbing the slime out of mister green turtle’s pond had been hot, tiring work, but well worth the yen it had earned us to get this treat.

The elder looked at the coinage and sighed, “I’m sorry girls, but that’s not quite enough,” she said solemnly. “Costs have gone up recently and I had to raise my prices to compensate. I can give you a regular bowl for that much with some change back…” she trailed off knowing the problem that this particular solution caused.

“But one regular serving isn’t enough for both of us,” I said softly. “Is there someway to earn the money to make up the difference?”

The elder pulled out her pipe and chewed on the stem for a moment, (she had quit smoking a few years before but the habit of chewing on the stem while thinking still persisted,) and then spoke. “Come with me girls, I know you planned on eating first, but maybe a couple of chores for me can earn you each a bowl outright.” Scooping up our money Mayumi and I followed, we would spend the next couple of hours doing dishes and scrubbing various implements, apparently being judged by the elder as we worked. The next week I ended up starting to work for the café, learning the Amazon style of martial arts by doing so, and giving the elder’s granddaughter the ability to learn how to teach in the Amazon style.”

**Now**
Stepping into this Cat Café was like stepping into the one in Nerima, tables and booths covered the floor and at the back stood the kitchen window that the bowls would generally come flying out of at something close to mach speed. Off to one side of the window was a small hallway where the restrooms and the door to the kitchen were, while right next to the door sat a small hostess/waitress station. “Hello,” the girl standing there said as I walked in. “Are you alone?” she asked, and I nodded looking around at the people in the shop. “And will this be dine-in or carry-out?” she continued. The place was about half full and as I opened my mouth to answer, a familiar voice snapped something out in Mandarin causing the girl to break into action.

Five bowls flew in quick succession out of the kitchen window towards one of the tables, but the girl was already moving to intercept, catching and laying out four of them in quick succession. She had apparently missed the fifth bowl however, and I found myself reacting to it, catching it just shy of hitting her in the back of the head, tucking it close and spinning to bleed off it’s momentum so that it didn’t spill. Looking at it I asked the group at the table, “Who had the fully loaded pork?”
**
Once the bowl was handed over to the customer I walked over to the window and called in through it, “Oi, you almost lost your server with that last bowl.”

“Then she need pay better attention,” a familiar voice replied before stepping around into the window. “I know you,” the lilac haired woman said looking at me. “Where I know you from?”

I smiled, “Elder Xian Pu,” I said switching to Japanese and bowing. “You know me from Nerima, you helped train me under Elder Ka Lon”

She looked at me, obviously thinking back over the years before her eyes widened in shock. “You are Mayumi’s friend, the fast learner,” she said suddenly and I nodded. “What is your name though, I can’t remember?”

“Akane, elder.” I answered.

She nodded, obviously committing the name to memory, “Alright, but what are you doing here?” she asked.

“Getting some dinner for me and my aunt,” I answered. “With what I’ve done today and the late night I had last night I figured that a touch of home that my aunt can not only identify but enjoy would be welcome.”

“No,” she said and then paused, “I mean obviously I can handle that, but what are you doing in Brockton Bay?”

I could see she wanted to ask where my mother was but wasn’t going to push on that at the moment, still she needed an answer, which an honest one would cover mom just as well. “There was an accident while mom was heading home last month, she didn’t survive.” I said softly. “Aunt Emily was my last surviving relative, so I came here to live with her.”

The elder disappeared from the window, her voice calling out a command in Mandarin even as she headed around the wall and came through the kitchen door a second later and wrapped me up in a hug. It felt good to be held honestly and I hugged her back all the same. “Why didn’t you stay with Nabiki or Ran,” she asked, “both of them would have been happy to take you in.”

“Mayumi and I had just broken up,” I said, causing the Amazon to put me at arms-length and look at me. “It wouldn’t have been right to put either of us through that, so I came here to live with my father’s sister.”

“You and Mayumi were?” the question was left hanging there because of course no one had told the Amazon.

“We were dating,” I answered more calmly than I felt. “For about two-years, then there was an incident where I protected her, but then everything went to hell because when I protected her and the rest of the plane’s occupants, I scared the hell out of everyone there.”

“What did you do?” she asked.

“What I had to,” I replied, “they were going to hurt people, probably were going to rape Mayumi, and I gutted that one like a fish with his own knife.” The last came out in a growl as I remembered tricking the man into the planes bathroom and then using his own knife on him. “When they pulled us out, I was covered in his blood and unrepentant about anything I had done.”

Xian Pu looked me in the eyes and nodded, “Good,” she said coldly, “such things are to be done when necessary and put behind you. Now, what do you and your Aunt want to eat.”

“Beef Bowls,” I said smiling at the subject change. “Wrecking Crew size for me, but a regular for her, and don’t spare the daikon.”

The Amazon Elder nodded and called back the order in Mandarin to whoever they had cooking before sitting me down at a nearby table. “So tell me, what has been going on with you?” she asked, and I spent the time between then and when the order came out telling her what had happened in the last eight years.
**

[Rajvik]

**Akane**
The trip back from the Neko Hanten was faster and more hair raising than I expected. Part of that was because the Elder introduced me to the café’s delivery girl and nascent mechanic Musu Haruka. Her, or more importantly, her motorbike, was going to be what got me to the PRT headquarters with my food order before things could get cold. “Elder,” I said as the girl threw the bike back into working order, “I can catch a cab just as easily.”

“Cab cost money,” the lilac haired elder said smiling, “Haruka-chan can get you back faster by taking other routes.” She tucked a couple of take-out menus into the heated box containing the food as Haruka handed me a helmet and goggles, and once I had them and the backpack style carrying case in place, we took off for downtown. Quite frankly, it surprised me that it took as long as it did for me to realize that something was wrong with the throttle.
**Battery**
Assault and I had just stepped out of the PRT building to do a walking patrol of the immediate area when it happened. The only warning we had was the roar of a two stroke engine and a high pitched cry causing me to spin and him to be put face down under a motorbike. Thankfully the operator had killed the engine before the landing, so Assaults use of his power to negate the impact of him into the ground also killed the bike’s forward momentum. “See, we here Akane,” the operator said as the passenger climbed off the back of the bike and staggered away a couple of steps.

“Yeah no thanks to you, you maniac,” the director’s niece replied pulling the helmet and goggles she had been wearing off of her head. “Something is seriously wrong with that bike,” she finished. Looking past her ride she saw me and commented, “Hey Battery, where’s Assault?”

My response was to point down under the bike which caused the operator to gasp and jump clear, grabbing the bike by the main bar and lift it off of him one handed. “Gomen'nasai,” she gasped setting the bike down next to her. “I no see…”

Assault, the damn joker, used the stored kinetic energy to pop back up to standing as if he was some kind of demented Jack in the Box. “It’s alright sweetie,” he said patting the girl on the helmet. “Accidents happen and I can take a shot like that so long as I can see it coming.”

“You no mad?” the girl asked pulling the helmet and goggles off of her head to reveal long black hair and big green eyes.

Assault just ruffled her hair a bit and smiled, “It takes a lot more than a motorbike and the weight of a couple of girls to hurt me,” he said tapping his chest with his free hand. “What has you girls out at this hour anyway?”

“Elder said to bring Akane-sempai back to PRT,” the girl answered smiling up at Assault, she then turned and nattered something off at Akane who went pale.

“I think you need to get back to the café Haruka,” Akane said setting the strange backpack she was wearing down and pulling out some large bowls and other items. “And I imagine Assault and Battery were going on a patrol about now, so they need to get back to it.”

The girl sighed and nodded, “Is true,” she said after a couple of seconds and taking the pack back from Akane. “Elder will want hotbox back for other deliveries and I need to see why engine go run away again.”

“Let me take a look real quick,” Assault said leaning over the bike motor and pulling out a flashlight. A couple of seconds later he nodded, “Yup, there’s the problem.”

“What problem?” the girl asked as she tucked her hair back into her helmet.

“Your throttle return spring is broken,” the hero answered, “I can give you a temporary fix that will get you home, but you need to replace the spring itself.”

“Hai,” the girl said beaming. She then shook herself and apparently remembered her English and replied, “Yes please, and thank you.”

“Not a problem,” Assault said taking a paperclip and rubber band out of his pockets and hooking them up to replace the spring. “That won’t last more than one trip, so you are going to have to get a replacement, but it will get you home.”

“Arigato Assault-san,” the girl said smiling before giving Assault a kiss on the cheek and starting the motor. “I see you next time Akane-chan,” she called out and then started to putter away on the motorbike.

“What a nice girl,” Assault said before turning back to me. “Don’t you think so Puppy?”
**Akane**
”He would make a good husband, I wonder if he’s single. the words that had come out of Haruka’s mouth haunted me all the way through the lobby and up the elevator to my aunt’s office. The secretary had gone home at five, but Aunt Emily would usually work until eight or nine on a nightly basis to make sure the paperwork she had to handle was done. The last thing we need around here is a bunch of amazons trying to get hitched, I thought as I opened the door and saw my aunt at her desk. Easing through the opening I balanced the bowls on one arm while the other hand held the other essentials for good ramen.

“You know,” Aunt Emily said, not looking up from her paperwork, “if your phone didn’t have a tracking beacon on it I would be more upset than I am. That said, what the hell were you thinking?”

“Just that I needed to think initially,” I answered setting the smaller bowl down on her desk with a few odds and ends to go with it. “Then, when I hit,” I paused at that point because I had to ask, “what is the designation for that area by the way?”

“Asia-town” Aunt Emily answered looking at the bowl and additions. “Most folks call it Asia-town now, though it used to be called the West end because it was the western end of the bus lines.”

I nodded, “When I got to Asia-town, it was a serious hit of nostalgia, which I expected, and I got off the bus to wander around just a touch.” I smiled, “Then I ended up finding an old teacher and some really good ramen.” With that I took the lid off my bowl and after adding a dash of soy sauce, lifted the bowl to my lips and drank down a couple of mouthfuls of the marvelous miso and beef broth that the Neko Hanten ramen always had.

“You know that no one is supposed to use the bus routes to gain intel on anyone else right?” Aunt Emily asked and I nodded. The bus lines were one of the few things around town that were considered hands off for one reason or another. In the case of the busses, it was that the people around town were so broke that everyone needed the busses and their routes. If gangs or individual capes made it to where a bus line had to be closed, then the people that that route covered would suffer, and while the Merchants almost directly, and the other gangs through other means preyed on and profited from suffering, people without jobs couldn’t buy the various good or services that the gangs might provide. Furthermore, with the civilians in their territories out of work, the charities that acted as fronts for two of the gangs would have no donations coming in that were not money laundering, and thus all their illegal activities would be more easily spotted. Thus, the gangs kept the bus lines peaceful for their own benefit if nothing else.

“Good,” Aunt Emily said before taking a careful sip of her ramen. “You won’t tell me of any illicit things you might have spotted, and I unfortunately won’t ask. Now,” she continued, “Who is this old teacher and why is it important?”

“Well Aunt Em,” I said separating my chopsticks and scooping up some noodles. “Do you remember when I was eight and I spent a few months working as a waitress on the weekends at that shop in Nerima?” she nodded absently around her fish cake and then stopped before raising her head and swallowing,

“The Chinese Amazons?” she asked.

“The same,” I answered nodding. “Elder Xian Pu was actually the one to teach me, and she’s still teaching, had a girl in there tonight going through some of the moves.” I pulled out the half of boiled egg that came out of my bowl and ate it. “Not bad overall, needs to work on her situational awareness and keeping count, but she has the speed and the moves for where she seems to be at.” Aunt Emily nodded slowly as I took a bite of my food before I continued. “The bigger problem is that one of them is showing signs of,” I paused a moment to pick the right word for this one, “interest in Assault.”

This sent Aunt Emily into a coughing fit, almost causing her to drop the bowl of soup as she hacked and wheezed around the broth that had gone down the wrong hole. “Explain,” she hacked out after a minute.

“Elder Xian Pu had their delivery girl give me a ride back to base,” I answered. “The throttle broke on the trip, though I’m not sure quite where, and when we arrived, it was by landing on Assault with her motorbike. He not only solved the problem of the runaway throttle but shrugged off the hit as if he’s always getting landed on by two teenage girls on motorbikes. I think Haruka-chan was impressed.”

“How old is she and how bad can this get?” Aunt Emily asked massaging her forehead.

“Fourteen, maybe fifteen,” I answered, “and as to how bad, not very and extremely.”

“Explain,” Aunt Emily groaned.

I set my bowl down and thought, “Chinese Amazons,” I said closing my eyes in concentration, “Matriarchally ruled tribal group where any woman’s word is law. Tribal elders originally were simply the eldest of the various households, but once they fled the CUI in late 1999, they adapted to where each enclave has a group of seven. Elder Xian Pu is only a few years older than my mother and the same age as Mayumi’s mother and if she is here then there is an enclave of Amazons, probably somewhere just outside of town, bordering on Asia-town.” I frowned at this point but continued. “It has been reported to Elder Ka Lon that most if not all of the enclaves have been adapting to and adopting local laws as opposed to isolating themselves like they did in China, but to what extent the local group has I don’t know. That said, if Elder Xian Pu is in charge here then she will be pushing to adapt to local customs. Because of that we are less than likely to see a challenge for Assault’s hand in marriage.”

Once I said that I heard Aunt Emily sigh in relief, “Thank God,” she said, “I think Battery could take even an Amazon trained fifteen-year-old, but better to not even have to worry about it.”

“Oh it’s not Haruka-chan that we would have to worry about,” I replied, “it would be her elder sisters or mother.” Aunt Emily just groaned at the thought.
**Miranda**

I sighed as I mounted the steps to the back porch. “Rough night?” I heard my father ask and I looked over to find him sitting on the porch swing where he could see the stars.

“You could say that,” I answered. “I only came close to getting concussed twice tonight, which is an improvement.” He nodded at that, so I continued. First one was during the dinner rush and I had my guard up enough that I sensed it just before it would have hit and ducked.” He chuckled and I sighed, “broken bowl to pay for, mess to clean up, but my head was still intact. The second one though, a girl younger than I was had walked in off the street and caught it just before it knocked me cold.”

Her father leaned toward her listening closely, “She caught it” he said, and I nodded. “Was she another amazon?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” I answered. “I caught some of her conversation with Elder Xian Pu and the elder seems to have taught her years ago in Tokyo under the supervision of Elder Ka Lon.” I sat down on the swing next to my dad and sighed. “The girl is phenomenal,” I said, “and interesting. Not to mention I swear I have seen her somewhere before.” This caused my father to lift an eyebrow and look at me. “She’s not someone I know from around town, and not someone I have seen amongst the Amazons, but the Elder had Haruka-chan take her home.”

“Did no one else recognize her?” my father asked. When I shook my head he then pulled out his phone. A few taps and he was showing me a picture and asking, “Was this the girl?”

I looked, “Yes,” I answered, “why, is she someone important?”

“In a way,” my father said smiling. “Congratulations daughter, you are the first of our family to meet your cousin.” Cousin? I thought, Since when have I had a cousin?

[Rajvik]

**Katie**

“That was,” I started as Greg and I walked out of the cinema and into the mall’s lower area.

“Absolutely horrible,” Greg said shaking his head. “I’m sorry,” he continued after a minute of us blindly walking toward the stairs. “The reviews said that it was a good date movie and I…” he trailed off with a shrug that left me shaking my head and smiling.

“I think that the critics figured that a sappy chick flick like that had to be a good date movie,” I commented pulling him into a hug. “It fits their pre-conceived notions that women are all either sappy, romance addled idiots, or butch, battleaxes that don’t know what “true love” really is.” I watched as he smirked at my commentary and even blushed a touch. “Now,” I continued. “Since the movie Taylor and Akane suggested doesn’t start for another hour, what do you suggest to kill the time?”

Separating Greg actually stopped to think for a minute before responding, “We could just walk around the mall,” he started. Something must have shown in my expression because he finished with, “but you’re not a window shopper.” I smiled at him and shook my head no, “Then really there is only the Arcade, the food court or Uber and Leet’s place.”

I lifted an eyebrow at the last. Taylor had shown me the PHO thread on what had happened yesterday, and I had never known that the pair had a shop here in Weymouth, “Where is that?” I asked conspiratorially.

“It’s kind of hidden,” he answered smiling, “they prefer word of mouth advertising rather than mall wanderers, but I used to frequent their shop when it was over in Lords Market.

“Then show me,” I replied with a smile, “and let us see what we can find.” Greg smiled before grabbing my hand and leading me around the stairs to the other side and a curtain covered doorway with a sign reading “Games, Comics, and Cosplay”.
**

I had never admitted it to anyone, but I did have another secret besides being a parahuman. That secret was that I loved Japanese animation. The industry on Bet took a hit with the destruction of Kyushu, but there was still Aleph imports and within five years of the island’s sinking various companies had managed to claw their way back from the brink through either the licensing or the production of various Miyazaki works as well as going back into their archives for older works. Many of the earlier anime productions that had never been released outside of Japan itself found their way to America and Europe as animation artists and writers tried to get various new material produced and ready for release.

In the interim, and more pertaining to myself, between internet downloads from Aleph and some borrowed DVD’s from friends, I had managed to watch probably half of Ranma ½, the better part of Yu Yu Hakusho, and all three seasons of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was because of these that when Akane had walked in and so casually beat the hell out of Sophia Hess that I wasn’t even considering trying to start trouble with her. She carried herself like she deserved the two names she carried. (I had asked the ABB boy, Adam, about her last name and he had given me the name of another anime for me to check out,) and I knew from interviews with the manga-ka Takahashi that her story had been based on real people that she had taught in school. No, Akane Takamachi was not someone I would have wanted to fight, and that was before powers got involved, and then seeing her pissed last night reminded me even more of her namesake and that anime.

All that said, walking into Uber and Leet’s shop was like stepping into something akin to heaven. Along the wall to our left were shelves of shoe box sized totes filled with various disks, both of anime and games, mostly indexed alphabetically and separated by system. On the wall opposite the door were manga and comic books, alphabetized by title and again stored in totes for ease of sealing and protection. To our right was a register and behind it, a glass case containing various game systems and (what I hoped were) prop weapons while the center floor of the shop held a foursome of folding tables and chairs along with a quartet of mannequins. In the corner behind the register stood the Mjolnir armor that Leet had worn the previous day and one of the four mannequins was wearing the Shadowrun clothing that Uber had worn for the raid against the Merchants in the mall. Out of the other three mannequins I could only recognize one outfit, Yoko Littner’s bikini from Gurren Lagann.

“Hello, and welcome to Games Comics and Cosplay,” a voice said drawing my attention to a hidden door between the racks of anime and those of manga. A young man, only a few years older than Greg or myself was stepping out of what I imagined was a back area of the store, “I’m Uber,” he continued, only a domino mask hiding his identity, “how may I help you.”

“We’re mostly just browsing,” Greg answered from behind me as we walked deeper into the store. Uber nodded and Greg and I started poking through the various racks and totes. Greg seemed drawn to the print media more than the video, and I started looking for possibilities in building my own private connection of anime. It wasn’t long before I was engrossed almost to the point that I didn’t notice the flashes which caused me to spin and look behind me.

Behind me Greg and Uber were looking at a computer screen that sat in the glass case as images of me spinning around started to appear on the screen. Likewise, five columns appeared below the original pictures and a gauge started to show progress as a program worked its way through its operations. “What are you doing?” I asked stepping over to them.

“Leet wrote a program that can use pictures to take measurements and custom make cosplay outfits for people,” Uber answered. “Thing is, it also cross references images all across the internet for potential costumes so that you have something to choose from if you don’t have any idea what to get made.” He smiled at this point, “It’s great around Halloween for people who need last minute costumes, maybe twenty-four hours for a turn around so long as we have the base materials.” I felt my eyebrows rise at this as images started to fill the five columns with a match percentage beneath them, and then I saw Uber hand Greg a five-dollar bill causing me to cock my head at Greg.

“He bet that the system would throw out Tifa or Alice before anyone else and at the highest match,” Greg explained, “I said that it would throw out Rikku or Yuna.” At that point I smiled, Greg grinned and with a shrug we turned back to the screen as it seemed to settle on what seemed to be my top five matches.
**
“Alright,” I commented as I looked at the screen, “Greg seemed to call two out of the three we can see, but what is the lockout on the other two.” I asked as we looked at the results. Greg, as I had said, had been right that Yuna and Rikku had popped up as the highest matches, but Uber had been right that Alice from the Resident Evil series had also come up. With those being the top three I had wondered why they last two were blacked out and labelled “Age Locked.”

“Well,” Uber said rubbing the back of his head, “You know that there are various adult materials out there as well,” I nodded and then suddenly facepalmed as the realization hit me.

“The last two are from adult franchises aren’t they,” I answered, and he nodded in response. “Are you even able to look into them?”

“We can,” he answered, “but in all honesty the program gets wiped at the end of the day so that there is no compromising information on anyone.”

I nodded at that, “Yuna’s outfit then,” I told him and both him and Greg goggled a minute at me. “What?” I asked, “I’d look good in that.” I said pointing at the outfit.

Greg grinned, “Yeah, but it’s a little early for Halloween and unless there is a local comic-con that I don’t know about…” Greg trailed off as I smiled. “Alright,” he said matching my grin. “What are you thinking about?”

“Well there happens to be two different conventions next month, one in Boston, the other in Marlborough and I was thinking that maybe I could take you on at least a day trip to one of them.” I went silent at that point, figuring I had probably gone just a touch to far, too fast.

Greg floundered for a moment, his bran obviously trying to reboot from what I had said. “You know,” Uber said coming to Greg’s rescue, “I could give you a discount on the Alice outfit as well if you’d be willing to wear it for this years Halloween episode.” I looked at the cape and raised an eyebrow, so he explained. “The mall has already contracted Leet and I to do a zombie apocalypse adventure night for Halloween proper, having Alice and maybe a few other heroes show up to help the customers would make for an epic show.”

“I might be game,” I replied smiling. “Especially if I can convince my choice for Jill Valentine and Ada Wong to come join the fun. That of course could probably be helped by you being willing to give them discounts on those costumes.”

Uber opened his mouth to respond when Greg’s brain finished rebooting, and he stepped over in front of me and kissed me good and proper. This sent my brain spinning in the process and once it ended, I was staggering a bit before looking at Uber who was grinning. “I think I can get Greg into shape enough by then to take a role in this as well. Maybe an Umbrella merc outfit?”

Uber nodded, “Let me get your number and I’ll get your Yuna outfit started,” he said as Greg and I stood there grinning like a couple of idiots. “The costume should be done by next weekend unless we get some serious rush orders, but I’m not expecting anything like that. You contact your other teammates and get them in here over the next few months and we’ll get everyone’s costumes ready by the start of October.”

I nodded to that, “Alright Greg, lets go see another movie,” I said taking him by the hand and leading him toward the door, stopping long enough at the cash register to pay for the outfit and a couple of anime DVDs and provide Uber with the number to my new cell phone.

“You two have fun now,” Uber said smiling as we walked out of his shop, I grinned as I pulled Greg closer, holding hands as we went back towards the theater and what I had been told had been a decent action movie.

[Rajvik]

Backstage in Brockton Bay
A canon omake by the author
(Blame Strypgia for this)

“Wakey wakey sweetie,” I heard my girlfriend say from outside my nest of blankets on our bed. Even as she tried to coax me out of my warm nest my brain whined no, as I inched toward wakefulness.

“Don’t wanna,” I grumped from beneath the bunched-up blankets. I was warm, comfortable, and only lacking her in here along with me to be happy.

“Come on baby,” she cooed as I felt a weight settle on her side of the bed. “I have your coffee and one of those sausage, egg and bacon monstrosities of grease on a bagel you seem to love here for you.”

“Coffee?” even I could hear my voice perk up at the mention of the blood of the gods that is required by any normal person to get their body in motion for the day. In response my hand reached out from my nest and into the cold air of our on- site trailer

“Nuh uh,” my girlfriend replied before tickling the palm of my hand with one of her callused fingers. “You have to come out of your little nest to get either one,” she told me, “I let you take either in that pile and not only will there be a mess in the bed, but I’ll spend another two hours trying to get you out of there when you’re due in makeup in another hour. Now come on, I’ve got the bathroom all heated up for you.”

“Meanie,” I whined, but maybe a minute later I was smelling my usual Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, probably with my usual skim milk and three shots of espresso. “Alright, I’m up.” I groaned as I sat up and stared at Akane from my fortress of blankets, “It isn’t even light out yet,” I griped before looking over at the clock. “Akane, it’s barely six-a.m. why are you waking me up now?”

“Because you have an interview to film this morning before we shoot the scene for arriving at Arcadia,” she answered before handing me my coffee and bagel. “You have to be in makeup no later than seven and in the green room by eight for the interview itself. Add to that, I have to go shoot the preceding scene here in about twenty minutes and can’t wake you up at the last minute to shuffle you into makeup myself, so I’m getting you up now.”

I sighed at that because she was right, “Alright,” I muttered. “But once we’re done shooting today we’re going out to dinner, I’m tired of the take-out around here.”

Akane nodded, “And it’s too cold outside to even try to fire the grill up, so think about what you want to eat, and we’ll see what we can find.” I nodded and then shuffled into the miniscule bathroom that the trailer had to shower and start my day, even as I wolfed down my breakfast bagel.”
**

“Welcome to Stoop Talk,” Nessa, the hostess of the intro/outro interview series for our parent network USA said into the camera as we both sat on green screens so that I didn’t have to run all the way to New York to do this interview. Using the green screen allowed the post-production staff to edit in the Stoop Talk set, and a tennis ball for each of us allowed us to focus on where we should be looking. “Today I’m here with Taylor Sheridan one of the stars of USA’s new breakout superhero hit ‘Welcome to Brockton Bay.’ Taylor, why don’t you tell us a little about the series and your character?”

“Sure Nessa,” I answered moving my plain brown bangs from in front of my eyes, “The show is about a world where people receive super powers during the worst moment of their lives, and correspondingly, the bad decisions that tend to happen because of that. My character, Taylor Hebert for example has spent the last three years practically ignored by her father and the system while for the last year and a half she has been bullied by her former best friend and two of her new cronies. This bullying campaign culminates in Taylor being shoved into a locker full of biologic waste and triggering. Now, this generally sounds like a grim-dark kind of situation save for one thing, the entry of my co-star’s character Akane Tachamachi.”

“What has she to do with things and why is Taylor such a nobody to the system and her father?” the hostess asked.

“Taylor’s father and herself really are suffering from severe depression due to her mother dying about three years before the start of the show. Her father, Danny, has basically buried himself in his work as a result, trying to get work for the members of his union because the docks have been shut down due to the harbor being mostly blocked. The city is effectively rotting on the vine, practically anyone with the means to leave either has, or is making arrangements to do so, leaving only the poor, the destitute and the dedicated in the city.” I shook my head slightly, “It is definitely a darker than Gotham view of things”

“A very dark view for certain,” Nessa replied, “and something tells me that super-powers aren’t making things any better.”

“No,” I answered, “The city itself, according to the story blurb, has a higher super to normal ratio than practically anywhere else in the US, and is home to three major gangs that seem to be a finely balanced cold war between themselves and the Hero side of the law. The local police are rife with gang sympathizers which seems to include Neo-Nazi’s, druggies, and a pan-Asian gang led by a man that turns himself into a fire wielding dragon.”

“And your co-star’s character?” Nessa asked and I smile.

“Walks into the middle of this practically straight out of Tokyo,” I answered my smile turning a touch feral. “And proceeds to not even bother taking names as she starts to try and correct what she sees as wrong with the situation.”

Nessa matches my smile and replies, “Let’s watch a clip and see how that goes.”

[Rajvik]

**Akane**
Five a.m. and my alarm blared jarring me from peaceful dreams that disappeared with the real world’s intrusion. This was a school day, so I didn’t have time to waste as school started at eight, and I needed to get my daily workout in. Sliding out of bed, I threw the covers into some semblance of neatness and grabbed my workout clothes before heading for the shower. Fifteen minutes to clean up and get dressed before I spend five stretching my muscles out so that I can run. Then, after ensuring that I have everything I need to either get back into the apartment or into the Wards area of the PRT I jog down the four floors or eight flights of stairs to reach the street.

For the last week I had been running varying routes through town to the PRT building, learning both the shortest and fastest versus the longest routes so that I could vary my routine and path. Today was a long day, twenty-five blocks in an expanding circle from the apartment to the PRT offices. The short route was only five blocks, a good solid sprint that was good for the trip home, parkour style free running, or trying to beat some incoming rain, but the twenty-five block route was a 5k run, and at a little better than three miles, it would take me about a half hour to finish depending on traffic. Checking my phone, it was 0530 as I slipped the earbuds into my ears and started my running playlist to hear Pat Benatar start singing “Invincible” before taking off down the block and turning left. A good run would get my blood pumping and that would get my brain going for the day.
**
**Katie**
“Good morning everyone!” I heard Akane call from the Wards area hallway, “It is now zero-six-fifteen and school starts in one hour and forty-five minutes. This is to be considered first call, breakfast is on hand in the kitchenette and I will be providing eggs to order in ten minutes once I get showered and change clothes. Last call will be at zero-seven hundred at which point I will drag you from your beds and force you to get up so that you are not late for school. That is all.”

“Mphbt” I mumbled into my pillow but then forced myself to roll over and sit up. I hate morning people, I thought as I drug myself out of the bed and toward the door in my pajamas. Need clean clothes for school, my brain continued causing me to turn to the tiny dresser that currently held all my clothes. Pulling out a button-down shirt, undershirt, slacks and the necessary under-garments took a few minutes as my brain was slowly spun up by physical activity, regardless of its serious lack of caffeine. Finally, I was able to make my way down the hall to the showers only to be passed by Akane as she headed out of the shower and back toward the front of the Wards area.

“Morning Katie,” she said, “are you the only one here?”

“Yeah,” I answered. “Everyone else was gone when I got in last night from my date. Could you scramble me two with some toast?”

“Sure,” she answered, “bacon will be up as well.” I nodded and continued toward the showers even as my brain groaned, Mmm, bacon.
**
**Taylor**
I hitched my book bag a little higher as I stepped off the bus and looked down the block at the gates of Arcadia. Leaving middle-school my grades had been good enough for me to go here, but Emma’s hadn’t and for our friendship’s sake I had joined her at Winslow. Worst mistake EVER! my mind supplied even as I started walking toward the gates. The friendship that I had sacrificed my place at this school for died that summer, and then I ended up in the hell that had been my time at Winslow. Stopping outside the gate’s opening I took a large breath of air and then slowly let it out, centering myself. I have friends here, I thought, I won’t be alone in this. Another deep breath and a self-affirming nod and I was walking through the gates at a brisk pace.

“ID please,” someone said from my right, causing me to turn and look.

Realizing that the person my insects had picked up waiting there was a security guard caused me to blush. “Sorry,” I said softly, “Winslow you learn to clear anything that blocks your line of sight quickly lest someone uses it to jump you.”

The security guard was probably in his mid-thirties but clean shaven and sporting an almost shaved head. Not the Empire type skin head haircut, but a military cut with the sides shaved, and while his face was initially a bit harsh, it softened a good bit when he smiled. “I understand miss,” he said calmly as he accepted and checked my coded slip of paper against a list. “I went to a rough and tumble school myself, and then afterwards I joined the Corps. You learn the hard way that a little paranoia is usually a helpful thing.” After a minute of looking he seemed to find my number amongst his list and nodded. “They’ll have a school ID for you in your welcome pack, and if they don’t, they’ll probably take you to make one. You have a nice day now.” He finished as he handed me the coded slip back with a smile and I smiled back.

“Thank you, and you too,” I replied, and he just nodded before turning his attention back to the crowd entering. I turned and started walking toward the main doors of the building, looking around for any familiar faces. I probably have remembered to look up as well, if I had I wouldn’t have been surprised when I heard Vicky call out “Hey Taylor!” from above me and to my right, causing me to jump a solid six-inches into the air.
**
**Amy**
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at Taylor as she jumped, her head snapping around to spot who had called out to her. Vicky had risen above the crowd, (as usual) and I was walking in her wake as people cleared a path in case she dropped, which she did in Taylor’s direction as she called out. “Hey Vicky,” Taylor said with an embarrassed wave only to be pulled into a one-armed hug by my sister.

“Little jumpy there ain’t ya,” Vicky ribbed Taylor who smiled and shook her head.

“Old habits,” she answered with a shrug before gesturing at the school. “So, this is Arcadia huh?”

“Yeah,” I heard a voice comment from behind us causing me to spin in surprise at the red-headed prankster that had snuck up behind us. “Not quite as Durance Vile as Winslow, but it is still our parent’s preferred method of educational incarceration.”

“Taylor,” Vicky said smiling. “This is Dennis Dynamite, junior and prankster extraordinaire.” Dennis bowed at the waist, causing Taylor to giggle. “He is currently in the middle of a prank war with my boyfriend Dean.”

“Nothing destructive I swear,” Dennis replied holding up his hands as if surrendering. “And I’m also careful to not involve bystanders,” he smiled slyly. “Except as either a laugh track or with their permission.”

“Making a mess on the other hand, he will do,” I commented, earning a raised eyebrow from Dennis. “That talc bomb in his car didn’t get anyone but him, but it did ruin our ride home that afternoon.” As I spoke, I crossed my arms and gave Dennis a look that usually cowed Vicky on the spot. Dennis of course, was either made of sterner stuff, or just found himself that much funnier because he smirked in return.

“That said,” Dennis continued through his smirk. “I need to get inside though, because someone’s boyfriend is looking for revenge and has planned to set something up to get back at me, so I need to be prepared.” With that said he walked off towards the doors with a smile on his face and a jaunty wave to the crowd.

“Well that was something,” Taylor said wide-eyed. “What was this Talc-bomb that he got your boyfriends car with?” Vicky sighed, but then waved at someone else who was walking through the gates. Turning, I scanned the crowd to see Katie and Akane walk in with a boy of about the same age. He was a little pasty, and a little on the flabby side, but otherwise clean. Unfortunately, he also walked with the wary look of someone who was watching his back for the knife on a fairly regular basis. Glancing at Taylor I could see that she was a little wide-eyed looking at them. “Hey Katie, Akane, where did you meet Greg?”

“Greg was the reason I was at the mall Saturday,” Katie said with a smile as she pulled the boy into a hug.

“Only after she beat the hell out of a pair of idiots who were trying to beat the test answers out of me,” Greg said smiling. “She’s helping me get into shape and learn how to defend myself.”

Taylor smiled and it was an honest smile not a forced one. “That’s good you two,” she said with a nod. “Now, we just have to deal with the hell that is School.”

“It’s not that bad,” I said only to receive a look from the lot of them, Vicky included.

Akane snickered and then began to sing, “We call ourselves, Blake’s seven with pride,”

“Pride, confusion, backstabbing and pluck,” Katie and Taylor chimed in while Vicky laughed and Greg went wide eyed. Honestly, I just stared blankly.

“Though Blake is gone, and three of us died,” Akane continued.

“Amateur rebels, relying on luck,” this time Greg and Vicky both joined Taylor and Katie in singing. I just covered my face as all five of them broke into laughter.

“Where did you find that song?” Greg asked once they had all finished their laugh. Taylor and Katie both pointed to Akane while Akane and Vicky looked smug.

“One of the songs I picked up at a comic convention in Tokyo,” Akane responded before looking at Vicky.

“I actually collect filk,” Vicky answered smiling. “It’s one of my guilty pleasures that even Amy didn’t know about.” They all turned and looked at me and my response was to shake my head and walk towards the doors to the school. Its too early for this shit! I thought.
**
**Akane**
Walking into the school building Amy and Vicky led us to the office where I saw a couple of girls walk out followed by a stern looking woman with a meterstick in one hand and a scowl on her face. She then turned to look at us and nodded, “Are you more students from Winslow?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am,” Taylor answered offering the woman a slip of paper.

“That won’t be necessary,” the stern looking woman replied. “Vicky, Amy, if you would be so kind as to take them to Mister Wolfe’s classroom.” Vicky nodded and the woman turned to the rest of us, “Mister Wolfe will hand out your welcome packs and then bring you to the photo lab to have your school identification made. He will also, for today only, act as your homeroom teacher and ensure that you have everything you need including your class schedule and handling any drops or adds you feel need to be made. Please do not make his job exceedingly difficult as he has volunteered to do this for you.” We all nodded and then she looked at me, “Are you Akane Tachamachi?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am,” I answered.

She nodded, “Then let me inform you that your actions at Winslow,” she continued, “while appropriate for the immediate situation at that time will not be allowed here. If you find someone bullying someone, go get one of your teachers immediately, or watch the situation while sending someone else. Unless someone’s life is in immediate danger you are not to physically intervene, am I understood?”

“Completely ma’am,” I answered with a slight bow only to get a nod in return.

“Alright then,” Vicky said clapping her hands once to get all of our attention, “Mister Wolfe’s classroom is this way, and we have about a half-hour until we have to be in our seats so I can give you a short tour before class starts. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Sounds good to me Vicky,” Taylor said with a nod before looking at the rest of us. All of us nodded causing Vicky to smile.

“Excellent,” Vicky said bouncing on her toes, “This is the central hall where the offices are as well as a singular elevator for our physically disabled students so that they can get upstairs to their classes and a matched set of bathrooms. On the second floor is the school store in the place of the office while the third and fourth floors have classrooms in the place of the office. To your left is the east hall, and at its end is the cafeteria while to your right is the west hall and at it’s end the gym and locker rooms. Also at the end of each hallway is a staircase going up to the higher floors to match the one here behind you and to your left and right.”

Four staircases, two in the center of the building and one at either end, all with doors to allow easy egress in case of emergencies. I thought as Vicky started leading us down the east hall. Unlike any of my schools in Tokyo, there wasn’t a set of shoe lockers in the main entry hall for people to change out of their street shoes. A significant difference in culture my mind commented, Still, it is something expected. Another thing I had to keep in mind, as a cultural difference, was that I was expected to move between classrooms here, My school in Tokyo, you moved up a floor when you changed grades, and maybe changed classmates depending on how things were or were not shuffled in the week or two between classes in the spring. Here though, you could cover any subject you wanted in your scholastic time, and you while you would have to move around to do so, so did everyone else.
“What about when we learn to drive?” Greg asked breaking through my mental meandering while earning a lifted eyebrow from Katie.

“There is a student parking lot on the Gym side of the school,” Vicky answered, “but there are a series of rules that make driving your own car to the school a bit of a hassle unless you live far enough out that the bus is a pain.”

“Or you can’t fly and pissed off your ride by getting into a fight with them,” Amy snarked. “Besides, the rules for driving aren’t that bad, the school’s mechanics shop teacher has to inspect it and you have to have your drivers license and insurance verified by the office. Once those little issues are dealt with, so long as you can afford the car and the gas, you can drive yourself to school if you want.” We all nodded as we took that in before Vicky led us to our classroom and left us to go to her own day.
**

[Rajvik]

**
My apologies dear readers, for those of you who participate in the Taylor Varga or WhoAmEye’s discords you will have seen me put up what my recent distraction has been. Because of that distraction I haven’t put a word to this until today since the last time I posted. That said, there will be this post, and then a sidestory post that will likely have the lot of you quoting Clockblocker. Needless to say that yes, there is another story on the horizon, and this time you can blame OPPenguin for it
**Akane**
Walking into the classroom I gave the group a nod as they turned and looked at us and then sat in an empty seat that was close to Taylor. I watched her glance around and smiled. The bitches three wouldn’t be here, though I couldn’t say for certain that none of their hangers on wouldn’t make the cut, those three had specifically been banned from attending Arcadia because of what they had done. A gasp from behind me had me looking back at a black girl, about my age, wearing glasses and a flower print dress, (that did not exactly flatter her appearance,) with her hands over her mouth as her eyes darted between Greg and Katie. “Miss Erkhel,” an adult male voice said from the front of the classroom, grabbing practically everyone’s attention. “While I am sure that the romantic prospects of your fellow students will be the grist for the rumor mill throughout the day,” the teacher said, not even showing his face from behind the book he was reading one handed while the other jotted down notes on a legal pad, “I would appreciate it if you did not shatter the windows in the room with your squeal.”

“Yes sir,” the girl said softly with a thick southern accent. That the man was multi-tasking like he was and very obviously not being strained by it caused the class to murmur more about the teacher than the glances Katie and Greg had been throwing each other’s way. Something that was rather comforting to me, as was the fact that they all went dead silent when the chimes rang out through the Public Address system drawing everyone’s attention to the morning announcements.
**
“And finally,” the voice over the PA system said as the announcements wound down. “I want to welcome our new students from Winslow High School. You are the most intelligent students that those halls have produced, and both the teachers and the administration here at Arcadia wish you luck in facing the upcoming challenges you will face here at Arcadia.” Three more chimes sounded and the PA clicked off.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” the teacher said, stepping out from behind his desk to the podium at the center of the front of the room. “I’m going to read off a list of names, if you are here, simply say present. If you do not hear your name, come see me after I am finished and have assigned the daily reading. Please hold all questions until I call for them. Now, Aaronson, Andrew?”

“Present sir,” a boy in the back responded, and like that we were off. He read through one hundred and twenty-five names, of which only twenty-five were in our classroom, and when he reached the end, he assigned the reading that he had talked about.

“Now that that is over,” he said feeding a scan card into a reader next to his desk. “Inside each desk is a welcome packet including a student handbook and a school map, please pull both of these out.” He gave people the time to do so before speaking again. “Now, each grade has a section that is primarily for their lockers, all of which is indicated on the map. Please find where your locker section is on the map.”

One of the girls near the front row raised her hand and was pointed to, so she asked a question, “Sir, the locker sections are designated by the letters A through H. What would set where our individual lockers sections are?”

“Very good question miss,” he replied. “Sectors A and B are for Freshmen, C and D for Sophomores, and so on. Does that enlighten the rest of you?” the majority of the class nodded at that and then proceeded to find the areas that their lockers would be in. My own were C and D, both of which were located on the second floor. “I want you all to recognize that somewhere in those areas is going to be your locker, and your classes will more than likely be all over the entirety of the school. Classes start at eight am precisely, and last for one-hour each with a ten-minute window between classes to get to your locker and then be seated in your next class. Fourth period is the only exception to this, consuming an hour and forty-five minutes to allow for each group to have a full half-hour for eating their lunch plus the requisite time to get to class afterwards. Fifth period is, honestly, a catch all period, and on Fridays during the season, used for pep-rallies as well as an early start to intramural sports practices and games. Now turn to your handbooks.” The class pulled them out and listened. “Turn to page three and start reading, we have forty-five minutes until second period and I want you all as well versed in the rules as possible while once your schedules get here, I will call you up individually to go over them, their locations and any possible drops and adds to the system.”

I raised my hand and was called upon, “Sir,” I said politely, “I was informed that there is a Work Study Program, how does one become part of that?”

“Good question miss Takamachi,” most of the class seemed to blink at that and turn to look at me. “Most of that,” he continued, “we will cover during the drop add process, however, you should all know, and I will say this now so that I don’t have to repeat myself during the drop add choices, that to participate in the Work Study Program you must have Study Hall as your fifth period class. Yes, you can double up if you have first or second lunch and have two study halls back to back, thought the school does not recommend that, and then you must note on a drop add form that it is for Work Study. Later in the week Miss Evers the Guidance Councilor here at Arcadia will call you into her office and show you what professions are available as well as help you put an application and resume together to send to the profession of your choice. At that point it is up to the professionals in question as to whether or not to accept your application. Now, get to reading.” With that he went back to his desk and his book.
**
**Taylor**
It seems like they are going to scatter us through the school, I thought as the four of us compared schedules. All of us had first lunch, which would allow us to compare notes at least, but otherwise we were all over the place. First period had me in History with a Mrs. Jackson, while Akane had Algebra II with Phillips and Katie had chemistry with Pavlich. Second period, I shared anatomy/physiology with Akane while Katie took my place in Jackson’s History class. Third, had me and Katie in Bassett’s AP English while Akane was back here for Wolfe’s AP History. Then we had roughly forty-five minutes to meet up in the cafeteria, get and eat our lunches and then be off to fourth period, which for me was Algebra with Greg in Phillip’s classroom while Katie had calculus of all things. Greg, the poor soul, didn’t even cross paths with any of us except my fourth period. All three of us girls had, probably because of PRT involvement, study hall as our fifth period, which allowed all of us to quietly apply for the Work Study Program, while Greg was stuck with Auto shop. “Are any of you going to try out for any of the clubs or sport teams?” Millicent Erkhel asked as the class period was coming to an end.

“Maybe next year when things aren’t so hectic,” Katie answered, and I nodded.

“A paid Work Study program like this,” I said. “Even at minimum wage for data entry, is a damn big boon to my family’s finances. Add to that, it will be both a foot in the door and experience to call upon after college.” Millicent nodded, she had just transferred to Winslow before Christmas Break, so she didn’t have anything to do with the trio other than just being another cog in the rumor mill machine. “Still though, I might check out what clubs the school has, at least for next year.”

“I’m still playing with my band back in Japan,” Akane said with a smile, “In fact, I need to see if I can spread the advertisements around here.”

“Advertisements for what?” Katie asked. In response, Akane pulled a much-folded flyer out of the inside pocket of her blazer and spread it out. “Akane, it’s in Japanese, so I can’t read it.” Katie said in a deadpan tone.

“Your no fun,” Akane said with a smile to show that she was joking before pulling an almost identical one out that was in English.

“Covering the End,” Katie read, “a benefit concert series on pay-per-view to benefit Endbringer victims around the world. Brought to you by the Kuno Foundation and the Wrecking Crew Memorial Fund.” Katie looked at Akane, “Kuno, as in Kagome’s family?”

“Yeah,” Akane said just as the bell rang. “I’ll explain it to you later though, gotta run this by Aunt Emily as well as the school.”

[Rajvik]

Side Story One

**Manhattan, New York:
FBI White Collar Crime Division offices:
0900 Monday, January 10, 2011**

“So, what’s the deal?” Neal Caffrey asked as he walked into the office and started handing out coffee cups to his usual teammates.

“Something about a multi-agency sting,” Agent Clinton Jones said taking the coffee and one of the pastries that Neal had brought for the team. “I don’t know any of the particulars, but Peter is hoping you will be up to helping with this one.”

“Not just multi-agency,” Dianna Barrigan, the other agent on their four-person team cut in taking her cup but forgoing the pastry. “If what I heard them saying is accurate, this could go international and re-open some of the action against you and Mozzie’s Nazi problems.”

Neal’s eyebrows rose at that before he put on a serious face. “Well,” he said to the pair, “I guess I should take Peter his morning coffee and find out what is going on.” The two agents nodded at him and watched as he walked up the stairs.

“Think he’ll take it?” Dianna asked.

“No question,” Clinton replied, “the only thing Neal likes more than living the easy life is screwing over Nazis, and if he had a super power, then he would likely be up in Brockton bashing heads like there was no tomorrow.” They smiled at each other before returning to their individual paperwork, knowing it would be best to have as much of it off their desks before things got interesting, again.
**

Peter Burke smiled as he watched his former nemesis and now friend and colleague enter the room, “Neal, I’m glad you’re here,” the Special Agent said looking at the former con man. “We’ve been asked to lead an inter-agency investigation in another area, and I really want you to be the front man for this.”

“What’s the job and who’s the mark?” Neal asked with his usual smile as he handed Peter his coffee and looked over the other people in the room. Four were male and one female, of the men, two of them were black, while one was white and the other was Hispanic, while the woman was either middle eastern or of Mediterranean decent.

“First let me introduce the friendly players as it were,” Peter said noticing his attention on the other people in the meeting. “First we have Agents Hannah Washington and Collin Wallis of the PRT. This is happening at their request and because of their witness.”

The white male turned from where he had been updating the flat screen with data and nodded while the woman walked over and shook his hand. He could feel the calluses from years of firearms use in her grip, “Mr. Caffrey,” she said smiling, “Special Agent Burke speaks very highly of your abilities, especially considering that you are not a Parahuman.”

“Thank you, Agent Washington,” Neal said smiling back. “I understand that one of the tests that they put me through when Peter first arrested me was to see if I was a Parahuman. I guess that if that had been the case then I would have likely ended up working with someone like you.”

Agent Washington chuckled slightly at that while her partner grunted. “Possibly,” she commented, “though you would have likely been sent to either Washington DC or Vegas if you didn’t just go to prison.”

Neal nodded and Peter continued speaking, “Agent Vincent Dubois is from BATF,” the thinner black man nodded to Neal who nodded back. “While Agent Patrick House is here from the DEA.” The other black man waved slightly at Neal while looking back from where he was watching the screen be updated. “Finally we have…”

“Horace Harkness,” the man that Neal had originally taken as Hispanic said stepping forward. Up close Neal could see that he wasn’t Hispanic, or at least not purely. No, this was a man who had spent years in the sun, and to many nights ending up in bar fights. “I’m from the Department of the Treasury and I am hoping that we can finally nail this bastard and his friends.”

“Agent Harkness,” Washington said calmly as Neal shook the stout man’s hand, “has apparently been chasing leads on our target for a number of years without much luck.”

“Oh, there has been plenty of luck Hannah,” Harkness said with a smile. He had the face of a prize fighter and the knuckles of a barroom brawler but seemed to be a likeable person. “The problem is that with his lawyers, both foreign and domestic, he’s twice as slippery as fucking Gotti ever was.”

“He is,” Wallis said without looking away from the screen. “But now we have an eye into his operations so to speak, and hopefully one of us will be able to bring him down for something.”

Neal blinked and then smiled, “So let me make sure I have this straight,” he said. “And I want to be absolutely sure what is going on before we go any further, because this is a lot of agency to come down on any group’s heads, let alone one mans.” All of them but Wallis turned to look at him. “What we have is someone who either is, or at least employs Parahumans for the purposes of smuggling guns, drugs and then laundering the illicit funds gathered from such, or at least smuggling them out of the area. To this we have one witness, who is probably under duress from the subject in question, and in return for consideration of her own parts in these actions has turned State’s Witness against the subject and now we are working to gather actual, actionable evidence for various warrants and seizures.” The group around the table looked at each other and nodded. “Well,” Neal said with a smile, “doesn’t that make this a fun job.” Turning he looked at his boss, “I do like a challenge Peter, and you usually deliver, now, who’s the mark?”

“This man,” Wallis said finally stepping away from the big screen and pulling up a picture of a man flanked by two amazing blonde women. “This is Maximillian Anders, current CEO of MedHall Pharmaceuticals. It is our belief, and true according to our witness’s testimony, that he is also Kaiser, the head of the gang known in Brockton Bay as the Empire 88.”

“Isn’t there some kind of Gentlemen’s agreement about not going after capes in their personal lives,” Agent Dubois said taking his seat.

“The unwritten rules are a thing amongst capes,” Harkness said sitting down to Peter’s left while Neal sat to his right. “The thing is, there is nothing saying that the normal government agencies, in the execution of their remit to ferret out illegal activities on the part of the civilian identity of such a cape, has to abide by that rule.”

“And by having the PRT there to assist just in case the subject is a cape?” agent House asked.

“Well that’s just being efficient,” Wallis answered. “You never know when someone is going to trigger and being arrested can be a very stressful time.” As Neal looked at the table, his gaze swept across the faces of those present and thanked god that he had Peter Burke as his pursuer. If it had been Harkness or Wallis, he would have likely been happy to spend his days rotting in solitary as opposed to trying to bluff those two.

[Star Ranger4]

I was surprised Harkness was Treasury, but Customs Enforcement is part of Treasury. Will be interesting to see just how much of Weber's material you choose to incorporate here.

[Rajvik]

An excerpt from “History of Japan, Earth Bet, 1945-Present”
Kodansha Ltd. 2006

Parahumans:
Parahumans arrived to the world in 1984 with the arrival of Scion, as is common knowledge, and while the United States had the dubious acclaim of being home of Vikare, the first recognized “cape” or “superhero”, they were not the only country to end up with both heroes and villains. History does not record when or even who our first home born parahuman was, mostly because by the time anyone thought to try and find out, there were too many conflicting accounts. After much debate though, as they are wont to do, the Diet finally set down Japan’s own laws regarding Parahumans, dividing them into three general legal classifications that are as follows.

Villains: Known as those who break the laws of the land, these people are all wanted by the police as well as heroes. Civilians are warned to stay well clear of them as they are of any other known law breakers who might be dangerous.

Rogues: Unlike the United States, the Diet did not see fit to pass a law similar to the American NEPEA 5 act forbidding parahumans from using their abilities to work in entertainment. In response we have, in the wake of disasters like Kyushu, been able to use the funds gathered from such businesses to provide temporarily for the displaced. Those unable to directly contribute to combat have either worked to help keep things calm in relocation camps or else donated money to assist the work of those camps.

Heroes: The hero classification is the only one to be broken down further into three subclasses, which are as follows;

• JSDF: The Japanese Self Defense Force gladly accepts any Parahuman who has reached their age of majority and assists them by finding a field where they can put their power to good use, protecting the nation. While the UN looks down on such actions, it is the position of the Diet that, because of the proximity of the Chinese Imperial Union and their suspected use of their group known as the ‘Yangban’, the JSDF will continue to have its own parahuman response units to counter any possible action by the Chinese or North Koreans.

• National Police: Much like the JSDF, the National Police has created ‘Cataclysm Divisions’ in almost every major metropolitan area in the country. These units operate much like a parahuman SWAT team, responding to actions that specifically require parahuman involvement due to a parahuman villain. As such, they act more like the United States Protectorate teams as opposed to their PRT.

• The Sentai: Technically Vigilanties acting outside the law itself, the Sentai have been recognized unofficially as heroes even though they break the law while protecting civilians from villains. Often too young to join the JSDF or National Police, idealistic teens have been known to engage villains in various metropolitan areas to try and contain them and/or limit damage and casualties until the local Cataclysm Division members can arrive. These teens are often classified by their style of dress whether they act as teams or individuals:

• Rangers: These are the most common to be seen, and usually operate in teams of four to six members. Like North American heroes and the manga and anime heroes they emulate, Rangers wear bright primary colors and full helmets to hide their identities.

• Ninja: Dressed in the western concept of a ninja, (which is known to be that of a kabuki theater stagehand,) these teens tend to operate as individuals or in teams of three to four. Ninja are not usually seen unless their plans have either been broken, or else have to react to a direct attack against civilians like they did during the Tokyo Station Gas attack of 1995.

• Magical Girls/Boys: Distinctive and destructive with a tendency toward large amounts of collateral damage, MGBs are more likely to operate alone as opposed to in a team. They do however on occasion seem to form teams of convenience if an enemy is too powerful or too fast for one to deal with alone. These teams rarely last past the existing enemy but they do tend to network better than other groups and also have a tendency to move into the National Police openly upon reaching their majority.

A known example of this is Tokyo Police: Cataclysm Division Captain Takamachi Nanoha. Active as a ‘Magical Girl’ during the mid and late nineties, the Captain became known for taking on villains all the way up to just shy of Endbringer levels. When asked by a reporter at her commissioning as an officer, why she didn’t respond to Leviathan’s attack on Kyushu her response was a sullen, “I was unable to access my powers at the time.” It was later realized that the attack happened immediately after she had been involved in the Wolkenritter incident which had apparently left her powerless due to restrictions on the use of her powers.

While it is not JSDF nor the National Police’s policy to specifically seek out former Sentai for their service, over seventy-five percent of all Cataclysm Division parahumans came from there, as do ninety percent of JSDF: PRU forces.

***
**Sophia Hess**
Stepping into the room Sophia looked at the five back lit positions. Two held the silhouettes of men, two more that were obviously women, and then the fifth which she couldn’t tell at the moment “Sophia Hess,” a male voice but not one of the shadows above her said. “Also known as the Vigilante and soon former Ward Shadowstalker. You have been charged with Assault with the intent to do great bodily harm, attempted murder with a biological weapon, and conspiracy to commit the same. All this is in violation of your previous plea agreement and probation. Do you have anything to say before judgement on the revocation of your probation is rendered?”

Suddenly someone came into the room from behind Sophia, throwing light halfway up the plinths behind which the shadows sat. “Sorry for my tardiness Directors,” a woman’s voice said as it approached, causing Sophia to look over her shoulder. A brown-haired woman in what had to be a government issue business suit-dress stepped into the light that was spotlighting her in the otherwise dark room. “There was an issue with my verification at the gate.”

“And you are?” the man on the left asked in a bemused tone.

“Janet Kowalski, Esquire,” the woman answered. “I’m here to represent the Youth Guard and Miss Hess’s interests.”

All five of the shadowy heads nodded at that, “Very well then,” the man on the left continued. “As asked, do you have anything to say before this administrative panel passes judgement on your failure to adhere to Wards standards of behavior and your probation.”

“Yes I do,” Sophia said loudly and clearly. “I want my lawyer, and my mother here now. You have no legal ability to take action on me without their attendance and permission.” Alan Barnes had drilled those arguments into her in case she ever found herself on the wrong side of a courtroom or in this case a directorial panel again.

“First miss Hess,” the woman on the panel to her left responded before picking up a piece of paper in front of her. “Your mother has washed her hands of you, Because of the evidence against you she has signed over guardianship to the state in the hope that you can be rehabilitated.”

Sophia looked over at the Youth Guard rep who said nothing but shrugged slightly. “Lawyer, and mother,” Sophia insisted even as her heart sank a little. If her mother had abandoned her, Not like she didn’t do that years ago with that fucking bastard that was Michelle’s daddy, she thought and then mentally shook her head. No, mom apologized for that incident, hasn’t let anyone get that way with me again.

“Your lawyer is also not coming because he is also up to his eyeballs in the situation,” the woman on the right of the panel responded. “Between the possibility of his complicity in your wrongdoing and his daughter’s involvement in this particular set of charges, he has been required to stand down from your case.”

Traitor, she snarled mentally before blinking. “Then where is my new lawyer?”

“The courts will assign you a lawyer when you go before them for your charges,” the man on the right said coldly. “This is an internal PRT review and we are asking you to give us a reason why we should not further violate your probation by continuing on with rescinding your Wards membership.”

“Lawyer, mother.” Sophia stated bluntly as she cast a glance at the woman beside her who had so far said nothing. “Youth Guard Representative.”

“First of all Miss Hess,” the figure in the center said, showing her identity to be a woman, though a bit butch by the haircut and figure. “Your Youth Guard Rep is right there beside you, Also, as we have tried to tell you, this is an internal administrative hearing to see if we are going to kick you out of the Wards program and leave you to the not so tender mercies of the state.” Sophia tried to speak at that point, to interrupt, but the woman’s gaze bore down on her. “Per your plea bargain, if we remove your Wards membership, you are to be immediately remanded to the Massachusetts Department of Juvenile Justice for placement in juvenile detention. While in detention you would receive a lawyer and then have a hearing before a judge to determine if the cancellation of your membership was for cause or not. If the judge determined that it was for cause, this would be added to your charges as a Violation of Probation.”

Sophia was silent for a moment, considering what was likely to happen. I could grovel, she thought. Apologize and they might just let it go with a slap on the wrist and a reassignment. But then another part of her mind countered. No, fuck them, she thought, useless bureaucratic bastards. They aren’t willing to do what the city needs anyway, so fuck them. After a moment though, she finally shook her head, “If you are not going to get me my lawyer, my Youth Guard Rep, AND my mother, then I have nothing to say to you,” she told them.

“Very well then,” the woman at the center replied. “This administrative panel finds you in breach of your Wards behavioral requirement and hereby removes your Wards membership. Due to the violation of your plea bargain that termination for cause invokes, you will be remanded to the Massachusetts Department of Juvenile Justice for trial for Violation of Probation, Assault with intent to do great bodily harm, Attempted murder with a biological weapon, and conspiracy to commit said murder. Trooper, return her to her cell and ensure the preparations for her transfer are ready. She had a court date for a bail hearing on Friday.” The trooper nodded and took Sophia by the arm, leading the teen out of the room.
**
**Taylor**
When lunch came, I was pleasantly surprised. At Winslow it had been a question of what would happen, which clique would try to get on Emma and Sophia’s good side by torturing me and ruining my lunch. It was why I had taken to finding out of the way spaces to eat in in the first place. Because of this though, I entered the cafeteria with a bit of apprehension, right up until the point that Katie patted me on the shoulder and Vicky popped up behind us. “I have a usual group that I sit with,” she said bouncing a bit on her toes, while Katie and I both put our hearts back in our chests. “But I’ll make sure that there are seats for all four of you.” With that she darted off to one of the tables that was already filling with other girls of our general age group.

“I think we all need to focus on staying calm today right Taylor?” Katie half asked from behind me. I gave her a half-hearted smile and headed for the food line. The choices here surprised me for a few minutes. Where Winslow had slop, Arcadia had identifiable food. Here there were wraps, pizza, burgers and salads, milk, juice and bottled tea. At Winslow it would have been mystery meat goulash or stew that might or might not have been spiked by the Merchant kids who passed through ahead of you. At Winslow it would have been all bargain basement backdoor deals to save money, here it was all fresh and pretty and because of that, I felt a moment of disgust that all the money that could have possibly saved Winslow was being spent here. Because the Wards are sent here, my subconscious commented.

It was only for a minute though because then the thought rushed through my brain, Fuck Winslow, what did that hell hole ever do but cause me trouble. “Katie,” I said calmly but coldly as I collected a wrap a salad and a bottle of tea.

“Yeah Taylor?” she answered grabbing a couple of slices of pizza, milk and a salad.

“If I ever start bitching about how Winslow could have been saved,” I said in a deadpan tone, “smack me.”

The blonde chuckled as we used our new student ID’s to pay for our lunches, “Sure thing,” she said. “I mean, you’d do the same for me for lamenting my former associates right?” I nodded and she shrugged, “Then we’re good for that, lets go eat with Vicky and Amy.” I nodded again finding that indeed there were seats opposite the pair and their friends at a particular table. The fact that three of the tables had been pushed together to form a monstrous one with Vicky at the center of it meant little to me, but Akane was already sitting down and I watched Katie wave to Greg as he walked in with Dennis and Chris.
**
**Akane**
The rest of the day passed as many school days have before and would later quietly and without comment. Ah the end of the day, I thought as I walked with Taylor and Katie towards our bus. I watched a red sportscar drive by with Dean and Carlos in it and shook my head. “I’m going to have to help Dean get back at Dennis for that prank,” I muttered. “A 1971 Hemicuda is not something that should be talc bombed.”

“Ah, should we see if we can’t get you into the auto shop class as well Akane?” Katie asked in a teasing tone of voice. “I’m sure you could have all the guys you could handle if they saw you fawning over some old muscle car.”

“I can and will hurt you Katie,” I grumbled good naturedly. “That was a classic though, and it didn’t deserve to be used as part of a prank.”

“Oh I don’t disagree with you there,” Katie replied giving me a smile. “Sometimes though you just have to accept the good with the bad.” I just had to nod to that because it was true, so she continued. “The question becomes, which of us will manage to get a car of our own first, and what will it be?”

What would I like, and what could I afford? the thought was an interesting idea for discussion. “I won’t get one any time soon,” Taylor said grudgingly as we climbed onto our bus. “Things are tight enough as it is, and dad needs a newer truck to go back and forth to work in more than I need a car to waste gas in hanging out and running around.” Another thought that I could only nod along with. Like Taylor, there was some money put back for me, but that was to go to college with, not for frivolous things like getting a car, or in my case, a motorbike. The thought of the wind in my hair and someone special snugged up tight behind me as we drove down the highway was just, enjoyable. The upside was that there wouldn’t need to be any special changes to take it back to Japan with me if I got one. The problems though were that a proper motorcycle though, it would cost as much as a decent car, and I couldn’t do half the things I could with a car, let alone the fact that I couldn’t legally have one until after I turned 18 due to the endorsement restrictions.

“Honestly I just want something that gets me from point A to point B,” Katie supplied even as we sat down on the bus. “Nothing fancy, though a classic like Dean’s would be nice,” Taylor and I both nodded to that, “but really even a beat-up old station wagon would be fine.”

“Maybe by the time we’re eighteen we will be able to afford something,” I muttered half to myself, half to the others. “Until then we have other things to worry about.” They both nodded to what I said and after a few blocks in silence we arrived at our corner.
**
Entering through the “back door” to the PRT Building was becoming fairly normal to me, and I was becoming very adept at triggering the code panel’s release with my phone just close enough to put away the phone in a pocket before punching in my personal code. Walking in we turned to the right and took the stairs down two levels to the Wards area and its back door next to the showers. “Hey you guys,” Missy said as she came out of her room sans visor. “There was a message left that whoever saw the three of you first to send you straight to Glenn’s office.

“Costuming,” I said at Katie’s questioning look. “Thanks Missy, we’ll head straight there as soon as we grab masks.”

The younger teen shrugged and headed toward the lounge area, probably on her way to the console. “Not a problem Akane,” she said. “Just give him hell alright.”

“You got it,” Taylor and I said at the same time, smiles going from ear to ear across our faces. Turning to Katie I asked, “You ready to fight the monster that is Public Relations?”

“Lead on McDuck” she said with a smile causing Taylor and I to both chuckle.
**

[Rajvik]

and compared to what ii posted on SV and SB, this lost all the damn formatting.

[Rajvik]

Chapter 6.4

**Katie**
Akane led the way upstairs and into the Public Relations office only to stop short a few steps inside the office. “Mister Chambers,” she said icily, “I thought that we had agreed that this was NOT going to be our costumes.”

Stepping past her and Taylor, who had also stopped I could see what looked like some kind of scouts outfit and a children’s ladybug Halloween costume. “It’s all we have for tomorrow’s debut and news conference, that is unless you can get your source to pop up with a few outfits within sixteen hours.”

“What about mine,” I asked, suddenly dreading the answer.

“No choice at the moment but to send you out there in your old one since you are not rebranding in another city,” he said and I goggled.

“Are you trying to get me killed?” I snapped. “I go out there in my old costume either the Empire thinks that it is ok to push me in my civilian identity for Wards information, or they brand me even more of a traitor than they are going to.”

“And I usually have a full PR crew including either a seamstress or tailor and at least three to four weeks to work on a debut announcement,” the head of Public Relations came back. “That at a minimum is enough to get new costumes put together, not the three days I was given to work with here.”

I looked at Akane who had pulled out her phone and was typing into it, “Who are you contacting?” I asked.

“Sabah,” she answered, “She’s our contact with Parian, we need to get you measured anyway, and if Parian can throw together a normal cloth costume for the three of us in that time frame we’re fine. That is, unless you have any other ideas than this SNAFU.”

Glenn spoke before I could say anything, “I already called Parian,” he said, getting a shocked glance from Akane. “We’ve used her before on capes in other cities for special costumes, and some piece work. I wasn’t against her doing your costumes, but she has tests today and tomorrow, and a backlog for their fashion show this weekend.”

"I may just,” I answered, pulling out my phone and pulling up a number while Akane grumbled under her breath.

“Uber and Leet’s Games, Comics and Cosplay, Leet speaking,” the voice on the other end answered.

“Leet,” I said with a hopeful smile, “A couple of friends of mine and I have run into a costuming emergency and need custom costumes by,” I looked at the man named Glenn with a questioning eye.

“Two PM tomorrow,” he answered and I repeated the timing to the gamer.

“Depending on the costume,” he answered, “yeah, it can be done. The question is are you able and willing to pay the cost because this isn’t going to be cheap.”

“One second,” I said to the tinker before turning to the others, “They can likely do it but it’s going to cost major money for the short turn around.”

“I can handle that,” Glenn said, breathing an obvious sigh of relief. “Put him on speaker.” I did and Glenn took over, “Leet, this is Glenn Chambers of the PRT.”

“Oh hell,” the tinker exclaimed, “How did you end up on this line, I was talking to a customer?”

“One of our new local Wards,” Glenn answered. “You worked with her on Saturday.”

“Oh,” Leet answered. “So the PRT is having a costuming emergency huh?”

“Yes,” Glenn answered. “Usually I have several weeks and an entire PR team to work on things like this, this is being thrown out there fairly slap dash and in a hurry, and that’s where you apparently come in.”

“Like I said to the young lady,” Leet said with an almost audible nod. “Depending on the costume depends on the turn-around time and cost.”

“Ninja Gaiden,” Akane answered, “One midnight blue, one deep forest green and one a dark dusky rose.”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Leet answered. “If you get down here by four, we could probably have them done tonight before the mall closes.”

“I’ll bring the girls down personally for measurements,” Glenn commented before hanging up. “What made you think of calling them?” he asked as he locked down his computer and grabbed a cell phone and laptop bag.

“They are making a Yuna costume for me for a convention that is in a few weeks,” I answered. “Uber was telling Greg and myself about the machine that Leet made and programmed that could make costumes for anyone just off their photos and also pick out the most likely characters for them to cosplay.” The Head of Public Relations smiled gleefully and nodded as he led the way out of his office, using his cell to call for a car to meet us in the garage.
**

**Leet**
I looked up as the door chime dinged and started to greet these customers with the phrase Uber and I had finally agreed upon, only to stop short, caught staring at the garish mass of clothing that had entered. To say the man was large was like saying water was wet or that ISP lag killed, and the clothing he wore was dated even to my own estimations. Behind him though entered three teens with domino masks on their faces. “Mister Chambers I presume,” I said, trying to remain calm.

“And you must be Leet,” the large man replied with a smile. “Yes, I’m Glenn Chambers, head of Public Relations for the PRT, now, I understand you have a machine that can churn out costumes pretty much at need?”

I could already see the near manic light in the man’s eyes and sighed, “Sort of,” I told him. “Let me flip the sign and get the girl’s measurements. After that I can show you if you really want.”

Chambers nodded and then paid attention to everything as I had each girl stand in front of the anime and video games racks so the system could get their measurements. Then, since I wasn’t getting their names, I listed them as their desired color of costume in the system before I closed the door to the mall and led the four into the back area of our shop. “Now,” I said as we entered the employee only area. “Please don’t touch anything that’s back here unless I tell you that you can. Some of these things can be dangerous if not handled properly, others are completely harmless while a few are actual weapons.”

“Like the Mjolnir armor that you were wearing for Saturday’s little bit of fun?” one of the three, a long-haired brunette asked.

I nodded as we reached the costume machine. Behind it sat eight revolver racks of cloth bolts, one for each primary color and then a combined one for white, black and a few shades of grey. “Pretty much miss Rose,” I said. “Now, this is our costume machine. As you can see, it has a control stand and an auto-feeder of all the general colors as well as various shades of each color.” At this point I tapped on the touch screen and watched as the big screen on the wall at the discharge end of the machine lit up. “Now,” I continued as the measurements fed into the system from the camera program. “Is there anything special, like some embroidery perhaps, that you would like added to the costumes.”

The three girls shared a look before looking at Chambers. “Go ahead girls,” he said. “This is on the PRT, especially with what you did on Saturday going so well.”

The girls nodded and Rose stepped forward, “An owl outline in grey on the front left panel of the shirt please.”

I nodded and pulled up a group of images on the screen. “Do any of these match what you want?”

“This one please,” she said pointing at a one that depicted the owl of the goddess Athena of Greece. I nodded and shifted the image to the desired location and set the thread color. “Anything else?”

“No, thank you.” She said before stepping back.

“What about you miss Green?” I asked, actually starting to get into the job.

“The Lonely Mountain’ she answered wistfully. “Centered across the back in brown.” I pulled up image files for her to page through until she found what she wanted. “This one,” she said pointing out the image from the map in the book. “Just remove the words, Smaug can stay there in his usual red.”

I smiled, “It shall be done.” I told her. “What about you miss Blue?”

“The White Tree of Gondor across the back in white” she answered. I pulled up an image file and she picked the version she wanted.

“Very well then,” I said before turning to the man with the expense account. “Mister Chambers, I assume you have a PRT issued credit card?”

“I do,” Chambers answered, “When can these be delivered?”

“Just to give myself a buffer,” I said calmly, “how does eight in the morning strike you.”

“Perfectly reasonable,” he answered with a smiling nod, “Cost?”

“With all the embroidery and the rush job,” I said running the numbers in my head. “Three hundred even before Uncle Sam gets his cut.”

“That sounds reasonable as well,” Chambers said, pulling out his wallet. “We’ll settle up and be on our way.”

“This way then,” I replied, pushing the button to start the machine running and leading the way back into the front of the store where the credit card reader was located. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you Mister Chambers,”

“And we may just be sending more work your way Mister Leet.” Chambers said as the reader chirped. “Hopefully not something so rushed next time.”

“That would be appreciated as we try not to run this thing except on Sunday nights after everything has closed,” I answered as the register dinged showing the sale. I handed him his receipt and flipped the sign back to open while unlocking the door for them. “Have a nice evening.” I told them and they all nodded and waved as they left. Well that was profitable, I thought.
*

**Akane**
The rest of the afternoon was spent rehearsing for the news conference about what had happened Saturday and our debut. Glenn wanted things to go off perfectly and as we were about to leave for the evening specifically said, “Whatever you do, do not emulate Clockblocker. That boy caused us more problems than you can imagine.”

“I knew his approved name wouldn’t be a sexual inuendo,” Katie grumbled causing Glenn to shake his head.

“No,” the Public Relations man said, frowning. “He was supposed to be Time Lad, so that he could get rebranded as something more adult when he graduated to the Protectorate or left the program completely.” At this point he smiled nastily. “Do any of you think that something like that, or even Victoria Dallon’s “Glory Girl” moniker will survive them passing into adulthood?” All three of us shook our heads at that and Glenn continued. “Rune, even with your known history with that name, it is one you can give new meaning, and lots of things skitter around, not just insects. No, of the three of you only No No is likely to have to rebrand when she finishes her time in the Wards, and even that might not be necessary.”

“I don’t know if I will be sticking around after I graduate,” I said softly, earning a lifted eyebrow from the man. “I don’t know what exactly I want to do with my life. I could join the band on the road if we make it big, I could go back to Tokyo and become an officer in the Cataclysm Division, college, family, I just don’t know where I want to go yet.”

“And that is perfectly fine,” Taylor said, stepping up and putting a hand on my shoulder. “I know I want to go to college, but I haven’t really tried to decide whereas certain people were sabotaging my work. On the other hand, now that I have an unimpeded chance, maybe by the end of junior year I will have an idea of what I can do.”

“What do you want to do though?” I asked.

“Help people,” she answered, “fix the bay, get this city back to the way it was when things were still working.” She sighed, “After that though, I don’t know. It is going to take a while I know, maybe my whole life. What about you Katie?”

“Fixing the city sounds good,” she answered with a sigh as she sat down. “Things could be worse than they are now, but we’re going to fight to keep people safe, no matter what. After that though, a family would be nice, a quiet job to settle down into, someone special to hold onto.” At that point she nodded. “Have to clean things up first though. Find out a way to get that damnable tanker out of the way.”

Taylor shook her head, “Dad has talked about that before,” she said with a slight but sad sigh. “City will never do it as the cleanup would cost them too much money. Of all things they are more likely to just blast a new channel through the ship graveyard, assuming the money and the business was there to demand that level of shipping. But with the lack of automation it’s easier to justify shipping things overland from Boston and it’s harbor than cleaning out our own.”

“So the city is likely to just wither up and die huh,” Glenn asked. “Then why fight for it.”

“Because it’s our home,” Taylor answered, “Because the people here deserve better, and even if we can’t supply that for them, we at least have to give it our all in trying.”

Katie nodded, “Besides,” she said, “maybe we’ll luck out and find some cape that can solve the problem one way or another.”

"Just remember that the cleanup is the real problem,” Taylor said. “So I wouldn’t bet on anything that simple.” The PR head just smiled.
**

[Norgarth]

Hmm, am I remembering correctly that No No can also amplify powers?

Cause maybe with a boost, Rune could move the Tanker.

[Star Ranger4]

Maybe, but I think Rajvik is pointing out why they wouldn't try... because even if the pair together could (by lifting the rock with the tanker) they could still wind up creating more of a mess, hence the observation that the real issue is the clean up?

[itsune9tl]

And with all Cleanup jobs things have to be done in the right Order if you don't want to make an even bigger mess. First is to triage the site. then there is the Environment Impact Study/Statement. Do any of the ships need to be "Cleaned" (drain the tanks, neutralize Hazardous Materials). What can be moved safely, what should be moved first.
Then there is paper work that needs to be done each step of the way.

[Rajvik]

Hmm, am I remembering correctly that No No can also amplify powers?

Cause maybe with a boost, Rune could move the Tanker.

you are remembering correctly, but honestly thank you for the idea, this may happen at a necessary moment

[Rajvik]

**Taylor**
The next day passed in a blur. Wake up, run, shower, breakfast, school. All of those things flew until last period and Study Hall. “Miss Hebert, Miss Fleischer, Miss Takamachi,” the teacher said catching my attention as well as Akane and Katie’s. “Your work study has been approved, there is a van waiting to take you and the rest of your study group in front of the main doors.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” we said, almost in unison before turning and leaving the classroom. Work Study alternated days, some people had Mondays and Wednesdays, others, like us had Tuesdays and Thursdays while no one went in on Fridays so that they could be there for school events. Walking out of the building I could see Carlos and Dean drive past in Dean’s car even as we started toward the black PRT SUV. “Are you two ready for this?” I asked as I climbed into the back seat and slid over to the driver’s side.
“As I’ll never be,” Katie answered as she took the front passenger seat and closed the door.”
“So long as that joke got the costumes right,” Akane replied closing the back-passenger door. “He mucks this up I’m going to string him up in the mall atrium by something sensitive and give every passing kid a swing with a wiffle ball bat.”
I winced slightly at that, but I could also understand. The three of us and the PRT were laying a lot of trust in Leet’s machine and if it, or he messed things up, we were going to go out there looking like idiots. “I’m sure if something had gone wrong that we would have been notified,” Katie said calmly over her left shoulder. “Though if we need alterations…” she trailed off and at that Akane and I both smiled.
“Minor fitting issues we can handle I’m sure,” Akane said calmly. “But if something is majorly wrong, we’re in trouble.”
Even the monogramming being missing would be acceptable, I thought as we passed into a guarded parking garage behind the PRT building. “Akane,” I said as another thought struck me. “You’re going to have to show us how to do up the masks on these things correctly.”
“That isn’t a problem,” Akane said with a smile as the SUV stopped and we unstrapped ourselves. “The face covering was one of the many things my grandfather taught me in my youth.” Her grin set me at ease, Why does it though?
**
Apparently, I didn’t need to worry about the masks after all. Leet had set up the headgear so that the face covering simply stretched across the front and hooked into the opposite side. Pants, a sleeveless turtleneck styled undershirt and a jacket that from the printed instructions could either be simply wrapped around tied shut like a Gi top or buttoned closed at three points. The footwear was soft-soled and calf-high boots made to look like sandals but zipped up the back. Stepping out into the lounge area I found Akane going over Katie’s costume before nodding with approval.
“Looks good,” she said setting the belt around our teammate’s waist. “And I might need to talk to Sabah and Parian about these boots. I didn’t expect Leet to come up with something that was both functional and comfortable.”
“What were you expecting,” Katie asked a hint of nerves in her voice.
“That I would either have to make something last minute myself,” she said smiling, ”or else teach you two how to tie traditional sandals to your feet.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun,” I muttered slightly sourly. “Any chance we could use this headgear design for our own as well?” I asked.
“Depends on Parian,” Akane answered while looking me over. “Working some protective headgear like a boxer’s or MMA fighter’s helmet in there would be a bit much, I think. But maybe some padding held together with ABS plastic strips. Anything too bulky would give things away and end up looking like a military helmet covered in cloth. You might have to cut your hair though.”
“I’ll consider it,” I said. My hair was my most feminine feature and I had already bundled it up in a thick braid and wrapped it in a cloth sleeve that clipped on underneath the helmet.
“Your public awaits ladies,” Gallant said stepping in through the door with Aegis right behind him. We had another couple of hours of rehearsals before the news conference and debut, but we needed to get busy.
Putting the mask in place I turned to the others, “Let’s do this,” I said. No No and Rune both fixed their own masks and nodded. As far as we were concerned, it was game time.
**
Sherryl Atkinson was the chief correspondent for PRT and Protectorate issues for Brockton Bay’s ABC affiliate and took her job seriously. Because of that she and her camera crew were already in place when Deputy Director Renick stepped out and the entirety of the room went silent. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the bureaucrat said with a hint of solemnity. “In a moment Director Piggot will step out and state the PRT and Protectorate’s stance on what happened Saturday. After this she will answer a few questions before Aegis comes forward to introduce and accept the incoming new Wards. Once they have been introduced there will be a short period for questions for them as well. With luck and all of this will be completed for your stations to do editing for the six-o’clock news. If one of the new Wards declines to comment on a question do not badger them or you will be removed from the press pool.”
Sherryl nodded at that. It was a common statement, at least the last part as the PRT had no patience for reporters badgering their junior members. Still though, she had a job to do and was about to give her camera operator a tap when he gave her a thumbs up. Steve knows his job, she thought as the Director of the local PRT stepped out onto the stage and up to the podium.
“Thank you for coming this evening,” she said setting a tablet on the podium in front of her. “Saturday afternoon the parahuman gang known as the Archer’s Bridge Merchants took a number of civilians and unknown to them, one Empire cape, two Wards and two members of New Wave hostage while attempting to rob Weymouth Mall. We have since confirmed that their intentions included not only those robberies, but the forceful addiction of every hostage there.” The woman, no longer as out of shape or obviously injured as she had been before Christmas, stared at the group of reporters coldly. “The fact that the robberies were foiled, the hostages freed without injury and the apprehension of so many of that gang along with two of its parahumans happened is a direct result of those five young people. Also that night, the Empire cape that I mentioned being there, turned herself in to PRT jurisdiction and has joined the Wards program. Anyone who knows the Empire’s cape lineup will recognize her name and her power as she is not changing her name, but her motivations have changed, allowing her to see the light that is law and order. Now, I will take a few questions. You,” the director finished pointing at Sherryl.
“Director,” Sherryl said standing up. “You said that the Merchants have lost two of their capes and that one of the Empire’s capes has joined the Wards, is there any thought as to moving on either gang?”
“Sherryl,” the director replied with a smile that was probably three-quarters feral because the woman could sense the blood in the water. “You know I can neither confirm nor deny any potential operational possibilities. However, I will say we are looking at our options and intelligence for anything that is actionable both in the near and long term.”
Sherryl sat back down as the director turned and pointed to another correspondent, “Director,” another woman said calmly. “What led you to take a criminal into the Wards program?”
“Maria,” the director said responding to the local Fox affiliate’s reporter. “One thing you have to remember is that everyone makes mistakes and that teenagers make more than adults. This particular young woman was raised in a household that while not physically active in the Neo-Nazi movement, supported it financially. She called her parents out on their own hypocrisy for not acting on their beliefs and was sent to a family member who was physically active in the movement. She triggered sometime afterwards and was admitted to their roster immediately. Lately, she has found reason to break from their grip and leave. Furthermore, the only crimes she has ever been accused of have been misdemeanors, notably defacement of public property and resisting arrest without violence.”
“But what about comparisons to Shadow Stalker?” another reporter called out causing the director to grimace.
“Shadow Stalker was a mistake,” the director said, her voice turning cold and angry. “She was captured as a vigilante who not only didn’t want to work with us, but thought we were too weak to do our jobs. Her acceptance into the Wards was against my judgement and under orders from my superiors. The difference between them is that this young woman could have walked away after the debriefing under rules of truce similar to those of the Endbringer fights. Instead she decided to take probation and Wards membership when it was offered
**
**Taylor**
As Aegis stepped out onto the stage to take the microphone from the director, I took a deep breath and watched Katie, No, I have to think of her as Rune. A new Rune, but still Rune. Rune and No No, lift up on the table that had been painted black so that it would disappear amongst my bugs over the lights. I had been slowly bringing more and more into the room and the line about blotting out the sun felt appropriate. “Now if you will excuse me ladies and gentlemen of the press,” Aegis said starting our cue. “Skitter, No No, Rune, would you ladies please step out and speak to the press?”
“Of course we will Aegis,” my swarm buzzed before forming a wall over most of the stage. Rune and No No went out over the stage curtain while the media were distracted, after which I walked out behind the screen, my bugs parting, as if a sheer curtain before me. “I am Skitter,” the swarm buzzed before it disappeared into mist.
No No dropped beside me from maybe eight foot in the air, landing in a three-point stance before standing. “I am No No,” she said, her radio-microphone picking her voice up clearly.
Rune, as planned, came down slowly behind and between us on the table, the raised edge of the stage hiding it slightly once it was on the ground. “I am Rune,” she said. At that point all three of us bowed at the waist to the press. “We stand ready to serve,” we all said in sync before standing back straight again.
**

(AN: I'll edit and fix this tomorrow, too frustrated right now

[itsune9tl]

... And the Crowd goes wild! ...