"Nice shot." compliments Skuld as Bran lands a solid one on Scythe.
Skuld hovers directly over Scythe and says "Surrender now, or I hurt you. Badly." As she speaks, the winds above her begin to howl dangerously.
The battle rages as mythic might meets murderous machine.
"Get. " Scythe screams, her bladed appendages flail wildly.
The metal flows from one deadly implement to another while Scythe seethes in white-hot fury. "You can't hurt me! And I know you won't kill me," she spits. "You and your friends are as good as dead. Do you want your families to die as well?!?"
Bran steps into the reach of Scythe's blades, doing his best to turn them aside with heavy gauntlets, simply seeking to buy time for Skuld to finish this while Scythe cannot escape.
Whence comes this hate? We cannot simply be targets to you. What has so roused your ire against us?
Scythe rips free of Skuld's grasp as she focuses on controlling the winds above her.
"Fine. If you think I can't hurt you, let's put that to the test."
Skuld smashes her fist into Scythe's midsection, denting the metal momentarily with the sheer force.
Skuld, as your fist flies into Scythe's midsection, she get's a quick strike in retaliation. Take a heavy blow.
Bran barely manages to keep Scythe mostly still while Skuld winds up for her mighty blow.
Skuld's strike to Scythe's midsection is brutal and would crush the insides of most foes. The metallic skin bends inward and as the valkyrie withdraws her fist the contours of her knuckles are plain to see. Instantly, the metal reshapes to the smooth, burnished surface it had been from the start.
Thor Girl begins to glow, her divine armor starts emitting a wave of heat the grows and grows, and her armor become brighter, blindingly so, and as Thor Girl struggles to stop her powers from going wild, a holographic reticule appears around her.
Coordinates....locked...siphoning....
Still, even with something drawing off the growing newborn star, the lab begins to melt, rock becoming magma, steel turning to molten slag, and nature vaporizing in close proximity and becoming kindling at range.
Bran recoils from the sudden wash of heat, forcing him to withdraw before he cooks in his armor!
Sprinting away from Skuld at top speed, he darts back into the ruined lab, hoping to see where his Spear has been cast aside.
Okay, I don't know what's going on there, but I can't do anything about it without Gae-Dearg. This whole thing's gotten out of hand, I need to figure out a way to stop her before anything else goes wrong!
With the mythic heroes distracted, Scythe takes a moment to retrieve her porcelain mask that had landed nearby. She affixes it to her face with a briefly reformed hand, then the metal returns to a wicked-looking bladed instrument.
She takes a couple purposeful strides towards Bran, but stops short. She tilts her head as if listening, then shakes her head vehemently. "No! I can take them! No, just let me--" Scythe's protestations to her unseen masters are cut short and her whole body convulses briefly.
When the contortions of pain finish, she returns to the emotionless form from earlier. "... Acknowledged."
Her wings reshape, and she takes off angling away from the ruins of the training complex.
A twinge strikes Bran as Scythe convulses, and he turns his head sharply to see her return to compliance.
Sorrow and dread fill him as she takes to the sky. "We will save you."
And what you'll do to us if we can't... No. We have to win.
Snatching up Gae-Dearg he returns to the friend he can help.
The runes along the spear's shaft glow fiercely as he presses forward, the blade itself almost disappearing in a column of light while Bran does his best to ground out Skuld's terrible energies.
It takes longer than he'd hoped, and by the time the swirling nova of heat has subsided, the smell of burned flesh wafts forth from the hand that holds the spear.
"I am here, Skuld. But she has fled, or rather, been recalled by her masters.
We have failed."
As her armor began glowing, Skuld started screaming, her eyes seared by the intense light. She seemed less effected by the heat, but the light seemed to cut through her defenses and left her reeling. By the time that her vision clears to the level of blurred double-vision, Scythe is nowhere to be seen.
"What did she do?" asks Skuld once she has her bearings, apparently not hearing Bran's statement.
Eyes fixed on the horizon, Bran responds, "When she struck you, your armor seemed to take it ill. In truth, I believe she was as surprised as you were by the light."
He raises his gauntlet to a line of blood on her scalp, "Are you well enough to return? It may be that Whippoorwill has more information on her handlers' location." He looks carefully at the blood drop on his finger, "We shall have to find them soon...
"Agreed, but we should bring the others with us. They will likely wish to hear this; Also, I will need your eyes to guide me, but I will transport us where we need to go."
"Then you shall have them."
Aside from the barest directions, Bran is all but silent for a long while. Eventually he speaks, "Skuld, do you believe that was really her?"
The battle over, the two young heroes of mythic origin return home to rest and recuperate. They meet up with their former teammates and share news of what they found, however chilling.
Still, even with this new terror, it comes with a bead of hope.
Was it possible.....could this mean....is Wingblade...no...is Shayera truly gone?
Thoughts such as these plagues the young heroes as much as they give them hope.
"I do not believe it was her. I believe it is a shapeshifting creature who is using her face. Shayera is dead."
Bran shakes his head heavily, "We have seen these men send others to recover their secrets, and we have seen how swiftly they can disappear.
They buried an empty coffin, Skuld. The assassin could be her.
"And she knew things. Moments only shared between us. She knew us both; for all her talk of obsolete models, it was clear that we were important to her. Even if that importance had been warped and twisted by whatever tortures she endures."
Whippoorwill said they were watching through her though. Did they really see everything? Could this be some sick game?
"We will likely know more once we locate that creature's masters. We will need to cross the heroes of your world to do so, however, as they have forbade us from working together. Are you prepared to do so? I, for one, will not sit idly by while crimes are done in the name of a compatriot."
"There are higher laws than theirs."
Our heroes have returned home, and of all things to brighten the day of Halycon city, the news of a victory is certainly one. The Defenders have successfully thwarted an attempt to catastrophically sink the city into the earth.
A day of celebration is in full swing as a parade moves through town, the Defender's a bit worse for wear, putting on their best showmen smiles. Tectonic does slip you a message though, that this celebration is more for the public's peace of mind, and that the Defender's would rather be at work prventing the next great catastrophe.
Still, there's been no word from Whippoorwill yet, though she's promised a message by tonight at the lastest. And when Whippoorwill makes a promise, she either keeps it or someone's dead.
During school, the defender's victory was all that people could talk about, and Bronwyn was all that Skuld could think about. She listened half-heartedly in her classes, but she could not pay attention.
That she took notes in her native Asgardian tongue made sense: She didn't really even know how to read English. Looking back at her notes after class, however, she found herself blushing more often than not when she discovered that she had subconsciously written down whatever semi-erotic daydream she had been thinking at the time.
Finally resolving to do something about this situation, during lunch she asked around as to where she could find Marco. As Grandfather would say, I need to know my enemy before I confront him.
Finally locating him, Skuld found an out of the way spot to observe him. Taking objective notes, she could see why Bronwyn would like him: He was handsome in the way that young men in good shape tended to be, and he seemed like a genuinely decent example of humanity, as well.
He was, however, the enemy. Skuld just needed to find out what she could about him and then she would find a way to defeat him and win her prize.
Before she knew it, lunch was over and it was back to classes. She was able to better focus on them, now that she had a plan...
On her way home, Skuld decided to remain in her Human guise and try to learn more about their culture. She rode the monorail, where people seemed surprisingly exuberant and nice to each other.
That was when she heard the story of the Defender's victory.
Getting off in the location of the main reverie, Skuld resolved to walk around some and see what people did when they were happy.
**Tap tap**
There was a gentle rap at the window, and Bronwyn's eyes snapped open. It was dark, still the middle of the night, but she could just make out something by her window.
She rose, tugging her sleep shirt back down as she walked over. What the hell? "Shayera?"
"Well," she smiled, "you gonna invite me in?"
Bronwyn hesitated; it felt like there was some reason she shouldn't, but there was something in Shayera's eyes she couldn't refuse...
"Oh, sure!" She shook her head to clear it, Why am I so spacey? Of course she can come in.
But when Shayera did, she just stared at Bronwyn for a long moment, that same compelling look in he eyes, until Bronwyn finally broke eye contact with a shiver.
"So it's good to see you Shayera," Why does it feel like it's been a while? "but, uh, what brings you by so late?"
"Fly with me."
"Right now? It's the middle of the night!"
"Now."
Maybe I should. She's been through... What's she been through? Well a lot anyways... "Sure," she turned towards her closet, "just give me moment to get dressed, okay?"
"No." Shayera's hand was suddenly digging into her hip. "Now."
Bronwyn reddened, "Shayera, I'm not really ready," her voice sharpened by annoyance.
"Why should that matter?"
"What?"
"You didn't ask if I was ready. You just told me to 'Get back up there.' We're going now."
Bronwyn twisted away from Shayera's grasp, backing up out of her reach. "I think you should go."
"C'mon Bronwyn," her tone was playful but her eyes were cold as she stalked forward, backing Bronwyn up until she fell back onto her bed, "I'll be insulted if I don't make you scream."
What is she doing? This isn't her - this isn't her!
Shayera's features were sharper now, and as she smiled slowly, even her teeth were longer, sharper as well. "Don't worry Bronwyn. It'll only hurt for a moment, and I promise," her smile stretched further as her fangs extended, "I'll really enjoy it."
"You're not her. Oh my God, you're not Shayera!"
Her voice took on an almost singsong quality, "Of course I am Bronwyn. I'm the same girl I've always been. The same girl I've been since long before you met me. But maybe you'll recognize me if I take of my mask."
Her wings curled in tight around herself, delicately cutting at the edges of her face, until with a final flick, she tore it free, leaving only jet black eyes and featureless porcelain slowly staining in the red ruin that had been her face.
"See? It's still me."
She woke up with Mary Beth standing over her still trying to shake her out of the nightmare.
****
She'd been trying to spend as much time with Marco and Mary-Beth as she could. Obviously sleepovers with Marco were out of the question, but it was one way she could Be There for Mary-Beth in case Scythe tried to make good on her threats. No matter how inadvisable a Buffy marathon had turned out to be.
I just hope Coach'll forgive me...
In a bid to make her's and Marco's schedules less predictable, she'd spearheaded what amounted to a walkout of almost the whole team from Track practices for the last few days, at least until after the parade. After all, even in Halcyon, it wasn't every day that the city almost sank into the earth!
****
The parade was actually a lot of fun! She'd always gone to these before becoming Bran, and it was still really exciting to see all the heroes she'd admired since childhood. Well, she couldn't help noticing the absences of Whippoorwill and Earl Grey, almost all of them.
It was just such a good excuse to focus on all the things heroes could do. To try not to think about what they couldn't. To have a date with Marco that would be next to as many super heroes as possible...
She'll call soon. We'll finish this.
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Watching the parade from high above the streets of Halcyon City, Whippoorwill's mood was anything but celebratory. She paced back and forth on the floor of her penthouse apartment that overlooked the main thoroughfare of the city of heroes. Though she allowed herself a moment of pride to know that Tectonic, Vick and Matrix had been able to thwart the Sapper's plot, she remained on edge. Coming back from her hideout at the lighthouse was a risk, but she needed better than broadband to communicate with Matrix.
While one of Matrix's remote drones waved to the crowds, the true intelligent program was hard at work analyzing every micron of Shayera's remains.
"Come on. It's been hours. You have to have something by now." she urged the heroic AI.
"The damage was catastrophic," came the emotionless reply. "However, I believe I've discovered something. There is some sort of memory storage system within the spinal structure."
"So she was recording everything. Any idea how she was transmitting the data? I presume you would have noticed a transmission," Whippoorwill says.
"I can safely say that she did not transmit any data within my presence. If you are correct in your belief that everything she saw and felt was recorded, the data files would have been immense. There is no known medium available that could have transmitted that much data without me noticing. That is, if the transmissions occurred in my presence. It's possible that the data was stored and dumped into a cache at regular intervals."
Whippoorwill frowns in thought. "So she would have had to go to to a site, to complete the transfer?"
"Correct."
The parade was about to go beyond her view. She shakes her head. The idea that Wingblade -- Shayera -- was recording and secretly going someplace to download her stores of data just seemed wrong. She had no incidents of going MIA that Whippoorwill could recall.
"That's plausible, I suppose, but wouldn't we have noticed her sneaking off to do that? It seems like a big secret to keep."
"True, but it's also possible that she was doing it subliminally. Unaware consciously, but still performing her masters' goals," Matrix says.
"That would still require her to disappear at times, and I can't think of any time where she went AWOL. That's what it would take, wouldn't it?"
"That's the most obvious tactic, but it could be much subtler. If there were multiple data dump spots, all she would have to do is go near them. Though how she would transmit the data is also unknown."
Whippoorwill scowls. She also couldn't think of any place the girl was compelled to visit, then plug in to some sort of data feed. "Talk to me. What are we missing? If she's storing data and later transmitting it, how was she doing it? How did we miss it?"
"Unknown at this time. Subject Shayera would have been given a subconscious need to report and upload her data. Something fundamental; a core of her personality, to ensure the data stream is uninterrupted."
Whippoorwill freezes. There was something integral to her personality. Something primal, a need that was as basic as the need to breathe. One that Briana shared, so she when Shayera complained about it, she didn't recognize it as anything but normal.
"Flight. She needs -- needed to fly. That's what it was. She couldn't live without being able to fly."
A moment of silence from Matrix indicated countless calculations being performed. "The hypothesis is sound. Resonant vibrations in her wings when in flight could be the medium of data transmission. Any number of devices could have been modified to receive the signals and then transmit them to the recipients."
Briana feels her blood turn to ice. They might have a lead. If they can identify the receptors, they should be able to trace them to Shayera's handlers.
"You working on this?" she says simply, knowing that if she's thought of it, then Matrix has probably already begin the search.
"Of course."
"Good. Tell me when you've got a location. And if you need anything from me."
Soon, she thinks, a faint glimmer of hope rising in her breast. A chance to find them. To stop those bastards that made her, and a chance to make them pay.
This is fun.
Bronwyn and Marco'd been out in the sun for a while now. Long-ingrained habit for both of them meant that they'd brought full water bottles with them, but even so, in this heat? It was time for ice cream.
They found one of those slightly over-the-top ice cream food trucks (this one specialized in custom ice cream sandwiches), and settled into the shade.
"It's weird how this is like perfect running weather, but just sitting here it feels wayyy to warm," Marco mused as he bit into an inadvisable combination of flavors.
Normally one or the other would be sprawled across a lap, but it had only taken one stray drip to her forehead for Bronwyn to kibosh that plan.
He smiled with a curious blend of mischief and regret, "I was just trying to share."
Bronwyn made a face,
"If you want boyfriend points for sharing your ice cream, you can't mix lemon sorbet and cookie dough.
Also, you need better aim."
As she said it she realized there was more annoyance in her voice than she'd really meant, or at least, more than she'd wanted to show, so she kissed him a quick apology.
"I just don't understand why with all those options, you just go with coffee-"
"Coffee with chocolate chips."
"Coffee with chocolate chips," he amended, "Sure, maybe most people-"
"Everyone"
"Everyone else - thinks lemon sorbet doesn't go with cookie dough. Maybe they're right, but hey, I got arguably delicious fancy ice cream. And I got to see a weird look on the ice-cream-guy's face when I ordered."
She couldn't help but kiss him again, he just looked so silly when with his proud face on.
But as she pulled away, instead of his usual goofy grin when she surprised him like that, there was a little distance in his eyes.
"What is it?"
"Y'know Bronwyn, I really l-like you."
"Sure, though you're kinda saying that like it's a bad thing?" Her hackles were up, This was just supposed to be a fun day!
"No it's not that. Just, what's the real reason you wanted to bail on practice?"
Because she might hurt you to get to me.
Because I wanted to spend time with someone who isn't watching the shadows.
Because I wanted to spend time with someone who doesn't think I have to kill Her all over again.
Because I wanted to spend some time with someone I care about without having them try to impale me.
"I just needed a break."
She could see he knew there was more than that, but he got it.
He knew she didn't want to get into it.
She knew how that hurt him.
"Okay.
You wanna run some of this off?"
"No." She kissed him again, and leaned in against him in the shade, trying so hard to be a good enough girlfriend to make up for what she couldn't tell him.
He's such a good guy.
I'm glad he asked me out.
A sudden movement caught her eye, but it was just a toddler's lost balloon.
This is fun.
It was one project of many, one folder of files among petabytes of other data in a sea of digitized pleas for help, parking tickets, villain dossiers, and predictive algorithms. But unlike most of those other projects, when this folder was uploaded information from Matrix's latest data scrub, it was uploaded directly to Wingblade's computer terminals as well.
--%%Wingblade%%--
The data was fragmented, of course, it had been pulled from the remains of several overwritten hard drives and memory disks, but there were pieces, and pieces could be put together, from thousands of different incomplete puzzles to make one solid lead.
And here it was, a GPS coordinate.
"Gotcha."
Whippoorwill commits the coordinates to memory and references their location with military satellite images. The place was a little unexpected, but that was to be expected. Obvious places get located quickly.
She tempers her desire to rush there immediately and alone. She had watched the kids' fight with Scythe over and over while waiting for Matrix to do her thing. They had managed to get her talking, which she hadn't been able to do. That was something. Despite their recklessness in rushing off to fight her in an obvious trap, they had done much better than she had anticipated. It was clear that the newer model of Wingblade had been designed to combat her, not a pair of gods come to Earth.
She makes her decision.
===============================
"Bronwyn Pascal and Skuld Tordottir, please come to the guidance counselor's office," comes the tinny voice over the classroom speaker. As the two popular students enter the office, the guidance counselor Mrs. Chen smiles brightly at them. "There's a recruiter here from the Mnemodyne Global Science Institute asking to meet with you! You should have told me you entered into their online science testing program! I would have followed up. This is so exciting!"
She takes you into a side conference room where a sharply-dressed woman with jet-black hair is waiting. She turns on her high-heels and adjusts her black rimmed glasses when you enter.
"Thank you, Ms. Chen, for calling them so quickly. I won't take much of their time," says the woman.
"Oh, they're both very good students. It's no bother, taking a break for this honor. Skuld, Bronwyn, this is Ms. Ravencrest."
She smiles and extends a hand to shake both of yours. "A pleasure. Ms. Chen, may I speak with them in private? There's some proprietary information I cannot share except with the applicants."
Ms. Chen nods vigorously and backs out after giving both students an encouraging thumbs up.
When the door closes, "Ms. Ravencrest" sighs in relief and opens her briefcase which had been sitting on the table. "Hello, ladies," she says with a wry smile, pulling off her glasses and pushing back her black hair away from her face. She pulls one of Whippoorwill's signature throwing quills from the briefcase and breaks it.
"That's going to give us a few minutes of privacy. I'm here to let you know: I've got a location. I'm breaking a few moratoriums and prohibitions on using youthful powered individuals doing this, but I don't bloody care. You in?"
As both her and Bronwyn are summoned to the office, Skuld will quickly collect her belongings and make her way there. As she was waiting in the office, she watched Bronwyn enter. "Hello beautiful." she said quietly as Bronwyn took a seat. "Have you been well?"
Once they are in the conference room and Whippoorwill reveals her identity, Skuld will pointedly look at Bronwyn and say "I have no idea what you are talking about Ms. Ravencrest."
"Bronwyn Pascal and Skuld Tordottir, please come to the guidance counselor's office"
Oh shit.
Is there any reason Skuld and me would be getting called in if this wasn't a superhero thing? What if it's a trap?! No... Scythe might be sneaky when she needs to be, but I can't see Ms. Chen deciding she's harmless...
She smiled sheepishly at her classmates as she left precalc, almost certainly making her departure more suspicious by her clear discomfort, but she was too wrapped up in trying to find a happy possibility to notice.
There might've been footage of us fighting Scythe- Are we under arrest or something?!
Maybe they just need me to sub in as Skuld's new-student guide? Like if Angie tried to kiss her, or stabbed her with a pen in a fit of jealousy, or something like that?
Yep, probably one of those. Nothing to do with Scythe or Bran.
***
When she sees 'Ms. Ravencrest' her face becomes a mask of stillness as she barely restrains an outburst of the giggles that would have been tinged by more than a little hysteria.
She's really wearing GLASSES as a disguise!
Still, as Whippoorwill snaps the privacy quill, she gets it together.
But then Skuld called her Beautiful, and her togetherness collapsed into a major-case of side-eye before she remembered why she was here, Okay, I know I've been accused of having no radar for when people like me, but is that doesn't seem like a traditional Norse greeting!
Bronwyn you spaz, Whippoorwill is right here. This is how you're going to save Shayera. Deal with that can of worms later. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of-
Waitaminute! Shayera promised she wasn't going to tell her!
How did she even-
Right.
Whippoorwill.
Rude though.
As Whippoorwill described her and Skuld as "youthful powered individuals," Bronwyn tried really hard to avoid eye contact with, well with anyone, but Skuld's dry statement was enough to force her to explain.
At least a little bit.
She shook her wrist to untangle Gae-Dearg's miniature form from where it rested among the other charms she used to disguise it. "Bran the Blessed isn't here the same way you are, Skuld. This is actually Gae-Dearg, his spear. It's... sort of the key he uses to cross over to this world. Me and a friend help him as best as we can manage. Like, I made and repair his armor and... well the rest doesn't matter right now."
She levels her gaze at Whippoorwill, only determination showing in her eyes, "What matters is he'll be there."
Whippoorwill arches an eyebrow, glances between the two young women before her, then nods pointedly to Skuld. "I don't know the details, but I am aware of Ms. Pascal's unique relationship to Bran the Blessed, specifically that she shares a link with him."
When Bronwyn holds up the charm, she focuses on it briefly, then leans back and folds her arms. "Good. You're not the only youth who can summon an entity of power. I can only hope your life force isn't drained away when you call him forth like Hellegion did."
With a toss of her head and a dismissive gesture, Whippoorwill tries to put that issue to rest. "Let's dispense with the pretenses. I'm here offering you an chance to stay involved. You, Bran, and the rest of Wingblade's friends, if they're still interested. Ji-Wan -- I mean Vick -- is off with his mother. If he shows up, he shows up. But there's a few others I'm not sure about. That Bioshock kid, for example. I have the sense you two may know how to get a hold of him."
She hits a button in the briefcase and a series of maps appear in the air above the table. "Unbeknownst to all of us, Shayera was recording everything. She was transmitting it back to her creators, who were using that data to create the metal-skinned impostor. Matrix and I've figured out how, and have traced it back to their lair. Skuld, you and Bran managed to face their new creation and got her talking. That was more than I managed. I want you to come with me, and engage Scythe. Keep her busy while I go in the back to figure out a way to shut them down for good."
"She's not an impostor."
The words are out of her mouth before she realizes it, certainly before she thinks through any kind of consequence.
"From what Bran saw, from when they spoke... He thinks she's Shayera, somehow."
Her cheeks flush under the weight of Whippoorwill's and Skuld's unbelieving eyes, but she continues, "But even if she's not... Even if she's really... gone, Scythe isn't pretending anything. These monsters have stoked her anger, sharpened her hate and leashed her with pain.
She wants to beat us, she wants to win, she might even want to kill us, but She is not what is false in that place!" Her hands are trembling by the end, but she calms herself after a moment, and her voice is calm when she asks, "Where is their lair? Where should he meet you?"
As Bronwyn explains the situation, Skuld ponders for a moment, blushes, then shakes her head in what appears to be a universal gesture of trying to clear it.
Turning to Whippoorwill and listening to her explanation, Skuld will say "I will be more than willing to help. Shayera was a comrade-in-arms, and I will not allow these...." Skuld spits out the next word like something disgusting she had accidentally put into her mouth, "people to dishonor her courage or memory."
Whippoorwill leans in, looking into Skuld's eyes. "I appreciate that. Thank you." She turns to Bronwyn. "It's painful, I know. I hope Bran is aware of this, but don't let the pain and anger make him sloppy. If he shares your emotions, keep them in check. You'll do him a huge favor."
She keys in a few commands on the briefcase's console and the coordinates appear, along with several satellite images. "Here. If you've got anyone you want to invite, pet me know and I'll work out a cover story for them. You two are going on a little 'tour' of the Institute's facilities -- assuming that you have to come along to make sure Bran can appear where you want him. It's..."
Bronwyn's eyes flash as Whippoorwill lectures her about letting emotions get the better of her, or get the better of Bran, or whatever, but she just mutters, That's not really how it works...
It was mostly true; there had been a bit more bleed-through over time, but mostly if she was mad as Bran, it was because he was mad about something he'd been there for, not just 'cause someone was being condescending!
Thank God for that. I'll be able to look at Skuld without blushing when I'm him.
The idea of going along on the 'tour' was pretty alarming too, but it made sense. I mean, I am a lot more subtle as Bronwyn. I can stretch the whole secret identity thing if it will help save her.
Once Whippoorwill worked out the details of their cover, Bronwyn excused herself and took the opportunity to go freak out the best way she knew how, with company.
A quick flurry of messages summoned Mary-Beth out of class and into the otherwise empty girls' room,
"Okay, not that I mind ditching algebra, but is everything okay?"
Bronwyn was pacing back and forth; she always thought better when she could get on her feet. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine, it's just, I'm just freaking out a little. We were putting together this whole mission to go in after Shayera, and Skuld kinda made a pass at me!"
"Oh like when you guys were just talking behind the equipment shed?"
Bronwyn's cheeks colored at Mary-Beth's teasing as she shot back, "I already told you we weren't- Okay, in retrospect she probably was actually flirting, but come on! You try talking to her about why everyone's freaking out about her without mentioning that she's freaking gorgeous. That's not flirting! That's just a fact!"
Mary-Beth rolled her eyes, hard, "Fine, fine, I'm just saying,the next time you talk to someone and the conversation is about how pretty or in shape you both are, and they're asking a lot of questions about your boyfriend, and they want to take you home to meet their parents or the Valkyries or whatever, please at least consider that they're probably into you."
Of course Mary-Beth was just trying to help, but something about how she was doing it was really pissing Bronwyn off, so she couldn't help firing back, "Oh whatever! People are always wanting to introduce me to their families. I'm the friend you can show your parents so they don't worry about all the other ones! I mean your mom loves me, the Valdezes were almost happier than Marco when we started dating, even Shayera invited me to meet Whippoorwill!"
"O-kay. We can cross that one off the list of obvious signals then, I guess, but why are you so bothered by this anyways?
You seem even more out of sorts than when Kyle came out back in 8th grade, and this time you didn't just find out your boyfriend was gay.
You and Skuld, you're just super heroes together, her playing for the other team doesn't really change anything. I mean, she doesn't even know you're Bran, right?"
"I think she thinks I'm just Bran's Girl in the Chair/Armorer, but who knows anymore... I just feel so... blindsided.
It's like, when Marco, asked me to the dance, I was surprised, you know, I didn't expect it-"
"Again, despite any words of wisdom you had received on that topic."
"Fine, fine you're two for two - But even though I wasn't expecting it, I knew what was coming next if I said yes. If we had a nice time we'd start dating, if the dates went well, we'd kiss... There are, you know, still next steps from there, but Skuld has no steps! She just flies around. I know what to do when a cute boy asks me to a dance, but now you're telling me some gorgeous actual pagan goddess wants to fly me up a rainbow bridge to heaven? She didn't even know I'm a superhero! She just thought I was some normal girl! What do I do with this?! What the hell is the next step from there?!"
Mary-Beth's tone softened, as she tried to rein Bronwyn back in, "Well, how'd you deal with Eli? It's kind of the same situation."
"I still think you read too much into that, but even if he was interested in more than just going to that dance, he backed off when Marco started dating me. Actually he backed off as soon as he found out I was just going to a dance with Marco - Skuld knows! That's the thing! Eli got that I was with Marco, or at least that we were gonna try things out, but clearly she doesn't think me having a boyfriend is a problem?!"
"Bronwyn, hey, Bronwyn! I get that this whole thing is complicated, but what you have to do is really simple. You just have to tell her you don't like girls that way. People get that."
"...yeah. Good point."
"But umm... Look, you know I wouldn't care, and I'd love you either way, but she's clearly getting a vibe you're not trying to put out there. So tell her no, but... you need to make her believe it. And also, if you're gonna keep having secret superhero talks at school, and shouting about this in public bathrooms, you might need to make sure Marco believes it too."
Bronwyn, honestly looking a little exhausted, just nods and hugs her friend. "MB? Remind me that you're smart at this stuff next time I'm going all nutty, okay? We can skip me foaming at the mouth, and you can just give me the good advice, and I don't have to feel all embarrassed at the end, okay?"
"You got it."
The next day after the spontaneous celebrations throughout the city, Marco finds himself sitting alone for a moment, reading some texts on his phone and basically enjoying the sun during lunch, when a shadow blocked the sun from above him.
Looking up, he saw the new transfer student What was her name again? staring down at him intensely.
"You are...Marco, are you not?"
"Yes I am. How can I..." suddenly, Marco realized that there was a group of people watching them talk. "uhh, what can I do for you?" he finished his sentence, a bit self consciously.
"I require your assistance with something of a...personal nature." was the response, which while delivered flatly had a hint of...something in it. Marco couldn't quite place it.
"What is it?"
"I wish to court Bronwyn, and thus I consider you to be my rival, but I am...unfamiliar with how such things are handled here. I do not wish you harm, but you are standing in my way and I wish you to move aside."
Marco had considered a great many reasons why a Scandanavian princess would talk to him, but her trying to take his girlfriend wouldn't even remotely be one of them.
When you've got a serious girlfriend, seeing a pretty girl is still nice.
But when she wants to talk with you about "something important," you should be careful.
And when her friends are standing around pretending not to watch, you should have started running a while ago.
Forewarned by other awkward experiences with exactly this kind of conversation, especially from new girls who might really just not know about his girlfriend, Marco was already mentally kicking himself through the hardest "I'm flattered. Really flattered - but I'm with Bronwyn" he'd had to give, when suddenly Skuld took a swerve off script.
"Court Bronwyn? Rival? Don't wish to harm? Move aside?!"
"Wait. What the hell are you talking about?!" The back of his neck prickled with heat as he responded, "Are you seriously asking me to help you steal my girlfriend? My straight girlfriend?!
"Well no." He rose, not exactly looming at 5'9", but looking Skuld hard in the face nonetheless. "No you can't have my assistance, and no I won't move aside."
"Very well then. I do not know the social etiquette here: Should we choose seconds and duel? That is how things would be done in....certain parts of the world that I have been to. That is the only help that I require of you, as I would do this in as appropriate a manner as possible."
"Duel?! Are you crazy? I'm not gonna fight you!
What would that even solve?!"
"That's why I asked you what the etiquette is here, as I do not know it."
Marco is confused enough that he can't help but feel his surprised anger leak away, "There's not really an etiquette for... I mean duels went out of style when Burr shot Hamilton!
Do you really think that you can start dating Bronwyn by beating me up or something?"
Skuld sighs and says "I had hoped to just announce my intentions. As I have done that, I will now leave." Without waiting for a response, Skuld turns and leaves.
Against really anyone's better judgment, Marco follows Skuld, grabbing her by the shoulder, "Hey, I'm not done here. You like Bronwyn, I get it, but really, what do you expect from me in all this? Look, I know you don't really know me, but here's something you should learn: I'm crazy about her, and there's Nothing you could do that would change that.
So, that's my 'intention'. I'm guessing I'll see you around."
Halfway spinning as Marco grabs her, Skuld is more shocked than anything else, and she almost levels him with her full strength. She manages to catch herself at the last moment, however, and ends up just slapping him really hard. She says something in her native language, but it didn't take a native speaker to understand that she was really mad.
I should leave before I allow him to assault me futher. thought Skuld as she turned and ran.
It was odd really. The GPS coordinates could have been in the middle of the ocean, or perhaps in the wilderness of a far-off country where labor was cheap and the rent was free. Instead....you find yourselves a few states over in the metropolis of Rivercrest, a community based on a profitable riverfront that powers the entire city through a dam system. There's an abundance of wealth and opportunity in the area, and smack dab in the center of Downtown is Reaver Technologies. Pioneering advances in every field from computers to energy, it isn't a stretch to say they have grown to rival other fortune 500 tech companies.
Thor Girl and Bronwyn, you stand on the sidewalk just across from the skyscraper office building. It's a busy Friday afternoon and the college kids are in full force getting their drink on.
Whippoorwill has left you to do some recon as she went to finish up some business.
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Apex and Flux, you're already in full costume and currently on the one skyscraper higher than Reaver Technologies. Looking through you're binoculars, you've done some light recon of your own, but don't have muuch to show for it. You suspect that the real secrets are either in the uppermost floors or down below. And that's your aim. The amount of clout you'll get by by outing Reaver Technologies would be astronomical, but you need something that they can't just sweep under the rug with their billions of dollars.
Flux, you might be a bit more nervous than your partner but you know you're here doing something good. Sure, you might be in over your heads, but Apex has been pretty reliable up till now. Guess that's why you've stuck with him.