There is a brief moment of stillness in the water. Then, thrashing and wide-eyed, Shaun surfaces, alive and awake...and cursing. ”WHAT IN TA’ ABSOLUTE F&*@ IS GOIN’ ON WHAT TA’ F!$$ WHAT TA’ F~%% WHAT TA’ F#$% WHAT TA’ F$*&-!!!” He stops to release a retching cough. ”Ah-HAK! GUH!” His eyes, searching wildly finally found Wingblade. ”WHAT TA’ F@%+ ARE-?! WHAT TA’ F%@+ IS-?! WHAT TA’ F~@+?!”
Knowing that she wouldn't help matters by freaking out herself, Wingblade drops from where she'd been circling over the pool, landing on the edge to give Shaun a hand out if he needed it.
"All excellent questions," she says pithily, trying to defuse the situation -- whatever it might be. "Abacus, half illumination, cut the music."
She stays silent, watching him closely.
WHUMP!
As the bagpipes played, Alexis ran out of Shayera's bedroom in borrowed pajamas, confused and wondering what was going on.
Then she looked out the window and saw that Shayera was back, and Shaun looked half-drowned. She was confused about all of that. But she wasn't comfortable going out in the open with no walls or ceiling when they were so high up.
"You're being too loud!" She shouted, before going to return to sleep. Curling up on Shayera's bed and closing her eyes, she tried to get back to the dream of Kaoru riding a white horse to their not-date and giving Alexis a ride. It had been a nice dream. Except the horse had Bronwyn's face for some reason.
Shaun accepted the hand up and out, though he rapidly realized he was not in a state to stand. Half sitting, half collapsing to the ground, he stared dumbly at the heroine. ”...yea’ I know they’re good question! Ya’ got any good answers, or are ye’ JUST GONNA F%+~IN’ STARE AT ME?!”
He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. That can’t have just happened! No, I’m past this! I’m okay! How the f#+% did that just happen?! He gestured wildly at the pool. ”What kinda fairy B+@~#!#@ do ye’ have in that f!$~in’ thin’?!”
"Salt." Wingblade weathers the verbal abuse without budging or changing expression. "And no, I don't have any answers. The only magic I have is what's in my pendants that hide my wings. This is something else entirely, so I'm just going to take a wild guess here and say maybe it has something to do with you and that language you were mumbling."
”Well I know I didn’t just have a nightmare again f’no f%%!in’ reason!” He paused. ”Wha-...wait, what language are ye’talkin’ about?”
Wingblade shrugs. "I'm not sure. Something Celtic, for sure. Gaelic, maybe? Let's see if you recognize it. Abacus, audio only: play back two minutes prior to my arrival, to present. Filter out ambient sounds, enhance vocal."
For a handful of seconds, there's only a low snoring. Then, "...na cuir eagal air bàs, agus bidh eagal air bàs ort...na cuir eagal air bàs, agus bidh eagal air bàs ort..."
Wingblade's voice. "Ahem! I doubt that's the place you want to spend the night. Shaun!"
"...na cuir eagal air bàs, agus bidh eagal air bàs ort...na cuir eagal air bàs, agus bidh eagal air bàs ort...!"
""...na cuir eagal air bàs, agus bidh eagal air bàs ort! Na cuir eagal air bàs, agus bidh eagal air bàs ort!"
Then, in a voice that does not sound like it came from Shaun, "Chan eil eagal air a ’bhàs, Shaun MacGriogair."
Wingblade's voice is again heard. ""Okay, whatever that is, it's not--" "Abacus, pause playback!" she interjects for real.
She studies Shaun's face after the playback.
Shaun has frozen. His face is a paling mask of wide-eyed paralysis. ”That’s my mantra, but...” The voice...! It’s back...! Without a word he gets to his feet and runs back inside. He rushes to his stuff piled up next to a leg press and begins rummaging violently through it, sending the odd item flying away carelessly. (Including a certain CD, which rolls down the hall and falls flat next to a certain bedroom door.)
Finally, he produces a large glass bottle of scotch and begin frantically gulping it down. After a minute he comes up for air. ”I...I-I need ta’ go. I need-I-I need ta’ leave!” He grabs his kit and starts heading for the elevator.
Wingblade just about ordered the elevators to be shut down to stop Kilt from leaving. But given the fact that he'd experienced... whatever it was here, she couldn't in good conscience force him to stay.
"Kilt, just... remember. You've got the earbud. Okay?" she says as the elevator doors open.
And whatever did happen, I've got a full recording of it.
Here at school's just fine." Cassie replies "I've got heaps of stuff I have to do after-hours... Learning the 'Mystic Arts' and so on" she says making air quotes with her hands. "So, ummm, about this team thing? Who's on it apart from me and you? Bran I guess and,,. Wingblade? Anyone else?"
He pauses at the lift threshold. ”...yea’. Sure.” He presses the ground floor button, and is away.
The Voice - “Death does not fear you, Shaun MacGregor.”
"I hope he remembers to put some clothes on over his swim trunks before going outside," Shayera mutters to herself before checking on Alexis.
She runs the audio through Abacus' translation software, reviews the video a couple times and sends the mysterious voice through vocal recognition software for any additional clues. Then when the time comes, she heads toward Monument Park.
Shayera returns back to her apartment, tired but feeling pretty relaxed after a hectic week. She sleeps on the couch until it's time to get up and get ready for school.
Training was in the morning. It was great to be able to do so and then be able to actually shower right afterwards. Alexis got sweaty quickly from all of her effort, as she slammed fist and foot into the newly reinforced punching bag that could accommodate her super strength.
There was a small worry in her heart as she worked at it. That was if someone else, like Alexandra, might like Kaoru better. Or if she was looking at Kaoru the way Devaun looked at Shayera, but he didn't know she didn't like him that way.
But if she was still dating him, there had to be a reason. Even if she was also dating Bronwyn. It wasn't like they were bunking together at night, like what happened at the barracks. Sometimes it felt all right to have someone slide into your bunk, both of you making each other feel good, then sliding back to your own before morning revel. It was different because everyone could kick them out if they didn't want that. Not like the creepy men that tried to prey on her and other girls on the streets.
She got lost in thought, until the chain for the bag broke off and it landed up against the wall. She frowned, before going to shower. She came out wrapped in a towel, looking for Shayera to help her dress up. She found the winged heroine sleeping on the couch, which seemed odd. She wished that she'd come to her bed. Alexis would have given her some appreciation.
She pokes her firmly in the shoulder several times until she stirs up. "I need something to wear," She requested, standing in front of her slightly damp, clenching the towel closed with one hand. "Something like Viola might wear. Or Olivia." She tilted her head slightly like a bird. "Did you ask Bronwyn about my armor?"
”...oh, my f@#%in’ head...”
It takes Shaun a minute to realize that he’s back in the apartment...somehow. He rolls off the mat/bed, landing a little harder than he intended on the floor. ”Gyah, ffffff!@#!” It had been a long time since he’d felt hung-over. He’d forgot how much of a headache it (literally) was. As he struggled to stand up, a few empty bottles lightly clinked together around his feet. ”...ah s!!&. This is why I shouldn’t go out after whiskey...”
His stuff was everywhere. Clothes on the gym machines, knives in the floor, his trunks hanging off the banister like a flag. Of course, he had absolutely no memory of any of this, but wasn’t surprised. I really got to take it easy after two bottles...
As best he could he started picking everything up, and started trying to recall last night. Okay, so the pool happened, I left, aaaannnnnd...what? What’d I do? I took the kit... He double-checked that it was still with him and intact. Doesn’t look like I used it at all...wait, wasn’t I wearing my trunks? He looked down. Thankfully, he was covered by a pair of familiar blue-and-white boxers. Okay, so good there...but what the hell did I do...?
By the time Alexis came out to train, Shaun was mostly done picking up and had donned a slightly blood-stained tank top and jeans. He waved a half-hearted greeting to the girl before heading down to the kitchen to gather breakfast.
"Well, it looks like it might wind up being just about everyone from the museum. Wingblade and Bran have been working with The Silver Shadow already, but The Kilt and the... super-strong-helmet-girl are already in. Plus other acolytes and helpers like me of course. Though we won't be at all the meetings probably. Oh, anyone you see with one of these, she dangled Gae-Dearg once more, "is someone you can trust to get a message to me or Bran, but I'd appreciate it if you kept it discrete that I've got the one that's his link here, just safer to keep that compartmentalized."
"And look, Bran and I are the only ones who can see through your veil, right? Why don't you come along next time we're doing the whole team thing and try it out. Your secret's safe either way."
Alexandra swears as she hears Kaoru trip an alarm. this would be a problem. but, the guy in the server room was unconscious, so...
The laptop. She pushed the man in the chair aside. Machina, I have access to a computer logged into the system already. You can do this. Walk me through this. This will be fine, we'll be out of here soon... with the data, if this works. Okay?
Shaun nearly bumps into his hostess when he stumbles into the kitchen. Wingblade's wings are fanned out behind her, framing her form so she looks larger and more dangerous. An aura of extreme disappointment radiates from her. "You know," she begins, "underage drinking greatly increases your likelihood of developing alcohol dependency as you get older. Also, this is my home. I have a father and a mentor who both would disapprove of finding empty bottles littered around my apartment, so even if you don't respect yourself, then hopefully you would respect me enough to not put me in a bad situation."
She softens her tone, and her wings fold up. "I know last night scared you. But drinking yourself to oblivion doesn't seem like the best solution. Besides," she adds, "Bronwyn's going to talk to someone who knows magic. She might be able to help."
Shayera then finishes getting ready. Helping Alexis, she picks out a light floral print dress for her. "This'll make you feel feminine. It's not much for fighting in, but there's always hope you can make it through a day without one fight."
When she asks about Bronwyn and her armor, Shayera shakes her head. "I didn't ask her because I didn't need to. If she says she'll fix your armor, she will."
Shayera chooses a bold green dress for herself, since she really liked the heels she bought that matches it. It might be a little much for a Friday and a group movie night, but she still missed Tiffany's eye.
This time, the classic car drops three students off at the front of the school.
Shaun grabs the first thing vaguely protein-shaped and slumps into a dinning chair. "Lass, I'm whiskey dependent now." He releases a long sigh as Wingblade voices her complaints. "Yea', my bad. I try not ta' drink n' wander, has some..." He waves his hand behind himself at the mess. "Results...ya' got any meds?'
He angrily takes a bite of whatever the hell he'd grabbed. "I was not scared! My adren'line was just jacked, I needed ta' burn it off. An' I don't need anybody helping' me w'it!" He sighs and nestles his head into his folded arms. "I don't need help...I don't..."
He perks up slightly at the girls conversation. Armor? Why would she have armor? Then, I thought occurs to him. "Hey, if ya' need some work done, I might be able ta' help. I know my way 'round a forge...or kevlar, if that's what ye' got."
- - -
Compared to the girls, he was markedly under-dressed, just combat boots, heavily worn jeans, and his favorite tank...and a pair of sunglasses he hoped didn't look too obvious. "A'ight, just text me where we're meetin' for this movie. I'll see ya' then..." He slowly trundles off, his usual vigor notably absent.
Kaoru flinched as she heard Alexandra swear as well. Bet you're oh so glad you brought me along now. And now a guard was coming up the fire escape. She looked at her watch for a feed to the motion sensor she had planted. He was still a ways down, so she had some time. She could talk Alexandra through this. Though she hated that she had to. She just wasn't good enough to make it passed their authentication. And Alexandra knew it, even if she was trying to be nice about it. It was probably yet another manipulation attempt. One to get her to use the actually competent person.
"Ok, open up a terminal." Alexandra had known about installing and IDE, so she probably at least knew what a terminal was. "I'm already connected to the network via your USBs, so since you already have root access, you should just be able to copy the files directly. Type the following: 'scp -P 8080 -r'. Then drag the folders you want to copy to the terminal. Then type ' apocalypse@legion.localhost:~/' and hit enter."
"Ok, transfer in progress. Get out of there."
Alexandra followed kaorus instructions, and had the files transferred in a flash.... ish. Then her thoughts turn to escape.
Xan be nimble, Xan be swift...
stop right there!
Kaoru tried to give the man her most charming smile. And then remembered that her mask would completely hide any expressions anyway. Probably for the best anyway.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid there must have been some misunderstanding. I was simply patrolling when I heard your alarm go off and came to investigate. I was hoping I could be of assistance. It appears you were being hacked into. I chased the man off and was just in the process of shutting down this computer to cease the data breach when you came up."
"OK," Cassie says, doubtfully. "Wingblade and Bran I can see, I guess. I don't know anything about the Silver Shadow but,.. I assume by 'The Kilt' you mean that Shaun guy?... I mean, I guess he did do a lot at the museum but,.. you've got to admit he's a bit of an asshat most of the time. And 'helmet-girl'? she was tough as hell, but did you see what she did to the museum? She virtually demolished the place!.. But well, OK What do you mean next 'team thing'? Like a meeting or,.. something more exciting?"
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Alexis felt like she was pretty. At least she hoped that was what she looked like. She knew enough that it would have been silly to wear something like an actual princess for a not-date, but she still felt glad that Shayera was able to put her in something that looked nice. Though she put on leggings underneath the dress because she felt slightly weird not wearing anything like that.
She was with Shayera in glaring at Shaun in the car. Mostly because he smelled like some of the men and women in the camps she'd lived in after they'd spend their panhandling money for a dozen beers or a bottle of vodka. She wasn't in any hurry to go back to living like that, not after finding this place for herself. "Intoxication is punishable by fifteen lashes for the first offense, twenty-five for the second, and termination for the third. If you make Shayera's place smell bad again, I'll break your sword instead." She mimed snapping it in half with her hands, before heading out to her first class.
She was somewhat surprised to find that the bully from the previous day, the one that had been mean to Shaun, was waiting for her. She didn't know what he wanted, but she wasn't going to be rude to him. "Hello."
"Hey. Uh. Sorry, what's your name? People call you the sped, but I think that's just because they don't know you." He asked her.
"I go by Alexis. What's your name?"
"I'm Jason Goodall. Listen, are you going to tell anyone about what happened yesterday? You or the ch- uh, the girl?" Jason's eyes shifted up and down the hallway.
"No. It's over. Don't do that again or I'll be mad," Alexis stated simplistically.
"Hey, he's the jerk who was pissing me off, hogging the equipment when he's not even on a team here," Jason defended himself.
"Then you should ask him to join a team," She replied, sitting down in her seat. Jason stared at her like she'd grown a second head.
"Why the f...why the fudge would I do that for that...guy?" He asked, guarding his language around her. Alexis appreciated his effort. She remembered he said his older sister was like her, but worse. Maybe she didn't like bad words either.
Alexis thought for a moment as she brought out her notebook, bought recently from the school store. "Because he needs friends. You need friends too," She said to him.
"I got friends."
"You don't have friends hurt other people. They're soldiers following your orders," Alexis told him, to Jason's bafflement.
"No, I...like I said, he was the one that wouldn't leave. So I tried to make him. So...I mean, that means he was wrong." Jason pointed out.
Alexis thought about it. "There were more benches to use than his."
Jason hesitated, not sure how to answer that. "...Okay, fine, I didn't like that some gym-rat was stinking the place up. I didn't want him crowding my space. So I tried to make sure he wouldn't come back. Dumb ginger then had to claim he was gonna do three hundred on the press, which is b++&@#$$ - you'd have to be some superhuman to do that much without basically losing the use of your arms."
"You know a lot about weight training." Alexis pointed out.
Jason blinked, surprised and shrugged his beefy shoulders. "When I get my college 'ship, gonna study sports medicine. After I finish in the NFL, gonna be able to charge mad cash to trainer CEOs and other bigwigs to not be potato sacks."
Alexis nodded slowly, as she went back to her notebook. "Okay. Class is starting soon. You aren't in it," She told him. Jason scowled and crossed his arms.
"...Just...if, you know, if someone...let me know if anyone screws with you. I'll do something about it."
Alexis just nodded so that he would go away. She was focused on things that she could try and talk to Kaoru about on their not-date. She could tell him about Twelfth Night and Midsummer Night's Dream but what else? She didn't want to tell him she was homeless. Or was recently homeless.
Planning this was what she used class time for until lunch.
***
As the Scottish student makes his way into the building, he finds himself confronted by a squat middle-aged woman with horn-rimmed glasses and grey streaks through her hair. She looks at a file in her hand, then up at him.
"Shaun MacGregor? I'm Vice Principal Paltrow," She introduces herself. "We need to have a discussion in my office. Please follow me," She told him, sniffing and scrunching her face at him, but not commenting on the smell. "You'll be excused from your first period class."
***
As the athlete heads in to practice, she notices that several of her track teammates are speaking to a pair - one a professionally dressed and curvy black woman with a smartphone held out as a recorder, the other a tall and thin Indian man holding up a digital camcorder. One of her teammates points Bronwyn out to them, as they approach her.
"Hi there - I'm Temperance Jones, and this my cameraman Adhik. I heard that you were at the museum during the big fight on Wednesday? i was wondering if you'd be willing to answer a few questions. I'm starting a webcast series about super events here in Halcyon and I'm interested to learn what occurred. Can you tell me anything about the heroes that were battling this Big Daddy?"
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Her comm buzzes in a signal only meant for hers. "Oh, that's Whip. I gotta go. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, enjoy the pool, don't bust your stitches!" She runs out to the balcony and takes flight.
Wingblade flaps her wings hard to gain even more altitude as her mentor fills her in. "Security breach at the SCA? Why would we want to help them?" Despite her reluctance, she dutifully angles her flight towards their HQ and accelerates.
"Fine. I get it. No telling what they're up to. On my way."
Alexandra followed Kaoru's instructions, and had the files transferred in a flash.... ish. Then her thoughts turn to escape.
Xan be nimble, Xan be swift...
Wingblade, by virtue of her speed and purely coincidental proximity, arrived at the SCA HQ well in advance of her mentor. One figure on the roof was already being detained, which left the one barricaded in the server room. "I'll take care of it," she says casually as she pushes past the SCA goons, who just happen to not be bulletproof or have fast healing.
She gives the door a quick slash and barges in, feeling all gestapo doing so. She decides to play the role. "Stop right there!"
What do you do??
Shaun strongly considers flipping Alexis the bird, but instead slumps lower into his seat. "I'd like ta' see ye' try. Ta'thin' can hold a car n' not bend a hair. Ye' ain't nothin'..."
- - -
...I am too hungover for this s**#. "A'ight, what's my sentence this time?" He looks down at the woman with a half bemused, half annoyed expression as he follows behind her. "I'm guessin' detention. Ta' first slap on ta' wrist is always detention."
***
Bronwyn winces at Cassie's assessment. "I think Shaun's heart is in the right place, even if the detour it takes on the way to his mouth is clearly a messy one. And helmet-girl will get better. You could even help. She already is careful about not hurting people, and that's the most important thing, the rest will come too.
"I don't really know what the next team thing will be. But if it's some kind of emergency, I'll at least let you know, okay? And if it's something more fun, then I'll definitely let you know. Bran probably won't be there if it's meant to be something low-key though, he does kinda stick out."
***
Okay, be careful with the answers, but it could be good to get people on the right side of things.
"Oh. Umm... sure? I was mainly trying to get to safety, but what did you want to know?"
As they enter Paltrow's office, Shaun notes the degrees on her walls, the assorted shelves of knick-knacks and books, as well as one of those Newton's cradles placed in front of the seat that she gestures him to take a seat in. She sits behind the desk with the folder opened up, and looks up to smile at Shaun.
"Of the students that have just recently transferred into school here, Mr. MacGregor, you stand out for being perhaps one of the only ones that does not seem to want to be here. At least, considering that you've missed most if not all of your classes since you started this week. Based on the fact that this is your fourth transfer this school year, I have to consider whether or not it is right for you to continue your attendance here at our school at this time." Paltrow taps a pen on her desk.
"Mr. MacGregor, your father has begged me to ensure that we do not kick you out. So I'm willing to hear your side of the story today. Why should we continue to allow you to attend this school?" She settles back in her seat. "I am not your enemy. I want to help you. But I can't do that if you sit there without saying anything in your defense."
"Excellent! As we've uncovered, you were among the last people to evacuate from the museum during the fight. Can you describe to us some of the heroes that you saw during the fight? Don't feel like you have to cover for someone's secret identity if you happen to be in the know. We just want to get a sense about the members of this strange new team of outcasts. I heard local favorites Wingblade and Bran the Blessed were a part of it. What other heroes did you see there?" Temperance asks for her story.
He huffs and drops into the offered chair. You got that right lady, I definitely don't wanna be here. His spirits raise a bit when she mentions expelling him. Please say you're gonna, please say you're gonna!
They deflate violently when she brings up his old man.
He groans. "Of course he did..." He rolls his eyes, then looks at the woman. He might be an intentional pain in his old man's side, but...did she really deserve the same? Did his old-? NO. He DOES deserve it. But...does she? She's trying to help, even if it is in an obnoxious way. She never did anything to hurt him, to disrespect him. Was he really going to show her the same scorn?
He chews slightly on his lower lip, then assumes a more "proper" seating position. "Look Ms. P, I get it. Ye're tryin'ta' help me, an' I can respect that. But, f'what I want ta' do with my life, for bein' a hero, I don't need school! I've got all ta' skills I might need. So sorry, but I don't have ta' be here." For some reason, the words he says hurt like thorns on the way up his throat. He'd said similar to people way scarier then her, and in a much more aggressive tone. So why did they leave him so remorseful now?
Whatever the case, he was pretty certain the discomfort was showing on his face. No doubt she could pick up on that...
"Secret Identities? They weren't exactly shouting them out, but okay. Umm, The Silver Shadow was there, the new one. And The Kilt too..." Don't want to mention Cassie or Alexis. If I'm the one who gives them a bad hero name they'll never forgive me.
"No one else whose name I know, sorry. Oh! Odysseus was there too. I don't know if he's planning on going by a different name."
"Ah. I see. You're one of those cases," Mrs. Paltrow says. "Mr. MacGregor. If you want to become a hero, then you are clearly going about it entirely wrong. You understand that the best, safest method to achieve this goal would be to apply for the SIDEKICK program, yes?"
She opens a drawer in her desk, pulling out a rather creased pamphlet titled SIDEKICKs: Learn From The Best and Be A Hero! "If you are seriously invested in actually becoming a hero, this is how you should go about it. In fact, our school in partnership with the Defenders holds a tryout in May where those handpicked are able to take a summer internship with them."
She lets him look through the pamphlet while continuing. "Of course, this is dependent on whether or not you choose to stay here at the school - which means attending classes, managing at least a two point oh grade average, being on your best behavior...and I think in your case, mandatory peer counseling. If you can stick with that for eight weeks, Mr. MacGregor, not only will I allow you to attend the tryouts, I will write a glowing recommendation for you that will ensure your serious consideration for the internship," She tells him with a pleasant smile.
Then she gets more serious in tone. "However, Mr. MacGregor, this means that you must also discontinue any further heroing until then. The SIDEKICK laws prohibit minors that are not under the supervision of the Defenders or other independent heroes in Halcyon from acting under their own agency. That means that if you are caught doing so, you will be living in a juvenile detention center until you're twenty-one."
She walks around her desk, standing in front of Shaun with a concerned expression. "Last of all...you're a minor. You can't be coming to school smelling like a distillery. Even in Scotland the drinking age is eighteen. If you're caught smelling like this or drinking on campus, then I can't help you anymore," She tells him, before reaching into her pocket. A small brass medallion with '5 years' printed on it is visible in her palm as she hands him a card.
"There's a student run Addicts Anonymous meeting that meets every Sunday at Tubman Middle School in Rustside. All your age or in college. I urge you to attend it. As I hope to see you next Monday ready for classes." She sighs, adjusting her horn-rimmed glasses. "This is all I'm capable of doing for you. I want to see you succeed, Mr. MacGregor. As I want all my students. I'll support you on a path to becoming a hero - the right path. Do we have an accord?"
She holds out her hand to him, leaving the ball in his court.
***
"The Silver Shadow, interesting...never heard of the Kilt before today," Temperance says. "Can you describe the ones that you don't know by name? I don't want to get details wrong. Do you think that since Wingblade is involved, these are heroes that will be working underneath the Defenders as their SIDEKICKs?"
Alexandra turns slowly, red-wrapped hands raised weird, I'm strangly free of goop, did you guys get some trigger disci- She stops as she spots the metal wings, and her snide tone immediately changes to surprise. Wingblade? I didn't realize they had real law enforcement in here!
She takes a few steps forward, indicating surrender. But suddenly her arm darts forward, and a flashbang drops on the ground behind Wingblade.
Wingblade grabs her less than a second later, stong hands restraining Alexandra very easily. as the two grapple, the guards outside stunned, she whispers into Wingblade's ear. Sorry. just wanted to tweak their noses. didn't mean for you to get involved. I just used a flashbang to give you plausible deniability, enhanced senses + sensory overload grenades... sorry I got you in this.
"OK then. Like I said, I'll have to think about it but,.. I guess we should swap numbers just in case then?"
The guard actually seemed to be buying Kaoru's story. Was she finally doing something right? It must have been the deep, authoritative voice she was using. "Look, I've got to get this laptop to your people for evidence, but if you hurry, you might be able to catch up to the person who started this." She pointed off in the opposite direction she had originally come from. And then spots a dark figure flying towards them. Crap. "Look, my allies are here. No doubt they can handle anybody who's managed to infiltrate your building. So why don't you call for some backup and take them with you?"
Mustering all the confidence of someone who definitely deserved to be here, she quickly grabbed her computer and bag and headed down the fire escape, dashing around a corner as soon as she was out of sight. There she triggered the USB to destroy its dongle mate.
"How are you doing in there? Need any assistance?" As she talked, she quickly copied the data to a separate USB and pocketed it. She just needed an all clear from her partner, so she could shut down all network traffic to prevent any further backtracking.
Wingblade had just enough presence of mind to keep herself from blurting out Alexandra's name when she turned around. She was sure it was her despite the Silver Shadow not being in her signature costume. In a split second, Shayera decided to let her make the first move, which of course turned out to be a flash-bang.
The damn things hurt, but weren't as bad once you learned how to deal with them. Whippoorwill frequently used them against susceptible targets, so part of her training was being subjected to them on a frequent basis to inure her to the sensory overload. As Alexandra started to move, expecting Wingblade to be disoriented, she was right there to grab her.
"All right; what's this about??" Wingblade hisses in Alexandra's ear. Alexandra was cryptic with her answer, just basically asking her to go along with it.
"Then you're going to need something a lot stronger than the flash bang," she says, annoyed at being forced to make this decision.
Letting her wings slash the nearby wall to create the sound of a struggle, Wingblade puts Alexandra into a partial hold. She rummages through her utility belt until she finds the taser and cranks it up to a voltage that can stop a charging bull. "Here. Use this."
Sorry. And I didn't want to hurt you... really sorry. She says, tazing wingblade. after that, she flees, stoping only to give the two stunned guards a swift kick each, and she's out the window, and in an alley, disappearing into the night!
I got out, Kay. You okay? You need extraction?
"I'm good. Rendez-vous point?" Relieved, Kaoru disconnected the burner from her computer and shut down all network traffic. That'll stop the backtrace. Hopefully, they didn't get that far. I'll have to do a thorough scrubbing before I can hook my laptop up to anything though. She quickly put her laptop into her back next to Alexandra's. She moved further away from the scene of the crime, looking for the first opportunity to duck into some unseen alley and remove the mask and casting furtive glances to the sky in case there were further winged pursuit. She held the burner up near her ear to listen for a response.
...wait, did she just call me Kay? Her chest tightened painfully as she quickly pushed away a memory of red hair and laughing blue eyes. A warm voice filled her head. " 'kay, Kay?"
Where we went the first day, after school. Alexandra says.
she is waiting there, a smile on her face as Kaoru comes in. That was so fun! she says, throwing her arms around You were great! little slip up, but you recovered, and we all got out... Wingblade took the drive, but we uploaded it to that server... Hell yeah! She says, and kisses Kaoru on the cheek again.
Bt I'm all worked up. How 'bout you?
He sighs as he takes the pamphlet. "Believe me Ms. P, if I could apply I would. But...ye' need guardian permission f'it. An' I sure as hell don't have that..." Somewhat compulsively, he still looks through the worn trifold. He'd seen something similar back home, one of the more proactive counselors had essentially forced him to swallow it when he wouldn't shut up about being a hero. He'd almost exploded with excitement learning about it, only to lose it all when he figured out his old man needed to sign off on it. Go figure. Once again, he's in the way...
Then she mentions the partnership and tryouts. His eyes snap to her. "Seriously!?" He flips through the glossy handout, and sure enough, he finds confirmation (with a little squinting). "F!$~in' brilliant! I-I had no clue! Holy s@%+!"
He's out of his chair and pacing with excitement as she lists of the requirements. "Done! Absolutely done! I-I'll work my ass off, I'll do whatever!" Here's hoping "peer counseling" isn't what I think it is... "I'll make a space in the kit tonight, study during patrols, maybe I could set up some lookouts so I don't have to be moving' all the time-!"
Then she drops the axe on heroing.
...what the f+#~ kind of emotional rollercoaster is this?! His expression is a mix of confusion and anger. "W-What!? No! I-I just got started! In Halcyon! Wha-!? Screw ta' laws, I wanna help people!...by...breakin'ta' law...oh s##$ me...!" Ignoring drinking ages was one thing. Getting himself arrested was something else entirely. If she was really serious about this, could he really afford to risk losing it all? He sighs. "Fine..." Then a lightbulb clicks on in his head. "But I get ta' keep trainin', yea'?"
He visibly blushes. "S&$@, is it that obvious?" He curiously whiffs his own top. "Oof! Yea', that obvious..." That did not smell like whiskey! What the hell was I doing last night!?
His face is completely neutral as he accepts the card. "...y'know, I used ta' help my gran'da' keep ta' bar when I was a kid. There was a guy who wore a badge like that. Used ta' bug people, tell'em how evil alcohol was." He roughly shoves the card into his pocket. "He got laid out. A lot. Guy looked like a full-on grape more'en a few times. I give him credit for keepin' at it, but he wasn't that bright." He starts chewing his lip again. "...last night was a bad night f'me. Won't happen again." Heroes don't get scared...
He looks at her hand, a very turbulent mix of feelings adding some color to the gut-worms. This had been a much different talk than he was expecting. She was asking a lot, but promising more that he'd ever thought he'd be able to achieve. Working with the actual Defenders! But at what price...?
He blinks, then firmly takes her hand. "Deal." In his head though, he's already planning tonight's patrol, and the whiskey he'll use to get to sleep. He is halfway agreeing though. She needs to see what I can do. So I'll show her. I'll make her believe in me.
Even if he had to lie?
..."No war was won with nobility intact. To win, you must not let anything stop you."
He returns his hand to his pocket and clears his throat. "Uh, so, then, um...could ye' print out my schedule for me? I...never looked at it..." He awkwardly smiles.
When Kaoru walks in, her trilby has made a reappearance, but her vest and tie seem to be gone, hastily thrown in her backpack along with her mask to further change her appearance. The shirt has the top button open (it would look dumb buttoned without a tie) and the sleeves rolled up. It looks a little mussed as she had rushed straight to the diner and forgotten to straighten it.
She tensed slightly as Alexandra threw her arms her but didn't pull away, mostly just happy she wasn't getting yelled at for almost ruining everything. She was pleased to note that she also wasn't nearly as thrown by the kiss on the cheek this time. The corner of her lips quirked upwards in a slight smile. "Yeah, it was...interesting." Now that it was mostly over with, the adrenaline didn't seem nearly as unpleasant. It was enough to make her look at the other girl and ask something she had been wondering on the trip over. "But...why did you want me to come with? You got in easily enough, and it wouldn't have been that hard to just copy the files locally, and then slip out unnoticed." In other words, it would have gone off a lot more smoothly if I hadn't been there to trip the alarm.
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"Interesting story there you have, on a man who believed he could save people even if he had to become beaten every night in his persistence," Mrs. Paltrow told him with some amusement. "It's almost as if he was trying to be a hero in his own right."
She goes and finds a copy of his schedule. "You'll have some catching up to do this weekend to make up for the classes you missed this week, Mr. MacGregor. But it's my hope that I've inspired you to take a better path. But let me make myself clear to you: This isn't just an opportunity. This is your final chance. If you get into a fight, cut class, break school rules, or get caught outside of school committing vigilantism or any other crime - it'll be out of my hands to interfere. I won't be able to help you anymore."
The schedule for him is remedial to say the least. His second period class is remedial English composition. "I'll be looking for someone to be your peer counselor. They'll keep me informed on your academic progress and should also be able to tutor you in subjects you have difficulties in so you can keep your grades up. Now - I would suggest you use the gym showers before showing up for your next class. I look forward to being right for giving you this chance. I know you won't disappoint me."
***
At lunch, after piling up her tray full of food, Alexis is standing and noticing she's getting looks in her direction. Some because of the enormous amount of food she's taken, others she assumes because she looks nice in her dress. It makes her feel good. So she goes to look for Kaoru so that he can compliment her on how nice she looks and confirm their not-date plans. Nothing could go wrong-
SLAM!
She reacted too fast, diving to the floor and covering her head. It's not until she looks up that she realizes that a tactical team hasn't rushed the cafeteria, but that someone had slammed their textbooks onto the counter. She could hear some laughter coming from around her, as she looked down.
Mac and cheese, apple sauce, the banana cream pie, were all plastered to the front of the dress now. It looked horrendous. Worse, people were laughing at her for it. Tears started to well up in her eyes, as she hoped Kaoru didn't see her like this.
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Alexandra shakes her head a little. Didn't know how good the security would be. Besides, a little backup is always welcome! And it's no fun to pull stunts like this solo. She says. her face is flushed, and her whole body slightly damp from sweat as she releases Kaoru, only holding their hands now.
Honestly, right now, what I want most is to blow off some steam. She says to her partner in crime and, in the words of a great poet: I prefer handsome men she moves her hand to Kaoru's face, and leans in some, caressing her cheek But for you, I'll make an exception.
Alexandra had a point. Things were typically better with friends. Were they friends now? She kind of hoped so. And Alexandra's excitement was a little infectious. She had fked up, but as the other girl had said, it had turned out ok. They had the data. And Alexandra was smiling. And it was all good.
And then she seemed to be standing closer. A lot closer. Even though she was pretty sure she had barely moved. And stroking her cheek. And it wasn't unpleasant. It was almost kinda nice? And then she was quoting someone. A song? Did she want to do karaoke? That song wasn't the typical thing she liked to listen to, but she could probably do that if it's what Alexandra wanted. Covers were probably better than the original anyway since she wasn't a huge fan of Cohen's grey-ish voice.
"And clenching your fist for ones like us/Who are oppressed by the figures of beauty/You fixed yourself, you said, 'Well never mind/We are ugly but we have the music'? She was singing a little lower than she typically did, but she was at least on key. Though she began to question herself towards the end. It didn't really seem like that was the response her companion was going for? But then why was she quoting song lyrics?
It takes Shaun a beat to put together what she means. ...oh f&~&, she’s right. I’m the a$&#@+% AA guy for villains. ”That’s...not exactly what I meant, but...huh...” He absentmindedly rubs his injured flank.
”What? Do I have ta’ start combing my hair down too?” he jests. As he looks at the schedule though, her words sink in. So if I get caught, my shot goes up in smoke. Awesome... ”I’ll try n’ stay outta trouble. No promises trouble won’t find me,” he adds, thinking of Jason.
He nods. ”Yea’, good call.” He shakes her hand again. ”Thanks Ms. P. This...means a lot ta’ me. I’m more used ta’ school folks who wanna just hammer me till I do what they want. Turns out it’s not so bad when they kinda agree w’me. A little bit.” He hefts the kit and heads for the door. ”I’ll be ‘round if ya’ need me!”
- - -
By the grace of whatever god(s) existed, Jason was nowhere in sight. As casually as he could Shaun slipped into the showers, out of his clothes, and scrubbed till he was worried he’d pop a stitch again. I’ve gotta invest in some cologne. Something strong. REALLY strong.
As he re-dressed, his fingers ran across the exterior of his pockets absentmindedly. There was the usual wallet, phone, and switchblade (a new one he’d grabbed from home), plus some half-crushed cookies from Shayera’s, the VP’s AA card, and...the VP’s AA card?
He blinked, finished dressing, then turned his pockets inside out. Sure enough, he had two business cards. One was the one he had just gotten. The other was...surprising.
FUR OF THE ARDWOLF
Bar and Grill
199 Ulrich Rd, Halcyon City
(616) 999-0122
Open 24/7
NO cameras, NO questions, GREAT SERVICE
NO checks, NO cards, CASH ONLY
Question the bosses? GET OUT!
(Fur of the Ardwolf is not responsible for any injuries, disappearances, or conversations experienced by patrons. Eat Spotz’s cooking at your own risk.)
His eyes strained to read the tiny words, but he was fairly glad he had. Why do I know exactly where this place is? The sound of the bell convinced him to save the card for later. As much as it weirded him out, he actually had class to get to.
- - -
As it turned out, school was way less fun that training.
English had nearly bored him to tears, physics was a pain in the ass, and he was completely checked out for whatever the hell that last class was. At least biology had been a bit interesting.
But the classes were nothing compared to his overwhelming sense of wasting time. He’d spent so long spending so much of his daytime activity working out, it was severly disorienting to not be. He fidgeted constantly, tapping his feet and fingers so fast they sounded like drum rolls. A kid in bio had even told him to knock it off when he’d started making too much noise. The only thing keeping him from just marching right back to the gym was that handshake. That, and the promise he kept making himself that he’d make up for the lost time after school at the clubhouse.
So if I’m working out later, then I need to load up now. Thus, he exited the tray line with a sizable portion of anything packing protein, plus a small selection of some more indulgent offerings. (How was he supposed to say no to garlic mashed potatoes?)
He was looking for a seat when he heard the textbook slam, and out the corner of his eye he saw Alexis (Oh right. She’s still in “acclimation” here...) dropped like a rock. At first Shaun thought she’d tripped or something, but the look on her face told him differently. She’d flinched hard-core at the sound, and as a result she’d just dumped her entire tray right onto herself.
People around her started laughing. She looked like she was about to cry.
Shaun nearly crapped his pants. Oh no no no nonono! He dropped his tray on the nearest table and sprinted for the rapidly unfolding scene of humiliation. Stop laughing you f*#@ing idiots she could kill you all!!!
”OI! Chuckleheads! Piss off before I make ya’!”
"Good idea." She passed her phone over to Cassie, and double checked Cassie's phone to make sure that she hadn't deleted Bronwyn's number from the first day.
"Okay, so we should probably get to class sooner or later. That's Latin for you too, right?" Bronwyn hopped up to her feet, reaching down to offer a hand to Cassie. "So what else do you get up to? Can't be all studying the mystic arts..."
As Shaun rushes to defend Alexis who is still on the verge of crying on the floor, he doesn't place his tray properly down on the table. So when he turns, he hits the edge of his palm against the unbalanced tray, and it slams up and hits him in the back.
Garlic mashed potatoes, beans and other food drips off the back of his shirt and down his pants. Now he's a new target for the laughter of the crowd, ignoring his outcry.
Alexis in the meantime is gathering herself up, arms wrapped around herself as she rushes to the girls' washroom. She can't let Kaoru see her like this. She taps her ear piece for Shayera, sniffling into it.
"I had an accident. I need help. It's too much to clean up," She said, looking at the ruined dress in the mirror. Her stupid, stupid combat instincts. She starts trying to wipe it off with paper towels at least.
Alexandra smiles as Kaoru starts to sing a few more lines of the song. and her hands are behind her head, fingers in their hair, and her other hand moving to the small of Kaoru's back, and she kisses them, properly.
Kaoru had about enough time to register the change in position and think Huh, this is different before suddenly Alexandra was kissing her. Like the plane meant to simulate zero gravity for astronauts, her brain stalled and then promptly fell into free fall.
Sh*t, Alexandra was kissing her. Like on the lips kissing her. Fk, she was supposed to be doing something. What the fk was she supposed to be doing?! She should be kissing her back right? Why the fk did the books she had read and would totally never ever admit to ever having read never actually explain what 'kissing back' actually meant? It was always just person X kissed person Y and then person Y kissed them back WITH NO FKING EXPLANATION. Was there some secret lesson about this that no one had ever invited her to? Wait no, kissing back would only send the wrong signal, wouldn't it? I mean, she didn't like girls. She wasn't gay. She was pretty sure she had JUST ESTABLISHED this. Or re-established. Or whatever. Fk so then what was she supposed to be doing? Should she pull away? Wait a minute, why was Alexandra kissing her? It made no sense. What was going on?
Crap, how long has it been? She should really be doing something. But what the hell was she supposed to be doing? Why the hell hadn't she been paying attention that one time Sarah was talking about something like this? How was she supposed to know what she was supposed to be doing? Was her heart being loud? It sounded loud. Really loud. And really fast. Is this what having a heart-attack was like? God, she hoped not. But her face was really hot. That couldn't be normal. Or good. Wait, was the world spinning? Why did she feel so light-headed?
”Gah! Sonnova B+%&@!” In less than a second, Shaun suddenly found himself as the new target of the cackeling crowd. The center of the laughing stock was not a new position for him, but the ridicule was still disheartening.
Alexis stands and rushes off. Shaun’s quick behind her, but he hold when she goes into the girl’s room. He sighs, and stomps into the adjoining boy’s room, gabbing a fistful of towels and trying his best to get the mess off before it stained anything.
Then he heard someone clear their throat outside.
”U-U-Um, excuse me? Miss? Are you okay?”
Shaun angled his line of sight to glance out into the hallway. Standing in front of the girl’s room, hands clasped together in front of him, was a rotund, short teen with a mess of brown hair and glasses as thick as phonebooks. (Well, maybe not that thick, but they were heavy-duty.) He looked pale and adsolutely mortified about something.
”I-I-I’m sorry I scared you...” he says into the bathroom doorway.
...oh...uh-oh.