Overture 1.1
I dropped out of the sky in front of the bank's transport van and it squealed to a stop. Darkness flowed around me, dotted with stars, and my attendants flowed forward. The driver sat there very calmly, presumably having already pressed the alarm button. Meanwhile, my attendants cut open the side of the van and began ferrying out the money to me. I caught it in the winds around me, and smiled as if I was happy. In truth, this form had no real emotional depth, and reflected my real self best.
Then, things went wrong. Shadow Stalker shot, her bolt immune to my winds while Aegis crashed through my attendants, scattering their shadowy forms. Aegis drew himself up to face me, and I raised an eyebrow - a skill I only had when using the false face of the form I wore now. My power coming with an inbuilt mask and costume had let me go out as a Cape far earlier than otherwise, even if I had ultimately turned to villainy.
I needed funds for my projects, and being a Hero simply didn't seem to pay enough. And so, it had come to this. I was facing some of my erstwhile role models, caught red-handed. Another dream the Trio had ruined for me. Behind my mask, I scowled.
Then, the battle was truly joined as Aegis hurled himself at me. His punch sent me flying back, but I took the moment to sweep upwards on the resulting flow of air. I slipped the money away into my dress. It flowed through the hollow construct to join me within. Money secured, I recalled my attendants and had them go after Shadow Stalker. Her ability might trump my costume after all.
I examined Aegis. By all accounts, he was an Alexandria package, and so far he had acted like it. Flight, strength... I wondered how he dealt with damage? I selected one of the stars studding my dress and had it drift free. Rather than heat, it was cold and I knew it was heavy. I sent it streaking towards him at around the speed of a sprinting human, and made it turn sharply when he tried to dodge.
He grunted when it hit him, but beyond that simply kept coming. But now my star was on him and I used it to push. I slid it onto his back and drove him downwards. He began to wriggle in the air, trying to get out from under it, and he was beginning to succeed. I sent a pair of stars to pin his sides. That did the trick, and grounded him.
I floated back to the van and began pulling the money out and into the dress. One of my attendants spotted Battery en route, and I scowled. Fighting two Wards was one thing, fighting a member of the Protectorate was another. She'd probably be able to delay me until more backup had arrived as well. I ripped the remaining money out, scattering bills across the street and absorbed as much as possible without completely filling the space within the dress.
I recalled my Attendants and had them pull me back up high into the sky.
Sophia and Carlos sat in an odd moment of shared glumness, waiting to debrief. A brand new cape, and they had both been completely ineffective despite their experience and training. Sophia in particular was furious, because the new cape had seemed like all she had was a few weak projections, easily scattered, and some flight ability.
But no. A pocket dimension, some level of Brute resilience and some bullshit blaster powers that had let her ground Aegis, as well as some level of aerokinesis. AND she was a villain. They had been trounced, and the worst thing was that the cape's face reminded her of the stick insect that haunted her civilian life.
Her thoughts turned darkly towards that... thing. It really was unacceptable that after everything she still came to school. Something would have to be done. Armsmaster came in, and she sighed. After the grilling was over.
Aegis, in the meantime, had been considering the new cape. Despite appearances, she had not been maskless in the end. Some form of Changer ability? Either way, his cracked ribs hurt from that first impact. More importantly, his fast had never made contact. She had simply glided back on the shockwave, even used his punch to get out of range and set up that trap. The fact that she had worked it out on the fly was what had clued him in on the fact that she was new and inexperienced with the use of her powers.
He sighed, as the grilling began. Maybe it was possible to talk her into joining the Wards still. Get her to see the error of her ways?
I grimaced as the sun rose. Sure, I had no longer needed to sleep since I got my powers, but having to deal with the reprimands of an unforgiving Hierophant every sunrise after I committed a crime was enough to make me wish I could. He was right, of course, but the Queen was persuasive, and once I gave into her, my feelings were of little consequence.
I listened to the bass timbre of my other major mental companion. It was still better than the Nobleman or the Statue. One was just... odd. Everything I hated about people like Emma, along with dashing good looks, skill, luxurious tastes and strange temptations. The Statue was... different. The Nobleman never spoke when it was awake, but that was mercifully short.
For now, a lecture on the damage my stunt had done to the economy, while at the same time revealing how best to put it to use for my plans. A few shares here, an investment there, an anonymous letter sent to that office. My wealth was laundered through a thousand streams that gathered into a lake of gold, from which would arise a temple of learning that would truly put Winslow, and even Arcadia to shame.
Studies on the methods of education, both domestic and from abroad. Test groups, for buildings, subjects, whole curricula. Methods to counter bullying in student populations, troubled or otherwise. Money flowed one way, and data flowed back, to people who had never met me and never would, until the Temple of Wisdom stood tall as the foremost center of education in the world.