Grind 1.2

It had been a long, long, long few hours. It seemed like every fifth line was fan service. Bink was sort of an idiot that much was obvious. He was also an outcast which I could relate to but it did not make up for how much of an idiot he was. It also didn't make up for how annoyed I was with the tone of the story in general.

Seriously, I had to grope a Centaur! And I was propositioned by a ridiculously powerful sorceress with the power to make illusions capable of fooling all my senses. Oh and the girl Bink fell in love with was some ridiculous bigoted personification of woman. The woman went through a cycle every 30 days. She went from beautiful, caring and stupid, to but ugly, brilliant and bitchy.

I mean really, who thought this was a good way to portray women! But whatever I knew what Bink's power was now. He had plot armor. That was it. His magic power was unstoppable plot armor which also covered people he cared about. I thought that was really lazy writing but at the same time I could not deny that it made a certain amount of sense. It was also kind of funny in an ironic sort of way.

It didn't really matter right now though because the end of the story was finally in sight. 'Charged with finding the source of magic blah blah blah. Enter the magic castle, blah blah blah. Bink gushes about his love interest Chameleon.' Oh please just let me out already. 'Cute funny moment where the girl answers the question Bink is too awkward to ask.' OH GOD SHE'S KISSING ME AGAIN! 'Finally an explanation about the blatant foreshadowing from the start of the book.' I'm done! I finished the story!

With a loud pop, I found myself flung back into the library and slammed face first into a guy my age in a white body suit covered in clocks.

Then all of a sudden I wasn't, and instead tumbled to the floor in a heap.

"Uh, hi. Sorry about that you took me by surprise and I froze you on reflex. I'm Clockblocker." The white clad cape said offering me a hand up.

I groaned. "Are you here to make a sales pitch?"

Someone chuckled behind me. I turned around to see Assault standing with his arms crossed and a mischievous smile. Next to him was Battery.

"Well it's not often that we have a chance to talk with a Parahuman before they go out for the first time." Battery said as she leaned over to pick up the binder, which had fallen out of my bag, when I popped back into the universe.

Clockblocker tapped me on the shoulder. "So what should we call you, and I have to know, how was it? Being in the book I mean? I love that series."

I couldn't help myself. "I'm Taylor Hebert, and really?" I think I sounded rather incredulous but I couldn't help it.

Clockblocker rubbed at the back of his helmet. "Guilty pleasure," he mumbled "plus it's where I get inspiration for my jokes."

"Really?" I treated the teen hero to an exasperated stare.

"Taylor, this binder, have you shown it to anyone?" Battery asked.

I looked up and my blood froze in my veins. Battery was reading from my evidence binder. The cleaned up version that I had spent the earlier part of the day compiling and photocopying. I'd done it in the vague hope it might finally be enough to convince someone to believe me. Now Battery, the Battery, was reading it. I had wanted to get someone to listen, what better chance was I going to get than this? But why had she started reading it?

"Why are you reading that?" I asked panic clear in my voice.

"It fell open to the page describing an incident that put you in the hospital. If it's half as bad as it sounds then something should be done about it."Battery sounded cautious.

I really did not want to deal with this now. I had promised myself that once I had finished that binder I would not have to think about it until I went back to school. Now it was being thrown in my face by an honest to goodness hero. But it was still my best chance.

I nodded "I've complained a few times, but the office always told me there wasn't any evidence. So I started keeping a record with all the evidence I could. Do you think, maybe, you could help me?" My voice sounded pleading but I couldn't be bothered to care.

Battery was silent for a long moment. "Yes. Yes I think we can. You two behave yourselves. I need to go make a phone call. I think the director will want to hear about this." Battery stalked out of the room.

I was pretty sure my mouth was hanging open, as I glanced between Clockblocker and Assault. They both seemed just as confused as I was.

"Sooooooo do you think you could take people with you?" Clockblocker asked.

"You really like the series that much?"

"Well kind of, but mostly I'm just thinking of the possibilities. There has to be more to your power then living out a book. But even if there isn't you could make a killing if you used the library as a theme park and put people into their favorite books."

Assault laughed at that. "Yeah, I can see it now Parahuman Vacations Inc. Bring book, cash, and be ready for a grand adventure." He spread his arms out dramatically.

I Chuckled. "We retain the right to deny your requested vacation spot on the grounds that it is Twilight."

Clocklblocker laughed. "Oh you are good. We could use more people with a sense of humor, and I know Vista would love to have another girl around." Making a not at all subtle sales pitch.

"Maybe," I deflected "this is all pretty overwhelming. I didn't even know I had powers until I picked up that book. And there isn't an exit. I had to read the whole thing through to the end. Actually how long was I in there?"

"About six hours, we're the third shift. We took over for Miss Militia and Vista about an hour ago." Assault answered. "Shadow Stalker and Velocity should actually be here soon since they were scheduled next."

"Six hours! Oh crap, Dad must be freaking out. Can I barrow one of your phones?"

"Here." Clockblocker handed me his phone.

"Thanks, I'm just going to step out while I make the call if that's alright?" The two capes nodded their assent so I headed out into the hallway.

As I typed in my home phone number a voice rang out. "What do you think you're doing here? This place is locked down due to a Parahuman incident earlier today." The speaker was a girl striking a menacing pose and Dressed in black with a stern looking mask. I figured that had to be Shadow Stalker.

"Ugh yeah that was me. I'm the Parahuman." I gave a little wave, after all there was no reason to be unfriendly. Right?

Shadow Stalker snorted. "Yeah, sure you are, and I ride a magical unicorn into fights. You're coming with me. Trespassing on a potential crime scene is illegal." She proceeded to grab me by the elbow and drag me out of the library, ignoring my protests.

As I was dragged toward a police car out front, our progress was interrupted.

"Shadow Stalker what do you think you're doing?" Asked Velocity who was standing off to the left with Battery. Wow I really was getting to meet a lot of capes today. "And when did you get inside? I've been waiting out here for the past ten minutes."

"I phased through the ceiling a couple minutes ago. This civi was pretending to be our new mystery cape. I'm escorting her to the police for trespassing on a potential crime scene."

Battery seemed to visibly twitch at Shadow Stalker's response. "Stalker, how exactly is accidentally being sucked into a book a crime? And you have about five seconds to unhand her because she was telling the truth."

Shadow Stalker gave me a look that I couldn't read from behind her mask. "Bullshit. You have to be kidding me."

"Stalker, I'm not going to ask you again. Let the girl go, right now. She hasn't done anything wrong and the Director wants you back at HQ, now."

Shadow Stalker tensed her grip on my arm actual becoming painful. "You know, don't you?"

Battery tensed. "Yes I do. Now let the girl go."

"What's going to happen to me?" she asked.

"You've broken you're probation, to a truly astonishing degree. You are going to be on shit duty for a long time. Probably a Smirguh attack sight manning the perimeter. Or maybe Alaska, would you like that more? Maybe try pulling some of your crap with a polar bear?"

Shadow stalker took a step back keeping me between herself and Battery. I didn't have the slightest clue what was going on, but it was starting to feel an awful lot like I was being taken hostage.

Shadow Stalker's foot caught on a chunk of broken asphalt as she backed up causing her to lose her balance, bringing us both to the ground. As we fell she went all ghostly and I took the chance to roll away. Stalker resumed her normal form still sprawled on the ground. "You bitch! This is all your fault!" She shouted.

Stalker leveled her crossbow at me from where she lay sprawled out on the ground and fired. I flung out my arm for whatever good it might do. I was surprised by sharp pain in my wrist. I honestly had not expected to stop the bolt from hitting me in the chest or face, but apparently I had. I opened my eyes expecting to see a dart embedded in my wrist.

Instead what I saw was the bolt embedded in Clockblocker's phone.

While I stared dumbfounded at the phone Battery and Velocity tazed and cuffed Shadow Stalker.

No way could this be possible. This was the kind of thing you saw in movies, or on t.v., or in a, in a book.

I had Bink's power... What else besides plot armor could explain that chain of events?

I, the unassuming nobody, had just been saved from personal harm by the power of plot armor! This was amazing! If I can get powers and stuff from living out books, then I was going to be a great hero!