Outsider Chronicles: Needless Hero
Getting reborn into a world of superheroes should be awesome. Instead, its a world threatened by godlike entities and most people aren't even aware of it. Still, at least I know a good way to stay out of trouble!...I just jinxed myself, didn't I?
And we are back! Nothing to say here, other than, enjoy!
Chapter 4
Well, this was quite the predicament. I knew that we'd have to deal with backlash from taking down Lung eventually, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite this soon! Then again, I'm pretty sure Kafka was a newly Triggered Cape and acting under his own power, rather than under orders from on high. Chances are, if he managed to kill us here, he'd make a power play with his newfound powers and the street cred taking down the ones who beat Lung would get him. On the flip side, the guy was clearly an idiot and a result of someone upstairs fucking with me as he was nearly a dead ringer of Kafka from Needless, right down to the power and over the top monologuing. Considering I shared the power of a Missing Link class Needless who could probably steamroll the first enemy of the series, I wasn't really worried. Hell, even if the morons string was as tough as Kafka's Kandata Sting, I'm pretty sure that stuff was vulnerable to sudden changes in temperature.
I pushed myself to my feet and spat out a glob of blood as Taylor sidled up beside me.
"What do we do?" she hissed.
I shot her a look.
"I would have thought that was obvious," I said, "Take him down."
"HUH?!"
Before Taylor could protest, I pounced, my hands glowing as I aimed a punch at the gangbanger. To his credit, he did dodge it, causing me to blast a molten hole in the wall of the warehouse.
"What the hell?!" spluttered Kafka, "How can you still move?!"
"There's more to my power than just firepower," I said, "It take a lot more than that pathetic attempt to put me down!"
Kafka scowled as he ducked under a second swing, before he jumped back.
"Fine then, try this!" he snarled, jumping an impressive distance into the air, "TEMPEST THREAD!"
I sweatdropped. I could sort of understand my unexplained habit of yelling my attack names, but this idiot? Either he was a fan of Anime or his Shard was playing up.
"Your wasting your time!" I yelled, cranking up the heat in my hands and slamming my hands together with my fingers splayed.
The air in front of me shimmered from the heat my hands were giving out, just as the thread reached me. The second it hit the shimmer, it burst into flames so intense it was reduced to ash in seconds. Then it increased even further to the point where it was melting the tarmac beneath my feet and rapidly consuming the air around me. I grinned ferally as I felt something inside me catch.
"Agnish Akasha!" I growled and fired a beam of white hot fire at Kafka.
The thread user quickly fired a line out and used it to pull himself out of the way of the blast. Good thing to or that would have done some serious damage, enough that he'd be in hospital for weeks. Unfortunately for him, Taylor had decided to get involved and the instant he hit the wall, clinging to it like a spider, the brickwork came alive with countless bugs crawling out of the cracks between the bricks and scuttling towards him, a good many even emerging from between his fingers and scurrying up his arms and legs. He reacted predictively for anyone who suddenly found themselves covered in bugs, especially someone who had very recently had a traumatic experience involving them. He let out a scream of shock and let go of the wall, desperately trying to get rid of the bugs as he fell.
I grinned and darted forwards, my fist lighting up again.
"Getting distracted in a fight is a terrible idea," I said as I skidded to a stop under him.
Kafka looked down at the sound of my voice from below him and his eyes widened. He flicked his fingers, summoning more strings, but it was too late and my fist was already in motion.
"Heat EXPLOSION!"
BOOOM!
My fist slammed into his back and exploded, sending him flying straight up, just as a large cloud of bugs appeared from over the buildings, formed into the shape of a fist and slammed him back into the ground with enough force to shatter the pavement. I raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Taylor, who looked rather surprised and was in a pose that suggested that the bugs had followed her movements.
"Nice move," I said.
"Er, thanks," said Taylor, "But my body moved on its own…"
I raised an eyebrow. That...didn't sound like Worm...then again, I suppose its entirely possible that its just Human instinct. Eh, I'll think about it later.
"So, what do we do with this idiot?" I asked as I checked on Kafka, who was groaning in a crater with a massive hole burnt into his shirt and an equally large burn on his chest.
"I...suppose we should call someone," said Taylor, "But I don't have a phone…"
"I've got one," I said, pulling out my phone and a set of plastic handcuffs.
I tossed the phone to Taylor and dragged Kafka out of his hole and across the alley to a sturdy looking pipe sticking out of the wall.
"You call someone and I'll make sure this idiot doesn't go anywhere," I said.
"Er, is that a good idea?" asked Taylor as I secured Kafka to the pipe.
"He just tried to kill us, so I'm not feeling particularly interested in making sure hes comfortable," I said.
Taylor looked a little taken aback by that, but got on the phone to the cops nonetheless.
"Urrrggg," groaned Kafka, "Leggo…"
I responded by kicking him across the face, sending him back to lala land. Yeah, I really don't like it when people try to kill me. Its part of the reason I have no intention of joining the Protectorate or the Wards. I have no idea if it was a natural part of my personality that had never come out before or if it was an effect of the Shard dwelling inside me, but I honestly don't care. I can control it enough that I didn't kill anyone, but it meant that anyone coming at me with the intent to kill would be in hospital for a while.
"Right, now thats done, lets get going," I said.
"Shouldn't we wait to make sure someone picks him up?" asked Taylor.
"Only if you want a lecture about joining the Wards," I said, "You can stick around if you want, but I don't feel like turning down two offers in one day."
Taylor hesitated for a moment, before hurrying after me.
"Why are you so against joining a team?" she asked.
"Well, part of it is that I don't like the idea of having that much pressure on me," I said, "Like I said, I don't consider myself a Hero."
I stopped.
"Not only that, but I also don't fully trust the people in charge."
"What do you mean?" asked Taylor.
"Oh, I have no doubt that the individuals in the team have the best of intentions, but you know what they say about the road to hell," I said, "I don't like the idea of working under people who I don't know their intentions."
"Nice to see I'm not the only one with reservations about the Hero teams."
Taylor and I jumped at the unexpected voice and spun around, just in time to see a section of wall shimmer and vanish, revealing a small girl who looked about 11 wearing an outfit that wouldn't look out of place in a mech Anime, complete with headdress resting in her rough cut, brown hair with a visor that covered her eyes. She was also wearing a backpack that seemed to be reconfiguring itself as we watched.
"And you are?" I asked.
"Kanna," said the girl, "And you two are Ladybug and Agni."
Taylor cocked her head on one side.
"I've never heard that name," she said.
"Thats because I prefer to keep a low profile," said Kanna.
"You're out here alone?" asked Taylor.
"Yep," said Kanna.
"But...how in the world are you surviving?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked, "She's a Tinker."
"Right in one," said Kanna, "I don't need much though, just scrap for my tech."
"Impressive," I said, "But why did you reveal yourself to us?"
Kanna hesitated for a moment, before she pointed at me.
"I'm not sure, but when I saw you, I somehow knew that you could help me," she said.
I blinked.
"Help you with what?" I asked.
"It might be better if I showed you," said Kanna, "Come with me."
Taylor and I glanced at each other, before I shrugged and followed the little girl. After a moment, Taylor hurried after me and fell into step beside me.
Kanna led us through the Docks until we reached the area that boarded onto the residential area where we found an old church surrounded by overgrown sunflowers. It was clear it hadn't been used in years from the way the roof had caved in in places, but Kanna led us inside, through a hidden door at the back and down into the basement.
"What are we doing...here," said Taylor, but trailed off in awe as we entered the basement and found ourselves in a workshop full to the brim with Tinkertech.
I couldn't help but whistle at the impressive amount of incredible inventions, all of which had probably been made from the scrap that was stacked high in one corner.
"Now this is impressive," I said.
"Thanks," said Kanna as she removed her headdress and mask, revealing a pair of tawny yellow eyes.
I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
"Alright, you said you wanted to show us something?" I asked.
Kanna nodded and led the way over to a table at the back of the room where five items were resting neatly. The first item was a large, metal backpack painted with a ladybug pattern, while the other four were an exact copy of mine and Taylors masks and my bracers. At the sight of them, my eyebrows shot up and I looked at Kanna.
"They were the first things I made after I got my power," she said, "I have no idea why, but the designs wouldn't leave me alone until I built them. I couldn't even sleep until I put them together. Ever since then, they've just been sitting there."
"You don't use them?" asked Taylor.
Kanna shrugged.
"It just doesn't feel right, like they've been built for someone else," she said.
"And you think their meant for us?" I asked.
Kanna nodded. I turned back to the table and picked up the mask. Unlike mine, this one didn't have a strap or anything and had lenses in the eyes. Ignoring Taylor's gasp of surprise, I removed my current mask and placed the new one on. It instantly stuck to my face and the screens came alive with a HUD that seemed extremely intuitive and unobstructive.
"The Mask is connected to the bracers," said Kanna, "They're equipped with scanners for everything from facial recognition to potential environmental hazards. Its also sealed and can act as a gas mask if needed. Ladybug's mask has the same features and both can be used to communicate."
"Impressive," I said, "Really impressive."
Kanna blushed and smiled at the complement.
"Kanna...do you live here?" asked Taylor, who had been looking around the workshop.
She had just pulled back a curtain, revealing a cubby with a small bed and a large amount of books and scattered food packages.
Kanna's smile immediately vanished and she nodded.
"What about your Parents?" asked Taylor.
"Their both dead," said Kanna in a dead voice, "They got caught in a crossfire between the ABB and E88 a few years ago. Thats also when I got my powers."
"Why aren't you in Foster care or something?" asked Taylor.
Kanna scowled.
"I was for a bit," she said, "But...well, lets just say that I'm better off now. Besides, I'm used to being alone…"
Taylor winced.
"Sorry," she muttered.
There was a moments awkward silence, before I let out a snort. The two girls turned to me with a look of annoyance on their faces.
"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you two or anything," I said, "I was just thinking that we make quite the group. An orphan with nowhere to go, a girl with no friends and treated like a pariah and a fish out of water in an entirely new country. Three outsiders, unneeded by the world. If I believed in Fate, I'd say we were meant to be here."
Kanna perked up.
"Well, I did make you some gear, even if I didn't know it was for you when I did," she said, "Besides, if we have nowhere we belong, why not make one?"
I grinned.
"Kanna, you read my mind," I said, "Besides, even if I don't want to join an established team, there's strength in numbers, especially for newbies."
I took of my mask and pushed my hood down.
"Adam Blade," I said as I held out my hand, "If we're gonna work together, we should know one another's real identities."
Kanna smiled and put her hand on mine.
"Kanna Blanc," she said, "Its nice to meet you."
We both turned to Taylor.
"Well Ladybug, you in?" I asked.
Taylor hesitated, glancing between the two of us, before she steeled herself and took off her mask.
"Taylor Hebert," she said as she joined us and put her hand over ours, "But if we're gonna be a team, we need a name."
I smirked.
"Well, if no one needs us, lets embrace that," I said, "We're Needless."
And with that, I am done. So, what do you think? I hope I did a good job with the fight with Kafka, although I can't help but think I should have done more...eh, he'll probably be back.
Kanna is another character from Needless and her power is unchanged. Her fragment is Over Tech and is, well, a Tinker power. She can basically build just about anything out of scrap metal without any need for welding, instead just slotting them together.
Incidentally, the idea of giving Taylor a backpack for her Ladybug persona was suggested by roanoak, so thanks for that mate!
Now the only question is, who's pulling the strings? Its clear that someone must be interested in getting Ladybug and Agni as strong as possible, but who could it be? And for what reason? Guess we'll have to wait and see!
And with that, I am done. Don't forget to review on your way out! Please.