Chapter 6

I stared at the apparently dumbstruck wards. I was carefully manipulatingting the mist to make it appear that it was dripping from my mouth and oozing form my sleeves, but I didn't think it was that scary, and the two ward looked like they were about to crap their pants.

Huh… Oh wait, thats right, I suppose that the two Wards in front of me are rather young. Aegis was had never killed or even seen death, and Vista was young enough that despite her experience as a Ward she would still be rather terrified of someone that had apparently just killed almost a dozen people.

Well, to be fair, not apparently, I had killed all of them, rather brutally in most cases, but they didn't know that for sure.

I was just the scary person with the skull face and a gun.

I gestured with my gun again, and spoke, my words being filtered through a high tech tinker tech voice changer that made my voice a a raspy, desiccated wreck.

"I ask again, Wards of the Protectorate, Aegis, Vista. Why are you here?"

Vista stepped forward, her fingers twitching as she prepared to bend space.

I sent one shot whining over Vista's shoulder, and then waggled my gun,

"Don't even think about it Vista…. If your hands so much as twitch, I put a bullet in your eye, and then but another in Aegis, severing his brain stem, I don't know how effective his regeneration is, but he is supposedly about as tough as a normal human, so I have a feeling that a severed brain stem would manage to kill him."

I repressed another unmanly giggle at the dumbfounded and terrified expressions on their faces, because dammit I am a manly nerdy man! Of course, I should probably also feel badly about terrifying a couple of teenagers, but, quite frankly, I was giving far to little shits, and getting far too many giggles to think of scaling down the scare factor. I gestured with my long barreled revolver again, and spoke, harder this time.

"Why are you here Wards of Brockton Bay?"

Scene Break

Vista repressed a shiver as the skeletal faced creature in the duster spoke again. She carefully and slowly raised her hands, not wanting to get shot again, or let Aegis get shot, because frankly, it was terrifying how quickly and easily the other person had assessed Aegis's weaknesses. Vista spoke calmly and softly, remembering her lessons on hostage negotiation, honestly, she never thought she have to use those skills, but now they might just save her life.

"My name is Vista, I'm a member of the Wards as you apparently know, I'm here because while on patrol, we heard gunshots and came to investigate, can I know your name, since you have us at gun point, if only so I have something to put on the wanted notice?"

Vista interjected the last bit sardonically, trying to interject some levity to see just what the reaction would be.

The figure lowered, but did not holster its pistol.

"I am Marshal White. Vacate the area immediately. I already gave one warning to the PRT via Squealer. This is the last. Do not get in my way again."

The Marshal turned on one heel, holstering his gun, and with a flare of the black duster strode away, out of the alleyway.

Vista quickly bent space, attempting to come up from behind Marshal White, but the Marshal, after turning around the corner had disappeared, the only evidence that he had actually been there was a pile of bodies, the knives and bullets left buried within.

Scene Break

I sighed contentedly as I placed my gear back in its proper place, hidden in the floor-boards basement where I was sleeping. Another couple of people dead, a few of the next generation traumatized for life, all in all, a successful day.

And tomorrow, tomorrow was the first day that I would go to Winslow with Taylor, and I had to make a positive first contact with Emma, well, I say positive first contact. What I mean is I have to physically plant my foot so far up Emma's ass that it resets her brain and gets rid of her predator and prey programming, aka, her tendency for idiocy.

As I laid down for a few hours rest, I wondered idly, how far would I get along my path before Cauldron figured out my presence… That brought up a secondary question, I remembered reading online rumors about Cauldron being responsible for Annette Hebert's death, but I couldn't remember if that was canon or not, hmm… I shrugged to myself because really? I just don't give a shit.

Scene Break

Well. That had gone about as well as expected, a gaggle of teenagers surrounded me, gawking and whispering as I applied just that little of extra torque on the shoulder beneath me so that it dislocated with a sickening pop. I then stood up and placed one, artistic kick to the side of Emma Barnes's head, sending her to dreamland, or possibly death, but I felt remarkably little guilt about beating the little shit like a rented red-headed stepchild after what she had said to Taylor, admittedly it had also made me forgo any thought of deprogramming the little jerk.

Hmmm, is it sexist that I don't care about hitting a woman anymore know that I am technically one?

15 minutes ago

Emma looked up as Taylor entered the cafeteria, that was surprising, the weakling actually had the guts to come to the cafeteria, it must have been because Sophia hadn't been here for the past few days, but she still should have known better.

Emma sighed as she got to her feet, she had to admit, even if it was just to herself, she used to care about Taylor, and she had tried to make her strong, but the other girl had refused fight back, and so Taylor had consigned herself to the trash pile of prey.

Although, Emma noticed something new, Taylor was talking to a rather attractive red-headed teen. Emma hadn't seen the other girl anywhere before, so she must be a transfer student.

If Taylor thought that a new student could protect her, she had another thing coming. Emma stood up, and walked over to where Taylor was sitting, the mousey brown-haired teen shrank back as Emma approached, but seemed to swell with confidence as the other teen placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Emma snarled inwardly, that, would have to end now.

"So Taylor, back so soon? I thought you wouldn't be back for at least a week, to busy crying like when your mom died."

Scene Break

I turned around, wiping by bloody hands on a strip of fabric I had torn from the now unconscious Emmas dress just in time to see a red faced and panting Principle Blackwell arrive at a brisk jog.

"What on earth happened here?!"

The key to this would be a quick and believable explanation, I might have Blackwell under my thumb for now by virtue of our last conversation, but I she could use this to get rid of me she would, so, with that in mind, I calmly stepped forward.

"Principle Blackwell, I am afraid that Emma Barnes approached are table, and after many threatening remarks, proceeded to act aggressively by laying hands on me, and in defense of myself and my friend, I reacted."

Blackwell just looked at me, her eyes calculating. To give credit where credit is due, the rather moral-less woman was actually quite intelligent, she was just mercenary as all hell. But since my job was to make sure that for the next few weeks that were left in the quarter here at Winslow, Taylor remained safe, happy, and above all, on track for the an optimal arrival and resolution of the golden morning. Once the next three weeks were over, the transfer to Arcadia that I had brute forced with an obscene donation would go through.

God, I still had the shivers when I considered just how many hundreds of thousands of dollars that I had poured into Arcadia to get a transfer for Taylor.

In the meantime though… Blackwell seemed to have reached a conclusion and gestured roughly for me to follow her.

Once we arrived at her office, she closed and locked the door before turning to look at me with haunted, terrified eyes.

"So how do you want me to sell this?"

A smile spread across my face as I looked at the older woman.

"What a wonderful question Mrs. Blackwell, heres what I want you to do…"

I then outlined my plans for Emma, and oh were they a doozy.

Blackwells office - Moira's discussion with the Principle

Blackwell sighed as she got ready for the inevitable blow out that was to come when she had her talk with Danny Hebert. She didn't actually doing this, but honestly it was her job, and the happiness of one student was worth all the benefit that came with having a Ward attend Winslow.

Just then her office door opened and in walked a young red headed girl. Blackwell was about to open her mouth to ask who the hell she was when a gun just materialized and the barrel was shoved into her mouth, cracking into her front teeth painfully. Blackwell froze as the teen spoke.

"Heres what your'e going to do. I am going to ask a question, or tell you to do something, you are going to nod yes or no. If you do anything els other then nod, your office will get a new paint job, you renege on anything I tell you to do, I kill you, your family, your dog, your neighbors, and quite frankly anyone that you know, and that I might feel irritate me, clear?"

A shaky, tear-stricken nod. The teen patted Blackwell softly on the cheek.

"Good job Mrs. Blackwell, this seems like the start of a beautiful friendship."