Interlude 1- PRT
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The ringing of the bells as the elevator arrived at the seventh floor echoed throughout the ruined conference room of the Coachman's Inn, before the doors rumbled and Armsmaster strode out with his halberd strapped to his back. His midnight blue armour shimmered from the searchlights deployed by the PRT as they sifted through the scene, which caused Armsmaster to nod with pride at the professionalism on display. A man in streamlined red body armour and a mask that covered half his face saw him and walked over, accompanied by a younger teenage boy in rust red bodysuit with a white shield emblem on the chest, helmet that exposed his chin and silver white trim that ran down his costume.
"Assault," Armsmaster nodded at the older man in red, "and Aegis. What have you got for me?"
"A cape piece," Assault quipped as he handed over a seared pauldron," and a witness. Mind the bits of seared flesh stuck to the mail undershirt beneath."
"Morbid," Armsmaster said, " but I'll take it. Where's the witness."
"Miss Militia's interviewing him on the lower floor sir," Aegis said, "at one of the interview rooms that didn't have their windows shattered from the impact."
"She did? That's surprising," Armsmaster said as he examined the pauldron. His beard bristled as he frowned upon closer inspection of the discarded armour piece.
"Crusader," Armsmaster spat out.
"You can tell, Armsie? That easily?"
"Yes, Assault. I can tell that easily," Armsmaster said. "Mostly because Dauntless and I had a fight with him, Victor and Cricket only forty eight hours ago. Now, why has Miss Militia began interviewing the witness before I got here?"
"I'm not sure," Assault said, his tone now deadly serious. "But when that manager said something about an Angel, Miss Militia looked distressed."
Armsmaster frown got deeper.
"You mean she got upset or angry?"
"No, I mean distressed," Assault stressed, "as in like she recalled the worst time of her life bad."
Armsmaster clicked his tongue as he pondered the connection between this case and his de-facto second in command before thanking the red clad hero, the Tinker made sure to leave before his colleague can unleash another unwanted pun. Armsmaster decided to test out his suit's enhancements and ran towards the stairs, his suit's computer counting the time saved by taking the stairs. He arrived outside the room, just in time to hear something he didn't really expect to hear.
Miss Militia actively intimidating a witness.
"I will ask again, Mr Hall," Armsmaster listened as Miss Militia growled coldly." You are absolutely sure that it's Angel of Tusked Angel that left the scene of the attack?"
Armsmaster winced as he heard someone being slammed against a wall, but decided to see how things will turn out.
"I swear it's her!" He heard the voice of a man with a thick Brooklyn accent yell, "I used to work in one of Marquis' joints as a busboy. Saw her swoop in after the big M got Birdcaged, cappin' capes and boys alike with that carbine of hers and using some sort of freaky Tinkertech freeze grenades to throw some of the Brutes and Breakers that her guns can't touch."
Flesh met the wall again, and Armsmaster prepped to burst in the door if he feels it's needed.
"So after nine years, you're suddenly remembering things both so long ago and events that happened less than fifteen minutes ago, when the rest of the staff here developed amnesia and all the video recordings are lost. "
"You gotta believe me!" Hall pleaded. "Look, I know after I speak to you I'm going straight to the Empire's shit list. I don't care, I got my ways to get the hell of the Bay and you never see me again."
"So why are you so desperate to get our help in leaving the city," Miss Militia asked in a calmer tone, "rather than staying comfy in a job for the Empire?"
"Because she's got a rep for not leaving loose ends. I'm not waiting to see if she considers me one now that she's back!"
A moment passed, before he heard someone being shoved away.
"Get the hell out of here."
Armsmaster heaved in relief before he pushed open the door to see a middle aged white man in a suit with balding hair adjusting his tie as he left the room. He watched the witness go before he approached Miss Militia who was busy checking her notes.
"That was risky of you, considering how a complaint against you might endanger your career." Miss Militia sighed as she looked away from her notepad, before she gave an apologetic smile that was half covered by her scarf.
"Sorry, Armsmaster. But Ange may be involved in my past."
"You mean your past with the Tur-"
"Yeah, my Kurdish extended family and the Turks," Miss Militia nodded. "To be sure, I've not seen her actually do the shit the Turks did, but she's seen after several incidents involving both my people and the Kurds."
"You concerns are duly noted, Miss Militia," Armsmaster nodded. "Just don't do it again. I need you as my second in charge. After this, I'll visit Mr Halls and remind him to not bring up this session to anyone if he knows what's good for him."
"What are you going to do, Armsmaster," Miss Militia asked with a frown.
"Just reminding him that he's incriminated himself with regards to being a known witness to parahuman crime, but refused to co-operate," Armsmaster said, "I will remind him we can book him for conspiracy charges."
Miss Militia blinked at her boss.
"I do not think that's how it works-"
"You're not sure, Miss Militia since you hadn't time to read the lates legislation concerning us," Armsmaster said, "But I did."
"Now," Armsmaster asked as he flipped through his partner's notes, "Was there anything that happened I did not overhear."
"Probably the fact that she's gone from a hoverbike," Miss Militia said, "to a twenty over feet pink, glowing robot."
Armsmaster frowned as he shut the notepad.
"Miss Militia, are you certain you picked an Empire associate rather than a Merchant one. "