Blink
I'm really getting sick of these early hour missions, I thought as I flew towards yet another one of Imperium's factories in the northern part of the city.
To my surprise, as I got closer I saw that Imperium himself was waiting for me outside, a pair of his robots flanking him. He even managed to pull off standing outside with his typical pretentious attitude. I landed next to him, resisting the urge to yawn.
"Ah, Blink. Nice of you to join us," Imperium stated, "I do appreciate your promptness, given the last-minute call."
"What am I here for?" I asked, hoping to avoid ten minutes of Pompous Maximus Imperium conversation before he managed to get to the point.
"Ah, yes. Please Blink, follow me." Imperium swiveled around and made his way towards the factory The pair of robots, oddly enough, turned in tune with his motion. I followed behind, hovering in place just above the ground. One of his robots opened the door and we stepped inside.
The first thing that hit me was the heat. It felt like I was in an oven compared to the pleasant coolness of outside. Why my employer had been waiting in the fresh air became apparent, with sweat pouring down my face.
The second thing I noticed was the music. Over the sound of machinery echoing through the inside of the building, a strangely-catchy melody of a flute was barely audible. Even though I knew I didn't recognize the rambling tune, I felt like I knew exactly what the song would do next, and I almost felt compelled to hum along. Maybe if I wasn't so tired, I might have.
Imperium led me through the maze of machinery, the air around me becoming even hotter, the flute-playing becoming louder. We passed a squad of Imperium's robots carrying a huge ingot of some sort of metal, and I could feel the heat radiating off of it. We walked further and further into the factory. We climbed a set of stairs, and I looked down to see the orange glow of molten metal shining in some of the machines.
The heat was almost too hot for me to bear when we finally came upon an open doorway, and passed through into the relief of a room that wasn't full of molten metal. It was probably still a hundred degrees, but it felt like sitting in front of an air conditioner.
It was another room, much like the last but devoid of most of the machinery. We were up on a catwalk running along all four sides of the spacious area. Below us, I could see the source of the music. A woman wearing a kimono and a giant lampshade hat sat on a stool below, playing on a bamboo flute. The upper half of her face was covered in a mask made in a similar style to her hat. In front of her were a pair of giant shining ingots, similar to the ones I had seen earlier.
Imperium walked down a set of stairs, and I chose to teleport down. Together, we approached the woman. As we got closer, she stopped playing the flute and looked up at us. The sudden absence of her music left me feeling slightly empty inside, I could almost feel the tuneless melody continue in my head. It was...unnerving, to say the least.
"Woodwind," Imperium intoned dramatically, "I see you have been making progress."
"Your sweatshop has been more than adequate," The woman, Woodwind I presumed, said with a smile. Even her voice had the same almost-hypnotic sound to it. I couldn't help but wonder how she kept from boiling in this heat.
"As we discussed, the Ravens have seen fit to test us after our recent...setback," Imperium said, giving me a glance, "As such, they have seized one of my facilities. I would have it back with minimal damage to the property inside."
That gave me pause. The Ravens and Imperium had been at odds for some time, but it seldom went beyond skirmishes in the streets.
"You understand my...obligations, yes?" Woodwind replied, her voice slipping into a minor key for a brief moment.
"Of course," Imperium replied, gesturing towards me with a flourish. "That is why Blink, a friend to the Empire, will be working with you tonight."
"Will we be fighting any of the Ravens' capes?" I asked, wanting to be prepared.
"Perhaps. If that is the case, I won't have any sizable fights break out. I suggest irritating them to the point that they don't want to be there. You two should have synergy for that."
"Blink," Woodwind said, looking at me. "I have heard of you. Perhaps this night will be more interesting than I had thought."
"Woodwind, right? I can't say I know much about you."
"I think after tonight we'll both know a lot more of each other," Woodwind said with a smirk. "Imperium, will we have your machines by our side?"
I blushed. The fuck? Was this woman coming onto me?
"My army will be standing by to, ah, prove a point as they run out. I'm afraid they would cause too much damage inside."
"Can you tell me about your power, Woodwind? We should form a plan before going in," I said, trying to forget what Woodwind might or might not have insinuated.
Instead of answering me, she put the flute back up to her mouth, and began playing the same tuneless melody from before. This time, though, it felt more directed, as if commanding those listening. A few seconds later, the pair of giant metal ingots began to deform, and a pair of featureless humanoid figures pulled themselves out of the metal.
She stopped playing, and looked over at me, her eyes glinting behind her mask. "Is that a satisfactory demonstration, Blink?"
Creates figures–golems?–and apparently directs them with her music. I had so many questions. "Can you see through them? What about range? If they can scout, that would give us a lot of options."
She shook her head. "How about I answer your questions on our journey. It is a bit warm in here."
I nodded. "Are you okay with flying?"
I double checked my phone to make sure this was the correct address. Woodwind appeared as calm and mysterious as ever, although the vicelike grip of her hands on my arm suggested she wasn't a fan of my flying.
We hovered over a large nondescript warehouse on the northern end of the city. Five cars sat along the front haphazardly, suggesting anywhere between ten to twenty were inside. Two goons stood outside watching the front. Good thing they're too stupid to look up.
I flew us down to the roof, and the sounds of smashing became apparent. It looked like Imperium wouldn't have his warehouse fully intact after all. At the very least, it meant they would be distracted. We could move forward with our plans.
I teleported us into the building itself, landing on a catwalk. I nodded to Woodwind, and she immediately brought up her flute. The music began quietly at first, before filling the room. The sounds of smashing slowed and finally stopped, as a couple people began shouting.
"To the front, now! Gather up!" I heard someone shout. I smiled.
As the group gathered up, I noticed two women that stuck out from the rest of the thugs. One woman wore street clothes like the thugs, but she also wore a simple paper mask, and paper fluttered around her. That would be Papercut. As far as I knew, her powers involved telekinesis, but only with paper. I would have to watch out for her, given she could coat a much larger area than I could teleport through.
The other woman's face was scarred, and she wore an odd jacket, one with a fur lined hood and some decorative shoulder armor. Her hair was almost pure white, and her 'mask' was simply a pair of goggles. She went by Rewind, and I knew her power involved sending people back to their position within a few seconds ago through punching them. As long as I didn't let her hit me, she was about as much of a threat as any of the thugs.
The two parahumans stood a small distance from the rest, which suited me just fine. I hovered over the group, pulled a flashbang grenade from my belt, pulled out the pin, and dropped it right in the middle of the group. I teleported through the roof, waited for the bang, then went back in, preparing to charge the cape pair with my baton and taser extended. Unfortunately, while the goons were more or less disabled given the shouts and cries, Papercut managed to surround herself and Rewind with a swarm of paper, apparently blocking most of the flashbang's effects. The acrid stench of burning paper filled the air.
Her storm of paper shot straight up, and I flew away as it covered the ceiling above. I realized too late what she was doing, as paper flooded the rafters, rapidly making its way to where Woodwind was hiding. I flew directly to Woodwind, hissing as paper dug into the exposed skin on my face. Woodwind tried to erect a barrier with her golems, but winced as paper fluttered around her. I touched her, and flew us through the roof.
Papercut's swarm of paper might be irritating, but we didn't have to completely disable her. We just needed to drive them out.
"The original plan still stands. March a wall of golems so they get the picture that they should leave."
I teleported back into the building as the music started back up. Paper flew everywhere, but it was wild, lacking any sort of aim. Woodwind's song echoed throughout the building, and as far as I knew, she couldn't see through her paper, so we should have been as good as hidden.
Woodwind's music paused briefly as she spoke. "The unpowered are breaking rank. Papercut and Rewind are following. They are almost outside now."
Good. I flew us outside and around the side to get a better look. The thugs were scrambling to get into cars, when Imperium's robots arrived, running with a surprising speed, and with drones weaving through and speeding ahead. I winced as gunshots rang out, the bangs echoing through the streets. A few of the robots and even a couple drones fell, but it wasn't enough for them. Several gun-wielding thugs were peppered with bursts of compressed air. Paper flew at the robots, but they ran through without care and tore into the cars before any of the thugs could speed away.
Rewind still punched at the golems, though there were too many for her to set them back enough. She finally turned to see the mess that was happening outside. In that moment, robots ran past her to stand at the entrance. The rest of the robots and drones abruptly stopped their attack and marched, or hovered, over to the front.
"I think the message is pretty clear," I spoke up from above, looking down. "Fuck off."
Myself and two thugs had stalked the escaping Ravens for the past hour or so, to ensure they did, in fact, fuck off. The thugs were nothing special, wearing street clothes with purple bandannas wrapped around their arms. They were armed with knives and guns, the latter of which I pointedly tried not to think about.
I checked my phone to confirm that we were on the edge of Raven territory. The defeated collection of thugs and two very-cross-looking parahumans had done nothing we could see, besides grudgingly walk away. At this point, we were probably good to stop and head back. There was no sense in pushing our luck.
We stood on a side-road in an only moderately-crummy area. Of course, the neighborhoods wouldn't become bad until you really went deep into Arsenal—into Ravens territory.
"Let's head back," I ordered, and in response the thugs jumped. Twitchy, much? We turned around, and made our way back towards where we'd left our cars. There was a few minutes of blissful silence.
"Did you hear that?" one of the thugs said.
I tried to listen for something, but I didn't hear anything. I didn't respond to his question, simply continuing to walk forward.
"I think I heard it ag–"
The thug never got the chance to finish his sentence, as what appeared to be a giant bird, the size of which must have rivaled if not exceeded a car, swooped down and barreled towards us.
With reaction speed that surprised me, I teleported through the thing as it charged and swung my baton at it. It connected, but barely. I doubt my swing did much of anything as it slammed one of my thugs into a building. It turned and gained altitude and began circling me as I stood and watched. The thug who was slammed into the wall was groaning, letting me know he was alive if nothing else. The only thing I knew about them was that they had very limited experience with capes, and neither of them were in a position to be one of Potion's 'trained' thugs, so I was basically alone against this...thing.
It had to have been Branwen, one of the heavy hitters from the Ravens. She could change into a bird that was like a crow or a raven in appearance, though the stories could never get her size straight. Perhaps the sizes varied, or maybe everyone just judged size differently when they were in mortal peril.
The bird swooped down at me again, but I dodged again. Branwen's wingspan had to be about twenty feet long, which proved to be an issue. I could only teleport about eight to ten feet, so I had to time my jumps right. Two, maybe three in order to escape. I rose into the air a little, keeping an eye on Branwen's circling form. She was faster, and she knew it, as she circled high above me, waiting.
I had no idea how I could beat her. My baton could only do so much to a giant bird that was known to have knocked around cars. Plus, the more I fought her, the more likely I was to make a mistake in my jumps, and she could hit really hard, given the still-reeling figure down below. That meant I had to get away, which could prove difficult.
I heard sudden gunshots below; one of the thugs was trying to shoot down Branwen with a fucking pistol at who knows how far away. I'd never fired a gun and even I could tell it was futile. All it did was catch her attention more.
Branwen span around, diving towards the thug the moment he stopped firing to reload and started to run away in a panic. I flew down to touch his shoulder to move him out of the way, but the idiot struck at me before I could. Due to Branwen's sheer speed, I had no choice but to move out of the way as she swooped down on us. Her talons gripped his shoulders and carried him up, before dropping him shortly after. I winced as I heard his scream. His momentum had dragged him along the asphalt.
A cloud of feathers obscured the alleyway, settling into cracks or being blown away. I was greeted with the nude form of Branwen. Jet black hair, close-cropped. Steely grey-blue eyes glaring at me. Her skin was covered in small bumps, like something underneath was trying to push its way out of her too-tight skin. She was small and slender, and if she hadn't just tried to hurt me, I might have admired her form.
I began to fly over, but with surprising speed she picked up the thug's gun and spare magazine off the ground, reloaded, and pointed it at me, smirking.
"What's faster? My finger, or your power?" Branwen asked.
I stopped, frozen, the threat very much evident. My teleporting was instantaneous, but I couldn't be sure if her powers didn't include some kind of enhanced mental abilities. And I wasn't about to risk finding out while staring down the barrel of her gun.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"You fucked with our operations, we fuck with you in return," she said.
"Surely you didn't think Imperium would ignore you all fucking up his property."
"I wasn't talking about tonight. You and the wannabe hero whore. Two of our girls, gone."
"Your girls? Fuck you," I said, despite the threat of the pointed gun.
"I bet you would. Keep your fucking morals to yourself, and stay the fuck out of our business. Are we clear, or do I need to repeat myself in Mexican?"
Surely she can insult me better than resorting to racism? "Fine," I lied. Fuck Branwen, and fuck the Ravens. Fuck anyone who would take people away for...for such sick purposes. Fuck ignoring this shit. I wasn't about to piss her off by saying any of that, though.
"Good. And just so you know, if I see you anywhere near our shit again..." she lowered the pistol, pointing it at the thug groaning on the ground. She pulled the trigger.
I flinched at the spray of blood. Some of it landed on Branwen, dotting her almost-pale skin, but she didn't seem to care. I probably could've left before she pointed it back at me, but I was too shocked at the murder that happened so...casually...in front of me.
As the ringing of the single shot faded from my ears, she finished her sentence. "...that's going to be you."
I barely noticed as she dropped the gun and stepped back. Her body exploded into black feathers, folding in upon itself until a black bird, darted away, from where her chest had been. And then she was gone.
I stared at the thug whose blood pooled beneath me. I would've been surprised at the sheer amount of blood had I not already seen it before. I could still see it...
Laughter filled the car as we traveled to church for the Christmas Eve service.
"...but I know he means well!" Papá joked, finishing the punchline. While it was admittedly a lame joke, we couldn't help but snicker. Jess looked like she was holding in more, though. I could hardly believe it when I glanced out the window and saw the approaching car inches away.
I blacked out, and when I came back I found myself in what felt more like a tomb than a vehicle. I could feel my body—sore more than anything—but I couldn't move much.
"Mom? Papá? Jess?" I shouted. I heard a groan next to me, but I couldn't be sure who it was. Fuck, I needed to get out of here. I need to make sure they're okay. My felt my heartbeat quicken as I struggled and struggled to move, but the fucking thing had me trapped for what felt like ages. I wasn't sure what happened after, except that I felt something I couldn't quite describe.
I found my mind outside my body in a sense, and in a way I couldn't truly understand, made a 'pathway' to the outside. Suddenly, I was outside, and I turned to see the wreckage. I looked to the front and saw...
I closed my eyes, desperately hoping to see something different when I opened them. But no. There was blood. Endless amounts of it. It stained the area where my parents were. I tried to extend my hand to them, but a pair of hands grabbed me from behind...
"Hey, are you okay?" someone asked, shaking me from my memory.
I looked towards the source of the voice. The woman, standing on the opposite end of the street, looking at me. Fairly tall, with bright red hair and green eyes. At first, I thought I was looking at the face of Tundra. But, given her green costume and bow, the woman had to have been Cupid, a member of the Protectorate. Her power involved being able to sense emotion to some extent, though no one really knew how far besides Cupid herself. Nor did anyone besides her know just quite how adept she was at manipulating emotions using the same power.
Getting hit by her in my state, even a glancing hit? It would let her power in, and probably lead to my capture.
"Wh-where did you come from?" I asked, too dazed to not say something stupid.
"What happened here?" Cupid asked, ignoring my question. I noticed she had an arrow knocked, ready to draw.
Right. So she's going to ask first, then shoot? I had no reason not to answer the question. Maybe it would result in the Protectorate actually doing something useful for once against the Ravens.
"We were attacked by Branwen. She...fuck. She shot him," I took a shaky breath, trying my best not to lose my composure in front of a hero.
As I spoke, she seemed to relax a little. "Blink, right? I know you're still in a bit of shock, but I need to ask you some questions, is that okay?"
I felt like I wanted to sit down, but I instead relied on my power to keep myself steady. It was really strange that the hero only wanted to talk to me, out here in the open. Maybe she thought the murder was more important than the crimes I had committed. "Okay."
She nodded. "Besides...him, are there any other dead? And did you know what way she went?"
"No, but," I turned towards the other thug. "The guy over there probably needs some medical attention. As for Branwen...I'm sorry. I didn't see."
"That's fine...I made sure he won't feel anything until an ambulance arrives. Are you okay?"
"Why do you care about that?"
"Because right now I don't see the supervillain Blink. I see a girl in over her head, who just saw someone get murdered. A scared girl." She paused, her voice hardening a bit. "I should probably be apprehending you now, but I'm familiar enough with your powerset to know it's pointless to try." Cupid shrugged, sliding her bow onto her back, next to a quiver of obviously-tinkertech arrows. True, she'd most likely miss her first shot, but it would only take one good hit.
I sighed. "Did you have other questions?"
"No. You should probably get out of here before the rest of the Protectorate shows up. Unless you've had enough villainy for one lifetime." She paused. "Nope? Thought I'd try. The option's there if you ever change your mind."
"Right. Join up with Wards, who I've fought before. Not to mention the list of crimes I've committed. That wouldn't be awkward," I joked bitterly, mostly to distract from my mood than anything.
"The offer has been made for villains with a worse history than yours," she said, with an undertone I couldn't quite figure out. "Now get out of here, before some citizen sees me chatting with a supervillain and takes a picture. I do not want to deal with that."
I didn't waste a second more, flying straight up before aiming west, towards home.
At some point, I had made it back home. I almost laughed at the thought of the hero trying to recruit me. There was no way I was fucking giving up on Jess.
Right now, I just felt dirty. No blood on me, but I couldn't shake the feeling. I threw off my costume and headed into the shower.
I sat down, fine with just letting the hot water run down me for a bit.
I was startled by the feeling of ice cold water hitting me. I realized that at some point I must've closed my eyes. Did I just take a nap?
Sighing, I turned the water off and stepped out. Towel wrapped around me, I grabbed my cape phone from where I'd dropped my costume on the bathroom floor, and retreated to my room. I went into my PHO alt account, the one I used to talk to Icarus. I brought up the previous messages, and re-read them as I thought about what to say.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
hey i reached out to jennas family. it wasnt easy for them but at least they know
throwaway41236
thank you. It means a lot.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
no prob. just fyi im not telling anyone u were involved unless u want me to
throwaway41236
it's best for both of us if my involvement isn't mentioned.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
k. but this doesnt change anytrhing. not pulling my punches even if were on the same side vs the ravens
throwaway41236
wouldn't expect anything less. You have responsibilities.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
yea. its not personal. let me know if u have more info
That exchange happened only last night. It was strange. I didn't really know Icarus...Brenna, but it didn't exactly feel great that we had to be on opposite sides. And how the heck could I get info to her now? I couldn't say for certain that I'd be able to escape Branwen were she to attack me again. If I were to die, what would that do to Jess?
I could stop going after the Ravens and just put all of my time into doing jobs. I didn't have a reason to chase them after Jenna, right?
Dammit.
throwaway41236
hey. Fuck, I need your help again.
I didn't have to wait long for a response.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
that didnt take long. whats up
throwaway41236
I just got attacked by Branwen. She... god, she shot someone right in front of me and threatened to kill me if she ever saw me again. I still want to help against those fucks, but I'm scared. I have a responsibility to someone still living.
Maybe my message was a little too personal, but I was still shaken up from what happened. I didn't think I could've worded it any differently without pouring over it for hours.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
fuck ok
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
does she kno were working together?
throwaway41236
yeah. Well, she used the words 'wannabe hero whore', I think.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
ok yeah. thats a yes.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
have a idea 4 a plan. dont want to go into detrails here. but we can use this 2 our favor
throwaway41236
are you thinking about meeting up for a plan?
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
uhhhhhhhh sure i guess. itll have to be out of costume. u sure ur up for this?
throwaway41236
yes. I'm not letting this hang over me. I know a good spot to meet.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
k, ill head out send me the address. u hungry? can pick up food on the way.
throwaway41236
uh sure, as long as it isn't taco shame. Personal thing. And there's a park at W 2nd Pl and Van Gordon St.
xX-kaminarifan-Xx
o i know that park. crashed in the lake once. might take a bit 2 get there, no car and wings r kinda conspicuous. taking train
Icarus
"This is the Federal Center Station. Stand clear, the doors are closing," the robotic train voice chimed as the train slowed to a stop, waking me from my nap.
I stood up with my six bags of fast food, ignoring the stares from the other passengers as I got off. Like a girl with a robot arm and a few bags of greasy burgers and fries was an uncommon sight in Denver. Okay, maybe it was a little.
I stepped off the train, immediately regretting it. During the short half-hour ride out to Lakewood, far on the western side of Denver, I'd gotten used to the shitty train air conditioning. Even this late in the afternoon, it was hot. In April. Why couldn't we have moved to Canada instead?
I noticed Isabelle leaning against the railing by one of the ticket machines, arms crossed. It was the first good look I had of her out of costume, other than the brief moment I'd met her at school. I never noticed before, but her skin was slightly dark. Hispanic, maybe? Her hazel eyes stared at me as I approached, and her long black hair hung loose. She wore tight fitting jeans and a beige tank top.
"Took you a while," she said.
"Sorry, had to get a bite to eat," I said, handing over a couple of my food bags. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I got you some of everything."
"Uh, thank you," she said. "This is...a lot."
"Yeah, I have to eat a lot to keep my weight up," I said as we started walking. To be perfectly honest, I was surprised I only had to eat as much as I did.
We walked side by side up the sidewalk. I couldn't help but notice Isabelle getting more and more tense.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"There's...well, there's quite a few stares," she said quietly.
I looked around. "Oh, I guess," I said, shrugging. "It's just because of the arm. You get used to it."
Isabelle glanced at my prosthetic arm. "I guess I forgot."
"I don't even really notice it anymore," I said with a sigh. It's not like I was a Case-53, some monstrous abomination running around with, like, hooves. Plenty of people had prosthetic limbs, right?
Isabelle relaxed slightly, but I could tell there was still some tension as we made our way to the park. It was only a couple blocks from the light rail station, a small little square of grass surrounding a small lake with a fountain in the center of it. A swim in it actually sounded nice right about now, now that it wasn't January and it wasn't covered in ice.
We sat down at one of the benches running along a trail ringing the lake.
"Tell me what happened with Branwen," I said as I tore open a bag full of fries, stuffing a few into my face.
She didn't respond for at least a minute. I couldn't completely follow her facial expressions. Was she reliving it? Finally she spoke, her voice flat. "We had just kicked some Ravens out of Imperium territory. A couple thugs and I followed them to make sure they left. Branwen ambushed us, knocking out the two thugs before she transformed and pointed a gun at me–"
"Where did she get the gun? She can't carry things when she transforms," I interrupted.
"Right, sorry. No, she picked it up from one of the thugs she took care of. But anyway, I guess word about us working together got out. She threatened to kill me if I ever stepped foot in Ravens territory again, and she...she shot the other thug in the head as an example."
I could see Isabelle's hands clench and unclench.
"I'm sorry," I said.
Isabelle shook her head. "I've had too much of that. Save it."
"Okay," I said, not sure what else to say to that. "Well, I got a plan."
Isabelle nodded. "Can we eat first, though? I haven't exactly eaten much today."
"Sure, that's fine," I said.
Isabelle wasted no time in digging in, eating with a speed that surprised even me. I wasn't even sure if she'd stop as we ate in silence, but she only made it most of the way through the second bag. She leaned her head back, probably contemplating who-knows-what as I worked on finishing up my own food. At some point she had brought one of her legs up, placing her hands on her knee.
"This is weird," she finally said, not moving.
"Yeah," I said, nodding.
"So what's the plan?"
I shrugged. "How do you feel about being bait?"
Isabelle turned her head towards me. "Way to word it like that. I hope there's more to this."
"It's pretty simple. I know how Branwen works. She thinks of herself as a predator, a hunter." I paused for a second. "She won't be able to pass up an opportunity to get you, even if it means chasing you. Keep to the air, and none of the other Ravens will be able to follow. That's where I come in."
"Uh huh. Your plan is for me to lead her in so you can attack her?"
"I did say it was simple, right? I've spent a lot of time studying the Ravens. How they operate, how they think, how they fight. I've avoided direct confrontation so far, so beyond the word of a couple thugs, they don't really know how I fight. I can beat her."
"No one else involved? What if something goes wrong? What if you're wrong?" Isabelle asked. I was almost insulted by how skeptical she was.
"Do you want me to call the Protectorate?" I asked sarcastically.
Isabelle shrugged. "Could play it off as randomly coming across me trying to get away from her."
"Maybe. If it comes to that, I can call them in," I said, sighing. "But it won't come to that." I was not about to let someone else take down Branwen.
"As long as there's a contingency. If I'm going to risk my life, I want some certainty. I'm not about to let down..." she paused. "Speaking of the Protectorate, do you think they'll just take her in after you capture her? They...haven't exactly been very hard on the Ravens."
I paused. "They'll have no choice but to take her in, and with what she's done...it'll be the Birdcage. Too much for that stupid 'three strikes' rule. Branwen will face justice."
"She better. If she doesn't..." Isabelle took a deep breath and muttered, "I should probably figure out some contingency plans."
"She will. I'll make sure of it."
"When is this going down?" Isabelle asked abruptly.
"Whenever works for you. Oh, hold on, I have something for you," I said, slipping my backpack and digging through it. A small mint tin that rattled as I tossed it at her. "Here. This will allow you to communicate directly with me. Certainly quicker than PHO messages."
"It won't, uh, 'bond' with me, will it?" she asked, looking nervously between the tin and my arm.
"Do you want it to?" I asked excitedly. "I mean, this was just based off an old design for my mask, before I implanted connections to communicate directly. It's still pretty neat I think, even if it's older. If you want something newer, I totally understand."
"Uh, no thanks," she said, even more nervously. "My sister once read me this story...ugh, cybernetics have kinda creeped me out since then. No offense."
"It's fine, I get it," I replied sadly. "Anyway, this doesn't do any implantation or permanent, uh, stuff. It's just an earpiece, basically. Just put it on, it'll do the rest. It'll detect when you want to talk, and transmit your voice. Don't worry about speaking loudly or not, it'll pick you up."
"Alright, thanks. Does it have a range limit?"
"A few miles? I dunno. Haven't really been able to test it," I replied sarcastically.
"We'll test it out a little before I start dancing in Arsenal."
"Sure, of course."
"If that's everything..." Isabelle trailed off, already standing up.
"Yeah, no. I have to get back downtown. I...sorta left in a rush, and...yeah. I'll see you around, Blink," I said, standing up as well.
Isabelle placed her hand on my shoulder. "Yeah. See you later, Icarus."
