Number 9: countless clouds of violet
We had decided to go through with the plan.
It was risky, sure, and we only did this because Coil promised us a LOT of money if we went through with this.
It wouldn't be worth it, if we got caught, though.
But honestly? The only thing I was worried about was that "Gap"-girl.
Her finding out about my... endeavours? Pretty darn creepy.
And it didn't really help that my power never got a good read on her. It always seemed to slip up at some point.
I don't really think she meant me being a villain when she threatened me.
And if she did, I was screwed either way; on one side were Coil and his men and on the other this Gap character. The only thing I wasn't sure about was which one was worse.
A subtle mastermind-manipulator that basically held a gun to my head all the time, or an aggressive new cape with – as far as I could tell – a minor god complex and a desire to change the city drastically.
What didn't help the situation either, was that I knew Coil had somehow antagonized her. I just didn't know how exactly he had managed that.
The van rumbled on the street and it's inhabitants, me and my teammates, were tense.
It was an exhilarating setting.
"You all ready? Bitch, how are the dogs?"
Rachel just grunted – it was affirmative, I knew that by now – and continued with the usage of her power, making the dogs grow ever larger.
Sadly, we couldn't grow them too big, or else they wouldn't fit into the van.
"When we're finally through with this, I'm just gonna lay down and relax", yup, that was Alec right there.
Honestly, I was with him during this. Something was off about the whole thing, but I simply couldn't put my finger on it.
Robbing a high-profile bank during the middle of the day? That was just asking for repercussions.
There wasn't much I could do about it now, though.
The van continued and our excitement grew.
"How likely is it that there's some major resistance, again?"
"I figured that we have about half an hour to forty minutes until the PRT shows up. Maybe some Wards will be present, but no more than two or three capes", what worried me, though, was the Gap girl; I'd never told my teammates about her knowing about me – or our team, I wasn't entirely sure just how much she actually knew – and was reasonably tense.
I doubted anything serious would happen, though; just another job was waiting for us.
The only thing that concerned me was the current absence of any major gangs in the Bay; it meant that the small ones were next... the small ones and Coil.
Because, apparently, Gap hadn't been pleased enough with taking one Gang out in a single night; yesterday morning, the ABB's parahumans had been reported missing.
Bakuda, Oni Lee and Lung were simply gone, and nobody had any clue as to where they were.
Nobody except me, of course.
My power more or less told me about the deaths of Lee and Bakuda, but it seemingly didn't think Lung was dead as well.
So, yeah. Gap had simply used the ABB... like a professional, reality-bending chess player.
What worried me was that I didn't know whether to think of them as pawns or higher pieces.
"If you're sure, then that's good. No need to worry too much, we can handle a few Wards", our fearless team leader spoke in his normal voice, not nearly as intimidating as his 'Grue-Voice'.
The van came to a halt and we stepped out. One of Coils men – one of those he had sent to aid us during this 'mission' – had already scouted the bank interior; not the busiest day, the security even seemed understaffed.
Oh well, I heard the flu had been going around...
We used the back exit, quickly and silently 'eliminated' one of the guards, and made ourselves ready.
The dogs charged in first, barking loudly and frightening the people inside the reception hall.
"Alright, this is a robbery. We won't take long and there's no reason to be afraid. Don't play the hero, and you won't get hurt. Got it?", Grue stated in his best 'evil-villain' voice, darkness already coming off of his form in small wisps. "Now, on the ground, everyone!"
Many complied immediately, but a few felt rebellious.
I took a look at Bitch and motioned to our 'audience'.
She made a noise and the dogs started to growl louder and showed their teeth.
I looked around the room again, as all of them now complied, a few not that willingly.
And my gaze landed on an odd pair.
Oh, fuck.
A middle-aged man and a pink haired girl were on the ground in one corner, the pink-haired, young woman looking confused as to why the man had pulled her down.
They themselves – except maybe for the strange aura the pink-haired one gave off – weren't the bad news or even that remarkable.
The frightening thing was what my power told me.
Someone tapped on my shoulder.
I slowly turned around and my eyes met the violet ones of my currently worst nightmare.
"Hi, would you mind if I took a bit of your time? I don't think you know what you're doing right now"
A/N: Ugh... a little awkward near the end (I wasn't sure how to properly write this). Maybe I'll update this chapter or something whenever I have a better solution. Not sure right now. I just wanted to try something... Anyway, thank you very much for reading.
-Azralan