2.3
It was somewhat strange; that the first time I met Assault and Battery it was in the back of a PRT truck, waiting on the go ahead for the sting operation against the Merchants and their unknown supplier.
It was downright baffling watching them sitting across from me though.
"But puppy-"
"Don't you 'But Puppy' me!" She snarled. "You are the most unprofessional, inappropriate, and downright stupid man I've ever met, and you are not going to continue pestering me, or so help me, kinetic manipulation or not I will find a way to beat the ever loving crap out of you!"
He gave an over-dramatic gasp; clutching at his heart.
"...But that's...Domestic Battery!"
I can almost see the steam billowing out of Battery's ears as she glared at Assault, who must've had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
I heard a strained chortle that Kid tried desperately to keep behind the cage of his teeth. It almost set me off with him.
In truth, I wasn't exactly sure what started this. They seemed friendly and professional during the briefing. Even amicable, which hadn't been a surprise. Not only because of them being teammates for years now but also because of the rumors on PHO that they were married. (Rumors which I now firmly believed to be confirmed.)
I think it had to do something with a kiss...or a molestation. Depends on which member of the Wards, the Protectorate, or the couple you ask really.
While morbidly curious, I wasn't curious enough to ask and set the infuriated woman off on me so I kept my mouth shut.
Unfortunately, being the only one in the truck beside Kid Win, and the male she was currently pissed at, made me the most readily exploitable change in topic the woman had available it seemed.
She turned and looked at me; ignoring the smug looking man beside her.
"So, Taylor right?"
I nodded.
"Nice to finally meet you." She said with a nod. "Things have been busy; so, sorry for that." She extended her hand giving a firm shake and a smile that seemed only the slightest bit strained given her agitation.
"It's fine. I'm sure you two are really busy, more important than me anyway."
"Kid you're selling yourself short." Assault this time. "You made Oni Lee run like a pansy on day one! Got Halbeard grilled for it too! That's a superpower in and of itself! And to top it all off you're giving the PR guys an aneurism as they keep skidding those spins on those statues of yours! Us not meeting you has been a vile, heinous- nay - egregious-oof!"
He was cut off with a somewhat hard sounding fist to the gut. Literally punching the wind out of his sails. "As much as this idiot exaggerates and sets me off, he's at least right that its not been fair to have not made the effort to take five minutes to meet you. So sorry again." Battery added.
Oh god...I'm blushing. Am I blushing? They can't see it right? Two heroes complimenting me and saying sorry just isn't right! "D-Don't worry about me! I mean, you had better stuff to do anyways. We got introductions over with so…"
"Taylor, you can calm down." Kid Win poked my shoulder with a laugh. "I don't need to have an Emo-dar like Gallant to tell you're getting spastic."
I glared and then looked away. "Whatever…" I turned towards Battery. "So, onto business. Me, Vista, Clock and Kid will be on the normal druggies, beating them up and letting our PRT guys arrest them. Right?"
"That's the cliff-notes version of it yeah." Assault leaned back nonchalantly. "Vista is with Dauntless right now. We're gonna meet up, and then surround the Merchants when they get their shipment, and swoop in, kick ass, and bust some skulls."
"Don't let Piggot hear you say that." Battery commented without looking at her...lover? Boyfriend? Husband?
"It's a figure of speech…" He winked my way. Well...he did have a point. Heroes beating up criminals do involve broken bones and ruptured spleens...that last one was Dennis' testimony though...so grain of salt there.
"Just keep in contact with us." Battery mentioned. "We'll give you updates on the battle against Skidmark and crew, and if their suppliers have any parahumans on hand."
"Chances are they do. This Dry Dust shit seems out of this world. They need a Tinker to make that stuff." Assault added. I raised my hand and Assault chuckled while Battery smiled.
"You don't need to raise your hand Ashburn."
"Sorry. Old habit. Anyways, hypothetically speaking, what do we do if the Merchants and the suppliers, if they have parahumans like Assault says, make an escape and we have to intervene."
It didn't hurt to prepare for worst case scenarios. After all, the world as a whole is a giant worst case scenario with the Endbringers hanging around.
"Ohhh I like you," Assault pointed my way, elbowing Battery with the other arm. "Can we take her home with us?"
The woman blushed so much I could actually see it at the lower edges of her helmet. "W-would you be serious for once!"
Assault laughed then looked at me. "That's good, trying to plan and foreseeing possible scenarios."
"My dad always says 'hope for the best and expect the worst'" After a second, I shrugged. "He works for the Union."
"Well that makes all the sense in the world doesn't it?" I must have seemed curious because he grinned. "Give me a supervillain and a pissed off Miss Piggy any day over an angry Union rep." He snarked, he got an elbow to the ribs courtesy of Battery.
"Well Ashburn your father sounds like a smart man. Anyways, to answer your question," Battery focused on me, elbows resting on her knees, "If any Merchant and/or supplier parahuman does escape and you need to intervene to stall. Then you and your team have the go ahead to engage. This is however not absolute. If you see someone like say Lung coming at you. Don't engage too hard. Again, we trust the Wards to make threat assessments on their own. We have to. Piggot wants this Dust gone and knows that to do that, we might have to take some hits but none of us want any of our Wards to die because of some drugs."
"Additional footnote, if one of you gets hurt that looks bad on the PRT and the protectorate. So only fight the bad guys if it looks like they're carrying wiffle bats!" Assault grinned.
The surge of...disdain? Resentment? It boiled in my mind whatever it was. Like a furnace lit at the base of a...tower?
The hell? Random.
Even so, I shook my head to clear the strange thoughts. The words that spilled out of me were almost so alien I nearly brought a hand up to my lips. "I'm not going to lose again! If any parahuman criminal gets in my way, I'm going to stop them." I said with a foreign conviction.
"Lose?" Battery must have been raising an eyebrow beneath that helmet.
"I lost Oni Lee." A victory. My victory. One that, as far as I could recall I'd been proud of until about five seconds ago. Suddenly it tasted like a barely passable failure on my part. I shook my head again. This time I'm not sure if its either to clear it or try to get my head on straight.
"No way will I mess up that badly a second time."
"Hey!" Assault pouted "I failed bringing in Oni-Lee with Velocity once too! It happens to the best of us."
I tried to bite my tongue but something inside wouldn't let me; as it was, I nipped the tip of my tongue with my teeth the second the words were out! "I'll do better!"
He sniffed, "You're mean! Not taking you home anymore!" Turning to the armored Battery and all but glomping her in the seat. "Help! She's wounding my manly pride!"
The woman answered with a startled squeak and shoved him off, hard enough to push him off the bench.
"Help." He reached for Kid Win. "Call for Halbeard! They've attacked a team member! We are betrayed! Betrayed Kid!"
"Oh no. Whatever shall we do." The laser wielder smirked as he drawled in the dryest voice imaginable.
I laughed, the bubble of humor coming up all of a sudden just as the indignation at my...failure at not having captured Oni-Lee. I'd have to ask Galant if his power had any long term side effects or something. The emotional rollercoaster was...weird to say the very least.
Assault smiled as he pulled himself back up to the bench. "A go getter." Assault crossed his arms. "Shame that I'm older. Otherwise I'd ask you out on a date. Man's only as good as the girl beside him and all that."
Now I knew I was blushing beet red behind my mask, and even covered my eye holes with my hands out of embarrassment.
Kid Win looked at me.
I was expecting Battery to bruise his ribs or to step on his foot in my defense.
Instead she poked him.
And he jumped. "You shocked me!" Battery gave him a cheeky smile.
"And you're not getting my chicken pot pie for a week."
He gasped, eyes wide in what might have been genuine horror.
"You wouldn't! I was just complimenting her! I swear! I wouldn't mind if you were impressed with like, Aegis or Kid Win if you were younger and stuff."
"Then rejoice. You're a better person than me." She smiled seemingly satisfied with herself.
Okay. Yeah. Yep. Totally married.
There was a crackle of static in all our ears.
"This is Stalker. Merchants have made it to the meeting point."
"Roger that Stalker." I recognized Armsmaster's voice. "Pull back to HQ immediately. You've done your part. All units prepare to move in."
Battery and Assault finished strapping on whatever lose gear they hadn't yet as the Van lurched from stopped to moving.
"That's weird." Kid Win breathed.
"Hmm?"
"That's the first time Stalker hasn't thrown a fit at being pulled back from a fight." He commented.
Battery shrugged. "Getting better with authority maybe."
Chris scoffed, very visibly. "Pfffft. Right."
Honestly who the hell was this girl?
"Oh they just want to keep her mystique alive for our latest Ward." Assault smiled waggling his eyebrows. "Those analysts must have figured something huh? Guess my chances at a date were just never gonna happen even if I was younger huh."
It took me a second to recognize the implication, and when I did, I blanched, I'm fairly certain my ash almost fell completely off me for a split second before I regained control. "Thats- I'm not- You-"
Battery shocked him again. Thank god. Then she was back to business. "Okay then. Ashburn, Kid Win, we're the first to get off so wait here with the truck and the troopers." She said. "Me and Assault will head to our designated spot and wait on Armsmaster's signal to engage. Any last questions?"
"Hang back. Bag and tag any druggie regulars. If any parahumans, engage and stall them until more help arrives." Kid Win nodded and stood up. I followed a second after. Assault snapped off a military salute, clicked his tongue in approval as the truck door opened, and he and Battery filed on out.
"We'll keep in touch." Battery looked back at us.
"Good luck!" I said waving.
"Ha. We only need luck against Endbringers, Lung, Unknown capes and the Skinheads. Its just the Merchants we'll be- Oh wait!" Assault smirked before waving back as he and Battery began running into the inner city, multi-story apartment buildings looming over us.
"Damnit, so much for testing my fire a little more."
"Look on the bright side." Kid Win stepped beside me. "Least you can send them flying with punches."
I smiled "That I can." I mused.
Soon enough, I sat down by the truck's bumper while Kid Win looked over his Tinker pistols, the PRT normals getting barricades set up and preparing their gear. I heard another convoy of trucks. They stopped several blocks away and I saw a dart of light lift off from inside one of the vans and speed into the alley. Dauntless.
And in practically instant, Vista and Clockblocker were right in front of us. "Hey guys."
"Yo." Kid Win waved. I nodded.
"Okay." I sighed, looking at the scene in front of me. Nothing but alley and trash cans. "Now we play the waiting game."
"While listening to excellent commentary." Dennis supplied fiddling with his watch. A second later I'm listening to the crackle of radio static. Clockblocker presses a finger where his mouth would be, Kid Win and Vista inch closer to listen and I follow their example.
"This is Velocity, got eyes on seven tourists entering the area now."
"And the Locals?" Miss Militia that time.
"Fifteen, three stooges included."
"That places at least three Parahumans on scene with eighteen normal humans. Possible Parahumans in the Tourist group. Also note that there could be more Merchants hiding in the apartment complexes."
"I think you're giving Skiddy way too much credit there Arms."
"Would you rather be surprised and get shot?
"Point taken I guess. Any particular combatants to specifically go after the Locals Armsy?"
I can almost see the Tinker gritting his teeth at Assaults name for him. "Battery will-"
"Hold on." Velocity again. "Got another Parahuman near enough confirmed in Tourist group Just caught sight of her with the Binoculars."
"Description?"
"Definitely can't miss her. She's wearing slate gray clothes. Looked like a jacket and sweatpants from all the way down here but that's definitely a combat vest with the binoculars. Not sure if pants are spandex but looks like it'll provide freedom of movement. Also wearing a gray white and black mask. Full face."
"Transfer image through interface."
"Of course you'd build a set of binoculars that can take selfies-Ow!"
"Not the time or place!" Battery hissed.
"Done."
"Take note." Miss Militia this time. Had to be. "Just confirmed Dry Dust. Suspected Parahuman is holding sample for inspection most likely."
"Pulling up database...Found her. Records sealed in Europe interpoll, trying to acquire necessary clearance."
"Do that later. Money exchange just happened. Skidmark's happy. Transaction in progress. That'd be the green light!"
"Everyone move out! Be cautious of Tourist Parahuman. Europe isn't exactly forthcoming on information for some reason. All precautions are to be taken; open up with Foam guns, do not wait. Read them their rights and warnings afterwards.
The call of acknowledgement was uniform, even with Assault and it was a second later we heard the squeal of tires both through the radio and in the distance.
I listened closer to the radio.
There was no warning really, no build up. One second the radio is just calm static with the buzz of helicopter and car engines, and the next its a sheer cacophony of noise.
I could barely keep up with the orders being shouted by a half dozen squad commanders and heroes. The rapid 'rattatattat' of gunfire was startling and seemed to swallow the whole neighborhood.
I tried to listen and make sense of the words, but I could only catch bits and pieces.
"Down the alley!" Kid Win shouted. I turned, finding four people running towards us.
"Merchants." Clockblocker said.
How he could tell from this distance I'll never know.
They were busy looking behind them, rubber necks on full display a second later, between Vista and Clock all four people were frozen stiff, outside of time.
"Foam em." I heard the captain of the PRT squad say behind me.
The PRT troops stepped forward, foam guns in hand when, out of the radio one computerized voice made everyone freeze.
"Armsmaster down!"
My head snapped right back to look over my shoulder at Clockblocker's still broadcasting wristwatch.
The others were doing the same, everyone looking in disbelief.
"This is Ward Captain Aegis, requesting permission to engage-"
"Ne-Negative! Stay out of this!" I barely recognized Batteries harried voice. "This Cape is-!"
"Dauntless down!"
My heart skipped a beat. Armsmaster and Dauntless!? This fast? What the hell?!
"This is Ward Captain Aegis, requesting permission to engage!" I heard the frustration in his voice, felt it in my own insides, bubbling up like the strange disappointment at Oni-Lee's escape.
Suddenly, all our watches vibrated and I looked down towards mine where the priority message from Aegis stood out in stark white letters.
"To hell with it everyone move in! Its on my head."
"You heard the boss man." Kid Win's hoverboard was activated with a high pitched whine and he was moving down the alley towards the gunfire with the three of us following, rushing past the troopers who were now foaming the time frozen criminals.
We rushed into the middle of a warzone.
The PRT had managed to foam nearly all the Merchants save of course, for Mush, Squealer and Skidmark. The latter two were hiding behind the former, who had gathered up enough junk from the area to make himself almost ten feet tall.
He was doing an admirable job of holding back Miss Militia and the dozen or so PRT troopers by using a ripped out tree as a club.
I could see Aegis, Browbeat and Gallant rushing over from the opposite alley.
There was a squeal of tires and a sudden crash that shattered concrete and brick behind me, We turned, finding some...sick lovechild between a tank and a snow-plow coming right at us!
"Shi-" The words weren't even out of his mouth before Denis froze himself and Vista in place, a rain of flying bricks and shattered concrete smashing into them a second before the tank hit.
When a vehicle of that size, moving at that speed, strikes something utterly inviolable, the impossible almost becomes real as the god only knows how many tons of steel rocks up, like its going to flip right over them before crashing back down to earth hard enough to knock me off my feet.
"Stupid cunt! You can't even make a fucking truck that runs over fuckweeds right!"
"Fuck you!"
I got to my feet watching as the tank's mounted gun swiveled around.
The blast blocked out all sound in the world. It was like one second I could hear, the next all the noise was just gone. I could half immagine it was an effect of the weapon itself until the vertigo hit me and I realized- somewhere in my mind that my ears were ruptured!
I swallow down the bile, trying to focus enough to make a fireball.
It comes, flickering with my lack of focus before pain made it surge forward and I touch a tree on the side of the apartment complex, alighting the whole thing in an eyeblink.
Kid's rolling on the ground, hands up to the side of his helmet. I move, pushing myself on unbalanced feet to march closer, grabbing his bicep and pulling him closer as the tree toppled over, eaten away to little more than fine ash in absurdly fast time.
I don't hear the cracking of bone this time of course, but rather, I see the ashes converge, coalesce as the fires spread through the grass, quickly forming the construct of charred flesh and fire.
The healing light that hit me instantly pushed away the vertigo. I have to stay close though, I...I still can't hear.
I look towards the fight; the tank's killed two PRT troopers another three that I can see are injured. There's-
"-tery down!"
The noise of the world came back, almost physically jerking me as insensate nerves and signals began firing again.
The Tank reached the Merchants and I saw Squealer hop on, moving to get into the drivers seat. I stepped forward, ready to fight when the call came through my wristwatch with a vibrating alarm.
"Ashburn, Kid Win, with me!" I recognize Aegis' voice and see him flying away from the fight towards...another one.
'The Tourist cape. Had to be. I could see the red blur that was Velocity darting this way and that way through a mass of gray people. The foreign cape's a cloner?'
I get to my feet, running at a dead sprint towards the fight, Kid lingers behind the slower healing rate. He may not have gotten his hearing back yet.
When I get to the fight its in time to see Assault punch one of the identical looking capes into the side of a building directly beside me the crunch of bone is audible in my ears before the thing simply vanishes, the stink of sulphur hits me like a fist to the face.
Then two bullets actually hit me in the face.
I'm reeling, slightly dazed. The only thing that lets me recognize it was bullets is the little things that hit the ground at my feet with clinks as I clutch at my forehead and cheek where the pain is spreading.
Second cape fight and evidently the second fight in which I'm fighting a murdering psycopath.
One that seems to have taken down Armsmaster, Dauntless and Battery in a handful of minutes.
My luck is fan-fucking-tastic.
I look up at the sound of approaching footsteps in time to see three of the clones of this cape rushing at me.
Mobbed by clones.
Not this shit again!
I thrust my hand forward, instinct more than thought driving my actions, and fire sweeps out like I've seen from military flamethrowers in documentaries, the smell of sulphur hits me again and the clones are gone.
Suddenly there's a weight on my back, and I'm stumbling forward to try and keep my feet under me as a knife comes down and tries to stab into my chest, deflected by the very thin layer of ash.
It's official. Cloners are fucking psychos!
My arm comes up, over my shoulder gripping hair and pulling.
The body comes up, over, striking pavement with a harsh thud of flesh slamming into concrete.
Then I'm holding nothing.
I look up finding all the clones fighting...everyone...Velocity is literally flying between the crowd his speed allowing him to attack multiple clones at once. Even if his fists didn't hit nearly as hard as they should, getting hit a hundred times by a fist moving at a quarter strength was still gonna hurt, but for all the clones that simply vanished another would instantly take its place elsewhere.
Aegis...Aegis had already been shot quite a few times. At least judging by the holes in his his mask and suit. What he was using to replace the functions of his face and skull she really didn't know nor did I want to know. If I ever heard "looking through my nose" in that context again I'd probably be sick.
And Assault...was tearing through the mob surrounding him like a man possessed. I don't know if this is how he fights normally or if he's angry at what happened to Battery but it was...impressive. I manage to get a look and his face and he was pissed.
Just as I'm thinking this I see the woman in question just...appear. Pop out of nowhere really. She hits the ground with an out of control tumble; disoriented.
"Battery recovered"
Assault stops to look at her and in the moments' distraction he vanishes this time.
"Assault Down"
Then I see Velocity; a whirling red dervish around the downed woman trying to hold off the mob of doppelgangers as they rush her.
I move and the ash comes to my hand, forming a stick as I'm charging in a straight bee line through the mob, sheer brute force allowing me to punch through the group of enemies to stand over her.
I swing the weapon in my hand, the swo-
The sword?
It is. In my hand there's a thin sword. Its...blunt. I doubt I have the control to make anything made out of ash sharp but it looks like a sword. Why I don't know, but it does.
Now isn't the time to think about it though.
The weapon's moving through the air and smashing into one of the clone, crushing bone beneath the power of the swing before the clone is gone.
I feel the strike of more bullets on my armor, a blow to the ribs, another to my side, my stomach, Collar Bone, shoulder blade, chest, temple. The pain is sharp and makes me hiss. The clones back off, choosing to not rush me, the Brute rated cape. They're shooting as I kneel over Battery bringing my hands up to my head, trying to cover her as much as possible.
There's an explosion beside me and I all but throw myself on her as I see Aegis smash into the iron railing that lines some steps. He's bleeding from god only knows how many wounds. Now shrapnel is sticking out of his stomach, burns on his arms.
I grit my teeth in anger. pulling myself up, still keeping myself kneeling over the disoriented Battery. The sword disperses and my hands are swallowed up by fire. With a toss there's a fireball exploding into a clone, with a flick of the wrist a gout of flame is bursting free of my hand to burn two-
No.
I see one back away! The original!
"That one!" I shout. I point even as I feel three bullets hit me. One in my face two in my arm.
Velocity is on the woman in a second; bringing down a rain of blows. The clones round on him as one, all but abandoning everything else in order to try and force him away
Appearing out of nowhere, Dauntless is suddenly tumbling out of the air, same as Battery had just a handful of seconds ago.
"Dauntless Recov-"
"Velocity Down"
Dauntless hits the ground head first, his spear clattering free of his grip and The Tourist cape's moving again, trying to slip into the crowd of clones, to make us fight the useless dopplegangers until we wear ourselves out or die.
Not happening.
The blunt sword in my hand is gone. I let it disperse like fine dust to throw my fire. But the ash is still here, still with me and I know exactly what to do; the knowledge coming into my mind like an epiphany.
It swirls, above, behind her picking up speed as my thoughts force it to, I imagine it gaining momentum, gaining power and speed. I move it faster and faster, as fast as I'm able to make it go, a gray blender in the air and then its cracking down like a whip.
My ash can't cut. It can never hold an edge, doesn't have the mass or weight to create the force necessary to slice through anything; even cloth.
But ash is rough. Its gritty.
It can't cut...but then again neither can sandpaper.
The ash grinds like power tool. Literally shredding through the cloth fabric of her suit and then tearing at the flesh beneath.
Its the first time I've done this, the first time I've used something like this.
I don't realize I have to pull back till I hear her scream and see the red haze around her limb and realize;
Its my ash.
My ash that's drenched in blood!
I call it back and I see a chunk of her limb has been sanded right off, down to the bone. Blood sprays out from between muscles and bits of skin; what little white I could see rapidly vanishes into the red.
I feel sick.
I hear the squeal of tires behind me and the crack-booms of Squealers tank firing as it pulls away. The Merchants are bugging out.
The woman turns and runs.
As she does, my nausea is pushed away, and a feeling of...triumph makes me even more nauseated than I was before at the sight of the grisly wound that I caused.
I feel elated at having crippled someone-
Then there's a blue barrier cutting her off her escape. I look up.
New Wave?
It is. Photon Mom, Laserdream, Manpower. I see Glory Girl flying overhead towards the Merchant battle just behind us.
"Give it up. You're outnumbered and beaten."
The twenty or so clones seem to pause in their shooting, weighing their options-
Then they vanish.
"Kid Win here!" Kid sounds excited; elated even. "Just took out the accomplice, Apartment Seven-B New Heights building. Just to your right guys!"
I looked, eyes trailing up to the seventh floor where I saw Kid behind a closed window, pointing his pistols at someone.
'Wait. Accomplice?'
I realized I'd spoken aloud when he answered.
"Yeah. Long story short I found and knocked out Doppelganger. Just knock Limbo out in order to get our friends back!"
Suddenly, to my surprise and horror 'Limbo' as she was called drew up her gun to her head.
"No!" I shouted, realizing that I had no idea if her death would mean the permanent loss of three of our heroes.
Luckily I didn't have to find out; one second there was nothing and the next a blue forcefield had interposed itself between the gun and the woman's skull, the bullet bouncing off harmlessly.
She tried again to the chest, with the same results as Lady Photon made another barrier over her chest, then another over her stomach and then her legs.
The woman squirmed, writhing within her prison. It took me a moment to realize Lady Photon was suffocating her.
"Don't kill her!" I shouted and behind me, Battery seemed to finally right be coming to.
"I'm not." Lady Photon assured with a smile. "When she passes out I'll drop the field."
I waited. Behind me I heard Miss Militia calling in helicopters to go after Squealer and Skidmark who'd gotten away on her Tinker tech tank, Glory Girl was already in pursuit. Mush was foamed and in custody.
Gallant was injured…Aegis was to but he was walking just fine despite multiple bullet holes to the face.
Then, as the woman goes limp, Armsmaster, Velocity and Assault hit the ground around her, as dazed and disoriented as Battery and Dauntless had been.
Its over.
"Narcotics are secured"
The words are broadcast through the radio and I find myself curious; wondering what all the work was for.
I turn, marching on my heel as I make my way closer to the PRT troopers surrounding the crate of what I assumed was the drug.
One of the troopers looks at me as I approach. "Ahh, Ashburn right?"
I nod. "Yeah...I was...just curious. Wanted to see if I could get a look at what this stuff is."
He shrugs. "Don't see why not." He reaches forward and calls to his partner. "Hey, Gomez, unlatch your side."
The lid is pulled back.
"Its…" I blink. "Its liquid?" With a name like Dry Dust it really has no right to be a liquid.
Inside the crate is literally a tub of...gold. Its almost like one of those rich gold colored liquors really only...shinier. Its almost glimmering truth be told.
"Nah this is just the unprocessed state." The man nods.
"Its highly toxic as it is here." I jump at the sound of Miss Militia's voice turning to look up over my shoulder at her. "Our chemists are still working on what exactly the liquid is. For now we're genuinely considering Tinker tech since we're having so much trouble. But Dry Dust itself is the flakes of dust that's extracted from the liquid form which can then be swallowed in a capsule or in any other kind of liquid. Alot of junkies are getting off mixing it with various types of alcohol or other prescription drugs and seeing its effects."
I shrugged. "People keep coming up with things that make life difficult for everyone huh."
She smiled behind her scarf, it seemed sad as she looked at me. "Suppose your right hun." Then her smile reached her eyes. "But then, for each one of those guys that try to make life harder we get one good person like you on our side to try and stop em"
I smiled back.
The feeling of triumph this time was wholly my own.