-oOo-
Chapter 14
-oOo-
Saber sliced through the wall before I could finish my curse, her invisible blade expertly skewering the fragment of debris to set it gently aside. In the same instant, a bow virtually teleported into Archer's hands. My swarm dumped down from overhead. Caster jolted from her seat.
Shiftstate was faster. He raised a hand and the air hardened. My bugs froze in empty space, suspended in solid sky. Caster stilled, her form caught half in motion. But, as fast as Shiftstate's reactions were, they were a breath too slow. Archer's arrow whistled from his bow with a deep thung. The moment before the air congealed, it struck Shiftstate's shoulder, sending him stumbling back.
Then Saber joined the fray. The tiny blonde bulled through frozen air, shattering Shiftstate's power with her torrential aura. The tiny blonde plowed into Shiftstate, folding him in half on her shoulder. Citrine reached for a small pistol. Archer blurred into motion, throwing the woman into a perfect takedown.
The walls clicked. The now free Caster leapt over Accord's desk. Darts struck Caster's seat with a pitter-patter, two-thirds failing to fire due to my sabotage. The brunette snagged the tiny Thinker and shoved him to the ground with his companions.
"Don't move," Caster ordered.
-oOo-
"Overmind, what is the enemy's response?" Saber demanded, crushing Shiftstate underfoot while fluctuating her aura.
It took me a second to regain my mental footing. No suits were approaching. I didn't need to think to know it. I had long ago sniffed out every scent of gunpowder and marked off all potential threats. Insect brains may be simple, but my swarm could handle that much on its own. But I cast out my mind's eye anyway. There were a lot of minor details my swarm didn't pick up and I wanted to be sure.
Switchup and the guards outside Accord's door didn't so much as blink.
"None," I answered. I couldn't keep the incredulity from my tone. "No response at all."
I scanned Accord's office.
Matters were well in hand. Caster loomed over Accord, pressing the Thinker against the ground with her right knee. The brunette was taller than Accord. Surprising given both her gender and ethnicity. Archer was two meters away. The redhead pressed a pair of fingers into Citrine's brow before suddenly slashing his hand to the left. The woman's tense form collapsed into slumber. Archer flipped the Shaker over, secured her with plastic cuffs, then moved swiftly towards Shiftstate.
I wondered briefly why he didn't use projected restraints. Projection was pretty much the definition of Archer's thing, and plastic cuffs had weaknesses. Then it it occurred to me that relying on magecraft to restrain a cape whose power could neutralize powers was probably a bad idea.
"And that, Overmind, is the problem with good sound proofing," Tattletale teased.
The freckled blonde sauntered into the room through the porthole Saber had cut. She gave Accord a cheeky smile before plopping her butt on the corner of the Thinker's desk, scattering assorted knickknacks with her rear end. I didn't miss Accord's scowl or how Tattletale's grin widened.
Really? I almost shook my head. Tattletale was so incredibly petty.
"Hold him up would you. I'll look him over for tricks and traps," Tattletale said, her tone all business.
Now it was Caster's turn to shoot the girl a dirty look. The brunette huffed then jerked Accord to his feet.
"That would be lovely," Caster said. Then the brunette shoved the enemy Thinker toward the blonde knight. "If you would."
Saber caught Accord and finally let him stand up straight. Accord took the opportunity to straighten his tie and brush off his suit.
Reee.
Caster swung Accord's chair around, legs scratching against tile with a shrill screech. The brunette dropped into the seat, one arm over the back and legs folded like a prim princess. It made for an odd contrast. Sophisticated elegance meshed with a commanding ease. I wondered if Caster did it on purpose, or if the clash merely represented two emergent aspects of the brunette's personality.
Tattletale cast her eyes over the tiny Thinker.
"Front right pocket and left sleeve. And take the cane," Tattletale said lightly from her place on the desk. She paused, then flashed a smug grin. "Oh, and snag that watch of his too."
Saber nodded then began patting down Accord with exceedingly professional motions. Against expectation, Accord found Saber's efficiency relaxing. While the blonde knight worked him over, I took a second to admire the Thinker's wooden mask and the way it efficiently displayed his every emotion.
"That has no value," Accord suddenly interrupted when his watch was taken. "As the girl well knows."
Saber paused, antique pocket watch in hand. The blonde knight gave Tattletale a look. Tattletale returned a smug smile.
"Unnecessary rudeness is unbecoming," Saber warned, returning the watch.
Tattletale had the decency to look sheepish. Saber stepped away from Accord and set a pair of mechanical devices, along with a short knife, on the desk. Then the blonde knight retook a position at his side, quiet and threatening.
"Thank you," Accord said, nodding in the blonde knight's direction. "Very professional. I respect that. Though some members of your team could use a lesson on etiquette."
"Teenagers," Caster sighed, making a what can you do gesture. "I'm sure you understand."
"Exactly!" Tattletale confirmed with a grin.
Her gaze turned to me knowingly. I glowered on behalf of my age group. Not all of us were that bad.
"Unfortunately, I do," Accord replied. The diminutive Thinker's nose scrunched. He took a moment to smooth out a wrinkle on his otherwise flawless white suit. "There is a reason I prefer more experienced assistants."
"And just imagine how things might have turned out if you had instead selected for ability," Tattletale retorted cheekily, gesturing toward the room.
Accord's mask shifted to an expression that was impressively baleful.
"Ahem. Now that we are settled, I think it is time we resume our prior discussion," Caster said lightly, as though nothing had happened. She fixed the Thinker opposite with heavenly smile. "I believe you were going to give me some information?"
Accord's gaze switched back to the brunette.
"I think not," he retorted.
Archer moved in the background. The redhead lifted the circular porthole cut from the wall and pressed it back into place. A quiet incantation escaped his lips, then prana spread out in glowing lines, melding the material into the wall.
"Oh?" Caster sounded, brow raised. "Do you really think you have a choice in this matter?"
Accord's expression went blank, the mechanisms of his mask beautifully conforming to the coutures of his face. His hands twitched. I got the impression he wanted to set them on his cane. Instead he carefully folded them behind his back.
"I'll admit, the effectiveness of your infiltration took me off guard. In every way, your team has exceeded my expectations. In the future, I will adjust my security measures. It seems I have put far too much stock in elegance where I instead should have relied on force."
Accord spoke, the very picture of confidence. If I hadn't witnessed Archer and Saber putting down his aides a moment ago, I would have thought that Accord controlled the room.
"However...," Accord stretched the word, his mask moving to match his smug smile. "It appears that you have made a most unfortunate error."
"Fuck," Tattletale cursed.
My eyes shot to Tattletale, who was now wearing a grimace.
"Damn it. I knew I was missing something," Tattletale complained. She looked at Caster. "Gaslight isn't just a Blaster. He's a Striker. He steals the memories he uses as ammunition."
"Ah, so she does have her uses," Accord commented with disparaging politeness. "Your servant is correct. Gaslight excised key details before I called this meeting. At this time, he should be enjoying a well earned vacation in Havanna. I do hope he finds it relaxing. It is all too rare that I can properly reward my employees for their hard work."
Caster scowled and unfolded her legs. She looked back at the freckled blonde. "Anything we can do?"
Tattletale shook her head. "The effect has to be temporary or Accord would never have allowed it. But it'll be days before Accord gets his memories back. And that's assuming Gaslight can't control when and if they are returned."
"Nothing stopping us from kidnapping him," I pointed out.
"Which will gain you nothing," Accord retorted, finally turning to take note of me. The Thinker's gaze lingered for a moment before returning to Caster. "While I admit that it is unlikely that my Ambassadors can free me from your hold, I can ensure that you expend a great deal of resources keeping me in your care."
"Perhaps," Caster said. "But I doubt that your memory wipe is perfect. At the very least, the portions that remain will provide important intelligence. And that's assuming I can't find a way to restore what was taken."
"But it would be hardly worth the effort," Accord countered. "Allow me to propose an alternative negotiation. I go free and the Ambassadors overlook your rudeness. In return, I contact my source on your behalf. Whether they are willing to talk, however, is a matter out of my hands."
"Caster."
Archer suddenly spoke, motioning for the brunette's attention. All eyes switched to him.
"What is it?"
"A safe, buried in the wall. Heavily secured," Archer said.
Caster formed a wicked smile. She stood and sauntered over. Accord observed with keen eyes, his expression giving away nothing.
"Well, what's inside?"
"It's prana resistant," Archer explained, shaking his head. "I'm picking up cash, documents, and a case of some sort, but I can't get a better read."
"Hmm, it must be what they call tinker-tech then," Caster noised thoughtfully.
"It's trapped," Tattletale added. She gave the safe a look over. "Yep. Definitely trapped. I'd put the odds at just short of one-hundred percent."
"Is that a problem? Can't Archer just make a key or something?" I piped up.
Rather than answer, Archer hit a hidden latch then swung a painting away from the wall. Bulky, gray metal greeted my sight, embedded with lines of powered light. The safe was huge, half as wide as I was tall. No key hole. No combo lock. Just a hand lever and a lit touch screen interface covered in interlocking blocks. After the space of ten seconds, all the shapes shifted.
"A puzzle lock?" I asked in disbelief. Really? Who does things like that?
"Yeah," Tattletale answered. She was wearing an unexpected grimace. "And to make things worse, the puzzle was specifically designed so that it can only be solved with Accord's power. I can break it too, but not before the puzzle flips over to the next set."
"How convenient," Caster mused. Her eyes turned toward Accord.
"Thinker powers require an active mind to utilize," Accord countered smoothly. "If you wish to hypnotize me into opening that safe, I cannot stop you, but I can say with confidence that if you do neither of us will ever touch what is inside."
"You are exceedingly well informed," Caster said, sounding annoyed.
"I place great stock in information," Accord explained. "Placing moles in the PRT goes without saying, and Dragon's research into your Master power has been exceptional."
I frowned. "Can we tear it out? Cut it open? Use magecraft?"
"Not a chance," Tattletale said. "Accord is good at what he does. Move this baby and poof everything is gone. Breach it and say sayonara to all the goodies inside."
Caster let out an unhappy sigh. "Can you at least read the documents?"
"It'll be tricky." Archer didn't sound confident.
Caster pinched her nose. I got the faint impression that all these obstacles were giving her a headache.
"Use Structural Analysis to grasp the documents. Project long lasting copies of what you can. We'll photocopy them later. When you're done, I'll hypnotize Accord into opening the safe for us," Caster ordered.
The brunette turned to Accord, eying him thoughtfully. Accord met her gaze without fear.
"I will not cooperate willingly."
"Then let us skip the pretense," Caster replied, dropping all politeness.
Caster's eyes lit with a sharp, blue hue. Accord froze, helplessly drawn into her grasp. While she worked, Archer pressed a hand against the safe, circuits of prana sinking into the metal. The redhead's brow was scrunched in concentration. After half a minute, he produced one page, then a second.
There was nothing for me to do.
I flicked my consciousness into my swarm. Bugs scanned the building. Switchup was at his desk, looking over a reports. He gestured, sending a pair of suits out on patrol. They passed the guards outside Accord's office, nodding to their fellows none the wiser. I kept half an eye on them while checking on the third floor security office. All the suits inside were asleep and the computer system untouched.
Good.
But I wasn't so naive as to think it would remain that way. Sooner or later, someone would stumble upon our intrusion.
"You can take a look if you want."
Archer's gruff voice interrupted my thoughts. I jumped, startled. Thankfully, my costume hid my tension. I took a moment to calm before answering.
"I won't cause problems?"
"As long as you don't mix your prana with mine," Archer replied.
Archer's smile was teasing. Oh. I see. This bastard did that on purpose. I gave Archer a grumpy look then set my hand against the safe. "Structural Analysis."
My prana pushed into the metal. This wasn't my first experience with prana resistant materials. I had worked with biologicals before. Mostly bugs. Which, given my power set, probably wasn't the most representative example.
The walls of the safe were thick and heavy. It felt as though I were pushing through sludge. The information fed back by my thaumaturgy was murky. Clouded to the point that I picked up almost nothing at all. That Archer could pierce that veil and sense what was inside was a testament to his incredible skill with this mystery.
There was no way in hell I could pull that off.
But it didn't mean I couldn't learn. This was an opportunity. A chance to hone my magecraft against an unexpected obstacle. So I delved in, studying the outer layer of the safe instead of the inner. The walls resisted my prana. Heavy. Like a marsh. The machinery was not half as strong. My prana flowed into the touchscreen display, tracing through circuits and wires. Resistors. Capacitors. Tiny, complicated things.
Then I touched it.
Memory.
An alien sensation crawled down my spine. An eldritch echo. Unknowable. Incomprehensible. But familiar. I had sensed something like it when I brushed against Tattletale's mind during Hypnosis practice. But this feeling was weaker. More foreign. Like nothing I had experienced before.
I paused.
My breath stilled. A mad inkling crossed my mind. Could I connect? Twist my power so that it fit into these circuits? Caster had described my power as the suborning of minds. The copying of my intent into the consciousness of my swarm. And what was a computer but an empty mind?
Yet... this ephemeral connection felt wrong. Unnatural.
I hesitated. I looked at Archer, whose eyes were focused in concentration. Fluttering motes of prana poured from his left hand then folded into paper, dark letters slashing across the surface like rays of light. It was the third such page in half as many minutes. I gazed at Caster, who held Accord in her enchantment.
What was I waiting for?
I didn't join Unit 09 to be useless. Sitting here, doing nothing, that wasn't who I was. Using Accord to open the safe was a long shot. How could my power make things any worse? Mental justifications in place, I squared my shoulders and reached out.
Prana touched metal. Connection. A bond formed, bridging the gap between computer and me. Mind, essence, and – if Caster was to be believed – soul became integrated. One unit. One machine.
"Anfang Käfer."
I whispered, putting myself into a light trance. Distractions dropped away. My thoughts became focused. Carefully, I constructed a packet of intent. Open. Unlock. Thoughts and ideas took shape much like the command sleep I had sent straight into Tattletale's brain. I held informational nodule for a moment. Then I twisted my power and readied to forced the thought down my fragile bridge.
Resistance.
I winced. A visceral sensation, akin to the sound a circular saw made when it cut through metal, crawled down my spine. My power warbled. The prana in my circuits seemed to bunch up, then swell like a balloon. This wasn't the first time I had altered my power. I had often traded for range, power, or control. This was different. Then, the counterforce had been soft, elastic, bendable. This was hard. Like glass.
But I was stubborn. I twisted harder.
Resistance broke. It took a single instant to realize I had made a horrible mistake.
Pain. Searing agony shot through my nerves as though I had swallowed broken glass. The shards sliced down my circuits, flowing with my prana until they touched the bond I created.
It was like grabbing a live wire.
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Raw information hit like a fist. A shrill cacophony. Except it wasn't a sound but rather an irresistible, treacherous noise poured directly into my brain without intervening steps. A terrible shriek cascaded through my soul. There was no filter. No way to resist. My vision went white. My body numb. My mind flailed against an incomprehensible sea of data in utter panic.
I felt as though I were drowning.
Then, suddenly, the bond was cut off.
"-mind!"
I gasped. It wasn't just my ears, my entire consciousness was ringing. Half my body was numb. d7 60 f2 8c 59 38 67 d1. Numbers rolled, not across my vision, but the root of my existence. I shuddered, nerves trembling with unfathomable concepts. A pressure weighed down on me. Heavy. Crushing.
A bolt of terror shot through my heart. Instinctively, I struggled.
I may as well have tried to bend steel bars.
"Don't move, you'll hurt yourself," an barely intelligible voice interrupted.
Who? I struggled to think. Memory slipped into place. Boston. Accord. The Safe. I blinked. The light was searing. It burned into my retinas in the form of infinitesimal numbers. 22 68 65 6c 6c 6f 22 2e 0d 0a 0d. My eyes strained against the fuzz. Archer and Caster came into focus.
"You idiot!" Caster's face loomed over me. Furious. "I told you to never try a new mystery without oversight."
"You can lecture her later," Archer reprimanded. He patted me on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"
I groaned. The numbers were fading. Pins and needles swept over my body. Limbs trembling, I moved. My left side responded better than my right. Somehow, I sat up.
I blinked again. "Sorry, I didn't expect..."
I winced. My head was pounding.
"Door's open," Tattletale interjected.
The freckled blonde pulled on the safe's handle in emphasis. The heavy door swung wide, giving us all glimpse what was inside. Tattletale flashed a broad grin. I got the strange impression that this was her way of letting me know that I didn't completely fuck up.
Somehow, it didn't make me feel a whole lot better.
Caster's eyes gleamed as they were sucked to the safe. I could see the greed twinkling inside.
In the fog of my mind, a thought occurred to me.
"Uh," I noised. "Where's Accord?"
Caster and Archer froze. I swung my gaze, head still filled with murk. Belatedly, I realized I should be using my swarm. An instant later, awareness hit as my power provided feedback. Accord was next to his desk, cane in hand. Saber's head was turned the wrong way.
I looked at him. He looked at me. Then he slammed his cane down upon an innocent looking tile.
I didn't so much hear the mechanical click, as feel the machinery shift with my horde. I opened my mouth.
I didn't even have time to yell.
Four steel cords whistled through the walls, slashing across the room in a waist high pattern. Archer's reaction was instant, he jumped, smashing Tattletale against the ground. In the same moment, Saber turned and sliced through whipping steel. The cord broke, sending flickering ends cascading away from our group.
One struck Accord in the chest.
The sheer mass of the metal smashed the Thinker off his feet. Blood bubbled up from a shallow wound, staining his pure white suit. An alarm blared with deafening thunder. Saber glanced at our foe then back stepped in favor of guarding her companions.
Which gave the newly awakened Shiftstate just enough time to roll to Accord's side.
A touch and the two fell through the floor. Half-a-second later, Accord's guards burst into the room.
"Grab everything!" Caster shouted over the cacophony.
Gunfire sounded. Bullets deflected off Saber's sword and armor in a shower of sparks. The tiny knight stepped forward, dominating the angle of fire. Caster retorted with Gandr, dropping a suit faster than I could blink. The second ducked back into cover.
"Eiswand," the magus chanted. A sudden blockade of ice covered the doorway.
"My apologies," Saber said. "I allowed myself to be distracted."
"No, it was my fault," I replied, struggling to stand. My legs were numb and leadened. "Switchup plus fifteen suits inbound. I'll hold them off."
All five of my secondary circuits hurt, but that didn't effect my power at all. With a mental flick, I sent my swarm out to attack. Black waves poured out through the air vents and the gaps in the ceiling tiles. The horde descended upon every suit on the third floor, coating them in a chitinous mass. There was no point being subtle now. The more chaos I could cause, the better.
"We require an egress," Saber stated. She followed her statement by smashing open the window to Accord's office. "Archer, will this suffice?"
"Give me a moment," the redhead replied, helping Tattletale to her feet.
Once the blonde was settled, Archer projected a duffle bag and a wooden case then dropped them beside the safe. Caster and Saber peeled away to load the loot. Documents, cash, precious metals, and a metal briefcase were stuffed away and zipped up quickly. Saber threw the heavy pack over her shoulder.
"I will be the least burdened," Saber explained. She turned to me. "Overmind, what are the enemy's movements."
"I have most of the suits pinned down with my swarm. Accord, Shiftstate and one guard just exited the building in a dark luxury vehicle. Switchup, with four suits backup, is outside the door carrying a –"
Crack!
Something heavy smashed into Caster's ice wall, throwing shards of ice off its surface. The brunette magus gave the barrier a glance then hurried to Citrine. The Shaker struggled groggily against her restraints. Caster pinned the woman in place with a knee, eyes flaring blue to put Citrine out for the rest of the fight.
Thudding gunshots crashed into the icewall like a battering ram. Cracks spread across the surface. I peeled an arm of insects away from my swarm and set them on Switchup. Cockroaches poured down his black suit while spiders dropped upon his head in waves. Switchup went wild with the distraction. The shots stopped, but now the rest of the suits were able to organize.
"Security room is waking up," I added absently.
"Any day now," Caster grumbled, sounding irritated.
Without a word, Archer summoned a zweihander then slammed it into the ground, straight through the metal supports. He frowned at Tattletale, who was half limping.
"You hurt?"
"A little banged up, but otherwise okay," Tattletale replied, flashing an easy smile. "Thanks for the save."
Archer nodded, flashing another look of concern my way before driving a second blade through the floor. Saber tugged at each weapon before giving Archer a satisfied nod. The redhead projected a rope then looped it around both hilts.
"I shall take point," Saber declared before jumping out of sight.
Caster grabbed me below the chest. It was almost embarrassing how easily she lifted me off the ground.
"Hold tight," Caster commanded.
That was all the warning I got before Caster jumped off the side of the building.
Rope hissed through Caster's gloves. The earth surged up on us. Despite experiencing things like this several times now, I couldn't help but cringe. Rope snapped. With a tug we slowed. Then, with a final jolt, we hit the ground. Tattletale and Archer followed a moment later, projected rope dissolving into motes.
Part of my swarm dove down behind us. The bugs whirled around our group, forming a crude screen.
We had landed on a sidewalk exposed to the main street, just outside the front door to Accord's building. Traffic, thankfully, was light and the nearest pedestrians cleared out quickly in the face of obvious parahuman powers. Despite that a growing crowd of gawkers formed on the sidewalk opposite, pointing and shouting. A few raised their phones to record the event.
I felt momentary panic. My swarm would help hide our features, but against a multitude of frames that was useless. Yeah, I knew Caster and Archer didn't care. They had no family to threaten and their house was a fortress. Caster might even relish the excuse to spit on the unwritten rules. But I had no such protections and somebody might be able to tie them to me.
Like, say, my Dad.
Then I remembered the white-hilted knife tucked into my belt. My circuits burned as I fed the dagger a thin line of prana.
A shroud of shadow fell over our group one by one. I redirected my swarm, using it to draw the eyes of the gawkers and hopefully those of any malicious witnesses. With our group hidden by thaumaturgy, Saber took the lead, guiding us down a path opposite the one my insects had taken. A moment later, we were in the alley with Saber's motorcycle. The minute after, I was behind Saber clinging to her back as we whistled down the streets. I didn't say anything. My head was still fuzzed with static. That, and I wanted to enjoy my time in the backseat without falling off.
I breathed a sigh of relief when we pulled into the parking garage. I half stumbled off Saber's bike. The blonde knight watched me with worry.
"Are you not well?"
"I'm fine," I waved off. Rather than stand, I decided to sit on the sedan's trunk.
Saber's eyes narrowed. "I am familiar with Shirou's tendency to stubbornly insist he is unburdened. I hope you are not so foolish as to continue his endeavor."
I winced. Okay, toughing it out and not sharing with my team was kind of stupid. The kind of stupid that could get someone hurt.
"I'm a little dizzy and my legs are numb," I admitted.
Saber nodded, but her gaze remained strict.
"You will inform Rin of your injury and bear her censure," Saber commanded. "Wounds to the spirit are not as easily healed as those of the flesh. I expect you to take greater care in the future, so as not to worry your companions."
I winced. In truth, Rin's initial warnings had slipped my mind. A magus walks with death. As the saying went, once bitten twice shy. I wouldn't forget it again.
"I will. I'd rather not endure that a second time."
I shuddered. I could still feel phantom numbers crawling in my brain. The shrill pain as my mind contorted and stretched. Compared to that, a little dizziness and numbness was next to nothing.
Not that it'd stop me if taking action if I felt it was necessary. But I wasn't about to start splitting hairs.
"Then you are already wiser than Shirou," Saber said, sounding pleased. "I will leave the rest of this matter in Rin's care."
"You will leave what in my care?" a pleasant voice interrupted.
Caster – or Rin I supposed – sauntered into the parking garage, already stripping away the obvious parts of her costume. Saber opened the back seat and popped the trunk, giving the brunette magus a chance to unload the spear and duffle bag she was carrying, along with her red shawl. Rin threw on a light jacket, hiding her breast plate before giving the two of us a friendly smile.
"Since the incident with the safe, Taylor has been experiencing dizziness and numbness," Saber explained promptly.
Rin put a hand on her hip. "Taylor, you should have told us that before you got on the back of Saber's bike. I would have carried you."
Yeah, which was half the reason I didn't say anything. Being toted around in human hands was as embarrassing as it was uncomfortable. I'd rather risk falling off Saber's 'steed'.
"What's this about?" a deep voice sounded.
The last of our party, Archer and Tattletale, appeared. The two peeled away their costumes in a dark corner of the garage before slipping into civilian clothes, Archer – now Shirou – taking far less time than Lisa. Yep. It was official. Next time I made a costume, I was designing it so that I could do a quick switch up and blend with the locals.
"Taylor damaged her circuits with that little stunt of hers," Rin huffed.
Not waiting for anyone to say something more, the brunette strode over and pressed a hand against my back. I grit my teeth as her prana slipped into my flesh, but made no move to resist. Rin let out a sigh.
"How bad is it?" I hissed.
"Whatever you did pressurized one of your circuits so bad that you blew the line," Rin stated. Her blue eyes narrowed into slits. "I trust you've learned from this bout of idiocy?"
"Yeah, I did." I didn't even summon up a scowl at the brunette's insult.
"Good," she said sharply. "The reason you're numb is because prana flows along nerves in the same way it flows through circuits. In this case, the excess energy ran through your spine. Keep that in mind, Taylor, because while thaumaturgy can heal a lot of things, it can't heal what's up here." Rin marked her words by poking me hard on the forehead. "And next time you might not be so lucky as to limit the damage to less important parts of your nervous system."
"I'll remember," I grumbled, rubbing the spot the brunette poked. I was all too aware that without Avalon, my spinal cord definitely wouldn't qualify as 'less important'.
"Don't worry about it too much. Mistakes happen," Shirou said, setting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "What's important is that you're alive and you'll recover."
Rin set a hand on her hip and glared at her partner. "Don't encourage her."
Shirou frowned. "She wants to be a hero," he said, as though that explained everything.
I flushed. It was a little embarrassing, hearing that from somebody else mouth.
"That doesn't mean she should be reckless," Rin shot back.
"Okay. I hate to break this up, but we really shouldn't be standing around for an extended period of time," Lisa interjected. The freckled blonde gave me a wink to let me know she was bailing me out. "We aren't far from the Ambassadors' initial meeting point and, if they are searching for where we might have disembarked, this is an obvious place to look."
"Lisa's words are wise," Saber added, throwing in her support.
Rin sighed then groused, "You just want lunch."
"I know not of what you speak," Saber said while making an effort to look affronted.
"There is a little seafood restaurant near the coast that I've heard good things about," Shirou commented, keys dangling from his hand.
Rin snatched them before he could slip into the driver's seat. "I'm driving."
Shirou gave her a questioning look.
"We distribute labor, remember?" Rin said, glaring at the redhead. "And don't you dare say anything about a man's job. I'm not in the mood."
"I wasn't going to say anything," Shirou said carefully. "It's just..."
"Just what?" Rin challenged.
"Do you even know where we're going?"
"Eh?" Rin froze, eyes widened. Her face slowly colored.
Shirou let out a sigh and walked around to the passenger side. "I'll provide directions."
"I'll follow from behind," Saber said firmly. The blonde knight had a light smile and jump to her step.
Lisa and I loaded into the back of the sedan. The space was cramped, thanks to the duffle bag Rin dumped onto the middle seat between us. Lisa wasted no time unzipping the top. The freckled blonde skipped over the scattered treasures and went straight for the wooden box. It was only after placing the box on her lap that the Lisa started looking through the remaining contents.
"Hey, Taylor, help me sort through this," she said, brushing aside a stack of hundreds. "There's a fifty-fifty chance Accord left a tracker in his box full of goodies."
"I already took care of it," Shirou asserted, breaking away from his quiet discussion with Rin.
"And put your seatbelt on," Rin instructed from up front.
After pulling her seat forward, Rin checked her mirrors. A minute later we were pulling away from our spot and heading out of the parking garage. Saber's motorcycle roared to life, trailing just behind us.
"You do know that I ride around town on a monster dog, right?" Lisa pointed out.
"Seatbelt," Shirou asserted.
Lisa made an exasperating show of buckling herself in while under Shirou's firm gaze. Once he turned around, the freckled blonde shot me a brilliant smile.
"We're teenage supervillians, so of course we have to deal with super powered adults," she lamented.
I gave Lisa a weird look. I had the funny feeling she purposefully got herself into trouble just so she could commiserate. And there was Lisa's vulpine smile. Letting me know that she knew I knew. Ugh. Thinkers.
"Superhero," I corrected, pointing at myself. I refused to play along with her game.
Okay, I refused to completely play along.
Lisa laughed. "Keep telling yourself that. I'm sure the PRT will buy it any minute now."
I scowled.
"Can you hand me those papers," Shirou asked from up front.
Our playful discussion fell to the wayside. Lisa opened the wooden box and shuffled through a stack of documents. She handed one set to the redhead before claiming the rest for herself.
I glanced at Rin. The brunette was obscured by the chair in front of me, but I could catch a glimpse of her expression in the rear view mirror. I tried to judge her mood from the image. I knew Rin would want to hear the details of what I had done, but I wasn't sure if she was more angry or curious. After a moment, I decided to avoid further discussion.
I had enough of a headache as it was.
Instead, I shuffled through the duffle bag Rin left in the back. Along with the metal briefcase, there were a lot of little treasures. Stacks of cash. Tens of thousands of dollars at the least. A pile of jewels was packed into a little black bag. My eyes stopped on a bar of gold.
I couldn't help myself. It was a bar of gold. I just had to hold it. The metal was heavy, cold. It was magical. I knew it was stupid. The gold probably wasn't worth much more than the cash lying around in the duffle bag, but it felt special. Like a childhood dream made real. An actual bar of gold, sitting in my hands.
I wanted Dad and Mom to hide it for me before hunting it down with Emma.
My gut clenched. Mom was dead. Emma... Emma was gone. I didn't want to do anything with that bitch anymore. The dream was tainted. I felt empty. Disgusted. Angry. Why did I think about her now? I had put Winslow, Emma, and the rest of the trio behind me.
I would never have to deal with them again.
"Something bothering you?" Lisa asked.
"Nothing," I answered, shaking my head. I put the gold back in the duffle bag and looked again.
This time I brushed past the valuables then snagged the metal briefcase. No lock, but it took me a second to work the clasps. The lid opened. I froze.
Two metal canisters were set in black foam. Each was engraved with an upside down Omega. But, that wasn't what stuck in my mind. Instead, what captured me was the first line written on the paperwork set into the case's lid. Congratulations on your newly purchased super powers. Simple. Bold. Brazen. A single sentence that revealed the sheer banality of the dealings.
…
I stared. For long seconds I was devoid of words. How could I possibly describe the absurdity of what I was seeing?
"Well," I said, starting slowly. "I think we can safely say that Accord is connected to the Dealer."
"What is it?" Lisa asked, leaning to peer in. "Holy sh –"
Bang!
Metal crumbled in a thunderous shock, underscored by the tinkling of shattered glass. The sedan suddenly veered, brakes slamming down at the same moment. Tires screeched. My seatbelt tightened. My shoulder slammed into the door on my left while the briefcase flew from my lap, lid slapping closed as it impacted Rin's seat.
What the hell?
I shook my head then twisted. I caught sight of an armored bus racing past. The windows were sealed with shutters and the walls reinforced by welded steel. The sides and top were covered in spikes, many of which bore skulls and rotting heads.
The vehicle plowed through oncoming traffic, smashing cars aside with a front mounted cow catcher. The traffic that, just one second ago, had been behind us. Then the bus turned. Rubber shrieked against asphalt. The vehicle titled, two wheels rising off the road surface as it completed its corner.
To repeat. What the hell?
"Rin," Shirou said sharply, shaking me from my daze.
"Not our problem," Rin retorted. The brunette threw the gear into reverse.
"Rin," Shirou insisted again. Louder.
"Fuck, that was the Teeth," Lisa murmured.
"I'm not hearing any sirens," I noted, looking around for any sign of police or PRT presence.
That, apparently, was all Shirou needed to hear. The redhead practically kicked open the passenger side door before lunging out of it. With one smooth motion Shirou tossed aside his jacket before pulling a copy of his gray overcoat from thin air. The redhead dashed forward with incredible speed, fast enough to run down the bus.
On foot.
"Damn it," Rin cursed. "Saber!"
Her shout wasn't needed. The blonde knight had already wheeled her motorcycle around and gunned the engine. The bike let out a deep, guttural roar then surged forward.
"My lance," Saber commanded, as she reached the redhead's side. Her clear voice carried flawlessly over the din.
Archer paused then tossed the girl a spear. He gave the knight a nod before shooting up the side of a building. Saber grasped her weapon then pressed down harder on the accelerator. She rocketed down the roadway, veering around the corner at a velocity so sharp, her armored skirt touched pavement.
"Shit!" Rin cursed again, unbuckling her seatbelt.
The brunette leaned across the passenger seat and pulled the door closed. Slam! The door hit so hard I jumped. There was no question how pissed Rin was. Rolling the wheel, Rin hit the gas. The sedan surged back with such force my face almost planted itself into the driver's side seat. The duffle bag rolled off the middle seat. Gold bars hit the floorboards with a heavy thunk.
Then Rin switched gears and gunned the engine.
We shot into an intersection at a terrifying pace. Rin wheeled the car to the right. The suspension groaned. I could feel the sedan slide sideways as traction broke. Honk honk! A horn sounded as we flew onto the four lane street dangerously close to the truck behind us.
"Taylor, where are they!" Rin barked from up front.
"About a block and a half ahead, running parallel with us," I answered in a snap.
Finding Saber and Archer took less than a second. I had long since developed a habit of planting bugs on my allies and now it paid dividends. Locating the bus took a few moments longer. Insects were everywhere, and there were more than a few in the armored bus. I used a pair of flies to get the gist of the situation. Position, velocity, and a head count.
But if I wanted to help, I needed to do more than that.
Which meant, I needed more bugs.
Which was tricky. A lot of insects could fly, but most weren't fast. Most weren't slow, either. The world record holder for quickest flight was the horsefly. During mating activities, the horsefly could surge to speeds as high as one-hundred and fifty kilometers per an hour. But that was a special case. Ordinary insects capped out at below fifty kilometers per an hour.
Moving a swarm at that pace, needless to say, was impossible.
Compared to a car, that velocity was a joke. The armored bus was going ten to twenty over the limit. Even forming a swarm at our current speeds was difficult. My range naturally stretched out for a quarter kilometer. A breadth we could cross in twenty seconds.
As for reacting to the bus? I had only five.
Fuck it. Anfang Käfer. My circuits lit. I grit my teeth against the searing pain. Prana rippled down my damaged circuit, jumping over the breaks. Sparks flew astray, forming lightning bolts that ran down my spine. My eyes watered. I shifted the flow, cutting off the two paths that were in the worst shape. Agony dulled.
Then I twisted, trading power for range.
The reach of my ability doubled, expanding to a half-a-kilometer radius. I used the broadened elbow room to form clusters of bugs, eyes overlooking the roadways. Insects, by and large, had terrible sight. But by stacking multiple sources of vision I get an image that could be equated to that of a cruddy security camera.
Not great, but good enough.
With a clearer view, I could see the armored bus speed down the road, bulldozing past any vehicle that got in its way. Saber raced up behind it, lance at the ready. Cars proved no obstacle to the blonde knight. Her steed was like a sparrow in flight, fluttering around the traffic with practiced ease.
I was amazed that she hadn't already caught up.
Then I caught the smell of powder. The armored bus rumbled with the dull reverberation of gun shots. A swivel gun was mounted at the bus's top. A man in post apocalyptic leathers handled the weapon, sending short bursts of death in Saber's direction. The blonde knight swerved around the streams of fire, guarding her bike more than body.
Archer shadowed them on the buildings above, leaping across the gaps with impossible strength. He had a bow in hand along with steel arrows, but he seemed to be having trouble getting a good position from which to take a shot.
Of course, the fact he could keep up at all was fucking insane.
"What the hell are they doing?" I asked in disbelief.
This was nuts. I didn't understand the point of this madness. Surely the Teeth knew that acting like this would make the PRT fall on them like a ton of bricks. It didn't make sense.
"Waving the flag," Lisa answered with a grimace. "This is bad. The Butcher's in town."
The freckled blonde pressed her domino mask against her nose, affixing it back into place. I took that as a cue and pulled on my own mask.
"The Butcher?"
The moment the question left my lips, a tall elegant woman exploded into existence beside Saber. The concussive blast sent Saber's motorcycle into a spin. The blonde knight recovered with a short bunny hop, twisting the vehicle in the air underneath her. The tall woman leveled a gatling gun, each barrel as heavy as the one mounted on the bus. She opened fire.
Saber didn't bother to dodge. Not that it would have mattered if she had. The bullets twisted through the air like snakes. Metal smashed into Saber's armor then ricocheted off steel plate. Others met the shaft of the knight's lance. Only two made it past Saber's guard. One took the blonde knight in the arm. The second struck her neck. Skin and muscle gave way with a cascade of blood and flesh.
Saber didn't even pause. With one stroke, she drove her weapon forward. The bladed tip flashed with death. The tall woman's eyes widened. Then she was gone, fire licking that the emptiness she left behind before exploding back into existence atop the armored bus.
The heavy shock made the bus wobble. The tall woman kept her footing. Her gun retorted again, barrels spinning as they unleashed a rain of death.
Pointless.
Saber wasn't human. She was a ghost. Her physical form was nothing more than a prana projection stretched over an astral body. Only powerful thaumaturgy or mystic codes could pierce the veil and reach the ethereal organs hidden beneath. Wounds dealt to Saber's flesh were superficial, no more serious than a deadly attack delivered to Oni-Lee's clones.
The only way a gun could kill Saber was by depleting her prana, and the Teeth would run dry of ammunition long before that happened.
"The Butcher is the leader of the Teeth," Lisa – no Tattletale – explained. The sedan's engine rumbled we flew through traffic. "She's something of a Trump. Each time the Butcher dies, whoever kills her inherits her current power along with all her prior powers. A weaker version, thankfully, or the Butcher would be well on her way to becoming a second Faerie Queen or Eidolon."
My body swayed as Caster swerved between a pair of cars. The duffle bag shuffled, bumping into Tattletale's ankle. The girl winced then leaned down to try and push it beneath the passenger's side chair.
"Let me guess, explosive teleportation along with some sort of funky projectile controlling power?" I asked. Taking a hint from the freckled blonde, I did my best to secure the metal briefcase.
The Butcher's gatling coughed out bursts of fire. The stream of bullets added to the storm unleashed from the gun mounted armored bus's back. Saber's motorcycle danced between the flow, twisting, turning, and swerving with superhuman grace. The blonde knight might be able to ignore bullets, but her steed could not.
A fact the Butcher quickly realized. Fire imploded then exploded. The tall woman vanished from the top of the bus only to reappear at Saber's rear. The Butcher's gatling let out a roar.
That was the moment Archer finally got a good bead.
A metal blade flashed down from the rooftops, piercing straight through the weapon mounted on the armored bus. The henchman manning the weapon stumbled then fell hard into the vehicle's interior. A moment later, a second twisted blade slashed down with silver light. With a shink, the weapon sank deep into the rear wheelwell.
The bus kicked. Metal groaned. The sword snapped. The rear wheel, rim and all, ripped from the bus and started bouncing down the road.
The Butcher looked up, said something, then appeared at Archer's side in a wave of flame and fire.
"Shit. The Butcher's already here?" Tattletale said, responding to my earlier statement. The freckled blonde's gaze snapped to the front. "Caster, whatever happens, those two absolutely can't kill the Butcher. You hear me? They can't kill the Butcher."
"I'll let them know," Caster shot back. Erreee. The sedan squealed as she made a sharp turn. "Lisa, get me a path then brief us on the Teeth. Taylor, since you're in range, try to slow them down."
"It isn't easy to form a proper swarm when we're moving this fast," I retorted.
Caster rolled the steering wheel, throwing me left then right as she cut through traffic. Sirens sounded in the distance, gaining with the passing seconds. The gap between our group and the armored bus was shrinking as well.
"Do what you can."
Organizing my eyes was hard enough. How the hell was I going to do anything to that bus? Grimacing, I considered the situation then decided to throw all my useless flier out front. I didn't bother organizing the horde or forming a thick mass. Nor did I worry whether my minions would make it on time. I just sent them careening straight into the armored bus's windshield.
While my bugs pitter-pattered against glass, Saber's bike kicked into high gear. The blonde knight surged forward, gaining on the armored vehicle. As she approached a flickering barrier formed at the bus's rear. The glassy light spread from the vehicle's back, twinkling like giant snow flakes. Saber paused, flared her aura, then smashed right through.
Drawing back an arm, Saber thrust her lance. The bladed tip sliced through metal, sheering away a tire at the axle. The bus jumped as the wheel came free. The Teeth reacted. Someone unrolled a window then shoved a gun and head out. An AK47 opened fire with a rat-tat-tat. Saber swayed around the erratic shots, positioning her lance for a second strike.
The bus driver jerked the vehicle in her direction.
Saber's response was instant. The blonde knight hit the brake, fading away faster than I could blink. Saber leaned, vanishing from the driver's view before aggressively reaccelerating on the opposite side. The driver swung his vehicle again. The bus's body wobbled dangerously. Saber feinted back then gunned her engine. Her lance touched rubber. A tire tore apart, dropping the bus's left rear side onto a single set of rims.
The bus's movements became erratic. The vehicle slowed, metal screaming as it was ground away by the pavement. For a moment Saber gave the Teeth some space, awaiting her chance to do to the right what she and Archer had done to the left.
"The Teeth are a multi-city operation," Tattletale said, unbuckling her seatbelt. The freckled blonde stood and started squeezing herself through the middle space and into the front. "The names you need to know are: Spree – clones, Vex – forcefields, Animos – Changer, Reaver – projects slashes, and Hemmorhagia – blood manipulator."
I nodded, committing the short explanations to memory. Then it was Vex who tried to slow Saber down with those glittering barriers. Not that it did much. I shifted my bugs in the bus, trying to find the Teeth capes. Unfortunately, powered and unpowered Teeth dressed an awful lot alike.
While I searched, one of the Teeth kicked open the bus's rear emergency door. He was a lanky man in a rugged costume. The man's outfit was all spikes and leather. All in all, he wouldn't have been miscast in a Mad Max film. The man paused at the aperture then threw himself out.
No wait, I saw that wrong. The cape didn't throw himself out. Instead, a full body clone shot out of the man's chest.
Spree.
Spree's clone wasn't a simple copy. It was a replica, complete with a randomized costume and weapon. The clone hit the pavement in a barely controlled stumble, immediately absorbing a full fourty plus miles per an hour of velocity. The clone's legs ripped from underneath it. It tumbled head over heels. Limbs broke. It's skull cracked. Blood spewed everywhere.
Saber pulled back in shock.
Then came another.
And another.
It wasn't just one or two. Spree shot clones out the back door like bullets fired from a machine gun. They flew half-a-dozen meters before striking ground. The result was a bloody massacre of broken bones and shattered limbs. But a few clones managed to land just right. Those that did hefted their assorted weapons – knives, clubs, guns, anything and everything that could be imagined – then charged at Saber in a wave of madness.
The blonde knight hesitated.
I couldn't fault her. Against that horror show, I wouldn't have known what to do. The gap between motorcycle and armored bus widened. Then Saber's eyes hardened. The blonde knight hit the throttle. Her engine roared. Saber's steed trampled forward, lance hewing through bodies like so much wheat.
But the barrage of clones was unceasing and while they couldn't threaten Saber, the sea corpses were more than enough to hinder her progress.
The armored bus turned a corner, windshield wipers running double time in attempt to clean the muck of guts splattered across their surface.
"They're turning North," I relayed.
"Road please," Caster hissed.
"Just give me a sec," Tattletale was almost settled into the front passenger seat.
"Right. Right now!" I barked.
Caster spun the steering wheel so hard we skidded sideways. Tattletale was thrown into the brunette's lap. Against the squeal and force, I didn't know how Caster retained control, but somehow she managed to avoid spinning out and put us on the right road.
But, unfortunately, not in the correct lane.
The sedan jerked left, passing a yellow taxi so close that its front bumper scrapped against our rear right fender. The sedan fishtailed with the impact, which Caster somehow finagled into a twist that threw us back into the lane the taxi previously occupied the instant before we would have smashed into a garbage truck head on.
Without the slightest hesitation, Caster jumped the median then slewed back into traffic.
"Ow, ow, ow," Tattletale whined from the front. "Okay, I'm never complaining about seatbelts again."
"Quiet," Caster snapped. "I need to concentrate."
I could see the armored bus cresting a hill almost a two blocks away. Bodies flew from the back like flames spat from a macabre rocket. Sirens blared. A pair of PRT vans pulled into view a single intersection ahead of us. They slowed briefly before a hole opened in the frozen traffic ahead. A flying cape rounded the corner with them, leaving trails of silver light.
"Ugh. Spree left us a disgusting mess," Tattletale noted, sounding appalled. The freckled blonde spared a moment to buckle herself in. "Watch out, traffic is piling up and is about to get a whole lot worse."
"I know."
I could practically hear the smirk in Caster's tone. That was all the warning I had before she crossed the median a second time and voluntarily dived into the traffic flowing the wrong way.
That was when everything went wrong.
Two tires blew out on separate cars just as they crossed the intersection ahead. The vehicles span out control, slamming into each other to form an almost perfect interlocking barricade. No time. I cringed and braced myself for impact. But Caster's reactions were faster than my own. The brunette threw the wheel to the left. The sedan screamed, then slid sideways riding on two smoking wheels for a full dozen meters.
Briefly, we stood at a standstill.
"Those were gun shots!" Tattletale shouted, confirming my gut suspicion.
Without a word, Caster slammed her foot down on the gas, accelerating dangerously fast down a narrow one-way road.
Who? I cast my awareness about, but if the sniper was in range I'd surely have picked up the gun smoke the moment the weapon retorted.
That's when I saw it.
"Above!"
Four lumps of concrete fell from the sky, almost as though thrown from a catapult. They smashed into the road behind us, crushing the surface before shattering into smaller hunks. More chunks of material were ripped off the rooftops around us, then pulled into a spiral whirl in the heavens above. Shaker. But where the fuck was the cape?
Shit. No time for that.
"They're sealing us in!" I warned.
Caster kept the accelerator pressed against the floor. But whoever was controlling the rocks was faster than we were. An avalanche of debris fell down, filling the long path at the other end. It wasn't a small pile either, but rather a mountain of rubble completely covering the road ahead of us. Caster stomped on the breaks. My gut lurched into my heart. We came to a halt two score meters away from the obstacle blocking our path.
"Who is it? I can't find them," Tattletale demanded, twisting and craning her neck to try and spot the cape.
"He's right in front of you," Caster said plainly. Her expression was grim.
In front? I looked forward. Nothing. My circuits throbbed. This feeling... I knew this feeling. I had practiced against a similar sensation on the road trip to Boston. Hypnosis. Except it wasn't. No, this was an entirely different form of mental interference that followed similar principles.
A Stranger. And apparently, Caster could resist.
Which meant, so could I.
Before I could try, the faint pressure vanished. A jet black shape wavered into focus, as though a veil had been parted. He floated above the mountain of debris, whirling rocks surrounding his armor clad form.
His costume was sleek. Professional. A plated suit set over flexible chain mesh. A full helmet hid the cape's face, leaving a somewhat rounded midsection as his only distinguishing feature. By habit, I tried to settle a bug on the cape to mark his position. The insect ran head first into a thin, invisible field.
A felt a chill run down my spine. Tinker-tech. This guy wasn't a bit player. He was a major leaguer. A mover and shaker. A big name. The kind of guy that absolutely shouldn't be here, taking interest in us. Which meant he was here for a reason. And the only reason I could think of was the briefcase jammed halfway underneath Caster's seat.
Then, as if to confirm my thoughts, a mechanized voice crackled over a speaker. It was loud enough to be heard through our closed windows.
"You have something that doesn't belong to you."
-oOo-
Dossier: Gaslight
Affiliation: Ambassadors
Classification: Master/Blaster 3
First Spotted: Boston, January 7th, 2010
Gaslight produces colored beams of light with an effective range of around fifty meters. Armor provides no protection from the blast, but hard cover of at least one inch thickness has proven effective.
Contact with the beam causes disorientation and confusion. Operatives may also experience flashes of memory, often traumatic. Those who have been repeatedly exposed to this power are required by regulation to submit to Master/Stranger containment for a period of twenty-four hours. This requirement may be relaxed during ongoing operation.
It is believed that Gaslight can use his power to communicate with others. This has not been confirmed.
Dossier: Switchup
Affiliation: Ambassadors
Classification: Breaker 4; Brute 2 or Mover 3
First Spotted: Boston, May 16th, 2008
Switchup is a Breaker capable of instantly shifting between two functional states: Brute and Mover. His power also effects hand held items and equipment, including firearms. As such, he is to be regarded as more dangerous than his power may first imply.
In Switchup's Brute state he is both three times as strong and as tough as an ordinary human. His greater strength is the result of increased apparent mass, meaning that in this mode Switchup is harder to move or knock down. In his Mover state, Switchup is three times faster than a normal human. This improvement to speed applies to both physical and mental actions.
Note that Switchup is a highly skilled combatant, believed to have had significant military training. Further, his ability to switch seamlessly between his two states makes him a challenging foe.
Dossier: Shiftstate
Affiliation: Ambassadors
Classification: Striker/Shaker 7, Mover 3
First Spotted: Medford, September 23rd, 2010
Shiftstate is a powerful Shaker. His power can render gaseous materials solid or inorganic solids gaseous. The exact shape of the modified area is subject to Shiftstate's control, but is limited to a zone five meters from the point of contact. To activate his power, Shiftstate must physically touch his target. Shiftstate's power cannot jump conceptual objects.
Objects effected by Shiftstate's power remain altered for a period of twenty-seven minutes, unless overridden by a second application of his power. Altered materials retain relative position, features, and colorization after the use of his power, allowing for pit traps, invisible walls, and other tactical complications.
Gasified solids are traversable. Inhaling this material is impossible, so risks on this factor are null. However, be advised that no oxygen is present within a gasified solid, so suffocation can occur. Prior experience shows that anyone caught within a gasified material when time runs out will be safely ejected.
Solidified gases, no matter their type or origin, obtain a strength and durability characteristic of concrete. This material may be climbed or crossed at will, allowing a limited approximation of flight.