5.6 Smash n Grab Interlude
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Zach was talking with his new kind-of sort-of boss. He figured he should at least know what he was getting in to when he agreed to be the guy's bodyguard. So far it was an easy job, everyone was skittish and staying in their homes as much as possible.

They had been chatting about their lives. Or at least their lives before last Thursday happened.

"Yeah. I would have loved to do better work with my power, but we don't really have any Hero organizations that pay anything worth a damn, as I'm sure you know. If I had any skills before gettin' powers maybe I could have fallen back on those, but with my initial run in with the cops, it all sort of went downhill from there." He didn't really like talking about his past, but it kind of helped to get it out there to someone who understood it a little better than his sister.

Charlie was solemn. "Yes, that's one of the reasons I wanted to become a lawyer. Sometimes one bad interaction with the cops is all it takes to set someone to a life of crime. If I can step in and smooth over that initial incident, then the world is better off for it."

Zach was frowning. "Aren't there rules against people with powers becoming lawyers and such though?"

Charlie gave a conspiratorial grin. "Hah, I've had people say the same thing before, but I found a way around it. No one seems to be able to decide if I am a Master or a Thinker. I convinced the Bar Association that I was a Master, since Thinkers aren't allowed to try for their qualifications, and I convinced the courts that I'm a Thinker, since the use of Master powers on a Jury is illegal. It all works out in the end."

Zach was suddenly glad that his new friend was working with him instead of against him. He was pretty sure that Charlie could be an absolute menace if he tried. It was a good thing he seemed to be pretty much on the straight and narrow. Zach decided to change the subject.

"How'd you end up as a lawyer anyway? I know your power would help, but was that it?"

Charlie had a fleeting smile, that turned into a slight grimace. "I've always wanted to be a lawyer actually. I was in my last semester when I caught the Dean sleeping with a student. He evidently thought that the easiest way to prevent his wife from finding out was to have me expelled and blacklisted from law school. I... didn't take it well." Zach felt a little sick to his stomach when he realized that the other cape was talking about his trigger event, most capes never talked about it, with good reason.

"When I realized what my powers could do, I talked my way back in to the good graces of the Bar Association and took my Bar, passed with flying colours. Of course, I also... Well. I'm not proud to admit it, but I talked my old Dean into committing suicide."

Zach looked a little shocked at his new kind-of boss. "Really?"

Charlie looked somewhat shame-faced. "Yeah. That's when I decided that I would only use my abilities to defend people who thought that they were innocent, never prosecute anyone or defend the guilty. It would be too easy to do otherwise."

There were an uncomfortable few moments until Charlie changed the subject.

"Oh! I got you a present. I think it will help you use your power easier." He handed over a spool of fishing line and a deck of cards with a hole all the way through the pile. It looked like Charlie had just used a hole punch on some normal playing cards.

Zach was just confused. He held the cards up to look through the hole. "Um. I don't really get it."

Charlie grinned. "Try tying the cards on to your belt with the fishing line, then you just need to rip one off and it's ready to go. You won't need to fumble in your pockets to find one anymore. Plus you don't need to spend the time ripping them."

Zach's eyes widened. "Cool, this will save a bunch of time. Thanks." He knew he wasn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it looked like he didn't need to be. He wouldn't be the only one looking after his sister anymore.

Zach wasn't proud of his old life, robbing convenience stores of petty cash just to stay afloat. He only had him and his sister after all, and she couldn't bring in any money. He had always focused on the fact that he never hurt anyone, doing what he did, but maybe he could hope for something better. He knew that Zoe already liked it here more than their old dump. She got one of Charlie's guest bedrooms to herself, and she was already claiming pillows from all around the house as hers. Their old place was the best he could manage, but it still had pest problems.

Charlie had mentioned that he was hoping to go out and sort out the food situation soon, and Zach would do his absolute best to help him. He still couldn't wrap his head around that, how someone could decide to just sort out the food problem. As if it were some minor thing to be sorted out by dinner. Charlie was kind of squirrely looking, and a little overweight, but he had a way with words like nobody he'd ever met.

Zach had asked him why he didn't get married. With a power like his, he could probably get anyone he wanted to marry him. Charlie had just laughed, and asked, if Zach had his power, would he want to get married? It took him a while to get it, before he realized that his earlier thought that he could get anyone he wanted was probably more accurate than he had realized.

After a lunch of cans of tomato soup, Charlie had announced that he wanted to go see about the food situation. They would travel north to where the main road in to Civic intersected with the barrier fence since that was one of the most likely places for the food deliveries to be made. It had been more than a week since the attack, so the deliveries were likely to have started already.

Once he said goodbye to Zoe, and made sure she knew to stay in the house with the doors locked, they started making their way north. He had left a couple of cards in the house so they could fall back if they needed to, and his new favorite accessory was on his belt. He was wearing his cheap morphsuit and protective pads, but Charlie insisted on wearing a suit. 'To give the right impression.'

They were almost to the wall when Zach spotted something odd, and put out a hand to stop Charlie.

"Hey Charlie? I'm not just seeing things right? That uh... lady... really has four arms?"

Charlie had stopped as well, pausing to look around the neighborhood they were in. They were walking down the sidewalk of a mostly undamaged part of town, right near the border wall. Charlie had the interesting person fixed with a hard stare. Just behind them, a number of people were looking through boxes and discussing what was in them with wild gestures to different parts of the city.

Charlie spoke in a slightly off kilter voice. "Yes, and that's not all. My power doesn't work on her. At all. Not on her, or any group of people that includes her. I've never experienced anything like it."

Their apprehension rose when the woman turned their way when Charlie finished speaking. Zach was going to suggest that they just leave, but his partner decided to be bold and walk up to them as though he owned the street.

Zach made sure he at least had some cards in the area, ready to move around in a hurry if he had to.

"Greetings Smash n Grab, and would you be Ad Lib? I'm Myriad." Called out the grey skinned person.

"Yes, although I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Are you from out of town?"

That's a polite way of saying it. She doesn't sound anything like a local.

"Yes, I came to Canberra to help with the recovery. I was actually hoping to track you down at some point, a friend of mine made some recommendations for speeding the recovery and you both fit into it if you're interested." Myriad Seemed to have a way with words as well. Not as perfectly chosen as Ad Lib, but very thought out.

"Actually I was hoping to talk about that. I see that you are starting to distribute food? I was hoping to have a word with whoever felt they were in charge of that."

Zach decided he would just keep an eye out, he could already feel the conversation going over his head. He knew what he was good at, and fancy talk wasn't included.

"That's not really any specific person at the moment, although I'm doing some of the directing because I can communicate easier with some of the other communities." She gestured with a casual wave of one of her right arms in the direction of the people quietly squabbling over the food.

"Really? Do you mind telling me-" Zach shook his friend's shoulder. "Yes, Smash n Grab?"

"There's another one over there."

Charlie turned to look where he was pointing, there was indeed another grey skinned, four armed body heading their way. Charlie seemed to take it in stride, like everything else, but Zach was getting confused and worried.

Myriad decided to fill them in. "Were you going to ask how I stay in contact with the other neighborhoods? There's you explanation. There are currently a little over a hundred of me running around, and I stay in constant contact with all of my bodies, so staying in contact is easy. You're welcome to pitch in with deciding what's fair for distribution. Right now we have an easy job because there's a lot of food, and most people don't know about it, but that will change."

Charlie looked pleased to be involved, but Zach couldn't hold in his curiosity any more. "What's with the arms, and hair, and head? And did you say that there were a hundred of you!"

Myriad didn't look offended at his question, she just gave a grin at his incredulity. "Ah, well that's why I went in to a Simurgh containment zone to help instead of elsewhere. Between my ability to self replicate and my appearance, I'm afraid that the outside world is rather biased against me. I figured if anyone would understand it would be the people quarantined because of something they didn't do."

Ad Lib spoke up. "And it helps that you have a powerful anti-thinker effect. You might even be able to undo some of the Simurgh's plans."

Myriad smiled even wider at that, honestly it kind of creeped Zach out. "You know, you are the second person to notice that. Yes, that is part of my goal here. Right now we're figuring out what divisions of food are fair to give to which neighborhoods, but pretty soon we're going to run in to distribution issues. The plan that my friend gave me to help out has several backups for if parahuman help is unavailable, but it would take a lot of organizing and be less efficient."

Charlie was nodding along. "And what is your plan for parahuman distribution? I take it from the fact that you are bringing it up now that it has something to do with me?"

"Yes. I don't know if she survived, but Highline would be an absolute godsend for distribution. If I manage to track her down I would like your help in convincing her to join us. For that matter I would like to get Sinker on board as well, but she would be a lot harder to convince, being a villain. You would obviously be helpful there. No offense Smash n Grab." She finished her thought by gesturing in Zach's direction.

He wasn't really following, but Zach knew that they were talking about him in some way. Maybe how Ad Lib managed to talk him in to helping? "Uh. None taken?" May as well try to be polite, Charlie seemed to get along with her alright.

Charlie and Myriad walked off towards the group of people over by the food, with Zach trailing behind them. They had every appearance of enjoying their headache inducing conversation about neighborhood representatives and lines of dialogue. He was glad he wasn't in charge of this stuff, his job was just to make sure that Charlie made it out alright.

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"Got another one for you, Smash n Grab!" Called out Myriad.

"Sure thing boss." He started heading her way. They were now operating out of one of the surviving government buildings in Civic. Charlie and Myriad had initially done some strange circling each other and talking in riddles dominance game about who would be in charge. Those had entirely passed Zach by, he was just glad that they had sorted it out. Now they got along great. The final argument had ended up coming down to something to do with her anti-thinker power and the Simurgh's influence. Now Zach worked for both of them. Myriad provided extra defense for Charlie in exchange for Smash n Grab's time.

"Woden has some spare antibiotics, and Gungahiln needs them bad, more of their facilities got flattened." She directed him, pointing to a map.

Zach nodded, then focused on his 'flags'. He could feel the ones that Myriad had brought to Woden after he had ripped them. He picked one that was near the middle of Woden and teleported.

Myriad was also standing there ready for him, handing him a box of medicine which he took with him on his next hop.

Turns out that Myriad had bodies all over the place, but she couldn't move stuff from one side of the city to another like Smash n Grab could. So while she provided the communication necessary, he was the courier. Charlie was just having fun ordering people around.

So far as Charlie and Myriad could come up with, the Simurgh's plan for Charlie had been to have him become increasingly dependent on his power, and paranoid for his safety. Eventually it would have led to him persuading armies of people to charge the walls, trying to break out. Zach could testify to how powerful Charlie was at persuading people, he had seen him talk down a mob with a few words yesterday. They had been getting worked in to a frenzy, planning on hunting down people that had reacted poorly to the Simurgh's song, in an attempt to 'foil her plans'. Charlie had calmly told them how they should look at themselves first, before deciding to kill anyone else. After a few tense seconds of sizing up the other members of the mob, they had dispersed. Zach was pretty sure he could have tried to deliver the same lines a hundred times and only pissed them off.

Overall things were running amazingly smoothly for just being hit by an Endbringer. They were starting to run low on some basic supplies, and power and water were still out, but life could be worse.

Now he just had to convince Zoe that he deserved to keep at least one pillow in his room for sleeping on.