Colony 6.04
Once the lump in my throat had shrunk to manageable proportions, the rest of the show went by in a blur. We did the Top Ten with some generic cape jokes, talked about Cerberus' past, how Regent escaped from Heartbreaker, and cut to one of the crew interviewing Atlas for some reason. Obviously, the big lug couldn't do more than chitter and buzz, but apparently the so-called interview was a hit with the audience. Oh well, whatever works.
After the show, we unwound at a cheap motel and watched a sappy Lifetime movie before bed.
(BREAK)
"Taylorrr..."
"Snurk...whuhuh?" I rolled over, jumbled memories of some bizarre dream slipping from the forefront of my mind. I opened my eyes to see Lisa's face less than an inch from mine. "Gah!"
She giggled and sat upright. "That never gets old."
"Next time I'm covering myself in roaches so you don't try it," I grumbled.
Lisa stuck out her tongue. "You know you love it."
Smacking kissy sounds drew my gaze to Aisha, clearly mocking us. I rolled my eyes. "How long have you been there?"
"Rachel snores. I snuck into Lisa's bed last night because at least she and your bugs are quiet."
"Her snores aren't that loud," the blonde replied.
"Fine then. I snuck in to see if there was hot lesbian sex going on and, if so, to blackmail you two about it."
My arms were still trapped in the sheets with the blonde sitting on them, so I had my spiker facepalm for me. "Well, on that note," I paused mid-sentence. My formerly foolproof plan fell apart before my eyes. "...Fuck."
"Hey, not with me in the room," our youngest teammate protested. "Well, not now that you know I'm in the room." I sent a moth up her nose.
"Quit being an ass, Aisha." I didn't have the patience for her antics at the moment. "In my excitement for this tour, I realized that three of us have publicly known identities. While Alec and Rachel can go relatively incognito, I don't have that luxury." I sighed. "I guess I could send some bugs with you and try to see through their eyes, though that's a lot of range." Oh well. It's my life, after all. If everything started going right I'd know the apocalypse was on the way...
Aisha whapped me on the head, having Imp'd her way over to me. "Don't be a dumbass, dumbass. We're not gonna leave your dumb ass here while we go have all the fun. You're our friend."
I looked back to Lisa, wondering why she was still sitting on my bed. "...Oh, goddammit! Aisha Imp'd!"
The blonde scrunched up her face in thought, compressing the freckles, then sighed. "Yep, she did. Though I think she's telling everybody to suit up. Now that you reminded me she was here, I realize she wants us all to go out as a group."
"So we'll be tourists who draw tourists. Great."
"On the upside," she booped my nose, "this gives us yet another opportunity to show the world our happy-go-lucky side. So, serendipity."
"That's not what serendipity means. You sure you're the smart one?"
"Hey," she winked, "I managed to get you alone, didn't I?"
My blush was positively incandescent as Lisa laughed and took first turn in the bathroom.
(BREAK)
New York City was the most bizarre place I'd ever visited. People on the subway dressed up like giant acorns or saltwater taffy. A naked cowboy played bad music in Times Square.
This weirdness was so concentrated that it extended to the parahumans, both hero and villain. Aside from Legend, whose image was pretty much a brand, the other capes just wore masks and basic attire like jackets with armored bodysuits. Too often had a cape been mistaken for just another New York weirdo, so now they stood out by dressing normally.
For that, I was thankful. It actually made the locals pay less attention to us than I'd expected. While most of the people would have sense enough to do a double-take and realize we weren't just costumed goofs, it reduced the attention enough that we could actually move without being swarmed by people.
...Well, we would have moved if not for out disagreement on which landmark to visit first.
"Empire State Building!" Regent was unrelenting in his insistence.
"I still think you want to go there due to some deep-seated desire for overcompensation," Foresight quipped. "We should go to the Met. Get you philistines some culture."
"Natural History Museum," Cerberus growled.
"Better idea," Imp chirped from her seat atop Atlas. Then she was gone and I only had the vaguest recollection she'd ever been there in the first place.
Our debate continued until we saw Imp again, dragging a confused and somewhat frightened woman by the wrist. "Tour guide," she declared matter-of-factly.
We all stopped to stare at that. "Imp," Grue ventured, "where'd you get that woman?"
She pointed to a nearby bus, which was now parked on account of having no driver.
"I apologize for her," Foresight wheedled as she extricated the woman from Imp's grasp. "She understands propriety; she just doesn't care. Though, now that she's harassed you, would you be willing to give us a tour?"
The woman – about 5'5", average build, with dark eyes and overly curly brown hair that frizzed around her head – shrugged. "Do I have a choice?"
"Of course you do," I interjected. "Despite the, ah, insistence of our teammate, we're not gonna force you. We'd like to hire you."
She eyed my critters and Cerberus' dogs. "Normally I don't do pets, but in this case...I'll have to charge extra for each of 'em."
"Understandable," Grue said, reaching into one of his pockets. "You take debit?"
"Just roll with it," our guide muttered to herself as she accepted the card, charging it to our Undersiders account. She let out yet another sigh when Atlas landed on top of the bus. "Roll with it," she whispered yet again.
(BREAK)
"New York City has a rich history," our guide – Sandra – said over the speakers. "Originally the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, it was conquered by the English and quickly turned into the main shipping port between Britain and its colonies. In fact, New York was so important that it was the United States' original capital."
Sandra pulled the bus to a stop. "Times Square is probably the single most recognizable location within the city itself, while the Statue of Liberty is the most famous overall."
"I could've told you that," Regent commented in a stage-whisper. Grue slapped him upside the head.
The doors opened. "Alright, we've got some time to look around and take pictures. Any takers?" Sandra ushered us back off the bus, my critters hopping off last, as we looked around at the towering buildings.
"Wow," I mumbled. "Seeing them in the day, it's like the buildings go all the way up to the sky." I chuckled at my own comment. "And now I feel like some podunk girl."
"Well, New York built the skyscrapers because Manhattan Island doesn't have anywhere near the space Brockton Bay does. The downside is all the metal leeches heat from the air, so our winters are cold as hell," Sandra explained.
"I'm not sure if that's scientifically accurate," Foresight commented.
Cerberus shrugged from where passersby were petting her dogs. "Makes sense to me."
Regent grabbed me by the arm, hauling me through the gridlocked intersections. "C'mon, guys! Let's get a picture in front of the huge TV screen they always show in the movies!"
"Even I think you're too easily amused." Coming from Imp, that was saying a lot.
"Fuck you," he replied without missing a beat.
With equal seamlessness, Imp tilted her head. "When and where?"
Grue made a noise like a buffalo being molested. "The shit!? No, hell no. Any more innuendo from you two and I'm tying you up for Atlas to babysit."
Atlas buzzed from atop the bus. I translated from his emotions. "Yeah, he doesn't want to deal with those two."
"Nobody does," Cerberus grumped.
"Moving on," I withdrew a digital camera from my armored backpack. "Sandra, would you take a picture of us?" Without my insistence, Atlas and my other critters congregated behind us, wanting to be in the photo as well.
Our tour guide, who'd been unsure whether it was safe to laugh, snapped back to the real world. "Oh, yeah, sure." She accepted the camera and crouched down to get a good angle. "Now say, uh..."
The idea was goofy, but I couldn't help myself. "Say 'bees'!"
We all laughed, but my teammates did as prompted. A chorus of "Bees!" rose up from around me. The picture captured our relaxed, happy postures and my beaming smile. Even Sandra couldn't help grinning, finally starting to loosen up around us.
While I hadn't been actively scanning the area with bugs, I still absentmindedly watched and listened through their senses. I became aware of a larger, more familiar presence approaching and looked over just as a squeaky voice rang out.
"Mommy! Mommy! Over there!" A tow-headed little boy, probably around six, gestured as best he could with his head. He couldn't use his hands, as they were occupied by a softly gurgling little ball of love. He dashed ahead of his mother, her exasperated sigh turning to a cry of panic as the boy moved into traffic. I was about to send a raptor out at full speed when the blond came to a dead stop and started backpedaling, an expression of complete confusion on his face.
Looking through the spiker's eyes, I saw that Regent was standing very still, completely focused on getting the kid out of danger. I couldn't help the warm smile that split my face. He'd come so far in such a relatively short time.
Once the kid was back on the sidewalk and in his mother's grateful embrace, Regent called over to him. "Hey genius, try not to run into traffic. I won't be here next time and you'll be street pizza. Lady, maybe you should get a leash." Our tour guide looked scandalized while Imp snickered. None of us had the heart to slap him upside the head this time, though, since he did just save the little boy's life.
Once the lights changed, the boy's mother led him over to us. "Thank you so much," she smiled, still a little pale from the shock. "Brady was so happy when I brought home that cuddlebug; I never expected we'd see you out in the street, though."
I stooped down to Brady's level, watching his eyes dart between all of us including my critters. "So, Brady, you like your cuddlebug?" The round little creature batted at one of my hairs.
The blond boy nodded so enthusiastically I was worried his head was going to pop off. "Uh-huh! I named him Pinchy! Mommy gave him to me this morning, said you gave him to her!"
By now we'd drawn a sizable crowd, and I noted that a lot of people were gathering around to take pictures of Atlas. He, of course, had no problem with this. Between the flashes, I caught glimpses of Imp and had to exert a monumental effort to keep from busting a gut. She was using her power to be the ultimate photobomber! Never change, Aisha.
"That's right," I said to the little boy. "You're being good to him, right?"
"Mm-hm! I love him!" He nuzzled his face into the soft critter, who was quite pleased with the situation.
I stood back up as I could tell the mom wanted to say something. "Thank you," she smiled, then looked over to Regent. "And thank you so much for catching Brady there. He's still in that phase where he has to be everywhere right now." While she was doing her best to be happy and friendly, I could tell she was exhausted.
I brought over a raptor to keep Brady occupied – and chase him down if need be – and stepped closer. "You're taking care of him by yourself?" I looked through even more of the local swarm, seeing countless cute little situations. Grue had himself a couple of fangirls and looked thoroughly flummoxed. Foresight was eager to chat away and be the smartest person in the crowd. Cerberus let people pay attention to her dogs and was happy to fade into the background. Regent had an obviously gay guy flirting with him and was flirting right back. And Imp... I caught a glimpse of her putting a wallet back into someone's pocket, and a scummy girl looking confused. Anti-pickpocket, activate.
The mom nodded. "Yeah," she lowered her voice, "his dad was a relief worker. He was killed by a gang after Newfoundland."
Her facade broke for just a moment and I saw the utter weariness and pain, the same kind my dad used to carry with him. I froze up, time seeming to slow down as I had a miniature panic attack. I wanted to help this woman, needed to help her, but I had no idea how. The organic computer bank that was my mind showed me several instances of Rachel hugging me. If she can do it...
I stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug, mindful of my armor. I held the embrace for several long seconds before retreating. She sniffled a little but her smile was genuine. "I, um, thanks."
And that was it. Like the Pied Pipers of Hamfist, we inadvertently formed a parade of civilians who were more than happy to follow us on our tour of the city, chatting away with endless questions and compliments. We took selfies, gave autographs and discussed parahuman theory. Our shifting entourage followed the entire time, drawing more and more publicity as people raised camera phones to record the event.
It was bizarre, it was crazy, it was encouraging. We could do this, be genuine heroes. Not just the gritty Punisher-style antiheroes we'd already been, but the shiny people giving speeches at podia. Now, I didn't exactly want to give speeches to large crowds, but I'd rather do that than spend my days worrying that a government-sponsored lynch mob might come after me.
We wandered back toward Sandra's bus, saying our goodbyes to the disappointed crowd. Our guide opened the doors and let out a relieved breath, happy that her day was coming to an end.
Then the bus exploded.
My critters had climbed on first, in order to set up in the back, and one of my raptors died in the blast while the other raptor and the spiker were significantly injured. I took a moment to assess the damage. Raptor? Missing a foreleg, a horn and an eye. Significant burns. Spiker? Blind and in crazy amounts of pain. Team? Foresight, Regent and Imp looked hurt, but only superficial bruising from being thrown back by the blast. Grue and Cerberus were already on their feet and the dogs were growing.
Sandra? ...God, she was dead. Except for some burning pieces of flesh, there was nothing left.
I choked down my tears, turning the lump in my throat into a creeper. I spat it at my critters, adding a little creep to wake my creation, and left them to heal.
My bugs finally found our attacker: perched on a nearby building was Coal, a member of the loose villain conglomerate commonly known as the Subway Sinners for some reason I'd never bothered to research. The Sinners weren't an official team, but they commonly cooperated and covered one another's backs.
Coal was a Striker 1/Blaster 6. By touching stone or other such minerals – including concrete – he could infuse it with an explosive charge. Then, when the object was damaged, it would explode. He liked to use loose chunks of rock or cement and throw them at people. "All you fuckers still alive?" he called down to us. Not waiting for an answer, he began a rant. "You think you can come into my city," he tossed a pebble which exploded like an M80, "start up a dog-and-pony show and turn capes into a joke!?" A larger chunk flew through the smoke and burst like a grenade, the shockwave laying me out. I tried to sneak Atlas through the back alleys, wanting to get the drop on Coal from above.
Coal reached into another of his vest's many pockets, pulling out a fist-sized rock. He ran a hand through his dyed hair, black interlaced with reddish-orange streaks. "This is New York, cape capital of the world! You come here, you're playing with the big leagues!" The stone glowed like it was made of floodlights, and I knew we'd only survived the last rock that size due to sheer luck. The villain wound up like a pitcher and hurled it.
I unhinged my jaw and let out a torrent of insects, spiraling together like they had against Trickster. Like a chitinous fist they impacted the rock at the halfway point. The explosion blinded us but I felt the dogs launch into a charge. Twinkles was the best climber and jumper, and Judas was no slouch either. Bentley had more trouble, but then again he could probably bite through a tank.
Coal must've had protective lenses in his goggles, as he was already charging up another stone. "Bad dogs! Play dea–"
The rock exploded, splattering Coal across the rooftop. Atlas got another angle and saw Imp at the rooftop access, panting for breath. I sent a voicebug up to her. "Imp! Are you alright?"
I could hear the weariness in her voice. "Y-yeah, I'm okay. Just, really had to run to get up here in time. Managed to hit him with a cell phone."
"You said 'a' cell phone, not 'your' cell phone."
"Yeah, I appropriated one on the way. Was gonna use mine, but some guy was being a dick."
I landed Atlas. "Climb on. Sinners don't take kindly to their friends getting hurt or killed, so we should regroup and wait for the Protectorate."
Aside from her one little joke, Imp was surprisingly reserved. Of course, as the adrenaline bled away, I realized why: she'd killed someone. Yes, Coal was a psycho who'd killed one innocent person and was going to try killing us, but Aisha had still taken a life. When Atlas brought her down to us, I hugged her tight. For once, she didn't resist.
