Colin blinked, staring at Six. The Wastelander had already unholstered his rifle, the medicine wheel symbol sewn into its cheek-rest glinting in the sunlight. Colin didn't doubt that Six was both able and willing to make good on his threats, but he couldn't allow Six to go gallivanting off again. He held up a hand to stop Six, only to have it batted away.

"I don't think you heard me." Six growled. "Move. Or get moved."

Out of the corner of his eye, Colin could see both Glory Girl and Cazador tensing for a fight; even the Wards looked on edge. He needed to defuse the situation, fast.

"Courier Six, stand down!" He commanded, grabbing the man's shoulder to physically hold him in place. "I may be able to call in Protectorate support to help you, but only if you stay within the bounds of the law. Even with the state you left Cricket and Stormtiger in, what you've done here could still be justified as self-defense. All of that goes out the window if you go looking for trouble, though; especially if it ends with more people dead."

Six shrugged, shaking Colin's hand off with a surprising amount of force.

"You're assuming I'm that concerned about the law." Six and Colin stared each other down as their standoff dragged on, each one practically daring the other to make the first move.

Even Colin had to admit Six had a certain presence; one that inspired awe. Nothing so powerful as a Master effect; it was almost imperceptible compared to the likes of even Glory Girl's aura, but far from unnoticeable. Six had the conviction, the certainty of action that one typically only saw in veteran, seasoned heroes; people like the Triumvirate, or the Guild's senior members, and that he often worked to instill in his own public image. He was familiar with the psychology behind it; people were naturally inclined to follow others who acted authoritatively, regardless of any actual power, but it was still novel to be on the receiving end like this. Colin wasn't some young recruit or panicked civilian, though; he was one of the archetypal heroes. Perhaps not on the level of Dragon or Hero, but among the best and greatest, regardless. He'd fought Endbringers, for god's sake; he wasn't about to be cowed by a scruffy gunslinger in weathered combat armor.

"Do you really want to make an enemy of the PRT, Courier Six?"

Six was stock-still, holding the standoff for another long moment. Finally, he let his shoulders fall with a put-upon sigh.

"Fine. If you're going to press this, then I won't say no to some backup, but if it comes down to them or me and mine, then I won't hesitate."

His voice was terse. Clearly, Courier Six was out of his element once laws and regulations came into play.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, if it comes to that," Colin agreed, "In the best possible scenario, we can resolve this without violence, but I'm not stupid enough to assume that's the likely outcome; at the very least, I want to know what we could be running into and plan for it. Who's in trouble, where, and with who?"

"It's those Uber and Leet guys I got working on my way home, you know where they hang out," Six grumbled. "Couldn't hear much, what with the fucking Great War going on in the background, but I think I heard him say they were were being attacked by a Bee? Or Lee…? Something with an -ee."

"Oni Lee?" Colin growled, mentally cursing. "It's possible this could be a play by the ABB.

They've been fairly quiet since Lung's capture; almost too quiet, if you'll forgive the cliche." With a blink, Colin brought up an overlay of the approximate borders of each gang's territory on his helmet's HUD. "Uber and Leet's base isn't far from the borders of the ABB's territory, and we've been expecting them to make some kind of move sooner or later. Seems to be the likely answer."

"...Lung," Six trailed off thoughtfully,"That guy that wouldn't fucking stay down? You think these guys're out for revenge? Those two are working for me, after all."

Colin shook his head.

"I doubt it; the timing doesn't fit that. Maybe if this were just a skirmish with the ABB's thugs, then I'd buy that this is all just an opportunistic attack by an offshoot group; if Oni Lee is providing them with back up, though, then that suggests a previously thought out attack, possibly part of a larger plan at play. By the sound of it, they knew they were attacking a Tinker's base, and clearly planned for it if they're giving Uber and Leet a run for their money... This might be the opening shots of a power play by the ABB."

Six cocked his head, silent for a moment.

"...Aaand that's a good thing?"

"Could be. Or it could be very bad; too early to tell," Colin grunted, "If we can nip it in the bud, capture Oni Lee and put him away alongside Lung, then it could very well mean the beginning of the end for the ABB as a cohesive force."

That alone was a tempting reward. Brockton Bay had been a cesspit for almost as long as parahuman gangs had existed; toppling one of the 'Big Three' would be a massive coup, both for the PRT ENE as a whole, and for the career of anyone who had a hand in the success.

"If things grow out of control, though," Colin continued, "Then a lot of innocents could end up in the crossfire."

"Sounds like we haven't got the time to fuck around, then," Six said simply, "Let's beat feet."

Colin nodded in agreement.

"The docks are far out of range of standard patrol routes; I don't expect we'll be receiving much assistance, but I'll arrange whatever support I can en route. In the meantime-" He turned to face the assembled PRT and Parahumans that had been listening in with varying degrees of subtlety. "-Team One, Clockblocker, Vista; stand guard out here. Team Two can take care of securing Stormtiger and Cricket; Panacea's given the all clear to move them. Stand guard until the medical transport arrives, in case the Empire returns to liberate any prisoners. Cazador?"

The girl went stiff at the address, turning to face him more directly. He debated the pros and cons of including yet more independent capes for a moment; especially teenaged ones. They didn't have the training that the Wards had, let alone the full members of the Protectorate, though they also didn't carry the price of getting the Youth Guard involved. The only reason Colin was even seriously considering it was because it would very likely be them, or nothing; it would take too long to scramble more heroes, and the PRT Troopers in their vans would be more a liability than a benefit in the tight alleys and poorly maintained streets of the Docks.

He doubted the Director would approve this sort of strike, but he had an opportunity and the prerogative in the field. He'd deal with her after all was said and done, and hopefully his actions would speak for themselves.

"Your power would work well for crowd control against any unpowered gang members in the area; you're welcome to come along. The same goes for you, Glory Girl, though neither of you should feel obligated to do so. I won't lie, this is a risky move; it's entirely possible that either of you could get injured, or worse, if you come."

Cazador paused, looking over to Courier Six, who shrugged.

'Asking for permission?' Colin wondered 'He does seem to act as her guardian, at least in some capacity.'

"I mean, he's right. You've more than pulled your weight already, kid; don't push yourself if you aren't ready."

She looked back to Colin, then back to Six again, before nodding.

"If I can help, then I will."

Colin nodded, grateful.

"Good. And Glory Girl?"

The heroine had floated over to her sister, the two already locked in a hushed, though hardly quiet, discussion.

"No! Just-" He heard Panacea hiss, grimacing. "Look, I'll be fine. You go; I'll ride with the ambulances once they arrive to pick up Cricket and Stormtiger. Or I'll get Mark to give me a ride, the house is only, like, five minutes away."

Victoria Dallon was silent for a moment, as if formulating a retort, before eventually sighing in defeat.

"...Alright. Stay safe Ames."

Panacea scoffed.

"You're the one heading out to fight Oni Lee." She poked her sister in the arm playfully, cracking a tired smile. "You too, Vicky. And… I'm sorry, I know I've been kind of a bitch lately-."

"It's fine, just… Talk to me, will you? I want to help."

They hugged for a brief moment, and then Glory Girl zipped back over to their impromptu war council.

"Alright, I'm in; who's in trouble?"

Colin nodded appreciatively.

"Uber and Leet; I'm sure you're aware of them. It seems they've run afoul of the ABB; we'll be moving to intervene before things can escalate."

She blinked.

"Them? Uber and Leet are villains, why are we protecting them-?"

"Cuz' they're working for me right now." Six stopped her.

Shooting Six a quick glance, Colin nodded in agreement.

"As I'm sure you recall, Courier Six is a victim of… unique circumstances," He kept his voice low, in case anyone happened to be eavesdropping, "Unfortunately, finding a way to send him back home through legal channels could take years, if not longer; time that Courier Six doesn't have, according to his own account of the local political situation."

Out of the corner of his eye, Colin noticed Cazador glancing towards Courier Six, her head tilted curiously. Had he not told her about his circumstances? She was almost certainly a local, given her recent appearance, but they clearly had some sort of history… Begging the question of how much she knew.

"Long story short," Courier Six interjected, "We'd kinda just pushed two whole armies out of Vegas when I ended up here; I don't want them getting any funny ideas because they don't think I'll be there to rally the troops."

"...I suggested that he approach them with an offer to purchase their services," Colin continued, "The fact that they are villains means that they also don't have to worry about adhering to the laws regarding travel between Earths. That, and the fact that every day they spend working on Six's device is a day they can't spend planning other criminal activities means I'm willing to look the other way so long as they stay under the radar."

Glory Girl turned, eyeing Six suspiciously and chewing her lip.

"...Alright. If you trust Six, then I'm willing to trust you, at least."

"Good. Neither Courier Six nor Cazador have transportation of their own or a Mover ability; Six will be riding with me, can you carry Cazador?"

Side-eyeing the other girl for a moment, Glory Girl shrugged.

"Sure, I guess. Where, exactly, are we going?"

"The Docks. Oni Lee's likely to be on scene, so you'll hear the fighting before you see it. Keep your approach low, and I shouldn't need to say it, but do not engage before Six and I arrive."

He pointed a finger at both girls, even as they nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure you both know Oni Lee's already a remorseless killer, and he's only gotten more deadly since Lung forcibly recruited the Cornell Bomber last month. I doubt she'll show up in person, her MO so far has been primarily to arm ABB foot soldiers with her bombs rather than deploy them herself, but be alert regardless; even one of those things could a standard thug into a serious threat."

"Got it." Glory Girl nodded, scooping Cazador off the ground unceremoniously and earning a surprised yelp from the girl. "They won't even know we're there. Anything else?"

Colin grumbled. It didn't sit right letting both of these girls run ahead, but even he and Courier Six together wasn't a favorable match-up against Oni Lee and an unknown number of thugs. Oni Lee was too wily to be taken down by any single opponent unless they had a counter to his power, or were simply that much more powerful, as in Lung's case.

"Just one; take this." Opening a small hard case on his belt, Colin pulled out an earpiece, handing it to Glory Girl. It was small; more a precaution in case someone lost their primary comms in the field, or in cases such as this, when he had to coordinate with Non-Protectorate forces.

"This will allow you to get in contact with us if necessary. It's a bit fragile, and the range isn't more than a few blocks, but it should work, for the circumstances." He finally relented, "Just be careful."

Glory Girl nodded and, with Cazador clinging to her neck for dear life, the two of them floated into the air, and quickly zipped over the rooftops in the direction of the Docks. Colin only hoped he hadn't made a mistake.

"What, none for me?" Six murmured, watching the two disappear.

"I only have the one. Besides, I trust you to handle yourself more than I do two teenagers."

Colin allowed himself a small smirk.

"Or am I mistaken?"

"...Fair," He heard Six chuckle, "So, we've got the cavalry incoming, but by the looks of it, they're going to arrive before we do. Think we should do something about that, or just sit around scratching our asses?"

Colin sighed.

"I'm aware. We'll be going momentarily, and we'll still arrive long before if you had gone on foot. Before that, though-"

Six groaned.

"Before. We. Leave." Colin continued, gritting his teeth. "I need to know you won't simply attempt to kill everyone we come across. I've seen your arsenal, there must be some manner of non-lethal weapon you can use."

Six let out another long, exaggerated groan.

"You're really twisting my arm here… I mean, I've got a few dozen bean bag shells for a twelve gauge; that work?"

"It's acceptable," Colin relented, "At the very least, anyone you shoot will be more likely to survive than not... Though it does bring up the question of why you weren't already using them."

"You mean, besides the fact that they're hard as hell to find? " Six casually shot back; he had already slung his lever-action over his shoulder, replacing it with a pump-action shotgun with furniture painted in a reedy yellow-green camouflage. "People just don't fear bean bags. I mean, sure, they hurt, but threatening to put a dent in your skull just doesn't carry the same weight as threatening to paint the walls pink with grey matter, y'know?"

As he spoke, Six began to load his weapon at a methodical, almost meditative pace; inserting a single shell and cycling the bolt before loading the rest of the tube.

"This might sound hard to believe, but I actually don't usually enjoy killing. Beating the shit out of deserving assholes, sure, that's my favorite hobby; but I kill 'cuz some people just don't learn their lesson."

Colin felt one eyebrow rising dubiously. Tilting his head, he stole a glance at the ruined house, before looking back to Six.

"You're right." He said simply, "I do find that difficult to believe."

Six blew a raspberry, and like that, whatever gravity their conversation had taken on was broken.

"Geesh, shoot me in the fuckin' head why don't you?"

He murmured something mocking under his breath, slinging the shotgun over his other shoulder.

"Alright, there. Is 'His Royal Highness' pleased with my attire?"

Colin grunted an affirmative.

"It's acceptable. Better to be prepared before entering a combat zone."

"I was prepared, before somebody insisted I change tactics…"

Colin didn't bother to rebuke Six's complaint. As an independent hero, he was allowed to use whatever methods he preferred, within the bounds of the law, but the rules for joint PRT-Independent operations were a bit more complex; they demanded that for any independent hero to coordinate with Protectorate forces, they had to comply with Protectorate rules and regulations.

Regulations that specifically forbid the use of excessive and lethal force unless authorized. The official reasoning was that PR would never allow Protectorate heroes to openly associate with 'violent, unsanctioned vigilantes', yet it went unspoken, but understood that rules in that vein were most often enforced as a means to put extra pressure on borderline or otherwise uncertain independents to simply join the Protectorate entirely.

Truthfully, it was a rule that was often bent as a matter of convenience; enforcing it in its entirety was near impossible, and just as good a way to chase off otherwise well-meaning heroes who simply didn't have the means and training of Government backed heroes, pushing them to avoid the PRT and Protectorate heroes altogether. Colin himself wouldn't have normally pressed the issue, but he still had his own career to consider, and his duty as a hero beyond that. Excessive force was Six's go-to tactic, and curbing that would be, if nothing else, one less thing for Piggot to yell at him for when all was said and done, as he was sure she would.

With a remote command, he activated his motorcycle's engine, the vehicle springing to life with a growl specifically chosen for both its ability to carry long distances and the instinctive avoidance reaction it incited in listeners, hiding the truth that the machine's Tinkertech motor actually made next to no sound at all. Mounting the bike, Colin glanced at Six, who simply stood silently a few feet away.

"...Huh. You know, now that I think about it I'd like to walk, actually," He called out over the growl of the engine, "I'm sure those guys'll be fine, right?"

Colin raised an eyebrow.

"It's at least thirty minutes to the Docks from here on foot. More, depending on how fast you can run."

Six let out a pained groan, but gave in. Singing one leg over the bike, Courier Six saddled up behind Colin, who let out an amused snort. A moment later, and he was revving up the engine, speeding off as Six frantically latched on for stability. Racing out of the tight corners of the housing development and onto the wider main roads, Colin opened a connection to Headquarters.

"Console; Armsmaster. I've received actionable intelligence that a group of ABB led by Oni Lee are currently engaging Uber and Leet in the Docks area. Moving now to intervene alongside Courier Six, Glory Girl, and Cazador, but I'm requesting whatever backup is available, over."

After a moment, a squawk of static came over the line.

"…Console copies, Armsmaster; wait one."

Almost unconsciously, Colin nodded in response, maneuvering his way through the evening rush-hour as he did. Thankfully, the size and state of Brockton Bay meant that even at its worst, local traffic never held a candle to that of larger cities like Boston or New York, though it could still get pretty hairy.

"Armsmaster; Console. Director Piggot wants to speak to you directly, over."

Colin sighed. Seemed he'd be dealing with her regardless.

"Understood. Patch her through."

The line clicked, silent for a moment, before the Director's voice filtered through.

"Armsmaster." Piggot spoke quietly, her voice calm and measured, but her tone carried a terseness that betrayed her true anger. "Would you care to explain exactly what you think you're doing, and why, precisely, you felt it necessary to circumvent the chain of command?"

"I made a judgement call, Director." Colin retorted, "Courier Six received a call from Uber and Leet requesting his help, and indicated his willingness to escalate to violence if we tried to stop him. Rather than risk endangering the Wards, PRT Personnel, and any civilians present, I offered assistance to Courier Six, so long as he could keep his actions within Protectorate regulations." He paused, swerving to thread the bike between two lanes of cars. "Oni Less is likely on scene; if this really is the ABB reaction we've been expecting since Lung's capture, then we could break the gang's power here and now, which is an opportunity that I felt justified immediate action."

"If only things were that easy. Were you at least able to take a statement regarding the initial incident? I can only assume, somehow, that you convinced him to change tactics."

"I was able to take an initial statement, yes; it corroborated with our current intelligence well enough that I believe it was truthful. It appears that the property does indeed belong to Courier Six, who was ambushed by several Empire Eighty-Eight capes; however, he was able to detect them and formulate a counter-attack." Colin swerved around a particularly thickly packed stretch of the street, jumping the curb for a brief moment. "I was also able to convince him to switch from lethal ammunition to a shotgun loaded with less-lethal bean bags, not unlike the kind used by Miss Militia; given Courier Six's attitude, as well as his verbal complaints up to that point, I felt that pushing the matter any further would have been unproductive, at best."

Piggot was silent for a moment, eventually letting out a quiet sigh.

"Fantastic." She grunted, her tone suggesting it was anything but. "That means I won't have to answer as many questions about why I haven't had Courier Six arrested yet, on top of all the questions I'll be fielding regarding how the Empiremanaged to launch an attack so far outside of their territory, not to mention, the questions about why PRT forces didn't arrive until after the fight was over. You do recall who's expected to clean up the aftermath of all this, don't you Armsmaster?"

Were he not hurtling down the streets at twice the posted limit, Colin would have closed his eyes in focus as he formulated a reply.

"...I understand, Director. I'll take full accountability for whatever happens."

"As if I won't have to answer some pointed questions regardless," Piggot grumbled, "Even then, that doesn't explain why you felt it was acceptable to enlist two minors in your 'strike team'."

"They offered to assist." It was technically a lie, but a small one. "And I was unsure what, if any, support the Protectorate would be able to provide. I felt that Cazador and Glory Girl, given their power and experience respectively, would be able to act as a diversionary force; dealing with any unpowered fighters while Courier Six and I neutralized Oni Lee."

"And if either of them gets hurt? Or killed?"

"I informed them both of the risks beforehand. They knew what they were getting into."

"They're fucking children!" She roared. "You can take all the accountability you want, but that won't stop the complete fucking Shit-Hurricane this entire branch is going to be facing if either of them ends up dead."

She let out an audible sigh over the line.

"Director, I-"

"Save it. We will be discussing this later. Miss Militia and Velocity are mobilizing towards your position, they should be about twenty minutes out. Can you hold your attack until then?"

"I'll try." Colin admitted, flying through an intersection as he did and ignoring Six's howling behind him. "Courier Six may not be willing to wait that long, though."

"Of course not…" Piggot growled. "Fine. Do what you have to, but make sure you get those kids out alive and in one piece. If you can't, then I doubt either of us will survive the PR fallout."

"Understood. Armsmaster out."

Colin closed the radio channel, letting out a breath. That had gone… Well, he wasn't sure if he could say whether it had gone better or worse than expected. Likely, the Director was still devising some punishment she felt was suited for Colin's 'mistakes'; only time would tell how bad it actually turned out to be.

Gunning the motor, he hunched forward onto the motorcycle. Behind him, he could feel Six holding tight to anything he could wrap his limbs around; primarily Colin himself. Every time they passed particularly close to a car or some other obstacle on the sidewalk, Six would let out a fearful yelp, flinching away. Colin allowed himself some small measure of satisfaction at passing close to as many obstacles as he could without putting them at excessive risk. It was petty, yes, but it was nonetheless satisfying revenge for the day's headaches he had caused, or at least had a hand in.

As they passed into the Docks proper, Colin shut off the the cycle's artificial motor sound, allowing the two of them to approach in near silence. Maneuvering around potholes, abandoned wrecks, and down alleys, Colin stopped just a block from Uber and Leet's hideout, parking the bike in an alley that opened up right next to their hideout. He and Courier Six both dismounted, though he did so with significantly more grace than Six, who collapsed to his knees, panting and practically worshipping the ground.

"Haah… Ho-holy fucking shit… Jesus… Fuckin' christ…"

"We're here," Colin said simply, "Are you still well enough for a fight?"

Slowly, Six pulled himself to a kneeling position.

"I'm-" He gulped, waving Colin off, "-Yeah, yeah… Just… give me a minute, will you?"

Still panting, he began to reach into his coat, murmuring quietly.

"...Fffucking hell, if God had intended for people to move that quickly, he'd have given us fuckin' wings."

Shrugging, Colin turned. The longer Six spent getting his bearings back, the better. Clearing his throat, he opened a new connection to the miniature radio he had given to the girls earlier.

"Glory Girl, Cazador, report in. Do you read?"

The line was quiet for a few long moments. Long enough that Colin felt a knot of fear forming in his gut, before the line squealed to life.

"...Is that-? Yeah? It's working? Good." Glory Girl's voice crackled through, another, fainter voice, likely Cazador's coming across as little more than a murmur in the background. "We hear you, Armsmaster; just had to figure out how to work this thing. We're ready when you are."

Colin nodded, relieved.

"Good. Stay out of sight for now. Can you give any counts on numbers for the ABB?"

"I think- Yeah, Cazador says about two dozen thugs outside, really just standing around outside one of the buildings, not doing much."

"Armed?" Colin interrupted.

"...A few, looks like. Pistols, a couple of them guarding the door have rifles… I think that's where Uber and Leet are. Oni Lee's here too, he's been patrolling around that building, it looks like. Keeps jumping from roof to roof," Glory Girl trailed off, continuing a moment later. "We're staying out of sight like you said in one of the warehouses; found a window with a pretty good view of all the ABB guys. Cazador says there's a few more thugs inside, but it's hard to tell exactly. They're guarding a couple bodies… Are they dead-?"

Mentally, Colin cursed the quality of the earpieces as the audio began to fizz out. They weren't Tinkertech, and so their small size also meant that they couldn't transmit far, or very well at all.

"Oh, no. She says they're still breathing; just unconscious. That's probably Uber and Leet."

With a small sigh of relief, Colin nodded. He didn't want to know the extent of what Courier Six would do, or try to do, in the event his ticket home ended up dead.

"Good. Courier Six and I are just a couple blocks out; when we attack, we'll focus on fighting Lee. I want you and Cazador to focus on disabling the thugs. I'll give you the signal when we're in position."

"Got it. Cazador says she's got bugs on just about everyone outside; just give the word, and she'll have them all bite at once. Actually, is that going to be enough? They're just bugs, right? Seems kinda weak. Are they-... Oh."

Glory Girl's voice took on a hushed, almost awed tone.

"Oh. Oh wow. Also, eugh."

The line cut off as the girls began to chat quietly. Taking the brief chance to check Six's status, Colin had to double take at the sight of Six sucking something out of a rubber tube poking out of a bottle like a straw, a lighter held up to a tin foil heating element of some sort.

"What is that?"

"What's what?"

"In your mouth."

"Just a little something to steady my hands, don't worry."

Six's tone was obviously intended to be reassuring, though for Colin it was anything but. Releasing the tube with a satisfied sigh, Six tossed the bottle to the side. Reaching back into his coat, he pulled out… an entire handful of inhalers, injectors, bottles, tins, and more that he could only assume were drugs of all sorts.

"You aren't seriously planning to take all of that at once, are you?"

"What do you mean?" Six asked innocently, rolling a sleeve back and stabbing a small syringe directly into a vein on his inner arm, just below the elbow.

"That's… There's no way that's safe. I know you know that's not safe. And why now?"

"Nah, nah, look; there's a science to this kind of thing, y'know? I know what I'm doing."

Holding up a brown plastic bottle, Six shook it curiously. By the sound, it was maybe half full. Shrugging, he twisted the cap off, downing... the entire bottle…

"Everyone knows that chems are more effective when you take a bunch at once." Six mumbled through the sound of crunching pills. "As for why now? Well, we're going to be facing who knows how many guys at once, who we can't kill, and I don't know shit about how we might stack the odds in our favor here. All this is just a bit of insurance; No guts, no glory an' all that, y'know?"

Chuckling, Six went back dosing himself with likely lethal amounts of drugs.

Colin could only boggle at the sight. Eventually, rolling his eyes, he pushed it out of his mind, keying the radio again.

"Glory Girl, are you still there?"

"Yeah, still here. Are we good to go?"

"No. Not for a while, actually; I didn't have a chance to mention it, but Velocity and Miss Militia are incoming to support. Once they arrive, then we'll attack."

Behind him, Colin heard Six rising to his feet, his back sliding against the wall as a few used syringes and bottles fell out of his lap.

"Really? Alright then, guess I can't complain about that…" Cazador'sIndistinct murmuring cut off Glory Girl's musing. "What? What do you mean 'Weird'? Weird how?"

Audibly cracking his knuckles, Six let out a low laugh. Colin didn't bother to check on him; Six was an adult. He could take care of himself for a few minutes, at least.

Colin almost found himself hoping that whatever it was that Six had dosed himself with would last until after Velocity and Miss Militia could arrive and clean things up, save for the prospect of fighting Oni Lee with one less pair of (admittedly effective) hands.

"What's the issue? Is there something we should be concerned about?"

Six shuffled about, chuckling to himself as Colin listened in intently.

"...Maybe? Cazador says one of the thugs guarding Uber and Leet looks… different. It's… I dunno… Do you think they're just wearing some kind of body armor? Maybe one of their lieutenants?"

Colin found his attention distracted from the girls by the distinct click-click of a shotgun being pumped, followed by a wild, near-giggle of a laugh.

"HELLO BOYS! WHO'S READY TO MEET THEIR MAKER?"

He turned. At the end of the alley, Six stood; shotgun at the ready. Colin sprang forward, gut twisting into knots as the weapon boomed its twelve-gauge warcry.

"Wait, Six-!"

Racing to Six's side, Colin grabbed the man's shoulder, pulling him back into relative safety deeper into the alley, only to find Six's focus entirely on him. In the background, he could hear shouts; snippets of asian languages and other cries of surprise.

"Death waits for no man." He said simply. "Neither do I."

With a sudden heave of effort, Six yanked himself free, sprinting out of the alley to face the entire mob of ABB thugs and laughing all the way.

"Shit!" Colin cursed, keying the radio once more. "They know we're here, now. GO!"


Christ, this seems to be a recurring theme with my writing. I always end up underestimating how much I can fit into a chapter, and it always ends up like this.

It seems like, 'Yeah, totally bro, I'll fit everything into this one chapter, fight and all.' always turns into 'Well, wait, I can't just skim over these parts; gotta explain everything else, set up the next chapters, explain what people are doing offscreen,' and WHOOPS IT'S 5K WORDS!

I blame myself.

So, here you go. Six is high as fuck, there's gonna be a fight. Then probably another fight. Maybe a few more fights; who knows? (I do, but I ain't tellin'!)