Fuse 4-7

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"Stick close kid." Assault's voice was barely above a whisper. "And for god's sake don't touch anything."

I shivered as i looked at the scorched remains of a shoe store on the Boardwalk. "What kind of bomb was it?"

"Dunno but whatever it got really hot really fast." He nudged a tennis shoe into the perfectly spherical hole that was burned out. "You can't really appreciate what a bomb tinker is capable of until you see the weird ones, Jesus. It had to be like a mini Sun or something, but real quick like so nothing caught fire."

I looked around at the seared and scorched storefront. "Looks like it caught fire."

"Like I said, weird." Assault muttered. "Nothing we can really do but leave this one to the emergency crews."

"Why did they have us come look at it if there weren't any villains?" I asked.

"In case there were." Assault gave me a sideways look. "Be careful about assumptions Wisp. Sometimes they can keep you from seeing the truth."

"When did you go all Jedi master on me?" I asked wryly.

He snorted but otherwise didn't comment. "Come on, let's go meet Battery and Flechette down the street and see what they had."

I followed him out of the store and into the view of the people and cameras.

"Hey Taylor look over here!" One man yelled.

I forced myself not to react and just kept following Assualt.

"Come on just a quick comment about The List?" He continued.

Assault slowed down to put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't listen to them kid. The'll say anything to get a reaction."

Behind us we could hear the rapid fire clicks of camera shutters.

That can't be good.

"Bombs going off at random, the whole city is shut down, there's talk of a curfew being put in place, and this yahoo is still out trying to make a quick buck pandering rumors at oh God thirty in the morning." Assault grumbled to himself.

I yawned.

"Yeah I didn't get much sleep last night either." He commiserated. "Doesn't help we started so early either.

"It's about the same as having to get up for school." I pointed out.

"Yeah well it's been a while." He said. "And I wasn't exactly a model student."

"Shocking." Was my dry response.

"Yeah who could have guessed right?" He lead us over to a waiting PRT truck. "Alright Sergeant, to the next one."

Sergeant Rawlins waved a hand in a 'hurry up then' gesture. "Well if you two didn't take yer dang time. I sent Ramirez and Butters down the block for coffee."

"It's fine we can wait. I could use some coffee." Assault said.

"Guess you should have ordered some then." Rawlins drawled. "Now get in the truck. We'll stop and pick'em up on our way to the next one."

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"Ugh." I flopped down onto the couch as soon as I returned to base.

"Long day?" Lisa asked over the rim of a mug of what smelled like coffee.

"What do you think?" Was my grumbled response. "Bombs are going off every hour or so."

"I know I just swapped with Weld for console duties."

I turned my head so I could see her from where I lay. "Weld? I thought he would have been out there with the rest of us."

"Well, with the rules of every ward needs to be accompanied by a Protectorate Hero and Triumph holding down the fort on their end, Weld and I decided to split the console duty so we can stay sharp." She explained.

I just looked at her, too tired to do the thinking myself.

She rolled her eyes. "There are more Wards than Protectorate so Weld stayed behind."

"Whaaaa bout Mouse?" I said through a stifled yawn.

"She's supposed to be laying low. Some villain has it out for her or something." Lisa shrugged. "I haven't seen her around much, but you know, this is the PRT and Wards base, not The Rig."

I lost my battle with biology and yawned so hard I thought my jaw was going break. "Any word on Greg?"

"Nothing pressing." Lisa sat her cup down and walked over to me. "Come on let's get you up and into bed."

I couldn't help it I giggled.

"And you say I have a dirty mind." She pulled me to my feet and walked me to my room to help remove layers of costume. While I was stripping out of the last layers before my modesty could be in jeopardy she laid a pair of sweat pants and a cotton t-shirt onto my bed. "I'll come get you when it's time to order food." She said and slipped out the door, closing it behind her.

I pulled on the pants and shirt before crawling into bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

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I woke up to a dark room and other than the occasional soft snore from Missy's side of the room everything was quiet.

I swung my legs off the bed only to jerk them back as soon as my bare feet touched the cold floor. I tried to find where my socks or even my slippers had gotten to but in the dim light I decided to just suck it up and go see what I could find in the kitchen.

Turns out skipping dinner left you starving in what I presumed currently was the middle of the night.

I slipped out of the room as quietly as i could and through the common room to what passed for our kitchen. Really it was just a fridge sink and dishwasher separated by a healthy amount of counter space. I guess the PRT didn't trust the wards to have a stove or oven under their HQ. Thank god for our microwave.

A check of the fridge was rewarded with a plate covered in plastic wrap and a note.

"Didn't want to wake you so I saved you some dinner. Signed best girlfriend ever." I couldn't help the smile as I read her note.

I needed to something nice for her. Something she wouldn't expect. Maybe I could make her dinner. Mom's lasagna?

Perfect.

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"-key wakey sleepyhead."

Someone poked at my nose with a finger and I slapped it away determined to go back to sleep.

"Rise and shine," the voice came again. "We have a long day ahead of us."

I cracked my eyes open and winced at the light overhead and the figure silhouetted in it. "Assault?"

"The one and only." He confirmed. "Come on, Battery and Alice are waiting for us."

Who?

Oh, right, Lisa's new cape name.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes. "Give me a few minutes."

I stumbled into my room and grabbed my costume and shuffled my way to the locker room for a quick shower and to change.

I was as ready as I could be ten minutes later pulling a brush through my still damp hair as we boarded the elevator.

"You awake yet?"

"As I'm going to be." I grumbled.

"Shouldn't have stayed up so late." Assault advised.

"I didn't." I groused.

"Then what were you doing on the couch?" I could tell by his voice he thought he had the upper hand with that one.

"I fell asleep almost as soon as we got back yesterday, missed dinner, woke up in the middle of the night starving, fell back asleep on the couch after getting something to eat." I snapped. God I needed some coffee. "Happy now? You all caught up?"

Assault mumbled to him self. "Someone's not a morning person."

I decided to let it go as the elevator dinged open allowing us to step out and head for the garage.

The first thing I noticed was the oversized top hat on her head, pulled forward low as to obscure her domino mask if she held her head right.

The next was her long, sky blue, Victorian coat that she wore over a white corset, oversized blouse and slim pants. In her hands she carried an umbrella of all things.

And all the copper.

"I don't get it." I couldn't help the words.

Lisa, or we'll I guess it's Alice at the moment, blew out an annoyed breath. "Really? I worked hard on this you know."

Assault hummed beside me. "No I see what she means. Puppy explained it to me but I still barely recognize what you are going for."

"It's a work in progress." Alice defended. "It's not close to being done but that's the point. It's supposed to imply a new trigger."

"Should have gone with th-" Battery started.

"I'm not wearing a dress." Alice all but stamped her foot.

"What's the theme here?" I mumbled to Assault.

"Wonderland." He whispered back.

"I still don't get it." I said.

"Alice in Wonderland!" Li- Alice threw up her hands.

Ohhhh it started falling into place. "But you look like you were trying for steampunk Mad Hatter than Alice."

"It's a mix of both."

"Cause you know, she's just a little bit crazy." Assault piped in.

Lisa, no, Alice gaveAssault an unamused look, "I don't have the typical powers most capes do for a fight, but what with the growing Bakuda rampage and the possibility of the military stepping in hanging over our heads they need my skills to help find Bakuda so we made up a new Cape."

I nodded. "Okayyyy . Why Wonderland?" I asked.

She actually blushed. "Well since meeting you and getting out from under Coil, I've been worried I would wake up from this dream to find myself back in that nightmare."

I took one of her hands in mine and I felt my face heat up a bit as I did. "It's not a dream."

"Get a room." Assualt interrupted.

Alice huffed a breath out through her nose at the interruption. "We tried but the bosses won't allow it."

"Get up." Battery nudged Assault with her foot. "We've got to get going."

The four of us piled into a PRT truck and pulled out of the garage. Out of the back window I could see a second truck following ours. Probably our backup of PRT troopers.

I turned to Alice, "Sooo what's up with the umbrella?"

She smiled. "Well, I can't exactly run around as a cape defenseless can I?"

"So you went with an umbrella?" I couldn't help my skepticism.

"Armsmaster built it for me. I'm pretending to be a low level tinker." She shook the umbrella. "This thing has all kind of stuff in it."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Surprises." Alice's smile was down right vicious.

"Bulletproof?" I asked.

"In a world of powers I'm not sure anything is bulletproof anymore, but it is, at the very least, bullet resistant." She smiled. "Worried?"

I answered her honestly. "Yes. What if someone recognizes you?"

"They will or they won't ." She shrugged. "I can't stay cooped up forever. Besides we went on a date and had no trouble."

"People were taking pictures of us." Was my retort.

"Well, you." She pointed out. "Cause of the list, and it was only the one couple."

I gave her my 'you don't always have to be right' look.

"It's not easy being perfect." She bumped my foot with hers and gave me a wink and a smile to let me know she was joking.

"Ok Miss Perfect." I bumped her foot back. "If Alice is supposed to be a new tinker, what's your specialty?"

She waggled the umbrella at me and pulled a gaudy looking pair of glasses out of a coat pocket. "My specialty is investigative creations at a low level. Like these glasses that let me examine the bomb sites."

"Why the steam punk theme then?" I asked.

"I'm starting to think you don't like my costume." She stuck her lip out in a playful pout.

"I just don't get how the Wonderland theme fits with steam punk powers I guess."

"Does it have to?"

"I mean...," I paused as I thought about it.

She gave me her trademark smirk. "Not like it's a rule or anything."

"Heads up we are two minutes out." The driver called.

"Ok, game faces." Assault said.

"And ignore the press." Battery added.

"You know Assault riding in a truck with three women is only goin to fuel the flames right?" Alice said cheerily.

That was news to me. "What flames?"

"Nothing," Assault and Battery spoke at the same time.

"Seems like some reporter got it in his head that Assault was making moves on you yesterday. Had a picture of his hand on your shoulder and leaning close." Alice supplied.

"Oh that asshole from yesterday." I remembered the reporter. "That's not what he was doing."

"Duh, but the truth doesn't sell papers unless it's better gossip than the shit they can come up with." Alice scoffed.

"Language, the both of you." Battery scolded. "Listen reporters are not all bad but things like this do and will happen. Just ignore it until something else grabs their attention."

The truck slowed to a stop. "Here. Looks like the whole district turned out for this one."

"Great." Assault muttered. "Alright girls, don't get too far from me or Battery."

"Yes Dad." Alice droned.

"Please don't." Assault groaned. "I do not need that rumor floating about."

"Just go." Battery pushed at Assault.

He sighed and pushed open the back door and we climbed out after him.

"Jesus." Alice pulled her hat low as she saw the crowd. "Makes you wonder at their sanity being out here like this.

More than a few were now pointing their phones and cameras in our direction, but most were still focused on whatever was in front of the—- What the hell?

"Good god would you look at that." Assualt shaded his eyes from the sun glinting off the ice.

"It's got to be fifty feet at least." Battery guessed.

A spire of translucent ice stood straight up in the air as if it had just appeared there. Which, I guess, it had.

A PRT trooper jogged over to us. "Looks neat from here but it's...not great inside. Might want to leave the kids out here."

Battery looked at the crowd. "Not with the crowd. Can't be sure who's in it."

The Trooper's frown was evident but he didn't push. "Front door is frozen so we are using the employee entrance around the side. Oh and don't get too close to the ice." He added. "There still something freaky going on. Jones touched the damn thing and we had to cut the glove off to free him."

"Thanks for the heads up." Assault went first and Battery motioned for us to follow before picking up the rear.

"Don't touch anything." She said as we entered.

We moved in inside careful not to trip over the odds and ends that must have fallen during the hasty evacuation.

For the fortunate few who made it out.

Most of the little store was filled with crystalline ice , unsettlingly smooth and horrifyingly clear. Perfect for seeing the people entombed within.

I felt a cold that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

"Fuck." Assault shook himself.

"Wisp, Alice, go back and wait by the door." Battery commanded.

"It's not like we can unsee it." Alice's voice was steady in a way that mine most definitely wouldn't have been. "Let's do what we came here to do so these people didn't die for nothing."

Hearing her say it out loud made it real, as if I somehow believed my eyes had been deceived. Those people were dead.

Trapped in the ice.

Trapped unable to move.

Trapped

Trapp-

I threw up.

Alice rushed over to me as I threw up again. "Hey it's okay." She turned me away from the ice. "Don't stare at it.

I put a hand to my chest it felt like there wasn't enough fair.

"Wisp." Alice shook me once, just enough to get my attention. "Go out side. Its okay, I will be out in a minute."

She passed me off to Battery who steered me back outside.

I was breathing too fast but it was a familiar feeling. I was coming down off a panic attack.

"We shouldn't be exposing the Ward to this bullshit." Battery swore. "I'm sorry Wisp."

"S'okay." I was still shaking.

Battery shook her head. "It's not okay."

"I meant me." I waved my hand weakly at my self then reached out to support myself with the nearby wall. "Had a bit of a claustrophobic episode. I w-will be okay." I couldn't help the tremble in my voice.

We stood there together in silence until finally Alice emerged.

"You doing okay?" She asked.

"I think so." I lied.

Her frown told me she knew better.

"The Troopers can take it from here." Assault emerged from the store. "I'm starting to agree with Wisp. There's not much point in us going to each bomb site."

"I wouldn't say that." Alice said. "At least not this time."

"What do you mean?" Battery questioned.

"I know how Bakuda is moving her bombs." Alice grimaced. "We are going to need more than Heroes if we want to top Bakuda."

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Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, I don't have any excuses prepared so hopefully you can just forgive me.

Much love to you all whom have fav, followed, and or reviewed!

K. Raiden