Author's note: I might put this chapter together with the last chapter later down the line. For now though, I'll keep post this portion separately. Enjoy!

XXX

Buzzkill raised her palm and released the ladybugs inside. "They don't know that I know this, but Leet's already created a contingency plan against my bugs. Light's gloves aren't just for style, they're tinker made. It helps him convert his energy beams into whatever he wants."

Kid Win asked, "the energy shapes aren't natural?"

She shook her head. "Light's lasers are actually plasma blasts. He can change the ray's temperature, but the gloves are what let him control the shape and energy he uses. Its why he's not afraid of using his powers. They're completely non-lethal as long as he wills it."

Aegis asked, "and he can use it against you?"

Buzzkill answered, "he just needs to clap his hands, and an electromagnetic field will blast across a five block radius. Using the specific frequencies, he'll kill all the bugs in an instance."

Clockblocker added, "turning your powers useless…"

Buzzkill nodded. "They act afraid, but they've been in control this entire time. If you want to beat them, you have to take down Rush first."

"How?" Vista asked. "My powers can't overpower hers. She's like a Trump too. If we can't get close to her there's not much we can do."

"Her powers aren't gravity powers," Buzzkill answered flatly. "Her powers are-"

"We'll take it from here."

Looking back the Wards watched Armsmaster step off of his motorcycle with money still dropping around them. It was like a Hollywood entrance. He'd driven so seamlessly, the noiselessness from his motorcycle was undoubtedly tinker. While his presence demanded gravity across the young Wards, Buzzkill was more entranced by what was hovering above them.

Pieces of falling paper outlined the ship's sharper features. They were enormous, outlining the shape of dragons as her insects bumped into its metallic-like textures. There were three in total. Invisible to the naked eye unless paying attention to the gap in the falling rains of cash.

"Those are… Machines?"

Armsmaster looked over to Mouse Protector, "Mouse Protector, I know I shouldn't be delegating this to you, but I want you to take the Wards to the rest of the Protectorate east from here. Miss Militia is orchestrating an organized effort to control the worst of the riots in the innermost parts of the city. You'll take command until you get there."

Mouse Protector stood up in salute, "aye-aye sir!"

"And leave behind the money you've collected."

Her hand dropped to her side. "...O...kay." Armsmaster's helmet beeped, indicating her lie. Mouse Protector murmured, "but my loans won't let me…"

Buzzkill spoke up, "I'm sorry, but I can't follow her orders. I'm not a Mouseketeer anymore. I'm staying here to fight the losers."

The Wards glanced over towards her. Gallant said, "Buzzkill, I understand your falling out, but now isn't the time to defend your pride."

"Its not about pride," Buzzkill insisted, hinging all her faith in Dinah's words. "Under no circumstances can I work with Mouse Protector. That's non-negotiable. I'm staying here to take down the Losers."

Armsmaster glanced at her for less than a second. Buzzkill's profile displayed beneath his visor, showing the capabilities Buzzkill had. He explained to her, "Leet has anti-insect precautions. If you can't use your insects here, what can you offer to take them down?"

"I'm the only one here that's been preparing for this since the day I became a cape." She pointed towards the bank building, "I know its cheesy to use a bug metaphor, but the Losers work a lot like an ant colony. If you want the colony to collapse, the only way to do it is to take down their queen."

XXX

Rush said to them, "Squealer made jetpacks for us, and I didn't even have to suck her dick for it. Talk about a shitty deal."

Leet pointed a thumb towards the air. A few bills fell into the lobby floor from where the ceiling hole still was. "The drones were actually made by the Merchants, so they're safe from Armsmaster's frequencies. After they finish dropping the last bulks of money, they'll come back as jetpacks and we can use them to escape."

"So we just jetpack our way out?" Grue asked uncharitably. "Vetoed. You're asking that we draw targets on our backs while we escape. We'll escape on Bitch's dogs, and use my shrouds to cover our escape."

"Approved," Uber replied. "You take Bitch's route, and we'll take the jetpacks. Since you're planning on breaking off ties with us, now's the best time to start."

"You guys never wanted this alliance, did you?"

Rush wobbled her head, "I know I did, mostly for Tattletale shaped reasons. But if you guys won't play ball, there's no point in dragging this out. This shlick was as much a test for you guys as it was for us. Losing four billion dollars for a prank? If that's a line you can't cross, then its better we separate routes now instead of later."

Imp called out, "But fucking jet packs! Are you seriously gonna ruin this for me?"

Rush only shrugged, "not sure what we'll do with you now, but we can discuss when we get back. Remember, rule number one was that on the field, you'll follow orders. That applies here specifically."

Her voice shriveled, "but… But…" Imp looked around for Light for support, but he was nowhere to be found.

Grue nodded to Rush in approval. They were right that Brian's relationship with Aisha was on thin ice, and he promised to make concessions for her later down the line. He said, "look, you can still help the Losers at a safe distance. And we can even tell audiences you're a full member. But right now we'll need your cover to get us out of here quickly and quietly."

Imp growled, "money is falling from the sky! You don't need me for that!"

"Aisha-" Before Grue could say something, she disappeared from sight.

Spitfire held Leet's arm up, "we're going on the Undersiders' side. Grue can shroud us better while you guys take the jetpacks."

"Afraid of heights?" Regent commented.

"Those jetpacks were made by Squealer. I'm not as confident with her tinkering like I am with Leets'."

The teams split into two within the lobby, ready to leave after the rainfalls of cash finished falling.

Light stepped into the women's restroom to speak with Tattletale. She was standing there alone, looking forward into the mirror to recompose herself. "Yo, I know I'm not allowed in here, but since I'm a feminist I think its okay."

Lisa's mask was off. She was rinsing her face with water while massaging her temples. Stress brought her there. She'd been having headaches all week, and now it pushed her to her limit. She flatly said to him, "I'll be out soon."

In a lot of cases, he would respectfully agree to leave. But he knew for Lisa that wouldn't be the case. She was a natural extrovert. Being left alone to her vices could lead her into more self-doubt than improvement. If it were Emily or Taylor, he'd be more prone to obey. Instead, he walked next to her.

Light pulled his egg-cracked mask from the bottom half of his face. Vivan asked, "Is this too much? We can get Cortana to teleport you out right now if you need to."

Lisa glared towards him, "so you guys lied about that too? Hold on… Wait, you didn't lie. You have teleporters on multiple frequencies now. So even though Leet doesn't have control to escape, you all can still make phone calls to get out quick."

Vivan nodded to her. His answer only made her rub at her temples harder, "Jesus Christ Vivan, you couldn't let me know that before this? Coil is throwing me under a bus all because you guys can't get your act together!"

Vivan paused to let the words hang. He asked her, "is that a bad thing? When thinkers work for villains, its normally less mutual than how you pretend it to be. You're just a teeanger, we all know you're not happier living under him."

"That's none of your goddamn business! Why are you and Aryana doing everything in your power to break me! I'm not like Aryana when she was under Accord. I'm not a mirror image like she was. I like where I am, but you both keep ruining this!"

"Ruining what?" Vivan asked. "What is it that you have, that you don't wanna lose?"

They both knew she didn't have an answer. She was coerced into being a villain, she'd just decided early on to be a loyal puppet to win over more privileges for herself. "The money you guys dropped? It wasn't to send a message to Coil or the PRT, it was meant to send a message to me. Dropping a billion dollars is one thing, but those bills came from cartels, yakuzas, hot capes, drug networks; Money collected from every villain network you've tapped into, which only my powers could read. And the reason she did that… Was to show me that you guys could protect me."

Vivan rubbed at his chin, "I honestly didn't know that. Yeah, we were thinking of negotiating with Coil for your freedom, but I didn't know she was doing that here."

"Tsk, figures you weren't in on it." Lisa glanced back towards the mirror. Lyft's words still rang in her ears. As much as she wanted to say their judgement about her was wrong, it really wasn't. They'd never really been proven wrong before. The worst passing came when Uber and Leet were frozen, and they still managed to overcome that after swallowing their morals.

'Capes might come from tragedy, but that doesn't mean our lives have to be miserable.'

Lisa commented, "you know you're screwed in the head too, right? You have stockholm syndrome. You revolve your whole life around her to the point that you'd die and kill for her sake."

Vivan nodded his head sideways, "yeah, I guess I can admit that. But family tends to do that anyway. Maybe what we have is toxic since we're villains, but I normally just blame that portion of the deal on Simurgh."

"Your tattoo is fake, Vivan. You weren't Simurgh tainted. I know it carries significance for you, but you don't have to live for her sake."

"I sort of think I do." Vivan raised his hand up to look at his marking. "Aryana triggered thanks to the Simurgh. She joined Accord thanks to the tattoo. I triggered thanks to her working with Accord. And… I got this tattoo because of that. In a way, I'm as tainted by the Simurgh as she is."

"Wow, you talked about setting me free, but you've never even thought that Aryana is like Accord to you."

Vivan looked off to the side. Their faces in the mirrors were opposite expressions. Whereas Lisa's face showed distress and exhaustion, Vivan's was more calm with a serene smile. "I think the key difference is love. Obedience is only beautiful when its given. I've never actually done anything for her out of fear."

"Yes you have. You're afraid of what that tattoo will do to her. That's why you keep trying for her sake"

"Well yeah, sure. But like… I haven't regretted a single day living since we came to Brockton Bay. Each day, no matter how scary its been… Has been a good day."

Lisa gave him a long glance. The cracks between Vivan and Aryana became clearer. Their dynamic, the lives they lived for each other, fueled their view for the rest of the world. It was like yin and yang, giving them a balanced ideal of how to act against others.

To them, people like Lisa needed to experience freedom. Freedom from their debts to find authentic happiness, and a friend to practice living a genuine life. Despite them being the most reckless villains on the planet, they were the only capes that didn't live life in dreadful remorse.

She could see it in all the Losers, especially in Sabrina.

Lisa let out a heavy breathe, "you really mean that, don't you? Each day since leaving Accord, you haven't regretted a single day?"

He shook his head, "that's how feeling free is like; when you have someone to share it with. The web show is more like catalogue of our best memories. I don't actually give a crap about the fans."

"Damn I wish I could use that line against you. But its reached the point where most people wouldn't even care… I'll leave Coil after this, but on one condition." She pointed down at his chest, "you have to join the Wards."

Vivan glanced off to the side and gave her a crooked smile. After a minute of not giving her an answer, Lisa said, "see? I knew you were full of shit. You talk about freedom, but you won't even do what you really want for her sake!"

"I'm fine where I am."

"Liar." Lisa put on her mask and left the restroom. She called out to the teams, "alright guys, I'm taking the jetpacks!"

Rush let out a cheer, "fucking finally! Thank god for peer pressure!"

The others bantered over her jetpack decision. Spitfire said, "oh dear God she's going to die."

Uber spoke towards Regent, "you owe me forty bucks."

Regent growled out, "goddamnit Lisa! That's coming out of your cut!"

In the bathroom, Light's face scrunched up. Despite trying to help her, in the end, she still managed to drill a nail into his ego. He put on his mask and followed after her.

Lisa grinned while looking back at Vivan. The smile on Vivan's face was less confident than before. She couldn't trust them just yet, but she was at least content to test out how far their good faith truly stretched.

XXX

Shadow Stalker flickered her eyelids open.

"Shadow Stalker! Shadow Stalker!"

She couldn't recognize the voice. Her ear piece rang further. "What the fuck?" Shadow Stalker murmured.

"This is Dragon," the voice called out to her. The sound of crunching noise crumpled behind her. Her arms and legs were coiled with copper wiring inside a utility closet. Insects chewed through the metallic wires around her. "We have a plan to stop the robbery. If you can pull this off, every one of them will be apprehended."

With a hardened tone she replied, "just tell me what I need to do."

"Buzzkill is going to take out Rush. She'll be out of commission for five minutes. The team will come to a halt and Armsmaster will swoop in to capture them. How many tranquilizer darts do you have left?"

Shadow Stalker snickered, "only one."

A pause followed. "Armsmaster says your lying."

"I fucking ran out to take out Leet! Give me a fucking break! I have my other bolts, I'll use those instead."

Another pause followed. Dragon asked, "do you think you can make them non-lethal shots?"

With a grin she answered, "yeah."

It was another lie. Regardless, Dragon was strictly ordered to follow Armsmaster's judgement. Dragon replied, "very well. When we give you the signal, make sure Rush stays down."