Quiescis 2.4
When I woke up I had one hell of a headache. And a stomachache. In fact from the feel of it, I had an everythingache. The feeling of ants biting me before? That was multiplied a dozenfold. The vehicle (why the hell was I in a vehicle) braked and I slumped forward with a groan, the pain paralysing me too much. Before I could slam face first into the metal wall before me, someone , a PRT trooper as my back eyes discovered, grabbed one of my wings and with a groan pulled me back.
I wanted to thank him, or her judging by the female undertone in that voice, but I could hardly do more than cough and breathe as I, to my severe displeasure, noted that the terrible feeling was in my throat and probably lungs as well. The woman for her part patted me on the back and mumbled something vaguely encouraging. I didn't pay that much attention to what she was saying, too busy coming down from being ejected from my own body in a bizarre out-of-body experience. Though, I guess it had been a bit more than that.
The moment I had agreed to give Uriel my body, my soul I guess had left my body for and he had taken over. He, she - okay, I had no idea what to call Uriel, here. He appeared normally as a man but had referred to himself as female while in my body. Could an archangel even have a gender?
"I predate genders." His/her voice appeared in my head, though now it was like before. "Humanity doesn't really have a word for what I would be, so for simplicity's sake just call me by whatever I currently appear."
Oh, well, that made it convenient at least. What exactly had happened while I was out of it? I remembered things... that I didn't really know what to make of, to be honest. Everything had been distorted like in some fever dream. In that world where I had been, the environment and the people had been twisted into arcane shadows of themselves, some on the precipice of fading into nothingness.
Uriel, even in my body, had been like a giant, no, a God among ants. And with every step he had restored and aided them, his every breath revitalizing a fading world. The sight, even compared to what else I had seen of him so far, had been awesome in every sense of the word.
"It's called the Nevernever. Or what is left of it here anyway." The angel sighed. "Also please do not call me God. There is only one worthy of that term and I am not."
Well, alright I guess. I still didn't know how to feel about the whole God business but if Uriel was any indication he probably was a decent fellow. Maybe... even someone worth praying to.
Hold on - what happened with Dad?
"Your father is well. We have dealt with all his injuries and he should be at most hours away from waking up. We also healed and otherwise helped five hundred and sixty-two more people. Then I left, along with the PRT who were already waiting for us outside, after we helped those in need at the doors of the hospital."
I was admittedly a little bit speechless after that. Five hundred and sixty-three people total. Jesus Christ, that was something I needed some time to process. As the cherry on top, Dad was fine as well. Wait, had Uriel said "we"?
"I am saying we, because this was only possible because of you enabling me the use of this hour. I, well, also did use a small part of your soul to fuel it."
You did WHAT?
I could feel my mental image of Uriel raising his hands in a disarming manner.
"I used some of your soul because the alternative would have been using purely my own power, and funneling even more of me through your physical body may very well have had irreversible consequences. You should be feeling some of the lesser effects now already." I couldn't help but wince. Yeah, I sure did notice that. "It is a mere fraction of what you'd experience if I hadn't endeavored to diminish the impact. Your body needs time to recover, before we could have me help you again in any substantial manner. Your soul itself is quite sturdy and has already recovered. It has in fact grown thanks to the good deeds you have done or contributed to today."
Wait, so by being a nice, helpful girl, I grow stronger as an angel?
There was a momentary silence from Uriel.
"... In a certain manner, yes. But I feel you are missing the point of that he-"
Cool! Well, I knew what I had to do for these next weeks and months then. Leaning back I smiled despite the pain. It was good to tease him from time to time.
...
The first hero that "greeted" me on my way to the rig, escorted by a fairly large force of PRT troopers, was once again Dragon. The world's finest Tinker appeared in her usual suit, though she was silent for now unlike last time. Outside of her I could see no other cape. It was awfully weird, and everyone seemed more than a little tense.
And it took me only one use of Intellectus to find out why. The various heroes and hero-aligned capes, most of them freshly out of Master/Stranger containment, were moved from the Rig to avoid them potentially falling under the influence of a powerful master like they suspected me to be. Well, I guess I could see how they could come to that conclusion, not knowing what my scream and my or Uriel's compelling was.
Still, they took it a bit far, didn't they? Going by Intellectus, they had moved everyone nonessential out of the Rig and I wouldn't be surprised if they had installed several failsaves into the shields and systems of the PRT Headquarters should I prove to be hostile. In fact, yes they did!
I didn't know if I should feel insulted by the assumption that I'd behave like that, or charmed that they thought I was dangerous enough to demand such treatment, especially since they were hilariously overestimating my "Master" ability.
I wasn't that dangerous right?
"Now? No. But in the future something like this wouldn't even register as proper precautions against you."
Awesome! I was going to be a major asskicker! Well, kinda obvious with Uriel in my head, but confirmation was always sweet.
"Nephalem?" Dragons voice tore me out of my inner imaginations. The tinker had touched down before me, just some ten meter away. "I am here to inform you on how you are to act. Any actions in violation of those rules will result in us having to treat you as hostile, do you understand?" She sounded almost sad at that and the notion of being an enemy of the PRT was more than enough to get my attention. That was the last thing I wanted.
"I understand." And for once I looked down, feeling something like shame creep up on me. These were the heroes, the good guys. That they felt they had to act like this... Maybe I did act too rashly yesterday. On the other hand, if I hadn't I wouldn't have saved all those women and girls the ABB had kidnapped. Or couldn't have helped Eun-Kyung. Or all those people at the Memorial hospital that Uriel had helped. No, my actions had been the right ones. "Also, it's, uh, Nephilim." I corrected Dragon almost as an afterthought. Nephalem was the plural for what I was. Little naming fuck-up on my end the first time around.
"Very well." The woman sighed. "You are forbidden from making use of your powers within the Rig, outside of explicit authorization. This includes any Mover, Shaker, Tinker, Striker, Shaker, Master, Breaker, Thinker or Stranger abilities you may possess. Excluded are any abilities that protect your identity as of now or abilities that you cannot turn off." She quickly added the last part when I moved to protest. "I am sorry, but your previous actions and conflict with the PRT as well as damage caused by your actions make these necessary. Any agreement on your part will be recorded."
That actually brought me to stop for a moment. Observing with my surroundings I could see the PRT troopers clutch their weapons tighter. They didn't let it show, but they had to be at least a little scared. It might be that because from the way I had mulched the ABB traffickers and had fought the PRT capes the first time around, they were afraid for their lives because Dragon would probably not be enough to stop me if things came to blows.
To think that me, little Taylor Hebert, could actually stand on the level of Dragon as a combattant, without being laughed out the room? That was a dizzying thought, though probably more than a little arrogant - she was the greatest Tinker in the world after all. Not even mentioning that I wouldn't strike at random folk with the intent to kill if they hadn't first shown themselves to be unworthy of life.
"I agree," was my simple answer. I was here to clear any misunderstandings and complications between me and the PRT. No point in being needlessly confrontational. Dragon just nodded and led the way.
When we entered the Rig my eyes confirmed what Intellectus had already told me. Normally, the Rig was filled with civilian personnel, with even a store for visitors. Now it was pretty much deserted. The friendly people at the entrance were replaced by heavily armed troopers, the place looking quite empty despite their menacing presence.
It was kind of depressing in a way. I had been to the Rig before, when I had been just a child with Mom and Dad to see some of the local Wards and Heroes. I even had worn my Alexandria t-shirt and all.
Oh how the times change.
Dragon was silent as she escorted me in, though I knew that she and everyone else here was ready to act at a moment's notice should I do something out of line. Sheesh, I had riled up the PRT more than I thought. Were you sure I wasn't about to get into trouble, Uriel?
"No. This is just posturing. Not even particular good posturing." The angel made a sound that was vaguely like an amused snort. "They want to intimidate a teenage girl by showing their numbers and a hero that already made contact with you but isn't in danger of being mastered by you. It would probably fail to work even if you didn't have me along with you." He let out a soft chuckle. "I've seen far better."
Huh, that made sense, but - wait, why was Dragon immune to a potential master? Was she piloting that suit from some remote location or had she some defences installed? I for a moment wanted to ask Intellectus, before reconsidering. Whatever reason it was, I doubted the woman would appreciate me using my thinker abilities to violate her privacy. I certainly wouldn't.
"So, how do things go from here onwards?" My question was directed at pretty much everyone within the room, but only Dragon answered.
"Seeing as you accumulated dozens of counts of various felonies and crimes over the last 24 hours, you are in a highly difficult situation and may be classified a villain as a consequence of your actions." Her words hung in the air as the situation became notably tenser. Troopers fidgeted around me and I thought I could see some nerves even in Dragon's posture, or at least in her suit's stance. I couldn't help but laugh.
"No you won't. The PRT isn't willing to waste an ability like Intellectus just because I killed some ABB human traffickers. I know that." I made it clear in my voice that there was no sense in trying to deny it. "You know it's a pretty shoddy idea, trying to intimidate someone, who can know everything currently happening?"
I could also see that around me, the various troopers' hands shifted closer to their triggers. My goodness, did they really think I was a moment away from attacking or mastering them? I was about to dispel their concerns, but Dragon was faster.
"Depending on your choices... You are right, the PRT is willing to grant you amnesty for your actions." She continued with a sigh. "Conditions for this are that you will not act against the PRT in any hostile manner, that you will assist the PRT in crisis and that you will submit to PRT power testing. Lastly, you will need to follow training in order to avoid mass collateral damage such as what you have already caused."
Well, that didn't sound that bad.
"Just to make sure, this doesn't put me in some PRT team or organisation right?" I suspiciously reminded.
"No, until you decide to join one of these, you will merely be registered as an associated cape, and as such will not have to follow the regulations PRT capes normally are under. You will also be compensated for your services. More can be agreed to later." Dragon clarified.
All in all, I could need the professional training. I didn't want to accidentally harm anyone innocent. "Okay, I'm in."
And so, I was.