Quiescis 2.5

I couldn't help but shake off some feeling of disapproval directed at me as I accompanied Dragon through the rig and it didn't take me long to guess its origin.

"You agreed too quickly with them." Uriel's voice was calm and clear as always, but I could still detect a faint sense of annoyance from him."This was just a mortal agreement under mortal rules, so it isn't nearly as impactful as it could have been. Still, it was foolish."

What, why? And what did he mean by "mortal rules?"

"Mortal rules are empty constructs bound by nothing but temporary creations such as what you call laws." He shook his head. "Negligible in their actual boundaries. A parody of what rules and laws are actually like."

That... was a pretty nihilistic take, one I wouldn't have expected from him. What were true laws then?

"The law of time. Of gravity. The laws of causality and paradox and even higher rules that bound even beings like me and my brethren for eons. Nigh immutable pillars of reality, of creation, that is what laws are. And laws like these also oversee any deal or pact that a supernatural being like me - or what you are becoming - undertakes."

So what precisely do you want to tell me?

"That you need to be substantially more careful when agreeing to deals. You are not yet at that level, but when supernatural beings, especially ones of the calibre of angels, make agreements, it holds a great weight for all parties involved. It's a covenant that binds a chunk of your being, of your nature. You have to be very, very careful about what kind of agreements and deals you take."

For once the calm in his voice had been replaced by a strained insistence and I couldn't do anything but agree. It was probably best to listen to his advice, if that matter was such a big thing for angels. After all, I technically counted as one now, didn't I?

"What are we going to do now, Dragon?" I turned my attention from Uriel to the Tinker moving beside me. "The Rig is pretty much empty outside of you and the troopers. I don't think you're bringing me to talk with someone important, right?"

The situation was actually a little vexing. I had expected to meet the other heroes of the PRT here, but since they weren't here, I couldn't apologize to them for the inconvenience I caused them, on top of the agony from me lashing out with my will. That had to have been pretty hard on them as well.

"You know this because of your Thinker ability - you called it Intellectus?"

"Yup."

Dragon let out a small giggle at my flippant answer. "We are on our way to the power testing area. Out of concern for your possibly uncontrolled Master abilities, the tests, as well as any other procedures at hand, will be entirely conducted by me."

"That's because you're not piloting the suit, right? Since you're not actually here, and because of that not in any danger." I guessed out loud, but judging from how she froze for a moment, it seemed I had hit the nail on the head.

"Nephilim, please refrain from using your Intellectus on heroes and such. I understand being curious, but any information you find out with this ability has the potential to be either highly private, confidential or classified, or worse, all at the same time." Dragon warned. "Depending on what, precisely, you find out, the PRT might have to see it as a violation of our contract, and react accordingly."

Somehow the sheer idea of me breaking my contract made me feel sick, a nasty kind of discomfort rising in my stomach just at the prospect. I forced it down.

"I didn't. I just guessed." I didn't quite pout but getting told off by one of my favourite heroes was still a bit of a sobering new experience. "I know that I should avoid it."

"Either way, it is understandable that a fresh trigger like you would be excited about using her abilities, all capes usually are, so you are probably not going to get in too much trouble about it."

She stopped in front of a pretty thick steel door and began to type a code into a hidden board, and a couple moments later it opened, allowing the both of us to step in. "How do you feel, Nephilim?"

"How am I? Well, uh, a bit exhausted and hungry. Just had some bacon and omelet to eat." Why did she ask me that though?

"Do you want some food from the local Rig cantine? One of the officers here should be able to deliver it to you without much issue."

"No, no, I think I'm good."

"Well enough to be able to help me with some tests? It concerns your abilities."

Oh, so that was what this was about. "I think I can do that. It shouldn't be too much of a hassle. For what reason, um, do you need to know my powers?" She had told me about that before and I couldn't help but feel a bit queasy about just showing some stranger, even if that stranger was Dragon, what my powers were. I personally blamed the numerous stories on the matter I have come across from time to time where a villain used a hero's powers against them. Still I couldn't help but feel a little stupid about asking her that. Of course she needed to know my powers. I was less of a potential threat that way.

"Knowledge about your abilities will be essential to discern the possibilities concerning future actions, such as potential actions against villains and coordinated cooperation with other cape teams." Her answer was succinct and precise. "It will of course be limited to what you are currently comfortable with." A display snapped up from her arm and she typed something into it. "If you are ready, I'd like to start off with a few questions. Everything you say and do until the end of these tests is going to be recorded in order to help us better understand your powers. This means that several scientists and specialists under the employment of the PRT will also be watching through a number of remote cameras." She coughed. "Are you ready?"

I couldn't think of a reason to delay so I quickly nodded.

"Very well. Can you please tell us what your powers are? As far as you know of them so far. Presentation and tests will follow afterwards."

"Oh, well..." I scratched my head awkwardly, scrapping my fingernail over one of the eyes on my head that itched a little. "Well, as you can see I have 6 wings and 777 eyes all over my body, including my mouth and nose. I can use my wings to fly and to hit pretty hard. Plus both are a lot more durable than you'd think they'd be." Especially the eyes. Having a fingernail poking them went pretty much unnoticed.

Dragon for her part just nodded. "I see. Is your normal body also stronger and more durable?" She asked, before making some note on her display when I shook my head.

"Then I can, uh, teleport. I don't really know the 'how' though. I can try asking Intellectus abo-'' I suddenly shuddered and stopped at Uriel's interjection.

"It works roughly by me freeing you from the local stream of time and shifting you somewhere new with my will. It effectively removes time as a factor from your movement. Do not try to ask Intellectus about it. Your mind can not yet handle that."

Oh.

"It makes time a non-factor for my movement." I quickly told Dragon, noting the concerned "expression" on her suit. It was just simulated of course, but given what I knew about the tinker so far, she may have genuinely been disturbed by my mid-sentence pause and how I stood there silent and semi-frozen like an idiot.

Oh Christ, I looked and behaved like an idiot in front of Dragon!

The Tinker in question meanwhile ignored my little personal crisis and typed some more into the display. "You used your Thinker ability to find that out?"

"I... yes?" I hoped my lie was convincing enough, since I could hardly tell her where I got the actual information from, at least not without sounding like a lunatic. Whether she bought it or not, the metal suit in front of me made no comment and just kept typing.

"Did you encounter any issues with your Mover abilities so far? Places you couldn't enter? Strain on your body?"

"Well, it, uh, does start to hurt my body after a while." And pretty badly at that!

"Define hurt. Any injuries? Phantom pains? How severe?" The questions came in quick succession, aiming at various rather critical details. I did my best to answer them and she again typed into her display. "I'm sorry that you had to experience that. Believe me, the PRT will do it's best to help you use your powers in a healthier and less painful manner."

I just shrugged at her assurance. It would be nice, sure, but ultimately the things the people I had helped had to endure beforehand made my suffering nothing more than a pittance in comparison.

"Now as to the, well, light you used to destroy the containment foam and what you used to help the people at the Memorial Hospital. Are they different uses of the same power or two powers that merely look very similar?"

"It's called soulfire and it's the same." My mind went back to those times, how I had acted and what it did. "I don't know how to call it up yet or how to control it. It simply reacted to my emotions and was suddenly there." I did consider about simply querying Intellectus about it, but I suspected that soulfire was one of those things I shouldn't ask. It wouldn't be the first time that Intellectus showed me something I didn't want to know.

Again, pictures of Eun-Kyung flashed past my inner eye and I couldn't help but shudder, flinching in disgust and revulsion before shaking my head. I could have saved the young girl right there and then. I didn't. It was like I was still there as if I could see that animal in human skin grab her, hear her cries, how afraid she was, the pain she was in, how he - oh God...

I barely had the presence of mind to stop myself from lashing out, halting my wings from tearing through Dragon's suit and destroying whatever was inside. The hero for her part didn't flinch back, despite the massive wing tip that had barely stopped inches away from her face. Or maybe she did and I just couldn't see it, what with all the metal and wires being in the way.

"Are you okay, Nephilim?" The voice that came out that metal face was soft, almost motherly. It didn't show a hint of fear from her, only compassion. "You didn't respond to any verbal commands and you were hyperventilating." The woman stepped back. "You were also beating around with your wings," True, there were some torn lengths of cement and steel around me, "I had to touch you to get you out of it. I apologize for that."

She what? Why would she apologize for getting my attention that way? Heaven, if the things she said were true, and they probably were, she had to have risked her life to get my attention!

"I, I, thanks. I had... unpleasant memories come up." To say the least. To think that I acted like that just because of remembrance, it was terrible. What if that happened later? What if I had hurt someone?

"I had guessed so. Do you need to take a pause or some medicine? I can get everything you need in that later case and don't worry," a warm note filled the tinker's voice. "I'd fit the bill for that. I know that certain medicine can get rather expensive."

Why was she so nice? Surely she wanted something from me?

"No, no need for that. I'm, I'm, " Breathe in, breathe out. "I'm okay." I felt how my body began to slowly calm down as those horrible memories were pushed away by the gentle hands of an angel. "You don't... want to know what memories I am talking about? Why am I acting crazy?" Surely she had to know those, right?

Dragon just shook her head. "Nephilim, you were having a panic attack, possibly from a traumatic experience, I'd never do something as irresponsible as asking you to recite just what caused that." I could basically feel the sad smile that accompanied that sentence. "What I can do is direct you towards our professional therapist."

"You have a therapist here?" I asked, surprised.

"Well yes, the high risk and stress situations PRT operatives undergo as well as the traumatic experiences many capes have experiences makes him very necessary." She sighed, before continuing. "Now, if only people would actually go to him..." Her voice sounded more than a little frustrated at the end there.

Well, go figure. I looked at Dragon for a moment or two, ruminating, evaluating what I should do and answer, before letting out a small groan as I reached a conclusion. She deserved to know, at the very least.

"My thinker power, Intellectus, it makes me understand things. Truly and utterly. You surely know about the human trafficking the ABB does, right. Or no, human trafficking makes it sound too nice." I spat out. "They sell people as slaves, as meat to be used and to be broken." I just barely noticed how my hands tightened into fists, my fingernails pressing against the large eye on my palm. Dragon, for her part, only nodded, the joy she had seemingly carried herself with before was gone, replaced by a great and terrible bitterness almost emanating from her.

"When a certain little girl, a Korean who was sold out by those that dared called themselves her defender, I asked Intellectus about her fate. It showed me, made me understand what had happened to her, what was being done to her." I felt a faint pain flash open from my hands as I had pressed my fingers so hard against the eye there that the fingernails had begun to split the surface, with blood beading out.

"It. Made. Me. Understand." Oh and how it had made me understand. Every terrible detail, every dreadful sensation, I had understood it. "When I got to the bastard in question I made him suffer." My throat was suddenly dry and no matter how much I swallowed, I couldn't get rid of that feeling. "I tore through his guards, the men who had stood aside knowing what he was doing." I wasn't even looking in Dragon's direction. I didn't want to see how she reacted. "He had a tinker weapon, probably from the Empire 88. He looked like he belonged among them." I could still see the scene before me, across my many, many eyes. How the monster's arrogance turned to fear, how he begged, how he had bargained. "I kept him alive till the end. By the time I had gone through all his guards and defences he had soiled himself and began to beg for his life. He weeped and offered me things." So many terrible things. "I dismembered him, before crushing his skull between my wings like an overripe fruit." It hadn't even been particularly hard. I just laid the tips of two of them around his face and then pushed them inward. It went through him like through pudding.

"Than I picked Eun-Kyung from his basement." I was openly sobbing now, all the memories flooding in. "I could have saved her before, you know? It has been weeks after I had first seen, and had first understood what was happening to her. Two weeks, I had suppressed it, as my own cowardice and weakness forced a girl to suffer so much. I… No more." Something moved inside me, like liquid fire that burned through my veins and bones.

"No more." I repeated. "No longer. I will not allow my cowardice to cause harm to the people of this city any longer." My voice was different, I couldn't exactly describe it, it was... more, in the basest sense. "Those who are innocent and helpless in this city, I will protect, those who seek to help those, I will aid, those who feel the darkness, I will redeem and those who can not be redeemed, I will smite!"

I only noticed after a couple moments how quiet Dragon had become. Not just because she was not talking anymore, no. Something about her stance and the way she held herself, it was as if she had suddenly tensed up considerably.

"So, do we continue the testing?" It was a bad way to restart our conversation, even I could recognize that, but the way she was staring at me made me distinctly uncomfortable.

"I ... Yes, certainly." The prior warmth that accompanied the tinkers words was missing now.