If my estimations are right, we're about halfway through this epic! Things are heating up ^_^
The news is abuzz. Everything everywhere is about Sinner and the vigilantes that doomed the city; the Light Brigade. Officer Damon may not have brought the heat on them too badly when they were transporting the Triple Six drug dealer to Wardens Australis, but he certainly made sure everyone knew it was them that turned in Sinner. Charles Sinclair, speaking on behalf of the Wardens, has been especially vocal about how vigilantes like them are the true forces of evil in the city.
Being part of a well-known vigilante team isn't anything new to Anna; the Knights Errant were a popular, well-established group in LA. But the rest of the team is new to being vigilantes in general. So now that people actually know who they are they're getting more attention. Which, in a place like San Domenico, isn't necessarily a good thing. While out patrolling just in the last few days people have thrown things at them, called them a slew of creative and unpleasant names, and even some petty criminals they've come across have put up a fight instead of just running.
It's the early afternoon and Anna sits in her living room scrolling through the news on her phone. She found a way to look at all of the San Domenico based publications in one place and filter out things like politics, sports, and other topics that don't really matter to her. She scrolls by the articles about Sinner; there's nothing there she hasn't seen already. Apparently, Siphon has been out of town dealing with a villain who took up residence at an old nuclear power plant. Interesting. More headlines about vigilantes being the scourge of San Domenico, blah blah blah. Huh, what's this?
She clicks on an article in a neighborhood paper, the headline reads 'Disturbance at the dump.' Local residents have been complaining for weeks about nighttime disturbances at a junkyard in Earring Inlet and are frustrated that cops are doing nothing about it. A quote from the local precinct has a standard line about investigating and finding 'no sign of criminal activity.' Even the owner, who they managed to get a hold of, is baffled about what's causing the noise. The author doesn't offer any answers, just lots of increasingly ridiculous questions. Is it haunted, as the article suggests? No. Some sort of power at play? Maybe. Sounds like it could be interesting to look into. Pulling up her messages, she texts the team to see if anyone is up for a patrol tonight.
Locking her phone, Anna pushes herself off the couch. Her weekly coaching with Phantom is today and they're going to be doing some hand-to-hand combat and defensive exercises. He's good with offense, not so much with defense. Plus, she wants to see if his power translates to his feet and kicking at all. It may not, but it's worth exploring. This is probably the part of her new business that she's most excited about. She really enjoyed helping Leopold explore his power and figure out his purpose. Phantom already has a ton of drive, he just needs to hone his skills.
Grabbing some workout clothes out of her dresser, she peels off her pajamas and pulls on the stretchy capris and t-shirt. She shoves her sneakers on her feet and grabs a duffle as she heads out the door. Normally she would run to a training session, but she has to swing by the office to pick up her helmet before meeting him in the Gouge, so she climbs in the car. It takes her about 15 minutes to get to Mirror Image and recover her helmet and then another 25 to get to the Gouge. She's a few minutes early, but it gives her time to stretch out and warm up a little. With her helmet on of course. She checks her phone before stowing it in the glove compartment. Looks like Dakota is close to cracking the anti-blood bullets and wants to keep working, but Po'boy and Leopold are up for patrolling. Maybe she'll just let them take this one and try to catch up on some sleep tonight.
A few minutes before their meet time a silver sedan pulls up next to her car. Phantom climbs out of the car, fully decked out in his updated costume. His outfit is still predominantly black with neon green accents, but he looks much more polished now. His black cargo pants have been replaced by tighter fitting, padded pants. He still wears a long sleeve shirt with green piping on the seams, but he now sports a black, hardened leather vest over top, giving him some extra protection. His mask, though, is the biggest improvement. It's more of a helmet now, but it's low profile and has skeletal features molded into it with ghostly, neon green eyes. Very intimidating. Maybe a little creepy for a vigilante, but his personality definitely offsets it.
He spots Mirage and waves as he walks over. "Hey! This place is neat, how'd you find it?"
She shrugs. "Lots of quiet places around if you know how to look." One thing she's learned as Mirage; when all else fails, be cryptic. Makes it seem like you know way more than you do.
Phantom nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah. So, what are we up to today?" He pulls one arm across his chest, stretching it out, then the other.
"Today we're going to work on defense. You throw a pretty mean punch, but you need to be able to defend yourself if someone sends one your way. So, we'll do a round of sparring, go through some specific techniques, then spar again." She grabs her duffle bag out of the back seat of her car. Dropping the bag on the ground, she unzips the top and pulls out a set telescoping batons, Crusade and Glade's. She considered going back and getting the longsword she admired for occasions like this, but it would be a little too obvious to risk someone connecting Mirage and Crusade. She flicks her wrists as she stands, extending the batons.
He looks at the batons and then back up at her. He rubs one arm, acting a little sheepish. "No offense, I'm sure you know how to handle yourself, but you sure that's a good idea? I just…don't want to hurt you."
Mirage smiles under her helmet and chuckles, the voice modulation making the sound a little glitchy. "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be just fine. You ready? Or do you want to warm up some more?"
Phantom bounces on the balls of his feet as he walks towards her. "Nah, I'm good. Let's do it!" He falls into a firm fighting stance, arms up in front of him.
With a steadying breath, she darts towards him. She raises her batons and swings them, probing his defenses. She's landing most of her blows because he just stands his ground, arms absorbing most of the hits. He's protecting his face well, but he's leaving everything else vulnerable. She switches her grip on one of the batons and spins as she crouches, hitting him in the knee. She comes back up and slams the butt of the other baton into his stomach. He coughs and stumbles backwards a little, grabbing his abdomen.
"I was not expecting that." He wheezes as he takes a deep breath.
"Being able to stand your ground is fantastic, but you'll last longer in a fight if you dodge. Instead of just guarding your face and taking the abuse, try avoiding the hit entirely." He nods and, with a controlled breath, puts his arms back up. This time when Mirage gets in close he keeps his arms more relaxed and stance looser. She swings a baton at him a little slower than she usually would and he dodges to the side. She swings again and he ducks under the strike. "Good, let's pick up the pace." She twirls the batons in her hands and starts attacking him again, swinging the batons at every part of him. He's doing a much better job of dodging, but now that he's trying to be lighter on his feet he's leaving himself open, his arms almost down. That's what they'll do drills on, try and find a happy medium.
She pulls back, panting heavily. Breathing is a lot harder in this helmet. Not that she's hurting for oxygen, the air is just heavier and moister. Not great for active combat. Looks like Phantom might be experiencing the same issue; his chest heaves as he leans over and rests his hands on his knees.
"Ok." He squeezes the words out between breaths. "I take it back. You can absolutely handle yourself."
Mirage barks a laugh as she collapses her batons and reaches into her duffle again. "Told you not to worry." She pulls out a water bottle and tosses it to Phantom before grabbing her own reusable water bottle with a straw. She takes a few sips and tries to bring her heartrate back down. "That was good, you were dodging really well. We're going to do some drills to try and get you comfortable with dodging and blocking. Once you're comfortable with that, I want to try something new."
He tilts his head a little. "Something new?"
She nods. "I can't be sure, we'll have to do some testing, but I think you might have some growth potential with your power. We're going to try kicking."
Mirage can't see Phantom's face, but she can certainly hear him gasp. His hands fly up and he grabs either side of his head. "Oh my god! You think I can use my power kicking? I never even thought about trying that. Can we do that first?!"
A smile a mile wide breaks onto her face; this kid is so enthusiastic. "If you want, sure, we can try that first." She drops the water bottle on the duffle. "I just want to caveat; this may not work. And if it does, it'll take a while to be as strong as your punches. Ok?"
His head shakes up and down so vigorously she's surprised his helmet doesn't just fly off his head. "No, yeah, totally get it."
"Ok then. Let's get to work." She sits on the ground cross legged and gestures for Phantom to do the same. He settles on the ground a few feet in front of her, wiggling a little to get into a comfortable position. "How do you use your power?"
His voice sounds confused through the helmet. "I punch."
Mirage shakes her head. "No, that's not what I mean. That's the physical movement you make, but there's another part to it. Something you do to turn a normal punch into a powered punch. Something you control, maybe without even thinking about it. What does that feel like?"
Phantom looks down at his hands, holding them up a little, clenching and unclenching them. After a moment, he shrugs. "I don't know."
"If you want to try and figure out how to improve your power or find new ways of using it, you have to understand how it works. Not on a physics level or anything like that. How do you make your power happen?" She gestures to him. "Try some things out, explore, see what you feel."
He slowly gets up, still examining his hands. Falling back into a fighting stance, he throws a few punches, the ghostly green echo shooting out from his fists. He pauses, looking at his fists again, before trying a few more.
Mirage smiles sadly to herself. This is exactly the kind of training her dad did with her after she got her power. She was so frustrated for weeks after her trigger, she couldn't figure out how to make her power work when she wanted it to, it just kind of did on it's own. He helped her figure out the intention behind creating her walls and then, eventually, how to make them bigger, stronger, last longer. When Sophia got her power, their mom mostly handled her since their powers were so similar. She wishes her dad could see her now, how much her power has changed, how similar it is to his.
"Ok, I think I've got something." She snaps out of her zoning and back to her…student? "You know how when you, like, gather air in your cheeks and whoosh it all out at once? I'd show you, but, you know." He points to his helmet.
She nods. "I get what you're going for."
He holds up a fist. "It kind of feels like that, like gathering…something. Maybe energy or focus? And just pushing it out as I punch. I guess I never thought about it because it's so similar to the feeling of actually punching."
Mirage stands. "That's completely understandable. But now you know what the feeling is, it'll be easier to play around with it. Maybe work on gathering more energy, or pushing it out farther. Who knows what's possible? But right now, we're going to try and do that same thing in your feet."
Phantom nods. "Ok, in my feet. Got it." He almost does a squat and looks at his feet. He holds that for almost a whole minute before he grunts and relaxes, standing back up straight. "I'm not feeling it."
"That's ok, we'll try something else." She thinks for a moment. He always associated his power with punching, hence his original name, so maybe he just needs to get moving. "Alright, we're going to spar again. Add kicks in, not just punches. They don't need to be pretty, just try and get that same feeling you get in your hands."
He nods and brings his arms up as she extends her batons again. She keeps her distance, letting him make the first move. He kicks at her, his body lurching with the less-familiar movements. She comes in, pushing his leg off to the side, and hits him in the arms. They trade blows back and forth, each time she dances back to give him space to kick at her. Phantom grunts in frustration every time he swings his leg and nothing happens. Just as she's about to suggest they take a break, he throws a front kick at her, missing her with his foot, but just barely hitting her with a tiny, green echo in the shape of his boot.
Phantom gasps and points to the space between them. "OH MY GOD DID YOU SEE THAT?!"
She nods, an excited laugh coming out. "Yeah I did! That was awesome!"
He whoops and throws his arms in the air, sprinting around the clearing yelling "I DID IT!" over and over. She watches him, a big smile under her helmet, until he comes to a stop next to her, panting. "This is amazing. I can kick!"
She claps him on the back once. "I knew you had it in you."
Nearly vibrating with excitement, he turns towards her. "I wanna do it again! Can we keep working on it?"
Mirage nods. "Yeah, just take a quick breather."
With new inspiration, they do some drills to start incorporate kicking into his fighting style. Caught up in the excitement of it all, Mirage doesn't realize how late it's getting until she starts having trouble tracking Phantom in his all-black costume. Shit! She was supposed to meet up with Leopold and Po'boy!
"Looks like we lost track of the time. I actually need to get somewhere. Excellent work today! Next week we'll just meet in the office."
Phantom all but collapses onto the ground, exhausted. "Sounds good, coach!" He gives her a thumbs up before his arm falls back to the grass.
Gathering up her stuff she hops in the car and pulls her phone out of the glove box. She's got a bunch of texts and missed calls. Both Leopold and Po'boy left voicemails for her too. Looks like they went out without her. That's fine, they can handle themselves. She shoots them a quick text letting them know her session with Phantom went long and to let her know how it goes.
Dropping her phone on the passenger seat, Anna pulls her helmet and mask off and stuffs them in her duffle, then makes her way home. She didn't realize how tired she was until she actually sat down. Her muscles ache and she'll definitely have a few new bruises tomorrow. But most of all she's starving. She hasn't eaten in like 12 hours. Luckily they have some leftovers at home.
She pulls up to their building and slowly climbs the stairs. Finally back home, she drops her duffle on the ground and heads straight for the fridge. Oooh, left over shepherd's pie will do just fine. While the food heats up in the microwave, she grabs a glass and fills it with water. She peers over at Leopold's room; his door is open, must still be out with Po'boy. It's still early for a patrol night.
The machine beeps and she grabs the food, not bothering to check if it's done. She takes her haul over to the couch and sets it down on the coffee table before turning on the TV and sinking into the comfy cushions. Man it's been a long day. Anna flips through the channels a bit before landing on a funny movie that's already part of the way through. It's ok, though, she's already seen it. She digs into her barely room temperature meal and relaxes. She polishes off the filling dish and sets the empty container on the coffee table.
Full and satisfied, Anna shimmies lower on the couch, resting her head on a pillow shoved up against the arm. It's not long before her lids start to get heavy and she dozes off.
She's startled awake by a thud. Her eyes snap open and she sits up, looking around. She spies Leopold just inside the front door and relaxes. "Jeez, you scared me! What time is it?" She yawns and stretches her neck out.
"Just after one."
Leopold's tone makes her turn back. He's upset about something, angry or annoyed. She flips off the TV and gathers her stuff. "How did patrol go?" Standing from the couch, she heads towards the kitchen.
Her roommate avoids eye contact with her and shrugs. "Fine. It was a kid, we took him to the school."
She huffs a laugh as she drops the dishes in the sink and faces him, leaning on the counter. "Wait, really? You figured it out in one night? That's awesome! What was he doing? Why was he there? Gimme the details."
Leopold shrugs again, drifting off towards his room. Her partner has been acting extra closed off the last few days, since they turned Sinner over to the Wardens. She knows he was saying something that was making Leopold very upset, but he hasn't talked to her about it at all. Every time the topic of Sinner comes up he clams up and retreats into himself. She really wants to know what happened, but she knows him; he's content to keep it bottled up to himself. Maybe if she tries a roundabout tactic she can get him to open up.
Anna puts on a casual smile. "Well whatever was going on, I'm glad you guys were able to help him. Must have been scary for him. According to that article, these disturbances have been going on for weeks."
Her roommate stops and nods, a little life coming into his features. "Yeah, he was really scared. If it weren't for P-Po'b-Po'boy we may not have been able to get him to settle d-down."
She nods. "Did you see Dakota while you were at the base? I've been a little worried about her."
Leopold shakes his head. "She was there, b-but she was wor-was working." His eyes narrow in confusion. "Why are you worried?"
"She's got a lot going on. Catching Sinner was a big part of her mission, but she's still got a few more names to check off her list. Plus, she was really agitated with what he said to her, I just hope she's not letting it get to her." She tries to keep her expression neutral, not giving him a pointed look or anything.
His eyes flick back towards the ground and he shifts his weight from foot to foot. "I-I haven't noticed any-anything." He fiddles with his fingers a little.
"What about you?"
Eyes glued to the floor, he shrugs. "Nothing I haven't told my-told myself a hundred times." He sighs and slumps to the ground, resting his back on the wall and drawing his knees in. "What if I-what if I'm not cut out for this? I want to help p-p-people, b-but maybe I shouldn't." He drops his head and hides his face in his arms.
Anna's heart breaks seeing him like this. She crosses the apartment and sits next to him, legs crossed. Gently, she places an arm around his shoulders. When he doesn't pull away or wince, she pulls him closer and rests her head on his. He probably doesn't know she heard at least some of what Sinner said, but it's not tough to see that he's still adjusting to this life, that he was more comfortable before. But he's doing a lot of good, and he's a great vigilante.
"I don't know if there is a difference between wanting to and whether or not you should. Well, ok. If your power is to set everything in a 50 ft radius around you on fire then maybe you shouldn't go out and try to help people. But that's not you. You can help people. So, if you want to, then you do. If you don't, that's ok too. There's nothing saying you have to do this. You have to do what you think is best." She pauses to take a breath, trying to keep her emotions in check. She wants him to stay, wants him by her side. But she has to let him decide.
Leopold takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Is-is it really that simple?"
Anna shrugs. "As far as I'm concerned, yeah. Choosing to do the right thing isn't always easy, but it's always the best choice."
After a long moment, he pulls away a little and looks over at her. "D-d-did he say anything to you?"
Anna nods but looks away, focusing instead on the wall across the apartment. "Yeah, but it didn't really make sense. It didn't make me mad or upset like Dakota, it just…confused me. I don't know, it didn't really effect me." She lets silence fill the space, this time it's a little awkward, though. Sinner's words have been playing over and over in her head. He made it seem like there's this secret desire in her to go around killing every villain she sees. But that's just not true. Cavalry was always like that, but not Anna. Never Anna…
~0~0~
Mirage unlocks the door to her office, plastic bag in hand. She flips on the lights and pushes the door until it stays open on its own. She's running a little behind, but luckily she's here before her first appointment. Her first of two, in fact. The first appointment is with a woman named Prophet who saw her flyer at Cape Corner. The other is a referral from Phantom named Cannis.
She hurries behind her desk and drops the plastic bag on the floor. Reaching down, she pulls her mirrored helmet out of the bag. Just as she shoves it on her head, a woman appears in her doorway. A tall, thin woman with a baggy sweatshirt with the hood up creeps forward. Her face is shadowed by the hood, but Mirage can see her eyes darting this way and that.
"Hi, are you Mirage?"
She nods. "Yes. Prophet, right? Come on in."
Prophet grabs the door and closes it before walking up to the desk. She nervously looks at the phone on the wooden surface. Her eyes flick up to Mirage. "Is that plugged in? You should really unplug your phone, they're always listening. Also cell phones. Cell phones are even worse."
Oh wow, this is going to be a trip. "No, but I can definitely do that. Whatever makes you feel safe." She reaches to the back of the phone and disconnects the line. She pulls her cell phone out of her pocket and switches it off. As she sits, she gestures to one of the chairs. Prophet's eyes flick around a few more times before she sits down. "So, Prophet, what can I do for you?"
Prophet pulls the hood of her sweatshirt back, revealing short dark hair styled into a fauxhawk. She has an eyebrow ring and bags under her brown eyes. She leans forward, her voice is barely a whisper. "He's coming for me."
Mirage mimics her, leaning forward, voice low. "Who's 'he'?"
"My brother." She looks around, eyes wide. "He's coming after me, I know he's trying to get me."
Her eyes narrow. What the heck is she talking about. "Who's your brother?"
Prophet waves a hand. "It doesn't matter, he's just a thinker. But I know he's trying to find me and take me and use my power for himself."
"What's your power?"
"I know what's going to happen and the people who are behind it. I can see the system and the shadow organizations and how everything is connected. What people are really doing behind the lies."
Shit, a precognition thinker. That's amazing. Sounds like she has a…creative spin on things, though. "If your brother is after you why not go to the police or the heroes?"
Prophet's eyes widen and she scoffs. "Are you kidding me?! They're part of the government. They ARE the system! I'm not just going to have them add me to their database and put a tracker in me and make me one of their puppets. No thank you. I need to get off the grid, but I don't have the resources. That's why I need your help."
Mirage tilts her head. "How do you know you can trust me?"
"You're not part of the system. You're outside of it. My power can tell the difference."
Mirage leans back in her chair, eyes narrowing at Prophet a little. This could be some sort an attempt to extort her. Or to try and get information. She needs to be sure she's not opening herself up to a liability, but it's tough to confirm a precog, let alone someone with Prophet's flair. "You're asking a lot from a complete stranger. How do I know I can trust you?"
Prophet's eyes flick down at her fingers. "I'm used to people not believing me. No one ever does. They just can't see like I can." Her lips purse and she looks around, like she's checking for anybody listening. "Ever since I got to San Domenico I've been getting this feeling. People are all the same. No one wants to connect the dots, but that's what I do. I connect dots. The Devil is in our TVs, the police in the city get flipped, a dead man pulling the hero's strings, they're all connected! And the dots always lead towards the same thing; the government. The guy in charge controls it all!"
Mirage's mouth hangs open as Prophet finishes her rant. Her eyes are hopeful, like this will convince Mirage that she's trustworthy. But the truth is, she's just confused. They may be something true in there, but for the life of her she can't tell what it is.
What she can tell is how Prophet is acting. She looks genuinely afraid, like she's had to look over her shoulder for a long time. She knows that feeling, and it's not a pleasant one. This is not what she imagined she'd be doing when she started Mirror Image. She'll have to take some serious precautions, but she can't just leave this poor girl out in the cold.
Getting her off the grid shouldn't be too difficult, they'll just have to find something low key, use aliases, have lots of cash on hand. Maybe a studio with all the utilities included a little outside of the main city near a corner market. The fewer things they have to put a name on the better. As long as she makes time to check up on her, it should be fine. "Ok, I can get you a safe house and help you stay of the radar. Do you have somewhere to stay for a few days while I get things set up?"
She nods. "Yeah, I'm staying at a motel for now. But what if he finds me?"
"Don't worry about that. I have a friend that will check in on you. Plus, I'll give you her number and you can call her if you're in danger."
Prophet's shoulders relax marginally. "Ok ok, that sounds good. How long?"
"Give me a week and I'll have everything ready. We'll meet here, same time."
She nods as she stands. "And if someone comes looking for me, I was never here." Prophet pulls up her hood and hurries out the door.
Mirage slumps in her chair and lets out a deep breath. As if she didn't have enough on her plate, now she's got a paranoid thinker who's being tracked by her thinker brother to worry about. Hopefully she can find something that'll work and not break the bank. On the bright side, that was a short meeting, so she's got a few extra minutes before her next appointment.
She grabs the plastic bag from the floor and pulls out the self waterer she got for her fern. It's a long, glass tube with a bulb at one end. According to the lady at the plant nursery, you just fill up the bulb with water, stick the open end of the tube in the dirt, and the plant takes water as needed until the bulb is empty. For the fern it should last almost 2 weeks. She'll be in and out of here much more than that, but it's one fewer thing on her to-do list.
She pulls a pair of scissors out of her drawer and starts hacking away at the plastic wrapping. Why they always make these things more secure than Fort Knox is beyond her. After 5 minutes and way more trouble than she'd care to admit, the water dispenser is free. Now she just needs to fill it. She gets up from her desk, drops the plastic in the wastebasket, and makes her way to the kitchenette down the hall and the water cooler. Angling the tube so the open end is by the nozzle, she hits the button for cold water. Water pours everywhere but in the tube, dripping onto the floor and onto her hand. She pulls it away quickly and shakes off her hand. Well that was a fail.
She turns to the sink in the corner of the kitchenette. Maybe that will work. Crossing over to the sink, she tries to angle it under the faucet, but the basin is just too shallow. Who has a kitchen sink that's like 6 inches deep? She could make a barrier to help funnel the water, but she shouldn't here, someone could walk up any time. Maybe she'll try the bathroom later. With a sigh she heads back to her office. So much for her extra time. They really should make these things easier to fill.
Back in her space, she puts the plant waterer on the filing cabinet next to the fern on her way back to her desk. She plugs her desk phone back in and turns on her cell. She may as well start researching options for Prophet while she waits for her next appointment. Opening up the search engine, she starts looking for studio apartments on the outskirts of San Domenico. There's not much, things outside the city tend to get bigger and a little more official. Maybe something in a cheaper area of the city?
A knock at the door draws her attention. Looking up, she sees a woman at her office door. She has bright red hair and a black and gold bodysuit that covers the rest of her, save the eyes. She gives a little wave. "Hi, I'm Cannis. I have an appointment with Mirage?"
"That's me. Come on in." Cannis walks in, light on her feet, and sits in the chair. "So, you're a friend of Phantom?"
She nods. "Yeah! Well, kind of. We met at Cape Corner and now we meet up for coffee and trade stories and tips. His costume is a whole lot better now and the other day he would not stop raving about how you helped him improve his power. So I figured if I needed a pointer, you're a good place to start."
Mirage smiles, though her client can't see it. She was really proud of Phantom's progress at their training session, guess he was too. "What kind of help were you looking for, Cannis?"
"Um, well. I'm a vigilante, been trying to work in my neighborhood. But things are tough out there. I was thinking that if I joined a team it might be a little safer. But I don't really know anyone else in the scene. Well, besides Phantom. And he's…ummm…." She fidgets with her fingers a little.
She chuckles. "A bit much to handle in large doses?" Cannis nods and giggles. "That's understandable. Well right now there are two main vigilante groups in the city. There's Cardinal Alliance and the Light Brigade. There's other independent vigilantes, but they tend to work on their own for a reason. What's your power like? What are your goals as a vigilante? The more I know about you the better I can try to match you up with someone else."
Cannis fidgets in her chair a little. "Oh, uh, I turn into a dog. More or less. And I guess I just want to help people? I don't like it when villains take advantage of people weaker than them."
She may be a good match for the Cardinal Alliance; they're down a member, plus her power might vibe with Watchdog. But with the state Lamplighter's in, it may not be the best idea to try and set her up there. Better check in first. "I have a few ideas for you, but I'll need to make some calls. Do you want me to contact you when I land on something or would you rather come back in person?"
"Um…you can just call me." Mirage grabs a notepad and pen and hands it to Cannis. The redheaded vigilante writes down a phone number. Her eyes crinkle like she's smiling as she hands it back. "Thanks! I can't wait to hear back!" With another small wave, she leaves the office.
She'll give Watchdog a call later, right now Mirage has a mission. Getting up from her desk, she grabs the automatic plant waterer again. She is going to figure this out today. Opening the door to the small office until it stays open on it's own, she heads down the hall to the restroom. Luckily, there are single, unisex restrooms instead of large men's and women's. She slips into the room and locks the door. The sink is far too small to fit the tube, as expected, but she has a plan. She holds the waterer outside of the sink and turns the faucet on. She puts a hand under the water and creates a small, angled barrier. Water runs along the v-shaped surface and get funneled directly into the tube. Success! Within a few seconds, the bulb at the end is filled and she dissipates the barrier. With a smile, she unlocks the door and heads back to her office.
She walks over to her fern and fluffs the leaves a little. It seems happy in the window, but is a little crunchy, even after she watered it like two days ago. Good thing she got the waterer. As she tries to find a good angle to insert the tube into the soil, a knock sounds at the door.
She doesn't have any other appointments today, must be a walk in. Mirage turns to see…no…no it can't be. She blinks a few times; maybe she's hallucinating. Please be hallucinating. But no, she doesn't fade or disappear. Her armor glistens and her chestnut brown hair cascades over her shoulders, just like the last time she saw her.
Anna clenches up, trying to keep herself from shaking. Her vision narrows and her ears ring a little. Her heart thunders in her ears and it sounds like galloping hooves. Her brain is screaming for her to run, but she can't. She can't betray anything. Not a twitch. Not a shudder. No hiccup in her voice. Just…keep calm. Thank god for her helmet. Just breathe in…out…in…out.
She's not paying attention and, in an effort to keep her hand from shaking, she squeezes too hard and the glass bulb in her left hand shatters. Water splashes onto the carpet and sharp bits of glass cut into her. The pain doesn't even register through her panic.
Cavalry lurches forward, hands out, eyes full of concern. "Oh my god, are you ok?"
Anna steps back, grabbing her hand. "It's fine, I was just a little startled. Nothing to worry about." She turns and grabs a tissue, pressing it to the cuts on her palm, not even bothering to try and fish out any shards of glass. With the most subtle deep breath she can manage, she turns back. She puts as much of a smile into her voice as she can muster. "Sorry about that. How can I help you?"
Cavalry smiles, charming and disarming. "I'm actually new in town and I was hoping you might be able to help me get oriented." She reaches into the side of her armor and pulls out a sheet of paper; her flyer from Cape Corner. "You may have just the information I'm looking for, Mirage."
She gestures towards a seat, though she knows Cavalry won't sit. "Please, have a seat." She sits in her own chair, trying not to seem overly stiff. "What type of information are you looking for?"
Cavalry doesn't take the offered chair, instead opting to just rest her hands on the back and lean on it. "I was hoping you could help me get a lay of the land, find out more about the villains in San Domenico. I hear there are plenty to go around." She chuckles at her own joke. The light sound that used to make her so happy makes her skin crawl.
"Oh. Well, that's not exactly what I do. I'm not an information broker."
Cavalry's smile falters and her brow creases. "Then what do you do?"
"Mainly train capes, help them find teams, do PR. I'm a consultant."
Her former teammate nods. "Riiiight…right. Well, in that case…" Her green eyes go sharp behind her simple mask and her smile aggressive. "I'm trying to join the Beach Bums. Always been my dream. Know where I can find them? To join, of course."
Anna forces a laugh, and she hopes it sounds natural. "I actually haven't had a chance to work with any of their members, don't have any contacts yet. From what I know, their territory is in Oceanview, but most of their activity is centered on the boardwalk." Cavalry's testing her, trying to see whether or not she can use her to her advantage. But she won't give her anything that will actually help her, nothing she couldn't find out on her own and probably already knows.
Cavalry nods with a slight frown, looking around the office a little. Anna holds her breath, trying to stay as still as she can. Please, please just…go. "Well if you can't help me then I guess I'll be on my way." She taps the back of the seat and straightens. She reaches back into her armor and pulls out a card and drops it on the desk. Cards she made for the team. "If you have something you want to share, call me."
Anna nods and stands. "Will do, thanks for stopping by."
Cavalry holds her hand out for a handshake. Anna hesitates for half a second, squeezing her left hand into a fist to keep from trembling, before taking the hand and giving it a quick, firm shake before pulling it back as fast as she can. Cavalry's eyes narrow minutely before she turns and strides out of the office, armor gently clanking as she goes.
Anna walks around her desk and over to the door as quickly as she can, shoving it closed. She throws the dead bolt and finally tries to take a breath, but finds she can't. She leans against the door and slides to the floor, knees giving out. She rips her helmet off and throws it, trying desperately to get air into her lungs. Tears run down her cheeks and drip onto the floor, or is that sweat? She leans her head back against the door and sobs.
Why? Why is she here? She could have just stayed in LA, but no, they had to move here. Anna was fine pretending she didn't exist, that she wasn't a problem anymore. As long as she stayed in LA. Do they know she's alive? She has to. Why else would she be here? She's in danger. And so's the team. She's put everyone in danger. She has to run, has to get out of the city. Has to get everyone out. Anna won't let them get hurt.
She hunches over and slumps to the floor as the room spins around her. She's trying to get her breathing under control, but she can't. She's hyperventilating and shaking and can't seem to make herself get up. She clenches her eyes shut and scrunches into a ball as well as she can, hugging her knees to her chest.
This isn't you. You can deal with this. Get yourself up and fix it. You can deal with this. Just open your eyes and do it.
After a few minutes talking herself down, Anna opens her eyes and rolls onto her back, releasing her knees. She tries to get her heart rate under control, taking slow, purposeful breaths. Slowly, she pushes herself up to sitting. She needs to make herself think clearly and not just panic. If this is really happening, and it seems like it is, this is just another problem she needs to solve.
There has to be a reason other than her making the Knights move to San Domenico. If it was about her, Cavalry would have come after her directly, not gone to some info broker for intel on the Beach Bums. There must be some reason they're leaving LA. Just have to figure it out.
After a few more minutes on the floor, Anna picks herself up and, on unsteady feet, makes her way over to the desk. Glass crunches under her feet as she passes the fern. Crap, she's going to have to clean that up and get a new bulb for her plant. And fish the glass shards out of her palm. She'll get to it.
Waking up her computer, she opens a new search window and types in 'Knights Errant Los Angeles.' The very first article is new to her, from yesterday's issue of the LA Times. Her eyes bulge as she reads the headline; 'Vigilantes denounced.'
In a shocking turn of events, the office of Los Angeles mayor Raul Valdez issued a statement yesterday denouncing long-time vigilantes, the Knights Errant. In his statement, the mayor cited concerns about growing violence in encounters involving the group, and even fatalities.
"What was once considered an asset and feather in the cap of the great city of Los Angeles has now become a liability. The vigilantes known as the Knights Errant continue to incite increasing violence in our streets, exacting a new brand of deadly justice on anyone they deem guilty of a crime. I have long held that those with powers who are committed to keeping our citizens safe and secure will function with cooperation from police and officials. But, in light of their new behavior, it is the stance of this office and the LAPD that the Knights Errant are no longer aligned with our priorities and will no longer be considered an ally to us. It is my goal to continue working with vigilantes who wish to do good for our community in a constructive, forthright manner."
According to sources at the LAPD, the statement by the mayor is the culmination of a weeks-long campaign by police officials to reclassify the Knights Errant as villains rather than vigilantes. Police Chief Boscoe reported that several officers have been injured by the vigilantes in recent encounters, prompting the switch….
Holy shit. This is…this is a lot. Deadly justice? Cops injured? What the hell did they think was going to happen? Their move has nothing to do with her, they're being run out of LA. Still, even if they're not chasing her, she'll need to be on her guard. In a city like this, they're bound to run into each other sooner or later.