May 13th 2000

I walked into Seattle's PRT headquarters, it was a big blocky, nondescript skyscraper near the Space Needle. The altered tinker tech helicopter let me off, since when you're ten feet tall, everything has to be specially ordered, but when your powerful enough the PRT is willing to do those special orders. The chopper blades slowed down until I could hear again. In front of me was the Seattle Protectorate.

Nine people were waiting for me, capes. Seattle just didn't have as many capes as Brockton Bay did. Ok sure, there were a ton of tinkers, thinkers and other people in the district but they were mostly imported to make sure I didn't, you know go crazy and start killing people. Honestly, I had never talked to them, but these were the actual Seattle capes. A red headed woman walked out, fire burned between her finger tips as she scowled at me.

"I'm Caffeine, the leader of the Seattle Protectorate."

She pointed to a black woman.

"This is Mocha, Venti and Grande, the other grown up members of the local Protectorate and yes, we all have names that reference coffee or tea in some way."

She frowned.

"Our director has a sense of humor, and these five are Jasmine, Earl Grey, French Vanillia, Hazelnut, and Icy... apparently iced coffee is a thing."

Icy waved nervously at me, she strank into her parka as her teammates glared at her.

"I control fire, Mocha is really fast, Venti has an Alexandria package, Grande's a blaster, their married."

Venti put his arm around his wife, who had her hand on his b... really, in public? Opening up my senses I discover that Grande is pregnant, two months in.

Caffeine pointed at a girl in a mime outfit.

"This is French Vanilla, the leader of the Wards, she does force fields."

Another girl dressed up as a belly dancer complete with veil, it was more conservative then it sounded.

"Jasmine is a brute, she's really tough, brute seven by our guess."

"Car accident."

She sounded bored.

Earl Grey stepped up, he was dressed up in a victorian gentleman's outfit.

"Teleporter."

He stepped back and Hazlenut stepped up.

"I can control smoke and mist, it's cooler then it sounds."

Hazelnut looked like some 80s hair band member with a mask. Icy kind of shivered in a blue and white parka.

"Icy."

"I, um am an ice tinker, and um stuff Mr. Ironwood."

She was nervous, shaking, and according to my senses arroused.

"I um really like robots, like a lot and um... A lot."

Ok then, she probably had a crush on one of her teammates.

"Ok, Ironwood is now our team's medic, if you get hurt out in the field he will be in charge of fixing you up."

Icy shuffled her feat..

"Icy transferred here from our San Francisco branch, she'll join the Protectorate proper in a month."

She's just staring at me.

"Um oh yes, I um transferred... to um... Seattle... for... um... reasons... I... um...Hi?"

Her fellow wards sighed in frustration.

"That coat looks... um... really... um... nice."

"She stuttters."

I nodded my head as Icy looked flustered. The other capes just kind of stood around aimlessly.

"Look, guys this is a hard transition for all of us, but Ironwood is going to be a member of the Seattle Protectorate no matter what. So you know, adapt."

Caffeine sighed at me.

"Ok big guy, the word from the Protectorate directors is that your job is to heal people, I will only call you for help if things get bad, I mean really bad. You will get leave from the district once a week, for 24 hours. You will have to be accompanied by a member of the Protectorate at all times during your leave."

She looked at the others.

"If no one volunteers then we will take turns."

She motioned for the others to leave and handed me an envelope.

"Your pay, backpay for your time with us. Apparently you rate the same pay as me, the actual, you know leader of the Seattle branch."

She looked hostile.

"What's wrong?"

"Well a big giant monster occupied my city with an entire army, held it hostage and now I'm expected to work with him and play nice, and oh yes the years I spent busting my ass to get to the top? Well you get the same pay just for showing up. I'm just a touch bitter about the whole thing."

She crossed her arms.

"We're going to the bank, You have a choice, Wells Fargo or Bank of America."

"Nothing else."

"No one else is willing to take your money, then we have to go to the DMV and get your papers in order, talk to immigration, and handle a lot of paperwork. After that the PRT is going to have their thinkers try to organize how Lincoln park, or rather the new special admintration zone is going to be handled."

"Oh.. well, I'll try to help."

"Yeah whatever, go into the little helicopter, we have a very long day ahead of us."

Iron wood May 14th 2000

I was filling out paperwork at the Protectorate DMV, yes we had our own DMV or maybe it was an entirely different thing and they just called what ever handled the process of buracracy the DMV. Caffine, looked irratated as I filled out some more paperwork. I had created my own chair and table. Mostly out of nessity.

"Where did you learn to write?"

"PBS their programing was very englighting, I think I shall donate some of my earnings to them."

"Right... so you learned how to read and write and about human culture by watching TV."

"Yes, I do have a question though where is this town called spring field."

She blinked.

"The one with the yellow mutantations? The documentary on one of the families who lives there was quite en..."

"The simpsons isnt real its just a cartoon."

She massaged her temples.

"Oh... so is there any way we can convince the cape named santa claus to join us in an endbringer fight?"

She blinked.

"The ability to preform mass teleportation would prove quite useful and."

"Santa clause is also not real."

"Oh... so did Ronald Reagan really fly around on a giant eagle?"

"He did that once, and the eagle was a tinkertech thing not a actual eagle."

"Oh."

She sighed.

"Well can I at least see the giant mechanical robot that Martin luthor King used to fight the KKK?"

She tilted her head.

"Exactly what kind of TV shows have you been watching?"

"All of them?"

"No no martin luthor kind never fought the klu klux klan in a giant robot."

"Can I see the place were ET landed?"

She sighed.

"ET isnt real."

I tilted my head.

"I visited their world, they were the ones that killed 14 endbringers, we had to flee for our lives they left us broken and defeated. I am going to have to disagree."

Her eyes opened her mouth kind of like a fish.

"Your telling me that ET was fucking real?"

"The species called themselves the people in your toungue the closest I can come to the name of their home land is the land of dreams."

She stared at me.

"Their major faith was based on the idea that the world of dreams was a sacred place, I guess you could say they worshiped god but condered god to be a place rather then a sentiant being."

"Steven Speilburg was...fuck your messing with me right?"

"I still have the nightmares about them... never before had any species defeated us so."

She sighed.

"So ET's real and sucessfully kicked endbringer ass...Aliens are fucking real...just."

"I am an actual alien I do not come from your planet, I am talking to you right now."

I finished the last bit of paper work, and Caffine looked at it.

"Yeah but I guess it never really hit me before, speaking of that why did you scare the fuck out of us?"

"You mean when I first came?"

"Yeah you kind of made a really bad first impression?"

"Was there a way for me to make a good first impression?"

She raised a finger in the air and stopped.

"Ok Point made, well this nightmare is over lets walk around the city."

"That would be the good."

We walked out of the PRT building where Icy was waiting for us she waved.

"Arn't you suposed to be on partol?"

"I took the morning shift."

She was grinning, her eyes covered by a mask most of her body hidden under her parka, which had to be hot and uncomfortable.

"Hey Ironwood you finished?"

"I have finished your human paperwork."

"Great."

She bounced with a kind of nervious energy, Caffine looked at her and then at me.

"Icy your going to give Ironwood a tour of the city...schools getting out and..."

"YES um I mean yes."

Caffine left and I let her hold my hand.

"So Ironwood um would Woody be ok?"

"It is the acceptable."

The doors of the cities resturants closed.

"So what do you want to do."

"I wish to open up a savings account at the place you refer to as wellsfargo."

"Oh yeah."

We started walking.

"Hey slow down, My legs arn't as long as yours woody."

"I could carry you in my arms?"

She blinked, her face turning red.

"um...that would be...um... I... guess its ok... if you do it."

I kneeled down and craddled her in my arms as she gave me directions.

"Go left, no your other left...good... good oh were here."

I let her down on the ground.

"That was um...fun Woody."

I looked at the door and got on my knees I carefully crawled through the door, the building was made for some one 3 feet shorter then me and it showed or it felt that way. The other patrons stared at me as I made my way to the bank.

"I need to set up the checking account and get the thing you humans call a debit card."

The other patrons in line looked at me and old man looked up from his chair he held a newspaper.

"I've waited 2 fucking hours to get some damned service theres no way Im letting any one get in line ahead of me. I don't care if it is a damned endbringer."

He looked at me defiantly.

"I can the wait."

The man snorted and went back to reading his news paper, the wait was about as long as home but eventally a middle aged african american man with a shaved head waved me over. I carefully manuvered through the furnature. Icy was at my side.

"Sooo um... I need a paycheck."

I carefully grabbed my paperword and put it on the table, the man was sweating purfously his hands trembled.

"I can fix it."

He blinked and looked up at me.

"Your knee, if it is causing you discomfort I would be glad to fix it."

"How... right.. endbringer medic... its just an old football injury I got in college."

"It would not be the burden."

The man sighed.

"Ok um fix it Mr. Ironwood."

I concentrated.

"It is finished."

He got up and took a couple steps, he then walked back to his seat, he looked calmer now.

"Um thanks, I guess that makes you one of the good ones... um for your people..."

He cringed.

"Thank you."

"Your very well spoken for... wow so this is how it feels to be on the other side of this conversation."

"What do you mean?"

The man sighed.

"It isn't important, Im just going to start putting in the information how much do you want to put into savings?"

"60,000 of your human dollars, the rest into the thing you call the checking, can I please have some american dollars as well um 200 of them?"

"Sure, so what are you saving up for?"

I shrugged.

"I do not know."

He typed in information and I waited calmly. I was given a small envelope and a debit card.

"Ok Mr. Ironwood um thanks for your patronage."

"Thank you Mr."

I looked at his name tag.

"White."

He nodded and I slowly crawled out of the bank, Icy followed me.

"So whats next..."

"I wish to try out the human invention called karokee."

She was silent.

"Really? You want to do Karokee?"

"Why not it looks like the fun."

"Ok...um I know this place, its kind of a trucker stop...their um interesting."

"So can I um get...another ride?"

"Sure."

We walked towards the destination burning daylight, but I was fast and we got there as the sun started to set. I let Icy down and looked at the building, it was big a former warehouse, I saw trucks, I opened up the double doors, leaning down to get through the doors. Inside the patrons stared in silence.

They were mostly middle aged, white, there was a lot of flannel and jean jackets. The room was silent, I looked at the name of the place, the Jackalope bar and grill. The cowboy theme was strong.

"I was told this was a place of Karokee?"

One of the men took a photo, the waiter stared at me.

"Sure... what ever take a seat get a table and um I will give you a book."

"I would like to try the coke of cola."

I looked at Icy.

"I would be Chill with an Ice tea."

That had to be deliberate.

"Yeah sure."

I put some money on the table and grew a chair that could actually support my wait the patrons stared at me as I read through the book. Oh the monkees existed on this world... ok Daydream beliver it is. I wrote down the information and gave it to the DJ who stared at it and imputted the information our drinks arrived and I put the coke to my screen.

I altered my body and tasted it, yeah that was the stuff I missed soda so much. I put it down, the crowd seemed to get more comfortable as they got used to my presence.

"Um Ironwood come on up."

I got out of my chair and grabbed the offered mike.

"Oh I could."

The crowd watched as I sang, some one had a camcorder of some kind out I ignored it and did my best altering my voice and pitch to be perfect. Eventally the song ended and I gave the mike back, the crowd erupted in applause. I walked back to the table Icy stared at me.

"You can sing?"

After 3 years of miltary school and 4 years of high school choir, I better be able to.

"You cant?"

She blinked.

"Your full of surprises."

"This is incorrect, I am full of serveral elements, metals in a crystaline."

She sighed.

"You really arn't from earth are you?"

I shrugged and she leaned against me as we watched a few drunk people sing.