"BBPD requesting backup, possible parahuman involvement, 4th and Main,"

Jim nodded. "Trollhunter and Shadowdancer responding."

Next to him, Claire raised her hands and a portal appeared. They couldn't just portal directly to the site—too much risk of an ambush, but half a block away was really close for someone like Jim.

Fuck. That was Jim's first thought. It looked like Onna-Bugeisha was back in action. There was a trashed food cart, noodles, and some E88 guys hobbling away, none seriously injured, thank God.

And there she was, spinning round, that weird field around her body and weapon flickering…

As she fought a wolf made of hooks and blades.

Jim felt a strange feeling fall over him. Sympathy for Emily Piggot and understanding why she didn't seem to like parahumans over much. According to Orb Weaver, they had just come to a truce, and here they were, tearing the fucking road up again.

"This must have been Dinah's 60 percent chance of "excitement,"" Claire muttered.

"Yep." Jim said, as he opened his com. "Console, Onna-Bugeisha and Hookwolf are going at it. Minor civilian injuries, but can I get some support?"

"Dauntless and Triumph are inbound, ETA 5 minutes."

"Claire?"

"I don't have beacons or a connection for them." There were a few people Claire could port in, but if Console hadn't mentioned them, they had their own issues.

"Okay," Jim reached down and grabbed a ganger. "What started this?"

"The crazy bitch did! We were getting some foo—"

"Wait a minute," Claire said. "The only food here is Asian—"

"Hey, I like their teriyaki!"

Another one, holding his ankle, chimed in. "And then that crazy bitch lands and starts attacking us, so we called Hookwolf and…"

Jim felt a great headache coming on. A bunch of Nazis got the munchies for Asian food and now… this.

There was a shriek as Hookwolf snagged Onna-Bugeisha's leg with a arm and threw her down the street where she went tumbling, in a flurry of scarlet cloth. Jim leaped, landing between Hookwolf and the fallen vigilante.

"Hookwolf, stand down—FUCK!" Jim dodged back as the blade-wolf came after him.

"Fuck no, I'm cage bound, and I've been looking forward to this!" Hookwolf shouted in a tone that most people reserved for Christmas. Jim spun around, Eclipse slashing through the blades and hooks, but more simply replaced them. Jim managed to jerk his head aside as a blade slashed his cheek, but then jumped free, throwing his glaives at the metal wolf. Hookwolf batted one aside, but the other hit, only to do little damage.

Why does everyone here have to have a gimmick? Jim missed Gunmar who was just big and hit really hard, not looking like a wolf had collided with a razorblade factory.

Hookwolf laughed, charged forward, and then… Bolts of purple energy struck him, shards of metal being blown off, while cables of purple lashed out, grabbing his legs and pulling him back—until the legs simply dissolved into blades, and reformed once he was free. He spun around, but Claire just vanished into a portal, appearing on the other side of the street, her hands raised.

"Hookwolf, this is your last—" Suddenly a sixth sense warned Jim, and he dove back as for the second time in his stay in Brockton Bay, Purity zipped up over a building and blew up the road in front of him.

Lovely. Purity wasn't as dumb as Rune. Now she was well above Jim and Hookwolf was taking off.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Claire shouted, and bolts of purple were flying up around Purity. The woman dodged one, got hit by another, sending her into a tumble and then unleashed a bolt of blinding light at Claire…

Which vanished into a portal. Purity squawked in surprise and fear as she was almost nailed by her own bolt emerging from a portal that just appeared in front of her, the energy soaring off into the sky. But then Hookwolf was gone, and Purity dove down and away, vanishing behind some low buildings.

And Purity was on the 'do not engage' list unless you could be certain there were no civilians around.

Empire capes didn't tend to think about backstops and when you considered she was just short of Legend…

"Well, this was a bust," Claire said as she portaled to Jim. Onna-Bugeisha had somehow vanished, and Dauntless and Triumph had only just come around the corner.

And now the cart owner was demanding that Jim pay for the destruction because a vigilante had started the fight, and nobody had done this when the ABB was a power, because everyone understood that people had to eat so as long as they just came, bought their food and left, everyone was happy…

Jim let the words run over him.

Two criminals and a vigilante just got into a fight that could have wrecked this entire neighborhood over a Nazi's noodle craving. Do they put something into the water?

But he took a deep breath and pasted a smile on his face, because Dauntless and Triumph had responded for back up, but Jim was the Protectorate member who had been there first.

"I'm sorry sir," he said. "If you want, I can give you information on how to obtain compensation from the Protectorate's incidental damage fund…"

After that, and after helping the BBPD and BBFD process the E88 guys, who they couldn't arrest because every witness agreed that they had been attacked (well except for the guy with the outstanding parole violation), Jim and Claire found themselves sitting down at a little outdoor cafe that had concrete benches in addition to regular seating so Jim could avoid the risk of paying for someone's furniture.

"Twelve-thousand dollars," Claire muttered. "Piggot is going to freak."

"She may not have to pay it," Jim pointed out. "We weren't involved…"

"Yeah, but tomorrow the news will be playing: Trollhunter and Shadowdancer involved in mass brawl, innocent shopkeeper's livelihood ruined." Claire leaned back and groaned. "And I was hoping for an easy day. I've got that test on Monday."

"College?"

"Yah. Turns out that Arcadia pre-calc isn't much of a preparation for calculus." Claire closed her eyes. "And I might have to drop introduction to Theater Arts, because I've also got Merlin's stu—"

"Drop calculus," Jim said. "You like theater."

"I dunno, when we get back Mom…"

"Just bring up fighting giant blade-wolves," Jim said. He shrugged. "I mean, we're practically doing a full-time job besides everything else."

"Hmmmm…" Claire looked up at Jim and then sat on the bench next to him. "This wouldn't be anything about trying to get more time with me, now would it?"

"Nah. It's just that you snarl when you're really underwater on homework and I'm the one in the house that snarls."

"That you do—" Claire's phone beeped and she pulled it out. "What…" she frowned. "It's from Orb Weaver. She wants us to meet her by… Wait, isn't that by Ann's apartment?"

"Yeah…" Jim frowned. "Jesus, I hope there's nothing wrong with Ann. Let's go."

Claire emerged from the portal into the street by Ann's home. They'd called in a lunch break to Console (mandated, thirty minutes every four hours), but if it took longer they'd have to explain themselves. Moments after they appeared, a bug clone swirled around them.

"Hello," it buzzed.

"Hi, Orb Weaver," Claire said. "What's wrong with Ann."

"Director Piggot requested me to find out some information. I have. Ann is Onna-Bugeisha."

Claire blinked. "Isn't that…"

"I was going to keep it quiet, until she got into a fight with Hookwolf over noodles. I think it's…"

"Time for an intervention?" Jim asked.

"Before she pisses off Kaiser or Bastard Son? Yes. I'll meet you in person."

"Let's go," Claire said. Onna-Bugeisha really needs someone to bring her under control.

When they got to the door of her apartment, Jim heard three voices, angry.

"Where were you!" Ann's mother.

"I was out, studying!"

"No you weren't, you—"

"Stay out of this, Kim!"

"Are you doing something like Kenji—"

"No!" Then everyone started talking at once, and Jim looked to Orb Weaver and Clair and knocked on the door.

Hard. Moments later, Ann's mother opened the door. She closed her mouth on whatever it was she had been about to say.

"Trollhunter!" Kim said. "Shadowdancer and—" Then she gulped and her voice became hushed. "Orb Weaver?"

Claire banished a moment of annoyance over the fact that she and Jim weren't worth hushed awe.

"Hi," Jim said.

Claire saw Ann staring at Jim in worry. She was wearing slacks, with one leg pulled up, a wrapped bandage around her lower leg. Jim nodded and grinned. "Ann, you shouldn't have run away like that. The ambulance was there for any bystanders."

"What?" Ann's mom looked at Jim. "What happened."

"Hookwolf," Claire said. "Onna-Bugeisha and he were in a brawl…"

"Oh, that one. Another cape. Another cape running around making things worse!" Ann's mother clenched her fist. "Why can't they just leave us alone!"

"And let the Empire—"

"That's is what Lung said—" Ann cut her mother off.

"Onna-Bugeisha isn't Lung!"

"But in addition to fixing her up," Claire said. "We need some more witness statements. So I can port us to the PRT and we'll be back…"

"Not long," Orb Weaver said. "This shouldn't take much time at all."

"I… okay…" Ann looked nervous.

"Then let's go!" Claire said cheerfully.

Moments later, they were in an empty field.

"This isn't—" Ann fell silent at Jim's look.

"We know who you are, Ann," Claire said. "Onna-Bugeisha, and you've really messed things up."

"There was a truce. You broke it," Taylor said.

"They were coming over into—"

Jim cut her off, making an angry gesture with his hands. "They were coming over to buy food and yeah, they're Nazis, but they weren't acting like Nazis. Now there's every chance the Empire will launch a demonstration. You put people in danger because you didn't think!"

And when Mr. I'm going to invade the Darklands by myself says you didn't think… Claire shook her head. "Look, Ann, you're getting closer and close to the wire. All it would take would be you killing someone by accident—"

"I wouldn't!" Ann said.

"You almost did," Taylor replied, sounding like she was describing the weather. "A number of Uber and Leet's henchmen nearly died."

"That was… I mean, it was an accident!" Ann was wringing her hands. "How could I have know—"

"You didn't prepare," Taylor said. "You attacked without knowing your target. You've done the same on several occasions, attacking muggers and ignoring a rape a few blocks down."

"I-"

"I handled it."

"The guy with the bullet ants, right?" Jim asked.

"Yes."

Ann shook her head. "You use terror! Kim says half the kids at school think you're a vengeful spirit!"

"Good." Taylor paused and then started talking, sounding almost like a professor. "But I… calibrate everything. Prepare it. I don't move without thinking. You lose your temper."

"I—"

Jim cut her off. "We're not going to bring you in, but I think the Wards would be a good idea for you, or at least working with someone else…" He glanced over at Taylor, and the masked figure tilted her head slightly. "But right now, you're not helping anyone. Promise me you won't go out. Not for the next few days. Think about it. Because right now, you're putting your family at risk and yourself at risk."

"I'm keeping—"

"If we can find you, there's no certainty the Elite or Empire can't," Taylor said.

"But—wait a minute! That's against the unwritten rules!"

Claire stared for a moment. Really? She took a deep breath. "Ann, the rules are…" She smiled, remembering a movie. "More like guidelines, really. They apply to Purity and Kaiser, because if they get outed, they can wreck half the city. But you can't and if Kaiser or Bastard Son find out your civilian identity, they won't let any 'rules' stop them."

"Or Kaiser just orders Victor or some of his other capes to start using lethal force against you from the start." Taylor said. "I was there for this fight—Hookwolf was playing with you. He could have killed you at any moment."

"I didn't see you—"

"Few people do," Taylor said, staring at Ann in that unnerving way she had.

Ann tried to meet her gaze, but then dropped it.

There you go, Taylor, keep up that reputation. Claire sighed. "Ann, there's another thing. I know you're worried about Kenji."

"Why shouldn't I be! They don't care! Nobody cares!"

"I think you're wrong," Jim said. "But is this helping?" Jim put his hand on her shoulder. "You're angry. I would be too. But this isn't helping you, and it won't help your mom if she has to come down to the police station—or the morgue."

"I've committed crimes."

"Trust me, the Protectorate has overlooked worse." Some of the bugs around Taylor started spinning wildly. "But they would be satisfied with you joining a qualified parahuman team or simply getting more training so that you could avoid incidents like this…"

Claire wasn't certain. Ann didn't need training, she needed something to help her with that anger.

"I broke the truce…" Ann said.

"I'll let Kaiser know that it was a one-time event." Taylor glanced over at Ann. "It was, wasn't it?"

"Yes…"

"Right." Jim said. "Ann, think about it, please. Also, are you still on for homework on Monday?"

"What?" Ann shot up. "But you—"

"You're our friend, Ann," Claire said. "This doesn't change that. But we're worried about you and we don't want you to get hurt."

"I…" Ann sighed. "Okay, I won't go out. Mom's grounded me, anyway."

"Now that I can empathize with," Jim said. "Hard to save the world when your mom is yelling at you."

Claire glanced up at Jim. He was smiling, but there was real sympathy in her voice.

"Also." Orb Weaver reached into her uniform, and brought out three small vials. "Keep these on you. If you are in danger, or if someone is kidnapping you, break them."

"What are they?"

"A way for me to find you… and whoever was foolish enough to try and hurt you or your family."

"I…" Ann nodded, then cracked a smile. "You know that if you come back with me, there's something you'll have to do."

"I can explain how they work to your mother."

"Not that. Kim is going to want a selfie and autograph."

Taylor went absolutely still, like she'd just noticed Behemoth bearing down on her.

Claire couldn't resist as she saw the bugs start to gyrate in what looked like an insectoid panic attack.

She giggled.