- - -Now-Flechette- - -

"That wraps up your induction. Welcome to The Guild, Flechette. I hope you'll find your time here worthwhile." Armsmaster unfolds his hands, fiddling with some control in his suit.

I smile - this opportunity came out of nowhere, and is the sort of thing that's a once in a lifetime deal. The chance to work closely with Armsmaster and Dragon both? And the possibility for a permanent position in The Guild after the assignment has concluded?

I'm not overly concerned about my career as a Cape - not like some people - but the chance to work with and learn from such big names had been attractive nonetheless. I just hope that there'll be a few people closer to my level, too.

It hadn't hurt that I'd fallen into a bit of a rut back in New York. Hopefully this change of pace will do me some good.

Armsmaster continues. "I need to get back to work - planning for our next mission - but I'll leave you in the care of Lodestar. She'll get you situated with the base and its facilities."

He stands, moving deftly in his armour despite its heft. It must be new - I haven't seen him in this set in any of his press work. By the looks of things, it's far more serious than what he had before, lacking the lower-face window that my own helmet has. He leaves the room in a hurry.

I still don't know the specific goals of the project - he'd said that he'll be briefing everyone in once the first round of recruitment has concluded - but I got the impression that it's fairly lofty.

I stand as a woman wearing sleek purple and white armour walks in. "Flechette? I'm Lodestar." She extends a hand.

I shake it. "I like your armour - make it yourself?" It isn't my style, but it does look nice. I'd heard that Lodestar was a Thinker working with Dragon, but rumors aren't terribly reliable - she could be a Tinker for all I know.

She laughs, the genuine tone making it through her helmet's speakers well. "No - Armsmaster made me the set. I did choose the look, though." She gestures to my own gear. "I can see we have similar tastes in colour, at least."

I nod, smiling. "I can't say that I'm a fan of the arrow motif, but this was the best I could get out of PR." Truthfully, while I do like the colour I'm not really a fan of my current costume - it's a bit too gauche for my taste. I'd rather something a bit more unassuming, but there had been little use in lamenting about it while I was in The Wards.

"Well, I do have some good news for you, then: you're expected to manage your own brand here - if you want, getting yourself a new look wouldn't be too much trouble."

"I know! It's great - I almost couldn't believe it when Armsmaster told me."

She nods. "The benefits of working with the big-leagues, I suppose. We'd best get going - I'll be showing you around. Dragon told me you'll be staying in the rooms next to mine. Armsmaster is technically on the same floor as us, but the guy sleeps in his workshop more often than not."

She's joking, but I know how Tinkers work - it probably isn't that much of an exaggeration. "Alright - sounds good." I'd opted for on-site living. I've got the income for an apartment out in the city, but this is just a whole lot more convenient.

"Oh - one last thing. Armsmaster said we're going to be working together out in the field, so it's probably a good idea to get this out of the way." There's a click and a hiss, and her helmet lifts slightly from its position on her head. She reaches up, taking it off.

Her long, blonde ponytail falls out of the helmet as she removes it, leaving her hair a frizzy mess. She trails her free hand through her fringe, arranging it such that she can properly see. Her face is lightly freckled, with striking green eyes and a light smile across her lips.

The edges of her smile turns upward, the expression morphing into something else.

I take my own helmet off, meeting her eyes with my own. "I'm Lily. I'm looking forward to working with you."

Her smile grows wider. "I'm Lisa. Likewise." She seems to be taking some sort of joy in this. After a moment, she returns the helmet to her head. "Let's get moving - if you want to snag some dinner from the cafeteria, we'll have to be quick."

I put my own back on and follow her out of the room.

- - -Still-Defiant- - -

I step into the suit, Flechette and Lodestar strapped in on one side. Dragon tells me that the two had struck off well enough - I'm glad. I've been too preoccupied with my own work to speak with Flechette at length, but it seems she's satisfied with the current arrangements.

I strap myself in, opposite the two. "We're good to go, Dragon - set us off." The hatch closes, the suit jolting as it lifts off.

Lodestar looks at me, head cocked. "What's this about? You're calling this mission a go sooner than you wanted to."

"Blasto has dropped off the grid. His PHO account has gone silent, and his minions haven't been seen on the streets. We're moving our schedule up and paying his lair a visit. We can't allow Blasto's power to fall into the wrong hands."

Flechette frowns, confused. "Blasto?"

Lodestar fills her in. "Biotinker. Capable of engineering creatures to his specifications. Boston-based Villain. Amiable disposition, suspected to be open to recruitment if approached correctly." She turns to me. "And turning up at his lair unannounced isn't what I'd call a correct approach."

I shake my head. "It can't be helped. If his power is applied with the correct Tinker support, he has the capability to clone Capes - powers included. No matter what, we do not want to let him fall into the wrong hands. We're here to investigate - determine whether he's been acquired by someone else, or if he is simply laying lower than usual."

Lodestar already knows this, but Flechette is shocked. "Cloning capes? You're joking." She looks at me, sagging when I simply stare at her, silent. "You aren't joking. How do you know?"

"Precognitive insight from a reliable - and highly classified - source."

She doesn't like it, but accepts my explanation. With a sigh, she collects herself, back straightening. "Alright - what's the brief?"

I continue, detailing the specifics of what Lodestar and Dragon found out about his lair and abilities. The two sit, stewing on the information.

"This caught us flatfooted. Dragon and I are in agreement that it is unlikely for him to have been kidnapped at this point in time, but we do not want to leave this up to chance - we'll be aiming to resolve this situation today."

The three of us sit in silence, gathering our thoughts for the mission ahead. If all goes well, we'll be back on our way to Toronto one member stronger. If things don't go well, Blasto will either be entirely uncooperative or already missing.

I've spoken with Narwhal on the subject, and she's aware of the context. I've received permission to bring Blasto in with whatever means I deem necessary. It isn't a kill order - but letting him escape alive is not an option. Leaving an avenue for Slaughterhouse Nine clones to potentially spring up again is not an acceptable outcome - if Blasto is an unfortunate casualty in preventing that, then that's a price we're willing to pay.

It's cold, and it doesn't sit well with me at all, but that's the reality of the situation. I just hope we can reach an amicable resolution for both parties. Despite being a Villain, he had at least attempted to make a noble sacrifice last time - I can definitely somewhat respect him for that.

"The building is empty. No heat signatures." Dragon's voice comes over our comms.

The suit tilts, coming back around for a second pass. "You're sure this is his lair?"

Lodestar nods. "Absolutely. We had a local PRT agent scope out the place last week - plenty of heat signatures then. I've no doubt that almost all of them were his creations."

I curse under my breath. "Take us down. We'll be taking a look."

The suit banks, descending. I unbuckle from my harness, Flechette and Lodestar following me. Steadying myself from the grab handles hanging from the roof of the suit, I wait for the ramp to lower.

It does, giving a view of the building. It's a dilapidated print shop - doubtless built sometime in the twentieth century. The broken windows of the warehouse give us a peek into the almost bare interior - not good.

The suit touches down, and we step out. I heft my spear, and Flechette grips her crossbow tightly. I hadn't had a chance to set her up with newer gear - her current setup is… quaint. Provided she's amenable, I'll be able to fix that.

We move, clearing the corners of the building. My armoured boot strikes the side door, sending it flying open, Lodestar following behind me. I can hear Flechette do the same on the other side of the building.

Her report comes over my comm. "Clear. The office is empty"

The scene in front of me confirms her assessment. The warehouse floor is barren. The only evidence that Blasto even worked here is an array of six filthy glass tubes set next to one of the workbenches.

A cart laden with unlabeled chemicals sits in the corner. A terminal sits inactive on one of the benches. A number of tools in various states of broken are strewn about the shop carelessly. In the middle of the room is a crudely-made hole, broken concrete around the edges. The shop is directly above a sewer serviceway, allowing discrete access to the sewage system.

I approach the hole, confirming my suspicion. It's empty - swept clean of dust. "Clear. No contacts on the shop floor." My eyes are drawn back to the tubes. The filth inside isn't something I'd trust to be safe. "I'm declaring this site a biohazard. Flechette, return to the suit and contact the local PRT to explain the situation. Lodestar, see what you can glean. I will secure the rest of the site."

"I'm entrusting this site to you. Keep me copied in on any developments."

The PRT captain nods, giving me his affirmative. We've got all we could out of the warehouse - which hadn't been much. The tubes have been adequately secured, and don't seem to be dangerous after a more thorough examination.

I turn, returning to the suit. Inside, Lodestar and Flechette sit opposite each other on the benches, not buckled in. Lodestar seems to be deep in thought, and Flechette is idly fiddling with one of her namesake throwing darts.

Seeing me enter, she returns it to its sheath, and Lodestar shakes herself from her thoughts. "Close the ramp." I take a seat as it does.

With a sigh, I remove my helmet. "This is almost a worst case scenario." I want to be able to convey facial expression for this - and I can't do so with my helmet on.

Lodestar and Flechette follow, removing their own. Idly, I note that I hadn't seen Flechette's face yet. I continue, a frown settling onto my face. "All signs point to voluntary abandonment of the premises."

Lisa frowns. "That's about the size of it. Everything there was junk. He took anything useful with him. Wherever he went."

Flechette - I'll have to introduce myself as a civilian at some point - adds her opinion. "With sewer access and a horde of minions, that could be almost anywhere in the city - and we'd never know any better than that."

"We can put out feelers - keep an eye on things and catch him if he ever surfaces again - but I'm not hopeful. If he's been recruited, then we're liable to never see him again. If he's simply relocated, then we'll just have to wait and see."

Lisa nods. "We could try contacting his only known associate - Bad Apple. They haven't been seen working together for at least six months, but she may know something we don't."

I agree with her assessment. "Do that. It's our best lead right now." I sigh, returning my helmet. "Alright, Dragon. Take us home."

Dragon's voice comes through the speakers of my workshop. "It's time for the brief with Flechette and Lodestar. Have you decided on what you want to do with Uber and Leet?"

I put down my tool, clicking the service panelling of my spear closed. "I have." I return my helmet to my head, stowing my spear on my back. Checking out of my workshop, I elaborate. "Based on Lodestar's assessment, I do not believe Uber will be an asset to the Project. I am, however, prepared to offer him a place in the Toronto Protectorate with a standard probation. Narwhal and her second are amenable to the idea."

I'd brought up the idea with her after briefing her on the Blasto situation. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any further progress in regards to finding him again. Bad Apple said she hasn't spoken with him for several months, and expressed genuine concern when she learnt that he'd gone missing. The PRT techs hadn't found anything else on the site - but I hadn't expected them to.

It's a mystery. We've got no leads, and no idea where he could have gone or what prompted the move. My only reassurance is that The Slaughterhouse Nine had been last sighted in North Dakota a few days ago - there's zero chance that they're responsible.

It's an empty comfort. We'll just have to wait and hope he resurfaces.

Dragon chews her lip in my helmet's feed. "You don't intend to keep the pair under the same organization? I can definitely understand why... their track record working together isn't what you'd call stellar."

I hit the elevator button, stepping inside and entering the floor of our conference room. "No, it isn't. Leet's value to the Project is strictly in the breadth of technology he has been demonstrated as capable of producing. I do not believe either are suitable for field work - nor do I believe training would remedy that in any reasonable amount of time. This solution would allow the pair to continue cohabitating, if that is their desire - or at least to remain in contact."

The elevator reaches its destination, letting me out onto the floor. Dragon's avatar nods in my helmet's display. "It's a generous deal - they'd be foolish to decline."

"Nobody said that the pair weren't fools. We'll just have to hope that sense prevails in this case." Dragon snorts, stifling a laugh. I reach the meeting room, stepping inside.