- - -Still-Defiant- - -
The suit jostles under the turbulence. There's a storm headed in towards Brockton Bay, and with it comes stronger than usual winds. We've been circling around bad weather for most of the trip down from Canada - this suit can handle a storm if it has to, but there's no point in taking unnecessary risks. Across from me, Flechette clutches her harness tighter. Lodestar rolls with it, swaying in the seat with the movements of the suit.
We don't expect this mission to give us much trouble. Uber and Leet have agreed to meet at a neutral ground - a bare hilltop next to the forest north of the city. Based on their reply to our message, Lodestar suspects that the pair is intrigued, but wary of being burnt by us. They'd agreed not to stream the meeting - if Dragon finds evidence of dishonesty in that regard, we'll be turning right around and going back to Canada.
Dragon's voice comes over the speakers. "Coming up to the drop site in ten."
We unbuckle from the harnesses, getting ready to leave the suit. The ramp lowers, exposing the interior to the harsh winds. Down on the hill, just inside the treeline, I can see two figures dressed in sleek black bodysuits with strange balaclavas and goggles.
Undoubtedly, the gear is based on something from one of their games, but I couldn't place it if pressed.
The suit touches down, and we step out onto the ground. The two of them are talking to each other energetically, gesturing to us. They aren't being subtle at all - division in the ranks?
Lodestar's voice comes over the comm. "They're debating whether you're actually Armsmaster, or some sort of imposter. I don't think they quite believe that you'd be willing to contact them like this."
We come to a stop, a dozen paces out from the treeline. As if a switch had been flicked, the two stop, seemingly having come to an agreement. They leave the forest, standing a few steps from the edge.
"You're Armsmaster?"
It's Uber speaking. I've been subjected to the recordings of a number of their 'shows' during both my time with the Protectorate and during the research phase of this recruitment effort. Despite wearing identical costumes, I can tell them apart by voice.
"That is correct."
The two give each other a look. Leet crosses his arms across his chest. "So you want to recruit us."
The wind picks up, the trees of the forest swaying. To be heard over the sound they almost had to shout. "I have an offer. The details are in there-" I gesture to the document envelope held by Lodestar. "-But I will tell you the basics now. Standard Probation. Full cessation of all criminal activities. Abandonment of the 'Uber' and 'Leet' identities. Five year employment contract - Uber with the Toronto Protectorate, Leet with The Guild. In exchange, a full pardon of all crimes and a salary befitting your new positions."
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Uber's question is quick, and his tone is laced with suspicion. "I don't think you're the sort of guy to try flipping villains for kicks."
"There is a Guild project that I believe Leet's power could be of assistance in. Collaborative Tinker work - you'll be a part of a team." I can see Leet stiffen in reaction to my words, but leave it at that. I don't want to give any of the sensitive details until I've secured an agreement. "It won't be easy work."
Leet turns to Uber, putting a hand on his shoulder. The two talk to each other in hushed tones. They likely think that we can't hear them, but the sensors in Lodestar's suit more than up to the task.
After a second's delay, a filtered and isolated audio feed begins playing back in my ear.
"Bro - he's serious. This is big."
"Really? Weren't you just saying that he's probably a replicant?" Uber is surprised - he hadn't expected Leet to change his mind so quickly.
"No - I take it back. That was a stupid idea, anyway. This's Armsmaster we're talking about - whatever project he's involved with isn't going to be small potatoes. This could be our big break."
"What do you mean? You think that we'll make more from a government paycheck than the streams?"
"Yeah - I'd take that bet any day of the week, but I'm not talking money here. We're losers, man. You know it, I know it, the world knows it. If Armsmaster comes through for us, we've got an easy exit with jobs lined up for us on our way out - it's a good chance to throw in the towel and stop being those losers with the video game show."
"You want to be heroes? I… I dunno if we're cut out for it. We..." he trails off.
"I get what you're saying, but we've got to at least try! I don't know about you, but I don't think we can keep this up forever." Uber nods, uncertain. Seeing that he isn't fully convinced, Leet continues. "Eventually, we're going to run out of luck. The white-hats are going to catch us, or we're going to accidentally step on the wrong Villain's toes, and we'll either end up dead in a ditch, facing prison, or stuck with a worse deal than this one."
Uber sighs. "You're set on this." Leet nods. "I get what you mean, at least. It probably doesn't get better than this."
The feed goes silent, the conversation over. This is a good sign - things are unfolding roughly how Lodestar suspected they would.
After just a moment the pair turns back to us. Uber nods at Lodestar. "We're interested. Give us some time to have a proper look at the terms, and we'll give you an answer."
I take the envelope from Lodestar, stepping forward. Uber meets me in the middle, taking it from me. We step backwards, returning to our previous positions.
"Once we've decided, we'll send you a message through PHO. Expect it sometime tomorrow." Droplets of water begin to fall from the sky, signalling the beginning of a spring shower.
Not an ideal timeframe, but perfectly acceptable. I nod, raising my voice to be heard over the rain. "If any clarifications are required, request them through the same channel." The contract is perfectly clear - it shouldn't be necessary - but I'm offering regardless as a courtesy.
"We'll make sure to do that." With that, the pair steps backwards into the forest, walking away from us.
After a few moments, we return to the suit. The ramp raises, shutting us off from the inclement weather. The three of us sit down, strapping in. "Set us off, Dragon. Your take, Lodestar?"
The suit lifts off, returning us to the air. "I'll be very surprised if they end up declining. I hadn't quite expected Leet to be so eager to get away from villainy, though."
I can see Flechette frown, turning towards Lodestar "Do you think you just got a bad read? Or is something else at play?"
She shakes her head firmly. "Probably just a bad read - unreliable information will do that sort of thing. I already figured that he wasn't completely satisfied - I'd say this is just a step above that."
Nothing to worry about, then. We've just got to wait for them to make up their mind.
The suit shifts, pulling up. Dragon's voice comes over our comms with an explanation. "We're stopping by at The Rig to top up on fuel. Don't want to risk getting caught out if the trip back is like the one here." Following her words, the suit sets down, jolting as it lands.
Flechette leans back in her harness. "Do you think we should just stay in The Bay overnight?" She asks. After a moment, she explains her reasoning. "By the time we get back to Toronto, it'll be dusk. If we're just going to hop back here in the morning, it might not be worth our time."
She isn't wrong - doing the full trip back only to return six hours later would be rather unnecessary. We've allowed up to four days for this mission, so there isn't anything urgent waiting for us back in Toronto. I nod to her, coming to a decision. "I'm sure the Protectorate will be willing to host us for tonight."
Her shoulders slumped, Lodestar threads her fingers, hands sitting limply in her lap. She's clearly nervous about something. "You don't think there'll be a repeat of my recruitment? I wouldn't put it past him to put two-and-two together."
Flechette doesn't understand what Lodestar is referring to. She hasn't shared her past, then. I hadn't considered that Coil may cause a problem.
I weigh the situation. I don't know enough about Coil's mindset to determine whether something is likely to happen. I haven't kept up with events in The Bay, either - though, the PRT should definitely have weeded out most - if not all - of Coil's agents by now.
"Do you think an attack is likely? You would have a better idea of his motivations than I." Lodestar sits for a few moments, silent. Flechette is clearly lost by the conversation, but doesn't ask.
Eventually, she comes to a conclusion. "No. I don't think so. He'll be hurting for inside agents after everything that went down - he's vindictive, but not enough to compromise his position further." It goes without saying that The Rig is too well protected for him to risk a more direct approach.
"Understood. We'll take precautionary measures, but if you do not believe he will be able to circumvent our measures we will go ahead and stay in The Bay until this mission has concluded."
I don't mention that provoking Coil to expose more of his resources in a failed attack will further weaken his hand - and consequently strengthen the Bay's - but Lodestar is no doubt sharp enough to realise that herself.
Dragon's voice comes over our communicators. "Miss Militia is on her way now."
"I'll go speak with her." I stand, unbuckling from my harness. The ramp lowers and I step outside, leaving Lodestar and Flechette inside. Rain slicks off the suit, dripping to the ground in streams. My amour is quickly drenched under the downpour, but I remain dry and comfortable inside.
Stepping down off of the helipad, I greet the PRT troopers guarding the door with a nod. My amour must still be recognisably 'Armsmaster', because they let me inside with only a cursory check.
I see Miss Militia coming up the stairwell to meet me. "Armsmaster!" I can hear the joy in her voice. "It's good to see you again." The skin around her eyes is bunched - she's smiling under her bandana.
"Hello, Miss Militia." Some of Dragon's advice has stuck in the back of my mind - pleasantries before business when speaking with friends. "It's good to see you too. Will we get right to it, then?"
She chuckles, shaking her head. "Meeting room four is open." She turns, waving for me to follow her down. "I see you've got a new suit. Heavy duty?"
"That's right. It was designed with a number of very specific, high-risk targets in mind. Of course, it's more than suitable for general use as well."
"I see - you've been very busy. I've heard chatter that you've been snapping up a lot of the Protectorate's most valuable Tinkers."
"That's correct. Our recruitment efforts have been very successful. We're certainly going to need as much as we can get if we're to accomplish our goals." We leave the stairwell, exiting out into a hallway. Water still drips off of my armour, but the linoleum floors of The Rig were chosen for this very reason.
We enter the meeting room. Miss Militia keys commands into the pad by the door, darkening the windows into the room and disabling the cameras.
I take a seat, removing my helmet. Hannah pulls her bandanna down, letting it hang around her neck. She looks me up and down.
"You look exhausted, Colin." I've been pulling late nights since I left the Protectorate. Apparently, it's showing. I can't afford to do much about it, unfortunately.
"You don't look that rested yourself." Her eyes are sunken, and I can see frown lines beginning to crease her face.
She sighs. "I don't feel rested, either. Running an entire Protectorate department isn't a small job."
No - it isn't. I would never have had the time to prepare for the future if I had continued in my previous position.
She shakes her head, straightening in her chair. "I don't know the specifics of what you're doing, but I know how you work, Colin. Whatever it is, it's important. If you ever need my help, just give me a call and I'll do all I can."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
She nods. "Alright. Dragon's message said you were wanting to stay the night. We'll be happy to accomodate - having Uber and Leet out of our hair will be a welcome change."
"Unfortunately, it won't be quite so simple. We have reason to suspect that if given the opportunity, Coil may make a move against Lodestar. We don't expect him to, but measures should be put in place regardless."
"Coil…" She trails off. "He's been laying low. We haven't seen anything from him for a while. We've weeded out a number of his plants, but there's no telling if we've got them all." She shakes her head, silent for a moment. "We'll do what we can to minimize the risk."