Dawn 01

I pulled a seraph into being, a grimace crossing my face and I had to drop the five cherubs I had already manifested. "Yeah, no, that's not going to work. I can't keep two different types up."

"Okay, well at least we know for sure now," Purity said, nodding. "I still don't see why we couldn't just do this, you know, at home."

"Half the point of being a cape is to be visible isn't it?" I said, as I summoned three more seraphs. "If you aren't going to let me actually patrol yet, I should at least make sure that people know that there are capes around. Maybe just the deterrent will keep some people safe who wouldn't have been safe otherwise."

Purity frowned as she looked both ways down the side of the street near my chosen empty lot. "There are…other places we could be making our presence known."

I smirked and sent a seraph to fly a circle around her. "This place is good."

"You're playing with fire here, Hardlight." She sighed, shaking her head and crossing her arms, her foot even tapping against the asphalt.

"You said you wanted to do better. You promised that you would be willing to listen to some of my demands. Working near Empire territory is one of those. This helps distance me from those bastards and it helps to show that maybe you are actually willing to fight against them."

"Or, counterpoint, it could show that we are affiliated with them and that they are trying to subtly expand their holdings."

I scowled, more minions popping up and surging over to start playing with the abandoned hunk of a car in the corner of the lot. "Bullshit. The PRT are still apologizing for that shitshow in the gym. They wouldn't send out that narrative unless they were actually trying to force me into joining up with the damn Empire."

Purity shook her head, dropping her hands to the side. "T-Hardlight, that isn't what the PRT is going to say. It's what Kaiser is going to say."

Several of my minions vanished as I froze and looked at her. "No."

"Yes. I told you, he's very good at manipulation and public relations. Anything good we do here, even just simply 'showing the cape' he could spin. There's really only two ways to prevent it."

"And they are?" I asked. I refused to let my rising blood pressure or my increased heartbeat influence my voice. Those bastards did not get to twist what I was trying to do to fit their world view! I was supposed to be smarter than this! I was supposed to be helping people, not being thrown right back into being a powerless idiot getting stepped on by everyone around her!

"Well one is being attacked by the Empire capes themselves, but Kaiser is never going to make that kind of mistake. Not yet at least. The second would be to have New Wave come by and we do a fairly public handshaking thing with them. Again, not likely to happen."

"Because you're Purity."

"Because I'm Purity. Also, I don't have their number and they don't usually patrol in this area."

I scowled and kicked out at a rock as two of my minions punched the car closer towards the nearby wall. "I'm going to be sixteen soon. I shouldn't have to deal with politics."

"Welcome to being a cape. This is the sort of thing that the PRT could help with. As much as I despise bowing to them after what they pulled…it would help to go back. I really do think that you need a full suite of testing before we go on an actual patrol. We could figure out the healing thing too that way. That would be a lot of good PR."

"I know, I know," I bit out. The seraphs finished moving the car - I conveniently ignored the new dents in the panels - and a few flew back towards me while the rest vanished. "Aegis was nice…Fine, but I'm still not working with Miss Militia."

"That's completely understandable. Now can we please leave before - Ah damn." Purity sighed as a soft whine sounded. She lifted into the air, hovering about 5 feet up as I summoned five minions to surround me. An instant later, a hoverboard flew over the rooftop to my right, and a white and red suited teenager walked around the corner of the lot.

Kid Win stayed hovering in the air, his board floating down to match Purity's height as Clockblocker held up a hand in greeting. "Evening folks. Kid and I were just out and about and we happened to see a bit of light. Figured we should check out what the resident sympathizer was up to. Cherub, you should probably keep better company, just saying."

I scowled, another seraph popping into existence behind me head and hovering in midair I glared at Clockblocker. Before I could do more than open my mouth though, Kid Win beat me to it. "I told you, that's not what she wanted to be called. Hi, please excuse him, he lacks manners. I didn't catch your actual name when we last met. I'm Kid Win."

My scowl lost some of its edge and I peered up at the tinker. "Hardlight. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult Purity. Just because it may have been deserved before, doesn't mean it applies now."

"I can speak for myself," Purity commented. She let herself drop back to the ground and shook her head. "I'm surprised your superiors are letting you speak with us at all honestly. Isn't standing orders to have the Wards avoid me?"

"Orders have recently changed. Not that they don't always change at the drop of a hat or the phase of the Moon, but specifically, they have changed," Clockblocker said. He looked towards me, shaking his head. "Seriously girl, I don't know what your deal actually is, but for once I wasn't actually kidding. You need better company."

"So I should just run to the people who set me up? Is that what you're saying?" I asked, my scowl back in full force and my heart rate rising again.

"Set you up? What are you talking about?"

Kid Win dropped his hoverboard down and grabbed Clockblocker's shoulder. "Gag order. It wasn't intended to do anything except to protect your identity. I'm sorry, we really just wanted to say hello and make sure everything was okay here."

I took a breath and nodded once. "I'm…practicing. I wanted people to know I was here to prevent any muggings or robberies while I was nearby."

"That's not a bad plan. We'll let you get back to it. Call the hotline if anything happens and we'll be back fast to help out. Clock, time to go."

"They are literally sitting two blocks away from Nazi Land and we're not going to do anything?" Clockblocker said. I didn't have to see his face to know he was scowling. "This is bullshit. I'm calling this in."

"I told you this location was a bad idea," Purity sighed.

"I didn't know about the fucking politics," I snapped. "I was trying to help your image! Maybe if you had explained things before we got here I would've actually listened."

"Seriously, it's okay, Hardlight. I don't know why everyone always goes to Boat Graveyard to test their abilities; it's a quick way to get into a fight with someone. Clock, let's go. There's details here that you don't know. Have a pleasant evening ladies."

He pulled Clockblocker's arm one more time and just as the two turned to leave, my eyes were drawn to the rooftop to the left. The rooftop that was casting a circular shadow on the ground now. No, not the roof, the piece of concrete hovering over it and just now flying into the clearing of my abandoned lot.

Purity groaned, her hand slapping her face. "This evening could not get worse."

I on the other hand, grinned as Rune and Krieg came into view sitting on the concrete block, and summoned fifteen minions total between them and me. Rune's black and red robes were more something I would expect Myrddin to wear than a Nazi, but hey, whatever floated her boat. I was still in my off-white jeans and long sleeve shirt after all.

The two Empire capes were apparently as surprised to see the Wards as the Wards were to see them - at least going by how Rune's mouth fell open as she stared at Kid Win and Kid Win scrambled for the gun at his belt. For a long moment, all six of us stared at each other.

Then Krieg cleared his throat. "Well, this is already going wonderfully. Anyone feel like calling a mulligan and we all go home and try this some other time?"

"Why are there Wards here?" Rune asked, shifting rapidly between me and the Protectorate folk. "I thought this was just - "

"Stand down now!" Kid Win shouted, finally getting his gun out and sighting on the Empire capes. "Rune, Krieg, you're under arrest!"

"Console, two E88 capes on-scene. Engaging." Clockblocker took a stance slightly to the side of Kid Win, but still shielding his teammate. That made sense; if Rune tried to throw something at him, Clockblocker could freeze it and both could either hide or run.

Krieg scowled and reached for his own gun at his side, lifting it from the holster, yet not leveling it. "We came to speak with the girl. This is none of your business, Ward. Leave and no one has to be embarrassed."

"Funny, I remember the last time we fought, you became a pigeon statue for nearly eight minutes!" Clockblocker shouted back.

"And yet I still walked away at the end, child. Purity, please assist in removing these children before they get themselves hurt."

My stepmother slowly shook her head and rose to hover in midair setting herself between both groups. I was the sole person standing off to the side in this. How the hell had that happened? "We were already leaving. Let's just…everyone go their own way."

I growled to Purity. "What?! You need to do better! You promised you would!"

"We are twenty feet away, and Purity and Cherub are present," Clockblocker was muttering into his earpiece. "Standing down is a bad idea, Console."

"Hardlight, this is not the time," Purity hissed. "They are - "

"Right there!"

"Not doing anything," she finished. "I can't just attack them when they aren't committing any crimes!"

Rune nodded, pointing to Purity. "Exactly. Look, we were just here to - "

"Well I can." I growled and bulked my minions up to twenty strong. The seraphs surged forward swarming towards Rune's platform. She yelped and raised it back into the air even as several of my minions grabbed the bottom and started to fly down, slowing her ascent and yet more lunged over the edge towards the two capes themselves.

Kid Win launched his board back into the air and started firing towards them. Clockblocker ran towards the nearby fire escape - to try and get closer to them I assumed. Purity grunted and flew to stay between me and the platform as it started tipping in our direction, my minions having noticeable effect. She raised her glowing hand towards them and shouted, "Rune! Leave now while you still can! Krieg cut your losses tonight!"

Kid Win shot several more energy blasts towards the platform even as it started to wobble, more of my minions reaching it and forcing it down. Then, the loud report of gunfire split the night and Kid Win's board spun to the side sparking. I could hear Clockblocker curse as he leaped up the last few rungs, reaching out a hand to the platform. Just before he touched it, the entire thing split in half, my minions on one part and pulling it crashing to the parking lot while the other half surged into the air, spinning wildly.

I winced as I lost fifteen minions as they were crushed under the rubble. The rest immediately shifted to fly towards the remaining platform. I summoned more to push my numbers back up and started running after Rune on the street so I could keep her new, smaller platform in sight.

"Hardlight, stop!" Purity shouted behind me. I ignored her and kept running. The concrete stabilized just as my new seraph swarm reached them. The minions flowed over the edge and reached for Krieg. He shot several, though he couldn't stop two from reaching him. The minions slowed as they entered the range of his kinetic field, their movements seeming to crawl. He scowled and turned towards me, even as he swung a bat into the closest minions. His other hand lifted his gun to sight on me. I pulled three seraphs into being directly between us.

Then a scream rent the air. "You will not hurt her!" And Rune's platform neatly exploded in a beam of light.

I skidded to a halt, my eyes wide. Did Kayden just…A female scream cut through the blood roaring in my ears and I saw Rune falling through the sky just ahead of me. Without thinking, I formed a minion just below her. It caught her just before she would have slammed into the ground. I didn't see Krieg anywhere.

Trying to ignore the shudder that crept down my spine, I ran to Rune, dismissing the minion even as she pulled herself to her feet, one arm cradled in the other as blood ran down the injured one. She shook her head from side to side, whipping her hood about and backpedaled. "Stop, stop! Jesus christ, we were just going to introduce ourselves! You're with fucking Purity, we thought you would be friendly! We weren't trying to fight. I'm sorry, look you got me okay, just fucking stop!"

For the second time that night, I froze as I stared. She was my age. And she was terrified. Try as I might, I couldn't see the Nazi under the hood, all I could see was a girl with a broken arm who was scared to death of me. Or…of Purity…

I took a breath and let it out slow, trying to force the shaking in my hands to stop and the roaring blood in my ears to die down. It didn't help much. "I'm not joining the Empire. I'm - I'm trying to make Purity a better person…"

"Well I was friends with her and used to work with her and she just practically killed me so good fucking job!"

Speak of the devil, Purity dropped down in front of me, letting Krieg fall limp at Rune's feet. She hurried back-stepped away, her hands held up, this time the glow was absent. "I'm sorry, I overreacted. I didn't mean for this to escalate like this. Just, just go."

"What?" Rune asked, her head snapping to Purity.

"I know you were just trying to recruit her. She's new and she reacted and I overreacted and now it's done. It's - I'm sorry, just please go."

Krieg groaned though he didn't move. Rune stared down at him then looked at me. "Fuck this night. I just wanted to say hello to a new cape. Screw you both!" She knelt and touched the sidewalk. A rune flaring to life on the slab below her and Krieg. A few seconds later it tore itself from the ground and they were flying away, back towards Empire territory.

"Hey!" Clockblocker shouted down from the roof above us. He was jabbing a hand at Rune as she vanished over the next building. "Hardlight, don't let them get away!"

I could only turn my own eyes onto the ground as my seraphs vanished around me. I heard metal slapping on pavement behind us, so at least Kid Win was okay. Purity reached out a hand towards my shoulder.

I flinched away before she could touch me.