Step 10.9
I tried not to be self-conscious.
I heard the phrase Sword of Damocles many times. Never thought about it much. Long story short, it's a platitude about the peril faced by those with power.
Felt a lot less shallow lately.
"Well?" I asked.
"Give me a second!" Trevor ran the scanner over the surface, eyes glued to the tablet in his other hand. "You can't rush accuracy."
I mostly want to rush getting my personal space back.
Stu leaned over my shoulder on one side, Kurt on the other. Around the three of us more men gathered. The Dockworkers and the ex-Merchants had integrated fairly well in my employ. Kurt and Stu in particularly seemed very capable as a pair. The line ran smoothly with Trevor around handling any tinker needs.
Such a simple pleasure. Needed to savor those. The future can be such an uncertain thing. Ironic, given my unrelenting focus on reaching it.
Trevor's device pinged. I could see the data scrolling but not well enough to know the results. Trevor organized things his own way, and his readings rubbed me oddly. Power related? I wasn't sure.
The Helper sat motionless on a table, Green and Purple watching from either side.
"Alright," he declared. "Looks good. Moment of truth."
"Loading software," Veda said via Green.
The Helper whirled. It weighed more than the Haros and made more noise. Byproduct of using less sophisticated tinker components.
We all waited with baited breath as the software loaded up.
The eyes flickered a moment before shining full yellow.
"Hello world, hello world!"
"Is it supposed to repeat itself?" Kurt asked.
I nodded. "This one is."
"Rip off, rip off!" Purple chirped.
"Completely unoriginal," Green added, "completely unoriginal!"
Apparently people found the Haros' habit of repetition endearing, even if they did it on fucking purpose. Figured I'd make it a feature of the Helpers. They could switch to not repeating themselves in emergencies.
"So, it works?" Stu asked.
"StarGazer?"
"You cannot rush a diagnostic," Veda answered. "Diagnostic complete. Helper Beta is online."
A few cheers went up. People shook hands or clapped. Stu and Kurt moved away from me and circled the table.
Trevor tapped at his tablet.
The Helpers ears popped and the arms waved about. Good joint mobility. I didn't see any problems. Next the feet popped out and it walked from one end of the table to another. When Purple rolled into its path it stopped and went around her. I think Green and Purple ended up having fun trying to trip it up as it maneuvered the table surface. They managed to eventually, but the Helper simply stopped and waited rather than risk getting caught under foot.
"Seems to work," Trevor said with a smile.
"It does," I agreed.
"Holy shit she's smiling," someone whispered.
I turned, but I wasn't sure who said it. I was smiling. Did I do that so rarely?
"So," Kurt asked. "What now?"
"My problem," I told him. "For now, take it easy. We'll stress test the line over the next few days." I glanced to Trevor. "Shoot for fifty in one run?"
He nodded. "I can rig up something to make the final diagnostic checks easier. How many would we need to make for a first sale?"
"Not sure. Don't worry about it. We'll probably need a couple dozen or so just for demonstrations. The PRT will want to verify the tech. I need to set that up. Then we need to arrange some inroads. I'm going to see if I can talk to the Administrator at Brockton General."
The hospital boasted an extensive terminal ward due to Panacea. Lots of people came in the hope she'd heal them. They left other hospitals in other cities sometimes hoping for a shot. That still left some with long waits and many of them still died. It was the kind of environment where hospitals needed help. Exactly what I designed the Helpers for.
"Let me worry about it," I reiterated. "You guys just focus on perfecting the line."
Maybe I should get myself a business manager.
The whole point of having Trevor around was for someone to run the factory while I was busy. Dad might know someone to handle the business end. Or maybe I could leave it to Theo and his rebuilt Medhall? At the end of the day I didn't care too much about profits. My interests were elsewhere. As long as the factory ran and the guys got paid I would be happy.
Issues for later.
I checked the time on my phone.
"I've got to head home. Lunch with family."
"We can take care of this," Kurt said with a knowing look. "You go."
"You guys could take lunch too. Half of you have family on the block. Might as well take advantage of it."
"School year starts up soon," Stu said.
"What grade are those girls of yours in?" Kurt asked.
"Fifth and sixth," Stu replied with a small smile.
I stepped back from them and moved toward Trevor.
"Thanks. I'd still be working on all this without you putting all the time into it."
He smiled. "No problem. Far as jobs go this is pretty much the dream! Any ideas for a next project?"
"Honestly, I've been so focused on everything in front of me I haven't put a lot of thought into what comes after. But I guess there should be something. Businesses have to expand."
"I don't think there's going to be a problem selling this little guy." Trevor patted the Helper. "I think they'd sell for novelty value alone."
"Probably. But I want them to be meaningful."
"They will be. There aren't that many pieces of mass produced tinker-tech in the world. The PRT might buy them in bulk if no one else."
"They probably will."
I thought back to the hospital in Boston. People with missing limbs, bleeding to death waiting for someone to save them. Too many injuries and too few doctors and nurses to help. With a few hundred Helpers, I could move them in a big box and deliver them to the next Endbringer fight.
That would make a difference.
"Now is probably the time to start brainstorming," I supposed. "Though we still need to perfect the line so it can run."
"I was thinking of taking a note from those new fabricators we put together. We could use that same concept here, train some of the guys on safely handling tinker-tech. It would be a lot easier to expand going forward that way."
"Good idea." And one that hadn't crossed my mind. Too busy. "Can you work out a plan for it with Kurt and Stu?"
"I can handle it. No problem."
I said my goodbyes to Kurt and Stu and went on my way. Kati met me on the way out and went over some talking points. Everyone was waiting for what came next. No Merchants. No Coil. No ABB.
The Empire was all that remained and after the last three the city seemed to be holding its breath. The fight was coming. Everyone knew it. I suspected none of them knew how I planned to let it play out.
"This is good," I agreed.
"I'll put it out. I've finished arranging some interviews for…You know."
I nodded. "The unmasking."
"Yes. How is your father handling that concept?"
I frowned.
"I think I might have a habit of browbeating people into letting me have my way." I mean, I'd done that to villains almost from day one
"In a way, I suppose you do."
I looked her in the eye. I'd grown taller over the summer and I'd already been tall. Dad and Kati were the only people who seemed to match my height anymore. Them and Lung.
"And that's not a problem for you?" Makes me feel like…kind of a bully.
"Is it a problem for you?" she asked back.
I wasn't sure.
It bothered me. My whole unmasking plan was insane. I'd done insane things before, but this reached a new level. The past few days gave me plenty of time to think about what I'd set in motion and honestly?
I was wondering if maybe I rationalized my decisions too easily.
"Consider it this way," Kati suggested. "Your father has more or less given up trying to stop you. He knows he can't and before anything else he doesn't want to lose you. So he's stepped back and decided to simply be a support for when you need one."
"That's accurate." Not sure I liked how accurate.
"Forecast, Laughter, and StarGazer," she continued. "They trust you. Believe you're the person who can figure out how to handle things. That's not necessarily a bad choice. StarGazer and Forecast are young and haven't let power go to their heads. Kind of impressive since one sees the future and the other sees everything."
I decided not to mention Claire, the blonde whose power was literally 'I see everything'. Pretty sure Dinah was still talking to her.
"Laughter is bold but she'd be as content beating bad parents as she is beating gang members. She's not rolling in initiative."
That would explain how awful her rolls are whenever we sit down for a session.
And I realized I was being facetious.
"You're the one who forged this path," Kati said. "You're the one they picked to be their leader because you stepped up and took that role."
"And the point is?"
"There is no point. "Leadership is always the blind leading the blind. No one can know the fut—You know what I mean. It's what keeps me employed."
"That's not the pep talk I was hoping for," I admitted.
"There's no magic pep talk for your problem. You're in a position of authority over others and feel responsibility for what happens." She gave me an even look. "That's what you signed up for. Don't hide from it now."
"It's a lot less intimidating when things are simple," I grumbled.
"They only seem simple. Another thing that keeps me employed."
Still felt that sword hanging over my head as we parted ways. We needed to sit down and have a serious talk about Kati's worldview at some point. It was getting a lot more complex than just being honest with myself.
At least I was doing that…I think. I'd always been introspective. Not sure why I felt so unsettled about it lately.
I'd only done half my jog in the morning. I used it to reach the factory, changing into costume along the route. I planned to jog the other half back to the house. Seemed a reasonable way to manage my tinker fingers. I could get into that routine without trouble.
Especially after…
Well, in retrospect, I wondered if the real failure of New Wave was how insular they became. They unmasked for the right reasons. Maybe they didn't go about it the best way. Fleur getting shot put a real stop to their momentum.
Now though?
I thought they could have continued, but they turned inward. They stuck to their family. Even if they failed to grow as a team, New Wave just wasn't active in the city. They were a feature of Brockton Bay more than a part of it. I wondered if any of them ever thought about that.
Hindsight can be a bitch.
"I'll be back after lunch with Dad." I handed the bag with my costume off to Green. "Hold the fort and all that."
"I believe Pink is preparing pastrami and spinach stuffed chicken," Veda said. "I am concerned about how heavy the sauce is."
"Yeah, starting to worry I'll get fat from all the food." Though a little fat might not be so bad depending on where it landed. "But it is tasty."
I pulled on my sports bra and then tied my laces. Kind of weird how accustomed you get to changing in dark alleys as a cape. It's just a thing you do. Probably helped that I had the Haros to spot hobos and such.
I returned to the street and worked myself up to a steady jog.
The city continued to feel like a different place. People and cars everywhere, and I swear the air smelled cleaner. How did that even work? It's not like the gangs were producing the literal garbage in the streets, only the figurative garbage.
And someone just waved to me.
The fuck.
The guy actually looked happy.
That's what I wanted, wasn't it? It's what I set out to do. Save Brockton Bay. Make it something other than the example everyone held up as what happens when villains take over a city. Clean the locker trapping people in filth and darkness.
Personal metaphors aside, that was a good goal. A goal I kept feeling closer and closer to. Why did that only make me feel heavier? Shouldn't it lighten up at some point?
I stopped at a street corner as traffic passed. That was new too. Not traffic itself but enough traffic that obeying lights was a good idea. In the past so few cars traveled along many roads you could easily weave around them.
Still feeling that sword.
Fucking thinkers make everything so much more complicated.
I did a brief stretch, bending forward and grabbing one ankle.
The van was still there and it wasn't one of mine.
This is what I get for feeding my own paranoia.
I noticed it a block back. Did they follow me as Newtype or were they just looking for Taylor? I guessed the later. We gave out my jogging route with the information Veda released and adjusted the time so that anyone looking would only find me on my route back.
I reached into my pocket. I tapped the screen of my phone thrice. It vibrated twice back. Weighing my options, I deviated from my normal course. I turned right rather than wait for the light and continued jogging.
The van followed.
Is this how this shit happens? A cliche?
The wonderful game of cape bingo. Kidnapping? Extortion? Stalking? Assassination? Could be anything. I had no real way to know how my seed would grow. Would defeat the purpose if I did. And part of me did feel like the assholes-that-be deserved a tiny chance to not be assholes.
But they were assholes so of course that wouldn't happen.
I'm starting to think I rationalize my choices too easily.
I sped up at the end of the next street. The van matched me, maintaining a constant distance. A big red hand flashed ahead, warning pedestrians not to cross.
I sprinted right through.
Horns honked and someone cursed at me. More horns, and a car swerving out of the way followed me. The van ran the light.
The black painted box sped ahead of me, but I was already running down an alley. I heard footsteps. They got out fast. I tipped a few garbage cans as I passed. Someone stumbled and fell. Did some cursing. In the distance I heard horns blaring.
The van?
I didn't slow as I reached the other side of the block. I didn't know which way the van went and there might be more than one. I picked left and the bag came down over my head. Arms went around my waist and hands grasped at my wrists.
At least two men.
How many assholes are they throwing at me?
I threw one leg back, hitting the guy behind me in the shin. He grunted but held on. I managed to yank one arm free of the hand holding it. I ignored the heat of friction on my skin and shot my elbow backwards. The arms around my waist loosened and I pulled myself free.
Stumbling forward, I yanked the bag off my head and spun.
Three men in cliche black turtlenecks and ski masks. I recognized the tall one regardless. Hamlen, the idiot who 'lost' Othala. Kind of unfair how the Empire kicked him to the curb for something that really wasn't his fault but Nazis don't get my sympathy.
I ducked back as someone reached out of the van at the street side and threw my shoulder into the third man's gut.
"She's one fucking Jew!" Nazi's are so considerate. "Grab her!"
"I'm trying!"
The man I knew to be Hamlen snarled, "Stop talking you idiots!"
"Kidnapping!" I shouted. "Help! HELP!"
I considered yelling 'stranger danger' but that might be a bit too flippant.
Someone shouted, "Just grab her and dump her phone!"
I kicked a hand back as it grabbed my ankle and forced myself up. I started sprinting again, remembering why I'd wanted to start running in the first place nearly a year ago. That time the trio sent a bunch of boys to chase me. I'd managed to escape them then because they weren't any fitter than me, but the thought of being caught scared me plenty.
I heard the men chasing after me but kept going. Almost made it to the end of the block when another van pulled around the corner.
The door slid open and I nearly fell over as I stopped.
"One simple job. Grab the girl. Show the old man who he should be worried about. Easy." Hookwolf stepped out of the van. "And they still manage to fuck it up."
I stared at him.
Part of me didn't really believe it until I saw it. Hookwolf? I only wanted a few Nazi jackasses to make a run at me. I'd be fine with Veda watching. Just a little show, maybe a few bruises. The excuse was all I needed and it didn't need to be much.
But Hookwolf?
Shit that was fucking perfect!
"No more running," he snarled. "Unless you want your legs cut off. Just get in the van and play nice."
Right.
Fucking Hookwolf is five feet in front of me.
I'd been close to him without a suit before, but that was without his mask. Hookwolf was a violent asshole but he wasn't dumb enough to screw himself. Not on purpose anyway. No, that took a certain amount of coaxing and some wool.
And three days, apparently.
I raised my head to look at his mask.
Took some effort not to smile. Instead I glared at Hookwolf as he loomed over me. Kidnap me and blackmail Dad. That's the angle they worked out? Made sense. Danny Hebert, head of hiring at the DWU? Widower with a young daughter, presumably Jewish, and works for the hero showing all the bad guys how flimsy they really are?
Made sense in an 'I'm a dumb neo-Nazi' sort of way. Not sure how they thought the end game would play out but 'might makes right' isn't the mentality of a thinking person.
Worked for me. I didn't tell them to do it. They made their own choices.
"You picked the rules," I whispered.
Hookwolf stared at me. Chewed on the words. Think it took a moment for the pieces to come together.
At that point he went right for trying to murder me.
Turned his arm into a big whirling mass of edges and swung for my throat.
Exia slammed into him from above.
The chest opened and I threw myself inside.
Hookwolf whirled out of the crater. Claws slashed out I pulled back on the controls. The claws cut empty air as Exia drifted back. The GN drive spun, igniting the sky with a flurry of green light.
And that's it.
I hung there, my suit and its light silhouetted by the mid-day sun.
Control, I thought.
That's what Teacher wants. He wants control. I knew it because that's what I wanted. Control in a world so wildly out of control it drowned in insanity.
I spent years without control. No control over my mother's death. No control over the breakdown of my family. No control over Emma's betrayal. No control trapped in darkness and filth.
Control was a lie, no matter how much I wanted it. That's why I had to let it go. The illusion, however comforting, was a false promise. I didn't control when or how Teacher could use my identity against me or the people close to me. I didn't control anything really and that was Kati's point, okay got it.
Kid Win said something to me once about the past. You can't change what happened, only how you feel about it. I think I amended that in my mind.
You can't control the world, only how it controls you.
Teacher didn't get to use my identity against me. Against us. I'd use it first. I'd use it to achieve something great.
The end of an Empire, forever.
"Command. Downfall."
A beam of light cut through the street. Hookwolf's van popped like a can. The driver threw himself out and scrambled. Queen came barreling into view a moment latter and hit the wreck at full force. The vehicle tumbled and my second Gundam turned on Hookwolf.
I jumped back as I dove Exia toward him. The Fangs surrounded and fired, a pair flying down the street to pursue the unpowered goons. The beams peppered the street and a pair of Haros flew by telling people to find shelter. From the dust Hookwolf emerged with nothing but black scoring over his metal form.
He glowered.
I pointed a sword at him.
He charged.
Queen came at him from the side. Veda pulled a pair of beam sabers from her back and slashed into Hookwolf's legs. Metal burned and scored. The limbs cracked and twisted. I came down on him as his balance gave out and drove the Buster Sword through his 'neck'.
Hookwolf sprung up and flipped himself over, tearing a gash through his own 'head' as he did. Bits of stray metal clattered to the ground. They lay motionless.
Nothing comes from nothing.
He's generating that metal from somewhere.
Hookwolf lunged into the air, chains slipping from his body and snapping.
The Fangs spun in a circle and fired at once, peppering across his body. Hookwolf threw himself through the barrage toward me. A spike of metal and barbs stabbed at Exia's gut and scraped over the armor.
I spun and smashed my shield into his side. I swung the Buster Sword in counter, but Hookwolf ducked. He lifted his back legs when Veda swung at them, and swiped the chains through the air like whips. The links rattled against Queen's leg and yanked.
Queen slammed into the ground. The Fangs fired at Hookwolf and he raised long and tall slabs of metal to protect himself. I pulled a khatar from Exia's leg and stabbed it into the ground, severing the chains.
I slid to the side and slammed the flat of the Buster Sword into Hookwolf's side. He wheeled about snapping at me. Queen twisted, getting behind him. Hookwolf jumped away and turned, swiping a new tail of chains and knocking both our Gundams away.
He won't run.
The metal shifted and Hookwolf's body seemed to go inside out. His eyes glared at me. His back became his front. His body lunged forward and surrounded Exia. I spun my suit to throw him. The weight jerked me to the right. A messy tangle of hooks, chains caught on my shield.
I popped it open and pointed the missile inside at Hookwolf. He called my bluff of course. I wasn't about to point blank fire a missile at him with Exia not even a foot away.
I ejected the shield instead and flew back. He tossed the item aside and threw himself away. Queen intercepted, Fangs firing and sabers swinging. Hookwolf chose the sabers over the shield, driving past Queen despite the fact nothing happened.
The Fangs chased him off, leaving me free to slide over the ground and retrieve my shield.
sys.v/ Downfall complete
sys.v/ Kati is now fielding public response
I'd let her handle it. "Block all calls. I'm busy."
I fitted the shield back to my arm and pushed forward.
Exia shot forward, a burst of green and dust billowing behind. Hookwolf reared up and I slammed into him. I pushed the pedals harder and shouted over the com.
"Everyone down!"
I slammed my feet down and the sound barrier shattered. I felt bad for the windows and some ear drums. Fighting Hookwolf near other people any longer was a no go. We had our witnesses.
I barreled down the street for three blocks.
In the blink of an eye, I smashed Hookwolf into and through a brick wall. I didn't slow down. I endured the shocks as I hit a parked car and a street corner. I ignored the sound of metal grinding against E-Carbon.
When I reached my destination, I let Hookwolf go. When he didn't release, I spun. His grip failed, claws scrapping at Exia's arms before releasing.
His body skipped over the ground like a stone on water, rolling through an intersection and scoring the street. I swung up and dove back down. I slammed a foot into his back and drove a sword into his body. The fake one, that is.
It's somewhere.
I raised my shield and fired. The missile streamed. Hookwolf twisted around and dodged the missile. It flew on and hit a building at the street corner. The bottom level exploded outward and a section of the upper floor collapsed.
Hookwolf paused, glancing over his shoulder.
"I do believe I was clear."
"I didn't know that was you!"
"Bullshit!" I snapped, noting the people nearby who were slowly backing away from the fight. "I go to Boston to meet with Purity under truce"—Hookwolf flinched—"and three days later you're trying to grab me off the street?!"
I pointed my sword at him.
"You want a war with no rules, I'll fight a war with no rules!"
A wave of explosions followed my words. The Haros flew by overhead, dropping bombs on a row of warehouses the Empire used to shield their operations. The properties belonged to Medhall, but I didn't care about that distinction anymore. No more hiding. No more games.
The Empire wasn't that different from Teacher.
Not really. They played their petty little game of skin and ethnic might for money and power. They abused the 'right' people and invoked from the violence, and the fear, their own self-serving justification. All to build a bastion within which to hide from change.
"Don't blame me that your petty game of might makes right is suddenly going against you."
It was a petty game. A game for sycophants and cowards. I didn't have time for it anymore. No more time than I had when it was the game Madison, Emma, and Sophia played with me. They were the last step. All that remained between me and the first true step to a changed world.
Hookwolf whirled and met my blade with his own.
Barbed spikes thrust out form his body and blunted against my armor. I cut them with my sword and swung down at him. Hookwolf ducked under my attack and grabbed at Exia's arm and 'swallowed' the limb into himself. The grinding rattled in my ears and I yanked my limbs free rather than let them sink into his form.
Clever.
He didn't have a 'solid' form with his power. His body was just a mass of metals. He didn't need to adhere to a skeleton or a musculature. Far as I could tell, his body could be severed just about anywhere and nothing came of it. he lost some bits and pieces but kept going.
Can he take shapes other than a wolf?
It would be weird if he couldn't, actually. If I guessed right, his body didn't turn into blades at all. The metal simply occupied the space while his body was folded away somewhere else. The shape of the metal shouldn't be limited to any particular shape.
A trump card to watch out for. Maybe. Something he kept in reserve.
I pulled the trigger.
The GN pistol fired into his body and blasted through to the other side of Hookwolf's body. I pressed a foot to him and fired the thrusters. I threw my other foot back and kept my balance.
I drew my longsword.
The blade opened and a concentrated beam fired as Hookwolf leaped at me. The laser cut into his metal form and burned away bits and pieces. His bulk still nearly reached me.
I projected a GN shield and bounced the man back to the ground.
I thrust the Buster Sword forward and skewered Hookwolf. I cut down the GN Field on the edge, rendering it blunt. Harder for Hooky to slide off. Metal whirled and ground in a bid to break free. I fired the longsword into his face, then closed the blade and stabbed.
I pulled my two blades apart, ripping Hookwolf's body apart. I watched the pieces, trying to find some pattern or core. Something that could really hurt him.
Behind me, Queen flew through the sky and crashed into a nearby warehouse. The Fangs started firing and gunshots followed. In the distance more explosions echoed as the Haros continued their attacks.
Focus
Hookwolf wasn't Lung but he was no less dangerous and no less experienced. He didn't let my blows stop him. Why should he? On some level he might realize his real body was somewhere safe. I didn't see anything save that he could seemingly pick any piece of himself to keep going.
Hookwolf drove himself into my back, regrowing his form from a big chunk that landed behind Exia. I spotted a human arm for a moment, but metal quickly burst from under the skin.
We fell forward and I shot myself into the air. I spun about and then slammed my back into the ground. My bones rattled and an alarm blared that something was obstructing the fly wheel.
Nazis get their shit everywhere.
I activated the short sword at my hip. The blade opened and fired the strongest GN pulse it could. Hookwolf recoiled. I could hurt him.
I fired the fly wheel to maximum and blew Hookwolf back into a wall. He crashed and tumbled through the abandoned building. I slammed into him and forced him out into the alley behind. My blade cut into his body and he tried to tangle me in chains.
We went up and I drove him down through the roof and back into the street. He only snarled. Didn't seem jarred at all. I threw Hookwolf down into the ground and his constantly shifting body of edges flowed back into its wolf shape like water entering a container.
Is this what happens when two brutes just batter each other?
Except I wasn't a brute. My armor deflected his blows, but not eternally. I already had warnings on the shield and right arm. His claws could score the infused plates.
He snapped at Exia's chest but his fangs couldn't get a grip. I stabbed my longsword into his throat and swung up through the top of his head. Didn't work. He was slowing down. I saw his metal growing with less speed, but I felt his energy was holding out better than my armor.
There's somewhere I can hurt you.
My blade caught in Hookwolf's body for a moment. He turned on me, grabbing onto Exia's left shoulder. The alert sounded in my ear and I spun to throw him off. When that didn't take, I lifted Exia up and then slammed into the ground.
The grinding noise got worse.
He could break my armor, eventually. He just kept growing more metal. I cursed and slammed him into the ground again. His hold held and I turned my GN Pistol on his head and fired. The swirling metal burst and chipped but still he held.
One blue eye glared at me.
Fuck you too.
I swung my buster blade over and ran the edge down through the eye.
He fell back with a metallic cry.
I threw him back with the thrusters again, gaining some distance.
Exia's left arm was mangled from wrist to shoulder, the pauldron completely crushed. Hookwolf chewed through the armor like a vice and a grater mixed into one. The shield was scored and the projectors returned faults when queried.
I overrode the warning. I could feel the stiff response in the controls. Didn't need a beep reminding me.
I dodged Hookwolf's charge. The barbed chains snapped into the ground. I cut them and then brought the Buster Sword down. The blade went through him like butter. Hookwolf ignored the blow as it cut into him.
He grabbed onto my right arm and tried to crush it too.
I cast the longsword aside and grabbed a beam saber.
I stabbed the blade into his other eye. I missed slightly, but the effect was the same. He fell back with a metallic cry. I think I saw blood in his swirling mass.
Your eyes are real.
Hookwolf fell to the ground and scrambled.
"You Jew b—"
I drove my sword through his wolf head and nailed his body into the ground.
"I'm French."
I lifted him, straining the limits of Exia's right arm.
I swung the blade wide, throwing Hookwolf off the edge. He flailed in the air before hitting a wall and tumbling into the building I shot a missile at earlier. An abandoned building he once used for dog fights.
I'd tried throwing him into it a few times. He always caught himself and came back at me. Without his eyes he just scrambled helplessly before crashing through the wall.
I raised the damaged left arm.
"Sit."
I pulled the trigger and the missile fired.
When it hit, the entire building came crashing down. Dust and rubble spilled out onto the street and I marked the position. Hookwolf was powerful, but he wasn't super strong. A few tons of building should more than pin him. If I really gouged out his eyes, he wouldn't get far even if he escaped.
"Mark Hookwolf's position and send it to the PRT," I said. "He's buried under a building. I might have cut out his eyes."
I watched the dust clear and the rubble settle. I didn't see any movement.
"Send Orange over here. Keep people away from the building."
I lifted into the air and flipped the Buster Sword back. Reaching across the chest, I tore the left pauldron off my suit and discarded it. That freed up the left arm's range of movement a bit.
"Well. Hookwolf is dealt with. How's the rest going?"
"We're on it," Aisha replied.
"I've always wanted to fight Cricket," Lafter mused.
Figured. I checked their positions on the map. Queen already had Stormtiger engaged. Krieg and Cricket were both on the move. The Haros were blasting the crap the Empire hid in Medhall into oblivion. I'd removed Hookwolf.
"I'm going to go visit his majesty." I could see Dauntless flying toward me but I wasn't about to wait for him. "What is the PRT doing?"
"They are deploying troopers now," Veda answered. "If you wait a moment, I will be able to send Queen to join you."
"Take your time. A little shock and awe will go a long way to making the point that Celestial Being will end any fight regardless of who starts."
No more games.
"I'm going to get us what we need to nail Calvert to the wall."
I turned Exia about and shot south.
I brought up PHO out of simple curiosity.
► Celestial Being (Team Official) (Original Poster)
Replied on August 11, 2011:
On May 7, 2011, Newtype issued an ultimatum to the villains of Brockton Bay warning them of her intention to enforce the 'Unwritten Rules'. The enforcement constituted a promise to treat any villain by the standard they themselves embraced, up to and including disregarding of secret identities.
Today, August 11, 2011, members of the Empire 88 under Hookwolf attacked Newtype in her civilian identity, seemingly with intent to kidnap her. It does not appear they were fully aware of her identity. However, a failure to do their due diligence in checking who the victim of their intended crime was is an unsavory defense that we cannot accept.
Least of all because the coincidence is improbable.
As such, Celestial Being will now operate on the premise that secret identities are to be afforded no special consideration in all dealings with the Empire Eighty-Eight.
