A Waken 12.6
I waited by one of Arcadia's side entrances. The pathway led out of the school's southern entrance, which didn't face the student parking lot or the bus stops and drop off. Not many students used it, though the few who did lingered and watched me.
I kept my eyes forward, waiting.
I knew they used the south entrance. Most people might not look up, but I did. The Dallon sisters always used the south entrance, probably because it wasn't as crowded as the other two.
What I didn't know—apparently—is exactly when they showed up at school. Didn't exactly look up and then check my watch to see if the timing lined up.
"Target in sight," Green said, "target in sight!"
"Don't let them hear you say that," I replied with a sigh.
"Initiating attack run, initiating attack run."
I couldn't see the little troublemaker, which meant I needed a zoom setting on my glasses. Not that I worried he'd actually attack anyone, but he could annoy them.
I saw them as dots at first. They flew mostly straight, up until Vicky suddenly swerved left and then dove toward the street. She carried her sister in a bridal carry, and right behind them a little green blip zig-zagged.
Damn it Green.
Vicky flew towards me and I casually stepped to my left as she shot past. Green followed after her in his cradle, a laser pointer in his outstretched hand.
"Pew pew. Pew pew."
Vicky set her sister down, then spun around. "Why is your robot shooting a laser pointer at me?"
I watched a small red dot flash on and off her stomach as Green continued to 'pew'.
"I've given up trying to decipher their motives," I explained. "It usually boils down to 'because they felt like it'."
"Can you send more of them?"
I blinked. So did Panacea.
"You want more?" Amy asked.
"Yeah! I can't get anyone to do flying practice with me and this would be a great way to improve my moves."
Why can't anything just be normal?
"I guess…Probably could make some Helpers for it actually." And this is off point. "We can talk about that later. I had something else I wanted to ask about."
Vicky shrugged. "Ask away."
At her sister's side, Amy watched me skeptically.
"In private," I specified. "It's kind of a personal thing." Amy Dallon started glaring. Damn it Lafter. "Not that I think anyone is going to blab, but it's personal and not something I think I should be sharing with any more people than necessary."
Amy did not stop glaring.
"Something you can't talk about in front of Amy?"
I measured my words carefully. "The secrets aren't exactly mine and it's already kind of a breach to talk to you about it at all."
The sisters watched me, which got more awkward as more people showed up to watch us. A small audience, mostly in the distance. I missed being able to do things without people noticing.
"Okay," Vicky agreed. "Roof."
"…Roof?"
Before I could inquire further, Vicky grabbed me up in her arms and shot into the air.
"See you in class Ames!"
Vicky turned up and circled. Arcadia wasn't that tall. Vicky reached the roof in a matter of seconds. I still didn't like looking down and not being in a Gundam. Couldn't escape the sense that man was not meant to fly without adequate armor.
I only exhaled when my feet touched solid ground. "Don't do that to me." My hands starting fixing my hair. "Not without warning at least."
"Oh, sorry." Vicky smiled. "So what's up?"
Right.
I pulled my hair back and revealed, "Vista is patrolling. Without the PRT knowing about it."
Vicky frowned and asked, "Is she allowed to do that?"
"Technically or practically? I've already told someone at the PRT, but I don't think dragging her in is going to make things better. She wants to do things on her own and I don't think she trusts the hand that usually holds hers if you know what I mean."
Vicky crossed her arms and raised her legs. She took a position akin to sitting, but in the air.
"That thing that happened over the summer, right?" I nodded. "I guess I get that. Not exactly fun knowing the people on your own team didn't rush to your rescue."
"And there aren't any gangs anymore, but I'm still worried about her running around on her own."
"Yeah. Only a matter of time till new capes show up and they might be unknowns. Lots of people are talking about what happened in Boston back in the late nineties early thousands."
"I won't let it get that bad," I said firmly. "But there are going to be more villains. The Red Hands are going to slip into the city over the weekend. I expect the Adepts and Travelers to follow."
"None of those groups are particularly violent," Vicky pointed out. "Petty stuff."
"Nothing like the Merchants, the ABB, or the Empire," I agreed. "But still villains."
"What are you going to do about it?"
I glanced out toward the city.
"I plan to let it ride," I admitted. "Petty thieves, cultists, and trouble makers aren't going to burn the city to the ground. I'm more worried about the Elite and the rest of the Patriots."
Teacher.
Teacher needed to fall. In the short term, I needed to free Dragon. Dealing with petty street crime wasn't where I wanted my efforts focused.
I'd rather have groups like the Red Hands and the Adepts running around and being annoyances. Established annoyances. Ones that were content to be annoying but not violent bigots or drug dealers or human traffickers.
Someone still needed to keep them in line though.
I didn't plan on Missy wanting to strike out on her own, but maybe it could work.
"I know you want to leave New Wave," I told her.
Vicky flinched, stammering out her words. "I—I didn't say that."
"But it's what you keep wanting to talk to me about, right?" I turned and looked her in the eye. "You're not happy with how things are. How New Wave…doesn't do anything."
Vicky's face turned red, but I saw the answer before she said it.
"Yeah. I'm not happy with it. But they are, I think. I don't…I don't want to be a bitch or anything, you know? They're my family and I love them but dressing up and going to fundraisers isn't enough for me."
"I get that. I think Vista's in a similar place. She's upset with the PRT but she likes the other Wards and most of the Protectorate members."
"Makes sense," Vicky mumbled. She tilted her head. "You want me to patrol with Vista? Back her up?"
"Yeah. I'd do it myself but I'm worried about being accused of trying to poach a Ward."
"PRT doesn't like that."
"So I noticed. I looked up the history of the Adepts."
PRT sent the Wards to smack them around in New York when they started trying to poach members of the junior hero team. Caused a small stir. Most sided with the Wards thanks to the PRT's PR machine.
Plus the Adepts were kind of weird.
"You two can watch each other's backs," I suggested. "Figure out what you want to do. I already told Vista to call me in case of trouble and some people in the PRT are arranging for help to never be too far away."
The bell rang but neither of us moved.
Vicky lowered her legs and patted one hand against her other arm. "I can do that. Better than just walking out of New Wave and making a scene. Take some time away and see how I feel doing my own own thing."
That solved that problem. I'd still have Aisha check in when she could, but the logistics for her time meant she'd never be able to always be there. We needed her poking her nose in places it didn't belong.
Having Vicky around to help Vista would keep her from being out on her own.
"She's going by Warp. I can give you the number of the phone Forecast handed off to her."
Vicky nodded. "Alright."
We continued standing, awkwardly. There's really no good way to end that kind of conversation that isn't awkward.
"I'll send you the number."
"Yup. I'll talk to her when I get the chance."
We parted ways and went on to our classes.
My days were falling into something of a regular routine. PE, exercise and get annoyed at bigots who singled me out in little ways. Math, tinker while half listening and get annoyed at bigots and the teacher who enabled them.
My latter two classes went by almost enjoyably. Weld and Vicky sat near me in English and Mr. McCrae didn't let anyone be assholes. Anatomy was at least interesting and I usually partnered with Chris and Trevor.
Charlotte greeted me with a 'hey' as I went to my usual lunch spot.
Somehow, I didn't even mind Charlotte anymore. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say I didn't worry about her. Why bother? She didn't want to go her own way and maybe it was time to stop expecting her to.
"I told Kati about you wanting to work for me."
She blushed slightly. "Oh?"
"She told me to give you this." My hand produced a card from my pocket and I held it out to her. "She says she wouldn't mind but she wants to talk to you herself first."
"Oh. That's fair." Charlotte took the card and looked at it. "Just Kati?"
"Yeah. Not sure what her last name is. She's never mentioned it."
"What would I do? Not that I'm not willing to do things. I'm just curious."
"Not sure honestly. I kind of let Kati handle the PR stuff. She knows what's going on and she tries to maneuver it around what I'm doing. I know she's planning some TV interviews and some press stuff for the Helpers. Trevor and I are going to show them off after Behemoth."
The name made Charlotte pale a little.
"I'll be fine," I told her. "Not planning to fight him directly. This time. Bad match up going at a dynakinetic when most of my weapons are particle based. I'm going to collect data and make plans."
Suppose that's why I wasn't feeling antsy. When preparing for Leviathan I felt really nervous. The 'Hero Killer' should be even scarier, but I wanted information.
Did Behemoth have a spot it protected like Leviathan? Were there holes in its defenses? What kind of energy did it give off?
"That's good." Charlotte turned to her own lunch. "Not sure how 'I had a job for a week but then my boss died' would look on a resume."
"Haha."
I ate my lunch.
And I wasn't getting anywhere.
Great progress, Taylor. Really taking the fight to the heartland.
Exactly what to do about the problems I saw eluded me. I almost missed the gangs. I could hop in a Gundam and smash those. Employ Veda or an alias to disrupt them.
Those didn't quite seem applicable to something so mundane as school level nonsense.
My roadblock wasn't just about my experience at Winslow. I felt certain of that now that it was completely behind me. Arcadia wasn't perfect, but it wasn't Winslow. I could do something here.
I'd feel better knowing what that something was. I needed a damn plan. Some way to flip the table and make a difference.
Thank you high school. You're making me more antsy about bullies walking the halls than inhuman monsters destroying the world.
Those kinds of renumerations were getting tiring.
Maybe that's why I was finally going to go to my locker. I'd avoided it most of the week. Just didn't want to see Gladly or hear his voice. Unfortunately, I couldn't avoid my locker forever.
Carrying all my books was exhausting.
I slipped into the hall quickly to put things away.
Weld was there, handling his own locker with gloves on. So were the crowds of students I'd mostly managed to avoid. That felt kind of cruel. After two weeks I became a staple presence that was novel but hardly amazing just before my life story got broadcast for all to see. Now people went out of their way to see me again, watching and whispering.
Good thing I'd gotten good at ignoring them.
"Haven't seen you around here much," he noted.
I focused on the lock and the fucking memories of what people used to do to my locker. Stupid. For all I knew someone filled it with trash while I was avoiding it.
Weld whispered, "Is there something about you and Mr. Gladly?".
"No."
I finished the combination and just pulled the locker open. Nothing out of the ordinary. No paint. No nasty notes. No—
I stopped that thought before I looked over my shoulder. Arcadia's lockers weren't big enough to shove anyone into. It was a stupid fear.
"He's looking at you," Weld noted.
What?
I turned my head, looking back over my shoulder. He was looking at me, from the doorway to his office. He didn't bow his head like before. He flinched a little when I looked at him but he kept his back straight, eyes forward.
I didn't get it. I didn't get how he still had a job, why he was here, or why he seemed to be walking toward me why is he walking toward me?
"Taylor," he started, "I think we should talk."
"A little late to the party Mr. G." I spoke in as sharp a tone as I intended. Now he wants to talk. "I'm busy."
"I know." He sighed. "I know. Please?"
Weighing my options, I preferred blowing him off.
Weighing my reality, there were dozens of kids in the hall watching us. I already saw the headline. Videos online of the confrontation.
The fuck was I thinking?
"Fine."
Gladly went to his office and I followed. The door closed behind me and Gladly sat down behind his desk.
"Still ably employed I see," I mumbled.
"Blackwell ended up taking all the responsibility," he explained. "Most of us kept our jobs, but the district shuffled the staff about. A few chose to retire, like Gladys."
I hadn't seen Mrs. Knott in a while. She was old, but somehow it didn't seem fair. She tried. It was more than anyone else did. If anyone deserved to still be working it was her.
Gladly folded his hands together and after a momentary silence said, "I'm sorry."
My fist tightened at my side. "Well, that makes it all better then, doesn't it?"
"No. It doesn't and I'm not going to waste your time repeating it. I don't expect there to be any sort of big reconciliation here, Taylor. Some things are just too much."
I scoffed. Is that all? I started turning to the door. "Glad we had this talk, Gladly."
"Wait."
Gladly shuffled through the papers on his desk. He pulled out a sheet of paper and held it out to me.
"What?" I asked. "Did you write your apology too?"
"No."
I rolled my eyes and walked close enough to look at the page.
The page said 'Anti-Bullying Week.' It had little blacked out people on it, like you see on signs or bathroom doors. Two were holding little stub hands and looking at another with little lightning bolts coming from his mouth.
The date at the bottom was next Tuesday. Mandatory morning assembly for the entire student body.
Someone did say something a long time ago about the district adopting more anti-bullying measures because of what happened at Winslow.
I scoffed. "Good luck lecturing the huddled masses."
We had those kinds of assemblies at Winslow. I found them cruel.
"I want you to talk about it," he said. "Tell them what happened in your own words."
Really? "You suck at this worse than teaching." Who the fuck put him in charge of counseling the student body?
"Do you know what I learned from everything that happened at Winslow, Taylor?"
"That you need a better career path?"
"That I'm not your friend."
"I already know that."
"I didn't. I thought I could be that cool teacher everyone liked. That if I made the effort to reach out and treat students as growing adults they'd behave as such and it would make life at a place like Winslow better. It was stupid and naive."
He set the page down.
"I'm not your friend." He glanced past me at the door. "And I'm not their friend either. I never will be and there are students out there who could use help but will never take it. Not from me or anyone like me."
"Get to the point Gladly. I have assholes to shoot lasers at."
"They'll listen to you," he said. I almost wanted to laugh. "They will. You're their peer, Taylor. You're someone who has already changed their lives by removing the gangs from the city. You command their attention in a way I can't."
"Sure." I knew Gladly was naive but this took the cake. "Just let me call up my Blue Cosmos friends list and I'll get right on that."
"You can't fix stupid," Gladly answered. "I've been here two weeks and I've already seen which students should have been expelled but aren't because their parents have money and lawyers, and which teachers should be fired but aren't because half the union is in Blue Cosmos. Watching like a hawk is all I can do for now but I can't be everywhere."
Gladly looked at me, his gaze firm and his shoulders stiff.
"It's not enough that teachers stand up for their students. The students have to step up. They have to do what the students at Winslow didn't do for you, Taylor. Get involved."
The fuck is this?
His tone was shifting as he spoke. Becoming harder. Firmer. Less friendly and discomforted by my presence and more like stone.
"I can handle the teachers and assholes like Sutherland." Sutherland? "The principal and vice-principal here aren't Blackwell. Students need to talk to us and they need to look out for each other. You can talk to them about that and maybe enough of them will listen to make a difference in someone's life."
He picked the paper back up and pushed it toward me.
"I think you should do this, Taylor. Stand up and be the person you needed others to be. They're not all going to listen but some of them might. They're the ones who will stand up with you."
His expression softened, and after tripping over his words for a moment he said, "Don't let everything that happened to you be a story on TV. It's not a story. It happened. Make them understand it."
I'd give Gladly the speech. It wasn't bad. If I didn't know exactly how useless he was, I might have faith in his ability to back the talk up.
I looked on. "Is that all?"
He looked disappointed and I silently welcomed him to the party.
I took his non-response for an answer and left the office. The halls felt oddly silent. People were there. They gawked and gossiped. The noises seemed distant though, far away or underwater.
The flier crumpled between my fingers.
Fucking Gladly.
Classic useless crap. Bring everyone into a nice little school meeting and lecture to them. It worked so well when some Teacher or hip twenty-something with a microphone and a jingle told you not to treat others like shit…
I stopped and raised the flier.
My mind mulled it until someone bumped into me. Then my mind flashed to earlier in the week, when some assholes tried to mess with Weld by 'bumping' into him. Needless to say, I was not in the mood.
I turned, catching only a sight of a ruined and filthy hoody before my feet left the ground.
The fingertips dug into my neck, choking off my air.
I gasped hoarsely. One hand beat at her chest while the other grasped at the hand around my throat. I didn't like being strangled the first time. The second time is worse.
Blue eyes glared at me, bloodshot and baggy. I'd seen those eyes before. They glared into me with hate, the hand on my neck about to crush my throat.
And then the eyes moved, flying off to the side as Weld slammed into her.
I hit the ground and inhaled fiercely, gasping for air.
Move.
I scrambled, pulling myself to my feet. The shouting and the screams rushed into my ears all at once.
"Everyone out!" Weld shouted. "Pull a fire alarm!"
"This way!" Gladly's voice echoed from somewhere down the hall. "Move!"
I pulled myself up and turned.
"Taylor," Veda said in my ear.
I raised my head. The woman looked ratty. Her clothes were torn, not just the hoodie. Matted and tangled blond hair hung around her head.
Veda continued speaking, saying, "That is Othala."
Othala?
Victor.
I rose to my feet.
The Uber and Leet scenario all over again? Had to be a point where bad guys stopped blaming me for the bad things that happened to them. They were bad guys. Bad guys get hurt.
Where has she been, though?
She rose from the floor and pushed herself off the wall as Weld inserted himself between us.
"You okay?" he asked. His arms morphed, twisting into heavy clubs.
My voice came out hoarse, with a barely audible, "Fine."
What did Othala plan to do? Grant me invincibility…
I stopped and trailed off. The sensation of fingers digging into my throat were still there. She lifted me off my feet too. Othala was a small woman. Even when I caught her, she didn't seem particularly fit.
She looked like she'd been living on the streets, hardly able to put on muscle.
Weld started to speak, saying, "You're—"
He was cut off when Othala exploded. The blast threw him back, but he stayed on his feet. My eyes widened, already feeling another blast behind me in a startling flashback to Oni Lee. I let myself drop to the ground as she lashed out at me.
I said the name as quickly as I could.
"Butcher." I tried remembering all of the Butcher's powers but didn't have the time. "She's the Butcher!"
I scrambled back, trying to think of a way to fight without a weapon.
Weld swung his arm up. Othala caught the club and lifted, throwing Weld into the ceiling. Her eyes turned on me again and my hand reached for a saber that wasn't at my belt.
Othala exploded again. I threw myself forward again in response. I already knew this trick from Oni Lee.
Need to get out.
I pushed myself up, prepared to sprint. I saw an open door straight ahead, and a window. If I went through the glass Othala would follow me outside.
Hands scrapped over the tile floor, propelling me toward the doorway. I screamed as my head was yanked back, hair pulling from my scalp. The pain didn't stop. It kept spreading, shooting through my body and paralyzing me.
I'd felt pain. Broken ribs. Swollen muscles. Suffocation. Exhaustion.
This was pure—true—pain screaming from every part of me. I knew the power. I'd read over it. Instant searing pain at a glance. The First Butcher.
Couldn't his power kill?
I felt my heart pounding in my chest, harder and harder.
Heart attack. He could cause heart attacks.
I tried to pull free but that only made the pain worse, quickened my heart more. It felt like having a fucking baseball slamming over and over into my chest. Othala held my hair tight, glaring down at me with those sad eyes.
She didn't say anything. Why wasn't she saying anything? No villainous gloating? Really?
Veda's voice rang in my ear. "Stand."
No time to really think about it. I forced myself up, ignoring the pain for a brief moment. Queen slammed through the ceiling above, saber coming down. Veda threw the suit's elbow back, crushing it into Othala's face.
The pain faded instantly. I gasped for breath and threw one foot forward. No time to linger on the smell of burnt hair.
I ran for the window, ignoring the scuffle and sound of explosion behind me. A blast to my left knocked me into a desk, and Othala reached for my throat again.
The Buster Sword cut through the wall and Exia body slammed Othala into the ground. The Fangs spun in the air and fired. Queen flew in, clasping a hand over Othala's face to cover her eyes.
Exia turned to me and the chest opened.
I threw myself in and closed the armor around me.
Turning to the wall I flew forward. Exia burst out of the classroom and into the sun. Queen shot out and up, one hand oddly warped and mangled. The Fangs reconnected to their mounts in the wings, and she flew over to my side.
I took a quick glance at the hand and grimaced.
One of the Butchers could reshape things.
Below, Othala stumbled out of the dust cloud billowing from the wall. An orb fell from above and exploded, knocking her aside. Another fell. Then another. And another.
The Haros circled overhead, dropping stun bombs from their cradles.
"Are you alright?" Veda asked.
"No," I snarled.
My throat still hurt. Pain still lingered in my everything. And to top off the shit sandwich, my hair got cut.
Othala exploded, appearing twenty-feet into the parking lot. The Haros followed after her. She grabbed someone's car and chucked it into the air. The Haros avoided it, and Veda turned two Fangs on the vehicle. The beams fired and the vehicle was knocked off course.
It crashed into the hill running down from the school, rather than into the school itself. Where idiots were pressing up against the damn windows to watch.
I just started moving when Othala drove her hands into the ground and pulled them forward. The asphalt warped and twisted. She drew her fingers up, stakes of rock shooting into the air.
Navy exploded as one hit him, and Red was thrown into a spin as his cradle was cut by another. Green jumped out of his right as the stake struck it. I watched the fourth curve to follow Purple and slam into her side.
Red hit the ground hard. Green rolled for cover. Purple and Navy were blown apart.
That would be Quarrel's power. Perfect accuracy to the point of physics-defying shots.
This is going to suck.
"Call the PRT!" I drew my short and longsword together. "She threw Weld into the ceiling. I don't know if he's hurt."
The Fangs flanked me, firing at Othala in volleys as I dove toward her. She turned to face me, eyes locking on. No pain this time.
She must need to physically see me.
My longsword pulled open and I fired. GN beams hit her in the chest, but she exploded and grabbed onto my side. I maintained the dive, ignoring the alarm that told me the armor was compromised.
I crushed the woman into a truck bed, praying it wasn't enough force to kill her.
Think of something fast, Taylor.
We couldn't kill her. Explosive teleport and matter reshaping made it hard to bind her. I didn't know how many brute powers she had but the stun settings available to me clearly didn't work.
As if to emphasize the point, I felt an explosion rock me as Othala disappeared and then reappeared in the air behind me.
Was she even Othala anymore? No one really seemed to talk about how much of any Butcher was the person they were before and who they became.
"Taylor?!" Murrue suddenly shouted in my ear.
I spoke quickly, saying, "Butcher is attacking Arcadia. It's Othala."
"Protectorate is deploying," Murrue explained. The Wards aren't?
Of course they weren't. The PRT wouldn't send Wards against the Butcher.
"We—"
"One second." I put Murrue on hold and rapidly dialed another number.
I raised my short sword, deflecting a spear of asphalt hurled at me. The ground exploded as the improvised weapon shattered, peppering my armor with debris that shook everything.
Othala exploded and Queen slammed into her from above as she reappeared at my side.
A voice answered my call. "Sup, bitch?"
"Bakuda, I need a time-stop bomb."
Othala drove a hand into Queen's chest and pulled it down, warping the armor and internals as she went. I swung my longsword, hitting the woman's chest with the flat of the blade and barely managing to knock her back.
"Like you used on Lung," I continued. That arm was still there. It was losing color for some reason, but it remained frozen in place ever since we fought him. I'd checked. "Now!"
"Could take a girl out to dinner first, Raijin-Oh."
Othala exploded, but this time fire enveloped us. I felt the heat through the armor.
"That is Heatwave's power," Veda declared.
"I'm fighting Butcher!" I shouted. "Time-stop bomb. Now!"
Othala's hands reached out through the fire. A Fang stabbed into her wrist, preventing her from grabbing onto Exia.
I brought my short sword up and released the blade. As it shot forward I pulled, letting the cord snap and coil around her leg.
"You should lead with that next time," Bakuda mumbled.
"Emergency!"
With a strong pull, I spun and yanked Othala out of the fire. She snapped into the air, pulling the line tight. She grabbed hold of the cord and exploded. When she reappeared at my side, I saw the blade in her hand.
She drove it for my side and I let myself fall back. The blade barely scratched the armor.
I shot a leg up but a Gundam-powered knee to the gut didn't even make her flinch. She tried to grab onto my leg. Veda threw Queen's arm out and hit her in the side of the head.
"We can't kill her," I stated.
"I am aware," Veda replied.
The blow did make Othala stumble. I threw my legs forward and fired the thrusters. She flipped back end over end and crashed into a van while Exia went back and then up. The Fangs fired into the vehicle, not that they had any apparent effect.
I reconnected to Murrue, saying, "She has Heatwave's power."
I didn't know who that was. Someone who died in Boston, obviously. Seemed like pertinent information.
What other powers does she have?
The van exploded. Othala exploded back into place atop a car. Before the glass even finished blowing out of the windows, she exploded again. And again. And again.
My eyes darted back and forth, trying to track her through the showering glass.
I spun as she appeared behind me and moved to the left. She fell past, stabbing at me with the short sword again.
"Fai—" I was interrupted when a green wall slammed into Othala.
Kyrios flew past me, driving Othala back into the parking lot and into a vehicle. The suit kept pushing, pouring GN particles from one shield and driving the forcefield forward. She slammed Othala and the car around her into the car behind it.
"Really hoping I don't get suspended for that," Lafter said. "Think I have a permanent record now."
She pulled her arm back and thrust the other one forward. The shield on her right arm opened into a claw. She forced it down and pinned Othala. The force caused the vehicles to crumple and snap, collapsing down on top of Othala.
That wouldn't work.
Before I could even get out a warning, Othala exploded. One of the claws flew off of Kyrios' shield and shattered a window.
"Shit," Lafter cursed.
She pulled Kyrios into the air as a truck was thrown at her. Othala exploded behind her, grabbing onto Kyrios' shoulder and forcing her hand into the armor.
I came in from the side, slamming my shoulder into the woman and knocking her across the parking lot like a rock on a lake. The Fangs followed after her, shooting into her back to stop her momentum.
She was a brute, but how much punishment could she take? Pulling my punches wasn't usually a problem.
"We can't kill her," I said again.
Lafter asked, "Can she kill us?"
The three of us moved higher into the air, looking down as Othala started moving. She seemed slower. Lethargic. Did we hurt her?
I took the brief reprieve to check the school. Students were filtering out through the doors, guided by teachers away from the parking lot.
Veda tied our coms into the Protectorate and PRT at some point, cause I heard Lily suddenly.
"Weld is okay," she called. "He's stuck to a locker though."
Armsmaster followed with, "Where is Kid Win?"
To answer that question, a large figure emerged from the school. Red and white with a visor. It hovered just over the ground, and light flashed over its arms and back as weapons fell into place on the armored frame.
He came to a stop beneath us, turning his head toward Othala.
"We're on our way," Miss Militia said. "Dauntless can arrive in five minutes. The rest of us are ten minutes away."
"Seven," Armsmaster corrected.
He was on his bike, already speeding through the city. The rest were coming from the Rig, which was halfway across the city.
Which meant we needed to fight the Butcher—with all those powers—for at least five minutes.
"Plan?" Chris asked.
"Withdraw," Armsmaster ordered.
"School is evacuating. Regulation Four subsection nine."
I didn't know what that meant, but Armsmaster responded to it with, "Focus on containment. Newtype, I am going to use Anti-Brute serum alpha-four."
I knew that one. It wouldn't work on Lung. He grew too fast and the serum burned out too quick. It might work on Othala though and could be deployed as an aerosol. Drugging her was as good a solution as any.
Except we didn't know what unconventional powers she picked up in Boston.
As Othala forced herself to her feet, she didn't really seem hurt. Her clothes were torn and burned, exposing much of her skin underneath. The skin looked flawless and unscathed.
Should I mention Bakuda?
Kyrios' head turned toward me. "Taylor?"
"We keep her here," I decided. "At least the parking lot is empty."
"Except for all the cars."
"Potential projectiles," I proposed
"Well, if that's how we're going to think about it."
The school would need time to evacuate but it would be empty too eventually. Keeping her where we were was better than a running fight through the city.
Vicky appeared in the air, flying towards us from the back of the school.
She came to a stop beside me, looking down at Othala. "Who has the balls?"
"The Butcher."
Vicky paled slightly. "Oh."
"She is able to teleport and can reshape inorganic matter," Veda explained. "It is inadvisable to engage her in close combat."
"She can also cause pain so bad your heart will feel like it's exploding," I added. "And throw projectiles that turn in the air."
Veda followed with, "And release explosive waves of intense flame."
"One of the Butchers could inflict festering wounds," Chris said.
"And she's a brute," I continued. "Plus whatever else got mixed in during Boston."
And we needed to fight that without dying or killing Othala.
How did Dinah not see—It's like what happened with Coil. The name 'Butcher' was so ubiquitous we were getting everything no matter how we worded the question. Dinah couldn't get through the false postives enough to see the answer we needed.
Shit.
"I know this is rich coming from us," Lafter said, "but these powers are bullshit."
I fucking hate high school.
