A Waken
"Back to just the three of us again," Missy noted.
"Seems like." Chris climbed into his suit. "You okay with that?"
"Yey," Alec grumbled. "More work for the same pay. What joy."
"I'm still here," Elle pointed out.
"They're not going to send you that far off while Burnscar is sitting at home." Chris did something and the suit sealed up around him. The helmet teleported into place, followed by the Aile pack. "Can't risk her going rampant right now, especially if things get really bad."
"Plus, Faultline is gonna be out there." Alec waved his armored hand at the air. "No one's gonna risk you running off and joining the old team."
Elle gave the PRT building a side-eye and whispered, "I would do that, that's fair."
The foursome stood amid a sea of troopers. One thing that hadn't really decreased in Brockton Bay. Apparently, Director Noa's promotion was taken well, and Commander La Flaga's too. There was also something of a sense that the capes in the city might not be reliable so no one was looking to cut the budget for good troopers.
Missy chose not to think about any of that. She heard a lot when she really listened for it. It was much more productive than brooding over how no one took her seriously.
"So it's true." The four turned as Mouse Protector power-walked toward them, exaggerating her stride and the swing of her arms. "Flechette went and joined up with NT?"
"NT?" Alec asked.
"Team Newtype."
Elle raised her hand but Alec pushed it back down and shook his head.
"Miss Militia had me take them over," Missy explained. "Not surprised. She was tired of being transferred around."
"Wouldn't know," Alec quipped.
Actually. Missy glanced around. Where was Hannah?
They left Newtype's factory, but she'd vanished before Missy could even ask what the phone call she got was about. It was something big. That much was obvious from her face. Actually, where was Stratos?
Mouse Protector was the only Protectorate member in the entire garage, which was weird.
As if summoned, Colossus came around from behind a van with an abnormally grim look on his face.
"What is it?" Chris asked as he drew close.
"Azrael is dead."
Heads turned.
"Red Ranger's dad shot him in the head," Colossus continued. "He's dead too. Whole bunch of bystanders had guns"—there was a Texas stereotype in there somewhere—"and shot him."
"Pft." Alec looked away. "Even I know that's bad."
"Why?" Elle asked, her eyes gleaming with the intelligence she normally hid under a visage of silliness.
"The leader of Blue Cosmos was just shot by a Ward's parent," Chris explained. "It'll be painted as an assassination."
"Wasn't it?" Alec asked.
"And Azrael paid someone to kill Red Ranger and other Wards," Missy added. "A lot of people will say he deserved it."
"Didn't he?" Alec asked.
"You're doing that on purpose," Elle accused.
"Aren't I?"
"It's going to set Blue Cosmos off," Chris charged. "We're going to be swamped once it breaks. There'll probably be riots."
And the Protectorate didn't do riots, especially not when Blue Cosmos was involved.
Except, "Phantom Pain." Missy glanced up at Chris' visor. "Newtype never said she was done with them."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Probably."
"Where's Miss Militia?" Alec turned to Mouse Protector. "She vanished as soon as she got back."
Mouse Protector and Colossus shared a glance. Missy sighed. She anticipated the answer before they gave it.
"M&M and Big S"—Mouse Protector raised a hand, pointing her finger at the ceiling—"are on a special mission. So it'll just be the five of us and the troopers."
"There are six of us," Colossus pointed out.
"Just the five of us against rioters, terrorists, and those insidious cheese gremlins!"
Alec sighed. "We are so going to die."
Missy snapped her head around. "I keep telling you. None of the three Musketeers die!"
"Bury me with the X-Box."
A Waken
"Azrael's been killed."
Dean stared after Talia said it. The room had gone silent. Kati and Charlotte were by the whiteboard, both with phones in hand. Some of Taylor's workers were even there, hunkering down in the Londo Bell building after Orga convinced them the factory would probably be attacked and they should get away. They still wanted to help. That's why Londo Bell had grown so fast.
There were so many people who wanted to do something and just didn't feel like anyone else wanted to try.
Taylor thought people were complacent. That they didn't care what happened to others so long as it left them alone. Dean didn't think she was wrong, but he didn't think she gave enough credit where it was due.
People cared. In some ways, they cared too much. They looked at a wrong and it infuriated them, but they didn't see or know what to do. They didn't sit back because they were lazy. They sat back because it seemed hopeless. Looking back, he thought that was the only reason he'd stayed in Blue Cosmos as long as he did.
He didn't know what else to do but keep trying, even after it had become pointless.
Dean wondered if that's why Azrael had gone so far.
He offered easy solutions. A vent for righteous anger. Left people feeling like there was a way to make a change. Right and wrong were hard to keep sight of in the storm.
They had been, at least.
In a way, Dean had found that the idea of a 'solution' was a beautiful lie. There were no answers. Not really. No grand words, no great argument, no final gesture.
There was only right, wrong, and being brave enough to make a choice.
Dean rose from his seat and said, "I'm going down to the PRT building."
Talia and Kati looked at him.
"It's going to be a riot," Talia warned him. "No one in Blue Cosmos cares what Azrael did. When they find out he was killed it won't even matter who did it. They'll assume capes were behind it because they think capes are behind everything."
"Doesn't matter." Dean grabbed his coat and his phone. He couldn't do it alone. He wasn't enough.
He was still tapping out the text—he had to keep deleting and retyping because auto-correct was worthless—when Talia ran after him.
"This isn't going to help, Dean," she told him. "You're just putting yourself in harm's way."
"Everyone's in harm's way now."
This was the night.
Teacher would make his move. Whatever was left of Phantom Pain could strike from the chaos. Villains and others would no doubt try to capitalize. Stupid people were going to be stupid. The world was about to change, and no amount of sitting at home and hoping for it all to just go away was going to save anyone from the aftermath.
Talia leaned in close whispering, "If you go, others—"
"Good," Dean snapped. "They shoul—"
"And if someone whips out a gun and starts shooting?" Talia hissed. "What then?"
"Someone who takes out a gun and starts shooting now was always looking for the excuse." Running away from them didn't change what they wanted to do.
"Wait!" Talia pleaded. "Just wait! Wait for Newtype to fi—"
"Taylor flew off and left the other capes behind because she knew this was going to happen," Dean stated. Probably not this specifically, but something. Azrael dying now wasn't coincidental. "We're already here. Taylor can't do everything."
"Dean—"
"Then stay here!" He turned on her, looking the woman in the eye. "Stay here and wait for it all to blow over!"
The woman flinched back.
She was afraid. Not for herself. For everyone. He could argue or try to lecture, but what was the point? They'd never agree on all of it. All the words in the world wouldn't change what was happening now. History lessons were for the future.
"Do what you have to do." Dean turned on his heel and started toward the door. "I'm going."
Turning back around, Dean continued toward the door.
Charlotte was already there, along with a dozen others. Dean noticed Taylor's workers—the ex-Merchants—gathering up around the guy they seemed to take orders from. A few were speaking to men or kids they'd brought with them. When they finished, they all turned and started toward the door too. Most of them. A few hung back but they didn't stand out as they were sitting and not looking at anyone.
…
He'd have to deal with that tomorrow, or whenever. Dean didn't want anyone getting put down because they were afraid. It wasn't right.
Anyone who wasn't afraid now was delusional.
Dean started sending texts out to the other chapters. He didn't issue orders or anything. He only told them what he was going to do. They'd make their own choices from there.
"You okay?" Charlotte fell in at his side, zipping up her coat as they exited the building. "Talia was just trying to keep everyone safe."
"That safety isn't real," Dean replied. As if crazed gunmen eager to shoot their presumed enemies could be mollified. That kind of lust didn't just go away because you cowered and prayed for it to go away. "I didn't mean to snap at her though."
"Yeah." Charlotte looked ahead. "You think Taylor saw this coming?"
"Of course she did." Nevermind Dinah Alcott. "The power of capes. Trying to mollify Blue Cosmos. Refusing to deal with the problems. Being too afraid of consequences to make any choice at all."
"Teacher?"
The name reminded Dean of his grandfather. He tried not to think about it most of the time. Tried to be the bigger man. That was hard. In more ways than one, he didn't care that Azrael was dead. Not about Azrael specifically. That made Dean feel a little hollow inside.
"No," he finally said. "I mean, yes but no. Teacher just kicked the gas can over. He didn't fill it up. Not entirely."
One way or another, the tapestry of everything was headed to this. No off-ramp had been taken. No one tried to make a bypass. None that succeeded at least.
And here they came, to the cusp of tonight. "This is where it all ends."
Charlotte nodded, accepting the answer. "What do we do when we get there? The PRT building."
"Be in the way," Dean answered. "Make a stand. Be seen and heard. It's all that's left."
A Waken
"Barricade the steps! Weapons to the ground. Stand back!"
The troopers arrayed themselves quickly, forming rows with riot shields in front, confoam dispensers right behind them, and firearms at the back. Lightning was talking with Director Armstrong on a radio with the Protectorate at the center of the formation.
The Wards were still inside, watching.
Beyond the line of troopers there was a police barricade. Patrol cars mostly, with officers in riot gear. A man on a megaphone was speaking to the crowds growing in the street, instructing them to stay on one side of the barricade. Beyond that was confusion.
Emma was directing bugs about but there were two groups taking shape.
Londo Bell was outside. Just people, walking in off the street or from buses and subways. They were assembling in front of the police barricade and facing out. The Blue Cosmos people didn't seem to fully realize they were there, but they were coming around.
"What exactly happens if a bunch of crazed nuts try and bust into the building?" Reynard glanced around. "Like, seriously, what are we doing here?"
They were smaller now. Spectre and Phobos were still absent. Hunch and Gentle Giant both left to join the Irregulars. The Boston Wards were down from two dozen to thirteen.
"Harsh language?" Ruth suggested.
Emma turned her head. A few moths were up high and she could see Purity moving over a rooftop. She was a few blocks away, but what was she planning to do? Emma flew a few flies toward Lightning and quickly spelled out 'Purity is here.' He nodded when he finally noticed the message. If Purity was present the rest of her little band would be too, though Emma didn't see them anywhere.
"Maybe Spectre and Phobos had the right of it," Etin mumbled. "I don't like this. I didn't sign up for the Wards to be a stormtrooper."
Ruth laughed, which Emma assumed was fair. Ruth would know what 'stormtroopers' looked like and Emma didn't really buy into it. So far Armstrong was ordering them to stay defensive. He wasn't about to send them out to suppress rowdy protestors. That had never happened at all over the past few months despite complaints.
The Boston Police on the other hand, seemed pretty tense. A few of them had been killed over the past few weeks in confrontations with Blue Cosmos. They might not be big fans of the PRT or capes, but nothing riled cops like dead cops.
The tension in the police line was clear.
"What's happening out there?" Reynard asked. Emma didn't need to look to know he directed the question at her.
"Big crowds," she answered. "Some guns."
Mostly personal stuff so far. Small handguns and revolvers. The crowds were so tense, one shot might be all it took. Even an accidental one could set it all off. The police were practically looking for an excuse. Troopers were on edge. The Protectorate was nervously waiting for something to do about anything.
"This is bad, isn't it?" Ruth asked. "I know assholes. They don't double-think stupid when presented with it."
"Yeah," Emma agreed. And the Wards didn't even have a clear leader without Spectre or Phobos around. They weren't prepared for something this chaotic. "I think you need to take control."
Ruth's head snapped around. She leaned in, whispering, "Come again?"
"You have more experience than everyone but Reynard. Would you follow Reynard's lead?"
"Reynard wouldn't follow Reynard's lead."
Exactly. "It has to be you, at least until Spectre or Phobos get back."
"We glossing over the whole 'Nazi' thing here."
"People can worry about it later," Emma insisted. "You're the only one here qualified to actually lead in a crisis. I'll bite you with a mosquito if you do something racist."
"Oh gee." Ruth narrowed her eyes and deadpanned. "I feel so assured."
"Just do it. If you bark it out the others will follow. They're desperate for someone to tell them what to do and the Protectorate might not be on hand all night."
"Why don't you do it?"
Emma turned her head, looking Ruth in the eye. That was surprising for some reason.
"Not me. I—"
Emma's head snapped back around.
A huddle of police officers who'd been whispering too low for any bugs to hear broke. The men spread out, pointing with batons and raising riot shields. She searched the other crowds. PRT. Londo Bell. Blue Cosmos. Tensions were rising among the latter two groups as Blue Cosmos realized the 'front ranks' were facing the wrong way. Londo Bell was facing them, not the cops. It hadn't broken into a fight yet. It was just shouting and some shoving that both sides had people trying to break up.
The officer with the megaphone turned away from another, ordering the crowds to disperse.
Emma couldn't see any explicit reason for it.
It was the fear and the anger that followed it.
Emma pulled the collapsible baton from her waist. "It's starting."
"What's starting?" Jasmine asked.
Weaver turned her head, looking pointedly at Orbit.
Orbit resisted for a moment. With bugs Emma warned Lightning and Director Armstrong just as the police surged forward, crashing into the Londo Bell protesters first. She also told Purity not to do anything without the Protectorate's lead.
The last thing they needed was someone shooting flying artillery willy-nilly into crowds.
Orbit cursed under her breath and ran her hands over the stone benches in the lobby.
"Reynard," she called. "Take Jasmine and Cryptid and hold up inside. Everyone else, on me."
"What?"
"Now!"
Reynard snapped to and started moving. As he did, the others formed up behind Orbit. She lifted the benches off the ground, turned them in the air, and slammed all three together into the shape of a makeshift wall.
Weaver stepped up to Orbit's side, flicking her baton out. She wasn't supposed to have a weapon, but the PRT barely advertised her at all. They couldn't complain about the Wards' image when she wasn't part of it.
Emma found it convenient.
Almost as convenient as the decision to move her terrariums to a lower floor where she could still reach them from the lobby.
A Waken
Relena watched the screen. There were fires breaking out. People were shouting and reports were already coming in of bombings being set off. Some Londo Bell capes had appeared, fighting with Phantom Pain in the streets of London and Luxemburg.
Azrael may have died in America, but Blue Cosmos had never defined itself as part of any one nation's politics. They were international. To them, the world was human against inhuman, not nation against nation. If riots were breaking out in the United States and Canada, Djibril would follow suit in Europe.
This was it.
If Teacher had been laying in wait or orchestrating events to make way for his debut, this was it.
A door opened and Lisa stepped out of the room in a new change of clothes. "If we're going to do something we need to do it now."
"I agree." Relena turned. "I need a TV crew. Any will do."
"That won't cut it." Lisa lowered her phone and waved. "And right now, we need to leave."
"Leave?" Relena asked, eyes on Stella as she came over. A dozen others were around the room, guarding the doors and windows.
"This place isn't safe," Lisa explained. "People know you're here. I'll bet a million dollars that there have been hitmen in position for a week waiting for a chance and this is it. They probably came over posing as refugees."
"She's right," Stella agreed. "We should leave first. You follow in a few minutes."
"Doormaker and Clairevoyant?" Relena asked.
"In a moment." Lisa turned to the door and waved Stella forward. Stella pulled a pistol from her hip and moved to the door. Relena raised her brow, questioning. "Djibril and Teacher aren't the only ones who can lay traps."
Relena's gaze narrowed. "That's something Fortuna would do."
Lisa grimaced and shrugged. "Guess she's not so smart then."
Relena thought about commenting on that, but she'd learned a long time ago that choosing the right moment was important when it came to words.
The right words at the right time could make all the difference in the world.
Her eyes looked over the kids as they left the room. They were children, as much as they didn't act like it. They'd come in all at once with their weapons and armor. Heero too. Half of them left before Relena could say anything, dispersing out of the room and vanishing from sight.
Stella went ahead, waving Sting and Shani forward. "Door please. Paris G3."
They were eerily mirroring one another as they moved. They always had. Relena had seen many weird things, but that was maybe the strangest for her. Seeing over a dozen people move like they were all of one mind. They weren't. She'd talked to them and they were all their own person.
At the same time, there was uniformity there. A bizarre likeness.
They were all gone in no time at all.
Lisa returned from her part of the suite with a gun.
"Lisa."
She pulled back the slide and slid the weapon into her beltline. "You're going to see people die today. Accept it."
Relena scowled. "No."
"Suit yourself. Let's go. Door please, Eiffel Hotel."
The portal opened and Lisa ushered Relena through. They'd been renting a room in Paris for two weeks even if they spent their actual time in Sanc when they could. The room looked it too. Much of it seemed barely touched.
"Straight to the stairs and down to the lobby," Lisa directed. "No elevator."
"How nostalgic," Relena commented.
"Hm?"
"Nothing." The same thing happened in Brockton Bay, sort of.
There Count had been trying to avoid an assassin. Here, Relena seemed to want to confront them where more people would see.
The lobby was in chaos when they reached it. Relena flinched at the sound of a shout. A fight had broken out in the hotel bar. Lisa went ahead, speaking to one of the bystanders for a few seconds before rushing back.
"What happened?" Relena asked once she returned.
Lisa spoke in a whisper, almost a mumble. "One of the patrons just lost it. Started raving that it was the end."
"Blue Cosmos?"
"No." Lisa's lips set in a line. She grabbed her phone and started tapping at the keys without looking. "Tonight's going to give the term 'no plan survives contact with the enemy' a whole new meaning."
"Is something wrong?"
"I can't tell if there are three plans or seven. Or seven plans among whom only three or four really matter."
"What's going on?"
"Let me worry about the shadow plays and Newtype worry about the big guns. That's the point."
Was it?
Lisa said she'd heard Fortuna at the Louvre, but Veda had never seen her. No one had. Even for her, that seemed impossible.
Relena wanted to talk to her. She wanted to know the real plan. Not that she had any intention of stopping or doing anything other than exactly what she felt was right, but there was a point in the end, wasn't there? Some point where the fighting ended and it all came to mean something more than the perpetuation of misery. Fortuna put the three of them together for a reason.
A sword, a shield, and—she supposed in Lisa's case—a shadow.
Why do any of this if it didn't lead to something?
As they exited the hotel, Relena heard the first gunshots. They were distant, to the north. There was shouting in that direction too, and the light of fire in the night sky. The French always had known how to have a riot, her father once said.
You're going to see people die today. Accept it.
Relena folded her hands in front of her. It helped hide the nervous wringing of her fingers.
People were going to die—they already had—and she couldn't save everyone. Relena had often asked herself if there was even a point. Say she found a TV crew or a reporter in this mess. It wouldn't be hard, exactly.
But what would come of it?
Like this, the only people who'd really hear anything she said would be at home. They wouldn't be in the streets. It wasn't even a question of if anyone would listen. Most wouldn't hear her in the first place. Not until it was over.
It was enough to make her wonder if Taylor was the more correct between them.
Words were so limited. Action was direct.
Relena almost wanted to laugh at that thought. Speaking was action. It wasn't direct or flashing, but it was something. And it was the only thing she could do.
She couldn't do what Taylor or Lisa did.
She did what Azrael and Djibril did. Not a flattering comparison, but she wasn't arrogant enough to think she was so different. This was all there was that she could—
"Down!"
Relena's head snapped up just in time for Lisa's hand to throw her to the ground. She covered her head instinctively at the sound of broken glass. Lisa was over her, a hand on her back to hold her down. The clap of a gun stung at her ears, followed by the muted sound of shouting and screaming.
Her ears were still ringing when Lisa pulled her up by the shoulder.
"Come on. We need to get out of this building and off the street."
That seemed oxymoronic when put like that, but Relena knew the logic. Get away from a location you're known to be. Get out of the open and somewhere hidden. From somewhere hidden, get somewhere safe.
This wasn't her first time with someone trying to kill her.
Lisa grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled. "Head down!"
Relena didn't listen. She glanced back, following the barrel of Lisa's gun. There was a flash in the crowd up the street. Another gun clattered and Relena's ears rang again as Lisa shot back. Relena was jerked as Lisa came to a quick stop. There was a car horn and then Lisa was running again, pulling Relena behind her.
A shot went into the air, scaring people and driving them back as they ran.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere conveniently well recorded."
With that, Relena wrenched her hand free and followed on her own. Lisa almost grabbed it again but after looking back stopped. Relena didn't need to be pulled along. That too was something Fortuna would do. There had to be a reason she'd picked Lisa over all the other capes she'd worked with over the past decade.
The streets were crowded as they ran. Groups were already gathering. Looters too. Police drove back and forth and there was at least one military helicopter in the air with all the others.
"That's strange," Relena commented.
"This is happening too fast."
Relena looked out over the street. It had only been thirty minutes since the news broke. Already rioting was in full swing and mobs were roaming the streets. That was odd. Tensions had been high, but to explode into all of this so quickly?
"Agitators," Lisa mumbled. "Someone's seeded agitators into the crowds."
That would make sense. "It's something Blue Cosmos would do."
"No," Lisa corrected. "It's something Azrael would do, but I doubt he planned to kill himself. Djibril is still the President of the EU Council. He has no need to be that underhanded. He could stage incidents more readily through law enforcement or a media spectacle."
Lisa shook her head and turned away. "Four plans. There's four plans running right now. Newtype's. Teacher's. Blue Cosmos. And..."
Relena raised her head. "Who?"
"Not sure," Lisa lied.
Her gun snapped up and she fired into the air again. Instantly, all the others on the street cowered and ran for cover. Except the man in the suit. The man in the suit drew a gun from his coat. It clattered down as he fell. Relena glanced at Lisa, but she wasn't even looking at him.
She hadn't fired.
The man simply fell over.
A gunshot rang from behind them and a window ahead shattered.
"Right!" Lisa shouted.
She ducked into a narrow off-road and Relena followed as a second gunshot sounded. As they turned the corner, Relena became acutely aware of a group of men chasing them. They were shoving others around, brandishing guns, and running full sprint.
"Don't look back," Lisa snapped. She slowed, motioning for Relena to go ahead. "Eyes on where you're going."
Relena looked up at the street sign ahead. She knew where they were. If she had to bet, then—"This way!"
"Wait!"
"This way," Relena said firmly. She ran across the street, ignoring a blaring horn that sounded. Lisa fired two shots, sending people scattering. Five more replied to her and she ducked behind a car before running after Relena.
She'd be okay. She knew what she was doing. Relena needed to reach someone who could listen and repeat what she said.
Relena followed the street signs. She avoided the group overturning a police car. Down that same street were men and women clashing with officers who had nothing but batons to hold them back. A building was already on fire and the fire department was battling crowds to reach it.
This was happening too fast. Far too fast. It wasn't normal.
Relena narrowly dodged a bullet that shattered a window as she turned another corner. Behind her a struggle broke out with shouting and more gunshots. It was in another direction though. The agitators Lisa mentioned? That would be a classic ploy. Seed a group with people who will make it look back to diminish its impact and support. But there was no coherent protest yet.
She kept running.
There was nothing else she could do.
The Homme Museum was just ahead. She could see it. She could see the news vans, and the crowds gathering in the roads before the building. The Eiffel Tower loomed in the background. She saw the flash of a gunshot from near its peak.
How had anyone gotten a gun up—
"Keep going!" Lisa snapped.
Refocusing ahead, Relena saw a scattered and chaotic crowd. It wasn't too dense. She could move through the people easily enough, even if they were all going in different directions. She got jostled but not enough. There was a Danish news crew ahead. She could see the reporter talking to a group that was shouting, and police officers trying to talk to another.
There were also two men looking right at her and moving in her direction.
Relena kept going. Lisa didn't fire this time, but she spotted someone in the crowd. A shorter figure with a white mask.
"Get wrecked!"
The high-pitched voice sounded before the black sphere jumped through the air. It latched onto one man's back, sending him sprawling. He bumped into a group of younger men who immediately turned and started beating him. The other approaching man noticed and turned toward his compatriot, only to fall to the ground bleeding from his leg.
"Newtype sent someone," Lisa said in Relena's ear. "Stella and the kids are intercepting others."
Relena looked back, seeing a struggle as figures in black body armor tangled with a group of men.
"We're covering you," Lisa told her. "Just go."
All of this in a mere half-hour...
Relena bowed her head slightly.
Not even Teacher could do that. Not globally. This was more than that. What had Lisa said? There were four plans. Taylor was one. Teacher and Blue Cosmos were two more. Who was the fourth?
It didn't matter. Lisa and Taylor would work that out. Right now, Relena needed—No, she was thinking too small. She needed more attention than one TV crew would get. There were other news crews around but she'd never reach them all. Not with men chasing her and fights breaking out.
Relena slowed just a few steps from the news crew. Fights were breaking out elsewhere. She could see them. Police ran and pointed, others called for help. Some capes flew overhead but didn't stop despite the fighting in the streets. The crowds scrambling to get around or through the area were thickening. Gunshots sounded closer and Relena turned to see a man firing at a small moving orb.
He fell when a girl in a white mask cut his ankle from behind and punched the back of his knee. Lisa was close, hand in her coat as she loomed near Relena. On a rooftop across the road and down two blocks red lights showered down below. A figure stood out on the roof. It had to be Stella.
They were all covering her so that she could do something. Anything.
Yet, looking around, Relena didn't know what to do. The streets were simply falling into lawlessness. Was that the point? Lawlessness.
Relena narrowed her eyes and looked forward.
Lawlessness needed heroes. What better way for Teacher to introduce himself as such? And they'd never be able to prove he was behind it. Certainly not in the middle of all this.
What power did the truth have when the world moved too fast for it to matter?
"Relena?" Lisa hissed.
"I need more," she mumbled. "One camera and a reporter. It's not good enough. Not to make a real difference."
She needed more than that.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance."
Lisa turned first, looking behind Relena. Relena followed her eyes and met the gaze of a familiar face.
Veda's face was passive and calm, despite everything happening around her.
"I believe," she said, "that one camera and one reporter will suffice."
"How?" Relena asked.
"Because the current challenge is not about input." Veda's smile was like Taylor's. Impossibly sincere, and confident. "It is an output problem, and I have prepared the solution for some time."
A Waken 17.V
landing
"Okay," Lily mumbled as Tieria spun the suit about and descended.
The messages had been coming in since she stepped into the suit.
Dynames, they called it. Designed for 'long range firing and suppression.' Lily sort of figured that was just a fancy way of saying 'sniper.' It made sense. No one in Celestial Being—which she supposed did include her now—had said it but she'd seen the system.
Taylor and Lafter charged in knocking things down and making a fuss. Then the Thrones corralled those who tried to run. The entire situation produced targets for Lily. A lot of targets.
And, sad as it was, aiming Dynames was a dream.
It wasn't even just the relief that she could fire without worrying what she hit. Her power didn't affect the beam gun, only the solid stakes it fired. And those were thin. Incredibly thin, actually. Unless she hit a vital organ or blood vessel, she wouldn't be killing anyone.
That was a big relief. She never wanted to hurt people, even if she accepted it as part of the reality of fighting criminals and villains.
Lily didn't know how Taylor had managed to make it so her power could apply to the suit. Moving parts hadn't been an issue exactly, but her power didn't mix well with chemical reactions. Taylor could probably explain it if Lily asked but she was pretty sure she'd just skip that explanation for now.
She had enough to cope with for the moment.
She wasn't leaving Brockton Bay. She wasn't going anywhere. She could stay, and stay where she wanted to. That was... It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her back.
Dynames set down and Kyrios landed a moment later.
"Hey," Lafter greeted. "How you doing over there?"
Lily flustered for a moment, which was stupid. She knew Lafter pretty well at this point. They weren't strangers.
"Fine. Tieria is doing most of the work." Lily released the grip of the rifle, letting the weapon shift back to hang from the shoulder mount. "Mostly, I'm just moving the head and arms."
"We will make time to train you more adequately as soon as possible," Veda said as she set Stargazer down.
Overhead, Lily could see the Thrones circling, each with a flight of FLAGs. Taylor had been busy. She really had a robot army, and she was using some of Dragon's suits and ships too. Shit, Celestial Being could probably take over a small country if they wanted to.
She really hoped they didn't want to, which of course they didn't. That was nonsense. If Taylor wanted to do that she'd have done it in Brockton Bay already... Which she...sort of already had.
Which Lily guessed was why she felt nervous and uncertain. It's one thing to know Taylor. It's another thing to know Newtype. They weren't the same person sometimes. Lily recognized that as a cape herself. They all wore more than one kind of mask.
But Newtype carried herself like the kind of person who knew no limits and that was frightening when it came to the kind of power she had.
Gundam 00 had landed ahead of them. It stood on a hill, overlooking Burlington, Vermont. There was still fighting but more and more of it was being taken up by the police and local capes. The Protectorate and National Guard were moving in too according to Veda.
Whatever system the tinkers had rigged up with Valefor in Plattsburg was ending and the city was in an uproar. Two uproars, really. Those waking from their master-induced trance, and those still under it. Plus the capes. Some of the local Protectorate and Wards had come to and were now helping save their own cities, but even after taking out over forty capes, there were still more trying to resist.
Were?
Looking around, Lily saw the skies abnormally empty. Some capes had started flying low when they realized she was shooting them. It was calmer now though. Less like a war and more like a riot.
The Special Zone hadn't even lived for an hour.
The worry now was everything else.
"Confirmed," Veda announced. "Maruta Azrael has been murdered by Charles Kent."
"That's Red Ranger's dad?" Lafter asked.
"Yes."
Lily frowned. Wards dying wasn't new. Frankly, the program wasn't nearly as safe as the Protectorate and PRT claimed. It was certainly safer than most other routes but the Wards understood that they were in danger. All capes were, no matter how they chose to do things.
Even then, Red Ranger's death had been like a lightning bolt. She was so young. Even younger than Missy or Olive. Her route was supposed to be the safest one available, and in Houston, one of the safest cities in the country. Holiday was almost in the Protectorate too, an experienced and capable Ward to help keep her safe.
And they'd both been killed. Holiday died fast, but Ranger? It was like whoever did it wanted her to suffer.
Lily struggled to pity Maruta Azrael. If he paid for someone to kill Wards, he had deserved to die—Not that Lily would kill him. She didn't want to do that. She just wasn't exactly going to lose sleep over someone else doing it.
"How bad?" Lafter asked.
"Police in Boston, New Orleans, and Kansas City have begun using suppression tactics," Veda revealed. "I'm afraid it has caught some of Londo Bell in the middle."
"What?"
"Members of Londo Bell have been gathering to stand between the Blue Cosmos groups and law enforcement," Veda elaborated. "I suspect they are trying to show support and provide a buffer, but the result is that they are being swept up in the fighting instead. The Protectorate's response at present is inconsistent. In Europe, rioting has already broken out in London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Imp and the Children are currently shielding Relena Peacecraft and several other VIPs from assassination."
"What is Blue Cosmos doing officially?"
The air whipped about as Chariot's suit came to a stop. The smaller legs jutting in front of it folded back and the suit landed with a crash. Trevor was another person who seemed completely different once he put his mask on. Lily had struggled to believe the stories she'd heard about the battle outside Newtype's factory, but seeing was believing.
"The North American branch is scrambling," Veda explained. "There appears to be infighting over who is in charge."
Lafter scoffed. "Figures."
"Lord Djibril is using the situation to push for martial law."
"Figures."
"Tattletale also reports that the assassination attempts on Relenea Peacecraft and other VIPs in Europe have been thwarted."
00 turned its head slightly.
"She also warns that there were two separate groups attempting the assassinations," Veda continued, "and a large number of people exhibiting oddly reactionary behavior."
Lily blinked, trying to take all that in.
All of that was happening right now? She knew things were about to explode when a bunch of capes tried to declare themselves an independent state. Then she heard Veda warn that Muruta Azrael had been killed in Houston. Even so, all of this was spinning off all at once right now?
That was hard to wrap her head around. What could they possibly do about that? What could anyone do about that? "What do we do?"
It took her a moment to realize she'd asked the question out loud.
"Simple," Taylor replied, speaking finally. Gundam 00 lifted off the ground and she continued, "Trevor, go back to Brockton Bay. We're going to need to cycle units back and forth for repairs. Same with the FLAGs. How secure is Toronto?"
"The Guild's headquarters is nearby," Veda answered. "The defenses are strong and established. I anticipate that capes will likely be used to attempt penetration of the facility. I am doubtful they will succeed."
"We'll repair the FLAGs there then. Spread things out in case of a sneak attack. Lafter and Lily will come with me. We're team one. The Thrones are two. Hashmal is three."
Lily blinked. Okay, but, "What are we doing?"
"Exactly what I said we do. No guns. No bombs. No violence. Veda, pinpoint anyone and everyone crossing the line. Prioritize by severity and if we have time to intervene. We'll split the teams if we have to but I'd rather keep us together. Teacher's going to show up any second now."
"Um"—Kyrios' head turned toward Chariot and Stargazer—"I don't th—"
"We do what we can," Taylor declared. "It's all there is."
With that, 00 launched into the sky, rose sharply, and then banked right to head south as a wing of fighters flew by with some helicopters behind them.
Lily was about to speak when Chariot vanished into a portal and Kyrios took off to follow Taylor.
There was that thing that made her nervous again. Like Legend and Chevalier. There was a sincerity to Newtype. A sense that there was no illusion in what she said and did.
What's right, by hell or high water.
Jouster told her Hero said that, but given everything they'd learned the Triumvirate had maybe done, Lily couldn't help but wonder.
Still.
It would be a lie to deny that Newtype had her own gravity.
A way of pulling people in and making them want to believe.
Lily inhaled. It was a bit stale breathing inside a machine but it wasn't too bad. She took hold of the beam rifle and checked the other weapons. There were a bunch she hadn't even attempted to use yet, mostly because she didn't know what they did. At least one—Atmospheric Particle Launcher—was red, and she wasn't sure if she was afraid of that or the name more.
"Guess we're going again, Tieria."
She'd noticed the suit hadn't begun moving on Taylor's say-so.
launching