"We have a new group of possible heroes active in the bay, and they have debuted themselves in a rather... flashy way."
Director Mulligan announced standing at the head of the table, hands clasped behind his back. Behind him the image of the white knight hovering in the sky was projected onto a screen, frozen right before he defeated Animos. The director started pacing as he elaborated further.
"The one shown right now, he calls himself Drastanta. Information is still being gathered but from what we have, the name itself is completely new."
More images and a short, shaky video of Drastanta weaving around the Teeth villain were projected, replacing the first image.
"Or it could just be really obscure or something else because the info guys could not find anything on the name's origin or meaning. Anything else we have high quality tinkertech armour, a very dangerous lance, advanced hoverbike, holds himself like a knight and that he is or may be part of a larger team. That's it."
A second, then Drastanta was replaced by a orange and white blurry figure, taken mid-teleport when he jumped out of a rift of blazing light and electric discharge. He also had a leg out and kicking a Teeth ganger.
"This next one, name unknown and temporary designation Flashpoint, was sighted several minutes earlier last night, starting at 3:43AM. The first we've heard of him is calls of assistance from the police regarding a cape saving a group of women and girls from a Teeth trafficking cell, who after sending the girls in the direction of the station went on to draw them away with what one of the victims said 'mean words, teleporting around and spider webs'."
Some more images but of worse resolution were projected, along with one video taken from a distance behind a window showing the flashing telltale signs of this new cape's method of teleporting, each flash of light resulting in one or more gangers dropped and wrapped in the webs.
"Velocity and PRT dispatched teams never managed to catch up with him, but from police sketches, victim interviews and interrogating the captured Teeth gangers we have made a likely image that should be close to what the cape actually looks like."
An artist's drawing of Flashpoint was projected alongside a close up image of when Drastanta dismounted to speak with Miss Militia. The upright and chivalric image of Drastanta proved a contrast to the sketch of Flashpoint, crouched atop a streetlight and glaring menacingly out of the paper.
"Comparing Flashpoint and Drastanta side by side reveals armors with very similar designs and high quality, adding more substance to Drastanta's claim of being in a team."
Director Mulligan paused there, giving the Protectorate heroes this chance to speak up. Behind him the previous images were replaced by that of the aftermaths of both battles. One had PRT pictures of a knocked out Animos halfway buried in a mass of rotting, decomposing flesh and the other had the Lord of Bones lying in the middle of a macabre bone spike forest, webbed up with gangers scattered around him.
Triumph, the current Wards leader raised his hand.
"Sir, are they both or is one of them a tinker?" He asked, to which Mulligan nodded towards Miss Militia.
"Based on what Drastanta deigned to share, he isn't a tinker and I would say Flashpoint also isn't one." She answered.
"Based on photographic and film evidence and what Drastanta said to Miss Militia I believe the two have their own, unique powers and that they have a tinker supporting them in the backlines." Armsmaster chimed in, posture rigid and motionless on his reinforced chair and staring rather intensely at his tablet.
Challenger meanwhile has been staring at Drastanta in her tablet the whole time, replaying the clips of him darting and swooping around Animos in his hoverbike. Her eyes were glued to the bike no matter when Velocity started nudging her to pay attention.
"I wonder..." She muttered.
Edward was walking Taylor to the door of the Barne's home. He walked serenely in his semi-formal outfit, squeezing his sister's hands to help alleviate some of her nervousness.
"Will she really like my gift though?" She worried about her brother. Her other hand fidgeted with the hem of her blue blouse as they neared the door.
"Sister, I've assured you many times that she will love it." He told her, gently shaking the wrapped gift box on his left hand. "You have been friends for a long while now, and that you have created by yourself a wonderful gift from the bottom of your heart is more than enough. Emma will know that, and be overjoyed for it."
The pair have now stopped just before the door, Taylor now feeling just a little more confident as she took deep breaths. She smoothed her skirt before she nodded to herself, looking to her brother as he gave her the gift. Edward gave her a smile and she smiled back, before she rang the doorbell.
"You're my bestest brother ever, you know that?" She muttered as they heard excited steps come over to the door. Edward chuckled slowly then smirked.
"Your one and only brother, Taylor."
Driving away from the Barnes residence, the Hebert couple were in quiet contemplation. Yesterday's event was quite unusual, but it warmed their hearts to know the depths of their children's love and trust in them, when they revealed themselves to her as capes.
Having been a lieutenant of Lustrum way back then, Annette was initially distraught because she knows the specifics on how capes get their powers but Edward's quick reassurance of the... unique origins of his powers took away much of the terror and cut away the feelings of failure before it could take root in her mind.
"Mother, I had always had my powers, ever since I... inherited the memories of another being." Eldrad quickly spoke out before the dark thoughts took root in her head. She looked at him bewildered, Danny giving Edward confused looks as he squeezed Annette's shoulder.
Taylor was fidgeting besides Edward, her little owl's eyes darting back and forth between them. But she had always been shy and Edward had always been the composed gentleman that he was. They show no signs of buried trauma or hiding a terrible secret from her and Danny, or any others that Lustrum had told her indicated were parahumans.
Danny, eyes furrowed, spoke up to break the silence.
"So can you explain more about your powers to us, kiddo?"
Her son nodded, and spoke a tale with a smirk.
"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
Taylor giggled, and her worries were temporarily overshadowed by the urge to slap him atop his head. Danny laughed beside her, the goof.
Really, the story he regaled them with, of an actual space elf ("Eldar!" - Edward) wizard's life from another dimension, dying in a magic storm and veing reborn here as her son was... so out of this world ("Snrk." - Danny) that they needed to sleep away the weird and the following morning to process it all.
Danny had the car stopped at a traffic light when she decided to speak her thoughts.
"So our boy was an ages-old space elf wizard from another dimension."
Danny side eyed her when she finished, then spoke his own piece.
"Does it matter anymore? The kiddo said so himself, that Eldrad's life was over when he died back in that place." Danny switched gears to drive when the stop light was green, turning left on the road towards Annette's college.
"Our son is older than human civilization." Annette deadpanned.
"Spiritually." Was Danny's rebuttal. "Ever since he was born he became our son, Annette. We raised him with love and in turn he loves us back. Remember the times he hugged us before we left the house?"
Annette nodded as she recalled those times.
"Wasn't it strange that whenever that happened our days went way more smoothly? It was so subtle I only noticed it now, when I thought of the powers Edward told us he had."
"Hmmmmm. I think I see that now as well." Indeed, now that Danny pointed it out, things indeed went smoother whenever he hugged them before. Like that time a shipment of up-to-date lab equipment was waylaid by a shootout. She and her colleagues thought they will lose another shipment, just like the other times when they tried to get new supplies but to their pleasant surprise the truck rumbled past the gates, accruing only a few bullet holes on the back as evidence of the shootout the driver narrowly evaded. She even recovered some files that went missing a few weeks ago, containing the graded works of her students.
For Danny, one day several dozen ship crew started rioting, demanding the end of their layoffs and for the ships to sail again. Upper management went the way of the coward and fled, leaving one junior manager in charge of some bare few security teams to 'negotiate' with the rioters. Danny was in the thick of it, trying to calm down the hotheads and the promising solutions and compromises, anything to keep the incident from escalating to the point where BBPD were forced to send in riot police. To his surprise his efforts succeeded very well, almost too well really. From accountant in the human resources department to head of hiring of the Dockworker's association and leading member of the union. The rioters calmed down, the crews were placated and with the upper management showing how much they cared only for themselves they were stripped of their positions with the help of experienced and particularly vicious lawyers on Danny's side. The tanker whose crew threatened to block the bay's mouth peacefully returned to dock, to be used as a main transport for goods from other cities to Brockton.
A while later Danny stopped before the entrance to Brockton's only college. He looked at her as she gathered her things and made up her mind. It wasn't that hard, really.
"You're right Danny." She smiled at him and he reciprocated. "Eldrad, Edward, whoever he may be, he's still our darling gentleman son."
"Always will be, yeah?"
From his connection to his parents he felt their love and affection for him grow to newer heights. Edward smiled, warmth in his heart as he basked in it. Eldrad's absentee parents perished long ago during the Fall so he never cared much for them. But his new parents further cemented their place in his heart with the love they freely give to him.
"You ok there, Ed?" Brian asked, sitting next to him on a lounge chair as the two watched their sisters, Brian's younger sister Aisha chasing after a giggling Taylor and their friend Emma around the garden.
"Never been better, my friend." Edward replied, content to sit there and savour this moment of peace.