Interlude: 1

Weeks ago...

"So let's talk about the bullying," Piggot said conversationally as she sat down at her desk.

"Not really my idea, she's just the target that my friend picked. I would have thought she would have started fighting back by now," Sophia Hess said, looking down at her Ward's mask that was on the table. "But she's a spineless wimp. I heard about her freakout. Just a stupid, whiny little bitch."

"So you think that she was just acting? Trying to get attention?" Armsmaster asked in a very cold, hard manner.

"I guess. Hadn't really thought about it. So what?" the teen replied in a scornful manner.

"It took two police officers to hold her down and three EMTs to sedate her. The janitor, one Joe Hyuda, sued the school for medical and emotional trauma. He had to have eighteen stitches and was in the hospital for three days while they put him through a regime of antibiotics to make sure he didn't get infected or blood poisoning. The school had to pay for that all. Over $20,000." Armsmaster was obviously pulling up records from the school. "The Herbet's were paid for hospitalization and five percent more to keep them quiet. $52,000. And the cost of the two ambulances plus Hazmat to clean up a toxic location, another $15,000."

Sophia was staring blankly at Armsmaster's helmet, trying to grapple with the numbers. That was... much more expensive than she had thought.

Piggots chubby hand slapping on her desk was louder than Sophia expected. "So... your little 'prank', which I'm sure a court of law would find as assault, battery and kidnapping, ending up causing more harm than every 7-11 robbery that Spitfire has ever committed. And she has a warrant for arrest. Exactly why shouldn't I have Armsmaster trot you over to your nice new cell in juvenile detention while I find a really good prosecutor to make sure that you are tried as an adult super-villain?"

"It... was just a prank. We didn't think it would go that far. Nasty, smelly but it wouldn't hurt." This had to be a nightmare. It couldn't really be all like that, could it? "We didn't mean for it go that far."

"So you were just stupid kids? I would have thought that your first visit to the court system would have put a little caution in you. I'm still not seeing any reason to even slightly put myself out to stop justice from being meted out here, Miss Hess."

"What am I supposed to say? That I'll be a good little hero and not step out of line? Promise to keep using non-lethal ammunition even when I'm an adult?" Sophia asked, a bit of strain in her voice.

"You were already supposed to be doing that and decided the rules weren't good enough for you. That you were better than that. Or that the rules didn't apply. So no dice."

"Look, there has to be something? I- I- I could promise to go to the Endbringer fights as long as I'm a Ward?" the teen said, then gulped. She could survive that. Bide her time. She couldn't be locked up again.

"That I might be able to sell to Chief Director Costa-Brown. There will also be new restrictions. No solo patrols. For the next six months, you are going to be under the care of at least one member of the Protectorate while on duty. You will be transferring to Arcadia as soon as I can process the paperwork. Your mother can go get your personal effects from Winslow. And you will be meeting with a PRT psychologist for therapy. Armsmaster? Anything you can add?" Piggot asked the tinker.

"A tracker. And you can hand over your unapproved cell phone. We gave your your PRT phone for a reason. Having a second phone indicates that you needed to get around the rules about how to use it." He stated it like it was merely a laundry list even as he angrily realized he'd never even checked to see if the kids were breaking any of the rules. His helmet could have easily picked up on this months ago. Perhaps even saved that girl her anguish from the attack.

"A fucking tracker? Is that even legal?" Sophia snapped out angrily.

"Yes, it is. If you ever get captured, we can try to rescue you. And we'll just happen to be able to monitor your activities at night more effectively. It's going to just be like someone on house arrest with their ankle monitor. But more high tech."

"Damn it." They were going to make her life miserable. This was going to suck.

"Very well, Sophia. You managed to keep most of your freedom. We will be watching you very closely from now on. Now get out of my office. I have a few school administrators that I'm going to be raking over the coals. Leeway to be a Ward does not include letting her be a villain." Piggot didn't even look up as Armsmaster escorted Sophia out of her office.