Chapter 3-2
Dealing with people like Glenn is not fun. He has a way of tearing your self-image apart and somehow making it impossible for you to hate him for it. Get used to it, he said. It's going to happen again and we need you to be ready for when it does. Sure, he's not wrong, but does it really matter how I place my hands when I'm talking with someone?
Remembering how I looked like a slouch in front of the mirror, I realized he might have had a point.
Doesn't mean I have to like the arrogant jackass.
Fuck, I never realized what I'd been signing up for. At least I could still swear in my inner monologue. If I stopped doing that…
Was this another test? Ah, never mind. Keep thinking that and I'll be too afraid to eat my breakfast cereal for fear of holding the spoon wrong. Pushing the thoughts out of my head, I headed for the gym for the next point on the agenda: combat training. Good, I really needed to blow off a little steam. But then, I probably shouldn't. Heroes don't fight for fun. They don't punch things out of frustration. Letting myself go, especially with my strength being what it was, could end badly. Or at least, they're not supposed to. Oh, well. My agenda just said 'combat training'. Wonder what that implies. Probably me getting my ass kicked by Aegis again.
Nah, I shouldn't begrudge him for that. Fighting Carlos yesterday was actually quite fun.
I arrived at the gym at one o'clock, precisely on time. Look at me being all good and punctual. I'm sure Alexandria would be proud. Anyway, I was greeted by a woman in a combat uniform wearing an American flag as a scarf. Miss Militia, if I'm not mistaken. She motioned me over to a side room where three other Wards were standing around a table, discussing things. I recognized Kid Win in his power armor, but the others…
A boy in a silver and gunmetal powersuit smiled and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Gallant, or Dean, out of costume." Gallant motioned to the other two. "That's Vista, AKA Missy, and you've already met Kid Win. Good to have you on the team, Taylor."
"Actually," I corrected, "I think you're supposed to call me Banshee now…"
"The PR guys went along with it?" Chris said. "Well, that was easier than expected."
Dean grinned. "Believe it or not, Kid Win, not everyone has trouble picking a good cape name."
"Hey, don't judge me." Chris replied, mocking offense, "I spent last afternoon just trying to keep Dennis' mouth shut. You don't want to know the names he came up with."
"Oh, I can imagine. Believe me."
Vista looked at me, smiled, and hugged me. "Thanks for getting rid of Shadow Stalker." She said, in a voice that sounded like the kind of thing candy was made out of.
"Umm, you're welcome?" Right. That's the best you can think off? Real classy, Taylor. Way to make a first impression.
"Now that the introductions aside, let's get started on our afternoon activities." Miss Militia said, going straight to business. It reminded me a little of Armsmaster. Still, there was a warmth in her voice that her superior lacked. "Banshee's new, so I'll briefly explain what's going on so we're all on the same page. In order to better prepare the PRT officers working with us, we have a combined training exercise every two weeks. Members of the Wards or the Protectorate will act as the villains committing a crime and it's up to the PRT to try and stop us. Understood?" Everyone nodded. It was simple enough, really: you had to train your people somehow, and what better way to prepare them then to have a bunch of heroes playing the bad guys? "Good. You guys are going to be a group of parahuman burglars trying to break into an office building. Gallant will be in charge for the duration of the mission. There's a building just outside the city that acts as your target. The PRT will know the moment you arrive and will quickly move in to arrest you. Naturally, you're not going to let that happen."
"What exactly are we going to 'steal'?" Gallant asked.
"Information. All you have to do is go to the designated office, put in a flashdrive, and hold off the PRT until the 'download' is completed. After that, get out of there as fast as you can. It's a simple scenario and a lot of gangs try this sort if they have a decent hacker on the payroll."
"Oh, but you're forgetting the best part." Vista added with a grin. "The PRT guys think there's only three of us. They don't know anything about Banshee being here too." Wait, what?
"Isn't that kind of cheating?" I asked. It actually surprised me that the big wigs were letting me join. A cape, even a weak or inexperienced one, is a significant show of force in its own right. The PRT would probably have to completely rethink its strategy if they knew.
"One, we're the villains today." Vista explained without missing a beat. "We're expected to cheat. Two, the PRT guys are supposed to be ready for anything. A villain gang getting a new member? Happens more often than you'd think. People trigger all the time and the gangs are really good at poaching new capes."
Missy was…odd, in a way. Her teal/green costume seemed tailor-made to make her appear a little child-like and, well, cute. On top of that, she was relatively small in stature and the youngest member of the Wards. That said, she triggered very young if the internet is to be believed and was actually the most experienced Ward we had, in addition to being one of the most powerful space warpers in the country. It showed too, judging by the way she was carrying herself. It's weird that she'd stick with a costume that made her look so childish…
Unless that was the point all along. Me, I'm an obvious threat, but Vista? The bad guys would never see her coming until it was too late. To make matters worse for the villains, getting your ass handed to you by a little girl would make you the laughing stock of the prison while actually beating her in a fight would probably get you vilified by the media. In a way, fighting her is a loss one way or another.
It's genius, actually. I think Vista was a lot smarter than I'd give her credit for at first glance. Better not underestimate her.
"Exactly." Miss Militia added. "It's impossible to prepare for every scenario, even for us. The PRT needs to be flexible enough to deal with complete unknowns. In a way, it's fortunate that Banshee only joined us yesterday. They'll have no idea what they're up against. It'll be good practice for them."
"And for us too." Gallant said. "We're more than just target practice today. The point of this exercise for us is to learn how to use our powers against large numbers of normals like thugs or mercenaries. That said, it's still an exercise, so whatever you do, try not to seriously injure someone."
I nodded. It sounded fair enough. "What exactly are we up against? Numbers and weapons, I mean."
Gallant smiled. I guess he was hoping I'd ask that. "The three of us would probably classify as mid-to-high ranking supervillains. Because of that, they'll move out in force. I'm guessing at least 30-50 people, maybe more once they realize there's four of us. Normally, capes would be called in for support but for the sake of the exercise, they'll be on their own."
"Sucks to be them." Chris chimed in.
"Yes, it does." Gallant replied with a grin. "As for equipment: Kevlar armor, the best money can buy, along batons, tasers, and stun grenades. They'll probably have guns and containment foam sprayers too. Don't worry, it's all nonlethal."
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm more worried about them." I said, thinking back to what I nearly did to Lung. I know I knocked over a bunch of thugs in that fight with my powers and that they all walked away, but I was still more than a little worried that I'd injure someone or worse.
"PRT standard-issue combat armor is some of the best in the world. We also have paramedics on stand-by, just in case. Just don't get too careless, and everyone will be walking home. With a few bruises and scrapes, of course."
"Fair enough." I said.
"Now, one the subject of careless, remember that this is an exercise. We're supposed to learn things and that won't happen if some of us" Gallant shot a not-so-subtle glare in Vista's direction. "use their already ridiculous abilities to their fullest extent. Let's try to give the troopers a sporting chance this time, alright?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." The way Missy was smirking, I knew I was missing something.
"Of course, you don't. After all, you had nothing to do with the PRT trucks somehow ending up on the wrong side of town the last time we had one of these exercises."
"Hey, it's not my fault guys won't stop to ask for directions." Vista replied innocently.
"Just try not to make them drive to the moon, or something. Anyway, Kid Win, get Banshee kitted out for the day. Vista, would you get me the map of the building? We'll meet again in thirty and discuss our plan along the way."
Kid Win and I left for something that looked like an armory of sorts. "So, what kind of weapons you think you need?" He asked. Wait, he asked me what kind of weapon I wanted?
"You're the senior Ward here. Aren't you supposed to tell me that?"
"Just humor me." He said.
Great. This was another test, wasn't it? Think, Taylor, think. "Well, I don't want to kill anyone, so non-lethal only. A baton would be nice. A taser too. I always bring a can of peperspray with me on my runs, so I'd like that. Oh, and my power makes me inaudible, but not invisible. You think I can get a smoke bomb or two?"
Chris just grinned. "You know, you can relax every now and then. You're not being graded for this."
Hey, I was perfectly relaxed! I was…no, he's right. I was wound up like crazy. And rambling. Again. God, it's my first day, and they're already pushing me in a combat situation. What were they thinking? What was I thinking? "It's just…I'm surprised you're letting me come. I have no training or experience and you barely know what my power does. Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Look, Taylor, I know you're nervous. Don't worry about it. We've got to see how you handle yourself in a fight. Might as well be now. Besides, the worst that could happen is that you end up to your neck in containment foam. Big deal, that stuff's designed to be safe."
"Yeah, that's bound to happen when we're outnumbered ten-to-one…"
"Actually, those are pretty bad odds for the troopers." Chris said. That surprised me in more ways than one. Weren't the PRT troopers supposed to be really good at this sort of thing? "If it was just the three of us, maybe. But with you on board…They'll probably catch one, maybe two of us. They'd have to get really lucky to 'arrest' us all. You'll do fine. Besides, half of them will probably be greenhorns. They usually send those after us. You know, teach the rookies some humility by having them beat up by a bunch of teenagers." He moved to grab an utility belt, before turning around and saying: "Oh, and don't worry about being the one that gets caught. Trust me, Clockblocker will find a way to make fun of you regardless."
"Wow, that just fills me with confidence." Then again, this was Clockblocker. I'm sure he'd find a way to make anything funny, or at least to him.
"I'll be leading the Wards in about a year or so. Have to practice my speeches. Now, how's this belt?" He said, showing me a navy blue one. "It's blue, so it fits well with your armor, and it's got enough pockets to stuff in everything you'll probably need."
I inspected the belt and put it on. It was a surprisingly good fit. "It'll do, I guess. I didn't know you had spares."
"We have a bunch of spare costumes for emergencies. You probably won't need it much, though." Kid Win started pulling things out of the racks. "Let's see, taser, telescopic baton, a few cans of pepper spray, rope and zip ties, just in case, oh, and an earpiece so we can talk to each other. I can't get you smoke bombs, that's above our paygrade…Yeah, I think this'll do. Unless you can think of something else?"
I didn't. A lot of the weapons in the room were things I didn't even recognize, let alone know how to use. "It'll be enough, I think."
"You'll always have your powers, of course." Chris reassured. "Chances are, you'll need them. Batons are hard to use, tasers don't always work, and the PRT guys are going to have visors to protect them from pepper spray. Just be careful and try not to end up buried in a mountain of foam."
"Okay…"
I took a deep breath before stuffing my utility belt. All in all, it was surprisingly light, even with all the equipment. The earpiece went into a nook in my helmet. Not exactly my ear, but close enough. What was I even worried about? I had perfect hearing anyway. Might as well stuff it in a pocket and… Breath in, breath out. I didn't need to be so tense. It was just training, after all. What's the worst that could happen? Well, someone taking a picture of me buried up to my neck in containment foam with a sign next to it saying 'Worst Villain Ever'.
On a second thought, that didn't sound that bad.
"C'mon, let's go."