Chapter 9 – Interlude
April 22, 2011
Power systems were always a pain, Vauban noted. Not as much as coding, but a close second. So many little things that could go wrong and when they inevitably did, there was the risk of the whole system shorting out. Of course, some systems were worse to deal with than others. The clean, intuitive systems of the Corpus were his personal favorites. They were always easy to use and modify. Even Orokin systems were nice to work with. Mind-bogglingly complex as they were, there was a certain poetry to them. Artistic, like everything else the ancients made.
This 'Brockton Bay' was another matter, however. Its powergrid was centuries out of date and didn't even have enough strength to fuel even a simple fabricator without collapsing. That, and it was literally the worst maintained piece of Kubrow dung he'd ever seen. Honestly, he'd seen Grineer garbage cutters that were more reliable than this thing. What kind of idiot still works with copper wires anyway?
How these primitives managed to cobble together something resembling civilization with this kind of technology was beyond him. Then again, picking a derelict warehouse as a base might not have been a great idea in hindsight.
"Vauban, could you tone down the frustration a little?" His teammate Nyx asked. "I'm trying to do some research here and it's getting really distracting."
"We need to get this nutri-paste dispenser online, Nyx. With the way this blasted mission is going, we're going to be running out of food before we can go back." Vauban sighed. He had put it off for far too long. Food just didn't seem like a priority. It never had been: his ship's cephalon unit had always taken care of it. Unfortunately, the device they used to get here didn't have enough power to create a rift large enough to fit their Lisets through. In other words, they had to take care of themselves for now. A task that was much harder than it seemed at first.
Nyx ran a hand through the silvery-white hair of her human form and sighed. "If Alad V was easy to find, we would have killed him long before he was able to leave the Origin system and run to this hellhole."
"Which makes it all the more important that I get this thing working." Vauban muttered while working on the wiring. "When we get home, I'm going to get Ordis something nice. That flaming bucket of bolts deserves it."
That effectively killed the conversation. Nyx grumbled a little, but didn't say anything else. Then again, she didn't have to. As a telepath, she'd already know what she needed to know. The two simply kept working until Limbo and Nekros returned from their errands and started dumping their loot on the table.
"Is he still working on the power supply?" Limbo asked.
"I am and I will unless you want to starve to death." Vauban replied, tersely.
"Not going well, is it? Have you tried reversing the polarity?"
"Reversing the…where do you even get these things? Is it from that stupid show you've fallen in love with? The same that got you trying to convince me to talk in a Scottish accent because Scotsmen were supposed to be master starship engineers?"
Limbo removed his warframe and started putting on some normal clothes. "To be fair, my good man, that would have been an excellent idea if your acting prowess had been anything other than abysmal."
"I just…" Suddenly, the transformer sprang to life, only to short out a second later. Another failure. "Irritating." He shook his head and sunk into a chair. "Tell me you two have some good news."
"Well, the Protectorate did just raid one of one of the Corpus satellite bases." Nekros answered. "If we're lucky, maybe the natives will take care of the problem themselves. Knowing Alad V, he'll probably have done something bad enough to make the natives want his head by now."
"Unlikely." Limbo chimed in. "If anything, they'll try to control him to their own ends. They're too desperate not to try it."
Nyx chuckled. "I sincerely doubt that will work well. Alad V does not respond well to being controlled and I doubt even the Protectorate has the resources to contain him if he decides to break out."
"There is another possibility, if I may interrupt." Lotus suddenly said. "The Protectorate has a history of making business deals with people they consider useful, even if these assets are technically criminals. It is entirely possible that they are willing to make such a deal Alad V. Considering the technological capabilities of this world, Corpus weaponry would probably be invaluable to them."
"Even if it means dealing with a maniac like Alad V?" Limbo asked.
"Possibly, yes. If even half of what I've found is true, these people are desperate enough to try. That said, it is only a theory." Lotus said, almost apologetically. "I'm sorry I can't give you more details. The local information networks are woefully incomplete and what little there is is tightly guarded by hackers, one of which is at least as skilled as I am. In addition, Alad V has been compartmentalizing information. He knows we're after him and has taken precautions. I'm afraid that my ability to guide you is limited at this time."
"We understand, Lotus. Thank you for trying."
"So, what do we do now?" Nekros asked. "We've run out of bases to sack and I'm not inclined to sit around, hoping something will turn up."
Nyx sat, deep in thought, before saying: "Alad is greedy to the extreme, even by Corpus standards. If he's selling to the Protectorate, it's not unlikely that he's selling to the city's criminal powers as well. We can go after them, if we have nothing better to do. If nothing else, we can make people's lives a little easier."
"That's not why we're here, Nyx." Vauban chided. He knew where this was going. They'd had this conversation before. "We can't save everyone."
"True, but if no one tries, nothing will ever change." Before he could reply, Nyx held her hand in front of him and said: "You're not the one who can't sleep because the despair's pouring out of the walls."
Nekros cleared his throat. "Be that as it may, we have other worries. Our supply situation, for instance. We are running quite low on food, last time I checked. Acquiring biomass is not that much of an issue, but without an operational nutri-paste dispenser" He ignored the glare Vauban sent his way "we can't do much with that. Any ideas?"
"We could raid local stores." Vauban said.
Limbo shook his head. "Possible, but not desirable. We might not have the means to alleviate their suffering, but that doesn't mean we should add to it."
The four were in agreement. They pondered for a moment, before Nyx said: "You know, we could just go to a store and buy what we need. It's not like we're short on local currency."
"No, absolutely not." Nekros said, adamantly. "Tenno stand out. We can't even remember our own names, let alone the subtle social cues needed to interact with the locals. We'll be noticed immediately and while the Protectorate might not view us as an enemy right away, their scrutiny will complicate matters."
"If we stick to our human forms and wear civilian clothing, no one will care. This city has so many deranged lunatics with superpowers that they won't even notice our quirks. With my powers, I can easily adjust my behavior to match their expectations."
"It's still needlessly risky, especially considering the local stigma on telepaths. You've been briefed on this Simurgh…"
"Oh, enough with the Simurgh, already!" Nyx snapped back. "Yes, I look like I could be her younger sibling and yes, we have similar powers, but you seriously can't think people are that paranoid. My plan is perfectly doable and besides, don't you want to try out some real food for a change? Something that didn't come from a machine?"
Limbo chuckled. "You know, you might just be the only one actually excited to be on this blasted planet."
Nekros ignored him and said: "It's not worth risking our entire operation for, Nyx. I know you're one of the few Tenno who actually likes interaction with the locals, but that doesn't mean we can take chances like that. We can get what we need some other way."
"We're not taking any chances. The worst that could happen is that people think we're crazy people in a city populated by crazy people. Hardly something we need to be worried about. Besides, I need the practice." Nyx argued. "Right now, our best bet for finding clues is interrogating locals, and I need to understand how they think before I can effectively squeeze them for information."
Nekros grumbled, but didn't say anything else. Eventually, Vauban said: "I can go with her. Keep her out of trouble."
"Your faith in my abilities humbles me, Vauban. I appreciate it." Nyx replied in a tone that sounded anything but genuine.
"We're going to be careful. That means avoiding contact when we can and no running off and chatting up the natives unless we have to, understood?"
"Of course. Shall we get going then?"
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April 22, 2011
Walmart.
The first thing that came to mind was that it was rather large. Most people in the Origin system lived on space stations or in overcrowded acrologies. Space was at a premium and there simply wasn't enough room to build a massive store. Besides, what was the point of building one of these 'supermarkets' when you could just as easily order your groceries by mail?
Crazy, it was. Like everyone and everything on this planet. Still, this store was the best place to get the supplies they needed.
Vauban steeled himself. There were people everywhere. Potential threats everywhere. How did Nyx talk him into coming here? Oh, wait, she didn't. He volunteered.
Damn.
Soon after, Nyx disappeared into the crowd, much to his consternation. Vauban could still tell where she was, but he couldn't just run after her without potentially raising suspicions. Eventually, he managed to make his way to the food section of the store and met up with his teammate.
Nyx simply stood there, staring at a red piece of fruit in her hand. Vauban poked her, shaking his teammate out of her reverie. "Sorry." She said, apologetically. "It's…Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've seen one of these things?"
"No, and try to pay attention. We're unarmed and in unknown territory." He looked around. There were at least a dozen people in his immediate vicinity. Like them, they were unarmed, but with these parahumans, one couldn't assume that they weren't dangerous. Aside from a few suspicious glances at Nyx, nobody was paying attention to them, but that might change if someone noticed anomalous behavior.
Like Nyx being mystified by a piece of fruit.
"It's an apple. They're extremely rare back home because they grow on trees. Hard to cultivate in space and there isn't enough unpolluted soil left on our Earth for large-scale agriculture. Only place to find them is in the homes of high-level Corpus functionaries. Here though, they're ripe for the taking, at prices even commoners can afford. It's jarring." She then started grinning. "I'm buying a few. This might just be the best mission we've ever undertaken."
"Try to remember why we're here, Alice." Vauban chided, using Nyx's cover name.
"Of course, 'Sebastian'. I already did. Our problem is that we don't have any cooking supplies. Either we're going to have to buy food we can eat raw or we're going to have to use one of those disposable 'barbeques' they have in the back. I'm leaning towards the former, considering that none of us have cooking skills beyond 'open the wrapper and eat'."
Vauban snorted. Few people in the Origin system had. Anyone who could actually afford to eat real food for every meal was rich enough to hire a cook to do the hard work for them.
"There is another possibility: these ready-made microwave meals I saw about 70 meters to the north. I should be able to modify a microwave laser to cook."
Nyx inspected the meal and frowned. "If these nutritional values are correct, then this thing isn't exactly healthy. Lots of salt, sugar, and fats, not a lot of useful nutrients. We could get fat eating this." She looked up and asked: "Can we even get fat?"
"Probably not, but I suppose it's a good idea not to try. We'd be the laughing stock of the order if we return overweight."
"Hmm. Maybe we should just ask the locals." Before Vauban could stop her, Nyx walked towards a nearby brown-haired woman and said: "Hi! Sorry to bother you, but I really need your help."
For a moment, the woman's eyes widened and she froze up like a statue. Then, she started talking as if nothing had happened. "Oh, sure. What can I do for you?"
"Well, our kitchen sort of flooded. You know how it goes: something's wrong, but we're mechanics by trade so we can fix it, right? Turns out plumbing isn't really our thing and the rest is history."
"Yeah, I know the feeling." The stranger replied, while shooting a glance at a man standing right beside her.
"Hey, don't look at me, puppy. I'm a master plumber." The man said. There was an energy to his movements, as if he was under the influence of some sort of stimulant, but there was something else as well. A tension, of sort. It took Vauban a moment to pin it down, but he eventually realized what it was: the man was like them. An assassin, a law enforcement official, a career criminal, or something along those lines. They both were. All this was, in some part, an act.
Fortunately, Nyx was a good actress and knew how to play along.
"You always call a guy to fix it for you!" The woman complained.
"Exactly! First and only rule of plumbing fu: Pick up a phone and call someone who actually knows what they're doing." He winked at Nyx and said: "There, great advice, free of charge. Aren't I just magnanimous."
"Anyway," Nyx interrupted "now I have a problem: I can't cook anything until the plumber fixes my kitchen, and that could take forever. Take-out and microwave meals are a thing, but I'm trying to watch my figure. I really don't know what to do."
The woman thought for a moment and said: "Well, you're not going to get fat from a week or two of junk food. Just try to exercise a lot and get back to your normal diet as soon as you can. Trust me, if I can survive Ethan's Christmas dinners, you can handle this."
"Oh, well, thanks for the advice."
"Good luck."
As the two walked away, Vauban said: "Hmm. Not as helpful as I'd hoped."
"They were capes." Nyx suddenly replied.
"What?"
"Government superheroes who happened to be doing their shopping here. Pure coincidence that we ran into them. The woman…mistook me for an enemy of hers and was moments away from using her power on me. I think she was Battery, which probably means that the man was Assault."
Worrisome. Very worrisome. This was exactly the kind of attention they had to avoid. "Do they know what we are?"
"They might suspect, especially Assault, but I don't think they'll act on the information. We didn't use our powers openly and there is a very strong cultural stigma against uncovering the secret identities of other parahumans."
"Hmm. Not as bad as it could have been."
"Yes." Nyx said, darkly.
There was more to this, Vauban realized. Something she wasn't telling him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, invisible camera drone controlled by a neural interface wired into his Warframe. With Lotus largely unable to help, Vauban built the drone to act as their remote eyes and ears. It only had about an hour's worth of power, but that was enough for now. He activated it and found the two moments later.
"Are you okay?" Assault said.
Battery's reply was terse. "Yeah, fine. Nothing to worry about. Just…"
"Canberra." He said. Vauban made a mental note to look up the word and what it might mean. It sounded important. "Don't think I didn't notice the resemblance."
"It's stupid and…"
"White hair, pale skin, grey eyes, slim figure…could have been her little sister. Or should I say 'little zizter'."
"Don't joke about that!" Battery replied angrily.
"Tasteless, I know." He replied with a sigh. "You're still having nightmares. I know you wake up in the middle of the night."
"How…I thought you were asleep!"
"I just pretended. Figured I'd give you space until you wanted to talk." Assault paused for a moment before continuing. "Puppy, you need to talk to someone about this. It's an Endbringer. You don't have to pretend it doesn't get to you."
"Ethan, I…"
"I love you and I don't want to see you getting in trouble for slugging a pretty white-haired girl in the face, okay? Chances are, the poor thing never hurt a fly. Besides, why would the Simurgh shop in Brockton Bay, of all places? It's not like there's anything here you can't get anywhere else. Well, excepts for Assault and Battery memorabilia."
Vauban had heard enough. Battery had simply seen a ghost and wasn't about to call in an army of PRT soldiers. Good. He didn't want to have to slaughter his way out of that. In the mean time, he turned to his teammate and said: "She thought you looked like an Endbringer. The Simurgh, in fact."
Nyx raised an eyebrow, but her expression turned slightly sad before long. "She wasn't the only one. At least six others thought the same thing. I honestly didn't think it would be a problem, but evidently I was wrong." She sighed. "The arsenal that we use to change our warframe load outs, does it work on our human form as well?"
"Our human forms are essentially an extension of our warframes. I don't see why it shouldn't. Why?"
"I'm going to need what the natives call a make-over. I think I'm going to color my hair black. Maybe try something like curls, like that girl over there. Do you think that'll be enough?"
"Possibly. Are you sure about this?" Vauban couldn't help but ask.
"These primitives are more paranoid than we thought. I won't endanger the mission because someone mistakes me for a city-destroying monster, Vauban."
Well, that's one way of putting it, Vauban thought morosely.
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May 5, 2011
Information. The Tenno needed information. Unfortunately, there weren't many places to get it. Ideally, they would have gone to the PRT, either to ally with them or to acquire information by force. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be possible for more reasons than one, so they had to go with plan B: poking the local gangs and hoping something useful falls out.
"And then…and then, those helmets. They're just so…boxy. Honestly, how do they even see anything out of those?" Ah, the 'interrogation' was still ongoing. Vauban and his allies quietly entered the base, careful not to disturb Nyx while she's doing her thing.
Two women were lying on the couch, cuddling. One was their latest prisoner: bleached hair, pale skin, covered in tattooed sigils and garments signifying her membership of Empire 88. The other was Nyx with her new jet-black hair and a big, content smile on her face.
It was fascinating how different she looked with a change as small as a new hairstyle.
"Their peripheral vision's gotta suck!" Nyx exclaimed. "But seriously, what did they want? Don't leave your sister in suspense here."
The Nazi's face turned sad. "I really can't tell you, sweety. That's official Empire business."
The other Tenno moved over to the table and started divvying up the spoils of their latest raid. Quietly, as they didn't want to disturb the interrogation. Nyx's power could make their victims almost oblivious to the outside world, but it wasn't perfect. A loud noise or a sudden movement could shatter the illusion, leaving a fully aware prisoner and a very angry Nyx.
Needless to say, they didn't want to deal with either. The telepath took these little 'interrogations' very seriously and would respond poorly to being interrupted. Vauban couldn't understand why, but it was what it was.
"Come on, Becky." Nyx purred, before bringing her captive in a tight hug. "You know you want to."
The prisoner's face turned blank for a moment as the Tenno's power stripped another layer of her mental defenses. Eventually, she submitted and said: "Okay, but only because we're family. Anyway, the chief Boxhead came in and started giving his sales pitch. Honest-to-God Tinkertech laserguns. Dirt cheap too, or so I'm told. Couple thousand bucks a piece, plus a few niggers thrown in as 'laborers' for tradition's sake. So then Krieg steped up and asked if he'd like to make their relationship permanent. 'Benefits' in exchange for an exclusive contract. Said there would be severe consequences if he didn't accept."
"So, what did Mr. Boxhead do?" Nyx asked, feigning anticipation.
"He said 'No, we're an independent party. We sell to anyone who can meet our price.'"
"He didn't!" The Tenno gasped.
"Totally did. So Krieg says that won't do. No independents in our city, especially one that sold to lesser races. Either they'd fall in line or get crushed under our boot. Then, Mr. Boxhead walked up to him and asked if his power can deflect super-heated plasma and if he wanted to find out. Just there, right in his face. I swear, that fucker has a death wish."
Nekros pulled their dinner from dimensional storage: a dish the natives referred to as 'pizza'. Apparently, Empire guards seemed to have a liking of it.
"And what then? Did Krieg spank him like a little bitch?"
"No, he didn't. He just glared at the guy for a while, before laughing, saying that he liked his style and that they were in business. Bought thirty new rifles, right on the spot, with more coming later. Anyway, that was my day." The prisoner said. "So, what about yours?" Suddenly, her head perked up.
"The doorbell." Nyx moaned. "Someone's got bad timing."
The girl sighed, sounding legitimately disappointed. "Tell me about it. I really gotta take it, though. It's probably Empire business."
"Anything for the cause, right?"
"Atta girl." She replied, before kissing Nyx on the cheek.
The prisoner got up and started walking towards a sheet of plastic in the middle of the room. The moment she did, Nyx pulled a ballistica of the table and put a bolt in her skull. The prisoner crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.
"So," Vauban asked "anything useful?"
Nyx ran her hand through her dark curls. "Alad V's not just selling to the Merchants anymore. He's selling to everyone now, but the weaker players are getting the best stuff. Empire 88 think he's trying to create some sort of cold war between the gangs and local law enforcement. Drag this whole thing out to maximize his own profits. Sad thing is, they have to play his game because no one knows where Alad V is or how to stop him for good. Nothing we weren't expecting. Oh, and Becky over there wasn't as much of a true believer as she thought she was."
"Fascinating. Not what we were hoping for, but I guess it's better than nothing."
"We still don't have any leads, though." Nekros complained. "Been here for weeks now, and we haven't found hide or hair of Alad V and his people. He's getting better at hiding and it worries me. Is he just being careful or does he have something big planned? Lotus?"
"I'm not sure. The local information networks have very little usable intel. It is likely that Alad avoids them as much as he can." Their guide replied. "This was not unexpected. He must be aware of my capabilities by now and the fact that we would come for him eventually. He wouldn't have lasted this long if he didn't learn from his mistakes. Nevertheless, we must keep looking. We'll find him eventually."
"So today was for all intents and purposes a waste." Limbo said. "Now here's another good question: Nyx, why are you impersonating that girl's sister?"
Nyx shrugged. "It's how I do interrogations. Get the victim comfortable, convince them you're someone they care about, and they'll start talking. It's worked so far. Why?"
"It's…somewhat disturbing. Not to mention that the locals will not look kindly upon you if they ever find out."
"I've no intention of letting them…"
Suddenly, Lotus' voice chimed over the comms. "Tenno, we have a problem. I'm detecting a massive Infestation underneath the city."
"What?!" Nekros exclaimed. "How?!"
"Unknown. Native military and parahuman forces are mobilizing and a quarantine is being established as we speak, but the locals are woefully underequipped to deal with a threat of this magnitude. I am marking the locations of the nearest Infestation outbreaks on your maps. Get to work. I don't need to tell you what could happen if this matter isn't contained soon."
Almost immediately, the Tenno were in motion, grabbing their weapons and configuring them to deal with the problem ahead. Other issues were ignored. Everyone knew what was at stake. Infestation outbreaks had to be fought at any cost.
"Lotus," Vauban said "if we're headed straight into the Infestation, there is a good chance we'll be discovered by the Protectorate."
"I am aware of that. I will try to guide you away from them, but clearing this Infestation is the highest priority."
"I know. I just hope this doesn't complicate our mission even further."
"I'm afraid it is too late for that, Vauban. Considering the size of the Infestation, a Phorid manifestation is not unlikely." Lotus replied, sending a shiver down his spine. "Be ready for anything, Tenno."
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May 8, 2011
"So…" Limbo said. "Who wants to discuss the…what is that wonderful local saying again; the elephant in the room?"
No one really knew what to say. The past few days had been trying. As dangerous as the Infestation was, the Tenno had learned how to deal with it. They'd been fighting them for years, after all. This, though…this was something else. Something no one saw coming.
"Which one?" Vauban replied, grimly. "The fact that our ancient enemy may or may not be active on this world, or that someone who might be one of our own appears to be working for them?"
"I suggest we take anything the Infestation has to say with a grain of salt." Nekros argued. "It could be a trick, or the Infestation could have mistaken these parahumans for their old foe. It has been millennia since the Old War; even if parahumans and Sentients are one and the same, they might not be the threat they once were. Lotus, would you care to give some advice?"
"I…I have nothing to give." She said, sounding strangely vulnerable. "We know very little about the Sentients, aside from a handful texts that survived the Orokin era. I don't know what they look like, or even what they are, just that they fought with the Orokin and that we destroyed them. The Infestation could be telling the truth, or it could not. There is no way to know for sure."
"Even if the Infestation's right, what can we do about it? Currently, the Tenno Order is a little over a thousand members strong; the parahumans have us outnumbered by several orders of magnitude. Killing them all is simply impractical."
Limbo snorted. "Same could be said for the Grineer, Nekros, and that hasn't stopped us from going after them. Besides, the parahumans of this world are hardly united. Should it be necessary, I believe hunting them down should be well within our capabilities."
"We probably could, yes, but is such a thing even necessary?"
"Is that even a question, considering the state of the world?"
"Tenno, I do not believe that this is a constructive line of thinking." Lotus chimed in. "While these capes are pulling this world out of balance, we cannot hope to defeat them without dragging this world into the spotlight. Both the Corpus and the Grineer have the technology to detect dimensional breaches and the last thing we need is for either of them to start investigating. For now, this world is on its own. I would suggest that you focus on Alad V and return as soon as you can."
"And what of the girl? Banshee, if I'm not mistaken?" Limbo asked. He was answered with silence. "Is she…is she one of us? She certainly looks like it; I'm even seeing the beginnings of the Gleaming Talon stance in her moves."
"Rough, though." Vauban agreed. "Like someone fresh out of the cryopod. She has the instincts, but lacks the training and experience to use them effectively. I doubt she has more than a hundred kills to her name. Nyx, you met her. Any insights?"
Nyx rubbed her hands together. It was an odd gesture and Vauban wasn't entirely sure what it meant. "I…I don't know what to make of her. She acts and thinks like one of us, after a fashion, but…" She sighed, trying to put what she was thinking into words. "She knows too much of this earth and its culture. She casually makes references to local mythology, seems to be devoted to protecting this city, and buys into the locals' idiotic views of justice. She has memories of her childhood and is convinced she's been born and bred here, and that she's apparently an adolescent child. No recollection of waking up from a cryopod. I just…don't understand."
"We need to find out more." Vauban decided. "A more in-depth search into her life…"
Nekros held up his hands. "No. Absolutely not. The unspoken rule about secret identities goes both ways. We are already taking huge risks by attacking criminal strongholds. We cannot risk angering the Protectorate as well, or we'll never be able to get to Alad V.
"I took the liberty of scanning her when Limbo and Vauban first met the girl. Whatever she may be, she is in the possession of a fully functional warframe." Lotus interjected. "Most of her non-combat systems are currently offline, but that is probably due to ignorance of their existence rather than equipment failure. Needless to say that if I'd been aware of her existence sooner, I would have recruited her into our order in a heartbeat."
"Are you sure about this, Lotus?"
"While each warframe is as unique as the Tenno that wields them, certain features are universal. Unless someone has done the impossible and managed to replicate the technology, there is no doubt in my mind that this girl is a Tenno."
"How did we even miss this?" Nekros asked. "We did our research. We'd know if there's someone with a warframe running around."
"A lot of superheroes wear skin-tight body armor. Moreover, the Protectorate rarely makes public the full extent of powers their parahumans have and I have thus far been unable to gain access to their networks. With the limited information available to me, I had assumed that Banshee was simply a sound-controlling cape wearing Tinker-made armor. Evidently, I was mistaken and I will look more closely at other suspicious capes in the future. That, however, is not the issue. I don't know what the Protectorate knows, but I'd be very surprised if they aren't aware of her nature."
"And if they know about her…"
"Then it is not outside the realm of possibility that they are looking for us as well. The similarities could not have gone unnoticed."
Then, the gravity of the situation began to sink in. The Protectorate knew they existed. Not only that, the Protectorate probably knew that they were different, which in turn meant that the superheroes would come after them, if only to determine whether or not the Tenno were a threat. In addition, if the Protectorate was dealing with Alad V, they probably knew how the Tenno operated and what they were capable off.
Limbo was the first to find his voice again. "In the words of this city's most vulgar poet: 'Well, we are so fucked.'"