Author's Foreward: When originally posting this story on SpaceBattles, a number of the readers started suggesting names for James to use as a cape. I set up a poll to find the most popular three suggestions, and wrote an omake for each of them. With this update, you're all up to date on this story. The next chapter will take a few days to finish, after that it'll be about one post a week.
A Different Path: Raid Knight (Armsmaster POV)
In another universe, the villains of Brockton Bay would have gathered at Somer's Rock in response to the threat posed by Bakuda's bombing spree. But this is a different universe, with a different summit. Let's look in:
"Is everyone here?" I as, narrowing my eyes as I look out at the motley crew gathered in the supposedly neutral PRT's conference room. All the heroic and rogue Capes in the city are represented.
The statuesque Sarah Pelham responds, "New Wave is present." The gaggle of white-clad heroes around her - purple, yellow, orange, green-yellow, magenta, blue, white, and red in the back - yep, all there. My HUD is marking their names over their heads, but it's not important enough to waste the time reading them. Actually, I'm not sure why I changed the programming on that feature from labeling only the person I'm focusing on to labeling everyone in sight. It's not efficient to have this much clutter in my vision. What kind of person could deal with this on a day to day basis?
"The Wards are here," Aegis speaks up next. Three helmets, one full-face mask, and a visor. There's supposed to be another full-face mask. A woman's face?
"Where's..." I trigger a search for the name of the missing Ward. "Shadow Stalker?"
The Wards all turn to each other, then back to me. Green-visor, Vista pipes up, "She went after Raid Knight. She was crowing over comms about putting a bolt into his shoulder. Then she started screaming."
That sounds a lot like the last anyone heard of Victor. I'm all for getting Neo-Nazi supervillains off the streets, but what Raid Knight had his thrall do to him... In Brockton Bay, entomophobia is no longer considered a mental illness. However, several people have been committed for not displaying an appropriate level of sheer, pant-shitting terror in the face of a swarm of coccinellidae. They may have been tourists, but that's no excuse.
"Has the body shown up yet?"
"She's alive, and even unharmed. Physically," Gallant reports. "But every time she even sees a crossbow, bolt, hockey mask, or the color purple... It doesn't take my powers to see that she'll never fight crime again. And she keeps muttering about Sar-Ban-Nog and prey that isn't."
Clockblocker's head dips. He must be sad to lose a teammate. I'll have to speak to him later. I've dealt very well with similar losses. He could benefit from my wisdom.
"Protectorate East North-East is all here," Miss Militia reports. Flag bandanna, Greek helmet, lion helmet, red mask, and circuit-line mask with a visor lurking over her shoulder. We're all here. And Assault is as unprofessional as ever.
The creepy life-sized doll in the corner moves. A voice comes from behind the porcelain lips. "And I'm here. Parian, for anyone who hasn't heard of the only rogue in Brockton Bay who hasn't been Birdcaged for self-defense." Parian likes to regularly remind us heroes that she's not a threat like that. I appreciate the thought, but we're not concerned. And we've got her under surveillance anyway.
I take control of the meeting. "We've got new information on Raid Knight. After the recent unprovoked invasion of Medhall, we found some fragments of his armor. They appear to have been splintered off when Hookwolf arrived to defend the company." At my HUD's prompting, I pause for emphasis. "Even villains as indefensible as Hookwolf can't allow harm to come to such an important medical supplies company. And his surprisingly noble sacrifice has given us new information on the depths Raid Knight has sunk to."
An image is projected on the wall. It's a figure well-known to all of us by now. A masculine figure, wearing a skull-like helmet. Most of his gear follows a macabre theme. Bones and teeth and pale, disturbing leather. Many pieces have been replaced or upgraded at one point or another. But his central piece, a vibrantly purple unadorned breastplate, has never changed. It seems like it has some special significance to the villain.
"Analysis of the material his 'zombie' gear is made of has produced disturbing results." Another pause. 3, 2, 1. "It's human. Human bones. Human leather. From dozens, if not hundreds of different victims. He's a serial killer, and has been since before his first appearance. We suspect that if we can figure out how he killed them, we can reverse engineer his power, and maybe even figure out how to block it. If we can deny him... whatever his power is, we can deny him his most potent weapon."
The image on the screen changes. A stately female figure in golden armor. "Lady Bug. The insectokinetic Master 9 he's forced into his villainous service. With the recent revelation of just how brazen he is about his kill count, we've finally figured out the meaning of his name. Raid Knight. He's been telling us from day one that he's holding the threat of nearly instant death over the head of the most powerful heroically inclined Master we've seen in over a decade."
The picture changes to Raid Knight at his most vicious, clawed hand thrust through Oni Lee's head. "I've called you all here today to announce that Raid Knight is now under a kill order."
A Different Path: Grave Lord (James PoV)
In retrospect, calling myself Grave Lord and dressing in [Undead Armor] was a bit short-sighted. When Taylor tried to speak up for me, she found herself in Master/Stranger quarantine faster than you can say 'civil rights violation'. It's been over a month, well outside any accepted 'reasonable' limit to her time locked up, and they have yet to release her. I assume they aren't going to let her out until she agrees that I'm the monster they decided I am without proof or even good reason to suspect. Well, they got their monster.
I know my limits. I can't take on the whole of the local Protectorate at once and that's what it could take to free Taylor. Especially as I have no intent to permanently remove heroes. So I'm temporarily disabling them.
Panacea is first. With her in play, nothing I'm willing to do will take less than a day to fix if the heroes are rescued. For just how important she is, no one pays enough attention to her. I could easily grab her along the road one night, even without using my powers. Instead, I abuse [ID Create] to grab her from a locked bathroom in a local hospital. Robbed of chemical options for rendering her unconscious, and unwilling to harm someone who has done so much for humanity, I simply trust thick armor and my strength to man-handle her across town and into a converted apartment. It's rather luxurious for a prison, but calling it anything less would be a lie. That said, she seems to being doing surprisingly well. I suspect the enforced vacation is good for her.
Only Clockblocker can be treated as gently. For simplicity's sake, he wakes up in the same apartment as Amy when the tranquilizer wears off. It only takes a few days for him to give up on the futility of wearing his mask and find what pleasure he can in his situation. I believe the two of them are developing a bit of a bond. This pleases me. They both deserve some happiness.
I only wish I could treat most of the other heroes so well. New Wave and the Wards don't deserve what I have to do to them.
Flyers are a pain to restrain, but all I need is too keep them from fighting for a few weeks. A few sliced tendons, ankles and arms, and the Pelhams are unable to chase effectively or aim to blast me. Neil's resilience requires a little extra effort to overcome, but even with the extra damage I have to do to him, I'm sure Panacea will be able to fix him when this is over.
The Dallons are both harder and easier to deal with. Harder because Glory Girl is a bitch to pin down. In the end I have to very precisely time a [Grounding Strike] to bring her down, and break her neck while her forcefield is down. It's more of a risk than I'd like to take, but I can't have her interfering. Even as a quadriplegic, she's dangerous enough to require regular doses of some very potent tranquilizers. Flashbang... I don't even bother with, outside of taking his antidepressants. Brandish is almost easier. She can't fly, has no blaster powers, and can't move while her only defensive power is active. And by this time, I'm very good with tendons.
Most of the Wards require special handling. Kid Win can be locked up unharmed, but only in the barest of cells. His plumbing is specially designed to be impossible to disassemble. His mattress is fused to the floor. His food is all in pellet form, to keep utensils out of his hands. Gallant gets the Pelham treatment. Aegis I have to beat into a literal bloody pulp. Then I seal him into concrete up to his neck. Over a ton of the stuff. His redundant biology keeps him alive, even with several vital orifices inaccessible. he regularly promises to share the joy of defecating from one's mouth with me as soon as he gets out. Vista... I regret it, but I have to put her in a medically induced coma. Nothing less can contain the little space-warper.
Members of the Protectorate East North-East are the hardest to take down. It takes days of carefully stalking and even longer holding perfectly still on a blazing hot roof to catch Dauntless at home, alone, without any of his enhanced items on hand. Sniper rifles aren't meant for tranquilizer use, but it works. This close to the endgame, with him miles away from his gear, I just tie him up.
Thinking of Miss Militia as barely more than human is a mistake. I can't pin her down long enough to do things neatly, so I have to [Power Strike] both her arms. Even after shattering several bones, she almost kills me with a dagger held in her mouth. In the end I have to break her legs and jaw to keep her down. I respect that, and honestly wish it hadn't come to that.
If not for careful planning and [Physical Resistance], Velocity would beat me. Trip wires aren't fast enough to catch him. Even automated. In the end, I have to take it for a minute and blow both of us to hell and back with a very large number of flashbangs. I'm not sure how long I'd be down for if not for [Gamer's Body]. He's certainly still down when I get up. I only cut his Achilles tendons. When he wakes up he might be able to chase me using just his arms, but I'm close enough to my goal that I don't need to keep him down for long.
Assault and Battery are far easier than expected. As soon as I reach them, Assault sucker punches Battery, knocking her out.
"It's not fair what they're doing to you kids," he says by way of explanation. "We both agree on that. She thought we agreed that we still have to follow orders. After seeing what you've done to those in your way... I really hope I'm right about you."
"Amy's fine," I assure him as I walk past.
There's only two 'heroes' left. Triumph and Armsmaster. While Triumph is a powerful Blaster, he really doesn't have much else going for him. As long as I can dodge his first few 'roars', I can get close and take him down barehanded. Armsmaster... I'm not looking forward to. Yet, after everything he put Taylor through, just because he got butthurt over trying to steal our credit for taking down Lung... I'm looking forward to this.
Entering the parahuman detention block of the Protectorate ENE headquarters, I find an unexpected sight. Sitting on the floor between two rows of cells, Triumph's helmet. Blood leaking from it. The puddle merging with a much larger pool, spreading from a lose pile of fleshy chunks. A well-dressed man, attractive in a vaguely pretty manner, sits upon it, fidgeting with a switchblade.
Jack Slash greets me like an old friend, "Hello, Grave Lord. We've been waiting for you."
A Different Path: Atlas (Gallant PoV)
My name is Dean Stansfield and I am often considered the most eligible bachelor in Brockton Bay. Well, among the underage community. I'm rich, well-connected, handsome, and amazingly empathetic. The first three are from my family. The last one? I cheat.
My name is also Gallant. I'm the next in line to be in charge of the Brockton Bay Wards. I have the power to fire blasts of concussive energy that can tilt the target's emotions a bit. And I can see people's emotions. That's how my cape life let's me cheat in my civilian life.
My civilian life also lets me cheat as a Ward. Being (very) rich, I was able to buy a suit of Tinkertech power armor. Without it, I'd be no more bulletproof than any other human. And despite my name I'm really not selfless enough to risk that. I'm just glad Armsmaster is willing to maintain my armor for a few favors here and there. Tinkertech is known for needing some serious attention from a Tinker on a regular basis or it acts like L33t's tech usually does.
In my civilian life I'm in an on-again, off-again relationship with Victoria Dallon, publicly known as Glory Girl. Most people think of her as a basic Alexandria package, but along with the strength, flight, and invulnerability, she also has an aura power. Its effects vary based on her attitude towards those affected by it. If she likes them, they love her. If she hates them, they change their pants. I'm the only person unaffected by them, making me the only honest relationship she'll ever have. And since her aura blocks my emotion sight, she's the only girl who's a challenge to me.
Unlike Vicky, I keep my civilian identity secret. And a lot of girls (and women) would love to date a Ward. It's not always easy refusing them, but Vicky is worthy it. And even without her aura, pissing her off scares the crap out of me.
And on top of all that, my teammates want me. Vista's crush is adorably obvious and easily handled. Mostly by ignoring it. Shadow Stalker has some kind of twisted survival-of-the-fittest mindset, which occasionally makes her try to claim 'liberties' with Aegis or myself. More often Aegis. Poor bastard. And I'm not sure if Browbeat is gay, or just looking for inspiration for his autobiokinetic powers, but I'm not happy with how much time he spends looking at my muscles.
So yeah, I'm sexy and I know it. I try not to let it get to my head, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the attention a little. (Even if Vicky disagrees.) I even watch all the teen beat shows with Vista for that little boost I get from hearing the reporters go on about me being the hottest Ward in New England.
I offer a token protest as Vista changes the channel to one of her (our) favorite shows. Sandra Mars is probably my favorite host. Her program is nation-wide and her ass is out of this world. Each week she does a segment on her top ten sexiest heroes. And every week I'm on the list. On one or two occasions, I've even been number one. The pout on her face when she reminds her viewers I'm underage... I may just have to visit her as soon as I join the Protectorate...
"And for this week's sexiest superhero countdown: At number 10, we have Myrddin. The man may be crazy, but we're crazy to know what's under that robe." A man in a rough tan robe dominates the screen. "At number nine, Manpower. He may be married, but there's more than enough of him to go around." Seven feet of muscle crammed into a white a yellow costume is next. "Coming in at number eight, Armsmaster. Even a few lesbians I know want Halbeard to be their beard." I'm still not sure why the man leaves his chin exposed like that. But I am a little jealous of that beard. "Number seven is Triumph, who deserves some special attention - he's legal now. Anyone else curious if he's a screamer?" Well, that's a bit more explicit than she usually is. I hope I get something better than when it's my turn. I lose track of the show for a moment, thinking of a few things I'd like to hear her say about me...
"Legend is number three this week. If only he was straight..." While his placement changes from week to week, Sandra always has the same thing to say about Mister Rainbows. "Second place goes to one of my all-time favorites: Gallant. He could sweep me off my feet any day. And unless I'm misreading things, I think he'll be moving to the Protectorate fairly soon." That's the stuff. Second place, and a nicely public reminder I'll be legal soon.
I'd just as happily change channels now, but Vista actually cares about more than just my current ranking. Number one usually goes to someone who's had a big week in the news. I can't think of anyone worthy this week, so I'm not sure who she'd rank higher than me. Maybe some nobody hero in some podunk town had a wardrobe malfunction. Sandy loves it when a fit young (legal) hero loses his shirt.
"I know some of you out there may say Brockton Bay is getting too much attention this week, but we've got a new hero on the scene that just screams 'sexiest cape around'. Not that he wears a cape." I've never seen her look so... pleased? Excited? Whatever it is, I don't like the thought of someone else getting that kind of reaction when I never have. "I'm pretty sure this independent hero is underage, but he certainly makes some fine eye-candy."
The figure on the screen certainly is well-built. A bit more of a swimmer's musculature than I'd aim for, but the guy certainly put some effort into getting into shape. What I don't understand why he's wearing nothing but a leopard print speedo and a domino mask. Or why he's oiled up like a professional muscleman or model. He doesn't look like he's very comfortable in his costume yet, but he's still handily dispatching some gun-totting mooks. A graze proves that despite his choice in outfits, the new guy is not bulletproof.
...I think I'm just a touch intimidated. I'd never have the balls to fight crime without my armor. Facing parahumans with no more protection than the sock he's got stuffed down the front of his briefs... hell no.
"And check out that package! With just how much he's got going on for him, you'd think he wouldn't be quite so shy. Personally, I find it cute. There's just one bit of bad news: he may be taken. He's only been seen in the company of a new heroine." A new picture flashes across the screen briefly. Female, gold armor, red cape, nice legs. I'll have to look her up.
The screen flashes back to the new guy. "But until there's some kind of confirmation, he's still open game! So ladies, let's all give a big hand (but only one, because the other one is busy) to our new and sexiest of the week hero: Atlas!"
Author's Note: I don't think I've ever seen a narcissistic Gallant before... And since I'm sure there will be questions - in this universe James received the [Atlas Trunks] as his quest award for picking a name and making his first costume. As long as he wears nothing but the "trunks" and a mask, he earns several times as much exp for physical skills and stats. And appears to be well-oiled.