Complications 3-4

"I'm telling you there is more going on here!"

Assault's voice though intentionally hushed still carried into the curtained off partition of the infirmary I had been confined to. I absently pulled at the handcuffs that connected me to the hospital bed. It wouldn't stop me from teleporting but it did say in no uncertain terms that I couldn't leave without repercussions.

"I know Assault." Miss Militia's voice this time. "That's why she's here in a bed instead of a cell in the basement. What she did to Stalker was hardly simple even without Gallant's accounting of her emotional state."

"Little shit was using metal bolts." Assault agreed. "Against a teammate."

Miss Militia made sound of agreement. "How's the arm."

"Panacea." He said by way of explanation. "She say how bad off Stalker was? I've been with Wisp the whole time."

He had too. He hadn't left me since I came kicking out of Clockblocker's time freeze. Even held my good hand in the elevator to help with the anxiety of it all.

"Panacea said there was a lot of internal bleeding." Militia paused. "I don't know if it was a result of weird power interaction or what, but she would have killed Stalker if Panacea hadn't been there."

"Not undeserving." Assault growled.

"That's a little harsh, Wisp did attack first Assault."

"M&M, If my arm wasn't in the way Wisp would have taken that bolt in the chest. If she wasn't killed outright then she would have at least been drowning in her own blood. If you ask me, she gave as she got, just was better at dealing it out."

"I'm not sure that's a good attitude to have." Militia responded.

Silence filled the infirmary.

"Is she awake?" Militia eventually asked.

"Yeah. She was a bit wide around the eyes coming out of Clocks power and the elevator didn't help anything, but she hasn't bolted so I'd say she's good for now."

"What about the elevator?"

"She's claustrophobic. She told me her first day here."

"Christ" Militia swore, "and we had Clock freeze her." Militia groaned.

"It's not the first time. He did it as a prank earlier in the week."

"How'd she take it?"

"Better this time but she was a bit shaky. She's a champ getting on the elevator after. She near crushed my hand on the way up but she didn't complain once."

"Mmm. Do you think she would be up to talking?"

"You'd have to ask her." There was a pause. "Thought Armsmaster would want to be the one to talk to her."

The way he said 'talk' made me imagine he used air quotes when he said it.

"He did, but after the way he hit her I didn't think it was a good idea. He's meeting with Director Piggot now."

"Smart." Assault commented. "Wisp, you still here?" Assault pokes his head through the curtains.

"Still here." I answered without responding to his poor attempt at levity. "I heard most of it. I can talk." Not sure I wanted to but I liked Miss Militia and she had prevented Armsmaster from coming so another plus.

"How are you feeling?" Miss Militia gestured at my arm that was both in a sling and had an immobilizing splint from the elbow down.

"Fractured wrist and dislocated shoulder." I specifically avoided shrugging.

"Panacea left with Stalker before she unfroze." Assault supplied.

Typical.

"Wisp, can you tell me what happened?" Miss Militia leaned one hand on the foot of the hospital bed. Her other she rested on her hip.

Just above a holstered pistol.

"Long story." I pull my mask off and lifted my goggles, my poor vision blurring the definition of my surroundings. My name is-"

Miss Militia held up a hand. "Not entirely safe to say it out loud here." She said but still pulled the scarf hiding her lower portion of her face down to hang around her neck.

If I couldn't say my name then I was sure saying Sophia's was not good either. Even if I found it hard to care about outing her.

"Shadow Stalker," I said the name through clenched teeth. I could have just called her 'That Bitch' but I thought it would have cost me points with Miss Militia. "I know her from school."

I couldn't read her face without my glasses, which somehow, made it easier to tell my story.

"She was one of three girls that bullied me in high school. Endlessly, until they stuffed me in a locker filled with-," I glanced at Assault. "Uh, used girl products."

Assault sputtered and turned away but didn't leave.

I continued. "Emma, one of the three, knew I was claustrophobic. She knew after my Mom's accident that small spaces, feeling trapped, all but cripple me. It had to be her idea."

"Your trigger event." Miss Militia's voice was soft with sympathy.

I nodded. "Soph- Shadow Stalker... was the one that pushed me in and shut the door."

Assault growled.

"I always wanted to be a hero." I said quietly as I fidgeted with the cuffs connecting me to the bed. "I wanted to be strong and beautiful like you and Alexandria." I nodded towards Miss Militia.

"So, when Shadow Stalker spoke, I recognized her. The way she talked, her voice, it was definitely her. I saw red." May face twisted in disgust at the thought of that bitch ever being considered as someone's Hero. "How dare she be a Hero. How dare she taint and mar and twist my dream. I was angry." I could feel my fire building with my emotion and had to take a few slow deep breaths to calm down. "I just reacted."

I let that hang in the air and we were silent until Miss Militia spoke up. "Why didn't you report the bullying?"

"I did. The school said I was over reacting." I felt cold. "Every time I tried to say something. Things got worse. I have a notebook at home with everything in it. Printed out emails, dates and times, list of stuff and who ruin or destroyed it."

No matter who I told, the teachers, the principal, the guidance counselor, no one did anything or if they did then it was only lip service and things would get worse."

"Shadow Stalker is my protege, I will personally look into this Wisp." Her face was serious. "You have my word."

"Yeah, sure." As if things would go any different than before. The fact that Hess was considered a Hero here showed me just how fair and diligent the PRT was.

Miss Militia frowned but didn't push. She spoke with Assault briefly and just quietly I couldn't make out the words but the angry tone was clear enough. Maybe she was pissed at me for almost killing Sophia.

When she left Assault sat back in his chair at the foot of my bed, removing his own mask.

"What's going to happen to me?" I asked.

"Oh, well there will be an investigation of course. Then an inquiry. Then more investigation. Then you will probably have a big meeting like when you signed on that they will lean on you a bit to make sure you don't do something like this again."

"No birdcage?" I asked.

"What? No!" Ethan sat up from his casual slouch. "What gave you that idea."

"Miss Militia said I practically killed So-," I snapped my mouth shut. "Shadow Stalker." I ground out.

"Yeah well even if we didn't factor in her causing your trigger, which they will, then there is the fact she used lethal bolts on another Hero. Being attacked not withstanding. She could have come to the rest of the Heroes instead of trying to retaliate for the sucker punch you gave her."

I had kinda gone after her first.

"Look, kid, I'm not criticizing. I don't know what I would have done in your place, but I'm definitely not going to fault you. I think a different time, different place you might not have attacked her like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you had just gotten clubbed upside your head and were out for a solid minute or two. You come around still loopy from having your bell rung and the person that was a part of the worst day of your life is standing right there?" He shrugged. "I can't blame you and you shouldn't either."

I didn't. "I don't."

Assault blinked.

"You don't understand the hell they put me through. All the times I thought about ending it. Either me or them."

Assault looked uncomfortable.

"She is a bitch on a mythic scale and worse when she was with the other two." I paused. "Am I glad I didn't kill her? I guess. But I'm not sorry that attacked her. She had it and more coming."

"Mayyyyybe don't take that line of thought when you go into the review." He cautioned.

"When is that?"

"Their will be an unofficial one tonight to determine if you need to be held for anything."

"Will I?"

"Immm not sure." He hedged. "I am sure those cuffs cant stop you from leaving so the fact you're still here and actually wearing them is a pretty good thing for you."

I jingled the cuff on my right wrist.

"If I was a gambling man I'd say you will be sent home with a word of warning not to leave town."

"Are you?" I asked. "A gambling man?"

Assault smiled broadly. "I gave up being a villain, surrendered to the Protectorate with the condition I was placed on the same team as Battery all so I could ask her for a date."

I was stunned. "And she said yes?"

"Pfft no. She chucked me out a window the first time. Tried to kick my nuts into my skull the second." He laughed. "But I kept asking until she finally said yes."

"That's a little creepy." I said giving. Him a wary look.

"Ah she's the stubborn sort. Besides I think she liked the attention." He winked at me.

"Excuse me?" A woman's voice from the other side of the curtain.

"One sec." Assault responded pulling on his mask. "Mask on kid."

I did as he said and replaced my mask. It was a bit awkward to do with one good hand.

"Okay." Assault stood and acted like he was guarding both me and the infirmary from me.

The nurse checked my stats on the monitors, writing them down onto her clipboard.

"May I enter?"

It was Armsmaster's voice. He sounded a bit off.

Assault looked at me.

I nodded in response.

"Yeah come on in Arm." Assault held back the curtain for him.

Armsmaster entered still clad in his armor. "Excuse me." He moves to stand quietly next to Assault until the nurse finished her rounds and left.

"So?" I asked unable to take his silence any longer.

"It is the decision of the PRT-" Armsmaster's voice was neutral as is reading from a script.

Oh god, I had a sinking feeling.

"That there will be no further investigation in the matter." He finished.

What?

"What does that mean?" Assault voices my question.

"It means that all investigations into the matter cease." Armsmaster clarified unhelpfully.

"So that bitch gets to get away with what she did to me? She gets to walk on making my life hell?" I was a mix of anger and disbelief.

Armsmaster frowned. "Allegedly did." He pointed out. "And technically yes, though her actions of using lethal bolts in a training exercise is a violation of her parole. Coupled with the estimated trajectory of her attacks, new charges may be laid at her feet. She's done in the PRT."

I was confused. She was going to get away with everything she did to me in school but she was going to be punished for other things? It felt like I was being overlooked.

Again.

"Officially Shadow Stalker will be retired from the Wards siting health reasons. Unofficially she will be going to a juvenile detention center until she is of age to be transferred to a more permanent location."

"What about Wisp?" Assault asked.

"It has been decided that her actions can be explained by a case of mistaken identity brought on by her concussion. No formal charges of any kind will be brought forth. Restrictions however will be placed on how she may employ her power in the field so as to ensure public safety." He fished a key from a compartment on his armor. Barely a moment later I was released from the cuffs. "Glory Girl and Panacea are here to see you. They are not aware of Shadow Stalkers identity. Do not tell them." And without so much as a goodbye he turned and exited.

"Notice he didn't apologize for whacking you over the head." Assault's voice was dry.

I was still shocked. Sophia was going to jail. I was coming away from it all with a few injuries but no legal consequences. Had hell frozen over?

"Hello?" A girls voice.

Assault stuck his head out of the curtain. "Oh, hey, come on in."

A tall blonde girl dressed in white accompanied by a shorter mousy brunette dressed in a white robe and red scarf.

Glory Girl and Panacea.

"Hey," Glory Girl gave an awkward little wave. "Sorry about the arm?"

What do you say to that? It's not like I was holding a grudge. But it had hurt like a son of a bitch to get it fixed the old fashion way. So, I wasn't really ready to forgive her out of hand either.

"It's not okay? But it will be okay? Do you know what I mean?" I asked.

She bobbed her head. "I get it. It's complicated but we can be cool in the future."

"Yeah." I took a risk and dropped my mask. Gallant liked her and he seemed like a good judge of character. I glanced at her chest. Or a sucker for boobs. "I'm Taylor." I kept my voice low.

Glory Girl didn't have a mask to remove. "Victoria but most people call me Vicky." She pulled Panacea bodily in front of her. "Annnd this is Amy."

"We've met." Amy said.

I was shocked. She remembered me.

"Oh? When?" Vicky asked seemingly excited.

"Hospital where else."

Well isn't she just a ball of sunshine.

"Can I have permission to heal you?" Amy asked.

Duh. "Yes." I held my hand out to her.

She took it and the first thing I noticed was her hands were cold. Ice cold. The second thing I noticed was a weird sensation in my shoulder.

Whoever set your shoulder did a shitty job." She droned. "But I fixed it and your wrist... she paused like there was something else she wanted to say. "Iiiif you want I can fix your eyes."

"What?"

"So you wouldn't need glasses." She clarified. "It's not technically healing because that's the way your body is supposed to be but I can fix it. As an apology for Vicky?"

I blinked a few times. No more glasses. "Please do."

My vision blurred and I used my newly healed arm to push up my goggles. I could see clearly.

Better than I ever did with my glasses.

I squeezed Amy's hand. "Thank you, Amy."

She pulled her hand from mine. And looked at Vicky instead of me. "Your welcome." It was pointedly aimed at her sister. I felt a little snubbed.

"I told you it was accident." Vicky folded her arms under her breasts and huffed. "And I actually meant it when I apologized."

Oh.

Family drama.

I felt less snubbed.

"Ladies. Ladies." Assault intervened then shut his mouth at the twin looks the girls gave him.

"Let's go." Amy said. "Take me home Vicky." Amy lead her sister out of my curtained area.

"See ya around." Vicky gave me a quick wave and a smile edited chasing after her sister.

"Well. Today has been exciting huh?" Assault collapsed into his chair.

I leaned back in my bed. You can say that again.

"Today has been exciting huh?"

I groaned. I should have known better.

"I thought you said there would be investigations and reviews and reports?" I asked him without looking.

His voice was sober and low. "There should have been. Things like that don't just get swept under the rug. The fact that they are doing it at all means something is up."

He looked me in the eyes. "I like you kid. Maybe even a little more than the other brats around here. But you shouldn't have gotten off that easy." He leaned forward in his chair. "You won't get off that easy. Not with me. Being a hero means we have to have a grasp on our emotions so we don't haul off and hurt somebody like you did. I'm not asking you to be emotionless but to be able to think through them. So you and I are going to do some practice. I'm going to annoy the shit out of you while you try and problem solve."

I actually saw the moment a thought struck him.

"You know after the concussion. Goes. Away." He finished haltingly. "You know what I mean."

"When can I leave here?"

"Oh whenever they're sure you're not going to drop dead from head injury."

I blinked, "Is that a thing?"

Assault didn't say anything.

"Assault?"

Author's Note: No cliffhanger this time as requested ;)

Next chapter might take a bit. I'm trying to figure out Wisp's Ward costume and am currently browsing the internet for inspiration / potential Cover Art for the story.

Thanks for your Fav/Follows! And double Thanks for all the amazing reviews.

K. Raiden