Complications 3-7

I was in absolute agony.

My stomach hurt and I had been biting my tongue, trying my best not to laugh.

Dennis's 'payback' apparently had taken the form of drawing, um, male genitalia, on the forehead of Assault's mask with permanent marker.

The best part?

Assault didn't find out until after the interview with Calvert had started. Now he was stuck wearing his mask until he could step out and grab a temporary one. I'm grateful he was waiting until Calvert was done to do so, but his annoyed grunts and sighs every time he caught sight of his reflection in the glass wall was killing me.

"Miss Willow Wisp." Calvert's voice was sickly sweet and faux polite. "What can you tell me about Shadow Stalker?"

"She is a royal bitch for one." It was the first thing that came to mind. "Quick to resort to violence, and um, I'm not sure what else to say?"

Calvert smiled. "You haven't been with the Wards very long?"

I shook my head. "Maybe three and a half weeks?"

"Tell me how you seem to know Shadow Stalker well enough to make that judgement." Calvert asked with what I'm sure he thought was a kind smile.

Assault cleared his throat. "I'm sorry but that intrudes on protected identities."

Calvert's eyes didn't leave me. "I can assure you that I have been cleared for Shadow Stalker's identity."

"Maybe." Assault allowed. "But Not Willow Wisp's. Keep the questions based on the Wards."

"Ah but you see Willow Wisp has information that could be pertinent even if it involves life outside the Wards." Calvert's voice was smooth though his eyes were cold as ever.

"Tough shit Calvert." Assault crossed his arms across his chest. "I know about you and your reputation. You're nothing but a glorified bounty hunter. Just because you have some semblance of government approval doesn't make you anything more than that. You're a thug."

Woah. That came out of nowhere.

Calvert's eyes blazed but the muscles on his face didn't move a bit. "Oh? You know of my company? Did we bring in an old associate of yours, Madcap?"

Who was Madcap?

Assault tensed in his chair. "Watch your mouth Calvert." He growled.

Calvert leaned back in his chair his smile turning predatory. "Or you will do what? I'm sure it could be explained away, possibly be a case of mistaken identity. Maybe it's your new mask design throwing me off? Who could fault me for that?"

Assault's jaw and his fists curled on the table.

Calvert steepled his hands clearly indicating he won. "Indeed. Must have been a case of mistaken identity."

Assault looked like he wanted to shove his fist through Calvert's skull.

"So what can you tell me Willow Wisp?" He asked, switching gears with disconcerting ease.

I was so she'll shocked by the exchange between Assault and him that he had to repeat himself.

"Just what I told you. She's violent. She always gave off the impression that things, people, where beneath her. The fact that I put her in the hospital. That I stood up to her and maybe even beat her? She is going to come after me for that. No question about it."

Calvert wrote something on a notepad. "Do you have a time frame in mind?" His tone all business like he didn't just about come to blows with my mentor. "Are there a places she might go? Anything you can think of, top of your head."

Emma maybe. But connecting Sophia with Emma was nearly as good as connecting her to me. "No not really."

Calvert glanced at me but moved on to the next question.

"Did she have a discernible pattern of activity in you prior relationship?"

"We did not have a relationship." My tone was firm.

"Then What was she to you?" He asked.

Assault slammed his palm down on the table, the noise so loud I jumped in my seat. "I warned you not to talk about Wisp's identity." He stood up with enough force to knock over his chair. "We're done here. Wisp lets go."

Calvert frowned but got up along with us and being closer reached the door first. He puts one hand inside his jacket pocket, stopped, then continued, withdrawing a business card. He handed it to me, "In case you change your mind." He crooned giving Assault a smile.

He disgusted me. Assault opened the door and gestured for me to go first, for which I was thankful.

We retreated back to the Wards common area, Assault taking a moment to duck into Dennis and Deans room. There was a crash and the sound of stuff falling then Assault emerged wearing one of the temporary masks.

"Feel better?" I asked referring to the crash.

"No." Assault looked pointedly at Calvert's business card in my hands.

I shrugged. "It seems rude to just drop it on the floor and expect someone else to pick it up." If I could have read Assault's expression behind the mask, I'm sure he would have been frowning. "What's the deal with him anyway?" I asked.

Assault beckoned me to follow him to the little kitchen of to the side of the common area where a single table and four chairs sat. Missy has once called it the Ward's Cafe and the name kind of stuck in my head.

We sat at the table and Assault started off.

"Tomas Calvert used to be PRT." He said. "And he supposedly was a part of Ellisburg but I don't know if I believe that. Anyway he left the PRT and started up his own business hunting down bounties put out by regular law enforcement. Somewhere along the way he hired people of his own, got a contract with the PRT and started hunting capes. Eventually he went after my bounty. It was lucrative enough to try and I had a good rep for keeping to the rules. But that's the thing Calvert doesn't play by our rules. He twists and distorts them for his benefit and if a cape was to respond in kind we could get birdcaged or worse."

I had to ask. "You had a bounty?"

He heaved a sigh. "Yeah. I didn't start out a Hero." His voice was forlorn. "I...wasn't in a good place when I triggered. Had a bad experience with a pair of police officers right after and it colored my view enough that I toyed with the idea of being a villain. The longer I stewed on it the more I reasoned I was in the right. You know how teenager circle logic is."

No comment.

"Skip a couple of years, I had moved to New York Where the work was plenty and I had made a name for myself. Madcap, the jail break specialist."

There was the tiniest hint of pride in his voice.

"I had a sometimes partner early on. He was a decent sort, as far as villains go anyway. He went by the name of Freeze Frame. He could stop the movement of just about anything inanimate for a couple of seconds with a glance. Not the strongest power but used carefully it was really tricky." His voice was and angry.

"Not too long after I came to the Bay to join Battery's team I heard he was killed in an attempt to arrest him."

I had a sick feeling. "Calvert?"

Assault shrugged. "It was deemed an accident and the name of the culprit was withheld to protect them against Villanova reprisal. But yeah it was Calvert's company that went after Freeze Frame."

I glanced back to the door to the conference room. I didn't see who went in after Assault and I left but I was hoping it wasn't Missy.

"Bringing him in to go after someone like Shadow Stalker?" Assault shook his head. "There's going to be blood. No doubt about it. Just a question of whose."

.

Author's Note: I know it's short but I was playing Borderlands 3 and I got distracted.

So, we are getting near to the end of what I had planned for the Arc. There is maybe one or two chapters for Taylor left then I want to try my hand at a pair of interludes before getting to work on the next Arc. The first interlude being Lisa's and the second Sophia's. I have an outline of what I want to cover but not how I want to do it so those might take longer than usual.

Huge thank you to you all whom have Fav and Followed it means a lot. And to you whom have Reviewed, I am sorry I haven't been responding like I was. I will make an effort in the next chapter or so to go back and address any questions or concerns so feel free to get them out there. Thank you for taking the Time to leave your thoughts, questions, and encouragement!

Thanks Again,

K. Raiden