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Detonation 5-4

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"All Protectorate members report to Briefing Room Charlie Three. Repeat. All Protectorate members report to Briefing Room Charlie Three."

The intercom was deafening in the cavernous room.

I looked over to where Assault had been telling stories, slightly exaggerated, about being a Hero in The Bay to some of the Parents, Dad included. I knew him well enough to know from the way he so quickly disengaged from the group in the direction of the elevator that things must be serious. If they weren't, Assault would have likely preferred to bask in the light of center of attention than report to a meeting on time.

I looked around and spotted Triumph headed for the elevator as well.

When the power went out, everyone knew there was trouble.

Only maybe half of the overheads returned. Hopefully that was because the building had switched over to the generator.

"Everyone listen up." Assault had climbed up onto something so he could be seen. "Clearly there is a problem and the power has gone out. But, that's okay because Triumph and I are going up to check things out. Officers Roscoe and Singh will be here in case you need anything." He took a deep breath. "Wards? If you are planning on clocking in today this may be a good time to get changed."

I looked at Dad and he grimaced. He didn't like the idea.

"I'm going," I told him.

"I wish you wouldn't." His frown deepened and he swallowed hard. "Be careful?"

Nothing I could say would make him feel better and we both knew nothing he could say would stop me from going. But we still try.

I hugged him. "I promise."

I stepped back and focused on my room in the Ward's floor. Time to get changed.

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"It's quiet." My voice seemed almost too loud in the eerie silence of the city.

"Toooo quiet." Assault put in.

Battery swatted him on the shoulder. "Now is not the time."

"What happened?" Carlos floated down from his vantage overhead. "The entire city is still. A few people on the streets but hardly any cars."

"Fuck" Assault swore. "Guess Bakuda wasn't kidding."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Bakuda threatened to cut all the power to the city, which is not easy to do." Battery pinched the bridge of her nose. "We didn't think she could or would do it."

"Like an EMP?" Clockblocker looked down the deserted street.

"I don't think it was." Triumph added. "There wouldn't be any cars moving if she set one of those off."

We stood in silence.

"Well shit we need to get in touch with the protectorate and any teams already deployed." Assault prodded at his ear, "Console can you hear me? Yeah, copy. I'm with Battery, Triumph, Aegis and Willow Wisp. Seriously? Fuck, okay that's not good. How long until it's fixed?"

I shared a look with Aegis. He looked just as put out about being left off the protectorate channel.

"There's going to be mass looting once the word gets out." Assault continued into his earpiece. "We couldn't cover and area that big even if the Wards went on patrol solo."

"Even people without any gang connections may start carrying at this rate." Aegis noted.

I placed a hand over where my bruise twinged in memory of the pain.

Assault snorted. "They already do kid, they just have different priorities."

Battery must have noticed me cradling my bruise. "Wisp you okay."

"Yeah," my voice didn't come out right. "Just not liking the idea of getting shot at again."

Assault frowned. "Barring the fact you shouldn't ever like being shot at, if you need rest then rest Wisp."

Aegis floated over. "You should switch with Chris on console."

I shook my head. "His parents won't let him go out, it's the only way he can help right now."

"Not true." Assault put in. "He can stay with the families and put their minds at ease, soothe tensions, and keep them safe. You don't have to be out on the streets punching bad guys to be a Hero."

"Actually," Battery's voice was thoughtful. "With the city's power out, we may need Wisp tonight before the sun goes down."

I jumped on it. "Tell me what to do."

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"How long do they last?" Miss Militia peered up at the growing number of orbs in drifting above the PRT headquarters and spreading out in a radius from there.

"I don't know." I panted. I had been making as many orbs as I could manage to float out over the buildings. The resulting multicolored glow was eerie and looked almost as if the area was being viewed underwater.

"I don't think that was ever one of the tests." Alice leaned on her umbrella like a cane. "I do know they will all go out when she falls asleep."

I grimaced. I would be doing my best to stay up through the night every night until the power came back on. Which also meant producing floating orbs at sunset every night.

"Break time." Alice tapped her umbrella on the ground for effect. "If you pass out then it will all have been for nothing."

I sat down on a little camp stool and drank from a bottle of water that Alice passed to me.

"They are not going to drift out into the city are they?" Miss Militia raised a pair of binoculars to her eyes. "hit anything?"

"No, I've been focusing on a rotation pattern for each set. They should just float in the circle where I put them." I looked up at my most recent handiwork.

"Why a circle." Alice also looked up.

I knew she had been dying to ask that since the second set. "It's easier for groups of them if I focus on one thing than if I was to try and pick a direction for each of them."

"Big circle." Alice noted. "A little over a mile radius of HQ."

I shrugged. "I picked spots on the horizon and used those as my points of reference."

Alice laughed.

"What?"

"You."

"What?"

"Of course you would put some kind of off hand method to your imagination for this."

"What do you mean imagi-"

The sky and surrounding buildings briefly reflected orange.

I spun around to see the last of a fireball disappear into a roiling smoke cloud. The thunderous sound following along shortly after.

"I hope they catch her soon." Alice looked back at Miss Militia. "I think that's enough light. We can get a better start tomorrow.

"Agreed." She took her hand off the gun at her side and touched one finger to her ear. "Console? We are packing it in up here. Any word?"

"Doesn't look promising from here." Alice commented on the orange glow illuminating a rising column of smoke.

"Legend and Alexandria are gaining ground with their teams." Her hand found the grip of the pistol at her side. "Had the first hero casualty though."

"Who?" Alice asked.

I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

"Hero from out west. Went by Duster." MM frowned. "Had a Lone Ranger kind of theme."

"Don't know that I've heard of him." Alice frowned. "Damn."

MM nodded.

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Author's Note: It's short, too short and unfinished. I intended for this chapter to be much longer and be posted way earlier.

To sum up a long story I lost someone close to me and I just haven't had the motivation to do much of anything for a while.

I'm trying to change that.

I'm trying to recapture the part of me that I've forgotten these past months and try to be me again. I know it will never be the same now she's gone but she would be upset with me if I stopped doing the things I used to love out of grief. So here it is. My first small step to claim some semblance of peace in her passing.

I'm honored that I get to share it with you.

K. Raiden