AN: One month after I posted the last chapter, I got a new and much better job. It was almost poetic; just as I neared completion of a story about a group trying to recover and move on from a bad part of their lives, I moved on from a bad part of mine. Of course my writing schedule got annihilated, I won't lie, there were months long stretches where no work was done on this last chapter. But I never forgot this project, and I'm happy to say it's done!
I've also done a remaster of all the previous chapters with better proofreading and some altered dialogue, just for future proofing.
Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with this story over the years. I know this one is very late, but I hope you all enjoy it.
Epilogue: The Stars Shine
One Month Later.
Change was inevitable, not good or bad, just inevitable. Nothing lasts forever and something new is always on the horizon. For Kodi Jones, the twice voted leader of Team Ceartais and the future Zootopia Ceartais División, change was bringing plenty of surprises.
He never expected he and Skye Savage would have meetings where they discussed the feasibility of the Bunker continuing to serve as Ceartais' HQ. Never guessed that he would occasionally assist Kion Priderock in mentoring powered mammals in using their newfound abilities. Could never have dreamed that he and Robyn Wilde Savage would one day be the leaders of Ceartais, not just owning their own business together.
He especially could never have guessed that his oldest friend would ever ace an exam.
"Still can't believe she passed that damn test on the first try," Kodi grumbled. He was seated in the Bunker's observation deck overlooking the training field. The friend in question was currently down on the field, doing some stretches before a sparring match with the team's newest member.
"Honestly? Neither can I," Skye agreed. The director of the MCB was seated on Kodi's left, lightly sipping on a mid-morning cup of coffee. "I know living with Judy for years has to let you pick up some stuff passively, but that was a proper final exam."
Judy Wilde simply grinned with pride from her spot next to Skye.
"She's the first registered powered mammal in the Zootopia Ceartais Division," Aleks Rojak mused from Kodi's right. "Bella doesn't need to take the exam, so if Professor Bloom can pass the combat trial, there'll only be one active member who isn't registered."
Kodi didn't rise for Rojak's obvious ribbing, "I'll pass the test before the Division officially starts operations. I just hope Clara can handle this."
The remaining five members of Team Ceartais' seven mammal squad did not have to take a combat trial on top of the written exam owing to their years of experience. Clara on the other hand had skipped a lot of training thanks to her emergency field promotion, so she needed to take the combat portion after a more rigorous melee training program.
"She's tough, a pain in the ass, but tough," Rojak shrugged.
Kodi knew Aleks was right, but he also knew that disappointment could sting. He'd failed to get a good enough score on the written exam his first attempt, after Clara and even Robyn had dealt with it. He figured he'd have to take Luna up on her offer to join their study group; Alice and Hannah had already signed up. Even though the three of them wouldn't be returning to active duty for some time, they were able to take the test at any point.
"Being tough isn't enough on its own," Judy calmly replied, "but I have faith our newest recruit is up to the task." With that, the chief of police jumped out of her seat and addressed the two mammals below. "Sirius, Scarlet, take your positions!"
Kodi watched as Robyn easily took a fighting stance and drew her staff. Clara didn't hesitate for a moment before taking a stance of her own. One thing Clara had discovered during her training was that she didn't need to bend her knees and press against the ground to help take off. Those were reflexes. She could float basically on command and that made determining the moment she would take off hard to judge. The mammals in the observation deck wondered if Clara would utilize that.
"Begin!" Judy called.
Sirius made the first move. She ran towards Scarlet and fired two energy beams in an X shape and swept them inwards. Scarlet jumped up to dodge it.
Already there was a lot to note for the observers. Sirius had bought herself a moment of hesitation from Scarlet by running forward, a strictly disadvantage move for a ranged fighter like her. That let her get off her X beams; which were aimed just low enough that Scarlet couldn't duck under them and just high enough that she couldn't easily vault over them. It was a move to force Scarlet into the air where Sirius held the advantage.
Sirius pressed her attack. She leaned forward and started floating before effortlessly twirling to face the ceiling. She'd positioned herself right under Scarlet and was ready to hit her with an energy blast.
Instead she was nailed in the shoulder by Scarlet's staff. Having read Sirius's moves, Scarlet rolled in midair and aimed her staff downwards in the brief moment where Sirius' eyes left her. The javelin-like throw wasn't the most accurate, but it was more than enough to break Sirius' attack and send her tumbling. Scarlet's momentum carried her to the ceiling, which she braced her feet against and sprang down towards the recovering wolf.
Sirius didn't panic and calmly activated her intangibility. Scarlet didn't waste energy on a pointless attack and simply landed. Sirius employed a trick she'd picked up on. When she was using her intangibility to recover from being downed, it was best to float behind her opponent and through them if possible. This gave her the most amount of time to recover while forcing her opponent to waste time readjusting.
Scarlet didn't waste time trying to swat Sirius. Instead she leapt towards the middle of the field to retrieve her staff. In one smooth motion she recovered her weapon and was facing the recovered Sirius.
The two were more or less back where they started, but Scarlet had come out better from their first clash. Sirius had taken a decent hit and expanded more energy.
Sirius once again took the initiative. This time she aimed two energy blasts at the ground in front of Scarlet. Dust and debris clouded the hybrid's vision and she was barely able to roll sideways to dodge the follow up blast.
Sirius didn't get another chance to press her advantage. Robyn came out of her dodge roll with a decent sized chunk of debris in her hand. She waited until Sirius fired another barrage of energy beams to dodge to the side. As she spun out of the way, Scarlet hurled the chunk of the floor at Sirius. The flying wolf's own energy beams obscured the debris and it impacted her in the gut. She staggered in the air, just barely managing to stay afloat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scarlet leaping at her.
Scarlet expected Sirius to turn intangible again to avoid the blow, but Sirius deliberately deactivated her floating to dodge by falling. Scarlet saw that Sirius was in a perfect position to hit her with an energy beam from below, so she struck out with her staff in a wide arc. Sirius turned intangible for an easy dodge, but when she came out of it she grabbed the staff and reactivated her flying.
Twisting in mid-air, Sirius flung Scarlet down under her in an attempt to dislodge her from the staff and onto the ground. Surprise and momentum were almost enough, but Scarlet's strength prevailed and she clung on. Clutching one end of her staff with both hands, Scarlet hefted herself up and went for a headbut. Sirius' energy beam struck Scarlet clean in the chest, but momentum prevailed and Scarlet's attack struck home.
Sirius went tumbling into the air while Scarlet and her staff fell to the ground. The two hastily retook their footing, but the differences were obvious. Scarlet's regeneration easily shrugged off the burns from Sirius' energy beam and the hybrid hero calmly retrieved her staff. Sirius was taking heavier breaths from her position in the air. Her seemingly flimsy outfit may have had a decent bit of shock absorption, but a hit from Scarlet was going to hurt no matter what.
"She's losing," Aleks said plainly. "Just like we thought."
"Now we get to see what she can do when pressed into a corner," Skye replied.
Sirius was never expected to win the sparring match of course. Anything short of very high super strength or a favorable sharp object to pin her against a floor would have a hard time keeping Scarlet down. Sirius' energy beams were strong but they weren't up to the task. The true purpose of the match, which Sirius was not privy to, was to test her mental state in a heated battle.
"She's already gotten much more creative with how she uses her powers," Judy observed. "Less excessive energy drain on her."
Kodi said nothing as he continued to watch the match between his best friend and his girlfriend, no, his second in command and his teammate. It was a rough trial, but it was a high standard that needed to be upheld now. There would be very little room for sloppiness and error once the ZCD officially started. In hindsight, it was fortuitous that Olivia stepped down when she did, even if the means of doing so had been a deal graceless. If the mouse was having trouble balancing her life, career and hero work before all this, she would've folded now.
Thinking of his smallest friend briefly made Kodi think of the other three versions of her he'd met in last month's interdimensional field trip. One just a normal member of the team, one retired, and one under own brand of constant pressure.
He could only hope that the other teams were learning from each other's mistakes and successes the same as they were.
000
Ronan's World
"And with that, I officially hand leadership of Team Ceartais to Sergeant Red," Olivia Dawson announced after signing the retirement papers Mayor Wilde had delivered.
Applause filled the stripped down Bunker, which had only recently been deemed safe to return to. Phelps hoarded his resources, and that included information. So the location and weaknesses of Team Ceartais' original homebase had never gotten out. The Bunker was still a shell of its former self, having been stripped of anything vital when the team evacuated. Phelps had clearly let his henchmen further trash the place out of spite, so it had taken a month after Phelps' death for debris to be cleaned up and traps to be disarmed.
Ronan Wilde, the new leader of his team, looked over the mess of a base he had inherited. It would take a long time for the team to get back to where they once were, even with Olivia's resources. To say nothing of catching up with their various counterparts.
In attendance were all the original team members, Aleks Rojek, Nick, Judy, Skye, Jack, Robin, Marian, Ray, and Alice. Having learned from Robyn's team's mistakes, Ronan and Olivia had given plenty of warning to their government representatives about the transition in power. Ronan had first been made field leader to deal with the aftermath of Phelps' campaign of terror. Thankfully, Ronan had been in good standing with the authorities from the start, so the transition wound up being very smooth.
Ronan didn't have a big speech prepared, that wasn't his style. He did plan on getting the point across though. "Phelps is finally gone, but our mission hasn't changed. Ceartais is here to stay in the public's eyes and we still have a city in ruins to keep safe. This isn't how I saw myself doing it, but I have been planning to do just that since I was young," Ronan paused, looking around the room at his comrades. "But I know that not all of you planned on doing the same. Phelps is dealt with, the city is recovering from the wave, and this job is dangerous. I don't see us having to deal with a purple cloud that causes mammals to develop superpowers…"
"And thank goodness for that," Skye muttered, "half the mammals in this room would become coffee addicts if we did."
That got a fair amount of chuckles from the room, but Ronan was thoughtful. Skye must be comfortable with this transition if she's making jokes.
"But there are plenty of other threats out there, and we may end up dealing with our own unforeseen problems on that level," Ronan finished his explanation. "In light of that, I ask all of the team if they want to keep going with me. Bella is taking over as Spitfire, but I need an answer from everyone else. Andraste?"
It was more of a courtesy to ask then a question. Luna had already remodeled her costume to more closely resemble her counterparts'. Same green and gold colors, but now with a full body cover and better armor. She'd taken note of the fact that she was one of the only members of any of the teams to get knocked out by a normal tranq dart in the battle against Ryan. "I'm in. I've still got some issues I need to work out, but I won't do that without confronting them." Luna's voice was soft but firm. Aleks put a reassuring hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.
"Bullet?"
The answer came immediately. "We started this crazy thing together Sergeant, I'm still with you," Hannah grinned in pride at her old friend.
Ronan smiled in return. "Mage?"
The young wolf took a few moments to respond. He knew he was the most vulnerable member of the team. The fate of his counterpart in Ryan's world was proof enough of that. Then he pulled out the magic card he'd been gifted. "Yeah I'm still in," his voice was a bit more serious than his teammates were used to, "I know that it's dangerous, but there need to be mammals willing to run towards danger. And I think I've gotten pretty good at that. Especially with this new portal card I've got."
Ronan nodded. I was pretty sure about those three, now for the actual questions. "Roar?"
Kiara glanced over at Ray. "I'm with you for now Red, but fair warning, my position is shaky."
Ray spoke up. "Kiara is out of Camelot, and the only reason she's not out of Ceartais is a combination of her usefulness and public perception."
Ronan pulled out the rare, for him, sly grin, "So if I keep her in the public consciousness she'll have a better shot? I can work with that."
"No promises, but I'm in," Kiara said plainly.
"Normally I would say that's everyone," Ronan announced. "But it seems we have a new addition. Ronin?"
The assassin turned agent was a somewhat unexpected addition to the meeting. Alice had been a field ally to the team during the conflict with Phelps, but she was still contracted with Camelot.
Ray spoke up again. "Alice has her deal with Camelot, waving all her crimes in exchange for working with us. The issue is that we operate globally and Alice is only pardoned in the States."
"Meaning one slip up lands your organization in hot water," Skye surmised.
Alice nodded. "Bringing me in was an act of pragmatism, not benevolence. I always knew that. And now I'm starting to create problems."
"Not big problems," Ray added quickly, "but it's inconvenient when one of the most skilled members of a team can only operate safely in one country."
Ronan brought the train of thought to its conclusion. "So she's being transferred to a group that's locked to one location. Using our recent other dimensional visitors as a proof of concept."
"More or less," Ray confirmed.
"And to answer the question of how an assassin intends to fight on a superhero team," Alice started her sentence. She drew her sword and it was quickly covered in a glowing green field effect. Unlike Yueri's blue fire and Blade Dancer's clean red, this green field was lined with circuitry effects. It gave the sword a mechanical feel. "Slash and I made sure we got the schematics for this beauty before we parted ways with our counterparts." The enhanced sword drew impressed locks from the rest of the team.
"I've had my misgivings with you Alice," Ronan said bluntly. "But I've also seen your character in the heat of battle, so I'm giving this a chance."
"Merci Red," Alice smiled. "And when we're in the field, you can call me Le Fantôme."
"Then that's settled," Red nodded to himself. For the time being I have a full team. I just hope it stays together now that the crisis has passed. Guess it helps to have a strong support network.
"You good to stay on as the team's tech support, Bella?" Ronan asked. He knew the answer, but it was polite to include the team's AI in the round of questions.
"Of course Sergeant," Bella replied simply.
And that leaves…Ronan turned to his grandparents. "Marian, Robin. Are you two staying? If you want another shot at retirement, this is it." It was diplomatic, but everyone winced a bit at Ronan's icier tone.
The duo nodded, and Marian spoke up. "As long as we can keep making the team's life easier, we'll stick around. That and this place badly needs good taste in music."
Ronan sighed, but decided to extend the olive branch. "Nana, as long as it's understood that this isn't your team anymore, we'll be fine."
Marian's eyes widened at Ronan using the familiar term, but she clearly recognized it wasn't a full endorsement. "That became clear a long time ago."
Robin Senior nodded, "Besides, we always said we wanted Ceartais to be better than we were. Who are we to complain about it happening?"
Ronan nodded. "Alright then, we have a team."
Since he'd gotten his powers, Ronan Wilde had known that he wanted to take over leading Team Ceartais. He'd never imagined it would happen so soon, or relatively without drama. He never imagined a scenario where his grandparents were still involved. But that was the route he'd chosen for himself and he had no intention of messing it up.
Robyn, other Kodi, thanks for all the pointers. My Ceartais will catch up with yours.
000
"Alright, that's enough for today," Roar announced in his booming voice. Evening was fast approaching and everyone wanted his students home before dusk fell. Ray had been right, powered mammals were becoming targets of kidnappers on an alarming basis. So far the team and the authorities had managed to protect everyone who signed up for registration and in some cases training, but those who kept their powers to themselves weren't so lucky.
Regina Lowell and Harper Row packed up quickly. By now the mare and deer couple were used to the training routine and developed something of an internal clock for themselves. It was clear the two were serious about joining Ceartais. Even if Kion didn't know that their counterparts from Ryan's world were full time heroes, he could tell the two were going to pull it off.
They may be the first new recruits Ceartais gets once the ZCD gets off the ground. Kion thought to himself. Assuming Arthur doesn't come back first. I wonder if his sword going off had any effect on him.
The rest of his class was composed of mammals who just wanted a safe place to get a gauge on their abilities. Kodi had been correct that Roar would be a reassuring presence. Even the strongest powers the purple fog had produced had a tough time hurting him on purpose. Not that that eliminated concern entirely.
Kion glanced over a trio of mammals talking among themselves. A red panda, a hyena and a fennec fox, though only the former had powers. Retsuko Kaolip was thankfully already familiar with Ceartais after getting help from Andraste just before the doom mission. The red panda could cause earthquake-like vibrations, a power that could even hurt Roar. Not that he let her know that. She was a regular since she was desperate to get a good handle on her power, and to her credit she took her studies seriously. Now she could decouple her power from being triggered by anger and could direct it rather than it just going off in a sphere around her.
Roar had heard the fennec say Retsuko could easily have joined the ZCD at the rate she was going, but the red panda made it clear she had no interest in that. Her training was for the safety of those around her and so she could try and get back to a semi-normal life.
She was a positive influence on Roar's classes. Retsuko's blatant lack of interest in joining the ZCD combined with the amount of effort spent on her helped sell that the classes really were there to help. There had unavoidably been rumors that the classes were a means of screening potential recruits.
"Hey big guy?" Roar realized that he'd gotten lost in his own musings. He looked down to see Retsuko's fennec friend had walked over to him.
"Yes Miss…" Roar realized he didn't know the fennec's name.
"Fenneko," the fennec replied in a very dry voice. "Just…wanted to say thank you. For helping Retsuko, obviously." She glanced over at her friends having a laugh over something. "I was worried I was never going to see her smile for real ever again."
Roar smiled down at Fenneko. "I certainly understand the feeling, it's been a long half a year." For Kion it was more like a long two months, but no need to let the public catch onto the team drama. "I'm just glad things are heading in a better direction now."
"You can say that again," Fenneko nodded. "Not that everything is peachy." The fennec pulled out a stun gun from her purse. "No one's tried to come after her yet but…this is isn't the first time Retsuko's dealt with stalkers."
"If you suspect anything, try to let us know," Roar urged.
"Got that Spitfire hotline on the emergency contacts," Fenneko looked over and saw her friends were ready to leave. "Thanks again big guy," she said without ever breaking from her dry tone.
Fenneko didn't have any powers herself, but she was among the many who were around his classes to make sure their friend, family or loved one didn't have to travel home alone. Things were getting better, but plenty of mammals were still scared.
This is the world Mufasa is going to grow up in. Kion reminded himself while he watched his small class head home for the day. This is the new normal.
Kion went through the process of closing up shop for the day before quietly leaving in his non-Roar form. He liked to use the time he spent walking home to reflect on the day's events, but today he saw something unexpected.
"Hey bro," Kiara Priderock greeted as Kion walked up to her.
"Kiara? Did something happen," Kion's mind immediately went for the negative outcomes.
"No, no none of that," Kiara laughed lightly. "Just wanted to grab your ear for a bit."
Kion let out a sigh of relief. "Okay sure, let's talk." The siblings fell into step as they followed Kion's usual route. "Has Ray had any luck tracking down the kidnapped powered mammals?"
Kiara sighed, "Some. A lot of mammals are realizing that powered mammals don't make for great products. The moment the power gets used you're sending a signal that says 'mammal kidnapped from Zootopia here'." Kiara shook her head, "The bigger issues are the ones that the kidnappers release themselves." At her brother's confused look, Kiara explained, "they all report that they had blood samples taken."
Kion realized the implications. "They want to reverse engineer Doom's gas attack."
"Or at least recreate the effects," Kiara added. "Ray thinks they'll eventually succeed, and honestly? It may be better that they do. If the means of getting more powered mammals exist then there's less need for kidnappings."
"That's our lesser of two evils," Kion sighed. "Skye was right to be so stressed out about all of this."
"Zootopia's going to be the eye of the storm for a long while," Kiara added. "What happens here will reverberate for years to come." The lioness paused for a moment before continuing, "Which is why I've been thinking about transferring over to the ZCD once it opens up."
Kion gapped at his sister, "You're leaving Camelot?"
"I'm thinking about it," Kiara clarified. "But I always wanted to be where I could make a difference, it's why I went into the military and then Camelot." Kiara looked down at the pavement, a look of mild dejection on her face, "and so far the biggest difference I made was almost completely negative."
"Kiara," Kion said gently.
Kiara let out a bitter laugh. "A case can be made for me being the first powered mammal. And I got that by stealing from a friend, got turned into a weapon by a terrorist cult, and screwed my brother out of the normal life he wanted." Kiara stopped and made sure Kion was looking her in the eyes. "Kion, why did you never get mad with me over that? You went absolutely ballistic on Luna, Olivia and even Robyn for less."
Kion thought about his answer for several moments. "I think it's just a whole bunch of timing." Kiara didn't reply, so Kion continued. "I didn't realize I wanted a normal life until well after the fact. Or maybe I just felt that you'd already suffered enough, or maybe it's because you're my sister and that's all I needed. I don't know exactly why Kiara, I just know that I didn't." Kion's morose tone got darker, "Just like how Robyn doesn't know exactly why she doesn't forgive me, just that she doesn't."
"Sorry Kion, but I'm not surprised," Kiara sighed. The news wasn't surprising, but sad all the same. "I guess we've just got to keep going with the hand we dealt for ourselves."
"I think I dealt myself the worst hand," Kion snorted. "Out of us I mean, that sounded so egotistical."
"Call me a baseless optimist, but I think you and Robyn will patch things up eventually," Kiara said quietly.
Kion snorted, "When was the last time you and Olivia met outside of work?"
Kiara winced at the parallel. "Point."
Seeing his sister's sudden dejection, Kion quickly corrected course. "Maybe you should give her a call. It's been six years and she's retired now." Kion remembered what drove his former leader to retire and added, "She probably could use all the help she can get building her social circle back up."
Kiara's smile was small, but present. "I think I will, worst that happens is an awkward conversation. And you have more to build on then I do."
"What do you mean?" Kion asked. The lion had no idea what his sister could be referring to.
"Robyn trusts you," Kiara said simply. "Maybe not all the way or all the time, but she trusts you with something important."
"Aaron," Kion realized.
Kiara nodded, happy that Kion picked up on her implications. "You're laying the foundations for what ZCD training is going to look like years down the line. And unless something big changes Aaron is going to be heading there eventually. I know Robyn said she couldn't take your job, but if she really objected to you doing it then she would've made a fuss about it."
"Aaron." Kion breathed. Robyn loves that little koala, they've only known each other for two months and she's already that dedicated. Hell she nearly killed Kodi when he let him get kidnapped. If she's okay with me setting things up for him… "I guess it's something to build on."
"It's not much," Kiara shrugged. "But Robyn did say trust was in short supply, so it's not nothing either."
Kion thought back to his meeting with Fenneko earlier, to the various mammals who'd come looking for help with their powers, to the unlucky mammals he'd heard about from Ray and Kiara, and to his own son. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm already motivated to get this right."
000
Reginald's World
"I hate it when a plan falls apart," Judy Wilde moaned as she slumped into a sofa.
The universe just couldn't let something about this day go well. Reginald mentally agreed with his mother as he also took seat.
"Sounds like Victoria's no more pleased than we are at least," Marian tried to look on the bright side.
"Oh, she's probably going to be scowling the whole way through this meeting," Reginald spoke from experience. Victoria Todd could be a truly epic grudge holder. By her own admittance, it was what had led to so many of the family's current issues.
It had taken a lot of convincing and arranging, but Judy and Luna were going to meet again for the first time since Bellwether had trapped them decades ago. After some careful consideration they collectively decided that Nick would sit the first meeting out. Meeting with one of them would be hard enough for Luna, and Judy was the bigger hurdle. Marian was there as moral support for Judy and was prepared to stay outside if needed.
The three had arrived at Victoria's building top mansion only to learn that an emergency meeting would hold Victoria up for an undisclosed amount of time. Reginald imagined he may have lost his temper with this at some point in the past, but now he was trying to approach things with a more level head.
Mom and Luna are the ones who are going to be the most stressed out. The last thing they need is for me to blow a fuse. "We could go and grab some lunch," Reginald suggested. "Could kill some time."
Judy sighed. "Reginald, sweetie, it took a lot for me to get myself up to this mansion in the first place. If I leave and try to come back it will be even harder."
"Then all we can do is wait and be nervous the whole time," Marian glowered from her seat next to Judy.
That was exactly what they did for around 15 minutes. With nothing else to do Reginald took to looking through old photos on his phone. It was mostly older pictures; he hadn't had much of anything to take pictures of in years. The exception being the heavily guarded album that contained all the pictures taken of their other-dimensional visitors from last month. Reginald needed face recognition, an eight-digit password and to answer a question to access them. He'd labeled the folder NSFW so no one would question why it was heavily guarded.
Reginald didn't actually open the album, but looking at the screen he was reminded of the last bit of advice Ryan had given him.
You should tell your parents you're the Crimson Banshee.
"Not like there's ever gonna be a good time for this," Ryan said to himself. "Mom."
Judy looked up from her irritated stewing, "What is it Reginald?"
"We're gonna be here for a while anyway, and this is already going to be stressful anyway," Reginald fumbled out his justification. "There's something…pretty big I need to tell you." Marian took her earphones out and paid attention, but Judy only raised an eyebrow. "It started right after the Wave, I know I should've told you sooner but we were a lot dumber back then and…the point is I was afraid of how this would go over because this is really a big deal…"
Judy groaned irritably, "Reginald Wilde I already know that you're The Crimson Banshee."
Dead silence followed as Reginald's jaw hung open in shock. Marian moved to nudge Judy but the latter's face quickly went from annoyed to regretful. "I'm sorry Reginald, I know this must have been a big stress subject for you. Your father, Marian and I have known about most of Team Highshadow for years." Her ears drooped down further, "I was just eager for you to get to the point where we could finally talk about It and I'm already nervous enough as is and you were already starting to ramble and…" Judy noticed her own hypocrisy and stopped speaking. Instead, she hopped off her sofa and moved to sit next to her son. Before speaking again, she took Reginald's hand in her own, "This doesn't change what matters sweetie, I promise."
Reginald still hadn't fully found his voice again. "H-how…" was all he could muster.
"How do we know?" Marian asked, "How much do we know?"
"Yes!" Reginald pleaded.
Marian shrugged, "Detective work from your mother and my hacking some of Victoria's systems. It took a bit of doing but we figured most of it out. Aside from you, we know Hannah is Bullet, Kodi is Trickster. Victoria is Hightower and we're pretty sure Olivia is Nightspinner. You've got us stumped on that mysterious sixth member though."
"Do…do any of the other parents know!?" Reginald asked while trying to keep from panicking.
Judy clutched her son's hand tighter. "They all do, Gazelle, Wade, Basil, David, Skye and Jack. We've met about it a few times."
"It would be a stretch to say that Skye is okay with Highshadow," Marian sighed. "But she gets why it's needed right now. The wave did a pretty big number to this city. We collectively agreed to give all of you five years to tell us on your own."
Reginald took several deep breaths and managed to calm down somewhat. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you any sooner, was never really in a good headspace for it."
"I wish you had," Judy said softly, making Reginald wince. "I understand why you didn't, but I've been so worried about you."
"Well reports on my powers aren't exaggerated, I am borderline indestructible," Reginald tried to reassure.
"I didn't just mean physically Reginald," Judy sighed.
"Oh," Reginald muttered, mentally kicking himself for missing the obvious point. "Well…good news is I have some good friends and a pretty cool boss to call me out when I'm being dumb."
"And how often are you being dumb?" Marian asked with just a hint of a smirk.
Reginald grinned weakly in return, "More than I care to admit."
"Why don't you tell us about it anyway, along with anything else you want to," Judy suggested.
For nearly an hour, that was exactly what Reginald did. He went over Hannah and him getting their powers and deciding to use them to help the city. He went over being recruited by his grandfather and by extension Victoria. He used specific examples to highlight recurring things that happened to the team over the years, like the occasional imitators they'd had to deal with. It was a relief to finally be able to share this part of his life with someone outside of it, but he was trying to be careful.
They knew about everyone else, but they didn't know who Alice was and Reginald didn't want to casually drop her into the conversation. This was made easier because Marian, when asked, didn't want the details on her husband's death. It would've been hard to tell that story without mentioning Alice.
Reginald was tired by the end, but not in a bad way. It was the kind of tiredness one felt after doing something rewarding.
Marian couldn't help but be visibly intrigued by the vigilante's exploits, but Judy looked almost as tired as her son. "I wish I was there for all of this."
"Can't believe Ryan is the only one of us who told…" Reginald spoke in a mildly annoyed tone, only to hurriedly stop as he realized what he was saying. He realized his mistake too late. Oh shit.
"Ryan?" Marian asked. She grinned at her grandson. "You need to work on those loose lips Regi, looks like we know the name of our mysterious sixth Highshadow. Yes Regi, I noticed you didn't mention him up until now."
"I imagine he's one of Victoria's contacts," Judy reasoned.
Crap, crap, crap, Reginald you idiot! Ryan's name was in the conversation now and Reginald couldn't see a way to downplay him. There was also the matter of Alice. He doubted too much would come of their parents knowing about her, but that was still Alice's call to make. Reginald weighed his options quickly, quickly for him anyway.
"Sweetie, we aren't going to judge this Ryan any differently than the rest of your team," Judy tried to reassure her son.
"Unless he did something exponentially worse than the rest," Marian added.
That's terrifyingly close to the truth. Reginald mentally groaned. "Ryan isn't the sixth member of Team Highshadow. I trust you guys, but details about their life are theirs to tell." Reginald paused for a moment. "'Their' in this case refers to our sixth member not, not Ryan to be clear."
Judy raised an eyebrow, "Then who is this 'Ryan'?"
Reginald sighed, "You were probably going to learn about this stuff sooner or later anyway." That drew suspicious looks from his family. "Ryan, he's kind of the reason we're having this reunion at all, but this story is even more unbelievable than the last one."
"Reginald," Judy sounded like she was reigning in some irritation, "please stop beating around the bush."
"I doubt you can really top what's already happened anyway," Marian chuckled.
"The multiverse exists," Reginald said bluntly. He did so while going through the security functions on his phone.
His family obviously wasn't expecting that answer. Neither Judy or Marian was able to come up with a response to Reginald right away. So, Reginald kept talking.
"About a month ago, eight mammals dropped into a fight between the team and some cops seemingly out of thin air. There was a misunderstanding and some fighting but eventually we sorted that out. They were from two separate alternate universes, they wound up here entirely by accident. I got sucked into a third alternate universe along with some of our guests and there was a big crisis we had to sort out, after which everyone was able to go home." Reginald said all of that with a straight face, which was a sharp contrast to the gobsmacked looks on Marian and Judy.
"Reginald," Marian finally answered. "We have no reason to doubt you…but that is a lot to ask us to believe!"
"I know," Reginald replied. Rather than say anything else, he turned his phone around and showed the two the picture of him and his siblings.
As predicted, the image immediately drew the attention of both. Judy let out a quiet gasp and reached up to bring the screen closer to face. Marian was right behind her.
"What is, what is…" Judy couldn't finish the sentence.
Reginald handed the phone off to his mother and walked around so he was shoulder to shoulder with Marian. Both were kneeling behind Judy so they could see the screen better.
"In their universes someone other than me was the survivor of the litter," Reginald explained.
"Though all of us wound up with the same powers, mostly."
"You mean those three are?" Marian gasped.
"Ronan's the tall one with Mom's eyes. Robyn, spelt with a Y, is the one to my left. And Ryan is the nervous looking one in the middle," Reginald pointed to each of his siblings in turn. "Each of their worlds is kind of like ours with some big differences. Except Ryan's, his world is just insane."
"Tell me about," Judy finally spoke again, her voice barely a whisper.
Reginald did as he was asked. He couldn't go into all the details right away but could give a good overview. Ronan was a dutiful 17-year-old who wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps. Robyn was a fiery new mother with a big heart. Ryan was an insecure showman and tech genius. All three of them were part of government sanctioned hero teams. "Ryan…made some pretty bad choices and mistakes that led to everything else, but he did his best to make up for it before we all went home."
"All three of their worlds have a team of heroes the public can openly trust?" Judy asked, having regained her composure. "Sounds like we got a raw deal."
"There's good and bad with all of the worlds," Reginald replied. "Robyn's Kodi is the leader of her team and has actual magic, Ryan's Kodi sacrificed himself saving the city. Same with the Maid and the Hood in Robyn's world." His guest winced at the thought. "But our city got off the easiest after the Wave, no mecha invasion or giant murder cults here."
"That's…certainly a plus?" Judy said questioningly, still struggling to keep up with all the information.
"And our world is the only one where Victoria beat her cancer," Reginald added.
That got the expected reaction. "But…what would that mean for Luna?" Judy asked, saddened by the implications.
Before Reginald could reply, someone else spoke up. "She's dealing with her own issues."
The three Wilde's turned in shock to see Luna Wilde standing in the hallway. She was wearing a way too large pink hoodie with the hood pulled over most of her face. She wore equally baggy sweatpants that were olive green in color. It was a very silly looking outfit that went completely unnoticed. "Robyn's Luna, she lost her mother, was kidnapped, had anger issues which she was too good at hiding for her own good…and her Andi wasn't supportive. Or at least was really bad at it." Every word was quiet and wisp-like, but there was a steadiness to them that Reginald wasn't used to hearing. "She helped me a lot in what time she had. Now I can hold talks with Mom again, and I can t-talk a bit with R-Reginald. She's why we're here." She rushed out the last sentence, but it was still the longest string of words Reginald had ever heard his sister say.
"Hello Luna," Judy said quietly. "I, I'm glad we're all here." Luna nodded hastily, then took a seat. Poignantly she took a single sofa. The others sat down as well. They all noticed that Luna was avoiding eye contact, they could barely see her muzzle.
"Luna," Marian spoke up first. "Before anything else, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. The gang and I were supposed to protect you and we failed, we completely failed and you…you were the one who got ripped apart for it."
"Apology accepted Mrs. Wilde," Luna said, a hidden small smile on her face. "We all got ripped apart that day, I, I was, it's more o-obvious with m-me."
"She's right," Reginald said. "I've seen the fallout for most of my life."
"I'd like to think we've gotten better over the years but…" Judy started to say.
"I'm sorry!" Luna suddenly cried. "I can't, this is too many…" With a quick gasp she gave up control.
"What the?" Andi looked around in abject confusion. She quickly saw who she shared the room with and nervously waved hello. "Uh, hey Mrs. Wilde…both of you, that's confusing. We technically haven't met."
"You're Andi right?" Judy asked. Andi nodded in confirmation, then pulled the hood down. Marian and Judy knew that Luna's face was horrifically scarred, but actually seeing it still elicited horrified gasps.
"Yeah, I'm Luna's other half," Andi grumbled, "and I'd like to know what I'm doing here?"
"Andi," Reginald called softly. Andi turned to face him, not used to hearing her half-brother's voice so soft. "Luna came to try and talk with Mom and Nana on her own, Victoria got held up at work." Andi's jaw dropped in shock. "She didn't last very long, talking with three at once was too ambitious but, Andi, she was ambitious at all, she came here herself!"
Reginald's grin was infectious and quickly matched by Andi. Judy and Marian also sported steady grins. Andi rushed over and tackle-hugged her brother, even spinning around a few times. Andi tried several times to form a sentence, but she never made it past word one.
"I'm guessing this other Luna our Luna mentioned was a big help getting her to this point," Marian mused.
Andi stopped spinning suddenly and shoved Reginald to arms length. "You told them!"
"They already knew…" Reginald started to say.
"How the fuck did they find out about freaking dimensional travel without you telling them?! What else did you say? That we took in the daughter of a wanted assassin?" Andi fired off her accusatory questions rapidly.
"I'm sorry, what was that last one?" Judy interrupted. Andi's eyes widened.
"Way to go Andi," Reginald muttered sarcastically.
"I see why you said this sixth member should get to tell us her story," Marian snorted. "We only knew about the team and not even all the members."
"Crap," Andi murmured. "Ugh, look Al…the assassin's daughter. She's got no criminal history…aside from being on Highshadow…, I'm not selling this am I?"
Judy let out a deep sigh. "We'll…figure things out. Maybe we should get back to the issue at hand."
"Yes please," Andi hastily muttered.
Reginald patted Andi on the shoulder before speaking up. "It looks like talking with three mammals at once is too much for Luna. I think it should just be her and Mom."
"I agree," Marian said. "I'd like to help, but Judy's the one Luna needs to talk with."
"Vice versa is true too," Judy sighed, "we've put this off far too long."
Reginald and Marian left Andi and Judy behind and made their way to the kitchen.
"Do you think things will work out?" Marian asked her grandson.
"One month ago I wouldn't have known," Reginald replied honestly. "But I kind of think things will be alright now."
Marian didn't match Reginald's smile. "I wish I had your optimism Regi, but I just don't know." She gave him a sideways glance, "About Luna or your team."
"You can judge the team for yourself when you see them," Reginald cracked a grin, "and critique our tech set up."
Marian did grin a bit at that. "I'm sure I'll find something to improve." Her smile didn't last long though.
Reginald turned to face Marian, "I can promise you one thing though, we aren't the M. M. Gang. We may have started with something gramps and Uncle John set up, but we are our own thing now."
"I hope so Reginald, I really hope so."
Reginald knew there would be plenty of tough times ahead. He'd never really thought what the rest of his team would do if their families ever found out about Team Highshadow. But he also never thought Luna would be able to hold even a brief conversation, so Reginald chose to be optimistic.
000
"I'm not saying that I preferred assassin training to this, I'm just saying that it certainly was more comprehensible," Alice moaned only half jokingly. Luna, Hannah and Olivia got a good chuckle out of the bunny's disposition.
Alice Wilde never thought she'd have a normal life, and in a lot of ways she still didn't. Having missed out on any form of standard education, studying for a test was a new experience for her. Studying for a difficult test that determined if one could join an organization was even more novel, and it was causing the former assassin no end of stress.
"Look at it this way Alice; if Robyn passed on the first try with less then a month of study time then you'll have it easy after a whole year," Hannah tried to use logic to reassure her friend.
"Still can't believe she actually picked up on a bunch of the things Mom and Dad were talking about," Luna grumbled. "I assumed she was just tuning it out like I was."
"My decision to retire is looking better and better in hindsight," Olivia joked. The mouse didn't need to take the test, but helping her friends was reason enough to join them. That and the fact that she needed to keep her connection with all of them up in other ways now that she wasn't going on patrol with them anymore.
"At least I have a full year to try and get all of this down," Alice sighed, "the both of you will be doing this in six months."
"If I'm allowed to," Hannah muttered.
Luna shuffled over to Hannah's side. "You will be taking that test in six months."
"And you'll be out there taking names as Bullet," Olivia said sternly.
Hannah took a quick breath, "I will be back out there as Bullet. It's just, I know the odds are kind of in my favor, but I keep thinking about how close I came to being off this team forever." She tilted her head in Luna's direction. "I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for bailing me out."
Luna took one of Hannah's hands and drew it up to her cheek so Hannah could feel her smile. "I couldn't leave you struggling there, especially when I've been there before. Several times."
"It's just Hannah," Olivia added. "Kodi did a better job then I ever dreamed with that meeting, but he was sunk when it came to bailing Hannah out."
"Well thank you anyway Luna," Hannah said sincerely. "It's kind of funny. I started this whole mess mad at you, righteously mad I thought. But here I am thanking you for bailing me out of my own thick headedness."
"It's like Mother says; sometimes all a mammal needs is a few chances to prove they can change," Alice echoed Judy. "And sometimes a mammal can surprise you. Look at Clara, did anyone expect her to be onboard with the ZCD program?"
"I think she's separating her physical services from her scientific services," Olivia reasoned. "She doesn't trust the government, but she does trust Kodi and the rest of us. She's probably taking the test right now actually."
"When she passes," Hannah deliberately echoed Luna, "she'll have more than one piece of good news."
Alice's ears shot up, "And what do you mean by that?"
Hannah smiled, "The team aren't the only ones who have been self reflecting recently."
000
Am I really about to have this conversation? Skye thought to herself while sitting at a meeting table in Zootopia's maximum security prison.
Skye Savage could admit to herself that she didn't like being at Zootopia's maximum security prison.
It wasn't that the building itself made her uncomfortable, as far as prisons go it was actually on the nicer side. Both Mayor Moon and Mayor Wilde had seen to it that Zootopia's prison system was humane in nature, with a strong emphasis on rehabilitation. As such the building looked clean, was well staffed by mammals who took their jobs seriously and generally inmate incidents were uncommon.
No, the reason Skye didn't like that building was because of why she wound up there. Skye liked being able to say a case was closed, that a problem was dealt with. Crime was a never ending wave no matter how much the world changed, so it felt good to put a matter behind you.
Of course it was rarely that simple and Skye had been dealing with that since her early days, but going to any prison in person was usually a sign of unfinished business. A sign that was right up in Skye's face.
The eight months following the initial Purple Sky incident had been an unending stream of unfinished business, with the time after Doom's proper attack being especially difficult. And that was without the debacle Team Ceartais had made for itself.
It was the lack of future proofing that annoyed Skye more than anything else. Their plans satisfied a selfish desire in the moment with no thought for how it would affect the future, Alice had initially joked at the notion of consequences.
Well, Alice will be dealing with consequences for a very long time now, Skye thought morosely. Alice being on verification before trusting status for the rest of her career was a solution, but not one that was going to make anyone happy.
At least everything else from that mess is heading in a better direction. Hannah's getting professional help, Kion gets to stay retired while still being useful, Robyn as second in command, the ZCD in general. Kodi really made some miracles happen. Skye tried to look on the bright side. The arctic vixen has not been expecting to let Kodi stay in command, but a welcome surprise was welcome.
That mess was finally in the rear view mirror. The powered mammal crisis was stabilizing somewhat. But after traveling to Ryan Wilde's dimension, Skye knew there was one more ripple from that day that had slipped through the cracks. After a few weeks of looking over the evidence and mental preparations, Skye thought she was ready.
She second guessed that thought as the source of her frustration was led into the room.
Skye noticed that the guard handling Sabrina "Esso" Reese was being gentle. She let the lynx move at her own pace with only a mildly firm hand on a shoulder. Skye didn't recognize the wolf in question, but made a mental note to put in a good word for her.
Skye also knew that she was stalling and looked directly at Esso. The lynx had seen better days. The fur was messy, her ears were dropping and she wore a mild scowl on her face.
She looks so tired. I guess I can relate. Skye thought morosely.
The wolf moved to handcuff Esso to the table, but Skye spoke up. "That won't be necessary." The wolf looked up at Skye in surprise. "She won't try anything," Skye offered as an explanation.
The wolf nodded once to Skye, once to Esso and then headed out the door.
"She seems nice," Skye noted in an even voice.
Esso tried to keep a straight face, but a scowl was already forming, "What's wrong Ice Queen? Expecting me to be roughed up a bit more."
That answers how she feels about me, no surprise there. "Hardly, just noting a good guard," Skye replied.
Esso elected to stay silent, so Skye took the moment to reach into her bag and pull out a voice recorder. She turned it on and placed it on the table. She waited just long enough for Esso to open her mouth before taking the recorder back and turning it off. It had the desired effect.
She's interested, now to get her to lower her guard. "One month ago there was a second dimensional travel incident."
"A second?" Esso muttered, before her eyes shot open. "Is Clara okay!? What about Regina? Harper? Venessa?" She rattled off the names rapidly.
Skye held up a hand in a halting gesture. "They're all okay, only Professor Bloom was involved with the incident at all." Skye watched Esso sigh in relief before her face scrunched up. She's wondering why I brought the topic up. "I bring it up because a certain meeting I had over there has forced me to reconsider your situation."
"Oh, so that's all it took for you to realize I'm not…not…something?" Esso's voice was dripping with bitter sarcasm at first, but it waned as she couldn't finish the sentence.
"I wouldn't describe you as innocent," Skye kept her voice calm. "Cal may have had it coming, but murder wasn't the right solution. But maybe the two MCB agents are on the city more than you." Esso looked up at her in confusion. "Tell me the truth Sabrina, was your rehab rushed, felt incomplete?"
Esso glanced aside and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Then she sagged and replied, "I thought I was better enough. But all it took was two months in the Cauldron and I was having nightmares daily. All it took was nearly drowning to…"
Skye nodded. "There were so many Drowned victims, I worry that there were a lot of rush jobs just based on sheer volume." Skye sighed. "I hate to think it, but maybe some mammals rushed some rehabs based on the victim." Esso flinched at that. "You slipped back into Fuli's programming after nearly drowning, and two mammals are dead because of it."
"Look," Esso grumbled weakly, "I'm not happy about what happened, but I still don't remember any of it. I don't deserve…"
"I'm about to say something upsetting, I'm sorry in advance," Skye said as kindly as she could while still being stern. "What if, instead of two random MCB agents, the mammals that found you were Harper and Regina?"
Esso's eyes shot open in horror, her whole body went rigid and she started shaking. "No. No no no no no no no NOOOO!" Esso's resolve shattered at the thought of hurting, killing, the friends she cared about. The friends that cared about her. The image of Clara getting caught in her sonic scream played in her head and her own cries faded. Her head sagged onto the table and she started sobbing.
Skye had hoped her question would get to the heart of the matter, but this was too much. She's spiraling. If I don't get this under control soon she might… Skye stood up from her chair and quickly moved to Esso's side. With a deep breath she gently took one of Esso's hands and held it her own.
The sobbing lynx looked up in quiet surprise, but she didn't try to pull away. Skye let some sadness creep onto her face. "I don't want something like what happened on that day to ever happen again. Do you?" A rhetorical question, but Skye hoped it would give Esso something to latch on to.
"No," Esso squeaked out.
"Then you need help," Skye said firmly. "I can get you professional help, but you need to be willing to help yourself for it to matter."
"Help myself," Esso echoed, she still seemed a bit dazed.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it Reese, you're deep in the hole." Skye put some steele in her voice. "You're temperamental, unpleasant, secretive, barely an ex-druggie, trauma ridden and you have a power that can easily kill on accident," Skye let all of that sink in. "Some of that isn't your fault of course, but it is what you have to work with."
"What's even the point then?" Esso asked dejectedly.
"Because despite all of that, you have friends that care about you," Skye stated. "Do you think Clara Bloom will give up on you?"
"No," Esso's response was immediate and downbeat.
"Then you have two options," Skye made sure she had Esso's attention. "You can play it safe and waste away in here. You will never hurt anyone physically but you will never improve from where you are now. Or, you can put in the same effort your friends are giving you. Work on your people skills, commit to proper therapy, kick the drugs for good and work on controlling your power. I can promise you that it will suck, but if you can make it work, you might be able to have an actual life again." Skye paused long enough to let her speech sink it. "Your choice."
Esso took a while to collect herself, and Skye never took her eyes off of her. Gradually Esso's face hardened up, some of her old anger returned. Her voice was level when she told Skye, "I want to get better."
Skye nodded and let go of Esso's hand. "It'll take a few days, but some friends of mine can handle the legal part of this. I suggest you prepare yourself." Skye turned and started to leave the room.
"Why you?" Esso asked, undisguised curiosity entering her voice. "I know why Clara isn't giving up on me, but why do you care?"
Skye thought about how to word her response. It was a fair question. "Yueri, in her past life, was an assassin." Skye said with deliberately vague wording.
"Past…that bunny isn't really a ghost is she?" Esso looked suddenly unnerved.
"Wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen in this city," Skye shrugged. "But that bunny has blood on her hands. And she's not the only one. I've seen the day be saved by plenty of ex-cons, and some that weren't even ex." Skye gave Esso one last stern look. "There comes a point where you do have to give up on a mammal, I don't think you're at that point. Don't prove me wrong."
Skye didn't wait for Esso's reaction and made her way out of the room.
000
Ryan's World
In the end, Ryan Wilde got off easy. At least compared to the scale of the mess he'd made.
The cover up had been a success. The mammals of Zootopia were more than used to strange powered mammal incidents by this point. A villain with limited mind warping abilities from another dimension, and heroes from said dimension tracking him down was a simple enough pitch, and the public ate it up.
It was also a good enough explanation for the many powered mammals who had been directly under Ryan's control. A select few were given the full story, but most accepted that they'd been mind controlled and rescued with only mild blows to their pride.
Mayor Bellwether and MCB Director Savage lamented how this incident barely even registered as noteworthy to the wider public, but were satisfied that the cover up worked.
The only problem was that there was no way to legally hold Ryan accountable for his crimes. The steelblood and the notes on it had been thoroughly destroyed, and even a secret closed court session would still raise too many questions. For a few weeks it looked as if they'd just have to let the hybrid off the hook, but then an unusual idea was put forth.
Repairs to the Powered Mammal Research Labs were already underway. City Hall and the Lab's staff were determined to have the esteemed building back up and running as quickly as possible, more as a statement than anything else. Overseeing the repairs was Mustang, the black stallion head of the Lab's security forces. He'd taken notice of the new room the Lab's had acquired; Ryan's personal HQ.
Mustang put forth an idea; Ryan was a genius with tech, and it would be a waste for such a mind to rot away in some sort of arrest. So Mustang proposed that Ryan be hired by the PMR Labs as a technician, but rather than go home at the end of the day, he instead went to his repurposed HQ room.
I took over this building as my personal base of operations, now I doubt I'll ever leave it. I have to hand it to Mustang; he has a good sense of Karma. Ryan thought as he absentmindedly flipped through the pages of a history book on powered mammals in Australia.
His room, his cell really, was nothing like the luxury base it had been before. Much of the high tech equipment had been stripped away in favor of a single bed, a table with chairs and a nightstand. The large monitor was gone, replaced by a small stand alone TV hooked up to an old Blu-ray player. On a twice a weekly basis Ryan could request book and movie rentals from Zootopia Central Library.
I'm surprised they're still making Blu-Rays, Ryan had thought to himself upon first seeing the setup.
Some walls had been built into the pre-existing room to allow for a basic kitchen, laundry room and bathroom. The whole set up looked like a bloated capital E.
A brief buzz alerted him that someone was about to come in, an occurrence that Ryan had discovered was fairly rare. Mustang visited him for weekly reports, but visits from his friends and family were sparse. He supposed most of them still weren't sure what to make of him. Only Frank had been a regular visitor.
The reinforced door opened and Ryan was greeted with a strange sight. He'd never seen Miss Fantabulous in civilian clothes. Despite her true identity being public knowledge, the hippo was almost always seen in her hero outfit. She was wearing a basic beige sweater and jeans combo, which looked almost drab compared to the pinks of her hero outfit.
"Gloria? What are you doing here?" Ryan didn't try to hide his surprise.
Gloria didn't answer right away, and Ryan noticed it wasn't just her outfit that was different. Gloria seemed unusually subdued. Even at her lowest moments the hippo was full of energy, not always for the better, but it was always there. Despite the fact that Gloria still dwarfed Ryan, she seemed so much smaller.
"Hello Ryan," Gloria took a look around Ryan's room. There was a faraway look in her eyes. "This building has some pretty bad luck doesn't it?"
"It's got a lot of history," Ryan agreed, "not much of it good where we're concerned." I think I know where she's going with this.
"Things turned out better this time at least," Gloria turned her gaze to the still seated hybrid. "I doubt you'll be showing up in all the history books over this."
Ryan certainly didn't need the reminder. The image of Miss Fantabulous standing amidst the ruins of the original PMR Labs was one of those photos that had become a part of public consciousness. Ryan had been born a quarter century after that tragedy and he knew that iconic photo by heart. Looking at the openly tired hero opposite him, Ryan wondered exactly how much that image still affected Gloria.
"That's true," Ryan agreed. "Though we seem to have gotten the opposite punishments. You're the face of the dark days of powered mammals and I'm isolated away, probably forever." It was one thing to think how long he'd likely be in the labs, but admitting it out loud brought the reality home. "What do you think they would think of us?"
There was no need for Ryan to clarify who 'they' was referring to. "Melman and Kodi…would be disappointed, yes, but neither of them would want us to throw in the towel," Gloria said with conviction. "We made some pretty bad mistakes, but a mammal's worth isn't about their mistakes, it's about what we do with the rest of our time."
"Which I'll be spending on the back lines of the labs," Ryan sighed.
"Still one of the most important jobs in the city," Gloria countered. "I've seen what you can do Ryan, even out of the Ruby costume you're going to do great things here." Gloria looked downcast despite her reassurance. "I'm kind of jealous."
Ryan looked at the old heroine incredulously. "You're jealous of me!? How could…."
"Jealous was a bad choice of words," Gloria quickly corrected herself, now more alert. "But it's, you got to help make up for your mistakes and you're still helping mammals quietly." Gloria's body sagged somewhat, "I just wish I'd gotten that chance."
She got into this life because she loved helping others. Ryan gave Gloria a look of pity as her feelings made sense. "You took out one of TNTiger's bombs that night." He made sure he had Gloria's attention before continuing. "Think about how everyone else was out of position to help Kodi, if you hadn't gone for that bomb, it might have gone off."
"Ryan, that's…" Gloria started to say.
"You never stopped fighting for innocent mammals, powered or otherwise, I'm sure it felt like damage control in the moment, but every bit mattered and…when I was…well in control of everyone," Ryan awkwardly coughed. "I did some digging on some stuff you were up to that wasn't getting mass reported." Ryan dared a smirk, "You could never stay retired could you?"
Gloria let out a bashful laugh. For Ryan, it was good to see some of her usual energy back. "Alright you got me there Ryan. Maybe I was just letting what happened with you get to me. I know I could never stop be a hero."
"And I don't think I could either," Ryan smiled. "You know, I had this whole speech about how I knew where you were going with this and how we really aren't that similar but…you got me."
Gloria snorted, "You always were quick on the pick up. I know the similarities are kinda surface level but…it's still the closest we've got." She leaned across the table. "I know what it's like to be where you are right now Ryan, like you've hit rock bottom and there's no way up."
Ryan frowned, "The worst part is my family, my friends, even the ones who aren't angry…they try to hide it but they're disappointed." Gloria gently put a hand on his shoulder.
"It stings Ryan, and it will sting for a while," Gloria said sadly, "but I also know how it feels to have someone who doesn't give up on you."
"Your teammates," Ryan said dourly. The only teammate he knew he was on good terms with was Frank, and he was busy a lot of the time.
"Alex and Marty were certainly there for me, but they were also the ones who had to stop me from squashing Bombadier's head in," Gloria murmured the last bit. "That put some distance between us for a while. I'm actually talking about Lana Lead."
"Who?" Ryan asked, thinking the name sounded familiar but not being able to place it.
Gloria smiled, "She's the brave mare who took that photo of me the day I flattened the labs." Ryan didn't have a response to that. "Turns out I saved her from a supervillain attack when she was a filly, didn't even remember her myself. That mare became a reporter because she wanted to show us heroes in our best light, but she also never lied about us, which is why she published that picture."
"She didn't give up on you?" Ryan asked.
"Turns out that picture dominated her life too," Gloria sighed regretfully. "She actually tracked me down, poor girl was a mess, thinking she'd ruined everything."
"The dark age of powered mammals would've happened without that picture," Ryan said incredulously.
"Doesn't make it any easier for the one who pulled the trigger," Gloria said back. "But we talked it out, and after that? She was always there for anything I or one of the other heroes did, trying to keep the good names intact." Gloria smiled down at Ryan. "She even helped your mother during Lionheart's scheme."
Ryan looked surprised. "I…Mom never mentioned that."
"Lana stayed out of the spotlight after the 90's," Gloria explained. "But like I said, she was there for me." Gloria made sure Ryan's eyes met her own before she continued. "And having seen what the real Ryan Wilde, the real Ruby Rose is like, I'm not giving up on you."
Gloria let the statement sink in. Ryan didn't move at first. Then he started shaking, not a lot, but enough that Gloria could tell he was affected. The hippo stood up and walked around the table to kneel down next to Ryan. She gently turned his head towards her. A soft stream of tears were flowing from his eyes by now.
"Th-thank you, Gloria," Ryan stammered out.
The two embraced. Two similar enough mammals taking comfort in each other. After he'd calmed down, Ryan decided to trust Gloria with a secret thus far only Mustang and Frank knew about.
Ryan Wilde never thought that any mammal would still have faith in him after what he'd done, but Gloria wasn't the only mammal who wasn't giving up on him.
000
Robyn's World
This was a good day, Robyn thought as she changed out of her Scarlet outfit. And wow does it feel good to consistently have those again.
Hannah's with the sisters for their study session, and now that I've passed what excuse do they have? Dr. Trash had quietly slipped Robyn a note that it would be good for Hannah to keep up her social ties while she was on probation, the last thing she needed right now was isolation, so the study sessions with Clara, Alice, Olivia and Luna were multitasking.
Aaron's getting to spend more time with the rest of his family. The fallout from the Doom mission had meant Aaron hadn't gotten to see much of Luna or Alice at first, Robyn was making sure that got remedied.
Clara passed her test and Kodi got to sit up with the bosses without issue. Robyn was impressed that Kodi had devised the test he did for his girlfriend. Clara didn't like failure, or at least not total failure. So for her combat test they'd put her up against Scarlet, who she didn't stand a chance against.
Scarlet's healing outpaced any amount of damage Sirius could put out, assuming she could even land a hit. Scarlet was much faster and more agile, able to keep up with and work around Sirius' flight and intangibility. The limited arena further hindered Sirius' flying. Finally, Sirius would run out of stamina long before Robyn even if she tried to absorb energy from the base itself. Sirius didn't really have a good way to win, and that was the point. The test was about seeing how Clara reacted in a disadvantageous scenario, and she'd performed exceptionally. She got creative with her attacks and held her own for a solid 5 minutes of direct combat.
In the end Clara had called off the fight. I'm exhausted, I can't win, but by now any mammal who would've been in danger should've fled, so it makes sense for me to retreat.
Skye and Kodi had happily informed Clara that was the exact conclusion they'd been hoping for.
Skye dropped her other piece of good news concerning a certain lynx on Clara after the test. Now I know what a flying mammal dancing for joy looks like. Clara to her credit had only looked a little embarrassed after the initial wave of excitement for her friend wore off.
The Team's finally moving in a good direction again. Robyn though as she exited her changing room. Kodi and I are making the whole leader thing work, Bella has settled in nicely and Clara is officially onboard. We've got some promising candidates for future team members in Regina and Harper, and maybe that lynx friend of Clara's? Definitely a maybe, that sonic scream did work back in the graveyard. And then there's Arthur. Robyn thought of the blue wolf right as she walked past the thankfully inert sword. Wonder how he's doing, I hope the sword activating on its own didn't do anything awkward for him.
As for me.
Robyn didn't head the exit elevator, instead making her way to a new room Olivia had set up for her. Robyn hadn't been sure if her request was possible, but Olivia had simply taken that as a challenge. After a few weeks her not so little device was set up.
The room was small by the base's standards. It only contained a stationary chair and Olivia's new invention, the latter of which dominated the wall it was attached to. Robyn licked on the carefully positioned lights.
I'll have to decorate in here eventually, Robyn though, give the bros something to look at in the background.
The device was a mirror, more accurately it was an array or mirrors. Three panels were in front of Robyn, and with practiced concentration Robyn peered into three other worlds at once.
Ronan, Reginald and Ryan appeared in the panels. They could see her, and some nifty recording and projecting tech displayed their images behind Robyn, so they could see each other too.
It wasn't perfect, they couldn't actually hear each other. But they could talk, and some handy lip reading software displayed what all of them were saying for the others to see.
They couldn't do this all the time, conflicting schedules and hero work being what they were, but the Wilde siblings had decided that they would try to get together once a week.
Ryan's eyes were a bit red, maybe he'd been crying? But his smile was brighter than any Robyn had seen on him before. Reginald seemed more relaxed than before, and Ronan's confidence seemed a bit less stiff. It seemed a weight had been taken off of all their shoulders.
Robyn Wilde never thought she'd get to speak with her brothers except at their gravestone, and she promised to herself that she wouldn't stop visiting them. But this was something new, something that helped make everything they'd been through seem all the more worth it.
"Hey guys, what's new with you?"
=Fin=
Thank you to Crewe-Fox for letting me write the next chapter in the Take a Stand saga.
Thank you to the TAS crew who provided support, critique and motivation over the years.
Thank you to Dr. Tarbtano for consistently helping with critique before the chapter releases.
And thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and any combination thereof this story.