The Rig. Apart from Medhall, the headquarters of the PRT ENE was probably the one shining light in Brockton Bay. It was big, imposing, and overlooked the entire city. For some the sight of it inspired hope. For others it was just a reminder of the inevitable decline of the city as Gangs continued to grow and consolidate their power while the PRT simply struggled to keep them at bay.

For Missy it was part of the largest group of Heroes in the entire country. It was a building filled with people that were like her. Ever since she had gotten her powers it had been tough to be around most regular people, even her friends couldn't quite understand what it was like to have Powers, so this was a place full of people that could understand her.

Missy followed her parents and Carol as they stepped into the lobby. They walked up to the receptionist.

"Where's the new Miss Militia figure?" Missy's father asked the man behind the counter.

There was in fact no new Miss Militia figure, Missy had already gotten the last release like three months ago. It was all a code that the PRT had given them so that they could be discreetly allowed in… which didn't really matter considering practically every person there probably knew who Missy was.

Seriously! Everyone in the lobby that wasn't PRT staff was looking straight at her.

The domino masks offered to them as they were led into a storage closet were completely pointless too, but apparently her parents still thought it was a good idea to put them on. Missy of course declined.

Eventually they were led through a secret passageway and arrived at some sort of security checkpoint. The personnel quickly began going through their belongings, notably pausing as they stared at Missy's Evoker.

"Can I have it back after you look at it?" Missy asked.

"Safety procedures. Can't allow you to bring up any weapons," a security guard replied.

"It's a fake gun. You can prove that right now by pulling the trigger."

"We were informed that this is how you use your Powers."

"Miss Militia can summon a real gun anytime she wants. What do you do with her? Tie up her hands?"

"She's a member of the Protectorate."

"Well, what about Brandish?"

"Missy. Sweetie. Maybe you should give the nice security guards the gun," Missy's mother suggested.

"It's best if you're compliant Missy," Brandish replied, giving her a disapproving look.

Missy sighed. Well, couldn't blame her for trying. "Please keep an eye on it. It's really important to me."

The Security Guard took possession of the Evoker. "We'll follow procedure."

That really didn't answer anything but that was apparently the best that Missy was going to get. She walked past the checkpoint feeling vulnerable and bare. Already her hand was reaching for an empty holster. They could've at least let her keep her swords…

"It's good that you're away from it," Missy's mother commented. "You haven't let go of it since you got it."

"It's how I protect myself."

"Missy, you're eleven. You shouldn't be carrying around a dangerous weapon. Let the adults do the fighting."

Missy's fist clenched at her mother's condescending words. It was her father, of all people, that patted her on the shoulder and tried to reassure her.

"You'll get it back soon," he offered.

"They better not lose it," Missy muttered.

"I imagine the PRT will take good care of it. They don't want to cause any legal issues," Brandish replied.

Their group was led into an elevator and then brought into an empty conference room where they waited. Missy for her part took out her phone and tried to occupy her hands with a new game that Clara had shown her.

Apparently, the mechanics of it had been inspired by Japanese RPGs, something she had been interested in ever since she had dug up her father's old Playstation. Too bad there probably wouldn't be the next iteration of it ever made, since ya know, Kyushu.

Endbringers sucked.

Anyway, it turns out Clara really did know what she was talking about and Missy had quickly immersed in the game when the door opened. A rather… portly woman to walk in. Following her was Armsmaster whose presence made Missy immediately put away her phone and sit up straight.

She quickly nodded to both of them. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Missy Biron."

The woman simply looked at her while Armsmaster… just stood there to the side. He looked really cool in person but well… he didn't emote much.

"Emily Piggot, Director of the PRT ENE."

"Armsmaster. Protectorate Leader," the Hero introduced himself succinctly.

Missy's parents introduced themselves with Carol acting as their representative. Like that the meeting started. It was mostly just small things, legal jargon that barely made sense to her. They clearly avoided anything important with Missy around though. In fact, it was rather clear that they wanted her out of the room with how quickly the Wards tour had been offered to her.

On hand she was a bit insulted, on the other the tour was the one thing she had been looking forward to. She politely made her goodbyes before a young Ward was left in charge of escorting her.

"Triumph. Currently the oldest Ward, so in charge by default," the Hero offered her a hand.

Missy took it. "Missy Biron. Independent Hero."

"You still haven't thought of a Cape name?"

Missy shook her head. "Hard to figure out one that's right for me."

"Even after you've named your Projections?"

"They come with the names."

Triumph nodded before leading her down some hallways. The inside of the PRT was almost maze-like, hard to keep track of where she was going. Maybe that was on purpose to make a theoretical invasion of the building even harder? Or maybe it was just government bureaucracy and inefficiency. Dinah had a lot to say about that.

Eventually Missy was led to a pair of large metal doors. Triumph pressed a button and a light began flashing followed by an alarm.

"Mask warning. Gives any Wards time to put on their masks," he explained.

"Makes sense," Missy replied as the alarms stopped and the doors opened. The Wards Common area was… nice. Big comfy looking couches, a fully stocked and equipped kitchen, a monitor console of some kind with a connected keyboard, and a bunch of rooms line up throughout the back. "Woah. Do you guys live here?"

"None of us do but it's an option. Also, it's nice to have a place to just study or sleep after a long patrol."

One of the doors to the room opened and a tanned teen wearing just casual clothes and a domino mask stepped through it.

"Aegis. This is Missy. Missy. Aegis," Triumph introduced them to each other.

"Nice to meet you," Missy held out a hand.

Aegis gripped it lightly and gave it a quick shake. "You too. Glad to have another Hero around here."

"Well, I try," Missy replied as she looked around the room again. "This is a nice place."

"The PRT ensures we're comfortable and well equipped," Triumph explained as she led her to the couches. "We're given the resources we need and are paid for the hours we put in."

"Really? How much?" Missy asked.

"College trust fund and minimum wage," Aegis replied.

"Huh…"

"You don't have a wage as an independent, right?" Triumph asked.

"My parents… uh… they don't even give an allowance," Missy replied. Not that they didn't have money, but they wanted her to tell them everything that she needed them to buy rather than her getting it herself. Which might've been fine and all, except it was always just a giant chore to catch them at a time when they weren't fighting or at work to get her what she needed. Before Minako helped out Missy had to quite literally sneak money out of her mother's purse or dad's wallet just to pay for school supplies.

"Wow. W-well at least they provide for you I guess?" Aegis replied awkwardly.

"Yea. Whatever," Missy replied as she sat down on the couch and- oh crap it was comfortable. Damn she needed to get one of these for Minako and Shinji's place. She let out a weary sigh as she leaned her head back and sunk into the cushions.

"Great, isn't it?" Triumph chuckled as she went to the fridge in the kitchen. "Grape, sprite, orange?"

"Coke if you have it," Missy called out. "Do you have any idea where the PRT got this couch?"

"It was a gift from Gallant actually," Aegis explained.

"… I thought the Wards only made minimum wage?" Cause this felt like a very nice and very expensive piece of furniture.

"His family has money. He likes to treat us even when we tell him not to," Aegis said.

"I don't see you complaining about the new headsets." A shiny armored figure walked into the room. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Biron. I'm Gallant."

Wow. So polite and he even bowed to her a little. What a gentleman!

Missy sat up straight and greeted him with a nod. "Just Missy is fine."

"Missy." Gallant corrected himself as he sat down on a nearby chair and joined them. He certainly lived up to the name with how he held himself. "Have you been enjoying your tour with the Wards?"

"It's interesting. Lot more comfortable than I'd thought it would be."

"We try to keep things fun outside of patrols," Triumph said. "… Sometimes a bit too much fun."

"Clockblocker?" Missy asked.

"Clockblocker," Aegis confirmed.

"He going to show up?"

"Has some personal business. You'll probably see him on a patrol though."

Missy looked at all three Wards around her. "So apart from Clockblocker, that's everyone right?"

"Yep." Aegis replied. "If you did happen to join you'd be providing some much needed femininity to the group."

Yea seems like they kinda needed it. Huge sausage fest, whatever that meant. She kinda just heard it being said when someone talked about a group of guys. Anyway, there might've been a time where she would've been excited to join, but too bad for them that this girl was already sorta called for. "Thanks for the offer but I think I'll stick to being an Independent. I need time to figure things out."

"That's what the Wards provide," Gallant said. "Tima and a safe place to learn and develop your powers."

"I don't really need a safe place. And do you really think the adults here would let me do anything that would put little me at risk?"

"I'm sure the PRT has the best intentions. They'd be willing to work with you."

Missy's hand hovered over her empty holster. Just the very act caused Aegis to flinch a little. "Even this?"

"That's… a bit more difficult," Gallant admitted.

"This is a package deal with me. I can't use my Personas without it." She imagined the evoker in her hands. Pulling on the barrel and ejecting an imaginary bullet… Were Evoker's even equipped to use fake bullets actually?

"We have Armsmaster," Aegis said. "I'm sure he could tinker something that could do something similar to… that."

Missy chuckled as she remembered the lecture that Minako had given her about it. "It's a symbol of death, of me accepting it and the knowledge of my mortality. I feel like I'm going to die in order to unleash my Personas. If he wanted to make something similar it'd have to be like a knife or noose to my neck. The other alternative would be to throw me into an actual life or death experience and hope that'll work… which I don't really want to try."

"That… can't be easy," Gallant replied. "To have such a requirement for your powers after what happened to you."

"You mean with Hookwolf?" Missy asked.

Gallant nodded and Aegis looked especially uncomfortable.

She shrugged. "Using it isn't easy, it's tiring mentally and spiritually… but I knew what I was getting into when I picked this up, what I chose. It's a small price to pay for the strength to help others. Isn't that what it's like with you guys?"

"Uh…." There was an awkward silence as Aegis seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "Do you know what a Trigger Event is?"

"Sorta," Missy replied. "Capes go through them to get their powers."

"Well, mine wasn't like that. I don't know about Gallant or Triumph's, but it probably wasn't good for them either."

"Yea… it wasn't," Triumph replied carefully while Gallant simply nodded.

"Trigger Events are a sensitive issue for all Parahumans," Aegis continued. "I know you didn't mean it but please be careful when you're talking about yours like that. It's not to be taken lightly and it's not something you should be proud of. People won't take it well."

"Alright then… sorry," Missy apologized. Trigger Events really did seem to be a sensitive subject for most Capes.

"It's not your fault," Gallant replied. "No one really explained it to you properly, but now you know at least."

"Sure… is there anything else you guys do here?" Missy asked, deciding to change the subject. "When you aren't patrolling and stuff?"

"Well occasionally, and sometimes as punishment, we'll be assigned Console Duty," Triumph explained as he gestured toward the giant console. "Not the most glamorous thing but it's important work. Teaches us how to communicate and coordinate with the PRT, Protectorate, Emergency Line, and other Government services."

"They let you guys do that? Seems kinda important."

"There's usually another Protectorate Hero or PRT member on the line ready to jump in. But yea other than console what else we do is uh…"

Gallant took out a cellphone. "You guys want pizza?"

Missy's stomach growled. Loudly enough that everyone else there could hear and watch as her face rapidly went pink.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Missy was on her third slice when the alarms blared throughout the Wards Common room once more. As everyone else moved to put on their masks, she simply just sat there and continued eating.

Hah. Perks of not needing to wear a mask.

The doors would open, and Glory Girl would float through.

"What are you doing here?" Missy asked.

Glory Girl looked at her. "I was invited. What about you? You're a new face."

"Well my parents are having a meeting with the PRT and your mom."

"… Come up with something better brat. Cause that was weak shit."

"No, no… no I mean your mom is literally there." Missy pointed upwards towards wherever the conference room was. She kinda lost track after going all those damn hallways. "She's my lawyer er- my parent's lawyer."

"Oh wait," Glory Girl snapped her finger. "You're Missy! Wow you're even smaller than I thought."

"Not that small," Missy grumbled.

"I just didn't think my mom would take on a protégé. You know she actually said good things about you. Sorry bout before thought you were talkin shit about my mom," Glory Girl said as she floated to the kitchen counter. She stopped in front of Gallant with a sly smile on her face. "Who also said some nice things about you recently."

"Really?" Gallant asked, a smile forming on his face too.

Glory Girl leaned forward and-

Missy dropped the pizza she was eating. Yea they kissed. Lips touched and everything, sorta like the movies.

"Oh…" Missy went wide-eyed as Glory Girl's quick peck was quickly followed up by some… very passionate joining of lips. It wasn't long but by the end of it she was definitely red in the face. Aegis and Gallant on the other hand had the good sense to look away and pretend they didn't notice anything. "I didn't know you two were dating."

"Really? Thought everyone made a big deal about it," Glory Girl replied.

"But aren't you dating Dean Stansfield and- oh- OH. I'm an idiot."

"Vicky…" Gallant- er Dean, groaned.

"Well that explains why you could afford the couch," Missy muttered. The Stansfields were like rich. Uber rich, and practically celebrities in their own right. They were the sorta people that Missy's mother would've loved, and tried, to schmooze up to.

Glory Girl looked sheepish. "Sorry honey."

"It's… it's fine," Dean waved her off. "Just be careful. My secret identity is actually really important to me."

"It's important to me too," Glory Girl replied, annoyed. "But yea. I know. Sorry."

Dean turned around and took off his helmet. "Well it's nice to officially meet you Missy. I'm Dean Stansfield."

He was… surprisingly good looking up close. Missy could see why Glory Girl was dating him, definitely a catch. "I'm Missy. Again."

"So Missy. New Wave's really been happy patrolling with you. You think about joining up?" Glory Girl informed.

"I'm not sure… but thanks. Couldn't have done it without your mom though," Missy replied.

"Oh you're so cute." Glory Girl suddenly reached and wrapped an arm around Missy. "You and I are going to take Brockton Bay by storm when we go patrolling."

"Sure, it sounds fun," Missy replied, seeing little point in trying to struggle away from Glory Girl's arm. The girl was really strong. "I actually have a trick with Theia I wanna try out and a flier would be good backup."

"Why do you need a flier?" Triumph asked.

"Can help out if you want," Aegis offered.

"Well Theia has the ability to control Space. Shrink it, lengthen it, whatever. The problem is that she has to be close to me to stay in reality," Missy explained. "So recently I tried having her carry me which works but she isn't that fast. But I'm thinking if I have her use her powers while I'm riding her and aim it toward the sky-"

"You'll become a Pseudo flier then," Vicky replied. "Definitely a Mover rating"

Missy nodded. "And then if I really need to make a quick entrance. Then Theia can dive and I can jump off from her and we can do an aerial surprise attack and BAM!" Missy slimmed her fist into her palm. "Stick them right in their butts."

Aegis suddenly coughed.

"Something wrong?" Missy asked.

"Language," Triumph replied.

Missy simply tilted her head in confusion.

"Missy. That seems like there's a lot of ways that could go wrong," Gallant commented.

"Which is why it'd be nice to have another flier to catch me. I trust Theia but well even she thinks it's best to have some backup."

"Mom told me about how fast you got her to that fire," Glory Girl mused. "If you aren't just limited to the ground and your powers can encompass the entire skyline… you'd be able to patrol the city in like a few hours."

"Exactly. I can get a lot done with me and a couple other fliers. Completely cover Brockton Bay from above. The Gangs wouldn't know what hit them."

"Eehhh, you'd be surprised how much you'd miss when you're flying too high," Glory Girl admitted. "Lots of buildings and alleys to hide in so we'd still have to get close to the ground every so often, but yea it'd definitely help if criminals were worried anytime they're out in the open."

"It's an interesting idea," Triumph admitted. "But I'm just worried the Gangs might escalate if you push them too far."

"Maybe we do need to push them," Missy replied. "Someone like Hookwolf should've never been able to just walk up to Minako, beat her up, and get away."

"Honestly I was kinda more worried about Hookwolf than her," Aegis commented.

"Yea lady knows how to fight," Glory Girl nodded. "Picked a good woman to know there Missy."

Missy nodded. "She's a great person. So about practicing with Theia?"

"Maybe this is something you could try out at Power Testing?" Dean suggested. "Controlled environment, plenty of padded floors in case of accidents."

"You're having Power Testing today? Can I come?" Glory Girl asked,

"Sure," Missy replied. "You guys can all come if you want."

"Do I really have to wear all this?" Missy asked as she raised arms. Nearly every inch of exposed skin, mainly her neck, arms, and forehead, were covered in those tiny plungers- whatever they called – and connected to several different monitors that were apparently measuring her vitals.

"You said that you need to go through extreme self-inflicted stress to summon your Projections," Armsmaster commented from behind a window where the Wards and even a few other Heroes were watching.

"Yea… you don't believe me?"

"We'd just like to observe it ourselves."

"Alright then." Missy pulled out her Evoker, ignoring the reactions she likely got from behind the glass, and put it against her head. "Theia!"

Theia emerged and put her arms around Missy's shoulders.

"Greatly elevated heart rate and increased body temperature. The heat the brain is producing is concerning," one of the researchers observing said. "What happens if you overuse your Projections?"

"I get a killer headache."

"Similar reaction to many Thinkers have when overusing their powers. Try summoning your other Projection."

Missy did that. Then switched to Theia again. Then summoned both Pixie and Theia as Armsmaster instructed.

"How many Projections can you keep summoned at once?"

"I only have two so far, but I think that's the limit even if I get more. Theia kinda just keeps herself there once summoned, it's the other Persona that I have to really focus on."

"Interesting," Armsmaster commented. "What happens if your Projections are injured? Is the damage temporary or permanent?"

"Temporary. I can summon them again… but if they do get hurt badly or destroyed, I do feel pain."

"You've experienced this? Any physical damage? Permanent?" A researcher asked.

"It's mostly mental," Missy replied. "No bruises or anything. It just hurts."

"Will you be fine with testing the durability of your Projections?"

"Uh… sure."

They did that by having Missy summon Pixie and subjecting her to some sort of weird pounding machine that gradually increased in force. It was when Pixie started breaking limbs that Missy started feeling a sting.

"Ow," Missy grabbed her arm as Pixie's arm disappeared into fragments from the force of the blow. "Sorry."

Pixie simply nodded with her missing limb before disappearing. Missy summoned her again and they continued testing. It was the next strike that completely crushed her that caused Missy to grab at her chest.

"Fuck. Aauuuuuuagh," she groaned. The pain was intense but thankfully short lived. It was still something she had to be cautious about. Every second in battle mattered and getting distracted by the pain of having a Persona destroyed could easily get her hurt further if not killed.

They quickly had a medic check on her and confirm there was no actual damage. They still ended that part of testing though, which came as a relief to Missy. Even if they were willing to fight and be destroyed for her, she still didn't like seeing her Personas getting hurt. Plus the pain sucked.

"No Brute rating and damage to the Projections harms her. Vulnerable to direct combat like most Masters or Thinkers," a researcher commented.

"Her Pixie is good at dulling pain and healing small wounds though. Helps keep her fighting despite any damage she might take," another researcher said.

"What is the limit to Pixie's healing?" Armsmaster asked.

"Right now? Small cuts, burns, and bruises. Nothing like a broken bone, gunshot, or even a twisted muscle yet," Missy replied.

"Yet? How effective do you expect your healing to be?"

"I think all my Personas will get a bit stronger with training and use," Missy replied. "Some will hit a limit but then I can switch to a stronger Persona once I get them."

"How many different Projections do you expect to be able to summon then?"

"Don't know how many. Just a lot. Actually I think I just got one recently." It was from when she was eating dinner with Minako and Shinji last night, since she hadn't actually had gotten the time to test it out yet.

"Summon it."

Missy put her Evoker to her head. "Berith!"

An armored knight emerged riding a red horse and holding a spear in his hand. Out of the three Personas she now had, this one was perhaps the most visibly threatening.

"Twenty-eighth demonic spirit listed in the Ars Goetia," Armsmaster stated as if reading off a script. "Surprisingly the most human-like appearance among your Projections."

"Yea he's pretty cool. Armor makes him tough against bullets and even fire. Gotta watch out for ice though," Missy mused.

"Ice? Is it vulnerable to cold?" A researcher asked.

"Well yea. A lot of Personas have resistances. Stuff they're strong against… and stuff they're weak against," Missy began fiddling with her fingers. "Both of which carry over a bit to me."

"So when you have Berith out, you are naturally more resistant to heat and fire but more vulnerable to cold and ice?"

"Yep. Takes a bit more heat to feel hot, but I get chilly more easily."

"What about Theia?"

"Want to avoid electricity with her out. Static electricity gets really annoying when she's around."

"And Pixie?"

"Also ice… and projectiles."

"Most gangs in Brockton Bay carry guns."

"Yea…. Probably best not to use Pixie in the middle of a gunfight."

"And you are inherently aware of your Projections strengths and weaknesses?" Armsmaster asked.

"Once I've looked them over in my head after getting them, yea."

"Unique abilities and strengths and weaknesses with each Projection. Somehow both easy and difficult to exploit depending on the user's ingenuity and adaptability," the Hero began muttering to himself. "Difficult to coordinate too without full knowledge of each Projection that she acquires… unless she's allowed to take the lead or make her own calls in most situations."

"Your Powers do seem to promote independence and/or leadership qualities," the researcher continued off Armsmaster's musings. "Joining the Wards might help you develop those skills and understand the chain of command."

"Like I said before, I'm fine for now," Missy replied as she dismissed Berith.

"Would've been nice to have you as protégé," Dauntless, who had been observing, said.

"She needs to work with someone with more experience," Armsmaster argued back. "But that's entirely hypothetical until she does decide to join the Wards."

"Hey Missy, do you want to try out flying on Theia?" Glory Girl asked, interrupting the two from any impending argument.

"Finally. Yes!" Missy shouted.

A/N

Bit an abrupt ending to the chapter, but the chapter is going to be followed up by an interlude soon.