Chapter 4

Saturday, February 5, 2011

I woke up in my dreamscape again, the bright stars of the Grimoire echoing brightly from within my soul and shining their light upon me. I basked in it for a moment, before noticing I wasn't alone.

"Why don't we talk every night?"

My doppelganger grinned. "Because I'm not entirely here anymore and sometimes I just have nothing to say. So how was your first taste of the hero life?"

That made me hesitate, but if there was anyone I could be honest with, it was myself. "Bitter. I always looked at comics and saw the heroes swooping in and saving the day and just thought how inspiring and cool they were. To be a normal person in a world like that, a world like this… It's terrifying, isn't it?"

"More than you might realize," He agreed. "Don't lose that perspective bro. Remember what you saw when it was just Uber and Leet pulling their dumb shit and magnify that a hundred, a thousand times over when it comes to the real big bads. I'm not just talking about Lung or Kaiser, I'm talking about the real S-class threats. The Slaughterhouse, the Machine Army, Nilbog, the Endbringers. The carnage they can or have caused is immeasurably higher than you can comprehend. You have the seed of potential within you. Use it. Become a real hero for these people, an icon, a symbol, someone they can rely on. These might help."

Stars fell from the heavens and landed in my counterpart's palm. He eyed one and then suddenly tossed it at me.

Shadow Jumper's Trinket (The Gods Are Bastards, 600 cp): The magic system of Shadow is currently inaccessible except through indirect methods, such as through infernal magic. This trinket bypasses such requirements, allowing you to directly access Shadow magic and thus "Shadow Jump", teleporting impressive distances by wrapping the shadows around you. Uniquely, this form of teleportation will be completely untraceable, as the more common methods of accessing Shadow Magic do so indirectly, leaving the signs of the magic used to access it.

I practically inhaled that power. I loved teleportation abilities. Probably thanks to watching Nightcrawler and Jumper in action from a young age.

My alter caught another star, but frowned before he flicked it over to me. A powerful item, a rifle that would somehow make me stronger, tougher, and faster, plus act as a focus for fire magic. But I was going to be a hero and unless it was tied to your power like Miss Militia, heroes tended to avoid guns. I allowed the power to drift back into the infinite sea of stars.

A different star had the real Mak doubled over laughing. "I think you'll like this one," he promised as he passed it over to me.

HERO PUNCH!(Yuki Yuna is a Hero, 600 cp): You have tons of power inside those tiny fists of yours! But your strength isn't the best part of it. No, you could destroy most energy blasts with a clenched fist after sufficient training. You'll suffer no pain when you punch away an energy blast. Fireballs being flung in your direction? Just punch it. Thick steel walls in your way? Just punch a hole in them. With enough time and guts, you could probably punch a hole in anything. You could be able to punch apart blasts the size of buildings like nothing at the higher levels of power from training without Mankai.

This power is extra amplified when your friends join in on blocking or dispelling a blast. Punch the living hell out of anyone and anything in your path, with friendship and love. You could even, somehow, get through to someone you're fighting with a big huge punch to snap them out of their freakout, as long as you hug them afterward. You will and can punch through anything, with enough training. Perhaps you could even shatter the body of a Vertex with a punch alone at the higher levels.

I was at a loss for words at both the amount of power that was offered as well as how entertainingly dumb it was. Plus the power of friendship… I loved corny stuff like that. I accepted it within my soul. The amount of things I could now punch with my bare hands once I did some training… Damn, if only I'd had that same power a couple days before.

"One more. You got lucky, it's already cost you most of the power you've built up for those ones, but you got a cheap one here."

Psychic Abilities - Psychometry (One Dot) (World of Darkness) In the World of Darkness, psychic abilities and mythic sorcery are, at first glance, completely different. However, both manipulate the same powers, albeit in very different ways, and are both considered forms of linear magic. While a sorcerer utilizes numerous tools and ceremonies to harness supernatural powers, a psychic makes do with lots, and lots, of willpower. Furthermore, the majority of psychic powers are innate, and can be improved, but not gained, without outside interference, in stark contrast to sorcery.

The ability to pick up residual psychic energy upon objects, locations, or people and view their pasts.

[1] Vague, dreamlike impressions of past events involving strong emotions appear within the psychic's mind. Sometimes not even that. Strong hunches and feelings may be the only result.

I caught the final star and was pretty happy with it. I was fairly set when it came to raw firepower and movement now, something to help in investigative matters would help round out my versatility. "Pretty happy all things considered, though my build so far is fitting me out to be more of an upfront fighter than the spellslinger wizard I wanted."

"Saying stuff like that makes you sound like a damn prick. You have phenomenal cosmic power and you're unhappy that you can't shoot fireballs yet?"

"Well when you put it that way…"

"Just wake up already, you've got a hell of a day waiting for you."
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My eyes snapped open and I sat up feeling rejuvenated and better than ever, despite the various aches and bruises from the last couple of days. I now had access to magic, real magic, that would truly put me on the radar. Perhaps not against the largest of threats, but here in this city, Brockton Bay? I was now one of the strongest Movers and Strikers in the city, a dangerous combination. Well… I had the potential at least. I had a feeling the HERO PUNCH ability was going to take a lot of practice and even the ability to teleport through the shadows would be limited by my own reflexes. I was determined not to become complacent and lazy just because I had cool powers, I had to make sure to train and get myself into shape.

Still, a part of me was excited to finally meet the Protectorate and my (hopefully) future coworkers. I had a fair amount of respect for most of Brockton Bay's heroes, even Armsmaster. Say what you will about the man, but he was dedicated to his craft and had earned a spot as a powerful Tinker for a reason. I was kind of worried about potentially alienating him just because I had bullshit powers, but I told myself that maybe he wouldn't hate me if I proved I was actually working to improve, not just coast off easy power boosts.

Sue me, I was an optimist.

I snorted in amusement as I contemplated how the Protectorate might try and sell my image. In some ways, I was kind of a shoe-in as an older mentor type to Shadow Stalker when I considered my more obvious powers. I mean come on, with the infinite ammo and shadow teleporting, we could be a cluster trigger for all that the outside world knew. The idea put a frown on my face though. Shadow Stalker… such a complicated subject and one where my views had gone through so many iterations over the years. When I was younger, reading Worm for the first time and consuming copious amounts of the fandom, I hated her with a passion. I mean come on, Taylor Hebert was the main character and Sophia was one of her main tormentors, someone who had caused the literal worst day of her life and hid behind the mask of a hero. But as I'd gotten older, gained more perspective…

Well, she was still a psycho-bitch in a lot of ways, but she was only a kid. Fifteen was freaking young and while I had no idea what her true trigger event had been, I did know that it was probably what had fucked with her world view so much. Fifteen was really damn young to be casting lasting and permanent judgment on someone in my opinion. Hell, when I was fifteen… Geeze, that didn't even bear thinking about.

The simple answer was to call down the hammer once I was in a position to do so, blow the whistle, reveal her probation-breaking patrols, use of broadhead arrows, and bullying a girl to the point of a trigger event. Except this wasn't a simple situation. Brockton Bay did need all the heroes it could get and she was an effective cape…

To hell with it, that's future Mak's problem. I'll decide what to do when I meet her and get a read on the situation.

If she was redeemable in any way, then I had to take a leap of faith and try to reform her into a proper hero. If not… Well Brockton Bay didn't need 'predators' defending it's streets, it needed champions with real morals and a desire to do genuine good.

Now the big question is: Can I live up to that standard?
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I was mostly through with my morning routine and throwing on a jacket to ward off the February chill, when I got a message on my phone.

Crystal: Hey, we're outside!

Crystal: Brought coffee :)

What the hell…?

I walked out of the Overlook to find Crystal waving cheerfully at me, Amy sitting with a grumpy expression in the rather small back seat. I slid into the passenger seat and had a cup of really good smelling coffee shoved beneath my nose, followed by a breakfast sandwich.

"Not that this isn't a pleasant surprise, but what are you ladies doing here?" I asked curiously as I took a sip of the coffee. Crystal had remembered that I'd liked it well sweetened and creamy. Kudos to her for that.

"Well it occurred to me that Aunt Carol probably never told you how to actually do the whole… 'application' process and all that," Crystal explained as she put the car in gear and began driving. "And while there is a system for you to go up to one of the front desk personnel and give a whole series of code words song and dance, I convinced them to let me personally escort you via the underground parking structure. Give you some more privacy and all that. Amy is here to show her support, double check any healing you might perform (in case you somehow gained healing powers in the last couple of days), and also give you a quick top up since you were out fighting robots the other day and no doubt training like hell yesterday."

I looked at Amy, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry she talked you into this. You don't have to use your power on me if you don't want to…"

"I volunteered," Amy shrugged before slugging back her own cup of joe. "You want to put on a good first showing for the Protectorate or do you want to collapse from exhaustion before the day is over?"

"The uh, former if possible."

"Then gimme your hand, I need skin to skin contact for this to work." I offered her my hand and her eyes went out of focus as she scanned my biology. "Yup, torn muscles, bruising, some minor fractures… Geeze, you should have kept yourself in good shape before a testing day like today."

"It was kind of spur of the moment," I confessed. "I didn't mean to give you extra work or anything."

"Just don't make a habit of it. Your body needs rest." All of my aches and pains suddenly began to vanish in rapid order, one by one. "There, good as new." She chewed her lip thoughtfully, looking at me oddly for a moment. "Your brain is weird."

I blinked and then realized that she could see I was missing a Corona Pollentia and Gemma. "I keep telling people I'm magic, but they don't believe me."

"Hm. Weirdo. But you've got powers, no doubt about that, so whatever," she shrugged again with forced casualness, but I had a feeling that wouldn't be the last I'd hear of it. "All bruising and torn muscles eliminated."

"Thank you, Amy," I said with genuine gratitude, feeling so much better that it wasn't even funny. "You ever want me to buy you some booze or something, I've been told I'm a terrible influence."

She gave me a look of what must have been pure confusion, slowly blinking at me in surprise. "Isn't that kind of… illegal?"

"Only if we're caught. And that will only happen if you tattle on me."

"You have yourself a deal."

"Hey," Crystal complained, shooting me a faux dirty look. "Why don't I get booze?"

"Because I assumed as a college student, you already have a source," I replied dryly.

"Yeah, but they charge way too much of a markup," Crystal complained. "Now if I had a different source, one who owed me a little bit…"

"No need for the guilt trip, I'll buy you booze too if you ask nicely," I chuckled. "But if it's too expensive, I will make you foot the bill. Though I doubt a college student has a refined enough palette to enjoy the really good kinds of liquor that are actually worth that kind of money."

"My palette is plenty refined." She huffed at me, turning a corner at speeds that made my guts clench with terror. The knowledge that I could teleport out at a whim if I was ever in actual danger didn't give me as much comfort as I thought it might.

"Hey so uh theoretically," I began to ask carefully. "If I manifested some new bullshit powers since we last talked, how much do you think I should reveal to the PRT?"

Crystal's playful look vanished, replaced with dead seriousness. "Were you telling the truth about how much that villain Coil has infiltrated the PRT?"

"To the best of my knowledge."

"Then I'd sandbag until he was dealt with and even then keep something in reserve, most capes do," she told me. "It would be a bad idea for all your combat skills to be on file if he's as dangerous a Thinker as you claim and he isn't the only one out there. The less hard information there is on you, the better."

"Yeah, part of me is a little worried that we're in a timeline where he kidnaps and tortures me for information. Course, he'd have a hell of a time catching me now."

"Really now? Care to share?"

"You literally just told me to sandbag," I hid my grin with another slurp of really good coffee. "Maybe you'll get to see for yourself one of these days."

"Maybe," she agreed.

"Have you gotten a healing power at all?" Amy asked neutrally from the back seat, though I detected a faint undercurrent of excitement.

"Not yet, unfortunately," I said apologetically. "The minute I do though, I'll put in some hours at the hospital with you. Not all of my powers have been purely combat focused so far, so I'm really hoping I'll stumble upon a healing one eventually."

"That would be… nice," she said wistfully.

Dammit, if she wasn't such a damn good lawyer, I'd kick Carol's ass.

I scowled to myself as I mentally debated if I even could beat Brandish in a fight. On paper, sure, I was more versatile, but she had well over a decade of experience as a cape, that would count for a lot in a real fight. If I went all in right away or ambushed her with Lunatic Eyes then I could end any true fight almost instantly, but heroes didn't operate that way. Still, if it was life or death…

Then I remembered that I had just lost a fight against Uber and Leet of all people, probably the weakest capes in the Bay and slumped in embarrassment. Thinking I could take on Brandish when I couldn't even beat one of those losers, what a joke.

Besides, I should be more concerned about which villains I can actually take on at this point.

We pulled into the private parking structure beneath the PRT's headquarters and I wove an illusion around my face to make myself unrecognizable.

Both Crystal and Amy gave funny looks, but I just shrugged. "Can't be too careful. Never know who might be watching the security footage later."

Crystal understood my meaning and gave me a brief thumbs-up before leading us to a security door. She scanned a badge that said 'Affiliate Hero' on it, which opened the door after a few moments of waiting. The elevator delivered us quickly into the building and we began walking down hallways and corridors with the ease of someone who knew where they were going. I saw plenty of people who looked like simply office workers running around, but also a good number of large armored people in various states of readiness. Some looked like they were on duty, others like they were lounging or killing time.

"Some troopers are always stationed as 'on call'. They're technically not on duty, so they're kind of relaxing, but they're supposed to be ready to go just in case of an emergency situation," Crystal explained. "We're due for an Endbringer attack soon, so the streets are a little tense right now."

That sent a jolt of surprise through me. I thought that the Simurgh had attacked in January? Or was I getting dates mixed up again? Wasn't it an exact 3-4 month cycle, meaning it should have been in January? I cursed my stupid self for getting my facts mixed up, but filed it away. I was kind of hoping for Leviathan to be my first real fight, but if I had to fight one sooner… Well I just hoped I'd be able to survive.

We arrived in a nicely arranged waiting area, a sign declaring it as the office for the Director of the PRT East-Northeast Branch. As my lawyer, Carol was already there waiting. She gave a small smile and nod to both me and Crystal, but a questioning look was leveled at Amy. Mother and daughter conferred briefly. Meanwhile Crystal motioned me forward and I approached the secretary. "Good morning. My name is Magus, I believe I'm supposed to have a meeting with Director Piggot?"

The secretary, a pretty brunette woman in her thirties, glanced down at her computer screen before giving a small nod of recognition. "Yes, please feel free to wait here. We're just waiting on one more person before we can begin the meeting with Director Piggot."

I was a little surprised by that, but nodded amiably and shuffled over to one of the only somewhat comfortable waiting chairs. Maybe it was a power play or something? Keep the new potential Protectorate member waiting to make them know that Piggot was in charge?

Crystal plopped herself next to me while looking over at where Carol and Amy were having their discussion. It didn't actually look unpleasant, just… Well, it looked like two acquaintances talking, not a mother with her daughter. Both held themselves stiffly in very controlled ways. It made me feel bad for Amy, but I reminded myself that it wasn't my place to judge or stick my nose where it belonged.

"As much as I love my aunt, damn I sometimes wish Mom had adopted Amy instead of her," Crystal muttered to me quietly. "Woulda been nice to have a little sister too."

"Carol and Amy don't… click?" I asked carefully.

"They're just weird. I mean, Vicky is undoubtedly Aunt Carol's favorite, but she definitely still loves Amy from what I've seen. But she also has trust issues out the wazoo. Me, Vicky, and Eric all have a betting pool going about who Amy's real parents are. We're almost certain one was a villain with the way Aunt Carol gets sometimes, but it's just a matter of who…" She gave me a side eye glance. "And you, Mr. ' I know weird shit that I shouldn't ' have the potential to tell me if I win or lose that bet. It's definitely her father, with the way you specifically mentioned him the other day…"

"Not the time or place," I said quietly, subtly using Lunatic Eyes to make sure that none of the sound would reach Amy or Carol's ears just to be extra safe. "But if she wants to know, I'll tell her."

"I'll hold you to that," Crystal promised me.

With Lunatic Eyes activated and actively manipulating sound waves, I began to hear a new noise entering the general office clamor. Large footfalls, far heavier than an ordinary person. I began to rise from my seat, just in time to see Armsmaster himself walk into the waiting area. A brief stillness fell across the place as everyone present looked at the blue and silver armored hero before they all went back to business as usual.

Right, he's a regular part of this place. Not like they're overawed every single time they see him.

I was still struck almost full force by nerves, but I steeled myself and approached the Tinker with a calm and steady pace before offering my hand. "Hello sir. You must be the one we're waiting on. My current name is Magus, though I expect that will change soon."

Armsmaster paused at my sudden approach, but carefully reached out and took my hand and gave it a precise shake before releasing it. No doubt he must have worked hard to get that level of precision with his power armor. He smiled with a surprising amount of warmth and let out a brief chuckle. "My apologies, I was busy getting an important project wrapped up. I hope you weren't waiting too long?"

"No, not at all," I said, glancing at the now opening doors to the Director's office. "I didn't realize I'd be meeting the head of the Protectorate ENE too…"

"You're applying to join my team," he said with a mildly amused smirk. "Of course I'm going to be here too. Let's not keep the Director waiting any longer."

Armsmaster gave a cordial nod to the New Wave heroes, then ushered just me and Brandish into Director Piggot's office. The large blonde woman fixed us with a long look before nodding to the two chairs that were set before her. I sat nervously, Carol the picture of composure, while Armsmaster took up station to Piggot's right.

"I'm going to be blunt with you, Brandish," Piggot said as she didn't even give me so much as a look, just typing away at her computer. "I only took this meeting because it was a member of New Wave asking. The contract you submitted…" she tapped a finger against what must have been her copy of said contract. "Frankly, it's bullshit."

"How so, Director?" Carol asked wryly, her full 'lawyer' face on.

"You're asking for almost double the standard rate for a fresh Protectorate member, with an even higher increase in salary upon full Protectorate status with a clause allowing for renegotiation at any time pending 'new powers'." She finally looked at us, eyes hard. "That's even assuming his powers work the way you seem to think they do and aren't just temporary. He's had these abilities for less than a week, for all he knows they'll start disappearing."

"And yet, even if they do disappear as you say, the powers he'll gain to replace them would still make him an extremely versatile and capable addition to the Protectorate's roster," Carol countered.

Piggot smiled grimly. "This is a clear case of 'too good to be true.' No cape can have as high of a ceiling as what you're claiming in these papers."

"Just like Dauntless?" I spoke for the first time, Carol giving me a warning look. "I know it's hard to believe ma'am, but the powers are real, I even gained some new ones after my fight with Uber and Leet that I would be happy to demonstrate."

"Perhaps later," Piggot said with a flat tone. "But let's move onto you, 'Magus'. I won't beat around the bush: The PRT and therefore the Protectorate, is a government organization, which means we have things like budgets. Why do you deserve to be paid so much more than other heroes, other heroes that have proven and rather impressive track records? What do you bring to the table other than vague promises and decent, but untested power? Why should I devote such a large chunk of my already tight budget to just you?"

The words made me pause as I considered them. I thought about how to spin it, how to hype myself up, how to sell myself and I just… couldn't. I'd never been good at that kind of stuff. "Since you're being so upfront ma'am, I will too: I don't think I deserve the salary that the contract is presenting." Carol shot me a furious look at the admission, but I soldiered on. "I haven't accomplished anything yet as a hero. I don't deserve anything special at this point. Frankly, the only reason I secured Mrs. Dallon's service was because her niece suggested it rather strongly. I've never made more than thirty grand a year, so even the junior Protectorate rate looks amazing, let alone a full member's salary. So… what do I need to do to join up? If paying my asking rate is too much of a burden, I'm willing to be flexible. It's not out of greed, just… necessity. I've got quite a bit of student debt built up and I'd like to be able to move on with life instead of being dragged down by the past."

Carol was fuming by this point at what was basically me rolling over and showing my belly, but Armsmaster was giving me an appraising look and Piggot frowned thoughtfully as she listened. "Not a lot of people would actively talk themselves down like that. Or outright say they were alright with less money."

I smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Never had the most self esteem and never really needed that much money, my tastes aren't too expensive."

Piggot tapped the top of the desk thoughtfully, mulling over my words and looking over the prospective contract. "Here's my counteroffer and it's the best I can do with the way things are: You'll start out with a full Protectorate salary, though with the usual lack of security clearances until you've proven yourself. Once you've been with us for a year or put in a sufficient enough amount of hours and patrols and we've seen better how your powers work, then we'll talk about a possible increase in your salary. You'll receive the same benefits and perks as a member of the Protectorate and as a show of good faith, I'll arrange for your student debt to be paid off as a lump sum signing bonus."

It honestly sounded pretty good to me when put that way… I looked at Carol and she gave the slightest of nods. She'd been working with Piggot for a while, so I trusted her opinion. "I'm willing to accept those terms, though I want at least some measure of input on my costume and branding."

"Every member of the Protectorate gets a say in those sorts of details," Piggot replied. "Do you have anything to add, Armsmaster?"

The hero looked at me for a long moment, then shook his head. "If Magus' abilities are accurate as described in the contract and he accepts power testing and training, then the Protectorate ENE would be happy to have him."

"Excellent," Piggot nodded. "Do you have anything else to say before we arrange for the power testing?"

"Yes ma'am, if I might have permission to use one of my powers first though?"

"For what purpose?"

"What I'm about to say next is of a sensitive nature and I'd like to be as sure as possible that only you and Armsmaster know about it."

Piggot frowned thoughtfully, glanced at Armsmaster, who gave a small nod, then gestured for me to get on with it.

Permission given, I activated Lunatic Eyes and threw up a field that would basically redirect all sound to just their ears, not even Carol was able to hear my next words. "As you might have seen in the part listing my current arsenal of powers, I have an illusion ability. That is… very much an oversimplification. I control 'waves' of all kinds, including sound, so right now I'm making sure we can't be overheard. The PRT has been heavily compromised by the supervillain known as Coil, ma'am."

"How do you know that?" Armsmaster asked, taking a small step forward.

Oh boy. Time to gamble. "When I first triggered I saw the future or at least some version of it. Very detailed in some ways, vague in others, but it was as if I was seeing the perspective of a recently triggered parahuman among some other brief glimpses from other people. In this vision, she began to work for the Undersiders, who are being sponsored by Coil. Through this, I know his power, his goals, and his secret identity. The man has no real respect for the unwritten rules, so I don't think it would be a breach of them to reveal that his real name is Thomas Calvert, an old acquaintance of yours, Director. I also know the identities of basically the entire Protectorate and Wards team," I said as apologetically as I could.

"Is that right?" Piggot asked suspiciously. "Care to prove that?"

"Certainly. I'm sorry Armsmaster, but I know that your real name is Collin Wallis. I know Assault's name is Ethan, Miss Militia is Hannah, Dauntless is Shawn, Velocity is Robin- You get the idea. I'm sure that with his position and power, Coil also knows all of this." I gave a quick summary of Coil's power, which made both Piggot and Armsmaster look increasingly uneasy.

"Ever since he established himself, we've had a hell of a time getting any information on Coil," Armsmaster admitted grudgingly. "Having the power he does and such a deep infiltration of the PRT, well, it makes sense if what he says is true," he told the Director.

Piggot tapped the top of her desk and stared me down. "If what you've said is true, then you'll have the thanks of the PRT. However I have to operate on a 'trust, but verify' policy when it comes to parahuman abilities, especially Thinkers."

I dipped my head in acknowledgement. "I understand ma'am."

"Good. Then for now we'll proceed with the contract as we've amended it. HR will begin the process of all the various paperwork and forms, billing information, etc… the only matter now is your identity. It will be known only to myself and Armsmaster, I'll keep it out of our computer system until such a time as Coil has been neutralized."

I nodded and then dropped the illusion. "My name is Makanaokeakua Inouye, but please, just call me Mak."

"Thank you for putting your faith in the Protectorate, Mak," Armsmaster said seriously. "Many capes would have tried to go the independent route, especially if what you've told us about Coil's infiltration is true."

"The PRT and Protectorate aren't perfect, but I still hold immense respect for both organizations and I believe I can contribute meaningfully," I said as respectfully as I could. Not to mention that having resources and backup would be especially nice… "So power testing?"

"Power testing," Armsmaster confirmed. "We'll be taking a PRT van to the Rig where we have the proper facilities, not to mention it's far enough out in the Bay that anything destructive won't be in danger of hurting the Downtown area."

"Makes sense," I stood along with Carol who did not look happy at me in the slightest. "Thank you, Mrs. Dallon, for your assistance."

Her frown softened slightly. "I wish you'd pushed harder for the original terms of the contract, but I suppose being less greedy is a rather admirable trait in a hero. Ultimately, it is your path to follow. I hope you'll be amiable to working alongside New Wave should the chance arrive."

"I will," I smiled slightly. "And I'll be more than happy to contribute to Amy's work should the right powers come to me. Special abilities can be used for more than just fighting and destruction."

"If only more parahumans had your attitude," Carol said humorlessly. "I'll send you an invoice and you can pay me once your first few checks roll in." She gave one last small nod to the Director before seeing herself out.

Piggot meanwhile gave me and Armsmaster a shooing gesture and began muttering something about paperwork.

I followed behind Armsmaster as we made our way to a different level of the PRT's underground parking structure, far more security and precautions around. "Once we get to the Rig we can put you into the system. You already possess a Mover power, correct?"

"Yes sir, super jumps," I confirmed.

He gave another one of those warm chuckles that I was beginning to suspect he practiced. "No need for that 'sir' stuff when we're not in the field, though I appreciate the attempt at professionalism. The Director didn't see fit to share your contract with me, so I only gleaned bits and pieces. What exactly are your powers?"

"I'm like a cross between Eidolon and Dauntless. Every so often I gain charges, which then translate into random powers. Three days ago all I had was the future stuff. Now I'm a low-tier Striker, Mover, and Shaker."

Armsmaster shot me an incredulous look, actually stopping mid-stride to fully face me. "And you let the Director amend whatever contract Brandish had written up?" He demanded with sudden forcefulness. "Kid, that is a remarkably strong ability if those powers are permanent."

"Yeah, but it's useless if I get myself killed." I shifted nervously on my feet. "The day that I triggered, I got a little too cocky. Didn't watch where I was drinking or who I was pissing off with my appearance and I almost got beat to death by a couple of thugs because I didn't have any useful powers at the time. I need a team, a support network, and I'm sure as hell not going villain, so the Protectorate it is."

I could practically see the gears turning in Armsmaster's head. What happened when I didn't need a team, when I was strong enough to stand on my own two feet? He must have come to the conclusion I had already decided on, because he simply nodded and continued on.

If they show me loyalty, then I'll do the same.
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