A Darker Path
Part One Hundred One: The Eve of Battle – Making Connections
[A/N: This chapter beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]
Lord Street Boardwalk
T minus 11 h 35 min
Ash
When Ashley Stillons' job description still read 'supervillain', she had decried the idea of rising early, especially on a day when it wasn't necessary to get up and go to work. But she'd been talking to people on the worksite—it was amazing how much of an ice-breaker handing out those cupcakes had proven to be—and they'd assured her that sunrise over the Bay was spectacular, especially now that spring was well and truly under way. So this morning, she'd gotten up, put on her new sneakers as well as a light coat, and caught the bus down to the waterfront.
Leaning on the fence that separated the Boardwalk from the beach, gazing out to sea, she had to admit they'd been right on the money. It was gorgeous, in a way that she'd never been able to appreciate before, particularly on the times she'd been forced to pull an all-nighter due to accidentally destroying her own bed. Even the sunlight glancing off the force field over the Protectorate base made for a pretty light show.
Look at me. She let a grin slip over her face as she continued to enjoy the early morning view. Used to be, I couldn't see a Protectorate base without wanting to blast a hole in it. Now it's just a nice part of the scenery.
When her phone vibrated in her pocket—now that her current diet was allowing her to gain a healthy amount of weight, she was experimenting with wearing jeans—she tugged it out and swiped to answer without taking her eyes away from the ocean. "You've got Ashley."
"Hi. You're having a good day, it sounds like."
Ashley instinctively straightened up and glanced around. No black-clad capes loitered nearby, pretending to look elsewhere. Also, Atropos had sounded positively upbeat, which was probably a good thing.
"I am, actually. Got up to watch the sunrise. First time ever. Might just make a habit of it." There were a lot of other things she'd never done before; she was considering making a list and working her way down it.
"Well, that's nice. I'm glad. The reason I'm calling is, did you have plans for this afternoon, going into the evening?" Atropos' approval sounded entirely sincere, which gave Ashley a warm feeling; even the question that followed didn't give her reason to worry. Whatever was going on, Atropos surely had her reasons.
"Well, I was going to stay home, watch some TV and try out a few new recipes, but what did you have in mind? Another Teacher job?" The last one had been fun, even before all the shit got ripped out of her head (one of these days, she was going to have to find Scapegoat and give him a big wet kiss) and dumped into Teacher's.
"Not a job as such. Just a meet and greet, talking to people who've had a rough deal, and maybe sharing a few stories. Interested?"
Once more, Ashley was struck by the contrast with how she thought these days and what she'd been like before the Teacher job. Then, she would've sneered and dismissed the idea. If they couldn't do anything for her, why should she put herself out for them?
Now, it was a totally different story. This 'empathy' thing Atropos talked about was definitely a game-changer.
"Sure, I can do that," she agreed readily. "When and where, and who am I meeting?"
"Just come to the PRT building, around three. They'll be expecting you. I'll meet you on the roof. We'll be teleporting to Philly to meet a bunch of ex-capes, who got stuck with shitty powers. They're learning how to survive in society again."
Ashley figured she could read between the lines easily enough. "You got rid of their powers for them, didn't you? Yeah, I'll totally be there." She wasn't quite sure why Atropos was going out of her way for these people, but she certainly wasn't going to argue with the very scary mass murderer over the matter.
Besides, it sounded like fun.
"Excellent. I truly appreciate it. See you there. Toodles." The end-call chime sounded in Ashley's ear.
She put the phone away and leaned once more on the fence, looking out to sea. The sun was a little higher in the sky now, sifting sunbeams through the clouds that hung out over the ocean. It was still quite beautiful, and now she had something interesting to look forward to in the afternoon.
Screw being a supervillain, she decided. I'll take this, all day long.
Dallon Household
T minus 11 h 33 min
Brandish
"Aww, isn't he a cutie? You like that, don't you? Yes, you do." Vicky cooed over Smaug, scratching him behind the jaw as he accepted a couple of blueberries from her fingers.
The bearded dragon seemed to take the attention in his stride, half-closing his eyes as he chewed the fruit. Amy, who had brought him down to the table draped over her neck in the first place, snorted softly and rolled her eyes. Carol glanced over at Mark, who didn't seem to have noticed the lizard on the table yet.
Okay, fine. If no-one else is going to say something, then I will.
Carol had been working at being less of a martinet within her own family since her thoroughly illuminating talk with Amy, but some things were simply unacceptable, and one of those things was a bearded dragon at the breakfast table. Pointed glances hadn't worked, so she'd have to say something. The trouble was, the time to say something had been five minutes ago, and she hadn't spoken up then.
Still, better late than never. "Vicky, stop playing with Amy's pet at the table. Amy, take the lizard back upstairs."
Vicky went straight to puppy-dog eyes, making her look about ten years old. "Aw, c'mon, Mom. He's not causing any problems. It's not like he's stealing your bacon. Anyway, his name's Smaug."
"I don't care what his name is." Carol was aware that she'd lost the conversational initiative, but decided to try logic and reason before unleashing the all-inclusive 'because I said so'. "It's unhygienic to have animals on the table while we're eating."
Amy raised her chin a little. "Actually, I made sure he was clean all over before I brought him down. He just finished moulting, and I wanted everyone to see how bright and shiny his scales are." She shot her sister a dirty look. "Then Vicky hijacked him."
"I did not." Vicky put on a superior air. "He just likes me better, is all."
"I—" Carol broke off as her phone rang. She delved in her purse for it as she stood up from her chair: one of the rules of the Dallon household was that nobody carried on a telephone conversation at the table. "By the time I finish this call, Smaug had better be back upstairs where he belongs."
She was trying hard not to frown as she accepted the call, especially when she saw who it was from. Facial expressions, as she well knew, affected the tone of voice. The last thing she wanted was for Atropos to decide that Carol was upset with her.
"Hi, Mrs Dallon. Looks like I caught you just in time." Atropos' tone was as chirpy as ever.
"I'm sorry … what exactly do you mean by that?" There was no doubt in Carol's mind that Atropos was pulling some kind of shenanigans: the multi-million-dollar question was 'what?'.
"Well, I was going to ask if the girls could come and help me out a little. See, the Parahuman Asylum in Philadelphia has a bunch of inmates who've suddenly lost their problematic powers and are thus eligible for release. They're currently re-acclimating to society, but they're not sure of themselves. So, I was thinking Amy and Vicky could come and talk to them about the problems they're facing, and maybe offer a few suggestions. If that's okay with you, I mean?"
Carol raised her eyebrows. The phrase 'suddenly lost their powers' sounded suspicious as hell to her, given that the only person on Earth known to be able to kill powers was currently on the other end of the phone call. But that wasn't her main point of concern. "So … just talk to them? They're all depowered?"
"Totally depowered. Amy will be perfectly safe. Plus, I'll be bringing other capes along." She heard a grin creep into Atropos' voice. "If it makes things easier, you could think of it as community service for Vicky."
That decided her. "You make an excellent point. She does need to learn adult responsibility sooner or later. But this is in Philadelphia, you say?" Even at Vicky's best flight speed, it would be a four-hour trip. Of course, Atropos could teleport, which would make things much easier. "How are they getting there?"
"Have them meet me on the roof of the PRT building, about three o'clock this afternoon. We'll be going through into the evening. Don't worry; I'll be there to keep an eye on them the whole time, and I'll bring them back afterward."
"Strangely enough, I do trust you in that matter. They'll be there." She had no idea what had originally prompted Atropos to take Amy and then Vicky under her wing (so to speak) but their excursions had made for fascinating discussions over the dinner table, and had given Carol some truly sobering insights into Atropos' capabilities.
"Excellent. I'll see you around. Toodles."
Phone in hand, Carol turned back toward the table. The lizard had vanished from the table, and she could hear the sound of Amy's footsteps upstairs. Vicky, in the meantime, sat there with an expression suggesting that butter wouldn't even consider melting in her mouth.
"That was Atropos." With an inner smile, she caught Vicky's start of surprise. "She made a request of me that I intend to honour. You and your sister will be going to Philadelphia this afternoon …"
PRT Building, Director's Office
T minus 11 h 17 min
Director Paul Renick
Paul's first cup of coffee for the day steamed gently as he booted up his laptop. He did not anticipate a particularly hectic weekend. The cape gangs were long since gone, outside influences had gotten the message that Brockton Bay was a no-go zone for cape crime, and even the non-cape criminals were being mopped up on a daily basis by the rejuvenated BBPD, with occasional assistance from the Protectorate and Wards.
Petty crime still happened—with the advent of Spring Break, there would be an influx of bored school-age children on the street, with a concomitant uptick in shoplifting and minor vandalism—but even that would be less of an issue than what had been the norm during school hours, back before January. Between the increased vigilance of the police and the fact that even the most disaffected of youth now had extra spending money, crime had never recovered from the cliff it had fallen off in the aftermath of the first week of the year.
To put it as bluntly as possible: there was a carrot, and there was a stick. Nobody wanted the stick, and the carrot was actually pretty damn attractive.
Taking up his cup, Paul sipped from it, then put it down before opening the email containing the morning's skim sheet. Emily had warned him before she left to never be eating or drinking anything when he first laid eyes on it, if only because cleaning off one's screen and keyboard was a tedious endeavour. Paul had taken up the habit and continued to do so; even though nothing spit-take-worthy had shown up yet during his tenure, that didn't mean this would continue to be the case.
(The Goddess incident might have qualified if he'd learned about it first thing in the morning, but thankfully nothing else had.)
The first item was an overview of the progress of the Brockton Bay Betterment Committee work sites over the last twenty-four hours. It wasn't really part of his purview, and there was precious little he could do to help if they did have a problem, but he liked to read about it anyway. Things were reportedly progressing on time and on budget, which would've counted as a minor miracle anywhere else, but was apparently par for the course with the Committee.
He was just looking over the next item—a report on patrols done and incidents noted—when his phone rang. Curious, he picked it up, then blinked when he saw the name in the caller ID.
"Hello, Atropos," he said, putting the phone on speaker and setting it down. At the same time, he nudged the audio record button under the desk with his knee. "How may I help you?"
"Well, to be honest, I was wondering if I could borrow a few of your Wards this afternoon," she replied cheerfully, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Which, to be honest, for her … it was. "Kind of a PR thing, in Philadelphia."
"Give me one second, please." He clicked through a few menus in his computer until he reached the Wards' roster for the day. "Who did you think you might need?"
"Your most relatable ones, if you can spare any of them. Vista, Miss Medic, Tenebrae, Kid Win, Chariot, Browbeat. The ones who haven't had it easy."
She could certainly pick them, he was forced to admit. "Let me see … Vista's due for a console shift and Kid Win was going on patrol. He prefers console, so I can rotate her out of the roster and let Browbeat go out with Gallant, to get his hours up. Tenebrae and Miss Medic were off-shift already, so I'll contact them and ask if they want to come along. Chariot's still in training, so I can't really authorise him to go, I'm afraid."
"No, that's fine." Her tone was as upbeat as ever. "I appreciate the assist. Vista and I get along pretty well, and Miss Medic and Tenebrae and I go back a ways. They'll do great." Apparently as an afterthought, she added, "Just so you know, I've got a few others coming along too."
He'd known about Tenebrae and Miss Medic, but the information about Vista was new to him. "Well, that's good to hear. When do you need them by, and when can I expect them back?"
"Oh, I've arranged to meet the other capes on the roof of the PRT building at three this afternoon. If you can let your troopers know about this, and have the Wards up there at that time, it'll make things a lot easier. They'll be coming back sometime this evening, once everything winds down. Don't worry, I'll make sure everyone gets home safely."
"I do appreciate it. So, what exactly is happening? You mentioned something about public relations …?" He hadn't heard of anything of note due to happen in Philadelphia, but that didn't really mean anything. Once Atropos decided something was going to happen, it happened.
"It's nothing official. I'm just doing Jessica Yamada a solid. The parahuman asylum just recently had a bunch of people transition to outpatient status, and I thought it would do them good to speak to some capes who also haven't had it the easiest. People who can relate to them and make suggestions for coping mechanisms. It'll also be educational for the Wards in general."
Paul had met Mrs Yamada in her professional capacity, and considered her to be rather effective in her field. Somehow, it didn't surprise him that Atropos both knew of her and respected her. "I'm sure it will. Also, thank you for giving me the heads-up on this. We both know that if you'd just asked, they would've come along whether I wanted them to or not." An image formed in his head of Atropos, somehow playing on a flute like the Pied Piper, leading the Wards out of the building to some adventure or other.
Her tone changed slightly, suggesting that she'd just smiled. "Yeah, but they'd at least let you know where they were gonna be. Also, Vista would do her best to make sure someone could cover her shift. She's responsible like that."
"She is indeed." Paul considered what he'd already been told, and decided there was only one good reason for them to all meet on the rooftop. "I presume you're going to be teleporting them there and back?"
She didn't sound at all surprised that he'd guessed. "That's the plan, yes. Now, I've got other things to take care of, and I assume you've got work to do, so I'll see you later. Toodles."
"Goodbye," he said, before he realised the call had already ended. Leaning back in his chair, he thought about the situation for a moment, then called another number.
"Operations. What do you need, sir?"
Paul mentally girded his loins. This was going to be an interesting one to explain. "I just got a phone call from Atropos. We may be getting some visitors this afternoon …"
Outside the PRT Building
T minus 4 h 58 min
Ash
It was just coming up to three when Ashley got off the bus and approached the frontage of the PRT building. She was wearing her best 'casual mingling' outfit, her hair had been freshly shampooed and brushed until it shone, and she'd even given herself a touch of lipstick and eyeshadow, as guided by several Youtube clips. Outwardly, she looked pretty damn good. But as she stared up at the imposing building, she began to wonder if this was really a smart idea.
I don't want to let Atropos down, but what if they decide to just arrest me when I walk in there? I mean, technically I'm still a wanted criminal.
The fact that in her old life, she would've stomped right in there and laid waste to the building just to prove a point was not lost on her. Things were different now. She had a life here, a good position with the Committee; the last thing she wanted to do was jeopardise that.
"Hey." The voice came from just behind her. She looked around, to see a teenage girl wearing a stylish beret and a pastel pink cloth mask. "You'd be Ashley, right? Atropos told me all about you."
Ashley blinked. "You know her?" Of all the people she would've expected to have close contact with Atropos, this girl did not fit the description. Aside from the mask and the beret, she wore a floral blouse, a denim skirt and knee-high brown leather boots: about as far from a costume as could be expected. "Who are you?"
"Oh, sorry." The girl held out her hand. "You can call me Cherish. I'm a reformed supervillain, too. One of Heartbreaker's, until I ran away. He followed me here, Atropos brutally murdered him, and I've been learning how to be a normal human being ever since." She gave Ashley a beaming smile.
As she shook Cherish's hand, Ashley snorted in amusement. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like her. Nice to meet you. You're going to Philly too?"
"That's the idea. Now, let's see how good Director Renick's word is." Cherish turned and headed for the front doors of the building. Finding her self-confidence boosted by Cherish's proximity, Ashley followed along.
The doors rumbled aside for them, and climate-controlled air folded around them as they stepped into the lobby. While Ashley eyed the troopers along the wall (who were almost certainly eyeing her right back, from behind their opaque faceplates), Cherish ignored them and marched straight over to the reception desk.
"Hi," she announced. "Two to go to the roof. We're meeting Atropos there."
"Ah, yes. Of course." The receptionist sounded dubious, but it was clear she had a script to work from. "You're just in time. Elevator four will take you up there."
"Thank you." Cherish gave her the same kind of smile that she'd given Ashley, a little earlier. "C'mon, Ash. We don't want to keep Our Lady in Darkness waiting."
Ashley blinked at that, but she followed Cherish to the appropriate elevator, which opened as they approached it. Once they stepped inside, the button marked 'ROOF' was already illuminated; the doors interleaved shut, and the floor numbers started scrolling upward. Ashley was impressed by the fact that she felt no sensation of extra weight, but that was probably a Tinkertech thing.
"Are you in her cult?" she asked quietly, not wanting to pry but still interested in knowing. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, but—" But you seem a lot more normal than the rest of them. Ash had seen some of the Followers around; they were a little bit creepy, but at least they didn't preach on street corners. Also, they wore little pendants shaped like shears, and Cherish didn't have anything like that on her.
Grinning, Cherish shook her head. "Hah, no. That was just so they'd hurry us along. I respect the hell out of the Followers, but that's not for me. I'm just a member of the fan club." The elevator doors opened as smoothly as they'd closed, showing the rooftop beyond a set of glass doors. "Oh, hey. We're here."
They exited the elevator, then stepped out between the glass doors as they opened. There were two PRT guards here, who only paid cursory attention to them. This was probably because Atropos was already there, chatting casually with Vicky Dallon. Also present were Panacea (wearing T-shirt and jeans), as well as three of the Wards: Vista, Tenebrae and Miss Medic.
"Oh, hi!" Miss Medic came straight over to them, with Tenebrae trailing behind. "It's good to see you again … Ashley? Or would you prefer Damsel?" Her beaming smile rivalled Cherish's for intensity.
"Ashley, please. Or Ash. Damsel is long gone in my rear-view." Ashley impulsively hugged the ten-year-old. "I just want to thank you and Panacea for what you did for me."
"You're totally welcome." Miss Medic returned the hug, then stood back and took stock of her. "Wow, you're really looking a lot better than you were before. You're sleeping and eating better?"
Ashley nodded firmly, a grin breaking out over her own lips. "Oh, you have no idea. I'm cooking now. And working with the Committee. Friday afternoon, I helped pull down Winslow."
"I can totally back her up on the cooking thing," Vicky remarked, strolling over and putting an arm over Ashley's shoulders. "You should try her pork cutlets. They're amazeballs."
Atropos cleared her throat, and everyone looked over to her as she pointed to a spot on the roof. "Okay, then," she announced. "Now that everyone's here, I'm about to open a portal to Philadelphia right there. Vista, you're the only one here who hasn't been through one; just step on through, like it's a doorway. We will have eight seconds for everyone to get through, so no dawdling, okay?"
Cherish tilted her head. "Wait a minute. I thought your portals had a four-second limit." She looked around at the others. "Right?"
"Ah, no," Panacea said. "First time I used one of her portals, it was open for something like forty seconds. So it's variable, yeah?"
Atropos nodded. "It involves safety specs that I normally prefer not to exceed. Anyway, the order of movement: Tenebrae, Miss Medic and Vista, Amy and Vicky, Ashley and Cherish, then me." She pointed to the spot she'd already indicated. "Three. Two. One. Go." At the word 'go', she snapped her fingers, and the portal appeared.
Tenebrae was already moving, with Miss Medic right behind him, tugging Vista along. Each in turn vanished as they stepped into the shadowy doorway, followed up by Panacea and Vicky. Then it was Ashley's turn, moving forward with Cherish at her side. She'd done this before, so it was no great leap of faith to step into the portal.
Whatever awaited on the other side, she was looking forward to it.
End of Part One Hundred One