Chapter 10

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

As I patiently waited on the phone, line ringing, I felt some power offer itself to me. Actually useful this time.

Psychic Abilities - Psychokinesis (One Dot) [World of Darkness, 100cp]: 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.

Also known as "telekinesis" this ability allows the psychic to move objects with their mind, so long as they can see them. Lifting multiple objects is exponentially more difficult.

[1] At this level, the psychokinetic's power is extremely weak, allowing them to move only a few pounds worth of objects, at a maximum rate of 7 yards per three seconds.

700cp-100= 600 cp remaining

Telekinesis? Don't mind if I do. The other star offered me… cheese magic. A waste of points if I've ever seen one.

"What do you want?" Lisa growled as she picked up the phone. She sounded like she was in pain.

"Are you alright?" I asked worriedly, not having been prepared for her to snap like that.

She inhaled sharply and I heard the effort in her voice to hold back the caustic tone. "I… might have been underestimating the PRT's security measures," she admitted. "It took a lot more out of me than I thought it would to get you that address. Got a killer headache. Not going to be able to help you for a minute if that's what you're after."

"It is, but it isn't- well it is urgent, but not for my sake. Shadow Stalker, the Ward, bullied a girl into triggering and is still going. I don't exactly have concrete evidence other than the girl's word, so I was hoping you could do some digging."

Another quick intake of breath and this time, Lisa's voice was shaking from barely concealed anger. "I'm not a real PI, Mak. You'd be better off hiring someone with the actual skills."

"I wouldn't trust a PI. I do trust you though. I'm not asking for this today or even this week, just as quick as you possibly can. The quicker I can get Shadow Stalker in juvie like she deserves or at least somewhere like a containment zone where she can't hurt anyone, the better. I know she's already tried to kill Grue at least once."

I heard a sigh, then the sounds of typing. "Not even gonna ask how you know that. Give me a name to start with, the victim's, that way I'm not breaking any of the rules."

"Her name is Taylor Hebert. Start with a girl named Emma Barnes and go from there."

"Will do. My head is killing me, so don't expect this right away, but… yeah." Her voice hardened. "Any sick bitch who makes someone trigger is fair game in my book."

"Awesome. Keep track of the hours and bill me. I'm good for it, especially now that I have an income."

"I still probably make more money than you. Thanks though, I'll do that. Take care of yourself."

"You too. Oh and Lisa?"

"Hm?"

"Coil's going to regret screwing with us." I grinned to myself and traced a faint line through the scrying pool with the tip of a finger.

"... Thanks."

She hung up, leaving me staring at a faint image of Coil in the waters of my scrying pool. I had experimented with my curses across the city (or wherever it was that the snake was currently lurking) and I had concluded with the use of two of his four hairs that I had, that said hairs definitely strengthened the curses. I'd experiment once with the itching curse I'd devised and again with a laxative curse. The hair wasn't necessary, but they extended both the duration and intensity of whatever curse I used. The look of mortification on the bastard's face as he shit himself while in the middle of a meeting with his mercenary officers was priceless.

I'm gonna do the same thing to Kaiser, I thought to myself gleefully, already planning my… I guess not vengeance, maybe call it a vindictive kick in the dick? I hated Nazis on general principle and wanted them out of my new city ASAP.

Important phone call taken care of, I began to go about the rest of my day.

A neat little fact about the Protectorate that I learned: Our hours were super flexible. Oh there were mandatory events and such, sure, but there wasn't strictly speaking a true patrol schedule or even standardized routes. There were certain guidelines, but generally speaking you finalized your official route and time with Console right before you went on patrol. This had the benefit of keeping criminals on their toes, after all if there were specific times and routes that we took consistently, it would make it trivial for criminals to avoid or even ambush us if they were feeling particularly feisty. We also coordinated via a physical and digital whiteboard (double verification that way) on who was going on patrol vs who was staying 'on call' at base, ready to be deployed at the drop of a hat in case of an emergency. With the way the system worked, the Protectorate always had at least a few heroes taking some time off because we were technically federal employees with all the rights that entailed.

My first real patrol was going to be the easiest kind: A daytime stroll on the Boardwalk. Basically, I was going to be starting the process of reworking my public image. While most online chatter was overall positive, I had definitely taken some backlash for my rather unorthodox introduction to the public eye. That was scheduled for the next day though, so I spent the rest of Tuesday training and going over some last minute PR coaching with Gwen and Stacy. Basic stuff like 'smile a lot' and 'ignore hecklers' and 'be nice to kids'.

I was so intent on getting all of my stuff done that I ignored my phone. Which turned out to be a mistake. A pair of girls were waiting for me when I walked back into the Overlook, normally something I'd welcome. The rather murderous looks on their faces… Less welcome.

Crystal and Amy lounged in the lobby, Crystal tapping a foot impatiently while Amy scrolled on her phone, though the fingers on her free hand tapped rhythmically against the side of her chair in a similar manner to Crystal's foot.

I blinked when I saw them and plopped into a chair too. "Hey ladies. What're y'all doin' here?" I drawled curiously.

Crystal took a long, patient breath and then smiled. It wasn't the nice kind. "Mak. You almost died. Then, instead of, you know, calling your friends to let them know you're awake and okay, you just go on about your routine. We didn't hear that you were officially awake and okay until Gallant told Victoria that he'd seen you running around HQ earlier today. Then you ignore all our calls and texts. I get that you're busy and wouldn't expect you to like, drop everything to come hang out or patrol, but a simple call or text that you were alive would have been appreciated."

I felt a pang of guilt. She was right, it hadn't even crossed my mind. "Sorry about that. Just been really distracted. Bombs and all that. Fun stuff."

"Which is why I'm calmly just asking you to be a bit more communicative in the future instead of throttling you," Crystal said dryly. "Anyway, you busy tonight? I figured with all that bomb nonsense out of the way we could, you know… talk about Amy's stuff."

Oh. I sucked in a breath and shot a look over to the healer who seemed to burrow deeper into her hoody. "I guess there really isn't such a thing as an ideal time for this. Don't want to wait for the weekend?"

"If it's really that bad, I'll just skip school," Amy said quietly with a small shrug. "But seeing how your luck has turned out, you'll be knee deep in some kind of war with the Empire by this weekend, so I'd rather you just told me what you seem to know about my birth parents now."

I started in surprise. "How did you-?"

"Crystal said I was going to bill you for therapy ice cream and booze. The only thing in my life that could get that kind of reaction would be finding out who my real parents are," Amy deduced. "So…?"

I winced. "Let's move this conversation to my suite."

We settled ourselves in the sitting room of my pseudo-apartment and I pulled out a couple bottles of booze and a tub of ice cream that I'd stashed away. Amy went to take a bite when I just decided to pull the pin. "Your dad is The Marquis."

Amy paused, stared at her bowl, then poured a generous helping of whiskey into it. "Continue."

"Riiiighhhht." God her hangover is going to be bad tomorrow, isn't it? Eh, healing magecraft. "So your mom was one of Marquis' groupies, just a fling really. I don't actually know her name, like I keep saying, weirdly specific knowledge. Anyway, she had you, but when you were little she got cancer and took you to Marquis so that you'd have at least one parent in your life. Then when you were about six…" I paused, debating if I should keep going.

"Thats when New Wave took down Marquis, right?" Crystal supplied from her seat, taking a swig of hard lemonade.

"Yeah, but it's kind of bad how they took him down."

I squirmed uncomfortably while Amy stared intently. She reached over and took a shot of whiskey straight from the bottle. "Just tell me." There was a note of pleading desperation combined with resignation in her voice.

"They found out his secret identity and then the entire team ambushed him in his home. He would have won too, except Brandish noticed that he was fighting to defend a closet- the one where you were hiding. She tried to launch a strike there and he took the hit, injuring him badly enough to force a surrender. He begged them to take you in so that his enemies wouldn't find you."

There was a small quiver to her voice when Amy spoke. "You're telling me that the team that prides itself on accountability and doing things by the book, broke the unwritten rules, took me from my father, and no doubt fudged a lot of paperwork and facts in order to adopt me?"

"That's the long and short of it," I agreed grimly. "Brandish is a bitch and a hypocrite. She looks at you and sees Marquis, thinks you'll turn out just like him and is probably waiting for any excuse to justify that viewpoint. Except I'm pretty sure she still loves you in a fucked up way, she's just shit at expressing it thanks to her trigger." I took a small drink of whiskey myself. "Marquis reminded her of the man that made her trigger. Kind of polite and such, but still a ruthless killer. Stockholm Syndrome sucks."

Crystal let out a breath and finished her drink before opening a fresh one. "Damn, I'm learning far more about my aunt than I needed to. What else have you got?"

I resisted the urge to destroy a marriage or two and just shrugged. "That's about all that's relevant to Amy and that I'm comfortable sharing with you in the room too."

That made Amy freeze like a deer in headlights and Crystal frown. "What do you mean?"

"I know some other stuff, but it's just Amy's business," I clarified. "So either I'll talk about it with her later or you can get gone."

"Could you give us a minute, Crystal?" Amy asked, voice tense. "Maybe fly down the road and grab some mint and chip?"

Crystal's eyes were narrowed in suspicion, but she relented, shooting me a warning glance and a 'I'm watching you' gesture.

Once her cousin was gone, Amy sunk even deeper into her chair, practically burying herself beneath a blanket and pillow. "What do you know?" There was fear in her voice. Real, terrible fear.

"I know you have a huge crush on Vicky," I said gently. "And no, I don't think it's that weird, she's like, the one good thing in your life. I know you've been sandbagging immensely with your powers and that it's eating you alive inside. And I'm telling you now: It's not your fault."

She ducked her head, refusing to meet my eyes. "I'm a fucking creepy psycho, you don't gotta be nice to me just because you think I'm some time bomb."

I got out of my seat and kneeled in front of her. "Amy, I'm not going to lie: You have the potential to be a monster. I've seen it, among other things." I saw her flinch at that, but pressed on. "But there were a lot of factors involved in that possible future, including what basically amounted to a Master." I didn't give a single fuck if Jack Slash really caused Amy to do her… thing to Vicky, but I chose to believe that she was only pushed that far due to Broadcast shenanigans. "You are a good person, just having intrusive thoughts doesn't change that."

I decided to take a leap of faith and be honest. "Does having the potential to be evil automatically make you evil? No, because anyone can be pushed down that path. It's the choices we make that matter. I'm going to let you in on a secret. Give me your hand for a moment?" She slowly complied and I grasped her hand lightly so that I knew she had a read on my biology. "You aren't the only one who can affect brains."

A beat of silence, then she peaked up at me. "You're telling the truth."

"Mhm. The same power that lets me manipulate sound and light waves? It's a conceptual power, any kind of 'wave' can be controlled, including brainwaves." I gave her a serious look. "Does having the sudden thought of 'hm, I can control someone's mind' make me a bad person?"

"N-no, people have intrusive thoughts all the time, like when you're driving and you just think 'what if I swerved and hit that pedestrian' or-" She cut herself off. "It's different for me. I have-"

"Phenomenal power that you've been using responsibly. Powers want to be used and you've been doing the same repetitive thing for years now. It's not well documented, but it's often theorized that powers alter our brain chemistry, especially towards violence. Almost all capes are fighters in some ways. So you're basically being starved of dopamine because your power is being pissy and wants you to do more."

She stared at me for a minute, then glanced down at my hand. "You've seen a future where I become a villain and you still aren't scared to let me use my powers on you?"

"A monster, Amy. The Red Queen. But I say fuck that timeline, because now I'm here and I'm going to kick that future in the teeth. Already have in some ways." I gave her a reassuring smile. "Let's make a deal, you and I, as two of the most potentially dangerous human Masters: If I go too far, you rewrite my brain and if you go too far, I'll rewrite yours. Deal?"

She scoffed and shook her head. "You know about my rules I'm guessing? If I'm far enough gone that I'd do that to you, then you'd- Oh I get it. Mutually assured destruction basically."

"Basically," I agreed.

"You're wrong by the way."

"About what?"

"Vicky isn't the only good thing in my life. I've got Mark, Neil, Sarah, Crystal, Eric… They've all treated me like family." She gave me a small, shy smile. "And I think I've got at least one friend now."

I smiled back and held up a fist. "I always wanted a lesbian bestie."

She snorted, but bumped my fist with hers. "You're a massive dork."

"So I've been told."

There was a beat of silence and then one of us started snickering. Before long we were both laughing like a crazy, less a show of humor or mirth and more a release of tension and fear. We laughed til we almost threw up and that's how Crystal found us, still laughing and in my case, rolling around on the floor.

She gave us a raised eyebrow, then rolled her eyes and started pouring more drinks and scooping more ice cream.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

I rode in the back of the PRT van in silence, cradling my head slightly. I could bend the fabric of reality with some of my powers, but I apparently couldn't get rid of a common hangover.

"You alright there?" Assault chuckled from his seat, leaning over and nudging me slightly.

"Fine," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Just uh… feeling nervous."

"Nah, I saw you nervous. I know exactly what you are right now." He gave me a knowing look. "Partied a little too hard last night?"

"I may have had more drinks than I should have," I confessed, but only because it was Assault. "Still haven't worked out how to cure a hangover with my powers."

"Man was never meant to solve such a horrid feeling," Assault said sagely. "It is divine punishment for overindulgence." He paused. "That's if you're listening to Battery at least."

"Your wife sounds harsh," I muttered.

Assault cocked his head to the side and then chuckled again. "Armsy wasn't kidding, you do know weird stuff, huh?"

"What, is that not public knowledge?" I asked wryly.

"We keep it a mystery on purpose, though there's plenty of guesses that we're an item. But you just know that we're married, eh?"

"Yeah, weirdly specific knowledge. For instance, I know about your former career."

He looked a touch surprised, but recovered quickly. "Yeah? And how does that make you feel?"

"Like I want to buy you a beer for the most part. The Birdcage is… Well, there are some folks who no doubt deserve it, but it's way too harsh for 90% of the people who get sent there. A prison with no wardens or oversight, just law of the jungle? Horrible idea."

"An imperfect solution to an imperfect world," Assault shrugged. "I've made my peace with it, though when I see folks get railroaded there…" He shook his head and I saw a flash of anger in his eyes.

"I know what you mean." I thought about Canary and how I could help her. Maybe if a Protectorate hero stood up for her, she'd have a better chance? "So why'd they assign me my first patrol with you?" I asked curiously.

"I actually volunteered," Assault said. "Had to practically fight Armsy for the privilege."

I felt kind of touched at that. "Armsmaster wanted to be on my first patrol? I feel like he'd have better things to do."

"Ah, the thing about the bossman is that he's always trying to fit multiple objectives into each action he takes," Assault explained. "Mentoring you is probably extra efficient because it means you get better training and he gets the appearance of being your teacher."

My confusion must have shown, because Assault elaborated. "You're a hot commodity right now, Magus. You're powerful and willing to follow orders, those things don't usually fit together. I dunno if you're aware, but right now Dauntless is being groomed for command and Armsy…"

"Doesn't really like him, right?" I guessed.

"Putting it mildly, but yes. Basically, you're being used in office politics. If Armsmaster trains a strong young hero that could potentially replace him, then he gets better odds of getting placed in command of an even better city."

Oh. Shit. I felt my stomach drop as I considered the prospect of not just being on a team of heroes, but leading one. Truth be told, I'd never really thought about it. The fantasies of making my own team were just that: fantasies. I didn't consider myself particularly charismatic or skilled at commanding others. I was just… me.

"Ha! The look on your face man. Calm down, not like you're gonna be asked to be the leader tomorrow or hell, maybe even ever, it's just a possibility if the rumors are true." Assault clapped me on the back as the van slowed to a halt. "C'mon, it's showtime. You remember the basics?"

"Of course. I wouldn't be let out otherwise."

"Just checking." He shot me a reassuring grin and then we stepped out of the van.

It was a sunny morning for once, bright and clear. A few wispy clouds drifted by, but for the most part the sun shined clearly upon the waters of the Bay. It was rather beautiful and if this was the only part of the city you ever actually saw, you might be able to pretend it wasn't a failing cesspool.

"Are we taking the foot route or…?"

Assault gave me an incredulous look, then leapt from the ground up onto the rooftop. He waved for me to follow and I did so, one quick bound enough to carry me to the same height as him. We stuck to the rooftops, though every now and then Assault would leap down to ground level and engage with groups of civilians. Each time I felt a nervous flutter, but Assault took the lead, signing the most autographs and introducing me to people. He actually knew some of the shop owners and store clerks by name.

I just stood back and let him do his thing until a little boy tugged at Assault's wrist. The hero bent over to let the child say something into his ear and Assault grinned. He motioned me over. "Liam has something he'd like to say to you, Magus."

I approached and kneeled down so that I was eye level with him. "Hi there, Liam. I'm Magus."

"I know," he said solemnly. "I was in the mall when Uber and Leet did their Star Wars prank." He shyly held up a notebook. "Could you…?"

Ah hell what a nice kid. "'Course I can." I accepted the paper and pen and scribbled my signature, finishing with a small note: 'For my first fan, Liam'. "You and your parents make it out OK?"

"It was scary, but Velocity came by and then we saw you beating up droids with your bat," he eagerly waved his arms. "Then we saw you duel Leet. It was cheating when he used the Force on you."

"I agree kiddo. But next time…" I gently floated the notebook and pen back into his hands. "I'll have the Force too."

That earned me a huge smile and with that, all of the pain, boredom, and frustration I'd gone through suddenly felt worth it.

A/N: Transitional chapter, things are going down in the background with plans in motion for Coil. Took over a hundred pages to come up again, but Magus has slowly begun the process of turning Amy away from a darker path. I genuinely hadn't even thought about Crystal and Amy and then I figured that if a friend of mine went through a life threatening event and then didn't even shoot me a 'I'm OK' text, I'd probably be more than a little miffed.