Chapter 28 - PHO

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♦ Topic: So… this just happened…

In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America

StrollingDaimon (Original Poster)

Posted on May 9th, 2011:

So… There's now a bond villain secret lair poking out from the middle of the street in front of my work.

Let me paint you guys a picture: There I was, just enjoying my shitty coffee before going back to my shitty work when everything on the street started shaking, windows breaking everywhere, car alarms started going crazy and everyone began to scream.

Then there was a huge CRACK, like the world had broken in half and everything started to calm down. 

Like any good, sensible person, I was hiding under the table, but I couldn't help peeking a little through the broken window, later I had to take a picture.

There was an entire room stuck halfway out of the street, the entrance door just about ground level and I swear I saw a dude walk inside as if nothing had happened. It sent a shiver right down my spine I tell you.

I think I'm gonna leave Brocktown, enough is enough.

Pictures: link, link, link, link, link, link.

Edit: Guy confirmed, it was Susanoo beating another motherf… 

Edit: Yeah, they're gonna have to condemn the buildings in the entire block, the lair thing coming up messed up their foundations and my boss said it can all come down at any time, seems I'm out of work. 

(Showing page 22 of 22)

► Karez

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

That's definitely Susanoo, the guy wasn't wearing a mask but I recognize that costume, and the way he's walking. Yeah, Someone fucked up, hard.

► Urze_Overseer

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

Alright, guess we're putting a Shaker 'yes' rating on the guy now.

Now, far be it from me to criticize our new dragon-slaying overlord, not when he can do THIS, but, does anyone know why he decided to ruin 4 perfectly good city blocks?

► Dr.Faustus (The Guy in the Know)

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

@ Urze_Overseer. It was a hidden lair, why do you think he did it?

Now, for the more important question, do you guys think this was an extension of his Telekinesis or a new power? Maybe he's geokinetic too?

► Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

Alright, guys, I was finally able to learn something about the bunker, apparently, it was to be an Endbringer shelter that was never finished, the money had "run out". I think we all know what really happened.

Anyway, my contact told me the PRT believes it belongs to Coil and, after Susanoo left, they found most of the Travelers inside, as well as over 15 mercenaries… I don't know the state they were in but people noticed a lot of bodybags coming out of it earlier today.

I know the PRT also got into a fight with Susanoo right before this, but people are stonewalling whatever really went down in Brockton, hard, so for now I don't have much more than this.

Also, yes, the entire street is a complete loss, a guy was posting earlier that everything around the street was in danger of collapsing because of the shelter being pulled to the surface.

► Simp4Spider

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

Crap, I just got a job over there! 

Did no one see the guy ******* decapitate a giant ass Dragon? Why the hell are people provoking him, did they all decide to grab the idiot ball and run away with it?

► BibbleCampVictim

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

@ Simp4Spider: I suppose you want people to leave the poor, pedo Master alone right, should the PRT also give him a medal for murdering Lung?

You people disgust me.

► White Fairy (Veteran Member)

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

I hate to agree with the guy using that username, but I can't believe you guys want to leave that monster alone, he's killed more people in a few weeks than Hookwolf did in his entire career.

Hookwolf is a monster that deserves the birdcage, but Susanoo is worse.

► Simp4Spider

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

@ BibbleCampVictim: Username reported, enjoy the ban.

First, my cousin was killed by the ABB, fuck Lung. Second, there's no proof he's a pedo man.

Heck, I'm not sure, but I heard the Travelers attacked Susanoo's base while he was away, again. I wasn't really sold on it but, maybe he WAS just protecting the girl.

► BibbleCampVictim

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

Ah, like I haven't suffered enough at camp.

► SnowyBattleCat (Cape Geek)

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

I, for one, welcome our new cape-wearing overlord.

Edit: Ugh, maybe now wasn't the best time for that joke but, well, as someone who lives on ABB territory, I completely agree with @ Simp4Spider, fuck Lung.

Ever since the dragon is gone, the ABB has been a LOT better and, honestly, you won't see anyone crying because some villain capes are dead… or a few Tinkertech-wielding mercenaries. 

If you ask me, they fucked around, they found out. The PRT has been far too lenient with villains and, in the Bay, that just isn't working. 

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 20, 21, 22.

Ah, how he enjoyed the sight of a thread devolving into such an energetic discussion, hopefully, the mods would be too busy to interfere for a few hours. His work done, Alec put his phone aside and stretched his legs.

Yeah, he'd have to create a new username later but, since he was already planning on buying a new phone and had forgotten the password for this one, it wasn't that much of a pain.

Staring up at the mercenary, Alec put a hand under his shin and considered what to do now.

He had been lucky, he usually didn't bother looking at his messages, but the mobile game he had been playing while coming back to the hideout had crashed so he decided to take a look at what Tattletale had sent.

Reading the short message, he hadn't even missed a step, just opened the app again and turned a corner, changing directions a few blocks from their place, then, ten minutes later, he realized he had a tail.

Alec wasn't exactly an expert on those things —too much work to learn it— but he had learned a trick or two when fleeing from his family, so he just walked slowly for 20 minutes, then took control of the man.

"Now… Igor? Yeah, you look like an Igor, what am I going to do with you?" The mercenary didn't answer, of course he didn't, standing at attention beside the table, not even his eyes betraying how much he was fighting.

Alec's full power took time to use, he had to 'learn' his target's nervous system, and the further away his target was, the harder it would be. Even in the same room, the time he needed could range anywhere from 8 hours to a day or so, but he could begin the learning process stealthy.

Igor had been unlucky, he was one of the mercenaries that sometimes watched their hideout and, in truth, he had done it one too many times, gotten just a little too close one too many times, and then he had followed him for 20 minutes, it was enough for Alec to act.

Ugh, what was even the point of asking? He knew what he was going to do, he just… didn't really want to.

With a sigh, he forced the mercenary to lay down on the table, then Alec pushed himself up and stood at the feet of the table, pushing it inside the cremation chamber with barely an effort.

Finally, he forced the man to pull out his pistol and press it against his own head, then he pulled the trigger, then Alec winced, feeling the secondhand pain from the feedback of his power, he had had worse.

In truth, killing a man wasn't exactly a new experience, but it wasn't something he enjoyed either. Well, he didn't dislike it either, but it would be really annoying if the others found out.

With a shrug, he threw his phone inside and snapped the door closed, turning on the fire… how long did it take for a body to burn again?

Did he feel bad the first time he had done something like this? He couldn't remember. "Meh, whatever," Alec shrugged, then made sure there wasn't anything incriminating on the crematorium and left.

He knew the rest of the Undersiders would disapprove, that's why he had been delaying it, but the team was probably disbanding anyway so… 

Besides, they could be a little too naive, buying into the whole cops & robbers thing Tattletale was always talking about, someone had to be realistic.

With what PHO said about Coil, he shouldn't have any more mercenaries, or at least not enough to hunt them down, it was the perfect time to get out of the city, and start over again.

Well… time to get a move on.

.

—-

.

"So, glorious leader, what now?" Alec asked, sprawled on the half-destroyed sofa of the house Brian had hidden in.

It had been three days since Susanoo decided to do an Endbringer impression, throwing buildings and smashing the PRT like they were children, but Alec had decided against leaving the city.

They ended up in one of those container houses, somewhat of a trend in the bay a few years back, before it became against the law, but he supposed, here in the trainyard, it wasn't exactly that out of place.

"You sure there was nobody dangerous at the shelter?" Brian asked.

Rachel hadn't wanted to abandon her dogs, downright refusing to, really, and with how many there were in the shelter, Alec pitied the idiot who tried to attack her there, but he had checked the nearby buildings anyway.

Under heavy protest, and the bribe of a new Playterminal, but he had done it.

"Yep, I doubt the old boss has enough people left to send a hit against her," he shrugged, then cursed as some bastard knifed him in the back.

YourOwnMother has killed you, [expectate?]

Respawning in 10…9…8

"Well played," Alec nodded, then proceeded to report the bastard for cheating.

"I…" Brian started to say at his side, then trailed off, unable to think of something. "Shit."

Pressing expectate, Alec put the control aside and yawned. "Well, if you figure it out, tell me, I'm gonna heat up my lunch."

Leaving Brian with his head between his knees on the sofa, Alec grabbed a plate of pasta and put it into the microwave, pressing 4 minutes to heat it up, then he grabbed a chocolate bar from the fridge and bit into it while waiting.

"Hmm… you kno'... maybe chech with Taylor?" Alec said before swallowing. "I think the girl's gonna have a nervous breakdown if she's left alone for much longer."

"I… yeah, I'll talk with her."

"Well, I'm certainly not gonna do it."

Pulling out his phone, he briefly thought about his new username before starting to type it in, JesusIsntWhite… noo, too religious, they wouldn't even discuss it before banning him.

Grabbing his plate, Alec poured a glass of water and offered it to Brian before sitting on the sofa and grabbing the remote, trying to find a good channel to watch.

"Anyway," he said, then waited until Brian took a sip. "Did she tell you she found Sunanoo?"

Brian choked, almost spitting the water as he tried to hold in a cough and release the cup at the same time. "What!"

"Yeah, she's pretty sure he's living in a normal house on her way to school. Either that or she's found another Tinker with a wounded girl locked in his basement."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I mean… I can lie?"

"Shit!" lying back on the sofa, Brian groaned. "Fine, I'll talk to her sooner," for a few seconds, he just stayed there looking at the stained ceiling, then he managed to ask. "Why stay and help? I thought you would be miles out of the city by now."

"I dunno," Alec shrugged, slurping some of his pasta. "Don't know if I care all that much, but it kinda feels like I should… and starting over is bothersome, mostly the latter."

"Alright, I'll be back by night," Brian said, getting up and grabbing his keys.

"Bring some pizza."

Finishing his pasta, Alec grabbed the phone again, his new username wasn't as good, but it kinda fit so it would do.

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♦ Topic: Susanoo VS. All?

In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay ► Brockton Bay Discussion (Public Board)

► Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied on May 11th, 2011:

People are discussing this everywhere, even getting some bans because of this, but I finally managed to get some straight answers and I decided to make it a single thread, reuniting all the information we have, here's more or less what happened.

May 3rd: Susanoo fights the Empire, and Night, Fog, Victor, and Rune defeated. Night and Fog escape but he cripples Victor, leaving both him and Rune to be captured by the Protectorate.

May 8th, 9 AM: The PRT organizes a prisoner transport to take Victor and Rune out of the city, as always, the Empire prepares to intercept the transport.

Here's where things get hairy, Susanoo intercepts the Empire forces, engaging them before they spring an ambush on the Protectorate and proceed to utterly trash everyone.

Someone managed to find a street camera that recorded the fight. It's nowhere near as good as the Lung video, but I believe a Tinker improved the quality so, for those who want to watch the curb stomp I'll warn you, the content warnings are serious! Here. 

May 8th, 9:05 AM: PRT transport arrives, apparently having been a counter-ambush against the Empire and containing most of the Protectorate heroes as well as Dragon.

Seeing most of the Empire defeated and Susanoo supposedly tier, Armsmaster orders everyone to surrender. At the same time, seeing Susanoo occupied and away from his workshop, PRT launches a rescue operation to recover Dinah Alcott.

Susanoo refuses to surrender but offers to retreat and release every Empire cape into PRT custody. Armsmaster refuses.

Proceeds to the SECOND beating of the day, this time Susanoo VS Protectorate & PRT, or most of them anyway, the results are, most of the Protectorate out of commission, with two casualties. Apparently, he was holding back a LOT when fighting Lung.

Even worse video and pictures of the fight here, here, here, and here.

May 8th, 11 AM: Susanoo appears downtown, raises a freaking Endbringer shelter out of the ground, destroys most of 4 city blocks doing it and, for some reason, proceeds to kill the Travelers hiding inside.

EDIT: Turns out the reason he killed the travelers is because they made a second attempt at the mayor's niece, this time intercepting the PRT and Wards to do so, they failed, and the girl is in PRT custody now.

EDIT 2: The Endbringer Shelter was Coil's secret base, PRT believes it's rigged to blow up at any moment and is trying to disarm the place… talk about Bond Villain.

(Showing page 68 of 68)

► GstringGirl:

 Replied on May 12th, 2011:

So… the only villains left in the Bay are Susanoo and Faultline's crew? Because I've heard of what happened to Boston and… 

► SnowyBattleCat (Cape Geek)

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

There's still the Merchants, the Undersiders, Circus, and a few other independents.

Plus, it's Susanoo…

► EmperorShoto

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

Holy shit, I just watched the videos, the guy just flicked that woman away, then threw Hookwolf at the giant woman! He's giving a whole new definition to the phrase, 'hitting a motherfu*** with another motherfu…'

Still, I feel like people are underestimating a cape's ability to be stupid, of course, people are gonna want to test Susanoo even now.

► XxVoid_CowboyxX

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

@ THE Bovine! You're right, Susanoo didn't just have the Telekinesis to lift an entire building, he lifted it with a ton of earth and at least 4 other buildings on top. Even Eidolon couldn't do that.

Come on people, open your eyes, I bet the Simurgh is just floating above the Bay, piloting her meat puppet from orbit and laughing as we all think it's a new cape.

► Lupu5

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

PRT - Secretly transport Victor out of the city, plan a perfect counter-ambush to capture the Empire

Also PRT - Refuses Susanoo's offer of peaceful retreat, lets the remains of the Empire escape, and almost gets a little girl killed.

Just when you think the PRT is doing something smart, they can't help but turn around and fuck everything ten times worse.

Edit: @ EmperorShoto Bit* please, he threw an entire building at some motherfu***, in fact he threw 2.

 @ XxVoid_CowboyxX Ah, It seems like someone else can't avoid being stupid.

► Cesar66 (Cape Geek)

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

Alright, I admit that, looking back, refusing Susanoo's offer was a mistake, but do you really want heroes to just accept if a Villain says he's leaving? Imagine a Villain that's just killed someone, the heroes arrive and he just tells them he's leaving, there's no need to fight anymore? 

The Protectorate had most of its heroes there, rested and prepared for battle while Susanoo, had he been anyone else, would have been tired, it was the perfect time to capture him.

► Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a Tinker)

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

@ Cesar66 The PRT seriously underestimated Susanoo, I'm not saying they should stop pursuing every villain just because they offer to retreat, but the guy's trying to protect a little girl, is he even a villain at this point?

Besides, after he showed he could defeat Lung and fight most of the Empire's capes single handedly, you'd think Armsmaster would maybe reconsider his plan? At least try to find out the guy's powers before engaging?

► BeateNBiCops

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

Armsmaster is a glory hound, he wasn't thinking of justice, he just wanted to look good capturing everyone, even when Susanoo was doing all the work for them.

Come on, everything they did was wrong, they obviously were still leaking information and continued to plan stupid shit… Or do you think the Travelers could intercept the PRT's rescue attempt because they were lucky?

You guys defending the PRT disgust me.

► Cesar66 (Cape Geek)

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

First, Susanoo, not a villain? The guy killed Sere, he probably killed Velocity too and who knows how many civilians! Are you freaking kidding me?

Second, so, when a new cape shows up, the heroes should just let him do whatever he wants until they know his full powers? Cuz that's what it sounds like you're saying to me.

Yeah, they didn't know Susanoo was that powerful, but that's why it takes courage to be a hero, you can't just let villains do whatever they want until you figure a villain out.

I know the PRT failed miserably here, but they did everything right, nobody would have done things differently with the knowledge they had.

► LunarFox (Kyushu Survivor)

Replied on May 12th, 2011:

Anybody competent wouldn't have let things reach this level, the PRT forced Susanoo's hand when, repeatedly, he showed he didn't want to hurt civilians or law enforcement.

And shut up, nobody cares if he kills Nazis and Sex slavers, not really..

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 66, 67, 68.

Ah, another job well done. Sometimes, all it took was a little nudge, a single comment just a little too aggressive and things escalate. He'd have to check how many pages the fight would take later.

Alec's phone warned him it was almost out of battery, so he stole Brian's charger and left it on the outlet before grabbing the remote and starting to play again, he didn't really have anything better to do.

.

—----

.

Vista swallowed the pills and massaged her temple. She wasn't a baby, she could take a little pain but, ever since her confrontation with Susanoo, the headache hadn't left her and it was starting to get irritating.

Perhaps the worst was the way she didn't fit in, not anymore.

Yeah, she could stay in the Wards room, but without her power, they were only humoring her, then there was ShadowStalker, the idiot who almost worshiped Susanoo at this point.

Everyone was treating her as if she might break, talking to her as if everything was gonna be alright, trying to console her and, when she didn't cry like a child, they found it amazing.

As if she hadn't been a Ward for longer than all of them.

The Protectorate also didn't help, they weren't fighting, but the awkward silences, the angry glances, the too polite words… She had seen it all before in her own home, it was all too much.

Susanoo had broken the PRT in more ways than one and she was, again, helpless to help, to change anything. Right now, being with the Wards reminded her far too much of home.

Maybe if they had let her talk with Dinah, she could have stayed in the headquarters. Unfortunately, while she was out of MS lockdown, Dinah was still being watched and nobody would let them meet.

Focusing on the wall beside her, Vista tried to change it, she felt her power spread to the entire world around, every solid object on the street registering to her ability, turning into wet clay to her very thoughts but, when she tried to smudge it, or even just to change the edges, it didn't respond, a spike of pain going through her head.

"Hey, Missy, you okay?" her classmate asked.

Vista looked away from the wall, her headache starting to get better. "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"We're going to eat lunch, want to come with?" Jessica asked, giving her a smile.

"I need to get home, Mom doesn't want me out late."

"Pity," Jessica said, but she didn't really seem to mind either way. "Maybe next time?" 

"Sure."

She didn't go home, had no intention of being stuck in the same house with her mother for longer than necessary, in fact. Vista loved her mother but, a few months back, she realized she didn't LIKE her very much.

Vista walked, almost instinctively keeping to her patrol routes, the safer streets where the Wards were allowed to move when the Youth Guard was being annoying, keeping away from any gang territory.

Taking a rest close to the Beach, she pulled out her phone and couldn't help looking at Susanoo's page on PHO.

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♦ Topic: Susanoo

In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay Discussion (Public Board)

Josh (Original Poster) (Cape Geek)

Posted on April 28th, 2011:

The new mysterious Overlord of the Bay, let's talk about him. 

PRT initially classified him as a Master: 1 / Tinker 4, but we all agree that's bullshit. What remains to be seen is whether he's a more powerful Tinker or a grab bag rich enough to buy his equipment.

EDIT: Alright, I had a friend go over the video again, you guys can find it here and, yes, the guy showed far too much for a simple Tinker.

So, doing a deeper search, he's definitely a Master, several goons have been turning themselves to the police, and he used his power against Miss Militia before, but that seems really weak compared to everything else he's shown.

Obviously, he has some control over the environment, the PRT seemed to think he did it through magnetism, but my friend said it was closer to telekinesis, he has too much control over it to be anything else.

What may not have been obvious is that he seems to have a combat Thinker power too. Several times, he seems to react to things before they happen or move too perfectly to counter Lung or Oni Lee, he also moves faster than a normal human, so you may want to put Brute/Mover there too.

Really, he seems like an entire team of heroes, it's such bullshit.

Edit: Apparently, nobody but the PRT liked Polaris… even if the guy himself doesn't seem to care one way or the other.

Anyways, after proving that he's serious about protecting the Asian population from the gangs by crushing Squealer's newest creation and launching the killdozer into the bay, (Nobody died this time, Squealer wasn't inside) the people started calling him Susanoo.

 Usually, PHO tends to frown on mythical cape names, but slaying a dragon with a plasma sword, controlling the wind to extinguish its fire and calling on lightning seems to be enough to earn him the Storm Deity's name. 

Edit: So… after the latest, everyone agrees on Parahuman: 'YES' for Susanoo?

It seems like, after his confrontation, Susanoo has disappeared from public appearances, even the ABB members haven't seen him on their territory for a few days now.

(Showing page 399 of 399)

► Bacon_Salad (Veteran Poster)

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

The PRT may work in other cities, but here in the Bay it's worse than nothing, 15 years I've been living here and they haven't done shit.

You know how many times I wished we had competent heroes and they took care of Lung? 

► Winged_One

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

And so we should be thankful there's a murderer in the city? 

The PRT is disappointing, but that doesn't mean we go down to their level, we're not like them!

► LunarFox (Kyushu Survivor)

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Bullshit, do you guys prefer the Rage Dragon or the Nazis? Cuz turning the other cheek is how we got, and couldn't get rid of, Nazis.

I don't think Susanoo even wants to kill, seems to me he did his best to NOT do it but people just kept pushing. If the PRT was even remotely competent it should never have come to this.

Also, I hear from the ABB that their new boss is taking a break, hasn't shown up or ordered them to do anything since the entire thing went down, maybe he wants to allow the city to calm down?

Word is, Susanoo has no interest in taking over the city and, if people leave him alone, he's content on doing the same.

► Lost Entry

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

@ LunarFox Should we take that as a word from the big guy himself? Cuz you've been chilling pretty hard for the ABB this entire time, I'm starting to get suspicious here.

Also, people are saying Susanoo got hurt in his rampage, or that his powers need to recharge and that's why he's been gone, any truth to that?

► AverageAlexandros (Cape husband)

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

I don't really know how much good trying to de-escalate things is gonna do at this point, what Susanoo did caused almost a hundred deaths, half of that from civilians, not to mention the hundreds of million dollars he caused in damage..

Although, I guess they haven't signed a kill order yet, so let's hope it works.

► BeerConnoisseur

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Just heard a rumor they're discussing sending Legend to the Bay in a day or two, anyone knows how if it is legit?

► GstringGirl:

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Is that gonna help? I hear there's not a lot of villains left in the Bay and, if Susanoo is staying quiet…

► Char

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Just saw a bunch of Empire goons leaving a building, kept my head down so I didn't draw attention, but they didn't look as defeated as I thought they would.

How many capes does the Empire have left again?

►Ivy Cap Guy

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Seriously, I know the guy is kind of a joke, but I'm worried nobody is paying enough attention to @ XxVoid_CowboyxX. You guys know the story of the boy who cried wolf? Well, the story doesn't end with nobody believing him, it ends with the wolf eating the boy.

I dismissed him too at the start, but Susanoo's Telekinesis is strong enough to rip out buildings! He's a precog good enough to sense everything thrown at him, he's a Tinker that captured laser weapons, then made laser swords. He's an insidious master who uses his voice to control people. 

Are we sure, absolutely sure, that there wasn't a cloning or equivalent Tinker in the last city the Simurgh attacked?

I know I sound crazy, but I'm just saying, the comparison stands.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 397, 398, 399.

Damn, she knew she shouldn't have started reading, it only made things worse. She couldn't believe they were defending Susanoo!

Vista thought about saying something, but she had been a Ward for long enough to know she couldn't change stupid people, and there were a lot of those on the internet.

Still, even PHO was fighting itself, the only thing it seemed to agree was that it was all the PRT's fault as if they shouldn't have even tried, as if she hadn't been trying for the past 3 years!

She tried, she did her damn best and had the scars to show for it!

It was another thing she was helpless to change, even the city seemed to be trying to drown her in conflict.

When she saw the sun start to set, VIsta made her way back home, ignoring the longer route and making a straight line through the city, sometimes coming close to the edge of Empire territory, but there shouldn't be much danger with that.

Unfortunately, without her power, she had misjudged just how far from home she was. Almost an hour later, her feet were starting to hurt and she was still far from her house, passing through a mostly empty street.

"Fucking Ni***," she heard someone say and froze. "I think the ape broke a tooth."

"Bastard broke more than a tooth, you idiot, I told you to be careful."

"Should we really be doing this? I mean, I'm all for beating up some trash, but the Empire isn't in the best position right now."

"Didn't you hear, the boss is getting some reinforcements soon, they're sending some heavy hitters from the Fatherland."

"At least we can have fun with the bitch."

"Fuck you," came a muffled female voice.

"Seriously? Fuck, I'm not touching that."

Going low, Vista pulled her phone, then pressed the emergency button for the PRT. On instinct, she felt her power reaching for the air, trying to bend the corner of the building so she could see what was going on, but it only brought another spike of pain to her head.

Approaching the alleyway, she pulled a mirror from her backpack and took a peek through the corner. 

There were five men, all of them young and white, surrounding an older, unconscious black man and a girl that must have been her age, maybe a little older.

"Sucks to be you then," said a guy that had a bleeding nose, then he grabbed the black girl by the hair. "After the way the old bastard messed me up, I'm definitely taking it out on this bitch."

The girl spit on his face, but he just slapped her face with such force it ripped a chunk of hair, then he grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her to her knees. 

She cursed, with Velocity in bed, it would take even Dauntless at least 6 minutes to answer her Ward's panic button, far too much time when the guy was already taking off his belt.

Vista stretched her power, feeling it grab hold of the materials all over the street and form a mental map on her head, she tried to stretch the road, to pull the girl away from the man or just push them out, anything.

Her headache increased, her power refusing to work no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't do anything as the girl took the chance while the man was pulling down his pants to try and escape only for a second guy to kick her legs from under her.

Further away, the remaining three men started kicking the girl's father, raining blow after blow on the old man until blood started flowing on the road. She couldn't wait.

Pulling her police bottom from the backpack, Vista snapped it out and got ready. She knew she couldn't take them all without her power, maybe not even one, but she had been training every day for three years, and she didn't care if she took a few hits, she could delay them for a minute or two.

Her heart accelerated, she felt herself losing breath, the world seeming to close around her in a way that had nothing to do with her power, cold sweat ran down the side of her head and she felt like she had no escape, like she needed to flee but couldn't even move.

With a scream, Vista ran out from behind the building, giving one last push on her power, pulling space apart with everything she had, trying to put some distance between the Empire and the girl. A drop of blood ran down her nose, she felt something give way with a 'crack', then she passed out.

She woke up with a startle, only to see a baseball bat coming down on her head. On instinct, she grabbed hold of the bat with her power and pushed, shortening the weapon by a quarter, the blow missing her head.

Then she tried to get some distance, take hold of the road under him, and stretch it, pushing the man away from her, but she had been in too much of a hurry, not taking enough care, and maybe putting a little too much anger in her power.

Space obeyed much faster than she expected, a piece of the ground stretching in a second until, with another 'crack' it seemed to break like a mirror, shards of the ground rising up and forming jagged edges that pierced through the man's ankles as if they were paper, amputating his legs and sending his feet skidding away.

The man screamed, falling towards the jagged pieces before they just… snapped back into place and he fell face first into perfect even ground, his ankles bleeding all over the floor.

"Fucking kill her already," shouted another man, but Vista didn't wait for him to act, she had to save the old man.

Getting to her feet, she ran towards a fire hydrant, using her power to double its size, and then she did it again until she could hide behind the red metal. Usually, she couldn't react so fast, certainly not faster than the men could aim their guns, but her power felt… different, more responsive.

Three bullets hit the fire hydrant, pinging off the metal and stopping on the walls around her, then Dauntless arrived, crashing on top of one man and waving his electrical lance, the weapon leaving the other two men twitching on the ground. "Vista?"

"Here," she walked out from behind the enlarged hydrant.

"Are you alright?" He asked, immediately checking the guy without feet, then looking at another man currently missing an arm, Vista didn't remember doing that. "Shit, he's losing too much blood here, console?"

Following some instructions, Dauntless activated his Arc Lance again, burning the stumps of his leg to stop the bleeding, then releasing a sigh of relief.

Vista just stared, the man was going to live, she hadn't killed him, she hadn't killed him.

"What happened, kid?"

"I'm fine," she instinctively answered, almost frowning at being called a kid. "I-I didn't think you'd get here in time."

"I see," looking around again, Dauntless flashed toward the unconscious black man and checked his pulse. "Anyone else here?"

"No, I don't think so," Vista shook her head, then felt her power fade, the hydrant returning back to normal. "... My power is back."

Dauntless didn't say anything, just made sure the victim was stable, then approached her. "Sit down, kid, it's over, we'll talk about this later." 

Obeying, she sat down on the curb, put her head between her legs, and started breathing. Did she… Did she just have a second trigger?