Let's Go Rob a Vault

"You know," Lauren said, breaking me out of my musing on my new technological upgrades, "The real evidence to the theory I've been talking about is the sort of reaction you see when someone actually crosses the line."

I looked at her and tilted my head slightly, "Crosses the line?"

"Yeah," She replied, "You know, like if someone goes after a Powered's family, or if someone goes that step further after finishing a fight when the opposing Powered is beaten down and can't say no anymore. People all gang up and the Powered community go after the instigator. The status quo is maintained and temporary truces are forged, even between heroes and villains."

"Yeah, I guess," I said, "Kinda like we do with the Wretches."

"Dude, are you okay?" Lauren asked, genuine concern in her voice. "That's twice you've brought up the Wretches now, what's got you thinking about them?"

As much as I liked Lauren, talking to her was intrinsically difficult.

I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells. What if I said something that would cause her to be suspicious enough to use her power on me? She'd figure everything out in an instant, surely.

I had been lucky so far, but I knew full well how bad my luck was. It would only be a matter of time before my well of good fortune ran dry.

I was counting on the ruse continuing for two reasons. First, I was enjoying my time with Lauren, Greave and Allen. Second, I wanted to get Crashcourse, Bastion, Pulsewave and Wildthing all shipped off to jail so that I could prove Quasar wrong.

The two reasons were at complete odds with one another, and I knew it.

For perhaps the first time since Wildthing stabbed her tail through my hand, I felt entirely out of place in the Hypogean group.

We were out here trying to rob a bank, and I was the only one who felt even a little bit guilty about the situation. I was defininitely the only one who felt worried about the safety of the people that were milling about in the rain in front of us.

There was also the fact that Quasar had claimed that not one but two members of Hypogean had murdered people in the past, and now all of a sudden the doubt inspired by that statement ran through just about everything.

When Allen made some sarcastic wisecrack that made me laugh, was I laughing at the joke of a murderer?

Brian was cool and hanging out with him was fun, but he knew how to put someone out of commission in a fight so easily, would it be that difficult to imagine him going one step further to break someone's neck?

Lauren had so many secrets that her secrets had secrets, and with the ability to know almost everything about someone's past she could basically download their entire fighting style before taking someone on. Could she have been capable of murder?

I had loved hanging out with all three of them, but now every single interaction I had with them was spoiled, and since Quasar had written me off as a lost cause there was absolutely no one I could talk to about any of it.

In any case, staying quiet at this point would only make Lauren suspicious, and I really didn't want her to bring to bear the intricacies of her power on my past.

"Met up with someone last night, got into a pretty heated argument. Things were said, we were both disappointed with one another I guess. The anger hasn't quite gone away yet, and my confidence has gone a bit wobbly," I explained, keeping to half-truths.

"Ah, whoever it was, screw 'em," Lauren stated.

I raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her to continue.

"I know you, Tristan, and against your wildest beliefs I actually like you," She continued. "I mean, how could I not, you took down Phet of all people! I've got more information than I know what to do with up in my head, and Phet was one of the few Powered out there who actually put some fear into me… and you stood up to him like it was nothing."

Like it was nothing was definitely an exaggeration on her part.

The way I remembered it was full of fear and almost dying, in fact I probably would have died if Wildthing hadn't knocked him through a building.

I didn't bother correcting her, though.

"So, whoever this loser is that's getting you down, they don't know you or what you're capable of. So, screw 'em!" She exclaimed as she gave my shoulder a friendly slap.

There was definite irony there because Lauren didn't really know what I was capable of either. But the words were solid, and I found inspiration in them, so I couldn't stop a grin from spreading across my face.

"There," She said, "Nice to see you smile for a change. Anyway, check a look at the Vault."

I narrowed my eyes a little to peer through the thick sheet of rain and past the bustling people of the main quarter.

The Vault complex was a small building with two guards posted outside, though all of a sudden those guards had disappeared. That meant that the changing of the guards was taking place, which also meant that our time to begin the plan had finally arrived.

The building itself may not have been all that intimidating on the outside, but knowing that it stretched down into the depths of the Earth was more than a little bit perturbing. It was a veritable fortress, something that no one had managed to crack before.

But we were going to try.

"Ready to make off with the best loot of our lives?" Lauren asked, practically vibrating on the spot with excitement.

"S...Sure, let's do this," I stammered in response, I definitely wasn't terrified at all.

"Perfect, let's go rob a Vault!"