Chapter 30: Guarding the Youth

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Mike God of Lore, Priapus, Old man of the mountain, Marethyu, Beans

The Guild of Gamers: The Supervillain

Chapter 30: Guarding the Youth

– Jin Yukimura (King Midas) –

I have quite a few powers at this point, but one that continually surprises me with how useful it is has been [The Roads to be Travelled]. Don't get me wrong, I knew from the start that the power to know where someone is going to be for the next day was going to be useful, but it's laughably surpassed my expectations. 

It isn't flashy; in fact, it's the kind of power that nobody will ever know I have, but that just makes it all the more powerful as I study the map of Brockton Bay, monitoring the 'paths' of my various targets. See, I've discovered that my own actions can alter the paths people will take, and with a little scheming, I can arrange for someone to be alone for a brief moment where I'll be waiting for them.

Or better yet, I can arrange for two people who really have no business meeting to just happen to pass through the same spot at the same time. 

With Coil 'dealt with' and his territory carved up by me and Kaiser, there's a moment of uneasy peace in the city. The ABB won't let it last; they know the danger of an alliance between the Empire and Syndicate, but Lung has been keeping his cards close to his chest. The PRT is in full paranoia mode, but really, they're focusing on the wrong things.

See, they're convinced that I'm going to lead a villain revolt and drive them out of the city, but again, they're just not paying enough attention. It's no wonder I had to become my own rival.

See, the PRT has one major weakness. Okay, that's a lie. It has several hundred, but it has one thing that truly holds it back.

It's a bureaucracy. 

All those rules and red tape, their bosses hovering over them at all times, the risk of funding being pulled away if they don't toe the line. I don't need to drive them out. Not when I can have them hang themselves with their own red tape.

Watching a pair of paths on the map, I open up my app and get to work. The technology I use to pull off my multiple bodies trick is impressive, but it's far from all the tools that the Cyberpunk Tech Base gave me. I have subtler ways of influencing people rather than just replacing them entirely.

Smiling to myself, I get to work. Screwing over the Protectorate is always a pleasure, but doing it in a way that places all the blame on Kaiser and his Empire is so much better. 

As if I'd ever actually give him Hookwolf back.

Once today is done, Kaiser will wish he'd put Hookwolf down like the mad dog that he is. 

– Dean Stansfield (Gallant) –

Once again on a PR patrol, Dean hid his sighs. The Independent Alliance had changed things, but there were two members that stuck out to him. After his argument with Vicky over Starfire, his ex-girlfriend had completely ghosted him.

She'd seen him at a mall a few days ago and had just walked past without even giving him a second glance as she'd chatted with Amy. The one bright side was that Amy was definitely doing better, as that growing bundle of stress had been untangled.

Prophet was many things, but Dean was fairly certain that despite his depravity, he actually wanted what was best for the people around him. Amy was clearly much happier now that Prophet was assisting New Wave. He'd heard that she'd cut down her hospital hours a lot, on Prophet's 'advice'. Of course, Prophet was also fucking Dean's ex-girlfriend, so Dean wasn't feeling too grateful to him.

The second was Starfire herself. When Starfire was being approached for recruitment, she'd needed a careful hand because the eccentric new cape was both very traumatised and extremely powerful, which was never a good combination. He'd been the one told to spend time with Starfire and slowly bring her around to the idea of joining the Wards. 

Of course, Vicky mistook his work for attraction to the admittedly scantily-clad girl, which had been the nail in the coffin for their relationship as she dove headfirst into a relationship with an older man to spite him.

So, having Starfire tell him that she'd decided not to join the Wards after so much work was aggravating. Learning that she was doing so on Prophet's advice just felt like a slap across the face. He understood her reasons, given that the PRT had a policy to avoid conflict with the League and by extension, her sister.

He knew enough about Kory's background to fully understand why she was so obsessed with chasing down her sister, and the Alliance was the only group that seemed to be challenging Midas and his ever-growing influence. It didn't make it sting less.

Speaking of stinging…

Aurora walked beside him, and while her mask hid her face, he could already tell she was scowling under it. Taylor had been a PR nightmare for them to try and make 'public friendly' because she was a walking biblical plague. 

It wasn't that the PRT didn't want to make full use of her powers, but having a Ward that could summon a nightmarish swarm of bugs was a PR challenge. They'd built her a vivarium and imported a large number of butterflies for her to control, but she was chafing under their restrictions.

In many ways, Taylor felt like Amy used to, though for different reasons. Taylor was a pressure cooker turned up way too high. Sophia's war of terror on Taylor had come out after Sophia had escaped, and while they were pursuing legal action against the bullies and the school itself, with Taylor transferring to Arcadia, things were going extremely slow.

Plus, the Unwritten Rules meant that they couldn't go for Sophia when she was unmasked because that would just give Midas more ammunition to use against them. Some PRT agents even thought that was why Midas had taken Sophia back, to use her as bait for them.

He knew Taylor had already brought up the idea of trying to get Prophet to alter her power into something more heroic, but these things moved very slowly, and a lot of Protectorate heroes wanted to be on that waiting list.

There was a genuine worry that the PRT would see people leaving to join the Alliance as it grew in size just for better access to Prophet. The League hadn't been shy about its empowerment of villains, and it was sending ripples throughout the cape world.

So, Taylor was currently stuck on a waiting list that wasn't moving anytime soon. That, plus the way Sophia was mostly getting away with her torment, had only added to Taylor's discontent. 

Sophia's old handler had gotten hit hard, and the principal of Winslow High had been fired and lost her retirement fund to pay for the damages to the Hebert family. But the trio? 

Emma Barnes' father had been dragging things out, and he seemed to be getting way too much support. Naturally, people assumed that Midas was responsible and was keeping his pet vigilante out of trouble, but they had no way of knowing if that was the truth.

Sure, they'd gotten a slap on the wrist and suspension at school. Sophia wasn't on the track team anymore, and Emma had lost her modelling gig thanks to the bad rumours. But beyond that, they were doing fine. Taylor saw that as unfair, and Dean couldn't disagree as he tried to engage the cagey girl in small talk.

Tried.

Kid flew on ahead, entirely used to showing off his fancy hoverboard and wowing the public on these patrols. As the leader of this patrol, Dean should have called him back, but he didn't bother. Sure, they were on the edge of Empire territory, but he had been on hundreds of these, and nothing had ever happened. His time would be better spent trying to unwind the bundle of tension that was Taylor Hebert.

Somehow, he felt like he would have a better chance trying to defuse a bomb while blindfolded, but after failing to help Amy and letting her fall into Prophet's hands, he didn't plan to fail again.

After all, Kid was barely ten meters ahead in a safe part of the city; what was the worst that could happen?

– Emily Piggot (Later) –

"Do we have an ETA on Panacea?" Emily barked, cursing whichever trickster god had it out for her.

"Seven minutes. I contacted Prophet myself. Glory Girl and Lady Photon are bringing Panacea here, but she was out when this happened and had to be collected first," Renick replied, and she felt her scowl grow deep at the reminder of Prophet.

Panacea was now a member of the Independent Alliance, which meant that whenever they needed her services, they had to deal with Prophet. This entire mess had shown Prophet just how much they needed access to Panacea, and it gave him another way to grab them by the balls.

How the fuck had this happened?

"Director, Chief Director Costa-Brown is on the line," someone shouted, making her nod as she took a deep breath. She wasn't any use hovering over the mangled Ward. 

"Explain."

The moment she picked up her phone, Costa Brown was already barking at her.

"Kid Win is stabilised. Panacea is on her way. He should make a full recovery-" Emily started, trying to play down the nightmare in her hands.

"Full recovery? Emily, a Ward just got blendered by Hookwolf on live TV. Do you have any idea how bad this looks? How this is going to affect the entire PRT?" Rebecca almost growled. "The Youth Guard are already on full alert to your city after the mess with Shadow Stalker. A Ward turning villain was bad enough, but for another to be so badly hurt in the same town so soon after?!"

Everything that could have gone wrong had. Kid Win broke the regular patrol pattern to do tricks on his hoverboard. A news reporter happened to be in the area, and the camera turned to him… and then Hookwolf nearly killed him, seemingly by accident.

Oni Lee had evidently been caught in Empire territory and was being chased out by Hookwolf. Instead of going the longer way toward ABB turf, Lee had retreated to the PRT-patrolled areas, likely in the hopes that the PRT would take him down or drive him off, as Lee could escape them far easier than Hookwolf.

Instead, Hookwolf hadn't even noticed Kid in his rage. The Thinkers believed that Hookwolf had a concussion from being caught in the blast of several tinkertech grenades and genuinely hadn't noticed Kid Win until it was too late. 

It also revealed that the ABB had some tinkertech grenades, but they'd found evidence that Coil had already assassinated the teenage tinker that had made them.

Of course, if they'd known that a cape fight was happening so close to their patrol routes, they'd have called the Wards back… but then the final kick to the balls happened. 

Coil was fucking with them, even now.

They did receive reports, but Coil's damage to their systems was disastrous, and while it had been reported, one of Coil's programs diverted the report to the wrong department. It seemed like Calvert had taken pride in messing with their systems, reducing their effectiveness when cape fights happened on his turf.

But it wasn't his turf anymore; it was the Empire's. The program had noticed the location and diverted the report, not realising that Coil was gone. In any other situation, it would have seemed like the operator had just filed the report wrong. It would have been caught soon enough, just causing a slight delay in their response time.

With no good explanation, or at least one that would put a stop to Costa Brown's angry lecture, Emily was forced to sit there and listen to her. Sanctions, restrictions, and a mountain of shit were headed her way, and there was really nothing she could do to stop it.

Panacea arrived, not bothering to say anything as she got to work on Kid, but Piggot was still stuck on the phone as she gave a nod to Lady Photon. It was almost strange to see the healer not even ask someone if she had permission to heal; no matter how serious the situation, Panacea seemed to be drilled to ask first.

"He'll be fine, barely," Panacea finally said, and a wave of relief flooded the room, ranging from the other Wards to the staff, who both didn't want him to die and also knew how fucked they were if a Ward actually died on their watch.

"H-hey, Ames," Kid said, waking up as he moved slowly.

"You know the drill, Chris, even if it's never been this bad before. Normally, it's Aegis who is in pieces. Eat a lot, drink a lot, etcetera, etcetera. I just had to put your kidney back together, and you were missing a lot of flesh," Panacea sighed, making him chuckle painfully even as Vista grabbed Panacea in a tight hug. The older girl paused, before smiling softly and returning it, even ruffling Vista's hair.

She drowned out the sounds of the Wards celebrating as she listened to Costa Brown.

Soon enough, the Alliance capes had left with a message from Prophet that they should get in contact with him to arrange for a contract if the PRT wanted to continue to use Panacea's services.

Sitting at the head of the desk, she looked around at the gathered capes. It was all hands on deck, and not a single person was smiling. Even Assault had a harsh frown on his lips, his usual carefree grin nowhere in sight.

"Today, a Ward was grievously wounded. If it hadn't been for Panacea, Kid Win would be dead. It has been a long time since a villain was dumb enough to do something like this, and we have to make an example of Hookwolf to remind every other villain why," Piggot started, steel in her tone as the door opened.

Alexandria and Eidolon walked in, Alexandria's lower face set in a fierce scowl and Eidolon's entire posture screaming danger.

"A kill order has been signed on Hookwolf. It will be carried out by the end of today," Alexandria said, a wave of shock and satisfaction moving through the room. "There is no other sentence for a crime like this."

"What about Oni Lee? Hookwolf landed the blow, but only because Lee led him into the Wards," Miss Militia pointed out, her tone cold. She was probably the closest to the Wards, and she was pissed.

Of course, Armsmaster was supposed to be in charge of them, but he said nothing. She knew he was watching his career die in front of him, a new black mark on his record and one that was so large it was blotting out his entire heroic career.

"Director Costa Brown has pre-signed one for Oni Lee, but for now, it will remain that way. Brockton Bay is a very unstable town, and we want to minimise the damage our actions inflict. This is a surgical strike on Hookwolf and any Empire capes who try to protect him. This is a time for a scalpel, not a sledgehammer," Alexandria explained, and while she didn't say it, they all knew it.

The League's presence had the Chief Director nervous. The League had spread far and wide, but this was where they began, and they had a lot of powerful capes just relaxing in that damnable hotel. It wasn't that they believed that the League could take down the Triumvirate, but Alexandria and Eidolon would have to leave eventually, and they'd be left cleaning up the mess.

The Empire would probably take this and thank God that this mess only cost them a single Cape. If they started waging war on all the villains of Brockton, that could become a very long and drawn-out fight with Midas calling in help from other branches of the League.

Given how public this was, they had to strike the Empire hard, but they needed to do it in a way that didn't cause the entire city to be engulfed in a war that could spread to every other city that had a League branch.

Still, Hookwolf had been running wild for years and his time as Ivy's pet had only made him worse. It was time that he was put down.

– Jin Yukimura (King Midas) –

Sitting back in my office, I smile to myself.

Purity kept her end and informed me of the current crisis the Empire is facing, and it is a crisis. This is the kind of thing that could be a death blow to a gang, and all because Kaiser didn't rein in Hookwolf like I told him to.

He still used Hookwolf to patrol his territory with the probing from the ABB, and this is the result. The Empire is in full panic mode, and why wouldn't they be? Eidolon and Alexandria have come to town, making their presence known, to deal with their rabid attack dog.

"Sir, I've delivered your message to the PRT," Jaina says with a confident smirk. "They thanked us for our understanding in this matter and agreed to your terms."

Naturally, I told the PRT that the Syndicate and League would not involve themselves in this matter, despite my 'alliance' with Kaiser, on a few conditions. Mostly that they stay out of my territory.

Being able to call them up and say, 'Tell Alexandria she isn't allowed in my backyard,' is a very fun experience.

"Send the message through the League channels; everyone is to keep their heads down until this blows over," I order, getting a nod from Jaina, who makes a note. She's rapidly become my secretary for a lot of matters, and it's good to have someone I can trust on these things.

"Of course. Even our most aggressive members are hesitant to pick a fight with the Triumvirate," Jaina agrees, typing away at her tablet.

Sophia turning coat has had long-standing consequences for the PRT that Coil was watching with interest before I stole all his data. The ENE branch came under fire for a Ward going villain. There were several inquiries as to how this had not been caught (other Ward branches have access to an on-site therapist and mandatory meetings, which could have caught Sophia's predatory mindset). 

The old adage remains true; shit rolls downhill. Costa Brown didn't like the heat she was getting for how understaffed Brockton Bay was, so she pushed it down and placed the blame on Piggot, while Piggot pushed as much of the blame as she could onto Armsmaster, Winslow's principal and Sophia's former handler. 

Piggot managed to avoid most of the mess, but if something was to happen to one of her Wards? This won't be so easily swept away. If she manages to hold onto her job, it will be because literally nobody else wants the position.

Armsmaster, already dealing with the seeds of inadequacy, is watching his hard-earned career go up in smoke. Setting the Ward travel routes is his job, and he didn't update them after the Coil situation, which would have been the PRT protocol since the area was undergoing an upheaval, even a peaceful one.

The Wards aren't going to be able to go to the toilet without a PRT agent watching and having to submit an after-action report, and the ripples will spread to the other branches. It's another black eye, and has seemingly been delivered by a man I happen to want dead.

Of course, reminding them of how much they need Panacea is equally useful. My healing pods are still in the testing phase because the PRT are nothing if not glacially slow to do anything, but then they are left with a different problem.

Do they deal with Midas to get his healing pods or Prophet to get access to Panacea? Especially now that Amy isn't willing to spend her life healing for nothing anymore, not when I've made it clear how much her time is really worth.

Carol didn't like it, but Vicky approved. Amy works so hard and for nothing; how many of her patients could have been seen by regular doctors with no real risk to their lives? The public has become convinced that they are entitled to her time; I've taught her to tell them that she doesn't owe them shit.

I even convinced her to take some less serious contracts from wealthy individuals because some people are willing to pay millions for the ultimate cosmetic surgery. She can donate that money to worthy charities, fund New Wave in ways that untangle it from being dependent on sponsorships and have enough left to live a very comfortable life.

Because Amy deserves comfort, with how hard she works.

Carol is a fucking idiot because if she'd just raised Amy with a little more self-worth and put some thought into monetising Panacea's immense talent, New Wave would never have fallen into my hands.

Instead, Amy secretly made Carol more sensitive so I could fuck her harder and takes pride in how Carol belongs to me. 

"Kaiser has also called; he wishes to know if you still want to go through with the plans for Rune, given the recent developments," Jaina continues, and I just nod.

"I do. Rune isn't as happy in the Empire as she pretends to be, and this will only exacerbate the issue. Send word for him to have her arrive at the Oriental tomorrow. Frankly, it's better to get her away from the Empire while the PRT is on the warpath," I explain, pausing to clench my fist and take a deep breath as I look down between my legs, giving White Rabbit a dirty look as she smirks up at me, getting back to work. 

Aisha also wants to speak to me, but I can handle that when I take Rune to meet her new team. I more or less know what Aisha wants, and I have a gift for her as well. The arguments between her and Brian have been highly amusing, but she doesn't see Brian as an authority figure anymore (if she ever did) and has no respect for him. Instead, she's pissed off that he's going against her authority as she is the leader of the Imps.

Basically, she's on a power trip, and Brian is killing her fun. White Rabbit is only making Aisha worse, even if she is doing a damn good job of training her.

"Finally, Uppercrust has sent his gratitude for fast-tracking his personal healing pod. His condition is showing clear improvement, and as a result, the Elite branch in New York is assisting in the construction of the Oriental. The Elite leadership are still debating on how to handle the rapid expansion of the League, but it seems like an alliance is possible. Certain elements, such as Bastard Son, would prefer they resort to violence to drive us out of the cities where the Elite are located, but it seems calmer heads will prevail with Uppercrust on our side," Jaina continues, going down my itinerary. I keep an eye on most of this anyway, but it is helpful to have someone go over it as well. "Agnes Court has accepted your commission and seems open to cooperation between the League and Elite. Entourage thanked you for your gift and is open to Estrella doing business with you as a separate deal from any agreement between the League and Elite. The Shadow Broker has confirmed that Erik Granholme, a 'low-level R&D personnel' in Estrella, is in fact a Tinker with a focus on drones and remote tanks. Entourage has failed to report Erik's powers to the Elite leadership and is putting a lot of effort into disguising Erik as just a low-ranked nobody. She is even keeping it a secret from Upperhand despite him working as her financial manager."

"Bastard Son was her sponsor, correct?" I ask, bringing up my file on one of my targets. 

"Yes, sir. The Broker believes that if Bastard Son learns of this deception, he will likely retract his sponsorship and then have Entourage killed," Jaina explains, making me hum.

Brockton Bay is currently calm, for me at least, but while that won't last, I have time to look outwards. Kaiser is in no position to try anything, and Lung has kept his head down since his power was altered. He's actually been secretly testing himself and his new limits, as well as making plans of his own, but I have time.

He has sent Yurei into my territory to scout. My sensors detected her despite her invisibility, but for now, I've let her come and go unmolested. He's getting more cocky over where he sends her, but for now, she hasn't seen anything worth silencing her for.

My Prophet account has a message from Elastigirl, but then her worst fear has come true. It might not have been one of her children, but a Ward just almost died, and it has her in full panic mode.

Jaina continues her daily report, keeping me up to date on matters both in the city and elsewhere, while I lean back with a satisfied smile. Today was a good day.

Pausing, I access one of the base cams with a slight smile. 

In her cell, Circus remains bound to the X-cross as the machine beneath her pumps two dildos into her exposed ass and pussy. Circus may disagree about the goodness of today, as Harley messes with the settings and the machine rapidly speeds up.

Circus should consider herself lucky. Almost two dozen traitors were spying for Coil, and now there's only one left alive. I'll leave her to marinate a little longer. Harley seems to be having fun, and it would be a shame to ruin it for her.

Checking the time, I mentally nod. It's almost time to turn my drunken mischief into an actual asset.

– Greg Veder –

"Okay, but if I was careful-" Greg started, making Jin sigh.

"Greg, you've gone from out of shape to near-olympian in a short time. Joining any athletic team at school would expose your powers in an instant," Jin reminded him, making Greg pout even if he could admit that Jin was right, as always.

It just sucked to still be the nerd people looked down on when he could beat any of them.

"Fine…" Greg pouted, pausing. "But when do I get to make my debut? And you still haven't told me what you need me for."

"Soon, Greg. This life is risky, and I don't want to bring you into it without making sure you're completely prepared," Jin explained softly. "As for why I need a new independent hero, it couldn't be more simple. What do you know of the Imps?"

"Err, they're that new gang that's made up of a bunch of teens, right?" Greg asked, making Jin nod. "I've heard they're kinda unimportant because they only do minor crimes. Imp herself is kinda cute, though."

"That's what Midas wants people to think, yes. The Imps were formed for several reasons, but one of the biggest ones was simply to waste resources. The Imps are minor villains, but they're minor villains who work for Midas, and as such, the PRT can't afford to ignore them. Every time the Imps go out and cause havoc, it ties up precious resources, allowing the villains to move more freely. It's controlled chaos, designed to force the PRT to waste time on a bunch of delinquents."

"So, where do I come in?" Greg asked, excitement growing in his chest. Listening to Prophet explain the finer details of the cape scene always excited him.

"My plan is for you to be part of the counter. A friendly, neighbourhood independent hero who can handle the Imps and free up those precious resources. I also still believe that Midas has plans for Winslow, so I want you to function as a deterrent. Your presence, along with any information you send my way, will help deny him the chance to pull off whatever he is scheming," Jin continued, making Greg nod.

It wasn't fighting Endbringers or dealing with serious villains, but as much as he loved his new powers, he wasn't ready for that. Jin had frequently explained the importance of starting small.

In the same way that Midas was keeping the Imps 'low-level', it was beneficial to make sure that he remained at that same low level. It meant that Midas couldn't give a serious response without looking like a tyrant, something he tried to avoid. Jin had explained how important maintaining their image was to both heroes and villains.

"Now, focus. I'm going to start the scenario again," Jin said, making Greg nod with a serious look on his face. 

Jin had access to some serious training programs, as they practised in an underground secret training facility. This program was focused on search and rescue during a fire. Jin even made this like a game and gave him a rank based on his performance.

He only got a B rank last time, which he wanted to improve to an A or even an S.

Jin could imprint knowledge into his mind, giving him the ability to easily parkour through the testing arena and the ability to fight like a black-belt badass. It was amazing, and Greg didn't want to let Jin down, not when Jin was the only person who believed in him.

The knowledge didn't directly translate into the ability, so he had to work on it to get used to his new skills.

As he moved through the program, which was different every time to prevent him from just memorising the locations of the 'civilians', he gasped as he saw one of the fake civilians surrounded by the flames, and with his powers, he reached out and focused.

In an instant, they were in front of him and away from the flames as he picked them up in a fireman's carry and got them out of the building before rushing back in. The exercise was gruelling and intense, but he was grateful for the chance to get used to situations like this before he encountered them in the field.

In the first scenario, he'd frozen, and the 'civilians' had died. If that had been real… shaking his head, he got to work.

Finishing the exercise, he listened to Jin's analysis with a proud smile. Seven out of seven civilians saved, with only minor injuries to them and himself. It wasn't quite an S yet. He made some minor mistakes, as evidenced by Panacea healing him up with a roll of her eyes, but he was getting there.

He was going to be a hero.

– Jin Yukimura (Prophet) –

Giving someone Trickster's power is not really viable because it would be too obvious, but that said… that's where my power modification comes in. Firstly, Greg had to be augmented to allow him to use the power at all, but he agreed to that because he trusts me with his life.

Then, I modified it in a way that made it distinct from Trickster. Greg doesn't swap two people's locations; he pulls people toward him. It is a useful but minor power, perfect for rescuing people while not being too strong to gain him too much attention. It's similar to Trickster's but different enough that it shouldn't raise any eyebrows.

Watching him run through the mugging exercise again, I smile as he summons one of the thugs and easily takes him down with a perfectly executed judo throw. I've been hard at work with my Tinkering in the background, and learning how to make 'skill shards' was a major boon.

I can copy someone's skills and download them into a shard, and then all it takes is the right modifications. I can just slot the shard in and download that information into someone else's mind. Greg has been an unknowing test subject, but he's quite thrilled with his new skills. Several martial arts, parkour, five more languages, and then guitar skills because he deserved a reward for all his hard work. 

Greg wants, more than anything, to be popular, especially with the girls. He's also dealing with some guilt over never being willing to stand up for Taylor despite his crush on her, which is only pushing him to do better from now on.

Greg exists as an advertisement because I plan to make his connection to the Independent Alliance clear. That means I want him to thrive, even as a street-level hero. It's to show other lesser heroes that just because they aren't as flashy as New Wave, they'd still be welcome and could greatly benefit from my guidance.

– Sophia Hess (Shadow Stalker) –

Arriving at the Oriental, she didn't hesitate to walk in as she ignored the various villains lingering around. Emma followed behind, wearing a domino mask that did little to hide her nerves. 

Heading to the room Midas had told her to meet him in, she opened the door and let herself in as Emma followed behind. She heard Emma gasp quietly at the sight of Midas in the flesh, sipping his drink and staring out of the window at the city below.

"Good evening, Miss Hess, Miss Barnes," Midas said, turning back to them. "Right on time."

"Figured you were the kind of guy who didn't enjoy being kept waiting," Sophia snorted, making his lips twitch into a small smirk for a moment. 

"You'd be very correct, Sophia. How have you been since our last meeting?" Midas asked, getting a small laugh from her.

"Like you haven't been monitoring me twenty-four-seven," Sophia barked back, but Midas just shrugged.

"I have been keeping an eye on your actions, as I do with all capes, but you do not need me to babysit you," Midas explained, and she felt herself blush slightly. "Though I have to say you've been doing good work. Do you know that the ABB has put a million-dollar bounty on you?"

"Heh, only a million? I'll have to try harder," Sophia said with a cocky smile.

After her last conversation with Midas, she had truly returned to her roots. She'd done more good in the weeks since she escaped the PRT than in her entire time as a fucking Ward.

She wasn't stupid. She knew full well that she wouldn't have lasted this long without the supplies and intel that the League fed her. The tinkertech bolts were a game-changer, and the power upgrade that removed her weakness had saved her on multiple occasions.

The look on Armsmaster's face when she'd just slipped out of the electrified ropes he seemed to have designed just for her was hilarious. Plus, the League's operators had warned her when Lung himself was too close to one of her targets, and she wasn't that cocky.

"Indeed. The Empire hasn't officially put a bounty on you yet, and frankly, they have bigger concerns right now," Midas laughed, getting a smirk in return. For years, the PRT had refused to go after Hookwolf like cowards, and it almost cost them their failure of a Tinker. Nearly dying was the most useful thing Kid had ever done. "But we aren't here to discuss you, are we? It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Barnes. Sophia has told me a lot about you and your desire to become a Cape."

Emma jumped slightly at his attention but quickly gathered herself. She knew this was her one chance at becoming a Cape, and her usual charm was marred by her nerves. Midas might be a benevolent tyrant, but that didn't change the fact that he was a very powerful crime lord.

"That's right, sir," Emma agreed, knowing she was in dangerous territory. Sophia had honestly put this off to give Emma a chance to change her mind. This wasn't like dealing with any of the usual adults Emma charmed, but Emma was determined.

Midas was a pervert, but as hot as Emma was, pussy alone wasn't going to pay for a power. Emma was about to put a collar around her neck and hand Midas the leash.

"As it happens, your power can be upgraded again Sophia, which is why I requested your presence. I also have gained the power to grant people a low brute-rating, which I planned to do," Midas explained, making Sophia straighten up with wide eyes. "And I can grant you a power and make you a Cape, Miss Barnes."

"What's it going to cost? You don't do things for free, and I'm still paying off my freedom," Sophia asked, making Midas smile grimly.

"You are my tool, Sophia. You've proven yourself useful, and all I am doing is improving one of my own weapons against the other gangs. After all, you are mine, aren't you, Sophia?" Midas asked, his tone almost hungry as she felt her cheeks darken, and her body react to his words.

"I-I'll do anything," Emma cut in, making Midas turn back to her. "This is all I've ever wanted. I never want to be weak again. Just give me a chance."

Emma's desperation wasn't a good look because telling someone like Midas that you would do anything was not a good idea. She didn't try to help Emma as Midas gave her friend a searching, scheming look.

Then, he smiled. Midas' smiles were not happy smiles, and it sent a shiver through her body but she said nothing.

— Bonus Scene — Jin Yukimura (Trickster) 

The Birdcage has forever been the boogeyman under the bed for villains. It's the stick that the PRT threatens to hit us with if we go too far. There's no way out, a life sentence stuck in hell with the worst of the worst.

I've long since been curious about the specifics, just what this hell looks like on the inside. How has the social situation developed inside? Are the villains just tossed in and left to their own devices?

Krouse is the very definition of expendable. I have his Shard saved, so losing this body means nothing in the grand scheme of things. I've prepared my tech as best I can as I am loaded into the elevator, ready to descend into the mountain that contains the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center. 

Trickster, despite his ego, is not that important. He's being made an example of, so the guards who close the elevator never bother to speak to me as they close the doors and send me to my 'final' destination.

Krouse is also a coward, so I make sure to look visibly afraid for Dragon as I am sent into the depths, gathering myself as the long elevator ride comes to an end. Taking a deep breath, I step out of the elevator to the jeers of the other villains, here to see the fresh meat.

My tech holds, letting me keep control of the body as I look around with a confident look that doesn't ring quite true.

Dragon directs me to my cell, and as I take in my surroundings, I have to hide my smile. The cell blocks are visibly controlled by various villains, villains freely walking around the prison. I barely have time to situate myself before the leader of the block makes himself known as a well-maintained man named Spruce shows up and informs me that my presence has been requested.

Being led through the cells, I arrive at one that is visibly better off than the others. Several comforts are in the large cell, though I have to wonder how he got things like chocolate and a DVD player in the Birdcage as the leader turns to me with discerning eyes.

Long, curly brown hair covers his eyes for a moment, hair that looks so similar to my favourite bio-striker, though his hair has shades of grey in it, and he has a neatly trimmed beard as he looks me over.

"You were taken down by New Wave," Marquis says. It's a statement, not a question. "Tell me everything."

People have compared me to Marquis since my arrival on the cape scene, and I'm starting to see it as a slight compliment as, despite his years of imprisonment, he still has the presence of a powerful crime lord.

Well, more than Kaiser, anyway.

It's almost a shame that he's just going to be another tool for his replacement. After all, Amy calls me Daddy now.