Faultline leads you to a door no different from any other in the corridor. With a muttered "wait here" she opens it slightly and slips inside without letting you catch a glimpse of the interior. Presumably she's telling Labyrinth to put on her mask before you see her.
The door opens fully and Faultline beckons you inside. It appears to be a two-person bedroom, but the second occupant is not present. Labyrinth is sitting on one of the beds with her feet drawn up, hugging her knees to her body. She's wearing civilian clothes and a green mask with a maze pattern fully covering her face. Her long platinum-blonde hair is quite similar to yours. A coincidence, you didn't consider Labyrinth's appearance when you designed your current disguise. You wonder whether the resemblance affected Faultline's willingness to accede to your request, one way or the other.
You walk over and sit down on the unoccupied bed, and Faultline returns to Labyrinth to, well, 'hover protectively' seems to be the best description. Labyrinth turns her head to follow you as you cross the room, but doesn't say anything.
"Hi," you say. "I'm here to study your power."
She doesn't answer verbally, but a thick thorny hedge starts growing out of the floor between you. The room is thick with her power, but it's not... touching anything? The hedge is covered with the telltale glow of an active power, but not suffused? She's not actually transmuting anything, she's... transporting it from elsewhere? You're fairly sure that no terrestrial plant has thorns quite that theatrical, either. Interdimensional transportation!
"Fascinating," you say softly.
An odd grinding sound makes you turn your head to look behind you. A rusty suit of armor is emerging from the wall behind you, its outstretched arms coming to rest on your shoulders. A sword appears gripped in its right hand, with the blade resting on the upturned palm of the left hand and the edge pressing against your throat. The sword is rather dull, but the message is clear.
Faultline turns towards Labyrinth. "Should I tell her to leave?" she asks.
Labyrinth shakes her head. "I'm sorry," she whispers.
The pressure on your throat eases, and you look down to see a rounded section of the blade fade away and disappear. She isn't transporting things at all, you realize, she's overlapping other dimensions with your own.
"It's quite alright," you reassure her. "Please keep using your power."
Faultline nods to herself and leaves the room. She walks right through the hedge as if it wasn't there, yet when you reach out to touch a leaf it's completely solid. Selectively modulated dimensional overlapping! Oh, it is Christmas.
---
When you arrive at the bar on Monday, you discover that your plan was successful: Without any fighting pits left for you to guard, you're back to patrolling with Rune. You also see Alex there, but without his usual companions. You suppose the inexplicably successful raids have been shaking up everyone's schedule. Alex confirms as much, when you innocently ask what's up.
"Good riddance," he adds.
"You don't like dog-fighting?" you ask.
"Fucking nigger sport," he says. "Disgusting. Figures you'd be alright with it, being a super-nigger and all."
"Didn't see you agitate against it."
He shrugs. "Can't go against the brass, can you? Makes me wish our uncle was still with us, he'd never have stood for this shit."
"I wish that every day," Big Brain speaks up in agreement. "For six million reasons."
You hold your peace on the subject, but there's this thing that's been nagging at you for a week now, that you never got the opportunity to ask about.
"Apropos nothing, what did you guys have against Joshua Wilson anyway?" He rather stood out among the 'hate crime' headlines you found for having been targeted twice in the same week, far from Empire territory. First having his house vandalized, then being beaten up a few days later.
"Who?" Alex asks.
"The hortler from December," Big Brain says.
"Oh yeah, him. That."
"What?" Your dictionary on the nazi technical vocabulary must have missed that one. "What's a hortler?" You feel safe professing ignorance now. It may result in mockery, but not suspicion. They've already accepted you as one of them.
Big Brain doesn't even mock you, he just calmly explains how even in Brockton Bay the demand for hate crimes occasionally outstrips the supply. Which can lead the more enterprising individuals among the deprived minorities to take matters into their own hands, scrawling swastikas on their own walls and burning down their own (well insured) buildings.
Only swastikas are trickier than you'd think. A common rookie mistake is drawing the tines pointing the wrong way - this is what is known as a 'heil hortler'. But in this one case - unlike, say, welfare programs - the imperial citizens gladly embrace the white man's burden, and enthusiastically track down anyone who signals their need in this manner to beat them up for real.
---
You've barely even started your patrol when you come across the intruder. Unlike the typical gang-bangers who decide to test your borders, he is alone, unarmed, and wearing a suit and tie. Oh shit, is this an actual lost innocent? Wishing to preserve your streak of moral behavior while pretending to be a villain, you tell Rune to continue her patrol while you deal with him. "Call me paranoid, but he could be a distraction," you dissemble. It works, and she flies off.
The man stops when he sees you approach, making no moves to either flee or attack. Either an innocent or a highly skilled assassin, you think, then curse your brain for being silly. It's true what the rank and file says, Hollywood really does rot your brain (though you're not quite prepared to accept their follow-up thesis, that this an elaborate jewish plot to weaken the white race). Just because he's calmly striding into enemy territory dressed in a suit doesn't mean he's James Bond.
"Can I help you, officer?" he asks politely as you approach. He deliberately holds his hands away from his body too, in what you recognize as the 'I know I'm black and interacting with the police, but please don't shoot me' stance. He thinks you're a hero.
"...you're not from around here, are you?" you ask.
Indeed he's not (he explains), he's a sales representative for Silestra EcoPharm Incorporated, and he flew in from California just today (you note that he doesn't offer any identification to back this up, but that's probably just to avoid any unfortunate 'reaching for his wallet/gun' mixups). He was just on his way to his hotel when he ran across you, which brings him back to his original query of, well, can he help you, officer?
Ideally, he could help by geting the hell out of Empire territory before any real nazis show up to help you evict him.
"I'm afraid this is a restricted area," you settle on. "Do you have a map?"
He does, yes, but it didn't say anything about- you lean down to grab it from him, then scribble in the Empire's borders. There. That's the restricted area.
That's... a very large area, he notes cautiously. It is, you agree. Please vacate it ASAP. He does a fairly good job of repressing any facial expressions that might be taken as resisting arrest, despite your curt tone.
His entire demeanor is kind of funny, because if you look at the stats - and the rank and file fucking love looking at the stats, and sharing them with anyone in earshot - the police tendency to disproportionately shoot black people vanishes once you divide by 'giving the cops extremely compelling reasons to shoot you'. But two wrongs do make a right in this case: You aren't a cop, and he really should fear the organization you represent.
Makes you wish you could be a fly on the wall and observe his reaction when he asks a local about the restricted zone, and figures out what really happened here.
"That's one nigger that's never sticking his nose inside our borders again," you - entirely truthfully - tell Rune when you catch up with her.
"Nice job," she says, offering you a high five as Fenrir jumps up onto her rock.
"No one trying to sneak past?"
"Nope. Looks like another dull shift."
You start to nod, but freeze as you become aware of a strange whirring sound, rising over the background traffic noise. "What's that noise?" You swear you've heard it before, but can't seem to place it.
Rune pulls back her hood enough to free an ear. "Spoke too soon," she says. "That's Armsmaster's bike."
Oh. That's where you recognize it from. As it happens, you're not overly fond of Armsmaster after his disingenuous recruitment attempt the other day. "I wouldn't object to feeding him his teeth in a friendly engagement," you say conversationally. There may be a certain eagerness in your voice for her to pick up on.
Rune laughs. "Sorry to rain on your fight boner, but their patrol routes are pretty conservative. Unless he hears someone screaming for help he won't test our borders."
Right. There's a certain amount of realpolitik involved here. The Empire does have significantly more parahuman firepower than the local Protectorate. And while the latter has access to strategic assets the former lacks (cruise missiles, airstrikes), under normal circumstances they lack the political will to call on those in a populated area.
Rune laughs again at the way your shoulders slump. "I suppose if he actually caught sight of a pair of wanted criminals he'd have to give chase, but we're supposed to keep our heads down if possible."
The way she says that leaves you with the impression that she might be willing to disregard those instructions, should you press her on the matter. Rune is a bro.
"Welllll..." you say. "What if you were to cry for help? Do you think you could lure him away from his bike for a minute? Or 30 seconds at least?"
---
Peering over the edge of the roof, you see Armsmaster coming down the street on his bike. Just as he's about to pass you by, a piercing, feminine scream comes from the side street he just drove past. He instantly slams the brakes and jumps off the bike, halberd in hand, before it has even come to a complete stop.
Of course such a fancy tinker contraption does not fall over, but instead drives itself over to the curb, deploys its kickstand, shuts down the engine and engages its security system with an electronic chirp. Sorcerer's sight confirms that it contains almost as much tinkertech as his armor.
Be a shame if anything happened to it.
As Armsmaster dashes off below, you motion Fenrir over. Then the screaming stops, to be replaced with laughter as Rune flies up over the rooftops, out of reach.
"Halt!" Armsmaster calls. You see a grappling hook go shooting towards her rock, but a smaller rock deflects it before it can latch on. Still cackling madly, Rune flies off. "You're under arrest for multiple crimes, including assault with a parahuman ability and aiding an escape!"
Also conspiracy to provide an excellent distraction, you think as Fenrir positions himself at the edge of the roof. He lifts one leg, and three stories below multiple alarms go off as the yellow stream hits the tinker bike.
You fan the air in front of your face. Whew. With the steam alone being this pungent, he's going to have to invent brand new tinker solvents before his ride stops smelling of second-hand mutton.
Then Rune is back, having circled around to pick you up. She deflects another grapple shot as she swoops down to pick you up, then pulls into a steep climb leaving you completely out of range of the land-bound hero.
"I heard the alarms," she says. "What did you do?"
What kind of friend would you be if you didn't record the whole thing on your phone? Chortling with glee, you hand it over.
Spoiler: Armsmaster-o-vision
"You have got to post this on PHO," Rune says as she passes your phone back.
You shake your head. "I wanted to tweak his nose, not start a feud." No one knows better than you just how big of a glory hound Armsmaster is. "Turning this into a public humiliation would make him come after me, I don't need that in my life. And I'm suspended from PHO anyway."
"Yeah?" What did you do this time?" Not waiting for you to answer, she gets her own phone out.
Spoiler: PH-O-visionSpoiler: PH-O-vision
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♦Topic: Alabaster escapes custo
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Ba
Posted by: Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know
Posted on March 26, 201
(Showing Page 3 of 2
► Low Key (Verified Cap
Replied on March 26, 2011
@Shadow Stalke
Sorry about what happened. I expected you to shadow-dodge that like you did everything else. I hope Panacea was able to lend a hand
@Clockblock
I'm not sorry about what happened to you. You touched my wolf
► Shadow Stalker (Verified Cape) (Wards EN
Replied on March 26, 2011
You're deafd, bitch! Dead, you hear me? I'll fukcxing kill you
-User received a suspension for this post. Reason: Death threats, not cool. No, not even against villain
► road_to_he
Replied on March 26, 2011
Now I'm curious, what happened to Clockblocker
► Clockblocker (Verified Cape) (Wards EN
Replied on March 26, 2011
Nothing! Nothing happened to me! No parts of my anatomy had to be painstakingly reconstructed by Panacea, and it wasn't the most mortifying experience of my entire life. Everything is fine
► rr
Replied on March 26, 2011
@Clockblocke
Ouch
► Aaaardva
Replied on March 26, 2011
He deserved it. Did you forget? He touched her wolf
► Reave (Verified PRT Agen
Replied on March 26, 2011
He didn't just touch her wolf, he froze it in time
► Smiling Songstre
Replied on March 26, 2011
Gasp! What a cad
► Hairy Port
Replied on March 26, 2011
I would never freeze m'lady's wolf without at least buying her to dinner first
► Clockblocker (Verified Cape) (Wards EN
Replied on March 26, 2011
y u do dis, reave? :
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 23 , 24, 2
(Showing Page 6 of 2
► vani
Replied on March 26, 2011
@rrq
I agree. We're not *savages
► will_eat_anythi
Replied on March 26, 2011
Harder! My wolf is thawing
► Patrick O'Shaughnahu
Replied on March 26, 2011
Remember, in the Empire 88 they don't believe in wolf freezing before marriage
► i_lurk_bel
Replied on March 26, 2011
I'm literally just here to fill space
► rr
Replied on March 26, 2011
@i_lurk_belo
That's what she said
► FreshAir9
Replied on March 26, 2011
@Low Ke
If I buy you dinner, can I freeze your wolf
► Hermes (Moderato
Replied on March 26, 2011
The next person to use 'freeze wolf' as a euphemism gets a two-day vacation. Let's try to get this thread back on track
► Low Key (Verified Cap
Replied on March 26, 2011
@Clockblocke
Oh shit, I didn't realize I hit you that hard. Now I feel bad. Can I make it up to you? How about if you come over and freeze my wolf all night
-User received a suspension for this post. Reason: What did I *just* sa
► rr
Replied on March 26, 2011
Hubba hubba
► Smiling Songstre
Replied on March 26, 2011
Can love bloom on the battlefield
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ... 23 , 24, 2
(Showing Page 25 of 2
► Na
Replied on March 28, 2011
Did anyone else feel that the press release was even more perfunctory than usual
► Low Key (Verified Cap
Replied on March 28, 2011
@Clockblocke
For the record, that wasn't a euphemism. I meant exactly what I said. How about it, Clock? Offer's still open. Just you and me, and Fenrir being frozen in time. Over and over again, for *hours*
-User received a suspension for this post. Reason: Stop. Just sto
► Clockblocker (Verified Cape) (Wards EN
Replied on March 28, 2011
I'm so confused right now
► Hermes (Moderato
Replied on March 28, 2011
I'm closing this thread
yound of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 23, 24, 25.:
"Nice," Rune concludes, having read through the thread in question. "But you better post that shit as soon as you're back, or else."
"Oh nooo, not a threat!" you drawl. "I'm shaking in my boots, here."