Chapter 2: School Days
Threadmarks
billymorph
billymorph
Semi-professional
Apr 13, 2020
#3
Chapter 2: School Days
A Monday morning was one of the better times to be in the PRT offices. Crime never slept but it did run counter to the nine to five world of white collar work. Monday was, therefore, reserved for cleaning up the messes of the weekend and producing plans to deal with whatever new horror the Brockton Bay cape scene could muster up. The latter was mostly a futile task and was epitomised in the generally pointless eleven AM senior staff meeting. While it was considered a good thing to foster communication between the Protectorate and PRT, the meeting was timed specifically so that everyone was more focused on their lunch and definitely wouldn't drag things out beyond noon.
"Last order of Wards business, Pisces," Deputy Director Renick continued in a monotone, reading from his laptop. "Gallant said she raised some red flags during initial orientation."
Piggot scoffed, that was putting it mildly. "Armsmaster, Miss Militia. You both had a chance to meet Pisces during her power testing. What are your thoughts?"
Armsmaster's eyes visibly flicked away from his HUD, which he thought no one knew he used to fill out paperwork during boring meetings. "Pisces?" he began, pulling up another file. "Moderate to high level Shaker. Her power is well suited to crowd control against unpowered forces, and she herself possesses a reasonable Brute rating in case the situation escalates. She has almost no combat training, however, so while I can see her being an asset in the long term for now I recommend that she be kept in a supporting role. A close combination with Clockblocker would be most beneficial. Clockblocker is harshly limited due to his lack of a Brute rating and would benefit from a shielder supporting him. This would also overcome Pisces' limited utility against stronger parahumans."
Director Piggot shot him a look. "Not that we would deploy them against strong capes," she reminded him.
It seemed to take a moment for Armsmaster to realise what he'd said. "Ah, yes. Of course, I was thinking more for their eventual graduation to the Protectorate," he admitted, speaking a little louder so that the recorder caught it.
Sighing, Piggot shook her head. There were far too many layers of red tape tying up the Wards. A person could not survive as a leader of either the Protectorate or PRT if they gave the impression of being callous with children's lives. "And what did you think of her personally?"
Armsmaster shrugged. "She is quiet, studious and efficient. I can see her being an excellent second line hero when given a chance to settle into her new role. A model for the probationary program."
Beside him, Miss Militia did a double take.
"Something to add?" Piggot enquired sweetly.
Miss Militia sighed. "On the record? Pisces has been the picture of a perfect Ward. She has apparently memorised her handbook and employment contract, and has complied with every legal request we have made of her."
Piggot scoffed. That was very well worded, she wondered if Miss Militia had prepared it ahead of time.
"And what do you think of her personally?"
Miss Militia met her eyes with a stoney glare. "What were you thinking?" she demanded. "We should be transferring Pisces as soon as humanly possible, if not dismissing her entirely."
Silence reigned across the table for a long moment.
"You don't think she is suitable?"
"I think that placing a new hero and the girl who caused her trigger event on the same team is a disaster waiting to happen."
"There has been no conclusive evidence to prove that her allegations are true," Director Piggot replied, using her best weasel words. Having met Hess, she was quite certain that the girl was guilty as sin, but character witnesses weren't enough to get her thrown in juvenile hall. Besides, Shadow Stalker was far more useful on the side of the angels than stewing in a hole regardless of her personality deficits.
"That doesn't change Pisces' perception of events," Miss Militia pressed. "They are, at minimum, going to be at each other's throats. What exactly do you expect to happen?"
"I expect them to behave with the level of professionalism expected of them," Director Piggot shot back. "In an ideal world one would consent to relocation but Pisces has flat out refused, no reason given, and Shadow Stalker has family entanglements. I don't intend to see them on patrol together, but they will have to accept sharing a locker room. Is that your only concern?"
Miss Militia let out a terse sigh. "No, ma'am. Pisces very obviously has no intention of fulfilling more than the absolute minimum required of her."
"She'll find that is quite a high bar."
"And this is liable to undermine the Wards' team cohesion and spirit," Miss Militia continued, talking over her. "While providing no benefit to the program."
"Armsmaster believes she will make a fine hero," Piggot countered.
Armsmaster did his best to ignore his name being spoken. Wise enough not to be drawn into the argument.
"If, Director, if she applies herself. I see no reason for her too."
"Your concerns are noted, Miss Militia, but I am confident that Pisces will see reason. The probationary Wards program has seen a number of intransigent cases before, and they have all either settled in time or chosen to accept their punishment." She turned back to address the room at large. "Now, are there any other issues to address with Pisces?"
"Actually, ma'am, one has come up this morning," Deputy Director Renick interjected, reading from his laptop. "Pisces' handler, Mrs Woods, reported that she did not return to school this morning. Apparently there are concerns about this revealing her secret identity."
Piggot shot him a flat look. "Remind me again how many NDAs did we have to draw up for that school."
"Twenty three."
"Let me guess, she's angling for an Arcadia transfer?" Piggot huffed in annoyance. "Forward the NDAs to Miss Woods, tell her to get Pisces back in Winslow by the end of lunch. We will not be beholden to temper tantrums and won't consider a transfer until after her probationary status expires. Understood? Right, next item."
It took Mrs Woods until Wednesday to realise that she was being stonewalled. Partly this was just workload. The previous handler for female Wards had been a severe woman by the name of Martha who'd only fallen into the role after being wounded in a fight against Kaiser some ten years previous. While Rose felt sympathy for her, the woman possessed the maternal instincts of a particularly inattentive serpent and, quite frankly, all evidence pointed to her having had given up on seeing people as anything more than their roles sometime in the eighties.
This had produced a number of rather alarming policy decisions, many of which were so poorly documented that Rose was unsure if she hadn't been actively hiding her actions. There was, after all, absolutely no reason for the twelve-year-old Ward Vista to have a medical stipend, something generally reserved for Wards operating as wards of the state. Martha's record of home inspections ranged from abysmal to non-existent. Numerous disciplinary warnings from Shadow Stalker may as well have been filed in the waste paper bin for all the attention they got. And Rose was suspicious that a number of 'miscellaneous costume expenses' invoices billed to Shadow Stalker's account matched the requisition price of a six-pack of crossbow bolts.
With that huge headache firmly front and centre, Rose was more than willing to accept Pisces' suggestion to meet Monday evening so that her father could drive her to the office. When he'd wound up working late, Rose had been disappointed but understood that Ward families weren't at the PRT's beck and call and rescheduled for Tuesday morning. That had fallen through due to car trouble. Tuesday lunchtime was cancelled due to Pisces only informing Rose she'd need a ride five minutes before the meeting. Tuesday evening had been cancelled for no other reason than her father not wanting to interrupt family time.
It was about that point Rose began to pick up on the pattern. After failing to meet with Pisces first thing Wednesday, or early morning Wednesday, or mid-morning Wednesday or over lunch Wednesday, she'd thrown up her hands, checked the errant Ward's schedule and booked a meeting for Wednesday evening when Pisces would be in the PRT building anyway.
Naturally Pisces did not turn up to the meeting.
Rose considered herself an easy going woman. She was in her late fifties, a little on the rounder side than she liked and would happily admit she'd gone into social work due to empty nest syndrome. She was not, therefore, angry for being forced to both stay late and go hunting for Pisces. She was instead very disappointed.
In the end, she discovered Pisces in one of the training rooms practising using her shields under Aegis' watchful eye. Her shields rose and fell in glittering waves, occasionally flowing over and around the training dummies. Most of the time the dummies emerged unharmed, other times they fell to the ground with a bang.
"That was a hostage, Pisces," Aegis chided, as another pair fell to earth with a crash.
Pisces turned her head to glare at him. Her expression was hidden behind the scintillating shields but Rose could imagine the withering look.
"Ah-hem." Rose cleared her throat pointedly. Aegis startled and whirled in place. Pisces merely turned. "Excuse me for interrupting, but Pisces was supposed to be in my office twenty minutes ago."
Aegis started. "Wait, she really did have to be somewhere?"
"I did tell you," Pisces replied, her voice level and rendered almost distant by her shields.
"You've tried to sneak out three times to go to the bathroom already!"
Pisces inclined her head. "Do you wish to raise a formal complaint about my actions?"
Aegis opened his mouth to say something undiplomatic but Rose stepped forwards first. "It's no trouble, I was just catching up on some work anyway. Why don't you take a little break, Aegis? Pisces and I just have to clear up a few issues with her schooling."
"Right, sure. We were kind of going in circles anyway. Pisces, why don't you find me back in the common room when you're done?"
Pisces shrugged. "That would be fine."
Rose's office was two floors up from the training room, deep within the admin offices where Wards rarely trod. She kept up an easy patter with the girl as they walked through the quiet halls. Pisces was a painfully quiet girl. Her answers were short, clipped and halting, as if she had little idea what to say when faced with small talk. Rose's heart went out to the girl. For all her shields, both literal and social, Taylor seemed very vulnerable.
"Cookie?" Rose offered, once they'd reached her office. She'd done her best to decorate the small space after she'd cleared out her predecessor's effects. It lacked homeliness but there were a few knick-knacks on display, a framed graduation photo of her son, a brightly coloured glass bowl, a rainbow throw mat over the back of her chair.
Pisces mutely took a cookie from the tin and ate it in silence, her shields shifting out of the way for just a moment to reveal the girl beneath. Rose smiled. There was a teenager somewhere under there after all, good to know.
"Now, we need to talk about school," Rose began.
Pisces cocked her head. "What about it?"
Rose's smile went a little glassy. "Your lack of attendance. You believe that your secret identity is under threat?"
"Yes."
For a long moment the only sound was a distant ticking clock.
Sighing, Rose continued. "Pisces, I understand that gaining powers was more public for you than the average parahuman. However, the PRT has already anticipated this. I have a pile of NDAs gathered from the witness pledging to say nothing about your secret identity."
Pisces nodded. "Of course."
Another beat passed. Rose sensed she was going to have to drive the conversation.
"So, why don't we talk about school a little more? I understand from the files passed to me you've had a rough time of it."
Pisces scoffed.
"Perhaps a little more than rough?"
"They tried to kill me," Pisces said simply.
Rose winced. "They described it as an over-enthusiastic prank."
Pisces inclined her head. "I really don't care what they called it. I have no reason to believe that they won't try the same thing again."
"The girls involved have received two weeks suspension and a mark on their permanent academic record. They aren't even at school right now to threaten you," Rose continued, in a calm and level voice.
Rose was a big believer in serving as the rock for her clients. Teenagers were volatile, and letting their emotions crash against her she found the best way to calm them down. Pisces' lack of visible emotion was, perhaps, the most unsettling part about her.
"I am still concerned about my secret identity being revealed if I have to go to Winslow," she repeated, in the same clipped tone.
Sighing, Rose drew back for another line of attack. "Pisces, you do need an education. You understand that, right?"
"Yes. I am required to maintain an attendance record of ninety percent for my classes unless otherwise excused by events pertaining to my roles as a Ward or status as a parahuman," Pisces replied, literally quoting the book. "I am also to keep a C grade average. Otherwise, my probationary status will be placed under review, ergo, they will throw me in jail."
Rose winced. "No one is talking about sending you to jail, Pisces."
"That is, literally, the only reason I am here," Pisces shot back.
"Really, you've never wanted to be a--"
"Don't," Pisces snapped, her shields taking on a sudden frantic energy. "I know what heroes do. I want nothing to do with it."
There was really nothing Rose could say to refute that. Not after her predecessor had bungled the Shadow Stalker file so utterly. Her heart went out to Pisces. Even surrounded by people who wanted to help she couldn't lower her shields.
Rose froze.
"Pisces... Taylor, has anyone asked you to get rid of your shields?"
A bitter chuckle sounded from the centre of the cloud. "Heh. Well that only took a week to figure out. Why don't you re-read my power testing notes. I can wait."
It took a few moments to log into her computer and go through the verification process before Rose could access the documents. Her stomach fell as she read. "Only able to dismiss her shields entirely with some effort... Oh, dear. You poor thing. A lot of effort?"
Pisces seemed momentarily perturbed by the pity in her voice. "Enough. I can't do it at all when I feel threatened."
It probably said something that Pisces' shields were thicker in Rose's office than during her combat exercises.
"I'll--" Rose stopped herself long enough to actually check what policy was when it came to transferring a Wards' school. It took a few minutes. The documentation was Byzantine at best and prefaced by a note from the Director not to even consider transferring Pisces was just icing on the cake. "I'll see what I can sort out."
Pisces scoffed. "You know where to find me when you figure it out." She stood and headed for the door. "Good luck."
Rose pointedly didn't say anything as she left. It was also best to let teenagers be happy with the last word. Getting into an argument at the doorway was just petty, and she had bigger concerns. With a new crisis at the top of her pile she dove into labyrinth of Wards policy documentation.
Winslow, clearly, was no longer an option. Playing the 'constant and obvious powers' card, though, would prevent Pisces going to any school at all and force her down the tutor track. A tutor that the PRT didn't have and would need to go through months of vetting before they could get one. Transferring schools for no reason, though, would kick off a massive bureaucratic shitstorm as Winslow stood to lose a lot of money in the process. The secret identity risk was technically covered by the NDAs, so they couldn't lean on that as the reason for transfer, but Pisces was a Brute so any claim that she was threatened by her situation would be laughed out of the room.
Half an hour later Rose was about ready to start pulling her hair out and was trawling special needs programs with the shaky logic that maybe they could claim Pisces needed academic support that Winslow couldn't provide.
"Excuse me," Aegis sheepishly knocked on her open door and stepped inside. "Do you know where Pisces is?"
Rose froze, her eyes snapping to the young hero. "I thought she was with you," she said, rising to her feet.
"Same."
A moment's panic over losing one of her charges swept over Rose before resignation set in. "Aegis. Did you tell her to meet you or ask her if she'd like to meet you?"
Aegis froze, then drove his palm into his forehead. "Shit! I asked her."
"Language," Rose chided on automatic.
"I'd better ask around and see if I can find her," he muttered darkly. "God damn, this is the third time. She's more trouble than she's worth."
Rose sighed. "No one is more trouble than they're worth," she assured him. Although, given the amount of paperwork Pisces had dropped into her lap, she had to admit that the girl was closer to the line than most
billymorph
Apr 13, 2020
Reader mode
Threadmarks
Threadmarks Chapter 3: Warm Welcome
Threadmarks
billymorph
billymorph
Semi-professional
Apr 13, 2020
#4
Chapter 3: Warm Welcome
Vista was generally the first person to arrive at any Wards meeting. Her school finished up first, and it didn't take long for a PRT vehicle to drive her downtown--that was her explanation if anyone happened to comment on it. Why she always jumped into the PRT's blacked-out SUV while her classmates scattered to the four winds; off to slumber parties, or shopping on the boardwalk, or wherever it was normal people went on a Friday afternoon, was not something anyone had yet asked. In truth, Vista preferred to go to work early. Wasting time pointlessly chattering over pop stars and heroes, or pretending to be teenagers at the mall with her classmates drove her up the wall. It was far more productive to slip on the Vista visor a few hours earlier and spend her time in the PRT gym, either practising her power or just keeping in shape.
"Oh." Vista did a double take as she stepped through the door into the Wards' common room. "Hey Aegis."
Aegis glanced up from his paperwork and gave a half-hearted wave before turning back to his work with a sigh. The Wards common room was dominated by a collection of well-worn couches surrounding a TV and attached consoles. However, it made concessions to other human needs even if the Wards rarely acknowledged them. Aegis was sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchenette with a sprawl of training documents laid out before him.
Vista frowned. "I thought you had metalworking on Fridays?" With a twist she was across the room and peering over his shoulder.
Aegis shrugged. "I've got a pass this week. Training the new Ward takes priority."
"Ooo, are we meeting her today?" Vista asked, excitedly. A new Ward meant a new power to play with, new teamwork exercises and the possibility of Vista no longer being the team mascot.
"Yeah..." Aegis sounded far, far less enthused. "Don't get your hopes up."
Vista's face fell. "Oh god. Please tell me she's not another Shadow Stalker."
Aegis scoffed. "No, that would be much easier to deal with. Pisces is… intransigent. It means—"
"I know what it means," Vista interjected, scowling at him. "Mostly," she added, too softly to hear.
"Ah. Well, it's not exactly fun riding herd on someone so stubborn," Aegis continued, glancing back at his papers. "And she's already learned the handbook backwards and forwards, so I need to get a step ahead if I don't want her usurping the Wards on a technicality."
Vista snorted. "Don't worry, we're not that fickle." She paused, eyeing the stack of documents. "Although, if you want to hand it over to me~"
"Oh no, I've already got two girls planning a coup. I don't need you plotting against me as well." Aegis chuckled and patted Vista on the shoulder.
Vista rolled her eyes. "Curses, foiled again," she said in a flat tone.
"And you would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those brave Brockton Bay Wards." Aegis smiled fondly and shook his head.
Electing to ignore that, Vista continued. "Is Shadow Stalker really plotting? I see her more as a 'shoot it with a crossbow until it stops annoying me' kinda girl."
"Don't talk smack behind your co-workers' backs," Aegis chided, a refutation conspicuous by its absence. "Shadow Stalker is walking around with a chip on her shoulder, though, so I suggest you stay clear."
"Urgh, what did she do this time?"
Aegis made a non-committal noise. "I don't have all the details, but I hear from the rumour mill that she messed up worse than usual on the civilian side. Not quite sure how that wound up with Mrs. Stewarts getting fired but I do know Shadow Stalker got hit with a couple of months of console duty."
Vista made a face. Well, that was going to make patrols excruciating until Shadow Stalker got herself off the naughty list. Any further discussion was forestalled by the door buzzer. After the few seconds of mandatory pause Dennis and Chris walked in, chatting about some show they'd been watching the night before that sounded like it was forty percent flexing by volume. Aegis took that as an excuse to drop the topic and bury himself back in his work, leaving Vista to her own devices.
Sighing, Vista let the boys natter about their show, got herself a soda and a sandwich from the fridge and secured a seat on the other sofa while she checked her phone. She looked up when Sophia arrived, but as usual the girl ignored the lot of them and disappeared into her room to change.
"Vista, do you have a moment?" Dean said, quietly.
Vista startled, almost dropped her phone and it was only a flick of her power that kept it falling long enough for her to snatch it out of the air. She spun in her chair, putting on her best smile as she looked up at Dean. As gallantly as ever, Dean didn't draw attention to her fumble or the blush steadily pinking her cheeks.
"Sure, er, what up?" She replied, doing her very best to sound cool and casual.
"You've heard about the new Ward, right?" Dean continued. Vista frowned but nodded. "Don't get between her and Shadow Stalker. Seriously, just say nothing."
Vista cocked her head at him. "I know how to look after myself," she shot back, a little petulantly.
"I know. But you're the only one who'll listen."
With that confusing compliment he went off to talk to the boys. Vista frowned at his back, trying to figure out if she should be insulted or flattered. In the end she decided to split the difference and moved herself to the armchair while remaining a little miffed about the whole situation. It sucked being the baby of the team.
A few minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, Shadow Stalker returned in costume. There proceeded a few moments of pandemonium as the boys put on enough of their masks to count as being suited up and Aegis very diplomatically arranged the seating so that the new girl wouldn't be next to Shadow Stalker under any circumstances. It was during the shuffle, and exactly as the clock struck five, that the new girl stepped in.
Pisces stepped into the room head held high and her power on full display. Coin sized shields swarmed in their thousands through the air in a delicate aerial ballet, glinting and shimmering as they twisted and turned. Pisces herself stood at the centre of the cloud, sometimes only visible as a vague outline, sometimes fully revealed. More shields clung to her body, forming a tight, ever shifting shell that obscured all but the most obvious of features, one of which was her height. Scowling, Vista calculated that she was unlikely to come up to even her shoulder.
"Ah, Pisces, thanks for coming," Aegis said, stepping forwards and holding out his hand to shake. Pisces' shields shrunk inwards as he stepped closer making her look even larger, but the new Ward did at least return the shake. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the Wards. We're all looking forward to getting to know you better."
Shadow Stalker scoffed softly, but everyone was used to ignoring her. Aegis put a hand on Pisces' back and guided her gently towards the open space in front of the couches.
"So, I know you've met Gallant." Dean raised his hand and waved. "He's not so scary out of the armour, is he? That's Clockblocker, he thinks he's funny."
"Hey!" Clockblocker protested. "I'll have you—"
"Next to him is Kid Win," Aegis continued, not giving Clock the opportunity to get going. "He's our resident Tinker and so responsible for getting us out of as many messes as he gets us into." Kid Win rolled his eyes but didn't argue the point. "That's Shadow Stalker. And then we've got by far our most popular member, Vista."
"Looking forward to working with you," Vista said, waving and flashing a PR smile.
Pisces was silent for a long moment. With her shields so thick—Vista had to wonder if she could see through them or whether she was using some other trick—there was no way to get a read on the girl. Heck, Vista couldn't even tell if she was looking at anyone in particular.
Aegis eventually felt the need to fill the silence. "So… We usually use this time of the week to make sure that everyone's alright. No worries about home, or school, or anything on the cape side of things. Powers can be a little rough, especially at first, but it's all something we have to deal with in our own way, and everyone is here to support you. It's also a chance to make sure everyone is happy with their patrols and no one needs someone else to cover for them. We like to keep things relatively informal, so we tend to use civvy names when we're out of costume, though do watch out that you don't muddle things up. The secret identity thing is hard to get used to, but we've all goofed before so don't stress about it."
Pisces inclined her head slightly and another awkward silence began. Vista filled the time musing on the range Pisces had on her shields? Was there actually a girl under there or had she snuck out while no one was looking? Vista flicked her power outwards and got a comforting distortion from the centre of the shell, torpedoing that theory. Maybe she was just shy.
"Ehh, why don't we kick things off with you, Pisces, as everyone I'm sure has a hundred questions. Why don't you tell us about yourself?"
Pisces shrugged. "Hello," she said, softly. "My costume name is Pisces. Probationary Ward. Serial number three one twenty, three eight twenty-two."
Clockblocker was the first one to laugh, letting out into a cackle and slapping his knee. "Ha! Why did I never think of that?"
"Because you're still paying for all the 'Stopwatch' posters they had to reprint," Aegis shot back, fixing Clockblocker with a look that was completely ignored. "And Pisces, please take this seriously. I know things could have gone a lot better so far, but please meet us half-way on this. We're all on the same side here. We're all Wards, probationary or otherwise, and we have to work together."
Pisces, as was getting alarmingly predictable, said nothing.
"Any questions for Pisces?" Aegis exclaimed, turning to face the audience and clapping his hands together.
"Yeah, are you seriously using your power to pad?" Shadow Stalker began in a lazy drawl, leaning forwards and sarcastically raising her hand. "Because—"
"Vista, how about you?" Aegis interjected before she could go any further.
"Uh…" Vista straightened up, suddenly. "Well, I like the costume, but can you actually see out?"
Pisces' shields loosened a fraction, a few drifting away from her body to resume their slow circuit. "Oh." Pisces seemed wrong-footed by the question, after a seconds' thought she continued in a small voice. "Well I got some mirrored sunglasses yesterday. So, mostly?"
"Good initiative there, Pisces," Aegis said brightly. "Villains treat us with kid-gloves but no need to give them an advantage. Kid Win, what do you think about building a visor for Pisces? She'll need something durable if she's out on the streets."
"I guess…" Kid Win looked less than enthused about the idea and drummed his fingers on his knuckles nervously. "Maybe something with sonar? No, that would just produce noise, what with all the shields. I could think about scaling down a radar set if I can put together a transmitter small enough, but that's probably more an Armsmaster job. You should take it up with him."
Vista watched Gallant get halfway through facepalming before arresting the motion.
"That won't be necessary, I won't be joining you on patrols."
Everyones' heads went up at that announcement.
"You're not—?"
"Why aren't you—?"
"Heh, chickening out already." Shadow Stalker's voice cut through the confused babble.
"All right, all right!" Aegis called out, gesturing for silence. "Your parents haven't given permission yet?"
Pisces shrugged, her shields sparkling like stars at the motion. "He's very concerned about my personal safety," she said, a smug smirk audible.
"Huh. Well that's fair enough, you'll still need some proper protection for the PR patrols, though."
A visible hitch ran through Pisces' shields. "The what?"
"Wards patrols through certain areas are so low risk that they're counted as if they're PR exercises only. The ride-along routes where you have a Protectorate member with you are the actual minimal to low risk patrols. For those you need parental permission."
"Hold up, are we legitimately on the baby routes!" Shadow Stalker interjected. "What the fuck?"
"And you are suspended from even them for the next two weeks, Shadow Stalker. Let's not make that three," Aegis shot back with a pointed look. Shadow Stalker huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.
"That is insane," Pisces snapped.
Aegis snorted, shaking his head. "I'm guessing you're not complaining about them being boring."
"The Wards are supposed to be a safe space to train with our powers, they are not an—"
"This is how it's been for long before any of us were Wards," Aegis interjected, before Pisces could work herself up any further. "Have your parents take it up with the Director if there's a problem. In the meantime, given your mastery of the Wards handbook, I've scheduled you for the noon Boardwalk patrol on Sunday with me and Clock."
Pisces stared at him for a long moment. "A Ward's presence at PR events is not to exceed four hours per month without consultation with their parents or guardians," she said in a rush, literally quoting the book.
"God, you are pathetic," Sophia exclaimed, throwing back her head. "Fucking deal already!"
Pisces rounded on her, then back to Aegis. "I feel that Shadow Stalker's behaviour is bullying and would like to formally raise a complaint."
"I'm standing right here, Pisces," Aegis snapped. "I did hear her. Shadow Stalker, I've tried to give you the benefit of the doubt but one more outburst like that and you're going to Renick's office."
"Whatever."
Clockblocker hummed to himself as he looked between Shadow Stalker and Pisces. Then, ignoring a slightly frantic gesture from Gallant to shut up, opened his mouth. "So, I guess you two already know each other."
"What of it?" Shadow Stalker snapped.
"That infringes on my secret identity," Pisces said, talking over her.
Snorting, Clockblocker shook his head. "Yeah, I thought so. Usually you have to get to know Shadow Stalker for a few weeks before you want to punch her in the mouth."
Shadow Stalker scoffed and glanced over at Aegis. "Can I complain about that?"
"Yes, yes you can," Aegis said, sighing. "Clock, quit it."
"What? I'm just saying that there's some tension in the room. It's just good team building to make sure that everyone's cool with each other. We're all on the same side, as you said."
Pisces huffed. "I know full well what side Shadow Stalker is on, thank you, and I want no part of it."
"Is that the hero side, or the cry alone in the bathroom side? Because I think I can guess what yours is," Shadow Stalker shot back.
"Hero is an interesting word to use. I would have said bitch before that."
"Girls, this isn't helping," Aegis tried to interject. "Of—"
"Want to say that to my face?" Shadow Stalker growled, flowing to her feet. "You're a lot braver when hiding behind all those shields. I should have guessed you'd get a power just as cowardly as you are."
"Girls!" Aegis stepped between them, placing a hand on each of their collars. "Stop this right now!"
Pisces took a deep breath and her shields rippled as she stepped backward. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice containing not the faintest hint of an apology.
"Thank you, Pisces. Shadow Stalker, do you have something to add?"
Shadow Stalker put her hand on her hip and somehow managed to look down on the taller girl. "Yeah. Good to see you back in your place, Pisces."
Gallant started moving first. Vista never really needed an excuse to watch him but during an argument keeping your eyes on the empath was really the best decision, and she'd already started spinning out space around her when Gallant began to yell. Unfortunately, they were all of them too late. Pisces' shields surged outwards at blinding speed, forming a ball of roiling sliver that flew unerringly towards Shadow Stalker's head. Aegis yelled as it passed within millimetres of his visor and was half in the air and half out when the follow-up wave ploughed into him and brushed him aside like a discarded leaf.
Shadow Stalker hurled herself backwards, turning to shadow in the nick of time as she dropped through the couch. The shield ball smashed into the furniture a half second later and pulped one of the cushions. The ball shattered into a dozen disparate disks, and rocked the couch back on its feet despite the weight of Clockblocker and Kid Win. They let out a mutual shriek and halfway through the roll the couch froze in mid-air as Clockblocker's power locked it into place. Clockblocker managed to stay on. Kid Win, surprised by the sudden stop, was hurled free and landed in a heap next to Shadow Stalker.
"My place!" Pisces roared, surging forwards. She vaulted the couch with ease, sending Shadow Stalker scurrying away, flitting in and out of her shadowed state in an attempt to move faster. One of Gallants mood balls smacked into Pisces' shields, blowing a couple dozen away and having no apparent impact on the girl underneath. Pisces drew back her fist, gathering another ball of shields together. "You don't get—"
Vista sprung, pinching reality so that in a single step she was between Shadow Stalker and Pisces. With a heave, she pushed out space, the distance between the two fighters going from feet to yards in an instant. Pisces' shields wobbled and warped as they flowed through the distorted zone before popping like bubbles at the edge of her range.
"Enough!" Vista screeched. "Will you two stop behaving like children!"
A moment a stunned silence echoed through the room. Pisces drew her shields inwards, glaring down the distance between her and Vista.
"She started it," Shadow Stalker said with a shrug.
Vista shot her a look that could have stripped paint.
"I don't care who started it, fighting other Wards is completely unacceptable," Aegis cut in, striding into the bubble of expanded space and glaring at the both of them.
Shadow Stalker scoffed. "She attacked me. Shouldn't she be going to jail now? I remember some pretty damning clauses in the probie contract about going after other Wards."
"So— Shadow Stalker, you have been trying to rile her up since minute one," Aegis snapped, glowering at her. "Did you really think no one wouldn't notice?"
"Hey, she was the one that threw the first punch."
"October eighteenth; two thousand and nine," Pisces said, suddenly. Everyone looked at her. "Outside of the English classroom. One blow to the gut when no one else was looking. That was the first punch."
The mutual gaze turned back to Shadow Stalker. "You still harping on that persecution complex shit? That's just pathetic. Cowardly."
Pisces was silent for a calculating moment. "Cowardly is an interesting word to use for a girl whose only power is to run away."
"No no no!" Aegis snapped, glaring at them both before they could start again. "I am not dealing with this any longer. We're going to Renick's office right now. Clock, you're in charge until I get back."
"Uh, right? In charge of what now?"
Aegis ignored him. Vista pulled space back in, leaving the four of them standing uncomfortably close until Aegis began to herd the pair out of the door. Wisely, Vista slipped out of the angry knot at the first opportunity. Mustering her diplomatic powers she waited until the door closed behind Pisces before throwing back her head and groaning.
"Oh my god, what a bitch," she exclaimed.
"Vista, language," Gallant chided without much heat. "Kid Win, are you okay?"
"Yeah it's fine, I landed on my pride," Kid Win said, rubbing his tail bone as he limped across the room. He took a seat next to Gallant.
"I'm okay too!" Clockblocker added, still perched on the frozen couch. He seemed happy to sit at the odd angle which Vista was not surprised by. Clock generally had the least in the way of common sense. "Barely nearly died at all."
Vista rolled her eyes as she slipped across the room and back into the armchair. "You were miles away. Seriously, though, that was insane. I know we've all fantasized about killing Shadow Stalker but that's got to be a record."
"Um, I've never fantasized about killing Shadow Stalker," Clockblocker said, putting his hand up. "A few other things, yes, but not killing."
Vista pulled a face at him for being weird.
"Shadow Stalker once called me a third rate Tinker who'd be better off playing with Lego in the basement than pretending to be a hero," Chris muttered.
"At least she put some work into yours," Vista said, huffing. "I just got called a know-nothing short stack."
Gallant sighed deeply. "She tries, you know."
They all looked at him in disbelief.
"You're still talking about Shadow Stalker, right? Teen Girl magazines' 'most likely to be a serial killer' six months running?"
"I'm serious," Gallant protested. "Shadow Stalker has her own demons, but she wants to make the world a better place… I don't think she's figured out how yet, but the desire to be a hero is there."
Vista sighed. Gallant always saw the best in people, it was one of the things she liked most about him. Sometimes she had to wonder just how far he was willing to look before he found it.
"And what about the new girl, secretly a hero beneath a passive aggressive shell?" Clockblocker asked, then snapped his fingers. "Hey, I just got her power theme!"
Gallant ignored the aside. "She is… angry. Angry at the world, angry at the PRT, angry at herself a lot of the time."
"Angry at Shadow Stalker?" Kid Win suggested.
Gallant pursed his lips. "No. It's not anger with Shadow Stalker, it's hate. I don't think I've seen someone hate anyone with that kind of intensity. Well, except for Lung, but she's not exactly rampaging through the streets right now, so it's still impressive."
"Great, she can out-rage the dragon," Clockblocker snarked. "And I have to patrol with the psycho Sunday. Anyone who wants to pay their respects to Clockblocker speak now or forever hold your peace."
Kid Win shot him a look. "He was the best of us, he was the worst of us. Can I have your Xbox?"
"Hell no, I'm being buried wi—argh!"
The couch chose that moment to unfreeze, hurling Clockblocker through the air, and he hit the ground with a bang.
"I'm okay!" he called out, only a raised hand visible over the fallen couch. "Also, ow."
"You know, if you're dead you don't have to patrol with Pisces," Kid Win observed.
Clockblocker shot up. "Really? I mean… grarkgalga!" He collapsed again, clutching his throat dramatically.
"It'll be fine, Clock," Vista snapped, tutting at his childishness. "Your name isn't Shadow Stalker. She's not going to screw around on patrol, anyway. She's not going to be that petty."
"You willing to bet my life on that?" Clockblocker shot back, popping back up.
"Yours?" Vista snorted. "No problem. Don't worry, Clock, she'll grow up."
Vista had, after all.
Mar 23, 2021
#1,056
Chapter 4: Dead Beat
It took about ten minutes for Dennis to conclude that he really should have called in sick. It was a risky plan. Piggot tended to treat sickness as going AWOL rather than teenaged laziness, but it was worth the attempt. Spending his Sunday in the front row for a car crash was the last thing he wanted to do. There was something particularly disquieting about watching everything go wrong and having no way of stopping it in time. Being a hero was supposed to help with those feelings of helplessness, but instead it seemed like he just wound up with a front row seat to bigger and bigger disasters.
"Where is she?" Aegis grumbled, glancing up at the clock.
They were sat in the Wards briefing room, a glass box set up as a conference room off to one side of their common area. Dennis made a show of checking his armour's clocks before looking at the time on his phone. "Still another ten minutes before we start officially," he noted.
Aegis shot him a look. He'd gained a particular glower that reared its head any time someone mentioned 'official' practice. "I told her to be early as we needed to review procedures."
Snorting, Dennis shook his head, she'd be early, but only by the slimmest of margins. After the explosion in the common room he'd weaseled the full story from Dean to get the girl's measure. What he'd heard was not encouraging. Under sunnier circumstances he'd be welcoming her as a fellow prankster, but there was a malicious edge to Pisces' rule-breaking that went well beyond needling the status quo. Perhaps Pisces would mellow, perhaps she'd snap again and succeed in breaking Shadow Stalker's neck. Without knowing why Pisces was quite so acerbic it was impossible to guess which way she'd jump, and Carlos wasn't giving any hints.
"You could show a little sympathy," Aegis grumbled, turning back to his notes. He'd been going through the handbook with a fine toothed comb, the poor guy.
"Want me to arrange some flowers?" Dennis shot back, smirking. "Dear Missus Carlos, condolences on your loss, but he really should have known better."
That earned him an even fouler glare. "I'm not joking around here, Clock."
Dennis rolled his eyes. To be honest, neither was he. "Well if you're dead set on throwing yourself at a wall, I'd start giving more specific orders."
"I shouldn't have to spell everything out," he growled. "I'm the Wards Team Leader, that should be enough. I don't have the time to lead one girl around by the nose."
Dennis sighed, electing not to mention Carlos had held that title for all of two months. The presumption of authority was the whole problem, but heaven help whoever tried to explain to an indestructible man that banging your head on a problem until it broke wasn't the correct solution.
"Dude," Dennis said. "I hate to tell you this but your legal authority as Team Leader could be written on a recipe card."
Aegis huffed. "Clock, stop. I'm not in the mood."
Dennis frowned at him. "Just tell me this," he began after a moment's thought. "Why? What's the point of dragging her out on patrols when she clearly doesn't want to do them?"
"The Integrating with Probationary Wards package strongly recommends that they be brought into team activities ASAP," Aegis snapped, turning over a page. "Also, 'The Team Leader should focus on ensuring that the Probationary Ward maintains an active profile in the community and foster bonds of camaraderie between them and other active Wards.'"
It took a moment for the sheer amount of doublethink in that statement to percolate.
"Seriously?" Dennis demanded. "You realise that was written for all the Shadow Stalkers who've been punching Nazi's for two years before we bring them in, right?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
He had several, but his personal favourite of shoving Pisces and Shadow Stalker into a muddy puddle and letting them wrestle out their sexual tension was unlikely to fly with Piggot. "Is letting Pisces spend her mandatory ten hours a week on duty reading a novel in her room not bothering anyone an option?" he suggested, as a slightly more reasonable alternative.
Aegis' glare was all the answer he needed.
"Then no, I don't have a better idea." Shrugging, Dennis turned back to his phone. There was a cute girl in his civics class who'd kinda sorta been chatting with him, and he really needed to figure out if she liked him as the class clown or liked him, liked him. That was a far better use of his time than trying to figure out what the hell was going to happen with Pisces. He was still trying to come up with an appropriately witty comeback when Pisces walked into the room. She was precisely one minute early for the briefing.
"Finally," Aegis exclaimed, standing. "Pisces, when I say get here early, I mean—where the hell is your costume?"
Dennis glanced up. The blizzard of shields around Pisces was far less intense than in their first meeting, more obscuring her features than an utter white-out. It was immediately obvious even through the swirl that she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
"It's still under development," she said simply, taking a seat at the head of the table. "We're having some creative difficulties."
Aegis let out a frustrated growl and picked up his notes. "'The image of a probationary Ward is controlled wholly by the Protectorate PR team'," he read off.
Pisces didn't even pause. "'All Wards' costume designs are subject to a parental veto in cases where the parent may be concerned about protection, concealment of a Ward's identity or the cultural appropriateness of an outfit.'"
"Pisces." Aegis pinched the bridge of his nose. "I saw the costume. It's a goddamn body stocking, what could your parents have possibly found wrong with it?"
"A fifteen-year-old wearing a skin tight body stocking?" The smirk was audible if not visible. "Sounds pretty culturally inappropriate to me."
Aegis stared at her. "You have a cloud of shields that stops anyone seeing you," he shot back. "How can PR possibly have accepted that?"
"Well, he also had an issue with the protection provided," Pisces continued, with a casual shrug. "That fabric wasn't even stab resistant. What was it supposed to do to protect me if I run into a power nullifier with a machine gun?"
There was a moment's pause as both Aegis and Clockblocker considered that.
"What are any of our costumes supposed to do if we run into a power nullifier with a machine gun?" Dennis echoed, glancing over at Aegis.
Aegis scowled. "Nothing, because it's not going to happen. Wards are to disengage in the very unlikely circumstances we encounter such a threat." He turned back to Pisces. "Besides, you are a Brute. No uniform is going to match your own powers for protection, your parents have to acknowledge that."
"No, they really don't," Pisces drawled. "It was a shame, I was looking forward to going on this punishment duty thinly disguised as a PR tour."
"It's fortunate that—" Aegis turned to a separate page. "—'at the discretion of the Protectorate leadership or Wards Team Leader a Ward may appear out of costume if their power effects provide sufficient protection of their secret identity.'"
Pisces glared at him for a long moment. "You'll need that in writing," she pointed out.
"I prepared one earlier," Aegis shot back, pulling yet another sheet out of his pile of notes. He signed it and slid it across the table.
"Seriously?" Dennis demanded.
"I am capable of pattern recognition, Clockblocker."
Dennis shook his head. Pattern recognition without also acknowledging where it would end was not worth the breath.
"Now, I'm going to have to give an abbreviated run through of our rules of engagement given we're behind schedule."
"Oh really?" Pisces pulled out a digital recorder and set it on the table. "Mind if I record it? I want to know exactly how I'm to act in the field."
Judging by the popping vein, it was lucky that Aegis was physically incapable of dying from an aneurysm.
The PRT vans were designed with a brutally practical mindset. For all the glitz and glamour the Protectorate tried to project onto their heroes and Wards, they tended to travel like soldiers. On the outside the vans were bulky slabs of armour plate and bulletproof glass. Inside was much the same but also crammed full of equipment lockers, emergency supplies and, in deference to the comfort of the occupants, fold down seats. Eight fully outfitted troopers could theoretically squeeze inside with two more sat up front. Pisces and Clockblocker rattled around like dry peas in an empty can sat on their lonesome.
"Dennis, by the way," Dennis said, by way of an introduction. He gave a one handed wave, offering to shake hands as a Striker was disingenuous at best.
Pisces regarded him coolly. She really was unsettling with her shields pressed close. Dennis reckoned that someone in PR was rubbing their hands with glee at the hay they could make from pitching a Narwhal Jr, and was just as gleefully going to find themselves walking off a metaphorical cliff. Superficially they shared their main feature, the tendency to use shields for their costume, but the comparison was only skin deep. Pisces' shields were opaque, roiling and innumerable. They put Dennis more in mind of a swarm of locust or a killer storm than anything comforting or alluring.
"I don't have to respond to that," she said simply.
"Well, no you don't have to. Doesn't mean you can't, a rule bound life is a life half lived." He smiled, the gesture lost to his helmet, but he was experienced at making sure the emotion carried in his voice and posture.
Pisces huffed. "I'm not in a position to break any rules."
"Trust me, I've had to deal with all of Shadow Stalker's shit for..." he counted on his fingers. "Five months now. If you scare the villains half as much as you scare me you could piss on Piggot's desk, and she'd keep you on our side."
Another interminable pause stretched. "Thank you?" Pisces replied with a questioning lilt.
"You're welcome. I hope Terminator levels of scary was what you were going for."
Pisces shrugged. "I'm just obeying the terms of my probation."
"Really? Because what it looks like is you're on a one woman crusade to raise the PRT's collective blood pressure by twenty points," Dennis shot back. "Now, I admit it's a fun hobby but I do have to give you a professional warning. I was here first."
"Heh." A bitter chuckle escaped her and Pisces tossed her head, as if embarrassed to show any emotion other than hatred. "You enjoy being Clockblocker, don't you?"
Dennis smirked. "He can say a lot of things I can't. I imagine the same goes for Pisces."
Pisces seemed to consider that. "I suppose so. I'm not sure I'd want to be her for long. She's not a very pleasant person."
"She could be."
Sighing, Pisces shook her head. "I am what the PRT made me."
There didn't seem to be much else to say after that. At least she hadn't tried to take his head off and there was just a hint of vulnerability. Dennis chalked up the conversation as a win and settled into a slightly more comfortable silence.
After another ten minutes or so working their way through traffic they arrived at the Boardwalk. Patrols down the shorefront were, by a wide margin, the simplest and safest the Wards took. It was a straight three-mile amble starting in the south and making its way up north towards the old dockyards. Out of costume, it was about an hour's walk. In costume, with all the incidental photo ops, patrol of side streets and the occasional confrontation of a pick-pocket it was closer to two. Vista groused a lot about the wasted time, but the PRT preferred they take a slow walk. The northern end of the Boardwalk was ABB territory and the longer the gangers had to clear out of the way the better. No one particularly wanted to interrupt Lung's lunch, least of all Dennis.
"Rules check," Aegis snapped, as he opened the back door to the van.
Pisces paused half-way through standing and settled back down onto her shields. "Really?"
"Humour me. Rules of engagement?"
Huffing, Pisces began to recite them. "As a Probationary Ward I do not have the power to arrest or detain without permission from my superiors. I am not to use my powers on civilians without their consent. I am not to engage in combat with powered or unpowered individuals without orders. I am not to discuss classified information, which includes events currently under investigation by the PRT. Which is weird because you'd think I'd be allowed to tell people my own origin story."
"Pisces!"
Pisces tutted but continued. "I am not to disparage or otherwise embarrass the organisation I now represent—no matter how hard it is trying to embarrass itself. I am to interact with the public in a warm and approachable manner or at least make 'no comment'."
Aegis grunted. "Good. Clock, Pisces follow me." He turned on his heel and stalked away from the van.
"Wow," Dennis said, shaking his head at her. "You're not going to make this easy for us, are you?"
"No comment," Pisces replied, sounding about as smug as the cat who finally got the canary. She drifted out of the van and, after he performed a helmeted facepalm, Dennis followed.
Aegis really had no idea about the PR disaster barrelling down on him. If he had an inkling he wouldn't have dared let Pisces out of the lounge. Dennis batted back and forth just telling Aegis that and trying to convince him to scrub the patrol, but they were on a public road and, well, it took a lot to convince Aegis that he was making a mistake. It seemed it was up to him to ward off the blow, as usual.
For all his worries, the patrol started off as normal as normal could be. The Wards were a familiar spectacle around town with TV spots, scripted appearances and even their own merchandise lines. A Wards patrol turned heads. Even after thirty years the cape game still had an element of spectacle and mystery to it, but they were still part of the normal backdrop of the Boardwalk. A patrol featuring a new Ward was more exciting than the norm for the crowd. Fingers were pointed, whispers gathered and smartphone cameras clicked as they sauntered down the Boardwalk. Pisces treated the cameras like they were rifle barrels and kept a constant wall of shields between her and the crowds. That she didn't try to punch anyone or break any phones was probably the closest they'd get to a win.
Dennis fell into his familiar pattern as the team jokester. Being approachable took a lot of work when you had a white disk as a mask. He'd swing his head in broad, exaggerated motions, wave at the kids trekking around with their parents, dally behind the patrol to watch the girls. It was all part of a clownish act that kept him looking like a Ward, not a teen soldier or monster about to snap.
If one wanted an example of what not to do, one only had to look at Pisces. Her cloud of shields had thickened steadily, leaving her a mere human shaped outline in a storm of silver. It was hard to make out movement within, let alone see anything about the person at its heart and if it wasn't for the Wards walking either side of her someone would have called the PRT emergency line.
"Pisces, cut the shields," Aegis hissed, trying not to move his head. Aegis favoured a heroic gait when he was on display, head out, chin up and chest puffed up. It was only his adaptive biology that allowed him to hold the position for more than a minute straight.
Pisces let out an aggrieved huff. "They are protecting my secret identity."
"They're scaring half the city. Cut it down by half and pull them in. That's an order."
There was a moment's silence, then Pisces' shields snapped inwards as if being dragged down the plughole. The end result was a glittering human shaped outline wrapped tight around Pisces. It was a good half a foot taller than Pisces herself was, but Aegis didn't seem to notice the incongruity.
"Better?" Pisces demanded.
Aegis sighed. "Technically."
Dennis didn't say anything as he resisted the urge to cross his fingers. There was another two miles on their patrol and with any luck nothing would happen to upset the delicate entente between the heroes.
"Clockblocker!"
"Hello, random citizen!" Clockblocker replied automatically, inwardly swearing.
Justin Blake, a weedy kid from the year below Dennis in Arcadia, elbowed his way out of the crowd. Justin was a card-carrying Wards fanboy and made it to most of their events, particularly Clockblocker's. Pulling up short, Justin stared up at Pisces' scintillating swarm. "Wow, new Ward?" he exclaimed a moment later.
Dennis raised a finger to his mask. "Shh, she's not announced yet," he stage whispered, loud enough that the rest of the crowd could hear. "So I can't tell you her name is Pisces and she's joining us for a few patrols."
"Oh, right. Hi Pisces, welcome to the Bay." Justin held out a hand to shake.
Pisces might have looked down her nose at him, it was impossible to tell.
"She's a little shy," Dennis explained, gently pushing Justin's hand down. "Don't worry about her, first patrols are a whirl. Got to keep your head on a swivel if you don't want to run into a supervillain around here."
A couple chuckles drifted from the crowd. Even they knew the Wards weren't allowed anywhere near actual villains. Well, maybe Über and L33t if the Protectorate had something better to be doing that day, but nothing worse than that. Slowly the crowd began to creep forwards, their circle closing every so slightly.
"Though if you see one, let me know. I'm never going to get a guest spot on the Mouseketeers at this rate." Dennis let out an exaggerated sigh.
Justin shook his head. "Sorry, nothing around here," he said, sounding apologetic. "Sorry about that, Miss Pisces."
Pisces, as was becoming a trend, said nothing.
Aegis stepped forwards, a confident smile on his lips that belied the intensity of the bad idea that Dennis could see barrelling down on them. "Why not tell the crowd a little about what you can do?" he suggested.
Pisces' head tilted. "I make shields," she said without an ounce of emotion.
The sudden ratchet jump in tension was palpable. Dennis rolled his eyes at Aegis behind his mask. Just what about Pisces' attitude had made it seem like a good idea to put her on the spot?
"Careful there, the jokes are my department," he cut in, nudging Pisces' cloud in what might have been somewhere close to her kidneys.
"I think you can do a little better than that," Aegis growled, his smile glassy.
"She really can't," Dennis muttered, pitched low enough so that only the Wards heard. The Wards and Justin.
"It's okay, I used to be scared by public speaking too," Justin said, brightly. "Why don't you tell us why you're a hero?"
Dennis winced. It was a good softball question, literally the first thing that the Wards were taught to answer it came up so often. It was just a shame it was the last question Pisces would want to answer.
Pisces shields' shuddered in unison. "No comment."
Resisting the urge to facepalm, Dennis surveyed the crowd, who didn't seem to have understood just what Pisces' had said. A few bright sparks were already whispering to their neighbours.
"Pisces," Aegis growled. "He asked you a question."
"No comment," Pisces repeated, louder.
A few people had their phones out and were recording. Dennis hoped that they weren't close enough for sound, word of mouth alone would be bad enough.
"Sorry, we can't stay to chat," Dennis told Justin, in a loud voice. "We've got the long route today and Mama Clockblocker gets testy if I'm late for dinner."
He stepped forwards, reaching into Pisces' cloud while grabbing Aegis by the shoulder. The shields shifted like glass beads beneath his fingers but his hand found something solid enough to push on and Dennis put all his weight against the two Brutes. Neither of them had to move. Dennis had once tried armwrestling Aegis and had nearly broken his hand. However, if one caught a Brute by surprise half the time they would just go with the motion before realising that they didn't have to.
The crowd parted around them, more phones appearing with every passing moment.
"Just shut up," Dennis hissed, as Aegis opened his mouth again. "Wait." He stepped back, letting the pair walk themselves but drove them forwards double timing it away from the disaster zone.
They were silent for a block. Dennis wished it could have lasted longer.
"What the hell was that?" Aegis demanded angrily, rounding on Pisces.
"I merely followed your instructions," Pisces said, her voice eerily level. "Did I do something wrong?"
"You know full well what I mean!" Aegis snarled. "That is the easiest question in the business."
"Well, if I gave the actual answer I'd be in breach of my probation and sent to jail." Her shrouded form shrugged. "So, I guess that's the best you can ask for."
"Pisces, I am not—" Aegis began, taking a threatening step towards her.
"Dude," Dennis cut in. "You're not going to win this one. Trust me."
Aegis turned his glower on Dennis. "Don't start taking her side."
Dennis rolled his eyes. Oh good, there were already sides.
"I'm on the side," he drawled, "Which gets us through this patrol without ending up on Parahumans Online. How about we just agree to be quietly angry at each other until we're back on base. Cool?"
Pisces snorted. "Works for me."
Aegis said nothing and set off in a huff. It was technically an improvement.
They made it through the next hour of patrol without anything worse than Aegis and Pisces occasionally sniping at each other. The crowds on the boardwalk grew thin as the boat graveyard loomed ahead, and the cape watchers mostly lost interest when faced with recording a boring patrol. Unfortunately for Dennis' nerves, it wasn't a proper day in Brockton Bay without someone with worse survival instincts than a depressed lemming committing a petty crime.
Purse snatching was endemic on the Boardwalk. Sure there were big burly enforcers with threatening bulges and hidden handguns dotted about, but they couldn't be everywhere. It was a pretty safe con for those involved. Leap out of an alley, grab an expensive looking bag or phone, then run like hell for a block before jumping on the back of a waiting friend's bike. Vista hated them, mostly because Little Miss Escher could make the 'run away' part of the criminal's plan into a hundred mile ultramarathon with a twist of her hand. Reportedly that ruined the fun. Dennis worried about her sometimes.
The kid holding the bag couldn't have been more than seventeen. He wore a grubby tracksuit and had that wild cast to his eyes that spoke of either desperation, hard drugs or both. Judging by the furious yells echoing in his wake and the lurid tie-dye bag he was clutching, he was firmly in the 'run like hell' stage of the plan. It was sheer misfortune that he'd rounded the corner and run straight into a Wards patrol.
Aegis moved first, launching himself forwards like a cannon shot. The purse-snatcher had just a moment to react but either good luck or good instincts had him jink left when Aegis lunged right. Stumbling, he danced around the flying boy and accelerated towards Pisces whose shields were still held tight against her frame.
"Stop him!" Aegis yelled, skidding in mid air as he tried to arrest his momentum.
Dennis sprung forwards, arms outstretched but the fact that he was a striker was not exactly confidential information and he found the tacky bag thrust in his face. He froze it on instinct and proceeded to run headlong into the bag, sending him to the floor in a tangle of limbs. From his horizontal point of view he watched Pisces step smartly out of the kid's way, her shields brushing through his jacket without meaningfully slowing his headlong run.
"Pisces!" Aegis roared in fury.
The kid hung a hard right and disappeared into an alleyway.
Aegis landed hard next to Pisces spitting metaphorical fire. "What the hell! You had him! We've drilled this a hundred times and you had him!"
Pisces' shields thickened but she otherwise remained undaunted. "As a probationary Ward I am not allowed to arrest or detain without express orders," she said, voice pitched to carry.
It was at that point Dennis remembered that they were still very much in the public eye. Was anyone filming? Certainly he could see phones in the hands of the crowd but it had all happened so quickly.
"I gave you an order!"
"I assumed that was for Clockblocker," Pisces replied. Her voice was cool and collected, especially compared to Aegis' fury.
"When I say 'stop him' I mean both of you," Aegis snarled.
Pisces made a non-committal noise. "Hmm, can I get that in writing for next time?"
"Aegis!" Dennis yelled, scrambling to his feet. He groped around for something, anything to distract his friend before he tried to pop a fellow Wards' head off. "The perp!"
Aegis froze, swore loudly and then launched himself into the sky.
"Stay here," he told Pisces. "Do not move, do not speak, do not touch anything until I get back. Clockblocker, with me!"
He shot off, moving to intercept from the air. Dennis reflected briefly on the absurdity of trying to support the Alexandria package on foot before setting off at a run down the same alleyway the purse snatcher had disappeared.
A block and a half later, more than a little out of breath, Dennis caught up with Aegis who was sitting on their perp. The kid's arms had been cuffed behind his back and he was swearing up a storm.
"Clock," Aegis began, exhaustion heavy in his voice. "Freeze him."
Dennis took a few deep breaths, went to point out he wasn't supposed to freeze people in custody, then took a second look at Aegis before stepping up and tagging the kid on the ankle. He froze mid-yell and Aegis let out a long sigh.
"Thanks. Console is getting us a squad car." Aegis was silent for a long moment. "I just completely screwed up, didn't I?"
"Well… you didn't hear it from me." Dennis leaned against a nearby wall for support. He really needed to add more cardio into his workout. "On the plus side I didn't see anyone filming. Might be some nasty photos though."
"Oh god." Aegis pressed a hand to his forehead. "You realise I'm going to have to punish her for disobeying orders. She's going to be unbearable after that."
Dennis laughed. "Better you than me. Is the 'let her read quietly in her room' option looking more appealing now?"
"No," Aegis said with some finality. "We're the Brockton Bay Wards. We've held our ground against monsters, Nazis, and whatever else the city throws at us. Pisces is not going to beat us."
The silence stretched for a long moment. They'd already lost, but Dennis had no idea what to say to get Aegis to acknowledge that. Like with pretty much every problem in his life he wished for a little more time to figure out the perfect words, but the flashing lights of the squad-car killed the moment and soon they were caught up in the minutia of booking a perp.
"Where the hell is she!" Aegis roared.
Pisces was conspicuous by her absence. A woman clutching the tie-dye bag was waiting for them but of the hero they were supposed to be keeping their eyes on there wasn't even a single shield remaining.
"I was very specific," Aegis snarled, jabbing a finger at the empty patch of boardwalk. "Right there. Don't move."
"Sorry, it's been a long week," Dennis informed the slightly stunned woman, trying to draw her attention away from Aegis' rant. "Did our colleague mention where she was going?"
"Umm. I think she said something about her shift ending."
"She what!" Aegis exclaimed, rounding on her. "We've only been out an hour. "
Dennis glanced at his watch. "Technically, if you count travel time and the briefing it has been two."
"We never count those," Aegis growled. "Okay, she can't have gotten far. I'll head up and try to find her, you call Console and tell them we've got a missing Ward."
"Wait, shouldn't we—" It was too late, though, Aegis had already vanished into the skies leaving Dennis alone with the victim.
"Sorry about this," he said to her. "It's Pisces' first patrol, we've got a few teething problems to deal with. Are you okay after all this?"
The woman frowned at him but seemed to accept the blatant lie. "I guess. He didn't get far. It was all so fast, I didn't even know what was happening until someone started screaming 'thief'. Thanks, I don't know how I would have gotten home otherwise."
Dennis gave a jaunty salute. "All part of the service, ma'am. If you would like to call the non-emergency number the police would appreciate a statement but feel free to do that any time. If you'll excuse me I have to make a call."
Stepping smartly away, Dennis fiddled with his wrist computer. He put off dialling the Console for a moment, instead taking the lateral step of calling Pisces' Ward phone. Most likely Aegis had already tried it, but Aegis wasn't exactly thinking rationally.
Pisces picked up on the third ring. "Hi, sorry for the background noise," she said brightly, as if greeting an old friend.
Pausing, Dennis had to think back to the cape call code. 'In civilian area, can't withdraw'. He sighed. "Pisces, where the hell did you go, Aegis is pulling his hair out with worry."
"Sure… worry." The air quotes were audible. "My shift's over so I'm heading home."
"Please tell me you're not in costume." He wasn't sure PHO could cope with pictures of Pisces angrily waiting for a bus without exploding.
"I dropped my shields somewhere safe," she explained with a terse huff. "I'm not an idiot."
Dennis opened his mouth to object but cut himself short. God, she'd even made sure she was in civilian clothes so she could slip away the moment her mandatory time ran out, hadn't she? "Pisces," he began. "I— I like a good prank more than most, but this is way beyond that. You're burning a lot of bridges, very quickly. Do you understand how much trouble you're about to be in?"
There was momentary silence on the line, broken only by the pneumatic hiss of a bus door opening.
"Yes." There was a momentary wobble in her voice that might have been, to an optimistic ear, regret. "Yes I do." She hung up, leaving Dennis alone on the boardwalk staring out to sea.
"Yeah... Definitely should have called in sick