13 August 2010 -Brockton Bay Former Abandon Trainyard - BB Terran Command Centre

  After rounding up the Undersiders, I had them transported to the Barracks holding centre here near the Command Centre. Surrounded by my Marines in training, the Undersiders finally gave up trying to break out, It was a mistake to fully trust un proven tech I made myself, although it is probably one of those rare cases where power interaction goes.

  Brian Laborne and Adam Mustain had two things in common, they were able to somehow bypass the power dampers, although the case with Adam Mustain is due to its much lower capacity during its prototyping phase, while the finished product was no longer a power dampener issue and more of cutting off the power entirely using Shards connection. Two entirely separate tech altogether.

  Either way, it worked for them.

  The weakness has since been patched of course but I can’t confirm if any other power unique power interaction will render the thing disabled again, That’s another issue for future me. Not current me.

  What is my current self doing? Trying to wake my ass when morning comes. Didn’t get a proper quality sleep after the clusterfuck that happened yesterday. SCV did their best to restore the hospital and Mercy’s PR might have tanked a little, since no permanent casualties happened in the hospital, the Hospital directors seems to want to sweep everything under the rug and to placate the patients.

  For a few seconds, I didn’t move.

  Schneider was curled against my side, wrapped in one of the oversized blankets I’d requisitioned the night before. She slept deeply, the kind of sleep only kids who’d finally found somewhere safe to let their guard down. Not sure what kind of sleep I was expecting, seems like I’m the only one that seems to be thinking too much about these sort of things.

  Her breathing was slow and even, small chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. One tiny hand was fisted into my shirt, fingers locked there like she was afraid the world might vanish again if she let go which puzzles me deeply since I dont think I’d ever make such a deep impression on the little tyke.

  I stared at the ceiling, at the faint blue holographic glow of the Commanders’ room interface idling in standby. No Monica here, just me and my lonesome self with a holographic blue screen telling me how much steel and gas and other stuff I’ve collected. Trainyard is practically clean, no longer the dump and salvage refuge, Scv’s made sure of that. The collection of Steel and gas is mostly underwater now these days, along with the Docks, keep this up and within two months? We might have cleared even those heavy tankers under water and recycled everything Brockton Bay has to offer.

  Need to think of a new way to find new resources, Hence why Monica, Lena and Trainwreck went to New York to see if there’s a place we can. Simply put? Monica is there to purchase scrap collection business, Lena is there to scout potential area’s to settle our second Command base since she’s a pilot of sorts, and Trainwreck is there to scour the underworld element since he used to operate in Boston before migrating to Brockton Bay, We also send 2 ex- Marines alongside Trainwreck who came from New York before they settled in here in Brockton Bay as Trainwrecks hands and feet.

  Still no update from them, I wonder if they came to any trouble. I’ll just need to trust them to deal with any issues for now, it’s only been a few days.

  Looking at the sleepyhead beside me and the time on the hologram, It’s time to get up and get things done around here.

  Carefully, I shifted, easing myself up just enough to slide my arm out from under her without waking her. She murmured in her sleep, brow creasing for a second, then settled again when I tucked the blanket closer around her shoulders. Even asleep, she leaned toward the warmth, instinctively seeking it, cute. No matter how old you get, cute is cute. It must be protected.

  My little malnourished ,undersized… Dormant psionic daughter. Yep. How the hell did it turned out this way? And somehow trusting me enough to sleep like this. Maybe I’ll need to teach her some common sense once she gets a little older, only to forget that she’s not actually four, but nine years old. She’s extra tiny for her age due to her issues.

  That thought sat heavier than any command responsibility ever had.

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, moving silently across the polished floor. Brockton Bay was still asleep but I was already making copies of my Dreamhack hoodie, got a few of 'em in the closet. Just the average Black and orange red design hoodie with the Starcraft logo on the side and the Terran logo, with Spectre armor underneath. I look like Homeboy reject Raiden from Metal gear solid wearing a cheap hoodie. With everything black underneath. Well, what do I know about fashion anyway? I just claim I know about stuff but honestly? I think my fashion sense is a little trashy and homebodyish.

  Back to the hologram, everything seems to be good, Tarsonis district seems to be doing well, Food production exceeds demand so that’s good. I should think of a way to start exporting food and setup more food factory. More and more people are coming into the Tarsonis district looking for a job, but there’s still th gangs to contend with.

  Everything was… under control for now, but it wont last long. ABB has already begun pushing back hard with yesterday’s skirmish. Need to settle things with Park Jinho and see what’s up with his Flame King crew.

  Ugh…still thinks the name is lame as fuck, then again…I did compromise and relented with a name like “Dreamhack” pot? Did you forget you’re acting like a kettle now? Fuckin hell.

  I glanced back at the bed.

  Schneider had shifted again, face relaxed, blonde hair fanned out across the pillow. Gotta wake the sleepy head, time to eat breakfast. The Doctor ordered her to eat her meals on time and eat frequently. For other kids? Snacking is bad. For her? Snacking is basically mandatory.

  I exhaled quietly.

  I’d fought monsters, warlords, parahumans, things that bent reality with a thought.

  This?

  It’s new. Taking care of kids was already something I did but the responsibility aint mine, at the end of the day, kids I’ve trained still go back home to their family. It was a job, not a requirement I need to be responsible for.

  School arrangements.Medical follow-ups. Psionic evaluation schedules.

  The three main things I needed to do first. I already signed her up for School at Immaculata, a middle school near Arcadia High. If the timeline and meta knowledge is right, Dinah Alcott and even Missy Byron go to school there along with future Imp Aisha Laborn. Three problem children that could change how things goes towards the future.

  Medical? I'd take it up with Angela.

  the last one is Psionic daycare.

  What do I feel about a Ghost Academy Lecturer taking care of my kid? It's a mixed feeling. I don't think any parents will be prepared when they get told that "congratulation, your kid has super powers now" and in this world setting, people with powers only have two obvious route. Villain or Hero. This isn't the DC Universe, playing in between doesnt cut it. in between skirts along Hero or Villain too, depending on the extremities, Once upon a time, I'd probably flip flop over to the Villain side if I haven't play nice with the PRT.

  These days? they playing keep the status quo of the Bay until HQ intervene. Which they wont because of an experimental scenario, I'm probably under observation too as the sudden fifth faction in Brockton Bay, when the slice of the pie was only divided among the PRT-ENE, E88, ABB and Coil. Now add a fifth piece, suddenly the gang wars between the four became a fifth, and I isn't even playing using the same rules.

  E88, the PRT, ABB and even Coil is trying to gain territory control through brute force and war on 3D chess, I'm playing Civilization Cid Meir's edition and going for the economic and faith control. The games we play are different. It's no wonder I'm getting mixed signals among the Parahumans of Brocton Bay, Somner's Rock isn't too far from where I am, the E88 is awfully quiet unlike the rest of the faction.

  Sigh…It’s not easy having future meta knowledge.Things are already changing drastically here.Just don't know if it’s for the better or worse yet.

  A soft rustle of fabric. A tiny inhale that hitched just a little too sharply.

  I turned to see that the little sleepyhead is up, eyes groggy, probably still half asleep. Schneider was sitting up in bed, hair sticking out in every possible direction unlike when she was just lying down sleeping cutely,

  one eye half-open and the other stubbornly shut like it was personally offended by the concept of morning.Ahh..youth. I used to be like that, the very concept of light offends me in the morning. Good times.

  The blanket had slipped down to her waist, and she was clutching it in both hands as if it might escape.

  She blinked groggily and then she turned to look at me.

  “…Morning?” she said, voice small and scratchy with sleep.

  I smiled despite myself. “Morning sleepyhead, about time you woke up.”

  She glanced around the room, eyes tracking the glowing panels, of the hologram in the Commanders suite,For a split second, something anxious flickered across her face, like she was checking to make sure this was still real.

  “Oh…It’s not the orphanage” she said quietly.

  “ and I’m still here kid, come on wake up” I replied, keeping my voice calm. “Promise yourself and the Matron you would eat breakfast on time, Not gonna make me a liar are you?”

  That seemed to settle her. Her shoulders relaxed, just a little.

  She yawned wide, unguarded, the kind of yawn that threatened to dislocate a jaw then rubbed at her eyes with both fists, What a big O yawn you got there. Didn’t think little girls could yawn so big.

  “Okay…What time is it?” she asked.

  “Almost seven in the morning,” I said. “Early enough that the canteen will probably still be empty.”

  Her ears perked up at that. “Canteen?”

  I nodded and tapped the side of my head. “Command Centre canteen. Automated Terran kitchen. Which means…” I paused for effect. “ Customizable breakfast on time.”

  She tilted her head. “On time?”

  “Very important rule,” I said solemnly. “If you don’t eat breakfast on time, the day gets grumpy and you wont get better and grow big and strong”

  She stared at me, processing this with absolute seriousness.

  “…But i’m tiny, not big and strong.”

  “Extremely, tiny” I said. “That’s why you gotta eat more and grow bigger than me.”

  Her lips twitched. Just barely.

  “I dont want to be big?” she asked.

  “Why not?” I said. “Everyone wants to be big and strong”

  She hesitated. “Then…I’ll be heavier, and you wont carry me anymore.”

  Daww- that’s so cute.I offered her my hand. She looked at it for a moment, then reached out and took it, her fingers small and warm against mine. I picked her up and ruffled her head “Stop thinking too much, Even if you’re as big as me, I’ll probably keep doing upsies for you if you asked regardless how big you are”

  She looked up to me and asked “Really? So it’s okay for me to grow and be big?”

  I considered it. “Yeah, but first you need to eat properly, or else I’ll get an earful from Dr. Ziegler.Come on, we should go.”

  I walked over and crouched slightly so we were eye level. “Alright, mission briefing. We get up, we wash up, we go to the canteen. You eat. I will make sure you eat more than three bites.”

  She frowned. “I eat more than three.”

  “Yesterday you ate exactly three bites and just drink soup for dinner and tried to escape.”

  “They were big bites, and soup is easy.” she muttered.

  I snorted softly. “We’ll negotiate later. For now, don't worry and eat freely. Go on, shower first.”

  She got down and waddle towards the shower, toward the door in her oversized sleep shirt, dragging her feet just a little, then paused and looked back at me.

  “Jason?”

  “Yeah?”

  “…Can we sit together?”

  I didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

  She nodded once, satisfied, then marched off toward the shower with all the confidence of a very sleepy nine-year-old heading into a very strange morning and into the shower. Thank goodness I don't need to teach her how to bathe. That will be another awkward moment I do not wish to inflict upon myself nope.

  As the Command Centre doors slid open and the lights adjusted to the daytime cycle, I followed her out, already rerouting the canteen systems to prioritize warm food and smaller portions.

  Eitherway, I'm getting sidetracked again-

  We finally arrive at the Canteen Hall, Schneider eyes widened as she took it all in. The Command Centre canteen was already alive. Angela Ziegler stood near the center table, arms crossed, posture immaculate despite the early hour.

  Her white coat was spotless, which somehow made her expression even sharper. In front of her is very much the focus of that expression, Mr. Genji Shimada, wrapped in more medical bandages than I was comfortable with. The guy aint a cyborg anymore, One arm was in a sling. Several plates of untouched food sat nearby, abandoned in favor of what looked suspiciously like half eaten miso soup.

  The guy seems to have trouble eating according to Angela.

  “Genji, you were set on mandatory rest,” Angela was saying, her voice calm in the way that only made it more dangerous. “Mandatory means I was not asking. No training during the early mornings!”

  Genji bowed his head slightly, hands pressed together. “My body still functions within acceptable parameters.”

  “Your acceptable parameters are not the same as human anatomy, anymore Genji.” she replied without missing a beat. “Nor are they a substitute for my medical judgment.”

  He shifted his weight, testing his legs. The motion pulled at his bandages. I winced in sympathy. “But Angela…you will heal me won’t you?”

  Dr Ziegler stare doesn’t seem to perturb the guy “Angela?” he asked again, If there was a dense protagonist, I think Genji fit the bill quite nicely. So far since coming here, I’ve seen all kinds of MC lately. Errbody’s an MC somewhere within their own story.

  Across the table, Hana Song was engaged in her own battle.

  A very serious one.

  She sat cross-legged on her chair, staring down at a tray loaded with Korean breakfast items, rice, soup, side dishes, not sure if it’s too heavy to have bibimbap at seven in the morning with a heavy Carb diet like that but…I think it’s a staple over there,like it had personally offended her or something, Is it the pork? It’s the pork isn’t it? Synthetic pork not Wagyu enough for her? Or is this another culture thing I dont understand or someshit.. Chopsticks in hand, she scooped up a bite, took it, then froze.

  Her cheeks puffed out.

  She chewed slowly. Deliberately.

  Then reached for water.

  “…Why is it so healthy! Ike bulya?!,” she muttered in Korean, glaring at the tray like it had betrayed her. “Where is the grease. Where is the joy?.”

  Dae-hyun sat nearby, already halfway through his meal, not even looking up. “You said you wanted something that tastes like home.”

  “This tastes nothing like home! It’s synthetic meat and it’s..ugh, Healthy!” Doesn't bother me at all, if it taste like pork, marbles like one and have the same nutritional value, i dont care if its lab grown or made from grass, it’s pork to me.The fact that the thing is healthy bothers her? What the hell? We grew up in Asia, everything we eat is healthy over there! Unless there’s something I’m missing?

  I snorted before I could stop myself.

  Meh whatever.

  Angela’s gaze flicked toward me. “Commander.”

  “Doctor,” I said smoothly ignoring Genji’s blank stare stabbing his tamagoyaki with the chopsticksHer expression softened the slightest bit when she noticed Schneider at my side. “Good morning mein fraulein. You’re up early.”

  Schneider shrank half a step behind me, then peeked out and gave a very small wave.

  “Morning,” she said.

  Angela smiled with her signature Mercy look, genuinely this time. “Hello Schneider, getting used to the place yet?”

  She nodded again, gripping my sleeve.

  Genji finally noticed us and straightened, or tried to. The motion earned him a sharp look from Angela.

  “I am glad to see you both unharmed,” he said, inclining his head toward Schneider. “And you, Commander Jason.”

  “Likewise,” I said. “You look… intact. Mostly.”

  “I am improving, The Undersiders were a handful, reminds me of Kimiko a little with her Yokai’s. Having my body again needs some time to adjust.” Genji replied.

  Angela cleared her throat.He stopped moving instantly and went back poking his tamago and took a scoop of rice and eat it properly. This time chewing in silence.

  Hana finally swallowed her mouthful and leaned back, poking at her food with her chopsticks. “He’s been doing wall-balance exercises since four in the morning, the sun isn’t up yet..”

  “I counted,” Dae-hyun added after he took some food, Tteokbokki ? It’s one of those rice cakes with cheese and kimchi and sweet sauce “ Bench pressing weights seven times his own. Bro can certainly lift.”

  “Eight,” Genji corrected reflexively.

  Angela’s eyes narrowed.

  Genji immediately bowed again. “S-seven.”

  I guided Schneider toward one of the tables, motioning for the canteen system to generate a smaller tray porridge, fruit, warm bread. It slid into place smoothly. She climbed up onto the chair, legs dangling, watching everything with wide, curious eyes.

  “Are they always like this?” she whispered.

  I glanced around the room Angela lecturing with surgical precision, Genji trying to pretend that his bandages aren’t soak with sweat and need replacing again, some area still show signs of bleeding but he doesn’t seem to care.

  “Pretty much,” I said. “This is a calm morning.”

  I was halfway through my coffee when I realized Genji had switched tactics.

  It was subtle at first with Genji, He stopped stretching around trying to get an inch, not like it mattered anyway.The man stopped testing his balance and really started to use his head.

  Instead, he turned toward Angela, posture straight but relaxed in a way that was clearly deliberate. One hand rested over his bandaged chest, the other open, non-threatening. If this were a battlefield, I would’ve called it a feint.

  “Angela please…,” Genji said, voice softer than it had been all morning.

  Angela did not look up from the datapad in her hands. “If this is an attempt to argue medical necessity, the answer is still no.”

  “It is not,” he replied. “It is gratitude.” That earned him a glance. Just one. Sharp blue eyes over the rim of her glasses.

  He continued, undeterred. “You worked hard through the night. You stabilized four patients, coordinated emergency response, and still found time to ensure my… stubbornness did not become fatal even with the Hospital almost falling apart”

  Hana paused mid-bite and psst psst towards Dae-Hyun “Oppa, he’s trying to pull a K-drama lead signature pull” Dae-Hyun just tsked and glared at Genji as if reviewing it, “ Amateur, should have gone with the Chaelbol Move. Domineering and direct. Dr Ziegler would agree with it.”

  Hana just side eye him “Maybe…but you can never pull it off, Nu-uh, you’re too much of a Maknae to feel like a Centre for an Idol group, Genji? Maybe. Hanzo his brother? Oh he definitely could, and he’s a real Chaebol too! Come to think of it, Genji is a Chaebol too, huh…why haven’t I think about that?”

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  Dae-Hyun protested “I-I can be a centre if I try hard enough! I can play the guitar, I mix my own songs, and I build mechs for the Korean government. I’m v-very good at being domineering!”

  “Says you Maknae, all you do is make short videos and post video’s of MEKA dancing, now shush! I want to watch my daily K-Drama, Earth Bet doesn’t have those now that Korea went Kaput here! Go be cute somewhere else!”

  Dae-hyun slowly lowered his spoon and eat in silence while grumbling “ I can totally pull it off,..why does everyone says I look harmless and cute? Damn it!” I leaned back slightly, interested despite myself…ahh, even in my own Command Centre, there’s drama. Schneider doesn’t seem to understand and kept munching on her bread staring wide eye at everything.

  Angela exhaled through her nose. “Flattery will not accelerate your recovery.”

  Genji smiled, he seems to be doing well now, none of that early cockyness, just pure and earnest. “Then allow it to stand on its own merits.” She tapped at her datapad, eyes down again, but I noticed the tension in her shoulders ease just a fraction.

  “You risked your life yesterday,” he added. “For children who were not your responsibility. For a city that does not seem to appreciate you.”

  Angela’s fingers stilled.The canteen, somehow, grew quieter.

  “You have always done this, in Cairo, back when we had our first Christmas…no breaks, we were talking on the phone from a distance.” Genji said. “Put yourself between danger and those who need help. Even when you pretend it is simply… protocol.”

  She looked at him fully now.

  “Careful Genji…I just want you to be careful, you’re not the same anymore.” she said, tone warning, but not unkind. “You’re skirting dangerously close to my patience if you keep this up.”

  He bowed his head slightly. “Then I will be brief.”

  He met her eyes again, steady and sincere.

  “I am alive because of you. And I would like to remain so, long enough to repay that debt.” Hana let out a low, impressed whistle before catching herself.

  Angela closed her datapad.

  For a moment, she said nothing.

  Then she stepped closer, adjusting the strap of Genji’s sling with precise, practiced movements. Her touch was professional but gentle.

  “You will repay that debt,” she said, quietly, “by following my instructions. No more training Genji. No more unnecessary heroics. And absolutely no disappearing from medical supervision.”

  “Yes, doctor,” Genji replied instantly.

  She hesitated, then added, “And you will eat what I give you.”

  A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Gladly.”

  She stepped back, clearing her throat. “Good. Then we understand each other. If you want to, w-we can take light walks in the beach..or go shopping,”

  Genji just nodded to everything she said “Anything for you Angela, We can have a date at the boardwalk, I’m afraid I still don't have enough proper clothing to blend in with the crowd these days”

  As she turned away, I caught the faintest hint of color in her cheeks. “I..I have to work the morning shift, Will call you in the afternoon, I’ll be watching Genji” That pique my interest a little, Dr Ziegler flustered? Huh…

  Angela, from across the canteen, did not turn around. But she did slow her steps I could somewhat see her smiling from the reflection of the pristine Neosteel walls. .Samurai Ninja boy got game huh? Who knows. Maybe I’ll ask about dating advice later.

  Across the room, Hana finally broke the silence.

  “…Wow,Mwo ya? That works?” she said. “He almost died and still rolled a natural twenty. I call bullshit! Dae-Hyun! Why can’t we go on dates! You never asked me anymore!”

  Daehyun pointed her spoon towards her and said “That’s because last time we went on a date, you spend a two hundred dollars on junk food and snacks, then proceed to nab my wallet and had a truckload of Monster Energy drink delivered to our base! The poor delivery guy almost peed his pants when he saw the turrets aimed at him thinking it was the wrong address!”

  Ah, so that was Hana? Oh wait, the trainyard has an address? I can have mail delivered here? Monica probably set that up before she went to New York. Poor Dae-Hyun. I dont envy the guy one bit. Nope- not me.

  Genji watched her go, expression thoughtful, almost peaceful.I took another sip of my coffee and glanced at Schneider, who was watching the entire exchange with intense focus. I hope she didn't pick up any bad habits from this interaction. She leaned forward towards me and whispered “ Were they fighting? I don’t get it”

  “No” I said. “I don't even know if they were fighting or negotiating or …well, you don’t need to know about that yet.”

  “Okay” Her brow furrowed. Then she nodded, like that made perfect sense, and went back to her porridge. Stay innocent and don't grow up so fast little Schneider. Sigh…is this what all young dad feels like?

  I need to have a chat with Danny, seems like the only guy I know who’s a Dad that doesn’t seem to have it bad other than having Taylor as a daughter. That reminds me, the undersiders. Gotta deal with them later.

  Briggitte came down to eat Breakfast but didn’t say a thing, her eyes looked a little haunted, Hana tried to say hi cheerfully “Hi Briggite! Finally decided to join us in the land of the living!”

  She just snorted “ En gang till Hana, I’m still not in the mood. Is Papa still at the docks?”

  Hana just nodded cheerfully, still squirming trying to eat her rice and fake pork “Uh yeah, you wanna meet up with him?”

  Brigitte nodded and then turned her head towards me, she blinked and just scoffed at me and ignored me entirely and then proceeded to sit on the table alone and eat…cereal. Huh..

  Well, if she needs more time,

  Schneider tugged on my sleeves again “I don't think that lady likes you very much” she said, still staring at Bridgitte eating her cereal alone without a care in the world.

  “It’s fine, give her time. Some people need more to adjust properly” Out of everyone I brought back, hers was the only one with a close 99% engram percentage. She remembered most of her battle in overwatch, with the Omnics and how it all goes down.

  Time will heal all wounds.

  This I believe to be very true, I’m just not sure if Earth bet has the time to spare. Every second counts I suppose.

  After breakfast-

  I’ve decided to send her to Preceptor Lagdamen to awaken her Psionic powers. I rather not have shards doing shards shenanigans if something happened to her, might as well awaken as a Psionic with proper training.

  I send her towards Lagdamen as her psionic evaluation starts as soon as possible to train Schneider and see if she could awaken her dormant powers. Lagdamen informed me that she will be visiting other potential children with the ability to unlock dormant powers here in Brockton Bay. In a population of three hundred and fifty thousand, to only found two? Well…if only we had more psionics awakened maybe.

  It’s unfortunate that I myself don't have that. Although Lagdamen did claim she felt something else within me, just not psychic. So moot point. Oh well.

  The Ghost Academy rose from the edge of the district like a blade half-sheathed in fog.

  It wasn’t a school in the traditional sense There aren’t any students afterall, it’s just a facility catered to training ghost agent effectively with all the training tools and facilities available, Half of the stuff here dont make sense to me even if I know what it does and what it can do, Just clean Terran geometry softened by psionic fields that made the air feel… deeper. Like standing at the edge of a thought you hadn’t finished yet.

  Schneider noticed it too. Her grip tightened on the cup, If I can feel it, I’m sure she can. “You don’t have to be scared,” I said gently. “Remember the nice lady yesterday? She’s gonna teach you how to be…more like a cape.”

  She nodded. A small, serious nod. The kind kids give when they don’t fully understand but choose to trust anyway. Also, kid has fascination with capes. What kid wouldn’t? Everyone likes super powers. Just not Earth Bet superpowers if they knew that it comes with trauma dumping and lots of subtle subconscious prodding from their own powers. What a nasty way to live, having your power dictate your every purpose..like battling your inner demons constantly.

  Preceptor Legadman was already waiting.

  She didn’t approach so much as arrive, one moment at the far end of the platform, the next close enough that the psionic pressure tickled the back of my skull. She just appear out of thin air from my vision, That famous ghost cloacking.Her gaze settled on Schneider, and something in it softened.

  “She can sense me,” Legadman said. “That’s always the first sign.”

  Schneider looked up at her, eyes wide, but didn’t hide. I knelt, adjusting the collar of Schneider’s jacket,Blue jacket, the same one I made yesterday from the fabricator. Her fingers linger for half a second longer than necessary. Hope the weather wont turn too cold and lingers until the afternoon “I’ll be back later. You just listen, okay? That’s all they’ll ask of you.”

  She hesitated, then reached out and tugged lightly at my sleeve.

  “You’ll come back?”

  “Always.” I replied without any hesitation. That did it. She let go, stepped toward Legadman, and disappeared into the Academy’s inner halls without looking back.

  I stayed there for a moment longer than I needed to.

  Then I turned away,

  Here’s hoping this will be the right decision after all moving forward. I can’t protect her fully with what I know in this world and the horrors of this world.

  Time to head to the Barracks where those troublemakers are being detained. The barracks were on the opposite end of the command complex. Thick bulkheads. Reinforced corridors, very Spartan of the Terrans, I like the design personally.Where the Academy breathed possibility, the barracks existed to contain risk since Terran society is build upon the prisoners of Old Terra back when it was just the UED or United Earth Directorate. Monica came from that era, either way. This feels like going back to basics.

  Security recognized me instantly. Doors parted with hydraulic murmurs. The Undersiders were housed together, but not comfortably. I had a few marines stationed by. For a prison, the place does not lack any facilities even for inmates. There’s a food dispenser inside the cellblock of the Barracks.

  Power-dampening fields lined the walls, tuned dynamically now. My mistake from the hospital had already been corrected. No electromagnetic bleed-through. No clever workarounds. No defibrillator loopholes. Two Marines kept watch as they notice me approaching the both of them gave me a proper military salute

  “Sir” they said.

  “At ease, this isn’t really the military,You can head up and rest, Leave me alone with these…brats.” I turned towards the room where they were being detained.

  They were awake.

  I could tell before I saw them.

  Grue sat with his back to the wall, shoulders tense, eyes tracking every movement. Regent lounged around without a care in the world, his posture lazy but muscles coiled. Bitch paced like a caged animal, jaw tight, knuckles white with worry, I had Brutus and Judas placed in another place fit for Animals at the Predator factory, in any case. There’s a holding facility for animals as well over there.

  Tattletale stood apart from the others, arms crossed, expression sharp but wary, still trying to search a way trying to get out, I could see that her headache hasn’t been a problem since her powers were shut down for good. She probably had the best sleep since ever? I actually don't really know in detail how her powers work once she does a deduction.

  They should still work I think once her connection to her shard is connected. I stopped just outside the field boundary, hands clasped behind my back, letting the moment stretch. Letting them feel the imbalance. I don't think they could see me behind the Neosteel panelling. But I can see them.Food was left uneaten. I rolled my eyes, getting annoyed every second due to their stubbornness.

  I studied them the way a commander studies a hostile unit with the cold assessment of someone deciding whether an asset could be salvaged… or needed to be neutralized. I don't think I want to go that far. They were kids, villains are just a label to them as it is to me. But intent didn’t erase the consequences .

  “Brockton Bay keeps producing broken pieces,” I thought. “And somehow expects them not to cut anyone.”

  I exhaled slowly.

  I stopped in front of them and thought a little bit of reprimanding was in order. So I summon the kitties. Deadly mechanical razor sharp cyborg kitties. Four Predators came beside me, as I gave the order “ work with me” and the Predators understood. They are kitties ,but these are smart AI kitties. They know how to take orders and not act like a certain Orange feline cat, or just Orange cats in general.

  For a moment, I just looked. The way they stood like cornered animals pretending they weren’t scared.I head to the command room where I can maintain overwatch and let the Predator do the work.Their equipment was left alone, wouldn’t do them any good to get unmasked.

  I felt something ugly twist in my chest.

  Disappointment.

  Never thought I’d feel disappointed in a kid again since my coaching days. Yes, this was definitely a disappointment I suppose. They could have done more, I knew they could, or at least what was written of them, I set the speakers so they could hear my voice.

  “You ran, I understand the why part. I really do. Nobody wants to get handed that hard by an ordinary folk with no cape powers, bruises the ego, that part I get..I really do. ” I said finally, my voice was flat. “What I don’t get is …the plan.No plan beyond causing mayhem and destruction. No proper exit strategy. No thought for collateral…and there is collateral, despite your best intentions, people got hurt.”

  Grue’s jaw tightened. Regent rolled his shoulders like he wanted to shrug it off. Bitch glared at the speakers around us as if taunting equipment will ever work.. Tattletale watched me like she was waiting for the angle, the trick, the hidden threat but it’s just a metal wall, She tries, she really does, but I shook my head slowly as if to relay the action.

  “Do you have any idea what you left behind at that hospital?”

  No one answered.

  “ You caused a panic in a building full of civilians who can’t fight back. Nurses, orderlies, patients on life support.” I leaned forward slightly. “People who don’t get to dodge explosions or hide behind powers.”

  Grue at least felt something as his hands clenched hard on his skull mask.

  “Things went wrong, and you got lucky. That’s it. Luck.”

  I let that word hang.

  “Because if Ana had stayed, if Genji hadn’t been injured and if Doctor Ziegler and Panacea hadn’t been busy holding the entire building together with their miracles…” I exhaled sharply through my nose. “You would have escalated this into something ugly. Permanent. And you wouldn’t have been the ones paying the full price.”

  Regent scoffed under his breath, but there was no heat in it. Just habit.

  I turned my gaze on him. “You think this is a game. A jailbreak story you’ll laugh about later. But every time you pull something like this, you teach the city one thing.”

  I tapped the reinforced walls with my knuckles, that got them riled up for a moment.

  “You want to know the part that actually pisses me off?” I continued. “Not that you escaped. Not that you broke my cuffs.” A pause. “It’s that none of you stopped and asked yourselves why you were even there.”

  I gestured vaguely toward the ceiling, toward the city beyond it.

  “You were detained because you made a bad call you didn’t understand. You escalated against someone who wasn’t playing by the same rules. And instead of learning from that…” I shook my head. “ You fucking… doubled down.”

  My voice lowered, losing its edge, turning colder instead.

  “Where were the adults in your lives when someone should have told you this ends badly?”

  That one landed as Grue looked away, again..the only one sensible in the room. Tattletale’s expression flickered just for a second but it was enough. A crack in the armor. The other two had terrible parents, so saying anyone with adult supervision is gonna fly past them. Moot point really. The only one who should get it is these two.

  I straightened fully, hands clasped behind my back again.

  “I don’t enjoy locking kids in a room and lecturing them. I don’t enjoy scolding anyone.” I looked at each of them in turn. “But somebody has to say it, because clearly no one else did.”

  I let out a slow breath.

  “You don’t get infinite chances. Brockton Bay chews people up, and every reckless move makes it easier for the city to justify doing it again.”

  I turned toward the door, pausing just before it opened.

  “You want to be a villain? Fine. Own it. Plan for it. Minimize damage.” My voice hardened one last time. “But if you’re going to keep pretending you’re just kids surviving the system, then start acting like survival actually matters, and if one of you turns up in a bodybag, don’t blame no one but yourself.”

  The door slid open.

  I sent the Predators in, I know that look, talking wasn’t gonna prove a point, beating them up wasn’t either. No, something else has to give. The door hissed open behind me, and I walked in at an unhurried pace, boots echoing softly against the concrete. The lights dimmed a fraction, not enough to alarm, just enough to shift attention.

  I felt it happen before they did.

  Four shapes flowed in at my heels, low and silent, metal pads kissing the ground with predatory grace. Sleek frames. Segmented tails stabilizing their motion. Eyes glowing a calm Terran blue. Mechanical kitties, if you squinted and ignored the fact they could shred armored infantry in seconds.

  “ggrrr-”

  I stopped at the center of the room.

  They reacted instantly like I know they would, still tripling down. At this point, I think the kids are just desperate. Third times the charm they say? It doesn’t work like that. Not in my house.

  Regent lunged first, desperation dressed up as bravado, grabbing for one of the units like he could muscle metal into submission. Bitch snarled something feral and charged alongside him, pure instinct and defiance, as if sheer aggression could bridge the gap between human stubbornness and engineered inevitability.

  I watched of course.

  Didn’t even try to interrupt.

  Didn’t warn them obviously.

  Wish I have popcorn.

  The Predators responded exactly as designed, Rip and tear, Terran style. But full rip and tear isn’t what Im after, just a proper beatdown.

  One sidestepped Regent’s grab with liquid smoothness, tail snapping out to hook his ankle and pull his feet out from under him. He hit the floor hard, breath exploding out of his lungs in a very human oh shit moment and went back to cloaking after getting smacked in the face via invisible tail to the face. That…gotta hurt.

  Another Predator intercepted Bitch mid-charge, body-checking her with just enough force to flip her onto her back, pinning her down with articulated limbs that locked her joints without breaking bone.

  They still fought.

  That was the part that almost impressed me.

  Regent clawed at plating he couldn’t dent. Bitch thrashed and snarled, teeth bared, like an animal refusing to accept the cage even when it was already closed around her.

  I sighed.

  “Dear lord look at these two dumbasses..,” I muttered, shaking my head, “the enthusiasm is almost inspiring.”

  They turned to me and glared of course, because my tone finally cut through. Mocking. Almost amused at it, honestly. Looking down towards the beaten Regent with another swell on his face after getting tail slapped by an invisible cyberkitty is kinda funny.

  “You really thought,” I continued, crouching slightly so I was at eye level with Regent sprawled on the floor, “that after everything, the stuff at the hospital, cuffs, containment, this? you still had a chance? It takes a special kind of someone to triple down like that..really. I'm impressed.”

  I tapped the Predator’s armored flank with my knuckle. It didn’t even register the impact.

  “That’s optimism. Delusional optimism. The kind that gets folks killed.”

  I straightened, pacing slowly as the Predators adjusted their holds with micro-corrections, responding to muscle tension before it turned into movement.

  “You keep doing this…” I said, voice calm, relentless. “You keep mistaking stubbornness for strength, keep refusing to backdown..someday you might ended up dead for real, or maybe just maybe…”

  I stopped in front of them again.

  “You really think I am incapable of cutting off your head or something?”

  I let that sink in.

  “These aren’t guards. They don’t get tired. They don’t get angry. They don’t escalate because you hurt their pride.” I gestured lazily. “You could struggle for hours. They’ll still be here. Still holding you. Still winning.I could just order them to rip and tear, but you wouldn’t want that would you?”

  Regent stopped fighting first. Not surrender, just exhaustion catching up to adrenaline. Bitch followed seconds later, chest heaving, eyes still burning but body betraying her.

  I folded my arms.

  “This is the part where it gets through your thick skulls,” I said quietly. “You are not escaping because I’m cruel or because I’m petty. You’re not escaping because you ‘lost the fight? No no no…’”

  I leaned forward slightly.

  “You’re not escaping because you’re children to me.”

  Silence filled the room again, heavier this time. I turned on my heel and headed for the door, the Predators falling in step behind me, their presence absolute, unavoidable.

  “Oh,” I added over my shoulder, unable to resist one last jab, “don’t lose that optimism. It’s adorable.”

  Lisa cracked first.

  Her breathing hitched, shallow and uneven, fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeves like she was trying to hold herself together by force of will alone. Her eyes flicked up to me, then away, then back again, searching for an angle that wasn’t there as she kept staring at the snarling Predator I sic on her.

  That was my cue.

  I stayed where I was, just beyond the reach of the Predators, letting the silence do the heavy lifting. When I finally spoke, I kept my voice level, almost conversational.

  “Lisa Wilbourn,” I said.

  Her head snapped up as she turned to where I’m standing.

  “Brian Laborn. Alec, no..Jean Paul Vasil and of course. Rachel Lindt.” I let my gaze move across them one by one, not lingering, not gloating. Regent went rigid while Grue’s jaw tightened, shoulders squaring on instinct, like that alone could shield the rest of them, as for Rachael? Rachael didn't care and kept glaring of course, although part of her were still trying to do that Canine crap on my tincan cats, They dont work of course. Cats aren't stupid like dogs. As for Lisa? part of me knew she already knew and well she seems to take this rather calmly but her fingers fidgeting around betrays her real thoughts and her unnatural breathing were uneven. Without her powers, she's probably spiraling out of control now, knowing how she triggered. She wish she had anxiety as her best friend again.

  “What the hell do you want with us!” Grue finally cracked too. I exhaled slowly. “You want to know the difference between me and every other adult who’s ever meet up with you?”

  I tapped my temple.

  “I don’t guess around shit .I know and I meant every single thing I've said.”

  I walked a few steps closer, boots stopping just outside the Predators’ perimeter.

  “Thomas Calvert,” I continued, and watched the name land like a live grenade. “PRT analyst. Mid-level. Unremarkable on paper. Coil in practice. Your employer. Your puppet master. The man splitting his life in half and still failing to keep either side clean.”

  Lisa’s composure shattered.”Y-you knew? T-then you know who he is?”

  I mean yeah, I just mention Thomas fucking Calvert. Of course I knew, and she knew it too I was speaking the truth, Don't need her powers to tell her I wasn't the type to play around either. Her shoulders sagged, like someone had cut the strings holding her upright. She laughed once short, breathless, almost hysterical and then pressed her palms to her eyes.

  “Shit,” she whispered. “Oh, shit.fuck!”

  There it was, the confirmation I didn’t need.

  “Well, he’s not the only one who could play the James Bond villain around here, I can think of another up in New York too with actual success.,” I said calmly, answering the unspoken question hanging in the room. “He knows where you sleep. Who you care about. What you’re afraid of. He calls it leverage. I call it a gross misuse of Human Resource. That fool.”

  Brian’s fists clenched.

  “You’re lying,” Regent snapped, but there was no conviction in it. Just reflex.

  I shook my head. “If I were lying, Lisa wouldn’t look like she just watched the floor drop out from under her.”

  Lisa didn’t deny it. I turned my attention back to her, trying to be unkind and firm is the hardest job of a coach especially when you have unruly ones to iron out. But in a similar setting, they have to treat this thing seriously, just as E-sports need to treat every game seriously, its a matter of life and death. National pride is at stake when you pit country against country in a sport. Feuds and scores are settled in games, and sovereignty and the tile of the best takes the worst out of us.

  Same goes here. They need to realize what’s at stake.

  “He’s already failing you,” I said. “You see it. You’ve felt it. Every plan that works just enough to keep you dependent. Every delay. Every risk he lets you take because he can afford to lose a version of you.”

  Lisa flinched, she knew what I was talking about while the rest of her team was at a loss, Grue noticed it first and turned to his teammate “Lisa..you knew?” as if he was backstabbed by his own teammate, I rolled my eyes in contempt. Teenage drama..get real. It isn't as bad as it seems. Kids always overblown things.

  “Coil doesn’t do well with people,” I went on. “He manages outcomes. And you’re not an outcome he can control anymore Once I came into the picture, been struggling to place his pieces lately, that’s why the jobs you we’re given were a little more…high risk than usual, tends to overcut certain flow. Usually…he wouldn’t be able to allow such a thing but recently? That’s been a little harder to pull off since he lost his method of using his powers effectively.”

  I let that sit before delivering the part that mattered.

  “And here’s the part he hasn’t figured out yet,” I said. “I don’t need to beat him. I don’t need to expose him today. I just need to understand him better than he understands you. Work around him and his men and his little tiny operation and simply cut it off one…by one.”

  Silence pressed in, thick and heavy. Lisa finally lowered her hands. Her eyes were red, but sharp, always sharp. Fear hadn’t broken her. It had stripped her down to something more honest.

  “So what,” she said quietly, voice rough, “you’re here to replace him?”

  I smiled of course but smile wryly. Just enough.

  “Fuck no, me? Playing as a Bond Villain? Nu-uh. Not gonna happen.” I said. “I’m here to tell you the truth.”

  I gestured at the Predators, the cuffs, the walls.

  “This? This is me stopping you from getting yourselves killed while you’re still doing minimal damage and things can still be contained.”

  I met Brian’s gaze.

  “You want to remain as a villain? Fine, do it away from my city or retire, just so you need to know, you’re gonna lose custody as soon as they find out you’re a villain, and another point of view if I might add…”

  I sighed when I looked at this Brian “Is it so hard to just talk with your Dad?” That got him stuttering for something and he looked away, he didn’t want to meet my gaze. Sigh …so much for honesty these days.

  Then I looked back at Lisa.

  “And if you want to get out from under the coil,” I added, “this is the last safe window you’ll ever get. Are you tired of getting tortured by an alternate reality yet Lisa or do you want revenge?”

  I turned toward the door again, already done with the confrontation.

  “Think about it,” I said. “Because your boss already has plans to fly the coop soon. That window is slowly closing soon.”

  I moved towards the room, there was a food dispenser and clearly these kids don't know how to use them even if the buttons were pretty self explanatory. I clicked a few buttons and out came some omelette with baked beans and a hotdog.The food on their trays were just bread, different kinds of bread, but just bread..not even butter.

  “Wait…how the hell did you make a hotdog? All we got was bread!” Regent protested.

  I turned to the food dispenser and the icon of the food with the hotdog button on it and turned back to him.

  “Really?”

  What part of this food dispenser is hard to use?

  Lisa got up and turned towards me, this time I can feel fire in her eyes “ I’ll quit. Tell me when you want to nail Coil to the wall, I’ll do it.”

  “Lisa!” Grue protested but I was just surprised it was Lisa first that made the call. Well, disappointment still runs in the system a little I suppose.

  But that doesn’t stop me from smiling.

  “How about tonight?”

  **********************