… Elias Mercer
[New achievement acquired]
[Recruit Taylor Hebert]
[1 roll granted]
"Huh…" I let it slip out, caught off guard. If there was still even a spark of doubt about Bug's identity, the Roulette just killed it.
Which brings up a much more interesting question… would any Cape I pull to my side count as an achievement? Or was Taylor special somehow?
If it's the first option… then maybe I need to start rethinking my priorities and abuse the hell out of that system. 'I mean… any advantage I can get to survive is fair game…'
But before any big-brain planning… there was the reward. I just had to wait until Taylor split off and Maki and I got back to the apartment to try it.
'…After all, there's no telling what's gonna show up.'
If something like Maki happened again, I'd have way more shit to explain than I wanted.
So the moment I finally got to my room, I rolled.
…And yeah, I was starting to realize I might be getting addicted to this.
[Nanotech Suit — Rare Item]
⟶ Nanotech Suit – Rare Item
An advanced suit made of responsive nanomachines that instantly mold to the body. Stored in compact form and activated via mental command.
"…" This time, no new power, no legendary perk, no summon straight out of some parallel world.
This time, it was an upgrade to my gear… a really damn useful one.
A thin, dark bracelet appeared on my left wrist. It had a faint shine, like the metal had just been polished.
Since it worked by mental command, I just thought "activate" and the bracelet responded instantly.
The nanotech spread across my arm like ink. Cold at first, then almost comfortable. In a few seconds, it covered my entire body.
The suit was dark, with subtle lines tracing along my form. It looked intimidating as hell, but despite the design, it was incredibly flexible. I couldn't feel any restriction while moving, just like it was a second skin.
While I was checking myself out in the cracked mirror, Maki showed up at my door, chewing on a protein bar I didn't even remember buying. She raised an eyebrow, chewing like she was judging both the suit and the idiot wearing it.
"Impressive," she said between bites. "Almost makes you look cool."
"Almost?" I repeated, turning toward her. "That's the best you've got?"
"Exactly," she smirked. "You look less like an idiot now. Congrats."
I didn't care about her backhanded compliments and deactivated the suit with a thought. The nanotech receded like a black tide, flowing back into the bracelet with an almost organic smoothness.
The silence lasted just long enough for the transformation to end and the sound of plastic being crumpled to take over. Maki finished the protein bar, tossed the wrapper into the trash with annoyingly perfect aim, and leaned against the doorframe like she owned the place.
"So," she said, wiping her fingers, "what's our next move, boss?"
I looked at her while grabbing a water bottle from beside the bed. "I'm 'boss' now? Don't remember agreeing to that."
"We didn't need to," Maki shrugged. "You've got the kind of face that says you'd carry everything on your own anyway."
"Oh, great…" I muttered, taking a sip. "So I've got self-sacrificing tendencies."
Maki smiled, equal parts sarcasm and amusement. "You still haven't answered my question."
I sighed and stretched, feeling my muscles respond without pain thanks to my healing factor. It was still weird realizing my body worked better than I was used to.
"The next step is dealing with our problems…" I said, walking over to the window. The street below looked calm, but Brockton Bay had a talent for looking harmless right before it shoved violence down your throat. "Right now, more than half the villains in this city have at least one reason to come after us. ABB, Empire, even the Undersiders…"
Saying it out loud made it impossible to ignore how deep in shit I actually was. Seriously… how the hell did I manage to piss off this many villains in less than a week?
'Is that my hidden talent or something…?'
"This city is seriously rotten," Maki commented, her tone sharp. "Even in my world… I've never seen this kind of decay so deeply rooted."
"Welcome to Brockton Bay… we've got a lot of work ahead if we want to change anything here," I muttered, exhaling through my nose before looking back at her. "That's exactly why we can't just sit around waiting for the next attack. Sometimes the best defense is paying a polite visit to enemy territory."
Maki raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching like she was trying not to smile. "Ah, I get it… we're going around handing out threats now?"
"No… we're not a bunch of uncivilized thugs," I replied, smiling at her. "We're just going to… strongly encourage them to reconsider their villain career choices."
Maki shook her head, clearly not buying it. "Right… politeness above all else."
"Exactly."
She went quiet for a moment, then tilted her head slightly. "And Bug?"
"Like I said before… she can be part of this, if she wants."
Even though I thought Taylor should probably get some experience dealing with low-level thugs before jumping straight into the deep end… I wasn't planning on leaving her out.
After everything she'd already been through, that would be a pretty shitty move… especially after I'd already said she could work with us.
"You're investing in her," Maki said, looking straight into my eyes.
"Yeah… I guess I am," I answered honestly. "Some people just want to prove they're worth something… so it's not a bad thing to give them that chance."
Of course, that wasn't the only reason. I wasn't about to admit it anytime soon… but I was pretty curious to see what Taylor would become.
'Taylor… maybe she's my first real project,' I thought, staring at my reflection in the window. 'With her… I might find out if I can actually change something in this city.'
Tattletale had been right about that much. I was the kind of person who needed to leave something behind. That was the only way any of this would mean something.
Maki stepped away from the door and walked over to the window, stopping beside me. I watched her eyes drift across the streets, the flickering streetlights, the distant silhouettes of buildings where nothing good ever happened.
"Doesn't bother me," she said quietly. "Just don't expect me to hold back against anyone who doesn't deserve it."
"Holding back was never the plan," I replied without hesitation. If speeches and moral high ground actually worked, the world wouldn't be the shithole it is.
People like us… don't get to stay clean. We have to step into the dirt, even if it's just to try and save something.
Maki gave my shoulder a light tap and then turned toward the door.
"You're terrible at pretending you don't care, Elias," she said without looking back. "But… keep it up. That's one of the things I like about you."
I blinked, feeling my lips curl slightly. "You like me…?"
Maki's expression instantly shut down, like the idea itself disgusted her. "Don't get ahead of yourself, idiot."
I let out a real laugh, feeling some of the weight lift off my chest.
"Alright, alright…" I muttered, running a hand over my face. "So… time to do what every idiot with a suicidal sense of justice does…"
"Patrol?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Patrol," I confirmed.
"Just the two of us?" Maki raised an eyebrow.
I paused, then looked at her, acknowledging the point. "Let's invite our mutual enthusiast."
After all… I had already "recruited" her.
'Also… it's time to stop collecting empty wins,' I thought, staring out at the city.
It's time to start something that might actually give this place, and the people in it, a chance at something better.
I just need to figure out how to do it.
… Hannah (Miss Militia)
Like everyone already knew, Brockton Bay was a pressure cooker constantly on the verge of blowing.
It had always been like that… but the arrest of the ABB's dragon turned into the perfect spark to test how strong the lid really was. The Empire Eighty-Eight, predictably, decided to push things even further.
Their Capes patrolling the edges of the Docks wasn't fooling anyone. There wasn't a single person there who believed in coincidences.
"…" Hannah let out a quiet sigh, feeling the light rain cling to the fabric of her mask.
She knew this kind of rain well. It was the same kind that came before an ambush, an uprising… or a war.
Brockton Bay was always one step away from all three.
The smell of ozone and smoke hung over the Docks. There were still scorched marks on the walls of the old warehouse where Lung had fallen. But the city was already moving like it knew that the fall of one tyrant was just the announcement of the next one.
"Nothing so far," Battery said beside her, adjusting her wrist guards. "But Empire's pushing harder at the borders."
Hannah nodded, already expecting something to happen.
Choosing to patrol with Battery was part of that… not that she had many options. Armsmaster was reorganizing base communications, Dauntless was assisting New Wave in a symbolic joint operation, and Triumph, Velocity, and Assault had been deployed to the southern area, where rumors of violence between the Merchants and the ABB were starting to spread.
Battery was efficient, disciplined, and above all, reliable. Hannah liked people like that.
"For them, this is an opportunity," Hannah said, her eyes scanning the alleys while her right hand rested near the holster where an energy weapon would materialize at timed intervals. "Lung is down, so the ABB is leaderless. It's only natural for wolves to show up and start tearing into what's left of the carcass."
"And the Protectorate gets pushed into doing the dirty work of holding the lines… again," Battery muttered, bitterness creeping into her voice. "Armsmaster should've made that call last night."
Hannah didn't respond to that. She knew Colin well enough to understand his patterns. She already knew the Protectorate in Brockton Bay was always walking a razor's edge… constantly stuck between what they could do and what they were allowed to do.
"Armsmaster played it safe and logged the capture… but this time, the consequences came fast," Hannah said. "Even the smaller groups are moving now. PHO is already blowing up with theories about the two independent capes who fought Lung, and on top of that… we've got Empire pushing the limits across the entire north side."
"And the Wards?" Battery asked.
"On standby," Hannah replied, stating the obvious. "Vista, Gallant, and Aegis are on tactical support. The rest have been assigned to containment."
Battery nodded, jaw tight, and Hannah sighed, looking up at the surrounding buildings.
The city was close to instability, and the Protectorate was standing on quicksand. It wasn't hard to guess what would come next.
An open conflict between Capes.
More civilians hurt... probably more dead.
"Let's head to Greely Street," she said, her mood sinking further just from looking at these streets. "Empire's got active movement near the abandoned block. If they want to test the limits, they need to meet resistance."
Battery activated the thrusters in her combat suit and nodded. Miss Militia summoned a new assault rifle in a flash of green light. The weapon spun once in her hand before solidifying.
"Let's remind them this city still has people willing to fight for it."
And with that, they disappeared into the damp night fog of Brockton Bay.
...
The abandoned court looked dead at first glance. The walls were still tagged with ABB graffiti, but over it, streaks of red, white, and black paint had started to spread.
'Empire colors…' Hannah caught the subtle details, but they were unmistakable. A wolf graffiti; a distorted sun symbol; and in the corner, a signature she had seen before.
"Rune," she said quietly, without taking her eyes off the perimeter of the abandoned gym.
Battery followed her gaze and narrowed her eyes. "There's something on the roof."
Hannah followed the gesture, looking up. A shipping container was sitting on top of the structure, somewhere no normal equipment could've placed it.
"So Rune is here…"
"Confirmed," Battery said, already reaching for her communicator. "Code 12-3 at Greely. Hostile capes, partial visual. Requesting backup. Repeat: requesting backup."
"Keep transmissions short," Hannah warned, eyes scanning for any movement.
"Copy," Battery replied.
That's when the wall beside them exploded, chunks of concrete flying in their direction. Out of the smoke, a massive figure burst forward, wearing nothing but pants, a tiger mask, and chains wrapped around his forearms, hands, and calves.
Stormtiger.
The metallic smell of blood filled the air even before the sound of his footsteps.
"Well, well," he muttered in a growl laced with sick amusement. "The Protectorate's little lambs came out to play tonight."
Miss Militia didn't waste time answering. The rifle spun in her hands, transforming into a heavy machine gun as her finger pulled the trigger.
The sonic burst forced Stormtiger back, but it only lasted a few seconds.
"Battery, now!" Hannah shouted.
Battery moved, and the street seemed to vanish beneath her feet as her acceleration turned her into a blur. She slammed into Stormtiger with a punch packed with stored kinetic energy.
The impact sent the Empire cape flying back, but he rolled and got up with a grin, even as blood ran down his body.
"That hurt, girl. Nice!"
"Behind you!" Battery shouted... and that's when the second one showed up.
Cricket, a woman in her twenties with scars crisscrossing her exposed skin and a metal cage covering her face, appeared almost silently.
Then Hannah heard it... the subsonic noise hitting her like a spike through the skull. The sound was hellish, like something trying to tear her brain apart from the inside.
Battery stumbled, even more disoriented. Hannah felt a sharp pain in her eardrum but managed to hold her ground. She turned and fired, forcing Cricket to zigzag to avoid getting hit.
And then, as if the city itself was conspiring against anyone trying to help it, the container on the roof launched into the air. It floated, spun, and dropped straight down on top of them.
"Rune," she muttered before grabbing Battery by the shoulder and throwing both of them sideways with force.
The ground shook as the container smashed into the spot they'd been standing in seconds earlier.
"We need to split them up!" Hannah shouted over the chaos, backing off while reconfiguring her weapon into a shotgun. "Rune's providing support, Cricket's running interference, and Stormtiger's coming straight at us!"
She'd been in this city long enough to know exactly how they operated.
"I'll take Cricket!" Battery replied, already repositioning and launching herself toward her.
Hannah turned, her eyes searching for the best angle to take down Stormtiger… and maybe create an opening to drop Rune from above.
But she could feel it, in her chest and her gut, that their odds weren't good.
Three against two… and no guarantee of fast backup.
"Miss Militia to all units!" she spoke into the communicator, never taking her eyes off the battlefield. "Critical situation at Greely! Hostiles confirmed: Rune, Stormtiger, and Cricket! Containment in progress! Immediate backup required!"
She cut the line before hearing any response, despite the odds. Because right now… there was no time to wait for help.
If Brockton Bay wanted war… then she was going to answer with gunpowder, steel, and a whole lot of determination.
...
The metallic taste of blood mixed with the harsh smell of pulverized concrete, while Cricket's subsonic pulses vibrated through the air, hitting from every angle at once and making it impossible to find any kind of stable footing.
Battery kept moving in a zigzag, alternating between explosive bursts of speed and short retreats, trying to find an opening against Cricket… but every push forward was sabotaged by the sound interference.
Each sonic pulse hit straight into the auditory cortex, throwing off focus, instinct, and any attempt to get a clean read on the fight.
Stormtiger kept going, even while bleeding. The bastard was addicted to pain, maybe even more than to his own powers. He charged like a frenzied animal, chains wrapped around his arms spinning in wide arcs while blades of wind were launched with brutal force, slicing through the air like physical extensions of his rage.
And above them… Rune floated on a slab of concrete, her eyes glowing with concentration. Everything around her, street signs, chunks of wall… even a wrecked car, hovered in the air. Each piece orbiting the villain like satellites waiting for the order to drop.
Hannah breathed through her mouth, ignoring the taste of iron while feeling the cut on her arm pulse in sync with her heartbeat.
She reconfigured her weapon and fired again, trying to line up Stormtiger… but the shot didn't even get close, intercepted by a wall of debris that Rune shifted into place to absorb the impact.
"These guys can actually hold formation…" she growled, her chest rising and falling fast as she repositioned. "When the hell did these psychos find time to rehearse this in the middle of their little terror campaign?"
At the edge of the battlefield, Hannah saw Battery drop to her knees, dodging by inches a strike that would've torn straight through her side.
She gasped, her suit marked by a smoking crack where the hit had nearly landed.
"We're… falling behind…" she muttered. "Any sign of backup?"
Hannah wanted to say something that would calm Battery down, but she had nothing. At least nothing that wasn't a complete lie.
For a second, the idea of retreat crossed her mind, even if it meant handing them a win and giving the Empire exactly the opening they wanted…
Hannah hated having to think like that, but she hated even more knowing that dying here would be worse.
But then—
Clap.
A sharp, distinct sound echoed like a marker snapping at the start of a new scene.
Right in the middle of the street, where there had only been dust and debris left from the fight… a new variable appeared.
A boy who looked about the age of a Wards recruit, wearing a dark suit of armor that fit his body with almost organic precision. A cloak flowed behind him, rippling in the wind, hood up. His face was covered up to the bridge of his nose by a mask shaped from the armor itself.
His hands were still raised from his last gesture…
Hannah recognized him the moment she saw him.
The new name in the reports Armsmaster had mentioned. The same one flagged as active in Empire territory… and one of the two supposedly responsible for taking down Lung.
"Ladies," he said, his voice filtered. "Tonight… it looks like we're going to teach some ideological education to a bunch of neonazis."
And then two more figures stepped up behind him, emerging from the alley fog.
The first was already familiar... the same girl in the insect costume, her swarm buzzing all around her. The other one responsible for Lung's defeat.
And the second was unknown. Her arms were covered in old burn scars. Her muscles were coiled tight, like a spring about to snap.
She had short dark-green hair and wore a simple black outfit, no symbols at all. A domino mask covered her eyes. And more importantly… she held a sword that didn't look even slightly decorative.
From her, Hannah felt the same kind of presence you only recognize from war.
Rune hesitated above them, and Stormtiger spun his chains, annoyed by the interruption. Cricket's sound sharpened even further in irritation.
But Hannah… Hannah let her shoulders drop just a little.
The Protectorate was still a long way from confirming this group's intentions… but right now, they looked like the best allies they could possibly get.
Hannah tightened her grip on her weapon and forced herself fully upright. "You… came to help?"
The boy turned his head slightly, eyes half-lidded beneath the mask. "Let's just say… we share a hatred for nazis."
He moved his fingers in a casual gesture, but that was the exact moment everything flipped.
Bug raised a hand, and the swarm answered like a living tide, surging toward the Empire capes. The katana girl moved, accelerating to a speed that rivaled Battery at full charge.
"…" Hannah could only watch as things turned into exactly what she expected.
An all-out war between Capes.
… Author NOTES
Two quick things… first, I didn't know this place had an issue with Summon Characters. But given the obviously shitty reception, I'm taking them off my drawing list. Second… I've already written a few chapters with Maki in them and I'm not in the mood to change all that… especially the next chapter, so she's staying.
That's it… see you guys on Sunday!