It all started with an escape.
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A 2nd Chance (Honkai Impact 3rd/Worm) [re-write]
- Thread starter QroGrotor
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Statistics (22 threadmarks, 95k words)
User Total QroGrotor 22 Threadmarks Reader mode
Chapter 1
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
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Running barefoot in the winter was never a good idea. Doing so in Siberia was worse. She had no choice. Sirin couldn't stop. They would hunt her down. Her lungs were burning.
Stumbling, she fell into the snow face first. It felt like fire. Some small part of her begged her to stop. To just give up and pass away amidst the frozen wasteland. Another part wanted nothing more but to take revenge on those who did this to her. To Aphora. To Agata. To Galina. To every single child that died in those chambers after days, weeks or years of injections.
Ẻ̶̡̨̢̢͉̜̬̪̥̜̤̩̙̳̓ş̷̡̼͓̱̰͚͍͔̣͕̈͊̓̈́c̶̹̤̀ä̶̩̲̞̲͓̤̗͙͔̮̰̏̇̒̀p̴̡̳̰͚̺̻͐e̶̛̱̿̐̈͆̓.
There was a buzzing in her ears. Something spoke to her. She couldn't understand the language, but the concept behind it was heavy. It urged her to get away. To save herself. She couldn't… focus? Something was coming towards her. Something familiar. Similar to what she was.
Q̴̧̨̛͉̘̣͕͙̞̯̩͆̎̎̈́̄͗̕ų̶̡͈́̊̍̓̀̔̆͛͒̒͒̆͑ȩ̶̨̧̯̥̱̲̹̗̝̐̿͒̀͂̎̅̑́̂̎͂̕͜͠e̵̱̞̯̮͇͕̥̩̩͐n̴̤̓̈̒͐̈́̚.
Was she? What was she a queen of? Why would a queen ever be hurt or experimented on?
She knew why. Those people in white coats said it themselves.
"You're lucky to be sacrificed for Valkyries. They are fighting to protect our world. You can at least become a useful test subject."
God gave them no forgiveness. God heard her cries. Her pleas.
"Everyone is gone, the next one is me... God, where are you... Mom said that you will protect Sirin... Sirin is a good girl... Sirin did nothing wrong at all... God, I beg you, save everyone... save me!"
And God did. He gave her strength. Power. Ability to take revenge on those who'd taken everything away from her. One by one, researchers were killed. Murdered while trembling in terror. So did some of the children. They saw her killing them. They would've talked. They would've blown her secret wide open. She had no other choice. She didn't.
Finally finding the strength to get up, Sirin allowed the voice to guide her. To reach out for something deep inside of her. To hear its voice clearer.
D̶̰͈͐͒̽̑͋̆̓͘r̴̛͎͍̬̗̈̋͗̓̈́̔͑͋ǎ̴̧̱̤̼̠̃͘͜ͅî̸̧̩̦͚͖͙̙̘͕̂̈́́͘͝n̶̜̭̮̑͜ ̶̛̬̖̳̮̠͎̈́́͒͆̉̕̚͘t̶̛̰̰̠̰͕͙̬̿̽̔͠h̶͖̖̥̟̥̰̐̐́̔̐̓̕ͅȩ̸̬̬͕̊̏̚͜ ̵̮̹͈̭͙̏͒ṕ̵̨͕͚͐̽̋̊͘o̶̥̍w̶̧̪͙̱̮̺͈̮̔͆̊̈́͑̀̄͆̅ȅ̷̡̮̪̗̟̠͉͗̒͋͗̄r̵̬̈́̅͝
She should've. There was… energy all around her. It echoed throughout the empty wasteland, like the promise of change or a dream of futures. Very few ever would have felt it, fewer still could have done anything with their awareness. Yet Sirin knew what she had to do. Reach out. Feel it. Control it. Like an eager puppy, it flowed to her almost immediately. Overflowing with the pulsing energy coursing through her body, Sirin could feel her tiredness and pain fade away.
The presence behind her kept growing. Whoever or whatever that was - they were trying to catch her as quickly as possible. Could she beat them? Maybe if she had a bit more time. Maybe if she was just a bit angrier. Not now. Not like this. She needed time to rest. So she reached out and pulled.
The edges to the opening hole in reality rippled, clearly unstable.. Sirin had been acting on pure instinct, so it was a sloppy, hurried job. Instead of coming through the portal, the girl fell out of it like a sack of potatoes.
It snapped shut soon after.
She looked disheveled. Disoriented. Barely dressed in the stained rag of a medical gown. To anyone looking at her, their first thought would be that she'd escaped from a hospital or a mental asylum. But she couldn't care less.
She was free.
She'd survived.
She'd gotten away.
And that was all that mattered.
Looking around, Sirin found herself in a small alleyway between two buildings. The sky was darkening, which meant that it was getting late. It was snowing slightly, but only a light snowfall. That wasn't a problem, not for her. Even like this, she felt like her body was radiating warmth. Was it thanks to the power she'd used to escape? Had she always been like this? It was hard to remember.
Her mind was slowly becoming clearer. She knew that she couldn't stay here. Wherever here even was. She had to go. Get to some place warm. Get something to eat.
Sirin took a step.
And immediately collapsed.
The pain finally caught up to her as she hit the ground. Her muscles burned and her bones ached. And no matter how much she tried, her legs wouldn't listen when she told them to move. The only things that had been keeping her conscious were sheer willpower and adrenaline. Now that the danger was gone, there was almost nothing left.
She was barely able to move her head. Sirin managed to take a look at the nearest building. It was a convenience store. The lights were on and the sign said 'open'.
That's right. People.
Humans.
She could ask for help.
But could she trust them? They were no better than those who experimented on her. What would stop them from doing the same thing, now that she was weak again?
…
Nothing.
It would be for the best. She couldn't move.
Could barely think. Her body was freezing. Sirin could only last a couple of hours more.
And so she cried.
And crawled away from the shop.
It took her forever. It was painful. Sirin felt every snowflake stinging on her skin. Saw the pavement turning red under her hands. It was all so cold. She just wanted it to end.. To make the pain stop.
But she had to keep moving.
Had to–
Waking up, Sirin found herself lying somewhere warm. She could hear the soft sound of a fire crackling nearby and there was something wrapped around her. A blanket? Her hands felt bandaged. She wasn't in pain. No, that wasn't true. She could still feel a dull ache in her muscles. Her head felt dizzy, throbbing with a headache.
Was this… a dream?
Slowly opening her eyes, Sirin was met with a sight of a large room with a broken window.. There were blankets all over the place. Some dirty, some worn down, and a handful almost new. Two of the walls were full of spray paint and posters. Most of it was illegible or damaged in some way. Near the wall opposite to her there was a small fire pit surrounded by several logs and mattresses. A woman was sitting on one of them, using a knife to carve something out of a block of wood.
She noticed Sirin waking up and smiled.
"Ah, you're awake. Good."
Sirin wasn't sure how to respond. The woman looked like she was in her mid-twenties. Brown hair that went down to her neck. Dark skin. Freckles on her face. Dressed in an unzipped jacket, a white shirt and a pair of jeans. The woman's brown eyes were warm, inviting and full of kindness.
She wasn't sure she could ever trust eyes like those again.
"I'm sorry we couldn't give you any clothes," the woman said. "It's the best we could find given the circumstances."
"Kto ty takaya?"
Sirin noticed the woman's reaction. She didn't understand.
"Ty… Ty menya ne ponimaesh*."
"I'm sorry. I have no idea what you're saying."
Of course. Why would she ever escape to a place where she could speak the language? Why didn't she open a portal into the palace of her dreams? Maybe she should've. At least then she could die peacefully.
"Um. Do you speak English?"
Sirin could understand what the woman was saying. The language was foreign. Wrong. But she still understood the meaning behind those words. She still knew what to say. How?
"…English."
"Yes! So you do? What's your name? Where are you from?"
There was no point in not sharing that particular tibdbit of information.
"… Sirin."
"That's a cool name. You have a family name? Surname?"
She was trying to be friendly. Sirin didn't know why. Did she see her crawl up to the building? Decide to help her? People, adults, weren't that nice. There must have been a reason behind the action, but with how weak she was right now, attempting to lay low and buy time was the only option.
"Krylova. Sirin Krylova."
"Well, nice to meet you, Sirin. My name's Mary."
"Mary," the girl repeated carefully, as if tasting the word on her tongue. "Mary."
"Can you tell me how you ended up outside and half-naked in the middle of winter?"
Should she lie? Make up some story? Mary looked kind. Friendly. Like Galina.
But she couldn't trust her. Sirin couldn't afford that.
"…I don't remember."
"Was it the Empire? I've heard they were trafficking girls, but always thought it's just a rumor. That they wanted to be 'better' than ABB. Shows how different those bastards are," Mary huffed, putting the knife and the figurine she was carving to the side.
Empire? ABB? The words definitely held meaning, but what? Groups like Schicksal? Like Babylon?
"Where am I?"
"Brockton Bay. Not the kind of place you'd like to end up, to be honest."
"I-I see."
Where was Brockton Bay? Sirin had never heard the name before.
"Well, from how thin you are, I'd imagine you're hungry. I have some canned food here." Mary got up and walked towards one of the bags nearby.
Sirin knew that she should reject the offer. Take advantage of Mary's kindness and use it to escape. But she was starving. Weak. Cold. She couldn't. She was scared.
She'd do that later. When she was strong enough.
"T-thank you."
"Don't worry about it. There's not a lot of homeless folks left, so we have to stick together. Don't want you to freeze to death either."
Sirin opened the can.
It was peaches.
It tasted like heaven.
After finishing eating, Sirin felt tired. Weak. She should run away. Escape. But she couldn't. Mary seemed nice. Like Agata. Or Galina. Would she betray her? Leave her out to freeze and die?
Something kept saying "no".
That she wasn't like the others.
Wasn't like them.
That Sirin should trust her.
And she wanted to.
Sirin wanted to trust someone again.
Someone like Galina.
"Mary," she spoke quietly, curling into a ball.
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
The woman chuckled and walked up to her, ruffling her hair.
"Don't thank me yet, kid. If you want to get out of here, you'll need to find yourself a place to live. Some food to eat."
"I… can't."
"What do you mean?"
Sirin didn't respond.
She didn't know what to say.
How could she explain it without getting captured again?
"You're in trouble, aren't you?"
"…"
Mary sighed.
"You're pretty secretive, aren't you? Alright, I won't force you. But we'll have to figure out how to keep you warm until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yup. Tomorrow. Because I'll bring you to the PRT headquarters. There's another kid here, like you, and she decided to go to them for help. We'll tag along. Proof that the Empire is human trafficking should be enough for them to get off of their as- behinds," Mary coughed. "But until then, you should get some sleep. I have a spare sleeping bag here, should work for you."
Sirin didn't argue.
Didn't fight.
Mary helped her get into the sleeping bag. Offered her a few more blankets.
She closed her eyes.
And allowed herself to relax for the first time in years.
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A/N: Well, here we go, I guess. Unsure how frequent the updates will be or when it'll actually become its own thing - trying to build up momentum for now.Should be able to post one chapter a week, hopefully.
Also, all of my thanks to Snowfire for beta-ing this. I do not possess the vocabulary necessary to express all of my gratitude.
Stumbling, she fell into the snow face first. It felt like fire. Some small part of her begged her to stop. To just give up and pass away amidst the frozen wasteland. Another part wanted nothing more but to take revenge on those who did this to her. To Aphora. To Agata. To Galina. To every single child that died in those chambers after days, weeks or years of injections.
Ẻ̶̡̨̢̢͉̜̬̪̥̜̤̩̙̳̓ş̷̡̼͓̱̰͚͍͔̣͕̈͊̓̈́c̶̹̤̀ä̶̩̲̞̲͓̤̗͙͔̮̰̏̇̒̀p̴̡̳̰͚̺̻͐e̶̛̱̿̐̈͆̓.
There was a buzzing in her ears. Something spoke to her. She couldn't understand the language, but the concept behind it was heavy. It urged her to get away. To save herself. She couldn't… focus? Something was coming towards her. Something familiar. Similar to what she was.
Q̴̧̨̛͉̘̣͕͙̞̯̩͆̎̎̈́̄͗̕ų̶̡͈́̊̍̓̀̔̆͛͒̒͒̆͑ȩ̶̨̧̯̥̱̲̹̗̝̐̿͒̀͂̎̅̑́̂̎͂̕͜͠e̵̱̞̯̮͇͕̥̩̩͐n̴̤̓̈̒͐̈́̚.
Was she? What was she a queen of? Why would a queen ever be hurt or experimented on?
She knew why. Those people in white coats said it themselves.
"You're lucky to be sacrificed for Valkyries. They are fighting to protect our world. You can at least become a useful test subject."
God gave them no forgiveness. God heard her cries. Her pleas.
"Everyone is gone, the next one is me... God, where are you... Mom said that you will protect Sirin... Sirin is a good girl... Sirin did nothing wrong at all... God, I beg you, save everyone... save me!"
And God did. He gave her strength. Power. Ability to take revenge on those who'd taken everything away from her. One by one, researchers were killed. Murdered while trembling in terror. So did some of the children. They saw her killing them. They would've talked. They would've blown her secret wide open. She had no other choice. She didn't.
Finally finding the strength to get up, Sirin allowed the voice to guide her. To reach out for something deep inside of her. To hear its voice clearer.
D̶̰͈͐͒̽̑͋̆̓͘r̴̛͎͍̬̗̈̋͗̓̈́̔͑͋ǎ̴̧̱̤̼̠̃͘͜ͅî̸̧̩̦͚͖͙̙̘͕̂̈́́͘͝n̶̜̭̮̑͜ ̶̛̬̖̳̮̠͎̈́́͒͆̉̕̚͘t̶̛̰̰̠̰͕͙̬̿̽̔͠h̶͖̖̥̟̥̰̐̐́̔̐̓̕ͅȩ̸̬̬͕̊̏̚͜ ̵̮̹͈̭͙̏͒ṕ̵̨͕͚͐̽̋̊͘o̶̥̍w̶̧̪͙̱̮̺͈̮̔͆̊̈́͑̀̄͆̅ȅ̷̡̮̪̗̟̠͉͗̒͋͗̄r̵̬̈́̅͝
She should've. There was… energy all around her. It echoed throughout the empty wasteland, like the promise of change or a dream of futures. Very few ever would have felt it, fewer still could have done anything with their awareness. Yet Sirin knew what she had to do. Reach out. Feel it. Control it. Like an eager puppy, it flowed to her almost immediately. Overflowing with the pulsing energy coursing through her body, Sirin could feel her tiredness and pain fade away.
The presence behind her kept growing. Whoever or whatever that was - they were trying to catch her as quickly as possible. Could she beat them? Maybe if she had a bit more time. Maybe if she was just a bit angrier. Not now. Not like this. She needed time to rest. So she reached out and pulled.
The edges to the opening hole in reality rippled, clearly unstable.. Sirin had been acting on pure instinct, so it was a sloppy, hurried job. Instead of coming through the portal, the girl fell out of it like a sack of potatoes.
It snapped shut soon after.
She looked disheveled. Disoriented. Barely dressed in the stained rag of a medical gown. To anyone looking at her, their first thought would be that she'd escaped from a hospital or a mental asylum. But she couldn't care less.
She was free.
She'd survived.
She'd gotten away.
And that was all that mattered.
Looking around, Sirin found herself in a small alleyway between two buildings. The sky was darkening, which meant that it was getting late. It was snowing slightly, but only a light snowfall. That wasn't a problem, not for her. Even like this, she felt like her body was radiating warmth. Was it thanks to the power she'd used to escape? Had she always been like this? It was hard to remember.
Her mind was slowly becoming clearer. She knew that she couldn't stay here. Wherever here even was. She had to go. Get to some place warm. Get something to eat.
Sirin took a step.
And immediately collapsed.
The pain finally caught up to her as she hit the ground. Her muscles burned and her bones ached. And no matter how much she tried, her legs wouldn't listen when she told them to move. The only things that had been keeping her conscious were sheer willpower and adrenaline. Now that the danger was gone, there was almost nothing left.
She was barely able to move her head. Sirin managed to take a look at the nearest building. It was a convenience store. The lights were on and the sign said 'open'.
That's right. People.
Humans.
She could ask for help.
But could she trust them? They were no better than those who experimented on her. What would stop them from doing the same thing, now that she was weak again?
…
Nothing.
It would be for the best. She couldn't move.
Could barely think. Her body was freezing. Sirin could only last a couple of hours more.
And so she cried.
And crawled away from the shop.
It took her forever. It was painful. Sirin felt every snowflake stinging on her skin. Saw the pavement turning red under her hands. It was all so cold. She just wanted it to end.. To make the pain stop.
But she had to keep moving.
Had to–
Waking up, Sirin found herself lying somewhere warm. She could hear the soft sound of a fire crackling nearby and there was something wrapped around her. A blanket? Her hands felt bandaged. She wasn't in pain. No, that wasn't true. She could still feel a dull ache in her muscles. Her head felt dizzy, throbbing with a headache.
Was this… a dream?
Slowly opening her eyes, Sirin was met with a sight of a large room with a broken window.. There were blankets all over the place. Some dirty, some worn down, and a handful almost new. Two of the walls were full of spray paint and posters. Most of it was illegible or damaged in some way. Near the wall opposite to her there was a small fire pit surrounded by several logs and mattresses. A woman was sitting on one of them, using a knife to carve something out of a block of wood.
She noticed Sirin waking up and smiled.
"Ah, you're awake. Good."
Sirin wasn't sure how to respond. The woman looked like she was in her mid-twenties. Brown hair that went down to her neck. Dark skin. Freckles on her face. Dressed in an unzipped jacket, a white shirt and a pair of jeans. The woman's brown eyes were warm, inviting and full of kindness.
She wasn't sure she could ever trust eyes like those again.
"I'm sorry we couldn't give you any clothes," the woman said. "It's the best we could find given the circumstances."
"Kto ty takaya?"
Sirin noticed the woman's reaction. She didn't understand.
"Ty… Ty menya ne ponimaesh*."
"I'm sorry. I have no idea what you're saying."
Of course. Why would she ever escape to a place where she could speak the language? Why didn't she open a portal into the palace of her dreams? Maybe she should've. At least then she could die peacefully.
"Um. Do you speak English?"
Sirin could understand what the woman was saying. The language was foreign. Wrong. But she still understood the meaning behind those words. She still knew what to say. How?
"…English."
"Yes! So you do? What's your name? Where are you from?"
There was no point in not sharing that particular tibdbit of information.
"… Sirin."
"That's a cool name. You have a family name? Surname?"
She was trying to be friendly. Sirin didn't know why. Did she see her crawl up to the building? Decide to help her? People, adults, weren't that nice. There must have been a reason behind the action, but with how weak she was right now, attempting to lay low and buy time was the only option.
"Krylova. Sirin Krylova."
"Well, nice to meet you, Sirin. My name's Mary."
"Mary," the girl repeated carefully, as if tasting the word on her tongue. "Mary."
"Can you tell me how you ended up outside and half-naked in the middle of winter?"
Should she lie? Make up some story? Mary looked kind. Friendly. Like Galina.
But she couldn't trust her. Sirin couldn't afford that.
"…I don't remember."
"Was it the Empire? I've heard they were trafficking girls, but always thought it's just a rumor. That they wanted to be 'better' than ABB. Shows how different those bastards are," Mary huffed, putting the knife and the figurine she was carving to the side.
Empire? ABB? The words definitely held meaning, but what? Groups like Schicksal? Like Babylon?
"Where am I?"
"Brockton Bay. Not the kind of place you'd like to end up, to be honest."
"I-I see."
Where was Brockton Bay? Sirin had never heard the name before.
"Well, from how thin you are, I'd imagine you're hungry. I have some canned food here." Mary got up and walked towards one of the bags nearby.
Sirin knew that she should reject the offer. Take advantage of Mary's kindness and use it to escape. But she was starving. Weak. Cold. She couldn't. She was scared.
She'd do that later. When she was strong enough.
"T-thank you."
"Don't worry about it. There's not a lot of homeless folks left, so we have to stick together. Don't want you to freeze to death either."
Sirin opened the can.
It was peaches.
It tasted like heaven.
After finishing eating, Sirin felt tired. Weak. She should run away. Escape. But she couldn't. Mary seemed nice. Like Agata. Or Galina. Would she betray her? Leave her out to freeze and die?
Something kept saying "no".
That she wasn't like the others.
Wasn't like them.
That Sirin should trust her.
And she wanted to.
Sirin wanted to trust someone again.
Someone like Galina.
"Mary," she spoke quietly, curling into a ball.
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
The woman chuckled and walked up to her, ruffling her hair.
"Don't thank me yet, kid. If you want to get out of here, you'll need to find yourself a place to live. Some food to eat."
"I… can't."
"What do you mean?"
Sirin didn't respond.
She didn't know what to say.
How could she explain it without getting captured again?
"You're in trouble, aren't you?"
"…"
Mary sighed.
"You're pretty secretive, aren't you? Alright, I won't force you. But we'll have to figure out how to keep you warm until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yup. Tomorrow. Because I'll bring you to the PRT headquarters. There's another kid here, like you, and she decided to go to them for help. We'll tag along. Proof that the Empire is human trafficking should be enough for them to get off of their as- behinds," Mary coughed. "But until then, you should get some sleep. I have a spare sleeping bag here, should work for you."
Sirin didn't argue.
Didn't fight.
Mary helped her get into the sleeping bag. Offered her a few more blankets.
She closed her eyes.
And allowed herself to relax for the first time in years.
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A/N: Well, here we go, I guess. Unsure how frequent the updates will be or when it'll actually become its own thing - trying to build up momentum for now.Should be able to post one chapter a week, hopefully.
Also, all of my thanks to Snowfire for beta-ing this. I do not possess the vocabulary necessary to express all of my gratitude.
Tigerboltsniper
Mad Storm Approaching
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2020
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- 6,339
Well, about time we see what happens when someone derails cannon thoroughly and how the Impact (hehe) is felt~
Watched and let's see what's going to happen~
Watched and let's see what's going to happen~
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2021
- Messages
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Oh boy. Welp, Here we go again.
Chapter 2
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2020
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- 4,564
Sirin woke up to the sound of a door creaking. She jolted up, looking around. The first thing she noticed was Mary leaving through the main door, a backpack slung over her shoulder. Looking at the window, Sirin saw that it was bright outside. It was morning.
And the shelter was full of people.
Some were talking among themselves. Others were cooking. Still more were checking through bags, looking for anything they could use. And then there was a teen, who was trying to reach something on top of one of the shelves. Sirin quickly averted her gaze.She didn't want to get caught staring and attract any attention to herself.
Getting out of the sleeping bag, the girl grabbed one of the blankets and wrapped herself in it. She didn't know what was to come. Where was Mary? Did she go to that PRT place she'd talked about? Was it somewhere nearby? Would Sirin be able to find her?
No, she shouldn't. Not alone. But she didn't have to be. If someone tried to grab her, she'd tear them apart, fatigue or no.
Finally managing to create at least the semblance of a plan, the girl carefully wrapped the blanket around herself and stood up. Some of the people clearly noticed her movement, but did nothing to stop her from taking a few uncertain steps. Walking hurt, her muscles were still sore. Her head was spinning a little, too.
"You okay there, kid?" someone asked from the side.
Sirin didn't respond. She just wanted to leave. Go out. Find Mary.
"Hey, wait a moment, will ya?"
Turning towards the voice, the girl froze. An adult man, one that was significantly younger than most people in the shelter, was walking her way with two bowls in his hands. He looked… clean. Well fed. His clothes were new. He didn't have scars or bandages on his body.
He wasn't like Mary.
Immediately, the girl felt alarm bells going off in her head.
"Mary gave me a message," he said. "Told me that you might wake up while she's not around. Here," the man crouched down and offered Sirin one of the bowls. It was ful of some sort of porridge. She didn't touch it.
"… where did Mary go?"
"She went to the PRT. Like she said she would yesterday."
Sirin looked at the bowl, then the man, then back at the bowl. Hesitantly, she grabbed it.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
The man's eyes. His tone. None of it seemed malicious. None of it screamed 'danger'. He seemed… genuine.
It was too soon to trust him.
Once the man introduced himself as Alan and left, the girl finally had some time to herself. Everyone ignored her. Either because she was young or because of her bandages. Sirin didn't care.
She needed to think.
PRT.
Mary mentioned it yesterday. Was it something like Schicksal? Government? Military? Maybe she could ask someone. It seemed like God gave her more than just power to escape, if her managing to communicate in a language she didn't know was anything to go by. Now, she'd just have to pretend and be careful.
"Um… excuse me, sir," Sirin turned towards one of the older men. Whether it was the beard or his eyes, something made him seem trustworthy. Or perhaps it was the fact that he was cooking something that smelled delicious.
"Huh? Oh, you're that kid from yesterday. You need something, kid?"
"Mary said something about PRT. Do you know what it is?"
"PRT? It's the national heroes organization, ya know, the one that fights villains and all that?"
Heroes? Villains? Sirin knew that it should make sense. The concept of heroes and villains was common. But at the same time, she had no idea what that meant. How should she reply? Should she lie?
"Oh… so that's where she went?"
"Yup. Probably told them about you, kid."
"I… I see. Thank you," Sirin gave the man a smile, quickly turning around and hiding in the sleeping bag once more.
It was fine. Mary seemed trustworthy. She would know if PRT was like Schicksal, wouldn't she? She talked about the PRT like they were helpful, maybe even good…but Shicksal had been talked about like that too. Who's to say the PRT didn't simply hide their true nature from the public?
No one had known what happened behind the Tower's closed gates, after all. Not until it was too late. And what was she supposed to do if they truly were just as bad? If not the PRT, where would she go?
--------
Sirin spent the day observing. Learning. Trying to memorize as much as possible. Mary wouldn't be back for a long while, if she'd gone with that Sarah girl to the PRT without her. Until then, she had to be as inconspicuous as possible. No one bothered her. Some were wary, others didn't even spare her a second glance.
She hated it.
Hated not knowing.
Being scared.
She used to be like Agata. Carefree. Kind. Always helping those who were hurt. Always smiling. But now? Now she was different. Sirin could never go back to how she used to be.
Never.
Eventually, she got tired. Sirin went back to sleep, ignoring everyone around her. She just wanted all of this to stop. For everything to be normal again.
To be a child once more.
"Hey, kid. Wake up."
Sirin heard Mary's voice, her body reacting before her mind did. She darted to one side on pure instinct, creating distance between herself and the woman. A moment later, she realized what she did.
"I-I'm sorry."
"…don't worry about it. I should've been more careful," Mary gave her a sad smile.
Why?
"Alan told me you were asking about the PRT."
Sirin nodded.
"The PRT are … hard to describe. They're the police, kinda. The good guys. You know what's good and bad, right?"
"Yes."
She knew all about the 'bad'.
"Okay. They're the good ones. You can trust them."
Could she?
"Mary?"
"Hm?"
"Is it… safe?"
The woman paused for a moment, as if carefully choosing her next words.
"No. Not really. They have their own problems. But it's safer than out here. And they can help you."
Sirin didn't like how Mary spoke. How did she know all of this? How did she understand her?
"You… won't come with me?"
"We might have to postpone our trip a bit. I've talked to Sarah a bit more and... Her home situation is bad, and her parents are alive and well. They;d most likely get notified, and she doesn't want that. Speaking of, want to go and talk to her?"
She really, truly didn't.
"Sure."
Sarah was a quiet girl. Short blonde hair, reaching up to her neck, fair skin with some freckles covering the bridge of her nose and bottle-green eyes. Dressed in a dirty black hoodie and jeans, the girl reminded Sirin of someone. But what stood out the most was just how lifeless the girl's eyes were.
Mary was telling the truth.
The girl was terrified.
"Just as heads up - don't try to touch her without permission," Mary whispered as they carefully made their way around the tables where people were unpacking large boxes with what seemed to be food. "Before she'd escaped, the ABB r- well, they hurt her. She's a good kid, so try to be patient with her, okay?"
"Sarah," the woman crouched down next to the girl. "There's someone I want you to meet. She's been in a similar situation and wants to ask you something."
The girl immediately stiffened up.
"Hello. I'm Sirin."
Sirin couldn't tell what she was feeling. It was as if Sarah was both looking at her and right through her at the same time.
As if the girl couldn't decide whether or not the stranger next to Mary was a threat or not.
"…hi. I'm S-sarah."
"It's nice to meet you."
Sirin hesitated. What should she even ask? The girl looked so empty.
"Do you… want to go to the PRT?"
"…"
"Sarah? You alright, sweetie?" Mary gently put her hand on the girl's shoulder, to which she flinched away.
"I'm fine."
Every word came out as almost a whisper. Like their soul was torn to pieces, their body nothing but an empty shell.
"It's… safe there."
"Sarah, you don-"
"Are you sure?" Sirin cut Mary off, her attention completely focused on the girl.
"I-I am. The Director is a good woman. She'll understand."
Director? Who was that?
"That's great!" Mary smiled, patting Sarah on the head. "Say, what do you think if you and Sirin spend some time together before we go there? The meeting is in a few hours, so we have time."
Sirin knew exactly where this was going. Mary wanted her and Sarah to befriend each other. To ease the girl into trusting the PRT.
But she was far from being certain. What if the PRT was like Schicksal? They too seemed like 'the good guys' at the start.
"…sure."
"Alright then. I'll come back for you in a bit. Just try not to leave the shelter, okay? But first, let's get you into something a bit less worrying."
Dressed in an oversized black shirt with a blue sweater on top of it, torn jeans and white sneakers,Sirin felt awkward. She wanted nothing more but to be left alone, but at the same time, Mary wanted her and Sarah to bond. She didn't have it in her to refuse, so instead the girl sat there, trying her best to look relaxed and at ease.
Sarah didn't look like she cared.
"So, you… escaped too?"
"Yes."
Sirin didn't like small talk. It was awkward. Painful. And yet, Mary insisted. So she had to keep playing this farce.
"I-I see."
Another minute of silence passed.
"Mary said that the PRT is good. Do you think so?"
Sarah paused, carefully thinking about her response.
"They… aren't like the gangs. Safer."
Sirin knew that Sarah was lying.
She knew that look.
"I see. Thank you."
More silence. Sirin knew that Mary wouldn't come back for a while, but Sarah was a victim. Somehow, she felt the need to help her. To do what she couldn't do for her friends. So the girl took a deep breath and prepared herself for one of the most exhausting conversations of her life.
It took almost an hour of careful questions, probing and responses, but eventually, Sirin was able to piece together the full story. A runaway from an abusive home, she'd traveled around the country, trying to find some kind of a job despite being underage. Instead, shortly after arriving into the city, she'd been grabbed by the criminal group known as the ABB. Or so she'd said. There wasn't a single doubt in Sirin's mind that behind those haunted eyes was true terror of something she'd experienced, but at the same time, it felt… disconnected. As if she was describing everything from a third person's point of view.
Or perhaps it was a coping mechanism? The 'subjects' of the Tower had had quite a few of those themselves. Some had prayed. Others had tried singing. Some had tried to sleep it off, and spend as little time awake as possible.
None of it had helped when the time for experiments came again. Songs and prayers were drowned out by anguished screams, and most of the time those taken away didn't return. None had lasted more than a few weeks, apart from herself.
As the images once again came bubbling up through her mind, Sirin had found herself clenching her fists. Her calm, almost disinterested expression had only been twisted by rage for an instant, but Sarah flinched away nonetheless, causing Sirin to feel a pang of guilt. She was a child, much like herself. Not an adult. She didn't deserve her fury.
From what she'd gathered, the girl had spent a little less than a week in captivity, being "prepared for the transfer". Eventually, she'd managed to escape when some independent hero stumbled onto the operation.
And once again, a feeling of something being wrong with the story appeared. But it didn't matter. She'd seen the look in Sarah's eyes before, and would never belittle or suspect anyone who had it.
"…I see."
"I-I'm sorry."
What should Sirin tell her? That it was okay? That she should be happy that she managed to escape?
"Mary told me that I could trust PRT. Do you think so?"
Sarah didn't answer immediately. She hesitated.
"…yes."
Sirin knew that she was lying.
But what could she do?
Eventually, Mary did come back, informing them that it was time to go. Sirin felt unsure. Scared. But at the same time, she knew that she couldn't just wander around aimlessly. If Mary was right, if PRT was nothing like Schicksal, they were her best shot at living a somewhat normal life.
And so she went with them.
As they moved through the city in a car that Alan provided, Sirin was torn between wanting to close her eyes and wanting to take in everything she could see. The girl had almost forgotten what civilization looked like during her three months in the Tower. People moving around, unconcerned with their surroundings. Buildings taller than anything she'd ever seen. So many colors.
So much.
It was almost overwhelming.
"We're here."
Sirin quickly looked through the window, noticing a tall building with the logo of the PRT in the middle. There were people in uniforms standing in front of the building. They didn't look like Schicksal's soldiers, but looks could be deceiving.
Mary stopped the car.
"Well, I guess it's time. Ready?"
No.
"Yes."
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A/N: All of my gratitude to Snowfire once again. Without them, this chapter would've been quite a bit darker. Like, by a lot. A whole goddamn mile. From this moment on though, it'll take about a week for the next chapter. Building up the backlog.
And the shelter was full of people.
Some were talking among themselves. Others were cooking. Still more were checking through bags, looking for anything they could use. And then there was a teen, who was trying to reach something on top of one of the shelves. Sirin quickly averted her gaze.She didn't want to get caught staring and attract any attention to herself.
Getting out of the sleeping bag, the girl grabbed one of the blankets and wrapped herself in it. She didn't know what was to come. Where was Mary? Did she go to that PRT place she'd talked about? Was it somewhere nearby? Would Sirin be able to find her?
No, she shouldn't. Not alone. But she didn't have to be. If someone tried to grab her, she'd tear them apart, fatigue or no.
Finally managing to create at least the semblance of a plan, the girl carefully wrapped the blanket around herself and stood up. Some of the people clearly noticed her movement, but did nothing to stop her from taking a few uncertain steps. Walking hurt, her muscles were still sore. Her head was spinning a little, too.
"You okay there, kid?" someone asked from the side.
Sirin didn't respond. She just wanted to leave. Go out. Find Mary.
"Hey, wait a moment, will ya?"
Turning towards the voice, the girl froze. An adult man, one that was significantly younger than most people in the shelter, was walking her way with two bowls in his hands. He looked… clean. Well fed. His clothes were new. He didn't have scars or bandages on his body.
He wasn't like Mary.
Immediately, the girl felt alarm bells going off in her head.
"Mary gave me a message," he said. "Told me that you might wake up while she's not around. Here," the man crouched down and offered Sirin one of the bowls. It was ful of some sort of porridge. She didn't touch it.
"… where did Mary go?"
"She went to the PRT. Like she said she would yesterday."
Sirin looked at the bowl, then the man, then back at the bowl. Hesitantly, she grabbed it.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
The man's eyes. His tone. None of it seemed malicious. None of it screamed 'danger'. He seemed… genuine.
It was too soon to trust him.
Once the man introduced himself as Alan and left, the girl finally had some time to herself. Everyone ignored her. Either because she was young or because of her bandages. Sirin didn't care.
She needed to think.
PRT.
Mary mentioned it yesterday. Was it something like Schicksal? Government? Military? Maybe she could ask someone. It seemed like God gave her more than just power to escape, if her managing to communicate in a language she didn't know was anything to go by. Now, she'd just have to pretend and be careful.
"Um… excuse me, sir," Sirin turned towards one of the older men. Whether it was the beard or his eyes, something made him seem trustworthy. Or perhaps it was the fact that he was cooking something that smelled delicious.
"Huh? Oh, you're that kid from yesterday. You need something, kid?"
"Mary said something about PRT. Do you know what it is?"
"PRT? It's the national heroes organization, ya know, the one that fights villains and all that?"
Heroes? Villains? Sirin knew that it should make sense. The concept of heroes and villains was common. But at the same time, she had no idea what that meant. How should she reply? Should she lie?
"Oh… so that's where she went?"
"Yup. Probably told them about you, kid."
"I… I see. Thank you," Sirin gave the man a smile, quickly turning around and hiding in the sleeping bag once more.
It was fine. Mary seemed trustworthy. She would know if PRT was like Schicksal, wouldn't she? She talked about the PRT like they were helpful, maybe even good…but Shicksal had been talked about like that too. Who's to say the PRT didn't simply hide their true nature from the public?
No one had known what happened behind the Tower's closed gates, after all. Not until it was too late. And what was she supposed to do if they truly were just as bad? If not the PRT, where would she go?
--------
Sirin spent the day observing. Learning. Trying to memorize as much as possible. Mary wouldn't be back for a long while, if she'd gone with that Sarah girl to the PRT without her. Until then, she had to be as inconspicuous as possible. No one bothered her. Some were wary, others didn't even spare her a second glance.
She hated it.
Hated not knowing.
Being scared.
She used to be like Agata. Carefree. Kind. Always helping those who were hurt. Always smiling. But now? Now she was different. Sirin could never go back to how she used to be.
Never.
Eventually, she got tired. Sirin went back to sleep, ignoring everyone around her. She just wanted all of this to stop. For everything to be normal again.
To be a child once more.
"Hey, kid. Wake up."
Sirin heard Mary's voice, her body reacting before her mind did. She darted to one side on pure instinct, creating distance between herself and the woman. A moment later, she realized what she did.
"I-I'm sorry."
"…don't worry about it. I should've been more careful," Mary gave her a sad smile.
Why?
"Alan told me you were asking about the PRT."
Sirin nodded.
"The PRT are … hard to describe. They're the police, kinda. The good guys. You know what's good and bad, right?"
"Yes."
She knew all about the 'bad'.
"Okay. They're the good ones. You can trust them."
Could she?
"Mary?"
"Hm?"
"Is it… safe?"
The woman paused for a moment, as if carefully choosing her next words.
"No. Not really. They have their own problems. But it's safer than out here. And they can help you."
Sirin didn't like how Mary spoke. How did she know all of this? How did she understand her?
"You… won't come with me?"
"We might have to postpone our trip a bit. I've talked to Sarah a bit more and... Her home situation is bad, and her parents are alive and well. They;d most likely get notified, and she doesn't want that. Speaking of, want to go and talk to her?"
She really, truly didn't.
"Sure."
Sarah was a quiet girl. Short blonde hair, reaching up to her neck, fair skin with some freckles covering the bridge of her nose and bottle-green eyes. Dressed in a dirty black hoodie and jeans, the girl reminded Sirin of someone. But what stood out the most was just how lifeless the girl's eyes were.
Mary was telling the truth.
The girl was terrified.
"Just as heads up - don't try to touch her without permission," Mary whispered as they carefully made their way around the tables where people were unpacking large boxes with what seemed to be food. "Before she'd escaped, the ABB r- well, they hurt her. She's a good kid, so try to be patient with her, okay?"
"Sarah," the woman crouched down next to the girl. "There's someone I want you to meet. She's been in a similar situation and wants to ask you something."
The girl immediately stiffened up.
"Hello. I'm Sirin."
Sirin couldn't tell what she was feeling. It was as if Sarah was both looking at her and right through her at the same time.
As if the girl couldn't decide whether or not the stranger next to Mary was a threat or not.
"…hi. I'm S-sarah."
"It's nice to meet you."
Sirin hesitated. What should she even ask? The girl looked so empty.
"Do you… want to go to the PRT?"
"…"
"Sarah? You alright, sweetie?" Mary gently put her hand on the girl's shoulder, to which she flinched away.
"I'm fine."
Every word came out as almost a whisper. Like their soul was torn to pieces, their body nothing but an empty shell.
"It's… safe there."
"Sarah, you don-"
"Are you sure?" Sirin cut Mary off, her attention completely focused on the girl.
"I-I am. The Director is a good woman. She'll understand."
Director? Who was that?
"That's great!" Mary smiled, patting Sarah on the head. "Say, what do you think if you and Sirin spend some time together before we go there? The meeting is in a few hours, so we have time."
Sirin knew exactly where this was going. Mary wanted her and Sarah to befriend each other. To ease the girl into trusting the PRT.
But she was far from being certain. What if the PRT was like Schicksal? They too seemed like 'the good guys' at the start.
"…sure."
"Alright then. I'll come back for you in a bit. Just try not to leave the shelter, okay? But first, let's get you into something a bit less worrying."
Dressed in an oversized black shirt with a blue sweater on top of it, torn jeans and white sneakers,Sirin felt awkward. She wanted nothing more but to be left alone, but at the same time, Mary wanted her and Sarah to bond. She didn't have it in her to refuse, so instead the girl sat there, trying her best to look relaxed and at ease.
Sarah didn't look like she cared.
"So, you… escaped too?"
"Yes."
Sirin didn't like small talk. It was awkward. Painful. And yet, Mary insisted. So she had to keep playing this farce.
"I-I see."
Another minute of silence passed.
"Mary said that the PRT is good. Do you think so?"
Sarah paused, carefully thinking about her response.
"They… aren't like the gangs. Safer."
Sirin knew that Sarah was lying.
She knew that look.
"I see. Thank you."
More silence. Sirin knew that Mary wouldn't come back for a while, but Sarah was a victim. Somehow, she felt the need to help her. To do what she couldn't do for her friends. So the girl took a deep breath and prepared herself for one of the most exhausting conversations of her life.
It took almost an hour of careful questions, probing and responses, but eventually, Sirin was able to piece together the full story. A runaway from an abusive home, she'd traveled around the country, trying to find some kind of a job despite being underage. Instead, shortly after arriving into the city, she'd been grabbed by the criminal group known as the ABB. Or so she'd said. There wasn't a single doubt in Sirin's mind that behind those haunted eyes was true terror of something she'd experienced, but at the same time, it felt… disconnected. As if she was describing everything from a third person's point of view.
Or perhaps it was a coping mechanism? The 'subjects' of the Tower had had quite a few of those themselves. Some had prayed. Others had tried singing. Some had tried to sleep it off, and spend as little time awake as possible.
None of it had helped when the time for experiments came again. Songs and prayers were drowned out by anguished screams, and most of the time those taken away didn't return. None had lasted more than a few weeks, apart from herself.
As the images once again came bubbling up through her mind, Sirin had found herself clenching her fists. Her calm, almost disinterested expression had only been twisted by rage for an instant, but Sarah flinched away nonetheless, causing Sirin to feel a pang of guilt. She was a child, much like herself. Not an adult. She didn't deserve her fury.
From what she'd gathered, the girl had spent a little less than a week in captivity, being "prepared for the transfer". Eventually, she'd managed to escape when some independent hero stumbled onto the operation.
And once again, a feeling of something being wrong with the story appeared. But it didn't matter. She'd seen the look in Sarah's eyes before, and would never belittle or suspect anyone who had it.
"…I see."
"I-I'm sorry."
What should Sirin tell her? That it was okay? That she should be happy that she managed to escape?
"Mary told me that I could trust PRT. Do you think so?"
Sarah didn't answer immediately. She hesitated.
"…yes."
Sirin knew that she was lying.
But what could she do?
Eventually, Mary did come back, informing them that it was time to go. Sirin felt unsure. Scared. But at the same time, she knew that she couldn't just wander around aimlessly. If Mary was right, if PRT was nothing like Schicksal, they were her best shot at living a somewhat normal life.
And so she went with them.
As they moved through the city in a car that Alan provided, Sirin was torn between wanting to close her eyes and wanting to take in everything she could see. The girl had almost forgotten what civilization looked like during her three months in the Tower. People moving around, unconcerned with their surroundings. Buildings taller than anything she'd ever seen. So many colors.
So much.
It was almost overwhelming.
"We're here."
Sirin quickly looked through the window, noticing a tall building with the logo of the PRT in the middle. There were people in uniforms standing in front of the building. They didn't look like Schicksal's soldiers, but looks could be deceiving.
Mary stopped the car.
"Well, I guess it's time. Ready?"
No.
"Yes."
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A/N: All of my gratitude to Snowfire once again. Without them, this chapter would've been quite a bit darker. Like, by a lot. A whole goddamn mile. From this moment on though, it'll take about a week for the next chapter. Building up the backlog.
Akumadznts
Making the rounds.
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now we need otto
and sirin's dragon
and sirin's dragon
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Potentially.
I can say right away - those two are unlikely to appear any time soon xd
Akumadznts
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Oh welp
Day one of waiting for the Magnificent Bastard to show up
xcv45
Experienced.
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I don't remember much of the original version, but this is a Sirin that ran away and accidentally found herself in Bet rather than causing 2E, right?
Wonder how many changes is that going to cause in HI3 Earth. Just right off:
-Cecilia and many others alive.
-No K423 Tuna.
-Bronya proably dies without Hare disabling Alexandra's stigmata. If she somehow makes it out alive I guess a Bronya with Natural Stigmata may be possible?
-Without the Gem of Conquest, Mei proably dies from her flawed stigmata and incomplete Stigma Awakened status. Best case scenario is that she somehow makes the jump to full Stigma Awakened and survives that way.
-Cocolia in a Soviet prison and possibly executed, which means no orphanage. No idea about the status of her girls.
Wonder how many changes is that going to cause in HI3 Earth. Just right off:
-Cecilia and many others alive.
-No K423 Tuna.
-Bronya proably dies without Hare disabling Alexandra's stigmata. If she somehow makes it out alive I guess a Bronya with Natural Stigmata may be possible?
-Without the Gem of Conquest, Mei proably dies from her flawed stigmata and incomplete Stigma Awakened status. Best case scenario is that she somehow makes the jump to full Stigma Awakened and survives that way.
-Cocolia in a Soviet prison and possibly executed, which means no orphanage. No idea about the status of her girls.
keykigdom
confirmed key
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Already answered on SB but want to answer for anyone that follows only on QQ sorry if that is annoying.
So Most of what you said was Okay but.
Hare was what activated her stigmata by all the honkai energy so Alexandra and Bronya are going to be Okay well still in the soviet union but still.
Bronya is not going to have a stigmata due to the fact that it wasn't carried over in cannon, they are carried by genes that degree with generation and Bronya simply didn't inherit it from her mom due to this fact.
Chapter 3
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Director Emily Piggot wasn't having a good day. Hell, she wasn't having a good week. Then again, if the reports were anything to go by, it was slowly turning into a 'bad month', so the woman didn't have time to complain.
First, there was the fact that she'd had to let Calvert in after Rennick, unfortunately, collapsed due to a violent sickness. She'd been informed that there was no threat to his life, but until then, Thomas had offered his services as a temporary Deputy Director. How in the world he managed to pull that, and why it had been approved, she had no idea.
Second, the Protectorate ENE was short on manpower ever since she had to send Armsmaster and Assault to Boston to help out there.
Third, Shadow Stalker was suspended for yet another incident, with Miss Militia being forced to cover up the matter due to the girl's identity being exposed.
And fourth, the city had another trigger event, with an unknown parahuman now roaming the streets and looting stores.
The woman sighed, quickly reading through the report and signing it.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing, ma'am. The patrols will begin in an hour."
"Good. Dismissed."
And with that, her subordinates left, leaving Emily with nothing but mountains of paperwork and a headache. The woman knew that the only way to get through this day was to drown herself in coffee and hope that the situation would resolve itself somehow.
She was interrupted by the door to her office opening.
"Director Piggot, we have visitors. Miss Militia is about to begin interviewing two girls, brought in by Miss Lamb. Would you like to be present for the meeting?"
"What is it about?"
"Two homeless girls. One escaped from the ABB and the other is suspected to have been experimented on."
Emily pinched the bridge of her nose.
Great.
Just what she needed.
Still, if Mary Lamb sent the girls to the PRT…
"Have them both go through our medical scanners. If Lamb sent them to us, she likely suspects that at least one of them is parahuman. Might as well get something useful out of this situation."
"Understood, ma'am. Will do. Still, do you wish to be physically present?"
"I will watch from the observation room. Tell Militia to start in thirty."
"Understood, ma'am."
Emily wasn't a people's person. The woman didn't like to sugarcoat things. She was direct, blunt and honest to a fault. That's why she hated situations like this - where she had to pretend to be a good Samaritan. It was the worst part of her job.
"…and here are the results," Emily's assistant, Karen, handed her two folders. "One is confirmed to have powers. The younger one doesn't seem to have any. Here are the dossiers we've prepared."
"Very well. Lead them to the conference room 4. I will meet them there in 30 minutes."
Karen nodded, quickly leaving and closing the door behind her. Emily wasted no time, opening one of the folders and skimming through it.
Sarah Livesey.
Born 14th May 1994.
Mother - alive.
Father - alive.
Brother - deceased.
Declared missing on December 9th.
Presence of Corona Pollentia confirmed.
Presence of Corona Gemma confirmed.
Parahuman
Emily closed the folder and leaned back in her chair, ruminating on what she'd just read. The girl was a 15 year old parahuman, which meant two things. She was an insufferable teenager, and Emily would have to deal with her parents if was to be signed with the Wards. Fantastic.
Taking a look at the second file, the woman quickly noticed the differences.
Sirin Krylova.
Born 23rd June, 1997.
Mother - deceased.
Father - deceased.
No known relatives.
Corona Pollentia presence unconfirmed.
Corona Gemma presence unconfirmed.
Emily's expression soured further. A homeless orphan without any known relatives, or even any form of ID, most likely experimented on by the Empire. This could be a pain to handle.
Emily left her office twenty-five minutes later, walking through the white corridors of the PRT's ENE headquarters, making her way down to the observation room adjacent to conference room 4. It'd been quite a while since the last time she got to watch something from the side instead of needing to be personally involved. But when it came to homeless kids, Hannah was a much better option.
Entering the room, Emily made her way to a table by the wall of one-way glass, lowering herself into a chair with a full view of the conference room. Miss Militia sat opposite two girls, who were huddled together next to Miss Lamb, who was probably holding their hands. One of the girl's looked incredibly nervous, and Emily could see how physical contact could help with that.
Then, she'd focused on their appearances. The youngest of the two girls was dressed in an oversized purple sweater and jeans, while the other wore a black hoodie with a few holes in it and torn jeans. Both sets of clothes were clearly not new, or properly fit, the best that a homeless shelter could manage in a city like Brockton Bay.
What stood out the most, however, was the younger girl's entirely purple hair and bright gold eyes. Had the medical scanner malfunctioned? If anything, Sirin Krylova looked more like a parahuman than the nervous wreck of a girl next to her.
Was she a Thinker?
Sarah Livesey looked nervous and uncomfortable, most likely unnerved by having to wait. Emily touched a button on the table, letting Miss Militia know that she'd arrived... The hero clicked a similar button on the interview table, giving the appearance of starting a recording. In reality, the recorder was programmed to activate the moment it detected human speech, but the action provided a good way to break the ice.
"Alright then," Hannah said gently. "Sarah, Sirin. I'm Miss Militia, the second-in-command of Protectorate ENE. I'm glad that you've chosen to come in with Mary today."
No response.
"I know that meeting with our doctors probably wasn't pleasant, and I'm sorry for any discomfort. We had to check whether you had any injuries after your experiences." She smiled disarmingly, yet another reason Emily was outside for this. Hannah could actually make that expression real, Emily knew she couldn't. "If you feel like you can, could you tell me what happened? You don't have to go into specifics, but something for our records could help"
Sarah froze, looking away from the woman. Her eyes locked onto Emily's own, even though there wasn't a single chance she could actually see her. It lasted barely a moment, but the action alone was confirmation enough that Livesey girl had some kind of Thinker power.
"…I can."
Sirin's voice was surprisingly calm. Collected, almost flat. She didn't seem fazed by the meeting.
"That would be appreciated. We'll do our best to help you."
Emily watched as the girl looked at Sarah, who gave her a nod, and then focused her gaze on Hannah once more.
"I woke up in a building. Mary, one of the people there, helped me. I don't remember what happened."
"Can you tell me who you are? What your name is?"
"Sirin Krylova."
"Any family?"
"…no."
"I see. Do you have a place to stay?"
The girl shook her head.
"Very well. If you can give us a few days, we can contact some of the local orphanages. We'd also like one of our counselors to speak to you tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Sirin looked towards Miss Lamb this time, who nodded too. "…yes."
Emily sighed quietly, a small note of relief in the exhalation.This was being easier than she'd feared. Only halfway though, so she couldn't get optimistic.
"And what about you, Sarah?" Hannah asked, moving on. "We've heard about your escape from the ABB."
The girl's reaction was immediate. Her breath hitched, hands trembling.
"I… I'm okay."
"I can tell you've been through a lot" Hannah told the girl comfortingly. "We'll do our best to find those responsible for this, but you'll need to tell me everything you can remember. Can you do that for me, Sarah?"
The girl looked away.
"I-I will."
That was enough. Emily leant forward and touched the button that activated the channel to Miss Milita's earbud. "This will do as an introduction. Offer them rooms. We can get started on a proper investigation after they've had a hot meal and slept in a proper bed."
It wasn't something she did out of any kindness. But the PRT's protocols for situations like this were very clear, and there were just a few too many questions for her to let these girls just walk away. And, she couldn't deny, the protocols worked. Why else would she follow them?
"Thank you," Hannah nodded. "I know that it'll be hard to talk about any of this, so I'd like to offer you both rooms here at headquarters. You don't have to take them, but you'll be safe here."
"Can we stay in the same room?" Sarah spoke up, her expression twisting into an uncomfortable grimace.
The heroine's eyes widened for a brief moment, replaced quickly by hesitation. She clearly understood why they'd ask for it, but the regulations were clearly against something like this. The woman who was once a child soldier and had her own trauma could relate to the girls, but the heroine loyal to the Protectorate couldn't allow it.
Hannah looked like she'd bitten into a lemon.
"I'm afraid that is not allowed. I can promise to choose the neighboring rooms, however. Would that be satisfactory?"
Both girls nodded slowly. Hannah called in two agents, told them to settle the girls into adjoining guest rooms, and that was that. The two children left the room, Mary in tow, leaving it empty. Emily didn't move, instead opting to watch them leave. A moment later, she activated the voice speaker to let her talk to Hannah.
"They're lying." Miss Milita said, frowning. Her usually stoic expression had given way to one of concern.
"What's your reasoning for it?" Emily asked. Unspoken in the question was her agreement.
"Sirin," Hannah said "She lied. Her story was too… generic. I've dealt with enough runaway teens to know when things are missing. Her story is rehearsed, like she'd expected the question."
"What about Sarah?"
"…I don't know. I can't say for certain, but she's definitely a parahuman. A Thinker, if I'm not mistaken, maybe more. We should have the psychologist speaking to her tomorrow be very careful when they go fishing."
Emily knew that the heroine wasn't one to voice her doubts unless necessary, but the girl's lie bothered her. Perhaps letting Hannah speak wasn't the best idea. The whole situation was personal for her, to the point where she probably couldn't be completely impartial or logical. On the other hand, no one else truly possessed the ability to connect to two girls like this on a personal level. Given time, there could certainly be trust built between them.
"I agree," Emily said. "They don't trust us, and we don't want to endanger that. Sirin, though, are we sure she's not a parahuman? A Case 53 variant, perhaps?"
Hannah's mind worked furiously for a moment as she considered the question. She was almost certain that their medical scanners couldn't malfunction like that. Sirin Krylova shouldn't have a Corona Pollentia or Corona Gemma.
But then why would she lie?
"Director Piggot."
"Yes?"
"Have our technical staff check the scanner Sirin used. I'll volunteer as a control, if needed.." It must have been a mistake.
Sirin lay on a soft mattress, staring at the ceiling. Mary was right - the PRT was much, much better than anything she'd ever seen, save for her own room back home. A shower, clothes and a bed was more than she'd ever asked for.
And yet she couldn't relax.
Sarah's reaction to the PRT made it obvious that she was scared of it. Why? Sirin knew that the girl was lying. About her escape, about the PRT. But what did Mary mean when she'd said that they're 'good guys'? Miss Militia had certainly played her part of a 'nice person' well, but she'd seen this exact act when Schicksal's scientists arrived in her village.
Why did Sarah lie?
Sirin had no idea. She just wanted all of this, all these people and the PRT to disappear now. There wasn't a single chance that they'd let her live a normal life if their 'tests' and 'evaluations' found out what she really was. And if there was one thing that she'd never tolerate, it was being a prisoner once more. A slave. Except this time, her master would be a woman she'd never even met. Director Emily Piggot.
She'd give them one chance. Even as weak as she was, Sirin could already feel her strength returning. And if they tried to lock her up? They'd witness the wrath of God's chosen.
Sarah Livesey stared at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. Couldn't rest. She didn't want to.
She was back in the cage. Back in the cold warehouse. Back with those monsters.
And her power kept telling, showing everything that'd happen to her.
They'd catch her. Hurt her. Touch her.
She felt sick.
The PRT had promised her that they'd help her. That she'd be safe. But the director, the woman, knew. Knew that she was a parahuman. The scanners must have told her, and she cursed herself for not finding a reason to refuse the scan. The Director might use gentler methods to get what she wanted, but she fully intended to get herself another pawn. All for the greater good. The best outcome for everyone, except Sarah herself. Used for her powers, and her powers only. Never caring about the person.
Sarah didn't know what to do.
But she knew who would know.
She needed to talk to Sirin.
Sirin Krylova couldn't sleep. She spent the whole night listening, observing, sensing. The PRT's guards. Their personnel. With her power returning, she could start to feel everyone moving around like fish through the water, even though the picture was muddy. None of them seemed hostile. None of them tried to sneak into her room. They seemed… genuine. Not like Schicksal's scientists, who'd try to sneak around at night, watching her.
But Sirin wasn't about to risk it. She wanted to talk to Sarah. Find out what she truly thought about the PRT, if Mary's words held any merit.
Just before sunrise, the girl heard the sound of the door to Sarah's room opening, followed by a soft knock on her own. Getting up from the bed, Sirin silently walked up to the door, opening it carefully.
Sarah stood there, shivering.
"S-Sirin?"
"Yes. What's wrong?"
The girl didn't respond. Instead, she walked inside, closing the door behind her.
"I… I need help. They're gonna take me. The PRT will."
"I thought you said they were safe."
"They are, but not- not how I thought. I-I… I saw it. Director's going to take me in. Use me. I-I don't want to be used again. I can't. I-"
Use. Take. Those words were enough to trigger something inside of Sirin, causing the older, taller girl to flinch away. Try to distance herself, but the locked door prevented her from moving that far. Leaving her at complete mercy of a thirteen year old girl that Sarah knew went through hell. A girl that would undoubtedly loathe her for disappointing her. That would slap Sarah hard enough to probably knock her out, causing the blonde to close her eyes, preparing for the pain.
Sirin gently hugged the girl, patting her back. Sarah didn't flinch. She didn't react in any way. She just stood there, trembling.
She remembered Galina trembling the same way before she'd been taken away forever. She remembered Agata, who closed her eyes and never woke up again. She remembered Avrora, who'd tried to be a ray of light for them. Who tried to stay positive the longest, only to be the first victim of the experiments.
She remembered Bella. Beautiful, brave Bella who protected Sirin for as long as she could.
And she would live up to her example.
It didn't matter that Sarah lied. Sirin had lied herself, and could understand her mistrust. She wouldn't let another girl disappear, even if she'd never owed this one anything.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I-I don't know. Please, don't leave me. I don't want to be alone."
Sirin didn't respond. There was no need to answer.
They were going to leave.
When Director Emily Piggot received a call about how Sirin Krylova and Sarah Livesey vanished from their rooms at 5:46 am, she was frustrated . Then she was concerned. It proved that at least one of the girls was either a Stranger or a Mover, meaning they absolutely had to find them. For all she knew, one of them could be the parahuman robber attacking the shops all over the city.
She resolved herself to a difficult case.
If only she'd known.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
A/N: All of my thanks to Snowfire for beta-ing this. I don't know what to say to this wonderful person.
First, there was the fact that she'd had to let Calvert in after Rennick, unfortunately, collapsed due to a violent sickness. She'd been informed that there was no threat to his life, but until then, Thomas had offered his services as a temporary Deputy Director. How in the world he managed to pull that, and why it had been approved, she had no idea.
Second, the Protectorate ENE was short on manpower ever since she had to send Armsmaster and Assault to Boston to help out there.
Third, Shadow Stalker was suspended for yet another incident, with Miss Militia being forced to cover up the matter due to the girl's identity being exposed.
And fourth, the city had another trigger event, with an unknown parahuman now roaming the streets and looting stores.
The woman sighed, quickly reading through the report and signing it.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing, ma'am. The patrols will begin in an hour."
"Good. Dismissed."
And with that, her subordinates left, leaving Emily with nothing but mountains of paperwork and a headache. The woman knew that the only way to get through this day was to drown herself in coffee and hope that the situation would resolve itself somehow.
She was interrupted by the door to her office opening.
"Director Piggot, we have visitors. Miss Militia is about to begin interviewing two girls, brought in by Miss Lamb. Would you like to be present for the meeting?"
"What is it about?"
"Two homeless girls. One escaped from the ABB and the other is suspected to have been experimented on."
Emily pinched the bridge of her nose.
Great.
Just what she needed.
Still, if Mary Lamb sent the girls to the PRT…
"Have them both go through our medical scanners. If Lamb sent them to us, she likely suspects that at least one of them is parahuman. Might as well get something useful out of this situation."
"Understood, ma'am. Will do. Still, do you wish to be physically present?"
"I will watch from the observation room. Tell Militia to start in thirty."
"Understood, ma'am."
Emily wasn't a people's person. The woman didn't like to sugarcoat things. She was direct, blunt and honest to a fault. That's why she hated situations like this - where she had to pretend to be a good Samaritan. It was the worst part of her job.
"…and here are the results," Emily's assistant, Karen, handed her two folders. "One is confirmed to have powers. The younger one doesn't seem to have any. Here are the dossiers we've prepared."
"Very well. Lead them to the conference room 4. I will meet them there in 30 minutes."
Karen nodded, quickly leaving and closing the door behind her. Emily wasted no time, opening one of the folders and skimming through it.
Sarah Livesey.
Born 14th May 1994.
Mother - alive.
Father - alive.
Brother - deceased.
Declared missing on December 9th.
Presence of Corona Pollentia confirmed.
Presence of Corona Gemma confirmed.
Parahuman
Emily closed the folder and leaned back in her chair, ruminating on what she'd just read. The girl was a 15 year old parahuman, which meant two things. She was an insufferable teenager, and Emily would have to deal with her parents if was to be signed with the Wards. Fantastic.
Taking a look at the second file, the woman quickly noticed the differences.
Sirin Krylova.
Born 23rd June, 1997.
Mother - deceased.
Father - deceased.
No known relatives.
Corona Pollentia presence unconfirmed.
Corona Gemma presence unconfirmed.
Emily's expression soured further. A homeless orphan without any known relatives, or even any form of ID, most likely experimented on by the Empire. This could be a pain to handle.
Emily left her office twenty-five minutes later, walking through the white corridors of the PRT's ENE headquarters, making her way down to the observation room adjacent to conference room 4. It'd been quite a while since the last time she got to watch something from the side instead of needing to be personally involved. But when it came to homeless kids, Hannah was a much better option.
Entering the room, Emily made her way to a table by the wall of one-way glass, lowering herself into a chair with a full view of the conference room. Miss Militia sat opposite two girls, who were huddled together next to Miss Lamb, who was probably holding their hands. One of the girl's looked incredibly nervous, and Emily could see how physical contact could help with that.
Then, she'd focused on their appearances. The youngest of the two girls was dressed in an oversized purple sweater and jeans, while the other wore a black hoodie with a few holes in it and torn jeans. Both sets of clothes were clearly not new, or properly fit, the best that a homeless shelter could manage in a city like Brockton Bay.
What stood out the most, however, was the younger girl's entirely purple hair and bright gold eyes. Had the medical scanner malfunctioned? If anything, Sirin Krylova looked more like a parahuman than the nervous wreck of a girl next to her.
Was she a Thinker?
Sarah Livesey looked nervous and uncomfortable, most likely unnerved by having to wait. Emily touched a button on the table, letting Miss Militia know that she'd arrived... The hero clicked a similar button on the interview table, giving the appearance of starting a recording. In reality, the recorder was programmed to activate the moment it detected human speech, but the action provided a good way to break the ice.
"Alright then," Hannah said gently. "Sarah, Sirin. I'm Miss Militia, the second-in-command of Protectorate ENE. I'm glad that you've chosen to come in with Mary today."
No response.
"I know that meeting with our doctors probably wasn't pleasant, and I'm sorry for any discomfort. We had to check whether you had any injuries after your experiences." She smiled disarmingly, yet another reason Emily was outside for this. Hannah could actually make that expression real, Emily knew she couldn't. "If you feel like you can, could you tell me what happened? You don't have to go into specifics, but something for our records could help"
Sarah froze, looking away from the woman. Her eyes locked onto Emily's own, even though there wasn't a single chance she could actually see her. It lasted barely a moment, but the action alone was confirmation enough that Livesey girl had some kind of Thinker power.
"…I can."
Sirin's voice was surprisingly calm. Collected, almost flat. She didn't seem fazed by the meeting.
"That would be appreciated. We'll do our best to help you."
Emily watched as the girl looked at Sarah, who gave her a nod, and then focused her gaze on Hannah once more.
"I woke up in a building. Mary, one of the people there, helped me. I don't remember what happened."
"Can you tell me who you are? What your name is?"
"Sirin Krylova."
"Any family?"
"…no."
"I see. Do you have a place to stay?"
The girl shook her head.
"Very well. If you can give us a few days, we can contact some of the local orphanages. We'd also like one of our counselors to speak to you tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Sirin looked towards Miss Lamb this time, who nodded too. "…yes."
Emily sighed quietly, a small note of relief in the exhalation.This was being easier than she'd feared. Only halfway though, so she couldn't get optimistic.
"And what about you, Sarah?" Hannah asked, moving on. "We've heard about your escape from the ABB."
The girl's reaction was immediate. Her breath hitched, hands trembling.
"I… I'm okay."
"I can tell you've been through a lot" Hannah told the girl comfortingly. "We'll do our best to find those responsible for this, but you'll need to tell me everything you can remember. Can you do that for me, Sarah?"
The girl looked away.
"I-I will."
That was enough. Emily leant forward and touched the button that activated the channel to Miss Milita's earbud. "This will do as an introduction. Offer them rooms. We can get started on a proper investigation after they've had a hot meal and slept in a proper bed."
It wasn't something she did out of any kindness. But the PRT's protocols for situations like this were very clear, and there were just a few too many questions for her to let these girls just walk away. And, she couldn't deny, the protocols worked. Why else would she follow them?
"Thank you," Hannah nodded. "I know that it'll be hard to talk about any of this, so I'd like to offer you both rooms here at headquarters. You don't have to take them, but you'll be safe here."
"Can we stay in the same room?" Sarah spoke up, her expression twisting into an uncomfortable grimace.
The heroine's eyes widened for a brief moment, replaced quickly by hesitation. She clearly understood why they'd ask for it, but the regulations were clearly against something like this. The woman who was once a child soldier and had her own trauma could relate to the girls, but the heroine loyal to the Protectorate couldn't allow it.
Hannah looked like she'd bitten into a lemon.
"I'm afraid that is not allowed. I can promise to choose the neighboring rooms, however. Would that be satisfactory?"
Both girls nodded slowly. Hannah called in two agents, told them to settle the girls into adjoining guest rooms, and that was that. The two children left the room, Mary in tow, leaving it empty. Emily didn't move, instead opting to watch them leave. A moment later, she activated the voice speaker to let her talk to Hannah.
"They're lying." Miss Milita said, frowning. Her usually stoic expression had given way to one of concern.
"What's your reasoning for it?" Emily asked. Unspoken in the question was her agreement.
"Sirin," Hannah said "She lied. Her story was too… generic. I've dealt with enough runaway teens to know when things are missing. Her story is rehearsed, like she'd expected the question."
"What about Sarah?"
"…I don't know. I can't say for certain, but she's definitely a parahuman. A Thinker, if I'm not mistaken, maybe more. We should have the psychologist speaking to her tomorrow be very careful when they go fishing."
Emily knew that the heroine wasn't one to voice her doubts unless necessary, but the girl's lie bothered her. Perhaps letting Hannah speak wasn't the best idea. The whole situation was personal for her, to the point where she probably couldn't be completely impartial or logical. On the other hand, no one else truly possessed the ability to connect to two girls like this on a personal level. Given time, there could certainly be trust built between them.
"I agree," Emily said. "They don't trust us, and we don't want to endanger that. Sirin, though, are we sure she's not a parahuman? A Case 53 variant, perhaps?"
Hannah's mind worked furiously for a moment as she considered the question. She was almost certain that their medical scanners couldn't malfunction like that. Sirin Krylova shouldn't have a Corona Pollentia or Corona Gemma.
But then why would she lie?
"Director Piggot."
"Yes?"
"Have our technical staff check the scanner Sirin used. I'll volunteer as a control, if needed.." It must have been a mistake.
Sirin lay on a soft mattress, staring at the ceiling. Mary was right - the PRT was much, much better than anything she'd ever seen, save for her own room back home. A shower, clothes and a bed was more than she'd ever asked for.
And yet she couldn't relax.
Sarah's reaction to the PRT made it obvious that she was scared of it. Why? Sirin knew that the girl was lying. About her escape, about the PRT. But what did Mary mean when she'd said that they're 'good guys'? Miss Militia had certainly played her part of a 'nice person' well, but she'd seen this exact act when Schicksal's scientists arrived in her village.
Why did Sarah lie?
Sirin had no idea. She just wanted all of this, all these people and the PRT to disappear now. There wasn't a single chance that they'd let her live a normal life if their 'tests' and 'evaluations' found out what she really was. And if there was one thing that she'd never tolerate, it was being a prisoner once more. A slave. Except this time, her master would be a woman she'd never even met. Director Emily Piggot.
She'd give them one chance. Even as weak as she was, Sirin could already feel her strength returning. And if they tried to lock her up? They'd witness the wrath of God's chosen.
Sarah Livesey stared at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. Couldn't rest. She didn't want to.
She was back in the cage. Back in the cold warehouse. Back with those monsters.
And her power kept telling, showing everything that'd happen to her.
They'd catch her. Hurt her. Touch her.
She felt sick.
The PRT had promised her that they'd help her. That she'd be safe. But the director, the woman, knew. Knew that she was a parahuman. The scanners must have told her, and she cursed herself for not finding a reason to refuse the scan. The Director might use gentler methods to get what she wanted, but she fully intended to get herself another pawn. All for the greater good. The best outcome for everyone, except Sarah herself. Used for her powers, and her powers only. Never caring about the person.
Sarah didn't know what to do.
But she knew who would know.
She needed to talk to Sirin.
Sirin Krylova couldn't sleep. She spent the whole night listening, observing, sensing. The PRT's guards. Their personnel. With her power returning, she could start to feel everyone moving around like fish through the water, even though the picture was muddy. None of them seemed hostile. None of them tried to sneak into her room. They seemed… genuine. Not like Schicksal's scientists, who'd try to sneak around at night, watching her.
But Sirin wasn't about to risk it. She wanted to talk to Sarah. Find out what she truly thought about the PRT, if Mary's words held any merit.
Just before sunrise, the girl heard the sound of the door to Sarah's room opening, followed by a soft knock on her own. Getting up from the bed, Sirin silently walked up to the door, opening it carefully.
Sarah stood there, shivering.
"S-Sirin?"
"Yes. What's wrong?"
The girl didn't respond. Instead, she walked inside, closing the door behind her.
"I… I need help. They're gonna take me. The PRT will."
"I thought you said they were safe."
"They are, but not- not how I thought. I-I… I saw it. Director's going to take me in. Use me. I-I don't want to be used again. I can't. I-"
Use. Take. Those words were enough to trigger something inside of Sirin, causing the older, taller girl to flinch away. Try to distance herself, but the locked door prevented her from moving that far. Leaving her at complete mercy of a thirteen year old girl that Sarah knew went through hell. A girl that would undoubtedly loathe her for disappointing her. That would slap Sarah hard enough to probably knock her out, causing the blonde to close her eyes, preparing for the pain.
Sirin gently hugged the girl, patting her back. Sarah didn't flinch. She didn't react in any way. She just stood there, trembling.
She remembered Galina trembling the same way before she'd been taken away forever. She remembered Agata, who closed her eyes and never woke up again. She remembered Avrora, who'd tried to be a ray of light for them. Who tried to stay positive the longest, only to be the first victim of the experiments.
She remembered Bella. Beautiful, brave Bella who protected Sirin for as long as she could.
And she would live up to her example.
It didn't matter that Sarah lied. Sirin had lied herself, and could understand her mistrust. She wouldn't let another girl disappear, even if she'd never owed this one anything.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I-I don't know. Please, don't leave me. I don't want to be alone."
Sirin didn't respond. There was no need to answer.
They were going to leave.
When Director Emily Piggot received a call about how Sirin Krylova and Sarah Livesey vanished from their rooms at 5:46 am, she was frustrated . Then she was concerned. It proved that at least one of the girls was either a Stranger or a Mover, meaning they absolutely had to find them. For all she knew, one of them could be the parahuman robber attacking the shops all over the city.
She resolved herself to a difficult case.
If only she'd known.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
A/N: All of my thanks to Snowfire for beta-ing this. I don't know what to say to this wonderful person.
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Hell Yeah, new chapter.
0xA315
Know what you're doing yet?
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QroGrotor I'd just like to point out that your SB version is displayed with the "A Second Chance" thread together on wormstorysearch.com, but a fix now might not be achievable.
Apart from that, this is pretty nice. Piggot pointing out the anime hair is also kinda hilarious. I do wonder how much of Sarah's paranoia is actually correct though tbh, since ethicality of the PRT can vary a lot.
Apart from that, this is pretty nice. Piggot pointing out the anime hair is also kinda hilarious. I do wonder how much of Sarah's paranoia is actually correct though tbh, since ethicality of the PRT can vary a lot.
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Ah... That might be a problem. I mean, it is a re-write of my story, but I dodn't expect it to get fused like that. Hmmm...
Glad you liked it!Hell Yeah, new chapter.
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Primeknight
Not too sore, are you?
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My Queen deserved better accommodation. is the place will be BB only or can they go in different state? like where legend is? I just want her to be happy....
Akumadznts
Making the rounds.
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0xA315
Know what you're doing yet?
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Perhaps get the mods to rename it to A 2nd Chance then so that the name on SB matches up?
Also would prevent it from being NSFW filtered hopefully.
Chapter 4
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Sirin Krylova hated the city. She hated the noise. The lights. The people. They were everywhere, moving around. Not a single one was willing to spare her and Sarah a glance, even with how out of place two girls seemed jogging down the street illuminated by street lamps, especially when their clothing was clearly torn in places.
But she couldn't stop.
They had to move.
"Where are we going?"
Sirin didn't know. Neither Mary nor Alan were someone she wanted to depend on - the woman had a life there and the man would probably call the PRT if he knew about their escape. But where else could they go? The shelter was the only place in the city that she knew.
It all came down to making a gamble.
"Back to Mary."
"Oh."
Sarah didn't say a single word ever since they'd left PRT HQ. She was probably terrified - Sirin wasn't. She was angry. Had the woman's words been nothing but lies? Was the PRT doing exactly what Schicksal did?
No. It didn't make sense for them to do so, not when they were in the middle of the city, with so many eyes firmly on them.
They wouldn't dare. Would they?
Asking Mary would have to be their first step.
Alan McIntyre was having a rough night. First, one of the shelter's guests woke up in the middle of the night screaming, claiming that he'd been chased by someone. Alan had quickly sent the man to Mary, hoping that she would be able to calm the guy down, but it meant he had to spend the rest of the night awake.
Just in case.
He was sitting on a chair, drinking coffee and skimming through the day's newspaper when he heard a voice.
"Alan?"
The man looked up, noticing the two girls, Sirin and Sarah, standing by the entrance to his office. Both girls looked horrible - they were covered in sweat and clearly exhausted, bags under their eyes painfully obvious. He immediately got up, rushing towards them.
"Jesus, what happened to you?"
Neither girl responded, but Sarah immediately took a step back, while Sirin leaned forward slightly, the motion causing the man to stop dead in his tracks.
Were they afraid of him? That wouldn't do.
"Please, come in. I thought you've decided to stay with the PRT?"
At least that's what Mary had told him. Did she lie?
'No. Doesn't matter. Calm them down and let them rest,' he thought, gesturing for the two to come inside.
Sirin sat on one of the chairs in Alan's office. Sarah was right next to her, huddled close and not daring to let go. It reminded her of Bella, the way that the girl refused to leave her side when she'd lost her parents. Only this time, Sirin wasn't the one being comforted.
Alan moved around the room, preparing something. She wasn't sure what it was, but when the man set a pair of cups in front of them, Sirin noticed steam rising from the liquid.
"It's hot cocoa. Should warm you up."
Sirin nodded, carefully taking one cup and handing the other to Sarah. She could feel the heat seeping through the container into her skin, warming her up.
"Mary said that the PRT was safe," she said.
Alan didn't respond immediately. He sat down, watching them for a moment.
"…she did."
"Was she lying?"
"No," Alan said. He looked very confused. "Why would you think she was?"
Sirin looked away. How should she respond? Tell the truth? Would Alan call the PRT himself if she did? Would Sarah's power alert her?
"…Sarah told me they're bad people."
Alan saw Sarah tensing up next to Sirin. She was afraid. Of him. Of the PRT. Of everyone. And yet she trusted the younger girl. Why?
"Why?" He asked the blonde girl.
"…they want to use me," she said haltingly.
The man looked confused.
"What do you mean by use? How would they-"
Sirin could see Sarah open her mouth, but no sound came out. She was too afraid to speak. So the purple haired girl did it in her stead.
"Sarah's a parahuman."
Alan blinked. He clearly wasn't expecting that answer.
"That doesn't… she's not the only parahuman that's ever stayed with us. And the PRT isn't a group of villains. I've seen them do a lot of good, especially Miss Militia and Armsmaster. They're heroes, Sirin."
"…and Sarah said they want to use her. For her powers. Just like the bad men."
Alan felt conflicted.
Both girls seemed dead set on the PRT being a bad thing, which was ridiculous. The heroes and the police, despite some of their failings, tried their hardest to save people. The man could easily remember Armsmaster stopping a mugging only a few days ago. And Miss Militia visited their shelter on occasion, helping everyone by bringing food and supplies.
But there was something off about their insistence. Especially Sirin's. The girl was a bit odd andAlan had no idea what Mary'd found out about her past. But if the fact that she was covered in scars was anything to go by, it was probably worse than anything the man could imagine.
"Do you want to go back there, Sirin?"
"Sarah doesn't."
"What about you?"
"Even less. I don't want to end up being their slave."
Slave. Alan had no idea what kind of circumstances forced Sirin to believe the PRT to be a bad thing, but that one word alone painted a picture in his head. One filled with darkness and terror.
He'd try his best to work with that.
"Alright. If you two really don't want to go back, I'll try my best to help you, alright?"
Sirin nodded, but Sarah tensed up again. Alan decided to ignore it. The girl was probably scared. It was up to Sirin to help her for now.
Sarah Livesey watched as Sirin seemingly dozed off, while Alan contacted someone on the phone. She could feel her power tugging at her mind, trying to tell her something, but she wasn't sure what it wanted her to know. Did it want her broken? Paranoid and distrustful towards everyone?
Sarah had no idea.
Even when she'd tried to use it to get away from the ABB, it did nothing to help, only telling her what would happen if she were to be caught. It was stupid. Useless. Just like her.
She couldn't trust anyone, but Sirin didn't care. She was strong. Brave. Kind. Even if her past was definitely something Sarah never could've imagined in her worst nightmares, the blonde girl felt safe around her.
Safe.
Not like she felt back with the PRT.
'They're going to use me. I'm a tool. They're going to break me.'
Sarah Livesey had no idea what to think anymore. But she couldn't be hiding and backing down forever. It was about time she pulled her own weight.
Mary Lamb knew that she wasn't the most responsible person alive. She knew that her lifestyle had consequences. That she was prone to mistakes. That she wasn't fit to be a foster parent.
And yet the moment Alan called her, telling her that Sirin and Sarah ran away from the PRT, she knew that she'd made a mistake.
A big one.
Sirin was clearly held against her will, and PRT's militarized looks wouldn't endear themto herwhatsoever. Sarah should've been able to handle it better, but something must have gotten her spooked as too.
How did she miss that they were uncomfortable with the decision to stay? Was she truly this blind?
By the time she arrived back at Alan's shelter, both Sirin and Sarah were sleeping in the man's office. Or at least pretending to. She was no fool.
"Mary." Alan greeted her. He looked very tired.
"What did they tell you?"
"That the PRT wants to use Sarah for her powers. That's why they ran away."
"…I see." She very much didn't. "Any idea who could've told them that?"
"I don't know, Mary," Alan said, frustration bleeding into his tone. "You're the one that was in touch with them. Was there something that set her off? Maybe someone said something that caused her to panic?"
Mary frowned. Alan didn't know about Sarah's powers. She'd only told him that the girl had been traumatized by the ABB.
"And Sirin?"
"Said she doesn't want to be used either. Did you see her hands? What happened to her? She's covered in scars, Mary."
"…Empire, I think. You remember the rumors of them selling people to Gesellschaft?"
Alan didn't say a thing. Mary could understand. Both of them remembered the time they'd found an african-american teenager covered in lacerations, his eyes a sheet of blood. He'd been a survivor of an 'initiation', most likely.
But if she had been experimented on by Gesellschaft, then…
"We can't send them back there, Alan. Not until we figure out what happened. That's just asking for problems down the line, especially since they'd managed to escape from under their nose once before."
"I know. But we can't just hide them either. I've contacted a friend of mine, a lawyer. Maybe once the PRT agents come over in the morning, she'll help us mitigate the consequences of their escape."
Mary didn't like that idea.
"The PRT have their own lawyers. And do you really think it'll go that far? Can't we just tell them that they got scared of something, returned here and we'll talk to them once everything settles down and they are in a better place?"
"No. Saying that they are here won't lead to anything good, and you know that. The PRT would never physically hurt these girls, Mary, sure. But you know how pushy some of them are, DirectorPiggot especially."
Mary wanted to disagree. The PRT would never, in a million years, even consider harming a child, whether physically or mentally. Not intentionally, at least. And that's not even taking the Youth Guard into account. But they were still a large, law-enforcement organization first and foremost. And with there being two, potentially parahuman, children on the run?
Even if it was under the guise of simply not wanting them to join the gangs, the PRT and Protectorate ENE would stop at nothing to get Sirin and Sarah into the Wards. Considering how easily the two could be declared wards of the state, which would in turn let PRT appoint a legal guardian to them, causing the two to end up as actual Wards all the same.
A moment later, Mary realized that she didn't even take Sirin's status as a technically illegal immigrant or a trafficking victim into account, which would've added another layer of complications to something that seemed like an eldritch puzzle.
"Fine. You're right, Alan. I'll try."
Sirin felt something, someone, approaching the shelter, causing the girl's eyes to snap open. Even as tired as she was, the girl could easily make out the outline of the woman on top of a motorcycle. It took her a few moments to recognize the figure as the same woman that had interviewed them just some hours prior. Did she come to try and take them back by force?
No. Sirin wouldn't allow that.
She was done being a tool. Done being a weapon.
The woman dismounted her vehicle, taking off her helmet and walking towards the shelter. Sirin could feel Sarah wake up beside her, but she didn't dare to look.
She had to focus.
"Mary."
"Hannah. What are you doing here in such an hour?"
Sirin couldn't see the woman, but the tone of her voice was enough for the girl to know she was unnerved. Was she afraid of something?
"I've called Alan, asked if I can come around and talk things out. Those two girls you brought in to talk with us, Sarah and Sirin, have gone missing from PRT HQ."
"They... what?"
Sirin could see Mary tense up. The woman was probably afraid. Afraid of the PRT.
"Director Piggot has assigned everyone she can to search the city. It's possible that they might be in danger. There's a chance that they came back here, Mary, without your or Alan's knowledge. And if they're here-"
"That what? You're going to take them back by force? Do you think I'm blind, Hannah?" Mary hissed out angrily, crossing her arms. "That I can't see that you've got a van probably full of PRT troopers down the street, watching the shelter?"
"Mary-"
"No. Hannah, you can't. Not now, and you know why. They won't trust you."
Sirin could feel Sarah tug at her sleeve, a disturbed look on her face. She seemed to be aware of what was happening.
"I'm not here as a cape, Mary. I've… You know that I can at least understand what those two girls went through, more than any other cape in this city. I'm here as Hannah, not Miss Militia."
Sirin could feel Alan move. He was walking down the hall, two cups in his hands. She could feel the rage start bubbling up inside.
'He sold us out?'
"Sirin, Sarah, I've brought some hot cacao for-"
All around the man, the space had twisted and warped, trapping the man in place.
"-you."
Sirin got up, slowly walking out of the office.
"Sirin, please, let Alan go."
"No."
"Sirin, he didn't sell us out!"
"…what."
The girl took a step back, clearly confused. The worried expression on the man's face was quickly growing confused as well.
"I did what?"
"I'm serious. Whoever's outside isn't dangerous. Please, let Alan go."
Sirin felt Sarah's hand grab her own, forcing the girl to look at her. The blonde girl seemed scared, but she was smiling.
"Sirin, Alan wouldn't. Trust me."
"…alright."
The space around Alan snapped back into place, causing the man to stumble back, spilling the liquid on himself.
"Jesus. Girls, what's happening? What did-"
"Alan," Sarah spoke up hurriedly, standing up and letting go of Sirin's hand. "Someone from the PRT came to the shelter. Sirin can see and sense them. They've said that you talked with them and told them about us."
The man looked like a deer caught in headlights. A few seconds later, he was sprinting down the hall and towards the stairs as fast as he could, any worries about waking anyone else up forgotten. Sarah, meanwhile, pulled Sirin towards the window and crouched by it, peeking outside.
"What are you doing?" Sirin whispered, following the girl. It was nothing new to her, if she was to be completely honest. She'd done her fair share of sneaking around. "We could get noticed."
"Nothing much," Sarah replied just as quietly, a small weak smile forming on her face. "Just getting ready to watch and learn."
Sirin wasn't sure what the blonde girl meant, but she decided to play along, looking outside the window. She could see Mary and the woman who's shape she recognized as the masked heroine, the former looking worried and the latter seemingly confused. Alan joined them after a moment, causing the woman to take a step back.
"Hannah, I thought we agreed that you weren't going to come over in the middle of the night. Some of our guests might get the wrong idea."
"Al- Why are you here? You should be with the gi-"
"Oh, I certainly was." The man's voice was dripping with exhaustion, his face looking as if he hadn't slept for several nights. "And almost got mimed once they thought that I betrayed their trust by telling you that the girls are in the shelter. I told you right away that they are in full panic mode. Look, you're not entering the shelter, or who knows what might happen. I get that you want to help them, but this is not going to work. You'll only make it worse right now."
Hannah's eyes closed, a sigh escaping the woman's lips. Sirin felt Sarah tense up beside her again again.
"I probably will, huh? You're right, I'll come back later. Still, you know that it won't be as 'me', right? You know how the Director is."
"I do, and I'm working on other… options. If it works out, maybe you'll be able to speak to them properly next time. How much time do you think we have?"
"Not much," The woman shook her head, her voice growing more and more resigned. Sirin could feel something move within the woman. A disturbance that flared up for a brief moment had grown less noticeable, as if reacting to her emotions.
"Alright, you two. It's the middle of the night, and it's pretty damn cold outside. How about we talk about it in the morning, or at least inside?"
"Don't worry, Mary, we're done here. Hannah, please give a heads up next time you decide to pop by, so that I can at least warn the girls?"
"I will. Expect me, and at least a few troopers, around lunch time. I'll do my best to explain why we shouldn't go with the show of force, but can't promise anything."
"Thank you," Alan's voice was quieter, but Sirin could still hear the relief in it. "I'll make sure to have your favorite coffee ready when you come."
"Right, you two can start flirting and freeze out here by yourselves. I'm going back inside," Mary huffed, turning around and heading into the shelter.
"I'll look forward to it," Miss Militia's voice grew warmer, the woman's posture straightening up. Sirin could feel Sarah grab her hand, but the purple haired girl couldn't tell why. Militia turned around and headed back for her motorcycle, only to stop half way and turn around. "Oh, and just to clarify, we don't have a single van watching over this place."
With those words the woman put her helmet on and sped off, leaving behind a very tired and freezing Alan, who sneezed just as the woman completely disappeared from sight, causing him to head back inside while grumbling something under his breath. Sirin could feel Sarah tugging at her arm, urging her to go back to the office, which the girl followed without a word.
Walking back towards his office with Mary in tow, Alan hoped that the surprises for the night had ended. He hadn't expected Sirin and Sarah to be scared enough by the PRT to run away, and he sure as hell hadn't expected to argue with one of Brockton Bay's heroes over the matter.
The first thing he saw on opening the door back into his office was Sirin sitting on a sofa in the corner, her head on Sarah's shoulder. Both girls were asleep. While it'd probably be better to send them to the first floor where they had mattresses, the man instead carefully closed the door and gestured for Mary to follow. He could get the girls a blanket from the supply closet after he and Mary talked.
As he went down the corridor to another desk, Alan could feel her glare boring a hole in his skull.
"I'm not apologizing, Mary."
"I didn't expect you to, Alan. What I want to know is why you told Hannah about them in the first place?"
"Come on, Mary. You know why. How many years have we known each other for? I understand that the girls need help, trust me. I've experienced their displeasure personally. And it's just like Hannah said - she's the only one who can truly relate to the-em," the man sneezed, causing Mary to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah, poor immune system. Look, Mary, I know that PRT would never deliberately harm children. Never. But I also understand that that doesn't change the fact that they were acting like the girls belonged to them. Like they could do whatever they wanted with them. I saw how Sarah tensed up when Hannah came back, and you're lucky you didn't seen Sirin's reaction. The PRT has no idea what they're dealing with."
"And you do?"
Alan stopped, turning around to look at the woman. Mary had her arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"No, Mary. I don't. But I don't think the PRT would either. And that's the problem."
"Alan, if you're implying that they are dangerous, then the PRT are the only ones qualified to help them. Alan, they're just-"
"Stupid, Mary. They're stupid. Hannah might've come here gently, but do you think PRT troopers would come near this place without full equipment and a metric crapton of containment foam just in case? They think that they can do whatever they want, and that their status as a law enforcement agency gives them a free pass. Those girls need to start trusting others first, not dealing with drill sergeants. I've left some messages. We should be getting some help on that front tomorrow."
Mary didn't say anything, instead choosing to simply nod. It was a reluctant nod, but at least it was assent. Alan sighed, turning around and heading for the supply closet.
Sarah woke up to a pair of bright-yellow eyes staring right at her. Sirin.
"Morning."
"…morning, Sirin. Slept well?"
"I guess?" The purple haired girl blinked a few times, clearly confused. "I... I didn't have any nightmares."
"Good." Sarah smiled, slowly getting up. She felt warm. She felt happy. Sirin was safe, the PRT wasn't going to take them (yet), and Alan had defended them. Things were actually looking up a little. "We should go downstairs. See what-"
"Girls? Are you awake?"
Sarah felt her body go tense. She didn't want to. She didn't want to see the PRT again. She didn't-
"…we're up." Sirin's voice was strong and confident, making Sarah feel ashamed. A single noise was all that it took to break her newfound confidence?
"…okay. I'm opening the door."
Sarah felt Sirin grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She could feel something move inside the other girl.
Something... powerful.
Alan's office's door opened, revealing the man himself.
"Morning, girls. Mary's downstairs with the lawyer I talked to last night, and I think the PRT will show up sometime soon. Do you want something to eat before meeting with them?"
Sarah felt Sirin squeeze her hand again, making the girl relax. The PRT weren't going to take them. Alan promised.
"…can we have pancakes?"
"Definitely," Alan grinned, his smile being infectious enough that Sarah barely managed to repress her own. "I'll bring them up here to you, and then we'll go talk to Carol."
"Carol?" Sirin repeated, slightly turning her head, as if a cat contemplating something interesting. It made sense, considering the girl came from another part of the world and was a few years younger than Sarah herself. She probably didn't have much experience with foreign names. The fact that she could speak so fluently was surprising in the first place.
"She's an old friend of mine, and hopefully a lawyer that'll keep the PRT away from you for the foreseeable future. Oh, and she's a superhero," the man added, noticing a twinkle in Sirin's eyes. No matter what, there was still some sense of childish wonder living deep within the girl, and he couldn't be happier to see it. "Have you ever heard the name 'Brandish'?"
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A/N: Once again, all of my thanks to Snowfire for betaing! I cannot describe my gratitude enough!
But she couldn't stop.
They had to move.
"Where are we going?"
Sirin didn't know. Neither Mary nor Alan were someone she wanted to depend on - the woman had a life there and the man would probably call the PRT if he knew about their escape. But where else could they go? The shelter was the only place in the city that she knew.
It all came down to making a gamble.
"Back to Mary."
"Oh."
Sarah didn't say a single word ever since they'd left PRT HQ. She was probably terrified - Sirin wasn't. She was angry. Had the woman's words been nothing but lies? Was the PRT doing exactly what Schicksal did?
No. It didn't make sense for them to do so, not when they were in the middle of the city, with so many eyes firmly on them.
They wouldn't dare. Would they?
Asking Mary would have to be their first step.
Alan McIntyre was having a rough night. First, one of the shelter's guests woke up in the middle of the night screaming, claiming that he'd been chased by someone. Alan had quickly sent the man to Mary, hoping that she would be able to calm the guy down, but it meant he had to spend the rest of the night awake.
Just in case.
He was sitting on a chair, drinking coffee and skimming through the day's newspaper when he heard a voice.
"Alan?"
The man looked up, noticing the two girls, Sirin and Sarah, standing by the entrance to his office. Both girls looked horrible - they were covered in sweat and clearly exhausted, bags under their eyes painfully obvious. He immediately got up, rushing towards them.
"Jesus, what happened to you?"
Neither girl responded, but Sarah immediately took a step back, while Sirin leaned forward slightly, the motion causing the man to stop dead in his tracks.
Were they afraid of him? That wouldn't do.
"Please, come in. I thought you've decided to stay with the PRT?"
At least that's what Mary had told him. Did she lie?
'No. Doesn't matter. Calm them down and let them rest,' he thought, gesturing for the two to come inside.
Sirin sat on one of the chairs in Alan's office. Sarah was right next to her, huddled close and not daring to let go. It reminded her of Bella, the way that the girl refused to leave her side when she'd lost her parents. Only this time, Sirin wasn't the one being comforted.
Alan moved around the room, preparing something. She wasn't sure what it was, but when the man set a pair of cups in front of them, Sirin noticed steam rising from the liquid.
"It's hot cocoa. Should warm you up."
Sirin nodded, carefully taking one cup and handing the other to Sarah. She could feel the heat seeping through the container into her skin, warming her up.
"Mary said that the PRT was safe," she said.
Alan didn't respond immediately. He sat down, watching them for a moment.
"…she did."
"Was she lying?"
"No," Alan said. He looked very confused. "Why would you think she was?"
Sirin looked away. How should she respond? Tell the truth? Would Alan call the PRT himself if she did? Would Sarah's power alert her?
"…Sarah told me they're bad people."
Alan saw Sarah tensing up next to Sirin. She was afraid. Of him. Of the PRT. Of everyone. And yet she trusted the younger girl. Why?
"Why?" He asked the blonde girl.
"…they want to use me," she said haltingly.
The man looked confused.
"What do you mean by use? How would they-"
Sirin could see Sarah open her mouth, but no sound came out. She was too afraid to speak. So the purple haired girl did it in her stead.
"Sarah's a parahuman."
Alan blinked. He clearly wasn't expecting that answer.
"That doesn't… she's not the only parahuman that's ever stayed with us. And the PRT isn't a group of villains. I've seen them do a lot of good, especially Miss Militia and Armsmaster. They're heroes, Sirin."
"…and Sarah said they want to use her. For her powers. Just like the bad men."
Alan felt conflicted.
Both girls seemed dead set on the PRT being a bad thing, which was ridiculous. The heroes and the police, despite some of their failings, tried their hardest to save people. The man could easily remember Armsmaster stopping a mugging only a few days ago. And Miss Militia visited their shelter on occasion, helping everyone by bringing food and supplies.
But there was something off about their insistence. Especially Sirin's. The girl was a bit odd andAlan had no idea what Mary'd found out about her past. But if the fact that she was covered in scars was anything to go by, it was probably worse than anything the man could imagine.
"Do you want to go back there, Sirin?"
"Sarah doesn't."
"What about you?"
"Even less. I don't want to end up being their slave."
Slave. Alan had no idea what kind of circumstances forced Sirin to believe the PRT to be a bad thing, but that one word alone painted a picture in his head. One filled with darkness and terror.
He'd try his best to work with that.
"Alright. If you two really don't want to go back, I'll try my best to help you, alright?"
Sirin nodded, but Sarah tensed up again. Alan decided to ignore it. The girl was probably scared. It was up to Sirin to help her for now.
Sarah Livesey watched as Sirin seemingly dozed off, while Alan contacted someone on the phone. She could feel her power tugging at her mind, trying to tell her something, but she wasn't sure what it wanted her to know. Did it want her broken? Paranoid and distrustful towards everyone?
Sarah had no idea.
Even when she'd tried to use it to get away from the ABB, it did nothing to help, only telling her what would happen if she were to be caught. It was stupid. Useless. Just like her.
She couldn't trust anyone, but Sirin didn't care. She was strong. Brave. Kind. Even if her past was definitely something Sarah never could've imagined in her worst nightmares, the blonde girl felt safe around her.
Safe.
Not like she felt back with the PRT.
'They're going to use me. I'm a tool. They're going to break me.'
Sarah Livesey had no idea what to think anymore. But she couldn't be hiding and backing down forever. It was about time she pulled her own weight.
Mary Lamb knew that she wasn't the most responsible person alive. She knew that her lifestyle had consequences. That she was prone to mistakes. That she wasn't fit to be a foster parent.
And yet the moment Alan called her, telling her that Sirin and Sarah ran away from the PRT, she knew that she'd made a mistake.
A big one.
Sirin was clearly held against her will, and PRT's militarized looks wouldn't endear themto herwhatsoever. Sarah should've been able to handle it better, but something must have gotten her spooked as too.
How did she miss that they were uncomfortable with the decision to stay? Was she truly this blind?
By the time she arrived back at Alan's shelter, both Sirin and Sarah were sleeping in the man's office. Or at least pretending to. She was no fool.
"Mary." Alan greeted her. He looked very tired.
"What did they tell you?"
"That the PRT wants to use Sarah for her powers. That's why they ran away."
"…I see." She very much didn't. "Any idea who could've told them that?"
"I don't know, Mary," Alan said, frustration bleeding into his tone. "You're the one that was in touch with them. Was there something that set her off? Maybe someone said something that caused her to panic?"
Mary frowned. Alan didn't know about Sarah's powers. She'd only told him that the girl had been traumatized by the ABB.
"And Sirin?"
"Said she doesn't want to be used either. Did you see her hands? What happened to her? She's covered in scars, Mary."
"…Empire, I think. You remember the rumors of them selling people to Gesellschaft?"
Alan didn't say a thing. Mary could understand. Both of them remembered the time they'd found an african-american teenager covered in lacerations, his eyes a sheet of blood. He'd been a survivor of an 'initiation', most likely.
But if she had been experimented on by Gesellschaft, then…
"We can't send them back there, Alan. Not until we figure out what happened. That's just asking for problems down the line, especially since they'd managed to escape from under their nose once before."
"I know. But we can't just hide them either. I've contacted a friend of mine, a lawyer. Maybe once the PRT agents come over in the morning, she'll help us mitigate the consequences of their escape."
Mary didn't like that idea.
"The PRT have their own lawyers. And do you really think it'll go that far? Can't we just tell them that they got scared of something, returned here and we'll talk to them once everything settles down and they are in a better place?"
"No. Saying that they are here won't lead to anything good, and you know that. The PRT would never physically hurt these girls, Mary, sure. But you know how pushy some of them are, DirectorPiggot especially."
Mary wanted to disagree. The PRT would never, in a million years, even consider harming a child, whether physically or mentally. Not intentionally, at least. And that's not even taking the Youth Guard into account. But they were still a large, law-enforcement organization first and foremost. And with there being two, potentially parahuman, children on the run?
Even if it was under the guise of simply not wanting them to join the gangs, the PRT and Protectorate ENE would stop at nothing to get Sirin and Sarah into the Wards. Considering how easily the two could be declared wards of the state, which would in turn let PRT appoint a legal guardian to them, causing the two to end up as actual Wards all the same.
A moment later, Mary realized that she didn't even take Sirin's status as a technically illegal immigrant or a trafficking victim into account, which would've added another layer of complications to something that seemed like an eldritch puzzle.
"Fine. You're right, Alan. I'll try."
Sirin felt something, someone, approaching the shelter, causing the girl's eyes to snap open. Even as tired as she was, the girl could easily make out the outline of the woman on top of a motorcycle. It took her a few moments to recognize the figure as the same woman that had interviewed them just some hours prior. Did she come to try and take them back by force?
No. Sirin wouldn't allow that.
She was done being a tool. Done being a weapon.
The woman dismounted her vehicle, taking off her helmet and walking towards the shelter. Sirin could feel Sarah wake up beside her, but she didn't dare to look.
She had to focus.
"Mary."
"Hannah. What are you doing here in such an hour?"
Sirin couldn't see the woman, but the tone of her voice was enough for the girl to know she was unnerved. Was she afraid of something?
"I've called Alan, asked if I can come around and talk things out. Those two girls you brought in to talk with us, Sarah and Sirin, have gone missing from PRT HQ."
"They... what?"
Sirin could see Mary tense up. The woman was probably afraid. Afraid of the PRT.
"Director Piggot has assigned everyone she can to search the city. It's possible that they might be in danger. There's a chance that they came back here, Mary, without your or Alan's knowledge. And if they're here-"
"That what? You're going to take them back by force? Do you think I'm blind, Hannah?" Mary hissed out angrily, crossing her arms. "That I can't see that you've got a van probably full of PRT troopers down the street, watching the shelter?"
"Mary-"
"No. Hannah, you can't. Not now, and you know why. They won't trust you."
Sirin could feel Sarah tug at her sleeve, a disturbed look on her face. She seemed to be aware of what was happening.
"I'm not here as a cape, Mary. I've… You know that I can at least understand what those two girls went through, more than any other cape in this city. I'm here as Hannah, not Miss Militia."
Sirin could feel Alan move. He was walking down the hall, two cups in his hands. She could feel the rage start bubbling up inside.
'He sold us out?'
"Sirin, Sarah, I've brought some hot cacao for-"
All around the man, the space had twisted and warped, trapping the man in place.
"-you."
Sirin got up, slowly walking out of the office.
"Sirin, please, let Alan go."
"No."
"Sirin, he didn't sell us out!"
"…what."
The girl took a step back, clearly confused. The worried expression on the man's face was quickly growing confused as well.
"I did what?"
"I'm serious. Whoever's outside isn't dangerous. Please, let Alan go."
Sirin felt Sarah's hand grab her own, forcing the girl to look at her. The blonde girl seemed scared, but she was smiling.
"Sirin, Alan wouldn't. Trust me."
"…alright."
The space around Alan snapped back into place, causing the man to stumble back, spilling the liquid on himself.
"Jesus. Girls, what's happening? What did-"
"Alan," Sarah spoke up hurriedly, standing up and letting go of Sirin's hand. "Someone from the PRT came to the shelter. Sirin can see and sense them. They've said that you talked with them and told them about us."
The man looked like a deer caught in headlights. A few seconds later, he was sprinting down the hall and towards the stairs as fast as he could, any worries about waking anyone else up forgotten. Sarah, meanwhile, pulled Sirin towards the window and crouched by it, peeking outside.
"What are you doing?" Sirin whispered, following the girl. It was nothing new to her, if she was to be completely honest. She'd done her fair share of sneaking around. "We could get noticed."
"Nothing much," Sarah replied just as quietly, a small weak smile forming on her face. "Just getting ready to watch and learn."
Sirin wasn't sure what the blonde girl meant, but she decided to play along, looking outside the window. She could see Mary and the woman who's shape she recognized as the masked heroine, the former looking worried and the latter seemingly confused. Alan joined them after a moment, causing the woman to take a step back.
"Hannah, I thought we agreed that you weren't going to come over in the middle of the night. Some of our guests might get the wrong idea."
"Al- Why are you here? You should be with the gi-"
"Oh, I certainly was." The man's voice was dripping with exhaustion, his face looking as if he hadn't slept for several nights. "And almost got mimed once they thought that I betrayed their trust by telling you that the girls are in the shelter. I told you right away that they are in full panic mode. Look, you're not entering the shelter, or who knows what might happen. I get that you want to help them, but this is not going to work. You'll only make it worse right now."
Hannah's eyes closed, a sigh escaping the woman's lips. Sirin felt Sarah tense up beside her again again.
"I probably will, huh? You're right, I'll come back later. Still, you know that it won't be as 'me', right? You know how the Director is."
"I do, and I'm working on other… options. If it works out, maybe you'll be able to speak to them properly next time. How much time do you think we have?"
"Not much," The woman shook her head, her voice growing more and more resigned. Sirin could feel something move within the woman. A disturbance that flared up for a brief moment had grown less noticeable, as if reacting to her emotions.
"Alright, you two. It's the middle of the night, and it's pretty damn cold outside. How about we talk about it in the morning, or at least inside?"
"Don't worry, Mary, we're done here. Hannah, please give a heads up next time you decide to pop by, so that I can at least warn the girls?"
"I will. Expect me, and at least a few troopers, around lunch time. I'll do my best to explain why we shouldn't go with the show of force, but can't promise anything."
"Thank you," Alan's voice was quieter, but Sirin could still hear the relief in it. "I'll make sure to have your favorite coffee ready when you come."
"Right, you two can start flirting and freeze out here by yourselves. I'm going back inside," Mary huffed, turning around and heading into the shelter.
"I'll look forward to it," Miss Militia's voice grew warmer, the woman's posture straightening up. Sirin could feel Sarah grab her hand, but the purple haired girl couldn't tell why. Militia turned around and headed back for her motorcycle, only to stop half way and turn around. "Oh, and just to clarify, we don't have a single van watching over this place."
With those words the woman put her helmet on and sped off, leaving behind a very tired and freezing Alan, who sneezed just as the woman completely disappeared from sight, causing him to head back inside while grumbling something under his breath. Sirin could feel Sarah tugging at her arm, urging her to go back to the office, which the girl followed without a word.
Walking back towards his office with Mary in tow, Alan hoped that the surprises for the night had ended. He hadn't expected Sirin and Sarah to be scared enough by the PRT to run away, and he sure as hell hadn't expected to argue with one of Brockton Bay's heroes over the matter.
The first thing he saw on opening the door back into his office was Sirin sitting on a sofa in the corner, her head on Sarah's shoulder. Both girls were asleep. While it'd probably be better to send them to the first floor where they had mattresses, the man instead carefully closed the door and gestured for Mary to follow. He could get the girls a blanket from the supply closet after he and Mary talked.
As he went down the corridor to another desk, Alan could feel her glare boring a hole in his skull.
"I'm not apologizing, Mary."
"I didn't expect you to, Alan. What I want to know is why you told Hannah about them in the first place?"
"Come on, Mary. You know why. How many years have we known each other for? I understand that the girls need help, trust me. I've experienced their displeasure personally. And it's just like Hannah said - she's the only one who can truly relate to the-em," the man sneezed, causing Mary to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah, poor immune system. Look, Mary, I know that PRT would never deliberately harm children. Never. But I also understand that that doesn't change the fact that they were acting like the girls belonged to them. Like they could do whatever they wanted with them. I saw how Sarah tensed up when Hannah came back, and you're lucky you didn't seen Sirin's reaction. The PRT has no idea what they're dealing with."
"And you do?"
Alan stopped, turning around to look at the woman. Mary had her arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"No, Mary. I don't. But I don't think the PRT would either. And that's the problem."
"Alan, if you're implying that they are dangerous, then the PRT are the only ones qualified to help them. Alan, they're just-"
"Stupid, Mary. They're stupid. Hannah might've come here gently, but do you think PRT troopers would come near this place without full equipment and a metric crapton of containment foam just in case? They think that they can do whatever they want, and that their status as a law enforcement agency gives them a free pass. Those girls need to start trusting others first, not dealing with drill sergeants. I've left some messages. We should be getting some help on that front tomorrow."
Mary didn't say anything, instead choosing to simply nod. It was a reluctant nod, but at least it was assent. Alan sighed, turning around and heading for the supply closet.
Sarah woke up to a pair of bright-yellow eyes staring right at her. Sirin.
"Morning."
"…morning, Sirin. Slept well?"
"I guess?" The purple haired girl blinked a few times, clearly confused. "I... I didn't have any nightmares."
"Good." Sarah smiled, slowly getting up. She felt warm. She felt happy. Sirin was safe, the PRT wasn't going to take them (yet), and Alan had defended them. Things were actually looking up a little. "We should go downstairs. See what-"
"Girls? Are you awake?"
Sarah felt her body go tense. She didn't want to. She didn't want to see the PRT again. She didn't-
"…we're up." Sirin's voice was strong and confident, making Sarah feel ashamed. A single noise was all that it took to break her newfound confidence?
"…okay. I'm opening the door."
Sarah felt Sirin grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She could feel something move inside the other girl.
Something... powerful.
Alan's office's door opened, revealing the man himself.
"Morning, girls. Mary's downstairs with the lawyer I talked to last night, and I think the PRT will show up sometime soon. Do you want something to eat before meeting with them?"
Sarah felt Sirin squeeze her hand again, making the girl relax. The PRT weren't going to take them. Alan promised.
"…can we have pancakes?"
"Definitely," Alan grinned, his smile being infectious enough that Sarah barely managed to repress her own. "I'll bring them up here to you, and then we'll go talk to Carol."
"Carol?" Sirin repeated, slightly turning her head, as if a cat contemplating something interesting. It made sense, considering the girl came from another part of the world and was a few years younger than Sarah herself. She probably didn't have much experience with foreign names. The fact that she could speak so fluently was surprising in the first place.
"She's an old friend of mine, and hopefully a lawyer that'll keep the PRT away from you for the foreseeable future. Oh, and she's a superhero," the man added, noticing a twinkle in Sirin's eyes. No matter what, there was still some sense of childish wonder living deep within the girl, and he couldn't be happier to see it. "Have you ever heard the name 'Brandish'?"
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A/N: Once again, all of my thanks to Snowfire for betaing! I cannot describe my gratitude enough!
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Oth
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Possible typo.
Charming to see Sirin and Sarah/Lisa bonding from the beginning. The sheer irony of Sirin unconsciously slotting into being Sarah's/Lisa's Kiana is exceptionally entertaining.
Kaslana genes are really something.
Idiot444
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Any Herrscher except binding will assuming their core is functioning properly. The honkai radiation they passively emit (even if held back it's gonna happen when they use their stuff) is something no local will have a resistance to, though some parahumans may develop one. Honkai beasts/zombies are capable of spreading it and also emit some, both of which are strong enough that even weak ones will require parahuman levels of force and are guaranteed to have parahumans show up for due to local logic, honkai zombies retain any skills they had prior and I don't see why shards would stop providing just cause their host got a little zombified, which results in parahuman honkai zombies which are harder to take down as such and it just keeps on spreading.
Unless Contessa intervenes really early in, an apocalyptic scenario is inevitable just by having an active Herrscher around. Thinker abilities also may not work properly around Honkai initially as it's an unknown energy type to their shards, though that will be mostly solved after the shards have had time to analyze it.
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Thank you! Completely missed it.
Pretty much. Sirin's body, according to the Babylon's scientists, possesses an unnatural ability to neutralize/negate Honkai Energy, so I'd say she would be leaking a basically non-existent amount when undisturbed and surrounded by people she wants to live a normal life with, but alas - this is Worm. She would have to use them sometimes in the future.
xcv45
Experienced.
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Speaking of Zombies, some (like the Praetorian variant) are actually strong enough that the usual A-Rank needs planning to fight them 1v1. These are presumably Elite/Valkyrie-based zombies I guess.
Also some zombies develop weird abilities. The Lichs variants come to mind, as IIRC they can teleport/summon others.2nd Memorial Fanbook said:
Also QroGrotor have you read the fanbooks? They contains a lot of interesting info. Like how the girl zombies are technically still alive (if heavily mutated), or technical info on the girl's battlesuits, or how Schicksal Stigmata can be made of people (living or dead, Kiana and Tesla being used as examples) and have a skill sharing/inheritance aspect Natural Stigmata apparently don't have.
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0xA315
Know what you're doing yet?
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Or literally in this chapter
I'm somewhat unfamiliar with the lore though; does Honkai reproduce automatically or does it need to be driven by an outside Will in order to propagate?
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Yup. Although the usage here was incredibly brief, and Sarah was in the room as well. As for the reproduction - what exactly do you mean? I might be misinterpreting your question, and would rather not make a mistake when answering.Or literally in this chapter
I'm somewhat unfamiliar with the lore though; does Honkai reproduce automatically or does it need to be driven by an outside Will in order to propagate?
I... actually didn't. Where can I read them?
xcv45
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