Omake: Later
Emma looked up at the imposing Protectorate building in front of her as she got off the bus dressed as casually as the eighteen year old could. Finishing off her coffee Emma tossed the cup into the trash and made her the way into the building. Recalling the instructions given to her she went up to the front desk where there was a receptionist waiting.
"Hello I am Jessica Holden and I am here about the five missing watches." Emma said recalling the code phrase she was given over the phone.
"Ah yes the missing watches so glad we were able to get ahold of you Ms. Holden, please follow me." The receptionist said moving from behind her desk and beckoning Emma to follow her.
Following the other woman Emma was led to an empty meeting room with a table and two chairs already set out along with water bottles and mints.
"Please wait here and someone will be with you shortly." They said before leaving Emma alone in the room.
Seeing nothing else to do Emma took a seat in one of the offered chairs. Letting out a breath that she had been holding Emma took a moment to think about her situation.
It was hard to believe that after everything that had happened she would find herself back at the PRT. When she had been in the Wards with Sophia the only thing the two of them had talked about regarding their futures was going independent when they turned eighteen. Emma would keep working as a model, of course, to pay the bills and Sophia would manage the hero side of things not once had either of them seriously considered transferring into the Protectorate. When Taylor had got powers she thought she would join those dreams, but time as it seems has a means of making fools out of everyone.
'Some more than others.' Emma added on mentally as she membered the past three years.
As she finished up those thoughts the other door in the room opened up and in stepped the leader of the local Protectorate, Weld.
Taking the other seat in the room with an audible creak he began to speak, "I hope the wait wasn't too long Ms. Barnes, or would you prefer Ampere?"
"Just Emma is fine." Emma responded.
"Alrighty then Emma lets get down to the reason why we are both here you sent in a request to join the Boston Protectorate." Weld stated plainly.
"Yes I think that it will be the best place for me going forwards and keeps me close to Brockton." Emma replied.
Weld nodded while pulling out a file no doubt full of her personal history. Her entire time in the Wards, her crimes, and her time in juvie.
"While the Protectorate is always looking for more heroes you have to admit given your personal history you joining this department specifically has a couple of issues." He said placing her file on the table, "Have you considered potentially joining a different department? One less likely to incite issues in the near future."
"I have thought of it." Emma admitted, "But any other department would come with different issues. At least in Boston I will get less judgement for what happened and who my former teammates were from my potential coworkers."
Weld let out a sigh, "It was a shame what ended up happening to your teammates."
"And that's why I want to join here and not anywhere else. In any other department I would simply be another member of Brockton's Bay's Bad Batch. At least here I will be given a fair chance for the good and the bad." Emma said head down as her hands fiddled around with her water bottle.
"Have you had any contact them?" Weld asked.
"In the beginning I did but we fell out of touch as things went on, and So- Stalker never wrote back to begin with." Emma explained putting the water bottle back down.
"Things weren't much better in Boston after Brockton was closed off and all the gangs migrated here." Weld said with a dark look in his eyes.
"The Second Boston Games is what they called it right?" Emma asked, "I heard a bit about it while in juvie. Did Tay- Phase participate?"
This actually got a chuckle out of Weld, "In her own way, but to admit the truth when word of the Brockton team shutting down, her dad moving to Boston, and you and Shadow Stalker's arrest I had hoped she would put the past aside and finally join up. Unfortunately very little actually changed. Of course that didn't stop any of her extracurricular activities."
"Ho- how was she if you don't mind me asking." Emma pried.
"Distant always distant and angry to say the least. I think she warmed up to Valve and Flechette a bit and that gave us some hope she would get along with the rest of us but it ended up biting us in the ass in the end. But to make a long story short she isn't a part of the organization anymore left at the first opportunity along with Valve and Flechette." Weld said shaking his head.
"Oh sorry about that if I-."
"Wasn't your fault." Weld said cutting her off, "Honestly I actually blame the PRT more for them leaving they attempted to drop the hammer on Phase and they ended up catching the rest of us in the crossfire. With the new gangs moving in the already present tensions simply caused things to spiral and when the time came to move into the Protectorate whatever desire they had to do so was gone. Still see them every now again while on patrol. It hurts to see how good of a team those three make and seeing all the missed opportunities that could have been. Doesn't help that the higher ups still give me and director Armstrong shit about it whenever they make the news."
"Well at least she is doing well." Emma said seeking a silver lining.
"That she is." Weld said flatly, "Though it goes without saying that if she was still part of the organization we wouldn't even be considering bringing you on."
"So are you considering it." Emma asked bringing things back to the original topic.
Picking up the file he had set on the table Weld flipped through its, "Well going off your past as a Ward it is a mixed bag. On one hand you do have a decent arrest record but your disciplinary record is another story. Unregistered patrols, disobeying orders, and that isn't even mentioning the you know what in your civilian identity."
Emma sank back in her seat as Weld reminded her of her greatest shame.
Going on Weld kept going through the file, "If taken alone I wouldn't recommend you become a member of the Boston Protectorate. However it is your juvenile record that saves you ironically enough."
"Really?"
"Don't act so surprised no major or minor incidents during your stay and out early on good behavior. When compared to your contempories in the Wards you look like the good egg as strange as that sounds to you."
"So the final verdict?" Emma asks hesitantly.
"Is yes with some caveats given your history." Weld responded.
"Of course."
"Due to your past with Phase you are not to engage or seek out her team unless you have no other option. You will not use your authority as a Protectorate member to seek out the civilian identities of any former Wards, or attempt to call them. Additionally you will be on a six month probabtionary period to ensure you can follow thoss rules." Weld laid out to her.
"What if Tay- I mean Phase has an issue with me being here." Emma asks.
"Well quite frankly she doesn't get any say in the decision since she isn't a member anymore. If she causes any issues with you bring it to us and we will sort it out." Weld said a slight bit of anger entering is tone.
"So that's it then." Emma asked.
"Yep once I touch base with the legal department for a contract that will be it." He said before reaching out a hand, "I look forward working with you Ampere."
"Likewise." Emma said reaching out her own hand.
With that the two shook hands as the meeting concluded.
A.N: Another omake after awhile been sitting around in my head for a bit but finally got around to writing it after reading a different fic. Anyways as usual let me know what you all thing.
@FirstSelector
