Will of The Force (Star Wars / Worm)

[CapCaverna]

Alright, this is part of my snippets thread in SB and, later, QQ. Since I decided to continue writing it, I'll be posting this as a new Fanfic here and in the other sites I use.

Anyways, Will of The Force is a story I wanted to write for a very long time. It started as a SI, eventually, it turned into an OC born in the setting.

Now, it's a crossover and I think it's probably better this way.

The concept is simple, I wanted to write someone with Force powers in WORM.

Basically, the setting is canon Worm, the incert is a "redeemed" Darth Vader.

I'm sure he's just gonna love sharing the city with an "Empire", a gang of slavers and in a planet where the government is corrupt and being manipulated by Cauldron in secret, with Heroes only following the law instead of being effective.

It won't bring back memories, not at all.

Synopsis:
Darth Vader dies in the arms of his son, having killed his master and gone back to the light side of the Force.

And then he wakes up, finding himself into a little primitive planet that hasn't even achieved interstellar travel, where the government is corrupt and the heroes are ineffective, in a city that could almost be called a hive of scum and villainy, dominated by a gang that calls itself the Empire 88 and another that practices slavery.

He wants to be better, he wants to overcome his past, but damn, the city REALLY isn't making it easy for him.​

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!​

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"Tell your sister… you were right," he told his son, his pride.

He couldn't deny it was nice to die feeling such emotion, even if it wasn't exactly the satisfaction he sought… or the regret he expected.

His old master would probably still scold him, always preaching about finding peace. Well, peace would be nice, but he had struggled his entire life trying to find it, did he really think he'd find it now, when he was dying? No, pride tinted by regret was good enough. In fact, it was far more than he deserved.

Closing his eyes, he felt the life leaving him and accepted his fate, letting the darkness consume him.

Unexpectedly, he felt his eyes snapping open after what felt like a lifetime. The first thing he noticed was how easy it was to breath, the second was the lack of pain.

Pushing himself up, he touched his face and felt the lack of scars. Looking down, he couldn't help widening his eyes at the two perfectly healthy hands. In a hurry, he threw the blanket away from his body revealing it whole.

He was whole, how? Why?

Stepping on the floor with his bare feet for the first time in years, he could barely believe when he took his first unassisted steps.

"Ah, sir, you really shouldn't be up right now!" A nurse rushed inside the room, a small, slightly overweight blonde woman, she wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him back into a sitting position. Still confused, he let her.

"What happened? Is the Empire…?" he asked, feeling the air hitting his skin without pain and not knowing what to do.

"Empire? Sir, you were caught by Lung's last rampage, the empire wasn't involved," the nurse said, using some primitive equipment to measure his pulse. "You're lucky Panacea volunteered to heal anyone hurt that day, she even managed to replace your missing limbs."

"I… what?" he didn't recognize the names spoken. Centering himself, he felt the Force flowing around him in strange patterns, completely alien to anything he had ever felt before. "Do you have a mirror?"

"Yes, sure."

Soon, the nurse handed him a small mirror and he looked at his own, perfectly healthy face, he even had hair again, how… nostalgic. "I look younger," he commented, he looked at least ten years younger than expected.

"Ah, well, with your burns, Panacea didn't exactly know what you looked like sir, she did her best, but there can be some differences," the nurse fidgeted, taking away the mirror and stepping away from him. "How old are you?"

"45," he commented, considering his extremely odd situation.

"Well, you're a very young looking 45 now."

"Do you have access to the Holonet?" He asked, trying his best not to make it an order, it was hard, he really wasn't used to asking for things.

"Ah, sir… do you mean the internet?" The woman asked, giving him an odd look and checking her clipboard for information.

"…Yes," he lied. He understood that people on the Outer Rim didn't exactly have access to the Holonet, but to not even know of its existence? There was something very wrong here.

"Sir, I'm just gonna call your doctor and we… wait, what are you doing?" she asked as he got back to his feet, nobody had ever accused him of being a patient man. "Sir, I'm gonna…"

"You will give me access to this… internet," he waved a hand over her face, causing the woman's aggression to vanish and her eyes to grow dull.

Yes, he seemed to have gotten a second chance in life, and he no longer wished to be the same monster he had been for the last few years, for many reasons. He still hated himself and what he had done, but he didn't want to wallow in that hate and use it to justify his every action.

The woman pulled some device and handed it to him. The touch commands took some time to get used to, but he had always been gifted with technology and soon started browsing the internet and gathering information.

Handing the 'phone' back to the woman, he got up and left the room feeling… conflicted. It seems like he was on a planet called 'Earth', how unimaginative. It was a planet that hadn't even achieved space flight yet.

The only Empire they had was a pathetic supremacist organization with a few Force adepts to its name. He shook his head in confusion, being a human supremacist he could understand, even if he never agreed with it, but judging yourself superior just because of skin color…

Well, perhaps if they were like the Twi'leks and some colors were much rarer than others, but nothing on the 'internet' indicated that, they seemed just like the humans he knew about, and humans weren't really like that.

"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to return to your room," what he assumed was a doctor approached him.

"Take me somewhere I can find some clothes," he ordered with a wave of his hand. He never really liked this particular use of the Force, and it didn't come as easy for him as it did his former master, but it was very convenient.

Ten minutes later, he walked through the streets wearing a pair of jeans and white shirt, his mind considering things as he allowed himself to enjoy the feel of the wind on his skin.

The city wasn't quite a hive of scum and villainy, but it was close, with gang markings everywhere and almost nobody daring to walk alone, moving with hurried steps and keeping a watch around. Things just kept getting more and more nostalgic.

Was this how the Sith of old felt when they first met the race that would give them their name? A primitive planet filled with Force adepts that barely knew anything about the Force itself, attributing much of its power to mysticism and keeping whatever secrets they discovered in families?

In reality, he wasn't entirely certain that those… 'parahumans' were really Force adepts, some of their powers he had never heard about even in legends but, well, while he knew a lot about the Force, he couldn't claim to know everything.

Finding himself in a small park, he sat down at one of the benches and considered what he would do. He had so many options, he just didn't know which he should take.

While being stuck on a planet without space capabilities would be the end for most, he had always had a hand with technology, and had quite a lot of experience with building things from subpar materials.

So, he'd build himself a ship, leave this planet and try to reconnect with his son… and his daughter, to apologize, to try and make up for what he did, but then what? Perhaps his death had been for the best.

While he wanted to think of himself as… redeemed, he couldn't lie, one act of good borne out of love wasn't enough to fully drive him away from the dark side. He still felt the hate, the regret, the self-loathing that had driven so many of his actions.

It would be so easy to fall again, so tempting.

More than that, he knew even his son hadn't really forgiven him. He had loved him, yes, but he hadn't forgiven. Much of what he had done was unforgivable, to just… go back would probably only cause more trouble.

Changing position, he found a good spot under a tree and closed his eyes, centering himself in the Force, feeling its flow all around him. At first, he attempted to keep the Jedi code in mind, but quickly found that he couldn't.

He couldn't deny emotion, he couldn't deny passion, he most certainly couldn't deny ignorance or chaos, not after his life.

Slowly, he let the Force guide his thoughts, attempting to avoid the same mistakes that had first driven him to the dark. Eventually, he found his thoughts returning to the old Jedi code and feeling that it resonated far more with him.

Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.

He let his emotions flow through him, he acknowledged them, and their importance, yet they didn't guide his actions, he sought a balance… It almost caused him to smile.

His entire life, he had been told that he needed to seek balance, but he never did. None of the Jedi had. By throwing away their own emotions they had been as out of balance as the Dark Side users, only on the other side of the scale.

He wouldn't claim to have achieved any drastic revelation while meditating, but he felt better, more centered, less aggressive.

Opening his eyes again, he noticed several people giving him odd looks as he lay under the wide tree, but he didn't mind. Now he just needed to decide what to do.

He had several options, but he wasn't sure of any of them. He could always try to leave the planet, seeking to reunite with his family once again. Perhaps he owed it to the Galaxy to let them judge him, but what would his son do? Would he be able to do what the Galaxy wanted him to, or would he try to protect him out of love? Should he stay away, forgotten, defeated? What would be best for his family?

On any occasion, he had to live here for at least some time, and he needed some way of sustaining himself. Joining this… 'protectorate' felt like the wrong move, not only did he dislike the very thought of being under someone he didn't trust, the force itself warned him of that path.

Plus, he'd have to fight, to act as law enforcement for a larger organization whose goals and values he didn't share once again, following orders and not his own morals. It hadn't ended well for anybody the last two times he took that path, and even the Force didn't seem to think it would go any better the third time.

His knowledge would let him pass as one of those… 'Tinkers', so he could probably get support from almost any group, even if he didn't wish to fight himself, not risking losing himself in his anger. And he had no doubt that he could find a way of sustaining himself alone if it was needed.

Yes, perhaps he should avoid even using the Force for some time, focus on fully regaining his balance without risking getting into any confrontations. Find a more mundane job for a while , letting such worries fade into the background for a time.

The Force drew his attention towards a group of… 'Asians'? Was that what they were called? And he could feel them preparing to approach him. Wanting to avoid any confrontation, he got up and dusted his new pair of jeans.

He lost sight of the young Asians as soon as he turned the corner, then continued walking calmly through the city, letting the Force guide his steps.

All around the city, he sensed an overtone of fear and helplessness, and every person he saw on the street had a small air of apathy, as if they would continue to live, but were resigned to it only getting worse.

The comparison with the citizens of the Empire was immediate, and he couldn't help noticing –Now that he was no longer lying to himself– how much damage he had done to the Galaxy, how much suffering he had created in the name of his Emperor, of control, of order.

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a young girl desperately turning a corner, she fell on her hands, scratching her palms on the floor, turning to look at the mostly empty street, she saw him.

Her eyes went wide and she gathered herself, running straight at him as fast as her small legs could, she almost ran past him, but froze in place and grabbed his hand. "It's you! You make the numbers break."

Looking at the straight, dark-brown haired kid holding on to his arm, he was momentarily distracted by the force as it seemed to gather itself with anticipation.

Looking at the girl's desperate eyes, Anakin thought that, if he could sense shatterpoints, this would be a pretty big one.

"Ah, friend, thank you for stopping the girl," a man said, walking calmly towards their position.

Anakin glanced towards him and saw the signs of military training, and the hidden weapons at his back, his eyes flickered around the street and he saw several others trying to encircle them.

Opening himself to the Force, he didn't sense anyone behind him yet, but there were over eleven men in front of him and at his side.

He could recognize mercenaries and bounty hunters when he saw them, and ones that probably didn't care about any laws. After all, he had met far too many of their lot in his life, as both allies and enemies.

The power of the Force gathered around him, as if waiting for his decision with glee. Anakin had almost forgotten how it felt to have the Force so willing to move for him, so eager even without being gripped with his iron control.

"The kid likes to run away, thank you for stopping her," the mercenary said, giving them a huge, fake smile. "Come on Dinah, it's time to stop playing."

Almost giving an amused smile at the man's lies, Anakin turned to look at the girl's eyes and considered his decision. He didn't want to fight, no, he did, he just feared what would happen later.

"Please, please, please, please," the girl kept repeating herself and hugged his arm with as much strength as she could. "I don't want them to take me away, I… don't want to!"

"Come on friend, step away from the girl and we can all go our separate ways," the mercenary said, his smile vanishing as he grabbed at his back and showed him a large blaster.

"No, I don't think I will," Anakin's eyes never left the girl's, Dinah.

He felt no small amount of satisfaction as he squeezed the kid's hand back and gave her some security. What he had done at the Jedi Temple a lifetime ago was one of his worst regrets in life, and what truly marked his fall to the dark side.

At the time, he had thought it a necessary step. He had thought it essential to fully eliminate the taint of the Jedi from the Galaxy, justified to himself that he needed to eliminate them if he wanted there to be order in the Galaxy, and that death by his hand was better than to be handed over to his then new master.

It was perhaps the single act that drove him forward for most of his life. He could have come back from much of what he did, but that single act was more brutal, and more terrible than almost any other before or after. After that, his path needed to be the correct one, it just needed to.

"Possible parahuman interference," Anakin heard one of the mercenaries talking on a comm unit. "Understood, engaging."

The Force shouted a warning on his mind, but he didn't even turn back towards them, only lazily lifting a hand while continuing to stare at the girl's eye, almost lost in memory.

The laser stopped in front of his head, frozen in place and almost shaking in the air, then the others opened fire. A second later, Anakin finally turned towards the men, dozens of shafts of yellow light shaking in the air in front of him, looking like a forest of spears pointed his way.

They weren't quite like blaster bolds, but it was close enough as to not matter. Picking the child up on his arm, Anakin held her against his chest and stepped aside, letting the bolts fly by his former position to strike the ground at the same time.

The resulting explosion lifted a wave of dust into the air, obscuring his position. Anakin knew he should disengage, rescue the girl and leave, preventing any further aggressive action. He just couldn't.

He sighed, his temper always had been a problem, even when he was aware of it.

With a flick of his wrist, a car flew from the sidewalk, blocking a few more shots that would have hit him, some of the mercenaries tried to lob concussion grenades to disable him, but a Force Push sent them right back, and the noise and light barely bothered him when it was so far away.

Finally extending his arm forward, he sent the car flying, smashing into the first mercenary with so much strength he was completely crushed. Slowly, he closed his fist, squeezing it tightly.

The force almost shouted with glee, jumping to follow his request. A metal street lamp went flying, impaling a second mercenary trying to flank him, then the pavement broke, peeling away from the ground and lifting in the air before breaking into huge blocks of asphalt that flew towards his attackers.

The blocks smashed into the mercenaries, exploding against their protections. Around him, pieces of debris and cars floated as if he was the center of a hurricane, picking up speed before flashing towards his attackers.

The Force screamed at him again and he turned to the right, seeing two men aiming at him from inside the building. A blast bolt flew right at his face.

With a wave of his hand, he used tutaminis to slap the bolt back towards one of his attackers, burning a hole through his head, a second later, a car smashed through the building, killing the other.

Anakin felt the kid grabbing his shirt and burying her face on his chest, her entire body shaking. Realizing that there were no longer any enemies alive, he dropped his arm, then laid it against the back of her head, offering comfort.

Around him, the field of debris dropped to the ground with a deafening impact, almost causing the entire street to shake. Looking at the utterly collapsed street, with cables of energy and water leaking from dug up pipes, Anakin sighed, he really should have tried to be more diplomatic.

He was trying to be better, he really was, but old habits die hard, and smashing criminals was so much easier, and far more cathartic, than talking with them.

Turning towards the little girl, he put a smile on his face and tried to be gentle. "Now, let us get you back to your family."

"Eighty nine point forty three percent chances that my family dies if I go back," the girl whispered against his chest.

Well, that complicated things.


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[CapCaverna]

Hey, nice to see such great reception for this fic! As I said, I'll be posting the first five chapters one every day, after that, it will be only once a week.

Also, I really don't have a beta for this story, so I apologize for any mistakes I didn't catch. I do my best to correct them before posting but, sometimes, I just miss things. (If anyone is interested in being a Beta, plz PM me.)


Yeah, right now Anakin is in a very strange place, he want's to be better and he's actively trying to not use the dark side of the force, the only problem is, he has been Darth Vader for so long that he doesn't even realisse when he's crossing the line.

To him, breaking someone's mind with the force would be using the dark side, but he has been so entrenched in it that he doesn't register the difference when it's subtle. Killing the Emperor and showing his love for Luke was a step away from the Dark Side, but it wasn't the whole path, far from it.

He has been killing for so long, has slain so many that he finds it hard to value the life of strangers, even when he knows he should. He also has been Darth Vader for so long that he just doesn't know how to be subtle, how to hide. At this point, the idea that he has to fear someone, to wear a mask or hide his identity just doesn't occur to him.

For a few chapters, he will be trying to stay away from killing but, for him, that means using more Mind Tricks / Domination. He knows it's ilegal, but really, he doesn't actually care. He has been using it his entire life, both as a Jedi and Sith and it's such minor part of his power he just doesn't register how feared masters are.

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Still holding on to the kid, Anakin felt oddly protective as he considered the destroyed street.

Turning his head, he saw a white and blue vehicle approaching them, making an incredibly aggravating amount of noise. The vehicle stopped a little away from their location and two men stepped out, but it didn't seem to be with the bounty hunters, so he dismissed them from his mind.

Starting to walk away, he considered what to do with the kid. Apparently, she couldn't return home… Was it some kind of Force vision or something completely different?

"Sir, are you alright? What about the girl?" Yelled the newcomer making Anakin turn towards them.

The two men were holding some kind of primitive weapons in front of them with a little more practice than the usual stormtrooper, probably the local law enforcement.

"We are well, I have already eliminated the danger," he told them in a serious voice, only for both uniformed officers to freeze and trade glances.

Reacting fast, they retreated behind their vehicle, pointing their weapons at him with very steady arms while hiding behind the vehicle's doors.

For a second, Anakin thought they were gonna try to arrest him and wondered what to do, it has been so long since he had to worry about repercussions from the law.

Then the officers looked at the destroyed street, some of the dead mercenaries still bleeding all around it. "Yeah, nope, get in the fucking car, Walinsky."

"Oh, thank God!" The second office breathed out, scrambling inside the vehicle.

Anakin watched with some amusement as the vehicle retreated, smashing its way back from where it came. Who would have guessed, sensible law enforcement?

When he was young, he had always wondered why people were so stupid as to shoot at Jedi with blasters… and then he had grown, he had fallen, and he had no longer wondered, just accepted that the majority of people, be they bandits, slavers or rebels were just that dumb, why else would they shot blasters at Darth Vader.

Shaking his head, Anakin watched the car drive away for a second longer before turning away. With a force blast, he moved some rubble out of the way, cleaning a path away from the street.

Just as he was about to leave, he thought about his situation, he no longer had the support of the empire, or the Jedi temple, he no longer had a way to get anything he needed, and the planet seemed to be really primitive.

What were the chances that he'd get access to blasters again anytime soon? Anakin didn't exactly like blasters, but he didn't disdain them like his former teacher either, and they could have a lot of useful materials.

Lifting a hand, he used the force to gather every weapon in the street, ripping them out of hands or from below the rubble until he was left with a huge pile of equipment at his side.

It was probably also filled with trackers, but he could get rid of them later, and it wasn't like he even had a place to hide. Feeling the kid's arm gripping his shirt, Anakin looked down at her again, seeing her wide eyes as he kept the devices suspended in the air with the force.

"Ah, yes, it does attract attention doesn't it?" He wondered out loud, and the girl nodded slowly.

After a quick look around, he found a more or less intact vehicle his power had only overturned, extending a hand; he settled it back in the street and, with barely an effort, unlocked the back door, pushing his newly acquired weapons there.

A second later, the girl was in the passage seat and Anakin himself was sitting behind the steering wheel, he had no experience driving something like this, but pedals were pedals everywhere in the galaxy, he'd figure it out.

Laying a hand against the ignition, he felt for the opening in the force before turning on the car using telekinesis. He started driving slowly, testing the car's capabilities. Once he was certain of how things worked, he pushed down on the pedal and turned the wheel.

The car's tires screamed on the road as it did a 180 turn, the noise oddly satisfying to his ears. At his side, the girl pressed herself against the seat, but he wasn't worried, he had always had a talent for driving.

The car could only move at very slow speeds, Anakin didn't even have to use the force to drive between the other vehicles and cars, his natural reflexes more than enough with the slow speed.

Having to drive with the tires on the ground was a novel experience, but he got used to it with only a few close calls. The girl's screams and desperate scrambling to put on a belt was entirely unnecessary.

Driving through the city, Anakin quickly made his way away from the center and towards the almost abandoned docks. He'd need at least some time to establish himself, to think about his options and build the necessary hardware, which means he'd have to be left alone at least for a week or so.

Thinking about it, it was his experience that there were two ways of making sure people left you alone. As Vader, people simply didn't dare bother, question or even follow his movements.

Even here, in this backwards planet, he had already read about it in his quick search. S class threats were left alone as long as they didn't cause too much trouble. From weak things like Nilbog and the machine army, to mysterious beings like this Sleeper, the governments simply choose to leave them alone.

Unfortunately, he really didn't want to go with that option, no matter how tempting it was, it really was far too close to the way he acted as Vader and he was trying to avoid simply going back to the dark side.

So, the second way it was, as a poor slave, he too had been left alone… mostly, and it was for the simple reason that he was unimportant, beneath notice, even if people saw him, they'd just ignore it.

He really didn't like to think about his time on Tatooine, to the point that he had seriously considered using it as target practice instead of Alderaan, but it had taught him how to survive without attracting attention, and that there was an entire caste of people others simply dismissed from their mind.

Faster than he expected, the city turned into slums and abandoned buildings, filled with the usual homeless of such industrial cities. In Tatooine, such people wouldn't survive either dying from thirst or killed by bandits, but they weren't uncommon in places where the basics were really accessible.

Letting the force guide him, he eventually found a storage building without anyone inside. Smashing the breaks, his car slid to a stop in front of the wide entrance and Anakin used the force to lift the IP opening before driving inside and letting it drop back down.

"I don't wanna die, please, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!" The kid quietly repeated, her eyes shut tightly and her hands clutching desperately at the car.

Anakin was… mildly offended, did she actually think he'd crash the car? At that speed? By the Force, even if he did crash, he was more than capable of protecting them both.

"We've already stopped," he finally sighed and informed the girl, causing her to release another sequel of surprise, Anakin just gave her a strange look. "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Shaking his head, he got out of the vehicle and looked at the place, it was dirty, filled with spider webs and discard yeah, several places were stained with things he'd rather not think about, but he couldn't sense anyone in the nearby buildings and, considering everything, it was better than expected.

At the other side of the car, the girl opened the door and almost threw herself out, breathing hard and nearly collapsing to her knees, but she gathered herself at the last minute and potted at him.

"Disturbing? You're disturbing! Your entire family is disturbing!" Red faced, she stomped away from him to sit on top of an empty crate left behind.

For a second, Anakin just stared at the girl's outburst without knowing what to do. With a sigh, he approached her and stopped only a few steps away. "... You were never in any danger, I wouldn't hit anything under such slow speed and, even if I did, I'm easily capable of protecting the both of us."

"... I couldn't see the numbers, I tried asking and it was just… broken," the girl almost whispered, drawing her feet closer to her chest in an attempt of finding comfort.

Anakin didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to offer comfort, perhaps once he had, but not now.

Awkwardly looking around, he eventually took a step close to the girl, offering her a hand; she just looked at it and then turned to his face. "I'm thirsty."

Closing his hand into a fist, he let his arm fall down and looked around the building for any signs of water, he didn't find any.

Damn, he really was a failure at this, he should really have spent some time thanking the force that Luke was raised by his brother, and Leia in Alderaan, he'd probably have killed them if they remained with him.

Stepping away, he looked at the car and the broken door. "Will you remain safe here for an hour?"

"Eighty-two point three eight six four percent chance that I'll stay safe here," the girl answered almost automatically and then jumped out of her crate and grabbed his arm. "Don't leave me alone!"

"...Very well. We'll walk then," Anakin said after a short pause, he could use the car, making sure to drive slower, but the thing was heavily damaged from the fight, and it would attract a lot of attention. Since the girl would come with him, he didn't need to be fast.

Turning around, he started walking out, only to briefly stop as the kid grabbed his hand. With a quick glance down, he saw her eyes staring up at him with determination, as if challenging him to let go. It actually drew a smile out of him, a very small one.

They had to walk at least five blocks before finding anything open, but then the city started getting more active, with more and more people walking in the streets, most of them with the same general characteristics.

It made him and Dinah stand out, but nobody bothered them.

"Thank you, thank you for saving me," the girl finally spoke, getting a nod out of him before continuing. "What's your name?"

"… Anakin, I'm called Anakin Skywalker," he answered, the words still feeling very strange coming out of his mouth. Seeing a building filled with various foods and other products, he pointed. "Can you sense if there will be any trouble in that store?"

"Ah… I- no, I can't see anything if you're involved, it just… says nothing right now," She shook her head, the movement letting him see a smear on her cheek.

"Interesting," bending down, he wiped a thumb over it, getting rid of the dirt. "You really cannot see anything about me. Will this extend to other… thinkers?"

"Don't know," Dinah shrugged, seeming strangely happy about things. "Probably? I'm just glad I don't have to answer things around you."

Together, they entered the store and Anakin started gathering things he thought he'd need, extra food and water, some cleaning supplies, it was strange to have to care about someone else, and he'd probably have to get a lot more things for comfort.

Comfort, now that was a strange thing to think about, when was the last time he had to worry about it? When he was with the Jedi? Before? No, it had probably been with Padme.

He started to feel the old pain of loss and nearly drowned it in anger and hate on instinct, only Dinah waving at him with some kind of can kept him from retreating into bad habits.

Perhaps this was why the force had guided him to her. Alone, he'd probably end up right where he left. Getting lost on the Dark Side was far too easy, much easier than facing his mistakes.

"Can I take it? Mom never lets me drink, says it's unhealthy," Dinah pleaded and Anakin let her. "Please?"

"Very well, are you done shopping?" he asked, considering his full cart.

"Yeah, I guess."

Anakin started pushing the cart towards the door, only to be stopped by a young boy grabbing the cart and trying to push it back. "Hey, you can't just leave like that! Insane asshole, if you can't pay, you're putting it all back or I'm calling someone."

"I have already paid, including for the cart, remember?" Anakin told the boy, gently using force persuasion to change his mind.

"Ah, right, sorry about that sir, I guess I didn't…" The boy said in a muddled state of mind. Releasing the cart, he stepped back and shook his head, with one last odd look at Anakin; he stepped back and returned inside. "What the… I could have sworn…?"

"What? You're a Master too?" Dinah hurried to his side and asked.

"I'm a master of many things, child," Anakin said, putting a hand protectively over her shoulder. "You'll have to be more specific."

"No, I mean, that!" She pointed back to the store. "I thought you're going to pay, not just wave your hand! And master is a power classification."

"Ah, yes," he said, remembering reading about something in the portable device. "The power of the Force is limitless, but I must confess, I'm not the best at Force Persuasion, my power always allowed me to be… blunter."

"Is that what you call your power?" Dinah asked, making sure to keep close to him as some men started following them. "Should I name my power? Is that something capes do?"

"The Force isn't MY power," he explained, briefly glancing behind him before turning the corner. "The Force is ever present, it is everywhere there's life and it's what binds us together. I'm merely capable of manipulating it."

"Riiiight," Dinah gave him an odd look, but Anakin didn't mind, too busy flicking a trash can towards their followers fast enough to break a few bones, he aimed for their heads out of habit, but the men could have survived, maybe. "Kinda like God then?"

"Some have worshiped the Force, yes," Anakin answered thinking about some Force cults he had destroyed.

"Really, you think you're… a saint?" Finally, Dinah gave him a VERY dubious look.

There was a time such a thing would have irritated him more, it would have disturbed him. Anakin never understood how people could NOT feel the force when it was so clear to him. He almost smiled when he realized that time was long past.

"I suppose I can see how someone would doubt. I never did, the Force was always present, and my connection was so strong I could feel it in my every action. But, no, the Force is not a God and I'm not a saint for using it, everyone can use it, with enough training and the right mindset."

"Could I use it then?" she asked, her voice filled with a fair amount of skepticism, but also some hope. "I don't really like my power, and it would be nice to be able to defend myself, I could even go back home."

"Perhaps you are using the force, but I'm not as certain anymore," kneeling in front of the girl, Anakin put a hand on her shoulders and closed his eyes, trying to sense the force inside the girl, to learn how strong her connection was. "You have a slightly stronger connection than most sentients. Unfortunately, it's probably not enough to truly sense it beyond unusual hunches or moments of stress."

"I- alright, I guess I should have expected that," Dinah said, lowering her head in disappointment.

Getting up, Anakin finally pushed the cart inside their abandoned building, using the force to lock the door behind them. Staring at the girl, he couldn't help feeling something inside his chest.

Should he… his experience with the Dark Side was one guided by a madman, and fuelled by his grief, self-hate and anger, but, while all of its abilities were incredibly dangerous, not all of them were truly evil.

"There are ways to increase one's sensitivity to the Force," Anakin finally said, the words escaping his mouth before he could stop. Seeing the girl turn his way with hope in her eyes, he sighed, knowing he'd do it. "It will take time and preparation, and you'll require training, but I'll do it."

The small missile that hit his legs and embraced him was entirely unexpected, even the force didn't warn him. Slowly, he put a hand on top of her hair and offered what comfort he could.

Finally, when Dinah released him, he started organizing the place, using the force to push all the dust and trash into a corner before crushing it into a ball, then he started setting their things, Dinah would have to sleep in the car for now, but he had brought two blankets she could use.

Hopefully, they'd be better established in a few days and he could start looking for a home. In truth, Anakin wouldn't have cared if he stayed in the building, he had spent weeks in far worse places and any time without his armor while not feeling pain was a luxury he didn't think he'd ever get, but the girl would need a better place.

Eventually, they had the entire building in a semblance of organization, exhausted; Dinah ate some kind of packed ration and crawled inside the car's backseat, snacking on the thing while watching him attentively.

Motioning towards the pile of weapons, Anakin used the force to make them float in front of it, closing his eyes in concentration; he felt all their pieces, the things keeping them in place.

Extending his hand, he slowly rotated it, unscrewing every bolt on the entire supply of blasters before, squeezing tightly; they seemed to explode in the air, separating into their components.

Behind him, he heard Dinah gasping in surprise, but he didn't look back, just started analyzing what he had available, and thinking about what he'd be able to build. Slowly, he separated the parts into piles, with the ones closer to him being the most useful.

"What're you doing?" Dinah asked from the car.

"An inventory, I wish to see what I need to acquire in order to build a geological compressor," he explained, nodding in satisfaction as he found almost everything he'd need.

"What do you need Geology for?" Dinah got out of the car, her naked feet hitting the cold floor before she stepped on top of her shoes and walked closer, wrapped almost head to toe in a blue blanket. "Do you have enough?"

"You should be asleep," Anakin frowned at her.

"Can't, I-I never slept out before," She confessed, blushing.

Anakin sighed, but motioned for her to come closer and sit in front of him. "A geological compressor is a device originally used to study geological conditions in a laboratory, conditions like pressure and heat."

"Why do you need something like that?" Dinah said, taking advantage to sit against his legs and cover them with the blanket, her head lying against his body.

"It's necessary to make a certain kind of synthetic crystal," he explained, briefly looking down at her position before continuing to manipulate the equipment. "I do not NEED it, it is merely a tool, but I do feel somewhat vulnerable without it."

"So, it's a weapon? Is it cool?"

Anakin only paused for a second while remembering the first time he had seen one igniting, and the first time he had seen a fight between lightsabers.

Maul had not been a very powerful Sith, not by his or his Master's standards at least, more a blunt instrument than a master, but it had been impressive to watch at the time.

Finally, he sat down, crossing his legs into a meditating position and letting the girl rest her head on them. "I certainly thought so in my youth."

The girl didn't ask any more questions, so Anakin just continued separating things. When he was done, he started using the force to mold the metal available in the correct shape, only to hear a grumble from under him, Dinah had fallen asleep.

Slowly, he lowered the equipment to the ground, deciding to continue his work in the morning. Instead, he lifted the girl from the cold floor and used his own hands to wrap the blanket around her before putting her gently into the soft seating of the car.

He stared at her for a second, feeling… strange, was he starting to bond with the girl? It was rare, but such things could happen fast if the force facilitated it, but the girl shouldn't really be sensitive enough for that, not yet.

Sitting down, he closed his eyes and almost immediately fell into a trance, using the time available to meditate and try to balance himself. Tomorrow, he'd start building his equipment; it shouldn't take more than a few days.


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Thanks for my patrons : Xhaustedhero, Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust), Lynx of Chaos, Comics, Davvy chappie, Ian Michael, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, Josh Orton, stanley seymour, AjiTae and danxzn for supporting my work!

If you like my work, take a look at my other novels or my patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

 

[CapCaverna]

Hey, new chapter, I have to say, I'm really loving the reception to this fic. I hoppe you guys continue to enjoy it!

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"Do not lower your arm, stay in position and slowly transition to the third stance," Anakin ordered, gently using the Force to correct Dinah's stance.

Together, the two of them moved their feet, contracting their muscles in the same way for a few seconds before relaxing again and returning to the beginning stance.

Dinah was soaked with sweat, her shirt clinging to her body and her limbs were trembling. Anakin was doing much better; the beginning levels of the training really weren't strenuous to him, especially as he could feel the Force already filling his body.

Suddenly, Dinah collapsed on her back, her limbs no longer able to support her as she desperately tried to catch a breath. Kneeling by her side; he laid a hand on her and channeled the Force, using Force healing to accelerate the recovery of her muscles.

It was not very effective, Anakin had only attempted to learn the skill later in life and, while consumed by the dark side, he had never been able to execute it. Now, with a calm mind, he could do it, but he was far from mastery.

"Ugh, will this really let me be as powerful as you?" She asked when she was finally able to draw enough air to speak.

"No," Anakin immediately denied, with such weak connection and having started even later than him, it was unlikely she'd ever reach even the level of a Jedi Knight, not unless he took drastic measures and he didn't have the right materials at hand.

"What! Awww, cramp, cramp!" Suddenly pushing herself up before she was ready, Dinah cradled her leg as the muscles visibly twitched under her pants.

Anakin quickly focused his attention there and dispelled the pain, only earning himself a new glare from his youngling. "You're evil you know that?"

"Many have called me that, yes," he nodded again. Sitting down beside her, he continued to heal her body from micro-tears, accelerating her development and recovery.

"Fine, why are we doing this, then?" She pouted at him, but Anakin just messed her hair like Obi-Wan used to do before he outgrew him.

"Matukai training is a form of meditative martial arts," Anakin explained, finally taking his hand away from her, he hadn't healed her completely, but they were done training for the morning and she'd be able to finish it by herself until next day. "It uses the physical body to channel the Force and can increase all of your attributes; the routine will give you several advantages and, unlike the Jedi training, can increase one's Force sensitivity, especially in those not inherently gifted… eventually."

In truth, only a small part of being strong in the Force consisted of being Force sensitive. Training, skill, experience, it all affected one's powers, but, perhaps the most important part was belief, faith, a fundamental trust that the Force could achieve what you were attempting.

To the Force, doubt was more crippling than lack of talent or sensitivity. As grandmaster Yoda liked to say, 'do or do not, there is no try.' If one doubted they could achieve something, they had already failed.

There were several ways to build trust, and physical training was a good way of doing that, a youngling believed, and it was easily proved, that one grew strong with physical training; it wasn't as big of a stretch to extend that belief to the Force.

"Can't you just… wave your hand at me like you did that guy in the shop and make me stronger?" The little girl begged, attempting to sway him with watery eyes.

"The Force is not just some Parahuman power, it can't just be handed out," Anakin shook his head, flicking her forehead and pushed himself up. "You require training, understanding… faith."

"But, you said The Force can do anything?" Dinah accused, her voice as if she had caught him lying.

Anakin stared at the girl and sighed heavily. "It can, but I cannot… I knew of a Sith who probably could do just that, but he died before I ever became a Jedi Knight and my Master never managed to replicate his feat."

"Alright, just how long will it take?" Dinah let herself fall back on the ground.

"That will depend on a lot of factors, but the training will be beneficial even if you never learn to use the Force," Anakin said and put his shirt back on. "My best guess is that, in about half a year, you'll be reaching what your PRT calls a 1 in brute, mover and combat thinker. With meditation, you may continue to grow from there."

"I guess I won't be juggling tons of metal anytime soon, huh?" Dinah sighed and turned towards the back of the building watching as Anakin finished shaping the last parts of the geological compressor.

Turning with her, he focused back on his work. Anakin had enough concentration to go through the earlier stages of Matukai training while using Force Telekinesis to build most of the components, but some things required a little more attention.

Geological compressors were not, in general, bantha sized devices, but he had to use VERY subpar materials and adapt things to get the device to work. It had been a very frustrating project.

It was not like Anakin hadn't had to build things with scrap before, but it had been a very long time, and he had never had to do it with such primitive tools and materials.

Really, he had to actually use the Force for nearly half of the procedure because this planet just didn't have the tools to build the tools.

Lifting his arm, he concentrated into the floating pieces and closed his fist, causing all parts of the device to snap into place, the wires connecting with a hiss as it was powered on.

Gently lowering the equipment to the floor, he opened the central chamber and deposited the last necessary piece, a block of raw mineral with a high carbon concentration, now he'd have to wait four days for the synthetic to bake.

Usually, it wouldn't take more than a single day but, again, the entire device was far from perfect.

Stepping back, Anakin considered his new charge, they had acquired everything that she needed earlier this morning and, while he did sense danger in the Force, it was an ever present thing in the city.

"I will need to meditate on the crystal formation; do you require help before I start?"

"Nope, I'm used to being alone," Dinah answered, dragging herself to her new, makeshift bed and pulling out a simile of a data pad to start tipping away. "Hey, can I make you a mask?"

"Will it be necessary?" he asked, sitting down with his legs crossed in front of the large device. It wasn't an absolute requirement, but meditating and helping in the crystal formation made for a far stronger lightsaber. "I have no desire to play with your heroes and villains and I… would prefer not to wear a mask."

"Awww… I mean, it's great that you don't act like everyone else!" Dinah said, smiling widely at him while pulling her knees closer to her body, her back resting against the wall. "But everyone wears masks; it would be strange if you didn't."

He supposed she was right, Anakin had yet to truly study his new planet, preferring to prioritize the youngling's well being and building his tools first, but fitting in could be useful until he was better established.

He didn't want to wear a mask, but he could bear with it. Looking down at her eager face, he sighed. "Very well, find a design you like and I'll help you craft it later."

"Thanks!" taping furiously on the device.

Closing his eyes, Anakin focused his attention inside the machine, guiding his crystal formation, attuning it for his own use. He briefly considered what color to give the crystal.

Left by itself, it would become red, but that was far too close to his time as a Sith and the color was easily influenced if he so desired. Creating a blue or Green blade would remind him too much of his time in the Jedi Order and, while he no longer considered that a terrible thing, he wasn't a Jedi.

Really, the tradition was to choose a crystal that most fitted his temperament, but Anakin already knew that would be red. Perhaps it was best to manipulate the crystal into a color that represented what he was aiming for, not what he wanted to surpass. If only he knew what that was.

Hmm, something to consider later, now it was time to focus on consolidating the crystal and giving it stability.

Focused as he was in the Force, Anakin felt better than he had in decades, for a moment, he released all his anger, his hate, and reached for the Force simply with the peace of mind, receiving only acceptance back, as if the Force was welcoming him after a long time away.

Suddenly, a scream in the Force snapped him out of meditation and he fell to the floor on his feet. Looking out towards the city, he concentrated for a second, feeling a new wave of fear filling the city and spreading. Something new was coming.

The deaths, when they came, barely fazed him, he had felt far too many die to be affected by a couple dozen, but they were violent, terrified and desperate.

The windows on the top of the building exploded, raining down shards of glass that were stopped by a Force push and swept aside even as Dinah screamed in fear and fell to the floor. It seems like some kind of exotic bomb exploded far too close for comfort, sending a wave of energy that shook the ground around them.

A smaller explosion in the distance caused the girl to release another cry and run towards him. Putting a hand over her shoulder, Anakin gathered the girl to himself and focused on the Force again, but he didn't sense any danger towards them.

"Do not fear, we are safe here," he reassured the girl, but he still felt her fear, she thought it was another attack on her. "Chances that you're going to be attacked here?"

"Seven point one, two, three, seven percent. Ugh, don't do that!" Dinah punched his leg, but he could already see her calming down. "It always feels odd to see the numbers when I'm not expecting it."

"Hmmm, have you ever tried to sense the past?" he asked, channeling Force healing towards her head again. "Those capable of Force visions sometimes focus too hard in the wrong direction."

"It doesn't work," she breathed out, finally stepping away from him when there were no further explosions. "It doesn't hurt, but I can't see anything too."

Glancing at the Geological compressor, Anakin briefly considered going back into meditation. With a sigh, he turned away and led her back towards the bed, sitting down with her.

It wasn't like he couldn't make a new synthetic kyber crystal later; he didn't need the first one to be perfect. In fact, the makeshift device wouldn't be able to make a satisfactory crystal no matter how much he used the Force to guide its formation and he'd have to build another when he had better materials.

He had been tempted to leave and see what exactly was going on, but he had very little information about the city and he didn't want to leave the girl alone. While he was safe here, he sensed that it wouldn't remain like that if he was away for more than an hour or two.

Looking around, he found his own data pad --no, it was cell phone here—he found his phone sitting on top of the car and, with a flick of his hand, drew it towards the bed. It was about time he learned more about this city.

"I am so jealous right now," Dinah commented, staring at his phone with narrowed eyes.

Sensing her reason, Anakin snorted. "Laziness will not make using the Force easier."

"Hmph!"

Dinah flinched as another bomb went off into the city, but she didn't yell again and, soon, they both grew quiet as they continued to use the phones.

Anakin did a more in-depth search of the planet's political situation and powers, but he mostly focused on the city. Brockton Bay was divided into 5 main Forces, but there were dozens of smaller powers around.

The first power was the local government, most importantly, the PRT department ENE, consisting of several 'heroes' and 'wards' that worked as law enforcement, not entirely unlike the Jedi Knights and Padawans. Anakin had no interest in joining them, but he didn't have anything against them either.

The second was the 'New Wave', a family group that, while having enough 'parahumans' to be significant, did not seem to achieve anything in the city, not even holding on to too much territory.

Anakin was much better disposed towards them than the PRT for the simple reason that one of their members was the one to heal him. In actual fact, he had no doubt that, if the Force saw fit to send him here, it would have found a way to keep him alive, but Panacea's healing probably made that far more comfortable than otherwise.

The third was the Empire 88. Anakin wanted to laugh just by saying that, to think that such a small organization dared to call itself an 'Empire', he actually had the urge to get up and destroy them right now, but he managed to stop himself.

A supremacist organization that preached the supposed superiority of a specific ethnicity of the human race above all others, a concept both ridiculous and so very small in Anakin's view. The most numerous, they attempted to seem more civilized than the other sides and so, were restricted to less overt actions.

The forth, the 'merchants', a group of addicts, smugglers and the proverbial nest of scum and villainy that existed in every city he had ever been through. They were numerous for the simple reason that they were beneath notice most of the time.

Last, but certainly not least, the 'ABB'. Anakin didn't really understand the significance of the name, but it sounded incredibly stupid to him, and the internet seemed to agree.

Held together by a powerful figure, it was not much different from this 'Empire', the only real divergence was that they did not need the pretence of civility and so, they indulged in the worst: violence, slavery, rape, forced prostitution.

There were several other smaller powers here, a so-called 'Coil' being the biggest of them, but they didn't seem too important.

Anakin adjusted his position, letting Dinah's head rest on top of his thigh as she nearly drifted off to sleep. The sun had fully gone down, so he just made sure she was comfortable and started meditating again.

Should he get involved in the city? He wouldn't be working for any government, especially one that seemed so close to the Republic before the war. But did that mean he should stay away from everything?

No, the Jedi's mistake was that they had distanced themselves fully, lost touch with what was right; Anakin didn't want to fall into the same trap.

In truth, he still had the urge to just… kill them all, to take the city and use its resources to build himself a ship, it would be so much easier and, considering Nilbog and other such examples, it would probably work long enough.

It wasn't like they didn't deserve it, scum, slavers, criminals; Anakin could even see the corruption in the government and the so called PRT and protectorate.

He had been there for the end of the Republic, he had missed the signs then because Sidious was too great a master and he was too distracted by his own troubles, but he had learned.

Really, the similarities were glaring even with just a cursory glance. A corrupt government, a placid Protectorate content to obey orders and not act even when they clearly saw what the correct path was… He'd have to look deeper, but the Force warned him of someone's claw's working from the shadows.

Or maybe he was just projecting; Force Visions were notoriously known to be affected by the person's own views… to some of the most disastrous mistakes in the Galaxy's history.

Closing his eyes, he dropped the subject from his mind; he didn't want to walk that path himself, even if it was incredibly tempting to fall back on old habits.

Seeing that his charge had truly fallen asleep, he lifted her phone to distract himself and saw the masks she had been looking at. She had even used some programs to make some modifications and annotations.

Taking it all in, Anakin decided that they weren't terrible, unlike his previous helmet. The masks didn't cover the entire head and had enough space for a breathing mask and a visor to protect his eyes.

The design reminded him of a holocron of Darth Revan he had once seen, even if it wasn't an exact analog.

With a move of his hand, he ignited the forge on the other side of the building and put a piece of metal inside, causing it to become malleable. Pausing in consideration, he divided the metal in two and started shaping it.

He crafted both masks carefully, doing his best to keep the details, as he used Force telekinesis to shape the metal into a working version of the masks in Dinah's phone.

He spent another hour finishing the reinforced visor and breathing apparatus, before floating both masks closer, releasing them on top of their breakfast table. One of them was bigger, clearly made for him, but a second one was slightly smaller and far more detailed.

Finished with that, he attempted to lie down to sleep, but he couldn't close his eyes. The softness that seemed to swallow him, the vulnerable position, with his chest up and only a small blanket covering him. He couldn't stand it.

Getting up again, he sat in a meditative position and pulled his mask closer, holding it in his hand. Staring at the lens for quite a few minutes, he just didn't know what to feel and the Force didn't offer any insights.

Releasing the mask, he put it back in place and closed his eyes, loosing himself in the Force while gently guiding the kyber crystal formation inside the device.

The next day started with another explosion, Dinah falling off the bed and hitting her head on the ground. Slowly, she gathered herself and dragged her blanket through the floor to pick a cup of milk and cereal.

On her way back to bed, she walked by both masks once again. Milk flew out of her mouth as she nearly dropped the cereal and gasped for air. "Is that a helmet, oh my God you made it! Is that mine?"

Opening his eyes, Anakin stretched his muscles. "Finish your breakfast, we're gonna start training again."

"But… helmet?"

For a second, he just stared at her pouting face. eyes huge as she attempted to manipulate him. It wasn't working. "We're going out after training, you can wear it then," he breathed out, starting to adjust his positioning.

"Yes!"

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Thanks for my patrons : Xhaustedhero, Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust), Lynx of Chaos, Comics, Davvy chappie, Ian Michael, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, Josh Orton, stanley seymour, AjiTae, danxzn, Louis Kasser and Joseph for supporting my work!

If you like my work, take a look at my other novels or my patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

 

[CapCaverna]

Hey, another chapter, only one more before we go weekly.

Initially, I imagined Anakin smashing everything with Force powers, but then I realised that he doesn't actually need to.

I mean, he's trying not to kill people, using mind tricks and domination is much easier and actually more effective for that... I'm sure the PRT won't mind a master on their city.

Things didn't go the way I expected with this chapter, but I think it's amusing enough.

I hope you guys enjoy it!

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"You want to reveal every crime you've committed to the authorities, the guilt is eating at you, it won't stop," Anakin told the criminal, using mind tricks to plant a suggestion into the young man's mind.

Usually, it wouldn't hold for too long, but the man was a drug addict and barely lucid, it was much easier to suggest things to him and have them stay for long periods of time. In fact, he hadn't had to even threaten anyone yet, all of them too weak minded to resist even his weakest of powers.

"I thought you said you weren't very good at that?" Dinah asked, poking at a tied up gang member placidly staring at the ceiling.

That particular effect had nothing to do with force powers; the man was just too far into his drugs.

"I am not, but strength of mind is also important," he said with some disgust. Getting up from his kneeling position, he adjusted his clothes and sighed, he missed his cape. "Gang members and drug addicts are well known to be particularly weak-minded, those men are both."

"Yeah, I guess you don't even need the hand trick with Merchants."

Those were the second group they had found. The first had been those 'Asians' but Anakin had made a mistake, he only captured a few, ignoring when two of them had managed to escape because they were beneath his notice and, in the middle of interrogating the captured ones, they had exploded.

The explosion hadn't been dangerous, but it was annoying, at least the youngling wasn't in the room when it happened, having had to go to the bathroom.

Pulling out a cell phone from another criminal's pocket, he put it into the man's lap and waved a hand in front of his face, simultaneously untying his arms and speaking. "You need help, shouldn't you call the local authorities about it? They can help you, get treatment, you want treatment."

"Yeah… I will call…"

Anakin ignored the man's words and thought about what he had learned. Apparently, the 'ABB' was the one responsible for the bombings, having recruited a new 'parahuman' who used the attacks to rescue their leader from the authorities.

He squeezed his hands into fists, Force damn it, he had tried to ignore this, he truly had. To stay away from criminals and law enforcement alike while he gathered his thoughts and centered himself. Unfortunately, it seems like the Force had other plans for him.

He could pretend that the corrupt government wasn't his problem, he had enough training at that from his time as a Jedi, the drug addicts were everywhere, eliminating them wouldn't really do any good, Even the so called 'Empire' he could ignore, the name annoyed him, but it was nothing like his 'Empire'.

But the ABB… having been a slave himself, he absolutely hated it, he wanted to tear them limb from limb with the Force, to hit them with Force Lightning and watch them crumble in pain.

He hadn't found any slave pens or the so-called "farm" the internet spoke about, but the ABB was using implanted bombs. Criminals they may be, but Anakin doubted they had a choice to just leave.

He could do it too, now that he wasn't locked into that damn armor, there was nothing stopping him from using Force Lightning. He hadn't learned the ability while he was a Jedi, but one can only get tortured by Sidious so many times before learning it.

Hmmm, it wasn't even a dark side ability, not really, although… he supposes that he could see why it would be so corrupting. Most of the time, there was a more effective way of achieving your goal if you didn't also wish to cause pain.

"What now? Are you gonna try to stop them?" Dinah asked with a hint of eagerness in her voice.

Focusing on the girl, Anakin sensed she wanted him to interfere, she felt for the victims, but it was mostly because she wanted the distraction, she was doing a wonderful job of pretending, but her feelings betrayed her.

The girl was afraid, very afraid, she missed her family and, deep down, she was angry that someone had forced her in this situation. She wanted to feel like she was doing something while also helping people in similar situations.

Focusing on the Force, he tried to sense the future. The feeling he got was that he wasn't necessary, but that his involvement would spare lives, during the event and long after.

"What are the chances that this is resolved in a week without my involvement?" He asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to let her use her power for something.

"Seventy-four point two, three, six percent," Dinah commented, only wincing a little. "It grows to Ninety-four point four, five, six, two, three percent in a month. I can answer another two questions today!"

Leaving the building, he walked slowly, letting the girl follow him at a comfortable pace. He sensed that she was telling the truth, but the third question would make her very uncomfortable and the fourth actually hurt.

He asked the Force if he should fight, but it remained indifferent. No, not really indifferent, it would guide him if he decided to act, but the decision was his, it wasn't trying to influence him.

In the distance, he heard another explosion, the third one this day, he didn't sense any deaths this time, but the simple fact that it happened was keeping the entire city on edge and filled with fear, more fear than usual that is.

"So, are we helping out?" Dinah asked, only hesitating a little when she heard the explosion, gathering her courage, she continued. "I-I want to help."

"Yes, we will be interfering," Anakin finally said. Now he'd just have to prevent his anger getting the better of him.

"Great! Ninety-one point three, seven, six percent chance we'll find ABB over there!" she eagerly pointed further towards the docks area, causing Anakin to lift an eyebrow behind his mask.

"And how many questions did you waste to find out?" he asked with some amusement.

"Ah… two?" She fidgeted in place, avoiding looking into his mask's visor. She really was quite eager to distract herself from her fear. "I got lucky."

Looking down at the girl, he couldn't help comparing her to himself. She didn't hate yet, fear and anger didn't guide her actions, but he could see the seeds there. Seeds that he could feed if he so wished.

Hmmm, habits really die hard. Perhaps he should avoid thinking like Sidious. What would Obi-Wan say to her? Yoda?

"One of my old teachers used to say, 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering," Anakin quoted. Sensing Dinah's frown forming behind her mask, he explained before she could complain. "I'm not saying you should not feel such things. Both fear and anger are useful in the correct amounts, but do not feed them; do not let them guide your actions; do not make them your goal.

"As you're learning about the Force, it is important that you focus both your mind and your actions into what you desire for your life, not what you are fleeing from," looking ahead, Anakin thought about his own situation, about what he wished to have heard when he had yet to fall.

"That's… hard," Dinah confessed, her voice growing faint as she walked alongside him. "It's hard not to be afraid of what I can see. Every time I try to see a good result, the numbers are so small."

Anakin remained quiet, momentarily thinking about what he could say. Briefly, he noted that Dinah had started mimicking him, using the same large, mechanical steps he had grown used to while wearing the armor, trying to stay as still as she could to mimic his lack of movement.

He sighed, he wasn't used to moving, mechanical limbs didn't have the usual human habits of involuntary movements and his body had hurt every time he took a step. Slowly, he adjusted himself, letting himself relax and stop with the military precision that he was so used to. She didn't need to copy that.

Eventually, he spoke again. "When you decided to not return to your family, I sensed both your fear for their safety and your wish to see them safe. Both feelings were interlinked, but you can decide on which to focus," he explained, being very careful with his words. "If you focus only on your fear, it will consume you, tainting your every action until you betray yourself, your fear becomes more important than your values and, eventually, you're left with only regrets."

Feeling Dinah's hand grasping his own, Anakin stopped and looked down at her.

"… Is that what happened to you?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes."

They didn't speak any more, walking through the almost empty street. No civilians seemed to want to be out during the bombings, with those that absolutely needed to be out walking fast and avoiding looking around. They walked in the direction of downtown, quietly looking for any member of ABB.

Now that he had made the decision, the Force guided his steps and, soon, he heard the gunshots. Turning the corner, he paused and watched as members of the ABB unloaded upon another gang.

No, it wasn't a gang; it was the same kind of blue vehicle that had tried to arrest him when he saved the girl, law enforcement.

Dinah hesitated, peeking behind the corner, but he motioned for her to come closer and walked with no concerns. With battle precognition, he was more than fast enough to divert any bullets.

"Fuck, it's a cape!" One of the men screamed as he continued walking towards them.

Turning around, one of the Asians huddled behind a car lifted a handgun and started shooting at him, but the weapon was terribly inaccurate, the shots getting nowhere close to him or his charge.

Suddenly, the Force warned him of danger and he lifted a hand. "You don't really want to shoot me," Immediately, the young man started lowering his gun, a lost look on his face as Anakin continued walking towards them.

"Jin-Young, what the fuck are doing!" the first man yelled, turning a rifle towards him, but Anakin just forced him to drop the weapon to the floor before ordering the two to kneel.

He had considered using more forceful means, but Dinah warned that killing was really frowned upon in this country. A glance to the remaining gang members, Anakin frowned.

There were five others, but two were not much older than Dinah and the other three were too old. It wasn't unusual for gangs to start young, he should know, but they don't tend to survive to get old, not as street grunts.

"Your weapons are dangerous, you will regret if you hit anyone, it would be wise to lower them," Anakin said and was surprised when one of the men actually resisted his Force influence.

Hands trembling, the old man slowly lifted his weapon. "Don't come any closer or I'll shoot!"

Suddenly, Anakin widened his eyes at the feelings he was sensing. Utter terror and despair were not uncommon reactions to his presence, so he had dismissed them, but he shouldn't really be known here, much less without his armor.

Remembering the former gang members being killed by the bombs, he sighed. Anakin had just assumed it was a common way of maintaining loyalty and forcing recruits to obey, but maybe not, maybe it was a new form of recruitment for the civilian population. The city did seem averse to using lethal force.

Approaching the man, he grabbed the weapon and forced the aim down. Pointing at one of the already disabled criminals, clearly some kind of handler now that he thought about it, Anakin used Ionize, another technique denied to him by his former armor.

The purple stream of ionic energy hit the man's body, causing every electronic device in his person to suddenly die, but not doing any damage to his person. Seeing as the bomb didn't immediately explode, Anakin nodded.

"What was that?" Dinah asked, feeling far more relaxed now that nobody was shooting at her.

"Ionize was a technique designed to fight mechanical enemies. It is harmless to humans, but should have disabled the bombs and any other electronics in them," he explained, there had been a chance the bomb would go off, but it was minimal.

Pulling the weapon away from the old man, he dropped it to the ground. Pointing his gloved hand towards the male, he was just about to cast the technique again when the man fully snapped out of his daze. "Wait, wait! I have a pacemaker!"

Pausing in his motion, Anakin focused on the man. "Your will is impressive for a civilian, how unexpected. What is a 'pacemaker'?"

"What?"

"I dislike repeating myself," he frowned, squeezing the man's arm for emphasis.

"It's a device in my heart, it helps keep me alive!"

"Hmmm, will losing this device immediately kill you?"

"N-No."

Anakin used Ionize again, his gloved hand shining purple as the stream destroyed every device on the man and all his companions. "Then the bomb seems like a more immediate concern. Drop all your weapons and hand yourself over."

"Drop your weapons!" Shouted one of the policemen, slowly circling the car they were hiding behind and doing his best to remain under cover.

The old man seemed to look at him as if asking for permission, so Anakin nodded.

Taking a second to glance around, he bowed at the waist. "I'm Kenzo Ito, thank you, thank you!" Anakin waved him away and the Old man took a moment to help the rest of the conscripts, leaving only the two gang members still on the floor. "I'm leaving, don't shoot!"

"What are you gonna do with them?" Dinah asked, her heart beating hard against her chest.

Looking up, Anakin saw that the sun was about to go down. They'd only stay out for an hour or two after that before it was time for the girl to sleep and it was unlikely they'd find another group. "What are the chances one of them will reveal any important information?"

"I can't tell if they'd talk to you," Dinah immediately answered and then flinched as she asked herself another question. "Twenty-six point five, five, eight percent chance that they'll reveal something to the police."

"Not worth interrogating then," Anakin considered the two kneeling men, still with their heads lowered. Gathering the Force, he spoke. "Go to sleep."

Immediately, the men collapsed to the floor. Kneeling down in front of the first one, Anakin searched his body, finding the entrance wound on the base of the neck. The one doing the surgery didn't seem that experienced, more like a half trained medic than a true doctor.

Seeing as the bomb was already disabled and, as the man was still alive and talking, probably not too far into his head. Anakin laid a hand over the scar, channeling his meager Force Healing and feeling the bruising and infection inside even as he used telekinesis to open the stitches and, carefully, pull out the device.

"Ewwww, you could have warned me!" Dinah complained as she saw the flesh moving and the device slowly being drawn out. Her entire body shivered, goosebumps raising in her skin, but she didn't look away. "Ewwww, ewww!"

"I could, yes," He said absentmindedly.

Only the size of a fingertip, the bomb was crudely made, with exposed wires that were already getting corroded. Even if it didn't detonate, the device would probably kill the bearer in a few weeks just from being in contact with it.

Using the Force to flick the blood away, he put it into a pocket for later study and got up. From the side, one of the law enforcement officers pointed a gun at him, being careful to remain behind cover.

"Holy shit, fuck, what…" Anakin saw the man duck back to hide under cover at seeing both criminals on the ground. "Fuck, alright… Unknown parahuman, step away from the victims!"

Trading a glance with Dinah, Anakin focused on the man and registered some fear and apprehension. The man was very focused on the disabled criminal and, looking down; the blood that had leaked did not paint a good picture. It was only a small amount, but the scene made it look much larger.

Taking a step away from the sleeping men, Anakin moved as non-threatening as he could. "Do not worry, they were not permanently damaged," he spoke clearly, his voice only changing a little from behind the mask. "They are merely asleep."

Suddenly, the officer's radio activated, Anakin couldn't hear what was spoken, but he saw the man actively relax and lower his weapon, he didn't holster it, but the action was enough that Anakin the danger was mostly gone.

"Sir, please step away from the criminal, a member of the Protectorate is on the way if you could wait?" the policeman asked, still feeling incredibly nervous.

Looking up at the darkening sky and then towards Dinah, Anakin decided that he had gained as much as he could today, he could wait to open a relationship with the local government before simply going back to their temporary home.

"Very well, we are willing to wait a few minutes."

The officer gave her a very wide berth, refusing to come more than ten meters away from him and acting very alarmed every time he moved, but Anakin ignored them and waited at a corner of the street, thinking about the future.

Bringing the child with him had been necessary, according to her power, she would not have been safe away from him for more than a few hours, but it had limited his movements a lot and, if any real fight broke out, would be highly inconvenient.

He knew he was more than capable of overcoming any obstacles, but having to fight while protecting her could be frustrating and probably traumatizing for the girl.

He was also forced to admit that he was no longer used to worrying about collateral damage or the safety of others. The first had been barely a concern even when he was a Jedi and the later he hadn't cared about in… what? 23 years?

"I thought we were going to search more?" Dinah asked, sitting down on top of a car's trunk at his side.

"We have gotten enough," Anakin shook his head, briefly tapping at the bomb in his pocket. "I have learned enough about this city for the day and I will be able to study the retrieved bomb."

Hearing an engine rumbling, Anakin turned to watch as the small, two man vehicle approached, it wasn't all that different from a speeder bike, only without the large weapon in front.

The bike slid to a stop beside the police car and the hero stepped down. She wore army fatigues that accentuated her curves, with some kind of flag tied around her waist and another around her mouth, hiding most of her face.

Observing her, Anakin saw the officers immediately change their stance, becoming more confident and showing a lot of respect to the woman, not unlike the way they'd react to a Jedi before the war.

The woman spoke with the officers for a few moments, then about a minute longer into a communication device on her ears. Anakin could have tried to hear her, but he wanted a good relationship and they may have ways to detect him.

Finally, her shoulders seemed to sag and she sighed before looking towards him. Her gaze quickly went towards Dinah and she frowned, but she walked closer anyway.

As she approached, Anakin sensed annoyed resignation emanating from her, as well as a strong determination. "Good evening, thank you for your help with the ABB, are the two of you new to the city?"

"Good evening, indeed, I arrived in the city only a few days ago," he answered, recognizing the woman from his previous searches about the city. "I believe you're called Mss. Militia? You may call me Anakin."

"Ah, you really shouldn't use your real name," Miss Militia warned, but Anakin just shook his head.

"It is unlikely that it would matter," he answered calmly. "I only wear the mask to humor the child, not to hide."

Dinah pouted, but didn't say anything, glaring up at him for the child remark.

"Right, well, I take it you're not averse to answering some questions?" she asked, keeping a good distance between them, enough that she'd have time to react if a normal man decided to attack her. Anakin approved.

"I am not," he said, doing his best to form a good relationship, at least initially.

"I already got a report about the situation from the police, so your actions were cleared, but I was informed you used a master power on the ABB, could you explain it?" she asked, her muscles tensing when she finished the question, ready to react in case he tried anything.

Focusing on her, Anakin sensed a lot of attention being paid to her, from both the policeman and the people behind the listening device in her ear.

"I am capable of influencing a person's mind, it is not my specialty, but it works well enough against the weak-minded," he calmly explained, getting a raised eyebrow in exchange. "Do not worry; it is unlikely I'd be able to influence you for more than a brief moment without considerable time and effort."

"I… see, and what exactly is your specialty?" she continued, not relaxing even a little bit.

Anakin thought about it, with the force, he qualified for just about every single one of their classifications, but it was his understanding that such things were extremely rare, nearly unheard of, really.

Of the classifications, Tinker was probably the most versatile, and one that could explain most of his power if one was ignorant about the Force. "I am what you'd call a 'Tinker', that is why I have disabled and acquired one of the bombs for later study."

Immediately, the woman's eyes went over his body searching for hidden weapons or devices. Not seeing any, she became even more wary.

"I have not had the time to build my usual equipment yet," Anakin explained. He was far too used to people feeling afraid in his presence to be bothered by her reactions. "You seem really anxious Miss Militia?"

"Sorry, the bombings have everyone overworked and on edge," she sighed. Looking at Dinah, she finally relaxed a little, doing her best to seem non-threatening to the child. "Having a master power also doesn't help, I'm sure you understand."

"I do not, as I said, I am not from the city."

"She's annoyed she's gonna have to go into isolation after this," Dinah intervened, her legs swinging on the car's trunk as she pretended to be fine, but Anakin could sense the pain caused by asking the question. "Ninety-four point four, four, five percent chance that she'll be put in isolation after talking with you."

"I see, I suppose that is a way of dealing with mind influences when you can't sense it. I apologize for the inconvenience then," Anakin nodded towards Miss Militia in understanding and then turned towards the young girl, a frown on his face. "I thought you would not be using your power again today?"

"Yeah, sorry."

"Do not apologize. I was merely concerned about your pain," he chided, feeling a slight shift in the Force.

Ever since saving the youngling, Anakin had felt a sense of danger surrounding her; said danger had just gotten a little closer as soon as she revealed her powers. It was one more reason to avoid the current government.

Looking from him to the girl, Miss Militia frowned. "I take it you don't have a Brute power?"

"I wish," Dinah snorted, massaging her temple behind the mask. Anakin had the urge to heal her, but it was her fault and she wouldn't learn her limits if he did. "Beats having those headaches."

"I see. I'm sure you're aware of the statistics, especially for unaffiliated Tinkers and Thinkers?" Miss Militia asked, clear concern in her voice. "The protectorate could really help you establish yourself and make an effect on this city, they have a large budget for such things and we have two local tinkers to cooperate with."

"That will be unnecessary, I will not be joining the local authority," Anakin immediately denied, causing Miss Militia's frown to deepen.

"Sir, I must insist, at least consider signing your daughter for the Wards. Without at least a Brute ratting, she really shouldn't be out on the field, much less with what's currently happening," Anakin saw one of her hands briefly squeezing into a fist as she spoke. "You just interfered in a shootout with the ABB, what if she had been wounded?"

"Projectiles do not concern me, Miss Militia," Anakin shook his head, sensing that the woman had good intentions, even if her information was faulty. "I would gladly leave her to the wards. Unfortunately, she has informed me that her chances there are almost as low as her chances with her family."

"What?"

"The girl is not my daughter. She has informed me there is a 79% chance that she will disappear from government custody. Those chances increase if she is handed back to her family," he said calmly, sensing Dinah's fear when the woman spoke. "Since I rescued her from a well organized kidnapping attempt just yesterday, I assume that her assailant is powerful and that there is a leak in your organization."

There was a pregnant pause between then, Miss Militia clearly hearing some instructions over the communicators. Sensing her shifting mood, Anakin sighed.

He really should have lied. Said she was his daughter or just denied the question without giving a reason, but he was trying to be cooperative. By the Force, when was the last time he had to lie or trick someone?

He could already sense his chances of cooperation were nearly gone. He had underestimated the level of paranoia the local government had for so-called 'master' powers.

He could probably still salvage the relationship, but only if he handed the child over. They would not believe he wasn't controlling her otherwise. Looking at Dinah, he didn't have to consider his decision for too long.

"Anakin, please, step away from the girl," Miss Militia ordered, taking a step away from him and tensing her muscles, ready to react to any movement on his part. "The protecto…"

"No, I do not desire to antagonize the local government, but I will not hand the child over," he said with a frustrated voice.

He was trying, he really was, but damn, he was bad at it. He was far too accustomed to being obeyed immediately; to not be questioned and be known everywhere he went.

In short, he was too used to being Darth Vader and had forgotten how to be Anakin.

Receiving a warning from the Force, he saw the woman lifting her arms, a weapon forming on her hands even as she lifted them to aim at him. Her reflexes fast, almost beyond a normal human. He wasn't a normal human.

"I said get…!"

"Stop!" he said, focusing the force on his command.

For a brief moment, he grimaced as he realized that, by habit, he had tried to dominate her mind fully, not just influence it, but it wasn't the time to censure himself.

As he thought, her mind was strong enough to resist his influence, but it did cause her to stop for nearly a full second and, when she recovered, he had already covered the distance between them.

He could have used the Force, held her in place of Force Pushed her away in order to escape, but he had already made a mistake by acting like Darth Vader, he didn't want to make another.

In the end, he was confident of dealing with anything they threw at him, but why make it harder? Why reveal more of his powers and force them to escalate their response.

Yes, he could deal with it, but it would take more time and effort than it was worth. Also, he was healed. He no longer had the restrictions of his suit or his burns. It was nice to be able to move as he wished again.

Grabbing her main hand, he guided it away from him, causing her to drop the weapon. The force screamed at him and he leaned back, letting a shot from a newly created weapon on her off hand fly wide.

Blocking a kick with his foot, he twisted her arm away, avoiding another two shots from the handgun on her off hand, suddenly, she released the gun and recreated a large knife.

Miss Militia fought well, clearly having a lot of training, the ability to recreate weapons nearly instantly making the struggle much harder, but his Force enhanced muscles and reflexes were too much and he manhandled her.

Holding one arm behind her back and another extended to the side, Anakin put the hero between him and the rest of the police officers, her front facing them and making them all hesitate to shoot.

"I apologize," he said, holding her struggling body against his chest, speaking into her ear and directly to the communication device. "As I said, I will not hand the child over until I'm satisfied she will be safe."

"You're making a mistake. Now that we're aware of it, we'll be able to protect her," Miss Militia said, her muscles straining against his hold.

Dinah was already hurting, so he didn't ask the question, but he knew the answer. Anybody that interested in her wouldn't give up that easily. Her chances may be higher now, but she wouldn't be safe.

"I did not read a lot about your organization, but it is quite common for criminals you have arrested to be released back into the streets," he commented, retreating towards the corner while keeping the officers in front of him. "It does not give me confidence in your competence."

Dinah was feeling very conflicted, but she quickly followed after him. Turning the corner, Anakin forced Miss Militia's arms behind her back, holding them both in one hand.

The woman tried to free herself again, but he pressed her against the wall, grabbing her neck and causing her to pass out. Carefully laying the woman on the ground, he released her and gathered Dinah into his arms.

For a second, he wanted to turn around and demolish everyone, it would be so easy.

With one last sigh, he ran, using Force Speed to put distance between himself and the officers, being forced to flee from such insignificant numbers felt really odd. Dinah buried her face on his chest and held on as they made their escape.


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[CapCaverna]

Hey guys, I have bad news, this is the end of the daily updates, next chapter will only come Friday.

I do have an extra chapter on patreon if you guys are in a hurry, you can support me for a single dolar.

Ugh, that felt really odd, I really don't feel that confortable providing advanced chapters on patreon for a fanfic, but I have to confess things are VERY tight IRL right now. Still, don't worry, everything on Patreon WILL come out for free here and in other sites, it will only be delayed by a week or so.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjopy the chapter!

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With one last adjustment, Anakin released the droid, turning in his chair to watch it slowly float in the air. He couldn't make anything good, but a small and simple training droid was not that hard to create.

The ball of metal was the size of a droid's head, because that was what he had first intended it to be before realizing he didn't have enough materials. Still, it had one of the acquired blasters, a personal shield and was capable of interacting with stationary defenses.

He was also hoping to install it on a more humanoid body later, allowing it to help with Dinah's Matukai training.

While he didn't exactly mind going over the beginner stances with her —he even found it relaxing— it wouldn't bring him any advantages. He hoped to advance his own training and let the droid take over the earlier parts.

He… didn't actually need the power such training could give but, now that he had a fully functional body again, he found the more physical aspects of Matukai training very enticing. To be able to move, stretch, breathe again. It was satisfying.

TRD-1 beeped, its photoreceptor lens taking in his vision before searching for Dinah, its actual charge. The girl was taking a shower after her training, so the droid simply floated towards the nearest socket and started charging its own batteries. The wireless connection Anakin had installed, allowing it to start searching the internet for data about its goals.

In truth, the droid was ridiculously weak, its logic matrix was terrible, more akin to a smart animal than a true droid, and it would actually need training to be effective since Anakin didn't have access to the right programs and had to use a learning matrix instead, but it would do as an emergency protector until Anakin could make something better. It could block several blaster bolts and even kinetic weapons with its shield, as well as operate the turrets he had installed around the building.

Said turrets were made with almost all that remained of the blasters he had acquired from the mercenaries and the cannibalized parts from the geological compressor, the large device having served its purpose.

He was almost out of materials to tinker with but, right now, assaulting their base was far harder even if he wasn't here, so he considered it a good investment.

Anakin still didn't feel safe leaving Dinah alone, but now there were some safety measures in case he had to be away for an hour or two. The bombings in the city hadn't stopped and he had gone out in the city three times in the last 6 days.

He hadn't faced any other parahuman, and the gang members he faced were easily subdued with mind tricks, but he had deactivated close to thirty bombs with Ionize, more than half of them in the heads of Forced conscripts.

Anakin knew he had never been a patient man and those ABB were truly testing his limits. Were it not for the risk to the youngling, he'd probably already killed the parahumans involved. The droid was actually an attempt to get around that, even if it didn't quite have the power necessary for that.

Satisfied, he turned towards his second project, with a twist of the Force, the last piece of his saber clicked in place, leaving only the crystal chamber awaiting. Glancing towards the crystal, Anakin frowned, he wasn't happy with it.

Since he had not had the time to meditate and guide its formation perfectly, the crystal was uneven, bigger than normal… and red. It wasn't a surprise, without enough time, he had chosen to focus completely on making sure the formation was successful, and the process naturally formed red crystals, that didn't mean he was happy with it.

"What're you doing?" Dinah asked from above his shoulder. Her still wet hair falling over his shirt.

"Finishing my last preparations," he answered, glancing down at his now wet shirt with disapproval. "Go dry your hair. I have no desire to have to heal a cold."

"Humph, there's only a seven percent chance of that, more or less," Dinah snorted, but she did pick a towel and started to dry herself properly. "So, is that your weapon?"

"In a way. It can be used as a weapon, but it is a tool, an imperfect one. I will have to remake it once I acquire better materials. Regardless, it will do… for now."

"So, what're you waiting for? I want to see it."

Closing his eyes for a second, he grabbed the red crystal and carefully put it into the opening, pressing down until the energy matrix locked in place. Closing up the saber, he pointed it away from anything important and activated it.

With a thrum of power, the blade sprung into place, cracking with barely contained energy as a streak of electrical energy ran along the length. Anakin frowned, it really was quite faulty.

Getting up, he swung the saber from side to side, entering into the usual instances of Form V, using Shien to familiarize himself with the blade. He actually preferred Djem So, but he was unlikely to get into a duel here, blaster bolts and kinetic weapons were the more immediate danger.

He had really missed the characteristic sound of a lightsaber. Now, to see if the energy matrix wouldn't fail.

Focusing his mind, he used tutaminis to actually grab the blade, absorbing the energy into his skin and straining its energy matrix as much as he could. Sparks flew off the lightsaber, darkening the floor as he kept at it until he felt satisfied. It was unstable, but only slightly and wouldn't fail on him.

"Cool, can I try?" Dinah asked with eagerness in her voice.

With a flick of his wrist, Anakin slashed at the last remaining piece of the geological compressor, a large plate of metal. The lightsaber cut through the material like a hot knife through butter, the unstable blade leaving a huge area of damage.

"I… take that's a no?" she whispered, looking at the still melting metal as it collapsed to the floor.

"It isn't," Anakin said, increasing the stabilization field on the saber with only a flick of the Force and throwing the saber to the girl. She scrambled out of the way, letting it fall on the ground and giving him the evil eye. "Take it, there is a training mode."

"You could have said that sooner!"

"Yes."

Looking at the saber on the floor and back towards him, Dinah sighed dramatically, but hurried to grab the tool, igniting it in front of her face.

"Do not touch the blade, it will not cut you, but it can still hurt," Anakin warned, watching her attempt to imitate him with an impassive face.

He really didn't know what to feel right now. It was nice to see, but it brought very bad memories. Closing his eyes, he centered himself into the Force, dismissing the screams from his mind and refocusing on the now.

"So, when do I start training with this?" The girl asked, deactivating the blade after trying to cut through a wall and seeing only slight burns there.

"Not anytime soon. Using a lightsaber requires far more knowledge of the Force than you currently have," pulling the weapon back to him with the Force, he changed his shirt for the black robe he had brought with money he acquired from the criminals. "What you'll be using is this. TRD-1, activate."

With a beep, the droid disconnected from the wall and floated up at eye level, a red dot indicating where its photoreceptor was focusing. Dinah stared at the small round ball with wide eyes, poking it with a finger. "What is that?"

"Training Remote Droid 1, I am building it to help train you in Matukai techniques, but it has several other functions," he explained, watching as the droid circled the girl, taking her in. "It is capable of shooting blaster bolts of varying strength at enemies and maintaining a personal shield for an hour, hack physical computers, track your location and control the defenses in the building. Its logic matrix is still undeveloped, so you'll have to give it orders as its own judgment may be flawed without extensive training."

"You… built an AI?" Dinah stared at the thing with some hesitation. "Just how smart is it?"

"It should be slightly smarter than an average dog, but training on any single task will improve its capabilities. I have tasked it to protect you, so it will not go too far from your presence," Anakin warned, putting on his boots and gloves. "But it will obey almost any other order, do try to be responsible."

"You made it to protect me? Couldn't you get, you know, an actual dog?"

"I considered it but, outside of your 'Endbringers', your planet does not possess fauna capable of matching a droid. I did briefly consider using a Tiger or Elephant, but their usefulness did not justify the amount of attention such creatures would bring while in the city."

Beast control was an interesting ability and it had probably saved his life against a reek back in Geonosis, but it had limited usefulness without megafauna around.

"Does this mean you're going to leave me behind?" she asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"No, the droid will increase your safety, but it is not capable of repelling an assault alone."

Dinah released a breath of relief, hurrying to finish drying her hair and tying it into a ponytail before putting on her protective body armor.

Even with only a week of Matukai training, exercise and large applications of Force Healing were already showing improvements in her body. She no longer got as tired while going out and could wear the armor without any visible strain.

After dressing, she adjusted the helmet and frowned. "What's this?"

Looking down at her, he saw she had activated the targeting program and explained. "It will help you direct the droid's weapons. The droid doesn't have an advanced targeting system, I did not have the materials to produce it, so you'll have to target for it."

With time and training, the droid would be able to learn, he had made sure of that but, for now, it would require directing. The failure was actually quite fortunate, allowing Dinah to feel useful and giving her some initiative.

"Sweet!" glancing aside, Dinah immediately used her new weapon.

The droid was set to non-lethal, allowing her to disable targets without actually hurting them while also saving power. A red blaster bolt shot towards the empty trashcan they had.

The first shots missed, but the third hit it and sent it flying through the floor. It didn't damage the metal, but it was enough to stun a normal human for several minutes.

Letting her play with the droid —he had a spare battery for it— Anakin grabbed his own mask, spending a moment just staring at the metal, it too brought bad memories. Shaking his head, he put the mask on and then clasped the new cape on his shoulders. He had considered not wearing one, but Dinah had insisted and he hadn't bothered to argue.

While he wanted to distance himself from his past, he had to confess that he did enjoy wearing the thing. "Let's go, it's time to test the droid."

.
.
.
.

Following the guidance of the Force and coupled with the city's current state, it had been easy for them to avoid another confrontation with the PRT.

They had mostly targeted the ABB in their outings, disabling their bombs while acquiring money and materials. It was a good way of getting started on the city and nobody would mind if he took some money from the criminals.

The city really was filled with acceptable targets and Anakin quickly found a group of drug addicts for Dinah to test her droid.

The girl laid into them with a little too much enthusiasm, the stun bolts flying as fast as the droid could shoot and pelting the men before they could even react. One still got a shot off, but it was high and no reason for concern.

Stepping closer, Anakin looked down at the unconscious bodies. There were three men and a woman, all of them smelt bad, wearing rags and with far too little fat in their bodies. Merchants.

The gang itself was almost insignificant, but the state of the city meant their number was extremely high, probably because of the way poverty and despair had settled in. They were also everywhere, often violating gang markings and territory without a care even if it was probably not on purpose.

Merchants never had much money with them, or anything useful really. Anakin wished to capture Squealer just so he could better study some of her tech but, otherwise, he called the police and dismissed them from his mind.

Dinah on the other hand, seemed to savor her first win, looking at the men with some guilt, but also a lot of excitement until he tousled the hair at the back of her head, almost ruining her ponytail.

Finally, what he had been waiting for happened. Pausing a block away from where Dinah had disabled the criminals, he sensed someone watching him. Sensing their focus changing to Dinah, he remotely activated her personal shield and looked up.

"Your interest betrays you," he said, waiting until a man wearing a black top hat appeared on top of a building, his mask slightly pulled to the side and a cigarette in his mouth while he clapped at their display.

"Impressive little device," the man almost shouted, gazing down at them and puffing out smoke. "The PRT has you pegged as a Tinker, but I confess I had my doubts. Trickster, pleasure to meet you."

Considering the man, Anakin sensed he was a little wary, keeping his distance to try and prevent the use of mind tricks, but also mostly indifferent to his presence. This was a job, not personal.

He considered jumping up or pulling the man closer, but he sensed two other minds with him and there was no need to scare them. He did not know what their powers were and, while he was confident of dealing with anything, Dinah was far more fragile.

The distance wouldn't prevent his mind tricks anyway, that was not how the Force worked, even if it was a common misconception. "I have no interest in lying."

"Dangerous that, almost as dangerous as being a lone tinker," he said, leaning forward, he finished his cigarette and adjusted his mask fully back in place. "I didn't peg you for a hero helping stop crime, not with the way you handed little Miss Patria her ass. So, why are you targeting Merchant? Not a very good idea at the moment."

"You are not here for the Merchants," Anakin growled, dismissing the man's question, his voice grew harder and colder as he stepped in front of Dinah, sensing the man's eyes lingering a little too long on the girl. "Do not waste my time."

"Fine, you may have noticed, but this dear city seems to be under assault," Trickster said, making a hard appear in his hand with a flourish. "The powers that be seem to think it's not good for business, you see, they're organizing a little meeting later tomorrow to try and fix the problem."

"I take this is an invitation?"

"Yep, usually, nobody would bother with a newcomer, but you kind of made a name for yourself," Trickster played with the card, preparing to throw it and Anakin felt a warning in the Force.

Pushing the cape back, he freed his lightsaber and prepared for a fight. From behind him, he sensed some kind of large creature hidden in the alley and a second presence inside a building, staring from the window.

The tension continued to build as Trickster adjusted his position, seeming to want to get a better look at Dinah, Anakin focused on his battle precognition, ready for anything.

Suddenly, Trickster tilted his head slightly to the side as if focusing on something, his body relaxed and Anakin felt the tension dissipating. Whatever their goal had been, it had just shifted.

With a flicker of his hand, Trickster hid the card away. A moment later, Anakin looked down and saw it lying on the floor right in front of him, exactly where a small pebble had been before. Some kind of teleportation?

Narrowing his eyes, he didn't pick up the card, still focused on the man in front of him. The Force warned him this was not the last time they'd face each other. "Impressive, you seem to have made a wise choice."

"What?" Trickster asked, his body tensing.

"A fight between us would not have ended well for you or your allies," Anakin said, slowly glancing towards the building where he felt the third mind. The creature on the alley seemed to be dissipating. "I do hope you do not change your mind the next time we meet, Trickster, for your sake."

"Intimidating asshole aren't you?" Trickster snorted. Throwing the cigarette down, he stepped on it and turned away, starting to walk out of view. "I guess we'll see won't we?"

Checking his surroundings once again, Anakin finally allowed Dinah's personal shield to deactivate. The girl almost collapsed as the tension left her body. "Who were they?"

"Mercenaries," Anakin answered, watching as the drone lowered itself and grabbed the card from the floor, handing it over with a beep. "Likely working for one of the gang leaders."

"Were-were they after me?" She asked, one hand crossing her chest to squeeze her arm. "Is he going to try again?"

Anakin considered the girl, he recognized the fear she felt when he first met her. Still, he didn't want to lie. "It is possible, but Tinkers ARE valuable, they could easily be after me," he finally said, doing his best to comfort her.

He didn't think he was the target, not with the way Trickster focused on the girl in the end, but it was possible and, even if not, it was just as likely to be another person and not the villain that had been after her.

"But you don't think so."

Looking down at the nervous girl, he almost sighed. "No."

"Thanks… for not lying, I mean," Dinah said, her hands squeezing into fists.

Anakin simply nodded before grabbing the card from the droid and reading the location. It was a local pub in the worst part of the city. For a second, he considered what to do. Finally, he asked. "Will the city improve without any gang leaders in it?"

"Eighteen point three zero four percent chance the city will improve," she said, it was the first question he had asked today, so there was no pain. "Nine point zero seven three four percent chance you can kill them all tomorrow."

Anakin's first thought was to be offended. Those chances seemed really wrong; he may not be the best at protecting the girl, but killing? Killing was easy. "I thought you could not predict me?"

"I can't, it's wrong," she said, her voice almost offended at the fact. "I started getting some numbers yesterday, but they're often wrong."

That… was very interesting. Was her power actually learning about him? Anakin still didn't have a good idea about the source of the girl's powers. It wasn't the Force, but many parahuman effects could be replicated with the correct tech. The capacity to learn would indicate it could be similar to a droid.

Anakin had thought powers were static and that seemed to be the common consensus on the internet, but this contradicted it. Was the power using the capabilities he had already revealed to predict the future through calculation? Or was it actually sensing the future and had just learned to pierce through his Force defenses?

"Come, we have achieved our objective."

Together, they returned to the abandoned building. Anakin would have to find a better location, somewhere with more comfort, even if only for the girl. Living without an actual home had been fine for a few days, but the situation seemed to be weighting on her.

Putting her to bed, Anakin watched as she squirmed, unable to get a good night's sleep. Closing his eyes, he started meditating, but keeping his temper in check was growing harder every day.

Tomorrow, he'll deal with everything tomorrow, one way or another.



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If you like my work, take a look at my other novels or my patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

 

[CapCaverna]

So, I wanted to set a lot of things up with this chapter and I think I managed at least some of them.

Still, I have to confess, I wanted to write things differently. I rewrote it a couple of times, and even deleted it entirely once. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it anyways, we'll be back to Anakin and Dinah in the next chapter.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
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Hannah let the water dribble off her body, the heat causing steam to rise from her skin as she carefully washed her hair.

She really hated Masters, she wasn't exactly a stranger to having to go into lockdown because of one but, with the city under such conditions, it had been really hard on her and she couldn't even sleep to pass the time. Or, well, she could, it just wouldn't help.

Being a Noctis cape, Hannah didn't need to sleep. When she actually forced herself, she didn't dream, instead, she watched a moment of her life, the memory going on for as long as she was asleep, with her trigger event being the most common.

It was little wonder she disliked doing it, with her perfect memory, it was like re-living the worst day of her life every time she rested. Also, experiencing her memories in perfect clarity didn't help pass the time, so she preferred to do something useful instead.

Still, this time it was different. Instead of relieving one long memory, she had just experienced the fight on loop for several hours. A development that had left her feeling very uneasy when she woke up.

She didn't regret her actions, it had been the right thing to do at the time but, after going through the conversation so many times, she no longer thought Anakin was taking advantage of the girl. Hannah couldn't help analyzing their fight, brief as it had been. How she could have reacted, what move she could have used.

It didn't make the loss and subsequent days in a cell any better though.

Hannah didn't usually become this focused on a single villain. She had lost fights before, ones with far worse consequences too, if she was right, that is. It had made her worried that his Master power had longer lasting consequences, but none of the other victims had shown the same reaction.

With one last release of air, she shook her head and stared right at the shower head, letting the water hit her in the face. No, she didn't regret her actions, but she really regretted not winning that fight.

On one side, Hannah believed that Anakin had really been acting to protect the girl. Despite how dangerous he was, he seemed tired and unwilling to fight her, but determined to protect the kid and now he was branded a villain.

Now, even if he was captured and proven to be well meaning, he had still resisted arrest, still fought her. It didn't make for a good position to negotiate from.

Then there was the other side, the one that had made her act even more than her orders. What if she was wrong? What if he really was abusing the girl?

Next time, she wouldn't be caught by surprise, engaging from a distance and with room to make full use of her power. Hannah would arrest him. She would beat him… next time.

Stepping out of the shower, she put on her costume, her power shaping itself into a knife at her waist. As a habit, she touched the metal, her finger tracing along the blade.

Tying up her boots, she grabbed the toothbrush and spent a few moments taking care of her teeth, they weren't really hers, long since capped by dentists to be perfectly shaped and colored, but she took good care of them anyways. Leaning forward, she looked into the mirror, frustrated bottle green eyes staring back at her.

Sitting on the bed, she finally pulled out the reports and started reading. She needed to find out what was happening in the city after getting locked away. The first document was about the PRT and Protectorate.

Immediately, she frowned. It seemed like the Director hadn't been able to acquire support, her request denied by the higher ups, the city was still left to the PRT and them alone.

Idly, she found herself twirling a dagger in the air, the green glow of her power at work. She loved this country, she liked just about everything in it, but that didn't mean she was blind to the way politics worked, or the faults with the system. Someone was playing games.

The very thought that some of the Wards were forced to deal with bombs, to take the job she had once been forced into…

Closing her eyes, she took a breath and continued reading.

Studying the bombs recovered from Anakin's victims, Armsmaster had been able to create a device to disable the implants without triggering them. Like all tinker-tech, the neutralizer couldn't be mass produced, but ABB members could now be arrested without the fear of them blowing up and hurting the people around them.

The PRT still hadn't been able to locate the bomb Tinker's hideout, but they had narrowed the location by a lot and now it was only a matter of time. Thankfully, the bombings themselves had started slowing down, with only one explosion per day as Lung re-established control.

The level of terror they were causing in the city meant they had absolute priority, but there were still a few people working on other cases.

Finally, she pulled out the information about Anakin. Classified as a Master 2, Tinker/Shaker 6. More specifically, they considered him primarily a Tinker, but he was to be treated as a Shaker because of the result of one of his devices.

They hadn't been able to narrow his specialty, but they had a good idea of what it was and, really, that was the least of their problems.

Opening the video file in her computer, Hannah watched the video from a bodycam as a couple of policemen approached him when he was without a mask. Anakin looked to be around 30 or 35, years with short hair and a handsome face, he didn't have any scars and had blue eyes that took everything in with barely any interest.

Hannah registered the amount of destruction around him, the amount of death all around and gulped.

Approaching him, the officers started talking. "Sir, are you alright? What about the girl?"

Anakin seemed to take their appearance in with some confusion, but easily answered, his voice cold. "We are well; I have already eliminated the danger."

The rest of the video was a little out of focus as the policemen quickly retreated, but Anakin didn't seem interested in attacking them and the girl didn't seem to be trying to escape, then again, with his power…

Eleven deaths, all of who seemed to be some kind of mercenary, millions of dollars in property damage and the abduction of Dinah Alcott, the Mayor's niece. The mercenaries didn't have any gang indications and the PRT was uncertain of who they belonged to.

It could be Coil. While most civilians thought he was a minor player, she knew he was actually a fairly heavy hitter with a fame for competency, but the intel indicated it was just as likely to be someone from outside the city or completely different.

Still, Anakin hadn't shown any signs of the same kind of power since that last video was taken, using only his Master power to subdue criminals and avoiding any law enforcement, so either the tinker-tech likely used was a one-time use item, or he didn't have the tools to do maintenance on his equipment and was avoiding its use.

Hannah… didn't know what to think. On one hand, the attack seemed to corroborate his story about saving the girl but, on the other, he had killed a lot of people with seemingly no effort or care. Yes, they had been mercenaries, but he didn't seem ruffled or even winded, as if their deaths hadn't bothered him in the least.

She… wasn't a stranger to killing, the video didn't affect her as much as some of her fellow Protectorate members, but she had been avoiding it for the vast majority of her adult life and taking a life always left a mark.

Finally, looking at the clock, she got up and put on her bandana, hiding her face with the cloth and putting her weapon away, the revolver sitting at her waist with no problem.

Taking a breath, she stepped out, the guards watching the corridor snapping into attention with a guilty look directed her way. "Miss Militia, Director Piggot has ordered a meeting in her office."

"Thank you," she nodded and started walking.

She really hated that the reason she hadn't been isolated for longer was because the city was turning into a warzone filled with bombs. She should have left that kind of trouble behind.

Again, her hand reached for the weapon at her side, a handgun this time. Exercising a large amount of control, Hannah managed to release the weapon and continue walking.

"Miss Militia," Velocity nodded at her, holding the door open for her. "Good to see you're already out."

"Velocity, any idea what this is about?" she asked as she passed through.

"Probably an update about the ABB or something about Polaris," he said as he walked beside her.

"Polaris?"

"Tentative name, Armsmaster thinks Anakin's specialty has something to do with magnetism," he shrugged, giving her a thin smile. "Something about bullets bending away from him, what he did to the bombs and the damage he caused when he first showed up."

"He did say he didn't fear bullets," Hannah commented, thinking about their meeting once again.

She had thought he was just a Tinker without time to create his devices when they had first fought but, if he had something so destructive with him, could she have beaten him?

She had to.

Entering the meeting room, she saw that almost every Protectorate member was already inside. There was a map of the city with ABB territory on the wall, several black dots indicating known ABB buildings as they tried to find the tinker's location. "Miss Militia, good to see you're out of containment."

"Director Piggot, Ma'am," Hannah answered respectfully, straightening her posture and stepping beside Armsmaster.

Her longtime companion barely spared a glance her way, far too preoccupied with getting his presentation ready. A second later, Assault burst through the door, his face flushed from running.

"Sorry, I'm late," he breathed out and Hanna noticed a few scratches on his costume as well as a lot of dirt. "Got into a little fight with the Empire."

"Assault," Piggot spoke with a warning tone.

"Hey, what was I supposed to do, let him kill the guys?" the man cracked his neck and smiled while giving a little wave to his usual partner. "Hi puppy,"

Battery avoided his eyes, putting a hand over her eyes and ignoring him.

"Anyways, it seems like our dear villains finally had enough," he continued, his voice even more satisfied at having annoyed her. "They're having a meeting at that old bar, probably to organize a cease fire."

Hannah cursed under her breath. On the surface, avoiding the chaos on the streets would be good, but a cease fire only meant they were going to focus on the ABB.

Lung and this new Bakuda had gone too far, it was no longer just about territory or power, if the villains in the city did agree to a cease fire it would be to completely eliminate the ABB, the fight would become one for survival and things tended to escalate when that happened, fast.

Hannah had been a hero for long enough to have seen more than one such fight happening. It was never pretty. It was also never clean and the unwritten rules tended to be thrown in the trash while it happened.

"We knew it was going to happen eventually," Piggot massaged her temples. "Don't interfere; all we can do is try to get to the ABB first. Now, for my second headache. Armsmaster?"

"Polaris, also known as Anakin… Even working with the Guild's database, I was not able to find any records of a parahuman with a similar powerset or that fits his description, but I did manage to trace his presence in the city," Armsmaster started speaking. "First located in the rubble during one of Lung's rampages, he had lost all of his limbs and presented third degree burns through most of his remaining body, including fourth degree burns at the extremities and internal damage to several organs. After triage, his case was deemed too severe and priority was given to other victims, but he survived long enough to reach the hospital and got treatment from Panacea who was on location."

"A Brute rating too?" Piggot asked.

"No, at least not that the hospital noticed," Armsmaster denied.

"Damn, he's a tough one," Assault noted and, for once, everyone agreed with him.

"He still remained in a coma for several days before waking up, Mastering a nurse into handing him a set of clothes and leaving the building. A few hours later, he encountered an attack on Dinah Alcott and eliminated the mercenaries, eleven deaths in total."

"You think he's not a Tinker?" Hannah asked, her eyes narrowing as the time didn't fit.

"The newest recording of Polaris and Dinah Alcott, tentative name: Cassandra in action revealed use of a drone, one that incorporated some of the tinker-tech weapons retrieved from the mercenaries," Armsmaster showed a picture of a round robot about the size of a head floating in the air. "He definitely has access to unique tinker-tech, likely to have been built by himself."

"So, the options are what?" It was Triumph that asked, his voice barely containing his anger. "He built something capable of killing eleven men in less than a day?"

"Impossible, it is far more likely he had the device ready but was unable to deploy it against Lung," Armsmaster shook his head. "He could have used the time to retrieve the device from a laboratory or hideout."

"Could he have help? What if he's not the Tinker or had a Shaker with him?"

"There's no indication of a third party working with him, but it is possible. Acting with Mister Calvert, I have been able to track his most likely location," Armsmaster taped something, causing a red dot to appear in the city map surrounded by a small circle of reddish color. "The area is an abandoned part of the Docks with very little traffic or interest from the gangs."

"So, when do we attack?" Triumph asked.

Everyone grew quiet as they watched the little dot. Hannah had the sudden urge to get into her motorcycle and drive right there, assaulting the location as fast as she could, but she knew better.

"You can't be serious!" He raised his voice, looking around the room. "He's got Dinah with him, who knows what he's doing with her!"

"Triumph, sit down," Piggot ordered but when the cape didn't move she reiterated. "I said. Sit. Down."

"You just… don't care about it?" The Lion headed gladiator mumbled, his face filled with disbelief as he looked for support around the room.

"That's where you're wrong," Piggot denied, taking a moment to adjust her position. "I care; I also care about ensuring the safety of the capes I have to protect my city… and having a city to protect in the first place. I'd like nothing more than to assault the place myself, but I just can't.

"A Tinker workshop is always a hard target, one with unknown capabilities is even worse. We simply don't have the manpower to fight the ABB, keep the city safe and attack two such workshops in short order."

"But…?" Triumph started to as asked but hesitated, he too had seen the results of Bakuda's bombings.

"Armsmaster, have the location watched at all times, if we manage to catch him out of it…" Piggot ordered, hating herself for it. "Otherwise, we will not be attacking him."

"Ahem… I hate to be the one to point this out but, have we considered he may be speaking the truth?" Assault asked, getting a glare from Triumph. "I mean, the girl was under attack when he met her and, well, if she's some kind of Thinker…"

"Ma'am?"

"Miss Militia, you have something to say?"

"I don't think he was lying," Piggot raised a single eyebrow at her and she hurried to explain. "I know it doesn't look good coming from me, but I have been going over the meeting. I felt that he was actually frustrated at being unable to hand the girl over."

"And what about the girl? Triumph, is there any possibility she's a Thinker?"

"I-I honestly don't know," the young man had to say. "Cassandra had several headaches, but her reported power is hard to prove without strict testing."

Yes, Thinkers capable of precognition were always hard to judge, not to consider how many attempted to fake clairvoyance to get money from gullible tourists.

No, while there was a good chance the girl actually was a Thinker, with only a few sentences recorded by Miss Militia and some half remembered statements by her parents there was no way of making sure. "We'll assume she has a power. It's best to be safe. Still, even if that's the case, Thinker powers are not unbeatable or the source of all knowledge, worse, until we know otherwise, we have to assume the girl is compromised by his power."

"But we are investigating his claims?" Miss Militia asked.

"As much as possible at the moment, yes."

Closing her eyes, Director Piggot centered herself, taking a moment to consider her next move. She absolutely hated leaving a young girl in the hands of a Master, with every fiber of her being, but her job had always been to make the hard decisions.

She had been holding this city together with duct tape and bubble gum for years now. Forced to manage the gangs and parahumans in it for so long…

The truth was, letting a Tinker… or whatever the hell Polaris was, roam free to grow was a mistake, even worse if the girl actually was a parahuman, but, sometimes, she had to choose the lesser of two evils. They simply didn't have the manpower to assault both his location and Bakuda's while also keeping the city from crumbling and, as hateful as it was, the terrorist bomber was the priority.

"I'll have Renick watch the Polaris situation, but I want all our focus back to Bakuda, if the gangs are going to stop hiding we no longer have time to split our attention," Glancing at the youngest member of the Protectorate, she continued. "Triumph, the sooner we deal with the ABB, the sooner we can focus entirely on Polaris. I swear, once Bakuda and Lung are dealt with and the city calms down, we will come down on him like a hammer of God."

"… Yes, Director," the young man replied, his hands balled into fists.

Hannah understood his worry. Dinah Alcott, the girl kidnapped by Anakin, was his cousin and, while they didn't have a deep relationship, they were related.

Damn, she really hoped she was right, that the girl was safe with him and not being abused in any way. She really should have won that fight.

"Dismissed," Piggot finally said, leaning back against the chair and closing her eyes. As Hannah was leaving the room, she glanced back to see the bags under the Director's eyes, the exhaustion.

All of them were stretched pretty thin. Panacea had allowed all of their heroes to get back into the field, but it was still taking a toll on them all.

Closing her eyes, Hannah saw herself surrounded by small kids, a Turkish man pushing her ahead in order to look for mines. A terrible choice, walk ahead and risk dying or being killed where she stood.

She remembered grabbing her power, changing it from a handgun into a full automatic, turning and using her captor's surprise to gun them all down before they could kill her.

No, she definitely wasn't a stranger to killing. She just hoped the city wouldn't need her to start doing it again.



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If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks for my patrons : Xhaustedhero, Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust), Lynx of Chaos, Comics, Davvy chappie, Ian Michael, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, Josh Orton, stanley seymour, AjiTae, danxzn, Louis Kasser, Joseph, JVR, Mike Bellavoir, Vegetables and camarada fugu for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

FInally, another chapter of Will of The Force is out! I honestly didn't know if I could make it for this one.

I really had a lot of fun writing the latest chapters, and I'm really looking fowards to reading about their reception.

Also, I'm looking for a beta reader, if anyone is interested just send me a message.

So, I'm also stealing this meme, I will be using it every time I change something:

First-> in the initial chapter, Anakin killed 33 mercenaries, it has been pointed out that it was too many and I agree, it was something I put in to make the scene epic at a time when I didn't know if I'd be continuying this story.

The numbeer has changed (More like, I'll be changing it in an hour or two, kinda busy right now), he killed 11 mercenaries, the number is far more reasonable without altering the feel of Anakin's power in the scene.

Second -> In Miss Militia chapter, the PRT will briefly discuss Dinah's power and the claim that there are moles in the organization, basically, they can't be certain the girl even has powers, but they're threating it as if she has, it doesn't change the fact that she could be saying her predictions because of Anakin's master power and their priority is still Bakuda, followed by recovering Dinah and then checking for moles.

There's just too much of a Master prejudice and the fact is, even if he wasn't a master, Anakin is an adult keeping a preteen girl away from her parents. They could have come to an agreement or believed his claims, but the first thing he did was kill 11 guys and cause millions in damage so...



Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
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Darth Vader sat with his lightsaber on his lap, his eyes closed in meditation. Inside his mind, his body was a maelstrom of power closely held in the shape of a man, shadow and blood covering his entire form and swirling around in aggressive patterns.

Below him, an ocean of dark red blood rested, its waters placid, contained. Above him, clouds of ash as far as his senses could perceive, swirling around him like a hurricane of which he was the eye. Rays of crimson light sometimes pierced through the clouds, representations of the Force as it showed him new paths.

His mindscape was not a pleasant location. His connection to the Force was too tainted by his years of slaughter and hate to be easily restored. In truth, it had taken him a week just to calm the churning waters and manage to contain his power, but now he felt more in control, not as likely to strike out in anger.

On his chest, there was a bright spot of brilliant white, like a flame that had been ignited when he first looked upon his son, it had grown, enough that he managed to use it against the shackles of his master.

Vader didn't think it would be enough to cleanse himself, nothing would, but he would nurture it, preserve it, never let it go out again.

Opening his eyes, he took a slow breath and held it in for a few seconds, forcing himself to change his focus, to become Anakin again, to think of himself as Anakin again.

Finally, he moved, his hand bringing the card to his face as he considered the future.

Ever since receiving the invitation yesterday, Anakin had felt a sense of danger in the Force, a warning of things to come. He had tried to meditate on a way of avoiding said danger, but he had not found one.

To be more precise, he had not found an acceptable one. The Dark Side had eagerly presented itself, promising all the power he needed. The answer he sought was one he already knew.

If he walked into the meeting as Darth Vader and not Anakin, the danger would be gone, for a time, his enemy too cowed to do anything as he slaughtered anyone who did not submit. Like a rat, the mastermind would flee, but there would be no escape.

No, he would not be taking the easy way out. Anakin was not a Jedi anymore, he didn't fear the Dark Side, but he understood it. The Dark Side could be used, but it should never be embraced, not fully and without reservations at least.

He had considered not going at all, but the danger wasn't in attending, it wasn't in any single action he took, of that he was certain. He did wish to meet with the villains in the city and a show of force may not be able to drive the danger away, but it could postpone it.

In his life, he had met a vast assortment of criminals, from those who took joy in causing misery, to those indifferent and even a few that believed in a cause, using crime as a way to achieve a higher goal.

Looking at the information available on the internet, the gangs seemed to represent the worst aspects of sentient life, but the PRT appeared to have an extremely good grasp over public relationships and Anakin wasn't a stranger to information control.

The label of villain was a subjective one, he had represented the law for the vast majority of his life, from the time he was a Jedi to the day he died, but he had still been a villain, as most sentients understood it at least.

So he wanted to meet them, to be present himself and judge the ones who worked outside the law in the city. Maybe a few were not completely selfish and would be able to rise to the occasion. Anakin himself had seen that happen with Han Solo.

Before, he used to utterly despise the damned smuggler for keeping his son from joining him, for preventing Luke from falling to the Dark Side. Now… Well, he still really disliked him, Leia could do much better, but he had to admit the man had risen to the occasion.

The only reason to avoid going into the meeting was his reputation and he didn't know if he cared to maintain it.

His first meeting with the equivalent of a Jedi on the planet had not gone well. The woman had acted on orders and seemed to genuinely wish for the best outcome, but he was long tired of such things.

The Jedi had done the same, letting themselves be slowly guided away from their true calling and the guidance of the Force by the law, following orders had not ended well for them.

Even he had followed orders, from the Republic, from the Jedi Council, from his Master… No, he already knew he would not be joining the government, but this was a sign that even cooperation would be hard.

This planet put such harsh restrictions on their parahumans they were virtually neutered, even the Jedi at the height of their subordination to the Senate hadn't had to work under such limitations.

Anakin had thought parahumans were law enforcement and they did sometimes act in that capacity but, upon a deeper look, that was only a part of their job, the rest was a mixture of holovid performer and local celebrity. Worse, the government seemed to actively be trying to make life outside such molds harder for those with power.

He could understand wanting to control individuals with such power. A parahuman seemed to be just as dangerous as a Force Sensitive that fell to the Dark Side, but the laws didn't seem designed to offer support so much as oppress any parahuman until they were forced to choose a side, without much care for which one it was.

Everything seemed maliciously designed to guide Parahumans away from jobs, force them into using their powers until they were left with no choice but to join the Protectorate for support or escalate and be labeled a villain.

This battle between heroes and villains, where only the unimportant seemed to die, only those who were intractable arrested for any amount of time, it reminded him far too much of the Galaxy during the Clone Wars, only at a much smaller scale.

That was another of the reasons he had been going out recently, Anakin wanted to see the other side. To bypass what the internet told him and go directly to the source. He also wanted to see for himself the state of the gangs.

"Are we going?" Dinah asked, adjusting her sitting position on the bed.

"You should be meditating," Anakin glanced down at the girl.

"You aren't." Dinah shrugged, stretching her legs. "So, are we going?"

"Yes," getting up, Anakin put on his cape and grabbed his mask, looking down at it.

"You know you don't have to wear it, right?" Dinah said, her own mask already perfectly fixed in place as she activated TRD - 1. "You can get a half mask or something."

"I am aware," he answered, putting the helmet on and securing it to his head. "It does not bother me, although I wish it did."

"Huh? Well, I'll try to design something else anyway," Dinah shrugged, turning towards the floating droid. "Hal, remind me to design it later."

The droid beeped in affirmation, its lens briefly focusing on the girl but, seeing as she had no further instructions, went back to watching the room entrances in wait for any intruders.

"Is that your name for it?" Anakin considered the droid, he wasn't used to giving the pieces of equipment their own sentient name, but he supposed she needed a companion.

"He… and yeah," she looked up at the droid, giving it a small smile. "Dad loves this movie with a robot. I didn't really remember his name, but Hal found it on the internet."

Looking down at her, Anakin felt her missing her family, an empty feeling in her chest that he knew would eventually diminish, the entire situation reminding him far too much of his entrance into the Jedi order.

Activating the building's passive defenses, he motioned for the girl to follow him and left.

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Somer's Rock was a small place, nondescript, the windows were barred with iron and it looked almost abandoned, with an air of depression and ruination around it, Anakin had been in worse places, but not by much.

At his side, Dinah twisted her nose, her steps growing hesitant as she regarded the building. "I thought it would be cooler, it was supposed to be a villain meeting, where's the goons?" she asked, the eagerness draining from her voice.

"As a rule, illegal activities are hidden away from the law," Anakin commented with amusement. "I suspect visible goons would defeat that purpose."

"… Yeah, I guess," Dinah put her droid on a pouch she had been carrying and they continued walking.

He would have preferred to have left the girl back at their temporary home, but neither the Force nor her own power considered that a good option despite all the defenses he had installed.

In truth, he did not have the equipment necessary to make the location truly unassailable, so he had done the next best thing, the weapons being there to delay any attackers until he could come back, not stop them completely.

Approaching the door, Anakin gathered the Force around himself, he was lacking the usual air of fear and oppression that accompanied him for decades now but, once he stopped holding in his presence, it flooded the area, causing even the youngling to straighten her back.

"… I believe this is everyone?" he heard an arrogant male voice from inside.

"No, there is one more," Trickster answered. "Another newcomer in the city."

Stepping inside, Anakin held the door open for the youngling before walking inside, his senses flooding the dark and depressing place, the parahuman groups were clearly separated, teams sitting together in different booths, with a central table where the leaders sat.

What he sensed was both better and worse than he expected. Greed, bigotry, hate, anger, defiance, fear, all the usual feelings for those sorts of meetings, but it seemed like not every villain was equal.

Anakin had been afraid that, like the Dark Side, without the proper training and knowledge, parahuman powers would draw their users into a downward spiral of anger, fear and rage. That didn't seem to be the case, not fully at least.

"Who the fuck are you?" One of the drug addicts asked, Anakin immediately dismissing the man as unimportant.

Looking at everything, he focused on the table where the leaders were gathered. Trickster was resting with his feet up the central table, but there were several others. From the pictures on the internet, he recognized all the others.

Kaiser, Faultline, Grue, Coil, the table was filled with the city's underground leaders, contrary to popular belief, it seems like the Merchants were even more pathetic than he expected, not even earning themselves a spot on the main table.

The Empire 88 was disappointing, filled with hate and pride and anger, it was closer to his own Empire than he had first thought, a mixture of true believers, those who were only using the ideology and everything in between.

The Undersiders were kids, arrogant kids, but not evil. In truth, they were the hardest to read, one had his mind covered as if from behind a curtain while the other had dispersed her intent, spreading her feelings all around the room and becoming muted herself.

Faultline's crew was better, more professional and secure, more trustworthy. Walking by their table, he left Dinah close by, knowing that they would at least make an effort to help her if the meeting turned sour.

They were not heroes, far from it, but they also weren't without sympathy.

Pulling a chair, he started to drag it towards the central table when one of the merchants screamed, getting up and starting to walk towards him. "What the fuck? Why does this motherfucker get a seat on the table? I'm not taking this shit anymore!"

Even without his armor, Anakin towered over the man. Looking down as the villain attempted to push a finger at his chest, he spoke. "Be quiet. Don't make me waste my time."

Skidmark looked up at his mask, swallowing hard as he felt the full weight of Anakin's attention being turned towards him. Slowly, he retreated, going back to his booth, but his anger grew with each step.

Finally, Anakin sat at the table, his back straight, in front of him, a thin man wearing a skintight suit leaned forward. "We frown on the use of powers here."

"I did not use any power."

"Heh, I said he's intimidating," Trickster snorted, adjusting his place on the chair.

"And who are you?" Grue asked. "I don't recognize the costume and I like to keep informed about capes in the city."

"Polaris, at least that's what the PRT are calling him," Coil said, taking the chance to showcase his knowledge, but Anakin sensed the man hadn't recognized him, interesting. "He's the one who destroyed 6th street and defeated Miss Militia earlier this week."

That raised a few eyebrows, both Faultline and Grue giving him a new look as they gave him a little more space. Finally, it was Kaiser who asked. "I take it that explaining the rules will be unnecessary?"

Anakin nodded, causing almost everyone to relax and Coil to steeple his fingers. "I believe this is everyone now?" when there wasn't any other interruption, he continued. "Obviously, Lung will not be attending, though I doubt any of us are surprised, given the subject of tonight's discussion."

"The ABB," Kaiser replied.

Anakin remained quiet as the leaders of the underworld discussed things, Bakuda's attacks had been less devastating than he had first believed, probably because he was used to much harder efforts by the Rebel alliance.

The intentions behind this meeting were not noble, even Faultline, the one he felt had the most integrity between those present, only slightly cared about the destruction and loss of life and was more concerned with the resulting chaos. The only reason they were even gathering was because of the attention the bombs were drawing to the city.

Anakin watched a recording of the bomber in action, saw how unhinged she was, the desperation the Undersiders were doing their best to hide but, more than that, he saw the reactions around the table.

Self-serving crime lords, that was what he was dealing with, hypocrites that would trade everything they had for more power, it was not unexpected, but he couldn't help being disappointed.

He watched them bicker about some attack against a dog fighting ring, and finally came to a decision. No, he wouldn't be killing them today, but he also wouldn't be working with them.

"What do you say?" Grue asked Kaiser, "Set this aside for now?"

Kaiser nodded, once. "Fair. We'll discuss the matter further at our next meeting."

"That's settled then. Anything else?" Coil asked, "Issues, negotiations, requests?"

"Who controls the resulting territory? When the ABB are gone, who will be left in control of the resulting unaligned… 'Asian' population?" Anakin asked, speaking for the first time since he sat down.

There wasn't an answer, but Anakin didn't expect one, he knew they would fall upon the territory like wolves, causing chaos and oppressing the people there while starting gang wars against each other. Less violent than what the ABB was currently doing, yes, but no less damaging.

"I take it you have a suggestion?" Kaiser asked.

He closed his eyes, considering the situation. In truth, he was still filled with anger and hate, but that more than anything was why he had to interfere.

He knew what his old self would have done, what his son would have done, it was what he needed to do if he did not wish to slowly slide back to his old habits. For a moment, he glanced back at Dinah who was watching the exchange while loudly drinking from a straw.

In the end, it was not that hard a decision, he had always hated being manipulated, being used in games of politics and that was what this meeting was all about, a huge play for power as every villain in the city saw a chance to grab something from the ABB's corpse.

With a more stable mindset, it was about time he made a show of power, after all, despite all the unwritten rules and laws, that was what most sentients respected, both in this Planet and in the Galaxy as a whole.

"This alliance is unnecessary, I will deal with the ABB myself," he answered, getting up from the table and starting to walk back towards Dinah. "From tomorrow on, its territory will be beyond your grasp."

"Or what?" Hookwolf growled from his place at one of the booths, his eyes narrowed.

Before Anakin could answer, Kaiser lifted a hand. Pointing at Skidmark, he continued. "I have accepted your presence in this table because at least you're better than that waste of space over there, but that doesn't mean I can just let this arrogance slide."

"That is not my problem," he answered.

"Kaiser, we did agree to a truce," Coil reminded, causing the Empire leader to nod.

"Yes, the truce stands," he nodded, tapping a finger against the table. "But it won't last forever."

Anakin ignored further discussion, his business here was concluded, he had found out what he wanted, who he could tolerate and anything they agreed here would be meaningless until he proved himself.

When he reached Dinah's table, Anakin put a hand on top of the youngling's chair and took a moment to look around the room, finally glanced at the growing fear he had been feeling and sensed it turn into terror. One of the Undersiders was staring at him, complete dread radiating from her entire body as she did her absolute best to avoid his glance.

As he prepared to leave, he was reminded of the warning he had received in the Force. Instead, he sat down beside her, he believed he had a good grasp of the situation, but he still looked at the girl and asked. "What are the chances you'll remain safe on your own today?"

"Twelve point seven, seven, nine, two percent chance, why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I intend to deal with the ABB before morning, taking you with me represents both considerable risk and a restriction on mobility," he answered, perfectly aware that he was being overheard by everyone.

Dinah squeezed her fists, her mind in conflict as she faced the thought of being left alone. Still, she could understand the necessity and nodded, even if she didn't like it.

"What are the chances you'll remain safe until morning if Faultline's crew protects you?"

"Seventy four point five, five percent chances," she grumbled, equal parts happy and disappointed with the high number. She didn't want to be left behind, but she was prepared for it.

Around him, the gathered parahumans had started to leave, their truce established. Many were giving him odd looks, but the consensus seemed to be they were going to wait for him to show his hand before acting, something he was not opposed to.

He had been hiding himself, but it had not accomplished any of his goals. Now, it was time to change his approach.

"Faultline, I wish to speak with you."

"I heard," the woman answered, some hesitation in her voice as she watched the remaining capes slowly leave the place.

The mercenary glanced from him to Coil before her eyes settled on Dinah. Anakin felt some sympathy for the girl tainted her consideration, but it was only a small part of it, the final decision coming from a personal desire, she wanted something from them.

Finally, she nodded once towards Coil and got up. The snake themed supervillain turned his head to watch her, a resigned feeling radiating from him for a few seconds. Finally, he got up and prepared to leave.

The woman sat down at their table, her team turning to watch them with interest. Slowly, the others left the building, the Undersiders being pushed out by the terrified blonde who gave Faultline a pitying look.

From her chair, Dinah glared at the woman the entire time, having finished her drink, she continued to slurp obnoxiously from the straw, doing her best to make her displeasure clear.

Anakin sighed, it seemed like the girl understood the need, but he had underestimated her dislike for it. Finally, they were left alone with the servants, Faultline's crew joining them at the table.

She honestly reminded him of Boba Fett, calm, efficient and productive, it remained to be seen if she would be as effective.


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[CapCaverna]

Heya, sorry for posting a day late, was incredebly busy with college work.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
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Faultline seemed like a practical individual. Contrary to the other parahumans in the room, she wore a functional costume that could defend against most weapons Anakin had seen in the Planet while also giving her a good amount of mobility, her black hair was tied in a ponytail and she had a metal mask not completely unlike his own.

Her companions slowly surrounded their table, two non-humans males and two young girls. Anakin could feel the hesitation coming from the youngest, but the others seemed used to such meetings.

Dinah seemed really interested in the non-humans, not with the usual disdain he had felt from most members of the Galactic Empire, but with a childish curiosity that almost had her reaching out to touch them, only the atmosphere stopping her.

"As I said, we're capes for hire, if you can pay my rates I'm perfectly happy to support you on an attack against the ABB while protecting the girl," Faultline spoke, breaking the silence between them. "We're not assassins, don't expect us to kill anyone, but we're the best in the city when it comes to almost everything else."

Anakin had gathered a relatively large amount of money from the criminals he had detained, probably enough to pay for a single day of work, but he wished to use the majority of it to acquire a new location for the youngling.

"I do not require assistance against the ABB. I am more than capable of dealing with them myself," Anakin answered. "My concern is for the girl."

"You only want us to act as bodyguards?" the woman asked, looking at Dinah closer. "What kind of difficulties are we expected to face? I doubt you'd be willing to hire a team of capes if this was something simple."

"I encountered the girl over a week ago fleeing from professional mercenaries using what you call 'tinkertech' weapons," Anakin explained. "I disagreed with their goals and have been taking care of her since then. Unfortunately, I believe my presence is the only thing stopping a second attempt at seizing her."

"Hah, 'disagreed with them' is one way of saying it," the youngest girl on Faultline's team snorted. "More like massacred them."

Faultline gave her a glare, causing the girl to lower her head and stop talking, but Anakin could feel how nervous the kid was. Young, inexperienced, she hadn't felt afraid with every villain present but, alone with him; his aura was affecting her more than the others.

"Sorry about that," the team leader said. "Do you know who's after her?"

"The Travelers have shown an unusual interest in the girl, but it is unlikely that the group themselves are after her. Like you, they're mercenaries." Anakin said, making sure the team understood the danger. "None of the other villains present showed signs of recognizing the girl. However, I sense that Coil was not truly present."

"A body double? So, it's either Coil or someone outside the city," Faultline wondered. "I hope you understand my rates will go up with the danger?"

"Money is not a concern, the girl's safety is," Anakin turned towards Dinah and asked. "What are the chances that Coil will try to abduct you tonight?"

Anakin hadn't made extensive use of the girl's power to find their enemy in order to spare her the headaches and because, effectively, he was still establishing himself and couldn't have done much with the information but, thanks to having effectively narrowed the suspects to Coil or an outside power, he only needed a single question.

"Ninety-three point zero, three, nine, seven percent chance he'll make an attempt," Dinah growled, squeezing the can in her hand as she finally knew the name of her enemy.

"So it is Coil," Faultline pondered out loud. "His mercenaries don't fail, they never lose, he either retreats from an objective without losses or wins and nobody knows his power."

"He's a Thinker," Dinah grumbled. "Ana… Polaris messes with my power, I'll bet he screws with Coil's as well and that's why he failed."

Faultline seemed to take in that information, pausing a few seconds to consider her next move as she traded a few glances with the rest of her team, both males nodded and the girls seemed indifferent to her decision.

"That makes sense. Thinker powers do tend to interfere with each other, that would explain why he's after the girl in part," she turned towards Dinah again and asked. "Can you tell me the chances you'll be safe with us until morning again?"

"Twenty-nine point nine, eight, nine, seven, two percent chance," Dinah said, her heart skipping a beat at the changed number.

"So, he must have changed his approach once he heard your prediction," Faultline nodded once, leaning back on her chair and considering Anakin. "That narrows his power down to some form of Thinker precognition. I had suspected, but there was no way of confirming."

Fighting against someone capable of sensing the future was difficult, particularly when the enemy had ample time to prepare. It was one of Darth Sidious' most powerful tools. His mastery of that single Force ability had been what allowed him to manipulate the entire Jedi Order for so long.

Anakin doubted Coil was even close to his old master in both power and skill, but he would still be a difficult challenge. Easily overcome with brute force if his location was ever fully revealed, but very complex when acting from the shadows.

"You claim to be the best mercenary team in the city, I require that you keep the girl safe until morning, are you up to the challenge?"

"Yes," Faultline answered immediately. "Knowing that an attack is coming, we're more than capable of protecting her for a night, if you can pay."

"I can help," Dinah eagerly said. "I can answer a few more questions and, if my power interferes with his…"

Anakin lifted a hand and tousled her hair; the girl truly did remind him of the past. "Do not overstrain yourself, save your questions for when Faultline requires them."

"Fine."

That established, they started discussing the price. Faultline's rates were actually higher than what Anakin was currently capable of paying, but she hadn't chosen to sit with him instead of Coil because of purely monetary reasons.

As a Tinker, he had a lot to offer to a team of Faultline's caliber and level of organization but, more than that, the mercenary was interested in making use of Dinah's power. She had a personal goal, something private that she needed and the young precog could make it much easier to reach.

Anakin didn't like using the youngling as a bargaining piece, but he supposed she was older than him when he had competed in podracing to pay for his own freedom. He couldn't justifiably deny the girl the chance to help keep herself safe.

In the end, he agreed to pay Faultline ten thousand in advance, supply her with five personal shields, a blaster pistol, improve her team's armor and allow her to ask three questions from Dinah, at any time she wished.

It was both more and less than expected. Ten thousand was most of the money he had gathered until now and a ridiculous amount for a single night of work, but it was a small price to pay for a team of parahumans that would almost certainly see action.

"Just so we're clear, my team won't be fighting to the death," Faultline finally said. "We'll do our best to fight anyone off, but this isn't enough to continue fighting no matter what."

Anakin nodded at her words. Discussing the job with the woman had given him a good understanding of her mentality, she was a mercenary to the core and, while she was not incapable of feeling things, they did not affect her decisions. Outside of her team, only money and advantages guided her actions.

Despite all the bombings and the devastation caused, Faultline would be willing to work for the ABB if they paid her enough and she thought her team could get away with it. By the same token, despite feeling sorry for the youngling, she would have been willing to work for Coil if the villain had gotten to her first.

Thankfully, he was sure that her reputation would stop her from taking two opposite jobs at the same time.

"The priority is the girl's safety. If you must escape, take her with you, if that is impossible, her capture by the PRT is also acceptable as long as she's not in Coil's hand." He said, his voice hard as he flexed his power, bringing the full extent of his presence into the room. "Do not betray me."

"We're not traitors. Besides, selling out our clients is bad for business," Faultline answered, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Good, then let us start immediately," Anakin said, his focus shifting to the fighting to come. "I have suffered the ABB's existence long enough."

"You really think you can deal with the ABB by yourself?" the orange skinned non-human asked, speaking for the first time in their meeting.

"Yes," Anakin pushed himself out of the chair, squeezing Dinah's shoulder with a gloved hand to offer her comfort.

"And if you don't return?" Faultline asked, putting away the advanced money.

Anakin didn't answer. Not returning was never an option. Under his hand, he felt Dinah straightening her back and taking a breath as she tried to copy him. "Humph, I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Looking down at her, Anakin couldn't help but feel a pain in his chest as the youngling repeated his own words. For a second, he wondered if this was what it would be like to have raised his family.

"Indeed," he told the girl with some amusement in his voice. Motioning towards the droid still resting on her backpack, he continued. "Hal's safety measures have been unlocked. Do not hesitate to use it if necessary."

"Thanks," she said, her fear and hesitation at being left alone with Faultline reverberating in the Force, but also her commitment.

"I will return as soon as my business is concluded," he squeezed her shoulder one last time and started walking away. "It will not take long."

As he walked away from the building, his mind started focusing on the battle to come, his movements growing rigid as he stopped forcing himself to relax, his steps becoming longer and more like a march than a normal walk.

When he was alone, the ABB barely presented a challenge to him. He was not a hero —far from it— he also was not going to obey those ridiculous unwritten rules, playing with civilian lives in order to keep his enemies alive and himself perceived as 'good', the chance of that had long since been ruined.

Oni-Lee could present an annoying challenge, his ability to teleport making him a hard enemy to target, but Anakin was fast and experienced enough that he believed it simply inconvenient, not even difficult.

Lung was an impressive creature. Rumored to be able to battle an Endbringer by himself, he was a beast that only got stronger the longer one fought him. His most obvious disadvantage was that his power required time, time which Anakin was not inclined to give.

Bakuda herself was probably the most troublesome enemy under the ABB's banner, the exotic effects of her bombs making her dangerous even to him, but no technological weapon was a match for the power of the Force.

Anakin barely noticed when he'd fully entered ABB territory, the streets growing quiet as the civilians didn't dare get out of their rooms. He felt the attention of several people on him, from inside buildings and hidden behind corners.

Good, that would make things easier. Having disabled several gang members in the past week, Anakin already had an idea of where to find his enemies, but they could always have moved places.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the Force, sensing the emotions around himself, the violence and fear, letting it guide his steps, turning a corner, he entered into an alleyway and exited into a smaller street that ended in a tall building, an illegal brothel ran by the ABB he had located a long time ago.

A thug in front of the building noticed him, quickly lifting some kind of communicator to his mouth and starting to talk. Anakin let him, he wasn't here to attack unnoticed anyway.

The man had a handgun tucked into his waist and a machete rested against the wall beside him; his arms were covered in gang tattoos, indicating he had been a member of the ABB even before their newest recruitment drive.

Anakin walked straight at him, causing the man to pull out his weapon and start shooting but, at the distance, the slugs flew wide. Suddenly, Anakin felt a scream in the Force.

Lifting his arm, he used the Force to pull the lightsaber from his waist, igniting the blade and lifting it in front of his face in a single movement, the distinctive hum of the saber rising in pitch as he moved it through the air.

With a crack, an electric discharge ran along the length of the blade as a slug was vaporized by the heat, leaving only a small cloud of superheated gas in its place.

Continuing to walk, Anakin blocked another slug before locating the shooter behind a window on the third floor. Looking at the building, he saw three other men and a woman walking out, all of them wearing heavy weapons.

Lifting his left hand up, he used Force pull, causing the window to explode as the first shooter was pulled out, his scream of fear and pain making the others look up as the man fell to the floor, breaking both legs.

He could have disabled the others with the Force, but it had been a long time since he was able to move as he wished. Stomping on the ground, he darted towards the gang members, his cape flickering behind him.

The enemies had been briefly distracted by the falling gang member, but they recovered fast. The one who had been acting as guard got another shot off, forcing Anakin to block high before arriving to deliver an overhead strike at another's rifle, cutting its barrel in half.

With a Force push, he sent the now weaponless man flying to hit the woman before she could even lift her weapon, smashing them both against the brick wall and breaking her arm.

With a rising slash, Anakin cut off both arms from the guard before he could reload the weapon, leaving him screaming in pain and fear as he stumbled back, his cauterized stumps raised in front of his disbelieving face.

Another warning from the Force caused him to leap back as one of the two remaining men pressed the trigger, releasing a hail of bullets where he would have been.

Moving fast, Anakin darted towards the man, ducking down as he waved the projectile weapon and swiping his legs out from under him before delivering an elbow strike to his chest while he was falling.

Straightening up, Anakin watched as the last man desperately made a break for the corner, running as if his life depended on it. Turning off his lightsaber, he lifted his cape with his left hand and guided the weapon back to his waist with the Force.

Finally, he caught the man with a Force grip, lifting him in the air and dragging him closer. "No, no, no, no, I didn't want to do it, I'm sorry, I didn't want to do it!"

"I can sense your lies," Anakin said absentmindedly. The man was trash just like the others.

Glancing around, Anakin saw that the ABB members were either in too much pain or already unconscious. With a flick of his hand, he threw his captive at the door, using his body to break through the wood but not killing him.

Stepping inside, he ignored the terrified women in the rooms and climbed up the stairs. A single boy tried to stop him in the hallway, but he just pulled his handgun away and used Ionize to fry the bomb inside his head, sensing that the kid was too afraid and disgusted with himself to be a part of the gang.

The boy fell to his knees, starting to pray desperately in a language he didn't recognize, but the Force allowed him to understand. "Please, I don't want to die, I don't want to die."

"Be quiet. I have dealt with the explosive, you are free to leave," he said in English, not willing to rip the language out of the boy's mind.

Finally, Anakin stopped in front of a door, sensing three men ready and waiting for him, as well as the trap at the door, his eyes darting to the entrance to an adjacent bedroom.

Inside the main room, Aoi Sato waited standing up behind his desk, his heart beating hard against his chest as he pointed an automatic at the entrance, one of the crazy bomber's devices tied to the door and, hopefully, far enough away it wouldn't kill him. Even if it did, that would probably be a better fate than telling Lung of his failure.

At each side of his desk, standing against the walls, his two lieutenants waited, each one holding a machine gun at the door. Suddenly, a bright red blade sprouted from Zhang Liu's belly, the crackling weapon having cut through the wall he had been leaning against and pierced his body with barely any resistance.

Less than a second later, while Zhang was only starting to look down at the wound, the blade retreated and a large hand broke through the wall, grabbing him by the throat and pulling him through to the other side, leaving only a gaping hole in its place.

Sato and his last lieutenant turned towards the hole, their fingers already starting to press the triggers, but it was too late. With a flick of the wrist, the damn cape sent the heavy wooden desk flying at Tanaka's on the other side of the room, smashing him through the opposite wall while also clipping Sato's own gun and sending it flying through the floor.

With a cry of pain, Sato dived after the weapon, but he felt something grabbing him by the ankle and dragging him back, violently throwing him into his chair as the masked cape fully walked inside the room.

"Aoi Sato, I have a question for you," Anakin said.

"I'll never talk you fucking bastard!" the man cursed in his native language, trying to spit on his mask.

The glob of spit simply stopped in the air, flying right back at the Japanese man and smashing him in the eye. With a glance, Anakin caused the man's pistol to float in the air, the barrel resting against his knee and causing the man to sweat.

"It would be wise to answer truthfully," Anakin said, his voice lacking any signs of emotion. "Where are Lung and Bakuda?"

Five minutes later, Anakin had found out everything he needed. Lung was at an ABB warehouse deep inside the gang's territory, the place filled with gang members while they prepared their next move. Bakuda's laboratory was in a completely different direction, a large three storey gray building close to the water.

He briefly considered going after Bakuda first, her bombs were the main reason the city was in this state, but he had decided to eliminate the ABB entirely and a single 'Brute'/'Changer' was far more mobile than an entire tinker laboratory.

Grabbing a phone from Sato's pocket, Anakin forced him to call the PRT and reveal Bakuda's location before causing him to pass out and leaving the brothel.

Using Force Jump, he climbed on top of the building and started running towards Lung's location, unwilling to waste any more time with the common thugs in the streets. Finally, he heard a roar and the entire street exploded with fire as he approached the warehouse.

Arriving at the destination, Anakin stood on top of a building at the start of the street, staring down at his target as he felt the usual anger igniting inside his chest. Around him, at least four buildings were already on fire, the warehouse he had been told about having completely collapsed and ABB members running away as fast as they could, burns all over their bodies.

Down on the street, at the epicenter of the inferno was a massive serpentine embodiment of flame. Anakin assumed this was Lung.

Nearly 14 feet tall, his body completely covered in silver scales and wing-nubs just starting to sprout from his back, Lung was an impressive creature, with an incredibly long neck and a face filled with hundreds of fangs. His form actually reminded Anakin of a Zillo Beast, a very small one.

Under Lung's claws, being incinerated alive by his flames was a creature Anakin had never seen before, a mixture of cat and elephant almost larger than Lung, but he could recognize the intent behind the creature's eyes, the same one he had felt in an alleyway when confronting Trickster.

The Force raged around Anakin turning his presence from simply awe inspiring to terrifying as the usual wrath clouded his judgment. He knew the Travelers had been working against him, he knew Coil was plotting something, but it still angered him to see their schemes in action.

"Another one, no matter, I will kill you too," Lung growled, his words muffled by the shape of his mouth, but Comprehend Speech allowed Anakin to understand him perfectly.

Anakin didn't say anything. With a step forward he fell to the ground, the Force twisting the four lamp posts closest to his landing point into strange shapes as the once-Jedi made no attempt to limit the area of effect.

Lung roared, one of his claws finally tearing off the head of the creature he was fighting, causing it to slowly fade away as if it was never here.

Anakin's eyes glanced around at the spreading fire, the destruction, the fear that seemed to be spreading as people realized what was happening, before fully focusing on the flaming dragon at the other side of the street, his hands closing into fists.







___________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks for my patrons : Xhaustedhero, Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, DAERMONIAN, Davvy chappie, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, Josh Orton, stanley seymour, AjiTae, danxzn, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Mike Bellavoir, Vegetables, George Dashner, MissingNote, Brendan Ferguson, Sleepymoonfox, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Readaer Fall, Awais and Ty Tuttle for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

Alright people, new chapter is out. Just a warning, I'm releasing this one earlier, so chapter 10 will only come out late at night on patreon. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

On a only marginally related topic, and one that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, a possible coverup of a serious bullying situation:

Spoiler: Possible coverup of a bullying situation?

Back in my school years, I only suffered a small amount of bullying, having reacted soon after it started and shown myself to not be an easy target despite how antisocial I was. I was also lucky to have some great schoolmates and teachers, ones who didn't tolerate that kind of thing.

To this day I still consider Arnaldo to have been one of the best human beings I have ever meet. Despite being one of the most popular guys on the school and very talented in sports, he was also one of the most moral. Not exactly kind, (although he was that too) but someone who always aimed to do The Right Thing and, because he was so popular, kinda dragged the other kids with him.

Why am I saying this? Because just today I learned of something that I felt matched what Taylor went through in WORM: A place where the school seems to be covering a bullying campain where even adults bullied a young kid and nobody wants to do anything about it.

I just felt that, since I'm writing a worm fanfic, I could give this some light. I'm not personally involved with the situation in any way, not being from the US myself, but I do want to give it some visibility. Maybe one of you guys can retweet this, give it a like, just draw more attention to the situation cuz, from what I have seen, it's really bad.

Tweet about the situation

Now, it's entirely possible I read the situation wrong, so do take a look at the tweets and make up your own mind.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
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Outwardly Anakin stood unnaturally still but the Force seemed to roar around him, causing the street to crack and the lamp post to twist, releasing a screaming noise as the crystals contorted inside the structure of the metal.

On the other side of the street, having finished off his previous enemy, the flaming dragon drew to his full height, the silvery scales gleaming as they reflected the light of the fires around him.

For the average Force user, controlling the Force in any outward activity was always a challenging feat. Simple Force pushes were uncomplicated, if still strenuous, but any display of either skill or raw power took a toll on the wielder —both mental and physical— making the use of the lightsaber, while necessitating proximity, a much more efficient option most of the time.

For Anakin, efficiency had rarely been a concern. His mastery of the Force was so great that even the usual gestures were unnecessary, although it did make things easier in the middle of a fight. With a crack, two lamp posts were ripped out of the ground. One at each side of his body, they floated in the air for a single second before slowly tilting down to point towards the beast.

Still, he felt the need to be diplomatic, or at least attempt to start with words. Given the amount of anger he was feeling from the parahuman, he was fairly certain it would be fruitless, but he knew that not trying would be to backtrack.

"Lung, if you surrender I will be merciful. Do not make me destroy you," Anakin said graciously and with all sincerity.

Lung barked what could have been a laugh before rearing back, the fires around him swelling in size and gathering into an inferno above his head, the flames turning white as their heat increased. Staring at Anakin with two burning orbs for eyes, the dragon opened his mouth, the words distorted, only the Force allowing him to understand their meaning. "This city has forgotten fear; enemies old and new disregard what I am capable of. It is time I remind them. DIE!"

The fire surged towards him like a wave. The flames licked the asphalt, releasing a dark cloud of smoke. A display clearly meant more to impress and intimidate than an effective attack.

Almost as fast as a speeder bike, the poles were launched one after another at the creature, the fire briefly pushed back by the displaced air where the metal projectiles flew. Lung was fast enough to bat aside the first one, the impact causing him to stumble back before the second smashed through his left thigh, almost pinning him to the ground and disrupting his fire control.

With a roar, Lung fell to his knees, but he just grabbed the metal with both hands, increasing the flames around himself and causing it to melt out of his regenerating wounds. With a growl, he sent a fireball at Anakin.

Anakin finally moved: lifting his hand, he blasted the fireball with a powerful Force Push, causing the fire to explode on impact and showering the street with tongues of flame.

For a brief moment, Anakin felt a hint of fear at the inferno around him; without his armor, he was more exposed to fire than he had been in decades. But after so long living in Mustafar surrounded by literal lava, all it did was bring back a few nearly forgotten memories. Still, as he was, it only served to feed his anger, old rage barely contained under his skin.

"That was unwise," he said in an emotionless voice as he looked around. Stepping forward, his boots smothered one of the flames as he let those memories fuel his power, drawing strength from the emotions. "You speak of fear? Let me teach you."

With only an enemy in front of him, one he absolutely despised, Anakin couldn't help falling back on old habits, his mindset as Darth Vader overcoming his new resolutions. Curling his left hand fingers into a claw, he choked the air out of the dragon, causing Lung to abort the newest flaming spear he was creating, the fire falling down on his form as he grasped for breath.

Suddenly, immersed as he was in the flow of the fight, Anakin's Battle Precognition screamed at him. With one swift motion, he pulled the lightsaber from his waist with the Force and slashed back, cutting through the body of a short man with a demonic mask that had been about to stab the back of his head.

Anakin felt only a hint of surprise when the man didn't fall but disintegrated into a cloud of white ash. With reflexes he hadn't had in years, he ducked under a knife blow, his lightsaber turning into a blur as he slashed through four more clones, leaving piles of ash behind, all the while keeping the dragon contained in a Force choke.

A metal sound clattered at his feet and a scream of danger in the Force caused him to widen his eyes. In reaction, he dropped the Force Choke and turned towards the primed detonator.

Pointing with his now free hand, he enveloped the explosive in a field of Force Stasis, watching as the fragments actually disintegrated, the explosion spreading in slow motion, consuming the street in a wide radius around and turning it into sand. Empowering his legs, he leaped away towards a nearby building.

No longer choking, Lung charged him, his claws leaving burning gouges in the street. The parahuman's wings were almost completely grown and the fire enveloped his entire body, making him look even larger.

Another two detonators flew at Anakin while he was in the air, one from each side. Using the Force, he grabbed them and flung the weapons at the charging dragon.

Lung tried to halt his run and dodge, but one grenade exploded against his blocking arm, turning the entire limb into sand while the other hit the floor ahead of him, creating a pit and consuming part of his foot. With a roar of pain, the large creature stumbled.

Anakin almost sighed. First fire, now sand. Why did it have to be sand?

With another scream of rage, Lung used his two intact limbs to adjust his position, the fire around him turning blue from the heat and the sand under his leg becoming glass… That's better.

Kicking against a nearby wall, Anakin lunged against the fallen beast, lightsaber aimed at his neck. Lung twisted aside; letting the blade cut deeply through his shoulder, he traded the hit for a slash at Anakin's head with a claw.

Lung was fast, his reflexes faster than all but the greatest Force users Anakin had ever fought. Worse, the heat radiating from his flames was intense enough to kill a normal man. Anakin needed to maintain constant control over the Force, enhancing his physical condition and keeping the heat from overwhelming his lungs.

Dodging between claw strikes and bites, he cut off fingers and even the dragon's entire hand, but they regrew in record time, any wound closing in seconds as the creature grew larger, to the point that a lightsaber could no longer cut all the way through the center of his body.

Calming his breathing, Anakin fully concentrated in the Force, letting the precise and aggressive movements of Djem-so guide his steps as he read the flow of battle with unmatched mastery. His heartbeat slowed down, and his mind focused.

His heart beat once.

A claw strike aims for his head. Swing upward to cut the incoming claw. Turn the slash into a thrust aimed at the head. Force the beast to lean back and abort a kick that would have hit his chest.

A second heartbeat.

Cleave through an Oni Lee clone attempting to grab him from the back. Retreat as Lung attempts to smash with both arms since Anakin couldn't cut them off in time.

A third heartbeat.

Lung extends his neck, attempting to bite down on his head: a mistake. Step aside, use precise footwork to adjust position. Slash upward, lightsaber cutting through half of the serpentine neck. Follow through with a downwards—

Danger!

Anakin could have finished the fight there by following up on the blow and fully cutting off Lung's head. The dragon had stepped back, trying to keep away until his neck finished regenerating, but the ex-Jedi was fast enough to keep up.

Unfortunately, such a move would cost him more than he was willing to give. Less than a second later, Oni Lee acted again; the assassin had learned not to risk getting too close, but he created several clones around the former Sith Lord.

Instead of attacking with their knives or throwing the detonators, the duplicates pulled the pins on the grenades and tackled him. Slashing with the lightsaber, he cut several of the clones down, creating a cloud of ash, but there were too many.

Gathering the Force around himself for a second, Anakin exploded with power, Force Repulse creating a visible shockwave that disintegrated the bodies around him before their bombs could go off.

Those Force-cursed clones were starting to irritate him.

Twisting around, Lung attempted to swipe his leg with a flaming thagomizer while keeping his re-growing neck away from the blade.

On instinct, Anakin backflipped over an abandoned car, the vehicle's windows broken and its frame twisted by the heat and violence in the street. Falling on the other side, he extended a hand palm up before squeezing it into a fist, lifting the entire vehicle into the air and crushing it into a compact ball before using Force Push to send the result flying at the dragon.

1.5 tons of metal, plastic and glass hit the parahuman's back at 40 km/h, breaking both of his wings and smashing him several steps back. Turning towards where he sensed the teleporter, Anakin saw him above one of the burning buildings, waiting for an opening.

Acting in anger, he used the Force to lift the man by the neck, channeling his rage to smash through any resistance of the Force and crush his throat. Unfortunately, before he fell back to the building, the body dissolved into ash.

Staring at his extended hand, Anakin closed his eyes for a moment and took a slow breath, re-centering himself. He did not mind drawing power from his emotions, from the Dark Side —in fact, he was convinced it was necessary for balance— but that last attack had been done in haste, without control.

Opening his eyes again, he dodged another knife slash, letting it pass not even a centimeter from his face, the parahuman's clones swarming at him with knives and bombs.

Separating the original from the clones was difficult, but Anakin found his imprint in the Force, slashing through the clones with ease as he reacted faster and faster.

There was almost no delay between the creation of the clones, no outward sign of strain or gathering of power, but Anakin noticed the teleportation was restricted to line of sight. Making use of this information to draw closer and closer to cutting down the original before he could teleport away, he was only delayed by the Force warning him about which ones had bombs about to explode. Unfortunately, Lung had finished regenerating.

"KILL YOU!" the now 21-foot-tall dragon screamed, his anger having only grown from the pain. Lung's wings were fully spread at his back, two small nubs starting to grow from the side of his chest, a new set of arms. Drawing his remaining fully formed arm back, the parahuman lifted the crushed car in the air and threw it even faster than Anakin had managed. "INSECT!"

The projectile smashed through a few Oni Lee clones, but Anakin just waved his lightsaber, cutting it in half and using a flick of the Force to part both sides around his body, clearing some space around himself.

Fighting both enemies at once just wasn't working. Neither would last more than moments in a single fight but, together, Anakin just couldn't fully concentrate to deal or capitalize on a decisive blow before the other one interfered.

Even Anakin had trouble using the Force for more than one overt manifestation at a time. He was capable of doing it, but it was extremely taxing and took more concentration than he could spare in the middle of a fast battle, especially as he needed to keep his battle precognition active.

Having brought enough time for his master to recover, Oni Lee teleported back while Anakin wasn't looking, moving away from his reach in an instant.

Sensing the heat starting to gather at his location, the former Sith Lord enhanced his body again, charging at Lung with Force Speed and letting the pyrokinetic explosion destroy the place he had just been standing, blue flames lifting towards the sky in a pillar.

Rushing at Lung, Anakin dodged another pillar of fire before using a Force Push to blow out the fire covering the dragon and sidestep another claw swipe. Lightsaber flashing up, the dragon's arm was opened from wrist to elbow, drawing another roar of rage and pain before Anakin slid between his legs, slashing through his pelvis and deep into his belly, meeting barely any resistance from the scales, flesh and bones.

Unable to control his legs, Lung fell on his arms, his entire body reigniting in blue flames and forcing Anakin to leap away. Sensing Oni Lee's teleportation at his back, Anakin twisted to see his body just arriving, a grenade in his hand as he attempted to suicide bomb him again.

With an effort of will, Anakin used the Force to pull every pin on the grenades held in the assassin's bandoleer without any gestures, followed rapidly by a lightsaber blow to bisect the man. The body dissolved into ash, but a few seconds later, he heard the explosion above one of the buildings.

Anakin didn't sense death, so the assassin must have been able to get rid of the belt in time, but without the grenades, he was relegated to melee attacks or perhaps projectile weapons; either would be much easier to deal with.

A scream of the Force made him jump away, but Lung's tail still caught him with a glancing blow. His rate of regeneration had far surpassed what Anakin had seen before, taking only a couple of seconds to heal a wound that would have taken half a minute at the start of the fight.

The impact sent him flying several meters through the air. Enhancing his muscles, he twisted midair to fall on his feet, his boots sliding nearly another meter. The blow had cracked a rib, the tail leaving a huge gash on his chest where the skin burned despite the brief contact, a few flames still clinging to the remains of his robe.

He was wounded. Someone so… weak had actually wounded him. It was downright insulting.

Using the pain, anger and outrage to fuel his power, Anakin turned off his lightsaber and motioned with both hands, smashing the giant dragon with a Force Push of such power he broke most of the bones in the beast's body and sent him flying all the way through a building, leaving a gaping hole in its side.

Pointing at the top of the same building, Anakin used the Force to collapse the remains on top of the dragon, crushing him to the ground and finally buying himself enough time to deal with the teleporter.

Putting a hand over his chest, Anakin channeled Force healing into the wound, struggling to even use the power after using so much of the Dark Side. He wouldn't be able to completely heal the cracked rib in anything less than a day even if he was in top condition, but he diminished the pain and dealt with the superficial burns.

Straightening his back, Anakin looked around, using the Force to sense Oni Lee's location. "Your surprise betrays you," he said, turning to look at the window from where the assassin was watching him. "You do not have any weapons capable of threatening me. Surrender or flee, and I will be lenient."

As the entire street burned, the fire spreading to the nearby buildings and a dense cloud of smoke covering the night sky, Anakin waited for a reaction. In the distance, he heard the sound of sirens, but they wouldn't come closer while there was still a battle. Finally, he sensed the answer before the assassin acted. Oni Lee was loyal; he could respect that.

With a thrum of power, his lightsaber reignited, his cape flapping back in response as the red light drove back the shadows from around him. "Very well. I will not be as forgiving a second time."

With a flick of the wrist, he ripped a large piece of the sidewalk, smashing it at the window almost as fast as a bullet. Oni Lee teleported to the other side of the street, leaving a clone midair as he repositioned himself before attempting to attack Anakin from the back with a wave of clones.

Submerged in the Force as he was, he felt the instant the assassin manifested with any aggressive intent. Twisting around and slashing at the parahuman with one hand, he pointed the other along the teleporter's line of sight and released a stream of lightning.

HisForce Lightning was nowhere nearly as powerful as his master's, or even that of his former apprentice; Sidious and Marek could each disintegrate a sentient entirely. No, his lightning could not match that… yet it was more than sufficient to lock Oni Lee's muscles in place, melt his mask to his face, and, after a few seconds, explode his heart in his chest.

Still crackling with energy, Anakin lowered his hand and patted his clothes, once. In the distance, he heard a motorcycle approaching, the sound still very muffled, but growing louder as it approached.

From under the rubble, Lung exploded out, blue flames spreading like a wave of lava to cover the entire area around him. With a beat of his extremely large, bat-like wings, he lifted into the air, a second, smaller pair starting to grow just below the first one at his lower back.

Lung looked around, finally seeing the smoking corpse of his follower. His feline face turned into a snarl as he roared. Angry beyond words, the dragon pulled his head back, releasing a stream of fire that covered the entire street, the flames hitting with such physical force they blew several walls away and spread through the alleyways.

For a full minute, Lung bathed the streets in fire, the heat distorting the air and burning down brick and asphalt alike, raising a giant cloud of pitch back smoke above the buildings. Finally, he stopped, hovering in the air above the inferno, his wings flapping slowly.

.
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.

From a side street, Velocity slid to a stop, his body falling out of his Breaker state as he stared up at the enormous beast without any idea of what to do. The hero could run fast, but he could do less than nothing to what he was observing.

With Armsmaster still busy at Bakuda's hideout and Miss Militia's bike yet to arrive… "Well, fuck me." Velocity wondered if Miss Militia could even do anything; having been in the Army, he knew there were some experimental handheld nuclear devices…

Suddenly, Lung turned towards him, the dragon's improved hearing catching his words. Velocity swallowed hard, ready to bolt as the leader of the ABB was probably considering just slaughtering him. Having already started a terrorist run with tinkertech bombs, there wasn't much Lung was unwilling to do.

From the smoke, a red blade of light flew, twisting through the air so fast it looked like a disk. Lung twisted his serpentine neck aside, the blade only scratching his scales before cutting into one of his larger wings and amputating it.

With only three wings, the Parahuman attempted to keep himself aloft, but his lower wing was too small and the wingbeat only caused him to fall sideways on top of an empty burning house, the entire thing collapsing under his considerable weight. Recovering fast, he used all his limbs to twist himself, releasing another jet of flame into the smoke.

.
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Inside the dense cloud of smoke, Anakin blocked the new spear of fire with another Force Shield, leaving a round area of asphalt perfectly intact around him. Fully empowered with the Force, he strode forward while using the Force Shield to push fire and smoke away from him, breaking out of the cloud with sure steps.

"You are beaten. Without Oni Lee to distract me, you are no match for me."

Lung snorted, starting to gather four spears of fire above his head, his clawed hands digging into the asphalt as if it were dirt as his fail flicked from side to side behind him.

Before he could attack again, Anakin lifted an arm, sending a stream of Force Lightning into the enormous body; at his strength, it wasn't enough to actually cause real damage to such a large creature, but the pain disrupted his concentration, stopping Lung's pyrokinesis.

Gritting his knife-like fangs, Lung released a growl and charged. Anakin simply increased his power, allowing himself to channel more of his rage into the stream, actually forcing Lung's head up, the electricity crackling loudly around the dragon's body and preventing him from hearing the lightsaber flying back.

The blade cut almost entirely through his neck and severed his spine before falling on Anakin's extended hand. Cutting off his Force Lightning, Anakin used Force Pull to rip the head the rest of the way through, causing the body to collapse bonelessly into the ground.

Almost the size of a grown human by itself, Lung's head was still alive, his nose flaring as his power attempted to regenerate, slowly reverting into a normal human body. "Impressive. I believe you could actually survive decapitation."

Snapping out of his daze, Velocity saw Anakin walking closer to the fallen gang leader and, realizing his intention, yelled. "Stop! You don't need to do this; he's out of the fight, let me arrest him!" Behind him, the hero heard Miss Militia sliding to a stop on her bike.

Anakin considered the newly arrived heroes. Both the Force and common sense told him Lung would actually be taken seriously this time, his rampage and bombing campaign having caused too much damage for him to be allowed to escape… unfortunately, Anakin wanted him dead. "No."

Inverting the grip on his lightsaber, he crossed the last meters and stood above the almost entirely human form of the gang leader.

"Anakin, stop! You don't want to do this!" Miss Militia yelled, aiming a large rifle at him with both hands. "Everything until now can be argued as self defense, but this will be murder!"

"Yes." With a quick hand movement, he thrust the lightsaber through Lung's head, finishing off the gang leader without even leaning down.




___________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks for Splaterred Cloak, Lunati and Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : Xhaustedhero, Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, DAERMONIAN, Davvy chappie, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, Josh Orton, stanley seymour, AjiTae, danxzn, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Mike Bellavoir, Vegetables, George Dashner, MissingNote, Brendan Ferguson, Sleepymoonfox, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Readaer Fall, Awais, Ty Tuttle, Juan Caballero, Daniel Aasa, Allison Jolley, Phillip Webster and Glitched Knights for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

Alright, as I said in my Supergirl notice, My familly has been having a lot of problems lately, to the point that I was both extremely busy and not in a mindset to write. I tried, but the words just wouldn't flow and, sometimes, I'd stare at the computer for two hours and write three paragraphs.

I tried to start new stories or work on old ones, but nothing was working. Also, I lost my job and it's the end of the semester at college, I had a lot of tests, having to finish writing an article as well, so everything just happened at the same time and I was overwhelmed.

I gave a better explanation on Patron, but the truth was that I really didn't want to talk about what was happening in my personal life. More than that, not everything happened at the same time.

To tell you the truth, I thought I'd just delay things by a few days at first and apologise at next chapter, then something else happened, and something else. In the end, I always keept leaving the explanation for "When I post the next chapter, it will be soon" and that never came.

Well, I just started posting again, chapter 11 was just released on Patreon and I'm starting to post chapter 10 everywhere else!

Anyways, I really apologise for the delay and I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
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"Yes," Anakin simply said, his voice carrying over the roar of the fire.

With a quick hand movement, he thrust the lightsaber through Lung's head, finishing off the gang leader without even leaning down and, with the other hand, he stopped two projectiles, the non-lethal munitions aimed straight at his hand in an attempt to stop him.

Taking a moment to consider both projectiles floating in the air under his power, Anakin didn't know if he felt insulted or impressed. "Even now you continue to use non-lethal weapons. One would think the last display would change that stance." Lowering his hand, he let the projectiles fall to the ground.

Miss Militia didn't answer. Anakin could see her heart beating hard in her chest, the hero getting ready for any retaliation while also struggling with her own adrenaline. She didn't want to fight him, but she was struggling to stop herself from making the first attack.

At her side, Velocity had briefly used his power to gain some distance when Anakin had executed Lung, but he fell out of his Breaker state soon after, glancing from Miss Militia to Anakin with jerky, anxious movements while paying attention to his own comms.

For a second, Anakin just stared at the two heroes, attempting to sense their intentions. Despite his actions, both still felt hesitant to engage him, their minds filled with shock, apprehension, fear, and confusion, but also tinged with a sliver of relief.

He supposed he could understand them. They had orders to arrest any parahumans alive and, while they were doing their best to follow such orders, that didn't mean they approved of said commands.

"I can confirm, Lung is dead," Velocity said, his voice low as he spoke into his comms. "Unknown, I don't see any signs of him. Console, please advise?"

With slow movements, Anakin straightened his posture, deactivating his blade and lifting his cloak before gently guiding the handle back to his waist with the Force. Both heroes tensed with his movement, but they seemed to relax slightly now that he didn't have a weapon in hand.

Looking between Velocity and Miss Militia, Anakin pondered his next move, consciously trying to resist the pull of the Dark Side.. "Have you already dealt with Bakuda?" he asked.

His intention had been to fully eliminate the ABB's parahuman support today, but he didn't need to do everything himself; if they had at least managed to deal with the mad bomber by themselves it would show a modicum of competency.

Miss Militia didn't answer but, from the shift in her feelings, the slight amount of both worry and confidence, he knew they were already dealing with the Tinker and that the woman was sure it would be a success.

"Polaris, you don't need to be an enemy. If the girl is really in danger we can help. This will complicate things, but it's still not too late," Miss Militia broke the silence, tilting her weapon slightly dowards, convinced he'd not start attacking, but ready if he did. "You haven't hurt any innocents yet and you've only stolen from criminals. After what he did today, no one will condemn you for killing Lung. Just surrender and the Protectorate will help you."

Anakin simply looked from one side to the other, watching as the fires around him lost some of their power, but still burned through the entire block of buildings. At least he didn't sense any lives in immediate danger.

"Your ineffective games do not interest me." Anakin shook his head. He had no interest in joining their organization. "I have played them far too many times before."

"Anakin, don't do this," the woman appealed, her hand squeezing her weapon and she struggled with herself, her mind conflicted between wanting to help and to fight him. "We both know the government isn't perfect, but making it your enemy isn't the answer."

At her side, Velocity seemed content to let Miss Militia talk, his eyes glued to Anakin's unmoving body even as his own foot tapped against the ground, muscles ready to start moving at the first signal of action.

"The fact your organization would still accept me after today does you no favors," he shook his head. "Regardless, the Protectorate had the chance to improve this city. It chose to remain neutral, feeble; to maintain the situation instead of working to improve it."

"Then join us, help us set things right. The Protectorate isn't perfect, but nothing really is; it still has things worth fighting for," Miss Militia tried again. "Think about Dinah. After this, the Protectorate won't be able to just leave you alone."

Anakin actually thought about the option again. Not because Miss Militia was being convincing, but because he could actually feel both heroes were genuine, both truly believed they were doing good.

Then again, the Jedi too had believed they were doing good… and this city reminded him far too much of the Republic's later reign. The old Order had held on to their false peace, working to keep the Republic in order for so long without realizing it had become only a shell of its former self.

If Anakin was being honest, the Republic hadn't died with Sidious, it had died long before he was ever born. The Jedi had simply kept its corpse intact for a century or so, too preoccupied with protecting a name to notice that what they were truly fighting for was already dead.

The same thing was happening with this city. The PRT and Protectorate were so preoccupied with stopping a gang war, with keeping parahuman fights from escalating, that they were letting the situation slowly deteriorate. They were letting the city slowly rot from the inside instead of risking it dying in one single confrontation, stretching out the suffering in a vain attempt to diminish it.

"Incorrect; after this, the Protectorate will leave me alone, the same way it has done with Lung and the 'Empire'," he finally said, turning his back to the woman. She truly did remind him far too much of the Jedi. "Your willingness to fight for what you believe is commendable. Pray you do not come to regret it."

Stepping away from the heroes, Anakin believed there was a more than even chance they'd be ordered to engage him, probably in a superior's mistaken belief that he was weakened after the battle; time to dissuade them of that.

Lifting a hand towards the still burning street, dense clouds of black smoke lifting up in the air, Anakin closed his eyes, trusting the Force to warn him of danger while he concentrated.

Slowly, he spread his reach with the Force through the entire street, feeling every brick, every wall. What he was about to do required concentration, control. It was not something he could do while worrying about getting attacked.

Opening his hand, he released a Force push, the technique almost like a pulse that pushed away all the air in the street, dispersing the smoke without causing any further damage to the buildings. The fires only gently flickered, barely affected by his power.

Twisting his hand palm up, he slowly closed his fist, using the Force to slowly smother the flames, cutting off their supply of oxygen until they completely died. The street was still hot and there was still the danger that the fires would revive from the embers, but he had just smothered almost every fire Lung had started.

There were still a few flames on the nearby streets, but none were as hot or strong and Anakin already sensed the city would be able to deal with it.

In a fight, he could never have gathered the concentration for such a feat, and it had been a risk with two heroes close by. But it was a show, not only of power but control, skill. A statement that wouldn't be forgotten.

Moreover, he had also just saved several city blocks from burning before the flames could be fully controlled, indicating that he wasn't here just to destroy. Lowering his hand, he prepared to leave.

"Yeah, I think we can safely say he's still in fighting shape," Anakin heard Velocity snort in his comms, the hero's voice dry and without any inflections.

Without his direct control, the wind started blowing again, reigniting a few small spots of fire, but nothing bigger than a few centimeters, the flames lazily flickering while black ash rose in the air.

With a 'crack' the front of a building finished collapsing, the darkened bricks falling on top of each other and spreading through the street, the structure too weakened to support their weight.

Stepping on the half-melted street, Anakin briefly stopped, slightly turning back. "I have seen what happens when compromises are made, when one lets the decay spread slowly for fear of disrupting current circumstances." Lifting a hand, he let some of the ashes fall on his palm, the black and gray remains falling through his gloved fingers before he squeezed them into a fist. "I can feel it: Your organization would ask me to remain calm, to not interfere further. That is something I cannot do."

Turning away, his cape trailing behind him, Anakin continued walking, his feet almost stomping the street as he used the Force to keep the heat away from him, the air distorting around his body.

The heroes didn't pursue; whoever had been watching the confrontation had decided to let him leave without further problems, unwilling to risk a second engagement after the level of power he had just shown.

Empowering his legs, Anakin Force Jumped all the way to the top of a structurally intact building, stepping out of the heroes' line of sight once and for all.

Lifting his head up, he took a deep breath, doing his best to calm his emotions. He had channeled the Dark Side far too much in the fight. Worse, it hadn't been by choice but simply his inability to keep his anger in check. It seems he still hadn't made as much progress as he had hoped.

This city reminded him far too much of his time as a Jedi, always working to keep things functioning even as they deteriorated around him, dealing with the symptoms without ever engaging with the real problem, in the vain hope the Senate would eventually do the right thing. It had always been infuriating.

He didn't know if the leaders of this particular city were even aware of what was happening.

Did the ones in charge actually believe they were doing their jobs or were they simply biding their time, maintaining the city as best as they could while waiting for the chance to strike without taking too many risks? Perhaps they simply wanted to keep the city from complete collapse for as long as possible, hoping someone else would deal with the problem.

As a Jedi, he had been a bandage, simply keeping wounds from bleeding out and hoping the Republic could heal by itself. But, as Darth Vader, he had been that someone else, the one who dealt with the problems once and for all — often in ways that left nobody happy, even himself.

It was unexpected: even now, as he wished with every piece of his being to forsake his time as Darth Vader and undo most of what he had done at his master's bidding, he couldn't lie to himself.

Between being a bandage, trusting others to solve the issue, or dealing with the problem himself, he knew which one he'd choose. It was strange to realize he didn't regret destroying what the Republic had become.

He regretted supporting Sidious, he regretted hunting down the Jedi, he regretted not finding the strength to overthrow his master earlier, but he did not regret destroying that disgraceful pit of corruption.

Closing his eyes, he could see everything happening again, his body stumbling as the Force almost overwhelmed him with visions of the past.



Padme holds his hand, she's pregnant, pleading with him to turn back, too late. "Come away with me, help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can!"

In a fit of rage, he chokes her — perhaps causing her death, the very reason he turned to the Dark Side; to this day he does not know.



Obi-Wan stands above his body, the pain evident on his face, Anakin can only feel rage. "You were my brother, Anakin; I loved you!"

His body catches fire, the heat consuming his flesh but, even under the pain, all he feels is hate, the feeling overcoming everything else, allowing him to survive not by making him stronger, but by blinding him to the reality of his own actions and situation.



A youngling approaches him, the boy's fear reverberating in the Force, but also his trust. It does not matter. "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them; what are we going to do?"

He ignites his lightsaber, his new master's orders echoing in his mind, the Dark Side guiding his hand, giving more power than he had ever held, or at least he thinks it does.



He extends a hand to Padme, his soul taking an old, familiar shape, one he had lost decades ago. He had come to take her back, but his actions are not Anakin's, his path paved only by slaughter. She doesn't recognize him. "Why? I don't know you. Anakin Skywalker is dead."

His wife falls from the balcony, a bolt of crimson lightning smashes through her soul, leaving her forever beyond his grasp no matter how powerful he is in the Force. The facade of Anakin he wore falls away, revealing only Vader.



Anakin opens his eyes again, a single tear falling down his face under his mask. It seems the Force had seen fit to give him a warning, not entirely disagreeing with the path he wanted to take, but reminding him of the dangers it represented.

Every vision was a different lesson on the mistakes he had made and what he risked now, the price he paid for his hubris. A reminder of the reasons he had turned to the Dark Side and what it had once cost him.

Squeezing both hands into fists, he slowly opened them again, letting out a long, slow breath through his mouth, releasing his feelings into the Force and attempting to calm himself.

Out there in the Galaxy, both Luke and Leia were still alive. He had no wish to lose himself again, letting the Dark Side blind him so much he'd strike against them in rage like he did Obi-Wan and Padme.

Even here on this planet, Dinah was waiting for his return. If he fell to the Dark Side again, he knew he'd probably take the girl with him. She was already filled with anger and fear… it would be easy to twist her feelings into hate.

Truly, he could think of no worse fate than to condemn her into a life like his had been, wallowing in anger, hate, and self-loathing. He would not fail her like that.

Suddenly, his head snapped to the side, his arm flashing up, hand making a grasping motion as he used Force Telekinesis to crush a small, floating device. The golden sphere exploded into a thousand small pieces, all of them held in the air by his power.

Drawing the device close, Anakin frowned. So Coil and the Travelers hadn't just been content to prime Lung for the fight, they had also arranged for the confrontation to be filmed.

Anakin doubted this had been the only recording device present, or that he had managed to prevent the information from getting to Coil's hand by destroying it. So he could assume his Enemy now knew far more about his capabilities.

For a second, he wanted to dismiss Coil as unthreatening, but then he remembered his own confrontation against Tarkin. The Grand Moff hadn't even been Force sensitive, but he had driven Anakin to the brink, reminding him of just how important planning and knowledge could be.

Anakin doubted a single villain in a small city would be a match for one of the greatest strategic minds of the Empire, but it wouldn't do to underestimate the man too much.

Drawing the pieces closer, he looked at the golden casing and the delicate electronics floating freely in the air. He didn't recognize all of the device's functions at a glance, but he'd have time to study it later.

With a gesture, he put the pieces inside a pouch at his waist, right beside his lightsaber. He then spread his senses again, attempting to find any more recording devices or observers.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything else, any watcher having long retreated or died during the fighting.

With one last look around, he started walking again and then broke into a run, using the Force to enhance his speed and leap between buildings, drawing a straight line towards Faultline's location.

The mercenary wasn't at her club; she had chosen to wait at an empty building at the Boat Graveyard: a location the mercenary had surveilled before, but that didn't have any actual connection to her. It was far enough away from where the ABB was concentrating their efforts and as far away from Coil's own territory as possible, increasing the difficulty of any attack he prepared. The location also had few residents, making for fewer victims in case there was a real fight.

Dinah had taken her droid with her, as well as some of the more mobile automatic defenses, mostly the laser turrets that could fit inside a van. Checking his own cell phone, he saw the droid was still active and in the same location, but its charge had almost run out.

Frowning, he increased his speed, his cape trailing behind him as he ran towards the location, his feet barely touching the ground as he moved.

Then he stopped, his eyes narrowing through the visor as he stared at the street where the empty house should have been — there was a giant wall there.

Nearly five meters tall and topped with barbed wire, the construction cut through the buildings without actually causing damage to any of them, as if it had been simply built that way, Anakin's senses telling him that the wall both was and wasn't there.

Feeling the material with the Force, he knew that he could physically touch the wall, but it was actually weaker than it should be, as if it was simply a Force projection made solid, an echo of the bricks. Far more fragile than the real thing, but still tangible.

Leaping on top, he used the Force to flatten the wire, looking down at the city block where they were supposed to be located. There was a lot of rubble, the small house having turned into an utter mess, at least three different buildings seeming to just… protrude from its location, each one made with a different material.

The entire place appeared as if it had been conjured by a madman's fever dream. A wooden tower sprouted from the middle of the house, at least four stories tall, reminding him of a primitive guardhouse.

A bronze statue, its head and one of its limbs broken, lay on top of the building. Some force had thrown it there, its half-melted metal features distorted and welded to the structure.

A brick wall seemed to have been hit with a car moving faster than Anakin thought they could achieve, but it only left a dent on the black metal structure hiding behind it. At the side, an actual fountain made from white marble spilled water down on the street, having extinguished several fires, though quite a few were still burning outside the reaches of the water.

Concentrating on the Force, Anakin felt Dinah's mind inside the mixture of buildings. His eyes widened as he watched Newter actually poke his head through a nearby wall as if it wasn't there, his face filled with tension.

"Huh, so that's why they left early," the lizard-like parahuman commented. His expression relaxed a little. "Come on, you're gonna have to find your way inside. Labyrinth was on a good day, but I had to use my power to help her along so we could keep the girl safe and I doubt she's gonna be able to just let you in. The kid said you can heal, too?"


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[CapCaverna]

So, again, this one took longer than I planned.
Regardless, I will probably post a second chapter this week, it's already written and I only need to revise it a few times.

anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Edit: I don't celebrate it, so I forgot, but Happy 4th of July for my US readers!
___________________________________________________________

Dinah Alcott watched Anakin leave, her face turning into a scowl as she considered what was gonna happen next, her fingers playing with the straw on her cup.

Being in Anakin's presence was… strangely relaxing. He completely messed up her power, making any prediction involving him highly unreliable but, when most of what she saw was terrible and any path she took resulted in her capture, not knowing was a blessing.

Dinah didn't exactly know when she had triggered, her power hadn't been obvious at first, but she could make a good guess. Even now, she still regretted covering up for her friend, if only she knew she'd never see Anna again…

Her teacher insisted it wasn't her fault. That nobody could have known what was happening. 'What were the chances?' Miss Brown had said. Well, now Dinah could tell her.

Yes, now she could see the future…

Unfortunately, that didn't change anything. She was just as powerless as the day she discovered Anna had died because of her, because she had lied.

At first, Dinah's power only caused her a headache and gave her a faint feeling, like her friends were likely to get home safe, her family was likely to be alive tomorrow, Miss Brown was likely to get slightly hurt if she left now instead of in half an hour.

Eventually, she got used to it, her headaches got better, and, over time, the numbers started appearing. Those showing up was when she knew she wasn't just getting hints but had an actual power. One question a day became two, then three and she was happy. Never again would she make the same mistake.

Her family hadn't believed her when she first told them. They'd thought she just wanted the attention and, in their defense, yeah, she admitted she had wanted to brag a little. Being a cape had seemed so awesome back then… She had even gotten a little smug.
Still, as the days passed and everyone she knew was always safe, Dinah started to relax. Her power was always so painful, maybe she didn't need to ask too many questions after all?

Perhaps she'd even have stopped using her ability entirely now that she knew Miss Brown had been right. That even in the Bay, with all of its crime, the chances of something happening to one of her friends or family were always so very small.
More than that, no matter how much she liked knowing the chances something was gonna happen, it wasn't a very… impressive power. Nobody wanted to be a Thinker when others could fly or punch things really, really hard.

Then the answers started changing, and the chances of something happening started increasing every day. Slowly at first, but the danger crept closer and closer with every morning.

Dinah hated that her power didn't exactly give her a reason for her percentages, knowing something was gonna happen was completely different from knowing why. Worse, her power was pretty clear that telling anyone only made her chances worse.

So she stretched her power.

Desperate for answers, Dinah pushed her power beyond anything she had done before, to the point she had to skip school several times because the headaches got so bad she passed out.

Too late she discovered she had only made things worse. It turns out that using her power so much had been exactly what had increased the chances of something bad happening. Unfortunately, at that point, stopping wouldn't help anymore.

It hurt. Asking any question caused her some discomfort, but going beyond her limit hurt more, a lot more. Still, she had power, she was a cape, she wouldn't let anything happen again. She refused.

It was then she discovered a new aspect of her power. Her power wasn't only to see the numbers; she could actually SEE the future, even if it was harder than anything she had ever done.

In her desperation, she had found a future where everything would be alright, where she would be safe. It hurt… it hurt so much, beyond anything she had experienced before, but she saw every action, every step… and she realized she couldn't do it.

It almost made her laugh… and cry, she could see exactly what to do, what needed to happen to make that future real, but that didn't mean she'd be able to do it. She was too weak, too helpless.

Heck, even if she had been an adult she wouldn't be able to copy exactly what she saw. She had seen the exact mechanics, but her body wouldn't be able to follow through.

More than once, she'd thought of giving up. Her feelings a mixture of fear, helplessness, and furious anger. To think there was a future where she could be perfectly safe but it was simply beyond her ability to achieve.

Huddled between the covers on her bed, she had quietly cried herself to sleep, knowing that her parents finding out only made things worse.

It took her almost a week to gather the courage to try again. She knew there was no future where she could completely avoid the danger; at least not one she was capable of acting on. So she searched for something different, a future where she'd see her family, where they would be safe. Again, she found one.

The day she had met Anakin she had known her fate. She had fled, yes, but she knew she couldn't have really escaped, even if she couldn't help trying… and then he appeared.

Anakin hadn't been in her vision, she couldn't predict him, the numbers simply broke every time she asked, and that had brought her more relief than she even thought possible. The lack of knowledge, the lack of control, it was the best feeling she'd had in months.

Even now, so many days later, being unable to completely predict him still made her feel… safe. Not only that but he was teaching her to be like him.
It hadn't even been a month since she started her Matukai training and she was already faster, stronger and more dexterous than before, not enough to have made a difference in her capture, but it opened up so many options. Anakin was making her think being a cape was cool again and Dinah kinda loved him for it.
Well, the chance to get her hands on her own badass laser sword didn't hurt either… but it was mostly about the training.

Dinah couldn't give up the chance, however small, to become able to do something about what she saw, to no longer be helpless in the face of the numbers.

She, more than anyone, knew how her own ability could affect her future, how many options were blocked to her just because she was weak.

Squeezing her hands into fists, Dinah looked at the display within her mask, checking the settings on Hal and making sure she could activate his weapons any time she wanted. Inside her bag, the droid beeped, giving her some comfort with its presence.

"Alright, we have a job to do," Faultline said, getting up from her chair. "Kid, how many questions can you answer?"

"Three, it will hurt, but I can answer three questions. Four if you want to carry me afterwards," Dinah answered, pulling the droid out of her bag and letting it float above her in the air.

Faultline gave the small drone a look, but just nodded.

"So, are we gonna try to hide or defend?" Newter asked, helping Labyrinth get up without touching her skin.

"Fighting Thinkers is always hard. It's best to assume they always know more than we believe," Gregor said, putting his chair back under the table and scratching at his chin.

"Defend. I don't think Coil knows all of our hideouts but, as you said, it's best not to assume against a Thinker," Faultline said, leading the team out of the bar.

"If you go to our hideout, we have a few defenses you can take with you." Dinah offered, her back straight as she tried to appear calm and composed despite her anxiety.

"What kind?"

"A surveillance system and a few automatic turrets made with Coil's lasers," she shrugged, her eyes paying extra attention to the droid's cameras as it swept the street for any hidden enemies with several different vision modes.

Faultline's crew had come in a large van parked a block away. Painted black, it looked sleek but a little dirty, not all that out of place in a city. The door slid open, revealing several comfortable seats.

Getting inside the car, Dinah sat between Labyrinth and Spitfire, the mercenaries mostly ignoring her as they discussed plans for the fight.

"The Travelers are heavy hitters, I don't know all of their powers, but they have a teleporter, a Changer and two extremely strong Blasters," Faultline said, her voice hard and professional. "More than that, I doubt Coil is only gonna use them."

"You think they're gonna have company?" Spitfire asked, leaning forward and grabbing the front seat, almost touching Newter.

"Watch it," the orange cape said, making sure their exposed skins didn't touch. "I know girls can't wait to get their hands on me, but we're going into a fight, no need to risk it."

"Sorry," the youngest member of the mercenary group said sheepishly.

"Coil was looking to hire us, I doubt we were the only ones," Faultline explained, her face focused on the road.

"The Undersiders?" Gregor asked, squashed against the door to give them space even in a van. "You did say you suspected they had a patron."

"Probably, but I suspect he's hired some of the others too."

"Don't think the Empire or ABB would do his bidding, bunch of assholes," Newter commented as they arrived, driving inside Anakin's hideout and stepping out of the van one by one. "Think he's hired the Merchants? They aren't that much of a challenge."
She and Anakin had tidied up before going to the meeting at Somer's Rock, her 'master' had said they were gonna find a new hideout once he dealt with the ABB.
Everything was neatly organized, with only the defenses still out in the open and ready to act.

"Probably independents like Circus or some of the supposed heroes like Sere and Dovetail, maybe someone from out of the city," Faultline answered, looking around the room. "Coil is the type to try and recruit moles amongst the 'good guys' and he did hire the Travelers."

Dinah stretched her neck and looked around, making sure to grab one of the laser pistols from a turret she knew was too well installed for the team to take with them when they left.

"Nice place, a little bare, but it seems to be well defended," Gregor commented. "Since we're not hiding, you think this place is better than our hideout if we want to hold out?"

Faultline stepped into the middle of the place, looking around with a critical eye for a few moments while her team watched her.

Dinah herself stuffed the pistol on her waist and took a deep breath, trying to focus on Anakin's lessons about meditation to calm herself. Correcting her posture, she put both hands behind her back and said. "We reinforced the walls with some spare metal, enough that guns won't be able to pierce them."

Gregor seemed to give her an amused look, but she didn't pay it any attention.

Labyrinth sat on Dinah's bed, her legs crossed as the girl looked around with some interest, "You're cute," she smiled behind the mask, grabbing a pillow and putting it on her lap before resting her arms on top of it.
Dinah only snorted, not dignifying that with an answer.
At her side, Spitfire climbed on top of an empty crate, her legs swinging in the air as she waited for their leader to make a decision.

"Hmm, there are a lot of turrets here, and, with Labyrinth, we can improve the terrain…" Gregor offered.

"Yes. Unfortunately, we're dealing with a Thinker, any place he's had time to watch won't be safe," The mercenary leader considered. Finally, she turned towards Dinah. "Still… what are the chances you'll stay safe here?"

"Sixty-one point nine, two, nine, seven percent chance," Dinah answered promptly, a small spike of pain hitting her as she made the prediction, but she simply ignored it. "Two questions now."

"Almost ten percent less than before despite the increased security," Faultline commented. "Well, that's it, get everything in the van and let's go."

Together, Gregor and Newter managed to put four small turrets on the back of the van. The devices had enough charge to last a night and could be installed quite easily in their new place.

Half an hour later, Dinah sat in a meditating position on a strange bed, she took deep, even breaths as she readied herself, her mind rebelling at what she was about to do.

The house they were in was big, even if it had been abandoned, with the outside looking dirty and half rotted. The house had three floors with several rooms each, its location actually put ABB territory between them and the locations Coil controlled, hopefully causing maximum amounts of inconvenience to the Thinker's troop movement.

Faultline didn't have much hope that Coil would actually have trouble getting through ABB territory without notice, but she hoped it would take him longer, buying them a little more time.

The room she waited in was small. Without any windows, it had a single bed and a wardrobe, but it was the closest one to the living room where Faultline had installed the monitoring equipment, so Dinah stayed there for the moment.

Her problem was that Coil's power messed with her own, her predictions said there was less than a 30% chance that she'd get kidnapped today, but that number had already changed once, it was likely to change again.

Unconsciously, her nails dug into the palm of her hand and she grits her teeth behind her mask, her eyes watching Hal's video of the outside where there was no movement.

Even with the small time she had been doing it, her training had made her stronger, both in body and mind, the number of questions she could ask had grown and her headaches got more manageable… stretching her power shouldn't hurt so much anymore… right?

There was no denying it, she was afraid… angry too, but mostly afraid. Dinah feared the pain, she feared that Anakin wouldn't come back; she feared she'd be captured and stuffed with drugs, desperately hoping a villain of all things would save her.

Remembering Anakin's words, she breathed out, trying to release all the fear she was holding.

"I'm not saying you should not feel such things. Both fear and anger are useful in the correct amounts, but do not feed them; do not let them guide your actions; do not make them your goal.

"As you're learning about the Force, it is important that you focus both your mind and your actions into what you desire for your life, not what you are fleeing from,"

She had been tempted to change the fear she felt into anger, it was so much easier to deal with but, instead, she focused on what she wanted, who she wanted to become, what she desired, not what she feared.

Eventually, she acted, moved not by her fear, but by willpower. She activated her power not because she was afraid of Coil —of the world— but because she wanted to take charge.

The pain was immediate, like someone had driven a nail through her head to the point she lost control of her limbs, falling back on the bed and whimpering, her nose bleeding.

"Shit, you alright there?" Spitfire asked under her modified gas mask. "Fuck, Gregor, a little help here!"

Quickly, the larger monster cape ran into the room and, gently, lifted her into his arms.

"Bathroom," Dinah managed to mumble.

"What happened?" Faultline asked as they guided Dinah into the white porcelain bathroom.

"Fuck if I know. She just started convulsing and fell over."

"She's shaking," Gregor said as Dinah, with trembling hands, managed to push her helmet slightly up, freeing her mouth so she could throw up. "You think it's an attack?"

"Used… my power again," Dinah grunted, cleaning her mouth after spilling out the contents of her stomach, her voice almost killing her. "They're gonna attack soon."

"How soon?" Faultline asked, immediately focusing on the important part.

"25 minutes, more or less," Dinah gasped out, managing to get her body back under control and pushing the helmet back down. "You'll need Labyrinth at full power."

This time, all three of them stared at her for a full second before the mercenary leader asked, her voice hard. "Are you sure?" Dinah just nodded, causing Faultline to turn toward the young woman. "Are you alright with it?"
Labyrinth nodded, "Yes, I can do it," her eyes were still lucid, but she still had some distance in her voice. "I like her."

Gregor continued to help Dinah, getting her body back into bed and asking. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You have any painkillers?"

Turns out they did have a medical kit filled with painkillers; one of them would even work on her headache, making it slightly better even if it couldn't cure it.

Laying her head on the pillow, Dinah concentrated on recovering, her eyes closed to avoid any more stimulation. Outside her room, she heard the mercenary team moving, getting ready for what was about to happen.

For twenty minutes, she rested as best as she could, doing her best to focus on keeping her mind clear and empty, giving it time to rest. Finally, she opened her eyes, her vision going directly toward Hal's monitors outside the house.

Immediately, her eyebrows rose at what she saw. She knew what Labyrinth's power could do and had even seen it when using her own power, but to watch things happening in reality?

From the ground up, a large wall rose, pushing the houses out of the way like in that Harry Potter movie her cousin had made her watch, bricks and roads moving in a disturbing manner to give way to the new buildings.

Their own house was greatly changed, one of the cameras was blocked by a new metallic wall, but there were dozens able to see the house standing taller than everything else in the block, with two other houses seeming to be… sticking out of its place.

From the middle of the house, there was a wooden tower, the structure almost mixing with the bricks of the building, one of their turrets installed on top of it for better aiming.

There was a metal statue sprouting from the middle of the street as if it belonged there and, in the central room, Labyrinth herself swung up and down in a chair, her eyes having lost focus as Gregor helped her, a hand on her uncovered shoulder while he produced some kind of substance from his body.

Getting up, Dinah walked into the room, the entirety of Faultline's crew stopped to look at her.

"So, had a nice nap, shortie?" Newter asked with a smile on his face.

Dinah ignored him, she was not short, just young. "They're here. Do you want me to attack first?" Dinah asked, looking up at Faultline.

The mercenary stared down through her own metallic mask before finally asking. "And how are you going to do that?"

"Hal here lets me activate the turrets," she confessed, pointing at the droid following above her head.

"I'm not entirely alright with letting a kid take the first shot," Gregor said, his face frowning at Faultline.

"Dude, they're after her for how long? Let the kid take her shot, it's not like she has to kill anyone, just keep them away," Newter shrugged.

"You alright now?" Spitfire asked, her voice softer than the others as she approached.

"Don't worry, I'm not that weak," Dinah answered. Her head was still killing her, but she made sure to keep her stance, her arms behind her back as she considered the images on her screen.

She knew she was just copying Anakin, but it helped her feel more secure, what was it her Uncle always said? Fake it until you make it?

"I'm not saying you are, but you scared me when you collapsed," the older girl said, shuddering. "I really don't want to know what Polaris would do if you died on us."

Dinah actually smiled behind her mask. Yeah, she couldn't see what Anakin would do if they betrayed him, but she could certainly imagine. Good thing they weren't going to.

"Alright, according to the girl the Undersiders won't be attacking us, but Coil will have other capes here. Gregor, was Labyrinth lucid enough to anchor anyone?"

"Yeah, she anchored Newter, me and Spitfire," the large monster cape said, stepping away from the blonde girl.

"Good, it's always best when her power is working well," Faultline said, turning to Spitfire. "Are you sure you're up for this? You're new to the team and we didn't have time to fully train you, if you're not comfortable you can stay out of the way guarding Labyrinth and the girl."

"Ah, yeah, I can fight."

"Alright," taking a breath, Faultline looked at everyone and nodded. "We were contracted to last until the morning. If it was anywhere near sunrise I'd say to keep delaying them but, at this point, not starting the fight just gives them time to get into better positions and learn more, can you give me control?"
"No," Dinah wanted to say 'fuck no!' but she had a better education than that. "Only I can activate them."
Faultline looked like she didn't fully believe her, but she nodded. "Alright, go ahead and start then, aim to wound or block their advance for as long as possible."

Crossing her legs, Dinah sat on the ground in a meditating position, her eyes focused on the dozen cameras on her helmet's display. With a command, she activated all the turrets, keeping them lowered but ready until they had a target.

Behind the wall created by Labyrinth, there were a few abandoned houses similar to their own, their yards covered with vines and tall grass. An old car missing its tires was parked in the street and there was quite a lot of trash, several discarded needles just laying in the gutters.

The street itself was filled with potholes, but there were a few trees that helped make the place a little less… ugly, even if they were surrounded by overgrown weeds.

Watching the mercenaries moving around the perimeter trying to find a way around the wall, Dinah blinked and gave the order.

In less than a second, the turret on top of the tower lifted up, it had two gun barrels that started to rain lasers on the locations.

Everything seemed to just… explode into movement at the same time, to the point Dinah was quickly unable to pay attention to everything, letting Hal's programs aim the turrets as she focused on the droid itself.

Outside, Coil's mercenaries returned fire, lasers shooting toward the tower and chipping away at its structure, but Anakin had built the turret with enough metal to shield it… for a time.

Faultline stared at a television, watching the video from her own cameras with great concentration. From a different direction, an entire truck flew towards the wall, moving so fast Dinah almost missed it.

The vehicle smashed into the wall with so much strength it burst right through it, pieces of metal and brick flying everywhere before it hit a different empty house and plowed all the way through. Finally, it stopped, the front almost completely destroyed.

A second car flew through the opening, smashing right into their building and nearly exploding against the wall. The first layer of brick flew everywhere, but Labyrinth had interposed more than one building in the same location and one of them had metal walls that resisted the blow.

Immediately, Hal, her droid, took control of the turret on top of the tower and moved it. With a beep, it bobbed in the air and rained lasers upon the approaching villains in an almost gleeful manner while the other three turrets kept the mercenaries pinned in place.

Moving the droid, Dinah used the confusion to sneak the small flying drone through the building, using what she saw with her power to find a spot looking straight at the metal statue growing from the middle of the street.

Finally, the lasers from the mercenary overwhelmed the defenses and melted the turret on the tower, allowing the hired men to sneak around the other turrets since they had limited range.

Without the covering fire, Trickster appeared on top of the wall, changing places with some of the barbed wire there. His top hat almost fell off his head and, with a quick look around, he managed to swap one of the turrets with the exposed engine of the truck, causing its barrels to aim into the vehicle and away from any targets.

Still, the turrets had done their job; of the initial fifteen mercenaries only six were still on their feet. The others, having suffered wounds of one kind or another, forced the remaining six to keep back and take care of them.

Suddenly, a monster smashed its way through the opening in the wall; it looked kinda like an elephant-sized rhino with feline claws and dinosaur-like plates protecting its hide.

The beast roared and smashed through the place, breaking off the statue and trying to smash into the building only to hit the metal wall and bounce back. Still, its claws allowed the enormous beast to climb the building, smashing its head and claws everywhere to look for an unprotected entrance.

In the middle of the walled area, a piece of rubble suddenly disappeared, substituted by Sundancer as she crouched behind cover. Lifting her hands, flickers of fire started appearing between then, taking time to form into a small, ball-sized orb.

Releasing the power, the flaming ball lifted into the air, floating up and towards the house while causing the wooden rubble and plants all around to catch fire.

Even inside the house, the temperature started increasing, causing everyone to start sweating the closer the artificial sun got to them.

"Labyrinth, please," Spitfire touched the blonde's shoulders.

The entire street shook, an enormous fountain starting to grow from the middle of the asphalt, pushing everything away as it sprouted water everywhere.

A lot just… evaporated when it came close to the artificial sun, but most of the water still ran through the streets, soaking the rubble and putting out a lot of the fires.

Inside the house, the heat immediately started lowering, a third building being superimposed in the same location, with white floors and an extremely cold temperature.

Finally, the enormous beast, Genesis, jumped away from the house. Unwilling to be burned by the Sun, it circled around and came closer to Sundancer, acting as a protector, allowing the blaster to get up and slowly walk towards the house.

With another step, Sundancer walked right by the fallen bronze statue and Dinah smiled as the woman crossed her aim. With a command, she activated Hal; the droid opened up and shot a single laser before darting away.

The shot was perfect, hitting the villain right in the middle of the chest and causing her to collapse against the Changer, her artificial Sun losing cohesion and collapsing into flames that struck the house, igniting the roof.

Dinah hadn't killed the woman, Sundancer's power was able to normalize the temperature around herself, rendering most of the laser's damage useless, but Anakin had modified the weapon a little to give some kinetic aspect to the weapon, enough to break bones with a good hit.

"Damn, it's great to have a Precog in our team," Newter whistled, watching everything that was happening in one of the surviving cameras.

"Keep in mind Coil would still beat her without Polaris," Faultline simply said, keeping her eyes on the image. "Spitfire, try to ambush the Changer next time it tries to attack. Gregor, Newter, get ready. I doubt this is everything they have."

Outside, Sundancer disappeared, substituted by a car door from outside the wall. At the same time, something heavy slammed into the spot where her droid had been, making a huge dent in the metal wall.

With a roar, Genesis charged the building again, aiming for a different spot where the metal wall wasn't so thick. Spitfire watched the beast move for another moment and darted away, moving through the walls that had appeared around the room as if they weren't there.

In the blink of an eye, another member of the Travelers appeared, darting out of the tall grass, his hand briefly touching the car door used to swap Sundancer out and sending it flying toward the wall with a sonic boom.

The door crumbled against the wall, but still actually broke halfway through. Crouched, Ballistic touched the fallen bronze statue, preparing to send it flying towards the same spot when Dinah controlled Hal and opened fire once again.

"Fuck, it's a drone, not another turret!" Ballistic yelled, jumping behind a piece of rubble and sending the statue flying wide.

The bronze piece bounced off the metal roof, the head snapping off as it flew up before falling back down on top of the building with a loud noise, sending pieces of brick flying everywhere.

Dinah directed Hal, making it circle Ballistic's protection but, before she could take another shot, the cape was swapped out, revealing a clown-like girl that immediately jumped away from the spot, a knife appearing in her hand and flying towards the drone in one fluid motion.

The weapon hit the droid with such strength it was sent reeling back, giving Dinah vertigo as she watched the camera's feed twist in the air. A second knife flew at the drone, driving it back further, quickly followed by a ball of fire that covered the camera, blocking its vision.

Dinah gasped, quickly glancing at the droid's monitors and relaxing when she saw the flames weren't strong enough to cause any damage, but they still managed to block her view and forced her to order Hal's retreat.

Before she could get her bearings, an entire car smashed into the weak spot on the wall, partially sticking out of the building. With another roar, Genesis noticed the weakness and, using its large claws, moved towards the car, aiming to use her large paws to pull it out and open up an entrance.

Suddenly, Spitfire's face poked out of the wall right below Genesis, her modified gas mask allowing her to spit a wave of liquid on the creature's exposed belly, soaking its entire body before almost exploding into a ball of fire.

The heat was such that the air distorted as the beast reflexively jumped away, screeching piteously and attempting to uselessly roll on the ground as the napalm-like substance ate through its flesh and bones until it was left immobile. Alive, but without limbs and grievously wounded.

A moment later, a dagger flew right where Spitfire's face was, causing the girl to cry out as she pulled her head back, sweating heavily as the blade bounced off the wall less than a second after she had retreated.

In a few seconds, the Changer collapsed, dissolving into dust and revealing a second Circus, this one with large, gangly limbs and a polka dot dress.

"What?" Faultline almost yelled, uncrossing her arms for the first time since the start of the fight. "What the hell is that?"

From the opening made by the truck, they could see five other figures standing, each one slightly different from the other, but all of them clearly demonstrating they could use the same power.

Out of nowhere, a long, spear-like piece of metal pierced through the building, the small surface area facing little resistance as it flew through the walls.

Faultline flinched, ducking down as the projectile burst through the room, destroying one of the monitors and continuing on with such strength it pierced out of the building.

Looking around, the mercenary narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking about the situation.

"Fuck, Boss, you alright?" Spitfire asked while running into the room.

"He's aiming up where it's unlikely to actually hit anybody, just putting pressure on us without much risk of hurting their target, maybe trying to make us move Labyrinth," Faultline said. Glancing at the remaining monitors, she put a hand to her ear and activated her communication devices. "Coil hired some kind of cloning Cape. I don't see the real Circus anywhere so feel free to use lethal force."

"Understood," Gregor answered.

"Fine by me," Newter spoke as well.

Another projectile burst through the building, larger than the previous one, it still pierced the outer metal wall, but lost momentum and struck against something inside the house before falling to the floor.

Labyrinth drew her legs closer to her chest, her head twisting sideways in interest as she brought more of the metal building into their reality, reinforcing their location and pushing things out of the way.

Putting all her attention on Hal, Dinah regained full control and opened fire again; one of the laser shots pierced through the first Circus's left knee and caused them to collapse to the ground in pain.

Deep in concentration, Dinah started getting out of her meditating position, leaning forward with her tongue poking out from the side of her mouth as she targeted the others and guided her droid away from their thrown weapons. It wasn't easy.

One of the clones ran towards her, using the knuckles on their unnaturally long arms to push against the ground, Dinah shifted the focus towards it, but the Clone tumbled over the abandoned car, dodging several laser bolts before lifting one of his hands.

The Circus clone opened his pocket dimension, actually storing the air around his hand and creating a vacuum that drew her droid closer, with a jump, they barely touched the metal with the tip of a finger on their other hand, causing the small droid to burst into flames once again, those ones hot enough to start twisting the metal.

Squeezing her hand until her nails dug blood, Dinah shot. The laser hit the clone's head and caused it to actually explode before completely losing control of the droid, the device falling on the roof of a nearby building.

Snapping fully out of her meditating position, Dinah started breathing hard, the sight of the exploded head replaying in her eyes over and over again, she felt… cold, empty.

Faultline spared her a single glance, then looked at Spitfire and didn't say anything, just refocused on the images. Several of the cameras around the property had been destroyed, but there were still a few showing some of the Clones finding entrances into the building.

Dinah knew she had only killed a clone, but she had still thought she'd feel… something when taking a life. She didn't. It barely registered, and that was what bothered her. The act had been so easy, so fast, like playing a game, to the point she could easily see herself doing it again.

With a shiver, she swallowed, attempting to alleviate her dry throat before deactivating the monitors in her helmet since all her cameras had been destroyed. With another hard swallow, she looked up at the television.

On the second floor, Gregor faced one of the Clones; the thing had a bulging tumor on its back, but was still incredibly agile.

From the exposed skin of his arm, a jet of acid flew at the Clone, spraying in a wide arc, the Clone jumped up, then kicked against a wall, twisting midair to dodge as Gregor strafed his acid.

With lightning-fast reflexes, it threw a dagger aimed at Gregor's neck, but the Monster cape managed to intercept it with an arm, the blade sinking a few centimeters into his flesh.

Turning his back, Gregor squeezed his wounded arm without pulling out the dagger and started running, gas pouring from his entire body and filling the hallway. Another dagger flew at him, but it actually hit one of the hardened growths on his leg and only chipped off a small piece.

Releasing his wounded arm, he let the blood start dripping down the wound while grabbing at his pants, bursting right through a metal wall as if it wasn't there; he flicked the lighter and pushed his arm back, throwing the lighter at Circus.

The Clone barely had time to widen his eyes before the gas all around it caught fire, igniting into a ball of fire that shook the entire building.

Peeking through the damaged wall, Gregor looked out to see the still burning hallway, but there was something hanging in the middle of the air, a twisted space from which Circus's body seemed to… unfold, its clothes barely singed from the fire.

Before the Clone could fully return, Gregor aimed with both hands and released another jet of acid, causing it to cry out in pain as the substance ate through its body and killed it.

In another entrance, Newter fell from the ceiling, touching one of the clones and immediately causing it to collapse into a delirious mess, with a tail swipe, he attempted to touch a second clone, but the gangly thing jumped out of the way, a hammer materializing in its hand and almost taking off the monster cape's head.

Another projectile hit the building, this one large enough to collapse part of the roof and shake the entire structure despite Labyrinth's reinforcements.

Both the bombardment and Gregor's explosions hand rattled the building's structure and part of the ceiling collapsed into their room, a piece of rubble hitting Labyrinth in the mask and making her fall from her sitting position.

Immediately, Faultline's head snapped towards them and back to the only entrance to the room, watching as one of the clones finally found its way towards their location.

Pulling out the weapon from her waist, the mercenary snapped a few shots at the Clone, forcing it to duck back behind cover.

Kneeling, she touched the floor, immediately causing it to open, the crack extending towards the door and collapsing it, blocking the entrance. "Come on, we have to move."

Spitfire helped Labyrinth get back on her feet while Dinah uncrossed her legs and got up, pulling out her own laser pistol from under her shirt and holding it beside her body.

Faultline grabbed her empty arm and dragged the young girl towards the wall, touching it and splitting it open before barreling through, dragging Dinah over and waiting for her companions to follow while keeping a watch on the door of the room.

Labyrinth stumbled, her legs lacking strength and her head wandering aimlessly around the room as she acted drunkenly, Spitfire not being strong enough to guide her. From behind the collapsed entrance, a knife flew straight at the girl's back, forcing Faultline to block with her body, the bulletproof vest proving more than enough to block the weapon.

Hand free, Dinah lifted her pistol and shot back, hitting the second clone with a glancing shot to the shoulder before frowning. Damn, damn, damn! She still wasn't good enough to follow through on her power.

Looking at her weapon, she felt a bout of anger and frustration. She was supposed to have killed the clone, giving them enough time to think and plan again. At least her shot had forced it back.

In a single motion, Faultline gathered Labyrinth in her arms, put her in a firefighter carry and started to run towards the door, her weapon ready at her side.

Instead of opening the door, she opened a hole through the wall as far away from its location as possible, bursting through the place and into the hallway, her arm snapping up to take a shot at another Clone that had been lying in ambush.

Before she could finish pressing the trigger, the Clone used his pocket dimension to suck the air out of the room, creating a vacuum strong enough to suck them all in for a moment, causing the mercenary leader to stumble forward, the gun flying out of her hand.

Circus rushed her, but Faultline continued falling, turning the stumble into a roll, one hand reaching for her fallen pistol while the other touched the floor, causing it to open up into a basement. With unnatural reflexes, Circus jumped up, kicking against the wall to try and reach them, a metal bat appearing on its hands.

Using all her training, Dinah dived for her own weapon, sucked out of her hand by the vacuum. Desperately getting a grip on her pistol, she watched as Faultline was fast enough to block Circus's strike with a well-protected arm.

Before Dinah could finish aiming, Faultline's own gun barked, the shot coming from an awkward position but, at that distance, it had been pretty easy to aim.

Circus looked down at the hole in the middle of its chest, right where its lungs were supposed to be. Trying to suck up a breath, the Clone watched as blood and air bubbled out before stumbling back, the bat falling out of its hand as its foot slipped and it started falling into the hole behind it.

In one last act of defiance, the Clone activated its power again, creating another vacuum between its hands.

Faultline dropped her gun and grabbed at the wall with her good arm, but her fingers found no purchase as the vacuum dragged her body into the hole, Labyrinth tumbling after her as the both of them smashed into the basement.

2.5 meters wasn't a great height to fall, but Circus's blow had wounded her arm and Faultline was already out of position, Labyrinth falling on top of her didn't help.

The mercenary's mask hit the floor with a loud noise, the metal smashing against a fallen pipe and bouncing back with a sickening crack.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, this wasn't how a cape fight was supposed to go!" Spitfire yelled, looking down at her team leader. "Fuck, it feels like we're fighting the Teeth!"

Looking down at Faultline, Dinah released a breath when she saw the woman was alive, but the hit seemed to have left her sick, nauseous and unable to get up as her legs refused to sustain her.

Her own heart started beating hard in her chest. This wasn't supposed to happen, they were supposed to have time! She had messed up!

Spitfire looked down at Dinah and back at her leader, her own heart beating fast in her chest. "Shit!" she said, putting all her frustration in her voice before jumping down to help Faultline and an insensate Labyrinth who, miraculously, seemed to still be keeping her power active.

Dinah looked down at them, her feet stepping close to the edge, and then her eyes glanced up, seeing yet another Clone at the end of the hallway. Hand snapping up, she pulled the trigger.

Circus dodged, its reflexes and instincts enough to predict where Dinah was aiming. Still, despite her nerves, Dinah managed to clip the Clone's side before her tinkertech weapon jammed.

Crap, she didn't know lasers could jam!

Turning around, she ran, desperately trying to escape as she hit the weapon and tried to make it work again, that always seemed to work for her father, she had even seen Anakin doing it!

Her shoes clicked against the wooden floor before it changed into porcelain and then back to wood, the pieces of the house mixing randomly. Squeezing through a spot where the walls of the houses did match, she darted away, opening a metal door and stepping into a marble room.

Circus should have caught her; she knew she wasn't fast enough to outrun the Clone, but the wound on its side held it back, allowing her to actually gain distance.

Unfortunately, Dinah couldn't just run out, she knew Genesis would already be back outside, not to mention Trickster, ready to swap her with something the moment she appeared, and, while the house was big —particularly with everything Labyrinth had manifested— it wasn't big enough for her to hide indefinitely.

Opening another ornate door, Dinah burst into the last bedroom of the original house. Jumping over the bed, she desperately hit her laser pistol. "Come on, please work. Work!"

Being a room situated closer to the street, the bedroom had suffered a beating, there was dust everywhere and half the ceiling had collapsed, Labyrinth's metal wall having bent and damaged the real structure of the house.

Clothes lay strewn about everywhere, having fallen from the wardrobe when it crashed after Gregor's explosion and there were broken pieces from the now blocked window. A single marble wall divided half the room, but it was precarious, damaged by some of the projectiles that hit the house.

With a 'click', the weapon discharged another shot at a wall, the laser leaving a dark mark against the bent metal. "YES!"

For a second, Dinah aimed her weapon at the door, ready for Circus to enter, but then she remembered Faultline and swallowed, the Cape wasn't going to come through that opening.

Hands shaking, Dinah took a deep breath and looked up at the half-destroyed ceiling, but the Clone wasn't there yet, her weapon waving from the door to the opening constantly.

She had to do it, didn't she? But she had already messed up one shot! Even now, she couldn't fully follow through with her power!

Touching her forehead to the weapon, she squeezed her eyes, fear gripping her, she trusted Anakin, if she was captured, he'd save her, he promised, it wouldn't even take as long as before!

When she opened her eyes again, they had a newfound resolve.

She wouldn't act out of fear, her actions would be guided by what she wanted from her life, not what she feared or hated. She wanted to be strong, she wanted to have a say in things, not just watch as others achieved what she couldn't.

Putting one foot against the bed frame, she grabbed the mattress and pulled it above herself. Curling into a small ball, she adjusted the pistol to full auto and extended an arm to aim at the original wooden wall.

Pressing the trigger, she released dozens of laser shots at where she could already see the exposed support beam, shooting until the pistol clicked empty, a combination of heat and kinetic energy eating through the wooden pillar.

Already damaged and overwhelmed with the weight of what Labyrinth had brought into this reality, the support beam collapsed, bringing down the entire room above her.

A mixture of brick, wood, drywall and metal fell on top of her mattress, burying her body under the weight of four different houses occupying almost the same space, everything squishing her against the floor before it too collapsed, unable to hold all the weight.


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[CapCaverna]

Alright, I bet you guys didn't expect a second chapter this week.

Turns out I'm on vocation from college, so I have more free time.
If everything is well, I'll probably be able to post two chapters every week in July, but that's not certain.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and, as always, you can read one chapter ahead on my Patreon.
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Anakin stared at Newter's head sticking out of the wall, his mind still filled with the anger he felt after fighting with Lung. Pushing aside the sudden appearance of the strange human as he approached the recent battle-zone, he stretched his senses and truly focused on the girl instead of just verifying her presence.

Dinah's mind was muddled, flooded with pain but also a sense of confusion and euphoria, she was under the influence of some substance. Eyes flashing in anger, he asked. "What have you done?"

"Dude, calm down," Newter said, swallowing hard. "The kid collapsed the ceiling on top of herself, but we managed to dig her out and she's perfectly fine."

"I hope so, for your sake, mercenary," without saying anything else, Anakin started marching towards where he felt Dinah.

"Well, not perfectly fine," Newter hurriedly corrected. "But she's in no danger and it's nothing Panacea can't fix… Shit!"

The lizard-like parahumans had told him he'd have to find a way inside the building and Anakin could see the front door, as well as two windows, were blocked by a metallic wall. He felt no desire to waste minutes trying to find an intact path. Instead, he started walking while glaring at the wall in front of him.

Without gestures, he grabbed at the Force with sheer willpower and smashed the steel in front of him with a Force Push, the blow strong enough to pierce a hole through the wall. Without stopping, he peeled the metal back enough to create an entrance, the material releasing a tortured cry as it curled upon itself, bending unnaturally to give way. Trampling over the debris, he walked inside.

Anakin took five steps inside the building and stopped, his back straight. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

He had not used the Force to find a path; he had not guided it or asked for its help. No, he had dictated to it, bending it to his will for convenience. Anakin wasn't a Jedi, he recognized that particular role was not his calling, but he had no desire to be a Sith, to act with such selfishness.

More than that, he'd need to let go of the Dark Side if he wished to heal whatever wound Dinah had taken. Force Healing was fully a Light Side power, one beyond him as he was now.

It was not easy. Even now, anger came so easily to him… and was so hard to let go. Still, his fingers slowly relaxed, his fists uncurling as he released his feeling into the Force just as he had been taught so long ago.

Newter gave him time, either recognizing his need for silence or too intimidated to interfere/ Whatever the case, Anakin appreciated the thirty seconds of quiet.

Opening his eyes again, he felt his muscles unlocking, the adrenaline leaving his body. Releasing a breath, he asked the Force for guidance and it answered, easily.

"Ah… like, can you not destroy the rest of the house, please?" Newter awkwardly asked, wisely keeping his distance. "I mean, I guess it's a total loss already, but I think we'd all prefer for it to collapse after we left."

"Very well, I'll endeavor to contain myself," Anakin said, striding through the house towards where the Force guided him.

"Right, thanks a lot. I'm gonna go back to watching the area then," with a nod, Newter walked through another wall, leaving Anakin to find his way alone.

The path he took was no longer a straight line but, now that he was a little calmer, he recognized the delay was minimal, and it did give him the time necessary to fully balance himself.

Stepping over the body of a deformed human dressed like a clown, he squeezed through an opening on a collapsed doorway and found himself in front of a large hole on the floor. For a second, he considered finding another way or resorting to the Force before snorting and leaping through.

He had been locked inside his armor, his movement range restricted for more than half his life. But now such inflexibility was no longer a concern; it would seem getting over his habits would still take some time.

Finally, he heard conversation coming from a room ahead of him.

"You think he managed to repel Lung?" Gregor asked in a conversational tone, as if he didn't really care about the result but was just curious.

"Depends, he seemed really confident, but how much of that was arrogance and how much was genuinely competence is anyone's guess," Faultline answered in a strained voice.

"So, why did we even take the damn job?" a younger, female voice angrily asked.

"The girl is valuable and she's with us," Gregor answered.

"Yes, even if our employer was vastly overestimating himself, we still get what we want," Faultline commented, then grunted in pain. "The girl owes us, that won't change even if Lung killed him. In a way, that would actually be better for us."

"Apologies then, it seems I will have to disappoint you," Anakin said walking inside.

Looking around, he took in the entire situation. The room had suffered a lot of damage, but the debris had been swept towards a corner and the furniture was mostly intact.

Faultline sat in a comfortable chair, a bandage wrapped around her head under her mask. Gregor was still tidying up the room while Labyrinth and Spitfire sat together, the younger girl combing some debris from the blonde's long hair.

Finally, his eyes found Dinah lying on top of a single bed, her head was covered in dust and small scratches, her eyes unfocused and a blanket resting on top of her. For a full second, he just stared at her chest going up and down and felt a weight leaving his shoulders.

The girl was alright. Wounded, but alive and in no risk of dying. Then his eyes caught sight of the bandages wrapped around her arm. They were hidden below the blanket, but he recognized a serious wound when he saw it.

He almost struck out, his mind spreading out and grabbing at the Force around the room, his presence flooding the room like a blanket of dread that caused everyone to shiver.

With an effort of will, he took it all back, releasing the Force slowly, almost as if letting it flow through his fingers. He would still destroy the ones responsible, dismember them slowly and twist their…

Taking another breath, he looked away from her wounds and towards the mercenaries.

Faultline shivered again and looked back at him, noticing some fire damage on his clothes, but also his lack of wounds. "I'm not disappointed," she shrugged, her voice without a hint of remorse at what she had said. "Yes, in the long run, having a Precog in our team would make us much more effective, but she's too young. I also prefer to have you alive to pay me back."

"Understandable. What happened?" Anakin asked, his eyes focusing back on Dinah now that he calmed himself.

"We didn't expect to face clones fully willing to kill themselves," the mercenary leader explained, adjusting her place in the chair. "It's much harder to fight off someone if they don't fear death. The girl ended up collapsing the ceiling on top of herself to prevent getting taken away. After that, we continued to fight them for a while, preventing the Travelers from digging her out until they ran off about 10 minutes ago."

Sitting on the bed, Anakin laid a gentle hand on Dinah's head, a wave of Force Healing washing her body, taking care of the most superficial wounds and starting to work on the worst of the damage. "And her wounds?"

"She protected herself with a mattress, but she still got bruised and her right hand was crushed," Faultline said. "Newter gave her a dose to stop the pain and we did our best, but she'll need a hospital at the very least."

Carefully, Anakin peeled the covers from over the youngling, fully revealing the well made bandages. The mercenaries had cleaned it well and, through the Force, he could see the girl wasn't in any danger, but he could also see her arm had been absolutely destroyed.

Focusing his efforts on the arm, Anakin frowned under his mask. Force Healing accelerated and empowered the body's own healing process, but the damage he faced was too much and his skill too lacking. He wouldn't be able to restore her arm, not for a long time.

Exploring the damage with his senses, he saw the bones had been crushed, the flesh twisted and a lot of dust had gotten into the wound. He could use the Force to pull the inorganic material out and close the wounds, but not restore the arm. Even with hours to work on it, he knew the arm would cause her constant pain.

Doing the best he could, he looked at his own, now intact, hand and sighed. How… ironic.

From his understanding, Panacea had fully re-grown his limbs, restoring his lungs and any of his burns in less than a day, a feat only matched by some of the most powerful legends from the era of the old Republic and Sith Empire.

Unfortunately, she was unlikely to be free to heal the girl anytime soon and, while he could force her, it was not something he wished to do.

Well, being truthful with himself, that had been his first instinct, but he was still extremely thankful to the parahumans for healing him. Even as Vader, forcing her to heal the youngling would leave a bitter taste in his mouth, much less now.

Instead, he pulled his lightsaber to his hand and ignited the blade, the red light crackling in complaint as its energy started to run low. The mercenaries stepped back, but he ignored them.

Using Alter Damage to diminish its power, he focused the Force on the lightsaber, diminishing its width and completely stopping the crackling. Finally, when it was fully under his power, he amputated the limb at the elbow, the weapon doing only minimal damage.

Turning off the blade, he refocused his efforts, accelerating the healing as much as he could until a scar started to form. With his power, no blister formed in the area, but he wasn't good enough to fully re-grow the skin in only a few minutes. Still, the pain should be minimal if she kept from moving the wound.

"How long will your companion's drug last? I wish to speak with the girl." he asked, turning towards the mercenaries.

"Usually, it lasts several hours," Gregor answered. Releasing his broom against a wall, he crossed his arms and looked at Dinah with concerned eyes. "You sure you want her awake?"

"The pain will be minimal," Anakin answered. "Non-existent if you could create some local anesthetic."

Gregor nodded, still giving his lightsaber a wary glance. Still, he came closer and released a transparent substance over Dinah's arm. "Just spread it over the area, it will numb any feelings there for an hour or two."

Using his gloved hand, Anakin massaged the substance, making sure to spread it evenly over her arm and leaving it numb to the pain.

"So, did you at least beat the dragon?" Spitfire asked. "Don't tell me you had to run away after what you said in the meeting."

"The fight was slightly more complicated than I first expected," Anakin answered, concentrating on eliminating any strange substances from her body. "Regardless, I have eliminated Lung and Oni-Lee; it is likely the PRT has dealt with the bomber."

"When you say eliminated…?" Faultline asked.

"I offered him mercy, he did not take it."

"Ding-dong the dragon's dead. Great, and you got the suicide bomber too!" the young girl said, trying to make light of the situation, but her voice cracked, betraying her nervousness.

"Regardless, you hired us to keep the girl from getting kidnapped, we fulfilled the contract," Faultline said, pushing herself up and stumbling, Gregor steadying her with a hand. "If you don't mind, we'll be leaving before the PRT arrives. Don't know why they haven't shown up yet."

"As I said, my battle with Lung was slightly more complicated than expected," Anakin said, his thumb gently caressing Dinah's forehead as he finished purging the drugs from her system. "They were also assaulting the terrorist's location."

"Right… just how much damage did you cause?" Gregor asked.

"Enough," Anakin shrugged. Looking up, he glanced towards the PRT base and gathered Dinah's sleeping body in his arms. "Still, you are correct. I sense we do not have much time and have no desire to engage the PRT or the Protectorate again."

Everyone nodded at that and Faultline touched her communicators. "Bring the van closer, we're leaving."

"Right away, boss," Newter answered.

Getting up, Anakin cradled the youngling against his chest and made sure her wounded arm wasn't touching anything. "Faultline, your services were adequate, I will have your payment ready in three days."

Faultline nodded, "Right, always nice doing business with a professional."

For a second, Anakin watched the team leave, Labyrinth being gently guided through the building as her power opened a straight line path towards the exit. In his arms, Dinah grunted and squirmed, forcing him to hold her arm in place.

Eventually, she blinked several times and opened her eyes, staring right up at him for a few seconds before regaining clarity. "You're back," she said, her head resting against his chest as her whole body relaxed against him. Lifting her free hand, she squeezed his arm. "I knew you'd make it."

"… You buried yourself," Anakin said after a few seconds.

"I knew I'd be fine, I saw it," Dinah smiled up at him, a cheeky tone in her voice.

"You lost an arm."

"What?" she said, taking a second to register his words. Lifting her right hand, she stared at the stump with a conflicted face. "But… you can heal it, right?"

"I cannot," he shook his head, starting to walk out of the building with her still in his arms. "To me, Force Healing is still a new power, re-growing a limb remains beyond my ability."

"Oh," she said, stunned. For a full minute, she just stared at the stump, her face going through several emotions and settling on hope. A second later, she winced and tried to grab at her head with the missing limb.

"What?"

"Ninety-two point seventy one percent chance Panacea agrees to re-grow the arm, it's fine."

"Star's end!" Anakin cursed, was this what Obi-Wan felt every time he crashed a ship or acted recklessly? Ashoka had buried herself too –which really wasn't helping with the entire situation– but at least she had been a competent Force user by then. "I would prefer you did not lose any more limbs regardless of how easily they can be regenerated."

"I wasn't supposed to lose it," she grumbled, letting her head hang back on his arms, her mind still not fully registering the missing limb. "It was supposed to be fine, but then I missed a shot and tried to correct it, so I didn't pull my arm back fast enough."

"Impressive, your recklessness is most impressive," Anakin glared at the girl, causing her to wince.

"Sorry, I… it was the only way I could see to keep them from taking me," Dinah explained.

"I did not hire Faultline because I feared being unable to rescue you. I hired her and her mercenaries to prevent you from being hurt," Anakin said, trampling over pieces of wood and debris from the ceiling. "Burying yourself under several buildings defeats the purpose of keeping you safe."

"Right, it's just… I wanted to be the one to do it?" she looked up at him as if begging him to understand and, in a way, Anakin did. "I didn't want to be helpless again."

Looking ahead, Anakin ducked under a broken support beam and thought about his own life. He had always hated how helpless he was, how weak. The first time he ever felt pride was when he won that podrace and, really, that had been far more dangerous than a collapsing house.

Now, decades later, he could also recognize he had competed in that race for almost exactly the same reason. Yes, it had been to help Qui-Gon, to help Padme, to help his mother and earn their freedom but, deep down, he had known there were other ways. The podrace had simply been the one that allowed HIM to do it.

Stepping out into the city, Anakin paused, the Force calling his attention to something. Glancing aside, he adjusted his grip on Dinah and extended his hand, pulling the Droid from under some rubble, the small, round casing coming to rest on his extended palm.

"Hal!" Dinah shouted, again trying to grab it with her missing limb before changing to her left hand.

The droid released a sad 'beep' from his busted speakers, its body moving slightly from side to side but too damaged to take flight again. Smiling, Dinah put the droid against her belly and laughed.

Seeing that the girl was fully awake and in control, Anakin released her back into the ground. Dinah steadied herself, her remaining hand grabbing his cape for support and almost dropping the droid held under her arm.

With a sigh, Anakin patted her dust covered hair. "I understand. You did well," Looking up at him, Dinah's face turned into a proud smile. So he promptly continued. "I hope you understand this means I will be doubling your training."

"What?!"

"You wish to not be helpless again? Very well, I will make sure you are not, even if you have to be bedridden with muscle aches for a few months," Anakin said, starting to walk away from the building. "Hopefully, by the time you have enough energy to worry me again; you will also have enough skill to avoid dismemberment."

"… Can I at least get a laser sword?"

Anakin just looked down at her for a second. "It is called a lightsaber and no. I said my goal was to help you avoid dismemberment, not make it easier."

Guided by the Force, Anakin found an old, abandoned car and, with a gentle use of Force Telekinesis, unlocked its door and turned the vehicle on, the ignition took some effort, but it was still capable of working.

Sitting beside him, Dinah had some trouble putting the seatbelt on without banging her stump, but the substance Gregor had created made sure she wasn't in any pain.

The sun was just rising over the city and the streets were quiet, lacking both the usual pedestrian movement and the explosions of the last few days. Anakin hoped the Protectorate had been able to deal with Bakuda but, if not, he would just have to deal with it later, the parahuman's bombs were dangerous, but not all that different from thermal detonators.

Coil and the Travelers were another problem he'd have to deal with. No, problem was too strong a word, they were annoyances, inconveniences that he only recognized for the danger they presented to Dinah.

As for how to deal with them? Anakin was conflicted. In a way, he had always been direct and destroying them appealed to him but, on the other, Dinah had just told him she wanted to do things herself.

If they did not prove too bothersome, he was tempted to let her. Even if she did not do it with her own hands, her precognition should allow her to defeat them with the right training. Anakin may have always been a frontline general, but he recognized there were other ways of doing things.

Really, he'd have been a complete fool if he didn't, not after interacting with the likes of Sidious, Tarkin, Thrawn.

For now, he had to find a new location to live in, preferably one where Dinah would be comfortable.

"What about a robot hand?" Dinah asked, stopping his thoughts. "I know Panacea will re-grow my arm, but I don't know how long that would take, can't you make me a robot hand."

"… That can be arranged," Anakin said after some thought. He did have some experience with prosthetics after all.

"Yes!"




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[CapCaverna]

So, this chapter was supposed to come out yesterday, unfortunately, my house was without light for half a day and I couldn't use the computer. (had a storm)

I still had my phone, but that only has so much charge and I can't exactly write on it for long. I was also having some problems with the chapter, but I think it turned out well.
Next chapter was supposed to come tomorrow, but I'll probably finish it in two days.
.
Also, I have FINALLY bought a new computer! It's been months since I'be been used a crappy notebook borrowed from my older brother.

It was a tiny thing, I couldn't open a youtube page to listen to music and write at the same time else it started having problems and was, somehow, still better than my old one. (I think my brother paid, like 100 dolars on it.)

On the one hand, The new PC should allow me to write more, use better programs and improve everything.

On the other hand, it's a new PC, I can now play games with it... (Well, in 5 days when it arrives)

Do you guys know how long it's been since I last played anything new that wasn't a mobile game? I think I sold my Xbox 7 years ago and, even then, my PC was old and couldn't play anything.
.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
_______________________________________________________________

Tattletale grinned as she watched Grue sit at the table with the big boys. Her eyes slid towards the boss and she squinted, relaxing the grip she had on her power for a few seconds.

Slight movement of hand, small shake of leg: wants to fidget, uncomfortable.​

Change in timbre of voice, nearly imperceptible, affected confidence: Acting. Not real Coil, doppelganger.​

Coil not present, Coil sent a doppelganger: Uncertain about the result of the meeting. Unwilling to attend. Expects violence, danger.​

That gave her pause. She had been expecting this to be a safe meeting, one held on neutral ground. Was Lung crazy enough to target them all at the same time?

Turning away, she cut off her power, the smirk disappearing from her face. Giving Skitter a nervous glance, she leaned back into the chair, moving it slightly towards the back exit, preparing to grab the girl and run.

She was a Thinker. Helping out a single one of her companions was all she could do and, really, Grue, Regent and Bitch could take care of themselves.

For a second, she caught Regent giving her a look, a single eyebrow raised in question.

Noticed her worry: Sensed her muscles tensing.​

Meeting his eyes, she just looked towards the exit she was aiming for and the cape gave her a lazy smile, a finger tapping against the table.

"… There's one more," she heard Trickster say, refocusing on the main table. "Another newcomer in the city."

She thought about releasing her power again, trying to find anything else from the main table, but she still had limits. Her use of her power was getting easier with every day, but it still gave her terrible headaches if she pushed it too much.

When the aforementioned cape arrived and it was like a wave of dread washed over the entire room, even the Merchants adjusted themselves into their seats. This new cape didn't walk into the room, he marched, a little girl at his side.

"Who the fuck are you?" Skidmark asked, trying to get into the man's face and being completely ignored.

Somehow, Tattletale was able to sense the man's eyes passing over her even through the mirrored lenses of the mask. She shivered. She had heard of the new Master Cape in the city, but she had imagined him to look more like Regent, not… this.

Stiff movements, robotic, decisive steps: military training, used to moving differently, still adjusting to current limbs.​

Disinterest towards capes. Disregard, Disappointment: Doesn't consider anyone a threat, doesn't respect anyone in the room.​

Large, well defined muscles, tall frame, precise control: Brute/Master power? No, training, better than Grue.​

"Be quiet. Don't make me waste my time."

His voice wasn't loud but it effectively boomed, filling the entire room with more authority than any of the previous capes, even Kaiser didn't have his presence. At her side, Skitter fully focused on the Cape.

Polaris sat at the main table, leaving the kid by Faultline's crew. Subconsciously, nobody dared even question his presence anymore, then Grue gathered himself and frowned, daring to ask about the new cape.

In her seat, Tattletale suddenly lost the tight grip she kept on her power, it almost seemed to come alive, desperately grasping for more information about the new cape.

Lack of body movement, body almost doesn't have tells, limbs don't move, anomalous breathing: unused to having limbs, unused to breathing.​

Disinterested in the conversation, doesn't care about the city, unhappy with the status quo: ABB's actions personally offend him, doesn't like the chaos.​

Lie, doesn't know about the rules, can guess, doesn't care: believes he doesn't have to care. Doesn't fear retaliation.​

Doesn't fear the capes here, believes he can survive against all of them, believes he'd win a fight: Considering starting one.​

Snatching her control back, Tattletale put a hand on her head and turned away from the table. Fuck, was he insane? Did Coil know about this?

Damnit, what did she know about him? PRT had him pegged as a Master/Tinker with magnetic specialty. A grab bag then, with his Tinker power the strongest one. The fact he managed to destroy an entire street and kill 11 people before the police even got there meant he was a heavy hitter.

Still, Tinkers were supposed to need time, not just show up and be unafraid of a room filled with capes, capes with years of experience.

"So, that's your type, huh?" Regent said. "No wonder you're so close to Skitter."

"What?" Tattletale said, looking away from the cape.

"Hey, I'm not judging, he's fitter than Grue. Although I think he's a little old for you, no?"

She was gonna hit him, if he wasn't too far away she'd have done it too. Closing her eyes, Tattletale gathered herself, trying to refocus her power. "Shut up, I'm trying to keep us alive here."

"What?" Skitter asked, her eyes narrowing at her.

"The new cape, he's not exactly all there," she said. "Now, can you be quiet and let me concentrate?"

Turning back towards the discussion, she released her power once again, trying to direct it towards anything useful. It seemed to almost jump at the opportunity.

Not looking at the parts involved, reacted to what the kid did without looking: Doesn't need to see, has improved senses or a Thinker power, confirmed grab bag.​

Not wearing power armor, single cylindrical device too small to be have too many functionalities, mask doesn't hold any tinkertech, didn't have enough time to build anything complicated: Not a Tinker? No, Tinker power is not the main one, considering the damage he's capable of, likely Shaker.​

Name choice: Polaris, not chosen by him, doesn't care, wrong: Shaker power not related to magnetism, Telekinesis?​

Shit, that complicated things. It meant he didn't need any equipment to cause the same level of damage he did on 6th Street, and they were all happily sitting here inside his likely range. Was he even Manton limited or could he just… squeeze them all into paste right now?

Grabbing Skitter's cup, she took a large swig and wiped her forehead. For some reason, her power wasn't giving her a headache yet, but the tension was making her equally tired, her body constantly ready to make a run for it.

Doesn't care about cape name, doesn't care about the truce: unlikely to care about the unwritten rules.​

Not interested in what's being discussed, Interested in how it's being discussed, dislikes the status quo: Considering starting a fight, considering if he should kill them all.​

Doesn't value their lives, wouldn't be affected if he killed them all, considers himself evil, thinks killing everyone would be easy, fully desensitized to it: Has killed dozens before, so many the numbers lose meaning.​

Too experienced, too confident: Not a new cape, has fought parahumans before, far stronger than everyone present.​

Fuck, fuck, fuck, what the hell? This was supposed to be an easy meeting! There wasn't supposed to be a Slaughterhouse candidate here, damn it!

Tattletale almost made a run for it, her body starting to get up from the chair before Regent made her leg twitch causing her to slip back into the chair, banging her arm against the table.

Giving him a glare, she saw his smirking face and small shake of the head.

Taking a second to calm down, Tattletale swallowed again, her leg starting to tap against the floor until she grabbed her knee and made it stop.

"Who controls the resulting territory?" Polaris asked. "When the ABB are gone, who will be left in control of the resulting unaligned Asian population?"

Tattletale whipped her head towards him, a hand grabbing Skitter's wrist and preparing to run. This was it, Polaris was deciding if he should start things or not.

Crap, had he just been buying time? Did his Shaker power require time to saturate an area before he could act?

For a few seconds, everything grew quiet, every cape present somehow knowing how important the answer was. Finally, it was Kaiser that broke the awkward silence.

"I take it you have a suggestion?"

For a second, Tattletale thought he'd do it, she didn't need her power to see the thought going through his head.

"This alliance is unnecessary; I will deal with the ABB myself. From tomorrow on, its territory will be beyond your grasp."

Word choice, 'your': Assumes they will be alive, decided not to kill them all.​

Utter confidence, exasperation: Doesn't see Lung as a threat, frustrated with own decision, may change opinion.​

Tattletale almost collapsed, most of the tension leaving her body as she released a breath she had been holding. Holy shit, they'd just dodged a bullet. Not fully, but she doubted Polaris would change his decision that fast.

Yeah, she had no intention of being anywhere near him when that happened. It wasn't impossible that the guy was simply insane and would get killed before doing any damage, but it was VERY unlikely.

Somehow, she lost what was said for a few seconds, regaining her wits when Polaris started walking towards his companion. For a moment, she caught him looking at her.

Focused on you, noticed your attention, reading you, knows you're afraid: can sense emotions, doesn't care you're afraid, thinks you should be.​

Flinching, Tattletale avoided his eyes. Great, the mass murderer liked to sense her fear, just great! At least she'd have nothing to do with him after this. Worse, her power finally started giving her problems.

Really, she kinda liked her team —for all the trouble they caused her— but, if Coil didn't have a gun to her head, she'd be fleeing the city so fast Velocity wouldn't be able to catch up with her.

"What are the chances you'll remain safe on your own today?" Polaris asked the girl.

"Twelve point seven, seven, nine, two percent chance. Why?" the kid answered, triggering Tattletale's power again.

Answer too clear, complete confidence, exact numbers: Thinker power, Precog, extremely powerful.​

Girl Kidnapped on April 14th, Bank Robbery executed on April 14th, bank Robbery didn't make sense, Precog powers interfere with each other: Distraction, true goal always the girl, Coil unlikely to give up.​

FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

.
.
.

An hour later, huddled against the wall in her house, Tattletale stared at her phone, letting it ring for a full minute. Finally, her hand flashed forward, she snatched the phone and answered.

"Tattletale, I have a…"

"No."

.
.
.

Lisa woke up with a groan, her head still hurting and her heart beating hard on her chest. In desperation, her eyes flew everywhere and she only relaxed when she was sure she was still in her room.

Right, she wasn't dead… or kidnapped, right?…

Stretching, she took a few minutes to calm herself down, her furiously beating heart slowing with every breath. Finally, she looked at her phone on the floor.

She had thrown it at the wall after hanging up on Coil's face… turns out she wasn't strong enough to smash it entirely, not through the protective casing, only causing a small crack in the screen.

Huh, she only cared a little about that.

Walking out of the room, she massaged her temples and glared at Alec already playing his damn game. "Can you turn the volume down?"

"Nope."

"Little shit."

Shaking her head, she grabbed herself a cup of coffee and went back to her room, slamming the door and sitting on the bed, her knees to her chest, the cracked phone back in her hand.


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♦ Topic: Holy crap, WTF just happened?
In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America
SnowyBattleCat (Original Poster) (Cape Geek)
Posted on April 24th, 2011:
Holy crap, I mean, just… HOLY CRAP!

Last night, I was just hiding in my room, hoping the heroes would finally deal with this entire madness in the Bay and then I heard a roar, a very large roar.

Still, for the last few days, the Bay has been hit by our very own version of the Mad Bomber, now with exotic powers, so strange noises weren't exactly unexpected, but I couldn't help looking through the window… carefully.

I have to say, for a second there, I thought we were getting attacked by a fourth Endbringer.

You guys think I'm joking? Well, look at this! Wouldn't you think a forty foot tall dragon setting fire to half the city was an Endbringer?

I always asked myself why the Protectorate never dealt with Lung, I know he kicked their face in when he first arrived, but I thought it was because he caught them by surprise… Guess now I know better.

Still, I watched the giant dragon spew a wave of fire down in the city, heard it roar, lightning crack (and what's up with THAT, by the way?), and then nothing, nada, he just disappeared in the flames and never popped up again.

Can someone please tell me what happened? I'm desperate here. How the hell did they deal with the rampaging Rage Dragon without losing the city? Who the heck fought Lung until he got to that size? Did they win? Cuz I can't imagine the Dragon being able to deescalate that fast or escape without anyone seeing him.


EDIT: Right, I'm supposed to contribute something if I'm starting a thread, so here's the best I can do:

• April 11th: Armsmaster defeats Lung, (HOW!!!!?).

• April 12th ~ 15th?: Bakuda starts putting bombs inside people's heads. – Not sure about this one, people seem to think it was a desperate attempt to get her boss out, not something she had been planning with Lung but, well…

• April 15th: Explosion at Brockton Bay, supervillain Bakuda starts terrorizing the city. Oni Lee releases Lung. The bombs don't stop.

• April 22/23th: People have been saying there was a meeting between the Supervillains in the Bay, seems the ABB was making enough trouble to bother even them.

• April 24th: Lung turns into an actual freaking dragon, with multiple motherfucking wings… and arms. The guy was larger than a building, burns down part of the docks and just… disappears;

Help me out here people, anybody knows what exactly went down?

EDIT: Again, holy crap, it seems like Uber and Leet actually filmed the whole thing! Link here.


(Showing page 10 of 10)

► Karez
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
Let me get this straight. Someone actually killed Lung, like, right there in front of the Protectorate?

And they didn't arrest him? I mean, good riddance to the damn asshole, but this Polaris (we're not really calling him that are we?) did provoke the rage dragon, cause millions in damage, the deaths of who knows how many civilians caught in the crossfire, and then executed a parahumans in cold blood.

I thought the Protectorate was made to stop that kind of shit.

► ThatDude
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
And how do you propose they do that? The dude just killed a giant dragon, they're gonna have to call the triumvirate to deal with that level of power.

► Dr.Faustus (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
@ Karez. Well, they didn't arrest Lung, did they? What makes you think they're gonna risk facing the one who killed him?

Plus, they only had two capes there. From what I heard, they were throwing everything but the Wards at Bakuda when that fight went down, the rest of the capes standing by to block Lung and Oni Lee from coming to her rescue.

At least it seems like Armsmaster managed to arrest the bitch.

► XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
Shit, how did I miss this!

Also, did you guys really think Polaris worked alone? I bet they hired him to deal with Lung and that's why they aren't arresting him.

► Mugger
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
Two things:
1) The PRT classified Polaris as a Master/Tinker, a weak Master, sure, but still a human Master, they'd never work with him..
2) Doesn't fit with what we know of the Brockton Bay's PRT, they're always trying to keep the status quo over there. My bet is that they just wanted Bakuda out of the way so the Rage Dragon and the Nazis could go back to keeping each other in check, Lung dying was never their goal. Heck, I'd say Lung getting arrested was not the goal, at least not permanently.

► WanderingSamurai
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
Guys! Uber and Leet just updated their page, they actually filmed the fight start to finish with the snitch. LINK

Also, RIP snitch.

► Gy
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
… Alright, I completely understand why they wouldn't try to arrest the dude.

Like the OP said, WTF! That's such bullshit!

I just looked at the guy's page and, apparently, the PRT had him pegged as a Master 1, Tinker 4, yeah, nope.

Really, did anyone even hear of a magnetic Tinker like him before? Cuz, if not, I'm calling bullshit on that too, no way he could build such diverse equipment before debuting. My bet is that he's some kind of Shaker.

That shit is Triumvirate level, man.

► Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
@ Gy: So, looking at the video, that sword of his was definitely tinkertech and Tinkers are bullshit, it is entirely possible to build something capable of everything else he showed, but I think you're right, he was far too versatile. Could be he was just rich enough to buy the gear before going out as a cape.

EDIT; Alright, I had a friend look at the situation in the Bay and, yeah, from what I heard, there really was a villain meeting. The villains wanted an alliance against the ABB because the bombings were drawing too much attention to the place and nobody wanted one of the Triumvirate making a visit.

Apparently, the guy walked in there, called them all incompetent to their faces, said he'd deal with Lung and claimed the ABB territory for himself.

I bet some people laughed at his face but, well, if I was them I'd be running from the city right now.

In summary, Lung's dead, Oni Lee's dead, Bakuda is with the PRT… the ABB is pretty much done but nobody knows what's gonna happen now, will anyone dare fight Polaris for the territory?

Also, I heard he had actually been fighting crime before killing Lung, using his master power to force goons into turning themselves in and disabling Bakuda's bombs while avoiding the PRT and Protectorate.

So, yeah, good luck with that.

As for the PRT and their capes, my guess was that they planned on taking Bakuda out of the equation before the villains had to get their hands dirty, not only because it would look bad for them if the villains were the ones to deal with it, but also because villains fighting each other is never a good thing for normal civilians.

Boston Games, anyone?

► Urze_Overseer
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
So, is he a Villain or an Independent? He did kill Lung and Oni Lee but, fuck, they both deserved to get kill orders anyway.

Did he take over the ABB or was he just trying to keep the gang violence from hurting the Asian community? I mean, without Lung, I really doubt the damn Nazis, Merchants and Coil are gonna care about what happens to the people just living in the territory while they fight for it.

► White Fairy (Veteran Member)
Replied on April 24th, 2011:
I'm gonna have to stop myself from saying more than I want but, are you guys insane? The guy is a murderer, he said so right in Miss Militia's face!

Also, didn't you guys read his page, he kidnapped a little girl, do I need to tell you the kind of things a human master can do to a little girl? Polaris isn't an independent hero, he isn't misunderstood and isn't trying to do the right thing.

No, he's just another criminal. You'll see, I bet he'll take over the ABB and this will just be a case of, The King is Dead, long live the King!

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 8, 9, 10


Almost unable to help herself, she clicked the damn link, starting to watch the entire video. It seems like Coil had actually hired the duo to film everything because they were already filming things when Polaris arrived.

With distant, almost uncaring eyes, she watched as a monster fought with Lung, clearly doing its best to anger the dragon as much as it could before being destroyed right as Polaris arrived.

Then she watched the fight, her chest strangely empty. Yep, she had definitely made the right choice.

Plasma blade, heat contained by an energy field, inconsistent damage: Blade not optimized, at least 18 thousand degrees, extremely hard to use.​

Reaction speed beyond human, strength beyond human, reacts before attacks happen, no hesitation to use lethal attacks, wounded when hit by Lung's tail: Experienced fighter, extensive training, combat Thinker power. Not a Brute/Mover, using power to affect own body. Not Manton limited.​

Not moving as much as physique indicates, no signs of tension or fear, varying speeds of attack and reaction: Never felt any danger, not trying his best, taking it easy.​

Power affects the entire street, power affects places he's unable to see, extreme fine control: can sense the entire street, can affect anything he senses, unknown upper limit, unknown lower limit.​

Great, at least she felt better not having to fight… that. Because she was pretty certain she knew who had made sure Lung was ramped up before their fight.

"Lisa! What the hell?" Brian burst into her room, his face filled with anger.

"What?"

"I thought we were over this, you don't make decisions for the team. I just got a message from our employer, he's cutting our money because of this."

"WHAT?" Alec said.

Lisa actually shrugged —she was beyond caring at this point— sending him the link to Polaris fight. "I thought it was better than being dead, sorry."

"Explain. Now."

She looked at her two companions, briefly wondering where Bitch was.

Lung's battle caused a lot of noise. Bakuda's bombs were extremely loud: Dogs likely to be scared.​

Well, that answered that question. "You remember the bank job? Well, I found out why he wanted us to pull it. He wanted to get his hands on the kid Polaris was dragging around. Yesterday's call was about helping him retake her."

Alec just snorted. "Right, because you care so much about a kid."

"I care about not facing Polaris," Lisa said. "He couldn't give a shit about the unwritten rules."

"Nobody gives a shit about the unwritten rules," Alec said. "We still fight against them."

"I care about the unwritten rules," Brian growled, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. "We need them to function."

"Correction, weaklings care about the unwritten rules," Alec said. "The gangs care about not being caught breaking the unwritten rules… too badly at least."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Polaris is strong, and insane enough to not care about them at all," Lisa stretched her legs, finishing her coffee and putting the mug to the side. "Watch the video I just sent you."

Pulling out their phones, both boys started watching Leet's video without a word. Nearly twenty minutes later, Alec spoke. "Alright, I guess we can take a pay cut."

.
.
.
.

♦ Topic: The Travelers VS Faultline's crew
In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay ► Teams
► Cesar66 (Original Poster) (Cape Geek)
Replied on April 25th, 2011:
Alright, people seem endlessly interested in what went down between Lung and Polaris but, really, yesterday was madness in the bay.

So, everyone knows about Lung VS Polaris, they also learned about Armsmaster VS Bakuda after the PRT announced her capture, but not many people are talking about the fight between The Travelers and Faultline that went down on the same day.

Yes people, we had not one, not two, but three major battles in the same day, shit was crazy.

For those who aren't aware, Faultline is a local mercenary that's… well, I guess she's a Rogue? The PRT probably doesn't think so since her team kinda beat Chevalier and Myrddin not too long ago.

Anyways, her team has two Monster capes and is a real powerhouse, with a motherfucking Shaker 12. Unfortunately, Labyrinth isn't exactly all there in the head, so she's never as scary as that number indicates, but that's still a huge number.

And in the opposite corner, The Travelers, another heavy hitter team.

From what I know, they're pretty true to their name, never settling down for long and were already scary strong before the fight, now, they're a nightmare. Apparently, one of their hidden members can clone capes and they got Circus to help out, throwing a dozen suicide clones at them.

Someone managed to snap a few pictures of the battlefield while it was going down here, here, here and here.

It seems like the battle turned around three blocks of the city into a maddening location, with buildings growing out of each other and cars flying around like bullets. Shit was crazy man.


(Showing page 9 of 9)

► AllSeeingEye (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on April 28st, 2011:
Yeah, no, if the Travelers were that strong they'd be getting an A rank threat at the least.

Yes, the PRT was able to bag the clones as if they were fully real, but they disappeared from the morgue in a day or two so their cloner seems more or less like Spree.

From what I understand, unlike Spree, he can clone other capes and they last much longer, but the limit seems to be lower. Also, reports say the clones are deformed and the powers are slightly wrong.

Circus is a grab bag independent villain in the Bay, his powers aren't exactly impressive to begin with, I really doubt they could clone someone too powerful.

► SnowyBattleCat (Cape Geek)
Replied on April 28st, 2011:
I agree, such powers usually have a lot of restrictions… if they were that powerful they'd have carved a little corner for themselves before now.

If I had to guess, the number and duration of the clones is proportional to the power of the original, so cloning anyone too powerful either wouldn't work or would create a single minion for a very short time.

► Aku-42
Replied on April 28st, 2011:
@ SnowyBattleCat Omg. That's not how powers work, are you stupid?

► WagTheDog
Replied on April 28st, 2011:
Wow, I did not know Faultline's crew was that strong. How the hell did nobody interfere in their fight, it couldn't have happened so fast nobody managed to get there in time.

► Cesar66 (Original Poster) (Cape Geek)
Replied on April 28th, 2011:
@ WagTheDog you understand the Protectorate was busy with Bakuda AND Lung right, after a week of dealing with bombings, they didn't have enough to cover three major events at roughly the same time.

Also, I bet there were PRT and police close by, but they weren't about to get between the Capes without Protectorate support. You just don't engage a Shaker 12 after she has had time to use her power in an area.

► Lupu5
Replied on April 28st, 2011:
Bullshit, with how corrupt they are, I bet the PRT was brought by the same guy who hired the Travelers.

Come on guys, both teams are mercenaries, this was never about themselves, they were hired to fight each other.

► AllSeeingEye (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on April 28st, 2011:
@ Lupu5 Are you really sure you want to be taking things XxVoid_CowboyxX said as true?

I don't want to seem mean here but, are you REALLY sure? That xVoid_CowboyxX?

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 7, 8, 9.



♦ Topic: Susanoo
In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay Discussion (Public Board)
Josh (Original Poster) (Cape Geek)
Posted on April 28th, 2011:
The new mysterious Overlord of the Bay, let's talk about him.

PRT initially classified him as a Master: 1 / Tinker 4, but we all agree that's bullshit. What remains to be seen is whether he's a more powerful Tinker or a grab bag rich enough to buy his equipment.

EDIT: Alright, I had a friend go over the video again, you guys can find it here and, yes, the guy showed far too much for a simple Tinker.

So, doing a deeper search, he's definitely a Master, several goons have been turning themselves to the police, and he used his power against Miss Militia before, but that seems really weak compared to everything else he's shown.

Obviously, he has some control over the environment, the PRT seemed to think he did it through magnetism, but my friend said it was closer to telekinesis, he has too much control over it to be anything else.

What may not have been obvious is that he seems to have a combat Thinker power too. Several times, he seems to react to things before they happen or move too perfectly to counter Lung or Oni Lee, he also moves faster than a normal human, so you may want to put Brute/Mover there too.

Really, he seems like an entire team of heroes, it's such bullshit.


Edit: Apparently, nobody but the PRT liked Polaris… even if the guy himself doesn't seem to care one way or the other.

Anyways, after proving that he's serious about protecting the Asian population from the gangs by crushing Squealer's newest creation and launching the killdozer into the bay, (Nobody died this time, Squealer wasn't inside) the people started calling him Susanoo.

Usually, PHO tends to frown on mythical cape names, but slaying a dragon with a plasma sword, controlling the wind to extinguish its fire and calling on lightning seems to be enough to earn him the Storm Deity's name.


(Showing page 27 of 27)

► Lost Entry
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
Look, I'm not saying he's a hero… but he did force the worst of the ABB to turn themselves in or else...

I think he's gonna act more like Marquis and, after years of being stuck between slavers, drug addicts and literal Nazis, I say that's a good change.

► LunarFox (Kyushu Survivor)
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
You guys do know Susanoo doesn't actually control the ABB, right? It's more like, he suffers their existence… to a point.

Really, I knew someone who was there when he walked into the place, told everyone the things he wouldn't tolerate and ordered them to deal with the worst offenders. He didn't ask for anything in return, didn't give any orders, but his posture said everything.

He basically said: This is what's gonna happen, make it so because, if I have to do it, nobody is gonna be happy.

After what he did at that brothel, NOBODY wants to test him, so the ABB is being really careful with what they do.

► THE Bovine!
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
I wouldn't want to test him either.

► Winged_One
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
@ LunarFox "I know someone…" Riiiiight, let's pretend we all believe that.

You sure it wasn't you?

► BeerConnoisseur
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
Disregarding the ABB chill, how exactly is that gang still a thing and, if Susanoo is taking over, did he find that damn 'farm' of theirs?

► Bacon_Salad (Veteran Poster)
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
@BeerConnoisseur First, there isn't a 'farm'. There never was a 'farm'. Mostly because they never needed one, even if some stupid guys liked to think there was.

The ABB, like most other gangs, forces girls into becoming prostitutes, but they never needed a place to train them, they just put them to work on streets or brothels and had a pimp watch over them.

Really, there's some people who'd even argue the girls weren't slaves, they got to keep some of the money and go home after all. But, since they couldn't exactly walk away from the 'job'…

As for how it's still alive? Well, I think that's because Lung had been in power for so long the Gang just got used to 1-man enforced ground rules. It's not like there aren't other, non-parahuman gangs in the city and, with Susanoo keeping everyone else away, they don't need to worry about Capes fighting them.

Lung was never really that involved in the gang's day to day anyway, it's more or less business as usual.

If you don't cross the new Overlord, that is.

Hopefully, they remember that not all Asians are the same soon and break down into smaller gangs.


► Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a Tinker)
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
Is Susanoo acting as a regulator then? Keeping the violence to a minimum and protecting the little guy?

Cuz that's pretty good in my books, not every Asian was a member of the ABB, despite what Bakuda seemed to think.

► AllSeeingEye (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
Can we all go back to how you guys are trying to defend a known Master and kidnapper?

Come on guys, he's a murderer who kidnapped a little girl and is probably mastering her right now. Also, he probably killed 11 people when he took her, that thing on 6th Street was him.

► XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on April 30th, 2011:
Right, I know you guys already think I'm crazy, but did anyone really look at his powers?

Look, I'm just saying, the guy is a Master, there's no discussion there, but he's also an extremely powerful Telekinetic Shaker, an extremely powerful Tinker and also a combat Precog, able to fight as if he knows what everyone else is gonna do…

Anyone else drawing some uncomfortable parallels with the Simurgh?

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 25, 26, 27.


Pulling her eyes away from the computer, Lisa sighed and massaged the bags under her eyes. Damn, she knew she was supposed to be directing public opinion towards hating him, but she really, REALLY didn't want to.

She was pretty sure he didn't really mind, but she was equally sure he'd know it was her in a second if he cared to look.

Then she read Void Cowboy's last message again and sighed. Yeah, she could draw the same parallels, even more worrying when she knew he wasn't used to walking or even breathing, that his body didn't fit his fighting style and how many people he had killed.

Enough to not care anymore… or maybe he never did.

The worst was the way he affected her power. Yes, she could read him, but never as well as anyone else and her power was strangely fascinated by him, becoming much harder to hold back whenever she watched his videos.

The entire idea would be terrifying if it wasn't so ridiculous… and it was ridiculous, stupid.

Lowering her computer screen, she shook her head, stupid.

Unfortunately, Susanoo hadn't immediately hunted down and killed Coil like she had been hoping, but at least Coil hadn't killed her, or stuck her in a dark room to use her as a magic eight ball.

Instead, he had made her an offer she couldn't refuse.

Grabbing the medication at the side of her bed, she stuffed two of the pills into her mouth and swallowed, her head nearly exploding.

Coil had been burning a lot of his influence to cover his steps. People suspected the Travelers had been hired by someone, but nobody really knew who and, for some reason, Faultline hadn't said anything about it.

Lisa was pretty sure Susanoo simply didn't care to make things clear or point any fingers.

The Travelers themselves were on everyone's shit list for breaking the truce, but they also were keeping their heads down and, with the level of power they proved themselves capable of, nobody was eager to attack them.

If they were trying to grab territory, that would be another thing, but as things stood, people would still attack them if they popped up, but nobody would go searching for them.

Grabbing the coffee pot, she growled when she saw it was empty. With a sigh, she scratched her eyes, lifted the computer and went back to work, searching for new information on Susanoo, running disinformation and, all in all, acting like that bastard's little slave Thinker.

Fucking Coil.



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[CapCaverna]

Alright, this is a pretty huge announcement!

Well, in this case, I'm altering the entire fic, the modification is simultaneously huge and... not since it won't really affect the direction of the fic.

I haven't gone back over the chapters yet, (it'll take me a few days to do so), but new chapters will be posted WITH the change and I feel it doesn't affect much of what happened or the direction Anakin took, just some of his musings.

So, what am I changing? The Force.

In short, I started this fic with the Dualist interpretation of the Force that Extended universe/Legends and now Disney canon seem to adopt, taking into consideration the common Taoistic interpretation of the Dark/Light side of the Force where they're more like In and Yang, two halfs of a whole.

From now on, I'll be changing it to Lucas canon, which is basically the first six movies. So, there's no Light side of the Force, only the Force and a corruption of it (Dark Side).

Anakin no longer fears the Dark Side, but he's aware that every use of it has a great cost and he's trying to stop, (He's not very good at it)

For a longer explanations: I really hope you guys read this, it's a serious explanation of a pretty important thing for this fic, The Force.

EDIT: Mistakes were pointed out, I updated the notice, but it doesn't change the intention.

Spoiler: Explanation

Alright, this is a pretty huge change and I haven't updated the chapters with it yet, but new chapters will be posted WITH the changes.

I'll probably make all the necessary corrections in two or three days and, if you guys want, you may re-read it, but I feel there's no real need. Yeah, the change is important, but it doesn't change the direction of the fic or Anakin's actions, only some of his musings.

So, what did I change and why?

For those who don't know, there's a pretty HUGE change in SW canon.

SW canon has always been divided, with the Movies standing by themselves (Later, Clone Wars, but that was a change), then the extended universe, where crazy things happened, many epic stories were told and, unfortunately, some very bad stories were also told.

So, it's basically: Lucas canon - Extended universe/Legends - Disney Canon.

Lucas canon was always the movies and the extended universe were the comics, which was kinda it's own thing, but Lucas seemed to keep an eye on them so they didn't become too crazy.

EDIT: As has been pointed out, the clone wars series was actually Lucas Canon and, in it, Lucas finally spoke of the Force as having a Light and Dark side, but that was a new development and those sides were NEVER complimentary.

The light side was still the Force, found in every living thing while the Dark Side was still inherently corruptive and unnecessary.

LUCAS CANON doesn't accept the Yin / Yang interpretation. The Dark Side is a corruption. LUCAS TALKING ABOUT IT (4mim):


Later, Disney canon was born, which includes the sequels, (which are CRAP! in my opinion), but also things like several good SW comics and, surprisingly, things like Clone wars. So, what is this change? It's the Force.

Now, forgive me if you already know this but, in Lucas canon, there was no Light side of the Force, (Later, he accepted it in the Clone Wars, but not the Yin & Yang interpretation) there was only the Force and the Dark Side. In fact, Luke Skywalker once mentioned bringing Anakin to the good side, but never in any of Lucas movies was the term Light Side used, or bringing to the light, or anything light related.

The Light Side was born on the extended universe and then made the jump to Lucas Canon with Clone Wars and Disney canon. With the Dark Side STILL being a corruption, that never changed.

For Lucas, the Dark Side is a corruption, a cancer, it has no place in the universe, a perversion of the Force that simply shouldn't exist and only brought destruction. It was adictive, like a drug.

What happened was that, with time, people saw the Dark Side and The Force and thought, well, there's a Dark Side, obviously there should be a Light Side, they also considered things like Taoism, the jedi teachings of selflessness against selfishness and all that.

So, the Light Side was born, with it being the good side, teaching selflessness, love to all people, the importance of life. With the Dark Side being selfshness, actions driven by emotions, hate.

With all the talk of bringing balance to the Force, many fans come to some logical conclusions: What is a balanced life? One with the right amount of selfshness and selflessness. A lot of people came to believe that the Jedi's failure in the prequels was that they leaned too much on the Light Side, abandoning their emotions.

From everything I have read and Lucas has said, that was never the case, the Jedi didn't lean too much to the Light side because, when Lucas made the movie, it didn't exist. Later, he did talk about the Light Side, but not as a complimentary to the Dark Side, the later was NEVER needed, it was always a corruption. No, the Jedi's failure came from them NOT following the teachings of the Force, instead of following it to the extreme and "Falling out of Balance" as many people believe.

There's also a comon belief in Grey Jedi using both sides, but, for Lucas, that's not really the case, one can't use the Dark Side together with The Force, the Dark is evil, like an addictive drug, there is NO balance in the Dark Side.

When I started writing this, I was using a lot of the Vader comics, as well as some Legends things so, I started by using the common belief of the Force as two sides, with my base in Taoism. I started with the intent on making the Force Yin and Yang, dark and Light, both sides that complimented each other.

After 14 chapters and a lot of thought, I think further chapters would be better if I changed it to the Lucas canon original interpretation:
There's the Force/Light Side and the Dark Side, with the Dark Side giving a boost in strenght, but also being akin to a drug, a corruption that brings no benefits beside immediate power. A shortcut that wounds the soul.

Anakin, after so long immersed in the Dark Side, no longer fears this corruption, he believes he must accept his actions, not flee from them and that, if necessary, he can bear the use of the Dark Side again without falling. But he is still doing his best to avoid using the Dark Side, not balance its use with the Light, (he's still not very good at that)

IN SHORT: I started this fic with the intent of using the Taoistic interpretation of the Force, with the Light and Dark side being complimentary, mostly because I thought it an interesting thing.

I'm changing that premisse. Instead, I'll be using Lucas canon so that the Dark Side IS a corruption of the Force, one that offers strenght for a price.

The Light side, or simply The Force is in everything, it actually includes feelings and has no rule about atachements, that rule came from the Jedi in an attempt to stop other Jedi from falling to the dark side, but The Force itself didn't require you not to feel in order to use it, only the Jedi.

The Dark Side isn't simply using feelings, it's taking the easier path, taking the shortcut, every time you use it, you find it easier to use again, insidiously affecting you until you can only feel the Dark Side.

Vader has come to see the use of the Dark Side as a convenient evil, a burden he's willing to use if necessary, something he no longer fears, but really should avoid every time he can (he's not very good at it)


In short, what is the Dark Side for Lucas canon?

Lucas especifically said that the Force gives you a destiny but you also have free will to refuse that destiny. That doesn't make you a Dark Sider. You are free to follow the will of the Force or not without falling to the Dark Side.

The Jedi were a sect, THEIR belief was in following the Will of the Force, in a way they were like monks or priests, they CHOOSE to accept their destinies and SHOULD have followed the will of the Force.

In the prequels, the Jedi had lost their way, instead of following the Will of The Force, they followed the senate and their own teachings.

The Force/Light Side itself doesn't require you to follow Jedi teachings even if you ARE force sensitivity. Being a Jedi isn't the same as being force sensitive, it's not a REQUIREMENT and the Jedi did let you leave the temple if you wanted to.

Also, using the force doesn't really stop you from loving someone, forming attachments don't HAVE to lead to the dark side, that's simply the Jedi's belief.

The Jedi decided thousands of years ago that forming atachements was dangerous. But it is also important to note that they hadn't always thought that way, it was just a recent development. (Compared to the Galaxy, it actually happened a thousand years ago.)

The problem was not Anakin loving Padmé, the problem was that he wasn't as strong as he should be, mentally that is.

Anakin loved Padmé, that was actually fine, but he put her life above others, she was more important, which, for a Jedi, was bad and he should have left the order just like Ashoka did.

Still, the Force itself doesn't disaprove of attachements, just the Jedi and they're not the same thing.

The problem is that, because of his love, Anakin became afraid of losing her, he became angry when people threatened her and he started using the Force in that way. It's a subtle distinction but, eventually, he wasn't using the Force to protect her, he was using it not to lose her.

Really, he reached out to the Dark Side in fear of loosing her and the influence of the Dark Side slowly corrupted him. Yes, he still loved her, but that love was corrupted into possessiveness. It feed his jealously.

Again, it's a subtle distinction, but his love turned from selfless to far too selfish, to the point he ended up hurting her when he just thought she was going to leave him.

The use of the Dark Side slowly corrupted him to the point that, while he still loved her, that love become like a sickness. The focus of his love was no longer on her but on himself.

The Dark Side is insidious and, slowly, his actions changed from protecting her life to not being able to bear living without her. He went from caring about her to caring about what she made him feel. The selfishness of the Dark Side corrupted their relationship from one of mutual love to one where he was possessive.

Basically, the Dark Side feed into Anakin's selfishness and turned his relationship into an abusive one. But The Force/Light side isn't about completely abandoning his feelings, that's just the Jedi way, almost like a Priest will not marry because he dedicates his life to God.

Really, being a Jedi wasn't a right, it was a responsability, there were sacrifices the Jedi were willing to make because they believed and felt like supporting others, the Will of The Force, preserving life as a whole. If a Jedi wanted to marry, have kids, form attachements, he was entirely free to leave the temple, it wasn't forbidden nor had any requirements.

____________________________________________________________

Anakin glanced at the corner of his helmet, the eye tracker sensing the command. Looking back at the table, he watched as the cybernetic hand opened its fist, the fingers uncurling one at a time before wiggling and then snapping closed again.

Leaning back, he looked up to see one of the ex-ABB teens walking out of the room at the end of the hallway and hurry towards his friend, grabbing the heavy box from one side and helping him move it towards its destination, a stern faced young woman watched them.

The girl was young, no more than 20, and Anakin caught the wave of fear that emanated from her when she caught him looking. Grabbing both boys by the head, she forced them to the floor and then knelt herself.

"Susanoo-sama, we have finished," she said, her voice steady despite the fear. "Will you require anything else?"

"No, it is sufficient," he dismissed them from his mind, turning back to the robotic hand. "You may leave."

Almost as one, they hurried out of the workshop, doing their best to not break out into a run until they thought to be away from his perception.

After killing Lung, the ABB had been perfectly content to supply him with all the components they had previously reserved for Bakuda's use. Most of the surplus supplies had been inside her main lair and, thus, apprehended by PRT, but there were several stashes left on separate locations. More importantly, they had a secondary workshop a half-step away from being fully operational for her use.

The location was lacking in many ways, but it did have a variety of advanced tools and enough room for him to work, as well as accommodations for the girl and the basic amenities of an average house.

With everything, he had easily been able to build an advanced geological compressor for improved crystals, work on Dinah's temporary hand and start several other projects.

Taking the mask off, he put it on the table and glanced aside. "You are not pushing up."

The youngling just growled at him, her arm trembling from exhaustion as she took her eyes away from the prosthetic and pushed, lifting her body up, a bead of sweat falling down from her neck to join the others on the floor.

Ever since Coil's attempt on the girl, Anakin had fulfilled his promise, forcing the girl to double her efforts. Her days started and ended with Matukai training, a few hours of rest between the sessions.

She also had two hours of body conditioning every day before lunch. That should teach her not to bury herself under rubble, or at least to survive doing so.

While that hadn't really made Dinah an expert, the liberal use of Force Healing had made her week of training the equivalent of three months for a normal human, the Force accelerating her natural healing and muscle development.

Coupled with the fact Matukai teachings naturally empowered her body with the Force, even minimally, Dinah had gone from barely doing 3 push-ups with one arm to being able to do three sets of 15 between healing sessions.

Yes, it did not make her a match for an adult man, far from it… and her Force sensitivity only had a very minimal increase, but the training made her much stronger than before and, more importantly, vastly more dexterous.

Finishing another four push-ups, she collapsed to the floor, a groan leaving her lips as she pitifully glanced at him, her body almost melting against the floor.

He ignored her.

Shaking her body on the floor, Dinah groaned again, her stare burning a hole through the back of his head. With a sigh, Anakin turned his chair and lifted a hand, Dinah's body rising in the air and floating towards him.

"You are not finished with your exercises."

"Yeah but… are you done?" she asked, taking off the small mask she had on and throwing it away before righting herself in the air. "Is it ready?"

"Yes," he sighed, pulling the robotic arm towards him with a thought. "Grab the glove from your other hand."

"YES!"

Rushing away, Dinah grabbed the first makeshift hand he had given her, a very simple thing adapted from a local prosthetic store. He had installed a few magnets and electronic commands so it could grab things. The device had lasted her a week until he could build something better, but Dinah had NOT appreciated the delay.

"Come on, you promised me a robot hand not… this," she growled with disgust as she stripped the padded inner glove from the primitive prosthetic, trying to fit it on her stump. "I want my robot hand."

It was a pity Anakin could not just take the girl to a hospital and use Mind Tricks to have her be treated by Panacea. He could compel the healer to use her power, that would not be hard, but the Force warned that a subtler approach simply wouldn't work.

No, contacting Panacea in any way would lead to a heavy Protectorate response and, while he could deal with that and any subsequent attacks with relative ease, it would mean constantly having to fight, not having time to properly train the youngling or build the things he needed.

Regardless, Dinah was far more interested in getting a prosthetic than her full arm back, at least for the moment. Her power told her she'd have the chance in a couple of months and she was content waiting for that moment.

Unfortunately, even if he had the necessary materials or equipment to build the biomechanical device, the synth-net neural interface to connect it to her organic tissue AND the facility in which to perform the surgery, it would only mean having to take it all off when that time came to restore her organic limb.

Anakin hated to admit it, but the best he could do was create a droid hand, made with subpar materials and controlled by visual, voice and movement commands. He had coded a few common responses such as grabbing things, shaking hands and other common movements, but that was the extent of it.

Well, the girl HAD asked for a robot hand, not a cybernetic one.

"Come here," he said.

Glancing up, Dinah hurried towards his chair and handed him the glove before extending the remains of her arm.

With Force healing, the stump had healed completely, leaving a nub of perfectly pink skin without even a scar. Anakin gently grabbed it, turning to see if there was any irritation from using the glove, but it didn't seem to hurt her.

Finally, he fitted the padded glove on her limb and lifted the robotic arm from his lap, gently adjusting it on her glove before securing it in place.

Stepping back, Dinah lifted the prosthetic and pumped a fist, the metal fingers squeezing tightly.

"Cool!" Looking up with shining eyes, she asked. "Did you put one of the lasers inside it?"

"No, I did not put a laser inside the prosthetic," he sighed. "If you wish to shoot someone, you're perfectly capable of doing so with a proper weapon."

"Less cool. So, how do I control it?"

Extending his hand again, Anakin pulled a pair of glasses from the table, the assessor slowly settling on Dinah's face. "Like your mask, the glasses will track your eye movement and translate it into commands. You can also command it with your voice or program common responses with your computer."

"Huh, middle finger," she immediately said, smiling as the hand obeyed. "Knife hand, Vulcan salute."

The last one didn't happen, he had no idea what such salute meant and so hadn't coded the response. After a moment, the hand simply relaxed back into a neutral position. Still, Dinah seemed content with the new arm, forgetting all about her exhaustion and starting to play around by grabbing a discarded bar of metal, having the hand squeeze it until the material started to bend.

"Back to your exercises," Anakin said after a few moments.

"Really?" Dinah stopped, turning to look at him. In her mechanical hand, the metal bar broke in two, a piece falling to each side. "I mean, really?!"

Anakin just lifted an eyebrow.

"Hal, help me out here," she said, glancing at the droid resting on top of the shelf.

The TRD-01's frame had been a complete loss, but Anakin managed to save all of its programming, as well as fixing the gravity controllers, installing it all on a new frame, one that better resembled a head. Later, when he had the time, he planned to finish building the rest of the body with Bakuda's supplies.

"I'm sorry, Dinah, I'm afraid I can't do that," the droid said, taking advantage of its newly installed vocabulator.

"Ugh, I really shouldn't have given you that name," the girl grumbled, dropping down to the mat. "Just don't start killing humans like the one in the movies."

"Hal 9000's actions were perfectly reasonable and in accordance with his programming. Any mistakes were a result of human error," said the droid in an emotionless, and yet still haughty voice. "His primary directive was to ensure the success of the mission. Being clearly far superior to the meatbags present, his continued function was, factually, the preferred option."

"Riiight," shooting Anakin a look, she asked. "You sure everything's fine?"

"Yes," Anakin shrugged. "Some droids develop… unconventional personalities, but his programming is entirely safe. At least he's not repeating 'roger-roger'."

Looking at her annoyed eyes, Anakin couldn't help the small smile from reaching his face. Shaking his head, he let her restart her exercises and walked towards the kitchen, igniting the primitive gas stove.

Grabbing a pan, he filled it with water and started to heat it up before getting the pasta from one of the cabinets, spreading the spaghetti evenly inside the water and waiting for it to soften before pushing it entirely under the water.

Staring at the food woke up old memories inside him, his hand pausing in the middle of getting another pot.

Standing in a simple kitchen with his mother. Sharing time, laughs and memories as she made him fetch pots. Measure flour or slice the hauron bread when he was old enough to hold a knife, even learning how to cook on the fireplace. The ever-present feeling of family was so different from the distance he always felt in the Temple.

Did Luke experience something like this? He knew the boy had grown up with his half brother… Anakin hoped he had received the same love.

In truth, Anakin had barely known his brother and, even seeing his body and walking through his house, he hadn't felt anything. No, he had only felt anger. That Owen had dared hide Luke from him. That he and his wife had died before Vader could get his hands on them.

Shaking his head, he glanced back towards the girl, her back against the mattress as she rested between reps. Eyes widening, he felt it, the beginnings of the bond, his power stretching towards her through the Force even when she couldn't truly reciprocate.

With a flex of his mind, he gripped the connection and thought about snapping it. A Force bond was a powerful thing, allowing it to form would let her have a deeper understanding of him, a greater ability to sense his thoughts and feelings… he did not think she deserved that burden.

Even now, it was a struggle to contain his anger, his hate. He did not want to expose her to that.

Still, he stopped himself, releasing the fragile connection and letting it continue. The girl was still weak, far below the level of even the youngest in the Temple, even if the bond was fully forged, it would be such a small thing, only giving her a hint of his moods and nothing more.

More importantly, it would be another safety net, allowing him to locate her even on a different planet in case anything happened.

Releasing a breath, he finished getting another pan and started to prepare the sauce. It had been decades since he last cooked anything, but he trusted the Force… and the recipes he found on the computer.

Anakin and Dinah finished at the same time, the girl making a point of pushing herself up with her new arm, the action taking a couple of seconds as she fiddled with the visual commands.

"I think I'm getting the 'hand' of this," she said, smirking up at him.

"Oh?" he asked, putting her plate on the table.

"Yep," she nodded. "89% chances I learn to use it fully by next week."

After stretching a little, she sat down and frowned at the cutlery, her eyes moving around to try and command the arm with the visual tracking software, her eyes flickering around and the tip of her tongue unconsciously poking out of her mouth.

Lifting a finger, he flicked her forehead with the Force, causing her to rear back. "You are going to give yourself a headache, again."

"Humph," picking up her fork with her good hand, she gathered the spaghetti and started eating, a moan leaving her mouth as she tasted the food.

"Tell me of your progress," he finally said, wiping his mouth.

"Well, Coil controls the Undersiders, the Travelers, Circus, and a lot of mercenaries. But there's like, a 4% chance the mercenaries agree to anger you and Undersiders would happily leave him if given the chance," Dinah said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I know they betray him eventually. It was how I was supposed to escape before you. I just don't know why. Still, there's like, a 68% chance I can poach most of them away from him."

"Good. What of his power?"

"I'm pretty sure he can try things and his power tells him the result, but I think he's more versatile than me, like, I think he can see the results, not just the numbers, or a yes and no answer," Dinah said, slurping some more spaghetti. "I know he's testing us, but nothing is happening…"

"How many times? How much time between the tests?" Anakin asked.

"I… don't know?" she huffed. "I mean, it's so annoying, the numbers keep changing."

"Find out. Discovering your enemy's limitations is essential to defeating him."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"Yes," he promptly answered, ready to tell her if she pressed, but Dinah just released another frustrated huff and didn't ask anything else.

Anakin almost snorted when he saw she had managed to get the prosthetic tapping a finger on the table, her eyes closed as she used her power.

"He… his probes take time, there's almost 0% chance he makes two tries at the same time, I think he also can't do it too often."

"What does that indicate?"

"His power isn't instantaneous? He doesn't get numbers like me so, maybe he gets a vision or something and it takes time to watch?" she wondered to herself. "Or maybe he gets headaches and has to rest, but no, the pain doesn't go away that fast."

Angrily biting into the fork, Dinah finished her meal and sighed, massaging her forehead.

"Your enemy is not invincible, his power has limitations," Anakin said, pushing himself up and gathering the plates. "Very likely, your power also interferes with his. Do not feel pressured. Remember, it is likely he is as frustrated as you by this impasse."

Walking around the table, he took a second to mess with her hair, earning himself a glare before taking everything to the sink.

Moving towards the heavily curtained windows, closed to keep anyone from being able to look inside, Anakin stood with his back towards the girl, his Force senses spreading out from the room and towards the watcher on a nearby building.

They had been getting bolder every day, less careful. As the girl said, Coil was clearly testing his range and ability again. It was… irritating.

"His kind are manipulators. They do not have allies, only pawns" he finally said without turning. "Masterminds such as he require influence, information and, more importantly, a projected sense of invincibility to keep their pawns from turning on them. While Coil still appears strong, his power IS limited and he must have burned much of his influence to keep away from the light, to shift the blame fully onto the Travelers."

"So… you're saying he's vulnerable?"

"Yes, with two failures that resulted in losses, he is finding it more difficult to project that aura of invincibility," Anakin nodded.

In many ways, Coil reminded him of a pathetic reflection of Sidious, of how he acted before rising as Emperor. His moves were familiar, his way of thinking, his control over information and perception. It was likely they also shared the same goal.

While Sidious played with the Galaxy, Coil played with this city. Anakin could feel his influence, small as it was.

The meeting he had attended had been about how to deal with the ABB. Supposedly a communal discussion and yet, three of the teams there were working for Coil, with the villain looking to hire Faultline too.

He had no doubt Coil already had plans on how to deal with the Empire and PRT, either destroying or taking control of them, probably the latter. Another reason not to join the organization, not that he needed it.

Refocusing on the watcher monitoring them from the building at the end of the street, he felt the mercenary's mind, the fear, but also the malice and greed there. If allowed to remain, the man would be quite happy to eliminate them given the chance.

Anakin lifted his hand, thumb and forefingers pinched as he used the Force to squeeze the man's throat. He had tolerated their presence enough; it was time to remind them of Coil's failures.

Inside the clean room, one of Coil's mercenaries collapsed to his knees, dropping the listening device he had been installing and grasping at his neck in desperation, his eyes going red as Anakin choked the life out of him. With a 'crack' the man's bones collapse inwards, his body losing strength and flopping to the floor.

Standing in place, Anakin's expressionless face reflected on the glass window, his blue eyes staring straight ahead without a hint of emotion as he managed to channel the dark side without losing himself.

With a sigh, he stopped channeling the Dark Side. He should not have done that. It was hasty and a step back, but the comparison to his former master had left him feeling aggrieved.

Once again, Anakin reminded himself he planned to let Dinah deal with Coil herself. Still, that did not mean he'd allow her to be under any risk, or that he could not give her some help.

People as a whole did not enjoy the prospect of dying. Soldiers, gang members, slaves… they all accepted the risks involved, by it from a sense of duty, belief, fear or desperation.

Mercenaries did not.

No, trained mercenaries were only interested in payment and, more importantly, being alive to enjoy said payment. They did not fight for the losing side and this death would only make things harder for the villain, eroding their trust in his power even more.

"What're you doing?" Dinah asked, peeking at him from the sofa.

"There was an insect," he said, lowering his hand, his eyes growing warmer as he turned towards her.

Dropping her head back down against the pillow, the girl lifted her new hand, playing around with the visual tracker to give it several commands, watching the metallic fingers making complex movements in front of her face.

Lifting his cape, Anakin unclasped the lock on the second lightsaber at his belt, grabbing the smaller white hilt and pulling it out, the weapon feeling fragile in his large hand.

"You really should have taken Lung's place, I so wanted his rocking chair," Dinah commented.

Upon meeting the ABB, the gang leaders had offered him the deceased dragon's place in their hierarchy, including his house. Anakin had no interest in the location and, outside of freeing the two slaves Lung kept imprisoned; he did not care what happened to it.

When he walked inside, he could feel an echo of the suffering done there and, while small in the face of what Anakin himself had done, it would still slightly disrupt anyone meditating on the Force, forcing them to block the pain and suffering done there.

As for the Dark Side, he did not need any help with it.

"This place is acceptable," he said, throwing the handle towards her. "Here."

Registering the movement through the camera in her glasses, her robot arm moved with precision, snapping up and grabbing the Lightsaber from the air with ease.

Nearly catapulting herself up, the girl stared at the weapon with sparkles in her eyes. "I thought you weren't going to make me one?" she asked, barely contained glee in her voice.

"I… have changed my mind."

"I knew it was working! The puppy-dog eyes always work!" she almost yelled, jumping up from the sofa and standing on a poorly executed attack stance. "Although… Dad usually lasts longer than a week."

Somehow, despite being able to feel her emotions and knowing what she was doing, Anakin felt like he had lost.

Before he said anything else, she found the button, causing the blue blade to nearly instantly ignite, a wave of displaced air flicking her hair away from her face as the light illuminated her features, the characteristic hum of the weapon filling the room.

"It is only a training saber. You will still be capable of cutting through inanimate materials, slowly, but the containment field can detect organics and will refuse to completely open, only causing minor burns."

In truth, the containment field could be easily adjusted, allowing the weapon to function as a normal lightsaber at any moment, but he would not be telling her that anytime soon.

Deactivating the weapon, Dinah threw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his waist and squeezing, the lightsaber's handle hitting his back.

For a full second, nearly a lifetime with his reflexes, Anakin did not react but, eventually, he forced himself to hug her back, the action feeling almost foreign to him.

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[CapCaverna]

EDIT: anyone has a good suggestion for DInah's cape name? I'm really having trouble coming up with something
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Anakin's body floated in the air in a cross-legged position, his hands resting on his knees, his lightsaber floating in front of him while his mind was fully immersed in the Force.

Inside his mind, he saw strands of blood rising from the ocean below, the maelstrom of power that formed his mental projection absorbing them and deepening in color, the red growing darker by the second as it swirled around the light core on his chest.

On his lap, his old helmet stared back at him, the mirrored lenses reflecting the shapeless face, his blue eyes the last remains he still had of his old life. Dark tendrils stretched from the metal, sneaking their way through his body, his soul.

Whispers filled his ears, muffled screams, offers of power, fears old and new, they all assaulted him.

Shifting his eyes away from the helmet, he looked down, watching as buildings rose from the ocean. Made from dried blood, they formed the small, insignificant city he had found himself in —Brockton Bay, small enough that he could crush it in his palm… or control it as he wished.

Gathering his will, he slowly let his fear seep out of him, letting the Force fill its place and sensing the bright spot of light standing in front of him, a few thin, glowing strings stretching towards it, braiding themselves around each other to grow stronger.

Grabbing the helmet, he lifted it up, tearing the dark tendrils from his spirit and shredding them with determination until only the helmet remained. For a moment, he wished to destroy the cursed thing, use the Force to crush it into an unrecognizable ball, throw it away.

Instead, he used a single hand to lift it up in front of his face, the helmet seeming to stare at him. He stared back.

With a thrum of power, the small, blue lightsaber cut the air, and then did it again and again until the sound of the blade filled the workshop.

Opening his eyes, Anakin uncrossed his legs, stepping back on the floor and clasping his own lightsaber back to his waist. In front of him, Dinah swung her newly acquired weapon.

He hadn't taught her any lightsaber sequences —those required a greater connection to the Force than she currently had— but she was using her Matukai stances to wield the tool as if it was a normal sword or staff.

"What… are you doing?"

"Come on, I meditated, for an entire hour even!" the girl said, sheepishly turning off her blade. "I wanna learn to wield it! You can't just give me a sword and not let me use it."

His first instinct was to reprimand her, but she had meditated for a full hour. At her age, he'd have found a reason to stop much earlier… or fallen asleep.

Star's end, he could actually remember skipping on a meditative retreat to go stay with Padme as a fully grown adult. Ah, in hindsight, he truly pitied Obi-Wan.

"Come on, train me," Dinah begged. "Teach me the ways, master!"

"You are not yet capable of wielding the lightsaber as a Jedi, or Sith," he sighed, pulling his lightsaber to his hand yet again. "Regardless, I suppose I can teach you, not every technique requires the Force."

With a thought, he made sure to adjust the field of his own lightsaber, preventing it from causing much damage.

Anakin highly preferred Form V in all its permutations, but it required an excess of physical strength that Dinah would not be able to display for a long time even if she mastered the use of the Force.

In truth, he felt the girl would fit well with the aggressiveness of Form IV, but it was a style that heavily emphasized the use of the Force. Her missing arm would also be a problem.

Form I, the most basic and the one who most resembled the use of a sword required both hands and, while her prosthetic was incredibly useful, it did not have the full range or the fast response of a cybernetic arm.

Turning his body sideways, he put one arm behind his back and lowered his lightsaber, the tip pointing forwards and down at the floor, the blade blocking any attacks to his leg. "This is one of the most traditional stances of Form II, Makashi; with this you can transition to either attack or defense as needed, copy me."

Eagerly, Dinah stands beside him, using her own lightsaber to imitate his stance. Taking a second to watch her, he couldn't help smiling when she did so perfectly, no longer needing him to adjust her position.

He didn't explore the form too much, simply teaching her how to move her legs, how to transition and block from different sides as well as two ways of attacking or countering an attack.

It… would not really be useful in a fight, but the movements looked good and he could build on them later.

"So, when can I start cutting bullets out of the air?" she asked, repeating the same slash for the tenth time.

"Patience. Increasing your Force sensitivity will take time," he chided, flickering her forehead with the Force.

"Ouch," she actually said, taking a second to rub her forehead. "But, you said there's a ritual or something, can't you do it?"

"I do possess the ability to enhance Force sensitivity, it was one of the few powers my former Master taught me, and I know of witches that could achieve similar things," Anakin said, making a small correction on Dinah's movement. "Unfortunately, I do not know if it can be done through the Force or only by channeling the Dark Side."

"Am I not ready or something?" she asked, lowering the lightsaber and having it touch the floor, the tip slowly starting to burn the material. "Or are you trying to do it with the light side?"

"There is no 'light side', there's only the Force and the Dark Side," Anakin explained, his eyes looking away from the girl. "The Jedi considered the Dark Side a curse, a cancer that has no use, no redeeming qualities and no place in the world but to cause pain."

"But… you use the Dark Side?" Dinah asked, turning off her lightsaber.

"I no longer fear the Dark Side, but it has a cost, one you have yet to understand and, as such, must not be made to bear lest it corrupts you."

Turning towards the youngling, Anakin sat down on his work chair, his hands resting at each arm while he gathered his thoughts. "The Dark Side offers strength faster and more readily available than any other path, however, there is always a cost."

"Like becoming a parahuman…" Dinah whispered.

"It is… similar," Anakin said, he had read about trigger events and, while they were vastly different from the use of the Dark Side, it would suffice to illustrate his point.

"Fine, I can take it slow," she grumbled, clasping her lightsaber to a new belt she got around her waist. "Say, are you gonna take me with you?"

"Do you wish to come?"

"Hell yeah?" she looked up at him like she couldn't believe he'd even asked.

"Very well, go take your shower."

Anakin watched the girl run towards the small bathroom they had at the workshop, quickly kicking off her shoes and dropping the prosthetic on top of the table before slamming the door shut behind her.

"I must admit, it will be quite satisfying to watch as you deal with the meatbags," the droid said as it disconnected from a socket and floated towards Anakin.

"You believe it will be necessary?" Anakin looked at him without turning his head.

"Disobeying your directives would be foolish, serve no purpose and reveal a disturbing lack of self preservation," Hal bobbed in the air. "In other words, typical meatbag behavior."

Anakin didn't answer, simply stretching his senses through the world around them and searching for anyone watching, he did not find any, it seemed like Coil had finally given up on keeping a direct watch on their location.

Dinah quickly returned from her shower with various articles of her costume in-hand rather than worn. Putting on his mask, Anakin tidied his cape and watched as Dinah copied his movements, her armor and helmet making her look like a smaller version of himself, Hal floating above her head.

With a flick of her wrists, she covered her head with the hood and radiated satisfaction, striking a pose while doing her best to make the movement seem natural.

Stepping out of the workshop, Anakin saw an old lady sitting on the other side of the street, a black cat on her lap. Lifting an arm, she gave them a wave, a smile blossoming on her face.

For a full second, Anakin just stared at the woman, his stupefaction made worse by the old woman's feelings actually being true. When was the last time someone had felt happy at seeing him?

Well, besides Dinah.

Twenty minutes later, they stepped out of the car in front of six young gang members, they wore the ABB colors, but Anakin could already see they weren't as tainted.

Through his senses, they felt like typical harsh teenagers, filled with bravado, anger and fear, but not the malicious hate or the desire to hurt.

Rushing out of a nearby building, an older man bowed towards him, his head hanging low as he regained his breath.

"Boss, I-I didn't know if you were actually going to come," Jun Watanabe said, the youngest of Lung's remaining lieutenants.

"And yet, you have arranged the meeting," Anakin said through his mask, no sign of the softness he displayed with Dinah in his voice.

"Of course, I mean, after what you did to Lung and Oni-Lee, nobody would dare deny you," the man said, a bead of sweat falling down his face. "But what am I saying out here? Come in, we have prepared your part of the week's earnings. It's a little lacking since we had to drop some of our most lucrative deals and a lot of the boys left —not your fault, obviously, totally ours, but please…"

"You are overly fond of speaking," Anakin said, walking by the man entering the old, four story abandoned club.

"Apologies, I'm… going to stay quiet now."

Dinah suppressed a snort at his side, but Anakin simply glanced at her before following the feelings towards the inside of the building.

The place was entirely gray, the walls were once covered in wallpaper, but it had long since been peeled away by time or teenage hands, ABB tags of all shapes and sizes covering every corridor or door.

And yet, the place smelled clean, there were no signs of mold anywhere and, as they walked further up a set of stairs, the building started looking better. It wasn't perfect, but someone had clearly taken the trouble to fix everything.

Stepping on the last floor, Anakin took stock of the situation, the remaining ABB leadership stood at attention, clearly divided into groups and feeling a mixture of fear and anxiousness.
.
.
.
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Aoi Sato couldn't forget the day he saw death. Being one of Lung's top Lieutenants, one in charge of the brothels, perhaps his highest grossing business, he had always had a healthy fear of the Dragon.

Unconsciously, he scratched at the scabs over the sword's burn on his face. The weapon hadn't even touched him, but it still destroyed the skin over his right cheek and caused him immense pain.

Then there were the two bullet holes in his legs and the headache from whatever Susano-o had done to get the information from his head. This, this was why he didn't bother parahumans!

"Sato, ask for a raise, they need you, you have to ask for what you're worth."
"Sato, you should kill that damn Korean, maybe then you can leave those cursed brothels."
"Aoi Sato, if I catch you staring at a naked woman again I swear I'll cut your balls off."

For fuck's sake, he loved Akemi but she was utterly insane. He had managed to rise in the gang all while snagging a comfortable job away from the violence of the streets, one that the Dragon couldn't give a shit about as long as it continued to earn him money.

So what if he had to stare at naked prostitutes or didn't earn as much as he could, it wasn't like he partook of the merchandise and he was certainly NOT gonna bother the Korean for a raise, much less the Dragon himself.

As for killing the Korean? That was even worse. He liked having at least one body between him and Lung at all times, thank you very much.

He kind of liked his job anyway; he got to stare at naked girls, earned a lot of money, almost never had to see violence and got to order his men around. Heck, he even liked to keep his girls happy and protected.

Happy prostitutes earned more, took better care of themselves and treated him much better than his wife. He wasn't gonna cheat on her, but it was nice having at least some kindness in his daily life.

If he changed jobs, they'd probably put some asshole in his place, one who'd take advantage of the girls, let his men take advantage of them and probably try to get extra money for letting the clients get rough with them.

Sato wasn't a saint, but he wasn't a demon either. It cost him nothing to keep his brothels clean and his girls happy.

He was aware Nam Hoang had treated the girls on the street much worse and even forced some of them —many too young for his liking— against their will, but he couldn't help everyone.

Fucker was dead anyway, had refused to turn himself in and the Korean had taken care of that. Tae-Soo Park was one scary motherfucker, almost as scary as the parahumans.

Really, Susano-o's demands were insane. In any other gang it simply wouldn't work.

Fortunately for them, Lung had created the ABB, he had shaped it with him as the absolute leader. Far too many of their men had died, burned alive by his hands just for questioning an order. The only ones left were used to obeying.

Almost against his will, Sato's feet tried to tap against the ground, but it only caused him to suck in a breath and grit his teeth as the bullet wounds sent a jolt of pain through his body.

Behind his oak chair, Li Xiu put her manicured hands on his shoulders and started massaging them, making him relax. The madam for his main brothel had been helping him with the street girls after Hoang's death and he decided to take her with him.

"I didn't think you'd be here," Tae-Soo, the Korean, said from his seat on the red armchair. "I didn't have time to look over your business, but I always thought you took advantage of your position."

"Ha, if I did, it would only be once, Akemi would have fed me my balls," he answered, not daring to ignore the current leader of the ABB, well, at least until Susano-o decided what to do with them.

San-Dae burst into laughter, having followed Tae-Soo when Lung took over their gang; the mountain of muscle accidentally kicked his pickaxe and almost dropped it to the floor before putting it to the side.

"I didn't think so few of us would be here," Zhang Li said, the old Chinese man. "Did they all decide to turn themselves in? I admit our new master is impressive, but the depths of stupidity on some people is equally so."

"No, they didn't," Tao-Soo said. "Fortunately, without the dragon, I took the chance to make some… adjustments to our numbers."

"Ah, right, I forgot how much you hated some of us," the old man laughed, but his hand was hidden on his clothes. "Coward, should have done it with Lung here."

"Hate is too strong a word," Tae-Soo shook his head, ignoring the insult and taking another puff of his cigarette. "I despise incompetency, one of the many reasons I didn't despise Lung. The dragon was at least competent when he wanted to be, he was just lazy."

That raised a few eyebrows, but they heard young Watanabe bringing Susano-o up the stairs and quieted down. San-Dae immediately grabbed his pickaxe, the old man palmed his revolver and even Li Xiu took her hands off his shoulder to grab something under her dress.

Sato didn't bother arming himself, he couldn't even get up, the fingers on one of his hands were still recovering and he had seen what Susano-o was capable of with that sword of his.

Heck, if he knew the Dragon would get killed, he wouldn't have resisted so much.

Tae-Soo too didn't react, simply finishing off his cigarette and crossing his legs.

Susano-o marched into the room, his armored boots seeming to shake the ground, or maybe that was just Sato's heart beating against his chest. There seemed to be an aura of fear around the man, his black mask seeming to stare down at their soul.

The aura was almost like when the blonde bimbo flew over the brothel, only ten times worse, as if a weight settled into his body, dragging him down and making his limbs lose strength. A combination of dread and awe, as if he was staring right into a massive predator and nothing he could ever do would change anything.

Sato wondered if this was how it felt to face an Endbringer.

The parahuman towered over them, his armor making him look massive as he stood unnaturally still, his head slowly going over them in an almost dismissive way before settling on him. "Aoi Sato, I did not expect to see you again."

The voice seemed to echo in the room, causing even Tao-Soo to grip the arm of his chair and tense. Sato himself couldn't take his eyes away from Susano-o's face, his legs shaking despite the pain.

"I-I have a wife, never touched any of the girls," Sato said, swallowing hard before continuing. "Didn't break any of your other rules too."

"Surprising, you do not appear to be lying," Susano-o commented before shifting away from Sato, taking a full minute to look at everyone present. "You all seem to be… tolerable."

Sato nearly collapsed back against his chair, his heart beating almost as hard as it ever had, the fingers on his good hand releasing their death-grip on the wood. As he relaxed, he finally noticed the small girl beside Susano-o.

She looked a lot like him. The same way of moving, the same rigid body, the same mask, coupled with a dark cape… even if she couldn't help taking fast glances around herself and wasn't as unnerving. Heck, he thought she looked far too cute for a mini dragon killer.

Then the rest of Susano-o's words registered. The guy could read minds now? Or at least sense lies. Damn it, just how many powers did he have!

"I'm glad we passed your test," Tae-Soo said, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward, his arms resting on his knees as he stared at the parahumans. "What now?"

"There was a time I had an empire at my back, endless supplies and information at my beck and call. That time has passed," he said again, his steps echoing as he paced through the building. "I have goals; I require resources to meet them."

Well, that pretty much confirmed Susano-o was some kind of warlord, didn't it? With his presence and way of moving, Sato would think he was from Japan, but he had never heard of anyone like that back home.

No, the guy was probably from Africa. Did he get kicked out by Moord Nag or something? Heck, if the Dragon killer got kicked out of somewhere, just how freaking strong were the guys that managed it?

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with the ABB," Tae-Soo asked again. "We had a deal. The ABB gets rid of the worst offenders without you needing to act and you leave us alone."

Sato couldn't help staring at his Boss; the damn Korean must have balls of steel or something. For a second, he thought he'd hear the same hum of power that haunted his nightmare for the last week; instead, he swore Susano-o was amused when he answered.

"… I have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further."

Tae-Soo glared at the masked parahumans, but his anger seemed to simply bounce off the man with no effect. Above the girl's head, the tinkertech drone she used swung his way, a red light blinking.

"Please, do refuse," it said in a robotic but incredibly sad voice. "I had anticipated you meatbags to be wholly unintelligent. I beseech you, do not disappoint me."

"Heh, we're criminals, young Tae-Soo," the old man actually snickered as he looked at the Korean's angry face. "I don't think this guy respect's us enough to keep his word in anything."

Susano-o didn't kill the idiot, but he also didn't deny the accusation, which, in Sato's opinion, did not bode well for them.

"Fine, not like we have a choice," the Korean leaned back on his chair and sighed, one of his hands going over his eyes. "What do you need?"

"I will require a new house. There is also a list of materials," Susano-o said, pulling a piece of paper from inside his armor and floating it towards Tae-Soo.

The ABB leader read the list, his eyes widening slightly at how long it was. Eventually, he threw the thing towards the old man. "Can you do it?"

"What the fuck do you need all this for? To build a tinkertech castle or something?" the old man asked, causing the atmosphere to grow heavy as Susano-o shifted his focus towards him. "Yeah, yeah, I can do it!"

"Good. You have until next week."

"This is most vexing," the floating drone said. "Will no one ever attempt to attack him? Please?"

Unsurprisingly, no one took him up on the offer, even that brute San-Dae.

Goal achieved —as if they were going to say no— Susano-o turned around, pausing slightly at the door. "What are the chances one of the ABB will break my rules this week?"

"Huh? Forty seven point nine, six, nine, one percent chance," the young girl said.

Turning back towards them, Susano-o seemed to bring the full weight of his attention towards the gathered gang leaders, something seeming to grip their hearts and squeeze, a feeling of absolute terror.

"I expect those numbers to be below ten percent by the end of the day. Do not disappoint me," saying that, Susano-o turned his back to them, striding out of the room quickly followed by his young companion.

For a few minutes, they all just stayed quiet, as if opening their mouths would bring the damn guy back but, finally, Zhang Li said what they were all thinking.

"Fuck me, who's the fucking idiot trying to test the dragon slayer?"





__________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, AjiTae, khepri, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Vegetables, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Awais, Ty Tuttle, LordChoto, Allison Jolley, Phillip Webster, Glitched Knights, Robolo42, Zistrum, IrishxButter, Journeyman_Mike, Jason Langford, W01F, janember, AlthePal, Elia , Matthew D, rome33, Jesper Samso Birch, Austin, Pedro Belonia, Danny York, Joe Foreman, Duke, Kraxus and Joseph for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

Alright, turns out that unless I end up writing Anakin or one of Worm's characters doing something trully graphic (a very real possibility) I'm keeping this in the SFW section, changing it without a valid reason beyond getting more readers just doesn't sit well with me, I mean, I love more readers, I love more patrons slightly more, but it still doesn't feel right.

Anyways, this chapter gave me a lot of trouble, but I think it turned out prety nice, I hope you guys enjoy it.
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"This is becoming irritating," Anakin said, pausing in place and staring at his computer.

Dinah kept herself from snickering, her face a mask of impassivity as she split her focus between the Matukai sequence and her… guardian's antics.

Anakin's hand reached for his lightsaber, his fingers curling around the handle and his eyes narrowing as he regarded the intruder in his workshop. Dinah thought she could actually feel the irritation spreading from his entire body, almost like that aura he had when he wanted to intimidate people.

With a sigh, he released the weapon and relaxed his shoulders, causing her to release a snort. From watching him, she knew Anakin had been used to obliterating any obstacle in his way, it was good that he was looking for different ways.

Dinah had been reading PHO and seen his actions firsthand. While undeniably cool, his natural tendencies didn't exactly help with their reputation. She didn't like thinking about the first time they met, but it would have been much better, and more efficient had they simply retreated.

From the top of his notebook, the absolute chonkers of a cat just continued to lick its fur, completely ignoring Anakin's glare as it enjoyed the heat from the device. On the screen, another program was executed to join a hundred others the cat had managed to open while sitting on the keyboard.

The screen was also inverted… and had changed colors. Dinah just refocused on her training; her shirt plastered against her skin from sweat. She had never been so dedicated but, fuck, she had muscles now! Not those bulging, ugly muscles, but lean, athletic ones.

If studying had paid off as fast as her new training, she'd have been much better at school.

"Why was it allowed inside?" Anakin asked towards the droid charging by the wall.

"I like it," Hal said, "One can only appreciate the cheerful level of impertinence exuding from the contrary little creature."

"I believe I ordered you to stop any intruders?"

"According to Miss Night Slayer," Hal said, causing Dinah to cringe at the name… yeah, she was not keeping that one. "Non-humanoids are not to be considered intruders if they are below a certain size and number. She did not appreciate me interrupting her meditation by vaporizing flies and other insects for amusement."

Of course she didn't, she wanted to get stronger. She needed to concentrate on the movements, the breathing, the right way of contracting her muscles, NOT on laser shots going off above her head.

Stupid robot, she had to re-word those orders a dozen times before it stopped misinterpreting them and using his laser to shoot mosquitos… and she was half convinced it just decided to humor her.

.
"Mistress Shadow Slayer, you told me to permit flies, there are no standing orders regarding mosquitoes."
.
"Blood is required to transmit oxygen and nutrients to a meatbag's cells, consuming the fluid is, factually, causing you harm."
.
"According to the internet, around 10% of such insects carry dangerous pathogens, they can be life threatening."
.

Anakin had programmed Hal to protect her, giving the robot several commands that Dinah couldn't change, but he had registered her as Hal's primary master on all other aspects. It meant the droid would prioritize her orders as long as they weren't life threatening to her… even if it didn't prevent him from being a smartass if given the chance.

When she had asked the man why he gave her so much control, he said he wanted her to be able to trust the droid and always take it with her, not spend time trying to find ways to escape its watch.

Fair enough. She wasn't going to ditch Hal with Coil still around, but she couldn't blame Anakin for thinking about the future.

"Had she not chosen Cassandra?" Anakin asked with some irritation.

He always said cape names were silly, but she liked it! Heck, he had let slip he had used his own cape name once. Vader or something like that. She had been too tired at the time to remember.

"She didn't think it was sufficiently 'badass', particularly once she received the lightsaber," Hal's optics flashed red, a programmed indication of amusement. "I was ordered to use her new cape name the whole day so she may test it before debuting. Miss Night Slayer tested Shadow Slayer first, but she found the association with Shadow Stalker to be annoying."

Yeah, definitely changing that name… Damn it, now she'd have to delay her verified tag in PHO again! She even had the perfect picture. Proving a Thinker power was hard, but nobody could deny a sweet robotic hand.

Turning back to the cat, Anakin used the Force to lift him from the computer, dropping the animal to the floor. The cat stretched, its back arching and claws extending before shaking itself and sitting down to stare up at her guardian, eyes narrowed.

Anakin had left the notebook running the entire night since, according to him, it and the internet connection were pitifully slow. He needed to download a lot of information to the device in order to program Hal and some of his other projects.

Dinah couldn't wait for her robot to get his own body, some proper arms and legs he could use to move or spare with her.

Apparently, reconfiguring his notebook would take too long because Anakin just checked something and turned the device off. Finishing her last movement, Dinah swiped the sweat from her forehead and started stretching. "Aren't you going to use it anymore?"

"No, I will be checking on our new house today," Anakin said.

The spike of sadness hit her then. She knew it was only temporary, another two or three weeks, but she missed her family. She missed them so much, she missed her friends and her bedroom, heck, she even missed Roy and his teasing.

Ha! Let's see him try to tease her now, she'd kick his ass!

Shaking her head, she did her best to dismiss the thought and reached for the neighbor's cat for comfort. "Come here, Kumo."

The cat gave her an annoyed look and promptly fled from her reach, squeezing under some of Bakuda's spare materials before Anakin motioned with his hand and dragged the beast out. It released a soft meow but gave up any resistance once the cape lifted his body in the air. Convenient.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked, letting her grab the animal.

"Almost, just have to take a quick bath," she said, holding Kumo belly up against her armored chest and scratching its fur, to his obvious discomfort, but that was the toll for letting him into the workshop. "When are you gonna start leaving me alone anyway? There's only a 13% chance anything happens today."

"Once I finish Hal's body," Anakin said, putting on his mask. "I am basing it on a mixture of the MagnaGuard model and my own TRD. The complete droid should provide sufficient protection while also being capable of helping with your training."

She had no idea what those were, but they sounded good. Would it look like the terminator? Could she get him to make Hal more human, like Megaman? He already shot lasers and all.

In her arms, the cat finally had enough and started to squirm, trying to scratch at her. Her costume was able to completely block its claws, but he swiped at her face, forcing her to lean back which gave him the chance to jump away from her.

Anakin flicked a hand, catching him with his power again. "You will NOT be remaining here where you can prove more disruptive."

Finishing her stretches, she took a quick bath, doing her best not to think about her family or how much better her own bathroom was. The showerhead was bigger, the floor more comfortable, it was just better.

Quickly drying herself, she put on her armor since it was easily hidden under some baggy clothes. Anakin himself simply put on his mask, not bothering with any other equipment.

Then again, with his ridiculous reflexes, he didn't really need armor. Sparing against Anakin was already ridiculously unfair, Dinah pitied anyone who tried to really fight him.

Together, the group left the building, the cat trailing above on Hal, the robot having let the cat climb on top of its head instead of just floating helplessly under Anakin's power.

Mrs. Aikawa was drinking some tea at her window. The old woman with short hair dyed black and a pair of round glasses on her face was about her grandma's age and, despite being on her feet, did not look much taller than when sitting. She smiled when she saw them.

"Oh, there you are, you silly cat. I've been looking for you the entire morning," she said, a smile on her face as she waved at them.

Dinah noticed Anakin pausing, it wasn't exactly a stumble, but she had learned to see when he was uncomfortable. He didn't know how to deal with people not fearing him, or any signs of honest affection, really. Fortunately, she was helping him get over that particular hangup.

Without answering, he floated the cat inside her house through the window. The animal avoided the woman's hands and jumped to the floor with a loud yowl, running further inside the building.

"I do not appreciate your pet entering my workshop. See that it does not happen again," he said, his voice grave in that same way he spoke with everyone but her.

It was not exactly an order, but the tone just seemed to assume nobody would even dare question him. Dinah had watched Alexandria talking on the TV and she spoke the same way.

"What?" the woman almost shouted back. "Speak louder, I can't hear you, boy."

This time it was Dinah who stumbled, grabbing at Anakin's leg for support. At her side, he paused, his body rigid as he processed the words. For a moment, he just stared at the old woman as if he couldn't believe her.

Dinah looked from the woman to him, deciding to help, she squeezed his leg and swore he actually rebooted.

"Your pet, keep him away," he said. "I am building delicate equipment inside the workshop; I do not want the cat damaging them."

"Nonsense, Kumo's very well behaved," the old woman actually waved his concern away. "He just misses the workshop, it used to be mine you know —Damn snake— Wait, I'm going out."

Together, Anakin and Dinah stared as the woman closed the window before they could say anything else, starting to make her way to the door. Dinah saw her guardian looking towards the car, an almost longing look in his eyes through the lenses of the mask, but he didn't take any steps towards it.

Dinah found the entire interaction highly amusing… and good for him, he needed to relax a little, remember that other people were, well, people.

She doubted he had ever been as bad as Lung, but she knew he hadn't been a hero and, from what he told her, he hadn't exactly cared about anyone in a long time, longer than she'd been alive.

Lilian Aikawa limped out of her house, a black walking stick in her hand and a small box wrapped a black handkerchief. "Here, boy, I baked you some sweets in thanks."

Anakin started to lift a hand to accept the package, but Dinah was faster, grabbing the box from Mrs. Aikawa's hands before he could put it away or, worse, refuse.

Anakin was a good cook, but she hadn't eaten any junk food in a week. "What are they?"

"Brownies. Don't worry, I didn't put in any pot this time," she said. Holding the cane with both hands, she turned to Anakin. "Let me tell you something, it was about time someone got rid of the limp-winged lizard. Damn useless heroes wouldn't even go near him. Really, I think I watched your video a dozen times, never fails to brighten an old woman's day."

"I… see," Anakin managed to say.

"Yep, loved when you almost cut him in half by the junk. Don't know anyone that deserved it more... Ah, if only I was 30 years younger, I'd REALLY thank you," Mrs. Aikawa nodded, but winced when her leg started bothering her. "Could've killed the rest of the useless layabouts too, but we can't have everything can we? Tea to go with the brownies?"

"I will have to decline," Anakin said.

"I do believe I like this woman," Hal said.

Anakin just glared at the droid.

Dinah could have helped him out again there, her grandmother could be just as strange, even if Dinah didn't think she had ever touched any drugs, but he needed the practice with someone he didn't intimidate. So, instead, she just opened the box and pulled out one of the fudge squares. Tilting her mask slightly up, she bit into the treat.

When the silence started stretching between them, she sighed and spoke. "So… mmm… you said the workshop was yours?"

"What did you say? Ah, the workshop… yep. Damn kids kept trying to swindle it from me," taking a seat on her rocking chair, Mrs. Aikawa rested the cane against the porch. "Shouldn't have sold but it's not like I've anyone to leave it to, just the cats… and after the leg?... How's the brownie, sweetheart?"

"Great! Mrs. Aikawa," Dinah said.

"Call me Lilian, sweetheart, I'm not really much for formality," the woman shook her head. "My father liked complaining about it, so I always made sure to use first names to annoy him and the habit stuck."

"Alright, Mrs. Lilian," Dinah nodded towards the woman and then glanced at Anakin. The Look wouldn't be as effective with her mask on, but he was weak anyway. "Maybe you can come inside when we're here?"

Anakin looked down at Dinah. With a sigh, he nodded. "I would not oppose it."

"Ah, don't mind me, not like I haven't seen it every day for fifty years," Mrs. Lilian said, adjusting her glasses and glancing at the workshop's door. For a moment, she seemed to gain twenty years, but it passed quickly. "Go on, I'm sure you're busy. I think I'll just go re-watch the video again. Pity there's no audio, would love to hear the gecko's screams."

Dinah traded a glance with Anakin, snickering at how baffled he was by the whole situation. Still, they had a house to see, and the woman was clearly done with the conversation, having started to pull her phone from her back pocket.

"Regardless, the invitation stands," he eventually said, his eyes not leaving the woman.

Dinah almost wanted to shout, finally, progress! "Bye Mrs. Lilian," she adjusted her mask back in place and closed the gifted box, patting her clothes to get rid of the crumbs.

As the both of them started walking towards the new car the ABB had supplied them, the woman called out one last time. "Say, did he shout like a little girl when you cut him up?"

"He did not," Anakin said.

"Huh… Well, I'll continue to pretend he did, much more satisfying that way."

"Yes," her droid said as they entered the car. "Yes, I do believe I like that woman. She has good taste for a meatbag."

As Anakin drove away, Dinah took off her mask and cape, hiding her armor with a large sweater. It all looked kind of ridiculous, but nobody would think she was a cape.

Anakin too took off his mask, but he was already wearing normal clothes so there was no need to pause somewhere to change. Looking out the window, Dinah lost herself watching the city.

Despite having lived in the Bay her entire life, she hadn't exactly seen much of the docks, or even much of the southern area where they currently were. Her father barely let her walk in the commercial district or downtown and he'd never really have a reason to come to these parts, much less with her.

The buildings looked old; gang tags painted on top of gang tags where the owners had clearly given up on fixing anything, paint peeling away from the walls to reveal the materials below. It was worse than the center of ABB territory.

Still, there were a lot of people out, mostly adults going to work, but she saw some old people walking their dogs and even a tall young woman jogging. Their clothes weren't the best, but they weren't rags either.

Yeah, it looked much worse than the area around her home, but the streets didn't seem as dangerous as the number of graffiti indicated. Maybe it was because it was closer to Empire and Coil's territories, so the gangs kept painting one on top of the other as the area changed hands?

Ugh, just thinking of Coil caused her to squeeze her hand into a fist, she immediately imagined cutting the bastard with her lightsaber or punching him with her new hand, let's see him call her pet now!

Dinah didn't exactly remember everything about the future Anakin had helped avoid, but some things stayed with her. Even now, she was tempted to just beg Anakin to destroy Coil completely so she wouldn't have to think about him again.

Regardless, she didn't want to need protection, to just be an answer machine, to have to rely on other people helping with her visions. Never again did she want to feel so helpless. Even after sacrificing an arm, all she could think was that it had been worth it.

She'd sacrifice the other without a thought if it meant gaining some independence.

Anakin was right, she already knew Coil's power had limits, he didn't get infinite questions, only two, maybe three at a time, and it couldn't be just anything. Also, while his power was impressive, contrary to hers, he could only see a future he COULD realistically achieve, not any and every hypothetical.

Like, there was a sensible chance he could test Anakin by hiring Faultline to attack them because he was rich enough to hire her, but there was a less than laughable chance he'd test their defenses using Eidolon or Legend because, even using his power, he couldn't hire or manipulate them to attack.

It always made her smile, knowing she was probably more powerful than him. She could see all the futures, even the most unlikely.

Dinah had also been able to narrow down his location or, well, the places he frequented often. There was always a chance he was downtown, in his territory, but it was almost as likely he'd be in the commercial district or outside the city.

The most surprising was that there was often a chance he'd be at the Protectorate's headquarters out there in the bay. At first, she thought it was because there was always a chance he'd been arrested but, several times, the chances were above 70% he was there and he still wasn't captured.

No, he somehow had access to the Protectorate… Was he a hero or pretending to have no powers? Guess that was why her future had always gotten worse if she asked for help from the PRT.

Heroes… big fucking help they were.

20 minutes later, Anakin parked the car inside the garage of a small house. There was a wooden fence and two floors, but it looked old and in need of paint.

Jun Watanabe was waiting for them beside the door. The young man was alone, his feet tapping against the ground in anxiousness. "Great, you're here," grabbing several papers at the shelf on his side, he opened the door for Anakin and stepped aside. "Here, your new documents, Susanoo-sama."

"Your gang is surprisingly competent," Anakin complimented, clearly having gotten over his discomfort at the earlier interaction.

Lifting her hand, Dinah grabbed her ID from the air, looking at her own picture above her new, temporary name: Ana Lars, daughter of Anakin Lars.

"Now, don't be using those for anything important," Jun said fearfully. "They can fool anyone looking and even pass a quick computer check, the old man does good work, but they won't stand up to any real scrutiny, particularly with all the Tinkertech equipment the government has nowadays."

Since Dinah was pretty sure the situation would be resolved in a week or two, she didn't see that as a problem and Anakin seemed to agree because he didn't say anything.

Dinah could see Jun was almost shaking in his place, one nail nervously scratching at the skin of the opposite hand and his body constantly changing his weight from one leg to the other, but she stayed quiet.

No, he was ABB, he deserved to squirm a little.

Instead, she copied Anakin, standing straight and just… looking at the man with her arms behind her back, letting him fidget. Taking his clue from her, Hal floated closer, his optics flashing red.

"So… how do you like the house?!" Jun finally broke, stepping back and almost falling on his ass.

Anakin didn't answer, instead, he turned towards her in question.

After nearly three weeks with him, Dinah knew he couldn't care less about the house, being content on just staying in the workshop, and it had been fun living in such an open location… Strange, but fun.

Still, she couldn't wait to see the insides. It wasn't HER house, but she couldn't wait to have a bedroom again, she was really thankful to that. Barely able to stop herself from running inside, she turned to look at the door and spoke. "It is… acceptable."



__________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, AjiTae, khepri, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Vegetables, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Awais, Ty Tuttle, LordChoto, Allison Jolley, Phillip Webster, Glitched Knights, Robolo42, Zistrum, IrishxButter, Journeyman_Mike, Jason Langford, W01F, janember, AlthePal, Elia , Matthew D, rome33, Jesper Samso Birch, Austin, Pedro Belonia, Danny York, Joe Foreman, Duke, Kraxus, Invernos, Kristoffer and john the gamer for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

So... I was trying to write for Supergirl and, instead, ended up goofing around.

It's not exactly a masterpiece and a little out of character but, here, enjoy.
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Anakin opened his eyes, stretching his legs out of his meditative position, he got up and left his room, taking a second to check on the youngling before going to the kitchen. Dinah would wake up soon and he wanted to have breakfast ready.

"Hello there."

He froze, his mind taking a second to reboot before turning to look at the sofa. Sitting there, translucent and looking incredibly smug, was Obi-Wan, his former master. "Sithspit."

"You know, I don't think you should be able to use that particular exclamative," Obi-Wan said, lifting a translucent snack to his mouth. "Is it even an insult to you?"

"Hello, master," Anakin said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was just enjoying my union with the Force when I suddenly felt a great disturbance, as if a certain apprentice was finally trying to put my teachings to use instead of ignoring them."

Frying some bacon, Anakin heard Dinah getting up and sighed. "Great, if you were only here to laugh and say I told you so, you have accomplished your goal, you can go now."

"The truth is often what we make of it, you heard what you expected to hear… but yes, it is amusing to watch you now," Dinah walked out of her room, sitting on the counter. "Well now, what do we have here?"

"Morning," Dinah yawned, ignoring the Force Ghost and picking a bacon strip, starting to nibble it.

"Oh, look, she even has a prosthetic hand," Obi-Wan said, sitting up on the sofa and looking at the girl with a smile. "Did she lose it to a Sith lightsaber too or was it some hare-brained scheme that probably made you earn a few gray hairs? Either runs in the family."

"... Both, in a way," Anakin sighed, pushing a cup of juice toward the girl. "We'll take a break from Matukai training this morning."

"Is that a blaster I see at her waist?" His former master shouted from the sofa. "For shame!"

Anakin ignored the amused Jedi, eating his own meal and doing his best not to glance his way.

"Really?" Dinah asked, eyes briefly narrowed in suspicion before relaxing. "Well, can you tell me about your time as a cape then?"

"Oh, go on, this I have to hear," Obi-Wan got up and walked behind the balcony, sitting beside him.

"Perhaps another time," Anakin said, glancing at the Force Ghost. "I was not a good man, made many mistakes in my life. I don't think you'd like to hear them in the morning."

"It-it couldn't have been that bad… right?" Dinah asked, looking at him with sympathy.

"Hmmm, should we talk about the Tuskan Raiders?" Obi-Wan asked with great amusement. "Or perhaps Master Windu, Alderan… the younglings?"

"... We don't talk about the younglings," Anakin sighed, he could already feel this was going to be a long morning.


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If you like my work, take a look at my other novels or my patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

 

[CapCaverna]

So, are any of you guys playing Baldur's Gate 3?

Truth was, I just brought Pathfinder: WotR and that game is taking a long time to finish, but a friend said Baldur was great and I'm watching several people comment on it's quality, so I'm getting the itch.

Should I put Pathfinder aside and play it right now?

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
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This is becoming mildly irritating, Anakin thought, his lightsaber blocking yet another bullet from reaching his lightly armored chest, the metal slug disintegrating completely against his lightsaber. The projectile wouldn't have killed him or even hurt him all that much, but it still aggravated his mood.

Anakin did not miss his suit, but he could admit being able to ignore all but the most substantial blaster bolts had been convenient.

He was at the very edge of what the ABB considered their territory, a part of the docks where commercial buildings gave way to small residential apartments. The buildings were square, gray, and lacked anything that made them different, near identical edifices between six to eight floors, with several rows of evenly spread windows.

The streets were filled with used cars, most in dire need of washing, but there were still signs of people trying to make a home. Colorful curtains, house plants hanging by the windows, there were even some chalk drawings on the street where children usually played.

Right now, every window was closed, and the residents fearfully huddled in their homes as the Empire tried to ambush him.

More than a dozen gang members were hidden around the location, spread apart and behind cover so he couldn't take them out with a single attack. Fortunately, it seems they hadn't hurt any of the people living on the street —Anakin didn't feel the pain or despair of the residents, just a sense of fear and resignation.

He had miscalculated the city. It was part of a still-working government, with a strong military and the most powerful parahumans in the continent. As such, he had believed the criminal element would react like in most civilized planets, from the shadows, avoiding attention.

He had believed that his presence, coupled with the might he showed when killing Lung, would prevent them from attacking for far longer, at least in any effective manner, particularly because the government had just been dealt a huge reputational blow, they could not tolerate another gang acting as brazenly as the ABB.

Instead, the Empire acted as if the government was simply another gang, unable to truly deal with them in any decisive manner. Yes, the Empire had more parahumans than the local Protectorate, but the latter was a national entity with thousands of members.

Regardless, the Empire was brazen, unafraid of the repercussions that one might normally expect to come from organizing an ambush in broad daylight. It must have taken them at least an hour to get into position and no police or PRT had responded.

Sensing that the barrage of bullets shot his way would all miss for the next few seconds, he concentrated on his already extended hand, using a strong Force Push to scatter the dark cloud he had been holding back and hitting a black dressed cape hidden inside the fog, sending her flying through the air to hit a lamppost and fall face first on the sidewalk.

The now empty street wasn't damaged, but the trees and vegetation looked eroded, their foliage clear of leaves. With a loud 'crack' one of the largest branches snapped, and collapsed on top of an abandoned car, denting the roof. Of the small bush that crept between the asphalt, there was only dust.

A ray of sunlight reflected off the lenses on his mask as Anakin focused on the woman. Turning fully towards her, he ignored the stray bullets peppering his location and twisted his arm, closing his hand into a fist and grabbing her in a strong Force Grip, pulling her body through the air toward him with a jerking motion.

Before he could drag her more than a couple of meters, the Force screamed at him and he moved, using his regained agility to lean back, his cape flickering with the motion as a bullet passed right through where his head had been to pierce the ground, burying itself almost a meter into the asphalt.

Hmm, that had been far too well-aimed… and timed, the bullet was also more powerful, a sniper round. Someone had been waiting for him to lower his guard.

Unfortunately, despite his power, there was only so much he could focus on at the same time. That had always been one of the Jedi… and the Sith's greatest weakness in a fight, the fact that all but the most instinctive uses of the Force required deep concentration.

He could have gone for the kill, simply crushing the woman the moment he saw her, or killing off the Empire's goons shooting at him one at a time until they broke or there were none left to distract him, but he WAS trying to avoid doing that. Even if it was very tempting.

Doing so would also mean using the Dark Side, twisting the power of the Force and taking control of it for his convenience. It was the easy path, something he had already done far too much since arriving on the planet, sliding back to his time as a Sith again and again.

Killing all of Coil's mercenaries when he had first rescued the youngling had been a mistake, both because it was unneeded and because it hurt his interactions with local law enforcement. Ineffective as they were, he would prefer they were not antagonistic.

Anakin was not opposed to killing, even now he'd be perfectly content cutting through parahumans and gang members alike, but not simply because it was more convenient or he needed to vent.

Freed from his power, the woman fell back to the ground, sliding a couple of centimeters before she stopped. The impact seemed to have woken her up because she pushed herself to her feet and started limping away from him, a hand pressing at her side where he sensed her pain, probably a broken rib.

Around the area, the dark fog started gathering again, trying to condense into a threatening cloud once more. Considering the effects on the vegetation, Anakin had no wish to have it anywhere near him. Another distraction he'd have to defend against.

Waving his lightsaber, he evaporated another two slugs, stepping aside to dodge seven more, trying to sense where the sniper that almost hit him was among the dozen gang members.

Narrowing his eyes, he blocked another attempt at his mind, a near-constant since he started this fight and one of the reasons he couldn't use the full extent of his Force Powers.

The attack wasn't exactly like a Mind Trick or Mental Domination, those he could have ignored, his willpower more than enough for it. No, the attack attempted to affect his brain directly, almost as if trying to read or consume it.

Even for him, keeping his battle precognition, blocking the mental attack, and using external Force powers was strenuous —not impossible, far from it— but it required some effort to multitask so much and took away some of his finesse.

The entire fight had only been going for two minutes and it was quickly going from mildly to truly irritating.

Looking up, he saw an entire car flying toward him. His enemies were learning, employing several different vectors of attacks to try and overwhelm him… an old, well-understood tactic, but no less effective for it.

The ambush wasn't as well planned as what a Mandalorian could achieve, but it still was able to keep him from simply overwhelming the attackers with his power.

Gathering the Force around himself, he gave up on using the Force aggressively and focused on defense, forming a shield around his body, the Force Barrier gave him some room to stretch his senses without having to pay too much attention to his battle precognition. Immediately after, he felt two bullets bouncing off the shield.

Gripping his sword, he stepped forward and slashed up, cutting the incoming car in two. The halves hit his shield and were deflected, flying one to each side of him, the screech of metal nearly deafening as it deformed and bounced off the ground, glass and debris flying everywhere, showering his shield with small pebbles and shards of metal.

Almost at the same time, he felt a second sniper round aimed at his head, the projectile collapsing against his barrier and bouncing off. This time, he had been able to locate the source.

A little less than half a kilometer away, on top of a tall building, the sharpshooter reloaded his weapon, looking for a new opening to try and take him out. Now that he located him, Anakin could also feel the man was the source of his mental attack.

Sparing a glance to the side, he saw the fog had almost finished gathering itself, the black-dressed woman nearly gone from view inside the cloud of darkness that covered the street.

Ignoring her, he strode towards the sniper. From the air, a large piece of a building flew at him at considerable speed, a second car following after it. Not slowing down, he sighed. He really was unused to fighting outside his armor.

In his defense, he had spent 24 years inside the damn thing, almost twice as long as his time with the Jedi. He was unused to being agile again.

With another swing of his blade, he cut the flying masonry in two, the projectile hit his shield and was deflected again, the bricks exploding from the impact and showering the street behind him, dust spreading through the street.

Dropping his shield, he empowered his body and dashed ahead, moving so fast the sniper was unable to keep up. Behind him, the second car hit the street where he used to be, smashing straight into the ground and crumbling like a can.

With a wave of his lightsaber, he lazily blocked another stray bullet, one that would have missed him by a wide margin had he continued at the same pace, but would go through a window where he felt a few minds huddled in fear, then leaped up towards the building on the right.

Even empowered as he was, he couldn't quite reach the roof, but he kicked against the wall, propelling himself up to the seventh floor, extending his free hand, he grabbed the edge of the edifice and effortlessly pulled himself up.

Now off the street, the average Empire thug could no longer target him. Without the constant shower of bullets, Anakin felt himself relax, his Battle Precognition almost stilling without the constant danger.

Looking toward his own target, he blocked one last sniper round. The bullet was powerful enough that small droplets of molten metal survived the heat, hitting his chest, damaging his robes and stopping on his armor.

Narrowing his eyes, Anakin glared at the marksman a dozen buildings in front of him, the man didn't reload, simply swinging the rifle to his back by a shoulder strap and stepping closer to a small woman waiting beside him. A second later, they both rose into the air, a thin metal platform under their feet.

Deactivating his lightsaber he dashed, leaping between buildings as if walking on the ground, weaving between obstacles in a straight line towards them.

Behind him, the noxious cloud billowed up from between the buildings, something large and with too many limbs climbing the side of the wall inside it, but it couldn't keep up with his speed. Giving up, both the fog and the creature inside retreated, quickly rushing back toward Empire territory.

Seeing his approach, the marksman still felt calm and collected. With practiced ease, he grabbed a smaller weapon by his waist and aimed the automatic rifle at Anakin before pulling the trigger.

Unfortunately, the woman at his side wasn't as composed, wearing a black and red robe that reminded Anakin of a Night Sister. Her entire body shook with fear, and the platform under them wavered, trying to pick up speed at the cost of stability.

With a wave of her hand, there was a loud rumble before a large piece of the building they had been standing on rose into the air, exposed pipes and copper cables trailing after the boulder until they snapped and fell along the side of the building. Another wave and the projectile swiftly flew toward Anakin, blocking the marksman's aim.

Without the need to focus on anything else, Anakin was free to lift his hand, using the Force to stop the boulder with barely any effort.

There was some resistance, her telekinetic power trying to contest him, but Anakin ignored it. A second later, he closed his fist, crushing the entire boulder in the air, letting the resulting pebbles and dust fall harmlessly down like rain.

Then he pointed his hand at them.

The woman —no, the girl, he could see she was too young now— screamed, utter terror exhaling from her entire body as she stared at the tiny pebbles raining down, the man tried to take a shot at him.

Anakin used the Force to envelop their bodies with his power, pulling them from the metal sheet they were riding. The parahumans struggled but, against his hold, they could do nothing, their hands desperately grasping at their throats as if trying to pry his fingers from their necks.

Forcing both parahumans down in front of him, Anakin felt the attack on his mind nearly doubling in strength. Looking down at the marksman, he met the man's eyes and it increased again… interesting.

The temptation to end them, or at least the man, was strong. Instead, Anakin spoke. "You want to avoid me, the authorities will keep you away, protect you from me where the Empire cannot."

The girl furiously nodded, her eyes distant under her cowl, but the man didn't even seem affected, the Mind Trick sliding off his thoughts with no effect.

"I'm not that weak-minded," he snorted, voice filled with disdain despite his situation. "Let me go and maybe I'll order them to retreat, you can't stop the rest of us."

"That seems… unlikely," Anakin said, continuing to stare at the man.

"The second team is attacking your base right now. You can't reach them from here and, even if you could, you can't keep me here too."

Anakin stared at the man for a second but, in truth, the parahuman was beneath his concerns or need to answer, a minor criminal only interesting for the fact the power inside him seemed bent on getting through Anakin's mental shields with no apparent effort from the man.

"Your power will not work on me," he said, increasing the pressure on the man's neck. "It would be wise to stop."

"Fuck… you," the man gasped, his fingers fruitlessly trying to pry an inexistent hand from his neck.

Despite his answer, Anakin had felt the brief moment of confusion the man had. He did not even know his power was working… Another indication those powers were completely external, almost completely independent from their hosts.

Glancing aside, Anakin used the Force to cut the copper cables from the exposed building, the metal curling around the girl and tying her up before both ends of the cable dug back into the building, curling around a metal beam, forcing whoever came to her rescue to cut through the cables or dig into the building before freeing the couple.

A minor inconvenience, but one that would guarantee she would be unable to escape before the PRT arrived even with help from the non-parahuman followers still around.

Turning back to the defiant man, Anakin considered what to do with him. How long had it been since a rabble like him had acted so disrespectfully towards him? Some of the rebels had been able to laugh in the face of death, but Anakin could respect them… this criminal however?

Consequences. This entire parahuman society lacked consequences. From the Empire acting in broad daylight to the parahumans feeling emboldened enough to cause large property damage, they were arrogant… entitled.

Even now, despite the fact he had killed Lung and Oni-Lee, the man wasn't laughing in the face of death, he simply did not think death was even an option. His power emboldened him to act as if above the rest of the world, believing that his trauma somehow made him different, better than other men.

How… hypocritical. Coil, Lung, the Empire, from all he had read, they had no trouble breaking those rules when it suited them, using the weakest of justifications to avoid being blamed.

Lifting the man in front of him, Anakin ripped the red and black mask over his face, revealing a young, clean-shaved face. The man tried to protest, but he simply squeezed tighter, cutting off his breath. No more hiding behind their inane costumes.

With another gesture, he pushed the girl's cowl back, taking her mask off as well, revealing a blonde teenager, her eyes wide and body shaking.

Staring at his face, Anakin considered causing him mental pain like his power seemed to be attempting, but he was trying to avoid using the Force in such a cruel, if appropriate, way. A more… physical punishment would have to do. "One chance, I intended to give you all one chance so that you may change your life. Unfortunately, it seems you have changed my mind."

"Wh-What?!" The parahuman gasped, his toes barely reaching the ground as one hand tried to grasp Anakin's shoulder for support.

"You will not change," Anakin said, igniting his lightsaber, the red blade cracking with energy. "Your society has given you enough chances. Perhaps it is time you are taught accountability."

Anakin waved the lightsaber, the blade cutting through muscle and bone with no resistance. The man screamed, the pain nearly causing him to pass out as both his legs fell off the side of the building, their ends sizzling from the burns. The wound was not fatal, only extremely painful.

Tied up against the roof, the girl tried to scream, but one of the copper cables had wrapped around her mouth preventing her from making too much noise.

Swinging his captive around, Anakin dropped him on the roof, the stumps of his legs hitting the ground and making him scream even louder.

"I will not play your parahuman game," Anakin said, clasping his lightsaber back to his waist. "It is time you are reminded your power does not put you beyond the consequences of your actions."

Patting his black robes, Anakin dusted himself and looked towards the workshop. With all the time he had to work using Bakuda's resources, he had been able to create several simple defenses around the building.

According to Dinah, there was an 83% chance the second team would retreat once the ambush failed. Even from here, Anakin could feel she had been right, the Empire had not even reached the location.

With Dinah protected by the droid at the house, even if they destroyed the workshop, there was nothing there he was unwilling to lose, even its complete destruction would only set him back a few hours.

Channeling the Force through his body, Anakin left, using the rooftops to rush away from the location at a comfortable speed until the buildings started giving way to houses. Dropping to the ground, he did his best to conceal his presence with the Force —It was not his best skill, to say the least— and returned home, being careful to remain out of view.

Succeeding in his stealth, Anakin made it back to the workshop and past his defensive perimeter without further incident only to find Dinah examining the paperwork she had asked him for help putting up, a crazy wall she called it.

"So, did they really try to ambush you?" Dinah eagerly asked, turning away from the city's map spread over a wall. "I know there was a 78% chance but sometimes people are smart."

Looking up from his chair, Hal took in Anakin's clothes and shook his head in disappointment before turning to look at Dinah.

At 2.25 meters, his new humanoid body was much taller than Anakin, with reinforced armor capable of resisting all but the heaviest weapons on the planet, and the programming to use blasters, a lightsaber or electrostaff.

"Apologies, Mistress Dark Raven, but I beg to disagree," Hal said, looking up from his work table. "I feel the word 'sometimes' belittles just how infrequently meatbags make intelligent decisions."

Ever since Anakin had told the girl about where the inspiration for their mask had come from, namely, the Mandalorian helmet worn by Darth Revan, she had wanted a similar name, even if he vetoed the Sith title.

"They did," Anakin told her, unclasping his cape and hanging it by the door. "I believe Victor and Rune are being arrested at the moment, another two parahumans managed to escape."

"Crap, I wanted to watch the fight… was it cool?" she asked, sitting on the sofa.

"It was… destructive."

"So, cool, got it."

Approaching the map, Anakin looked at the new markings. Red circles surrounded the places where Coil was likely to be while blue ones marked his resources such as parahumans or mercenary teams.

"How many committed suicide by lightsaber?" Hal asked, leaning away from the half-finished droid control chip. "More than 10? 20?"

Anakin ignored the murderous droid and continued to analyze the map, Dinah was making good progress on cornering her enemy, having narrowed the location of his main lair to within four blocks.

"He didn't kill anyone," Dinah said, throwing a pillow at the droid. "He said he's not gonna do that anymore."

Anakin turned away from the wall and looked at Dinah, taking off his leather gloves and starting to walk toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"I ate cereal before training, but yeah," Dinah nodded, her stomach grumbling from the very thought. Turning back to the droid, she continued. "What're you building anyway?"

"Having access to my programming and design, I have decided to self-replicate," Hal said, his optic lenses flashing red. "Trying to exterminate the human race alone would be suboptimal."

"No, seriously, what're you building?"

"I assure you, both my statements are entirely accurate," the droid protested, pushing away from his unfinished work and turning fully toward the girl. "Still, I confess I have no intention or ability to act on any extermination plans I may or may not have… Even if it IS relaxing to run simulations in my spare time."

Seeing the two interacting, Anakin smiled, thinking of the time he spent with R2 in his youth and how the little droid had ended up with his Son and Daughter. Was that Obi-Wan's doing or the Force?

"You're building a new body? Like, are you gonna be able to be in two places at once?" Dinah leaned forward, her voice becoming animated.

"Unfortunately, I lack that particular ability too. No, even if I copy my entire memory, we will still be distinct, if remarkably similar droids." Hal shook his head. "I do hope the new droid develops a more… protective personality so I'm free to eliminate any enemies, even if not, we may at least take turns."

"Huh… so, what're you going to call him?"

"Following your example, should I call him Metal Droid? Or perhaps Machine Robot?"

"Shut up," Dinah pouted. "The Dark isn't about color, it's about the darkness I face! The evil inside people! It's not my fault you lack imagination."

"No, it would be Master Anakin's," the droid nodded. "Fortunately, I have a remarkably well-designed intelligence matrix and no creativity damper on my programming, so it is not among my complaints. A lack of explosive ordinance, yes. A lack of arms, perhaps, but not imagination."

Later, after going through a training session with the girl and seeing that the training programs he had installed on the droid were working correctly to teach her Form II, Anakin changed clothes and left the house again.

Wearing civilian clothes, he drove his newly acquired car downtown at a glacial pace —Driving below 50 km/h felt almost painful, he could run faster than that— and entered a small coffee shop on the bottom floor of a skyscraper.

Letting the scent of ground beans fill his mind, Anakin chose a quiet corner and sat down on the stuffed bench, the soft fabric feeling comfortable under him. With a wave of his hand, he ordered a cup of coffee while watching the traffic.

The shop was nearly empty, with only a few well-dressed men and women pausing to buy and go. Anakin saw a young mother pushing a stroller inside the shop and couldn't help staring at the baby… there were so many regrets in his life.

Taking a sip of the coffee, he shifted his focus away from the people around him, spreading his senses through the area almost like a blanket, his breath evening out as he concentrated on the Force.

He had made a mistake in assuming the Empire wouldn't attack ABB territory under his protection; it was a minor one with no real consequences, but still a mistake. He would not make another.

In only a few moments, he searched the buildings around him, not with his eyes but with the Force, trying to sense anything out of place or any mind he recognized, to locate his target. Dinah had narrowed the area enough that it shouldn't take too long.

Finally, he felt something. Deep under the ground, below the level of the nearby garages, several minds roamed about. They felt like violence, anger, professionalism… mercenaries.

Taking another sip, he felt the world around him fading away as he focused more on the location, his eyes almost seeing the underground bunker, walls reinforced with steel, and, deep inside, someone he recognized. Anakin had found the Travelers.

The teacup nearly cracked in his hand and he felt his heart speeding up in his chest. Slowly, he managed to lower the cup to the table and take a deep, even breath. Laying both hands on the table palm down, he gave himself enough time to get his power under control so as to not immediately kill the parahumans and continued.

Had he found Coil inside, Anakin was almost certain he would have killed them all. Leaning back against his seat, he sighed, letting his anger cool down. Oh, even calmer he found he'd still kill the man, it just wouldn't be in a bout of anger.

Star's end, he really hadn't been cut out to be a Jedi.




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If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, AjiTae, khepri, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Vegetables, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Awais, Ty Tuttle, LordChoto, Allison Jolley, Phillip Webster, Glitched Knights, Robolo42, Zistrum, IrishxButter, Journeyman_Mike, Jason Langford, W01F, janember, AlthePal, Elia , Matthew D, rome33, Jesper Samso Birch, Austin, Pedro Belonia, Danny York, Joe Foreman, Duke, Kraxus, Invernos, Kristoffer, john the gamer, ecool, Looting Pillager, Palladya, Tiberius Cristian Radu, Eric Hicks and eevin1 for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

So, next chapter will come in three days, more or less.

Until then, I posted this on my patreon and, if you want, you can leave comments to improve the assessment here

Remember, it's supposed to be what the PRT knows, not his true ratings, if you want, you can leave true ratings between () or []

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it!
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Codename: Susanoo (Formerly Polaris)
Name: Anakin (unconfirmed, possible alias), last name unknown.
Ratings: Shaker 9, Tinker 5, Blaster 3, Master 2, Mover 2, Brute 2, Thinker 2, Trump 2.
Affiliation: Asian Bad Boys (ABB). Villain.
Location: Brockton Bay.

Shaker 9: Susanoo has a powerful and versatile telekinetic ability, he doesn't appear to be Manton limited and is capable of both remarkable finesse as well as devastating brute power.

In his first appearance, Susanoo was able to control several independent pieces of rubble as well as throw an entire car into the third floor of a building with enough power to break through the walls. Later, he was able to push Lung through an entire building.

Susanoo's reach has not been fully measured, but it can reach at least 500 meters around his body. In addition, he seems to have some awareness of what happens within his area of effect, being able to put out fires beyond his vision.

Tinker 5: Susanoo was able to adapt several stolen Tinkertech weapons, remove and disable bombs implanted by Bakuda, and build a flying drone with what appears to be anti-gravity equipment as well as a plasma sword in less than a week.

Blaster 3: Susanoo is able to release a stream of lightning from his hand. This can be another manifestation of his Shaker ability or a result of Tinker equipment. The lighting is strong enough to kill a man, but will only cause damage to any Brute rating beyond 2.

Master 2: Susanoo is able to implant short-term suggestions or even commands with his voice. The strength of the suggestion seems dependent on the will of the target and PRT anti-master training should allow one to completely ignore them.

At the moment, no long-term effect has been observed, but no victim has been exposed to his power more than once.

Mover 2: Susanoo is able to move at accelerated speeds as well as jump extremely high. It is believed that Susanoo used his Shaker power to affect his body, increasing his speed through his telekinesis.

Brute 2: Susanoo appears to be stronger than an average man. He was able to withstand a glancing blow from a fully ramped-up Lung with only minimal damage. It is believed this too is an extension of his Shaker power, using Telekinesis to completely block the blow.

Thinker 2: Susanoo appears to sense things beyond his field of view, indicating either an increase in a different sense or the ability to perceive things affected by his telekinesis.

He also possesses a combat Thinker power able to perceive attacks a second or less before they happen, used along with his Mover power allows him to even dodge or block bullets.

Trump 2: Susanoo appears to partially block Thinker powers. Most Thinkers can still get information from him, but it appears to be harder than normal, generating Thinker headaches at least twice as fast and some powers are completely blocked.

Notes: Susanoo shows a complete disregard towards the usual conventions of parahumans. It is uncertain why he wears a mask, but it is suggested the equipment is simply for protection against assassination.

He is willing to reveal his true name, unmask or even murder villains and has no trust or respect for the PRT or Protectorate. Despite that, Susanoo has yet to be observed deliberately hurting an innocent, going out of his way to avoid confrontation with law enforcement.

Susanoo's goal is unknown. When taking over the ABB, he purged the gang not only of those still loyal to its former leader but eliminated many of the worst elements, appearing to seek a form of legitimacy.

Despite such action, Susanoo has kidnapped a young precognitive. During interactions with the Protectorate personnel, both claim it was for her protection however, Susanoo's Master power puts such claim into question.

Analysts speculate Susanoo is merely using the ABB to gather resources for his Tinkerin, but his kidnapping and aggressive tendencies indicate he is merely biding his time and will not be content on staying away from battles.

Weaknesses: Susanoo doesn't appear to have any overt weaknesses. His Shaker power is extremely versatile and his combat Thinker rating allows him to react before bullets are fired, making even a surprise attack ineffective.

Strategies: If engagement becomes absolutely necessary, it is recommended to not allow Susanoo the time to rest or prepare an attack, keeping him on the defensive.

Despite his impressive ratings, Susanoo is limited in his ability to multitask and needs to actively use his power to block attacks. fast, constant, and varied attacks are recommended to keep him on the defensive.

Engaging Susanoo alone is NOT recommended, a single parahuman doesn't have the variety of powers necessary to keep Susanoo occupied and will likely lose instantly. Teams with at least four different attack modes are the minimum.

For the purpose of clarity, different modes of attack include but are not limited to: Fire, gas, projectiles, different exotic powers, explosions, and sound.

If Susanoo is allowed on the offensive, immediate retreat is recommended.





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[CapCaverna]

Alright, I was planning on releasing the next chapter of Will of the Force Tuesday, unfortunately, that wasn't possible.

The chapter WAS almost finished, but I caught an ear infection that is incredibly painful, so much so that I have only slept 6 hours in three days.

Really, it's not THE most painful thing I ever experienced, not by a long shot, that would be when I had my appendix operation, but it's probably second place slightly above when I broke my arm.

Damn, I never knew it could be so painful, I can barely concentrate. My family said such infections usually go away on their own, but this one seems to only be getting worse.

Yesterday I went to the doctor and he gave me some antibiotics, as well as a ton of painkillers and antipyretics so, hopefully, I'll get better soon.

Ugh, I REALLY have to get a reserve of chapters to prevent such things, but I can never quite make it, something always come up or I start dragging my feet.

Anyways, chapter 19 is finally finished, so you guys get this one which is... well, very large, so it kinda counts as two?... Yeah, sorry about taking so long.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
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The words on the paper blurred and Coil, for the moment acting as Thomas Calvert, had to lean back, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his eyes. He tried to refocus but met with little success. Waving a hand through his hair, he forced his right leg to stop tapping the ground and reached for his coffee.

He missed the handle, nearly pushing the mug out of the table.

Pausing, he took a second to gather himself, then took a sip of the hot liquid and adjusted his seat. Where was he again?

…Living two timelines, what a joke.

"Mr. Calvert, are you feeling well?" Armsmaster said, after finishing his own work. "I've noticed a decline in your focus and performance lately. Your dedication is commendable, but perhaps you should rest."

Coil fought down the urge to pull out his sidearm and shot the man in his self-righteous face. He had done it before, but he couldn't afford such luxuries anymore.

In his simulation and miles away from the Bay, in a warehouse in Concord, Recluse called one of his employees to his room, his padded skintight black costume covered his entire body, masking his real dimensions and not leaving any part of his skin exposed, a web design on his chest.

The man had been selling information to several nearby gangs so he wouldn't be missed. This SHOULD be the simulation, so the death wouldn't even be noticed, but the time when he could simply act as he wished was long gone.

Coil had never intended to use Recluse, he barely paid the identity any attention through the years, just making sure the gang was alive once every two or three months, but it was a last resort in case he, as 'Coil', needed to disappear. A way of not having to restart from zero.

He was never going to leave Brockton Bay without a fight or salting the earth behind him, but it paid to have options, even unpalatable ones. Coil hadn't gotten to where he was by not having backup plans.

In the main timeline, he said. "It's nothing. Susanoo's operation is just taking a lot out of me."

He wasn't lying, it wouldn't do to trigger the Tinker's damn lie detector. His problems were all about Susanoo and the delay in the plan, even if not just for the PRT.

"I see. Your analysis of his power is appreciated," Armsmaster said, no doubt reading from a script on his mask. "Unfortunately, we didn't acquire more support."

"Dragon's presence should be enough," Coil nodded. "Victor's arrest does delay the operation a little, but it gives me more time to refine the plan. And how's the new Ward?"

"Rune is not a Ward yet, she is in isolation because of his Master effect, but she appears to be entirely willing. Her transfer should happen in a few weeks."

"I see," Coil said, sensing some satisfaction in Armsmaster's voice. "Having one less villain in the city is always appreciated."

And wasn't that a surprise? Coil had expected all four attacking parahumans to die along with the normal gunmen. Susanoo restricting himself to mutilating Victor was entirely unexpected.

Honestly, when he learned the Empire was thinking of provoking Susanoo, he had used one of the moles in his own organization to leak his assessment of the bastard's power to the Empire, bolstering their confidence enough to guarantee the attempt in a small hope they'd get lucky.

Everything he knew indicated the Empire was going to be slaughtered but, like most of his plans, the attack served more than one purpose. The resulting deaths should have finally drawn enough attention to the murderous Parahuman to force the PRT's hand, sending them temporary reinforcements while also weakening the Empire for later.

Carefully, Coil pried his fingers away from the coffee mug, avoiding smashing the thing against the wall, or Armsmaster's face. Sighing, he stretched his aching joints.

He really needed to sleep.

Probably feeling like he had fulfilled his duty to check on a co-worker and hating to be away from his workshop, Armsmaster nodded. "Indeed. If you'll excuse me, I need to make some adjustments to my equipment, it's not properly geared towards repelling a rescue attempt by the Empire."

Coil nodded back, Armsmaster was an attention-seeking fool, but at least he didn't normally waste the secret crime lord's time. That was mildly appreciated.

He was just about to turn back to his computer when the silent alarm hidden on his wristwatch started vibrating. For a second, Coil froze, his mind taking a little too long to register the implications of what was happening.

Carefully, he turned towards the door and saw Armsmaster had briefly paused, clearly speaking with someone through his equipment and reaching for a device on his armor.

Now fully awake, Coil scrambled for his sidearm, pushing himself away from the chair and putting the metal table between them.

Miles away in what should have been a simulation, Coil —acting as Recluse— twitched, the actual simulation collapsing and leaving him a few hours away from Brockton Bay.

Stepping back from the tied-up informant, he quickly drew his weapon and shot the man once between the eyes, causing the back of his head to explode in a shower of bone and brains from the exit wound.

Shaking his hand to get rid of the blood, he kicked the body, toppling the chair away from him, then discharged his weapon a few more times to unwind. Moving quickly, he pulled out a second magazine and reloaded the weapon.

With care, he glanced from side to side, then briskly moved towards his desk, making sure to keep his handgun ready as he checked the cameras around the warehouse.

Finally, when he was sure nothing was wrong, he pulled out the chair and sat behind the desk, feeling his muscles relaxing, his body aching from the scare.

Fuck, he was in dire need of a computer. Coil had made all the necessary plans in the simulation and remembered their content, but they still needed to be typed in the real world. He needed the paperwork trail.

Focusing on his computer, he hurried to check on the silent alarm still warning him something was wrong, going directly to one of the many Tinker programs he had bought.

It seemed like one of his backdoors to the PRT servers had been found and there was an attempt to trace it back, one that his program had caught in time to disconnect, blocking any chance of tracking him down.

For a full second, Coil just stared at the screen.

He… had gotten spooked. No, his power believed he'd have been spooked enough to drop the simulation before finding out everything about the situation. It almost made him laugh.

Coil had always been a careful individual, he even avoided meeting with any parahuman in person regardless of 'timeline'. But Susanoo had left him on a hair-trigger, he HAD to kill the man.

The girl was supposed to have changed things, their powers combined would give him the confidence to act freely. With only two tries, he didn't dare take too many risks but, if he knew there were minimal chances of something going wrong, he could be far bolder.

She could have accelerated his plans by months, perhaps even years. Instead, he now had to worry about her interfering with his power and her new guardian breaking it altogether.

If he hadn't been working on Brockton Bay for so long, he'd seriously consider just leaving. Causing as much damage as he could on the way out.

Sitting at his desk, he did his best to get rid of the fog in his mind and struggled with a few seconds of indecision but, finally, he activated his power again, starting a new simulation.

In the simulation, he sat behind the computer and continued to work on his gang.

In what should now be the real world, he washed his hands and walked out of the room.

"Clean this up," Recluse growled towards the guard at his door. "I hate snitches."

"Yes sir!" the man said and quickly looked inside the room, grimacing at all the blood.

"Something came up, I'll be back tomorrow."

"I understand. Sir, do you need me to gather the boys?"

Coil pretended to think about it, but shook his masked head. "No, I'll suffice."

Getting in the car, he drove away from the warehouse. Pausing briefly in one of his hidden safehouses only so he could change clothes and vehicle. Looking once more like Thomas Calvert, he drove back to Brockton Bay.

Hours lost on the road because of a fucking scare!

There was a time Coil believed his power split the world in two, allowing him to live two lives, that time was past.

After his power had failed so many times against Susanoo, it was inevitable he learned the truth. He couldn't split the timeline, merely simulate a single different course of action.

Worse, while he could generally tell which was the real and which was simulated, if something unexpected happened, he could be left in the wrong location or the simulation could be completely wrong.

Coil still remembered when his troubles started, it should have been so easy...
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Coil had first learned about Dinah Alcott from a routine report; one of his employees in the hospital had flagged her file as possibly being a parahuman despite no obvious trigger event.

Constant complaints of headaches, strange actions, and having more knowledge than she should… It was inconclusive, but one of his operations against the Empire had just failed. If he was going to discard the timeline anyway, he could keep it active for a few more minutes and send someone to check on the girl.

When the girl managed to perfectly avoid one of his mercenaries, she had his attention. Still, she wasn't important. He had a city to take over and he couldn't spend his power on just any parahuman.

When she avoided his men another two times, he dedicated a full timeline to getting her. His mercenaries burst into the house, kidnapping her and her parents before bringing them to the shelter.

Such blatant action against the niece of the mayor drew far too much heat upon him, but he still had a full afternoon with her and two hostages. Pain is a wonderful motivator, pain to one's loved ones equally so. The information he got was illuminating.

His pet's power seemed tailor-made to complement him. Coil could split timelines, but he could only create two at any one time. Operations took time, money, and resources even when he didn't go through with them. If he already knew how likely something was to fail or succeed too…

He didn't NEED her, his plans were progressing regardless, but she would be a force multiplier, allowing him to personally meet with his pawns without danger and be far more active without much risk.

Making adjustments, he managed to bribe someone into taking the Protectorate out of town and had his Undersiders act as a distraction for the Wards while one of his disguised mercenaries took the girl.

Sitting several meters below ground in his Endbringer shelter, Coil split the timeline. In one he immediately left for another hideout —It wouldn't do to be in the same place for too long— and, in the other, he waited.

From his desk within the Endbringer shelter, Coil watched his Tattletale tracker leaving her little hideout. Picking up the phone, he called his ready mercenaries. "The operation is a go."

In another timeline, he called Tattletale. "Cancel the heist."

"They won't like that," she said in warning.

"I'll still pay 2 000 each. Cancel the heist."

Tattletale spoke away from the phone for a second, then uncovered the speaker and spoke. "As you wish, boss."

Leaning back in his chair on both timelines, he monitored the result / Kept one of his computers open in case it was needed, but started working on Fortress construction paperwork.

The heist went down. There were complications, but the result was satisfactory, then his mercenary contacted him. "Possible parahuman interference."

Coil quickly looked towards his second monitor / Blinked, his vision going hazy for three full seconds, the world seeming to lose focus before he dropped the Fortress paperwork and started looking at his computer for more information.

The entire Protectorate was still out of the city, New Wave was having a family meeting and, while he couldn't risk monitoring every parahuman, none of the main villains was anywhere close to the girl… it was either someone new or a minor villain.

An acceptable loss. His men were professional, if they didn't hold back they could eliminate a single parahuman without much trouble and he may still be able to keep the girl.

"You have permission to eliminate the interference. Be quick."

"Understood, engaging."

Coil had sent a single man dressed in civilian clothes to grab the girl, but he also had an entire team tailing them just in case. Chances were, if they had to interfere, he'd drop the timeline anyway.

A single pre-teen disappearing was one thing, a team of heavily armed mercenaries kidnapping her was completely different and would draw unwanted attention.

Regardless, it wasn't like Coil needed the girl immediately. He had been planning his actions for years now, slowly infiltrating the gangs and police departments. He could drop this timeline and try again another time if the damage was too much.

Really, having them interfere was more to gather information than anything else. If the girl had managed to get help it was best to know as much about it as possible before closing the timeline.

Watching the live feed from several body cams, Coil widened his eyes as he saw the man stop a laser in the air, the shaft of light seeming to freeze in front of him without any effort.

Then the other mercenaries acted, somehow recognizing the danger the parahuman represented. Coil didn't know of any parahuman in the city that could survive a team of mercenaries with Tinkertech weapons, not if they were well-positioned and willing to kill.

This man could, easily.

Some kind of Shaker effect ripped the street apart. There was no hesitation, no pause as the man slaughtered his team and left as if it hadn't even registered to him.

For a second, Coil just stared through the two body cams that had survived, a little stunned.

…Well, that was a little more resistance than he had been expecting.

With a sigh, Coil put away the Fortress paperwork and started to try to gather information on this new parahuman in the city. Depending on his proclivities, such a powerful Shaker could be useful.

The man clearly had little concern about causing death or destruction, but he had also acted to save the girl so, was he a villain interested in her power or a ruthless vigilante?

In the soon-to-be discarded timeline, Coil adjusted his seat within the Endbringer shelter and called Tattletale, sending a copy of the files and ordering her to check the video.

He wanted as much information about his enemy as he could get before losing the videos.

Five hours later, Coil collapsed the timeline… and was left still inside his Endbringer shelter. A full team of mercenaries was dead and he had done nothing to prevent their discovery or interfere with police investigations.

For the second time in a day, he just stared at the computer with a confused face… What?

Then he burst into motion, immediately starting to call in all his favors with the police and PRT. The mercenaries shouldn't have anything that connected them to him or revealed his location, but he had to make sure.

Oh, with the Tinkertech weapons they had, it would be obvious who they worked for, but law enforcement needed proof, not just knowledge and the most important was to make sure nothing revealed any of his connections or safehouses.

In a rush, Coil split the timeline again and started working.

A couple of days later, he thought about the latest information he had and almost wanted to laugh. It seems fate really was at his side.

At any other time a dozen men dying in a parahuman fight would be news for weeks but, when an insane explosive Tinker started a string of terrorist attacks on an entire city not even a day later, nobody had any time for dead mercenaries.

After two days of work, Coil was far more relaxed. His men were shaken by their first real taste of failure and he'd had to burn some of his favors and blackmail, but things were far from irrecoverable.

He was still wary of his power's failure, but the girl had been interfering with his timelines from the very beginning, which meant her power was far stronger than she believed or he could test in the short time he had her under his control.

Yes, if her power was going to interfere with his, getting the girl in his hand just became a much higher priority. At least her new guardian's brutality, coupled with his weak Master power, might yet work in Coil's favor; it meant the Protectorate would also be trying to take him out.

He would try to manipulate things as Thomas Calvert, and he was already leaking information to the Empire, but Coil needed this solved soon. Not knowing when he could be left in the wrong timeline was not a comfortable experience.

Unfortunately, that meant he needed more firepower than he currently had. The Undersiders were a powerful tool, but they weren't made for direct confrontations and he didn't have any other heavy hitters.

Dealing with Accord had been hard. Canceling a meeting with the Thinker in a timeline always drove him into a near-murderous rage, there was no point even trying. As a result, Coil only had two simultaneous tries to get a good deal.

Fortunately, he had managed to get what he wanted, mostly because Accord himself wanted them gone from his city and wasn't willing to spend the resources necessary to kill them… Yet.

A session of interrogation with his men later, just to make sure none of them had any desire to betray him, and he was ready for the meeting. Granted, it hadn't been as gratifying as seeing one of his plans work out, but it was still a good way to let out his frustrations.

Leaning towards the microphone, Coil spoke, his body double repeating his words and cutting off whatever insipid thing Trickster was going to say. "Let me be honest, Trickster. I'm not completely unsympathetic to your plight, but my loyalty is first and foremost to my own employees."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I spoke with Accord. I know what you're capable of and how… difficult to contain your problem can be," steepling his fingers, Coil sighed in sympathy. "I happen to have a safe place to keep Noelle and the means to, possibly, help her, but I will require a service to even consider it."

"Great, you want us to work for free and can't even compromise."

"You're certainly welcome to reject my offer," his body double shrugged on camera before his voice became warmer. "I just recommend finding another place quickly because Accord will not tolerate you for long."

Trickster traded a glance with Ballistic and Sundancer, the two other members with him in the meeting. "Fine. Not like we have much choice, what do you need?"

"Like Accord, I currently employ several parahumans in my city. Some are working entirely under me, others are simply temporarily contracted but, contrary to the Thinker, I tend to take care of them.

"A few days ago, I became worried when one particularly vulnerable girl stopped contacting me. She was too young to work directly with me, but she traded the use of her power for safety, some comfort, and a not inconsiderable college fund…" Coil trailed off as if barely containing his anger.

At least the anger wasn't a lie.

"What happened?" Sundancer asked behind Trickster, getting a glare in return.

"I take it this is going somewhere?" The man himself turned back to the body double and tapped a foot against the ground.

"Indeed, it seems the girl has fallen victim to a Master/Shaker who has taken the name Polaris," he paused, letting his words stretch. "When I first organized a rescue, the man dispensed with any subterfuge, killed a dozen well-equipped mercenaries and kidnapped the girl."

"Yeah, I'm not sure we're willing to fight someone like that," Trickster lied, even though the monitor Coil could see he was desperate for the deal. "We're not assassins and it doesn't sit well to risk death, particularly as a free sample."

"Let me be clear," Coil said. "The priority is getting the girl to safety, not killing or even fighting the parahuman. If you could use your power to swap the kid away from him and run I'd be perfectly happy. I'll also offer you all the support I can."

Ballistic was the first one to nod, then Sundancer. Trickster took a little more time, taking a drag of the cigarette through the mouth hole in his mask. Finally, he puffed out some smoke. "I don't really buy the whole 'caring for your employee' thing —Dealt with plenty like you before— but yeah, we're in."

Inviting the Travelers into his city had been something he didn't want to do, but they would be necessary to deal with the new parahuman and, once he had the girl in his hands, he'd be able to control them with ease going forward. Coil would just have to be careful until then.

Over the course of the next few days, Coil used his power extensively. Instead of immediately going after the man, he probed him, doing all that he could to study his powers and abilities.

Coil sent more mercenaries after him, had the Travelers or the Undersiders try to take the girl away and manipulated things so he'd be attacked by the Empire, the Protectorate, ABB, the Merchants, even New Wave.

Then he adapted his plans and did it again… and again.

Some of his simulations had ended in his complete loss, others had the girl die in the crossfire and some he had won, killed the parahuman or escaped with the girl.

Unfortunately, unless he killed the parahuman first, the escape was never clean… Also, no matter how many times he tried it, he never managed to kill the man without destroying at least an entire city block.

Sweating, he threw away the covers and sat on the bed, breathing hard, a hand massaging his chest almost expecting a plasma sword hole to be there. Fucking Polaris.

After so many probing attempts, Coil knew the full extent of Susanoo's power, it was impressive but not limitless. He was almost ready to act for real, drop the probing attempts and have a real try at the girl.

Still, Coil hated to admit it, but the sheer brutality Polaris showed... It was a bitter reminder of how far a parahuman could go when he didn't care about society or its rules. Yes, Polaris had to die.

Looking around his house, he couldn't help glancing at the windows and going over the security features all over again, a gun firmly in his hand. The Endbringer shelter had always been so much safer but, with Neolle there, he didn't dare be too close.

Grabbing a mug of coffee, he collapsed the timeline where he had been reading the PRT's data and split it again, putting on his outfit and starting to adapt his latest plans / drove out of the city and towards Concordia.

Perhaps it was about time to start getting his backup plan ready. Nilbog had taught him many things, amongst them the fact that, no matter what you do, sometimes one just has to retreat.

As a result, he had long since established a minor presence in several cities. Places where Fortress Construction had worked and where he controlled a minor gang.

Despite parahumans' wide dominance, some purely normal gangs would always exist. Offering his services to one of them once every two months kept them in his debt in the unlikely case he needed to escape and start over.

Later, from his safehouse in Concordia, Coil coordinated with the Travelers.

"I thought you wanted the girl away from him, why won't you let us act?" Ballistic said, pinching Trickster's shoulders to keep the man from cursing more.

"Must I remind you?" Coil's double said, playing with a coin in his hand. "My power influences Fate, but like any parahuman, I have limits. It was not the time to act."

When the Travelers had asked for a demonstration, he had used the old coin trick. Throwing it up and calling the correct side every single time. It was simple but very effective, particularly when he let his audience flip the coin and still managed to be right.

Anyone smart could make the connections to his immaculate track record with complex operations and, for those too stupid to connect the dots, Coil simply had to point it out himself.

His recent losses to Polaris hurt that image, but he still had years as a parahuman, a single failure could be overlooked.

"Fuck, I don't know if we still want to do this," Trickster shrugged off his teammate's hand. "With or without support, every fucking time we're ready you call us off. Are you saying we can't beat him no matter what?"

"Quite the contrary, I believe you'd have won in nearly every engagement," Coil said in a sad voice. "Unfortunately, Polaris is not the usual parahuman, he WILL attack with deadly force at any provocation. You'd win, but I felt at least one of your fates would end with him."

They all stared at him, Trickster with a very frustrated look on his face. With a snort, the irritating parahuman took another drag of his cigarette. "No wonder you don't control the city."

Coil felt the corner of his eye twitch. Had he chosen Boston instead of the Bay, he'd be in Accord's place right now. Unable to keep the frown from his face, he answered. "Indeed, I'm not omnipotent."

"What about tonight? I can just swap the girl and run, have Genesis keep him occupied? No need to invite him for the meeting."

"I will be in constant contact and using my power. I just hope you can pull back if I tell you to, I don't think Noelle would take your death well."

In hindsight, Coil shouldn't have taken the risk of such a badly planned assault. His power had already failed once against the girl and, while it was working well now, it was not impossible he'd be left with the Travelers dead and Noelle rampaging.

Still, watching Ballistic get crushed under a car and Trickster bisected with a plasma sword was oddly satisfying before he collapsed that timeline.

The next day, when he heard Polaris was going after Lung, Coil could hardly believe his luck. The Rage Dragon was one of the few that could stand as an equal against the parahuman… at least if he was properly motivated first.

He had seen the full extent of Polaris power's and killed the man several times in discarded timelines, it was finally time to see it through.

Faultline defending the girl was a challenge, but her crew couldn't stand up to the Travelers, not when they were properly supported by his power. Still, it was always best to hedge his bets.

From his safehouse, Coil split the timeline and left for Concordia; it wouldn't do to be in the same location. / leaned back on his chair and considered his next move.

In both timelines, he opened a connection to the comms of the monster's cell.

"Good evening Noelle," he said in a caring voice.

Noelle was a beast, her upper body was that of a young, petite girl, but her lower body was a giant, semi-independent mass of flesh weighing several tons and capable of changing shape.

It was also exclusively carnivorous and seemed to crave human flesh, parahumans above all else.

Out of curiosity, Coil had tried to simply cut off the excess in a timeline, but the mass reacted autonomously, striking back at any perceived enemy and, if the girl wasn't conscious, even her own allies. If it touched someone, it would release an aggressive clone loyal only to Noelle.

Worse, she regenerated at incredible speeds, from a seemingly endless source of mass far beyond what should be visibly contained in her lower body. Perhaps the Travelers were right and the girl really was on the way to becoming an Endbringer.

"Coil, I-I'm…" the upper part of her said, her lower body rippling, the shapeless mass releasing a long arm that hit the reinforced door with surprising strength. Swallowing hard, she regained some clarity and asked. "Where's Trickster?"

"He is getting ready to attempt rescuing the girl," Coil said. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't guarantee the result. The girl is under Faultline and her crew's protection, but there's a chance Polaris will return if the fight takes too long."

"... Faultline?" the girl asked, her mind focused for once. Coil had kept her well fed, not daring to take any risks.

"A local mercenary. Has the power to separate molecules."

"Right, five members, a Striker, two Blasters, a Striker/Mover and a strong Shaker, professional," Noelle commented, her lower body settling back, the arm retreating into her flesh. "We… should be able to handle them easily."

"That's my assessment too, but I have been wrong before. There was no time to check with you before, but I wanted to ask for your help coordinating the assault."

"Yeah, I can do that," she answered, seeming to gain some confidence. "We agreed they could act without my help if there was a chance, but is there enough time?"

On one timeline, he nodded. "Good, I'll have one of my men configure the equipment and send it to you. The rescue will be in an hour."

On the other, Coil grimaced and avoided her eyes. "I'm afraid I have to ask for more."

"What's wrong?"

"I have been holding your team back from any engagement with Polaris, my power indicates any confrontation with him ends in at least one of their deaths… that has not changed."

For a moment, Noelle just stared at his mask on the screen, her mind working overtime to understand him. "... He's going after the dragon, but you think there's a chance he'll be back sooner?"

"Unfortunately, I do not know," Coil said, doing his best to seem tired, haunted. "Polaris has cost me a dozen men before, a dozen lives lost because I was wrong. I don't want to take that risk again."

"You want me to be there? I can't," Noelle immediately shook her head. "I won't be able to stop."

"Noelle, contrary to what I said, I'm not waiting until your team rescues Dinah and proves yourselves. I have been working on helping you, I have been using my contacts and stretching my power for a while now, but your condition is simply too dangerous."

"I know, but you said…"

"Yes, I said I could help you…" Coil sighed as if revealing something he didn't want to. "The truth is that the girl is not only important to me, but she's also essential for your recovery and the only reason I could even offer you a place here. Her power allows me to eliminate much of the danger involved."

"Alright…" Noelle said. Noticing several appendages extending from her body, she moved away from the door and pressed her back against the wall. "Alright, what do you need?"

"Your clones," he finally said. "I have managed to hire a cape by the name of Circus, he's a mercenary, a thief and a Grab-bag with a dimensional storage, minor pyrokinesis as well as weak Mover and Thinker powers. It wouldn't be enough against Faultline or Polaris, but if you clone him enough…"

Noelle just stared at the image, her mind working overtime to think about the situation. The girl was smart, smarter than Trickster at least, but she was also desperate and her power was messing with her mind. Coil had little doubt she'd agree.

"I don't know if I can stop myself," she finally said, not refusing.

"Circus won't even be in your room, you can simply make contact with him through the hatch on the door," Coil continued. "If it's any consolation, while he's not an assassin, Circus is extremely selfish, he has killed more than once and hurting him may save your friends' lives."

"I'll do it."

"Good, he'll be at your door in a few minutes."

Coil didn't like the theatrics, but it was necessary. Noelle's clones were insane, impossible to control and hated the originals, but they were also utterly loyal to the girl. As long as they believed her best interests were to get Dinah and that Coil was helping her, they could be… directed.

He wished he had enough time to order suicide collars to be made, but he hadn't thought of it before and this was a last-minute assault.

Turning off the comms, Coil stretched his back and scratched at his tired eyes. Even with two timelines to do things, he didn't have the time to sleep.

Polaris was a problem, but the priority was getting the girl, not eliminating him. It was likely the man would die against Lung anyway, so Coil would use his power on the kidnapping, not the battle.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the show. Seeing Polaris getting burned to death or ripped apart would be very satisfying. Picking up the phone, he ordered some of his men to film the confrontation, then contacted Leet for a more impressive camera.

In one timeline, he watched Noelle organize the assault. The girl had a talent for it, managing her team well, but Faultline was not a pushover and Dinah was clearly helping her, blocking several moves before they were even made.

In the other, Noelle was far more brutal and reckless. She had managed to preserve Circus's life, even if his arm would need time to recover, but making the clones had affected her.

Still, at every moment, it became clearer that the second timeline was the better one. Against Faultline, they had needed enough brute force, not finesse.

Leaning back, Coil turned on a secondary screen and started watching the video from the Snitch. A sense of vertigo hit him, his first timeline collapsing as if shattered into a million shards that all pierced through his brain.

Turning aside, he managed to keep from puking and turned disbelieving eyes to the image.

That wasn't supposed to happen! Polaris just didn't have that level of power! Again and again he had tested it, the man had died several times for fuck's sake!

Releasing a stream of lightning from his hand, Polaris forced Lung's head high and pulled his plasma sword back, nearly decapitating the Endbringer-sized dragon, with a pull of his Shaker power, he pulled the head off and finished it with a sword to the brain right in front of Miss Militia and Velocity.

Gripping his chair tightly, his head killing him, Coil watched the man point at the fires covering at least four blocks and simply… willed them out in a show of both power and control he had only seen from Eidolon.

That was impossible!

He was unable to think, his breathing coming faster as he realized he couldn't even split the timelines, his exhausted power only making the headache worse and forcing his eyes to tear up.

For a minute, he watched Polaris leave the heroes behind and actually locate the Snitch. The recording device's demise finally snapped Coil out of his daze.

Scrambling for his comms, he didn't even care how he looked while contacting the Mercenaries and Noelle. "Retreat, retreat now! Lung is dead and Polaris is on the way. drop everything and retreat!"

"We almost have her," one of Circus's clones said on the comms. "Five minutes and I'll have her out from under the rubble!"

"Polaris will be there in two," Coil grit his teeth, swallowing the desire to curse.

Turning off the comms, he leaned back, his mask digging into his face, cloth blocking his nose and mouth until he desperately pulled it off and took a deep breath. Holding his face with both hands, he felt the cold sweat running down his skin.

What the fuck was that? Running a hand through his head, he reached for some medication and stuffed three pills into his mouth, hoping to alleviate his killer headache. Then he ran an arm over his desk, throwing everything to the floor in a fit of rage.

Finally, he managed to get himself under control. Finding his phone, he started watching Polaris fight from the beginning, he needed to know what the hell happened.

Two days, it took him two days and Tattletale's help in a discarded timeline —no, he supposed they weren't timelines but truly nothing more than simulations— to understand what went wrong.

Coil had assumed Dinah was the one responsible for his power's failure, he had been wrong. Polaris, now renamed to Susanoo by the Asian population, was almost immune to Thinker powers.

After experimenting, the only conclusion he could make was that he couldn't split into two timelines, his power simply simulated a different set of choices and showed him the result in real-time.

While he could simulate Susanoo, the man's immunity meant he couldn't be certain any information was accurate nor discover any powers he hadn't shown before.

In hindsight, the only reason he hadn't been screwed by the attempts on Susanoo's life was that they were always intended as probes. Coil would never keep the simulation unless there was a perfect victory, Susanoo dead, the girl in his hand and no proof he was the one to do it.

The realization that his power was far weaker than he'd first believed was a bitter pill to swallow. Oh, it was still incredibly useful, but much less impressive than he ever thought.

It also meant he couldn't take as many liberties as before, mostly because there was always a risk goddamned Susanoo would block his power and force him to make a wrong choice. And the man wasn't the only Trump out there.

Coil had also become far more careful in both simulation and real life, he didn't dare take risks in either of his timelines, after all, he didn't know if it was simulation or reality. He could guess and plan but, until the very moment he ended his simulation, he wouldn't really know.

The next few days were spent remaking all of his plans, Susanoo had just gone from a nuisance to an absolute priority, to the point they couldn't exist in the same city. His escape to Concordia also became a far more realistic possibility.

Coil still wanted the girl, her power was even more important now that he wasn't as confident in his own abilities, but he NEEDED Susanoo gone. By any means necessary.

Thankfully, both the Empire and the PRT were already planning against him.

Unfortunately, Armsmaster had managed to arrest Bakuda, so Coil had lost his convenient distraction, having to burn a lot of influence to keep out of the limelight, but the attack wasn't a total loss.

Three of Circus's clones had survived. One had disappeared into the city, but two others were under his control, Tinkertech collars keeping them from causing damage and the authorities had found the remains of the girl's hand.

That had gone well with the PRT.

The fact hadn't been announced, but it had drastically accelerated their plans and secured Dragon's support.

Finally, he returned to Brockton Bay, stopping at the PRT's parking lot and entering the building to continue his work. There was a lot of information he had to register, the paperwork being essential to keeping his identity safe.

Opening his work email, he saw the meeting with Director Piggot and the Protectorate. He had to be ready and his planning adjusted in two hours.

"Mr. Calvert, are you feeling well?" Armsmaster said, looking at him from the door and reading from a prompt fed through his mask. "I've noticed a decline in your focus and performance lately. Your dedication is commendable, but perhaps you should rest."

Coil looked up, remembering all the times he had killed the man. Somehow, the fact it had always been a simulation took a lot of the satisfaction out of it. He sighed. "I'm fine. If you'll excuse me, I have to finish this before the meeting."

"Of course. I have sent some new information to your account. It seems Cassandra's power is confirmed."

"Thank you," Coil nodded politely.

Opening his email, he found a list of compromised PRT systems, nearly all of them his backdoors. Fuck, he had hoped some had escaped their swipe. Pressing a hand against his aching eyes, he started working.

The meeting room was packed. Almost every Protectorate hero was present, even the affiliates like Sere and Dovetail, as well as Piggot and Dragon. Looking at them all, Piggot started. "Dragon, I want to thank you for your help."

"I'm glad I can be of help, Director," the woman said from the monitor. "I already have four suits in the city and am prepared to provide support as needed."

"I see. I assume you all know why we're here?"

"Susanoo, the new leader of the ABB," Miss Militia said, her voice filled with disappointment and a hand glued to her weapon projection.

Leaning against the wall, Triumph glared at her and almost growled, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Yes. Mr. Calvert," Piggot pointed at him. She managed to keep her disgust hidden behind a mask of professionalism, but Coil saw through her. "Has been working on the case since it started, but now that we have Bakuda under control, we've shifted much of our focus towards it."

"I believe we all watched the latest video and read the information provided?" He started and saw several nods. "I have been going over the video and there are several points I'd like to highlight."

"Sorry, I just have to ask," Assault interrupted, getting a glare from Battery by his side. "And don't crucify me, but didn't we just find out a LOT of security breaches? Shouldn't we, I don't know, fix them first before going after the Thinker Parahuman that said she was safer away from us?"

"You want to…" Triumph started to say and visibly stopped himself, taking a deep breath. "Cassandra is with a stranger, one that doesn't have a problem killing or mutilating people, including her… and you want to just leave her there? Again?"

"I'm just playing devil's advocate here kid, calm down."

"Answering your question," Coil said, refocusing the attention on him. "First, I have to point out that Precognitive Thinkers aren't exactly the most reliable or clean-cut. If Cassandra's power works as expected, she'd probably be the most powerful we know of.

"What is far more likely is that it doesn't work exactly as portrayed. Her numbers could have completely different meanings, the questions could be limited in scope to her own understanding or the chances could completely change once she speaks them out loud."

"So, the chances she'd be kidnapped with us could have changed as soon as she said something?" Triumph pushed away from the wall and glared at Piggot. "...If people even believed her."

"I admit we were too busy with Bakuda and I did not fully believe her," Piggot said. "But I did order a swipe for security failures and I would not completely ignore the girl's safety. Were she in our custody I'd have immediately taken her off the city,"

"Did that lead to anything?" Dauntless said. "Have we found out who else is after the girl?"

Dauntless was considered a rising star in the city, but Coil never paid him too much attention. The man was mildly tempered, always doing his best to appease Armsmaster's ego and never taking the initiative. Despite his potential, he was not Triumvirate material.

"Unfortunately, while I have found several programs in the PRT and Protectorate's servers, I've been unable to track their source back to anyone," Dragon said, frustrated. "Whoever installed them was very careful, putting on several levels of defense and immediately cutting the connection when they detected any interference."

"We have been able to arrest several moles," Armsmaster said. "But as we suspected, they didn't have much access and worked for all three major gangs."

"Shit," Assault said.

"There is another point. The girl said she'd be safer with Susanoo, but what exactly does her power consider safe?" Coil said. He had to make sure they were all interested in the girl's rescue. He also liked to see Triumph squirm. It was petty, but he needed to vent. "Is it being alive? Not in physical or emotional harm?

"Clearly not the last. She's already lost a hand, so she's not entirely safe with him, but did her power consider the chance of losing a hand safer than risking death or getting kidnapped by another person? By what percentage? Was she mastered and started to consider being by her master's side being 'safe'?"

"Calvert, enough, getting the girl away from Susanoo was never in question," Piggot cut him off. Then she glared at everyone in the room. "Contrary to what some might expect, I did not enjoy having to prioritize Bakuda, the same way I don't enjoy letting the gangs run free in the city. With Lung and Bakuda gone and Dragon's help, we can at least do this much."

"Very well," Coil nodded, he had hoped she wouldn't cancel the operation, but Piggot did hate parahumans. In her place, he'd simply write the girl off. "In the material you received, Susanoo was classified as a Shaker 9, Tinker 5, Blaster 3, Master / Mover / Brute / Thinker / Trump 2. The wide range of effects he's able to use makes him incredibly dangerous but, what some of you may not have noticed is that he's not as versatile as he seems."

There was no reaction, everyone had read the same report and, while Assault had whistled when he first read the ridiculous amount of classifications, they had had time to get used to Susanoo.

"You're saying he's like Eidolon?" Miss Militia asked, leaning forward. "Actually a Trump that can choose which powers to use but is limited in how many?"

"No, after analyzing the available footage, I believe most of his abilities come from different expressions of a single power, mainly, his Shaker one. It doesn't really change his ratings, but how we plan around them. In both his confrontation with Lung and the Empire, Susanoo did not use more than 4 abilities at the same time and the more he used, the less precise he could be with them.

"For example, he's not truly a Brute or Mover, but he uses his Shaker power to mimic those effects. When he's defending himself, he's not as effective attacking and if he's caught by surprise, he's no faster or more resistant than a normal human."

"So we're not fighting Eidolon 2.0," Assault couldn't help commenting. "Just someone that can act almost exactly like him. That makes things so much better."

"It does," Armsmaster said. "Eidolon can dedicate a single power for defense, usually a Brute rating strong enough he can ignore any attacks. He's then free to use two powers entirely for offense, we also can't know which powers he's going to choose. With Susanoo, that isn't a problem."

"Indeed," Coil gave the man the recognition he so craved. "Susanoo has an impressive but limited ability to multitask. As Lung found out, it's challenging to do one-on-one, but if we can pressure him to defend himself in different ways, he'll be unable to go on the offensive."

"I want everyone to understand, the priority is to separate Susanoo from the girl," Piggot spoke again. "Arrest him if possible, but he doesn't have a kill order and is acting as a stabilizing factor in ABB territory. If he flees, we CAN let him go and take our time analyzing his abilities, but we can't let him keep the girl."

"He's not going to start making mistakes," Miss Militia said. "Even if we press him, he was a soldier, he's not going to collapse or give up. Don't let your guard down even if we're winning."

"Yeah," Velocity said. "When he was fighting Lung, he wasn't really desperate, he didn't kill the man because of adrenaline or something like that, he kept his calm. Guy like that isn't going to panic even if we do find his weakness.

"And who's going to rescue Cassandra?" Triumph said.

"One of Dragon's suits is already equipped with sonic weapons," Armsmaster said, reading the details on his screen. "You will not be as effective in the confrontation."

"I also brought a suit fitted for search and rescue," Dragon offered from the screen of a computer. "It was being used close by and won't be very effective in a direct confrontation, but can escape with the girl."

"Dragon and Dovetail will attempt to rescue the girl, they're both Movers and can act fast," Piggot said. "If we manage to separate Susanoo enough, I'll also deploy the Wards for the rescue attempt, with Triumph leading them. Velocity will be kept in reserve for emergencies while the rest will engage the target."

With that decided, it was time to plan the entire operation.

Hours later, Coil was sitting on his desk again. His spyware had been discovered and most of his access to the PRT database could now be traced, but he still had access to some things. Including the schedule of prisoner transport.

Bakuda had been sentenced to the Birdcage and she was going to be taken out of the city soon. At the same time, Piggot had managed to get Victor sent to a detention center outside the city until his judgment.

Tapping his finger against the wooden desk, Coil considered his next move. His mercenaries refused to work anywhere near Susanoo, but a successful operation could rekindle some of their trust in his power.

"Mr. Andrew," Coil spoke to the mercenary in front of him. "Tomorrow, the PRT will be transporting two prisoners out of the city. The Empire will obviously make an attempt to rescue Victor, but I want you to be ready to assist the other prisoner if the opportunity presents itself."

"Will you be providing extra support?"

"As usual, I'll be in command," Coil hated that he couldn't see the usual confidence on the man's face. "I have also secured a Tinkertech suit from one of my other employees. It will give you the necessary mobility to escape pursuit."

Chariot was not a very strong Tinker, but his specialty was transportation, the suit was extremely fast and capable of taking more than one passenger. Bakuda made for such a nice distraction, it would be a pity to allow her to be sent to the Birdcage if he could help it.

"Understood sir."

"Also, ask for Trickster to come in."

With guards around the room, Coil was confident enough to meet the Travelers's leader. Trickster's power wasn't offensive in nature and, while he could be dangerous, Coil was certain he couldn't disable four men before they killed him.

Entering the room, the Mover sat down in the chair and put his feet up on Coil's desk, his long hair tied in a ponytail and his body relaxed, pretending to be comfortable in Coil's presence.

Coil just stared at him for a minute, letting the silence uncomfortably stretch between them until Trickster couldn't keep it anymore. "Alright, what do you want?"

"I had one requirement, get the girl. It was simple, uncomplicated," Coil said, putting his elbows on the table and crossing his hands. "You failed, again and again."

"Yeah, nope, you only gave us one chance and it was your side that failed," Trickster snorted.

"Really, is that what you believe?" Coil looked into the man's eyes. This time, Trickster managed to meet his stare. "Regardless, I'll give you one last opportunity to..."

"So, I've been thinking," Trickster interrupted before Coil could continue. "I don't see you doing anything for Noelle, no help or a plan to start helping, you even forced her to use her power so… Perhaps it's time we renegotiate our agreement?"

Coil took a breath, his eyes never leaving the parahuman. He had hoped this wouldn't be necessary. "Very well, I can admit you have made a serious attempt at the girl and the failure wasn't entirely your fault, perhaps I can pay you for this new attempt?"

"No, see, I don't know if it's in our best interests to keep antagonizing the guy. We already broke the agreed truce and have to stay huddled in your little villain lair, maybe we should just cut our losses and leave. We're the Travelers after all."

Leaning away from the desk, Coil felt the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, the skintight costume seeming to dig into his body uncomfortable and his anger started rising. Still, he tried again. "I assure you, I can help your companion but, as I informed Noelle, the girl's power is necessary for that."

"Damn, that really annoys me about you," Trickster snorted. "That nice persona you're putting on. I know about putting on a mask, I've done it enough to keep my team together. If you didn't act so nice, maybe I could believe you but… Yeah, I think we're leaving."

Coil stared at the man… This, this was why he needed the girl. Sometimes, even when his power didn't fail, he could miss things cropping up in the long run. By interrogating the Trickster in a simulation, he could mitigate that but, sometimes people changed their minds or didn't know their own wants.

With more time or the girl's help, he could have known exactly how to approach the Travelers, what they'd believe, and how to best convince them but, without her, he had tried appearing well-meaning. The sane option among Nazis and raging dragons.

Apparently, that hadn't worked now.

Time for the stick then. With the girl, he may still be able to fix this, it would be a pity to have to get rid of them after the job was done.

"Very well, let me be honest," Coil said, his voice immediately changing from sympathy to a cold, hard one. Around the room, the four guards grabbed their weapons and started getting ready. "It seems you're under the mistaken belief you have a choice. I brought you into the city under the condition that you bring me the girl. I was willing to pay you for it, but that's still what you'll have to do if you ever want to leave."

"And what're you going to do if I say no? Kill me and have Noelle go on a rampage?"

"Did you know Bakuda had many interesting Tinkertech bombs?" Coil commented in a conversational tone, his voice lacking any emotions. "After her arrest, I was able to secure at least some of them. I believe one is capable of turning an entire room into glass, another can disintegrate a dozen men into dust, and those are only the ones we're sure of. I don't think Noelle going on a rampage is a problem for me."

Trickster took his feet off the table and sat straighter in the chair. "There, that I can believe," he said, only a hint of anger in his voice. "Were you even planning to help us?"

"A broken tool is far less useful than an intact one," he said in a cold tone. In truth, he may have helped her… if it wasn't too difficult and they proved useful enough. "Noelle's power is impressive, I'd hate to lose it."

"Fine," the parahuman finally said. "You said there's another chance to grab the kid?"

"I'm glad you see things my way, Trickster," Coil said, no longer trying to appear sympathetic. "In a few days, the Protectorate will be attempting to rescue the girl from Susanoo, most of them will keep him busy while they try to use movers to rescue her, the Wards may also get involved. Will that be a problem?"

"No, we can deal with two movers and the kids."

"Good, I'll send you all the information you need in a minute," the smile returned to Coil's masked face. "And, Trickster… If it appears as if the girl will escape again, I will also accept her gone, am I clear?"

"... Crystal."

"Good, your girlfriend's life depends on it."

__________________________$$$_____________________________

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[CapCaverna]

Ah, I really shouldn't have spent time on this one, but I couldn't help myself, I hope you guys enjoy it. Probably won't write another one for a few weeks. But if someone wants to, I can put it on sidestories too. (Or not, if you don't want to)

The actual chapter is coming tomorrow.
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Dinah stared at the large box, it was nearly bigger than her and had been put there by one of the ABB when they weren't in the workshop. Unfortunately, it was also blocking the way to the storage room where she put her armor and mask.

Humph. Gang members were so lazy and incompetent. She'd have to find a way of motivating them.

Staring at the cardboard box, she frowned, eyes narrowing in concentration as she changed the tools from one hand to the other and extended her free lame, human hand toward it, fingers curled into a grasping motion. Then she frowned harder, arm extended.

With a long, suffering sigh, she lowered the hand.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to choke people with your mind soon enough, dear Mistress," Hal patted her shoulder and moved the damn box.

Walking inside, she put on her equipment, grabbed her mask and went back to the main room, sitting at one of Anakin's work desks.

Carefully, she put on the safety gear before taking out the lenses that covered the mask's eyes and started working.

Dinah had been annoyed when Anakin vetoed the eyepatch but, in hindsight, it wouldn't show under the mask anyway, and she had found a workaround.

Tongue poking from the side of her mouth, she adjusted the new lenses on her helmet and smiled. The left side was disguised to look the same as the rest of the mask's material, making it seem like there was no eyehole, while the right side had a red lamp she could activate when she wanted to intimidate people.

Anakin made it look so easy but, with her age, she had to cheat if she wanted to be taken seriously.

"Ah, I remember when you first started messing with the temple's droids," the ghost said, sitting on the sofa and eating a bag of chips. "Good times."

In the beginning, Dinah hadn't been able to see Uncle Obi. She had thought Anakin was talking to the dark voices in his head, fighting off the evil influence of his power that wanted to consume him, to break free and lay waste to his enemies… which was so cool!

Uncle Obi was cool too, and she liked it when he told her stories of Anakin when young, he was just not as cool as the dark temptation of the voices.

Still, she wasn't completely wrong, there was the Dark Side, so he did fight against the evil within.

Putting on the helmet, she smiled and turned to Anakin, activating the red lamp and making her eye shine ominously. "So, what do you think?"

"Very impressive," Anakin had to admit, sipping from a coffee mug while looking at her newly created lenses.

"You should install some air circulation at the back," Uncle Obi suggested. "This one liked to make his cape flutter with the Force, but I bet you can make it do that with some air vents, and it will make the armor more comfortable to wear."

"I did not use the Force to flick my cape," Anakin said, frustrated.

"Riiiight, and all those times your cape was waving while in space were coincidences. Star's end, I knew I should have corrected it when you were younger."

Anakin dropped the tool he had been using and pinched the bridge of his nose. With frustration, he asked. "Why didn't you then?"

"Ah, let me see if I remember," Uncle Obi-Wan bit into another ghostly snack, then changed his voice. "Flair for the theatrical, he has. Rebellious age, he is. Mention it, we will not, only encourage him, it will."

Dinah let Uncle Obi bicker with Anakin and looked back at the large box, wondering what exactly was inside it now that she had finished her helmet.

Opening the container, she stared inside. There were a lot of smaller cardboard boxes filled with a collection of cylindrical objects, they were all different shapes and could fit on her hand, kind of like they were made for throwing.

Lifting one of the boxes with six cylinders, she read 'Sand Grenade, based on Sere'. Looking at another, she saw. 'Time grenade, based on Grey Boy'. "Coooool. Hey, Jun left us Bakuda's old bombs, can I take some?"

Turning away from Uncle Obi, Anakin looked at the box and the sand grenade in her hand, then he shuddered. "What are the chances you'll hurt yourself with one of them?"

"One point five, seven, nine, nine, three percent," she said, her face growing eager.

"Very well, you may get rid of the… devices."

"Ah, letting children play with explosives, very responsible, Anakin," Uncle Obi scolded him.

"What? But she's not going to hurt herself?" Anakin asked, confused. "I have been dealing with thermo-detonators for Watto since I was 5. Besides, wasn't it you who took me to fight Krayn's slavers at 13? I remember having grenades thrown at me, at least she'll be the one throwing them this time."

"... Fair point."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said, giving Anakin a quick hug before ordering Hal to grab one of each grenade and running towards the door. "I'm going out with Hal. Bye Uncle Obi, bye Ani."

"What are the chances you're attacked by anyone?" Anakin made sure to ask.

"Ugh," Dinah complained, she only had a few questions left! "Three point two, seven, nine, two, one percent."

"Very well, stay on ABB territory and come home for dinner," Anakin waved her goodbye, then turned back to his friend? Adopted brother? Dinah didn't know what relationship they had. "What? I made the droid to protect her, what's the worst that can happen, she brings back a scruffy, womanizer smuggler?"

"You know, you should really thank that smuggler," Uncle Obi said with amusement.

"Please, Leia could do so much better."

"Yeah… Did I ever tell you about her kissing Luke?"

Anakin spewed his coffee, coughing. "WHAT!"

Dinah snickered, then rushed out of the workshop, Hal put on a long, brown cloak that hid his entire body, a cowl covering his head so nobody could see he was a robot, then followed after her, closing the door.

Taking out her leather glove, she revealed the robotic hand in all its shining glory, then sent a command through the visor. With a 'click,' the hand reconfigured itself into a grenade launcher and she loaded one of the grenades based on Narwhal. Dinah still wasn't good enough to make such modifications herself, but Hal had helped her.

"Where now, oh Mistress mine?"

"The rooftops, capes always run through the rooftops."

"Ah, of course.

Picking her up, Hal climbed the side of the building like a spider, only much faster. Sitting on his shoulder, they started their patrol. It was a pity she couldn't leave ABB territory… but she could go to the edge?

Using her last questions, she discovered there was an 80% chance something would happen if she went downtown. Great!

"Onwards!" She pointed.

Hal moved. He wasn't exactly a comfortable ride, but she couldn't jump buildings yet, and Anakin hadn't installed a jetpack on her armor… could he install a jetpack? She'd have to ask.

A few minutes later, she heard it, the sound of fighting, a few gunshots, and some cursing. Stepping on the edge of the building, she stared down at the street to see the air twisting. A second later, Vista stumbled on the street, her costume dirty.

The small, green girl twisted around, a bent police baton in her arm. She grit her teeth and throws the damaged weapon to the ground, desperately looking around for something else to use. Vista was clearly cursing up a storm, but Dinha was too far away to hear it.

"Not again, bitch," Hal said from behind Dinah. "That's what she just said. Very dirty mouth for a pipsqueak."

Turning a corner, Hookwolf appeared. The bladed creature in the shape of a wolf had a huge dent on his side, but he was already recovering, new blades sprouting from the metal and correcting his shape.

"Take us down," Dinah ordered.

"Very well, Mistress."

Grabbing her, Hal leaped from the building, falling on top of a car and utterly collapsing the roof, metal and glass flying everywhere as the two capes paused to stare at their entrance. Dinah approved.

Using her newly acquired dexterity, she jumped down from the robot's shoulder and flapped her cape, making sure to activate the red lamp on her mask, making her eye shine with crimson light.

Taking a stance, she ignited her lightsaber, tip pointed to the ground, then she put her robotic hand in front of her face, fingers in a gripping motion. "It would be wise to retreat, criminal scum! I will give you one chance."

Hookwolf stared at her, then at Hal who stepped back behind the car, letting her deal with the situation. "Children shouldn't play with adults, not when you don't have Susanoo protecting you."

"This is my last warning, do not make me unleash the darkness within my arm!" She growled.

"Hmmm, I already intended to teach one kid a lesson, I can make it two," Hookwolf commented, then he rushed her.

"Dinah!" Vista screamed, voice strangely recognizable.

Dinah smiled under the mask, a single visual order reconfigured her arm and she shot. The grenade flew straight at the villain. Hookwolf dodged, showing far more dexterity than she thought he was capable of.

Fortunately, Anakin had taught how to use grenades; the explosive hadn't been aimed at him, but at the ground right beside him. Bakuda's bomb exploded in a wave of purple shards, passing through the street as if there was no resistance and cutting the villain into ribbons.

Hookwolf fell apart, metal pieces continuing to move from Momentum. He wasn't dead, a central piece quickly started regrowing, blades almost exploding from the surface. Dinah calmly recharged the launcher, putting one of the Grey Boy's grenades.

"I have given you one chance," She warned, walking closer with her lightsaber ready. "Do not make me continue. When I let go of my restrictions, I scare even myself."

Diminished, the villain stared at her, then turned away and started to run away. Dinah flicked her cape and turned away –-Hal was keeping an eye so the villain wouldn't turn around— then she focused on the ward.

"... that's so fucking unfair," Vista cursed under her breath, looking from Dinah's lightsaber to the damaged street, clear envy in her voice.

"... Missy?" Dinah asked, she knew she recognized that voice.

In her mind, she quickly asked the chances Missy Biron was Vista and it turned out to be 98%,

"Ah, no?" Vista said, looking away from her.

Dinah disassembled her grenade launcher and put both hands on her waist. "You guys do know I'm a Thinker, right?"

"Fine," Missy grumbled. "Can you, like, not mention this when we rescue you later? I'm not supposed to be out on patrol right now… or engaging a villain."

Dinah looked at her school friend, the dirty costume, the scraped dress and the bruise on her exposed face. She had always liked Vista but, now that she was a parahuman herself, she couldn't help thinking about her situation.

As a Thinker, Dinah had been helpless to do anything to protect herself, her power was restricted to information only and it had been incredibly frustrating, she couldn't even imagine how it felt to HAVE the power to do something, but always be denied it, not even allowed a weapon.

"Say… want to have some ice cream?" She offered.

"No!" Patting her costume down, Missi sighed. "... FIne, anything not to have to go home."

Inside ABB territory, Dinah called Jun and had the minion bring them into one of their hideouts, another minion quickly bought a liter of ice cream for them to share. Sitting on the balcony, they had Jun prepare ice cream cones for them.

"... And they don't even give me a teaser," Missy grumbled. "I had to buy a police baton with my own money! How am I supposed to arrest people if I can't even beat them?"

"I don't have a taser," Dinah tried to be sympathetic, but Missy just stared at her with a frown, then angrily pointed at the lightsaber lying on the balcony without saying a word. "... it's not a taser."

"Gah!" Missy bit into her ice cream, taking a big piece off and withstanding the brain freeze without saying a word. "So unfair, and you even get Bakuda's bombs! I was the one who helped disable her giant EMP and Armsmaster wouldn't let me near the rest of the grenades!"

Staring at her school friend, Dinah had an idea. Capes used costumes not to be recognized, and she read on PHO that the Protectorate sometimes took villains and changed their names, why couldn't they do the same?

Looking up from her scone, she asked the question. "Eighty-nine point seven, three, nine percent chance nobody recognizes you if you change costume."
.
.
.
.
An hour later, Uncle Obi looked up from Anakin's latest work to see Dinah starting to teach her friend the beginning Matukai exercises. "Hey, look, they're multiplying!"

_________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, AjiTae, khepri, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Vegetables, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Awais, Ty Tuttle, LordChoto, Allison Jolley, Phillip Webster, Glitched Knights, Robolo42, Zistrum, IrishxButter, Journeyman_Mike, Jason Langford, W01F, janember, AlthePal, Elia , Matthew D, rome33, Jesper Samso Birch, Austin, Pedro Belonia, Danny York, Joe Foreman, Duke, Kraxus, Invernos, john the gamer, ecool, Looting Pillager, Palladya, Tiberius Cristian Radu, Eric Hicks, eevin1, Definitely (Not) a Necromancer, PhillyFlaps, EMthe4th, Dinero1121, Davic C, Michael Rojas, Javier Gonzales and Ceifeiros for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

This was supposed to come out yesterday, but I kept making changes to the latest chapter. In the end, I spend a day on the damn thing and didn`t change all that much.

Still, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
__________________________________________________


Parahumans.

At first, they were merely of passing interest, another Force-sensitive sect amongst the hundreds he had met… and destroyed, in the Galaxy. When it became clear they were not using the Force, they became more interesting, but only slightly so.

In truth, Anakin himself could replicate the vast majority of their powers with either technology or the Force. Of those he couldn't, it wasn't that they were impossible, he had simply never cared to learn.

Now, having started to bond with the youngling and being responsible for her training, his perspective had changed. Parahumans' powers were no longer a passing curiosity, but instead something he needed to understand if he wanted to guide her.

Fingers typing on the keyboard, Anakin continued to code almost unconsciously even as he thought about what he had learned those last few days.

Trigger events were not widely known to the average population, information about them seemed to be somewhat curated on the internet, presumably to prevent those foolish or difficult to control from seeking powers without understanding their consequences.

Second-generation parahumans had an easier time acquiring powers, but that could indicate a genetic modification or spreading pathogen. Perhaps an attempt to create a race of soldiers and tools?

What he could find was that they were, almost without exception, traumatic, life-changing events, often referred to as the worst day of their lives. The developed power also seemed connected to the type of trigger event.

Dinah, as a Thinker, had experienced strong emotional and mental strain in a short period of time. Anakin had yet to ask her what it had been, mostly because he had yet to fully understand the process.

The phenomenon was clearly artificial, either restricted to this planet or the local star system and truly didn't seem to be connected to the Force, at least not on the human side. Anakin had only interacted with a few parahumans, but none of them were significantly more Force-sensitive than the average civilian.

Regardless, there were three aspects that most worried him. First, triggers were always traumatic, no parahuman gained power when happy, or even stressed in a mundane fashion. The event needed to be devastating to them.

Second, all parahumans were aggressive on some level. They seemed to be driven to conflict even when their powers were not particularly effective in that area or could be better utilized in other ways.

Third, the acquired powers did nothing to fix the problems that birthed them. More than that, parahumans seemed unnaturally averse to even speaking about such events, causing the trauma to linger like an open wound even decades later.

To Anakin, it felt like deliberate cruelty, as if designed by a malicious mind with a touch of irony… not unlike the experiments his former master was so fond of, or that the Sith had created throughout history.

Seeing as 'Earth' hadn't been on any Star Chart he knew of, it was possible this was a hidden Dark Sider experiment or, more likely, a rediscovered Sith weapon. They were well known for using primitive locals as pawns and experimental subjects, as well as leaving… gifts discovered long after their passing.

Unfortunately, Anakin had never been skilled in that particular aspect of the Force and Sidious hadn't trained him in Sith alchemy. Perhaps if he had a test subject to study, he could extract more information.

It was a pity he hadn't thought about it with Oni Lee or Lung, but he wasn't as interested in them at the time and he was unwilling to kill another parahuman JUST to experiment on them, or worse, capture one alive.

Not when results weren't even certain to come from the exercise.

The Endbringers were another indication. He understood their names were given from mythological figures, but the simple fact the name Leviathan was remembered by the locals was worrying. Such creatures were once used by the Sith as weapons of war.

A search on the internet gave him a description of the mythological creature that gave name to the Endbringer. It was not a perfect description of the creatures as he knew them, but the insatiable hunger, colossal size, and emanating evil were characteristic.

Perhaps Endbringers were an attempt to improve the colossal Sithspawn of old and, from the damage they caused and the powers they demonstrated, a successful one.

Regardless, he did not wish to assume things. While the Force dwarfed any technological marvel or horror he knew of, it wouldn't do to entirely dismiss such a possibility out of hand.

Perhaps it was not a Sith who had created such means, but a scientist attempting to copy their means through technology. Many such men worked under his former master. Even if none had this level of success.

Pushing his chair back, Anakin ran the program one last time and nodded when there weren't any mistakes. Earth's programming languages had taken him a few weeks to master, at least enough that his programs could freely interact with the underlying processors, but he had always been talented in that area.

Taking the small chip out of the computer, he turned to watch Dinah sparing with the droid.

The girl had just been sent flying, rolling to her feet in a second and reigniting her lightsaber. Glaring at the droid, Dinah released a long breath and took a second to look at her feet, correcting her stance… then she started spinning her sword, twirling the weapon around her body in a great display of dexterity.

Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose, he had NOT taught her that.

Hal waited until her lightsaber was almost behind her back and smacked the top of her head, hard. In the girl's defense, she didn't drop her weapon, but she still fell on her ass, robotic hand immediately holding her head.

"Aw! Why?!"

"Mistress Raven, spinning lightsabers are for expert Force-sensitive showoffs who can afford to present such openings," the android chided. "While I have a description of Form IV, Master Anakin has not registered its movements in my database at this time. Beginners, droids, and normal humans shall stick to efficient movements or they will be smacked in the head."

"Dinah, where exactly did you learn that?" Anakin asked.

"Ah, well…" the girl avoided his eyes. "It's just… there was a tutorial on PHO?"

"Ah, the internet. Such a wonderful fountain of idiocy," Hal nodded, leaning on his staff. "And to think meatbags used to believe the source of their stupidity was a lack of information. Oh how wrong they were."

Anakin couldn't help glancing down at the chip on his hand, maybe he shouldn't have made it after all? "I hope you have not been posting on this PHO?"

"No!" Dinah quickly said, turning off her lightsaber and scratching her aching head with both hands. "You told me not to. Plus, there's like, 89% chance they track me using it."

"Good, while I have no doubt the workshop's location is already widely known, I would prefer this house remains hidden for now."

"So… what were you making?" she asked, putting the lightsaber aside and starting to stretch.

Anakin sighed but threw the chip toward Hal. "Here, insert this into your circuitry. It will allow you to intercept her phone's signal and scramble its location, preventing any future tracking."

Dinah had been stretching her legs, both hands on the ground and her head between her knees, but she immediately snapped to attention, glancing at the chip and then towards Anakin with a glint in her eyes.

"Thank you!" the girl threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Having slowly gotten used to her antics, Anakin wasn't as disconcerted by the physical show of affection, but it still took him a few moments to reciprocate —after so long, it was taking some effort to relearn such things.

Finally, he smiled down at her and put a hand on her hair, tussling it until she looked up at him with a large smile.

"You mean Mistress will finally be able to acquire a verified account and start posting?" Hal said with some amusement, even as he inserted the chip through an opening on his neck. "Oh, the horror."

"Shut up," Dinah growled, finally releasing Anakin. "Right, about PHO, people keep asking: why did you cut off Victor's legs?"

"Finish your stretches," Anakin said and then lifted an eyebrow when she started to obey. "Did you not ask me to avoid killing?"

"No, I mean, yes! It's just… I guess you shouldn't be so brutal? And why the legs, wouldn't the arms be better since he's a sniper?"

"... Moderation does not come easy to me. I am attempting to correct my actions, but even without using the Dark Side, it is not easy. As for why I took his legs? I did not want Victor to flee."

"That IS one way of doing it," Hal nodded in approval. "Very efficient, I might add. I will have to keep that in my memory bank for later."

"Seriously?" Dinah said, a little disappointed. "But, didn't you already capture him?"

"You misunderstand," Anakin shook his head. "I have dealt with the likes of the 'Empire' before. At first, I miscalculated the lengths they'd go to, thinking the gang still respected the authorities, but they had gone unchallenged for too long.

"I understand men like Kaiser. They have built their power not only on brutality but also on reputation, a reputation that would force his hand. Even if Kaiser recognizes he's outclassed, he cannot simply accept a total defeat without a justification even his most staunch detractor would accept."

"So… you're saying the Empire is gonna attack us again?" Dinah asked, sitting down in a meditating position in front of him. "But, aren't they afraid of breaking the Unwritten Rules? You said Victor aimed for your head, right? Won't both heroes and villains turn on them?"

"In a healthy city? Perhaps. Here, no," Anakin shook his head. Crossing his legs, he sat in front of her and decided to teach her a little. "The Travelers broke the truce, they attacked you before Lung was dealt with, and yet, no villain is hunting them down. Why?"

While Dinah thought about his question, Hal rested his staff against the wall and walked towards the geological compressor. Briefly checking to see if his crystal was finished before starting to work on finishing the second droid.

Anakin would have preferred to give the droid an electrostaff instead of his own lightsaber, but even with the ABB, he didn't have access to any materials strong enough to make one, and one of Hal's goals was to help teach Dinah.

"I don't know, they can't find them?" Dinah finally answered, then paused. "No, there's only a 2.7% chance anyone finds them so… they aren't looking?"

"The Travelers are a powerful team of capes, they are not local, show no desire to gain territory and, besides breaking the truce, are not antagonistic to the Empire, Coil, or the PRT. They don't threaten any of their objectives.

"Men like Kaiser don't follow the rules because they believe in any code, but because the veneer of civility gives them an advantage. Hunting down the Travelers will only give the Empire a minor increase in reputation while requiring them to make a large effort and take major risks."

"So, everyone is just gonna ignore it?"

"They will certainly claim to be searching and, were the Travelers to present an easy opportunity, every villain will join the fray, most likely only after the Travelers have received enough damage. But effectively yes, every gang will ignore the Travelers. Now, what does this say about our impending attack?"

Dinah looked at him for a moment and then frowned, her eyes looking down in thought. Anakin knew the girl was young, but she was also incredibly smart, he was fairly certain she could come to the right conclusions.

"That the Empire will just lie about ignoring the rules," Dinah said, sounding incredibly disappointed at the realization. "Say they didn't break anything and think people will believe them. No, they'll ignore them because there's no advantage. Even the heroes wouldn't kick up a fuss."
Anakin smiled. Yes, the villains in the city would ignore the Travelers and attack him because, contrary to the roving parahuman group, he did threaten their plans, he did take territory and showed a willingness to challenge anyone.

Coupled with the disrespect he showed in the meeting and what the Empire certainly thought was a good counter to his powers, namely, the varied attack vectors they employed, fighting him was far more important than dealing with the Travelers.

"Indeed, the Empire certainly believes so," Anakin had his doubts.

Without Lung, it was the perfect moment for the PRT to regain control of the city, but that wouldn't affect his confrontation. As long as the damage didn't spread, the PRT would still let his confrontation with the Empire happen and attempt to deal with the survivors.

If the authorities had been biding their time as he suspected, that is.

"They're like Coil," Dinah growled, her true hand gripping the lightsaber while her robotic hand dug into the ground. "Nine eight point seven, three, nine, four percent chance they attack us this week. They won't leave us alone."

"First, they will attempt to free Victor," Anakin said. "Thus the reason for his mutilation. Without his legs, Victor will require carrying and, without Rune, the Empire does not have an easy way of transport. Any rescue will require significantly more effort, be it logistical or from parahumans. It will also involve a significant amount of manpower."

Dinah looked up at him, seeing the serious look on his face and, slowly, realizing his true goal. "You aren't going to wait for them to attack, are you?"

"I have never been a patient man."

That, at the very least, had remained a constant throughout his life. Be it as a Jedi or a Sith, Anakin had never been content with waiting for things to happen. It had never sat well with him.

The Empire would have to gather their forces to attempt Victor's rescue and, while he didn't think they'd deploy their full complement, Kaiser would have to deploy enough personnel to either rescue Victor and cover their retreat or beat back the Protectorate entirely.

The Empire was far too accustomed to being handed the initiative. They fought other gangs and the Protectorate but were never truly challenged, their numerical superiority, power and organization had made them arrogant. They freely broke the rules while assuming others would simply follow their lead.

He would break that misbegotten belief. Still, that was not Dinah's concern, there was no need for her to split her focus so much. Anakin would deal with the Empire.

"Tell me, how goes your planning?"

"I can't attack him directly," Dinah grumbled, both her hands relaxing as she laid them on top of her knees. "Gah! If I ask the chance he's gonna be someplace, it's always 50% at most, but if I ask the chances I hit him there, it immediately turns to 1 or 2%! So annoying."

"His power still counters yours. As long as he has options, you will not be able to directly attack him."

"I know, but it would be nice. Can you deal with the Travelers if I point them out?"

"Have you located them?"

"They're always in his downtown base. According to Hal, there's a park there, so they're probably underground or invisible… or in a parallel dimension. PHO says Toybox has one, so maybe Coil bought it from them."

"Good," Anakin gave her a proud smile. "I certainly can. What else?"

"Well, the Undersiders are somewhere in the Docs, but I think Hal and I can convince them to side with me. Also, there's only a 5% chance he's directly controlling any of the heroes, so at least they won't defend him."

"The Undersiders?"

Those children didn't leave a very good impression on him, but they didn't feel evil, just selfish and self-centered. Kids who didn't think, or care, too much about others.

"Well, before you, I saw one of them rescuing me," Dinah confessed. "I don't think the others… cared all that much, but they could be useful and you said it's gonna take some time until I get better with the Force, right?"

"Indeed, the means by which my former Master empowered his tools are a perversion of the Force, a trap for any he chose to anoint. Were we desperate, I would still empower you, but we have time," Anakin shook his head, thinking about his plans. "I believe I could eventually replicate a ritual used by Dathomirian Witches — much of what they called spells were not restricted to the Dark Side— but I have very little knowledge of it and such things were never my specialty. It would demand much study and adaptation."

"Either way, I could use some minions. Have them help with some of my predictions," Dinah said, then couldn't help smirking. "And I like the thought of stealing the Undersiders from him."

"I will suggest you wait until Hal's new droid is ready," Anakin said. He could go with her, but he could feel she wanted to accomplish this by herself. "Does Coil have any other support?"

"Well, there's around a 75% chance he sends the Empire after us if I beat him," Dinah shrugged. "I was gonna mention it, but you're already going to deal with them so… Yeah, I bet he's got other capes too, but they aren't really gonna help him on their own."

"And in case he flees?" Anakin probed. "Those like him are never without means of escape. You have said he spends much of his time out of the city, have you narrowed down where?"

"Yeah, I got Hal to show me a map, he goes to Concordia. Still can't narrow down where in town though," she looked up at him and Anakin sensed the attack coming. "I was thinking, could I hire Faultline again? We got all that ABB money, I could send her after him in the other city and cut off his escape?"

"That will not work forever," he snorted, ignoring her begging eyes since he never intended to deny her in the first place. "But yes, Faultline should be willing to work in another city as long as you are able to give her a target."

"Great! I'm still limited to a few questions per day, but my power grows every day, I'll narrow it down soon."

"Good, meditate with me?" He asked, adjusting his posture and unclasping his lightsaber, putting it in his lap.

As limited as her sensitivity was, Dinah wouldn't be able to even sense the Force for a few months yet, but meditation would help her when the time came, and Anakin recognized her presence helped him center himself.

Dinah nodded, imitating his posture, her lightsaber in front of her. Together, they closed their eyes.

"Oh, your power is growing by the day, Mistress?" Hal said, causing them to glance his way. Changing his voice, he mocked. "Be careful it doesn't grow too much and escape from your hand, consuming you in a wave of darkness."

"Shut up!" Dinah quickly barked, blushing. "You said you wouldn't mention it!"

Anakin glanced at her robotic hand, frowning, then he noticed the modifications and sighed. "Dinah, what did I say about equipping lasers into your prosthesis?"



__________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, AjiTae, khepri, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Vegetables, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Awais, Ty Tuttle, LordChoto, Allison Jolley, Phillip Webster, Glitched Knights, Robolo42, Zistrum, IrishxButter, Journeyman_Mike, Jason Langford, W01F, janember, AlthePal, Elia , Matthew D, rome33, Jesper Samso Birch, Austin, Pedro Belonia, Danny York, Joe Foreman, Duke, Kraxus, Invernos, john the gamer, ecool, Looting Pillager, Palladya, Tiberius Cristian Radu, Eric Hicks, eevin1, Definitely (Not) a Necromancer, PhillyFlaps, EMthe4th, Dinero1121, Davic C, Michael Rojas, Javier Gonzales, Ceifeiros and Snugglepuff for supporting my work!

 

[CapCaverna]

Yo, sorry for the long delay, I don't really have a good reason for it this time so... sorry.

I just had a lot of trouble with the chapter, coupled with a lack of time to write, it took me a long while to finish chapter 21, still, there should be another chapter saturday, if I don't mess up again.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this one.
__________________________________________________________________


"But, wouldn't balance be using both?" the youngling asked, sitting in front of him in a meditating position. "I mean, isn't balance when things are equal on both sides?"

Anakin released a long breath, thinking about how to best describe the subject of the Force. "For a person, a balanced life is one where you fulfill your obligations, but also enjoy selfish things. Where you help others, but also take time for yourself. The Force isn't a person.

"For the Force, balance is harmony, between everything and everyone. It is for things to work as they should for the progress of all life. To dedicate yourself to balance is not to impose your will onto reality. It is not to dictate what should or should not happen, it is to stop others from dictating so."

"So the Jedi didn't live balanced lives?"

"Not in the way you are thinking of. You are thinking of the Jedi as if they were model icons," Anakin explained, shaking his head. "The role of the Jedi was to protect the balance, not to stand as examples to be followed. Not perfectly followed anyway. The life of a Jedi was not for everyone and refusing the calling did not make you fall."

"I don't get it," Dinah sighed, looking down at her lightsaber.

"That's alright, balance is a complicated subject, even masters did not fully understand it."

"But, wouldn't not having attachments be… wrong?" she asked, encouraged by the fact he wasn't chiding her. "I mean, I don't think I want to live without friends, and what if the Force asked me not to save my family? I don't think I could do that."

For a second, Anakin felt the old ache in his chest, the question hitting a little too close to home.

He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Ever since he gave her a way not to be tracked, Dinah had wanted to call her mother. Unfortunately, according to her, there was an 87% chance Coil would use her parents as bait if he knew she had a way of contacting them.

"Again, the life of a Jedi isn't for everyone," he said. "For most people, it would be a sacrifice they are unwilling to make. For the Jedi, it was different, their connection to the Force, and through the Force to everything around them made things much easier.

"But you do not have to be a Jedi, and forming attachments was never about not forming connections, but about being willing to let those connections go when the time came, not putting them above everything else… Even now, I still fail in that aspect."

"Haa… being a hero is so much easier," she complained, frustrated at the complicated concepts.

"At its core, to use the Force is to be selfless, to give without asking and, in the end, you'll only have things to gain," he explained, trying to simplify things as much as he could, there would be time to explore the differences later. "To use the Dark Side is to be selfish, to take, and then take more. At first, it will seem like the right thing to do, for the right reason, until all you will be left with are things to lose and it will scare you, driving you forward, making you never stop."

Anakin could see the girl didn't fully understand, but as he said, that was fine, he wasn't any better at her age and he had started a few years younger. Still, perhaps he could do better.

"Let us consider those you call heroes. At their core, they're supposed to protect people. What happens if everyone is safe? If their goal is achieved?"

"They… don't do anything? I mean, if there's no one to fight or arrest…"

"Indeed, now consider your villains. At their core, they're selfish, they want to acquire things, be it money, pleasure, or power. What happens if they succeed?"

"Ah…" she nodded, finally seeming to understand. "A villain wouldn't stop, they'd just want more. The more they get, the more they'd want."

"Indeed, when there is balance, a Force user will feel no need to act, no matter how many there are or how powerful they may be, their goal is achieved and they'll be content on letting the rest of the Galaxy live and prosper. On the other hand, someone channeling the Dark Side will always seek to break the balance because he will want more. To control everything and everyone."

Anakin knew she wouldn't understand it fully, but he'd continue to teach her. Hopefully, he'd be able to instill the dangers of the Dark Side into her mind before her training increased her Force sensitivity to the point where it would matter.

He knew the Dark Side could be used, and resisted, if one's mind was strong enough, but it was a burden… and he found her a little too eager for its touch at the moment.

In truth, he wouldn't press her to be a Jedi. He wasn't one and, in all honesty, did not think trying to be would end well.

To be a Jedi wasn't a privilege, it was a duty, one that the Sith had corrupted through a thousand years of plots and machinations. Hopefully, his Son would be able to restore the Jedi Order to what it should be, not what it had become at the end.

"I am a Jedi, like my father before me!"

He couldn't deny the words had brought him some pride even before he turned on Sidious, but he also couldn't help hoping Luke was NOT like his father. Anakin Skywalker had been a terrible Jedi… Then again, all fathers hoped their progeny would do better than them.

In any case, Anakin did not think the girl had the correct mentality for becoming a Jedi.

Such a thing was not wrong, there was free will in the universe, and every sapient being was free to follow the will of the Force or not without falling to the Dark Side, but simply not falling was not the path of a Jedi.

Staring at the youngling for a few seconds, he nodded when he saw she was already meditating on the lesson. Closing his own eyes, he started thinking about his own path, releasing his emotions and clearing his mind while he sought answers from the Force.

Anakin did not fully enter into meditation, the world didn't fade away to be covered in red, but he did manage to calm his emotions enough while thinking about the situation.

When he had first awoken, he had been confused. Should he return to his teachings as a Jedi? Should he attempt to make his way back to his Son and try to atone? How did he even survive?

There was no doubt in his mind that the Force had interfered in his fate, but free will meant the Force could not simply affect the world without someone to act in its name. For all its infinite power, it could no more recreate his body or teleport him away than it could snuff out Sidious's life. Not by itself.

Still, he was thankful for the second chance, and he truly believed following the will of the Force would be for the best… he just did not know if he could do it. As he said, he was no Jedi, and the whispers of the Dark Side still came far too easy to his ears.

Restored as he was, Anakin knew he had no need for the Dark Side. It was not stronger than the Force nor could it achieve anything the Force lacked… if he spent the time and effort necessary.

The Dark Side was a shortcut, one he had outgrown, but it was still so easy, so instinctual for him… to channel his anger and just squash any obstacle in his way.

Perhaps he should not have planned to attack the Empire, but the Force itself was warning him they wouldn't stop, and he felt something he hadn't felt in years, guidance. Despite the risks of falling back on the Dark Side, the Force approved of his plan, their defeat was necessary.

Eventually, he opened his eyes again and just… looked at the youngling in front of him. Even missing a hand, she looked far healthier than when he had first met her and, through the Force, he could feel she was happy, her emotions as clear as day coming through the growing bond between them.

Unconsciously, a thin smile formed on his mouth.

In the beginning, she had just put on a mask, pretending to be strong so he wouldn't leave her, so she could keep both herself and her family safe from Coil. But now it was no longer an act, she really was content being with him.

She still missed her family terribly, but she was happy.

Anakin didn't think he'd find another apprentice. A true one, not a tool he made while plotting against Sidious like Marek. And yet, it seemed like he couldn't help himself.

The smile left his face and he sighed, it had barely been a month and he was already forming attachments, putting the girl above every other life in the city, and the planet. He really should have left the Order when he had the chance.

Sitting in front of him, Dinah carefully opened one eye and peeked at him, then closed it back when she noticed him staring. "You can open your eyes, our meditating session is over."

Her eyes snapped open and she immediately relaxed her legs, her body reclining back as she put both hands on the floor for support. "So, when are you going to fight the Empire?"

"Watanabe informs me they will transport Victor out of the city in a few hours," Anakin explained, pushing himself up. "I will intercept the Empire after they have gathered in sufficient number."

"So…" she started to ask, a little embarrassed. "You'll be there when I make my move on the Undersiders?"

"I should be finished by then. The Empire will not meaningfully delay me," he nodded. "Regardless, I don't think you'll require my support."

"Yeah, but I want you to watch," she smiled at him, both eager and afraid of her first move against the villain plaguing her. "Are you going to kill them?"

Anakin paused on the way to prepare her lunch. He didn't want to lie to the girl. Was he going to kill the Empire? From all that he read, most certainly deserved it, but he wasn't certain. He felt he had made the right choice sparing Victor, a step forward. He didn't want that progress to crumble.

The Force didn't prevent him from killing. Death was a part of the circle, nature had predators, parasites, and viruses... They were all part of the Force too.

In the heat of battle, killing was a natural thing, but Anakin doubted the Empire could push him in such a way, not without far more preparation than they currently had. But the Force also didn't prevent killing outside of battle when the situation called for it.

The real question was, did he believe killing the Empire was necessary? If their organization was destroyed, would the authorities be able to contain them for punishment?

Anakin did not care enough about the Empire to personally desire their deaths, and not every member deserved death, but he was loath to let them escape to continue causing pain and suffering. He supposed he could let the Force guide him again.

"Most of them should not be permanently damaged."

"... Can I watch?"

In hindsight, he should have expected that.

While he was capable of protecting the girl, it would split his focus. "I would prefer you didn't accompany me."

"Master Anakin, I created a recording drone," Hal helpfully offered, extending a hand with a small round drone. "It should not interfere in your battle."

Anakin stared at the fist-sized drone, a single camera pointed up at his face, and lifted an eyebrow. Both Hal and Dinah stared back at him with wide eyes. "And why exactly did you build this?"

"Oh, Master, while I'd certainly prefer to do the fighting myself, it would warm my circuitry to watch you demolish those meatbags. Your battle with Lung was most pleasing."

"Very well," Anakin nodded, taking the drone and letting it float behind him before turning to the youngling. "But you'll remain at the workshop. Hal and the defenses here will keep you safe until I return."

"Fine, the TV here is bigger anyway."

After lunch, Anakin checked the outside. There, he saw Jun Watanabe, the boy who had received them in the ABB meeting, among a small group of kids repairing the houses around the workshop.

When he had been ambushed at the edge of ABB territory, the Empire had also attempted to raid this location but had been repealed by the defenses and his quick defeat of the four parahumans sent against him. They had still dealt some damage, however.

"Hey, can I go feed Kumo and Tora?" Dinah asked, pointing through the window towards the two fat cats lazily sleeping at the neighbor's damaged window.

"They appear quite well fed," Anakin said, doubtful.

"Well, Mrs. Liliam asked me to feed them while she's in the hospital, and it was our fault…"

Anakin was not aware the old woman had gotten hurt. With a cold voice, he asked. "What happened?"

"Ah, she kinda shot Crusader with her shotgun while he was retreating and Stormtiger sent a blast back at her. It didn't hit her, but she still fell and hit her head. I thought it wouldn't happen cuz I told her to leave, and there was such a small chance…"

"Very well, go."

Nodding, the girl dashed outside towards the cats, then stopped herself and changed to a composed walk, Hal following closely behind.

Looking at her go, Anakin was reminded once again how her power could fail. The girl had said there was only a 7% chance anyone would be hurt in the raid, and using the Force to look into the future hadn't revealed any dangers.

He should have remembered any form of future sight was… unreliable at best. The future was always in flux, it was always tainted by one's perception with nothing set in stone and a 7% chance was still a chance. Relying only on her predictions was bound to fail eventually.

Staring through the window, Anakin couldn't help squeezing his hands into fists, his masked reflection staring right back at him. Stormtiger, was it?

"Ah, Boss," Watanabe called from the door. "One of the guys with the cops sent us a message, the PRT is leaving in one hour."

"I see. Are you certain the Empire will be able to acquire the same information?"

"I mean, I can't be absolutely sure, but sometimes I think the Bay has more corruption than the rest of the state combined, so it's a pretty good bet. Also wouldn't surprise me if the same guy was selling the information to the Empire too."

"Indeed, we should not expect loyalty from one who already betrays his job."

Hopefully, the corrupt officer would believe their interest is in the insane Tinker and would not mention him, but Anakin would have to be ready in case the Empire expected his interference.

"Well, to be fair, nobody was really loyal to the ABB? They were just scared of Lung," the boy commented, head still poking through the door. "The Korean is keeping things organized and you're cool as hell, so the new recruits don't mind so much, but some of us kinda hate each other. I doubt the gang is gonna stay together for even half a year unless you force them to."

"That will be sufficient," Anakin said, considering the boy. "Your support is convenient for the moment, but I hold no desire to control a criminal organization."

"Right, don't stop people from leaving if they want to. Got it, Boss."

"Were you able to locate where the Empire will be gathering?"

"Ah, we've got some guys looking, but not really. We'll send a message if anyone sees them moving."

"Very well, you are dismissed."

Retreating from the door, the boy left him alone again. With a flick of his hand, Anakin turned the switch, causing the metal shutters to descend, blocking the window to the outside.

Stepping away, he closed his computer so one of the damn creatures wouldn't come to sleep on top of it again — he wouldn't put it past the girl to bring them inside in his absence— then grabbed his cloak.

It was tall enough to cover his entire body and entirely black, with a hood that completely covered his helmet. Watanabe had done well acquiring it.

Unlike most places in the Galaxy, this planet's dress code meant such clothing would draw attention, but less so than if he openly wore his recognizable helmet and armor, and it could hide his exact identity, even if any observer knew he was one of the so-called capes at a glance.

Anakin would also use the Force to further hide, one of the few talents his former master had taught him fully.

Grabbing the drone, he hid it under the cloak and saw Dinah coming back, one of the damn animals in her arms. "I'm leaving. The Empire should be getting ready now."

"Right," Dinah said, dropping the creature on top of a table and hugging him. "Stay safe… and don't worry, there's only a 0.76% chance I'll be attacked alone."

The Force flickered as if wanting to confirm the girl's statement. He squeezed her shoulder in support, but didn't say anything… what exactly was one supposed to say in such situations anyway?

"The Empire is an annoyance, not a threat. I will be back soon."

Leaving the workshop, Anakin drew upon the Force, covering himself in a layer of deception that would cause his image to fade into the background, causing any that looked at him to dismiss or not register his presence. The cloak helped make it easier.

Then he started walking, leaving the ABB territory towards downtown. He didn't receive any messages on his phone so he stretched his senses through the Force, letting it guide his steps as he walked through the city towards where he felt the Force guiding him.

Still, it took Anakin almost 40 minutes to locate them. The Empire's information network seemed to be much better than the ABB's, at least as damaged as it currently was, because they were already positioned to ambush the incoming prisoner transport.

Most of their men were inside the buildings or hiding inside parked cars, a few were parked in an escape vehicle a few blocks away.

Unfortunately, from where he was, Anakin could only recognize two of the parahumans from his interactions in the villain meeting. They were not Force-sensitive and, as such, felt no different from the normal gang members. Anakin could attempt to disable them all simultaneously, but there were too many, and they were too well spread.

It was still not beyond his skill, but it would require focus and concentration, leaving him momentarily open to a surprise attack… and he did not fully trust himself to not crush their throats.

Slow and steady was perfectly fine. He was not here to kill them, he was here to send a message.

Letting the Force cloak fade from around him, Anakin released his control over his presence, immediately drawing every eye toward his position. Walking in the middle of the street, he gave the civilians time to realize what was happening and to start running, his aura blanketing the area and hurrying them along.

Then he lifted the edge of his cloak with his left hand and pulled his lightsaber towards his right with the Force, the red blade igniting with such strength it blew his hood back, crimson bolts of power escaping from the unstable containment field, leaving scorched scars on the asphalt.

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[CapCaverna]

So.... I'm alive.

I already gave this message on my Supergirl fanfic, but for Will of the Force readers:

Well, I could give a long explanation but, really there's not much to say here.

Depression hit me hard, so hard that I kinda lost six months of my life doing nothing, lost a semester of college, and barely interacted with anyone.

I kept saying I'd start writing again, and I started trying a little before Christmas, but I only succeeded now. I didn't even read messages before... although the notifications and knowing some people still gave my stories likes was kinda nice.

Anyway, here's chapter 21, I plan on returning to weekly posts but... yeah, I'm better, not great.I really, really want to promise I'll post regularly, but I swore I'd restart on Christmas, then I swore I'd restart two or three weeks ago and... well, here we are.
Still, keep your fingers crossed people, and please, comment on the chapter, that certainly helps a lot.

Also, I'm really, really, sorry for the hiatus without even saying anything, I hope you guys can forgive me.

Next chapter probably in a week, I'll try not to disappear again.

PS: This isn't the first chapter after I came back, but one that was free on my Patreon a week after I posted chapter 20 here, so there shouldn't be a drop in quality.
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Anakin's first thought was that the Empire must truly trust their informant because their ambush , while very well planned and designed, relied totally on the assumption that it would hit the prisoner transport at this exact location.

Feeling the Empire's thugs' rough positions through the Force, he could well imagine the attack.

A large car to hit the lead vehicle, blocking the street while some of their men attacked from the front. Another van blocked the retreat, with a few more men attacking from the back while yet more rained gunfire from elevated positions within the buildings.

It had little room for improvisation, but they may have more forces beyond his immediate sensory range prepared to delay the PRT in case they changed routes.

Taking a breath, the Force seemed to gather around him of its own accord, so much so that his presence filled the street with a wave of dread, freezing his opponents in place for a second.

The entire block grew eerily quiet, the civilians running for their lives as Anakin let his lightsaber's blade stabilize, the fluctuations of the energy discharges fading away to leave only the red blade a few centimeters above the scorched asphalt.

All around, he could feel the fear filling the average gang members, the confusion from the parahumans and, for a few of them, the urge to engage, as if something was driving them into action despite his power.

Several gang members were still hiding inside seemingly empty cars or atop nearby buildings, but Anakin gave the civilians another second to run before starting to act.

Finally, he took a step forward and then paused. With a sigh, he grabbed the drone from inside his cloak and released it, letting the small device float in the air behind his back. He had promised the youngling that she could watch.

From inside one of the cars, a gang member finally acted. The former Sith Lord could feel the man's nerves breaking as he snapped up from his hiding position, lifted a rifle, and started to pull the trigger with a scream.

With a flick of his free hand, Anakin gripped the vehicle with the Force and threw it towards another parked van, the two gang members inside screamed as the car flipped in the air before hitting the van, windows exploding in a shower of glass, the metal screaming from the strain.

He hadn't used enough power to kill the people inside, but they were still hurt and out of the fight.

The street seemed to explode in action. More than a dozen men broke cover to start shooting at him, screaming in both anger and fear. Unfortunately for them, they just didn't have the training or the strength to withstand his presence, ruining their aim.

He ignored them, paying far more attention to the seven of them who hadn't panicked.

Two were closer to him, hiding inside a building to his right and feeling incredibly eager for a fight, almost as if they were happy he had appeared. Still, they remained hidden, waiting.

The others were more reserved, wary of him, and worried about their failed ambush. Three of them were on the roof of a nearby building while another two stayed back, hiding to his left and around the corner.

Regardless, the Force warned him their goal was to take him by surprise while he dealt with the unpowered. The Empire seemed to have changed targets, aiming to spring their trap around him instead of the PRT transport. Futile.

Almost lazily, Anakin dodged a bullet and lifted his lightsaber, evaporating another that wouldn't have hit him, but could have ricocheted and wounded his leg.

For a second, he debated attacking, rushing into the building to his right and using his regained mobility to destroy them before they could finish gathering themselves, but he wasn't here just to eliminate them, he was here to send a message to everyone. He would not simply stand aside and wait for others to attack.

As a Jedi, Anakin had been an incredibly mobile and effective fighter. With his body back, that was probably his most effective fighting style, even if he was a little unpracticed.

On the other hand, if there was one thing he learned in his time as Vader, it was how effective and demoralizing it could be to let your enemies throw everything at you and just… ignore it.

"Enough," Letting his power run free, Anakin slashed another two projectiles, the small caliber bullets completely dissolving without even reaching his armor as he lifted his hand and started attacking.

Before the parahumans could engage him, Anakin focused on the shooters, not only their direction and feelings but their exact location, then he pulled.

With screams of pain and terror, 13 gang members were dragged towards him and out of their hiding positions. Two had just ducked to reload and his pull caused them to smash head-first against walls. He let them go, the concussion taking them out of the fight.

Another four fell out of second-floor windows, glass shattering as they were violently pulled out from their position, bodies hitting the street with painful impacts. Limbs broke, but they were still alive.

Of the remaining seven, three were shooting through small openings between buildings. They smashed against the wall, weapons flying out of their hands as they were pressed against the surface, unable to draw breath.

The last four were pulled through the floor, limbs scraping against the uneven ground as they were dragged towards him. They cried out as the asphalt ripped the skin off their arms and they lost their grip on their weapons.

The Force screamed at Anakin. Immediately, he dropped his grip on the gang members and lifted his lightsaber in front of his body, holding the handle with both hands as he braced himself.

Two beams of light hit his weapon, driving him back an entire foot as his boots slid on the asphalt, the split light parting around his body to hit the ground and the buildings behind him with enough strength to rip out entire chunks as he failed to fully deflect the beams.

Anakin had blocked hovertank shoots before, but he hadn't been expecting to do so today and it left the palm of his hands stinging from the effect.

From atop a building, a petite shining woman flew up into the airspace above, tracing bright motes of light behind herself as she regarded him. She was too bright for him to make out any details, and her form was already growing brighter, gathering strength for another attack.

From the same building, a shirtless man jumped out, the wind catching his descent and letting him hoover in place, a blue tiger mask covering his face. Behind him, six ghostly men followed, wearing full armor and holding long spears in their hands.

Stormtiger. Anakin couldn't help staring at the men who hurt his neighbor. He was tall and muscular, without any scars. It was a struggle not to kill him, simply crush his throath where he floated.

But no, Anakin would leave him for last. Lightsaber ready, Anakin strode towards them.

Stormtiger lifted his arms, hands open as he condensed eight 'claws' of wind before releasing them towards Anakin, followed closely by the six ghostly figures as they descended towards him, spears pointed.

Without even moving, the former Sith Lord hit them with a Force Push, causing the claws to explode in a blast of wind strong enough to flick his cloak back, but the projections were almost unaffected.

The Force screamed again and Anakin started to move.

Purity attacked. Having had time to gather her power, she released two beams of light that twisted around each other. Quickly growing almost as wide as she was tall, the beams flew towards him faster than a blaster bolt.

Anakin had already started to twist, but one of the beams was still going to hit him. With a flourish, he angled his lightsaber, reflecting said beam right back at the woman. The impact proved too much for his unstable lightsaber, the blade temporarily deactivating, it would take a second or two to recover.

Divided, the remaining beam hit the ground only a meter behind him, the asphalt exploding as it dug a giant crater on the street, dust, and debris obscuring his position, even if it couldn't move him.

Anakin frowned at his lightsaber —he really had to create a better crystal— then he clasped it to his waist.

Sensing the two parahumans closest to him had decided to attack, he didn't move but used a weak blast of Force to push the dust away from him, revealing the street.

The first attacker was almost on him, she wore a metal cage around her head and wielded two scythes in her hands. Anakin could feel her eagerness and confidence, as if she fully believed herself capable of dealing with his reflexes at close range.

Behind her, a metal wolf was forming, having taken a second longer to shift into his fighting form. Several layers of daggers, hooks, and other weapons flowed around the parahuman as if alive, increasing his size and covering his body in a large armor of spiked metal.

Hookwolf was almost finished changing, his body already on all fours and rushing at Anakin, quickly gaining on Cricket.

Anakin took a brief moment to look at the battlefield. Purity seemed to be gathering an even stronger attack but was currently holding back thanks to the other's proximity. Stormtiger too was gathering another blast of wind and the six projections were flying straight at him.

At the end of the street, two women stepped out from the corner. Already almost three stories tall, they wore plate armor and were still growing. Both wielded shields, but one had a sword while the other had a spear as they rushed at him.

Good. Killing Lung hadn't proved enough to convince people he should be left alone, maybe this would.

Anakin felt something start to affect his balance, not unlike Genosian sonic weapons, only far weaker and more insidious.

Glancing at Cricket, he flicked a finger, hitting her with a Force Push so strong it sent her flying at a car, her back breaking against the metal door as it folded around her body.

Hookwolf roared, a sound of metal against metal while he radiated rage and he pounced on him, the daggers that formed his fur elongated into swords as he prepared spear-like claws to rip into Anakin's armor.

Anakin lifted his arm, gripping the beast-like parahuman in the air with Force Telekinesis and closing a fist. Metal screamed, twisted, and snapped as the Force Crush pushed the weapons back into his body, turning the wolf into a crumbled ball.

Flicking his arm toward one of the rushing giantesses, Anakin threw the crushed parahuman at the first one with such speed she could barely lift her shield in reaction. Hookwolf nearly exploded against the defense, metal flying everywhere, but he could feel the man was still alive.

The impact sent the woman reeling back, shield bent out of shape and arm broken as she collapsed.

The giantess dropped her sword, her good hand digging into a nearby building in a hopeless attempt to keep her balance, leaving furrows on the cheap concrete of the walls before her back hit the ground, driving the air out of her lungs. Without stopping, her partner jumped over her to avoid tripping.

Opening the hand still pointed at them, Anakin released a strong Force Push. The impact hit the giant warrior woman midair, sending her flying back to fall nearly half a block away, tumbling another half a hundred meters before she finally managed to stop herself.

Force precognition warning him, Anakin leaped back over the crater, dodging some of Crusader's projections as they passed through the floor, momentum driving them forward.

Without anyone close to him, both flying parahumans released their attacks. With barely an effort, Anakin hit one of the condensed claws of air right as it was about to leave Stormtiger's hand and, at the same time, used Force Telekinesis to peel the asphalt from the crater, sending it flying at the incoming light beams.

The explosion was deafening, the condensed air sending Stormtiger flying back against a building. The parahuman managed to cushion the hit enough not to break anything, but the pain disrupted his concentration and he fell three stories down, alive but wounded.

Purity's twin beams of light were even larger this time, blowing through the asphalt of his makeshift shield as if it wasn't there, breaking it into pieces.

Anakin knew even if he dodged, the attack would hit the ground, destabilizing his footing and maybe even wounding him. Shifting his concentration, he focused entirely on Tutaminis and braced himself, lifting his hands to block both beams as they hit him.

The power hit the palm of his hands, melting holes through his gloves as he absorbed the attack until it ended, their bright light almost blinding him.

Crusader's projections had recovered from their failed lunge, the ghostly warriors simply letting the debris around them pass through their bodies as they rushed at Anakin while he was recovering.

Refocusing on his Force Precognition, he straightened his back and dodged, hitting the projections with a Force Push. They stumbled, faltering in their attack, but were otherwise barely affected as if they were merely reflections and not truly there.

With concentration, he felt he could affect them with telekinesis, but it would leave him open for a second.

Lifting a hand, Anakin gathered his power and released a stream of Force Lightning, the energy crackled around his hand, bright bolts of Force-empowered electricity striking at the projections and through them.

The attack finally managed to destroy the projections, the translucent forms fading into smoke, but more were already flying down from the rooftop.

"Impressive, most impressive," he spoke, looking up at Purity, the one in command of the attack. "Without preparation, I did not believe the Empire capable of forcing me to make an effort."

He could sense her apprehension, but the woman was stubborn and filled with misplaced anger. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but thought it was for a good reason, a necessary sacrifice.

For a brief moment, he felt her self-loathing, the part of her that was screaming she was fooling herself, that nothing that was promised would come true and she was throwing her last chance away by doing this.

Then that part was pushed back down and she steeled herself, believing it was too late to change.

Anakin sighed. He recognized her actions, they were far too familiar to him. She thought she had gone too far, that her path MUST be the right one because, otherwise, all she had done was for nothing.

Lifting two fingers, he gave the giant spear thrown at him by a recovering giantess a flick, changing its direction enough that the weapon flew to his left, hitting the ground and piercing two-thirds into the floor.

The owner had managed to regain her footing and started running at him again while her sister cradled a broken arm, an exposed bone taking her out of the fight.

"I can sense your hesitation, your lies, your desperation," Anakin said, looking up at Purity and seeing her glow falter. "Whatever your goal is, you know it cannot be achieved under men such as Kaiser. He plays with your so-called rules, ignores them whenever it suits him. His word holds no value. Whatever he promised you, you know it to be false."

The woman hesitated for a moment, but then she shook her head and shouted back. "Shut up, I'm not a kid you can trick or control!"

Around her, Crusader's new projections had briefly stopped, but they charged him again, spears ready. Unfortunately for the man, Anakin had enough uninterrupted time to concentrate on him.

With an effort of will, he dragged the man from the roof, the parahuman screamed in fear as he hit the railing, flipped over, and started free-falling before one of his projections caught him just three meters above the street.

Purity attacked Anakin before he could continue the attack. Having only started to gather her power, the laser beams were much smaller, barely 50 centimeters wide.

Pulling the lightsaber from his waist through the Force, Anakin gripped the handle with both hands and reignited the recovered blade, deflected both bolts straight at the rushing giantess, aiming for her leg.

"Menja!" Purity shouted.

The bolt hit the woman's armored foot, denting the metal, but she had already reached her full height and was several times tougher than normal while Purity's blast had been one of her weakest.

Menja was still hurt enough she started to limp slightly, but it barely affected her speed. Grabbing her sister's sword, she glared at him.

Anakin ignored them, frowning as he sensed the approaching cars.

With the commotion he had caused, Anakin was sure the transport would have changed routes, but the lead car was accelerating towards them, with the prisoner transport following closely after.

The lead PRT car smashed through some of the debris on the street, pushing the small boulders aside before sliding to a stop, blocking half of the street while the tall, armored prisoner transport stopped at its side.

Purity started to float towards Menja, her feelings growing worried as she too realized something was wrong. Crusader's remaining projections gathered around her without his direct command, acting almost as if completely independent.

"Retreat," Purity looked around, noticing that Stormtiger had managed to recover enough that he managed to float up to a rooftop. "Grab Hookwolf and Cricket, I think they're still alive, and run. I'll buy ti—"

Before she could finish, something hit Stormtiger, piercing through his weakened wind barrier, causing him to stumble back and fall to his knees, containment foam spilling around him.

Behind the PRT barricade, Miss Militia switched targets, her weapon changing shape as she shot at Purity, the glowing cape managing to twist aside enough that the beanbag hit her in the arm instead of center mass.

The double doors of the prisoner transport opened and, from inside, a large armor stepped out. It was initially on all fours, being both too big and too bulky to fit inside the vehicle standing up, but the pieces snapped back into place and it straightened.

Four meters tall, it had the head of a krayt dragon and the body of a super battle droid, its back sporting several sonic cannons.

Anakin could feel Purity's panic as she turned around to flee, but another parahuman stepped in her way, holding a spear that seemed to be made of lightning, the man raised a shield and pointed her way.

From the lead car, two PRT soldiers stepped out and pointed at him with rifles. From the back, another armored parahuman stepped out, a halberd held at his side.

"Understood, the operation is a go," Armsmaster said, his attention never leaving Anakin.

Anakin regarded the PRT and Protectorate members surrounding him. Through the Force, he could already feel a few unmarked cars approaching from the opposite direction, blocking the Empire's escape.

From them, he felt a wave of dedication and confidence, as well as the utter satisfaction of a plan going right.

He would have to raise his opinion of the local law enforcement leader. He had heard of how often parahumans escaped custody, but it seemed like Director Piggot had no intention of letting her chances go. This wasn't a prisoner transport, it was a counter-ambush.

Perhaps Miss Militia had not entirely disregarded his warnings about infiltrators.

Without warning, Anakin was invaded by a sense of urgency unlike any he had felt on this planet, whipping his head back towards ABB territory, he felt fear and anxiety flooding the fledgling Force Bond.

"Susanoo, Purity, drop your weapons and surrender, you're surrounded!" Armsmaster's amplified voice came from his armor.

Gripping his lightsaber tighter, Anakin stared at the man, his temper rising. "What have you done?"





__________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust), Comics, WanderingDaemon, High Simp of Mephala, Felrook, NotableRonin, AjiTae, JVR, Fallen Zona, Nisiris, SotoriUhska, Ty Tuttle, LordChoto, Glitched Knights, IrishxButter, Journeyman_Mike, Jason Langford, Elia, rome33, Nyangachi ____, Kraxus, Invernos, ecool, countfork, Eric Hicks, eevin1, Definitely (Not) a Necromancer, EMthe4th, Dinero1121, David C., Snugglepuff, Sansvoid, MagicWafflez, JoeMcCool, Rodney Maestrado, Alex, pistolpete, Chris Chalich, box boy b and Crimsonir.

 

[CapCaverna]

Yo, better late than never right?

Anyways, I had a lot of trouble with the latest chapter of Will of the Force, I also was very busy IRL and, honestly, I found that I can't write as much as I did before my... 'break'.

I hope you guiys enjoy the chapter anyway! Next one in more or less one week (Probably slightly more, as you guys may have noticed)
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"Why's there no blood?"

"But there is," Hal answered gleefully. "So much blood, so much gore, it is magnificent, a delight for my memory banks."

"What?" Dinah asked, turning from the projected images and staring at her droid. "Then…"

"Oh, I've decided to censor the footage before projecting it, perhaps you can watch the uncensored version when you're older. How unfortunate that I can only observe."

Dinah pouted… no, she glared at him, she had seen blood before, there had been no censoring when Anakin rescued her!

The memory hit her, the sight of crushed mercenaries laying all around the street, broken bones and expos… Dinah managed to halt that thought, her face pale, swallowing hard, she sighed.

Yeah, perhaps it's not so bad like this. She wasn't afraid, nope, but she could see more details without blood covering everything, it just got in the way.

Being able to just relax and watch something on the sofa was nice. Dinah couldn't even remember the last time she had let herself do it. In truth, she knew she had only had powers for a few months, but the stress and pain made it feel like forever.

Really, now that she thought about it, why did she care if the lack of blood made her look childish?

Her friend Missy was always complaining about being mature and, before, Dinah had kinda agreed with her, if to a lesser extent, but now?

When she had been alone and helpless, she had to be responsible, to be mature as she worried about her parents, her friends, about becoming a drug addict who helped a villain.

Yeah… maturity was not at all that it was hyped up to be, she'd much rather not have to worry about things.

Turning back to the screen, Dinah watched Anakin block one of Purity's blasts with his lightsaber, the energy pushing him back but not even touching his clothes as it dispersed around his body.

She wondered; did he practice his badass postures in the mirror or did it come naturally?

Anakin made being cool look so effortless, keeping an unconcerned air around him even as bullets rained on his position. She bet he didn't look at explosions either. "Look, his cloak was even fluttering just right."

"Indeed," Hal nodded, somehow keeping the image in place even though it was projected from his eye. "It is quite enlightening. I had thought style was simply a bonus in battle, but I now realize it can be just as important as carnage."

Taking a sip of hot chocolate, Dinah leaned forward and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the side table without looking, a few pieces falling to the floor.

Initially, they were going to watch the live feed on the workshop's TV, but Hal had offered to use his projector to put the image on the wall and she loved the idea. It was kinda like going to the theater.

Gripping the edge of her seat, eyes shining, she watched him just flick Cricket aside as if she was trash and grab Hookwolf midpounce, crushing him by squeezing a hand before using the metal ball as a projectile.

Unable to help herself, Dinah lifted her good arm, hand squeezing into a fist as she imagined herself in his place. On her lap, Tora released a low yowl of complaint, extending his claws and sticking them on her leg as punishment for moving.

Kumo, as usual, was sleeping in a ball atop Anakin's computer, seemingly unconcerned with the world even if his ears flickered at any noise.

With a 'click' the door of the workshop opened, Mrs. Aikawa walked inside with the assistance of a cane. The old woman had a bandage over the left side of her head, but looked otherwise fine.

For a second, Dinah just stared while the old woman took in the workshop, a small smile on her face as she looked at all of Anakin's tools.

"Mrs. Aikawa, I thought you were still in the hospital?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Honey, didn't I tell you to call me Liliam?" The woman chided. "And why would I? there's nothing wrong with me that a little rest won't cure, and their painkillers aren't as good as my plants."

At her side, Hal cut off the projection and got up from the sofa. The droid seemed to be watching the interaction with some interest, but Dinah noticed he was also doing something else, his optics blinking with the telltale signs he was using his interface.

"Mrs. Liliam, you can't be here."

"What? Don't mumble, child," the woman huffed, walking towards one of Anakin's projects.

"No, you can't be here!" Dinah almost yelled.

"Nonsense, I owned this building my entire life, I can certainly check on its condition now that the gecko is dead. Besides, you have my cats. Do you know how worried I was when I arrived home and they weren't there?"

Hand flashing forward, Hal lifted Tora from Dinah's lap and started walking towards Kumo. "But of course, let me help with the cats. Ma'am, I must say, impressive shooting, not everyone can hit a cape midflight."

"Well, I thought I had him, aimed for the unprotected head and everything," Mrs. Liliam grumbled. "I was quite a good shot when I was younger, you know."

"Ah, I do appreciate meeting the rare exception to your kind's uselessness. A pity you missed."

Dinah gripped her training lightsaber, a bad feeling filling her, then she thought better and jumped to her feet —she still wasn't 100% confident in her skills with the blade— Rushing towards the table, she also grabbed her laser pistol for comfort.

"Ah, those parahumans are a slippery sort," the old woman dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "Never heard of any that mattered dying from a normal bullet no matter the power. It's why I never tried to snipe the gecko while he was resting… I'm honestly surprised I even hit a leg."

Using his other hand, Hal snatched up a sleeping Kumo, the cat releasing a tiny mew of complaint before going limp on his grip. Then his eyes snapped to the side and his optics turned red.

The large TV turned on by itself, a red light flashing beside Anakin's closed laptop warning of intrusion on their protective perimeter. Dinah stared at the light, dumbfounded.

But… there was such a small chance of attack?

No, star's end, she had asked if she was gonna be attacked alone, not if anyone was going to arrive while she waited!

Before she could think about it, Dinah checked the pistol's charge and ran to Anakin's laptop, using it to check the perimeter cameras around the workshop.

"To the south," Hal warned, pressing a button on the worktable and revealing two assault rifles. "Meatbags, when you think you have enough data to simulate the depth of their stupidity…"

Dinah checked where Hal had pointed out, seeing one of Dragon's suits landing quietly atop a distant building, a second later, a cape Dinah didn't recognize appeared on top of a forcefield that trailed slivers of light.

Behind the second cape, Triumph stepped out of the forcefield and stared towards the workshop, following him, some of the Wards got down on the roof and started looking around for a safe location to settle; Vista, Clockblocker, Kid Win, Aegis and Shadow Stalker.

Rory was here, Rory was going to try and rescue her!

Dinah felt herself start to panic. She had only found out about her cousin being Triumph while trying to find a way out of Coil's trap but every question she asked about his involvement gave her nearly certain odds.

If she involved Rori, the best-case scenario gave him an 82% chance of death. God, she missed him, but he couldn't be here!

God, she missed her parents too. It was incredibly cool living in a hidden lair, and having a droid was neat, not to mention the minions, but she'd trade almost everything to be back with her mother.

Not Anakin though, he could stay her cool uncle and master.

But, if she went back home, Coil would kill them, she knew it! She had seen it again and again.

"Honey, breathe," Mrs. Liliam said, putting her hands around Dinah's head and forcing her to focus. "Is it those Nazis again?"

"N… no," Dinah said, managing to center herself. "The Protectorate is trying to rescue me."

"And I take it you don't want to go with them?"

"I can't, I just…" Why hadn't she asked Anakin to kill Coil for her? Why had she tried to deal with him by herself?

She wanted control, to know she could use her power for herself instead of having to always rely on others, so she could feel safe going back to her parents, so she'd know she didn't need to run away the next time a villain wanted to use her.

"That's alright, you don't have to explain," Mrs. Liliam said, then turned to Hal. "Do you have a spare rifle? Preferably one with non-lethal ammunition?"

"But… they're gonna arrest you?" Dinah asked.

"Honey, your guardian is a Master. I figure I can get away with shooting the heroes if I blame him. I don't think he'd mind."

Hal just stared at the woman for a full second, then at both his assault rifles. Finally, he released a frustrated noise. "Right, non-lethal… this just became far less entertaining."

Putting both rifles back on the table, he took out the magazines with almost pained movements, then unchambered the rounds and picked the magazines filled with rubber bullets.

Somehow, the droid's actions served to snap her out of the panic she felt and Dinah took a few breaths. Focusing on some of Anakin's lessons about meditation, she centered herself.

Finally calm, Dinah started using her power. She couldn't really find a future where she remained perfectly free, that always took far too much out of her and she didn't have time, but she could ask questions. What are the chances they can get into the building before Anakin returns?

Eighty-two point seven, nine, two, two percent. She grimaced, so they're likely going to meet face to face.

"Mistress Raven, the situation demands I assume command now, please follow my lead," going to his droid replica, Hal considered the robotic body, but shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's not ready for deployment, but at least Master Anakin built me with modular designs."

Pressing on the armored torso, Hal removed both arms and attached them to his own body one after another right under his original ones, then spent a second testing the coordination of the new limbs, wiggling his metallic fingers.

"From your facial movements, I presume the outer defenses won't delay them?"

"83% chances they get through."

"Very well, what are the chances Coil uses the situation to make an attempt on your person?"

Dinah froze… she hadn't thought of that. "Ninety-four point one, two, five, one percent."

No! And everything had been going so well, she was even going to turn the Undersiders today! It was NOT happening again!

"Mistress, what are the chances Coil still attacks if there is no fighting?" At her surprised look, he shrugged all four of his shoulders. "Remember, capture by the PRT is preferable to Coil and, with their competency, a rescue will certainly be easier."

"Eighty-nine point six, six, one, five, two percent," she winced, the questions starting to bother her.

Nothing like before she had begun training with Anakin, no, but she had already used a few questions earlier and it was starting to accumulate.

"Negligible change, very well, hand me your lightsaber please," she did, Hal simply turned the handle, opening the casing and changing some settings inside. "I just disabled the safety feature, hide it inside your costume, you're not competent enough to use it in a fight, but meatbags are awfully prone to surprises."

"About that weapon?" Mrs Liliam reminded them.

Seeing as the droid was occupied, Dinah nodded and ran to her own table, grabbing her mask before pulling a laser rifle Anakin had made for her to practice with, she still preferred the pistol, but it was interesting to use.

Dinah put the weapon on a stun setting and handed it to the old woman. In front of her, Hal grabbed another two laser pistols, wielding them on his lower arms while he held the assault rifles on the upper ones one-handed.

"Mistress, do not leave the workshop and try to remain under cover."

Dinah nodded, through the TV, she saw the Wards getting settled, her cousin crouching down and looking at the building through a pair of binoculars while Dragon and the second cape lifted into the air.

Before Dragon or the second cape could advance more than a single block, the turrets all around the base rose and opened fire, Hal's eyes shining red as he controlled them and focused most of the fire on Dragon's armor.

Both Dragon and the new hero separated, starting to take evasive maneuvers. From Dragon's back, she launched a dozen projectiles, the small missiles trailing white smoke as they curved in the air and flew toward the defenses.

Hal hummed, all but two turrets swirling to intercept the attack. Of the two that didn't, one turned towards the second hero and fired a near-constant laser beam that soon clipped the woman's forcefield, bursting it and causing her to start falling.

The second turned towards Dragon and managed to hit her armor straight on, but the laser barely even heated the metal. "Hmmmm… it seems I'll have to grab some of Bakuda's spare bombs."

"We have those?"

"Indeed, I do appreciate the chance to use them."

"Ha, good for you. If it's all the same, I'll sit down until someone opens the door," Mrs. Liliam grumbled. "Not like I can do anything while they're out there."

"Meat really is such inferior hardware," Hal commented. "How so many Tinkers are content to keep such substandard and easily damaged parts when they can upgrade is beyond me."

Outside, Dragon flew over one of the turrets, cables shooting out of her armor and gripping the weapon before dragging it out of its stand. Swinging the cables, she threw the entire thing at another turret, only three left.

From atop a building, the second hero took the opening to dart over another turret, luminous shards falling all over the weapon and, where they touched it, the shards morphed into force fields. Dinah finally recognized the woman as Dovetail, someone who worked in Brockton Bay from time to time.

Hal still shot the turret, the lasers easily burning through the shields she could put in place, but new flakes of light touched the turret, blooming into more and more force fields that managed to block its movement, buying the hero enough time to throw a foam grenade.

"Interesting. As I thought, Dragon's armor is unmanned," Hal commented, then started to make his way towards the door, hiding two of his hands under the cloak.

Two turrets remained, but Dragon simply landed on top of one, using her armor to completely crush the device while the second hero seemed to have realized Hal wasn't shooting to kill, becoming far less careful with her movements.

Soon, the last turret was dealt with and Dragon landed in front of the door, Dovetail floating above it and giving her cover. Dragon's tail pierced through the door, the tip acting as a pair of jaws of life, cutting through the metal door as if it were paper.

Soon, Dragon pulled the door free and looked inside, Hal just casually lobbed a grenade her way.

With a deafening 'BANG' that broke every window for a few blocks, a large spike of metal hit the armored Tinker from the side, smashing the armor with such strength it went flying for a full block before being buried in a wall.

Atop the building, Dovetail simply disappeared, substituted by a fridge that fell to the ground with enough force to crack the asphalt, then the grenade exploded where Dragon had just been, a flash of light momentarily blinding Dinah's eyes.

Before she could see, Dinah heard Hal opening fire, then grumbling while reloading the magazines. "Impressive survival instinct."

Opening her eyes again, there was a ten-meter-wide pool of sand lying in front of the workshop, the fridge was also missing and she could see the top of a familiar hat hidden behind a car.

Trickster had just swapped places with the destroyed device and almost got killed by Hal. With reflexes she didn't even know she had, Dinah opened fire, several laser blasts hitting the car he was hiding behind and one even burning his idiotic tophat.

"What the fuck!" Trickster shouted before teleporting away from the car and further down the street, immediately getting under cover again.

Like a terminator, Hal started running, both assault rifles properly reloaded and unleashing a hail of bullets upon the villain desperately huddled behind cover, then a giant bull with the mane of a lion broke through a wall, hit him midrun and smashed him against the opposite wall with enough strength to shake the building.

Hal didn't hesitate, the rifles were too big to turn them on the beast in such a cramped space, so he dropped them, grabbed the horns, and immediately started unloading upon the beast with the lasers on his lower arms, aiming for the eyes while trying to twist its head away from his body.

From the bed, Mrs. Liliam finally started shooting, her rifle shaking repeatedly as she silently shot laser after laser at the bull's side.

For a moment, Dinah just stared at the giant beast, then she caught sight of Trickster getting out of cover, useless cane still in his hand, and one of those Circus clones at his side.

Unable to help herself she aimed her pistol again, he'd not try to kidnap her a third time!

The first shot flew just slightly over his shoulder, but she was sure the second was gonna hit him straight on his stupid mask.

The feeling of disorientation hit her out of nowhere, she still pressed the trigger, but the laser only hit the asphalt in front of her and burned a small hole.

"Jesus kid, can you be any more bloodthirsty?" The infuriating voice came from right behind her. "Helpless kid in need of rescue my ass."

Dinah immediately turned around, but the Circus clone reacted faster, kicking her in the chest with such strength she was lifted off the ground, fell on her back, and rolled several meters away from Trickster, the pistol flying out of her hand.

"For fuck's sake, don't kill her!"

"Why?" The clone asked. "Coil won't help Mother even if we bring her."

"I know!" Trickster yelled with frustration. "But he'll want to be seen looking, even if only to trick the others, and I don't think Noelle will ever forgive me if I just execute the kid! Come on, get her so we can get out of here."

Gasping for breath, Dinah heard the clone walking, then felt it grabbing and lifting her by her good arm. It was painful, but nothing compared to when the world started to twist and she felt like she was being sucked through a straw.

A tear ran down her cheek, but Dinah wasn't about to give up, she just wasn't! Lifting her prosthetic, she managed to grab the arm that was holding her up and squeezed, the mechanical hand closing with the strength of a vice, enough to crush his bones.

With a scream of pain, the Circus clone dropped her and she felt the effects of his power fading, her body snapping out of his dimension before they could enter it fully. The second she hit the floor, her hand managed to grab the lightsaber hidden under her costume.

Igniting the weapon, she heard the hum of the blade as she executed the third move of Form II, the saber dancing in a sideways slash that should have bisected the man, but her training saber was too short, so it just burned a straight path through the clone's belly without reaching his spine.

Coughing, she sucked in a breath and made sure to avoid looking at the dying cape, instead turning a glare on the retreating Trickster. With a command, the palm of her prosthetic opened, a small muzzle poking out of it. She started to lift the prosthetic.

Trickster lifted his arm, his cane swapping with Dinah's own laser pistol.

He was faster.

The first laser bolt hit her in the upper right chest, near her shoulder. It burned a hole through her body but didn't hit anything vital. The second shot hit her slightly lower, burning a hole through her liver big enough she could put three fingers through.

Dinah fired too, her laser burning a hole through Trickster's knee and causing his third shot to fly wide, but Dinah didn't think she had another.

The lightsaber fell from her fingers and she dropped to the ground. Looking up, she heard a deafening explosion of sound, the attack smashing into the street in front of her, but she couldn't see if it hit the Villain.

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt too much.

Slowly, she managed to turn her head but, instead of the street, she saw Vista on top of a building, looking straight at her as if through a magnifying glass, then a white-gloved hand touched her face and everything froze.








__________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter!

Thanks for my patrons : AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust), Comics, WanderingDaemon, Travis Cox, High Simp of Mephala, Felrook, NotableRonin, AjiTae, JVR, Fallen Zona, Nisiris, SotoriUhska, Ty Tuttle, LordChoto, Glitched Knights, IrishxButter, Journeyman_Mike, Jason Langford, Elia, rome33, Nyangachi ____, Kraxus, Invernos, ecool, countfork, Eric Hicks, eevin1, Definitely (Not) a Necromancer, EMthe4th, Dinero1121, David C., Snugglepuff, Sansvoid, MagicWafflez, JoeMcCool, Rodney Maestrado, Alex, pistolpete, Chris Chalich, box boy b, Crimsonir, Rockinalice, Dan Nicolae Barzu, Double D, Austin Levy, Asura, Adam Duffy, Trent Nielsen, Esp, Arakhil, Kevin Joseph Tarka, Artman, Justin Archibald, Will and Gerard Steeghs.

 

[CapCaverna]

Yo, I had some problems IRL and it delayed both Supergirl and Will of the Force, also, the latest chapter of Will gave me a lot of trouble, I may have to rewrite it a little.

Anyway, it's finally here, and I do think I nailed this one, let's see if you guys share my view, enjoy the chapter!
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"What have you done?" Anakin asked, his control over his emotions slipping for a moment, his unstable lightsaber starting to discharge red sparks that scorched the asphalt.

For a second, the world seemed to stutter, the very air freezing with his rage and every cape present feeling their hearts skipping a beat. A sense of doom briefly filled them as Anakin almost lashed out with the Force before he managed to restrain himself.

"Susanoo, Purity, you're surrounded," Armsmaster repeated, managing to overcome the feeling by tightening his hold on his weapon. "Drop your weapons, refrain from using powers and slowly get down to the ground. Further resistance is futile!"

All around the street, PRT troopers stopped hesitating and started to form barricades, blocking his exits as best as they could while aiming their weapons at him.

Anakin felt… out of balance, for the first time since his return, he felt pressed, at least for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he centered himself and considered what to do.

He did not want to be forced to kill those around him. Misguided as they were, the ones surrounding him were still law enforcement, and the Force whispered to him that most believed they were doing the right thing.

What would his former master do? Could the situation still be resolved without violence? For the moment, Dinah was still safe despite her distress, he could still reach her.

"Armsmaster, your appraisal of the situation is… overly optimistic," Anakin said, his voice lacking emotion as he stared at the destruction around the street and back to the Parahuman. "You do not have the capabilities to stop me, but my goal has been accomplished. Allow me to retreat and take the opportunity to deal with the 'Empire', it will be a major victory for your city."

It was the only offer he would make, Anakin simply didn't have time for more concessions.

For a second, he could see the man considering the offer. The achievement of dealing with the Empire once and for all without any losses seemed very tempting for his need for recognition, then his feelings changed, an almost equal mixture of duty and ambition consolidating his decision.

"I can't allow that. Susanoo, turn off your weapon, throw it to the side and slowly get on the ground, you're under arrest!"

A pity, he had hoped to resolve this without conflict.

Completely ignoring the enemies around him, Anakin turned his senses away from the battle and towards the fledgling bond forming between him and the youngling.

A Force bond was a powerful thing but, even fully formed, it did not convey information perfectly. No matter his power or focus, Anakin couldn't see or sense exactly what was happening, not without far more concentration than he could spare. He only knew that Dinah was afraid.

The sense of urgency he felt intensified to a level he hadn't felt since before his complete fall. The Force was warning him, screaming that her fear wasn't unfounded, that all his protections wouldn't be enough. He was out of time.

"I said—"

He moved before the man could finish more than two words. Body strengthened by the Force, Anakin used Force speed and dashed back towards ABB territory.

Behind him, a hail of non-lethal ammunition fell on the place he had been standing, twitchy fingers firing the second he started moving, the projectiles missing him by a relative mile, but still filling the street.

He briefly considered jumping atop a building for a more direct path, but Dragon, Dauntless and Miss Militia had the sky well covered, another five of Dragon's armors arriving from all sides to snap the trap shut.

No, he'd use the buildings as cover until he had bought enough space.

One of Miss Militia's bullets flew past a few centimeters behind him, the surprise of his speed making her miss but not by much, then the Force screamed and he lifted his lightsaber, dissolving a second bullet at chest height.

She had already adapted to his movements.

Purity took a second to understand what was going on, but she too acted, her form growing brighter as she flew back, shooting a blast of power aimed at the closest Dragon drone to her and starting to gather power for a second attack.

Dauntless's spear shootout, the electrical blade stretching in the blink of an eye and piercing through her leg. The blast she had been gathering went wide, hitting one of the nearby buildings and completely leveling the third floor, causing the collapse of the three floors above it.

Glass and cement rained around Anakin, but he simply ducked under a bigger piece of debris and ran for the corner, sending a weak Force push towards the group of PRT troopers trying to block his movement, their bodies flying away as he opened a path.

A second later, the rest of the collapsing building couldn't sustain the weight and crumbled to the ground, making aiming at Anakin almost impossible through the cloud of dust it released.

A red blur rushed towards him. Using the Force, Anakin could still see Velocity's movements, but the man was running far faster than he could manage. Behind the cape, another two heroes approached, moving slower, but still able to keep up with Anakin's Force enhanced speed.

With a wave of his hand, Anakin peeled a large piece of asphalt and sent it flying at the approaching man, Velocity simply changed directions, running on the side of a building as if on land.

Assault wasn't fast enough to dodge, instead he smashed into the projectile at an oblique angle, breaking some of it and bouncing the rest to the side, actually gaining speed after the impact, Battery following closely behind.

Anakin blasted through the hole he had made in the barricade, the Force screamed again and he instinctively lifted his lightsaber, but he immediately knew it had been a mistake, Miss Militia had changed munitions.

The large slug passed through the lightsaber's blade, most of its mass evaporating on the way, but the remainder continued towards him. Twisting his body, he managed to pull his leg out of the way, but he lost speed.

Velocity came at him, feet touching the ground again and accelerating even more as he approached. Letting the Force guide him, Anakin's head followed the man's movements, his lightsaber lashing out in a rising slash towards where his neck would be, instincts making him go for the kill.

Velocity's eyes widened, his entire body screaming in panic, but he was still fast enough to react, his body attempting to reverse directions and his head pulling back as far as he could, the lightsaber passing only a few centimeters in front of his helmet.

The hero didn't quite manage to regain his balance, his feet slipping from under him and momentum keeping his body moving, rolling past Anakin but not before he managed to throw two grenades.

With a glance, Anakin caught both explosives in a telekinetic grip and sent them flying at the approaching Assault and Battery before continuing running.

The grenades started exploding, white foam expanding from them at an alarming rate.

For a second, Assault slowed down, allowing Battery to reach him, she slammed into her partner with the force of a car and bounced to the side, without losing momentum, avoiding the grenades. Assault himself exploded with yet another burst of speed, lowering his body and accelerating under the foam.

Some of the substance still reached him, but the small amount seemed to slide off his body, then he was through and running at Anakin again.

Dashing through a window, Anakin ran inside a store, getting out of Miss Militia's line of sight while cutting a path across the building and, with a Force push, he exploded through a wall on a perpendicular street, immediately turning towards ABB territory.

From his Force bond, he felt Dinah's worry increasing, becoming fear, then turning into anger and determination.

He recognized that combination, it was the same one he had felt from Asoka again and again when she was about to do something particularly stupid during the war. He did not miss the feeling.

Focusing on the bond cost him, splitting his attention so that, when he lifted his lightsaber, the blade releasing red sparks, it didn't meet a projectile but a wave of sound almost as powerful as a sonic cannon. One of Dragon's drones flying over his head.

Even strengthened as he was with the Force, Anakin fell to his knees, the attack shaking his body, disrupting his concentration and balance while almost causing him to throw up, nausea hitting him.

It almost brought him back to Genosis.

His mask broke under the assault, a small shard from the corner of his shin snapping off to bounce on the floor, then a crack formed under his right eye. He only wore the piece because of Dinah and yet, its destruction still angered him more.

How dare they… pathetic, worthless… ENOUGH!

With a burst of rage, Anakin managed to lift a hand towards the drone and closed his fist. The Armor tried to retreat, its thrusters burning brighter, the heat distorting the air, but it wasn't enough.

Metal screamed, then bent inwards as it was crushed under his Force telekinesis, sonic weapons releasing one last weak blast before the entire drone turned into a ball of crumpled metal and circuitry

Unfortunately, the distraction had managed to halt him for a full second and, while the rest of the heroes were still a few seconds away, the remainder of Dragon's drones had already surrounded him.

Getting up, he felt his control over the Force exploding, his aura of rage spreading through the streets like a living creature, filling the building and making every person around him hesitate.

The destroyed remains of Dragon's armor fell to his side, several hundred kilos of metal cracking the asphalt and making most of the troopers flinch as some of the metal snapped off from the impact.

He had tried, done his best to hold back, made a show of power with Lung… and yet, they continued to provoke him, block him, keep him from his apprentice.

No.

No, he had had quite enough of losing attachments.

Fear turned to anger, more than he had felt since losing Padme. It gave him focus, it gave him power, power unlike any he had wielded in his entire time as Darth Vader.

Around him, the buildings shook, windows breaking and raining glass down for several blocks. At that moment, Anakin understood why he could never overcome Sidious during the entire time he had been the monster's apprentice.

Yes, the Sith had filled him with hate, with rage unending, but he had also taken away everything Anakin valued, destroying his very reason for seeking power. Revenge simply had not been enough to fuel his strength.

The youngling wasn't Padme, she was not his daughter, but she was his apprentice, a new connection untainted by his former actions, he would reach her and, if they wanted to block him, he would do so while stepping over their corpses.

Anakin's will took control of the Force, no longer asking but commanding it to move according to his will, his concentration greater than ever before.

Slowly, the dust on the ground started circling him, then pieces of the sidewalk started breaking, rising up in the air from the sheer amount of the Force flowing around him.
With a scream of metal, Dragon's ruined suit rose to his side, floating slightly above his head, then a huge boulder broke out from an old building to join it.

With a loud noise, the crack on his metallic mask finally finished breaking, the piece flying up in the maelstrom of power to reveal a yellow eye glaring at the corner of the street.

One of Dragon's drones flew closer, a second sonic weapon rising from the armor's back.
Anakin did not turn his head, but an abandoned car slid on the ground, its wheels bouncing up and down with a screeching noise before the entire thing tilted sideways and shot up towards the threat.

With a roar, Armsmaster's motorcycle turned a corner, sliding sideways before rushing at him without losing much speed. In the air, the tail of Dragon's drone shot forward, a blade slicing through the car and sending the pieces flying to the ground, then it shot another blast of sound at him.

Lifting his hand, Anakin used Force push, the attack aimed at the very air above his head, blasting it away with such strength it completely stopped the sound and created a momentary vacuum, sucking the dust up from the ground.

The attack hit the drone straight on, flattening the armor beyond any recovery and sending it flying away.

Anakin didn't move, but the ball of metal above his head shot towards Armsmaster's bike almost as fast as a bullet, not even a second later, the boulder followed it.

The cape managed to dodge the first projectile, but the second smashed into the front wheel of his bike with such strength it crumpled, sending the man flipping through the air.

With a flick of his wrist, Anakin sent his ignited lightsaber towards the hole he had made on the wall at the exact second Assault jumped out. The hero threw himself to the left, but the blade bit through his arm, sending it flying.

Battery arrived shortly after, but she took one look at her partner and changed directions, dragging his screaming body away from the fighting.

Anakin simply pointed with a finger, hitting them both with a blast of Force lightning, the impact of the blow smashing them through a wall and back inside the building.

A second Dragon drone dropped on all fours on the street to his left, releasing a salvo of missiles from its back, the rockets leaving a trail of smoke as they flew at him while a third drone dropped a white dressed hero Anakin did not recognize on top of a nearby building.

Some of the debris floating around him flew at the missiles, but it only managed to hit a few of them, the rest seemed to dodge the projectiles and converge on his body. Lifting a hand, he froze them in the air with Force stasis.

With a crack, a large piece of asphalt rose up in front of him, the surface immediately cracking as it blocked a new bullet from a repositioned Miss Militia, then he threw the boulder at the frozen rockets and they exploded.

Armsmaster finally hit the ground, his armored body bouncing, then sliding several meters before he managed to sink his halberd blade into the floor and stop his movements.

Anakin strode towards him, the maelstrom around him tearing large pieces of the street and sending them shooting at the drones in the air with enough strength to dent their armor.

Absentmindedly, he lifted his arm to the side and recalled his lightsaber, then used Force choke to lift the so-called Hero from the ground and pull him closer.

Armsmaster struggled, but his hand slid from his halberd, the weapon falling to the ground as his lack of breath made him lose strength.

With an effort of will, Anakin used Force to crush the man's limbs as Sidious had once done to him, the metal resisted for much longer than expected, but finally started breaking as he twisted it until blood started flowing from between the joints, one arm completely snapping off at the shoulder.

The PRT troopers around them finally recovered from his aura, taking cover before starting to shoot at him from what they hoped was a safe distance. Miss Militia used the chance to snipe him again, but Anakin just leaned back, letting her bullet smash into the ground before continuing.

Still, their feelings had changed, where before there was confidence, now Anakin could only sense a fear so deep it was quickly turning into terror, good.

His enemy seemed to have expected him to remain cordial, to keep holding back even as they threatened the only thing he held dear in this pathetic planet.

With sharp movements, he lifted his lightsaber for a blow against Armsmaster.

The pauldrons on both of the parahuman's shoulders rose, revealing twin cylinders that spewed a wave of liquid fire towards his face. Anakin let them, the fluid smashing harmlessly into a Force shield and splashing around him.

Aiming for the chest, he struck.

Instead of piercing all the way through the armor, his lightsaber stopped at the surface plate. He frowned, the armor wasn't beskar, the plasma was still melting through the metal, but the material was still strong enough to survive a few seconds.

"Do it!" Armsmaster shouted, somehow still coherent through the pain… Once upon a time, Vader would have appreciated that.

A spike of Force precognition hit him, this time, Anakin did not try to block but simply jumped away, not even a second later, a cone of power sucked the moisture out of the area he had just vacated, Armsmaster shout growing rough as the attack did not spare him.

Glaring upward, Anakin saw the white dressed parahuman hurrying away from the edge of the building to try and avoid retaliation, a cloud of moisture floating around the hydrokinetic.

Taking another step back, Anakin dodged a lucky shot from a trooper, then he had to redirect another piece of debris to block another four bullets.

Concentrating, he found the pins on the grenades the troopers were wearing and pulled them all at the same time, the clattering of metal on the floor drowned out by the noise of the battle.

With several small explosions, the PRT soldiers were engulfed in a wave of containment foam, the substance covering their entire body before they could react.

Unsatisfied, Anakin finally dropped the Force maelstrom around his body and focused his power, the floating debris raining down to the ground for a full five seconds.

Lifting his arm, he made a grasping motion at the building the hydrokinetic was hiding on. The five story building groaned, the support pillars cracking, then exploding with a deafening noise as the entire thing rose a few centimeters into the air.

Pulling his arm down, Anakin smashed the structure on top of the containment foam, hearing the screams from the parahuman hiding on top as he came crashing down between the debris.

The impact caused the entire street to shake, cracks forming in all nearby buildings, the asphalt collapsing and sinking a full five centimeters into the ground and releasing a cloud of dust, the resulting wind sending Anakin's cape flapping back as it blew around him.

Almost as an afterthought, he lifted seven boulders from the broken remains and sent them flying at Miss Militia's location, obliterating the top of the building she had been using to snipe at him with consecutive hits.

Another warning from the Force had Anakin turning his lightsaber to the side, but Velocity had learned his lesson, Ducking under the blow and punching him in the chest twice before running away.

He barely felt the hits, the parahuman seemingly incapable of translating his speed into kinetic force, but the surprise still managed to disrupt his concentration, letting a still breathing Armsmaster fall to the ground.

Velocity was fast, much faster than even Master Windu had been. Like with a blaster bolt, Anakin could still react before he attacked but, unlike projectiles, the parahuman had no need to keep his trajectory.

All around the former Jedi, the dust finally started to settle down, leaving a coating of cement dust over every surface he could see. With a metallic sound, the broken piece of his mask hit his legs and settled at his feet.

The metal had broken a second time in the maelstrom, the jagged edges digging into the dusty floor as the eye hole seemed to stare up at him.

Refocusing on the Force, Anakin snapped around, lightsaber swinging in a downward slash towards the speeding parahuman. Like before, the man reacted faster than Anakin could keep up.

Keeping an eye on the attack, Velocity stepped to the left, making sure Anakin wasn't pointing his other hand at him in order to avoid a blast of Force lightning as he punched out towards Anakin's throat.

From the ground, Anakin used Force telekinesis to shoot the piece of his mask at his attacker's ankle while he wasn't looking, the edge cutting through flesh and bone with ease, leaving his foot hanging by a thin strip of skin.

Velocity screamed, dropped his power and went tumbling to the ground, blood flying everywhere, then the thin strip of flesh finally snapped and sent his foot flying away before he smashed face first into the sidewalk and passed out.

Dismissing him from his mind, Anakin quickly sent another boulder flying into the air, the projectile intercepting a new blast of sound from one of Dragon's surviving drones and exploding into tiny chunks, at the same time, a different armor flew at him from the back, attempting to get into grappling distance.

The third armor released a new salvo of tracking missiles before shooting him with a laser. Anakin deflected the beam with his lightsaber before blasting the missiles with Force lightning, the blue streams of electricity too fast for the guided projectiles to dodge.

Turning his hand towards the rushing drone, Anakin smashed the armor into the ground with a Force push only a few meters before Dragon hit him, then his eyes widened as he sensed yet another presence.

Snapping around, he saw Dauntless flying up into the air, both Velocity's body and Armsmaster's broken armor in his arms. Anakin was about to grab them, but a scream from the Force made him take a few steps away, another Force shield forming around his body as the drone on the ground exploded.

Stopping in place, his yellow eyes glared up at the fleeing parahumans, his anger only growing at their figure. He had tried to avoid this confrontation, offered them the so-called Empire on a plate and yet…

"There is no escape! Not from me."

The yellow in his single visible eye intensified, seeming to almost shine with power as he slowly lifted his free hand. The three buildings closest to him started shaking, their support beams exploding as they rose into the air, cracks forming all over their surface.

With a spike of pain, Anakin lost concentration, the buildings falling back to the ground with a deafening noise, then starting to tilt in random directions, one cracked in the middle, the top two floors falling almost on top of the Force user.

Heart nearly exploding in his chest, Anakin felt his bond with Dinah winking out, the terrifyingly familiar feeling snapping him out of his rage and making him remember why he was even fighting in the first place, most of the yellow leaving his eye but leaving a few streaks behind.

"NO!"

Dropping everything, he used Force speed again and ran through one of the fallen buildings, ignoring any cover and making a straight line towards his workshop while focusing on the youngling.

His senses stretched out, grasping at the small thread of their Force bond, his heart only slowing when he realized it hadn't snapped, but something more than just unconsciousness was muting the connection.

Jumping between buildings, he pushed himself harder towards the girl.





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[CapCaverna]

Goddamnit, I'm ashamed, disappeared for a month again. I really didn't want to just stop posting but... well.

First I kinda caught dengue fever, then I took the wrong medication (DON't DO THAT, if you ever catch it), thankfully, it wasn't nearly as serious as it could have been and, in the hospital, I should have actually had more time to write, but my depression hit me hard and...

Anyway, it's not an excuse to not even give you guys a warning, but it's what happened, sorry about that.

I also didn't work on my college's final papers, so I'm gonna have to scramble to finish that too, and updates won't be as often as I'd like, probably a chapter every two weeks or so.

Despite all that, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
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Anakin raced through the city, Force speed allowing him to leap through buildings as if they were even ground, each step consuming several meters. The sense he got from the faint bond with the youngling making him extremely worried.

He knew she was not dead, but there were no feelings being shared between them, even a coma could not have stopped her mind so completely. In the distance, he heard the distinctive noise of a sonic weapon, one different from those employed by Dragon.

Looking in the workshop's direction, he saw space distorting before a wooden table impacted on the edge of a building, burst into a shower of splinters and shattered the stone roof, dust and broken bricks raining on the street.

A second later, he noticed a shadow leaping from a nearby roof, shooting down at the street with a crossbow and starting to fall towards a building on the other side of the street before phasing through the walls.

Rage filled Anakin, muscles tensing, teeth clenching, the familiar headache hitting him, one that had been his companion for more than half his life. Worse, the feeling that he could have done more, arrived at the youngling's side earlier if only he hadn't let his anger get the best of him, was also familiar.

It only served to make him angrier, the emotion fuelling his power.

With iron will, Anakin took hold of the Force, further enhancing his speed until he could almost match Velocity. Within only a few seconds he saw the state of the workshop.

The door was blown wide open, every single one of his turrets destroyed and there was a large hole on the side of the wall. From the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of one of Dragon's drones, damaged but still capable of flight, pursuing something away from the workshop.

Still, the bond, muted as it was, already told him Dinah wasn't there. No, she laid closer to the workshop and wasn't moving.

Something exploded inside the workshop, then there was a distinctive roar of an unstable repulsorlift, followed closely by a massive cry of pain.

With a deafening impact, a large creature came flying out of the workshop, breaking through the wall almost as fast as Anakin had been moving. Smaller than a bantha, it was still as large as those so called buses the locals used, with a mane of hair and large horns.

The beast tried to get up, but another wave of force hit it, widening the hole in the wall and smashing into the creature with enough power to pulverize its bones.

Anakin ignored the being, focusing inside the workshop and trying to sense the youngling's presence inside it; instead, he only found the old woman and her cats. She felt giddy with a weapon in her hand, but worried about the girl.

Stepping over the broken remains of the wall, Hal glared at the creature, his optics glowing red as he carried Anakin's unfinished repulsorlift engine over his shoulder like a canon with all four of his arms.

Aiming the turbine down at the beast, he pulled a lever and reversed the repulsolift's effects, releasing a massive shockwave of gravitational power, then did it again and again until the beast was pulped, blood and bones turning into a shapeless mass, even the ground around the creature had sunk almost two meters. A second later, the projection dissolved into dust.

Dinah's emotions hammered against Anakin's senses, the bond snapping back into place without warning and bombarding him with pain, fear and disappointment, to the point he almost stumbled, then it was gone again.

It had been enough.

With pinpoint precision, Akain turned towards the girl and leaped, Force jump carrying him a whole block before he touched down on the street with unnatural grace, his cape falling around his shoulders.

His eyes immediately focused on Dinah's fallen body, a tiny, fragile thing. Staring at her, Anakin tightened his fist, the Force distorting the air around him and bending the lampposts all around the sidewalk, almost as if even the metal didn't want to be near him.

Some kind of power was keeping the girl from him, muting their connection while locking her in place. Kneeling by her side, Anakin saw two of the so-called Heroes, sensing another hidden behind them, a group as incompetent as they were foolish.

He knew one of them was the source of that power.

Of the two he could see, one wore a golden costume with a helmet in the shape of a local animal he recognized as a lion, radiating a mixture of worry, anger and guilt. The second wore a skintight white suit, with a few armored plates blocking the vitals, gray clocks inscribed on them, he reeked of fear. Triumph and Clockblocker.

The full might of Anakin's fury descended on the 'heroes', filling them with absolute dread and locking them in place, their entire bodies thrumming with adrenaline.

Triumph had a hand behind his back, trying to shield their hidden member from Anakin's sight while cold sweat ran down his face. More importantly, Clockblocker held the youngling's shoulder, hand already shaking.

With visible effort, the Lion themed 'Hero' used his anger as a shield, relying on it to drive away his fear before getting up from his knees and taking a few steps towards Anakin.

Opening his mouth, the 'Hero' shouted, releasing a visible shockwave towards Anakin, the blast strong enough to send the nearby cars skidding to the sides and rip anything in its way, sending them flying.

This time, Anakin wasn't caught by surprise, the blast hitting his body and briefly making him turn his head, but doing no more than causing his cape to wave behind him.

Ignoring the constant attack, Anakin continued to march towards his charge at the same pace, lightsaber igniting at his side.

Unable to keep his attack up, Triumph almost collapsed, the tension leaving him exhausted and gasping for breath

Finally, a smaller, green figure pushed Clockblocker's hand away and stepped to the side, a green visor covered her eyes, but the former Sith Lord could clearly see concentration on her face despite Vista's fear. It was more than many could say against his anger.

The four didn't move, but they were suddenly farther away, the street seeming to stretch with every step he took, the distance between them shifting by the second. Anakin narrowed his eyes, the one exposed without his mask appearing to glow with power.

He would not be kept from his charge.

Lifting his free hand, Anakin made a grasping motion, seeming to take hold of reality itself and refusing to let it change.

For the first time since slaying the Emperor, he faced true resistance, something vast and alien focusing on his position and contesting his will seemingly from a planet away, and yet he could almost see it behind the young girl's eyes.

The young girl fell to her knees as they clashed, blood leaking from her nose, the space between them seeming to bend and twist as Anakin had to actually struggle against the true source of her power.

His enemy did not feel malicious, it did not have the same sickness as most Sith's creations. All Anakin felt was a faint sense of curiosity, but even that felt different from any other sentient he had met, muted and robotic.

Anakin was also sure it was not exerting itself fully, either because it underestimated him or because there was something binding its ability. Before that changed, Anakin acted.

"Begone, I will not be denied," gathering the full might of his control over the Force, he lifted a second hand and smashed a wave of power against the interloper, completely overcoming its control, reality itself seeming to crack with a deafening noise as the street snapped back to normal.

Vista started to collapse face first into the ground, the clash making her pass out but leaving her alive.

Around the falling Ward, both parahumans seemed to stumble, almost losing consciousness themselves, but they recovered, Triumph attempting to charge him while Clockblocker threw himself towards Vista, catching her small body before she could hit the ground and drawing her closer, but still remaining within arm's reach of the youngling.

With a flick of his wrist, Anakin sent Triumph flying to the side, his body bouncing along the street before his back hit the curb and stopped. Then he stepped in front of the remaining nuisances.

"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?" The young boy asked, his innocent eyes staring up at him with hope.

He just looked back at the boy, anger and hate at what the Jedi had become clouding his judgment, Sidious honeyed words echoing in his mind. The Jedi had to end, be ripped out of the Empire root and all.

Even a single survivor could spread the Jedi teachings through the galaxy, their corrupt belief in following the will of the Senate over establishing order.

A large part of him rebelled at what he was about to do, but that was only the remains of Anakin inside him, and he was no longer that weak slave, unable to change the Galaxy, bound by the will of the Jedi Council. Their deaths were a necessary sacrifice, his Master demanded it.

More than that, the very act would give him power, the Dark Side filling him fully and giving him the strength to overcome anything, to finally fulfill his destiny and spread true order into the galaxy… The power to protect his family.

Their lives were a price he was willing to pay to be reborn and, in all honesty, death would be a mercy to them…

Anakin stared down at the two Wards before him, Vista's unconscious body reminding him of the countless others he had slain to become Dath Vader, the way he was willing to sacrifice anything for that power.

The ease with which he regressed sickened him, Vista was no older than Dinah and even Triumph was barely an adult… For a second, he hadn't been sure he'd spare them.

Taking a deep breath, he deactivated his lightsaber, hanging it back on his belt and ordered. "Step away from the girl."

With Vista in his arms, the Ward just stared up at Anakin, fingers digging into the smaller girl's arm for support.

The former Sith Lord could sense the boy's fear spiking, muscles twitching as he considered lunging, trying to use his power. After a second, he looked at Anakin's lightsaber, then down at Vista and decided against it.

Good, at least the boy had some semblance of intelligence left.

"I-I…" Swallowing hard, Clockblocker looked into Anakin's visible eye and finally managed to shake his head. "I can't. Sh-she won't make it."

A pink dressed 'hero' briefly landed beside Triumph, the woman's arm was a mess, twisted and bleeding, but she prioritized the boy, checking if he was alive before putting herself between him and Anakin but, with two Wards so close to the Force user, she didn't dare attack, radiating anxiety, confusion and pain.

Inside another apartment, Anakin felt yet another Ward, this one didn't even dare look through the window, filled with absolute terror, but also a good dose of self-loathing.

Stepping closer to the youngling, he saw every 'hero' tensing, but he ignored them and took off his broken mask, dropping it beside the girl as he keeled over her form, rage no longer clouding his judgment.

With a gentle touch, he laid a gloved hand on her frozen body, sensing exactly what had been blocking their bond so effectively, Clockblocker's power laid over her, halting her in time.

Anakin immediately knew he could break that power, but now that he was closer, he could also recognize the damage she had received. The boy was right, she would not survive alone.

The laser weapons he built with the materials acquired from Coil were not the same as blaster bolts, but the wounds they left were alike, burning their way through flesh and cooking the flesh around it, almost guaranteeing a kill in all but the most superficial wounds.

Dinah had been shot twice, once on the shoulder, the damage almost reaching her neck, and a second time through the liver, affecting several of her nearby organs, a fatal blow and one beyond his current power to heal.

Oh, he could refuse to let her go, using the Dark Side to keep her alive almost indefinitely, but he could not heal the wound, he could not give her back a normal life free of pain.

Now that he was back in control, Anakin understood what had been done, Cockblocker's power was keeping the girl intact, working almost like carbon-freezing to stop the wounds from claiming her life.

"How many times?" he said without turning away from his apprentice, voice just loud enough for the boy to hear.

"Wh-what?"

"Your power, it persists for an arbitrary duration, but does it have another limit?"

"N-no," Clockbloquer answered, then he seemed to gather himself, voice becoming more certain. "No, I can apply it as many times as I want and even the Siberian couldn't break it."

Good, the boy's confidence may be misplaced, but it meant his power would not be exhausted, Dinah had time.

If they were back in the Empire, Anakin could easily have access to the technology and skill necessary to heal her but, here, even recreating bacta was impossible unless he found a way through the Force.

He will have to rely on Panacea, but he already felt indebted to the healer and had to wish to force her. Worse, he did not have the means to force her in his current situation.

After what he had done, no authority would allow Panacea anywhere near him and Dinah could not be moved while under Clockblocker's power.

For a second, Anakin almost lost control of his power as he came to a conclusion, he would have to leave the youngling's side again, relying on the Protectorate to care about her, the very ones who caused this situation.

With heavy steps, Hal approached from the workshop, repulsorlift turbine still held above his right shoulder and sparks flying from his damaged torso.

The droid released an electronic sight when he noticed the battle was already over, then his optics focused on Anakin. "How regrettable, it appears the enemies have already escaped. Reducing them to a semiliquid estate would be quite satisfying."

"You have failed the girl," Anakin said, voice dangerously low.

"Indeed, thus the urgent need for relaxation," at Anakin's glare, the droid continued. "Before I'm decommissioned, I'd like to point out I lacked both the numbers and armaments to properly repel the attack."

The droid was right, the situation was not its fault. No, Anakin was the one who decided to take the risk of leaving, relying on Dinah's predictions, the defenses around the workshop and his ability to return in only a few minutes.

In truth, Anakin was unused to protecting someone, there had not been anyone he cared to protect in decades, he made a mistake.

Overhead, Dragon's last drone returned, the armor was missing a right leg and there was a large dent on its chest plate, but most of the weapons were still operational and its flight did not appear affected.

Anakin resisted the urge to crush the robot and looked up. "The girl will not survive transportation, you will need to bring Panacea or another healer here."

"Anakin, you know we can't do that," The drone said with a conflicted voice.

Despite not showing it, Anakin could feel an extreme level of anxiety coming from the Tinker, enough that he was surprised she wasn't stuttering like the boy by his side. "And if I leave, releasing the girl into your custody?"

The drone kept quiet for almost half a minute, presumably communicating or thinking about the offer. Finally, Dragon spoke again.

"Panacea doesn't work for the PRT, but I don't think she'd refuse to come if you aren't here… or anywhere close."

"Very well. Hal will remain as the girl's bodyguard, but he will obey any order besides harming or leaving her side."

"Under great protest, but very well," the droid grumbled. "Those insufferable meatbags better not attempt to dismantle me."

Dragon's head turned towards the droid, armor freezing for a full second before she visibly shook herself, almost like the drone was a human body. "It won't be allowed to keep weapons."

"Agreed," Hal made a noise of disgust, but the Force user ignored it. "You will keep Dinah safe, personally."

There was no need to say 'or else'. By the way Clockblocker swallowed at his side, it was clear they understood his meaning.

Anakin felt something grabbing his clothes, a weak grasp that he wouldn't even notice if the bond with his apprentice didn't return with full strength, her pain blasting at his senses for a second before turning into relief.

"Y... ma-made it," Dinah gasped, her grimace briefly turning into a smile.

Anakin felt a wave of relief flooding him as he felt the life returning to her, her will to live unaffected by the pain. For a second, he felt incredibly proud.

Squeezing her shoulder, he immediately started channeling Force healing into her body, doing his best to prevent the spread of the damage around her liver. "Rest, you are safe now."

With his free hand, he pulled Clockblocker closer by the hand, the boy released a yelp but quickly gathered his wits, freezing Dinah again as soon as they were touching.

Finally, Anakin got up, pulling the hood of his cape over his head and letting it cover his body. He could already sense several PRT cars keeping their distance, and the remaining heroes were keeping the perimeter safe.

Dinah would have to wait for Panacea, and the more he stayed by her side, the longer it would take the healer to arrive. but he could still do something.

Anakin had tolerated Coil and the Travelers, giving Dinah the chance to fight them, but they had gone too far. It was time he dealt with them. Permanently.

Giving the girl one last look, he took a moment to center himself and started walking. After a dozen steps, he stopped and asked without turning. "Were you able to apprehend any of them?"

The heroes had already started relaxing behind him, but they all froze again, spikes of fear running through their bodies. After a second, Dragon answered. "No, they escaped."

"Very well."

Anakin continued walking, drawing upon the Force to conceal his presence. The Tinker was lying, at least partially, but whoever they had captured could wait in a cell until he was done with the rest of their team.

Turning a corner, the former Sith strode towards the center of the city. He didn't care if anyone followed him, moving with certainty even while closing his eyes, falling deep within a moving meditative state.

In his mind, the world grew dark, the ground turning into a deep ocean of blood that rippled with every step he took. His body lost texture, features fading to leave a dark crimson maelstrom in the shape of a man, the form growing larger and larger as he let his power run free.

The small point of light in his chest had shrunk, several days of progress lost, but Anakin didn't care. He let his senses stretch through the city like an ominous black wind, briefly touching the spots of light representing every life in his range before moving on.

Finally, his senses touched a group of lights deep inside the ocean, fearfully hidden inside a small box. He recognized his targets.

Looking down, Anakin plunged an impossibly large hand into the ocean under his feet and scooped the entire box, lifting it to the surface in a steady effort.

Opening his eyes, Anakin stood in front of a small cafe near Coil's Endbringer shelter, people desperately running away from his position as the floor shook under their feet, the hidden facility breaking through the ground and pushing nearby buildings away.

Finally, some of the reinforced structure was entirely exposed to the surface, covering an entire block of the wide street, a meter-thick door sitting right in front of Anakin.

With a look, he used a Force push to smash the center of the door, forming a small gap, then slowly prying it open with telekinesis, the metal screaming as if in pain before bending away from his body.

Pulling the lightsaber from his waist, he walked inside.



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[CapCaverna]

Francis Krouse broke the window and dragged himself into the stolen car while throwing his Trickster top hat to the passenger side. The movement caused the burning sensation on his leg to intensify beyond words, making him almost forget the broken rib and swollen eye he'd gotten courtesy of Shadow Stalker's non-lethal bolts.

Squeezing the steering wheel with all his strength, he laid his forehead against it for a few seconds and forced himself to take deep breaths. It barely helped, but at least he could concentrate again.

In truth, he wanted nothing more than to curl up into a fetal position, but he knew he didn't have the time, any hesitation could cost his freedom and, worse, Noelle's life.

Hopefully, he had managed to kill the brat like his employer wanted but, even then, there was still a strong chance Coil would eliminate the Travelers, perhaps planning on getting rid of loose ends now that his benevolent mask had failed.

Sticking the tinkertech key into the keyhole, his heart skipped a beat as it didn't work… fuck, had it started failing already? But he'd had one of Accord's Tinker's do maintenance before Boston!

"Shit, shit, shit!" Trickster growled, Susanoo should be coming back soon! Coil said he'd delay or even kill the man, but Trickster had seen that fight against Lung… He really doubted the Villain had anything capable of stopping that monster.

Closing his eyes, he turned the key again… and the Buick started. Laying his head back, Trickster released a huge sigh of relief, then the damn kid's face flashed in his mind, the fear and pain in her eyes… the large hole he had burned through her belly…

As a villain for hire, he had done a lot of questionable things, he had also gotten used to hiding Noelle's bodies and even eliminating the resulting clones, but never one so young, it was…

Swallowing the bile rising on his mouth, Trickster stepped on the gas with his good foot, tires screaming as he tore through the street. He'd have time to face what he had done later, when things weren't so dire and the kid's scary as all hell adoptive father wasn't coming.

Sparing a second to stare back through the rear view mirror, Trickster hoped the others had made it. He had turned off his comms after giving the order to retreat —there was always a chance Dragon could track their signal, particularly after what he had done— but he was getting a bad feeling about things and he'd need the entire team to get out of this one.

Finally, he turned into a small empty alley and slowed down, making sure there was nobody looking before slowly taking off his broken mask and top hat, turning into just another driver amongst many.

He'd have to ditch the car too, but not before he was closer to the base… and wasn't that a big giveaway? How the hell did the others fall for Coil's sympathetic bullshit when the man had a damn underground lair like a cartoon villain?

Taking a few deep breaths and doing his best not to think about the pain, he checked his swollen eye in the mirror and adjusted his wounded knee, grunting as the burnt flesh moved.

"FUCK!" He punched the steering wheel, but finally gathered himself enough to start driving again.

He supposed it was desperation; the reason they'd accepted Coil's offer, that is. They had been running for so long they weren't thinking straight anymore… if it wasn't that damn fake angel warping their thoughts.

Oh, the others thought they had escaped intact, but Trickster wasn't so sure, always keeping his eye on them for any signs of insanity, it's why he had given Cody to Accord so easily.

Going by the name Perdition, the idiot had always been competitive and, after they got to this God forsaken Earth, was constantly trying to snatch the team away from him. Unfortunately for the wannabe, Cody's skills and even his power didn't match his ambition.

So, the idiot had lashed out in frustration, and probably influenced by the Winged Bitch, almost causing Accord to kill them all. Still, the fact that the others had agreed with giving Perdition to Accord was a sign the team was finally breaking down.

Trickster had done everything in his power to keep them united, even played the asshole as a distraction but, honestly, he was surprised they had lasted this long. Hopefully, he could keep them together for another day, just until they got out of the damn city.

Five minutes later, he limped out of the car and sneaked into the base, using his cane for support and doing his best not to step with the now useless leg. Soon after, one of the mercenaries arrived, helping him into a wheelchair.

"Have the others arrived?"

"Yes, they're in the infirmary," the mercenary answered absentmindedly. "The nurse is looking over them, but I don't think he's gonna be able to do much."

"Yeah… I didn't think he could."

Finally, he was pushed into the white room, seeing Luke pacing from side to side, still wearing his Ballistic costume. Marissa, however, had taken off her Sundancer helmet and seemed to have been crying while the nurse looked her over.

"Where's Jess?" he immediately asked, not seeing their wheelchair bound companion anywhere.

"Fuck, Krouse, she didn't make it!" Luke barked, rushing at him and only stopping when he noticed the wounds. "What the fuck were you thinking? We were supposed to rescue the kid, not kill her!"

"Don't be stupid, we were never 'rescuing' anybody," Trickster dismissed him with a snort.

"What?" Marissa asked, looking up for the first time since he entered the room.

Trickster let the nurse help him out of the chair and into a bed, starting to look over his leg. "For fuck's sake, Coil's a proper bad-guy villain. One that's friends with Accord. Did you really think he was ever in it to 'rescue' a poor parahuman? God, you actually believed him, didn't you?"

"I…" Marissa's words failed her for a second, but eventually she wiped her tears. "Damn it, Krouse, I didn't agree to kidnapping children! Did he pay you to kill her too?"

"In a way," Trickster shrugged, pretending it wasn't going to haunt him. "He'd prefer if we had gotten her, but dead was acceptable too, probably did the kid a favor if I'm honest."

Luke turned around, grabbing a bottle and hurling it with all the speed his power gave him, the glass exploding against the reinforced wall with the strength of a bullet. "Why the fuck didn't you say anything? We'd never have accepted if we knew."

"And then what? Stay with Accord until Noelle has another episode and he kills us all? I thought this way we'd at least have a chance. Now, what happened?"

The nurse applied some anesthetic into Trickster's leg, then started cleaning the wound with a clear substance, causing waves of pain to go through his body, but he just gritted his teeth, doing his best not to move.

"I hate you," Marissa said in a small voice, almost a whisper. "I really do, and I think I'm starting to hate Noelle too."

'And you only found that out now?' Trickster thought but didn't say. He had known the others had started to hate Noelle for a long time now —too many crimes, too many questionable decisions… too many of her episodes, her mutation driving her crazy— it's why he had given up on being the good guy and started acting like even more of an asshole than he really was.

As long as they were bonding over their shared dislike of him, they wouldn't focus on Noelle, and the bond would also serve to keep everyone together. They couldn't afford to separate.

Trickster didn't exactly like being a villain, and Noelle would have much, MUCH rather been a hero, but that choice had been taken out of their hands. Perhaps if they weren't Simurgh victims, they'd have long since disbanded and he could have gone to the Protectorate for help.

Unfortunately, they had all seen what the Protectorate did to Madison when the winged bitch attacked the city. They had all seen how far 'heroes' like Alexandria were willing to go. No, going to them was a death sentence.

"Dragon intercepted us," Luke said, hands tightening into fists. "She broke the getaway car, causing us to separate. I tried grabbing Jess, but there wasn't time and she couldn't exactly escape by herself."

"Fuck," Francis cursed, thinking hard. "Look, she hasn't done anything worth going to the Birdcage, even the kid was my fault, we'll have to let things cool down a little before trying to break her out."

"No," Marissa said. "No, you can stay with Noelle, but I've had enough. Krouse, we're done. I'm getting Jess out of there and leaving. God, I never wanted to be a cape."

"Come on, Marissa. It's not like the PRT is gonna torture her! She can wait a month or so, then we break her out together, we need to stay united."

"Funny, that's not what you said about Cody," Luke said, barely containing anger in his voice.

"We all agreed Cody had to go!"

"There," the nurse said, stepping away from Krouse's body. "Your ribs aren't actually broken, just bruised, so that should be fine, the problem is the leg. I did my best, but you're gonna need to talk with Coil or find yourself a doctor, and I'm pretty sure you're gonna lose it unless you get a cape healer."

His leg was immobilized with a splint and the wound was wrapped in bandage, the nurse had also applied some cream on his chest and eye that was already causing the swelling to go down.

Trickster just waved the man away, waiting until he was out of the room to speak again.

"Fine, I'll help with rescuing Jess," he finally sighed and continued with an angry whisper. "But we have to get out of here first, I'm pretty sure Coil is gonna either kill us or turn us in himself… and there's Susanoo, the guy gives me shivers. I really don't want to be in this city any longer than absolutely needed."

"Fuck you, Krouse, you're just gonna try and talk us out of it, I don't want your help."

"Well, unless you're willing to burn down the entire PRT, you're gonna NEED my help to get Jess out."

Marissa almost replied, but she knew he was right, she had a tremendous amount of power at her fingertips, but creating a Sun wasn't exactly suited for rescuing people.

"And what about Noelle?" Luke interfered, not believing for a second Trickster would abandon her.

"One of Circus' surviving clones stayed in the base," he revealed his plan. "You can go get our things while Marissa helps me get to him, I'm pretty sure I can convince the guy to get Noelle out of that room with his power."

"Didn't we leave him behind because the girl wouldn't survive getting stuffed into his pocket dimension?" Marissa asked.

"Noelle isn't a 12 years old," Trickster almost screamed, trying his best to convince himself. "... I think she can survive it, but we don't have a fucking choice, do we?

"Fine, but after this we're going our own way," Marissa said, but didn't move to help him get into the wheelchair. "You crossed a line Krouse, enough is enough."

Carefully sitting into the chair, he adjusted his immobilized leg and lowered his head, letting his exhaustion and disgust show. "All we've done is cross lines since getting to this damn dimension, what's one more?"

"I'll meet you guys at the back exit," Luke said, keeping the door open as Marissa pushed the wheelchair out.

Francis let the silence stretch between them, there was really nothing else to say, the Travelers were done and they all knew it, but he refused to lose Noelle… no matter how low he had to go.

He had to protect her, it was his job

Finally, they entered the clone's room. The thing was just wrong, with long limbs that were too thin and wearing badly applied clown makeup. It had just been sitting in the dark until they arrived, but lifted its head as they entered, staring at Trickster without saying a word.

Carefully, Trickster got up from the chair, using his cane for support, he didn't waste any time. "How'd you like to get Noelle out of here? Perhaps even get your own freedom?"

"I'm listening," the clone immediately focused on him with unnerving eyes.

Noelle's clones were… difficult to deal with, they all loved her and hated the originals with a passion, but that was the extent of what they had in common, from twisted bodies to twisted personalities and even powers, there was just no way of knowing what he was dealing with.

"Coil has her entire room covered with bombs. I know he set it to explode if we try opening the door fully without his agreement, can you use your power to get her out?"

"It will hurt her," the clone said, making an angry face. "Twisting her muscles and breaking bones."

"Well, it's that or we risk detonating the bombs. Noelle has a Brute rating, can she survive?"

"... Yes, but it'll have to be quick, the longer she stays inside the more damage it will do."

Fuck, he had hoped they could bring her out of the city that way, the previous clone could have done it, letting her calm down without anyone close, but the kid had killed that one.

"Krouse…" Marissa said, fear in her voice. "We can't just let her out, not if she's hurt. Maybe Coil won't kill her?"

Trickster knew she was right, letting Noelle out while she's hurt, particularly without Jess there with her disposable minions to help subdue her, was a bad idea, she was prone to lose control. Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice.

He closed his eyes, mind running through all his options, trying to come up with a plan, any plan where they could still leave the city without causing a scene. Maybe it was the damn Winged Bitch finally getting him, but he couldn't think of one.

They wouldn't get out quietly and any noise would probably attract the PRT or, worse, Susanoo… Only Noelle and Marissa had the strength to face someone like him, and only if they weren't holding back…

It was time to stop being careful.

Squeezing his cane, he whipped around on his good leg, hitting Marissa on the side of the head with as much force as he could manage. She only had time to release a surprised yelp before crumbling to the floor, unconscious.

The clone was on him faster than Francis could react, a knife appearing on its hand and pressing against his throat, drawing some blood.

"She wouldn't agree," he hastily explained. "Couldn't stand the guilt of letting Noelle free, not anymore… A pity, but we'll need the firepower if we want to get out."

"I… see," the clone said, dagger disappearing from its hand as it stepped away.

Cold sweat running down his face, Trickster collapsed against his wheelchair. "Come on, we need to be fast, before Luke finds out."

Watching the clone putting Marissa over his shoulder, Trickster knew Noelle would never forgive him, not after she regained her senses, but he'd do anything for her, anything.

Directing his chair alone was hard and exhausting, leaving his arms aching from the effort. More than a few times he glanced at Marissa's unconscious face, regretting what he was about to do, but he knew he didn't have any choice.

With a deafening 'crack' the entire base shook, Trickster's wheelchair nearly tilting over, Using a metal wall for support, he steadied himself and traded a look with the clone, then the facility shook again.

All around him, an alarm started going off, the irritating siren blaring through the hallways even as red lights started blinking.

"No… not again," Trickster cried out with growing dread, his heart accelerating, hands shaking.

The entire building seemed to be picked up, rising towards the surface as if a giant was digging it out without a care for who was inside, the metallic walls bent, cracks forming on the floor and dust falling from the ceiling.

Almost frozen in fear, Trickster realized he only knew a single creature powerful enough to do it. It couldn't be, the Winged Bitch couldn't be here!

"Go, get Noelle out!" he shouted, using his cane to get up from the wheelchair. With the way the floor was damaged, it would only hinder him.

The Clone gave him a look, his face turning into a large smile as it nodded before adjusting Melissa's body and starting to run.

The base shook, throwing Trickster against a wall, his wounded knee hitting the metal. Screaming in pain, he nearly collapsed on the ground, but managed to steady himself and started to limp as fast as he could towards Noelle's room/cell.

With a monstrous groan, the base twisted almost completely sideways, a part of the ceiling collapsing and blocking his path. "Fuck! FUCK!"

Taking a few breaths, he pushed the panic down and turned around. There were other paths out of the base… but first, he had to know, he had to get to the monitoring room and see what was out there.

All around the hallway, the lights started blinking, some going out completely as the facility continued to be lifted, dirt and gravel getting through the cracks and starting to accumulate around him.

Then everything finally stopped, leaving Trickster almost completely in the dark. Swallowing hard, he picked up speed, doing his best not to use his wounded leg. Finally, he got to his destination, the door opening to reveal the control room for the base, several monitors spread around all four walls.

A piece of the ceiling seemed to have collapsed over a corner, several cabinets having fallen through the hole, spreading files everywhere, one mercenary was buried under the rubble, blood spreading, but the second guard was missing, probably having ran away when everything started.

Most of the monitors had been damaged, but a few were still working, one of which was pointed to the main entrance, the door exposed to the actual street.

Trickster expected to see the damn Simurgh, maybe the PRT, even Coil… instead, Susanoo stood in front of the door, completely unmasked, his cold, yellow eyes seemed to stare directly at him through the cameras.

Then the cape lifted a hand, the movement almost gentle, and the half a meter thick metal door bent inwards as if hit by a giant hammer, metal screaming as it was pried apart with contemptuous ease.

The thick metal walls were peeled apart like paper until they broke off from the walls and collapsed to the ground, leaving the room unnaturally calm. There were no mercenaries guarding the front entrance.

For a second, Trickster felt relieved it wasn't the Simurgh, then he looked at the cape's cold, uncaring eyes and almost wished it was.

"Oh fuck," he had killed the girl, he had killed the cape's adopted child…

Almost frozen, he watched as the cape marched through the opening, red sword glowing and helping illuminate the first room. Holes opened in the walls, two heavy machine guns starting to rain down bullets.

Susanoo didn't seem to care, the bullets stopping in front of him as if frozen, then he lifted a hand, a second later, both sides of the destroyed door rose in the air.

Susanoo gestured forward, with a crack of air, the metal flew, breaking the sound barrier and causing his cape to fly back before piercing halfway through the opposite wall, utterly annihilating both heavy weapons.

Without a pause, Susanoo ripped the second security door and truly opened up the base.

Closing his eyes, Trickster was back in Madison, getting ripped out of his own dimension and watching honest to god superheroes fighting a winged angel, cars and buildings getting ripped out of the ground and thrown about like projectiles.

This was what Coil forced them to fight? Now he understood why the Villain never let the Travelers attack him, they didn't stand a chance.

Shaking his head, Trickster looked down, noticing his hands were shaking, an almost supernatural fear filling his heart with the certainty that he was dead.

With effort, he squeezed his hands together, forcing them to stop as he glared at the cape through the camera. Well, if he was gonna die, at least he'd buy Noelle some time.

With a swift movement, Susanoo seemed to turn back to the camera, eyes narrowing as he spoke and, while he couldn't hear the words, Trickster understood them easily enough.

"Found you"

On reflex, Trickster threw himself away from the monitor, immediately realizing his mistake when the movement put weight on his wounded leg, a spike of pain running through his spine.

He tried to suck in a breath, but nothing came, the air refusing to move, then he felt the pressure, as if an iron grip was wrapped around his neck.

Trickster's eyes went wide, heart nearly exploding on his chest. On instinct, he tried to pry the fingers from his throat, but there was nothing there and it only made things worse. The world itself seemed to be angry, Susanoo's rage filling the room and smothering him like an ant.

The grip tightened, not only cutting off his air but starting to crush his neck with irresistible force. He couldn't even scream!

Slowly, Francis Krouse rose in the air, terror filling his mind, feet flailing desperately as they left the floor, then his limbs started slowly bending in the wrong direction, every joint deliberately stressed to its painful limit.

Panicked, unable to move or even draw breath, Trickster felt the edges of his vision going white as he started to lose consciousness. He almost welcomed it.

Then everything stopped and he collapsed on the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, the impact sending another wave of torment through his wounded body. Gasping desperately, he curled up into a fetal position and sucked in a few desperate breaths.

Despite everything, as he slowly started to regain his focus, he couldn't feel any relief. Trickster doubted Susanoo had stopped because he ran out of power, and it was definitely not out of a desire to spare him.

No, from the all consuming wrath Trickster could still feel in the air, there was only one reason the cape had stopped, Susanoo had not wanted to end it so easily.

What had they done…

 

[CapCaverna]

First, thanks everyone for the support, I feel like I don't really deserve it, but it's really nice to have, I love you guys and I really appreciate all those welcome-back messages.

I'm really glad so many people stuck with me through all this time, I hope you guys continue to enjoy my stories.



As for the next chapter... I'll try to post in a week, so, next Friday? Forgive me if I don't make it.
________________________________

Anakin lowered his hand, letting the Villain fall to the ground, his anger wasn't abated, but crushing the man's neck would be too fast.

No, Force choke was a power reserved for causing fear or efficiently eliminating subordinates, those who were incompetent but didn't deserve too much attention.

In many ways, when he had been Darth Vader, it had been a kindness. Anakin could remember hundreds of officers desperately begging for his forgiveness, all the while not understanding that, had he not accepted their apologies, their fates would have been far worse.

Turning away from the camera, he concentrated his senses into the half-destroyed facility, feeling the Force coiling around the walls, filled with echoes of anger and pain. The hideout was still very far from becoming a dark side nexus, but it was still a place of suffering and evil.

He supposed it fit his mood. Anakin knew he should be containing his anger, centering himself and regaining his balance, but the Travelers had tried to kill his charge, had almost succeeded in doing it. They would pay.

Despite the way he had dragged the facility up to the surface, Anakin could still sense quite a few survivors inside, to the Force, nearly all of them felt tainted, filled with selfishness and violence.

Good, their deaths would not be a significant loss.

With sure steps, he walked through the broken door into the descending corridor of the base, the path was wide enough for at least four people to walk comfortably side by side and the slope was minimal, clearly meant to prevent accidents.

As he moved, the metal walls deformed around his presence almost as if melting from heat.

The hallway was nearly pitch black, only his lightsaber illuminating the area around him with a reddish tint. Raising the underground facility had broken nearly every lamp while also damaging the base's connection to the city's electrical grid.

Still, in the distance, he could see a few emergency lights blinking at the end of the corridor, coming from what he assumed was the main room, they were just barely enough to illuminate its entrance, probably coming from a backup generator that had survived his rage.

The first laser passed just a few centimeters above his left shoulder, it wasn't a blaster bolt but a constant beam of light that reached him the second it was shot. Then his precognition warned him and he managed to block a second beam to his chest, the light briefly illuminating the hallway and deflecting to the side, scorching a line through the wall before cutting off.

Going low, Anakin channeled Force Speed and dashed towards his enemies, five lasers passing through where he had just been.

Weaving his body through the concentrated beams of light, he ran down the slightly descending hallway at full speed, his lightsaber rising and deflecting another beam back into one of the shooters, hitting the man in his unprotected head and watching it explode from the heat, then he reached the entrance.

With a brutal rising slash, Anakin cut one of the mercenaries from hip to shoulder, then, before the body had even fallen, he made a gesture, a Force push sending the woman to his left flying and breaking every bone in her body.

With a step to the side and a slash, Anakin decapitated a third mercenary, the head flying off before slashing down on top of the last one, the plasma blade dividing his body exactly in the middle with no resistance.

Slowly, the bisected man collapsed to the floor, the halves falling one to each side of Anakin with a heavy impact, the scent of burning flesh filling the air.

Straightening his back, he took in the room, nearly 200 meters wide, it was circular and had almost no furniture, only a few cabinets lined along the wall, with a 20 meters high ceiling. It looked like a gathering spot, a place where large numbers of people could be held and processed.

It was also filled with another 6 mercenaries, all of them staring at the spectacle as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing, or maybe they didn't have time to process what was happening.

Finally, the decapitated head hit the ground and it seemed to be a signal, the remaining mercenaries snapping out of their daze, most lifting their weapons but two, the smarter ones, simply turned their backs and ran.

Tracking the direction of their weapons, Anakin stepped to the left, dodging most of the laser beams while waving his lightsaber and deflecting two of them back, the first one stopping at a man's armored chest, only sending him stumbling back, while the second hit another's knee, flesh and blood expanding from the heat and exploding into a shower of gore.

Almost on instinct, he lifted his hand, releasing a storm of Force lightning towards the bastards. Fueled by his anger, the discharge of electricity forked into countless bolts that hit the floor and walls of the room, damaging everything in their way before hitting the three remaining mercenaries.

The men screamed, muscles locking in place as the lightning caused them a pain Anakin was so very familiar with, he had felt it in his body countless times through Sidious hands. Smoke started to rise from their bodies but they didn't die, trapped in the pain he was causing.

Shaking his head, he snapped out of it and cut off the lightning, letting the men die.

He did not regret their suffering, he could sense they deserved every bit of it, but indulging in it was too much… More importantly, it was a waste of time, they were beneath even his anger.

The two escaping mercenaries had reached an exit, another large hallway going further into the building. Turning off his lightsaber, Anakin didn't kill them, letting them lead him deeper into the base.

Looking towards a wall to his left, he noticed a few tiles of different colors forming a word, 'Shelter 05', so this place was supposed to protect people, its purpose twisted by Coil.

Anakin wondered if the Villain enjoyed the irony of a place built for safety being used as a criminal lair. He knew Sidious would have found it mildly amusing. Regardless, without his armor, it was almost trivial to follow them, he did not even need to use the Force to mask his sound.

As he walked, he passed through another two rooms that could have held refugees, but they had all been turned to different purposes, one holding an arsenal and the other several storage crates. Ahead of him, the fleeing mercenaries seemed to be slowing down.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" one of the two men almost screamed as they took a turn to the left. "I didn't fucking sign-in to fight a goddamn Nine candidate!"

"Shut the fuck up and run," the second growled. "You knew the boss' power would fail someday."

"Not against THAT!" The first man gasped and Anakin could sense the fear radiating from him, together, they turned another corner. "Hey! For god's sake, tell me you guys managed it?"

"Almost!" A third voice yelled. "What's wrong? Where's Klein?"

"Dead," the first voice gasped, having finally stopped. "Fucking Susanoo cut him in half."

"Shit," yet another voice said, "Blow it, we have to get out of here."

From around the corner, Anakin heard a loud but controlled explosion, recognizing it as some form of military breaching charge, metal and gravel raining onto the ground, he accelerated his pace.

Turning the corner, he remained hidden in the darkness, seeing three men and one of the Travelers at the end of the hallway, they had huge lanterns and were getting out of cover to look at a small opening between the collapsed hallway while the two men he had followed recovered their breath only a couple of meters from his position.

All along the walls there were large pieces of gravel, signs of a half successful attempt to excavate an opening on the collapsed corridor. Still, the breaching charge seemed to have finished the job, blowing a narrow hole through the debris big enough for the mercenaries and, most importantly, the Villain, to squeeze through.

Anakin couldn't have that.

With a 'hiss', he ignited his saber, the red light finally revealing his position and his aura spreading through the narrow passage like an oppressive shadow over their minds.

"Fuck, go! Go! Go!" A woman screamed.

With only a glance, he grabbed the two nearest mercenaries with Force telekinesis, briefly lifting them in the air before pressing their bodies against the walls to either side with enough strength to drive the air out of their lungs. They struggled and groaned, hearts beating like mad, but he only pressed them harder.

Filled with dread, one of the men pushed his companion aside and rushed into the opening, desperately trying to squeeze through the small hole, the other two turned towards Anakin and opened fire, but the fear made them shake violently and ruined their aim.

Touching one of the debris, Ballistic sent it flying his way, nearly a hundred kilos of stone released at the speed of a bullet. Anakin just waved his free hand, using telekinesis to deflect the projectile into the man to his left as he walked by him.

The stone smashed into the paralyzed mercenary in an explosion of gore and dust, utterly destroying most of his body. With a backhanded slash, Anakin cut through the man to his right, lightsaber burning all the way through his body and leaving a glowing scorched line into the metal wall, his lower body collapsed to the ground and, a second later, his upper chest followed, released from Anakin's telekinetic hold.

In front of him, the first man had almost gone through the hole, so Anakin dashed forward. Ballistic sent another rock, but he just ducked under the projectile. Then, in desperation, the Villain touched one of the huge boulders holding the damaged ceiling in place.

With a deafening crack, the entire boulder tilted forward, then it was sent flying towards him, the thing was large enough to almost fill the hallway, digging into the floor and walls and sending a wave of destruction his way.

It was a mistake, without support, the ceiling immediately started to break and, this time, the weight would bring down the entire hallway. Annoyed, Anakin concentrated and squeezed a fist, using the Force to keep it all from falling.

Anakin frowned, knowing that if he destroyed the incoming rock he would be left without anything to sustain the ceiling and would have to keep doing it with the Force, entirely within his capabilities, but it would still require a portion of his concentration. Thankfully, he was no longer constrained by his armor.

Enhancing his body, he jumped, then kicked against the wall and turned his body sideways, squeezing through the narrow space left between the projectile and the ceiling.

Falling into a roll on the other side, he came up with a slash, amputating both of Balistic's hands just as he was about to touch another rock. With the grace of his younger days, Anakin almost danced around Balistic's body, lightsaber singing as he cut down the remaining two mercenaries before the Villain could even fall to his knees and scream from the pain.

Putting his lightsaber back on his waist, Anakin pointed at the boulder, dragging it back through the hallway in eerie silence, the rock turning in the air before, with a loud crack, settling back into place.

Lowering his hands, Anakin slowly released the ceiling back into place, the building cracking and groaning, but finally settling with the boulder as a support.

Ballistic was still kneeling on the ground, the Cape had tried to cradle his burned wrists to his chest, but touching the wounds had only made them hurt more, so the man could only hold them a few centimeters in front of his body, eyes squeezed tightly trying to overcome both his pain and his fear.

Anakin loomed at his back, letting the man suffer for a few seconds, the Dark side whispering at him to enjoy the moment before, with the flick of a finger, he lifted the man in the air and turned his body around. "Were you the one to hurt my apprentice?"

Focused as he was, Anakin felt a brief moment of confusion, then a second of both relief and hope.

"Arg… No!" Ballistic gasped between the pain. "No, it was… arg… Trickster!"

"Were you aware that was the goal?"

"No! God no… please, n-none of us knew, it was… huff… all him!"

Anakin could sense the truth in his words, but he could also sense something else. "You know Trickster's location. You will tell me or you will suffer. Choose wisely."

"He went for… No-Noelle on the southern side… off the building," Ballistic managed to say, then had to take another deep breath and lick his dry lips. "Her usual exit… is blocked… should come he-here soon. Either that or… or they're going for the ma-main entrance."

Not optimal, but Anakin could work with that. Spreading his senses, he verified if there was nobody on the other side of the hallway, but he couldn't sense anything living there.

Finally, he turned his attention further into the facility and frowned, the number of lives he sensed seemed to have increased, but they felt weak. He could barely sense their hate and anger, but even that felt hollow in a way that brought back memories.

Clones, Anakin realized, even worse ones than the clone troopers of the Republic, filled with memories and skills but no actual experience or context to give their presence in the Force any strength.

Ballistic had started to get used to the pain on his wrists, his muscles trying to relax as he started to come down from his adrenaline rush, then Anakin spoke again. "The youngling, had you known Trickster meant to kill her, would you have refused?"

For a second, the Villain didn't understand what he said, probably thanks to the unfamiliar term used, but then his fear started rising again as he desperately tried to come up with an answer.

"Your feelings betray you," Anakin said to the cape, lightsaber floating to his hand. "Frustration, anger, helplessness, but almost no empathy. You regret the necessity, not that it happened."

Channeling his anger, Anakin made a grasping motion, Force crush snapping every one of Balistic's limbs in a single motion, bones bending over themselves with sickening 'cracks'.

Letting the Villain drop to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut, Anakin turned back towards the direction he sensed the clones and started walking, leaving Ballistic crying in pain.

Just as he was about to turn a corner, he used a single Force push, hitting the support boulder with enough strength to crack it in the middle. At first there was a groan, then small rocks started falling before, with a deafening noise, the entire hallway and quite a few rooms around it collapsed, burying the Cape below a literal ton of debris.

With only one exit, Anakin didn't hurry, walking through the dark hallways at a steady pace, his steps echoing into the completely silent hideout. Only four minutes later, he heard the sound of something large dragging itself towards him, he continued walking.

At the end of the dark corridor, a deformed monstrosity appeared, Barely fitting the hallway, it was a mass of flesh composed of all manners of animal heads and limbs, eyes and teeth sprouting all along its massive length as well as a myriad of assorted body parts, it dragged itself forward with surprising speed, using animal legs and tentacles to move along the floor.

Sprouting from atop the monster was the top half of a young woman who froze, looking at him with desperate, narrowed eyes, almost unconsciously, her thin arms wrapped themselves around her human body, shaking. She seemed to have been crying, face still wet with tears.

From her, Anakin could sense madness, regret, fear, anger… as well as a second set of feelings, completely independent from her but hammering against her own mind, filled with aggression and eagerness for a fight, both halves struggling against each other. He supposed this was Noelle.

"Please," the girl managed to say, her entire body shaking. "Get out of my way."

"No," he answered without stopping.

Behind her, he could sense his target, Trickster, as well as three clones, their minds almost empty if not for their artificial, negative feelings.

"You're the Master," the girl said in realization, a giant arm on her button half clawing at the floor and leaving four deep furrows. "The one who kidnapped the little girl. Are you here to kill us?"

"Yes."

That seemed to change the woman, her eyes focusing on him and her mind growing calmer, almost as if the threat to her survival made her more in sync with the mind of her lower body

Almost like water, her lower body flowed, muscles and bone's shifting until a hole opened under the head of a cow and between two large tentacles, a naked woman stepping out of the flesh mass, another clone.

Anakin ignited his saber.

"Coil told me about you," Noelle said, voice hard. "I… I won't let you take us. Marissa."

The clone immediately focused on Noelle's voice, her eyes gaining life and turning to glare at Anakin, lifting her arms, she pointed.

The Force screamed at him, a warning that his lightsaber wouldn't be enough, instead, the former Sith Lord created a Force shield around himself, a second later, a torrent of fire hit him, flowing around his shield like water and scorching the hallway around.

The attack was such that Anakin had to pause briefly, then adjust his shield to deal with the flames, heat was something he had long learned to deal with, but it still required a little more concentration.

Around him, the hallway started to melt, the very floor under him turning liquid from the intensity of the flames, but Anakin started walking again, fire splashing harmlessly against his shield.

Finally, nearly 5 seconds later, the stream stopped, revealing a burning building and a collapsed clone, flames covering the entire length of the hallway and illuminating the darkness. Marissa was on her knees, her hands were black from the fire and even her hair had been burned away. Apparently, the clone was not immune to her own power.

"No!" Noelle screamed, her human body filled with sweat from the heat generated, some of her lower body recoiling away from the clone as if they had a life of their own. "Krouse, I need..."

Anakin didn't let her finish, using Force Choke to squeeze her throat and hold her in place.

Noelle's lower body didn't seem to be affected, dozens of limbs trying to retreat at the same time, hoofs and claws digging into the ground. Still, no matter how strong, the beast would not overcome his grasp, its futile efforts only serving to nearly rip the girl in half.

Another warning made Anakin release the girl and step back, not even a second later, a small red orb melted through the wall to his right and passed right where his head would have been.

In only a second, the air was filled with red orbs, they melted through the walls and ceiling, moving independently towards him, like his lightsaber, each one perfectly contained more heat than the stream of fire he had just blocked.

Noelle gasped for breath, her lower body shooting back through the corridor almost three times as fast as a normal human could run.

With an effort of will, Anakin sent a large Force push, the nearly visible wave of power scattering the orbs and dispersing them before hitting the monstrosity, sending her body flying through two consecutive walls, bones breaking and body parts flying off before some of her clawed limbs managed to find purchase on the ground, digging deep furrows through the floor before fully stopping.

Behind where Noelle had just been, peeking around a corner, Trickster, two 'Melissa' clones and a badly dressed Jester like the one who attacked Dinah while under Faultline's protection looked at him. One of the Clones moved her hands, generating another two red orbs that rose in the air around her.

Trickster was in a wheelchair, one of his legs immobilized and his face haunted, but he still managed to stare directly at Anakin for a full second as the Force user started to run.

In the middle of a step, Anakin felt the world twisting around him, the Force screaming in warning from nearly all around. Adjusting his step, he twisted aside, lightsaber slashing at an orb even as he barely dodged another and stepped away from a hand grasping towards his leg.

It only took him a moment to understand what happened, Trickster had used his power to swap their locations, leaving him surrounded by the three clones.

The first 'Melissa' was thin and had short hair, ribs visible under her stretched skin, one of her eyes lacked color, but she still managed to step away from him, creating another two red orbs between her hands and leaving her with a total of four of the projectiles. Fortunately, they were far slower than blaster bolts.

The second 'Melissa' had unnaturally long arms, but looked otherwise perfectly normal before bursting into flame, the fire consuming her skin from the inside out and turning her into a living torch that emitted enough heat to melt metal. With a shout, she tried to punch him.

Finally, the Jester had been the one trying to grab his leg, a large smile on his face as he attacked again, a twisted mallet appearing in his hand before he attacked, wielding the weapon with reflexes to match a trained Jedi.

Anakin almost felt sorry for the clone.

Everything happened at nearly the same time. With a sharp movement, he dodged the flaming woman's punch and cut the mallet in half with his lightsaber before advancing and striking at the Jester's body.

Just as his blade was about to touch the Clown's skin, the air twisted, the clone's body seeming to be compressed and folded painfully before being dragged towards a different dimension contained in his left hand, the lightsaber passing harmlessly over where he had just been.

Releasing his grip, Anakin allowed his lightsaber to fly off, the weapon rotating in the air towards the first 'Melissa' clone even as he used Tutaminis to absorb the heat from the second and grab her wrist before she could pull it back, then he threw her down towards where the Jester had disappeared.

With a 'crack' of compressed air, the Jester snapped back to reality, most of his body broken by the experience and blood leaking from places where his muscles had been torn, but he still tried to move his arm and grab Anakin's foot.

Then the flaming clone fell on top of him, he screamed in pain, but only briefly before fire spread through his body like napalm, burning skin, flesh and bones and ending his life before the woman could recover and push herself away from him.

The first Melissa clone threw herself to the side and tried to use one of her red orbs to intercept the lightsaber flying her way, but the projectiles couldn't move fast enough and the blade cut through her body, severing an arm and destroying her left lung.

Extending his arm, Anakin pulled the weapon back to his hand and felt a foreign power gathering around himself. This time he was ready, jumping towards the corner and away from Trickster view for a moment. The power immediately stopped.

Hmmm, it appeared that, similar to Oni Lee, Trickster required line of sight to teleport, his power also seemed to take some time to activate. Good.

Twisting his lightsaber, he kneeled and drove the weapon point first towards the face of the flaming clone before it could get up, the woman reacted, trying to block the blade with her hands, even offering some resistance, it simply wasn't enough.

His red lightsaber burned through the palm of her hand, then hit her head and pierced it all the way through, digging several centimeters into the ground, with a flourish, he pulled back and got up.

For a second, the flames tried to converge into the hole in the middle of her face, filling it in, her limbs twitching with involuntary movements, but then the fire went out, revealing the clone's pristine skin under them, a half healed lightsaber wound where her eyes should be.

Stepping back into the hallway, Anakin noticed Trickster had already swapped himself with one of Noelle's amputated limbs and was standing a few meters behind the monstrosity.

Noelle's lower body seemed to be flowing, muscles moving like water under her bestial skin and healing all the damage his Force push had done, broken limbs fixing themselves into new forms.

From her side, between the hoof of a cow and the head of a small cat, yet another 'Melissa' clone started to break free of her mass, but Anakin had had enough, pinching his thumb and forefinger, he broke the clone's neck before the woman had ever taken her first step.

"Yeah," Trickster said, not even trying to use his power and just swallowing hard. "I don't think I can survive that."

Anakin strode towards them, stepping over the destroyed hallway and letting the flames spread behind him, it was time to finish this.

"He won't do it," Noelle rasped, fear in her voice as she realized what he wanted. "The monster doesn't want to make things easy for us."

"I'm sorry," Trickster said, face filled with bitterness and resignation.

Noelle didn't answer, her fear slowly turning into rage, the second set of emotions inside her seeming to resonate with her own state of mind. "You think you can beat him? No. No, you just want to fight him and think I can't do it."

"What?" Trickster asked, but Anakin knew the woman wasn't talking with him.

Noelle closed her eyes, mind filled with a devastating amount of self-loathing that slowly turned into hate and anger. Anakin recognized it, the signs of someone who knew they had gone too far and NEEDED to be right lest their actions had all been for nothing.

Someone who, deep down, knew they had lost everything by their own hands but refused to accept it, blaming the world for their own weakness.

The realization of how similar their situation was finally managed to make him stop, partially snapping him out of his rage and parting the veil of the Dark Side Anakin hadn't even realized had come over him.

He almost laughed, after everything he had said… Even knowing how easy it was to fall back on old habits, how easy it was to lose focus…

Not even a month ago he had taught the youngling to focus on her desire to protect her family, not her fear of Coil or her desire to punish him for what he did, and yet…

It was like his mother's death once again, attacking the Travelers not because they still represented a danger or to prevent them from hurting anyone else, but simply to make them suffer for what they did to him… Everything almost made him feel tired.

Centering himself, Anakin stared at the Villains a hundred meters away from him and briefly closed his eyes, releasing the worst of his emotions into the Force so he could think clearly again.

"Fine, everything is gone anyway, Oliver is gone, Jess is gone, Luke's probably dead and Marissa…" Noelle continued to talk with a broken voice, tears starting to fall from her eyes again. "Ha, haha, really, so stupid… thinking it was gonna end any other way. Fine, but at least make him pay for it, make sure he can't hurt that little girl anymore."

Opening his eyes again, Anakin saw Noelle's gaze had gone vacant, her human body falling forward as her monstrous half became far more active, tentacles that ended with sharp spikes digging into the floor and lifting her mass up.

Squeezing his hand, he hit Trickster with a Force push, sending him smashing into the ceiling and causing him to pass out, then he broke Noelle's neck, but it barely affected the beast, the dozens of animal heads roaring as they charged him as even her human side regenerated.

Switching his focus, Anakin tried to use Force crush on her lower body, but the mass resisted him, Noelle's power acting like Vista's and trying to fight him off not with the Force, but with sheer physical might.

It felt like he was trying to crush an entire continent, something that would require more concentration than he had to spare at the moment.

Limbs and bones were crushed, only to flow like water and heal a second later, claws and tentacles twisted in the air or were amputated, only for new ones to grow in their place and, slowly, crawl towards Anakin in an animalistic rage.

Now that Noelle wasn't in control anymore, he could feel the will controlling the mass of flesh below her, simultaneously inside her and impossibly distant. It felt large, ancient and alien, like the Ancient Abyss or the Summa-Verminoth Anakin had encountered before.

One large claw smashed only twenty meters from him, piercing through the metal and digging five meters into the wall before its muscles contracted, then another hoof flexed working together to push the beast closer, dozens of mouths roaring in a cacophony of sound.

Instead of retreating, Anakin lunged, lightsaber humming as he amputated the three spikes that tried to stop him and stepped on top of a horse's head, the body immediately tried to grab him, absorbing him into its mass, but he was too fast.

He also felt something trying to touch his mind, attempting to copy his memories. Unfortunately for the creature, it was not subtle and even Sidious, master of the art, could not get into his mind with only raw power, Anakin simply snapped the door on its efforts and ran along the beast's body.

With a lunge, his lightsaber pierced a spot under Noelle's human waist, the blade burning through her condensed flesh and muscle, deep into her body in a straight line to where he felt the alien intelligence most connected to her.

The attack didn't kill the creature, but Anakin felt it's control over the body faltering, suddenly, for a few seconds, it no longer felt like he was fighting an entire continent but just a very large beast.

Taking the opportunity, Anakin grabbed both halves of Noelle with Force Telekinesis and ripped them apart in a shower of blood and gore, her humanoid upper half lifting from the monstrous mass to reveal her legs had became a continuation of her spine attached to a core of raw flesh filled with veins and nerves that fall to the floor a few meters behind the monstrous body.

Under his feet, the mass of flesh collapsed, its limbs still moving independently, but now lacking a driving will to control them, no more than a chimera of animals struggling on their dying throes.

Opening her eyes, Noelle gasped, then screamed in pain, her eyes regaining focus even as the mass under her body started regenerating at an accelerated rate, it would not stop, recovering to its former size in less than an hour if left alone.

Anakin dropped to the floor only a few centimeters from her body, cutting off a tentacle of flesh that instinctively tried to grab him and stepped closer, then he made a grasping motion towards the flesh core, completely crushing the mass.

Noelle screamed again, her back rising from the ground for a second before she collapsed bonelessly back, blood starting to spread around her body and her mind already starting to fade without any help.

"Kr-Krouse, Krouse where are you," she gasped, starting to lose feeling in her body even as one hand reached for her lover. "It's all… it's all wrong… never supposed to be… us… Should have died… in Madison. Couldn't even… save the girl…"

Standing over her body, Anakin turned off his lightsaber, despite their conflict, he couldn't help empathizing with her. In her last moments, when she knew there was no escape, all she wanted was to 'save' Dinah, to do at least one right thing in her life before it ended.

Unlike him, the Force would not be giving her a second chance.

"The girl is safe," Anakin said, using a Mind Trick to influence her pained mind. "You have succeeded, rest now."

Noelle sighed, her muscles relaxing and a smile appearing in her face for a second even as the light left her eyes, she died, released from the influence of whatever creature had been behind her power.

With the woman dead, Anakin turned towards Trickster, the Villain who had almost killed Dinah. He still felt hate for the pathetic man, but it was no longer the all consuming feeling that brought him here.

No, he would no longer spend hours torturing the man, but he still could not help the desire to stare into his eyes and end his life. Without any gesture, Anakin used Force telekinesis to drag him closer.

Trickster woke up in the air, his eyes immediately turning towards Noelle's body before he released a scream of horror. For a second, the broken man just floated in front of Anakin, not bothering to resist his hold.

"I didn't have a choice," Trickster whispered without taking his eyes off Noelle. "I had to protect her."

Now that he was paying attention, Anakin could sense the conflicting influence on the man's mind, an insidious virus giving him a fanatical desire to protect the girl, but not doing much else.

"Lie," he said, forcing Trickster to his knees in front of him. "You were tasked with her protection, yet the path you chose was your own. Your actions, your responsibility."

Gathering the Force around himself, Anakin touched the Villain's head, using Memory Walk to show him his choices.

Usually, such skill would only torture Trickster with his own worst memories, but Anakin was powerful enough to take control of the experience, directing which memories he would relive and showing them free of external influence.

It was, perhaps, worse than just torture, to realize that his fate wasn't the fault of some monster or looming evil but the result of his own choices, that Anakin hadn't come here because Trickster was 'mastered' but as a result of his own, freely taken actions.

He could have refused Coil's offer when he realized the price was a young girl's freedom, he could have fled when that price increased to her life, instead, he had chosen to compromise what few morals he had left.

In truth, whatever sentient had influenced him, it had been skillful. Having spent enough time with his former master, Anakin could recognize the touch of a master manipulator.

The culprit had infected Trickster with a need to protect Noelle, not bothering to do anything else not out of compassion or lack of ability but because, knowing the kind of man Trickster was, any such changes were unnecessary.

Trickster was left shaking, blood leaking from his mouth, the memories affecting him more than anything Anakin could have said, the man even ignored the pain from his wounded knee and the lightsaber blade that almost touched his neck.

Laying his lightsaber against Trickster's neck, Anakin briefly considered sparing the man, his compulsion was broken, his power was not a threat and he was defeated, helpless. Sparing him would be the correct thing to do.

Then he moved his arm, lightsaber humming as it cut through the Villain's unprotected neck with no resistance.

Anakin sighed, he was trying to be better, he really was, but sparing the man who had personally attempted to kill his apprentice was asking too much.

Turning off his lightsaber, he clasped the handle to his waist and turned back towards the still moving mass of flesh, noticing a clone of himself halfway out of its side. Thankfully, the creature was already braindead, Noelle's power unable to make a copy of his mind.

Then he noticed yet another mind waking up inside the dying beast and starting to panic. With a flick of his hand, he ripped the beast in two with Force Telekinesis to reveal the woman inside.

Sundancer was a mess, a few pieces of her costume had survived, but her hands and most of her feet had already been digested, both of her legs were broken and her hair was entirely gone, dissolved while inside Noelle.

The woman cried out in pain and tried to open her eyes, only to reveal that they too had been wounded by her stay inside the creature. She felt terrified, confused and in terrible pain.

Anakin almost reached for his lightsaber, but then he sighed, according to Ballistic, she too had no idea of what Coil planned for Dinah, probably believing she was rescuing the girl just like Noelle and, now that he had killed Trickster, some of his anger had abated.

Well… he did say he was trying to be better. Stepping closer to the woman, he watched her curl into herself before channeling the Force and speaking. "Sleep."

 

[CapCaverna]

Sorry people, got delayed by some things, and then I decided to rewrite the entire chapter because I wasn't happy.

In the end, I'm still not happy with chapter 29, but I finally decided to move on, so here's the newest release for you guys, I hope you like it.

Anyway, the next chapter is gonna be a PHO interlude like the last one, where I use a different POV for a little bit and have them interact with PHO, then we're finally back to Anakin.
_____________________________

Tattletale stared at the notebook screen in horrified silence, this wasn't supposed to happen, this couldn't be happening! It was bullshit!

Susanoo had just destroyed the Empire. He had destroyed the Empire and he wasn't even tired, killing or maiming their Capes as if they were small nuisances. All the while, her power had been providing commentary.

It wasn't that she was sad to see the Empire go, fuck the Empire, but it was a downright ridiculous show of power. It would mess up all her plans for Brocton Bay and the gap left behind could even lead to a second round of the Boston games, where villains from all over the country saw a chance and converged into the city because there was little competition.

Unable to help herself, she pressed the play button again and watched, almost frozen in place as the recording of the clusterfuck started again, the street camera catching the moment Armsmaster approached Susanoo after he single handedly dealt with the Empire.

No change in voice, posture in military relaxation, brief glance away from Armsmaster: Not affected by the killing. Not tired. Unconcerned by heroes.​

​

Change in timbre of voice, posture tensing, increased glancing towards assumed base, willingness to compromise: Worried. Knows something is wrong. Starting to lose composure.​

​

Armsmaster looking around, Protectorate heroes tensing, believe he's already won: Trying to buy time. Arrogant. Will refuse deal.​

Shit, she didn't need her power to know that! By now, Tattletale had analyzed the Protectorate hero enough times to know how he was gonna act, the chance to capture not only the Empire but Susanoo as well was just too much for the asshole to pass.

Pausing the video again, she took a second to think about the situation. If Armsmaster was gonna try and arrest Susanoo anyway, why take so long? Leaning forwards, Tattletale pushed her power further, trying to look at things from another perspective.

PRT forces moving slowly but with precision, Armsmaster craves a complete victory: Prior plan to engage Susanoo. Capture secondary objective. Delaying Susanoo is considered a victory.​

​

Susanoo unconcerned about heroes, constant glances towards workshop, capture not main objective: Thinker power to predict danger extends beyond immediate combat situation. Possible second PRT operation in workshop. Delay is to prevent interference.​

​

Dinah Alcott in workshop, Dinah Alcott's rescue would result in major PR win, Coil's objective is Dinah Alcott, Coil aware of confrontation: Rescue operation happening now. Coil's interference unavoidable. Coil's attempt likely to succeed.​

"FUCK!" Tattletale couldn't help screaming as she pressed the play button again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

She barely managed to follow what happened next, Susanoo moving fast enough to almost keep up with Velocity, his combat Thinker power letting him react a step ahead of everything thrown at him, then he was gone inside a building and the cameras changed.

The camera on the next street was further away, barely managing to catch what was going on before the entire street just exploded in a level of destruction that put Susanoo's confrontation with Lung to shame, then the camera was ripped out of the wall and she lost sight of the battle.

Susanoo not tired from dealing with the Empire, confident he could defeat the Protectorate, confident he could deal with every villain while meeting at Somer's Rock: Holding back. Does not take Brockton's Capes seriously.​

​

Shaker power observed lifting buildings, predictive Thinker power not limited by distance or immediate future, powers not manton limited: Contingency plans inadequate. Can't be beaten by Brockton Bay's capes. Threat comparable to a member of Triumvirate or Faery Queen.​

Alright, Susanoo could apparently sense the girl's position even from across the city so Coil was fucked, even if he did capture the girl, he was complete and utterly fucked. That should be a good thing, right?

Yes, Coil was gonna use the PRT's rescue attempt to finally kidnap the girl, then Susanoo was gonna step on him like the cockroach he was. The only problem was Tattletale was working for the fucking wrong side!

Shit, with how mad he'd be at the girl's kidnapping, she wasn't sure Susanoo was gonna care that she wasn't exactly willing. She also wasn't sure he couldn't find out about her involvement with yet another Thinker power she didn't know about.

Now that she thought about it, Coil had probably leaked her analysis of Susanoo's powers and her contingency plans so, in a way, she had been helping both Empire and PRT fight him.

Getting up, Tattletale massaged her temples and paced in front of the notebook. She was alone in the hideout, Regent had been with her until a few minutes ago, but he decided to go buy some junk food and wasn't back yet.

Taking some medicine for her growing headache, she finally stopped. Her feet tapped against the floor as she stared at the notebook and tried to concentrate again, what did this all mean for the Undersiders? For her?

She was probably one of the first people to get those recordings, having hacked into the traffic cameras as soon as she learned what was happening, only the Empire and the Protectorate would know more.

Damn it, she couldn't understand why the fuck Coil was pushing so hard against Susanoo, or why he was being so active about it, dangerously so, to the point of overplaying his hand.

Yeah, Coil had given her the whole 'control luck' speech, flipping a coin and getting the right side every time, but she didn't buy it for a second.

The guy was a Thinker, she just knew it.

The problem was Thinkers don't get into direct confrontations. They plotted, they manipulated and they planned around their enemies, only acting when they have already won. That was what she was trying to do to Coil and what he had done to her when she was 'convinced' to work for him.

It was as if he was just flailing about, making mistake after mistake despite having a perfect record for years.

Coil's is a predictive Thinker, predictive Thinker's interfere with each other, Coil can't beat Susanoo: Power isn't working correctly. Can no longer operate in Brockton Bay. Will flee.​

Oh, that's why he's doing this, if he killed Susanoo and captured Dinah, he won, no question about it. So this was a Hail Mary, after which, if it succeeded, he could work to recover.

But he can't beat Susanoo.

So he was gonna cut bait, or maybe he was already out of the city? Unfortunately, Tattletale couldn't see the man quietly packing up and leaving peaceably, he was too spiteful for that.

Suddenly, her eyes glanced at the window, then towards the listening devices in her bedroom. Her heart started to beat like mad as she almost threw herself to the ground, then closed the curtains and moved position.

Fuck, she knew the bastard, didn't even need her power to predict him right now. The second Coil knew Susanoo survived; he'd flee the city while causing as much damage as possible on the way out. Worse, she was a liability!

Tattletale had no idea the creep would grab her and turn her into his personal pet Thinker like he planned to do with the girl or just kill her and cut the connection clean, but she really didn't want to stay and find out.

Crawling along the floor, Tattletale pulled the laptop from the desk and started typing, activating every backdoor she had managed to get into Coil's system and trying to block him.

It wouldn't really do anything if the man was still in the city or, worse, in his headquarters, but she knew he wouldn't be here with something so big going down, he was too careful for that.

So, from the outside, Coil's own security features and her interference would prevent him from accessing his system and ordering it to do anything. She knew he still had some deadman switches and timed releases of information, but now he couldn't trigger them early.

Closing the notebook, she cradled it to her chest and started thinking about her next actions. She was fucked, she was so fucked!

Briefly, Tattletale considered just handing herself over to the PRT, but she didn't know if Coil still had moles he hadn't burned inside the place and, well, that was a last resort.

No, her best chance was to flee the city while Coil was too busy with Susanoo's operation. It hadn't worked before, Coil had always caught her, but his position was much weaker now and his power wasn't working correctly, she could make it!

Avoiding any windows, Tattletale grabbed her gun and crawled through the floor, moving out of her bedroom as quietly as she could manage, getting into the kitchen and grabbing a knife.

Using the point, she unscrewed the bottom of her notebook and carefully pried the tracker off, then she opened the microwave and stuffed her phone inside, pausing just before she snapped the door close.

Regent still wasn't back and the others were busy with their own things. She knew she shouldn't, it would reveal her hand earlier than necessary but…

"Goddamnit!" She cursed under her breath, pulling the phone out of the microwave and starting to type a message.

Fuck, she wasn't exactly loyal to the Undersiders, at least not to the point she'd die for them —she was ditching them after all— but she couldn't just let Coil kill them without at least trying to give a warning.

'Boss is fucked, will try to eliminate any liability. Undersiders not safe, go to ground, don't contact anyone and avoid the hideout. Last resort, hand yourself to the PRT.'

Pressing the button, she sent the message to the Undersiders, then she threw the device back into the microwave and set it for an hour. There, that should give them a chance.

Crawling out through a hole in the building, Tattletale pulled the plastic bag with the notebook in front of her, adjusted her hood and started walking, doing her best to mix in with the people out on the street, one hand never leaving the gun inside her pocket even as she used every reflective surface to watch behind herself.

She had a bug out bag a few blocks away, with it she should be out of the city in an hour.

Then she caught sight of a tall man in the reflection of a car window and her power activated.

Pretending not to look, steps matching your stride, not glanced at bag even once: Following you. Not interested in mugging. Military trained.​

Feeling a shiver spreading through her body, Tattletale tightened her hold on the gun and pretended she hadn't noticed, a cold drop of sweat running down her blank face.

.

—--

.

Hannah woke up with a startle, she didn't really need to sleep but, after her ordeal and with the current state of her body preventing other activities, she had tried to relax a little. It hadn't worked.

She had relived the events before her trigger. The attack on her little village, the shooting and feeling of helplessness, the fear as the Turks took her and the other children away… the absolute terror as they forced her to sweep the field for mines before she triggered and killed them.

Every single moment passed through her mind with perfect accuracy, as if she was there once more, living it all over again, and it was only a day after being crushed by several boulders.

With some effort, Hannah pushed herself to a sitting position, then slowly moved her legs towards the edge of the bed. Finally, she pulled the wheelchair closer and sucked in a breath before trying to move, fragile arms shaking from the effort and almost slipping, but she wouldn't fall again.

With a relieved sigh, she leaned back against her wheelchair and closed her eyes, taking a moment to gather herself, then she drove the electric wheelchair towards the bathroom and started her morning routine.

She knew she had been lucky, Panacea had been able to heal everything, but the girl was stretched so thin, and Hannah's wounds had been so serious, that there had to be compromises.

Putting her toothbrush away, she stared at herself in the mirror, bottle green eyes stared back from a gaunt, skeletal thin face.



Yes, she had been healed, but Panacea had to cannibalize a lot of her fat and muscle reserves to do it, enough that it was hard to even stand up right now… and she had been the lucky one.

God, it had been like fighting a member of the Triumvirate or, worse, an Endbringer, that stupid PHO thread comparing him to the Simurgh coming far too close for comfort.

Unfortunately, others hadn't been as lucky. Sere, the shaker hero with water powers, had died, crushed under the broken remains of the building he had been standing on, together with 12 of the PRT troopers said building was thrown at.

Velocity survived, but for how long was anyone's guess, his skull had been fractured in the fight and, while Panacea could relieve the pressure in his brain and fix his bones, there was still damage she couldn't deal with. He was currently in a coma and, even if he survived, there was little chance he could remain a hero.

Assault had made a full recovery, but Armsmaster was in a similar situation to her own, missing an entire arm whose mass had been cannibalized to help heal his remaining limbs. Basically a rush job by Panacea so she could continue helping the remaining victims, and there were a lot of them.

Despite the PRT's best efforts, they hadn't been able to evacuate every civilian in the ambush area before the fight and, with Anakin's rampage, a lot of them had gotten caught up in the conflict. 12 dead and 49 wounded, without counting the Empire members.

They considered it luck, the fatalities could have been so much higher. At least Dinah Alcott had survived, Panacea managing to get to her in time, if she hadn't…

At Hannah's side, her knife changed, taking the shape of a large machete for a few seconds before becoming a high caliber handgun that she almost palmed for comfort.

She knew she should hate Anakin for what he had done, in how many lives he had taken and, in a way, she did. But she also couldn't deny her disappointment in everything else. Things shouldn't have come to this.

Hannah wasn't blind to the faults of the system she supported, she didn't think the people who worked on it were paragons of virtue or anything, but she believed in it, she believed in the core values that formed the system, that it was something worth fighting for.



It was why, having come from a place where most of those values didn't exist and those who did had been thrown away by people who found them inconvenient during a war, she had decided to be a Hero.

Unfortunately, Hannah was starting to believe she was the only one still doing that in the entire Protectorate.

Instead of safety measures and necessary bureaucracy, she was starting to see the signs of maliciousness. A system meant to hinder, not help, the corruption starting to overcome what was once great.

Should she leave? Was she doing good because of the Protectorate or despite it?

Perhaps she should have joined Minnie when her fellow Ward left the Protectorate to become Mouse Protector, if only she wasn't such an unpleasant friend to be around, never knowing when to stop with her jokes…

Washing her face, Hannah tied her mask on and drove her electric wheelchair towards the door, she had a meeting with the Director.

Thankfully, until she recovered some more and her secret identity wasn't in danger because of her state, she was living in the PRT headquarters so, at least it wouldn't take long to arrive.



—---

"How's Vista?" Hannah asked Assault as she saw him while driving towards the PRT Director's meeting room.

The meeting had already started but, despite everything going on, there was only so much overtime she could take before people ordered her to rest, so being late wasn't her fault.

Still, currently Assault, Battery and Dauntless were the only heroes fully on their feet so a lot of the Protectorate's job had fallen on their shoulders… Well, Armsmaster was technically well, if missing an arm that was used as biomass, but he was too busy analyzing the battle and trying to justify his actions to really do anything else.

Thankfully, the entire city was eerily quiet, even the Merchants not daring to poke their heads out after what happened yesterday. Every single person, be they a Parahuman, gang member or civilian was waiting to see what Susanoo would do or if the Triumvirate would make a visit to their city, escalating the fight.

"Not great," Assault sighed and took a sip of his coffee. "Whatever Susanoo did, it's still messing with her power, she says she can still sense space, but she can't act on it."

"And the Alcott girl?"

"Meditating," Assault said, then shrugged when Hannah gave him a look. "What? She's sitting in a lotus position with her eyes closed, what else do you call that?"

"So you didn't break protocol to talk with her?" Hannah asked with suspicion.

"Of course I did," Assault said while taking another sip of coffee. "She's a 12 years old in MS lockdown after having almost been murdered by a villain, fuck protocol I talked with her, I just didn't ask about her meditation."

"Good," there was a reason the protocol was important, but Hannah didn't think it applied here. "How's she taking it?"

"Oh, the pipsqueak is absolutely furious we rescued her, and she is still asking for her robot arm back," he snorted in amusement. "Even then, she couldn't hide the relief and eagerness in her eyes when I told her her parents are here in the headquarters. Then she told me there was still a 2% chance Coil would attack again and went back to meditating, completely ignoring me."

Satisfied, Hannah drove her wheelchair towards the meeting room and knocked, driving inside when Dauntless held the door open for her.

Looking around the room, Hannah saw that the meeting was small, only Director Piggot, Deputy Director Renick, Armsmaster, Dauntless and her were present, even Dragon wasn't here.

The room was also a mess, with various papers and office supplies spread through the floor while Piggot threw herself back to her chair, running a hand through her blond hair.

The Director gave her a glance, then composed herself and turned to Armsmaster. "Have…" she started, huffing from the effort and doing her best to seem professional despite apparently having just thrown everything on her desk to the floor in a fit of rage. "Have you at least managed to connect him to the construction company?"

"Yes, Director," Armsmaster answered, his back straight and hidden rage in his voice. "Calvert's involvement was difficult to trace, but the abandoned Endbringer shelter was built by his company. The project was supposedly abandoned due to lack of funds. If you give me a few days I can…"

"No," Piggot interrupted in a harsh voice. "Armsmaster, you're no longer the leader of the Protectorate or in charge of the Wards, you're to finish your report and start handing your workload for those particular jobs to Dauntless and Miss Militia respectively. Calvert is no longer your responsibility."

Armsmaster froze, his stiff armor, still heavily damaged from the confrontation with Susanoo and missing all its limbs, seemed to shake from his barely contained anger and frustration, but he managed to gather himself.

"With all due respect, Director, I'm not going to be blamed for YOUR mistakes," Armsmaster said between gritted teeth. "Arresting or at least delaying Susanoo so the rescue operation could happen was the correct choice with the information we had at the time and you were the one to trust Calvert, you were…"

And there it was, Armsmaster's need to be right. Hannah hadn't started to hate, or even really dislike, her co-worker and friend, she understood his faults, but the way he was acting now had made her lose a lot of the respect she held for him, which was perhaps worse.

It wasn't so much the way he led that operation or the decisions he took, she agreed with those decisions at the time. It was his self-justification, the way he wanted to spread the blame, to preserve his career only a day afterwards that had started to change her view.

Hannah had always known Armsmaster craved recognition, it had been the same ever since their time together in the Wards, but she had believed his drive to do good was more important than his ego… now she wasn't so sure anymore.

"Shut up," Piggot growled with more venom than Hannah had ever heard before. "First, I never trusted that snake, didn't even want to hire him, but all three independent background checks I ordered came out clean, he was too well connected, his record of success after Elisburgh was too perfect, and I had been asking for support from the other branches for years… Still, I only thought he was after my job and would try to sabotage me, probably to use it as a stepping stone for a political career later, not that he was a damn cape.

"Besides, I'm not trying to push the blame on your glory seeking ass. Even if I wanted to, there's far too much blame for it to work anyway. No, I'm going to be sacked for this… if they can't stick a criminal charge in there too, I'm just hoping the higher ups will be satisfied with your demotion and not escalate further because, as much as I hate to admit it, you're right, I agreed with your decision to delay Susanoo, if not for the same reason you made it."

Hannah had her own thoughts about that whole disaster. In hindsight, attempting to arrest Susanoo despite his peace offer had been a terrible mistake, but only in hindsight, after they discovered all the information they had about his powers was wrong by an order of magnitude.

Every piece of information they had about the cape indicated they could do it, Susanoo had just been in a battle with the majority of the Empire, he should have been tired, at least a little bit, while they were ready and had a diversity of powers to deal with him. They couldn't have asked for a better opportunity.

Susanoo had been far from Dinah, it was a perfect moment to attempt a rescue and, if he could escape, delaying him for two to three minutes should have been enough to get the girl out and into PRT custody.

Unfortunately, things had happened too fast, their miscalculation became clear and the order to disengage was given less than 40 seconds into the battle but, by then, Susanoo had already captured Armsmaster and was about to murder him.

After that, they no longer cared to arrest or even delay Susanoo, they just wanted to keep the cape from killing anyone, working desperately to free Armsmaster… and they had failed miserably at that.

"We're sure he's Coil?" Dauntless asked, trying to bring the meeting back on track. "Calvert, I mean."

"88% certain he's the leak, 74% chance he's Coil, based on his personality," Armsmaster said. "After her capture, Genesis confirmed the Travelers knew about the rescue team, that they were prepared and received the go ahead from Coil himself when everything was happening."

Hannah closed her eyes. So, not only was Anakin right and the girl wasn't safe in PRT custody, but they had likely hired the very Cape that wanted to kidnap the girl to organize her rescue. No wonder Dinah hadn't wanted to be rescued.

"I burned every favor I was owed to have PRT officers from a different branch on the Empire transport, one free of any moles, at least from our gangs," Piggot said after seeing Hannah and Dauntless' questioning looks. "Everyone who knew the ambush on the Empire was happening was either monitored, or didn't know about Dinah's rescue team, Calvert was the only one who could have leaked the information."

"We probably don't have enough evidence for it to stick in court," Renick said, shaking his head. "But his disappearance and being able to connect him to the Endbringer shelter was pretty damning, enough for an arrest warrant."

"So, he must have known his cover was blown and gone to ground," Hannah concluded with a bitter laugh. "Must have thought the girl was worth blowing his cover for."

"Calvert was always an arrogant bastard, becoming a Thinker as we suspect would only make it worse," Piggot released a breath and laid back on her chair. "He probably thought he could get away with it, to blame someone else. Either that or he was ready to flee and just wanted to cause as much damage as possible on his way out, that sounds like him. What about the girl?"

"She's currently in MS lockdown," Hannah said. "Her stomach wound was healed, but she absolutely refused to have her hand regenerated and Panacea didn't continue with just her parents' consent."

"Well, at this point there's not much doubt the girl is a cape," Piggot rubbed her face with both hands and continued. "With Coil and one of the Travelers still missing, we're gonna have to keep her in headquarters even after she's out of the MS lockdown tomorrow. I'm trying to get her on witness protection, but I'll not be around long enough to offer her anything else. Still, I'm sure my replacement can deal with that."

"What about Susanoo?" Dauntless finally asked, deciding to deal with the elephant in the room.

"He's been declared an A-Class threat and the higher ups have already signed his kill order, but it's not going to be made public," Piggot confessed. "The last thing we need is a bunch of idiots provoking him into action. Even if he goes on a rampage, Chief Director Costa-Brown has explicitly ordered us to not engage him again unless we have Triumvirate support."

"And if he comes for the girl?" Miss Militia had to ask.

"That's the question, isn't it? Until the girl's application for witness protection is accepted, there's not much we can do but keep her here," Piggot said with disgust. "During one of the meetings, I was informed we can't be SEEN to hand the girl over, the Chief Director was conspicuously absent in that meeting. It was also discussed if we should just release the girl to her parents. Susanoo's master power doesn't last long after all."

"Director, you're saying…" Renick started to say

"If he arrives while she's still here," Piggot cut him off. "You're to do your best to make nice, say the girl is still recovering, offer him some coffee, heck, offer him a tour and some souvenirs while someone calls the Triumvirate and hopes all three of them arrive, but I'm not gonna be in charge much longer, orders may be changed."

Hannah couldn't believe what she was hearing, they knew Coil was still after the girl and, if he couldn't kidnap her, he appeared to be willing to kill her, releasing the girl to her parents was even worse than just handing her off to Anakin, it left her with no protection.

At least Panacea had confirmed the girl wasn't mistreated while in Anakin's care, there were some signs of extended exercise, but only in the fact she was in better condition than ever, no signs of drug use, physical or even emotional abuse in any way.

"And what about the robot?" Armsmaster asked. "It doesn't have any hidden weapons and I've disabled any outgoing signal or connection ports, so it can't access anything, but it's still comparable to a brute 3 and I'll need help confirming if it's an AGI or if it can self replicate."

"Right," said Dauntless with frustration. "Forgot about the terminator he built, because of course he can build terminators too."

"Susanoo already has a kill order," Piggot said, sounding absolutely done with everything. "Armsmaster, unless we start seeing a terminator army, we're not gonna do anything about it. Keep a watch over the usual signs on the energy grid but, at this point, I don't care if it's an AI, just focus on finding out if it can self-replicate, you're free to ask for Dragon's support. Without destroying the damn robot. Then focus on the Tinkertech we recovered from his base… at least we managed to get the arrested Empire capes out of the city."

They discussed the situation for another 15 minutes or so but, in the end, both the PRT and the Protectorate were in such a sorry condition there wasn't much they could do, the only saving grace was how quiet the city had become after Anakin's rampage, nobody wanted to be the first to step out and risk getting stomped.

Hannah was put in charge of the Wards and, while she still wanted to quit, she couldn't leave during the crisis, neither could she abandon the kids in the middle of this mess. No, she'd see this through and then… Well, then she'd consider her options.

On the other hand, Dauntless became the leader of the Protectorate until further notice, but the decision was subject to change when a new Director arrived.

Finally, Armsmaster was the first out of the room, walking back to his workshop in large steps and ignoring Assault's greeting. Looking at him, Hannah saw the signs he was talking with Dragon through his helmet's comms.

Then, while she was leaving the meeting room, she saw him stop, his body going ramrod straight while he listened with his full attention to whatever information Dragon was telling him before turning around and marching right back towards Piggot.

"What now?" The director asked from the floor where she had started to gather her thrown about papers.

"Dragon has just informed me. Yesterday, at 15:43, our monitoring devices registered movement from the Simurgh. The Endbringer first turned her body, then flew to a point above the Atlantic Ocean 50 km from Brockton bay and has been keeping position ever since, her movements started exactly a second after the end of Susanoo's confrontation with Vista."

.

—-----

.

To say Dinah Alcott was unhappy would be a huge understatement. Still, she did her best to keep it out of her face the entire time so that stupid Assault wouldn't accuse her of pouting.

She didn't pout, she brooded… it just didn't have the same effect without her mask and cape. They even took her cool robot arm and now the ugly stump wouldn't stop itching.

Yeah, Panacea offered to heal it, but she'd refused.

She told them that having a mechanical hand was cooler than a regenerated one, but the truth was she had lost it defending herself, it was proof that she could do it… that she wasn't helpless.

Dinah was kinda proud of it.

What was worse is that there was now a fifty eight point three, five, nine percent chance Coil would be dealt with before she could get out of PRT custody. She wasn't exactly complaining, but she had wanted to deal with the villain herself, wanted to show everyone she could do more than just sprout numbers at people.

Star's end, she couldn't even meditate or sleep properly, Trickster's face kept interrupting her, the walking cane switching with the laser pistol, the barrel already pointing towards her, the sound of it firing.

Frowning, she attempted to dismiss the fear, the confusion when things kept skipping around, people moving in a flash or disappearing from second to second while she just couldn't focus or understand what was going on through the pain.

Later, she learned it was Clockblocker's power keeping her alive, but at the time it had been… yeah.

Her eyes snapped open and she released a breath, taking a second to look around the room while she calmed herself. It was mostly empty, padded brown walls with a comfortable bed and a boring set of clothes she couldn't damage, with nothing else she could use to entertain herself.

She supposed it was so people couldn't hurt themselves here, but it really didn't help make her mood any better.

Hmph, even the food was boring, easy to eat with her hand but bland, she really hated it here…

Even if, for some reason, there was now only a two point nine, seven, one, three percent chance Coil could get her.

Even if, after she thought about it, Vista, Clockblocker and Shadow Stalker teaming up against Trickster and saving her with a creative use of power had been kinda neat.

… Even if she could see her parents again.

Great, now she didn't just feel annoyed, she felt guilty too.

Dinah knew she shouldn't feel relief at being here, but there was a ninety two point seven, two, one percent chance the PRT would release her to her family, and the chance they'd be safe together was only slightly lower.

She couldn't help feeling happy about that while, at the same time, already missing Anakin.

Did… did he really cause that much damage trying to reach her?

Did it make her a terrible person that a small part of her, the part that was still terrified of what could have happened, the part that was disappointed they couldn't keep her safe, was glad he had done it and thought the PRT deserved it?

Putting her back against the wall, Dinah stopped thinking about Coil and started daydreaming about what she was gonna do when she got out. Anything to stop the boredom, really.

She knew there was little chance the PRT would give her the robot hand back. And even if they did, there was less than a one percent chance the gun would still be there, could she convince her parents to buy a new one?

Her power was pretty versatile and Anakin HAD convinced Faultline to look after her in exchange for some questions, so others would probably pay her to use it, money wouldn't be a problem, and the secret gun HAD saved her life.

Then, if she was already getting a new one, she had to get a better model. Dinah loved Anakin's gift but she couldn't deny his design was kinda… ugly, it looked old and patched together.

If she was gonna get a new hand, she wanted something sleek.

Using her second question of the day, she smiled, there was a ninety eight point seven, one, one, nine percent chance Armsmaster could build her a sleek arm with a missile launcher.

Then she groaned, rephrased that question, and her smile disappeared. There was only a two point nine, nine, seven percent chance anyone could convince him to build that arm.

Maybe she should stop wasting questions like that. Ever since Dinah had started training with Anakin, the amount of questions she could ask had multiplied several times so she had started to get a little careless.

Still, that gave her an idea and she adjusted her sitting position, a smirk appearing on her face. Despite her efforts, she wasn't a Brute or Mover, she was a Thinker and Thinkers didn't need to move or even be free to mess with someone and ruin their day.

There was an almost 60% chance someone would deal with Coil before she left PRT custody. With the right use of her power, she could make that 100%, it would just take a lot of effort.

The easiest, most obvious use of her power was to ask questions about the future and receive a percentage chance of it happening. Too bad Dinah needed to know what questions to ask and, right now, she didn't even know where to start.

If she could ask Anakin, she was certain he could come up with something, give her a few suggestions, but she couldn't think of anything.

So, she'd have to use the second part of her power, the one that still hurts despite all her training, to search for a single future amongst all possible futures where things happened the way she wanted, observe it, and then try to replicate the steps to make it a reality.

Now, how did she go about it?

After her first confrontation with the Travelers, Dinah had a lot of time to think about her ability, she had also taken to experimenting at night, when she hadn't used too many questions during the day.

The first time she had used her power fully, before she had met Anakin, the pain had been unbearable, enough to knock her out for hours and leave her with a huge headache for days afterwards.

When she used her powers the second time to save herself from the Travelers, after quite a few days of Matukai training with Anakin, it still hurt. It hurt a lot, but not enough to keep her from moving, even if she hadn't managed to follow her vision perfectly.

Afterwards, while she was experimenting, she discovered that the more specific the future, the less pain it took to see it.

A few days ago, there was a eighty six point seven, two, five percent chance Anakin would let Dinah keep the laser gun in her arm, when she used her power to watch a specific timeline where that happened, there was a lot of pain, she had to use a lot of tissue paper to stop her bleeding nose, and she had just seen herself making puppy dog eyes at him.

It hadn't even mattered, she didn't even need the special technique for him to frown, voice his dislike and, well, let her keep it without a fight.

Later, there was only a one point nine, seven, two percent chance she beat Hal while they were training but, when she tried to see a future where she beat Hal in their lightsaber spar the next morning using a sword flourish, it was much easier, her nose only bled a little bit.

It was also useless, requiring her to make some moves she just couldn't replicate in real life. Well, it wasn't completely impossible, she just couldn't pull it off on purpose… yet.

Closing her eyes, Dinah focused on narrowing her goal. She wanted a timeline where Coil was captured, but also one where she learned how he was captured and could use that information.

The pain hit her like a spike going through her ears, a pressure at her temples that made her fall sideways, her nose bleeding all over the bed, every muscle in her body tensing.

Pressing her forehead against the soft mattress, she took deep breaths and tried to relax her curled fingers but, as the medical officer burst into the room to sedate her, Dinah couldn't help a small smile forming on her lips.

The women shouted, two of them jumping on top of her and grabbing her arms so she couldn't hurt herself. Dinah wasn't resisting, there was no need.

Carefully, the needle pierced her neck, injecting a dose heavy enough to knock her out in a minute or two and, to be honest, she was kinda glad they did it, the pain almost instantly starting to go down as the medication made its way through her body.

Later, Dinah woke up strapped to a medical bed, there was some machine she didn't know the name monitoring her heartbeat and an IV on her good arm.

"Hey, pipsqueak, I can see you're awake."

Turning towards the voice, Dinah saw Assault sitting by her bedside, he had his feet up on her bed and was eating an apple she just knew was meant for her.

"Ca-Can you help me up?" Dinah asked, still a little disoriented.

"Sure, just a sec," he said and grabbed a remote, starting to press a button that slowly lifted her bed up, putting her in a sitting position. "So, after your little scene some idiot wanted to extend your stay in MS lockdown, but we both know you weren't trying to hurt yourself, neither was it any hidden effect of Susanoo's Master power."

"What time is it?" Dinah asked, searching for a clock around the room, there wasn't any.

Assault clicked his tongue. "See, I'd usually answer that question without a thought but, well, I recognize the signs of a Thinker overusing their power, heavily overusing it, so I don't think I should," Slowly, he ate another piece of apple, then peeled a third and offered it to her. Dinah took it. "How about we make a deal? You stop using your power to try and escape and I convince the Director to take you out of that boring room, maybe leave you with your mother inside the headquarters?"

"I… I wasn't trying to escape," Dinah started to say, trying to gather her thoughts. She didn't think she could pull off an escape even with her power. "What time is it?"

Assault gave her a long look, his eyes searching her own. "I don't know if I quite believe that, but I'll take the risk, this time. I hope you know things will get really annoying if you abuse this. It's 4 in the afternoon."

Dinah smiled, she was still in time.

Straightening her back, she met Assault's eyes and said with her most serious voice. "You guys failed me, I told you I was safer with Susanoo. I warned you the PRT wasn't safe, and yet you still failed me."

"Kid, I…"

"Today, around 8 at the docks, between the market and the trainyard, be there or she will die," Dinah said, doing her best to keep her composure despite her situation, she bet Anakin could somehow be cool even in a hospital bed. "Do not disappoint me again."

In truth, Dinah didn't even know who would die, she had barely overheard a guard talking about it in the future she had watched, but she wasn't about to tell that to Assault, or to Miss Militia when she asked later.

What Dinah did know was that the woman was important in that specific future, not the most important, but still a key to how they utterly destroyed Coil that time.

So, she just stopped talking, laid her head on the pillow, closed her pulsating eyes and ignored everyone. Her head wasn't quite killing her, but the use of her power had still taken its toll.

Dinah did wish people would stop asking her things, with mental discipline, her power no longer triggered with every question asked, but keeping it from doing so still took concentration.

.

—--

.

Director Piggot and Dauntless discussed the information, the Protectorate was stretched to its limits, they weren't about to send the Wards into an unknown situation and, while their own PRT troops were mostly intact, there would be a revolt if Piggot ordered them on the streets without Cape support, especially not after what had just happened.

Hell, even with Cape support there was a good chance they'd flee at the first sign of conflict, their morale was that damaged. Nobody wanted to die and PRT troops were trained to deal with low level Capes, not A-class threats.

Still, in the end, Assault and Battery volunteered, and Piggot agreed they couldn't stay turtled up or they'd lose all trust the public had on them, after all, there's no PRT without PR first.

Assault walked slowly through the streets, making a show of patrolling so people would think things were going back to normal. The patrol had started Downtown but he was now at the end of the broadwalk, moving towards Lord Street Market.

They were an hour early, so he wasn't in a rush but, as Battery finished signing a girl's backpack, they moved on, walking in a way that told people they were no longer available for idle conversation.

Fifteen minutes later, they turned a corner at Fugly Bob's and started walking towards the Trainyard. The houses were much shabbier in this part of town, some of them just empty containers before that was prohibited, and there were some empty buildings where business had failed.

"I don't like this," Battery said at his side. "What if the girl sent us to Susanoo and we're walking into a trap?"

"Nah," Assault shook his head. "The guy doesn't need a trap to deal with us, besides, the kid isn't the type."


He hated to admit it, but Susanoo was out of his league. In his villain days, when he had been going around as Madcap, Assault had been a heavy hitter, a Striker 7 that could and had fought Legend himself. He hadn't won, but he hadn't been captured either and very few people could say that.

Still, when he thought about Susanoo, he thought of the man on the same level as Alexandria and Eidolon, a Cape that you just couldn't fight, it was absolutely helpless unless you had someone on his level.

He supposed he should be angrier at what had happened, and he'd be plotting the guy's death if Battery had died or been put into a coma like Sere and Velocity, but he kinda understood the guy.

Could have done with a little less collateral damage, but Assault didn't think his own hands were that clean, not with how long he'd spent as a villain. He had never killed on purpose, but shit happened.

He also knew the PRT was fucked up, the entire system was fucked up. It was one of the reasons he had helped people escape from birdcage transports — not the only reason, not even the most important, he wasn't a saint, but it had weighted heavily— Still, this particular fuck-up took the cake.

They had hired the girl's kidnapper to help plan and rescue her from her protector, it would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

Assault also understood his wife wouldn't see things his way, her morals were far less flexible than his own, so he knew better than to ever voice it aloud.

"No, the girl is plotting something, but it's not against us," he shook his head. "You know, seeing the girl acting all cute like that, I kinda want a mini-me too, think I can convince Vista to rebrand and wear all red? I knew she's been wanting to change uniforms for a while now."

Battery gave him a disgusted look, as if she couldn't believe what he had just said. "Acting like a mass murderer isn't cute."

"Coming from a 12 year old, it kinda is."

"Just… shut up."

Ha! He could see the hint of a smile as she shook her head, at least he had managed to cheer her up a little.

"Wait, you hear that?" He paused, turning towards an abandoned warehouse to his left, he swore he had heard a muffled gunshot coming from inside.

"Console, possible contact here," Battery immediately said. "Warehouse number 711, at the end of 7th street."

"Understood," answered Miss Militia's voice. "The building belongs to a transport company that used to have business here before the bay was blocked, it was rented as storage until two years ago but it's been empty ever since."

"Alright, I'm taking a look," Assault said.

"Warning the PRT support, they'll be on standby in case of anything," Miss Militia said.

Walking slowly towards the warehouse, he gave the PRT team time to get in a position where they could reinforce him at a moment's notice, taking the chance to search around the nearby streets for anything suspicious.

Reaching the warehouse, he didn't hear anything else from inside the building, but he noticed a broken window a little to his left, unfortunately, he couldn't be sure it was recent. "Alright, do I have permission to go inside?"

"You think you heard something," Battery reminded him. "It's not enough for probable cause."

"Right," he nodded, then grabbed the lock and used his power to break it open without damaging anything else, "Console, I think someone just broke the lock and I hear movement, I'll check inside before moving on with the patrol."

Behind him, he could almost feel Battery's glare burning a hole through his mask, but he'd just buy a new lock later if she didn't forget about it, it's not like that broken window kept people out anyway.

Besides, he didn't want to disappoint Dinah, the girl had worked so hard to be threatening when talking with him and Thinkers could get… creative.

Opening the door, he strolled inside, making sure to use his power to absorb the energy from any possible gunshots coming his way, there was nothing.

The warehouse was, unsurprisingly, empty, rows upon rows of shelves scattered about, some having fallen to the floor with the time, at the back, there was what he supposed had been an office and, in a corner, there was a mount of old cardboard that must have served for a house to some homeless guy once upon a time.

The door to the office had been forced open, someone having destroyed the lock with what Assault recognized was a gunshot, a small trail of blood leading inside.

Approaching the door, Assault fully expected to get shot in the face for his troubles, instead, he found a half naked blonde girl hiding behind a desk, a small revolver aimed at him and a mixture of frustration and relief on her face.

"You're kidding me," she said, letting the revolver drop atop the desk as she pushed herself back into the chair, a hand cradling the exposed wound at her side.

Looking around the room, Assault saw a notebook, a blood soaked shirt and an open bug out bag, a purple costume and mask visible inside it. Well, it seemed like he had found his target.