Silveraith
Argent Phantasm
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Piggot is being replaced after the fiasco of the last battle and Armsmaster is no longer in-charge of the local Protectorate office.
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Will of The Force (Star Wars / Worm)
- Thread starter CapCaverna
- Start date
Narsil
Getting some practice in, huh?
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2022
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As Anakin pointed out (if only to himself), they can simply ask Dinah for verification. She can predict the effects, if not the actions, of the Endbringers.
Chapter 34 - Miss Militia
New
CapCaverna
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
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Hannah threw her towel on top of a chair and sat on the bed, the mattress far too soft for her liking, despite years of living in the US, her hair nearly perfect, thanks to a combination of a hairdryer and several beauty products she had only dreamed of as a child.
She had made a full recovery; the damage she suffered when Anakin threw a building at her had been steadily healing thanks to her minor regeneration power, but Panacea finally had time to fully heal her, accelerating what would have taken weeks into only a couple of minutes…
Another benefit of being in the Protectorate.
She'd have refused it, giving her turn to someone who actually needed the healing, but with the Teeth in town and clashing with the remnants of the Empire, the protectorate needed everyone in fighting shape.
With a sigh, Hannah put her resignation letter back in her pocket and got up. She hadn't slept tonight, instead working on the letter, but that was no surprise; she only slept once every few months anyway.
Despite everything, she was still reluctant to leave, to end this part of her life, but she felt it was the right thing to do. She didn't need to work for the Protectorate to defend what she believed in, the values she was taught since coming into the country.
Out of habit, she touched the weapon at her side, her power changing the construct from a pistol into a combat knife, which she started throwing up and down in her hand.
Still, to hand her resignation letter now would be a betrayal, not to the Protectorate, no, but to the Wards, and to her other responsibilities, she'd wait until things normalized before doing it.
Tying the scarf around her mouth, she got up and put her power-generated weapon, now a revolver, on her waist. Her mandatory break was over; it was time to get back to work.
Half an hour later, she stood in front of the door to the Wards' temporary room in the Protectorate, the warning light still turned off as she waited for the kid to make her choice.
Not only the Wards, but most of the PRT administrative resources had been relocated into the Protectorate and away from easy access by villains. It wasn't a perfect solution, starting to mix Protectorate and PRT responsibilities, but for the moment, it was necessary.
"Do I have to?" Dinah asked with a tired voice, and slumped posture.
"No," Hannah shook her head, doing her best not to patronize the kid, despite her age, Dinah was incredibly bright. "But it will be another three days before we can release you to your parents, do you really want to spend those days alone?"
The girl seemed to actually consider her question, still incredibly mad at the role the wards had in her rescue, but she sighed. "No, there's a ninety percent chance I'd get bored… or hurt myself with training."
"Don't worry," Hannah assured the girl. "You already interacted with some of them alone a few times, this won't be any different."
"Look at the bright side," Assault said, patting the girl on the back. "You can poke fun at their botched rescue, teasing someone always helps with boredom."
She sighed, glaring at Assault and trying to convey a single message, don't make this worse!
With another annoyed huff, Dinah rolled her shoulders, looked up and put both arms behind her back, adjusting her posture.
Hannah recognized what she was doing, something that was simultaneously polite and unnervingly threatening on her… mentor? Kidnapper? Savior? She supposed all of those were accurate to describe Anakin.
On the girl, it just looked cute.
"That was not a 'rescue'," the girl said, giving the hero a disgusted look. "The only danger I was in came from their feeble efforts."
"That's perfect," Assault nodded, giving her a thumb up.
This was going to be a disaster, wasn't it? Sophia and the kid were either going to get along great or try to kill each other, and she didn't know which option she preferred. Hannah tapped a finger against the automatic pistol at her side and sighed, and then there was Missy...
"Indeed," the floating robot head said. "Excellent use of the word feeble, Mistress. Personally, I'd have used a more insulting adjective for the meatbags; however, I understand how difficult it is to remember one that is still sophisticated enough in the moment, I shall make allowances for your inferior wet hardware."
Hannah gave the floating head another glare, Hal, as the girl called it, after a movie about a murderous AI from before parahumans started appearing, a terrible influence, worse than Assault.
Despite every test they made, both Armsmaster and Dragon still hadn't been able to figure out if the robot was a true AI or just a very advanced program. The machine's inner code was completely alien to anything they were familiar with and only tangentially compatible with most technology.
It also seemed purposely built to be confusing; every interactive test they did turned out inconclusive results.
On one hand, Piggot wasn't about to just let the robot run around the base with his body, something comparable to a mid-level brute and mover, as well as a low-level combat thinker, and without any of the normal weaknesses of a flesh-and-blood human.
On the other hand, the deal with Anakin had been to keep the robot by the girl's side, and even the director wasn't willing to risk breaking it; in fact, she had been ordered not to break that deal, not without a member of the triumvirate in the city.
Thankfully, the robot's head had been initially built as a drone, and it could act that way again with minimal effort, trading the laser weapon it had contained for a non-lethal alternative built by Armsmaster, so that's what they had done.
Dinah gave the drone a glare, the same one Hannah recognized every time Battery looked at Assault, a look that yelled, Don't embarrass me, then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
With an imperious movement, the kid pressed the button on the door with her prosthetic hand, a warning sounding through the Wards room so they could put their masks back on, the light turning red until they were ready.
Behind her scarf, Hannah smiled, then the lights turned green and she put a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving her support as she walked inside, even as she made sure to change her mindset, starting to think of the kids by their cape names again.
Inside, most of the Wards present were looking at the door, their masks on, Clockblocker winced, immediately looking away from Dinah, the girl noticed and, for a second, was unable to hide a satisfied smirk before her face became blank again.
"Who's it?" Shadow Stalker asked, finally leaving her room with her full costume on. "Oh, you."
Hannah gave her a look. Ever since Anakin's warning had forced them to take a closer look at their own employees, the probationary ward was being kept in the headquarters, there were a few discrepancies in her case that needed to be investigated.
A few cases of bullying or fights at her school that hadn't been reported wouldn't exactly mean Shadow Stalker lost her probationary status, but if it was found she had been going out on unauthorized patrols…
Well, if she was honest, even if they found something more serious, they'll probably still keep the girl, better than putting her in a detention facility and guaranteeing she'd become a villain when she got out.
Hannah believed the systems were what made things so good here, but she knew they weren't perfect, and she had seen the numbers, the real numbers. Virtually no teen parahuman convicted ever became a hero.
So, yes, they'd keep Stalker, but her deal would change, and she'd probably be transferred out of the city.
Meanwhile, Shadow Stalker was still allowed some freedom, but the tracking device in her ankle and increased scrutiny made the girl constantly hostile —not that she had been a saint before— and the last thing they needed was for her to insult Dinah.
"Stalker," Aegis said in a warning tone, doing his job as team captain.
"What? I'm not gonna pick a fight," Shadow Stalker gave him an offended look. "Kid nearly shot Trickster's head off, she's alright in my books."
By his side, Vista snorted, crossing her arms and glaring at Stalker.
Aegis sighed. "If only you could extend that respect to the rest of the team…"
"Maybe when one of you losers earns it, I will."
Hannah noticed Vista's hand twitching and her eyes narrowing, the air around Shadow Stalker seeming to twist for a moment, less than a second, sending a spike of worry through her body, but she trusted the girl not to lose control.
Despite her age, Vista was the most professional of the Wards.
"Stalker, have you finished your physical training today?" Hannah said, interrupting their interaction… better safe than sorry after all.
At least Dinah seemed to be enjoying the show, the kid almost radiating an air of superiority at seeing the way the Wards were acting.
"Ah, not yet, didn't really have time to…" Stalker said.
"Then perhaps you'd like to spar with me later?" she said in a perfectly normal voice, but making her eyes glint with a dangerous light.
With her mouth hidden behind the scarf, it was surprisingly difficult to portray the right emotions using only her eyes, but after years of being a cape, Hannah thought she had grown fairly skilled at it, at least by the way Stalker swallowed hard and nodded.
"Alright, have we all got the insults out of the way?" Assault asked, tapping his foot against the ground in disapproval. "Then maybe you guys can finally greet the girl like decent people?"
Hannah would have given them a little longer to interact, trying to let the kid take the first move, but Assault's way worked too.
"I'm sorry," Aegis sighed, nodding towards Dinah. "I'm Aegis, the current Team Captain. I heard you're not joining us?"
"That's right," Dinah nodded, breaking character a little before she caught herself.
"Well, I want you to know we're still here if you need anything, and we'll always welcome you if you change your mind."
"Yep," Shadow Stalker said, grabbing a bottle of soda from the fridge. "We need more badasses around here."
Dinah looked at Stalker from the corner of her eyes, then huffed in dismissal, turning to stare at Missy and Hannah felt the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, the girl was actually smirking after noticing she was a little taller than Vista, her eyes running over the Ward's costume from top to bottom.
Vista adjusted her position, narrowing her eyes at Dinah. "What?"
"Hmph, I win," Dinah said, turning away from the girl and seeming to dismiss her entirely.
Hannah almost facepalmed, she just knew Dinah had been using her power to find the best way of pissing off Vista.
"What!" Vista growled.
"You are a Shaker 9," Dinah said, glancing back at the girl from the corner of her eye, particularly her childish costume. "I expected you to be more impressive, but what I see is… disappointing."
"Alright, enough," Hannah said, putting one hand on top of Dinah's head and tousling it, breaking her composure. "You don't need to follow Assault's suggestions, in fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't."
"I would suggest settling it with a battle," Hal said, floating around Dinah. "I heard it is a surprisingly effective way of both settling disputes and starting friendships for meatbags."
"Quiet," Dinah glared at the robot. "You just want to watch me beat her."
"That does not make my statement false."
"Please, as if you could beat me," Vista huffed.
"Vista, don..." Aegis sighed.
Clockblocker held him back, shaking his head and whispering. "Dude, are you crazy, you never get between two girls like that, even young ones."
"Shit, do we have popcorn?" Shadow Stalker said.
"You know," Assault said. "The rust bucket may have a point."
"You two are not gonna be fighting," Hannah said with a tone of finality, sending Assault a murderous glare when he tried to speak again. "However, since you all seem so eager, you're going to be sparring with me, without powers, it's about time I saw where the Wards stood."
"Crap," Clockblocker cursed, swallowing hard. "I knew I should have kept quiet."
"Ah… shouldn't we do it when Gallant and Browbeat are present?" Aegis said.
"Don't worry, I'll spar with them later too," Hannah shook her head and smiled at them with her eyes, satisfied with the way everyone was reacting.
She wasn't even making an excuse; she really needed to get their measure. It had been nearly two months since she had last overseen their training. leaving most of it to Triumph and Aegis.
"Dinah," Hannah said. "Of course you're not required to do it, but you're invited to join if you want."
Two hours later, Hannah blocked Shadow Stalker's punch, guiding her hand to the side while striking with an elbow to her temple fast enough the girl didn't have time to react, she didn't hit, of course, stopping less than a centimeter from her head, but the scare still caused the teenager to freeze, less than a second, but it was enough.
Hannah didn't stop, following up with the movement while grabbing Stalker's wrist, kicking the back of her legs and extending an arm, smashing her forearm against Stalker upper chest, the combination lifted the girl entirely off the ground, then sent her back smashing against the tatami with enough strength to drive the air out of her lungs.
"Uff," Clockblocker said from the sideline, having barely managed to push his exhausted body into a sitting position.
"What… haa… happened," Vista gasped, trying and failing to lift her head off the ground where she was lying belly up.
"Something beautiful," Dinah said, adjusting her meditative position so she was no longer sitting on her bruised backside while trying to recover.
"I think she's out." Aegis commented, being an adaptive brute, he wasn't even tired anymore, but the beating he had received was probably still humbling, at least by the way that Assault had to drag his dumbfounded body off the tatami when Hannah was done with him.
As Miss Militia, she preferred to use ranged weapons, but she had spent more than a decade training martial arts, coupled with her perfect recall, it meant she was fairly competent, not a match to a combat thinker, but wiping the floor with a few teenagers wasn't a problem.
Hannah knelt down by the girl's side, checking just to make sure she hadn't done any real damage, but Stalker was just too stunned to move. "Haaa… Did… huff… Did I win?"
"No," Hannah shook her head, then gave her an eye smile. "Want to try again?"
Stalker only groaned, head falling back against the tatami and her body slowly curling into a fetal position.
"I would have preferred if the fights had been to the death," Hal commented, floating closer to Dinah. "Or at least there had been blood, but I suppose I can only expect so much from meatbags, and utter humiliation is still acceptable."
"Do you… mind if I crush him," Vista asked Dinah, extending one shaky hand towards Hal.
Getting up, Hannah wiped the sweat from her forehead and stretched her back. None of the kids had lasted more than five minutes, but it had still been exhausting to face them all one after the other.
Staring at their collapsed bodies, she was reminded of a similar scene, the first Wards all laid out by Hero after Mouse Protector had convinced them all to go out in an unsanctioned patrol, and he had caught them in the middle of it.
She sighed, those had been better times, certainly more hopeful, at least.
Extending one hand, she pulled Shadow Stalker to her feet, then helped/half carried her to the sofa before allowing the girl to collapse again.
"Why… does she… huff… get the sofa," Clockblocker grumbled. "No fair."
"Next time, last more than a minute, and I'll carry you too."
"Next... time?" the boy asked with dread in his voice.
Crossing her legs, Hannah sat by Dinah's side. "How are you? I hope I didn't take it too far."
"...No," the girl answered in a grudging voice, relaxing her meditative position. "It was fine."
"Have you given any more thoughts about Panacea healing your hand? I know you didn't want to when you arrived, but you'd have done better with it."
Adjusting her position again, Dinah sighed. "I guess… if you guys let me talk with her."
Hannah narrowed her eyes at the girl. Her words were perfect, but having grown up with Mouse Protector and then spending years dealing with Wards, let her recognize when someone was trying to hide how smug they felt.
Still, the girl wasn't a villain, not really. "I'll have to talk with her, but I think I can do that."
"First, you were right, popcorn was a great idea," Assault said, nodding towards Stalker while setting his bucket aside and cleaning his salty fingers on a towel. "Second, I just want to remind you we've another meeting with Piggot this morning."
Cracking her neck, Hannah stretched her arms upward. "Do I have time for a shower?"
'Sure, it's in 45 minutes, just don't take too long."
"Aegis, can I trust you to take care of everyone?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, I'll make sure they're all fine."
"Thanks," she nodded, then offered Dinah a hand. "Come on, want me to help you into the shower?"
"I can walk," she pouted, but still accepted help getting up, her legs a little shaky from their spar.
The kid had been surprisingly good, almost matching Vista, but the latter had two years of serious training in the Wards while Dinah only had a few days with Anakin… She'd have to ask the girl's parents again if she had any previous training, just to make sure, but that's exactly what they needed, to learn that Anakin had a Trump rating too.
Turning on the warm water in the Ward's bathroom, Hannah stepped under the shower and just let it run for a full minute.
She was doing her best not to think about the Bay's new gang leader, about how things could have gone had their first meeting been different, had the PRT not been so incompetent as to have a villain in their own chain of command.
All the information they had about Anakin was confusing, they were sure he first appeared in the Bay at the hospital, his body hideously burned, but they weren't sure it was Lungs fault anymore.
The mercenaries he had killed shortly after were confirmed to be Coil, but there was no signs that Anakin had any connection with them, as far as anyone knew, Dinah's version of things was right, Anakin had simply seen the girl in danger and moved to help.
After that, every time he had been provoked into action, by Bakuda, Lung, the Empire… the Protectorate, his only real wish to protect the girl.
And yet, despite all his intentions, he had still killed hundreds, caused more than four hundred million dollars in damage, had personally killed Sere and Velocity, the latter being declared brain dead only a day ago.
That was something one just couldn't overlook, no matter the intentions.
Getting out of the shower, she made sure to call a team of PRT troopers to watch over Dinah and went to the meeting.
Piggot seemed… unwell; there were huge bags under her eyes and she was pale, having lost at least ten pounds since their first contact with Anakin, the lack of appetite only making her look worse.
Leaning against a wall, Hannah twirled a small throwing needle between her fingers, just about the least threatening thing she could make her power become, killing time as the rest of the remaining team arrived.
"Good, you're all here," Piggot sighed, finally putting a stack of papers aside and scratching at her tired eyes. "What's the situation with the Teeth, any signs of the Butcher?"
"No," Hannah shook her head. "She's still missing, although every other cape in the Teeth has been sighed in the Bay, most getting into short conflicts with what's left of the Empire, but Spree and Animos were seen on ABB territory."
That drew everyone's attention towards her, the room suddenly becoming heavier.
"Since nobody informed me, I assume he didn't...?"
"No Susanoo didn't get involved, Animos was hit with a laser weapon in the head and Spree was repelled by common ABB members, two of which are at the hospital."
"And they didn't change any of their operations?"
"No, they still seem to be sending equipment and resources out of the city, according to the police department, even a few of the more well-off members seem to have left the city with their families, the ABB seems to be either breaking up or expanding."
"Wonderful, I'll make sure to share the information with the closest cities later today."
"About the Empire," Dauntless hesitantly spoke up. "I've been contacted by Purity… she says she wants a way out."
"Well," Assault said. "Word was she was trying to leave the Empire behind for months, then Kaiser somehow talked her back, maybe it didn't work out?"
"Something I'm glad I won't have to deal with," Piggot sighed. "And on that note, they finally settled on my replacement. Director Dan Seneca will be arriving tomorrow evening, at which point I'll be 'allowed' to retire and he'll assume command immediately.
"Renick, I'll need you to stay up late today, you'll be in charge of getting Director Seneca up to date when I'm gone, and you'll remain deputy director for the moment, Armsmaster, I'm taking most of the blame, but you just won't be able to escape everything, they'll likely transfer you somewhere else once I'm gone."
"I understand, Director," Armsmaster nodded, without as much anger as in their last meeting, maybe Dragon had finally managed to talk some sense into him.
"Miss Militia, this means you're almost certainly assuming full command of the Protectorate from now on," Piggot continued.
"I'm sorry," Hannah said. "It's best if someone else assumes the position, I'll be resigning from the Protectorate as soon as this crisis is over."
Again, there was a pregnant silence in the room, but Piggot just released a long breath through her nose. "Of course you are…" Then she actually seemed to get a little happier. "Again, that's no longer my problem, for now you'll continue as temporary head until Director Seneca arrives, let him decide."
"Will the prisoner transfer still happen tomorrow?" Battery asked.
"Yes, Legend himself will be arriving early in the morning, then leaving with the prisoners in the evening. Considering everything, Renick will be overseeing the operation."
"Director," Renick said. "I've to note there's been a change, we'll not be able to move Tattletale, Someone hired Quinn Calle as her lawyer."
Assault snorted, pushing his chair back until it was balancing on only two legs, earning him a glare from his wife, but he just shook his head in amusement. "She's getting away free isn't she?"
"What?" Battery asked in an angry voice.
"Puppy, we quite literally have proof that Coil was threatening the girl's life weeks before she ever committed any crimes in that lovely bunker in the middle of downtown, he even tried to kill her when he fled."
"Yes," Renick nodded. "We could play hardball and probably managed to get something that stuck against her, but she's a Thinker and Calle is a shark, they have enough evidence to take us to court while forcing us to reveal far too much of the Coil case."
Piggot snorted. "Even if we did, the girl would just get probationary Ward status, and they won't want her enough to take any more PR hits right now."
Armsmaster seemed about to speak, but there was a hurried banging on the door, a PRT worker hurrying inside before Piggot even allowed them to enter.
"Sir, I apologize, but we've just been contacted by a lawyer connected to the ABB."
"Is Susanoo trying to contact us?" Hannah asked, pushing herself away from the wall.
"H-he sent…" the woman had to pause, swallowing hard with an air of dread around her. "He sent a message."
Hannah traded a glance with Armsmaster, years working together making them understand each other, her old friend expected the worst while, despite everything, she still hoped for the best.
"What message?"
"He said…" She started to say, but had to take a moment to calm herself again. "To warn us, Leviathan will probably attack this city sometime this week."
Hannah dropped her weapon, Assault lost his balance and fell off his chair, Dauntless crushed the plastic cup he had in hand and Piggot just… let her head fall, forehead banging against the table, then she did it again.
"Impossible," Armsmaster said, getting up and glaring at the woman. "Nobody can…"
"Of fucking course he can predict Endbringers," Piggot said, using such a crude curse for the first time since Hannah met her, then had a violent fit of coughing, her small swollen hand trying to grab a cup of water and needing Renick's help. "He already ignores every other rule we have about Parahumans, what's one more?"
"She kinda has a point," Assault sighed, getting a glare from Armsmaster. "What? She does!"
Pouring herself another glass of water, Piggot massaged her temples and ignored everyone, "Not my problem… not my problem," She mumbled, taking long, slow breaths.
"Anything else?" Hannah asked the woman still holding the door open, trying to take control of the situation.
"Y-Yes, the lawyer said Dinah Alcott may be able to verify his words," her eyes shifted to the side, a clear sign she was trying to remember the phone call. "Even if she can't predict Leviathan, her power should be able to predict the destruction after he's done."
At some point, Hannah's power had shifted into a larger form, one of those experimental rifles she had been shown by the military, the size making it awkward at her hip. Glancing down, she forced it back into the shape of a revolver.
"Thank you," Renick finally managed to say. "But until we verify the information, make sure not to spread it, we don't want to cause a panic."
"Yes, sir, of course," the woman nodded, then finally closed the door.
Only a few weeks ago, Hannah would have given a better than even chance everything that happened would be on PHO by the end of the hour, but the purge of moles in both PRT and Protectorate personnel had been very effective, so the information may not leak.
Almost unconsciously, she drew the revolver from her waist, starting to flick the cylinder in and out with a wrist motion. It was bad discipline and would stress a real weapon, but her power was much safer and couldn't be damaged, then she spoke. "We have to act on this."
"He could be mistaken," Dauntless said. "Or lying, I know he was extremely direct before, but there's nothing stopping him from starting now."
"It doesn't matter," Hannah shook her head. "We still have to act like it's real, Armsmaster, do you have a way to verify this?"
"I've been working on an Endbringer prediction system," he said after a second of hesitation. "It should give us a few hours of warning if the attack is real, particularly if I have it focused on Leviathan."
Looking around the room, Piggot finally seemed to regain control, taking one last deep breath. "I apologize, I've been having far too little sleep," she said between gritted teeth, the admission seeming to almost hurt her. "Militia is right, we can't ignore this information, Assault, can you talk with the girl, she seems to like you."
"Yes," Assault nodded, dismissing his playful acting.
"Do it, use all of her questions if you need, but make sure if she can predict the attack or not, Armsmaster, make the changes, I'll contact the Chief Director as soon as you're done. The rest of you, there's not much we can do at the moment without confirming things, you're dismissed, we'll probably have to meet again tonight."
Slowly, her companions started to walk out of the meeting room one by one, Armsmaster contacting Dragon as soon as the door was open again. Putting her revolver away, Hannah started to leave when Piggot stopped her.
"Militia, stay for a moment," The woman said with a tired voice, getting up from her chair with some effort.
"Yes, Director?' Hannah said when they were finally alone.
"As acting commander for the Protectorate, you'll need to get ready… I'll try to get reinforcements, but if the girl somehow confirms there will be an attack, we'll have to act."
"What do you mean?"
"The Butcher, we can't allow her to be in the city when Leviathan attacks… I've no idea who would inherit if she died during the attack, but even the thought of a teleporting Endbringer, one of the Triumvirate, Susanoo or, god forbids, Sion getting unlucky gives me nightmares."
Hannah swallowed… Yes, that would be a problem.
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She had made a full recovery; the damage she suffered when Anakin threw a building at her had been steadily healing thanks to her minor regeneration power, but Panacea finally had time to fully heal her, accelerating what would have taken weeks into only a couple of minutes…
Another benefit of being in the Protectorate.
She'd have refused it, giving her turn to someone who actually needed the healing, but with the Teeth in town and clashing with the remnants of the Empire, the protectorate needed everyone in fighting shape.
With a sigh, Hannah put her resignation letter back in her pocket and got up. She hadn't slept tonight, instead working on the letter, but that was no surprise; she only slept once every few months anyway.
Despite everything, she was still reluctant to leave, to end this part of her life, but she felt it was the right thing to do. She didn't need to work for the Protectorate to defend what she believed in, the values she was taught since coming into the country.
Out of habit, she touched the weapon at her side, her power changing the construct from a pistol into a combat knife, which she started throwing up and down in her hand.
Still, to hand her resignation letter now would be a betrayal, not to the Protectorate, no, but to the Wards, and to her other responsibilities, she'd wait until things normalized before doing it.
Tying the scarf around her mouth, she got up and put her power-generated weapon, now a revolver, on her waist. Her mandatory break was over; it was time to get back to work.
Half an hour later, she stood in front of the door to the Wards' temporary room in the Protectorate, the warning light still turned off as she waited for the kid to make her choice.
Not only the Wards, but most of the PRT administrative resources had been relocated into the Protectorate and away from easy access by villains. It wasn't a perfect solution, starting to mix Protectorate and PRT responsibilities, but for the moment, it was necessary.
"Do I have to?" Dinah asked with a tired voice, and slumped posture.
"No," Hannah shook her head, doing her best not to patronize the kid, despite her age, Dinah was incredibly bright. "But it will be another three days before we can release you to your parents, do you really want to spend those days alone?"
The girl seemed to actually consider her question, still incredibly mad at the role the wards had in her rescue, but she sighed. "No, there's a ninety percent chance I'd get bored… or hurt myself with training."
"Don't worry," Hannah assured the girl. "You already interacted with some of them alone a few times, this won't be any different."
"Look at the bright side," Assault said, patting the girl on the back. "You can poke fun at their botched rescue, teasing someone always helps with boredom."
She sighed, glaring at Assault and trying to convey a single message, don't make this worse!
With another annoyed huff, Dinah rolled her shoulders, looked up and put both arms behind her back, adjusting her posture.
Hannah recognized what she was doing, something that was simultaneously polite and unnervingly threatening on her… mentor? Kidnapper? Savior? She supposed all of those were accurate to describe Anakin.
On the girl, it just looked cute.
"That was not a 'rescue'," the girl said, giving the hero a disgusted look. "The only danger I was in came from their feeble efforts."
"That's perfect," Assault nodded, giving her a thumb up.
This was going to be a disaster, wasn't it? Sophia and the kid were either going to get along great or try to kill each other, and she didn't know which option she preferred. Hannah tapped a finger against the automatic pistol at her side and sighed, and then there was Missy...
"Indeed," the floating robot head said. "Excellent use of the word feeble, Mistress. Personally, I'd have used a more insulting adjective for the meatbags; however, I understand how difficult it is to remember one that is still sophisticated enough in the moment, I shall make allowances for your inferior wet hardware."
Hannah gave the floating head another glare, Hal, as the girl called it, after a movie about a murderous AI from before parahumans started appearing, a terrible influence, worse than Assault.
Despite every test they made, both Armsmaster and Dragon still hadn't been able to figure out if the robot was a true AI or just a very advanced program. The machine's inner code was completely alien to anything they were familiar with and only tangentially compatible with most technology.
It also seemed purposely built to be confusing; every interactive test they did turned out inconclusive results.
On one hand, Piggot wasn't about to just let the robot run around the base with his body, something comparable to a mid-level brute and mover, as well as a low-level combat thinker, and without any of the normal weaknesses of a flesh-and-blood human.
On the other hand, the deal with Anakin had been to keep the robot by the girl's side, and even the director wasn't willing to risk breaking it; in fact, she had been ordered not to break that deal, not without a member of the triumvirate in the city.
Thankfully, the robot's head had been initially built as a drone, and it could act that way again with minimal effort, trading the laser weapon it had contained for a non-lethal alternative built by Armsmaster, so that's what they had done.
Dinah gave the drone a glare, the same one Hannah recognized every time Battery looked at Assault, a look that yelled, Don't embarrass me, then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
With an imperious movement, the kid pressed the button on the door with her prosthetic hand, a warning sounding through the Wards room so they could put their masks back on, the light turning red until they were ready.
Behind her scarf, Hannah smiled, then the lights turned green and she put a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving her support as she walked inside, even as she made sure to change her mindset, starting to think of the kids by their cape names again.
Inside, most of the Wards present were looking at the door, their masks on, Clockblocker winced, immediately looking away from Dinah, the girl noticed and, for a second, was unable to hide a satisfied smirk before her face became blank again.
"Who's it?" Shadow Stalker asked, finally leaving her room with her full costume on. "Oh, you."
Hannah gave her a look. Ever since Anakin's warning had forced them to take a closer look at their own employees, the probationary ward was being kept in the headquarters, there were a few discrepancies in her case that needed to be investigated.
A few cases of bullying or fights at her school that hadn't been reported wouldn't exactly mean Shadow Stalker lost her probationary status, but if it was found she had been going out on unauthorized patrols…
Well, if she was honest, even if they found something more serious, they'll probably still keep the girl, better than putting her in a detention facility and guaranteeing she'd become a villain when she got out.
Hannah believed the systems were what made things so good here, but she knew they weren't perfect, and she had seen the numbers, the real numbers. Virtually no teen parahuman convicted ever became a hero.
So, yes, they'd keep Stalker, but her deal would change, and she'd probably be transferred out of the city.
Meanwhile, Shadow Stalker was still allowed some freedom, but the tracking device in her ankle and increased scrutiny made the girl constantly hostile —not that she had been a saint before— and the last thing they needed was for her to insult Dinah.
"Stalker," Aegis said in a warning tone, doing his job as team captain.
"What? I'm not gonna pick a fight," Shadow Stalker gave him an offended look. "Kid nearly shot Trickster's head off, she's alright in my books."
By his side, Vista snorted, crossing her arms and glaring at Stalker.
Aegis sighed. "If only you could extend that respect to the rest of the team…"
"Maybe when one of you losers earns it, I will."
Hannah noticed Vista's hand twitching and her eyes narrowing, the air around Shadow Stalker seeming to twist for a moment, less than a second, sending a spike of worry through her body, but she trusted the girl not to lose control.
Despite her age, Vista was the most professional of the Wards.
"Stalker, have you finished your physical training today?" Hannah said, interrupting their interaction… better safe than sorry after all.
At least Dinah seemed to be enjoying the show, the kid almost radiating an air of superiority at seeing the way the Wards were acting.
"Ah, not yet, didn't really have time to…" Stalker said.
"Then perhaps you'd like to spar with me later?" she said in a perfectly normal voice, but making her eyes glint with a dangerous light.
With her mouth hidden behind the scarf, it was surprisingly difficult to portray the right emotions using only her eyes, but after years of being a cape, Hannah thought she had grown fairly skilled at it, at least by the way Stalker swallowed hard and nodded.
"Alright, have we all got the insults out of the way?" Assault asked, tapping his foot against the ground in disapproval. "Then maybe you guys can finally greet the girl like decent people?"
Hannah would have given them a little longer to interact, trying to let the kid take the first move, but Assault's way worked too.
"I'm sorry," Aegis sighed, nodding towards Dinah. "I'm Aegis, the current Team Captain. I heard you're not joining us?"
"That's right," Dinah nodded, breaking character a little before she caught herself.
"Well, I want you to know we're still here if you need anything, and we'll always welcome you if you change your mind."
"Yep," Shadow Stalker said, grabbing a bottle of soda from the fridge. "We need more badasses around here."
Dinah looked at Stalker from the corner of her eyes, then huffed in dismissal, turning to stare at Missy and Hannah felt the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, the girl was actually smirking after noticing she was a little taller than Vista, her eyes running over the Ward's costume from top to bottom.
Vista adjusted her position, narrowing her eyes at Dinah. "What?"
"Hmph, I win," Dinah said, turning away from the girl and seeming to dismiss her entirely.
Hannah almost facepalmed, she just knew Dinah had been using her power to find the best way of pissing off Vista.
"What!" Vista growled.
"You are a Shaker 9," Dinah said, glancing back at the girl from the corner of her eye, particularly her childish costume. "I expected you to be more impressive, but what I see is… disappointing."
"Alright, enough," Hannah said, putting one hand on top of Dinah's head and tousling it, breaking her composure. "You don't need to follow Assault's suggestions, in fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't."
"I would suggest settling it with a battle," Hal said, floating around Dinah. "I heard it is a surprisingly effective way of both settling disputes and starting friendships for meatbags."
"Quiet," Dinah glared at the robot. "You just want to watch me beat her."
"That does not make my statement false."
"Please, as if you could beat me," Vista huffed.
"Vista, don..." Aegis sighed.
Clockblocker held him back, shaking his head and whispering. "Dude, are you crazy, you never get between two girls like that, even young ones."
"Shit, do we have popcorn?" Shadow Stalker said.
"You know," Assault said. "The rust bucket may have a point."
"You two are not gonna be fighting," Hannah said with a tone of finality, sending Assault a murderous glare when he tried to speak again. "However, since you all seem so eager, you're going to be sparring with me, without powers, it's about time I saw where the Wards stood."
"Crap," Clockblocker cursed, swallowing hard. "I knew I should have kept quiet."
"Ah… shouldn't we do it when Gallant and Browbeat are present?" Aegis said.
"Don't worry, I'll spar with them later too," Hannah shook her head and smiled at them with her eyes, satisfied with the way everyone was reacting.
She wasn't even making an excuse; she really needed to get their measure. It had been nearly two months since she had last overseen their training. leaving most of it to Triumph and Aegis.
"Dinah," Hannah said. "Of course you're not required to do it, but you're invited to join if you want."
Two hours later, Hannah blocked Shadow Stalker's punch, guiding her hand to the side while striking with an elbow to her temple fast enough the girl didn't have time to react, she didn't hit, of course, stopping less than a centimeter from her head, but the scare still caused the teenager to freeze, less than a second, but it was enough.
Hannah didn't stop, following up with the movement while grabbing Stalker's wrist, kicking the back of her legs and extending an arm, smashing her forearm against Stalker upper chest, the combination lifted the girl entirely off the ground, then sent her back smashing against the tatami with enough strength to drive the air out of her lungs.
"Uff," Clockblocker said from the sideline, having barely managed to push his exhausted body into a sitting position.
"What… haa… happened," Vista gasped, trying and failing to lift her head off the ground where she was lying belly up.
"Something beautiful," Dinah said, adjusting her meditative position so she was no longer sitting on her bruised backside while trying to recover.
"I think she's out." Aegis commented, being an adaptive brute, he wasn't even tired anymore, but the beating he had received was probably still humbling, at least by the way that Assault had to drag his dumbfounded body off the tatami when Hannah was done with him.
As Miss Militia, she preferred to use ranged weapons, but she had spent more than a decade training martial arts, coupled with her perfect recall, it meant she was fairly competent, not a match to a combat thinker, but wiping the floor with a few teenagers wasn't a problem.
Hannah knelt down by the girl's side, checking just to make sure she hadn't done any real damage, but Stalker was just too stunned to move. "Haaa… Did… huff… Did I win?"
"No," Hannah shook her head, then gave her an eye smile. "Want to try again?"
Stalker only groaned, head falling back against the tatami and her body slowly curling into a fetal position.
"I would have preferred if the fights had been to the death," Hal commented, floating closer to Dinah. "Or at least there had been blood, but I suppose I can only expect so much from meatbags, and utter humiliation is still acceptable."
"Do you… mind if I crush him," Vista asked Dinah, extending one shaky hand towards Hal.
Getting up, Hannah wiped the sweat from her forehead and stretched her back. None of the kids had lasted more than five minutes, but it had still been exhausting to face them all one after the other.
Staring at their collapsed bodies, she was reminded of a similar scene, the first Wards all laid out by Hero after Mouse Protector had convinced them all to go out in an unsanctioned patrol, and he had caught them in the middle of it.
She sighed, those had been better times, certainly more hopeful, at least.
Extending one hand, she pulled Shadow Stalker to her feet, then helped/half carried her to the sofa before allowing the girl to collapse again.
"Why… does she… huff… get the sofa," Clockblocker grumbled. "No fair."
"Next time, last more than a minute, and I'll carry you too."
"Next... time?" the boy asked with dread in his voice.
Crossing her legs, Hannah sat by Dinah's side. "How are you? I hope I didn't take it too far."
"...No," the girl answered in a grudging voice, relaxing her meditative position. "It was fine."
"Have you given any more thoughts about Panacea healing your hand? I know you didn't want to when you arrived, but you'd have done better with it."
Adjusting her position again, Dinah sighed. "I guess… if you guys let me talk with her."
Hannah narrowed her eyes at the girl. Her words were perfect, but having grown up with Mouse Protector and then spending years dealing with Wards, let her recognize when someone was trying to hide how smug they felt.
Still, the girl wasn't a villain, not really. "I'll have to talk with her, but I think I can do that."
"First, you were right, popcorn was a great idea," Assault said, nodding towards Stalker while setting his bucket aside and cleaning his salty fingers on a towel. "Second, I just want to remind you we've another meeting with Piggot this morning."
Cracking her neck, Hannah stretched her arms upward. "Do I have time for a shower?"
'Sure, it's in 45 minutes, just don't take too long."
"Aegis, can I trust you to take care of everyone?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, I'll make sure they're all fine."
"Thanks," she nodded, then offered Dinah a hand. "Come on, want me to help you into the shower?"
"I can walk," she pouted, but still accepted help getting up, her legs a little shaky from their spar.
The kid had been surprisingly good, almost matching Vista, but the latter had two years of serious training in the Wards while Dinah only had a few days with Anakin… She'd have to ask the girl's parents again if she had any previous training, just to make sure, but that's exactly what they needed, to learn that Anakin had a Trump rating too.
Turning on the warm water in the Ward's bathroom, Hannah stepped under the shower and just let it run for a full minute.
She was doing her best not to think about the Bay's new gang leader, about how things could have gone had their first meeting been different, had the PRT not been so incompetent as to have a villain in their own chain of command.
All the information they had about Anakin was confusing, they were sure he first appeared in the Bay at the hospital, his body hideously burned, but they weren't sure it was Lungs fault anymore.
The mercenaries he had killed shortly after were confirmed to be Coil, but there was no signs that Anakin had any connection with them, as far as anyone knew, Dinah's version of things was right, Anakin had simply seen the girl in danger and moved to help.
After that, every time he had been provoked into action, by Bakuda, Lung, the Empire… the Protectorate, his only real wish to protect the girl.
And yet, despite all his intentions, he had still killed hundreds, caused more than four hundred million dollars in damage, had personally killed Sere and Velocity, the latter being declared brain dead only a day ago.
That was something one just couldn't overlook, no matter the intentions.
Getting out of the shower, she made sure to call a team of PRT troopers to watch over Dinah and went to the meeting.
Piggot seemed… unwell; there were huge bags under her eyes and she was pale, having lost at least ten pounds since their first contact with Anakin, the lack of appetite only making her look worse.
Leaning against a wall, Hannah twirled a small throwing needle between her fingers, just about the least threatening thing she could make her power become, killing time as the rest of the remaining team arrived.
"Good, you're all here," Piggot sighed, finally putting a stack of papers aside and scratching at her tired eyes. "What's the situation with the Teeth, any signs of the Butcher?"
"No," Hannah shook her head. "She's still missing, although every other cape in the Teeth has been sighed in the Bay, most getting into short conflicts with what's left of the Empire, but Spree and Animos were seen on ABB territory."
That drew everyone's attention towards her, the room suddenly becoming heavier.
"Since nobody informed me, I assume he didn't...?"
"No Susanoo didn't get involved, Animos was hit with a laser weapon in the head and Spree was repelled by common ABB members, two of which are at the hospital."
"And they didn't change any of their operations?"
"No, they still seem to be sending equipment and resources out of the city, according to the police department, even a few of the more well-off members seem to have left the city with their families, the ABB seems to be either breaking up or expanding."
"Wonderful, I'll make sure to share the information with the closest cities later today."
"About the Empire," Dauntless hesitantly spoke up. "I've been contacted by Purity… she says she wants a way out."
"Well," Assault said. "Word was she was trying to leave the Empire behind for months, then Kaiser somehow talked her back, maybe it didn't work out?"
"Something I'm glad I won't have to deal with," Piggot sighed. "And on that note, they finally settled on my replacement. Director Dan Seneca will be arriving tomorrow evening, at which point I'll be 'allowed' to retire and he'll assume command immediately.
"Renick, I'll need you to stay up late today, you'll be in charge of getting Director Seneca up to date when I'm gone, and you'll remain deputy director for the moment, Armsmaster, I'm taking most of the blame, but you just won't be able to escape everything, they'll likely transfer you somewhere else once I'm gone."
"I understand, Director," Armsmaster nodded, without as much anger as in their last meeting, maybe Dragon had finally managed to talk some sense into him.
"Miss Militia, this means you're almost certainly assuming full command of the Protectorate from now on," Piggot continued.
"I'm sorry," Hannah said. "It's best if someone else assumes the position, I'll be resigning from the Protectorate as soon as this crisis is over."
Again, there was a pregnant silence in the room, but Piggot just released a long breath through her nose. "Of course you are…" Then she actually seemed to get a little happier. "Again, that's no longer my problem, for now you'll continue as temporary head until Director Seneca arrives, let him decide."
"Will the prisoner transfer still happen tomorrow?" Battery asked.
"Yes, Legend himself will be arriving early in the morning, then leaving with the prisoners in the evening. Considering everything, Renick will be overseeing the operation."
"Director," Renick said. "I've to note there's been a change, we'll not be able to move Tattletale, Someone hired Quinn Calle as her lawyer."
Assault snorted, pushing his chair back until it was balancing on only two legs, earning him a glare from his wife, but he just shook his head in amusement. "She's getting away free isn't she?"
"What?" Battery asked in an angry voice.
"Puppy, we quite literally have proof that Coil was threatening the girl's life weeks before she ever committed any crimes in that lovely bunker in the middle of downtown, he even tried to kill her when he fled."
"Yes," Renick nodded. "We could play hardball and probably managed to get something that stuck against her, but she's a Thinker and Calle is a shark, they have enough evidence to take us to court while forcing us to reveal far too much of the Coil case."
Piggot snorted. "Even if we did, the girl would just get probationary Ward status, and they won't want her enough to take any more PR hits right now."
Armsmaster seemed about to speak, but there was a hurried banging on the door, a PRT worker hurrying inside before Piggot even allowed them to enter.
"Sir, I apologize, but we've just been contacted by a lawyer connected to the ABB."
"Is Susanoo trying to contact us?" Hannah asked, pushing herself away from the wall.
"H-he sent…" the woman had to pause, swallowing hard with an air of dread around her. "He sent a message."
Hannah traded a glance with Armsmaster, years working together making them understand each other, her old friend expected the worst while, despite everything, she still hoped for the best.
"What message?"
"He said…" She started to say, but had to take a moment to calm herself again. "To warn us, Leviathan will probably attack this city sometime this week."
Hannah dropped her weapon, Assault lost his balance and fell off his chair, Dauntless crushed the plastic cup he had in hand and Piggot just… let her head fall, forehead banging against the table, then she did it again.
"Impossible," Armsmaster said, getting up and glaring at the woman. "Nobody can…"
"Of fucking course he can predict Endbringers," Piggot said, using such a crude curse for the first time since Hannah met her, then had a violent fit of coughing, her small swollen hand trying to grab a cup of water and needing Renick's help. "He already ignores every other rule we have about Parahumans, what's one more?"
"She kinda has a point," Assault sighed, getting a glare from Armsmaster. "What? She does!"
Pouring herself another glass of water, Piggot massaged her temples and ignored everyone, "Not my problem… not my problem," She mumbled, taking long, slow breaths.
"Anything else?" Hannah asked the woman still holding the door open, trying to take control of the situation.
"Y-Yes, the lawyer said Dinah Alcott may be able to verify his words," her eyes shifted to the side, a clear sign she was trying to remember the phone call. "Even if she can't predict Leviathan, her power should be able to predict the destruction after he's done."
At some point, Hannah's power had shifted into a larger form, one of those experimental rifles she had been shown by the military, the size making it awkward at her hip. Glancing down, she forced it back into the shape of a revolver.
"Thank you," Renick finally managed to say. "But until we verify the information, make sure not to spread it, we don't want to cause a panic."
"Yes, sir, of course," the woman nodded, then finally closed the door.
Only a few weeks ago, Hannah would have given a better than even chance everything that happened would be on PHO by the end of the hour, but the purge of moles in both PRT and Protectorate personnel had been very effective, so the information may not leak.
Almost unconsciously, she drew the revolver from her waist, starting to flick the cylinder in and out with a wrist motion. It was bad discipline and would stress a real weapon, but her power was much safer and couldn't be damaged, then she spoke. "We have to act on this."
"He could be mistaken," Dauntless said. "Or lying, I know he was extremely direct before, but there's nothing stopping him from starting now."
"It doesn't matter," Hannah shook her head. "We still have to act like it's real, Armsmaster, do you have a way to verify this?"
"I've been working on an Endbringer prediction system," he said after a second of hesitation. "It should give us a few hours of warning if the attack is real, particularly if I have it focused on Leviathan."
Looking around the room, Piggot finally seemed to regain control, taking one last deep breath. "I apologize, I've been having far too little sleep," she said between gritted teeth, the admission seeming to almost hurt her. "Militia is right, we can't ignore this information, Assault, can you talk with the girl, she seems to like you."
"Yes," Assault nodded, dismissing his playful acting.
"Do it, use all of her questions if you need, but make sure if she can predict the attack or not, Armsmaster, make the changes, I'll contact the Chief Director as soon as you're done. The rest of you, there's not much we can do at the moment without confirming things, you're dismissed, we'll probably have to meet again tonight."
Slowly, her companions started to walk out of the meeting room one by one, Armsmaster contacting Dragon as soon as the door was open again. Putting her revolver away, Hannah started to leave when Piggot stopped her.
"Militia, stay for a moment," The woman said with a tired voice, getting up from her chair with some effort.
"Yes, Director?' Hannah said when they were finally alone.
"As acting commander for the Protectorate, you'll need to get ready… I'll try to get reinforcements, but if the girl somehow confirms there will be an attack, we'll have to act."
"What do you mean?"
"The Butcher, we can't allow her to be in the city when Leviathan attacks… I've no idea who would inherit if she died during the attack, but even the thought of a teleporting Endbringer, one of the Triumvirate, Susanoo or, god forbids, Sion getting unlucky gives me nightmares."
Hannah swallowed… Yes, that would be a problem.
_________________________$$$_____________________________
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TFTwink
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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This might unironically be better than golden morning lol
Unclouded
Unthawed Freeloader
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sighed -> sighted
minor typo
Sion -> Scion
minor typo
Thank you for the chapter.
Have a Little Feith
Cute Haru is cute.
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Shame it's not possible, since he's not actually a Parahuman, eh?
Enthessi
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Same with Anakin and Leviathan for that matter lol.
Silveraith
Argent Phantasm
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gaouw
Banishumento, Zis Warudo!!!
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IIRC, if the Butcher died without a Parahuman in range, it could just latches into the nearest Muggles.
Razorfloss
Versed in the lewd.
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Scion could still be affected. Its why that shard is so damn dangerous
Have a Little Feith
Cute Haru is cute.
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Did the entities really forget to make sure they can't be taken over by one of their own body parts? Broadcast isn't the rule for that, since the name says what it's supposed to do, and that wasn't taking over Zion. (That name made me think of The Matrix, and the new movie. It isn't bad, like some people say it is. That is, if you don't go over-analyzing it. The weird shit tired brains make connections to, eh?)
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
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Calling it now Anakin's gonna run into the Butcher. And do the equivalent of tearing out the Ghosts when they try to take him over.
Vallander
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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IIRC the butcher's shard is the main driver for storing the hosts engram (and like Aisha's the main shard was shattered and functionallity shared) but the body hopping is actually a glitch like Ash Beast
ProtoSovereign
Know what you're doing yet?
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Anakin would probably crushed the butcher shard... maybe.