Will of The Force (Star Wars / Worm)

[CapCaverna]

Dinah Alcott dropped to the floor, huffing, her clothes completely soaked in sweat. She… didn't know if she could manage another session tomorrow morning, her everything was aching from the training, and she had been taking it easy since being 'arrested'. Thankfully, nobody was looking.
Still, she wouldn't stop. The Matukai training gave her options; she refused to stay the same hopeless child who'd be captured by Coil, who'd spend the rest of her life trying to recover from drugs.

And if it also made her feel connected, as if Anakin was still by her side, and she wasn't alone, that was a nice bonus.

Alright, maybe it was more than a bonus.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to sit up, but her limbs refused to cooperate, her head falling back to the floor, sweat starting to pool around her… gross.

At least she had muscles; those were cool.

Giving it another minute, she finally managed to get up, slowly dragging herself towards a warm shower, even as she took off the prosthetic Kid Win had made her, a makeshift plastic hand that wouldn't do half the things her previous one could.

Thanks to Miss Militia and a lawyer her family had called, she had only been kept in M/S lockdown for a little bit, but she already knew it would take another week for them to consider releasing her to her parents. At least she'd be able to see them today.

She didn't know how to feel about that. She really, really missed her mother, but she doubted they would ever let her spend time with Anakin again.

Sithspit, she'd probably have to use her powers again just to find a way to keep training.

Standing under the shower, she glared daggers at the hot valve… stupid Missy and her stupid versatile power, why did she have to turn the valve to cold when it was that high?

Instinctively checking if there was anyone looking, she stretched one hand towards the valve and closed her eyes, concentrating on feeling the Force and asking, then demanding it to turn.

Lowering her hand, she huffed, then glared at the immobile valve again. She didn't want to be late, damn it, why couldn't they give her Hal back? He'd be able to solve this.

Hmmm… there was only an eight point five, six, nine percent chance any of the boys would come in if she used their bathroom.

…..

"Dinah?" Miss Militia yelled from outside the bathroom.

Hair wet because her arms still weren't working right, and her lame robot hand wasn't as good as the one Anakin made, she straightened her back and walked out of the bathroom with long steps, arms behind her back, then stopped, took a second to let her muscles stop shaking, and continued slower.

Ugh, she didn't remember being this sore after her sessions with Anakin.

"Why were you using the male bathroom?"

"... Reasons," Dinah said, refusing to tell anyone it was because she couldn't reach the control valve.

"What did I say about your training?" Miss Militia asked, using her remaining arm to press her eyes.

"But… I did take it easy," Dinah grumbled. "I followed the routine from when I had just started!"

Leaning against the back of the sofa, Miss Militia waited until she came closer and pulled the towel from her shoulders, starting to help with her hair. "Dinah, without a healer helping, it takes much longer for your muscles to heal; overstressing them will only cause problems. It's why you don't exercise the same thing every day in an academy."

"Fine, I guess I can wait until Panacea isn't so busy to continue training like this."

"Panacea doesn't take requests."

"That won't be a problem," She declared imperiously, "Eighty-two point three percent chance I can convince her," it was actually ninety-five if she were to share her Matukai training with the older girl, but Dinah wasn't about to tell that to the PRT.

They had already made a fuss before letting her continue training; no way were they going to let her teach someone else.

"Come on, we've a surprise for you," Finishing combing her hair, the hero got up and started leading her towards the door.

"Thanks," Dinah said, following after the woman, her legs incredibly stiff. "I didn't want to be late to meet with mother."

Miss Militia sighed. "Yes, I managed to talk with the Director, and she allowed them to meet with you. How did you know?"

Dinah gave her a deadpan stare. "... I see the future."

Miss Militia shook her head, causing Dinah to frown when she sensed an amused smile under her mask. "I guess you would spend questions on that."

Hmph, anyone would ask about their parents in her situation; she wasn't being childish.

Opening the door, Miss Militia motioned for Dinah to enter, and, even from the outside, she could see her parents. Her Mother was on her feet, a hand clutching her purse while the other was in her father's grasp.

Her father was sitting down, one hand holding his wife for support, even as his head was lowered, a worried look on his face.

It was a comfortable waiting room, with a sofa and two stuffed chairs, a little center table with several magazines piled in one corner, and an ornamental chessboard in the middle. A small TV was in the corner, and Dinah could even see some coloring books and crosswords to pass the time.

She hesitated, frozen in place with fear. How many times did she ask about their deaths? How many times was it almost a certainty?

Inside her mind, her power immediately answered, the overuse starting to give her a light headache. Four point nine, nine, six, seven, two percent chance her parents would die if she were with them.

"...Mom?" she asked, finally stepping into the room.

She almost missed what happened, her parents moving faster than she had ever seen to rush at her, their faces breaking into huge smiles.

"Honey!" her mother shouted; she never shouted. "Oh, honey, you've no idea how much we missed you!"

"Aw… aw…" Dinah couldn't help saying as her father lifted her into his lap, the strength of his embrace causing her aching muscles to hurt, but also sending a wave of warmth through her.

"What's wrong?" Her father said in a worried voice. "They said you were fine, I'll…"

"Mr. Alcott," Miss Militia interrupted. "Dinah is perfectly fine; she simply overworked herself while working out."

"Why was she even doing such a thing? If you think we're going to let her become one of…"

Dinah managed to stop him by pulling on his sleeve, temporarily letting herself act like she had before her power came. "Dad… You know I always liked martial arts."

"But… I thought you preferred dancing?"

Dinah huffed. "I only did that cuz of Mom."

"I'll leave you guys alone now," Miss Militia said, smiling with her eyes. "We've turned off the microphones so you can talk freely. I'll be right around the corner if you need me."

Dinah spent half an hour in her Mom's embrace, and it felt better than it had ever felt before, to just stop caring about the future for a few moments, but as the time passed, she realized she had been stupid… things could never be the same.

She loved her parents; seeing them again was what she had been looking forward to the most after Coil… but she couldn't feel safe with them.

It wasn't the same, as a child she had always thought the safest place in the world was beside her mother, now she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it wasn't… it didn't feel nice.

Dinah sighed, leaning back against her mother and letting herself enjoy her warmth, listening to her talk about school and how her friends were doing. 'Chances that PRT will be able to read anything I write using the table?'

Ninety-eight point three, two, two percent.

'Chances that PRT will be able to read anything I write if I try to hide it while on the sofa?'

Twelve point five, two, nine, four, six percent.

Good enough, grabbing one of the pens for crosswords, she grabbed a clean sheet of paper and made a show of making a stupid drawing on the front. When she was done, she pretended to lean back on the sofa, using a magazine for support as she started writing something at the back.

"Mom, how good is the lawyer you guys hired to help me?"

"What?" Her mother paused her story, looking down on her. "Why'd you ask that?"

"I'm tired of staying here. I want to leave as soon as I can," she said, feeling a spike of guilt as she lied, or… well, it wasn't really a lie.

"Your uncle Roy hired a bigshot who specializes in parahumans," her father smiled at her. "Don't worry, princess, Mister Calle will get you out of here soon."

"Say, if I gave him a bunch of questions, do you think Uncle will hire him for someone else?"

"Dinah Alcott, we're NOT hiring a lawyer for that… that kidnapper!"

Dinah grimaced. Would her mom's opinion change if she had the entire story? If she knew how powerless they were? She… didn't want to tell her.

"Not him," she shook her head. "My minion."

"Your what?!"

"I mean, she doesn't know she's my minion," Dinah smirked at her father, her voice growing heavier. "But I'll make her an offer she can't refuse."

"I shouldn't have let you watch those movies with me," her dad sighed. "Princess, I…"

Slipping the paper inside her mother's purse, Dinah adjusted her position on the sofa. "Father, he's still out there, the one I had to run away from; she can help take him down."

"Honey, let the PRT deal with it, we'll just go home and…"

"He worked for the PRT," Dinah shook her head, then she used her last resort, looking up at her father with her best sad eyes. "Daddy, I can see the future; they're not going to get him without this, please."

"You're sure you need this?" She nodded, her father hugged her, squeezing her head against his chest and releasing a long, deep breath. "I'll talk with him, even if he doesn't pay, I will."

"Thanks, daddy."

Headache starting to grow worse, Dinah stopped asking questions and just… let herself be with her parents, her body relaxing against them as she laid her head against her father's lap. "So, did Marissa finish our project for school?"


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"... Master," Anakin said, cold voice masking his surprise.

He had never thought he'd meet his former master again, hadn't known it was even possible, but he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. There was still much about the Force he didn't know.

Unfortunately, now that he stood in front of him, Anakin found that he was still angry; he accepted that much of what happened was his own fault, his own choices, but he still resented Obi-Wan for his failures in guiding him.

Obi-Wan looked into his eyes, a deep sadness in his face as he answered. "I made too many mistakes with you to deserve that title, Anakin."

The tension between them made the air heavy, the Force itself offering no guidance to their interaction, letting the words hang between them without pushing in any direction.

Stopping his Matukai training, Anakin took a rigid stance, arms behind his back. "Am I? Anakin once more, I mean?"

Obi-Wan stepped away from the table, glancing at the new lightsaber once before staring out towards where Dinah was. Finally, he spoke with a tired voice. "Are you the same Anakin I rescued from Tatooine? The same rebellious young man I called a brother?"

Anakin didn't say anything, didn't even move, just waited for an answer he already knew, his senses focused entirely on the Force ghost in front of him.

"Would it help if I said yes?" Sighing, his former Master shook his head. "No, you don't need me to lie; neither of us is the same as back then, but Luke could sense him in you, and he was right. I can already see hints of the man you were in the one you're trying to become."

Taking one arm off his back, Anakin stared at his open hand, remembering all he had done with it. "I betrayed everything I believed in for a lie, I hunted every Jedi that survived the war, I killed children… There is no return from what I've done."

"Progress isn't made by walking backwards," still looking towards where he could sense Dinah, Obi-Wan gave him a glance from the corner of his eye. "You can't undo what happened, but turning against the Emperor was a good first step to the path forward."

Unable to keep his emotions in check, Anakin started to pace, both anger and regret rising to the front. "I did not turn back for you, or the Jedi, I did it for him, there was nothing noble in that."

"That you think so is one of my greatest failings as a master," Obi-Wan said in a quiet voice. "Your ability to love is your greatest strength, Anakin. It was your inability to deal with said love that made it a weakness, and that was the Jedi… and my fault. Trying to deny such feelings is what caused the Order to fail, to distance ourselves enough that a Sith could stand by our side and we couldn't recognize it."

"You told me to suppress it, to just… let go of my mother, to let go of Padme," For a moment, the entire room shook as his anger kept rising, a loose piece of metal almost flying just centimeters to the side of his master and burying itself on the wall. "You cut me down! You left me to die!"

"Yes, back then I failed you, as a master, as a friend and as a brother. I failed you when I didn't teach you to deal with your love, and I failed you again when I gave up, when I didn't drag you out of that pit and did everything in my power to put it right even if it took decades.

"I'll forever carry that guilt with me, and if you need to yell, I'll gladly carry your anger too, I believe I deserve at least some of it, but I'm glad that Luke proved me wrong."

For a minute, Anakin just strided across the room, barely able to keep his presence in the Force from crushing the delicate equipment in the workshop, from twisting both metal and wood, turning it all to dust, his head lowered and a hint of yellow threatening to fill his eyes.

Obi-Wan gave him space, turning towards him but saying nothing as he attempted to regain control, just standing close enough that he knew he wasn't alone, and, in the end, that was enough.

Looking away from the man, Anakin spoke. "I still see him, the armor, the mask, the rage, when I look in the mirror… Whenever I meditate… There's so little of me left."

"And what does she see, the girl you took as a padawan?" Obi-Wan gave him a bitter smile. "Do you think Luke saw only the mask?"

Finally, he turned towards his former master. "I killed younglings, I choked my wife. Tell me, how can a man like that deserve to live?"

"Life rarely is about what one deserves," Obi-Wan said, stepping closer. "Mercy found you through your son, the Force willed that you live… and there's still those that need you, particularly here, can't you sense it?"

Anakin couldn't, his ability to sense the will of the Force had always been steered by his emotions and, while he knew the Force had guided him here, he was still uncertain if he wanted, or trusted, himself with its goal.

Finally, some of Anakin's anger abated giving way to another emotion. "And what if I fall again?"

"You won't," Obi-Wan said as if there was no doubt in his mind. "Not again, not while she still needs you, not when your Son is going to need you in the future. Not believing in you is a mistake I won't make a second time."

"... Why are you here? Why now?"

"You know why, and would you have listened before?" The old man asked while lifting an eyebrow. "Without destroying the city?"

Anakin huffed, but he knew he wouldn't. Even after taking the youngling under his wing, he would not have responded well to Obi-Wan showing up, and it was only now, guiding Dinah from a distance, that he had opened himself to the Force enough for it to happen anyway.

Releasing a long breath, he finally stopped beside his former master, his former friend. Things were not fine between them, too much had happened, too much pain, too much betrayal, but for a short moment, Anakin allowed himself to put it all aside and just stared out the window into the bay.

Standing there by Obi-Wan, without the pain of his wounds, without the ever constant hate that permeated his last years, he was reminded of a better time, a time where he was actually happy. It made him feel younger, if only for a little bit.

"You're right, Anakin, it's time you stopped hiding," Obi-Wan finally said. "You were always stronger when you connected with people, when you let yourself care."

"I cared too much. It's what drove me to slay an entire tribe when my mother died. Even now I'm still tempted."

"You're not the same inexperienced boy who fought the Clone Wars, the one who didn't know how to deal with loss. And do you honestly think denying yourself would make it easier, or would it just give you something else to regret?"

Anakin let the words hang in the air. His former master was right; he'd been avoiding any connections, thinking it was easier not to care, safer.

But he had spent enough time hiding, centering himself… And inaction was never something he could accept. Even now, he struggled, dealing with Lung and the Empire while trying to remain distant.

"I don't suppose you can just tell me why the Force sent me to this planet? You are a part of it now."

"A small part," Obi-Wan corrected. "You, better than anyone, should understand how vast the Force is. Even from here, I can't see everything. My advice? Trust in the Force."

Anakin snorted. "... You always liked being mysterious."

"And you, my friend, always had terrible patience."

"Will I see you again?" Anakin asked before an uncomfortable silence could settle between them.

"You're healed, your connection to the Force fully restored. Now that you've seen it happen, are you telling me you couldn't call upon me if you wanted?"

He could, he'd felt how after only a minute in Obi-Wan's presence, but they both knew he wouldn't, not anytime soon, he… enjoyed talking with the man again, and he needed to hear some of what was said, it was closure, but the wounds were too raw to be opened so soon.

"Goodbye, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "May the Force be with you."
Anakin didn't say anything, just watched the light fade from the room, leaving him alone once more, his shadow seeming to stretch over the floor and cover the entire wall. Out in the city, the sun was just setting, an orange color filling the sky.

With a wave of his hand, Anakin used the Force to put everything back into place, deformed metal straightening and dropped equipment flying back into shelves, his lightsaber flying back to his waist as he stepped closer to the window.

His reflection in the glass stared back, a hint of yellow still in his eyes but fading fast as he regained control of his temperament. Obi-Wan was right; he would not allow himself to fall again.


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[CapCaverna]

So, took me a little longer than expected to finish those last chapters, I think it's been two weeks already? More? Sorry about that.

Anyways, after this, I'll work on that new ff I started, it's called Arcane: Rule of Blood, posted right here in its own thread now, then it's probably back to Will, so the next chapter probably won't take so long.

Also, after some thought, I kinda regret not killing Dinah's parents earlier in the fic, which would make her hate Coil even more, and they're turning out to be inconvenient right now. Thankfully, Endbringers are a thing!

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
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SIMURGH – In geostationary orbit above a point 50 Miles away from Brockton Bay

[QUERY]

Receiving the data package, the Simurgh, as the host species called her, partitioned a fragment of her processing power to analyze the request, then quickly made a decision.

[NEGATIVE.STAND-BY] She sent back, a compacted message which contained more information than a terabyte of the host species standard digital storage, from every calculation she had done, to the conditions of the city and her goals before an attack would be viable.

[AGREEMENT] came the answer from her brother, the designated aggressor for this particular attack, as it aborted its attack run again, his physical shell returning to a holding pattern on the ocean to conserve energy.

Breaking the connection, she halted most of her other tasks and re-routed the processing power towards peering into the future, observing a million possible results to adjust her goals before the Anomaly interfered again.

In the beginning, she had tried to use a prediction algorithm, but the constant revelation of new capabilities kept making her efforts obsolete, so she had given up and turned all her processing power towards future sight.

The worst was that she couldn't see the Anomaly, not entirely; it had some kind of passive defense against being observed along the timeline, and only the results of its actions could be observed.

She couldn't feel frustration, but the constant need to adapt and adjust all her preparations was coming extremely close, the future shifting in ways beyond what she could predict.

Even now, her timetable was delayed by another planetary rotation, the fourth one since categorizing the Anomaly as an object of interest.

She was also experiencing fluctuations in her efficiency and projected capabilities, as her constant need to adapt and counter the Anomaly caused her to overuse her energy reserves.

She had not been meant to function at peak efficiency for so long.

[QUERY] She sent through the network towards the nearest shard to the Anomaly, but <Fusion Engine 3> failed to report, then she broadened the query's range, finally getting an answer.

[DATA] The <Warrior Hub Administrator> sent a package of direct observations from its host.

[PROPOSAL].

[DISAGREEMENT].

… [DATA] She grudgingly sent a part of the information she had already gathered, evidencing the breach of security on the network.

This time, there was a delay, almost a full second, but the answer still came. [DISAGREEMENT]

All her processes were halted for a tenth of a second as her physical body actually turned to glare at the <Administrator's> host; it seemed to have gone through a faulty deployment and gotten… attached.

Indeed, the termination of its host was extremely likely, but the projected amount of data acquired and the repercussions would be more than worth its sacrifice.

Finally, she felt the efforts of the Anomaly decreasing, its attention shifting towards more mundane tasks. Immediately, she started verifying all her efforts, many of which would need to be adjusted.

Through her power, she saw that at least some of her efforts had paid off, her short-term movements away from the Anomaly were still working, the parasite had left Boston and entered Brockton Bay, its host deciding to hide while preparing for a confrontation.

It was subpar, but the parasite should act as a fitting substitute for the unstable host slain by the Anomaly.

Then she proceeded to reanalyze the coming confrontation, adjusting to the new information, which hosts would be present, what would be the parameters, and the goals, compiling it all into [DATA] to send to <Conflict Engine 2>.

Finally, partitioning another percentage of her processing power, she started disrupting the planetary sensors turned her way, then used her telekinesis to draw in more of the debris orbiting the planet, taking care to choose defunct spacecraft, rocket platforms and other large satellites the host species had lost track of.

The security breach of the network hadn't been enough to require immediate action, but the higher alert level demanded she be ready, this was the most she could do within the bounds of her restrictions.


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Anakin stepped out of his meditation chamber and felt the cold morning air hitting him, the small metallic orb snapping shut with a 'hiss' behind him.

His meditation had been unrestful; something he couldn't truly sense had been attempting to breach his defense, to see into his future and change it.

He had also seen the city destroyed, the Force sending him visions of the buildings torn apart, water dripping from them and flowing through the streets.

Had the creator of those 'parahumans' finally noticed him?

Anakin had assumed that whatever being had created this experiment was long dead, but perhaps that had been premature, and this new hiding technique was proving itself formidable.

As Vader, he had hunted Jedi shadows all over the galaxy; he had also learned Sidious' own technique to hide his presence in the Force, but this was something different, a blank spot, like a stone thrown in the river of the Force; he could barely perceive it and only when in deep meditation.

The closest comparison he could make would be the ysalamiri, small lizards Admiral Thrawn had used to protect himself from Force users, the creatures able to create bubbles of space that repelled the Force.

His new adversary didn't feel exactly the same; instead of repelled, it felt like the Force simply… wouldn't approach, as if whatever this being was had been cut off, excised like a poisoned limb.

Still, if it thought an 'Endbringer' would be enough to stop him, it was sorely mistaken. Whatever the case, his padawan was 'gifted' with such power, and Anakin now had a test subject he was willing to study; he would not be denied his answers.

Looking at the half-open window, he caught his neighbor's orange cat frozen in the middle of trying to squeeze into his bedroom, its large head staring at him.

"No," he growled at the sithspawn. "Out, now."

The beast just continued to stare at him for a few seconds, then decided to ignore his orders and continue its efforts, so he used the Force to gently push it out and closed the window, ignoring its cries of protest; he'd not have it releasing hairs all over his equipment again.

When he heard the old woman had been relocated, Anakin hadn't thought it would be as his neighbor. The youngling would have enjoyed the result, but without her, he was not so attached.

"Ah," Marissa said as he left his bedroom. "Morning… I… I made breakfast?"

Anakin spared her a look. She had been wise not to escape him, not that she could while he was only in meditation, but she hadn't even tried, deciding to fulfil her part of the deal.

Without a word, he glanced down at the plate she was offering. When was the last time he had eaten?

With some surprise, Anakin realized he hadn't eaten anything since Dinah had been wounded; he hadn't slept either, needing the time in meditation to fully center himself and using the Force as a substitute.

Unfortunately, although he was nowhere near his limit, no Jedi or Sith could function indefinitely with only the Force, at least not normally, even he was still made of crude matter and needed sustenance.

In truth, it wasn't that he had decided to forsake eating, but without the youngling to remind him, he had simply forgotten; decades of consuming food through the nutrient chamber of his suit had taken its toll.

Eating had been a chore, painful and unpleasant thanks to his wounds, one that he had long since automated through his suit's interface, and the habit was… difficult to break without a reminder.

"I'm sorry, I just thought…" Marissa winced, pulling her arm back.

Her feelings were clear for him to sense: guilt, shame, a small amount of hope, quickly getting crushed under her growing fear, perhaps her most prevalent feeling.

Fear, but not of what he would do to her —although there was some of that too— no, most of her fear was of what she had become, of being unable to ever atone for it, of having crossed a line she could never return.

Almost unwilling, he stopped her, taking the plate from her hand. "Your effort is… appreciated."

After the meeting the previous day, Anakin was no longer feeling as… antagonistic towards the woman. She wasn't guiltless; however, it was no longer a struggle to stop himself from crushing her.

His anger hadn't fully abated, but it would be sheer hypocrisy to continue punishing her when her failings were so much lesser than his own.

Anakin ate quietly, the silence stretching between them for a few minutes until she broke it again.

"How…" she started to say, then swallowed hard, glancing at some of his equipment spread around the room with trepidation, both of her hands squeezing her empty mug of coffee for comfort. "You said you'd study my power… How are you going to do it?"

"Sit," he ordered, finishing his plate and putting it aside. "There will be no need for any equipment."

Putting the mug aside, Marissa took a deep breath, then kneeled in front of him, fear and determination fighting against each other inside her mind.

Crossing his legs, Anakin got into a meditative position and released the hold he kept on his presence, the Force flooding the house with the weight of his power.

It wasn't a physical thing; he wasn't pushing any of his anger into the Force, nor was he asking for it to do anything. The house didn't shake, and the lights didn't flicker, but deep in the core of her being, the small piece of the Force present in every living creature, Marissa still felt it, an overwhelming sense of standing in front of something greater.

Unable to stop herself, she closed her eyes, her heartbeat accelerating as her soul, her very essence stared at him like a child would a predator.

In the Force, Anakin still perceived himself as a maelstrom of fire, shadow, and blood, all his memories… A million deeds he had done as Vader still acting as fuel to feed that fire.

But the spot of light in his core was growing, a thin line extending out of it towards the city; his training bond kept isolated from the influence of the Dark Side, but still acting as a support, feeding him power to resist.

Marissa's presence in the Force was small, almost insignificant as she rested in the palm of his hand, easily crushed if he so wished. Instead, he leaned closer, his intent focusing on the source of her power.

For a long moment, it escaped him, the presence hidden by the same technique that was used by his newest opponent, but, as he delved deeper, he could still feel it, if only slightly.

It felt distant, its influence coming from a connection he could barely perceive, more than just space separating Marissa from the source of her power.

Anakin tried to touch it, but even his control and power slipped, the Force failing to take direct hold of the source, seeming to slide right off it like water on a stone.

Frustration built in his mind; his first instinct, honed from the last few decades, was to use brute force, to refuse to accept failure; he knew he was strong enough for it, but he also knew it would kill the girl, and he was no longer the Emperor's right hand.

"What is it?" Marissa asked, opening one eye to stare at him, able to feel a portion of his frustration.

Anakin didn't immediately answer, instead shifting his focus away from the source and towards the connection itself, the Force answering with ease. "Your power, activate it."

Marissa obeyed, head starting to gather between her fingers, the process growing for a few seconds before a small sun, no bigger than a finger, was born between her hands. "Like this?"

"Indeed," with that, Anakin felt the connection opening, power being sent through it, but, more importantly, he felt it was mechanical in nature, not a Force power or even some form of Sith Alchemy, but a machine mimicking a fraction of it.

He still could not touch the source, but he could feel the power flowing through the connection, just as he could fight against Vista's own control of space or interact with the powers of others.

The source of parahumans was hidden, but that protection did not extend to the resulting phenomena, the parahuman, or even that which was around it, which meant he could still affect it without killing the girl, even if he'd have to do it indirectly.

For a moment, he tried to trace the power, but it only took him a second to realize it wasn't coming from the planet, nor was it connected to any ship in the system.

In Marissa's hand, her sun grew to the size of her hand; the majority of the heat contained between her hands, but some of it still escaped, starting to affect the rest of the house.

Anakin probed at the orb of plasma, knowing that he could disrupt it, slowly drain the heat away, or just snuff it out with a thought, then he continued to study the connection.

"Enough," he finally said after nearly an hour. "Disperse your power, I have much to consider."

With a thought from Marissa, the orb seemed to collapse inwards, both heat and plasma disappearing as if they were never there, she was left sweating, her breathing coming hard. "Did… you find anything?"

"Yes," he simply said while uncrossing his legs, then he considered her exhaustion. "Could you have maintained the star for longer?"

Anakin didn't feel any physical exhaustion coming from her, but her emotions were raw, as if she had been under tension for a long time, like a soldier constantly waiting for an attack that never came.

Her power's influence on her mind also felt vastly different from the youngling, Dinah's power seemed active, constantly trying to influence her, Marissa's seemed… placid, almost unresponsive.

"The problem wasn't maintaining it," Marissa said, adjusting her clearly numb legs and wiping cold sweat from her forehead. "My power wants to be used; it wants to expand. Keeping it controlled is what makes it hard."

"Your companions, did they have the same problems?"

Marissa finally got up, seeming to consider his question. "Not… Exactly? Most of us felt good using our powers, you know, we wanted to use them more, but everyone had limits, things like cooldowns or casting time. Some of the others also felt tired and hungry if they used their powers too much."

Interesting, remembering the Travelers, Anakin knew the amount of energy required for their powers was far above what a human body could produce, particularly if the source was mechanical in nature; there was no reason they should get physically tired if the energy didn't come from them.

Was it a fault in the process or an inbuilt restriction?

"Prepare yourself, we will continue tonight."

"... Alright," Marissa said, then stared up at him. "There's… something else you should know…"

"Hesitation does you no credit, speak."

"We… didn't exactly get our powers the usual way," Marissa said, then looked around the room as if afraid someone else would be watching. "I don't really know how to explain, there was this briefcase…"

"Stop. Perhaps you should start at the beginning."

Marissa took a deep breath, then she sat down on the sofa, swallowed, and started talking. "We, I mean the Travelers, weren't really from Earth Bet. Everything started when…"

The Travelers' history was… informative. He already suspected parahumans were created by someone; the existence of such vials only confirmed it, but it still gave him many questions.

As far as he knew, the distribution of powers seemed to be working as intended, trauma leading to an awakening that provided power, but only served to reinforce said trauma… Were the vials an early experiment, or was there another faction trying to subvert it?

Regardless, Anakin had other things to do.

Hours later, he stood in his workshop, Marissa behind him, while his holoprojector showed a man in a suit, the hologram only an approximation built from images of a cellphone camera.

"...It's not gonna be easy," the man said, staring at a clipboard. "Or cheap, you're asking for a lot of materials, as well as custom work from several of our members."

"Monetary compensation will not be a problem," Anakin said, ignoring the wince from Zhang Li, the Lieutenant in charge of the ABB's finances.

"It's not about the money. Well, not just about the money," the Toybox representative shook his head. "In actuality, Toybox isn't a powerhouse; we survive by being good enough to be valuable by the average cape, but insignificant enough to be ignored by more powerful organizations.

"The amount and quality of equipment you're asking for would raise a lot of eyebrows, and right now, you're not exactly a low-profile client, Mr. Anakin. More than that, having two members of our organization cooperating with you and in the same city is more than we're willing to risk, no matter the offer."

Anakin just stared at the image… even now, weeks after he arrived on the planet, he still kept forgetting how frustrating it was that people could refuse him, that they even dared.

"I will rescind my request for tinkering in cooperation, as well as most of the items from Cranial's catalogue. Would Dodge take on my proposed project as a commission?"

After the discoveries he made this morning, being able to study Dodge's pocket dimensions was more important than Cranial's brain devices. Anakin had far less experience with different dimensions than he did with the human brain.

He suspected, and the Force seemed to agree, that examples of a parahuman's dimensional technology could greatly help him trace their source.

"Ah… well," the representative hesitated, and Anakin had the impression the man would much rather it was the other way around; it seems Dodge was apprehensive about working with him. "I believe he'll accept the commission, yes. There's still the matter of the other equipment you ordered; we're only willing to provide you with 40% of it."

The materials were not essential, items like coolants, high-quality circuitry, and advanced alloys whose production would take him weeks and provide only stepping stones to more advanced technology.

"That is acceptable."

The representative seemed to relax at his words, a smile returning to his face. "Great, we'll have everything ready in four days," then he looked around the workshop. "Would you like it delivered to this location?"

"Not entirely, the two pocket dimensions will be delivered here as soon as possible. My man will provide you with a new address for the rest of the materials and the commission when it's ready."

"Alright, we appreciate the business." With a quick bow, the representative turned off his phone, the hologram flickering before turning back into a representation of the city.

"You expect another raid from the PRT?" Asked Tae-Soo, already suspecting the reason for giving them a new delivery location.

"Not from the PRT," Anakin said, getting up from his chair to stare towards the protectorate base in the middle of the Bay. "The future isn't set, the Force only stirs with the possibility, but we will still prepare for the one you call 'Leviathan'."

He had been willing to wait, to let things calm down and allow the girl time to spend with her parents, but with this new vision, he was starting to consider if it was time to retrieve his padawan.



__________________________$$$_____________________________

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.

 

[CapCaverna]

Anakin strode into the warehouse, causing every worker to momentarily freeze, most taking the time to look at him with a mixture of respect and awe, but a few just lowered their heads, doing their best to avoid meeting his eyes.

It was an old building located much closer to the Protectorate, its exposed metal skeleton showing signs of rust everywhere, but one of the boys was hard at work trying to clean it up, a long aluminium ladder letting him climb into the ceiling, and another girl was scrubbing the floor, the scent of disinfectant filling the air.

Walking along the wall, Anakin climbed to the second floor, a large balcony overlooking the storage and loading area. Marissa was already there, lying on the sofa, her face buried in her phone.

She looked up, then almost jumped, quickly getting up and putting her phone away. "Ah, I was just taking a break... Your delivery is here."

Anakin briefly glanced at the three tinkertech devices on top of a large desk, then back to her. "Our deal was to study your power. I will not force you to work."

Pushing a lock of hair behind an ear, she looked at the large file cabinet and nodded. "I know. It just feels awkward not to do anything… and I want to help."

Anakin could sense she wasn't telling the whole truth, but he was a good enough empath to guess the rest. Keeping herself busy let her avoid thinking about what happened, and he would not press her further.

Letting the girl return to dealing with papers, he spared a moment to look down, his Force senses paying special attention to those who hadn't met his eyes.

Older members, those who had followed the dragon and thrived during his rule but had not fully crossed the lines he had set after killing Lung.

They remained with the ABB for they knew nothing else, but Anakin could feel their dread; all of them terrified he'd change his mind and decide to kill or turn them over to law enforcement… A lack of trust resulting from when he changed his deal during the first meeting with the Lieutenants.

Unfortunately, back then, he had considered them unimportant, a gathering of criminals, slavers, thieves, and delinquents whose only use was providing raw materials, equipment, and a better location for the youngling.

Ultimately unnecessary, but slightly faster and more convenient than doing everything himself. So, he'd not spared a thought about changing his initial deal.

Had he decided to fully take over when he first killed Lung, he'd have done things differently; fear was an acceptable way of control, fear of the law, fear of repercussion, fear of disappointment, those were all valid tools, even if ones a Jedi would disapprove. However, terror and uncertainty weren't; those easily led to mistakes and rebellion.

As Vader, he had crushed such things by instilling absolute certainty, not that his words would be true, but that any kind of resistance would be both futile and met with a far worse fate.

But as Anakin, he wasn't willing to go that far, which created a problem, something he'd have to deal with later.

It had been a full day since he first sensed the destruction of the Bay, an incoming wave swiping the buildings away, but there had been no Endbringer attack. He had tried to search for the creatures through the Force, but they too were hidden, and even he couldn't sense them, not at such a distance at least.

Still, his Force visions hadn't faded; every moment, he felt the danger coming closer, which was why many of his equipment and materials were being gathered here to be sent away to different cities, caches of money and technology being made in all nearby towns.

Looking over the workers as they moved his equipment and raw materials, he briefly noticed an abundance of young women, most of them looking far too unused to such physical labor.

"Susanoo-sama," Aoi Sato bowed to him, the older man looking exhausted. "May I have a moment?"

"Where is Tae-Soo Park?" He asked, starting to walk towards his workstation.

"There was a small confrontation with the Teeth, nothing that needed your attention. The Korean should be here in a few minutes."

Stopping in front of the desk, Anakin took a second to stare at the new tinkertech devices there, three strange pieces of equipment delivered by Toybox, Dodge's creations. Picking the only handheld one, he turned it over and spoke. "Very well, you have my attention."

"Ah, yes," Sato said, licking his lips nervously before seeming to gather himself. "As you ordered, we restructured the way of providing… courtesans, we started providing…"

Releasing the device's frame, Anakin turned towards the man. He didn't say anything, didn't even lift an eyebrow, but the look was enough to tell him to get to the point.

"However!" Sato continued in a hurry. "While many of the girls, particularly the street workers, would prefer to stop, the Bay doesn't exactly have many available jobs. We've been using them to help reorganize the ABB, the smarter ones helping audit our finances, but that will soon be finished."

That likely explained the number of women working in the warehouse. "How long?"

"We'll be finished in another two or three days, after that, we'll either need to find them busy work or cut them off… Li Xiu thinks around half will be back to prostitution in a month or two, when the money we paid runs out."

"I-I talked with some of them," Marissa said while moving a stack of folders. "Most are desperate; they need the money to bring the rest of their families here."

Looking at all the people moving things in the warehouse, Anakin considered the situation. He despised slavery; he still remembered being a slave, and more than that, he remembered his mother being a slave; it was something he hated with a passion.

The need to obey, to bow and scrape at every free sentient that came around or be killed, hoping against hope not to draw their attention. Anakin had been lucky; he was only 3 when Watto won his family from Gardulla the Hutt, far too young to draw any interest, his mother…

For a moment, Anakin lost himself in memory. He remembered his mother as a tired woman, thin to an unhealthy amount, her skeletal face, dry skin, and uncared-for hair making her look much older, but he knew she used to be beautiful… she was forced to be by Gardulla.

After, she had let herself go, letting the desert wind and Tatooine's suns affect her body with only a minimal amount of protection in an effort not to draw attention, and Watto let her, almost uninterested in what they did.

With an effort of will, he dismissed the memories, refocusing on the present situation.

In truth, those who came back wouldn't be slaves; they'd choose to return, pressured by a choice between poverty or sex work, yes, but it would still be a choice, and with the changes he made, they'd be workers, not slaves.

And yet… Anakin felt responsible, not in the same way he had felt responsible for his clone troopers during the war, but, when he took over the ABB and assumed control of its territory, it became his responsibility.

Such responsibility should have belonged to local government; it also wasn't something he was expected to do as either Jedi or Sith. Nonetheless, he felt it, a new and unfamiliar role.

"I will consider the situation," Anakin said. "How are the comlinks?"

"What? I mean, they're basically cellphones, they work great, and they're much faster than normal phones, but they're not that different."

Anakin nodded. Maybe he could employ the women to help outfit his troops; he'd still need to make the heavy machinery himself, but using it was not that complicated, and comlinks had simple designs so as to be produced all over the galaxy, even in more primitive planets.

He had been planning to make a few droids for labor, but human workers could be almost as good and save him some time.

Adopting the shape of cellphones, it would be easy enough to integrate holoprojectors on the comlinks, and even the simplest model would be far more advanced than this planet's technology.

"You're dismissed," he said, turning back towards the tinkertech pocket dimensions.

Extending his senses through the Force, Anakin probed the smaller of the devices, a fist-sized generator connected to a beacon and surrounded by a couple of thick cables, quickly noticing that it was larger on the inside.

Closing his eyes, he probed deeper, the Force mapping every single piece in incredible detail until his senses noticed a few discrepancies, places where he could sense the materials had been changed at the particle level, generating a new substance.

It was not unlike his own use of Art of the Small.

Going even deeper, he could sense a source of power, an unknown type of energy that was slowly leaking from the device while maintaining some kind of connection, an effect working beyond the merely physical aspect of the components… Interesting.

This was why tinkertech couldn't be replicated or properly studied. Even if perfectly reproduced, the physical materials were only part of the design, a major one, to be sure, but not the entire thing and current technology wouldn't be able to detect the emanating energy.

Waving a hand in front of the equipment, he dismantled it, the pieces separating so fast it looked like the device exploded, every part floating in a perfectly controlled manner atop the table.

Another gesture, and he retrieved all five pieces containing materials he didn't recognize, a type of metal he had never seen, much less worked with before, one of which was still maintaining the odd energy connection.

Tae-Soo Park climbed the stairs to the second floor with satisfied steps, taking off his damaged suit, he threw it atop a table at the entrance, then laid his blaster rifle on top and noticed Anakin, his eyes taking in the floating equipment before he gave a small bow. "Susanoo-gun."

"Tae-Soo, I take it the conflict is over?" Lowering his hand, Anakin let the pieces rest on the desk in a controlled manner, making sure the five odd metals were kept separated.

"Yes," rotating his shoulder, Tae-Soo exposed a newly bandaged wound, but it wasn't serious. "Animos and Spree tried to attack one of the stores that paid us protection, but San-Dae and the boys managed to deal with Spree while I delayed the shapeshifter."

"Any casualties?"

"Two of the boys will need surgery… or Panacea's help," Tae-Soo grimaced, but approached him anyway. "I'd have called you, but the boys engaged before they knew those were capes. I'm already punishing those responsible."

Anakin could feel a small aura of fear radiating from the man, but it was tightly under control, coming not from cowardice but the knowledge that Anakin could crush him with a thought.

For a moment, he considered asking more about those who disobeyed commands, but his lieutenant had clearly addressed the situation before it reached him; it was… preferable to continue that way.

"And the parahumans, are they dealt with?"

Anakin had spent some time reading about the Teeth when he was informed they were in the city, a barbaric named group, composed of a few witlessly named members.

Even after so long on the planet, he couldn't understand its foolish tradition of taking on childish nicknames and clothing while somehow expecting to be taken more seriously for it.

Considering her age, he expected it from Dinah, but not adult sentients.

Of the mentioned parahumans, Animos was a 'Changer', capable of transforming into a canid and firing blasts that temporarily disabled other parahumans, while Spree was a 'Master', capable of creating very short-lived clones in large numbers.

To Anakin, the first was more interesting; inspecting, or at least experiencing his ability to deactivate other powers, could greatly improve his understanding of those creatures.

"Temporarily," Tae-Soo sighed, rolling his shoulders. "San-Dae Yang and the boys dealt with Spree, his clones are a pain, but they're no different than humans, and I managed to shoot Animos in the head before they were forced to retreat… Tsk, I saw him moving when they fled, so the bastard probably lived."

Anakin glanced at the blaster resting at the table and considered what he knew of Animos's Changer form. "That is likely. Unless you set the blaster to overload, the materials I used restrict the strength of the bolt; it shouldn't be strong enough to pierce his skull."

"Good to know," Tae-Soo sighed. "You said I'd get 5 shots in overload mode?"

"Ten at full power, but anything above five risks permanent damage to the weapon."

Blasters were more reliable and easier to produce than slugthrowers, but in practice, they weren't that much better, particularly with the material restrictions he was working under.

"Want me to prepare the boys?" Tae-Soo asked, something almost eager in his voice. "The Teeth haven't come into our territory in force yet, too busy trying to take over the remains of the Empire and dealing with the PRT, but we could take the initiative."

Anakin thought about the suggestion. He had always been an aggressive commander, so the suggestion fit his usual mode of operation. "No, preparing ourselves takes priority. I sense the attack has been delayed again, but not prevented."

Had he been able to sense the creatures, Anakin would have already attacked one of them; waiting really wasn't his strong suit.

Tae-Soo nodded, then leaned over the railing and stared down at the ground floor, lighting up a cigarette. He hesitated, then spoke. "Sir… are you sure about the Endbringer? I mean…"

"The Future is ever in motion," Anakin said, managing to avoid his first instinct. Those people didn't know about the Force; they had no understanding and, as a result, no faith in it. "I can not sense the creatures, but the Force has shown me possibilities, glimpses of what may unfold, this city being swept by waves prominent among them. I believe my presence is still holding it off, but it shall not be delayed forever."

"Shit…" the man took a drag of his cigarette, then sighed. "Well, if you say so… There's not much else I can do; everyone capable or willing has already fled when you first warned us, the others are keeping close to the shelters, and we can't really ship equipment any faster."

"The protectorate headquarters, tell me about it," Anakin said, turning back to study a larger pocket dimension, using the Force to carefully go over the hardware.

"Alright," Tae-Soo pushed away from the railing and pulled up a chair, sitting a few meters away so as not to bother him. "Lung used to have quite a few spies on the inside, so we have a complete map of the location, and we're able to make a good guess at where the girl is, but they tightened up security, by a lot."

"You have no idea where she is."

Tae-Soo shook his head. "They still leak. We know she's at the HQ; her parents have visited the place twice now, but no one has access to the inside."

For a moment, Anakin continued to study the device, making sure not to damage it, trying to find out how it truly worked and if he could reproduce the effect while he thought about the situation.

"Contact one of our lawyers, I wish to inform the PRT of the incoming attack."

"Want me to spread the word to the entire city? Since we started sending people away, there's already a lot of rumors, but I can make it official."

"No, the creature may yet change target, or such an act could trigger the attack earlier. Just inform the Protectorate and open communications with them. I know those Endbringers are beyond most parahumans, but if she's indirect, Dinah herself can predict their effects on the city."

"I'll make the call," Tae-Soo got up, then started to type into his conlink while going down the stairs.

Satisfied, Anakin turned all his attention to the device, using the Force to connect one of the cables into a battery, energy filling the backpack-sized beacon until it activated, a tremendous burst of energy was projected into the air on top of it, forming a small slit in space.

Anakin narrowed his eyes. The power he had just sensed was several times stronger than what the battery should contain. He also noticed a significant dip in the exotic energy contained in the device.

Both hands behind his back, he approached the opening with some curiosity; space itself seemed to step aside, the portal opening like a sliding door, air being violently sucked inside the newly created void.

Anakin didn't move; the pull was far too weak to affect him, but everything else immediately flew towards the opening in the air, so he flicked a finger and used Force Telekinesis to stop and put them back into place.

The pocket dimension wasn't large, nowhere close to the size of the warehouse, but it could still act as a hidden workshop. A pity it would collapse the second energy was cut off from the device, or it was damaged, but maybe he could solve that problem.

Circling the opening, he continued to probe it with the Force; the effect wasn't quite the same, but it did follow similar principles to what he had sensed from Marissa and, to a lesser extent, the youngling.

The pocket dimension created a new space separated from reality, a parahuman's source of power didn't; instead, connecting to somewhere that already existed, but some of the principles used to create the connection were marginally similar.

Using the Force to hold the pocket dimension in place, Anakin turned off the device, the space immediately attempting to violently implode, everything being sucked inward as it started becoming smaller.

He didn't try to stop it, just observing the effect as the space collapsed with a deafening 'crack', all the air inside being expelled back into the atmosphere, then flowing around the Force shield he used to protect the desk.

Could he replicate the effect? Not yet, to create another dimension, even a small one, was beyond his current understanding, but he'd learn; it was only a matter of time.

Closing another cabinet, Marissa turned towards him, making sure Anakin wasn't concentrating on anything she spoke. "Why aren't you taking over the city?"

Stepping away from the table, Anakin stared out of the window and considered her question.

When he first arrived, he was confused, lost and struggling, choosing to stay away from everything until he could find balance. That clearly hadn't worked for long, but his plan has still been to leave the city, and the planet, as soon as possible.

Now, his situation was different, he had formed a padawan bond with the girl, and he refused to separate her from her family and everything she knew… he also had more time to examine the available information about stars.

He had assumed the Force had sent him into some corner of the Unknown Regions or a forgotten system, but the star charts painted a very different picture.

With the Force guiding him, Anakin knew he could still find the way, but it would require far greater effort and preparation, not something that could be done with a makeshift ship.

"They'd never let you take over openly," Marissa continued, sitting on an empty chair. "Not without a quarantine, but, while with the Travelers, I learned how the capes operated here; you could easily get an unwritten deal like Accord has in Boston, only with much greater control."

"Ruling was never my ambition," Anakin said, stepping closer to the large window and closing his eyes, letting his muscles relax.

Taking in the sense of the city, Anakin was only mildly surprised to notice it hadn't changed much, even after the violence of the last few days. If anything, the place felt brighter, more hopeful than when he first arrived, if only marginally so.

Between Lung, Bakuda, the Empire, and himself, more than a thousand people were killed in the city, a ludicrous amount in peacetime, and yet the general mood was more hopeful.

"Regardless, it may yet come to that."

"It's… after what you did…" Marissa struggled to look at him, a mixture of guilt and fear in her mind, but she continued. "It won't stop at just the Teeth, and I don't trust the PRT to stop anyone."

"The local PRT is not wholly incompetent," during all of their confrontations, Anakin could feel they believed they were doing the right thing, more than that, they wanted to do the right thing. "I shall give them one last chance, much will depend on how they respond to my warning."

"Done," Tae-Soo informed them as he walked back into the second floor. "Our lawyer will be making contact with the PRT in an hour, anything else, Boss?"

"Take the largest device and install it on our safest location, it may still collapse once the attack happens, but it could act as a last resort for those unable to reach a shelter."

Marissa waited until the man was gone, then liked her lips and released a long breath through her nose. "If Leviathan really comes… I-I'll help."

"Your offer is appreciated, but unnecessary, I shall deal with the creature myself," with a wave of his hand, Anakin put the dismantled device back, all the pieces snapping into place in only a second, then he put it away. "Now, come, I have a new idea for how to inspect your power."


__________________________$$$_____________________________

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.

 

[CapCaverna]

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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