Build 6.4
Bryce Kiley
2011, January 8: Brockton Bay, NH, USA
Sabah's meeting with New Wave went about as well as I could have expected. According to her, she got the feeling that Amy's mom was judging her, but that was normal. If anything, Carol not being suspicious of Sabah would have been the real shocker. Given Sabah's work at the hospital, and her status as a new cape, she was spared the bulk of Carol's interrogation.
Other than that, she got along with the rest of the family just fine. She met Sarah and introduced herself to the others. She also passed on my offer to create tinkertech for them, but the response was more lukewarm than I'd anticipated. The Newest Wave were happy, especially Amy, but the adults had largely retired from cape life so didn't care as much.
That was acceptable. The real goal had been to establish Sabah's presence on my team, as well as provide an excuse for equipping Amy. People were funny like that: They would refuse an expensive gift, like a customized tinkertech outfit, but a "public relations consultation fee" was far more palatable, even if we all knew the truth.
Having introduced Sabah to the local independent heroes, I arranged for her to meet with Strider over the weekend. Not only was he the best teleporter in the country, he'd been indispensable in expanding my operations. Most recently, I'd been using him to deliver soda engines to Dragon.
As per our deal, Faultline was happy to play host at the Palanquin, provided I gave her a few days of prior notice.
"You know, Br-Creed," Maven said, correcting herself with a light stutter, "I'm starting to think you use your cape identity to do all the things you normally can't as a civilian."
"Oh? Like what?" I asked, bemused. Sabah had gotten around to attaching jetpacks to her overcoat so we floated idly towards the club. "The Palanquin is the ideal place for neutral discussions."
"Yes, I get that, but we're going there a full two hours before our meeting with Strider. Are you sure it's not because you want to try alcohol? Amy told me about Halloween."
I chuckled. That felt so long ago. I remembered seeing Amy, Vicky, and Crystal then. The club had relaxed their age restriction for the night and Crystal had dragged her younger cousins out for the night. "I do not have a drinking problem. My liver is probably healthier than yours."
"Just because you can heal yourself doesn't mean you can indulge, buster."
"I really don't. I mean, I won't say no to booze, but I'm more of a social drinker. Besides, Sisi told me about your 'girls' nights,' Maven. I know you two get Michelle to buy you bottles of wine."
"T-That's that and this is this," she huffed, poking me chidingly in the ribs. "I'm twenty. You're fifteen."
"The law makes no distinction. There is no such thing as degrees of underage drinking."
"I really can't win with you, can I?"
"You can't because I'm brilliant. And no, we're not going early just for Hector's wonderful cocktails. Faultline's a friend. So is her crew for that matter. I'm heading there early to catch up."
"Right, you told me about that. Newter was the first person to find you as a cape."
"He was. I also gave them some tech. Labyrinth's camouflage shawl was the first outfit I ever gave away," I replied fondly.
"Is… Is that wise? They're villains, right?" she asked hesitantly.
"So was I," I pointed out gently. "Amy and I agreed that giving them defensive tech is acceptable, to a point. I plan to make them new costumes now that I've got more bandwidth. They've been good to me."
"I trust you. I've never heard anyone say anything really awful about Faultline, anyway. Did you know I was here for Halloween, too?"
"You were?"
"Yeah. Me, Michelle, and your sister. We got harassed by some boys and security stepped in really quickly. I think Faultline saw and made them help because we got free passes to the VIP section for the night."
I nodded along. That sounded familiar now that she mentioned it. Maybe that was why she was willing to give the mercs a chance. "Small world."
The two of us landed in the back parking lot and headed inside. The staff had been told ahead of time and gave us no opposition, though I saw one of the line cooks hide a joint of weed in his apron as if I'd care. I knew how kitchens worked. Back in undergrad, there was a time when I spent more time flipping burgers and microwaving baskets of chips in a Tex-Mex joint than actually studying.
The club had gotten a bit of a makeover since I last visited. Stringed lights decorated the ground floor, casting shades of green and red over the wall-lined booths. The staff weren't dressed up like they had been for Halloween, but I could still see plenty of snowmen, candy canes, and reindeer decorating the DJ booth.
The decor was a bit more muted upstairs, though no less tasteful. Faultline always did prefer a more understated style for her VIP section. It reminded me of a warm ski lodge, with a pool table and dartboard in one corner. Drinks on offer included peppermint and hot chocolate cocktails, or more high-end scotches and whiskeys for those who preferred less sweet drinks. The overall vibe was one of warm comfort, above the chaos and hubbub of the dance floor.
Then there was the third floor, where I knew Faultline's crew lived when they weren't out of the city. It doubled as both living quarters and Faultline's office. I found the totality of Faultine's crew arranged in their private lounge, sans their leader, four in all.
I knocked thrice on the doorframe to announce us. "Hey, everyone. It's been a while."
"Creed! Yo, what's up?" Newter said. He hopped out of his seat with preternatural grace and clasped my hand. My gloves were the only reason I could get away with that.
"Not much. Maven and I have a deal to strike with Strider. We showed up early so I can catch up with you and introduce her." So saying, I nudged her forward. "This is Maven, the newest member of my team."
"H-Hello," Sabah said with a slight stutter. So many new capes giving her their attention wasn't her idea of a good time, even if they were my friends.
"Welcome, Creed, Maven," Gregor the Snail said in his warm baritone. He gestured to their fourth member, who'd been playing a board game with Elle, Labyrinth. "As you can see, we have also added to our number. She goes by Spitfire."
We allowed ourselves to be dragged along by Newter until we were seated around a coffee table stacked high with board games. It seemed they were amusing themselves until we arrived.
Spitfire's presence was a bit of a surprise. In canon, she joined Faultline's Crew after a failed recruitment attempt from the Undersiders. She'd had a bad encounter with Bitch if I remembered right. Here though, I had no idea how she ended up meeting my favorite mercs.
She was wearing a domino mask that paid lip service to the unwritten rules, much as Elle was. She had dark-brown hair that fell in tight ringlets around her shoulder and rosy pale, rosy cheeks that flushed easily. Around her neck was a modified gas mask, with the filter replaced with a spout, likely to concentrate her spit. She was… Emily? Elizabeth? Something with an "E," like Elle.
I appreciated the disguise, even if it was mostly theater at this point. Faultline, Melanie, knew my name by now. If anything, given her resources and how poorly I'd been equipped when we first met, it would have been strange had she not figured it out. But, for Maven and Spitfire's sake, every non-Case-53 was wearing our masks.
Spitfire reminded me a lot of Sabah. A bit shyer around strangers, and equally reserved. There wasn't much about her in canon, but I remembered that she was a pacifist at heart, and that alone was worthy of respect in a cape whose power could be summed up as "napalm breath."
She seemed to draw strength from Gregor's large presence.
"Hi, I'm Spitfire," she greeted tentatively as we took our seats. "I… uh… I'm a blaster who… spits fire…"
"Hey there," I replied with what I hoped was a reassuring voice. However she ended up here, she was probably a very recent trigger. "I hope Faultline's been treating you well."
"She has. They all have. They're… They're great…"
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here? Most people don't join a mercenary band as their first choice. No offense to present company, of course."
"Some taken, bro," Newter joked. He leaned back in his seat, but his tail lashed out, picking up an Oreo and chucking it my way.
I caught it and transmuted it into a lump of charcoal before sinking a three-pointer into the trash bin in the corner. Even that tiny brush with Newter's toxin would have left me a loopy mess had I tried to eat the cookie.
Emily smiled at the gesture, put at ease by Newter's own easygoing attitude. "Newt found me. I… I wasn't in a good place."
"Oh? He was the one who found me as well, back when I started out," I told her. I decided not to pry into her circumstances too much. Given she'd leapt at the first friendly hand offered, I could guess. "As far as random capes to get discovered by, we both lucked out."
"Really? Not The GOAT? I thought you're the face of their organization."
"Nope. That came after."
"But… Aren't you a hero? Why are you…" she trailed off.
"Why am I here?" I continued at her hesitant nod. "No offense taken. I wasn't always a hero, you know. Why? Did you think I'd try to arrest you?"
"Well, no. Faultline says you're okay, that you were figuring things out and had a bad boy phase."
"Hah. She would say that. I'm not against a bit of mercenary work, especially if you take care not to hurt anyone."
"O-Of course not!" she squeaked out. "I don't want to hurt anyone. My power is… It's really all or nothing."
"I can tell. That's what that spout is on your mask, right? If you can narrow the stream, you can have better control over what you set on fire."
"Yeah. I don't like my power very much."
Sabah spoke up. Emily's reluctance probably resonated with her. "What if I made you a better mask? Can you tell me how your power works exactly? Do you breathe out a flammable gas?"
"N-No, I spit napalm. Well, I don't think it's really napalm, but it ignites when it hits an object."
"Hmm… Does it ignite upon contact with the open air? Have you tried to store it? And if you have, will electric shocks also work, or is it catalyzed strictly by kinetic impact?"
Spitfire leaned back, feeling a little overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of questions. "Umm… I don't really know. I just know that I can melt concrete. I don't want that kind of heat anywhere near a person."
"That's understandable. I think I can help. Maybe if we make you a gun and put the fluid in little paintballs. That way, you can launch very specific amounts at a time, and with a lot more accuracy."
"Really? You'd do that?"
"I wouldn't mind. I've made things like that before. Also, if we can mix the fluid with some plastics, we might be able to manufacture the cape equivalent of C4."
"That doesn't sound good. I don't need my power to be more destructive."
"Actually, C4 is highly stable. You can set it on fire, drop it, or even shoot it. It detonates only when an electric current is conducted through it, which makes it ideal for demolitions."
"O-Oh. That does sound nice. You'd really do that?"
"More control is always good. So long as you promise to use it responsibly, I would be willing to help you," Sabah said.
"If you could assist our newest member, that would be much appreciated, Maven," Gregor said with a polite bow. "However, I was under the impression that you were a thinker or biokinetic striker of some sort, not unlike Panacea."
Sabah froze. She looked at me for answers but I said nothing through our comms. Strictly speaking, she'd made a mistake. It was one thing for Emily to admit to being a blaster, and something else for Sabah to give away that she was a tinker.
No, that wasn't right. I could see the moment Gregor connected the dots. Sabah's power was a known quantity already. People on PHO were calling her Panacea-lite. That she'd offered to make Emily a new mask, and not request that I do it, suggested she had a tinker component to her power. Or possibly that she was a trump who copied powers.
Knowing this possibility recontextualized my past week's actions in Gregor's eyes. Maven sought me out. The GOAT, recognizing her use, allowed her to copy my power. And then, The GOAT arranged for Maven to debut at the hospital, drawing near to Panacea.
It also explained tonight: No one willingly brought a rookie to the negotiating table if they could help it, not unless there was something to be gained. Fresh triggers were notoriously volatile. Even with a few weeks of distance, new capes didn't exactly come with guide rails. Had Maven truly been a biokinetic striker, there would have been zero reason to include her.
"Creed? Please explain yourself," Gregor said calmly. "I suspect Maven is a power copier. Did you come to expose her to our group?"
Truthfully, as far as mistakes went, this was fine. This was her first time before other capes and politics and schemes just didn't come naturally to her. In the end, I'd much prefer she made her fumbles here, among friends.
Besides, I never planned to hide her power from my own allies. If anything, having trustworthy capes know about her power would only mean more options should she ever need them. Since I planned to tell Strider, I felt my friends deserved the truth as well.
I smiled and plucked an Oreo from the coffee table. "No, I did not bring her here to expose her to your powers, nor was I ever planning to hide Maven's power from you. That's just not how her power works.
"However, you are correct; Maven is indeed a power copier. She can copy up to three powers at a time, and these powers will be diminished compared to the original. And yes, she has a copy of my own power. Rest assured, she is more than capable of assisting Spitfire."
"I see. How does it work? I do not suggest trying to copy a Case-53 such as myself," Gregor said pointedly. "I doubt you would want to appear as I do."
"I can give away three articles of clothing," Sabah said. "So long as a cape wears them, I get a weaker version of their power. I sewed the gloves that Creed is wearing. I've also come to an agreement with Panacea."
"I see, thank you for letting us know. I did not believe Creed would seek to exploit our relationship, but I had to ask anyway. Is that why you arranged a meeting with Strider today?"
"That's right. I would like to negotiate for his power. With… With Creed's tinker power, I think I can get him to wear one of my bracelets."
"Clever. I hope that goes well for you then."
"Where is Faultline, by the way?" I asked Gregor. Newter set up the board again so Sabah and I could join in. "Did she not feel like joining game night?"
"She is on a business call with a potential client out in Las Vegas," he told me. He gestured briefly to himself and Newter. "Apologies if you wished to speak with her. Did you want me to pass along a message?"
"Nah, that's okay. I was just curious."
"Did you build your floating castle yet?" Elle asked. She rolled her die and her character started the game for us. "You said you'd let me decorate a room when you made your base."
"I think it'll be more like a flying ship than a castle, but no, I have not," I replied with a rueful chuckle. That promise felt like it was made eons ago. "My base is more secure, to the point that I hardly use the lab beneath Harvey's anymore, but I haven't managed to make it mobile yet."
"Aww… When you do? I can have a room, right?"
"Of course. I made a promise, after all. I'll have rooms set aside just for you guys."
"That's good. It's your turn, Newter." She nudged her orange teammate, but I saw her eyes flicker to Emily and Sabah. She smiled when she saw the two begin to engage with the board game.
That made me smile in turn. Elle was an unexpectedly conscientious person when she was having a "good day." I suspected she'd only reminded me of that old promise because she wanted to display our closeness to them. She probably wanted them to think something like, "Creed and Faultline's Crew got along before so I can trust the new cape now."
It was… nice. I barely paid attention to the rules of the board game, but Elle was more than happy to remind me. It was a collaborative game about building one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Our characters moved around a board, trying to gather materials, secure investors, fend off rivals, et cetera.
Halfway through, the big boss herself joined us. Truthfully, I'd never seen Melanie relax like this. Every time we'd conversed, it'd been as Faultline and Creed. Though the masks stayed on, I enjoyed seeing the normally taciturn woman argue nonsensically about the fictional price of fictional marble to build a fictional temple to a fictional goddess.
Author's Note
Short-ish chapter to catch up with Faultline.
There are things I'm glossing over a great deal. Stuff like Creed selling to heroes, expanding his distribution network via Strider, etc. I'm very leery of getting too technical in this fic, both because I am not a technical person, and because I think reading about someone play mini-Factorio is even more boring than watching someone play Factorio.
My stories are character-driven anyway. I know what I'm good at so I'm staying in my lane.
Seriously though? I can't say I've worked professionally in many kitchens, but every one I've ever been in has had a) a sex scandal and b) line cooks who were stoned off their asses.
Oh, and drama whenever the host seats a waiter's section too much (because they fight over tips). Or when the host seats that one customer that no one likes. I was usually the host and handled to-go orders and by god were the waiters fucking divas.
Animal Fact: Hummingbirds are the only type of bird that can fly backwards. This is because they do not flap their wings in that shitty chicken dance you did as a kid. Instead, they actually rotate their shoulder joints in a figure eight pattern, which is what lets them reverse.
Don't ask me how; I'm not an aeronautics engineer. It was studied in Stanford by a team led by David Lentink, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. They wanted to find the optimal sweetspot in wing dimensions to allow an object to hover.
Thank you to everyone who paid for my groceries. I have a Patreon and Kofi with dozens of chapters written across my various stories.
Actually, now's a fantastic time to join if you like this story and want to read ahead. Not only are they on 6.12, I'll be closing out the arc with a rush of three additional chapters and a PHO interlude.