Broker

The members of Team Wallbreaker stepped forward next: Hui, Locke, Armory, and Hammond. While Sonya didn’t exactly know their abilities as well as she knew the members of Team Pyrolysis, she was more than knowledgeable enough to infer what they needed. So, the tokens cracked one at a time, and her gifts were granted. It was a shame that she couldn’t make every improvement perfect or utterly overpowered - that would be a little too suspicious.

Still, she had options.

For Hui, she was aware that his ability, Grey Bound Grimoire, was largely unsuited for combat. He could provide buffs to others and even himself. She was certain it had other applications, but that was all he’d managed to glean from it, and her instance of the power was even less explored, so she couldn’t guide him. He wanted a combat power, but what he needed was a way to take what he had to the next level.

Phantom Limb - an ability that she’d crafted with the help of Deus ex Machina. It created semi-solid limbs and extensions for the user, even eyes, to act independently of them. Most importantly, they were a part of him.

She watched the confusion in his eyes as the crystal shattered. They were all under the impression that these upgrades were somewhat random, but so far the upgrades had been significant. A flicker of disappointment flashed in his dark eyes, and the other members of his team sat up a bit in the stands. Their leader was hesitating. Sonya’s lip twitched just a fraction upwards. You’re a smart boy. Think it through.

He looked at his fingers and then up at her. “It’s perfect,” he said finally. “Not what I was hoping for, but… this will work.”

Smug satisfaction bloomed in her chest for a moment before she invited him to confirm the name of the ability and join his friends in the stands. Locke’s ability came next, and it had been an easy decision as to what to experiment with in Deus ex Machina. The result was curious. Another unusual and unique ability with some strange applications that she could only speculate about. The name amused her too much to skip out on, though. Psionic Gorgon.

Locke’s reaction to the change was a bit more intense than the almost serene breath that Hui had let out. She clutched at her head and collapsed to the ground. Nietz hopped up in his seat, but Sonya just held up a hand to stop him. When Locke sat up, she sat up fast, her blonde hair falling around her face as she lay there on her hip, blinking rapidly. She examined her fingers and rubbed them together. “It… still works.”

Her eyes glowed briefly with an inner near-violet light before fading again. “..Neat,” she said with a rising grin and slipped to her feet, brushing herself off. Another confirmation, another happy customer. Armory’s had been another easy choice, a throwback from a long time ago that reminded Sonya of another person she needed to go meet with soon. It had taken some trial and error with Deus ex Machina to recreate Broadside, but she’d managed it. The combination of Armory’s power and Broadside had been probably the most amusing of the bunch.

What an interesting name, Sonya thought as the girl put her hand on the ball and the words appeared on Sonya’s phone. Fire at Will.

“Mythic confirmed. We’re on a roll today!” Sonya laughed.

You are insufferable, Erina snorted in the back of her mind as Armory hurried over to the others.

Aww, let me enjoy this; they’re so happy, Sonya thought and gestured to Hammond to step forward. The tall young man’s bald head shone a bit in the lights hanging above them. He rubbed his neck and shifted on his feet as Sonya went over, snatched up the last token, and pushed it into his palm. Then she skipped backwards with her hands behind her back, fingers twined. “Grand finale!” she said brightly.

“...I-I’m a bit nervous,” he admitted. “I-I d-don’t want m-my ability t-to change too much,” he stammered, eyeing the stone like it would bite him.

I know, dear, she thought. That’s why it won’t.

What did you pick? Erina asked.

Remember that ability copycat from the Australia competition? Sonya thought as the boy mulled it over. I uplifted it a teeny bit.

Sonya… what did you do?

She grinned as the token shattered. Hammond jerked, his chest rising as his eyes went wide for a moment. He staggered and let a harsh breath out and looked down at his hands. “...A second instinct…” he breathed, so startled that he didn’t even stutter. Then his eyes went even wider, and he scrambled, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a lump of amber. He tossed it into the air, and it flickered before bursting. A craggy entity of decidedly feminine proportions landed on the ground next to him. It looked like a person hastily carved out of granite.

He put a hand on her arm, and his body slowly began to change, his skin becoming like that very same granite. He looked at his rocky hands and flexed his fingers, eyes wide. “...B-bonding.”

Sonya clapped her hands together. “That looks promising!”

He whipped his head up, and his eyes went wide. He turned and looked at the stands, all those expectant eyes, and he shrank a little. “A-a-oh! I’m s-sorry! I got so excited that I-” He was about to hang his head when she clapped her hands again, drawing his attention.

“It’s fabulous, Hammond,” she said merrily. “That should keep you alive out there!”

“Woo!” Nietz shouted down. “Squishy boy can finally take a hit!”

She rubbed her hands together and glanced up at Amos. He nodded with a small smirk on his face and held up two fingers. She nodded back. “Now! I have one more thing I want to go over with you all while I have you here,” she said as Hammond sat down with the rest of Wallbreaker. “They aren’t quite ready yet - Amos says another two weeks before final products roll out - but-”

FWOOP! FWOOP!

The chime startled just about everyone, even cutting Sonya off for a moment. She narrowed her eyes fractionally. Interrupting my monologue… she grumbled inwardly as the members of Team Wallbreaker all pulled their phones out at once, looking down at them. Her lips thinned. “What is it?” she asked.

Hui held up his phone. “Move order,” he said. “Euclidia says they’re short-staffed at a dungeon in Germany, and a group of villains is attacking. They’re requesting international support to nip the problem in the bud.”

She glanced once at Amos. Find out who. She looked back at them and felt all eyes on her, waiting and expectant. She raised an eyebrow. “Well? I’m just your sponsor, not your boss.” She pointed to the exit. “Get out of my theater, get your gear, and do your jobs!” she barked with a laugh. Kong was already leaping out of his seat and flipping off another, much to a startled Cass’ annoyance, and landed at the door.

“Woo! Wallbreaker’s first mission!” he laughed and hurried outside.

The others were quick to follow, and suddenly the theater was nearly cleared of people. Just a few close friends of hers and Team Pyrolysis - minus Crusader, of course - remained. She felt a chime in her head and opened the message that popped up in her HUD. One word.

<Tenebra>

She kept her poker face even as she felt a mixture of relief and anxiety wash over her. Tenebra was in on the whole thing. She wasn’t Inner Circle, but she was close enough to Charon to get the orders to avoid killing heroes when at all possible. Dramatic escapes and over-the-top antagonism were the name of the game. Still, Tenebra could be…

Brutal? Erina said into her thoughts. Those brats will be fine.

As if to mirror Erina’s thoughts, Alex planted a hand on the back of the seat in front of him, where Snow was sitting. He shook it once and hopped to his feet. “They’ve got this,” he barked. “Just wish we could watch. I kinda wanna see what those new abilities do.”

Sonya gave him an indulgent smile and laughed. “If they’re smart, they’ll avoid using those new abilities too much until they’ve spent some time with them,” she said flatly and then skipped over to the seats with the others, hopping into a spot next to Cassiopeia. She crossed her legs. “As for watching, though, that I think we can manage. Right Amos?”

“Already on it, boss,” he called down from above.

“You know he’s off, right, Sonya? This is a labor violation,” Colin jeered.

“Oh, stuff your legal mumbo, Matthews,” she waved dismissively. “Amos is salary, and you know it.” She turned and squinted up at him. “And what are you gonna do? Sue me and then defend me at the same time?”

He grinned back at her. “It would be a really funny hearing, if anything.”

She snorted. “I’m sure it would.”

“Got a doll with a camera heading up to join them,” Amos called into their bickering. “I’ll send it through the portal with them.”

“Perfect!” she said and eased a bit more into her seat even as her jaw muscles tightened just a little bit. Her eyes narrowed as the theater screen began to drop over the stage she’d just been standing on.

Cass didn’t miss it. “...Are they really gonna be okay?” she asked in a low voice.

Sonya glanced her way, then back up at the screen as the image of the core members of Team Wallbreaker gathered in front of a rising archway on the deck of her ship. “This isn’t herding a bunch of mindless beasts,” Sonya said loud enough for everyone to hear. “A villain will change their strategy up, adapt, and won’t shy away from things like psychological warfare,” she said, her fingers clenching a little around the arm of her chair. “They handled themselves fine in Shanghai. They can handle this.”

—

Nietz was the first one through the portal, pushing forward with his arms crossed over his face and chest. Euclidia had warned them she’d be dropping them in hot and she wasn’t kidding. Bullets pinged off of his skin almost immediately as his eyes flicked around, trying to get a handle on his surroundings. The largely off-gray concrete structure of the portal containment building was cracked in numerous places, and the door was smashed inward. A row of windows encircled the upper floor. He turned his eyes towards the trio of men with guns that were shooting and slowly backing up towards the crushed opening.

He spread his arms wide. EVOLVE!

His body bulked up, his height increasing, his senses sharpening, his body growing tougher, stronger, faster. He darted towards them, and they sped up their retreat, but not before he was on top of one of them. He wrenched the weapon out of the man’s hand as the ‘Whoop’ of Kong’s entry and the distinctive shimmering sound of Dragoon’s armor taking shape rang out in his ears. Hui and Glint took up the rear, the two of them scanning the area as he’d done before.

He took all that in while the thug was punching him, uselessly, in the face over and over. Nietz finally looked down at him and took in what details he could. Black uniform combat gear, paramilitary style - the same kind that the other two men who had hurried into the building wore. Organized group, coordinated, not a small-time villain. No sign of defenders. Are they inside? Hostages, shit. He spotted a logo on the guy’s chestplate. A stylized skull with what looked like tentacles coming out of the lower half, like a beard.

What the? Kingshark? No, he wouldn’t use a skull…

The click of speakers drew his head upward as Kong landed next to him. “What? You hear somethin’?” Kong asked. Fresh chapters posted on novel-fire.net

Nietz held a finger up to his own lips and narrowed his eyes. Feedback, barely-

“Hey hey hey hey hey!” a voice carried over the speakers and from within the shadowed doorway leading into the containment building. Nietz dropped the thug and stood up as a man walked out. He wore a hood over his head and a dramatic, sparkly set of clothing, shorts, and what looked like designer shoes. Only his bearded chin was visible beneath the hood as he stopped at the doorway with something twirling between his fingers. Microphone?

The man brought the mic to his lips.

“Walkin’ in like they own the place. Buncha heroes up in our space. Wordsmith callin’ out to ya ‘two-shoes. Ain’t yall heard the news?” he belted out quickly.

Nietz narrowed his eyes. Rhyming? Rapping? Why- Wordsmith!

A steady beat played over the speakers as Wordsmith belted, “Ain’t… nonna-ya-gettin-past-me-yer-weak-ass-vibes-don’t-impress-maybe-yall-better-take-a-minute-and-cool… DOWN!” The minute the last word was shouted, a flash of cold washed over Nietz, and he felt his skin immediately start to chill over. He bared his teeth and hopped back, while Kong darted towards Wordsmith. “Movin’-right-in-springin-the-trap-yer-in-still-ain’t-gettin’-past-these WALLS!” He said the words so fast that they all barely fit together in Nietz’s head.

Just as Kong neared him, a mass of concrete and bent steel shot up from the ground in his path. Kong snarled and kicked off of it. He did a quick backflip before landing a few paces away, twirling his bo-staff and resting it on his shoulder as he took a few steps to the left, assessing how to counter. Dragoon hustled over to slide to a stop and join Nietz. As she planted her spear, a pair of black, glossy, disk-shaped mirrors flashed by overhead. The response was immediate. Gunfire blew out the upper windows, and the disks were pulverized by the onslaught.

Nietz put a finger to his ear. “Figures,” he grunted. “Hui?”

<”Successful probe. I’ve got eyes on the men on the upper level and some theories about Wordsmith’s ability. Something feels off, though. A bunch of gunmen and this guy?”> Hui said hesitantly. <”It’s not enough to justify-”>

The air shook.

A crackling rumble echoed out from within the building.

Kong twirled his staff and cracked a grin, crouching slightly. Dragoon pointed her spear towards the wall Wordsmith was hiding behind, light beginning to gather on its surface. Nietz clenched his fists, his eyes widening. “...That’s the dungeon.”

Dragoon whipped her head towards him as a ripple passed over them, and the shaking stopped. The wall in front of Wordsmith dropped to the ground. The singer raised his mic to his lips and grinned. “Ain’t you heroes ever heard of an opening act?” He laughed. “IN-TRO-DUCING!” He threw up his hand. “The Headliner herself!”

He shifted to the right, still crouched, as Nietz and his comrades readied for the real fight.

Clack clack clack clack!

She stepped out with her hand raised in the air and a glittering black and silver microphone in her hand. Her red eyes flared, glowing bright in stark contrast to her jet black hair and elegant black gothic gown. She stopped a step behind Wordsmith and tilted her chin up; slung over her shoulder was what looked like an old bronze spear.

“TENEBRA!”