• The site has now migrated to Xenforo 2. If you see any issues with the forum operation, please post them in the feedback thread.
  • Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
  • For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
  • Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
  • Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
  • The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.

A 2nd Chance (Honkai Impact 3rd/Worm) [re-write]

Chapter 17

Sirin had no idea for how long she stayed outside of the hospital, watching as snow continued to fall, covering everything around her with a fresh layer of white. Eventually, though, Sarah followed her out. She'd a troubled expression on her face, not that Sirin could blame her.

She turned to face her friend, forcing a small smile onto her face, though it quickly faded away.

"How is Alan doing?" she asked tentatively, unable to hide her worry.

Sarah sighed. "He woke up after you left, but... he looks pretty bad. His fever's gone up, and he keeps mumbling things that make no sense. They've already given him medicine, but it doesn't seem like it's helping much. They did say that Panacea should make a quick round today, so who knows. Maybe he'll be meeting Christmas with us after all," the blonde finished with obviously fake cheer.

Sirin winced, glancing away guiltily. Sarah must have noticed that, because she immediately reached out to place her hand on Sirin's shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. Alan won't blame you for this," Sarah said softly.

Sirin bit her lip, shaking her head. "How can you say that when you don't even know if he'll survive?!" she snapped. Pain like this, she hadn't properly felt it since…since a time she tried not to remember.

Sarah flinched slightly at that, but held firm. "Because he cares about you just like I do. You're family now, Sirin. Almost literally, and nothing will ever change that."

Sirin wanted to argue further, but Sarah's words made her pause. Alan and Sarah both cared deeply about her, despite knowing pretty much nothing about her past. They'd both accepted her unconditionally, even after she'd almost attacked Alan over a misunderstanding. They'd treated her like family, giving her warmth that she hadn't experienced in a…since the tower. Could she really leave them when they needed her the most? When they might truly need her help?

She let out a heavy sigh, burying her face in her hands. She hated feeling so conflicted about everything. She wanted to stay with Alan and Sarah, to protect them and make sure they recovered from whatever sickness she must have accidentally inflicted upon them. But at the same time, she was terrified of hurting them even more than she already had.

Sirin lifted her head up to look at her friend. "I... Thank you, Sarah."

Her friend smiled sadly, patting her on the shoulder once before dropping her hand. She looked around at the snow still coming down and shivered despite her coat. "Well, we can't stand around here forever. Let's head home for now. I'll call Vicky on the way.",

Snow covered every surface, making it difficult to navigate even through the quiet sidewalks. It was a little eerie, actually, for the city to be so quiet. The few people still out as the morning faded towards afternoon stopped to stare curiously at the pair of girls, but most ignored them completely. Almost everyone had their own places to be today.

It took half an hour for the two girls to reach the street where their new home was located, passing by house after house weighed down with colorful lights and other festive decorations. Sirin watched as Sarah dug out her keys from her pocket, unlocking the front door stepping inside. The house itself looked exactly as it had earlier in the day, with the exception of Alan's absence. It felt empty, despite Sarah's presence.

As soon as Sirin's friend finished hanging up her coat, she headed straight upstairs. Sirin followed suit, trailing behind her friend as she entered Alan's study. Sarah sat down on the edge of the big swivel chair, staring blankly at the pile of documents on their guardian's desk. Sirin stood awkwardly at the doorway, uncertain about what she should do.

After several moments passed in silence, Sarah finally glanced over at Sirin with a tired expression. "So, are you going to sit down, or are you just gonna stand there like a statue?" she inquired dryly.

Sirin blinked owlishly, cocking her head in question. Her blonde friend rolled her eyes fondly before scooting over to make room in the big chair. Hesitantly stepped forward, Sirin carefully squeezed herself into place beside her friend. Her presence was met with a warm smile, before Sarah turned back to the documents.

"Look, Siri…" She ran a nervous hand through her hair. "Alan needs us to look after ourselves a little bit right now. We gotta figure out how we're going to deal with this situation before we head over to Dallons'. Amy will definitely ask questions about Alan's condition, and we need answers to give her if she's going to be able to help."

Sirin nodded solemnly, biting her lower lip, then slumping down to lean her head on her friend's shoulder. Nothing was said, Sarah just let her sit there for a little while, feeling her think and not wanting to interrupt. It was nice, really, but it didn't help Alan. Finally, the purplette sighed.

"When I was back... there," she began haltingly. "One of the experiments was injecting people with a... 'disease' they called Honkai. It was supposed to make their Valkyries better, make them stronger," she continued, oblivious to Sarah mouthing the words 'Honkai' and 'Valkyries'.

"It was agony. Every injection felt like our insides were set on fire. Most of the time, the injections would 'fail to produce the desired effects', and those tested on would... they would die. Screaming. Whilst the scientists stood there and recorded every single second of it."

Sarah's face went pale at that description, the questions she'd been gathering falling to the wayside. She reached around her friend and pulled her into a half-hug. It wasn't much, but it was the best she could to be there for her. She just hoped Sirin wouldn't have to talk about this with Amy, not if it was leading where she thought it was.

"Few survived more than a few weeks," Sirin went on. "Maybe a month, if researchers somehow forgot about them. And whenever someone was injected, those lines, like the ones on Alan, would appear. Lines of purple light across their skin, spreading in mere seconds."

"But you survived." It wasn't a question. "Could it be less effective with adults? You mentioned there being mostly children?"

Sirin shook her head, "I've seen adults succumb to it all the same. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that I was the only one of my group that didn't die. The only one who was stuck there, praying for a miracle. Praying to God to be saved and... and power answered."

"You mean you triggered then? Oh, Siri..." Sarah squeezed Sirin's hand as the girl's expression darkened.

"I…no? I don't think so. I felt power after I prayed, and I did what it told me to do. The Honkai that they were injecting me with, it stopped hurting me and made me stronger instead. I made all the scientists go away, and then went to the reactor to drain it, to give me strength…" She cut herself off, shaking her head. "Sarah, I'm a source of that Honkai now. I infected Alan and…and I infected you, too! And if I'm the cause of your infection, how many others are the same? How many people are suffering right now because of me?"

Sirin curled up, hugging her knees close to her chest as tears began streaming down her face uncontrollably. Sarah pulled her close, holding her tight as she whispered soothing words into her ear.

"I'm scared, Sarah," she whimpered, burying her face in her friend's shoulder.

"We'll figure this out, Siri. We'll do everything we can to help Alan get better again. Amy will heal him for sure, you'll see."

Sirin nodded weakly, lifting her head up slightly to gaze tearfully at her friend.

"It's okay to be scared, Siri. No one expects you to know everything about this Honkai stuff. But right now, you gotta focus on helping Alan get better. Then we can worry about everything else."

"I guess you're right," the purple-haired girl sighed. She scrubbed at her face, wiping the tears on the sleeve of her sweater before hugging her friend again. She stayed like that for a while, and Sarah let her, hugging her sister-friend close. Until finally the smaller girl pushed herself back, looking up at the blonde with a fragile smile.

"Thanks, Sarah."

"Anytime, Siri. Really," Sarah told her firmly, before glancing over at the clock on Alan's desk. It was well past noon now. "I need to call Vicky and get her to talk to Carol, but before I do that, you've got to listen to me." Having made sure that Sirin's attention was entirely on her, she went on. "The PRT takes Endbringer attacks very seriously, aftermath included. If there was a spike in people getting sick, they would've already quarantined the area and been running all sorts of tests. And Armsmaster, as far as I can read him, would've been here and trying to drag you in for questioning. He's not here, ergo, nothing probably happened. Get it into your head, okay?"

Sirin frowned slightly, but nodded slowly after a few seconds of thought. "Okay."

"Good. Now, you don't seem to be making people sick just by being near, or we'd have a lot more people sick in Brockton. It has to be some other reason, maybe when you froze him back at the shelter? If it's powering you, maybe active application also makes it 'active'?"

"If he was infected back then," Sirin thought back to the incident in question. "Alan would've been dead ten times over already. It just... doesn't make sense. Nothing about any of this does."

"There's no way to test it either," Sarah sighed sadly. "We'll have to wait for Amy and see what she says. For now, you just... go take a shower, alright? And then pack a bag, we might not be staying here overnight."

Sirin nodded and stood, making for the door out of the study. She paused at the threshold, though, glancing back at her friend to find her gazing at the wall directly across from her with an unreadable expression. Sirin hesitated for a moment, debating if she should leave, but eventually did as she'd been asked.

Upon reaching the hallway, Sirin took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down before heading towards her room, where she proceeded to gather some clothes before making her way to the bathroom located down the corridor from her room. After entering inside, Sirin stripped off her garments, depositing them neatly in the laundry basket before turning on the water faucet and stepping under the warm stream. She closed her eyes as the soothing warmth of the shower cascaded over her skin, allowing her muscles to relax while her mind drifted aimlessly through a myriad of different thoughts and emotions.

After about ten minutes under the hot spray, Sirin turned off the water and stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel off the rack and wrapping it around herself securely before exiting the bathroom. She could hear Sarah talking to someone, probably Victoria or Mrs. Dallon, on the phone, as she headed towards her room to dress herself in clean clothes.

She chose a pair of black jeans, a plain white t-shirt, a pair of white socks and a navy blue hoodie with the image of a stylized crown on its back. Once fully clothed, Sirin headed downstairs where she found Sarah sitting on the couch in front of the television, flipping through channels aimlessly while idly chatting with Victoria via speakerphone.

"No, Vicky," Sarah sighed tiredly, sounding exasperated as she listened intently to the blonde's rambling coming through the phone's speaker. "Alan isn't dying... No, you don't need to bother your sister, she already visited him." She paused, waiting patiently for Victoria to finish talking before replying with: "Well, he's definitely sick and won't be home for Christmas, which is why I've asked- No, Alan wouldn't want to ruin your celebration... Look, you and Amy can visit after, if you really want to. We can hang out at our house. If you two will want that, of course. I'll understand if you'd prefer to spend the day with your family."

Sirin approached Sarah carefully, noting the smirk on the blonde's lips, and the smugness in her voice as she spoke with Victoria, even if there was a hint of relief in there.

"Alright, Vicky," Sarah finally relented. "We'll, hopefully, see you later then." The moment she ended the call, Sarah let out a small chuckle and shook her head fondly as she stretched lazily across the couch before noticing Sirin standing nearby watching her curiously. "That girl is half golden retriever, I swear. She'd be wrapped around my fingers in days if I really tried."

"I don't think you need to," Sirin argued as she sat down on the floor next to Sarah's feet, her attention focused on some Christmas cartoon being played on TV. "I think she likes you for you without any manipulation."

Sarah rolled her eyes in amusement at Sirin's words before leaning forward and ruffling her purple hair affectionately, grinning widely at the purple haired girl's offended squeak. "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I can't use her naivety for my own benefit."

"You're a bad person, Sarah Livesey," Sirin stated flatly, trying to hide her smile.

"Nah, I'm not bad. Just opportunistic."

"Hm," Sirin hummed noncommittally as she focused on the screen again, her thoughts drifting back towards her earlier conversation with Sarah regarding the excuses they needed to come up with for Amy. "So what are we telling her about Alan anyway?"

"That you can try draining him, with her supervision," Sarah offered with a shrug.

"Will she really agree to that?" Sirin asked doubtfully, glancing sideways at Sarah whose expression remained neutral as she continued staring blankly at the television. "She barely knows me and... there's a chance I could kill him by doing it. Or make his condition worse."

"I don't see us having much choice here," Sarah admitted quietly. "Amy is probably the best healer on the planet, and Alan's illness doesn't respond to any medicine. Either he dies anyway, according to what you told me, or you try."

Sirin swallowed nervously as she considered the implications behind Sarah's words.

"You're right," she muttered under her breath before hesitantly looking up at the blonde once more. "Are you sure Amy will not ask too many questions? I don't-" Sirin trailed off, unable to finish her sentence due to anxiety. Sarah immediately reached out and grasped one of her hands firmly, giving it a reassuring squeeze as she waited patiently for Sirin to compose herself enough to continue speaking.

"I don't want to lie to her," Sirin explained slowly, her voice sounding shaky despite her efforts to keep calm. "And what if she figures something out? What if I accidentally reveal too much?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Sarah reassured Sirin in a gentle tone, causing the purple-haired girl's tense posture to relax slightly. "For now, let's focus on making sure Alan gets better. The rest will work itself out somehow."

Sirin nodded wordlessly in response to Sarah's suggestion before resuming watching the cartoon being broadcasted on television. After several minutes had passed, however, Sirin turned towards Sarah and cleared her throat loudly to gain the blonde's attention.

"I think I'm going out," she announced suddenly, startling Sarah who glanced over at her with raised eyebrows.

"Really? Where do you want to go?"

"To buy food. If you're sure Amy and Vicky will come over, we need to have something to eat prepared, right? Do we have enough money left after buying presents?"

Sarah pulled out her phone and after checking the balance on her bank account, grinned broadly. "More than enough."

"Then... Do you want to come with me? Or do you want me to go alone?" Sirin asked tentatively as she stared anxiously at the blonde who shook her head firmly in response to Sirin's question.

"I'm not letting you go out on your own right now. But you're right, we're going to need something to serve as snacks when they visit," Sarah sighed heavily as she stood up from the couch and stretched her arms above her head, groaning softly when her joints cracked loudly after having remained in the same position for too long.

"Alright, let's get dressed and figure out what we're buying on the way. Shouldn't take too long."

Sirin nodded eagerly as she rose from her seat and was about to blink directly to the front door, but managed to stop herself at the last moment. She couldn't risk using her powers yet, not until after Amy had either confirmed or denied their suspicions. For all they knew, Sarah and Alan's conditions would grow worse a day after they'd manage to heal them.

"Oh! Wait a sec," Sarah exclaimed suddenly, causing Sirin to pause in the process of opening the closet to grab her jacket. "Before we go outside, I wanna show you something!"

"What is it?" Sirin inquired curiously, tilting her head slightly to one side as she gazed questioningly at Sarah who grinned mischievously before pulling a large object wrapped in paper from underneath the sofa.

"Tada!" the blonde announced proudly as she presented the gift to Sirin, who blinked owlishly at the unexpected sight of the brightly colored package. "Merry Christmas, Siri."

"Is that for me?" Sirin asked uncertainly as she glanced between Sarah and the package in her hands, unsure of how to react to receiving a present so unexpectedly.

"Of course! Who else would it be for?" Sarah laughed loudly as she watched Sirin's expression change rapidly from confusion to delight before she reluctantly accepted the gift, staring at it intently while trying to guess its contents without opening it prematurely.

"Well? Are you gonna open it or not?" Sarah inquired impatiently, smiling eagerly when Sirin nodded in response to her question and began unwrapping the brightly colored paper wrapped tightly around the item hidden beneath it.

"Holy shit," Sirin muttered under her breath as she finally uncovered what appeared to be an expensive smartphone complete with headphones and a protective case decorated with a graphic of a crown similar to the one on Sirin's hoodie.

"Do you like it?" Sarah questioned eagerly as she watched Sirin admire her present with wide eyes, grinning widely when the purple haired girl finally tore her gaze away from her new phone in order to throw her arms around Sarah in a tight embrace.

"Thank you so much!" Sirin exclaimed excitedly as she hugged Sarah tightly, burying her face into the blonde's shoulder while Sarah chuckled amusedly at her reaction. "I love it."

"Good. Because you're stuck with me," Sarah replied cheerfully as she returned the hug briefly before pulling away from Sirin's grip and motioning towards the door leading outside. "Now come on, we need to get those snacks. I'm hungry."

Sirin nodded in agreement as she followed Sarah towards the exit where they stopped briefly to put on their coats before stepping out of the house.


The shopping trip turned out to be rather uneventful for both Sirin and Sarah. The two girls had managed to find everything they needed with relative ease despite the crowds of shoppers gathered in every store they entered in order to purchase last minute gifts for their loved ones. Sirin had managed to pick out the ingredients needed for what she wanted to try and make, plus some extra ingredients which could be used in other dishes she might've decided on later on. By the time they were done with shopping, Sirin felt confident that they would be able to cook something good enough that everyone would enjoy eating it when Amy and Victoria arrived at their house later that evening.

Those hopes were quickly dashed when it turned out that Lisa belonged to the rare subspecies that could set water on fire when attempting to cook. Luckily, it did not affect her ability to cut the ingredients, causing Sirin to immediately put her friend onto a boiled beetroot cutting duty.

After half an hour of trying, the end result was surprisingly edible.

"This isn't half bad," Sarah said appreciatively after taking a spoonful of what Sirin had called a "vinaigrette" and chewing it slowly before swallowing with a grin. "Not something I'd eat everyday, but definitely something I'd have as a side dish occasionally."

"I'm not that good at making it," Sirin replied modestly as she poured herself another cup of tea and took a sip from it, savoring the refreshing flavor of chamomile and cinnamon tea before turning to look at Sarah with a mischievous glint in her golden eyes. "But since I'm pretty sure you've never had anything other than fast food or frozen dinners during the past years, I'm not surprised."

Sarah scowled playfully at Sirin's teasing remark but refrained from retorting with a sarcastic response of her own since she knew Sirin was only joking around. "So, what else are you planning to make?" She asked instead, changing the subject while reaching for another piece of beetroot salad from the bowl placed in the middle of the dinner table, unaware that Sirin's gaze had drifted towards Alan's bedroom door where it remained fixated intently on its surface as she pondered her answer.

"Dunno," Sirin finally replied after a few seconds had passed in silence. "Dressed herring, maybe? It's supposed to be easy."

"What exactly is that?" Sarah inquired curiously, raising one eyebrow in disbelief as she stared at Sirin suspiciously. "I've never heard of such a thing before."

"It's a national dish," Sirin explained simply as she continued sipping her tea absentmindedly, lost in thought while her mind wandered towards memories of the previous years that were together with her mother, before she died after being infected by Honkai. A story that Sirin doubted more and more. "Something my mama used to make for New Year and Christmas. We have everything to make it, I think. Fish, onions, mayo and something else."

"Sounds kind of boring," Sarah stated bluntly, causing Sirin's attention to return to the present as she turned to face the blonde girl sitting beside her with a frown on her lips.

"It's actually pretty good," Sirin argued defensively, causing Sarah to chuckle softly at her friend's reaction.

"Alright then. Let's give it a try."

Sirin nodded enthusiastically as she rose from her seat and headed towards the fridge in search of ingredients for making dressed herring while Sarah resumed eating the salad that she'd been enjoying earlier on. The blonde was certain that there'd be enough salad left for their guests once they'd arrive. She wasn't a glutton, after all.


"I didn't think it would be this easy," Sarah commented casually after swallowing another spoonful of salad, smacking her lips appreciatively as she finished chewing her latest mouthful before speaking again. "Seriously, I've always assumed dressing up something would be very complicated and time consuming."

Sirin shrugged nonchalantly as she carefully wiped off the excess dressing from her fingers using a paper towel before tossing it into the trashcan nearby. "Not really. It's kind of like building a cake, you just need to know the layers. I mean, if you just slap some stuff together you won't get anything good."

"Makes sense," the blonde agreed easily, before finally putting the spoon down. "So, how about you head back into the living room and relax, while I take care of the dish-"

The sound of the door bell ringing interrupted Sarah mid-sentence, prompting her to glance curiously over at Sirin who was already moving towards the front door with a surprised expression on her face.

"Must be Amy and Victoria," Sarah mumbled, throwing the last glance at the vinegret as she got up from behind the table and followed her friend. "But why so early?"

"Maybe Amy thought it'd be better if we got done with this quickly," Sirin guessed aloud as she reached out towards the doorknob. "Let's not keep them waiting."

With a quick motion of her hand, Sirin unlocked the door and pushed it open before stepping outside with a friendly smile on her face. As they've successfully predicted, Amy and Victoria Dallon stood before them in their casual clothes: jeans and white jackets with the New Wave logos emblazoned upon them, complete with white winter hats, woolen mittens and thick scarves covering most of their faces.

"Hi," Sarah greeted cheerfully as she approached the pair and shook hands with both girls, grinning broadly when Victoria opened her arms for a hug, before turning towards Amy who simply nodded politely at Sarah without saying anything. "Come in!"

"Uh, yeah, about that," Victoria began hesitantly as she scratched her chin awkwardly, glancing uncomfortably between Sarah and Sirin. "Mom kinda sorta told us to bring you over, so you don't spend Christmas by yourselves... Sooo... Yeah. We're here to kidnap you? Do not resist and all the good stuff?"

"Vicky," Amy grumbled, fixing her scar so that only the girl's brown eyes were visible. "Less jokes, more explaining."

"Fine," Victoria huffed before turning back towards Sirin and Sarah who exchanged puzzled looks with each other before facing the duo once again. "You see, mom figured that since Alan has adopted you, and since he won't be coming over since he's been in the hospital, it'd be rude of us not to invite you two for Christmas dinner. So we're here to kidnap you and drag you along to our house. Whether you like it or not."

"I'm... not against it? I think?" Sarah replied uncertainly, glancing sideways at Sirin who seemed equally unsure how to react to Victoria's unexpected announcement. "I mean, we kinda prepared food and all, but..."

"Oh, you can just bring it with you!" Victoria exclaimed excitedly as she clapped her hands together before continuing, "I'm sure mom'll appreciate it even more!"

"Sure, okay. Lemme go get the food, I guess?" Sarah agreed hesitantly while heading back inside the house without waiting for an answer. "Give me a moment."

"How are you doing, Sirin?" Amy asked suddenly once Sarah disappeared from their sight, causing the purple-haired girl's attention to shift towards the healer who regarded her thoughtfully as she awaited the answer. "You look a little pale."

"I'm alright," Sirin replied calmly, offering Amy a small smile that appeared surprisingly genuine despite her nervousness at the current situation. "Just a bit tired."

"Maybe I should have a look at you too, while we're at it," Amy suggested immediately after hearing Sirin's response, causing her to stiffen involuntarily at the suggestion.

"There's no need," Sirin responded, taking a step back into the house to grab her winter coat. "I'm fine, really."

Amy frowned slightly but refrained from arguing any further when Victoria glanced at her and shook her head slightly as if saying "Don't push her."

Even as Sirin put on her coat, it took another three minutes for Sarah to join them, a bag with three plastic containers in it in hand.

"Okay, let's go," she said as she closed the door behind herself, not noticing Sirin's disapproving gaze fixed on the red spot left by the beetroot on her lip. "We've got everything, right? How are we doing this? Did you guys bring a car?"

"We flew here," Amy grumbled, throwing Victoria an annoyed glance. "We could have taken the bus too, but Vicky said it was faster this way."

"And it was," the taller girl protested, but didn't insist on the matter after noticing the frown forming on Amy's lips. "Alright, fine. Sirin, can you open a portal to our house? Save time and all that?"

"Umm..." Sirin hesitated slightly when she noticed Victoria looking at her expectantly, as if they were waiting for her to open a portal right this second.

She could do it. Opening a portal was as easy as breathing to Sirin. It required nothing more than a single thought of her will for Honkai energy to tear a hole in space and create a bridge connecting two distant places together, allowing the user to instantly travel from one end to the other.

The problem was the risk associated with the usage of her powers. And that meant she needed to change the topic quickly.

"Why don't we walk? It's a wonderful evening," Sirin started, glancing towards the nearest street lamp decorated with Christmas lights shining brightly against the dark sky, the orange glow reflecting off her golden irises. "Besides, Sarah could use a little exercise."

"Hey!"

"Are you sure? I mean, Amy could use some exercise herself," Victoria frowned, ignoring her sister's threat of stabbing. "But it's also kind of cold outside. We can-"

"Right, off we go. How about we stop by the kiosk here, at the crossroads? Sirin really adores the ice cream that's in there," Sarah interrupted the blonde before squeezing past the fellow blonde and making sure she didn't slip. "Any objections? No? Great! Onward, ladies! Dinner awaits!"

Even if she knew that the appearance that Sarah put up was fake, her cheery voice was infectious enough for Sirin to fix the scarf on her face so that no one could see the smile that was slowly creeping its way on her face. Even if pain, fear and rage capable of immolating everything in its path was still there, bubbling just under the surface and ready to be unleashed, this made things easier. Made it seem brighter.

Perhaps she could do this after all.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A/N: Apologies for the long delay. The life was not kind to me, and the very fact that I'm here is a miracle in and of itself. Got that bad.
I won't lie and say that the next chapter will come out next week, as I honestly have no idea what exactly will happen even tomorrow, but I'll try to get back into the swing of things. Slowly but surely, this story will continue. Thanks to everyone who gave this story a shot, because you gave me a reason to focus too. As always, all of my thanks to Snowfire. You are an incredible person and a friend.
 
Chapter 18
Christmas at the Dallon household was certainly a positive experience for Sirin, even if it was somewhat confusing for the girl. Not only did Carol take Sarah and her in without a moment of hesitation, but she also treated them as if they were her own family. There was a warm atmosphere in the air that made Sirin feel strangely welcomed. Perhaps it was the food, apparently made by Carol and Victoria, that created the cheerful mood during dinner? Or maybe it was the conversation that the entire group shared during and after eating their fill? Either way, Sirin found herself enjoying every minute spent in the company of these people that had shown kindness towards her despite knowing very little about her other than what Alan had told them.

There were times when Sirin felt that Amy and Victoria looked at her funny though. Even Sarah, who had managed to befriend Amy over the past few weeks, noticed something suspicious about her behavior that seemed to indicate that the healer had grown somewhat wary of Sirin as well. But why?

For the next few hours, Sirin remained in a conflicted state of relaxed tension, constantly waiting for Amy or Victoria to approach her and question her about her origins whilst simultaneously trying to convince herself that it would never happen. Even if they did find out, there was no way they'd turn against her so easily after being so warm to her. Victoria was a friend, too.

However, after staying up almost until midnight talking and helping to clean up after their late Christmas dinner, Sirin decided that she would have to do something about this situation before it escalated.

It was just approaching midnight when Sirin finally returned to her own bedroom after finishing her duties in the kitchen. Her stomach hurt slightly from all the food she'd eaten today, yet despite being quite tired due to staying up so late, Sirin refused to let herself fall asleep just yet. Instead, she chose to visit Alan before returning to her bed. There was something they needed to discuss.

The room was quiet except for the soft humming sound coming from the vent above his bed, and the gentle beeps of medical equipment around it. As before, Alan was lying motionless on top of the covers, barely seeming to breathe as he slept. Sirin found herself worrying as she slowly approached. Was it possible that her presence alone could put too much strain on the man's body? The worry didn't leave Sirin as she reached out to gently touch Alan's face, trying to wake him up while calling out to him in a whisper.

"Alan?"

There was no response from the man at first, however after several seconds passed by and Sirin repeated herself a bit louder, Alan's eyes fluttered open slowly, revealing dark green irises staring blankly at her as he blinked away the sleepiness from his eyes.

"Sirin?"

His voice sounded raspy and hoarse, not at all like the smooth, confident tone he always spoke in whenever Sirin had seen him before. His breath smelled faintly of medicine which wasn't surprising considering how many chemicals were probably pumping through his veins right now. Yet despite his obvious discomfort, Alan managed to flash a tired smile at Sirin and patted the space beside him on the bed, inviting her to sit down.

"What are you doing here so late? Where's Sarah?"

"Sleeping," Sirin answered simply, sitting down slowly before continuing. "We ate a lot and did a lot. Amy and Victoria invited us for Christmas dinner at their house and Carol gave me a bunch of food to take home."

"That's nice of them," Alan chuckled softly. "Hope they didn't scare you off with the amount of food they had on hand."

"No," Sirin shook her head, smiling fondly as she remembered how nice Carol Dallon acted towards her and Sarah despite knowing so little about either one of them. "They were very welcoming. Everyone was happy. There was no fighting, no yelling..."

Alan remained silent for a moment, listening to Sirin talk while gazing blankly ahead, before finally turning back towards her again, smiling faintly once more.

"Do you feel the same way too?"

Sirin hesitated briefly before nodding slowly, shifting uncomfortably where she sat as she kept her eyes locked onto Alan's face, searching for any sign of emotion within his expression. After a few moments passed, Alan's smile widened slightly and he chuckled softly, patting Sirin's shoulder lightly.

"Good. That means there's still hope for you yet."

Sirin raised an eyebrow at that remark, frowning slightly as she tilted her head towards one side curiously, confused by Alan's statement.

"What do you mean?"

"It means that you've realized what is important in life," Alan explained, his face twisting from a pang of pain that shot through his chest. "Family."

Sirin shook her head slightly as she stared at Alan incredulously before replying softly, "I already have one. You're my family now, Alan. You and Sarah. I don't need anyone else."

Alan chuckled again as he laid back against the pillows covering his back, closing his eyes again with a sigh before speaking once more.

"True, but sometimes family doesn't always mean blood relatives or even close friends. Sometimes it's about making connections with others and establishing bonds with those around you. Like how you and Sarah became best friends in just a short while."

Sirin glanced at him doubtfully, but didn't argue against his statement despite her own doubts regarding the truthfulness of it. Instead, she asked a question that had been bothering her ever since she came here.

"Why should I trust others? Why should I trust strangers?"

"Why did you trust Sarah? Why did you trust me?" He asked gently. Then, as she grappled with the question, answered it for her.

"Because sometimes the only thing you can do is take a leap of faith and hope for the best." Alan gave her a small grin. "But more importantly, because it's the right thing to do. Trusting someone when they haven't proven themselves worthy of your trust can be dangerous and foolish, yes, but it's better to give them the benefit of the doubt instead of constantly expecting betrayal from them."

Sirin stared at Alan's face blankly, contemplating his words before turning away with a heavy sigh as she covered her mouth with a hand as if to hide her expression from the man lying beside her.

"I... I suppose so," she admitted after several seconds had passed, letting out a long breath before continuing. "But..."

"There's nothing wrong with trusting other people, Sirin," Alan interrupted her gently as he placed his hand upon her shoulder and squeezed lightly, giving her comfort in return for her honesty. "And there's definitely nothing wrong with having more than one person in your life to care for. Trust me, it makes things better in the long run."

Sirin glanced at him uncertainly before nodding, swallowing thickly before asking, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because," Alan paused for a moment, seeming thoughtful as he considered his words carefully, "because I want you to be happy."

"Alan..."

"I know that this world has treated you terribly and that there's no guarantee of a good future awaiting you," Alan continued slowly, taking her hands into his own before raising them up until they were level with his face, looking at them intently as if searching for something hidden inside them. "But I also believe that, if given the chance, you will accomplish great things that will change this city for the better. Perhaps even far more than that."

Sirin frowned slightly at Alan's words but remained silent nonetheless, listening attentively as he spoke.

"It might be selfish of me to wish for you to trust others, but I have to ask," he went on, glancing up to briefly meet Sirin's gaze. He let out a rattling sigh, as if something broke free in his words. "I might not always have managed to do so, but please don't ever give up hope. There will always be people willing to help you through whatever difficulties you might face, so long as you look."

Sirin watched him silently for a moment, contemplating his request quietly before nodding slowly in agreement.

"Alright," she replied finally, smiling weakly at him before continuing. "I'll try not to give up on other people. But I'm not promising anything. I still don't... can't care about many others. Not how you people do. Sorry."

"As long as you give it a shot," Alan agreed readily, his expression twitching as he did his best to ignore the pain in his body. "That's all I can ask for."

Sirin nodded silently before returning her attention towards Alan's body lying in front of her. As far as she could tell, Alan's physical condition hadn't deteriorated much since the last time she'd seen him, even though he was a little paler than before. It still didn't make sense to the girl, as Honkai should've killed him several times over at this point. Was whatever Amy Dallon did so potent that it was keeping him alive? Had Alan's body somehow had the ability to handle the amount of Honkai energy within his veins? Or was there something she'd been missing?

The guilt came back with a crushing force. She couldn't stay any longer.

"I think... I need to go," Sirin stated quietly, rising from the bed carefully and crossing over to stand next to Alan's side once again. "Will you be alright?"

"Yes," Alan agreed without hesitation, though his voice was a little strained as he spoke. "Thank you for checking up on me. And you'd better go back to bed, or I'll ground you."

"You're welcome," Sirin replied automatically, hesitating slightly as she looked at the man lying motionlessly before her, wishing desperately that there was something she could do to ease his suffering. "And I'll... go for now. But I'll come back again."

Alan laughed softly, shaking his head in amusement at Sirin's awkwardness before responding softly, "There's no need."

With that said, he turned away from her and closed his eyes once more, leaving Sirin alone and confused in the darkened room.

And so, she hesitated.

She could do it. Opening a portal was as easy as breathing to Sirin. It required nothing more than a single thought to tear a hole in space and create a bridge connecting two distant places together, allowing the user to instantly travel from one end to the other end of the portal.

The problem was the risk associated with the usage of her powers, and her proximity to Alan. So she decided to leave the same way she'd gained entrance - by walking through the wall and quickly gaining altitude to avoid being noticed.

The snowfall continued unabated, creating a beautiful picture below her as Sirin floated high above the city, unsure if she was supposed to head back home to Sarah, who would probably panic if she woke up and found herself alone, or take some time for herself to collect her thoughts before returning. The latter sounded appealing enough to her right now, especially since her earlier conversation with Alan left her feeling drained both emotionally and mentally. Especially after a long day of social activity.

She needed to clear her head before doing anything else and coming to some sort of decision regarding her future plans. So there she stayed for a time, floating above the city, gazing down upon it as she pondered the possibilities ahead of her. She barely noticed the cold wind swirling around her body, brushing the snowfall into undulating curtains of white.

Should she return home and act as if everything was normal? Should she leave Brockton Bay behind and move on with her life elsewhere? After everything she'd done here, and at Madison, was that even possible? She didn't think so. It was terrifying to think, making her shiver in a way no natural cold could, but she'd bound herself to part of this world's future in those actions.

If she left, Sarah at least would try to find her. More than that, it would leave her friend alone and defenseless in a city that would surely seek to use her. She couldn't do that. Not to her closest friend, and certainly not when the Honkai was doing…something to her. She didn't remember much of her mama, of her lost friends, but that much she did. You don't leave them behind. She'd been given no choice back in her world, but now she had one. And wasn't that just terrifying?

SIrin wasn't sure how long she spent floating above the city, only that it felt like hours whilst never quite adding up to even one. She opened a portal across the city and ghosted through it, appearing again a few hundred meters above Alan's home. Sarah was probably asleep, but Sirin should still be there. She knew that her blonde friend still had nightmares, and the fact that the girl sometimes woke up screaming when she tried sleeping alone worried her deeply. It was important to keep an eye on her.

And she slept better knowing they were both safe.

Phasing through the ceiling found Sarah sleeping soundly in her bed, clutching a pillow tightly against her chest with one arm while wrapped up tightly in a thick blanket. She seemed peaceful and content, no signs of distress whatsoever on her face as she snuggled into the thick blanket.

Sirin stood beside the bed for a moment longer, then simply phased out of her clothes. Leaving them in a pile on the floor she pulled on a nightdress, and joined her friend under the blanket. Maybe she too would find comfort in her dreams tonight.

Everything else could wait until the sunrise.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A/N: Apologies for a... almost two months break, but the health (both mental and physical) was not in a good place. To be honest, I legitimately couldn't force myself to write a single line, so this chapter came out much smaller than expected. I do feel better now, so the next chapter should be bigger in quality and, uh... rather action packed. And thank you for sticking around. Hope you'll enjoy what is to come.

As always, my thanks to Snowfire for editing it to a readable state. Can't express my gratitude enough.
 
I'm gladdened by the presence of this chapter.
 
On one hand, having a tragic parental figure makes narrative sense, Sirin's own Uncle Ben passing on his last teachings that will stay with her.

Partial joke. On the other hand - please don't kill Alan.
 
On one hand, having a tragic parental figure makes narrative sense, Sirin's own Uncle Ben passing on his last teachings that will stay with her.

Partial joke. On the other hand - please don't kill Alan.
that would be cruel for our Queen Sirin, sarah and us if he died, He's a great man so please don't kill him.

Sirin having a loving living family would be great.
 
Chapter 19
Colin carefully put away the soldering iron and pulled away from the circuitry, laying a protective layer of plating over the board. With a sigh, he removed the safety glasses and leaned back in his chair, letting his vision blur and then refocus. The man rubbed his temples, feeling the exhaustion from lack of sleep building up inside his head. He hated this feeling of fatigue more than anything else in the world; it made him feel weak and useless, unable to perform his duties effectively. And in a city like Brockton Bay, being at less than 100% efficiency could be a death sentence.

Colin knew he should've taken a break sooner than this, but he always seemed to lose track of time whenever he got absorbed in his work. Fortunately, thanks to his carefully studied and scientifically perfected version of coffee, he didn't suffer from any noticeable side effects of prolonged mental strain - aside from occasional headaches caused by insufficient oxygen intake which would usually disappear after taking a short nap or eating something sweet. Not that he was relying on it all the time, Colin knew perfectly well just how dangerous doing anything while being sleep-deprived was.

'Maybe I should've taken Dragon's advice after all,' Colin thought to himself bitterly as he closed his eyes. Unlike his colleagues, he didn't really have any plans regarding Christmas, choosing instead to remain at PHQ and work on his gear. The gangs never started fights for around a week after the Endbringer attack, and he could use every single moment of that temporary peace to get ahead. The villains outgunned them by a considerable margin, and the only ones whom he truly trusted to give their everything in the field were Miss Militia and Battery. The others simply lacked drive or character.

Assault, despite being with them for almost two years now, was still not a person he trusted. There was no commitment, no loyalty to the cause and desire to save people. Even his relationship with Battery seemed... suspicious. He still remembered sexual harassment complaints that the young woman raised, and as much as it vexed him, he could only get a strict warning to the former criminal, instead of throwing the idiot into the Birdcage, where he was supposed to be.

Velocity, despite having joined them fairly recently, was far too passive with his abilities, never pushing too hard or attempting to take the initiative, which was most unfortunate.

And when it came to the man others had already whispered to be"one the greatest" in the future, Colin could only sneer. Dauntless was happy to be done with the day and leave as soon as the working hours were done, and never stayed behind to put in another hour or three, unless there was an emergency. Why would he, when that damned power of his was doing everything *for him*.

Taking a deep breath, Colin shook his head slowly before opening his eyes once more. There was no point in thinking about things he couldn't change and dwelling on what might have been would do him no favors. 'I should focus on the present,' he reminded himself sternly, rising from his seat and wincing when he felt the pain shooting through his body as he stretched his arms over his head. 'There is still plenty of time left before the next disaster strikes.'

'Might as well get the reports out of the way.'

The man walked to his desk and picked up a small stack of files, bringing it back to his work table before sitting down again with a grunt. His muscles ached fiercely from the long hours of work, but Colin ignored the discomfort for now and opened one of the folders, leafing through it.

He frowned as the contents started to sink in. There was usually an uptick of crimes around the holidays, no matter how law enforcement did. What he was looking at, however, was a collected report on all crimes where BBPD suspected Parahuman involvement. And it had the tentative distinction of having been vetted and checked by PRT analysts before reaching his desk. Most of it wasn't anything relevant to even morning briefings, but there'd been two fatalities in an ABB controlled district, with evidence pointing to Empire 88 capes being responsible. Predictably, this had drawn Lung's attention.

'Two dead and five critically wounded in total,' Colin mused darkly to himself as he read through the details of the incident once more before closing the folder. That one, he resolved, would be mentioned in the next morning briefing. The real concern was that it might cause another major clash between the gangs, far sooner than hoped. And they needed to find a way to deal with Lung.

The villainous cape wasn't someone that Armsmaster could take care of on his own, not right now at least. Killing the man was out of the question, and yet doing enough damage to keep him down safely was a nigh-impossibility, unless he could figure out a way to disable the man's regeneration. Pushing those thoughts out of the way, Colin pulled up another file. This one was from Brockton General Hospital, surprisingly, and the very first page already had the man's mind whirling.

Alan McIntyre had been admitted to the hospital two days ago, with an infection that no one could identify or cure, not even Panacea. He was currently almost comatose after being rushed to the ER from the street outside the Brockton General Hospital. Fifteen hours of emergency procedure had seen him moved into a private room, which is where he was now. The man was currently being monitored by several doctors under supervision of Panacea herself, who was responsible for stabilizing him enough for the man to be free from imminent danger. But what made the hero truly interested was the handwritten addition with Panacea's signature - something only done when the information was not added to the medical database.

Alan McIntyre possessed a Corona Pollentia, an abnormally large one, yet inactive. One that, according to Panacea, could be connected to his unexplained sickness.

'Considering his guardianship of two powerful parahumans, especially Miracle Star… If he was to pass away, we could either obtain guardianship over them or lose them completely. Troubling. I wonder if Dragon-'

Colin's musings were interrupted by the sudden shrill of alarm. He jerked up from the table and was beside his armor in a handful of quick steps. Just as he'd anticipated, there was trouble brewing within the city once again. He slipped into the armor with practiced ease, the systems coming to life as his biometrics were scanned and accepted, followed by the activation of the radio transceiver located in his helmet.

"Armsmaster reporting," Colin announced curtly as he strode towards the exit of the workshop at full speed. His mind was already whirring with potential responses. "What's the situation?"

"Armsmaster," Miss Militia's voice came crackling through the comms. The fact that it was her shift at the console was both a blessing and a curse in Colin's opinion, as he'd have accurate and up-to-date information on one hand with no unnecessary chatter, but he wouldn't have her support on the field on another. Not the best case scenario, but he'd take what he could get. "We have received multiple calls of a large-scale fight between the Empire 88 and ABB near the docks. Velocity has been notified and changed his patrol route to assist. ETA three minutes. We're sending you coordinates now."

"Acknowledged," Colin replied as he raced towards the garage, knowing that the forcefield bridge would be active by the time he'd reach the garage, allowing him to leave immediately. A quick tap on the barely visible panel on the forearm would make sure that his bike was ready to go. "Reported opposition?"

"So far, around two dozen of Empire rank and file members, armed with automatic rifles. Seems to be a mix of M-16s and AR-500s, so be careful. The ABB has almost three times their numbers, but are mostly armed with handguns. Oni Lee and Lung are both present on the ABB's side, with no information on Empire's capes so far. Police are cordoning off the area, but officers have reported shooting between the gangs and have called for reinforcements."

"Understood," Colin replied curtly as he arrived at the garage and jumped onto the awaiting motorcycle, turning it towards the exit with one hand. His other hand was busy tapping commands into his gauntlet's controls. "I am en route. Keep me posted."

"Affirmative," Miss Militia replied shortly before switching off the comms, allowing Colin to focus solely on driving the vehicle as he sped down the forcefield bridge connecting PHQ to the city.

"Velocity, this is Armsmaster. Focus on evacuating civilians, do not engage Oni Lee or Lung." The hero ordered as he reached solid ground, accelerating further as he blew past intersections, slipping between the flow of traffic with ease. "As soon as you're finished with that, begin picking off Empire forces to remove them from the battlefield. They must have capes incoming by now."

"Copy that," came Velocity's reply immediately. "I'll be on site in two minutes. Velocity out."

His fellow hero wasn't typically allowed to carry confoam grenades due to PR "concerns", which had crippled his combat effectiveness. Velocity was more than capable of handling the untrained mooks of the Empire, though, even if they were well equipped.

Which left the ABB and their parahuman leadership to him. But he'd been in similar situations before. It was simply a question of working out the best plan of action and executing it. And that was exactly what he was going to do.



An explosion rocked the air as another one of Oni Lee's grenades landed by one of the Empire 88 vans parked near the loading dock, engulfing it and its occupants in a short-lived fireball. Screams echoed through the night, accompanied by the rapid cracks of automatic weapons fire as yet another one of Lung's soldiers was gunned down by several members of E88. They were keeping to cover as best they could, in an attempt to avoid being simply overpowered by Lung.

"Hold!" one of them shouted. He raised his assault rifle and fired a burst at a group of ABB thugs who were trying to circle around a partially destroyed building and flank them. His fire dropped two of them before he was forced to duck back into cover by one of Lung's fireballs. "That motherfucker isn't going to lay a finger on us! Keep your goddamn eyes open for that crazy fucking pyro bastard too! I want heads to be placed on a stake for this shit!"

"Fuck!" a younger member cursed loudly as he leaned back against the wall after a stray bullet pierced his shoulder and sent him falling down into a puddle of bloody mud, more red seeping through his fingers into the earth as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding. He was too busy trying to hold onto his life to do more than yell a warning when a man in a black bodysuit appeared out of thin air, two grenades dropping from his hands.

"Oni Lee's here!"

His cry came too late as both the grenades rolled past him to explode between two of his comrades. The shockwave from the explosions ripped outwards, shaking the nearby buildings and filling their blast radius with bloody ruin. He didn't even have time to scream. Some of the group the young man had been part of did survive the blast, shielded by a bend in their cover, but their numbers were heavily reduced. And the ABB came surging forwards.




It turned out that he'd overestimated Lung's planning capabilities. Colin was certain that the only reason Oni Lee hadn't wiped out the entire group of Empire thugs by himself was that he was either busy doing something else, or had been ordered not to do so by Lung. Probably some kind of an intimidation tactic. Now they had almost a dozen mangled and burnt bodies, some of those probably belonging to stupid teenagers who couldn't deal with peer pressure.

Dodging another swipe of Lung's scale-covered arm, Colin swung the back of his halberd into the parahuman's jaw, hoping to knock him out before the man, who was already pushing his height past eight feet tall, would reach critical mass and gain further physical resistance. Lung's retaliation was inevitable, an elbow strike with enough force behind it to cause serious damage. But it was too slow and Armsmaster dodged nimbly past it, before adjust the grip on his weapon and bringing the weapon whistling around into Lung's temple.

The villainous Changer ducked slightly, raising his other arm to block and sent the strike bouncing harmlessly off his scales. At the same time, he reached for Colin's throat with his free hand. The armored hero ducked this time and, changing tactics, swung a powerful blow into Lung's knee, forcing him back a step as the limb buckled.

Lung hissed as he staggered backwards, glaring down at Colin with murderous hatred. The villain was clearly growing enraged with his inability to land a single strike on Armsmaster, who stood between him and his prey. And Colin knew perfectly well that the longer they fought, the lower his chances of winning were.

"Give up," he said in a calm, composed tone, pointing his halberd directly at Lung's face in case he decided to attack again. "I will not allow you to escape. Surrender now, or suffer the consequences."

Lung laughed at that statement as he stood up straight, towering over Colin by almost three feet at his point, flames starting to flicker on top of the scales. His neck was notably longer, but the face had still remained mostly humanoid. And Colin wasn't looking forward to what would come next if the villain kept growing.

"You think you can stop me?" he snarled, revealing his razor-sharp teeth covered in saliva and spitting at the hero before taking a step closer towards him and glaring down at him with bared fangs. "I am beyond you, insect."

'It was worth a shot,' Colin thought grimly to himself as he tightened his grip on his halberd and readied himself for another round, feeling his muscles tense up in anticipation as he prepared for combat once again. 'At least there aren't Empire's capes around to fuel him faste-'

Without warning, a white and dark grey form covered in electric blue light smashed into Lung's side, sending the man flying into the nearby car with enough force to send it flying as well, crashing into the nearby warehouse with a loud boom followed by another smaller explosion seconds later. Battery quickly dove away from the hail of gunfire coming their way, Colin following right behind the young woman by taking cover behind the small sedan.

"Sir, Lung's already growing past the recommended retreat threshold. Should we withdraw?" Battery asked, quickly peeking out of their cover to see the ABB gangsters switching their fire from them and towards the remaining E88 members that hadn''t been picked off by Oni Lee. Colin grunted softly at her question, considering his options for a moment.

"Negative," he said curtly. He leaned back slightly to get a better look at the scene unfolding around him, eyes narrowing at the sight of Oni Lee throwing another grenade towards a group of Empire members, sending them scattering in panic before the explosion erupted inches from their position. Shrapnel flew, and at least two of the gunmen went down. "He's not ramped beyond a human form as yet, and repeated blunt trauma to the head might still be able to put him down. But we'll need to keep him focused on us at all times. I will buy you time, then aim at his temple with full charge."

"Got it," Battery acknowledged with a nod, tightening her grip on her fists.

"Velocity, how is the evacuation proceeding?" Colin asked, rushing out from behind the cover and chucking a confoam grenade towards the ABB members that immediately switched their attention to him. One of them managed a shot that hit the hero on the shoulder, but it bounced harmlessly from his pauldron.

"Just finished, I'll start picking off the mooks now. Do you require backup?" Velocity replied, voice somewhat distorted by the comms. Colin winced as he heard a faint click followed by several quick bursts of automatic gunfire and pained screams, all coming from different directions, followed by more shots moments later.

"No, continue with your assignment, then keep the perimeter secure. If Oni Lee appears in your vicinity, try to knock him out. You'll have approximately two seconds."

"Understood," Velocity responded before cutting the connection.

"Empire capes sighted heading to your location. Hookwolf, Cricket, Stormtiger and Crusader confirmed visually. All members of Protectorate have been mobilized and are heading to join you at the scene. New Wave is also responding." Miss Militia informed him as Colin moved towards Lung, halberd held in a ready guard. "Estimated ETA of five minutes for the fliers."

"Acknowledged," he grunted, blocking a fireball with the blade of his weapon. The man was now beginning to take on the truly non-human shape of his Changer form, and that worried him. It had never happened this quickly before. Had he been building himself up for this moment, to get as many opposing parahumans in one location and try to take them all out? Was that even possible?

It would be out of character for the man, yet couldn't be discarded as a possibility. A diversion, perhaps? But for what purpose... no. Lung must have just intended to take down the Empire 88 and Protectorate in one fell swoop.

At least that was a simple enough theory that he could work with for now. He'd figure out the real reason after the fact.

"Armsmaster, Miss Militia has handed off console duties to me," a different voice came over the console channel, younger and a bit unsteady. "You have…three minutes until Empire capes reach you. Velocity is trying to stall them, but he's outnumbered."

"Copy that," Colin replied, doing his best to stay out of Lung's range and retaliating with his halberd whenever he could. The thing about fighting Lung was that it was akin to fighting a moving wall made out of iron: difficult and very slow to take down. The Changer was getting faster and faster as well, but so far hadn't shown any signs of going down despite him having received multiple fully charged blows to the head from Battery, which would've killed a normal man instantly. He was rapidly approaching the threshold where even lethal force would have an effect.

Lung roared, a deep, guttural sound that almost shook the ground beneath Colin's feet, followed by another swipe of his massive hand, aimed at his chest this time. Armsmaster quickly side-stepped to the left, but miscalculated his next move and almost stumbled into Lung's waiting claws, barely managing to avoid having his helmet torn off as Lung's fist clipped him. Even that glancing strike was almost enough to knock him out, integrity warnings screaming around where he'd been hit.

"New Wave's on scene," the tech who'd taken over Console told him. "They're engaging the Empire's forces, holding them back. Dauntless is available to assist with Lung. Should I have him join you?"

"Negative," Colin replied sharply, dodging a burst of flame launched from Lung's mouth, now split into four parts. He leapt away from another attempt to grab him with his arm, landing out of the Changer's reach for a brief moment. "Lung's taking up half the street, I'm running out of space to maneuver as it is. Possibility of friendly fire is too big. Keep everyone out of this."

"S'op ru'ing" Lung snarled angrily, his voice sounding like he was choking on something in his throat, the buildings shaking at the sheer volume of it. He looked almost entirely like a monster now, his massive body easily twice as tall as Colin, elongated neck bent in a way a human's was never supposed to bend, with sharp spines sticking out from various places across it. "I am gon' ter 'ake oo'd eter."

Fire cascaded from the silver scales of the villain, pouring out around him, an obvious tactic to deny Armsmaster any space to dodge. He darted forward, striking at Lung's face in an attempt to disorient him. Lung roared in pain as the blade broke his scales, and Colin hurled himself back as the dragon reared up to crush him.

"Battery, when he lunges." He had to cut himself off, diving to the ground as Lung surged forward. Only for Battery to slam into him once again, sending the villain flying down the road, giving Colin the opportunity to catch his breath. Despite the confidence in his skills and stamina, the area was starting to test the limits of his armor. He needed to finish this quickly.

More and more capes pouring in would be even worse than not enough, especially considering that Lung wasn't one to be affected by a show of force. They needed to either put him down right here, right now, or remove him from the area.

Something that…was actually quite possible with New Wave involved, now that he thought about it. A few seconds passed before Colin came up with a rough idea of how he could use the other hero group to achieve his goal. It was a bit risky, but with how things were going currently, they had no other choice but to pull it off or be forced to retreat.

Lung had pulled himself back to his feet, and Colin could see the start of wings on the Changer's back. The villain roared, gathering himself to attack again, before something coughed once, twice, more behind Armsmaster. Six small objects arced down the street, each one's detonation like a clap of thunder. He recognized them, and turned to find Miss Militia striding forward. A flash of green and the flag-masked heroine's grenade launcher vanished, replaced by the familiar form of a rocket launcher.

"Thank you." He might have to talk with her about coming to help him after he'd told everyone to stay away, but that could wait. And take into account that she really had helped. "We will require Glory Girl's assistance," he added. It didn't take Miss Militia more than a few moments to recognise his plan, and she fell back to contact New Wave's youngest Brute.

He glanced back down the street, noting that Lung had managed to pick himself back up again after the latest hit and was already turning around to face him. He wasn't pleased to see Armsmaster still standing strong and ready to continue fighting. However, there was something else mixed into his monstrous expression.

Something almost like anticipation. Was it merely his imagination? He had no time to dwell on this thought as Lung charged forward once again.

As soon as Colin stepped into his personal space, Lung attacked him with both his arms, attempting to grab him by the shoulders or neck. Colin swung his halberd upwards, hitting him in the face, before changing the angle and striking again, knocking Lung back slightly before swinging around and hitting him across the back with enough force to make the villain stumble backwards. Another swipe of the halberd ended up sending the man stumbling a little further, forcing him to slow down a bit as he struggled to keep his balance while also trying not to trip over himself.

Colin grinned inwardly when he noticed that Lung wasn't focusing on him anymore but on Battery who slammed him with a telephone pole over the head, causing the villainous cape to stagger once more, disoriented but no less dangerous as flames erupted all over his scales, causing both Battery and Colin to back away.

But it was too late.

A white and gold comet rushed by the two heroes, aiming straight at the villain. Despite Lung's enhanced senses warning him of the danger, the swipe of his hand wreathed in flames was clumsy, inaccurate, the repeated brain trauma taking its toll, even with the man's enhanced regeneration. Using the extended limb as a leverage, the young heroine swung the villain around before letting go, sending Lung *flying* out of the city and into the Bay, even as he kept growing, wrapped in searing flames.

"Good job, Glory Girl," Colin said approvingly. "Now we retreat. Lung is showcasing abnormal growth, and we can't keep engaging him. If left alone, he should de-escalate." Colin turned and headed to where he could see troopers picking up the surviving Empire thugs and putting them in cuffs, with PRT trucks turning the corner not a moment later. It made the hero's smile, he did so love to see efficient work.

"Oh, you're not out of the fire yet," Kaiser's cold voice rang out. The leader of the Empire stepped out from the corner of the ruined intersection, the full strength of his gang at his back. Ten capes in total, probably expecting to try and kill Lung before he could outramp their firepower. Velocity zipped up from one side, with Battery joining a moment later on the other, fully charged and ready for any confrontation.

"Sorry, Armsmaster. Couldn't keep them out after the rest showed up," the man in a red bodysuit apologized, leaning on his knees and panting hard. "We had to pull back."

"You did well," Colin replied. Velocity gave him a tired thumbs-up as he continued to catch his breath. The speedster was clearly nearing his limit, but he hadn't even considered withdrawing. A good thing to note.

"Yes, yes, the good heroes have done so well in throwing the dragon into the bay. Now, if you would be so kind as to surrender our comrades back into our care, we'll be glad to leave and call it a day," Kaiser said. There was a smile in the man's voice as he stepped forward, a sword in hand. He looked confident, but then again, he always did. There was no reason for him to worry since his gang wasn't in danger of being wiped out like the ABB was right now.

Colin shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid we cannot do that," he replied evenly, readying his halberd again as Velocity straightened up and stood by his side. Glory Girl hovered above them, matching the position of the Empire's Purity. "They are all being detained for their part in this mess. Do you want to join them?"

Miss Militia stepped out from where she'd made the call to Glory Girl, rocket launcher still in hand. Dauntless descended to hover next to Glory Girl, and the rest of the girl's family took up stations supporting the Protectorate. Assault was, suspiciously enough, absent, but that didn't matter. He'd deal with the man later. Right now, they had enough people on hand to deal with this threat.

Kaiser sighed heavily, shaking his head slightly. "You could've avoided this unpleasantness, but you just had to be stubborn about it, didn't you? Fine. Meine Freunde, shall we show these heroes what it means to stand against the Empire?"

It was at this moment that a wall of steam erupted out of the bay, the spray splitting the wan sunlight into short-lived rainbows. Silver flashed behind them, and hellish heat followed, the air splitting with the thunder of a dragon's roar.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A/N: All of my gratitude to Snowfire for sanity checking this chapter. If I could hug you, I would. Seriously.
 
Is Lung's Shard predicting the threat potential of the nascent Honkai contamination in the city and escalating accordingly? If so, nasty surprise as he never stops growing.
 
Chapter 20
Each action and interaction had been carefully prepared and thought out. Every outcome and potential charted and sealed to guard the future. There was and would still be much to be done, but much of it was simple maintenance. Gathering the weave of probability and action until all came together as it must.

First a victory. Then a rebirth.

But the current situation was as expected. An anomaly had interfered, much like the other. It possessed no past or future, only context and what surrounded the anomaly's location in time and its actions. The shadow it produced wasn't yet unmanageable, however, and interaction had revealed both its existence and need for termination.

So as it had for the other, a profile had to be built, a strategy developed. That could not be done without information on the nature of this new anomaly. Elements must be moved, to prompt data acquisition.

Of course, this process must be done without expending too much effort, or revealing its hand in the matter. It would be even worse to interfere personally. Two elements to provoke study were near at hand, though. Observing the outcome of these interactions was all that was required, for now.

The results would provide the data for future planning. All that was needed now was to watch and wait.




Despite being sprawled out on the sofa in Alan's living room, Sirin couldn't help but feel anxious. Sarah had gone to the library for something and, once again, asked to go by herself. To "not jump at shadows", whatever that meant.

Sarah had been adamant about not bringing her along, even after she'd pointed out how the city wasn't a safe place for a young girl to be wandering around alone. Reminding her of her personal experience with that fact probably hadn't been the right thing to do, judging by how it made the blonde tense up, but Sirin wasn't sorry. Still, her friend's argument had been that it was merely a 20 minute walk down the street and that she'd be back shortly. And that she had a taser on her, one she'd 'appropriated' from somewhere, in case anything happened.

To be honest, that didn't reassure Sirin much. She couldn't see how a taser could save her friend from an unexpected ambush, and it certainly wasn't going to help her if her power didn't warn her in time. There were so many things that could go wrong and-

And she was worrying too much.

Sarah was smart. She knew what to do to not draw attention to herself. She had experience dealing with the worst that the world had to offer and still kept her head high and her back straight. The girl was capable of defending herself.

...Maybe.

Sirin growled in frustration, reaching for the remote to turn up the volume. The news channel she'd landed on was blabbering about the latest cape fight. Something involving a lot of explosions and superpowers, the kind that just happened randomly in this crazy city. Ever since they'd moved to Alan's house and gotten access to TV, Sirin couldn't remember a day where something connected to the local villains hadn't happened.

So far, none of those daily events had led to her getting involved, but that was bound to change at some point. She'd prefer to keep it that way for as long as she could, though. Despite Alan's words, Sirin simply couldn't… make herself care enough. Not for everyone, at the very least, not yet. She had a few people that were starting to fill the hole in her chest just a little bit now, and she'd tear whoever touched them into pieces, but everyone else…

'Work in progress,' Sirin thought, turning the TV off. Thinking about that never seemed to help. What she needed was something to distract her. Something that would make her stop worrying about Sarah. Maybe she could try to clean up the apartment a little? When Alan came back from the hospital, and he would come back from the hospital, he'd be proud of them if the house was clean. That would be something nice for one of the people she cared about.

The girl was glad that the news had said that the fight was down by the docks, though. If it had been anywhere near the library, her promise not to follow her friend would have flown out the window, and so would Sirin herself. But what if there were other fights going on, that the news hadn't reported? There was a way to check, though Alan's words drifted to the forefront of her mind at the thought. Could she use her power once again, risking the infection of others just to check on the person she cared about? Was she that selfish?

'Yes.'

The decision was surprisingly easy. She only needed a fraction of a second to check if her friend was anywhere near the fight, and that would be it. A small sacrifice to ensure Sarah's safety.

Immediately, Sirin's senses expanded, the entirety of Brockton Bay opening up to her. The hospital where Alan was currently sleeping, the Dallon's empty house, the library to which Sarah was heading, all of it became her domain. Her vision changed, colors faded, and sounds twisted, warping into a mess of jumbled up noises that would've made little sense to anyone else.

Sirin quickly focused on the most important thing: Sarah.

Thankfully, she was far away from any of the fighting, approaching the library just as she should be. A palpable wave of relief shot through her and Sirin tried to force herself to relax. Her friend was currently approaching the library, her steps quick and light, posture slightly tense as she walked, nervously humming a tune under her breath.

With a sigh, Sirin retracted her senses, returning to the realm of the mundane. With how quickly she'd managed to pull it off, the risk of infecting someone was probably negligible, and the knowledge that her friend should be safe had helped.

WIth that matter resolved, Sirin got up and made her way towards the kitchen. She could start with washing the dishes. That was a good idea. After that, she could sweep the floor and then…maybe try to use the hoover/. By the time she was done with that, Sarah should be back home, and they could eat together.

Then they'd talk. About everything. About Alan. About her. About what was going to happen to them. About how the whole situation was one giant mess. About her past. About her powers. About how they would solve the problem.

Together.

The girl's lips curled into a smile. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. They'd sit down, talk things out and sort it out. Whatever problems they had, they'd figure them out.

There was nothing that they couldn't do.



As it turned out, Sirin's grand plan of cleaning the house top to bottom would not come to pass, mostly because of the panting, singed and wide-eyed Victoria Dallon that showed up on her doorsteps, making sure she wouldn't move as void lance stopped barely a centimeter away from the blonde's eye.

"Vick- Why did you break the lock?! It's winter!" Sirin exclaimed, unaware of how her eyes were currently glowing.

"Sirin!" Vicky panted. There was soot on the usually immaculate blonde's costume, and her eyes were heavy with fatigue. "We need to go. Right now. There's a fight, and we're kinda losing. I need you to help me evacuate as many people as we can before it gets worse.

Sirin's eyes widened. She considered the request for all of half a second, then nodded. It seemed that the day she was drawn into those never ending fights would be this one. Talk about Christmas gifts.

"I'll be right out," she said. "Give me a second to get changed."

"What? No. You don't understand, we need to leave now. Like, right now," Vicky repeated.

"I know." Sirin answered calmly, already pushing the cape aside and closing the door. "I won't be gone for a moment."

"Just hurry up, okay! Things are bad, just grab a scarf and-" The door slammed shut in her face, cutting off the rest of the girl's words.

Sirin didn't bother going up the stairs, flying directly into her bedroom through the floor. Though she could've simply materialized a replica of her costume out of thin air, it felt wrong. Nothing like the handcrafted suit that was the result of her efforts and Sarah's input.

The girl reached for the black and gold dress, pulling it out of the wardrobe and phasing into it, soft fabric warm against her skin. The rest of the outfit followed quickly; gloves, hair pin, and finally scarf. All as it should be. She stepped out of the room through the exterior wall, and let herself drop back into reality as her feet touched the steps leading up to the door. Vicky, for her part, was all but vibrating with impatience.

"Finally! Come on, we need to go." The blonde heroine turned and immediately took off, blasting the snow off of the doorsteps. Sirin took a moment to seal the entrance with a few of her lances – Sarah could use the back door. Then she soared up into the sky, quickly catching up to her guide.

"So, what's actually going on?" Sirin asked, glancing at the clouds of smoke rising in the distance.

"Gang war went hot. Empire vs ABB. We came out to help the PRT, but by the time we got there things had gotten…complicated," Victoria explained. She was speaking louder than normal, to make sure Sirin could hear her over the wind, and not slowing down a single bit.

"How many heroes?" the purplette asked, frowning.

"Pretty much the entire Protectorate, bar Assault." Vicky replied. "Aunt Sarah thinks the Director has him doing something else in the city, but that's not important for us. We need your help getting people out."

"Right," Sirin said hesitantly. "You want me to portal them somewhere safe." It really wasn't a question, but Vicky nodded along.

"PRT's set up a safe zone. They're going to be scared, of course, but it's better for them to be scared and safe than where they are now." Victoria explained, turning her head to give Sirin a nod.

"Alright." Sirin agreed. "Where am I portalling them?"

"PRT set up a safezone a few blocks away. Try to move the civilians there. You can make sure no one's left behind, right?"

"I got it." The younger girl nodded. She wasn't sure how she felt about using her area-sense again, but if it was the only way to save people…

"Good." Vicky shot her a thankful smile, but it was tarnished by a grim concern. "The PRT should know you're coming, so just get all the civilians out. I'll go help take care of the bad guys."

"Stay safe!" Sirin called, as her friend peeled away from her, towards the sounds of battle.

"Thanks Sirin," Vicky yelled back. "You too!"

The blonde heroine accelerated away, and Sirin felt a flare of concern as something enormous roared out a challenge as her friend descended. She forced it aside for now, though, focusing on the buildings ahead. Buildings that had somehow caught fire in the middle of winter, and the source of a panicky rush of people, interrupted on what should have been a time of peace.

Her lips twisted in a growl for a moment at the thought, but that wasn't what she was here to help with, she told herself. The solution here, though, was simple. Once again, everything in Brockton Bay flickered into perfect focus as she loosened the restrictions on her senses. Looking at the buildings, she could tell that most of them weren't actually in danger of collapse, the fires having done only minimal damage so far. But with civilians running out of the occasional office building, stores, and the few open cafes, there was a definite danger of people getting hurt in the rush.

That rush slowed as she came to a stop above the street, though, and she heard a few quiet cries of recognition. It warmed her heart that they were all so thankful. A moment of focus fixed the evacuation zone Vicky had told her about in her mind, and then portals started flickering into being all across the streets.

She'd been asked to help get them out. So that's what she did. She shouldn't have had to move her hands to do it, but it had felt right. So as her hands swept up, people followed the lines her fingers drew, making the purplish portals impossible to ignore. They were still new to many, just like she was to the city, but her actions at Madison had made it clear what they were for.

The crowd paused for a moment, then split apart as people rushed for the nearest portal. Sirin waited patiently, cutting back her senses as she did so until the packed streets thinned of people. She pulsed her senses out a third time, checking for any remaining civilians. Thankfully, there were PRT personnel present now, running a sweep of the area. She could help with that, but-

Another roar bellowed from where Victoria had been heading, and Sirin shook her head. The PRT could handle any stragglers. Another short gesture closed all but a handful of her remaining portals, and then she flitted away under the gray sky. She needed to check on her friend.



Turned out, things weren't going too well for the heroes.

As she arrived at the scene, the first thing Sirin noticed was the absolute carnage. Buildings were burning, with many simply missing entire chunks of the exterior. Others had almost melted, as if the concrete was made out of ice rather than actual stone. Another group of PRT troopers were scrambling to fix a perimeter to block the roads and prevent any civilians from entering the combat area.

At the center of it all, though, Sirin could see quite a bit about what was going on. Whatever the fight had started as, a three-sided conflict as far as she knew, Lung was now the sole focus of attention.

The ABB leader had grown considerably, now towering over the rest of the people present, nearly approaching the height of the smaller buildings on the street. Heat radiated from his silver scales, rippling in waves out around him. His claws were already covered in blood, and the dragon was currently ripping at the heroes with them, seemingly without a care for his own wellbeing.

Victoria dove in to land a hit on the dragon, only to be sent flying the moment she got within his reach. She slammed into the side of a heavy van with enough force to flip the vehicle, forcing the nearby PRT troopers to scatter.

Lung didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that he was outnumbered, or surrounded. His movements were wild, yes, but powerful enough that it didn't seem to matter. Even a near miss could send his target stumbling, and there wasn't a shred of restraint in his attacks. Something in the back of Sirin's mind recognised that; the movements of one fighting to kill.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched the scene, mind racing as she tried to figure out what to do. If her assumption was correct, then any large-scale application of her power had the risk of infecting everyone present. But from what Sarah had told her about Lung, she wasn't sure if anything else could put down the dragon-man without killing him

'I really hope Sarah wasn't wrong about his regeneration,' Sirin thought, flying towards the fighting. As she'd expected, her presence was immediately noticed.

"Star!" Carol Dallon - 'Brandish'- called out as she spotted the girl. "Glad you're here. We could use some help."

"I am, but I'm not sure what I can do," Sirin said, dropping out of the sky near the more experienced heroine. "I've heard he regenerates?"

"Yes." Brandish nodded. "We've avoided casualties amongst heroes so far, but with the way it's going, there's a very real risk of someone getting hurt."

An answer came to her in a flash. He couldn't hurt her, not really, which meant she could distract him. Give others the opportunity to take him out while he was busy throwing fireballs or whatever he was going to do. "I think I can help," Sirin murmured.

"Star, you-" Brandish's words were cut off as Sirin surged forward into the fight, immediately attracting the attention of the ABB leader. She spun power from her hands, weak by the standards of her actions in Madison, but more than enough to do the job.

And the entire world seemed to freeze as a girl no more than twelve slapped Lung squarely across the face. On, as she would only later find out, live television. The less said about the sanity of the local helicopter news crews, the better.

The blow didn't do much, certainly nothing that would be permanent. But the abruptness of it, combined with the subtle force her powers let her put into the blow, was more than enough to lock the villain's attention on her. Sheer shock, in fact, drove him back perhaps half a step. Then yellow eyes, filled with hatred and rage, locked onto where she floated a handful of meters from his fanged maw.

Just outside of reach.

The dragon lunged at Sirin, faster than any creature his size was supposed to move, bloodstained claws driving straight for the girl's chest. And passed straight through it.

The enormous bulk of the monstrous Changer surged through the air without ever touching his target, and claws tore at asphalt as he fought to keep his balance. He whirled, tail writhing through the space in the air where all of his senses screamed the purple-haired heroine should be. Once again, his strike found nothing.

And in that moment, as the villain was still trying to regain his balance, another hero struck. Battery surged forward. Blue-white light blazed from the patterns on the woman's costume, streamers of the same enfolding the section of rebar she'd caught up in her charge. She swung the improvised weapon two-handed, straight into the exposed joint of Lung's nearest knee.

Muscle and bone snapped like high-tension cable, the popping sounds more alike to gunshots, and the dragon staggered back, struggling to remain standing. His tail lashed at Battery as he went, sending the heroine flying back into one of the few remaining cars on the street. For a moment he teetered, claws flailing at the torn asphalt, an easy target for a hail of lightning bolts from one of the other heroes. One of the Protectorate ones, she thought.

Then fire blossomed around the silver-scaled monster, a burst of flame bellowing out around his far side. The sheer pressure of the outburst righted him, and just in time, as a grappling hook slammed into the villain's shoulder. A second earlier and it would've pulled him down on his side. More strikes rained down, but Lung ignored them. He twisted his body, and Armsmaster staggered, almost pulled off his feet into the villain's claws. He stumbled forward anyway, even with the quick trigger of the hook's emergency release. Lung pounced.

Sirin darted forward with a cry, space twisting at her side into the head of a tricolor lance in white, black and gold. But she'd barely begun to form the weapon when a dumpster – not a dustbin, the full, four wheeled monster of a container – crashed into the side of his head. It diverted his attack just enough, though Armsmaster stiffened as a single errant claw tore through one side of his breastplate. He fell back, muffling a curse and Glory Girl surged into the opening.

The blonde's arms were tucked in close to her sides, a far cry from the more common sweeping blows she was known for. She only got time to land a single punch, but Sirin saw silver scales shatter around her knuckles as they drove home. Then Lung roared and swatted Victoria aside, literally through the closest building. A veritable wall of flame erupted around him, aborting an attack from Brandish and Battery who'd been rushing forward behind him.

Sirin looked around. Where were the other heroes? Victoria had said they were all here. And what should she do? She couldn't risk what she'd done at Madison, not until she knew what was happening to Alan, to Sarah. Perhaps her lances? One already floated at her shoulder, partially formed but easily made ready. But Sarah had told her the PRT didn't like killing…

Below her, Lung burst through the wall of flames he'd created, claws lashing at Brandish. The heroine's eyes widened in alarm, the axe of glowing light in her hand utterly insufficient to the task of blocking several tons of angry dragon. She vanished into a ball of orange light that darted frantically away from the still-growing Changer.

She shook her head. The lives of her friends, and she supposed the other heroes too, mattered more than this overgrown lizard. The PRT could be mad at her after they were all safe.

Her first lance took Lung in the shoulder, sending silver scales and blood flying and ripping his arm entirely off at the base. Yet the cape barely even reacted. His flesh twisted and bubbled around the wound, and Sirin frowned as she saw the limb begin to regenerate in real time. She formed and launched another projectile, this one tearing a gaping hole through her target's enormous chest. But once again, the only response the dragon showed was a momentary pause.

He swung his tail up at her, and she flickered between layers of space on reflex, emerging untouched by his retaliation. Dauntless - that was his name - strafed across the sky, but the blasts of lightning from his lance seemed to do even less than her lances. And…he was ignoring her, she realized. He couldn't hurt her, but she hadn't hurt him either.

Her frown twisted towards fear as she saw Victoria rise from the other side of the building she'd been launched through, holding a battered pickup above her head. Apparently her friend had decided that a dumpster was simply too small.

At some point, Battery must have gone to check on her, as the PRT cape was now clinging onto Victoria's back. Light shone from the circuits across her dark bodysuit, and one hand was fixed to the frame of the pickup truck Glory Girl had lifted. Blue-white energy raced across the vehicle's frame as Sirin watched, the light piercing smoke and bouncing from the gray winter sky. Even Lung found his attention dragged around to the lightshow. He opened his mouth, a vast x-shape of fanged teeth, and roared a challenge at the two heroines.

Their answering screams were lost in the dragon's bellow, but Sirin saw them do it. Victoria's arms tensed, launching the pickup forward, and light exploded around Battery's hand as the heroine unleashed all of her remaining charge to empower it.

Manmade thunder swallowed even Lung's battlecry, and then there was an enormous, sizzling crash. Sirin wrinkled her nose at the sudden scent of burnt wire and metal, but it was barely noticed as she strained to see through the dust and debris sent flying in all directions by the combined attack.

Fire pulsed at the heart of the cloud, and Sirin saw Victoria start to drop behind the building, her expression panicked. As a result, she almost escaped the burst of red-hot car parts that were sent spraying up towards her as Lung surged back into view. The Changer was at least fifteen feet tall by now, and silvery nubs stood out on his back as he crashed into the building between him and the two heroines.

Battery yelled something to Victoria and jumped from the younger cape's back, going limp in the air. Light blossomed around her again a few moments before she landed, and though she hit the ground hard, she seemed no worse for wear. The blonde-haired heroine left behind darted towards the safety of the sky, but the moment taken to offload Battery cost her.

An enormous clawed hand, completely coated in silver scales, burst from the root of the building and caught Glory Girl by the ankle. She yelped in surprise, kicking at the hand hard enough to break several fingers, but it wasn't enough to break Lung's grip. The rest of the monstrous villain emerged from the building's roof at speed, having seemingly bulled his way through the floors below to catch his target. Roaring in triumph, he leapt from the top of the block, swinging Victoria's head at the rapidly approaching ground.

Sirin's golden eyes were wide with shock, and she felt panic surging through her veins as she stared at the scene unfolding in front of her. Victoria was strong, really strong, she knew that. But she didn't think her friend was that strong. Not if Lung smashed her to the ground, and then landed on her, and then everything else the monster might do. She couldn't let that happen!

Power rippled behind her eyes. And time…slowed.

The purplette blinked as the world abruptly fell into slow-motion. For a moment she tried to rush forward to Victoria, but something stopped her. A feeling, rising from deep in her chest, cold and unforgiving. It was as if she was standing on the edge of a precipice, one small step from falling.

Yet she couldn't look away. And a dark, hungry thought rippled across the waters of her mind.

'No one gets to hurt my friends. Not anymore. Not ever.'

Her lips moved, curling back into a snarl as the light of her golden eyes intensified. And in a moment, too fast to be heard, words followed..

"God, if you can hear me." She whispered. Her eyes were fixed on Victoria, the panic on her friend's face, one fist raised in a desperate attempt to free herself. Enough. This needed to end now.

"I need power."

For a moment, the world trembled around her, still caught in the amber of her power's hold. And then somehow, somewhere impossibly far from her mind yet far too easy to sense, an unfathomable thing moved.

The two lances of twisted space she'd never consciously called unraveled, twisting out into impossibly thin ribbons, edges grazing across the fabric of reality. When they moved they bisected space itself, slashing through the silverine fingers that held her friend, one wrapping around her to lift her away. The other transformed, reformed, becoming the lance that she'd summoned so unconsciously when faced by the Simurgh.

In a moment it had doubled in size, then tripled. A lazy gesture, so easy, and it darted forward. The weapon impaled Lung with all the ease of a cocktail stick thrust into cheese, and the scales and flesh that tried to oppose it ceased.

Another motion and another lance formed, this one slashing across the dragon's attempts at wings, cutting deep and holding him there. No need to use the power that she so feared, that she'd used to hold the false angel. This cage would do.

She raised both hands, feeling the pressure of time accelerating. An odd, strangely familiar feeling burned behind her eyes. Pinching her fingers together, she swept them out in a smooth arc. And below Lung, where he would have smashed Victoria to the ground, the air split apart. It was a gentle, ordered thing compared to the rampant chaos of the Simurgh's assault on reality at Madison, but that was only proper, a voice in the back of Sirin's mind told her.

This was of her power. A strength that she had been chosen to wield, to judge and call down suffering on all who would oppose the will of God. The rift yawned wide, opening the way into a space empty of everything, where she somehow knew time and matter did not exist, where light, sound, heat, and every other form of energy could not survive.

Lung writhed in the grip of her lances, some animalistic instinct screaming danger as he fell towards the rift. The nubs on his back tried to expand, to form the wings that could save him. Unfortunately for him, Sirin had no intention to let him escape.

'Heroes don't like killing? Then he'll die where none can see.'

A barrage of her lances tore through the villain's body, tearing apart and sending the dragon falling into the rift, each lance tearing through the regenerating flesh, ensuring that any chance of escape remained zero. A final, frantic attempt to grab the edge of the portal served only to lose him several fingers, the regenerating claws being sliced off as he fell.

In the end, Lung's final act was reduced to a single, rage-fuelled howl as his massive form vanished into the rift. Sirin brought her hands back together, her chest trembling as she tried to control her breathing. And at her command, the rippling portal flowed shut, leaving not a single trace of the villain behind.

Victoria stared at her, even as the ribbon around the young heroine released her, returning to Sirin's side as the lance it was expected to be. The purple-haired glanced curiously at her friend, gold eyes fiercely aglow.

"You said all the heroes were here," she said, the words clipped. "Where are the rest?"

"They," Victoria swallowed. "They went to keep the rest of the fight under control. Between the Empire and Oni Lee and-"

"Ah, I see." Sirin floated down next to Victoria, and smiled. "Please, take me there. I would have words for those who helped spoil this day for so many."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A/N: I come to you, at the turn of the... 2:52 a.m., apparently. Huh.
Apologies that it took so long, but dear god is work strangling and draining all the writing time away from me. Halp.
All of my thanks to Snowfire for her help with this chapter!
Next time: Victoria's interlude!
 
Chapter 21 New
ФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФ

When she first met Sirin, the girl had unironically reminded Victoria of her sister when she'd first arrived at the Dallon household. Scared, tense, and constantly ready to flee. Not unlike a scared kitten, when she thought about it. What she saw right now, however, was an entirely different picture.

The girl's golden eyes were literally glowing, casting an eerie light over her pale features and into the air beyond. She floated in the air, just a little higher than the tops of the buildings on the Boardwalk. Her expression was calm and inhumanly collected, and her purple hair, normally kept neat and well-brushed, even if those hair tufts seemingly refused to obey any attempts at styling, was floating about her in a ghostly display of her power.

If Victoria was being honest, it was creepy. Not that she was about to say that aloud. Not after the girl had saved her.

Still, perhaps she should say something.

"Uh, Sirin?" She said, trying to get the girl's attention.

"Yes?" The girl turned to her, turning those unblinking, spookily glowing eyes on her. Victoria swallowed.

"What... what was that you just did?"

"Oh, that?" Sirin said. "I disposed of the problem."

Okay, that was... creepy. Creepier than the glowing eyes.

"You... disposed of him? What does that mean?"

"It means that he no longer matters," Sirin said, turning her gaze back to the city. "It was simple, even. Sarah told me he was a very bad man, that he hurt and killed lots of people."

"Well, yes, but -"

"So there's no problem. Right?"

Yup, definitely not good. Especially with how eerily collected the girl was being.

"No, I guess not," Victoria said slowly.

"Then it is fine." Sirin tilted her head, staring at her, and Victoria resisted the urge to squirm. "Let's g-"

"Hold it, please." Victoria flinched, turning towards the source of the words. Armsmaster was picking his way down the street towards the pair, walking heavily with the aid of his halberd. The Tinker's armour was half-slagged on one side, sporting several claw-marked punctures. But it didn't stop the head of the ENE Protectorate from jerking his free hand down towards the street itself.

She looked over at Sirin, and then nodded towards the debris-littered asphalt. "We should go talk with him."

"I suppose," the purple haired girl sighed. As if being effectively ordered down to the ground by Armsmaster was a trivial, boring concern. "It would be silly to yell."

The two descended to street level, other heroes making their way onto the ruined thoroughfare as Lung's absence was confirmed. All of them were staring at Sirin. Usually that would've made the girl at least a little self-conscious. This time? Nothing.

"I'm going to need an explanation of what just happened," Armsmaster said. He reached them a few seconds after they touched down. Or, after Victoria did. Sirin, she noted, remained floating, keeping her head a few inches above the older hero's.

The girl looked down at him, her hair drifting around her in a nonexistent wind. For a moment, Victoria felt a flutter of fear that Sirin might attack Armsmaster. Given everything they'd seen from the girl, that would be bad. It wasn't as if they had any realistic way to subdue the underage terror.

"What is there to explain?" Sirin asked, her golden eyes glowing. "I took care of the problem."

"That's not an answer," the hero replied. Battery came to join him, breathing heavily and with her power notably inactive. That was a good sign. Dauntless shifting his position to 'accidentally' end up above Sirin, on the other hand, was not. What was he planning to do, if it came down to a brawl, hope to luck out on power interactions?! "Can you return him?"

"I cannot," the purple-haired girl replied, and Victoria saw her hands tightening into fists, the movement drawing both hero's gazes.

"Why not?" Armsmaster asked. "That isn't a known issue with your portals, Miracle Star."

"Because I do not want to," Sirin replied, her glowing eyes narrowing. The air around the girl began to shift, flickers of prismatic colour flickering at its edges. "If he had been left here, he could have killed my friend, and gone on to do even more harm. This is a better."

"He must answer for his crimes in the court of law," Battery spoke up, her voice a lot less confident than Victoria remembered it being before. "We're not judges, or executioners."

"Why not? I have seen the news, heard the stories," the purple-haired girl shot back. "And what would you have done, had I not intervened? Allowed him to keep rampaging, destroying entire sections of the city, and causing problems for people who simply wish to live their lives? Would you have been able to stop him?"

"That's enough, Sir- Star. There are laws that must be followed, we've talked about this." Her mother, finally out of her 'panic bubble', stepped forward. And Vicky found herself suddenly and desperately trying to find a way to diffuse the situation. Not a situation she was used to being in.

But it was clear that Sirin had no intention of giving Lung back, and Victoria could very easily imagine how the rest of this conversation was going to go. The PRT would make demands, her friend would refuse. And then the PRT would ask again and again, and Sirin would refuse again and again, escalating until either the girl decided that the PRT was pushing her too far, or the PRT made an attempt to push the matter physically.

Neither was a good option, but if she had a solution, and could prevent another fight...

"I mean, he is a really bad guy," Victoria said, loudly enough that it interrupted the current flow of conversation..

"Vicky!" Carol said, shooting a glare in her direction. "That's enough. Don't help."

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Victoria argued, trying to ignore how Sirin's eyes were fixed on her, and the slight frown forming on her lips. "We all know he's killed people, and we weren't really sure how to deal with him. She can keep him for now, and after some time passes, and he's not a huge lizard on fire, she can drop him somewhere, right?"

"I'd rather have him in custody," Armsmaster said. "This way, Miracle Star could avoid potentially negative consequences."

"Sure, but we were already having trouble with him," Victoria argued, ignoring the look her mother shot her. "How is it different if she has him?"

"It's not, and you know why," Carol spoke up, her tone sharp. "We need to return him to face justice, Vicky. It's not something to argue about."

"Mom, look around you." She gestured at the broken street around them. Several of the buildings were still on fire. "This was only getting worse. If Miracle Star hadn't come to help, I might not be here right now. We can at least leave it for now."

Her mother's face went deathly pale, any reply firmly quashed by the idea of how close her daughter had come to death. Armsmaster, meanwhile, was frowning. Victoria could almost see the wheels turning in his head as the leader of the local Protectorate considered his options. And what would happen if the young girl who'd demonstrated the ability to fight an Endbringer to a standstill decided she wasn't in the mood to play ball.

"She's not wrong," Battery said, finally. "It's not a perfect solution, but it does get rid of the current problem. We'll have time to work out the details."

"Fine. But understand that this will need to be discussed at a later date." Armsmaster looked away, taking in the damage done to the street. Probably calculating how much would have to be paid to fix it all.

The girl stared at him, and the tension seemed to, slowly, seep out of her body. That was already a big step in the right direction.

"Very well," she finally said.

"Right, if this is decided," her mother took a deep breath. "Let's go. Victoria, we need to talk."

"Uh, yeah, one second," Victoria floated over to her friend, who's eyes were still glowing creepily, and smiled. "I'm really glad you helped out back there. You did good. Thank you."

"I did nothing I had not intended to do," the purple-haired girl replied.

"Still, it's better than what would have happened if you hadn't shown up. And that's a lot. So thank you. Really."

"You're welcome, Victoria," Sirin replied. She smiled at the blonde heroine. For a moment, it was almost normal. "Please, go with your mother. I am sure she is... not happy."

"I can't imagine she would be," the blonde shook her head. "I'll try to sort this out, and get back to you soon."

"Alright," the purple-haired girl nodded. "I'll go and find Sarah. She should be at the library."

"Right, yeah, that's good," Victoria replied, floating up. "Take care, and let me know when you guys are home."

"Alright. Goodbye."

Sirin waved, and Victoria watched the, frankly, terrifying teenager fly off towards the (where was the library?), wondering how close they could've been to an outright catastrophe. The sound of barely contained anger in her mother's voice caused Victoria to finally turn away from watching the girl who was rapidly growing smaller and smaller in the distance.

"What were you thinking, Vicky?!" her mother's voice rose up. "Are you insane?! She can't just do that to a person! He needs to be brought to justice!"

"What was I thinking? How about I was thinking 'let's not start a fight with a girl who can go toe to toe with an Endbringer, and also someone who just saved my ass from being crushed to death and burnt to ashes? Because that's what I was thinking. Seriously, mom, what the fuck were you thinking? This was gonna end really badly, and now, with the dragon out of the picture, maybe the PRT will actually get a chance to handle the other problems they have."

"Don't swear, Vicky, it doesn't suit you."

"Oh, come on, don't change the subject, mom. Are you seriously telling me you were just gonna try and pick a fight with her, even if she'd said no to returning Lung? After everything she's done, and how hard she's been working to help out?"

"She has to follow the rules, Vicky," her mother shook her head, her expression exasperated. "We can't just let her get away with anything. You can't always be friends with everyone. She's got to do what's right."

"Do you seriously think the PRT has the power to tell her what to do? Do you think they can make her give him back, if she says no? Or that they could stop her, if she decided she was done playing nice?" Victoria frowned. "She's like, way beyond what you guys can deal with. The fact that you were trying to argue with her is, frankly, kinda scary. She's a kid, sure, but that doesn't make her stupid."

Carol seemed like she was about to say something, but the look on her face shifted, and she shook her head.

"We're not arguing about this. Do you still need us to head out and help the others with the Empire or is it already over?" the woman asked, turning towards Armsmaster.

"No, not entirely. And your help would be appreciated," the hero replied. "Dauntless and Battery are going to join you, while I will have to temporarily return to the headquarters. I've got some repairs to make."

"Right. Fine," Carol nodded, turning towards her daughter. "Vicky, go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Got it. Where am I heading, by the way?"

"Waymouth Shopping center," Armsmaster replied. "Most of the Empire's parahumans have already retreated, but some of the unpowered members have taken over the mall and a library across the road from it. They're holding the civilians hostage. Make sure to cooperate with Velocity and the rest of your team when you arrive."

"The... library?"

Surely it couldn't be the same one, right? Come on, what were the odds?

...

I'd better hurry. Just in case.



Judging by the lack of warped space and lance projections, it seemed like Sarah hadn't been visiting this particular library. A state of affairs that was, in Vicky's personal opinion, an incredible stroke of luck. Something was wrong with Sirin, and Victoria didn't need a Thinker power to tell her that. And, in hindsight, it made sense. Considering what they'd pieced together about the girl's background, there was no way anyone could've been fine after the kind of shit she'd presumably been through.

The problem was with how, despite that damage, Sirin was powerful. Absurdly so. It made the girl dangerous,which was the whole reason why the PRT, her parents, and a large portion of the Protectorate's members seemed so insistent on getting the purple-haired girl to join them. The last thing anyone needed was an unpredictable and underage S-class threat running around. And the hair trigger she was on when it came to seeing her allies injured was…not exactly helping.

The girl was, quite literally, a walking weapon of mass destruction. And the only thing standing between the current state of affairs and utter devastation was a combination of the girl's own restraint, Alan, Sarah, and New Wave's willingness to vouch for her. Victoria could imagine the PRT's reaction if Sirin ever snapped. They weren't exactly known for tolerance when it came to parahumans outside of their umbrella.

Still, she couldn't dwell on it right now. There were hostages to rescue, and a villain or two to apprehend. Hopefully. She really needed something simple right now, like punching a nazi in the face without having to worry about the consequences.

Finding Velocity, Miss Militia and the rest of her family wasn't difficult, the cluster of heroes standing together near one of the PRT's vans as Victoria arrived.

"Glory Girl, good to see you," Miss Militia, being the first one to notice her, gave the girl a nod. "I hope the others will join us shortly. Will your sister be available?"

"Why? Is someone injured?" A moment later, the reason for the question hit. Hostages, of course. "I think Amy's at the hospital right now, do want me to go pick her up?"

"That would be helpful," Velocity nodded. His costume was burned on one side, from what Vicky could see. It seemed like Oni Lee had managed to clip the man with one of his explosions.

"Can I leave it to you, Glory Girl?"

"Sure," she shrugged, rising into the air again. "I'll get her back her ASAP."

"Thank you," Miss Militia said, before turning her attention back to the other heroes and troopers.

"Okay, we have both buildings completely surrounded?" the dark-skinned woman asked.

"Yes. Our teams are waiting for your signal."

"Good. I'm not sure how long they'll keep up this farce, but I don't want them to get any ideas. Any sign of Hookwolf or Oni Lee?"

"None," her uncle, sitting down on the sidewalk, replied. "We've checked the surroundings, and the area's clear."

"Right.

"Yes. Our teams are waiting for your signal."

"Good. I'm not sure how long they'll keep up this farce, but I don't want them to get any ideas. Any sign of Hookwolf or Oni Lee?"

"None," her uncle, sitting down on the sidewalk, replied. "We've checked the surroundings, and the area's clear."

"Right. Still, remain on the lookout. It wouldn't be the first time Oni Lee decides to double back for an ambush."

"Yes, ma'am."

"What about the rest of the Protectorate and the Wards?" Vicky heard one of the troopers speak out, probably the captain or someone else in control of the troopers.

"They're on standby. Armsmaster had to return to the HQ to get repairs. Battery and Dauntless will be joining us alongside Brandish in the next ten to fifteen minutes, and the rest will be ready for the main push, depending on the situation. Assault and Triumph should be ready in five."

As the distant sirens completely blocked out the voices of the heroes, Victoria, her mind on autopilot, sped off in the direction of the hospital, flying over the rooftops as quickly as possible.

It didn't take her long to arrive at the hospital. Amy was still there, and Victoria couldn't help but smile when she found her sister on the roof. The younger teenager had a frown of concentration on her face, tapping away at her phone on a well-timed break.

"Hey, Ames, sorry to interrupt," Victoria said, floating over, and Amy jumped, looking up.

"Vicky, what are you doing here?" her sister said, putting away her phone. "Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly. There's an issue at Waymouth. The Empire has taken some civilians hostage. We could use a hand, and Miss Militia figured that it's probably better to have you on standby. Might have some people injured."

"Wait, what the fuck? Why wouldn't they call me in the first place!?" Amy growled, and Vicky winced.

"Uh, well, you were busy at the hospital, so..."

"Are there people injured already? Actually, nevermind, can you carry me there?"

Not wanting to waste another moment, Victoria quickly picked up her sister in a bridal carry and lifted off, rapidly gaining altitude as she headed back towards the shopping center.

"So, is it just a group of unpowered gangbangers?" Amy asked, the annoyed look on her face slowly morphing into a scowl. "Or do we have Hookwolf, or, god forbid, Purity? Or is it worse?"

"Nope. Just a group of unpowered people holding the civilians hostage. But it is a pretty big group, I think. They didn't tell me how many are in the library, or the shopping center, or how many hostagest there are. Fun times. They're going to be launching an attack soon, though. Probably as soon as we get there."

"Well, fuck," the brunette grumbled, glaring down at the city. "Why the fuck is the Empire doing this? Aren't they supposed to be running away by now?"

"Well, we were kinda dealing with Lung, and a lot of them didn't exactly manage to get a head start, so..."

"Yeah, I guess," Amy mumbled, glancing downwards. "And what happened to the big lizard, anyway?"

"That's a little bit complicated," Vicky sighed, her thoughts immediately returning to the purple-haired girl. "But we did manage to deal with him, and, well, he's not here anymore."

"Wait, what the fuck do you mean, he's not here?" the brunette glanced at her, a look of shock on her face.

"I mean he's not here, Amy. Like, in Brockton Bay. He's... somewhere else, right now. Probably not dead? But, uh, definitely not in the city. Don't worry, though, it's fine!"

"What the hell did you guys do to him?"

"What does it matter, he's gone! No more crazy lizards on fire. No more worrying about property damage or people being eaten."

"Lung never ate people," Amy frowned, wrapping her hands around herself tighter, the winter cold quickly getting to her on their current altitude.

"People never found 'proof' that he ate people," Victoria corrected, a smirk forming on her lips.

"That's not a good argument."

"Still, it's better than him rampaging through the city."

"Maybe. Probably," her sister shook her head. "So, how exactly did you guys 'deal' with him, anyway? And where is he?"

"You should talk to Sirin," Vicky shook her head. "She's the one who dealt with him, so, uh, I'm not really the best person to ask about this. We can swing by their place later, if you want."

"Right. That's great," her sister's eyes narrowed, and she turned her head towards the city, glaring. "Is that it?"

"Oh, yeah, that's it. Nice catch, Ames."

"Shut up," Amy mumbled. "Let's get down there and deal with the situation. And you can tell me everything later."

"Sure thing, Ames," Victoria smiled, quickly descending.

They were, by the looks of it, not too late. The PRT had formed a perimeter around the buildings, a good portion of the police force joining the parahumans, while the troopers were still waiting behind the line.

"Panacea, Glory Girl. Good to see you. Thank you for coming, Amy. We appreciate your assistance," Miss Militia nodded towards the two girls as they landed near the gathered heroes.

"I should've been here from the start," the shorter brunette grumbled, stepping forward. "Why am I just now being called in, anyway?"

"We were informed that you've overworked herself recently, and were hoping to deal with this before needing to call you," Miss Militia answered.

"Fine, whatever," Amy muttered, rubbing her hands together.

"How many are in the library?" Vicky asked, still floating above the ground, wondering if she'd get to throw some of the thugs around, or if the troopers would take care of the situation.

"Unsure," Velocity responded, moving towards the assembled PRT troopers. "Their group originally had eight people, and most of them went towards the mall. If we're lucky, two or three are in the library and the rest are in the mall. We'll have to wait and see."

"So, uh, do we know anything else?"

"They've already made contact with the authorities," her uncle stepped forward. "Asking for money and safe passage to their territory. It's not going to happen, of course, but the negotiations are ongoing."

"Well, at least there's that," Amy frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes. It will give us some time, though, so let's make the most of it. Miss Militia, what's the game pl- Is that Star?"

Vicky glanced towards her uncle, then followed his gaze, and, sure enough, it was the aforementioned teen, flying towards them, with a rather unhappy expression on her face.

"Star! Hey!" Victoria waved at her friend.

"Victoria," her friend nodded, floating towards the group, and stopping next to her. "These are the ones who got away, right?"

Sarah was definitely not in this library, if the purplette's previous absence was anything to go by, so why was she here now? And why did it look like she was... miffed, to say the least?

"What's up, Star? Do you need a hand or something?"

"No, it's fine," the purplette frowned. Her eyes were still glowing, but less intensely. Vicky took that as a good sign. "I was asked to help. I'm here. What do you need from me?"

"It's a hostage situation, so we are trying to avoid an altercation. We're waiting for the negotiations to conclude. Hopefully, this will be resolved peacefully. For now, we can only wait."

"I see," the girl said, her voice flat. The blonde heroine frowned, glancing at her friend.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," Siri shook her head, before crossing her arms. Victoria wracked her brain over the possible reason for Sirin's mood, only for the discussion between her family and Armsmaster that they'd had weeks ago to resurface in her mind.

'Oh fuck, she's the Gesellschaft escapee,' the young heroine paled, suddenly realising why Armsmaster was annoyed that she'd invited her to the fight between gangs. As powerful as Sirin was, if she'd decided to massacre one side in revenge, there was a grand total of nothing that they could've done.

'I really hope she's not planning anything...'

"Alright, I think the negotiations are over," Triumph said, pulling her attention back to the present.

"So, what's the plan?" Vicky asked.

"We will send in a trooper to check the condition of the hostages, and when the door opens, Velocity will charge in at full speed and confirm the exact locations of the gang members and hostages. From there, we can launch a more precise strike. Captain, tell us when we're re- wait, where's Star?"

The familiar violet portal flickered into existence next to them and a group of people, hostages, Vicky realized, fell through onto the cold ground. An instant later an angry roar and sound gunfire erupted from inside the mall. The heroes wasted no time, rushing inside…only to be met by the sight of the Empire members frozen in place inside shimmering coffins of air.

Off to one side, a large metallic wolf was pinned to the ground by several of Miracle Star's iconic lances. Hookwolf was trying to tear himself free, but it didn't appear to be working. Sirin was floating in the air a few feet from the immobilized villain looking, watching with a frown as police and PRT troopers flooded into the mall behind the heroes.

"It's done." She said shortly. "I can release them whenever you're ready to take them into custody."

"What… What did you do?" Triumph asked, staring at the scene, his tone confused.

"Caught the Empire forces here. Tried to be quick. Didn't want anyone getting shot," Sirin said.

"Great, so, you could've done this from the start and we've just wasted a bunch of time," Velocity groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I wasn't here until a minute ago." She replied. "I heard there was a similar situation in the library. As soon as you take these, I'll go handle the others."

There was a quick discussion between the adult heroes, before Miss Militia nodded and stepped forward.

"Right, drop confoam grenades at their feet, people." She ordered. "Once they're covered, you can release them, Star."

"Miracle Star," the purplette corrected, watching the yellow-white containment foam cover the figures of the gangsters with an unpleasant hissing sound. Vicky, finally gathering herself to speak, looked towards the still uncovered Hookwolf with a frown.

"What about him? Do we just cover him in the stuff and what... fly him over to the PRT?"

"No," Dauntless stepped forward, glancing at Militia and receiving a nod from her. "Brad Meadows has a signed order to be sent to the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center in the case of his capture. He'll be held at the separate, special facility until one of Dragon's suits can get over here to grab him, and then we'll wash our hands off him. Thank you for that, by the way. Fighting someone like Hookwolf is always dangerous," the man in the roman-like armor said, giving the girl a grateful smile.

"It was nothing," the purplette shrugged, frowning, and the blonde was struck with the sudden feeling that the girl was upset.

"Still, we thank you for your assistance," the older man nodded.

"Whatever. I'll get the others. Go pick them up, I guess," Sirin muttered, before disappearing into another portal.

"Right," Miss Militia spoke up, turning towards the PRT troopers, "We have another batch of Nazis to grab. Dauntless, Triumph, Manpower, remain here and watch Hookwolf. Everyone else, with me."

Taking in a deep breath, Victoria followed, flying out the doors of the shopping mall and over the street, towards the library, a group of PRT and police troopers following right behind her.

"Are you sure it's a good idea, sending her in there? She seemed a little upset," the brunette asked, her eyes still on the building.

"I don't know," Miss Militia replied, the green glow taking the shape of a rifle in her hand. "But there's a reason we wanted to keep her out of any conflicts with the Empire. We don't know what will happen if she gets agitated."

"Oh," Vicky winced. "I'll try to talk to her after this. I mean, try to see how she feels about it."

"That would be appreciated," Militia confirmed, taking position to the right side of the door. "Glory Girl, if you will."

"Right. Let's see if she grabbed them already," the blonde nodded, approaching the door.

Victoria frowned, her thoughts returning to the purplette's attitude. Was the girl upset? Maybe even a little bit angry? Vicky wasn't sure. Sirin wasn't exactly a person who was easy to read, and annoyed seemed to be something of a default emotion to her, if she was being completely honest.

The purplette was, to the best of the blonde's knowledge, a good person, and, as far as Vicky was aware, cared about people. Some people, at the very least. Even if it was a little bit hard to see. But there'd been moments in the past weeks when Sirin had been visibly happy, and it had been nice to see the purplette's softer side.

Then again, I guess it's not her fault. The poor kid has been through so much already, she deserves to be a bit moody. And she did manage to help a lot today.

"You're clear," she heard Miss Militia's voice, snapping her back to reality, and, taking in a deep breath, Victoria grabbed the door and pushed it open.

The library was empty.

Or, well, almost. There were a few people on the ground, holding their arms or legs, and the hostages were standing near the wall, their eyes wide.

"Is everyone okay?" Victoria asked, looking at the terrified crowd.

"They're uninjured, aside from the obvious shock. Call for Panacea to take a look at neutralized hostiles." Miss Militia spoke, pointing to the downed thugs. From what Vicky could see, several of them had what looked like... bullet wounds?

'Sirin, what the hell did you do?' the blonde frowned looking around for the purple-haired teenager, yet there was not a single trace of the girl in the library. It seemed like the girl had already left and went back home, making this even more of a mess from what Carol had taught her. The PRT would definitely try to drag her in for the debrief, and it had the potential of escalating up into something unpleasant, meaning Vicky would have to try and do something about it.

And there go my plans with Dean for the weekend.

ФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФФ

A/N: All of my thanks to Snowfire for helping beta this chapter. Absolutely go and check out Snow's quests: The Practice War and it's ongoing sequel The Secret's Crusade.
Think I can cut down the size of chapters to around 2.5k to post more frequently? I sincerely apologize that it took so long to get this chapter out. But we're finally heading into the arc that I've been waiting to do for a really long time.

Thank you, to everyone who reads, comments and discusses this story. It means more than you think, and gives me the inspiration to write.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top