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Chapter 28 - PHO
Ugh, why am I having so much trouble with formatting for those damn chapters! I think I fixed it, but sorry if something is strange.

Anyways, took a long time, but I'm finally updating the chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it.
__________________________________


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♦ Topic: So… this just happened…
In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America
StrollingDaimon
(Original Poster)
Posted on May 9th, 2011:

So… There's now a bond villain secret lair poking out from the middle of the street in front of my work.

Let me paint you guys a picture: There I was, just enjoying my shitty coffee before going back to my shitty work when everything on the street started shaking, windows breaking everywhere, car alarms started going crazy and everyone began to scream.

Then there was a huge CRACK, like the world had broken in half and everything started to calm down.

Like any good, sensible person, I was hiding under the table, but I couldn't help peeking a little through the broken window, later I had to take a picture.

There was an entire room stuck halfway out of the street, the entrance door just about ground level and I swear I saw a dude walk inside as if nothing had happened. It sent a shiver right down my spine I tell you.

I think I'm gonna leave Brocktown, enough is enough.

Pictures: link, link, link, link, link, link.

Edit: Guy confirmed, it was Susanoo beating another motherf…

Edit: Yeah, they're gonna have to condemn the buildings in the entire block, the lair thing coming up messed up their foundations and my boss said it can all come down at any time, seems I'm out of work.

(Showing page 22 of 22)



► Karez

Replied on May 9th, 2011:

That's definitely Susanoo, the guy wasn't wearing a mask but I recognize that costume, and the way he's walking. Yeah, Someone fucked up, hard.



► Urze_Overseer
Replied on May 9th, 2011:

Alright, guess we're putting a Shaker 'yes' rating on the guy now.

Now, far be it from me to criticize our new dragon-slaying overlord, not when he can do THIS, but, does anyone know why he decided to ruin 4 perfectly good city blocks?



► Dr.Faustus (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on May 9th, 2011:

@ Urze_Overseer. It was a hidden lair, why do you think he did it?

Now, for the more important question, do you guys think this was an extension of his Telekinesis or a new power? Maybe he's geokinetic too?



► Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on May 9th, 2011:

Alright, guys, I was finally able to learn something about the bunker, apparently, it was to be an Endbringer shelter that was never finished, the money had "run out". I think we all know what really happened.

Anyway, my contact told me the PRT believes it belongs to Coil and, after Susanoo left, they found most of the Travelers inside, as well as over 15 mercenaries… I don't know the state they were in but people noticed a lot of bodybags coming out of it earlier today.

I know the PRT also got into a fight with Susanoo right before this, but people are stonewalling whatever really went down in Brockton, hard, so for now I don't have much more than this.

Also, yes, the entire street is a complete loss, a guy was posting earlier that everything around the street was in danger of collapsing because of the shelter being pulled to the surface.



► Simp4Spider
Replied on May 9th, 2011:

Crap, I just got a job over there!

Did no one see the guy ******* decapitate a giant ass Dragon? Why the hell are people provoking him, did they all decide to grab the idiot ball and run away with it?



► BibbleCampVictim
Replied on May 9th, 2011:
@ Simp4Spider: I suppose you want people to leave the poor, pedo Master alone right, should the PRT also give him a medal for murdering Lung?

You people disgust me.



► White Fairy (Veteran Member)
Replied on May 9th, 2011:
I hate to agree with the guy using that username, but I can't believe you guys want to leave that monster alone, he's killed more people in a few weeks than Hookwolf did in his entire career.

Hookwolf is a monster that deserves the birdcage, but Susanoo is worse.



► Simp4Spider
Replied on May 9th, 2011:

@ BibbleCampVictim: Username reported, enjoy the ban.

First, my cousin was killed by the ABB, fuck Lung. Second, there's no proof he's a pedo man.

Heck, I'm not sure, but I heard the Travelers attacked Susanoo's base while he was away, again. I wasn't really sold on it but, maybe he WAS just protecting the girl.



► BibbleCampVictim
Replied on May 9th, 2011:
Ah, like I haven't suffered enough at camp.



► SnowyBattleCat (Cape Geek)
Replied on May 9th, 2011:
I, for one, welcome our new cape-wearing overlord.

Edit: Ugh, maybe now wasn't the best time for that joke but, well, as someone who lives on ABB territory, I completely agree with @ Simp4Spider, fuck Lung.

Ever since the dragon is gone, the ABB has been a LOT better and, honestly, you won't see anyone crying because some villain capes are dead… or a few Tinkertech-wielding mercenaries.

If you ask me, they fucked around, they found out. The PRT has been far too lenient with villains and, in the Bay, that just isn't working.



End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 20, 21, 22.



Ah, how he enjoyed the sight of a thread devolving into such an energetic discussion, hopefully, the mods would be too busy to interfere for a few hours. His work done, Alec put his phone aside and stretched his legs.

Yeah, he'd have to create a new username later but, since he was already planning on buying a new phone and had forgotten the password for this one, it wasn't that much of a pain.

Staring up at the mercenary, Alec put a hand under his shin and considered what to do now.

He had been lucky, he usually didn't bother looking at his messages, but the mobile game he had been playing while coming back to the hideout had crashed so he decided to take a look at what Tattletale had sent.

Reading the short message, he hadn't even missed a step, just opened the app again and turned a corner, changing directions a few blocks from their place, then, ten minutes later, he realized he had a tail.

Alec wasn't exactly an expert on those things —too much work to learn it— but he had learned a trick or two when fleeing from his family, so he just walked slowly for 20 minutes, then took control of the man.

"Now… Igor? Yeah, you look like an Igor, what am I going to do with you?" The mercenary didn't answer, of course he didn't, standing at attention beside the table, not even his eyes betraying how much he was fighting.

Alec's full power took time to use, he had to 'learn' his target's nervous system, and the further away his target was, the harder it would be. Even in the same room, the time he needed could range anywhere from 8 hours to a day or so, but he could begin the learning process stealthy.

Igor had been unlucky, he was one of the mercenaries that sometimes watched their hideout and, in truth, he had done it one too many times, gotten just a little too close one too many times, and then he had followed him for 20 minutes, it was enough for Alec to act.

Ugh, what was even the point of asking? He knew what he was going to do, he just… didn't really want to.

With a sigh, he forced the mercenary to lay down on the table, then Alec pushed himself up and stood at the feet of the table, pushing it inside the cremation chamber with barely an effort.

Finally, he forced the man to pull out his pistol and press it against his own head, then he pulled the trigger, then Alec winced, feeling the secondhand pain from the feedback of his power, he had had worse.

In truth, killing a man wasn't exactly a new experience, but it wasn't something he enjoyed either. Well, he didn't dislike it either, but it would be really annoying if the others found out.

With a shrug, he threw his phone inside and snapped the door closed, turning on the fire… how long did it take for a body to burn again?

Did he feel bad the first time he had done something like this? He couldn't remember. "Meh, whatever," Alec shrugged, then made sure there wasn't anything incriminating on the crematorium and left.

He knew the rest of the Undersiders would disapprove, that's why he had been delaying it, but the team was probably disbanding anyway so…

Besides, they could be a little too naive, buying into the whole cops & robbers thing Tattletale was always talking about, someone had to be realistic.

With what PHO said about Coil, he shouldn't have any more mercenaries, or at least not enough to hunt them down, it was the perfect time to get out of the city, and start over again.

Well… time to get a move on.

.

—-

.

"So, glorious leader, what now?" Alec asked, sprawled on the half-destroyed sofa of the house Brian had hidden in.

It had been three days since Susanoo decided to do an Endbringer impression, throwing buildings and smashing the PRT like they were children, but Alec had decided against leaving the city.

They ended up in one of those container houses, somewhat of a trend in the bay a few years back, before it became against the law, but he supposed, here in the trainyard, it wasn't exactly that out of place.

"You sure there was nobody dangerous at the shelter?" Brian asked.

Rachel hadn't wanted to abandon her dogs, downright refusing to, really, and with how many there were in the shelter, Alec pitied the idiot who tried to attack her there, but he had checked the nearby buildings anyway.

Under heavy protest, and the bribe of a new Playterminal, but he had done it.

"Yep, I doubt the old boss has enough people left to send a hit against her," he shrugged, then cursed as some bastard knifed him in the back.



YourOwnMother has killed you, [expectate?]

Respawning in 10…9…8




"Well played," Alec nodded, then proceeded to report the bastard for cheating.

"I…" Brian started to say at his side, then trailed off, unable to think of something. "Shit."

Pressing expectate, Alec put the control aside and yawned. "Well, if you figure it out, tell me, I'm gonna heat up my lunch."

Leaving Brian with his head between his knees on the sofa, Alec grabbed a plate of pasta and put it into the microwave, pressing 4 minutes to heat it up, then he grabbed a chocolate bar from the fridge and bit into it while waiting.

"Hmm… you kno'... maybe chech with Taylor?" Alec said before swallowing. "I think the girl's gonna have a nervous breakdown if she's left alone for much longer."

"I… yeah, I'll talk with her."

"Well, I'm certainly not gonna do it."

Pulling out his phone, he briefly thought about his new username before starting to type it in, JesusIsntWhite… noo, too religious, they wouldn't even discuss it before banning him.

Grabbing his plate, Alec poured a glass of water and offered it to Brian before sitting on the sofa and grabbing the remote, trying to find a good channel to watch.

"Anyway," he said, then waited until Brian took a sip. "Did she tell you she found Sunanoo?"

Brian choked, almost spitting the water as he tried to hold in a cough and release the cup at the same time. "What!"

"Yeah, she's pretty sure he's living in a normal house on her way to school. Either that or she's found another Tinker with a wounded girl locked in his basement."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I mean… I can lie?"

"Shit!" lying back on the sofa, Brian groaned. "Fine, I'll talk to her sooner," for a few seconds, he just stayed there looking at the stained ceiling, then he managed to ask. "Why stay and help? I thought you would be miles out of the city by now."

"I dunno," Alec shrugged, slurping some of his pasta. "Don't know if I care all that much, but it kinda feels like I should… and starting over is bothersome, mostly the latter."

"Alright, I'll be back by night," Brian said, getting up and grabbing his keys.

"Bring some pizza."

Finishing his pasta, Alec grabbed the phone again, his new username wasn't as good, but it kinda fit so it would do.



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■​


♦ Topic: Susanoo VS. All?
In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay ► Brockton Bay Discussion (Public Board)

► Bagrat
(Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied on May 11th, 2011:

People are discussing this everywhere, even getting some bans because of this, but I finally managed to get some straight answers and I decided to make it a single thread, reuniting all the information we have, here's more or less what happened.

May 3rd: Susanoo fights the Empire, and Night, Fog, Victor, and Rune defeated. Night and Fog escape but he cripples Victor, leaving both him and Rune to be captured by the Protectorate.

May 8th, 9 AM: The PRT organizes a prisoner transport to take Victor and Rune out of the city, as always, the Empire prepares to intercept the transport.

Here's where things get hairy, Susanoo intercepts the Empire forces, engaging them before they spring an ambush on the Protectorate and proceed to utterly trash everyone.

Someone managed to find a street camera that recorded the fight. It's nowhere near as good as the Lung video, but I believe a Tinker improved the quality so, for those who want to watch the curb stomp I'll warn you, the content warnings are serious! Here.

May 8th, 9:05 AM: PRT transport arrives, apparently having been a counter-ambush against the Empire and containing most of the Protectorate heroes as well as Dragon.

Seeing most of the Empire defeated and Susanoo supposedly tier, Armsmaster orders everyone to surrender. At the same time, seeing Susanoo occupied and away from his workshop, PRT launches a rescue operation to recover Dinah Alcott.

Susanoo refuses to surrender but offers to retreat and release every Empire cape into PRT custody. Armsmaster refuses.

Proceeds to the SECOND beating of the day, this time Susanoo VS Protectorate & PRT, or most of them anyway, the results are, most of the Protectorate out of commission, with two casualties. Apparently, he was holding back a LOT when fighting Lung.

Even worse video and pictures of the fight here, here, here, and here.

May 8th, 11 AM: Susanoo appears downtown, raises a freaking Endbringer shelter out of the ground, destroys most of 4 city blocks doing it and, for some reason, proceeds to kill the Travelers hiding inside.

EDIT: Turns out the reason he killed the travelers is because they made a second attempt at the mayor's niece, this time intercepting the PRT and Wards to do so, they failed, and the girl is in PRT custody now.

EDIT 2: The Endbringer Shelter was Coil's secret base, PRT believes it's rigged to blow up at any moment and is trying to disarm the place… talk about Bond Villain.


(Showing page 68 of 68)


► GstringGirl:

Replied on May 12th, 2011:
So… the only villains left in the Bay are Susanoo and Faultline's crew? Because I've heard of what happened to Boston and…



► SnowyBattleCat (Cape Geek)
Replied on May 12th, 2011:
There's still the Merchants, the Undersiders, Circus, and a few other independents.

Plus, it's Susanoo…



► EmperorShoto
Replied on May 12th, 2011:
Holy shit, I just watched the videos, the guy just flicked that woman away, then threw Hookwolf at the giant woman! He's giving a whole new definition to the phrase, 'hitting a motherfu*** with another motherfu…'

Still, I feel like people are underestimating a cape's ability to be stupid, of course, people are gonna want to test Susanoo even now.



► XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on May 12th, 2011:
@ THE Bovine! You're right, Susanoo didn't just have the Telekinesis to lift an entire building, he lifted it with a ton of earth and at least 4 other buildings on top. Even Eidolon couldn't do that.

Come on people, open your eyes, I bet the Simurgh is just floating above the Bay, piloting her meat puppet from orbit and laughing as we all think it's a new cape.



► Lupu5
Replied on May 12th, 2011:
PRT - Secretly transport Victor out of the city, plan a perfect counter-ambush to capture the Empire

Also PRT - Refuses Susanoo's offer of peaceful retreat, lets the remains of the Empire escape, and almost gets a little girl killed.

Just when you think the PRT is doing something smart, they can't help but turn around and fuck everything ten times worse.

Edit: @ EmperorShoto Bit* please, he threw an entire building at some motherfu***, in fact he threw 2.

@ XxVoid_CowboyxX Ah, It seems like someone else can't avoid being stupid.



► Cesar66 (Cape Geek)
Replied on May 12th, 2011:

Alright, I admit that, looking back, refusing Susanoo's offer was a mistake, but do you really want heroes to just accept if a Villain says he's leaving? Imagine a Villain that's just killed someone, the heroes arrive and he just tells them he's leaving, there's no need to fight anymore?

The Protectorate had most of its heroes there, rested and prepared for battle while Susanoo, had he been anyone else, would have been tired, it was the perfect time to capture him.



► Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a Tinker)
Replied on May 12th, 2011:

@ Cesar66 The PRT seriously underestimated Susanoo, I'm not saying they should stop pursuing every villain just because they offer to retreat, but the guy's trying to protect a little girl, is he even a villain at this point?

Besides, after he showed he could defeat Lung and fight most of the Empire's capes single handedly, you'd think Armsmaster would maybe reconsider his plan? At least try to find out the guy's powers before engaging?



► BeateNBiCops
Replied on May 12th, 2011:

Armsmaster is a glory hound, he wasn't thinking of justice, he just wanted to look good capturing everyone, even when Susanoo was doing all the work for them.

Come on, everything they did was wrong, they obviously were still leaking information and continued to plan stupid shit… Or do you think the Travelers could intercept the PRT's rescue attempt because they were lucky?

You guys defending the PRT disgust me.



► Cesar66 (Cape Geek)
Replied on May 12th, 2011:

First, Susanoo, not a villain? The guy killed Sere, he probably killed Velocity too and who knows how many civilians! Are you freaking kidding me?

Second, so, when a new cape shows up, the heroes should just let him do whatever he wants until they know his full powers? Cuz that's what it sounds like you're saying to me.

Yeah, they didn't know Susanoo was that powerful, but that's why it takes courage to be a hero, you can't just let villains do whatever they want until you figure a villain out.

I know the PRT failed miserably here, but they did everything right, nobody would have done things differently with the knowledge they had.



► LunarFox (Kyushu Survivor)
Replied on May 12th, 2011:

Anybody competent wouldn't have let things reach this level, the PRT forced Susanoo's hand when, repeatedly, he showed he didn't want to hurt civilians or law enforcement.

And shut up, nobody cares if he kills Nazis and Sex slavers, not really..


End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 66, 67, 68.


Ah, another job well done. Sometimes, all it took was a little nudge, a single comment just a little too aggressive and things escalate. He'd have to check how many pages the fight would take later.

Alec's phone warned him it was almost out of battery, so he stole Brian's charger and left it on the outlet before grabbing the remote and starting to play again, he didn't really have anything better to do.

.

—----

.

Vista swallowed the pills and massaged her temple. She wasn't a baby, she could take a little pain but, ever since her confrontation with Susanoo, the headache hadn't left her and it was starting to get irritating.

Perhaps the worst was the way she didn't fit in, not anymore.

Yeah, she could stay in the Wards room, but without her power, they were only humoring her, then there was ShadowStalker, the idiot who almost worshiped Susanoo at this point.

Everyone was treating her as if she might break, talking to her as if everything was gonna be alright, trying to console her and, when she didn't cry like a child, they found it amazing.

As if she hadn't been a Ward for longer than all of them.

The Protectorate also didn't help, they weren't fighting, but the awkward silences, the angry glances, the too polite words… She had seen it all before in her own home, it was all too much.

Susanoo had broken the PRT in more ways than one and she was, again, helpless to help, to change anything. Right now, being with the Wards reminded her far too much of home.

Maybe if they had let her talk with Dinah, she could have stayed in the headquarters. Unfortunately, while she was out of MS lockdown, Dinah was still being watched and nobody would let them meet.

Focusing on the wall beside her, Vista tried to change it, she felt her power spread to the entire world around, every solid object on the street registering to her ability, turning into wet clay to her very thoughts but, when she tried to smudge it, or even just to change the edges, it didn't respond, a spike of pain going through her head.

"Hey, Missy, you okay?" her classmate asked.

Vista looked away from the wall, her headache starting to get better. "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"We're going to eat lunch, want to come with?" Jessica asked, giving her a smile.

"I need to get home, Mom doesn't want me out late."

"Pity," Jessica said, but she didn't really seem to mind either way. "Maybe next time?"

"Sure."

She didn't go home, had no intention of being stuck in the same house with her mother for longer than necessary, in fact. Vista loved her mother but, a few months back, she realized she didn't LIKE her very much.

Vista walked, almost instinctively keeping to her patrol routes, the safer streets where the Wards were allowed to move when the Youth Guard was being annoying, keeping away from any gang territory.

Taking a rest close to the Beach, she pulled out her phone and couldn't help looking at Susanoo's page on PHO.


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■​

♦ Topic: Susanoo
In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay Discussion (Public Board)
Josh
(Original Poster) (Cape Geek)
Posted on April 28th, 2011:

The new mysterious Overlord of the Bay, let's talk about him.

PRT initially classified him as a Master: 1 / Tinker 4, but we all agree that's bullshit. What remains to be seen is whether he's a more powerful Tinker or a grab bag rich enough to buy his equipment.

EDIT: Alright, I had a friend go over the video again, you guys can find it here and, yes, the guy showed far too much for a simple Tinker.

So, doing a deeper search, he's definitely a Master, several goons have been turning themselves to the police, and he used his power against Miss Militia before, but that seems really weak compared to everything else he's shown.

Obviously, he has some control over the environment, the PRT seemed to think he did it through magnetism, but my friend said it was closer to telekinesis, he has too much control over it to be anything else.

What may not have been obvious is that he seems to have a combat Thinker power too. Several times, he seems to react to things before they happen or move too perfectly to counter Lung or Oni Lee, he also moves faster than a normal human, so you may want to put Brute/Mover there too.

Really, he seems like an entire team of heroes, it's such bullshit.

Edit: Apparently, nobody but the PRT liked Polaris… even if the guy himself doesn't seem to care one way or the other.

Anyways, after proving that he's serious about protecting the Asian population from the gangs by crushing Squealer's newest creation and launching the killdozer into the bay, (Nobody died this time, Squealer wasn't inside) the people started calling him Susanoo.

Usually, PHO tends to frown on mythical cape names, but slaying a dragon with a plasma sword, controlling the wind to extinguish its fire and calling on lightning seems to be enough to earn him the Storm Deity's name.

Edit: So… after the latest, everyone agrees on Parahuman: 'YES' for Susanoo?

It seems like, after his confrontation, Susanoo has disappeared from public appearances, even the ABB members haven't seen him on their territory for a few days now.


(Showing page 399 of 399)


► Bacon_Salad
(Veteran Poster)

Replied on May 13th, 2011:

The PRT may work in other cities, but here in the Bay it's worse than nothing, 15 years I've been living here and they haven't done shit.

You know how many times I wished we had competent heroes and they took care of Lung?


► Winged_One
Replied on May 13th, 2011:
And so we should be thankful there's a murderer in the city?

The PRT is disappointing, but that doesn't mean we go down to their level, we're not like them!


► LunarFox (Kyushu Survivor)
Replied on May 13th, 2011:
Bullshit, do you guys prefer the Rage Dragon or the Nazis? Cuz turning the other cheek is how we got, and couldn't get rid of, Nazis.

I don't think Susanoo even wants to kill, seems to me he did his best to NOT do it but people just kept pushing. If the PRT was even remotely competent it should never have come to this.

Also, I hear from the ABB that their new boss is taking a break, hasn't shown up or ordered them to do anything since the entire thing went down, maybe he wants to allow the city to calm down?

Word is, Susanoo has no interest in taking over the city and, if people leave him alone, he's content on doing the same.

► Lost Entry
Replied on May 13th, 2011:
@ LunarFox Should we take that as a word from the big guy himself? Cuz you've been chilling pretty hard for the ABB this entire time, I'm starting to get suspicious here.

Also, people are saying Susanoo got hurt in his rampage, or that his powers need to recharge and that's why he's been gone, any truth to that?


► AverageAlexandros (Cape husband)
Replied on May 13th, 2011:

I don't really know how much good trying to de-escalate things is gonna do at this point, what Susanoo did caused almost a hundred deaths, half of that from civilians, not to mention the hundreds of million dollars he caused in damage..

Although, I guess they haven't signed a kill order yet, so let's hope it works.


► BeerConnoisseur
Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Just heard a rumor they're discussing sending Legend to the Bay in a day or two, anyone knows how if it is legit?



► GstringGirl:
Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Is that gonna help? I hear there's not a lot of villains left in the Bay and, if Susanoo is staying quiet…



► Char
Replied on May 13th, 2011:

Just saw a bunch of Empire goons leaving a building, kept my head down so I didn't draw attention, but they didn't look as defeated as I thought they would.

How many capes does the Empire have left again?



►Ivy Cap Guy
Replied on May 13th, 2011:
Seriously, I know the guy is kind of a joke, but I'm worried nobody is paying enough attention to @ XxVoid_CowboyxX. You guys know the story of the boy who cried wolf? Well, the story doesn't end with nobody believing him, it ends with the wolf eating the boy.

I dismissed him too at the start, but Susanoo's Telekinesis is strong enough to rip out buildings! He's a precog good enough to sense everything thrown at him, he's a Tinker that captured laser weapons, then made laser swords. He's an insidious master who uses his voice to control people.

Are we sure, absolutely sure, that there wasn't a cloning or equivalent Tinker in the last city the Simurgh attacked?

I know I sound crazy, but I'm just saying, the comparison stands.


End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 397, 398, 399.


Damn, she knew she shouldn't have started reading, it only made things worse. She couldn't believe they were defending Susanoo!

Vista thought about saying something, but she had been a Ward for long enough to know she couldn't change stupid people, and there were a lot of those on the internet.

Still, even PHO was fighting itself, the only thing it seemed to agree was that it was all the PRT's fault as if they shouldn't have even tried, as if she hadn't been trying for the past 3 years!

She tried, she did her damn best and had the scars to show for it!

It was another thing she was helpless to change, even the city seemed to be trying to drown her in conflict.

When she saw the sun start to set, VIsta made her way back home, ignoring the longer route and making a straight line through the city, sometimes coming close to the edge of Empire territory, but there shouldn't be much danger with that.

Unfortunately, without her power, she had misjudged just how far from home she was. Almost an hour later, her feet were starting to hurt and she was still far from her house, passing through a mostly empty street.

"Fucking Ni***," she heard someone say and froze. "I think the ape broke a tooth."

"Bastard broke more than a tooth, you idiot, I told you to be careful."

"Should we really be doing this? I mean, I'm all for beating up some trash, but the Empire isn't in the best position right now."

"Didn't you hear, the boss is getting some reinforcements soon, they're sending some heavy hitters from the Fatherland."

"At least we can have fun with the bitch."

"Fuck you," came a muffled female voice.

"Seriously? Fuck, I'm not touching that."

Going low, Vista pulled her phone, then pressed the emergency button for the PRT. On instinct, she felt her power reaching for the air, trying to bend the corner of the building so she could see what was going on, but it only brought another spike of pain to her head.

Approaching the alleyway, she pulled a mirror from her backpack and took a peek through the corner.

There were five men, all of them young and white, surrounding an older, unconscious black man and a girl that must have been her age, maybe a little older.

"Sucks to be you then," said a guy that had a bleeding nose, then he grabbed the black girl by the hair. "After the way the old bastard messed me up, I'm definitely taking it out on this bitch."

The girl spit on his face, but he just slapped her face with such force it ripped a chunk of hair, then he grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her to her knees.

She cursed, with Velocity in bed, it would take even Dauntless at least 6 minutes to answer her Ward's panic button, far too much time when the guy was already taking off his belt.

Vista stretched her power, feeling it grab hold of the materials all over the street and form a mental map on her head, she tried to stretch the road, to pull the girl away from the man or just push them out, anything.

Her headache increased, her power refusing to work no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't do anything as the girl took the chance while the man was pulling down his pants to try and escape only for a second guy to kick her legs from under her.

Further away, the remaining three men started kicking the girl's father, raining blow after blow on the old man until blood started flowing on the road. She couldn't wait.

Pulling her police bottom from the backpack, Vista snapped it out and got ready. She knew she couldn't take them all without her power, maybe not even one, but she had been training every day for three years, and she didn't care if she took a few hits, she could delay them for a minute or two.

Her heart accelerated, she felt herself losing breath, the world seeming to close around her in a way that had nothing to do with her power, cold sweat ran down the side of her head and she felt like she had no escape, like she needed to flee but couldn't even move.

With a scream, Vista ran out from behind the building, giving one last push on her power, pulling space apart with everything she had, trying to put some distance between the Empire and the girl. A drop of blood ran down her nose, she felt something give way with a 'crack', then she passed out.

She woke up with a startle, only to see a baseball bat coming down on her head. On instinct, she grabbed hold of the bat with her power and pushed, shortening the weapon by a quarter, the blow missing her head.

Then she tried to get some distance, take hold of the road under him, and stretch it, pushing the man away from her, but she had been in too much of a hurry, not taking enough care, and maybe putting a little too much anger in her power.

Space obeyed much faster than she expected, a piece of the ground stretching in a second until, with another 'crack' it seemed to break like a mirror, shards of the ground rising up and forming jagged edges that pierced through the man's ankles as if they were paper, amputating his legs and sending his feet skidding away.

The man screamed, falling towards the jagged pieces before they just… snapped back into place and he fell face first into perfect even ground, his ankles bleeding all over the floor.

"Fucking kill her already," shouted another man, but Vista didn't wait for him to act, she had to save the old man.

Getting to her feet, she ran towards a fire hydrant, using her power to double its size, and then she did it again until she could hide behind the red metal. Usually, she couldn't react so fast, certainly not faster than the men could aim their guns, but her power felt… different, more responsive.

Three bullets hit the fire hydrant, pinging off the metal and stopping on the walls around her, then Dauntless arrived, crashing on top of one man and waving his electrical lance, the weapon leaving the other two men twitching on the ground. "Vista?"

"Here," she walked out from behind the enlarged hydrant.

"Are you alright?" He asked, immediately checking the guy without feet, then looking at another man currently missing an arm, Vista didn't remember doing that. "Shit, he's losing too much blood here, console?"

Following some instructions, Dauntless activated his Arc Lance again, burning the stumps of his leg to stop the bleeding, then releasing a sigh of relief.

Vista just stared, the man was going to live, she hadn't killed him, she hadn't killed him.

"What happened, kid?"

"I'm fine," she instinctively answered, almost frowning at being called a kid. "I-I didn't think you'd get here in time."

"I see," looking around again, Dauntless flashed toward the unconscious black man and checked his pulse. "Anyone else here?"

"No, I don't think so," Vista shook her head, then felt her power fade, the hydrant returning back to normal. "... My power is back."

Dauntless didn't say anything, just made sure the victim was stable, then approached her. "Sit down, kid, it's over, we'll talk about this later."

Obeying, she sat down on the curb, put her head between her legs, and started breathing. Did she… Did she just have a second trigger?
 
Chapter - 29
Well, it's been a while, I tried to come back last year, writing a few more chapters for this story and Supergirl, even promised myself I wouldn't disappear again and, instead, depression hit me harder than ever, much harder.

I... made a lot of mistakes in this time, not writing what I loved was perhaps the least of them, but I finally started writing this again, and I hope to continue.

Honestly? I thought about dropping this story (I mean, can I say I didn't drop it after a year without posts? I guess it's just an unannounced hiatus), but in truth, I still deeply love this and Supergirl, so it will have at least a few more chapters, even if I'm very rusty.

I really wish to finish both this and Supergirl, and I'll try, but I honestly won't be giving people a timeline, even before, I missed a lot of those. Now that I don't have the same time, I'm likely to miss even more.

Saying that, I haven't restarted Supergirl yet, but I already have a lot for Chapter 31 of Will, so it's possible it will come in a week, maybe a little more.

For those reading, I hope you all still enjoy it.

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Anakin opened his eyes to utter darkness, neither light nor sound passing through his makeshift meditation chamber. With a thought, the metal walls cracked, parted, and slowly flew apart, revealing the near-empty room.

The light hit him first, then the sounds, moving vehicles and working civilians, even a few animals giving life to the city. Uncrossing his legs, he let himself fall to the ground, then stepped away from the metal chamber and took in a breath.

As a Force user of his power and skill, Anakin shouldn't have needed an isolated meditation chamber but, in all honesty, meditation had never been his forte. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd willingly done it as a Jedi, and as a Sith, regaining balance had never been his goal.

In his state, he required assistance, a way to truly focus.

So, he blocked out the world for several hours a day; he'd close himself between walls of metal and focus inwards, trying to regain what little peace he had acquired after reaching this planet. It hadn't been easy.

The Force bond helped; if he focused, he could feel his young… apprentice was safe and happy, having made a full recovery in the hands of the local law enforcement despite their incompetence.

After eliminating the Travelers, he'd considered immediately taking her back, but by then, he'd calmed down enough to feel the Force guiding him away from that decision. The youngling would be safe there, including from himself.

That, more than anything else, had stopped him.

Taking another step, he didn't make any gestures but used the Force to close the walls of his meditation chamber, then lifted it out of the floor and moved the entire metal container to the side, letting it rest against a corner.

Glancing down, he slowly lifted a hand, staring with indifferent eyes at the flesh and blood limb he'd thought he'd never recover. Slowly, he curled his fingers into a fist, tightening his hold until it was almost shaking.

Turning his gaze away, Anakin released a long breath and let the tension go, arms crossing behind his back.

In front of him, the geological compressor released steam, lights powering down to announce his new synthetic crystal was ready. Staring at the device, he didn't take out the crystal but continued to think.

Once upon a time, long before becoming Darth Vader, Anakin had believed he'd never hurt someone he loved.

Then he twisted the Force to his will, demanded its obedience, wielding it against Padme and everything had gone wrong. Years later, he realized it hadn't directly resulted in her and his children's deaths, but he couldn't entirely fool himself; he had no doubt it contributed, if not heavily, then at least in some way, to her passing.

He knew better now.

Out of balance and submerged in the Dark Side as he had been, even if he didn't physically strike at his new apprentice, he could have done a lot of damage to her future, influencing her towards a much darker path than anything he wished for her.

So, he'd retreated back to the house, closed himself in layers of metal, and done his best to regain balance, using the Force bond to not only check on his apprentice but lend her some of his strength while she recovered.

At the same time, he'd used the chance to finally guide the creation of a new synthetic crystal, something he had been delaying for some time now, using the unstable, scarlet synthetic crystal to power his lightsaber for reasons he wasn't entirely certain about.

Perhaps he had not thought himself worthy of a well-crafted crystal, or perhaps he knew holding a complete lightsaber in his hands would bring him memories, echoes that still hurt to remember.

Regardless, he'd left himself open, letting his past, not his goals, color his decisions and fall right back into… bad habits.

He regretted losing control against the PRT, he knew he'd hurt innocents during his rage, civilians who had nothing to do with the conflict and, while he didn't regret the battle, he regretted that he fought like a Sith, not a Jedi or even just a Force user.

His goal had been to reach Dinah, not defeat or eliminate the PRT, he could have easily avoided most of the deaths he caused and achieved his goal a few seconds earlier.

…He somewhat regretted attacking the Travelers, not because he regretted killing them, but because lending the youngling his strength through their Force bond had been far more important at the time.

He should have just crushed the bunker, crumpled the entire building like a discarded sheet of paper, and focused on what was truly important, they had not been worth his time.

Blinking, he put aside any thoughts of the slain humans and shifted his focus. With a tug, his lightsaber rose from his side until it floated exactly in front of his face, then it simply came undone, all 137 pieces separating to reveal the defective red crystal inside.

It shook, then cracked and finally fell apart, pieces raining inert to the floor. Anakin wouldn't be using a red lightsaber again, even a synthetic one with none of the history a true Sith blade had.

Lifting a hand, he used the Force to open the lid on the geological compressor and pull out his newest synthetic crystal, perfectly formed and attuned. He'd let his meditation guide the crystal formation without controlling it so, in a way, the color was a surprise, but it was also a relief.

With a movement of his hand, the lightsaber snapped back into place, hilt pointing up before igniting, revealing a bright blue blade, the same color as his first crystal. To a Jedi, it was the blade of someone focused more on physical aspects than the exoteric, a defender.

"Guardian the title is, not warrior. Remember this, all Jedi should." Anakin could almost see the writing in front of him, a footnote that could only belong to the grandmaster, written on the copy of the Jedi path he had received during his education.

A pity they'd all forgotten that lesson during the Clone Wars.

Deactivating the blade, Anakin let the lightsaber fall into the palm of his hand, then clasped the tool to his waist and left the room. He'd delayed things for long enough, it was time to see his guest.

Stepping out of the room, he glanced at the closed door to his left, the empty bedroom that briefly belonged to Dinah, then his gaze shifted away and he moved, walking down the stairs to the basement.

Marissa lay on a bed, wounds almost completely healed but, while Anakin had gotten better as he used Force healing, the acid burns on her body still left ugly scars on her skin and she was missing several fingers on both her hands and most of her feet.

Initially, he had allowed her to awaken, but the young woman had been in tremendous pain and confusion, unable to accept the result of her own decisions, so he'd forced her mind back to sleep, giving her time to recover.

He would like to say he'd done it entirely out of empathy, but she had attacked Dinah twice, keeping her quiet was mostly to prevent her from drawing his attention. Even now, as he looked down at her, there was still a part of him that wanted to snap her neck.

In a way, she reminded him of his own situation so long ago. Abandoned, crippled, having gone too far, made one too many mistakes, he could even feel someone's influence on her mind, a subtle touch meant to twist her… The only reason he hadn't killed her was their differences.

Unlike him, she had turned back. Her crimes may not have been as terrible as his own, but the fact she had been able to turn away from her actions instead of doubling down earned her some respite.

Releasing the hold on her mind, Anakin spoke. "Awaken."

Marissa snapped awake, her body jumping up in the bed while her heart started pounding, disheveled blonde hair falling like a curtain around her head as she hyperventilated, trying to regain a semblance of control.

"I-I'm alive… Oh God, I'm alive."

Anakin didn't say anything, focusing instead on what he could feel from the growth on her head or, more importantly, what he couldn't feel. With Dinah, and later as he clashed with Vista, the connection seemed alive, aware and capable of exercising influence.

Marissa's connection was muted, not entirely dead but perhaps dying. As if the mind had broken but the body continued to move independently.

A minute later, when she finally recovered enough, Marissa attempted to comb her hair away from her face and adjusted her position, but her lack of fingers made that nearly impossible and she turned away, swallowing hard. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"I had killed enough. My temper is a failing I'm attempting to correct."

Laying her head against the wall, she looked towards the ceiling, gave a bitter laugh and mumbled, "Fucking Krouse," putting an arm over her eyes, she asked. "Did you kill all the others?"

"No," Anakin said and decided to speak while he probed the connection while she was awake. "I did not pursue the one who manifested creatures. I also sensed from Trickster that you had another companion, but I did not recognize him."

"... Oliver, he wouldn't have even tried to fight and his power isn't that useful."

"Then he likely survived," it was possible he'd killed the man while going through the underground bunker, but unlikely if he wasn't a fighter. All of the mercenaries he faced were dressed for battle and aggressive.

"What do you want from me? I-I've had enough, I'm not working for another maniac, everyone's gone anyway, I may as well die here if that's the case."

"Do not fool yourself. You are weak. I have no need for your powers," Anakin shook his head, pulling away from the connection, having noticed little change from when she was being kept asleep.

Unlike with the youngling or Vista, it did not seem to be influencing her mind at the moment.

"Then why? Why save me?"

"I'm not certain," Anakin confessed. "I thought it a whim at the time, but now I'm certain the Force has guided my decision."

Marissa gave him an incredulous look, one that he'd seen in the faces of many a skeptic when talking about the Force, but perhaps not as foolish here, where none had heard of it before his arrival.

"You are a criminal, one that attacked something I value, as such, I will not release you, but I will give you a choice," he said, getting up from his chair. "You may choose to be handled to law enforcement, the ones in this city have proven themselves incompetent, but reaching another urban area is not difficult and their punishment, when it's applied, is acceptable.

"Or you may choose to remain here. For convenience's sake, I will remedy your disability and will not require the use of your power, but I will study it. You do not use the Force and I have long wondered about the source of your abilities."

Marissa snorted, then laughed, a dry sound without any happiness. "God, we really fucked up, didn't we? How many people did we kill? And Noelle, she just… I never thought she'd… how many more people would we kill if she had left the shelter or had time to make more clones? Should have just died at Madison, or at least stayed in the quarantine zone like everyone else."

Lowering her arm, Marissa finally looked at him, slow tears running down her face. "We were always afraid of this, you know? We read about it on the internet, how her bombs could stay dormant for years before just going crazy, but we were just making compromises… slowly becoming worse and Luke thought it meant that was normal in our situation, not some manipulation from Ziz."

"He was correct," Anakin told her. "The creature's influence in your mind is obvious, as it was in Trickster, but it merely imparts a need to stay together as a team. The actions you took are your own."

Marissa just stared at him uncomprehendingly, almost as if she couldn't understand, or couldn't believe his words. Then she started crying harder, tears streaming down her face as she pulled her legs to her chest and hugged her knees.

For a second, Anakin was reminded of his own daughter. Did she feel like this when he froze her layabout lover in carbonite? They were almost the same age, Leia being only 2 years older.

"As I understand, the creature is a skilled precognitive mastermind," he said, voice slightly softer. "Do not downplay your own choices, but such beings are insidious, they do not need more than a few suggestions to ruin you. Simply know that it no longer influences you."

Anakin, more than anyone, could understand how such small touches could build up, destroying someone from the inside given enough time. Sidious had been a master of the art, capable of using a single word to start entire wars.

Often, when the Emperor had felt like disciplining him, the Sith would taunt him with how he was turned. Sometimes, he'd claim to have been the one to send dreams of his mother's death and arrange for her capture by Tusken raiders, laughing when he learned of how Anakin had reacted.

Other times, he'd say it had been the Force sending him warnings, but Sidious had clouded his vision and delayed him enough that he couldn't save her. Yet other times, he'd claim to have done nothing, simply playing on Anakin's rage and fear after the fact.

To this day, Anakin didn't know what was the truth, all of the claims were believable and equally likely given Sidious personality.

"Can you sense her power?" She asked with disbelief, then it turned into anger. "No, you're lying, she's an Endbringer, the PRT can barely fight her off."

"You overestimate the creature's power," Anakin said, releasing the control he kept on his power and letting her sense some of his aura, still in turmoil despite days of meditation. "Now, choose, I have better things to do than answer your questions."

"If-If you can stop her, I don't care what kind of experiments you want to do, I'll stay with you."

"Very well. Now go wash yourself, it's been 4 days since I forced you to sleep and we'll be leaving in an hour." Turning his back, Anakin climbed the stairs and then sat down in front of a window, staring out into the city.

While he waited, Anakin felt the intruder, a nearly imperceptible wave of power that washed through his home, taking control of every insect inside the house and imbuing them with intent as it had done for the last three days.

He could sense her, crouching behind a house three blocks away and doing her best to remain hidden, attempting to investigate him while avoiding the attention from the PRT hidden in several houses in the neighborhood.

He ignored her, just as he ignored the PRT and every other faction that now knew his location. Without Dinah, he no longer cared to hide after all.

Despite her disability, Marissa didn't ask for help taking a shower or putting on clothes, but she did take the entire hour to finish, only coming up the stairs when there were less than five minutes to her deadline, hair still wet.

Sparing a single glance towards a fly attempting to land on his shoulder, he led Marissa into his vehicle and drove toward ABB territory. Anakin had never cared too much about the gang, but he'd need a new workshop, and perhaps it was time that changed.

Jun Watanabe received him, the young Japanese bowed at his waist, then helped Marisa out of the transport, doing his best to avoid staring at her hands when he saw them.

Inside, Tae-Soo Park, the Korean currently in charge of the ABB's organization greeted him. He wore a black suit, shoulder-length black hair, and had quite a few rings on his fingers, having just put out a cigarette. "Susanoo-gun, may I help you with anything?"

Anakin stared at the man, using the Force to probe him, but there was no fear, only confidence. "I want a report on the ABB's current situation. I also require a new workshop."

"I can have a complete report sent to you in two hours," Tae-Soo said. "As for the workshop, we managed to recover some of the Tinkertech, and I put Inugane in charge of building a new one as soon as we learned about the PRT attack. It is ready for your use."

Anakin focused on the man, surprised at having someone competent in a gang. "How many are left in the ABB?"

"As you ordered, we've stopped recruitment and didn't prevent anyone from leaving," Tae-Soo said, pulling another cigarette and briefly waiting to see if Anakin would complain. When he didn't, the Korean man ignited it. "Still, we've managed to retain most of our people, 258 members, most of whom are the street soldiers."

It appears that, despite their differences, the ABB had grown far too used to having a powerful figure as its leader. For his purpose, it would serve.

He had tried to distance himself, to stand aside as the world moved on, but he'd failed from the very beginning, unable to ignore the youngling when she appeared in front of him. Still, he had insisted, holding back and, when that hadn't worked, slaying Lung as a show of force to intimidate those who'd meddle.

Unfortunately, that had only brought him more attention, this planet's culture of "capes" making parahumans overconfident, too accustomed to battles with low stakes, where neither their lives nor even their identities were in danger. Even had he left the city, Anakin was certain other parahumans would test him wherever he went.

Very well, if they wouldn't leave him alone and law enforcement was both incompetent and corrupt, perhaps it was time he took matters into his own hands.

"You may begin recruitment again," Anakin told Tae-Soo. "Avoid any confrontation with law enforcement, but do not restrict recruitment to the 'Asian' population, then start expanding the ABB territory."

Tae-Soo Park smiled, inhaling deeply from his cigarette. "Very well, and if the remaining Empire or Merchants try to interfere?"

"Inform me of their presence immediately, but do not hold back; most parahumans are not bulletproof. Now, bring me to the workshop."
 
Chapter 30
So, I thought I'd finish the next chapter tomorrow or the day after, but I managed to steal some time and finished it today.

This is actually the first chapter I wrote since coming back, the last one being something I had ready at my page for some time, so I hope it doesn't drop in quality... or if it does, that it's not by too much.


Anyway, for those who enjoy my other stories, I just released 5 chapters of something I started recently as a way to get back to writing called Arcane: Rule of Blood. I'll be posting chapter 6 this week. then I'll finally restart my Supergirl fanfic.

As always, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

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The new location was subpar, an abandoned mechanical workshop and warehouse; it had enough space for his goals, but lacked the majority of the equipment and modifications that made the former hideout acceptable.

Disappointing.

Marissa looked around the place, then did her best to move her wheelchair towards a corner, not an easy thing when most of her fingers were still missing, but at least it proved she had resilience.

Anakin just stared at her, causing the woman to flinch and retreat into herself, his anger starting to rise again at the sight of someone even partially responsible for the youngling's latest wounds.

Turning away, he considered what to do, searching for any distractions. Losing the repulsolift and most of the ship he had been building at the previous workshop was an annoyance; the equipment was probably inside one of the PRT's warehouses and, while he could recover it, he had no desire to start another confrontation at the moment.

With a glance, he turned on the forge, using Force telekinesis to move a few bars of metal inside while he found a crate of Bakuda's equipment the ABB had yet to move into his previous location. The wooden container was filled with electronics, from small circuitry to computer parts and precision tools.

In her corner, the woman had enough sense to be quiet, not interrupting his work and doing her best to avoid further drawing his attention.

Grabbing a motherboard with his own hands, he sat down and started tinkering. Creating and modifying equipment was perhaps the only pleasure he had allowed himself after falling to the dark side, and that only because it was also useful.

His own skills vastly surpassed those of anyone he had ever employed and, considering his previous armor, maintaining it was a necessity that even Sidious recognized.

Using the Force almost without thought, he unscrewed the small bolts on a dozen primitive data storage devices, 'hard disks' with barely a few gigabytes of memory, harvesting them for parts while using other materials to create an acceptable integrated circuit by hand; those available were far too slow.

Without turning his head, he pulled a bar of metal out of the forge, the material glowing red and perfectly malleable under his power, then he started shaping it, the Force substituting for the lack of tools precise enough for what he required.

Focusing inward, he dove deep into a meditative trance, choosing a semiconductor and using another Force power he had barely touched upon before, a difficult challenge as it was not something he was particularly talented at.

The Art of the Small was an incredibly effective, and rare, Force power, one that even Sidious had only tangentially touched, the ability to use the Force not in grand and overt ways but at the molecular level.

It was not Anakin's specialty but, with such primitive tools, even the small amount of material he could affect proved invaluable.

Shifting the very atoms of the substance, he changed its nature, transforming the material into something that would require far more advanced equipment than what was available to produce.

For over an hour, he lost himself in his work, the process, the familiar feeling of creating something, letting him relax and center himself better than hours of meditation could.

Connecting the resulting device to his notebook, he downloaded the necessary programming, something he created while working on Dinah's replacement hand, even if he hoped she'd have no use for it.

"Come," he ordered the former villainess.

Marissa hesitated, so he simply used the Force to move her wheelchair closer, causing her to release a small yelp, which he ignored.

"Secure the padded sockets to your limbs with the belt, then attach the devices using the magnetic locks," he told her, handing over the makeshift equipment.

It was a pair of gloves containing substitutes for her missing fingers and two prosthetic feet, each one made to fit the remains of her missing limbs, a makeshift thing reminiscent of a droid.

The prosthetic would be difficult to use and require a cane to allow her to move, at least until the simplistic AI he had created adapted to her body's movement and learned to make the necessary adjustments, but they were still adequate, and the project had somewhat helped him calm down.

Maybe now he could stop himself from crushing her when studying her power… if only to avoid having lost an hour of work.

The woman first put on her gloves, testing the fingers and seeing them move with rigid twitches, then carefully adjusted her new feet and tried to get up, the movement awkward, her balance failing several times and causing her to fall back on the chair before she managed to take a step.

"Ack," she cried out, putting a hand on the desk to avoid another crash. "This is harder than I expected." Holding on to the desk, she lowered herself into the chair again and released a long breath, both her arms and legs shaking from the effort, days of being asleep having taken a toll on her fitness.

"Repeated movements will improve your coordination, the AI is already adapting to you and making adjustments."

"Wh-What are you doing?" the girl asked as he approached her.

"Fulfilling my part of our deal," he said, using the Force to look deeper into her mind.

Some sentients believed Force users were able to perfectly read minds, that belief was incorrect, but it was not wholly without a base, although their power was far more empathic and impressionistic.

It meant that he couldn't delve into her mind as if it were a book, at most being able to read her most surface thoughts, but sensing the impressions left by a foreign influence was much easier.

For a moment, he thought about her attack on Dinah, the moment Trickster switched his cane with a blaster and shot her, the look on the youngling's face as she tried to respond in kind.

Relaxing his muscles, he managed to avoid scouring her mind, using the Force to take everything she was and leave an empty husk behind, to force her to experience every terrible thing she had done over and over again as punishment.

After days of meditation, resisting the whispers of the Dark Side had been getting easier.

"What do you me-mean?" the girl asked, flinching when he brought an open hand closer to her head.

"The 'Endbringer's' influence in your mind appears obvious, a minor compulsion that would work with your nature, relying more on prediction than domination for its goals; however, it is not impossible that the creature has left other, more subtle commands. I will check for such things before expurgating them altogether.'

"Will it hurt?"

"Unlikely."

Usually, Anakin would not require any overt gestures, but it had been years since he tried to avoid causing damage, so he left his hand only a few centimeters from her temple, closed his eyes and focused on asking instead of demanding through the Force.

Subtle but overwhelming fear, a sickening miasma that permeated her every moment, making her subconsciously suspect every thought, every action of being controlled.

Regret, a heavy layer filling her mind, not recent but lingering, building with every action for months or even years.

Hope, a recent and small thing, even if heavily colored by a more immediate fear, she did not want to die.


It seems the creature was as competent as he first expected. There was no modification to Marissa's brain, nor did it leave a psychic compulsion or any obvious working he could break. And yet, its influence was still there, using lingering fear and the inevitable result of a few, years-old prompts to guide her decisions.

The Simurgh had used a combination of an overwhelming first impression, trauma, her own reputation, and the girl's circumstances to create a lasting influence in her mind; there was no active effect, just expert manipulation. Sidious himself would have appreciated the precision of the technique.

Regardless, he had agreed to break the beast's influence, so break it he would.

Releasing the hold he had on his power, Anakin allowed the girl to feel, even at a subconscious level, a small part of it, sharing with her his own disdain for the Endbringer, overwriting some of her fear with the absolute certainty that, whatever it was, the Simurgh paled in the face of the Force.

For a single moment, less than a second, he forced the girl to feel the full effect of his presence, to sense him as a Force user would.

"Ahhhh!" Marissa threw herself away from him, her newly created limbs stumbling over her wheelchair and sending her stumbling to the ground, then scurrying backwards, eyes wide and her entire body shaking.

"Enough," Anakin said. "It is done."

He could not break an inexistent connection, but he could adopt the same tools, using his own power and influence to counter the creature's fear; already, he could feel the fear she felt for the creature diminishing in the face of a new one and, ironically, the sliver of hope growing.

Even at such a base, unconscious level, knowing what he was capable of would make her fear him more, but that same fear would counter the Simurgh and give her confidence that he had done what he claimed.

"I'm… you…" Marissa started to say, her pupils dilated into wide circles, and her breath coming hard, a tickle of blood running down her nose.

A light warning in the Force made Anakin turn his gaze slightly out into the bay, the echoes of something brushing his senses. He tried to grasp it, but it faded as if it had never been there.

"Excuse me, Susanoo-Kumichõ," an old man dressed in a suit said, but froze as soon as he entered the workshop, eyes going from the fallen girl to him, then bowing at the waist. "I… apologise, I can come later?"

"Approach, we are finished for now," Anakin said, putting both hands behind his back and adjusting his posture.

He'd let the girl recover for a day before starting to study the connection to her power.

The man was older than expected for a gang member, his hair completely white and combed back, but his full goatee was pitch black, and he still had vigor, his body maintaining muscles despite being around sixty years old.

Inugane Kimanjirou, the one Tae-Soo had put in charge of building the workshop.

"Susanoo-Komichõ, the report you requested," the old man said, offering him a so-called 'pendrive' while still bowing. having arrived from japan only a few months ago, he was still unused to the United States.

"Anakin," he corrected, receiving the data storage device and using the Force to start organizing his worktable, putting away the equipment he had used. "Without the youngling, I tire of those 'parahuman' games."

"Of course, Anakin-komichõ," the man quickly said, finally raising his head. "Regarding your tinkering…one of my underlings was in charge of the ABB's dealings with Toybox. Do you wish to restart communication?"

Anakin thought about the offer. From his observation, Tinker creations were inherently flawed; every device created to fail within a year unless maintained by a parahuman, likely a means to prevent the technological elevation of the populace.

"Yes, I may require their cooperation. Provide me a list of their specialities."

He would need to modify any device he acquired to eliminate such flaws, but the purchases could still accelerate his projects, especially if they provided superior tools or components.

"It is included in the pendrive, sir," The man said, reaching for something in his pocket out of habit before thinking better of it and continuing. "I'll make contact with them at once and inform you when they answer."

Competency, how unexpected. "Very well, anything else to report, Lieutenant?"

"Your former neighbor, Mrs. Aikawa, approached some of our younger members," he said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Her house was damaged during the confrontation at your previous workshop, and she demanded restitution."

Turning away from his work, Anakin focused on the older man even as his equipment continued to float behind his back, electronic parts neatly sorting themselves, and his notebook turning on.

The girl had grown fond of the old woman and her sithspawn cats, he could spare her some consideration.

Inugane swallowed at his look but quickly continued. "Tae-Soo-wakagashira passed the deed to your former workshop back to her since, with the PRT knowing about it, the ABB had no more interest in the location. He also arranged some temporary housing for the woman."

"Understood, Lieutenant, you're dismissed," Anakin nodded, then turned away from the man.

Bowing again, Inugane left the workshop, waiting for him to close the door, Marissa finally spoke. "What did you do to me?"

"As agreed, the Simurgh's influence on you is broken," Anakin said, only briefly looking her way before continuing to study Toybox details. "Tomorrow, we start studying the source of your powers."

Interesting, most of the Tinkers in Toybox were unimportant to him, but both Cranial and Dodge showed promise, particularly in his search for answers.

"... Thank you, I'm sorry about the…" Marissa started to say, then hesitated, swallowed hard, and seemed to gather her strength. "I'm sorry about the attack. If I knew what Trickster was doing, I'd never have agreed to it. I read that Panacea got to the girl in time? She's doing fine, right?"

"That is correct," Anakin said absentmindedly, finding one of the last Bakuda bombs he had and starting to disassemble it. "Pray that she remains that way."

Despite her previous choices, Marissa wasn't wholly unintelligent, her survival instincts making her retreat closer to the exit with her wheelchair and stay quiet, simply testing her new prosthetics and slowly letting the AI adapt to new movements.

Hours later, Anakin stepped away from the new holoprojectors, two table-sized devices that would act as his new centers of command. Lying on top of it were five wrist-mounted comlinks, the sixth already resting on his wrist, all that he could build with the materials at hand.

With him firmly in charge of the ABB and Dinah's current situation, leaving the planet was no longer a priority; as a result, he could delay the construction of his ship to focus on improving his new troops.

Fortunately, with how primitive armor technology was on the planet, the low-tech slugtrowers available were sufficient; even the most advanced blaster models would provide only minimal advantages, much less the kind he could produce with available materials, so he chose to focus on securing communications.

An independent hololink network would be both an improvement over the current 'cellphones' used by the gang and completely isolated from hacking. They'd also not require him to take off his gloves just to use those primitive screens.

Feeling stiffness in his neck, Anakin frowned at the unfamiliar sensation. It had been so long since he had felt anything but pain in his body that he'd forgotten it was even possible.

However, more than the physical discomfort, it was his ability to tinker without interruption that bothered him; the younglings' constant interruptions had been irritating but helped ground him in the moment, without it, he had been free to think about the past. It was not a pleasant experience.

Opening the doors of the workshop, Anakin found Tae-Soo and Jun talking in the reception area; they immediately stopped, Tae-Soo lowering his head in greeting. "Boss?"

With only a glance, Anakin floated five of the comlinks towards the man. "Distribute those to the other leaders of the ABB; they will allow secure communications, then transport one of the devices inside into my house."

"Yes, boss," he said, then glanced towards the younger man, causing Jun to start moving. "Sir, I believe we have a new development you should be aware of."

At Anakin's nod, the man pulled out his phone and transferred an image to the security monitor on the wall, a low-resolution video of three men robbing a gas station.

"About two hours ago, one of our men received this video from a family member, since they weren't on our territory and none of their capes were present, I didn't think I should interrupt you, but it seems likely the Teeth have arrived in town."

Who? He had thought their spiked clothes were simply another custom of this primitive planet, likely a more tribal subculture, but was it another of those parahuman costumes?

It took him a second, but Anakin briefly remembered the name from his initial search on parahumans; their leader should be the Butcher, an interesting phenomenon where both the being's powers and personality were partially inherited by whoever killed it.

Perhaps this was a second stage to whatever experiment those parahumans were. A way to imitate the goal of the rule of two? That would mean the experiment was created after the time of Darth Bane, a survivor from his purge? Or it could be simple coincidence, there was no need to form premature conclusions.

"Very well, Lieutenant, inform me the moment they're sighted again. Capturing this Butcher will require my personal attention."

Tae-Soo hesitated for a second, but then he nodded. "Understood."

Considering everything he had learned, it was obvious there would be protections to prevent the study of parahuman powers; however, allowing said powers to be passed on may require the existence of less protection or even a temporary lowering of them, even if not, a second subject he did not mind damaging would be useful.

Looking back at Marissa, he noted that she had spent the time well, the prosthetics having reached a point where she could move without any trouble.

"Arrange for someone to lead the girl around. Do not allow her to escape, but provide her with whatever she desires, within reason."

"Yes, boss."

Left alone, Anakin stood in the middle of the workshop. Having exhausted all of Bakuda's remaining equipment, he could start disassembling common electronics and equipment, but that would simply be busywork; anything gained that way could be easily bought by the ABB.

Instead, he released a long breath, letting his senses expand through the Force, his power spreading through the city, touching everything but influencing nothing.

He felt better now, almost as stable as before his confrontation with the PRT and Travelers. He finally felt like he could reach for the youngling without staining their connection with the Dark Side.

Their Force-bond was still there, a thin connection thanks to the youngling's lack of presence in the Force, but no less powerful for it.

For a moment, he felt her inside the PRT rig, a thin spot of light in the middle of the bay. She felt tired and angry, but not hurt, her emotions coming from frustration, the desire to do something when forced to remain in place.

Anakin smiled, reminded of his time as a padawan, of how many times he wanted to move, to act, to pursue an objective while his master preached waiting… more often than not, Obi-Wan had been right.

Like him, Dinah wasn't a particularly patient girl, using her Matukai training to exhaust herself as a distraction.

Using his power to widen the connection, he unclasped the lightsaber from his waist and laid it atop the table, then took a deep breath and adjusted his feet, entering into a Matukai stance.

The girl couldn't use the connection, not like a normal Padawan could, but she could still sense it, even if only at the most superficial level, nothing more than hints and suggestions like the feeling one gets when being observed or resting in a safe place.

Feeling the echoes of her movement through the bond, he moved his feet, accompanying her through the routine, correcting her.

For half an hour, Anakin fully embraced the Force, letting its power flow through him without any demands, releasing his absolute control and accepting its guidance to act as a conduit, not a master, his unwillingness to taint her with the Dark Side helping him resist its temptation.

"You know, for some reason, I had hoped you'd have made more progress, certainly left fewer corpses at least. How foolish of me."

Opening his eyes, Anakin stared at Obi-Wan, the old man sitting on the table beside his lightsaber, his body formed entirely by the Force, his presence filling the entire room.

"... Master."


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So, what do you guys think about Obi-Wan finally showing up in a canon chapter? i confess I'm still conflicted about it but, while I was writing, he just showed up and i decided to leave him there, but I'm still not 100% it was the right choice.
 
Chapter 31 New
Dinah Alcott dropped to the floor, huffing, her clothes completely soaked in sweat. She… didn't know if she could manage another session tomorrow morning, her everything was aching from the training, and she had been taking it easy since being 'arrested'. Thankfully, nobody was looking.
Still, she wouldn't stop. The Matukai training gave her options; she refused to stay the same hopeless child who'd be captured by Coil, who'd spend the rest of her life trying to recover from drugs.

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

Alright, maybe it was more than a bonus.

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

At least she had muscles; those were cool.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…..

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

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

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

"Why were you using the male bathroom?"

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

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

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

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

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

"Panacea doesn't take requests."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"But… I thought you preferred dancing?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ninety-eight point three, two, two percent.

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Your what?!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Thanks, daddy."

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


—-------------
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—-------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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chapter 32 New
So, took me a little longer than expected to finish those last chapters, I think it's been two weeks already? More? Sorry about that.

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

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

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
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[QUERY]

Receiving the data package, she partitioned a fragment of her processing power to analyze the request, then quickly sent a reply through the network.

[NEGATIVE.STAND-BY]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[PROPOSAL].

[DISAGREEMENT].


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Prepare yourself, we will continue tonight."

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

"Hesitation does you no credit, speak."

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

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

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

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

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

Regardless, Anakin had other things to do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"That is acceptable."

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

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

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

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

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

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



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Chapter 33 New
Anakin strode into the warehouse, causing every worker to momentarily freeze, most taking the time to look at him with a mixture of respect and awe, but a few just lowered their heads, doing their best to avoid meeting his eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Any casualties?"

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

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

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

"And the parahumans, are they dealt with?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You have no idea where she is."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Regardless, it may yet come to that."

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

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

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

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

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

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


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