Act 2

Tameka

A chime rang out from Tameka's laptop. More trouble? she wondered for a moment.

After two attacks from Hamilton in quick succession, they'd all been on edge for the past several days. But it wasn't a warning, it was the ting that marked a success. A sound she hadn't heard since setting it as an alert weeks ago.

Tameka checked her notifications. Exactly the one she'd hoped for - someone in Hamilton's coalition hadn't learned to watch out for suspicious emails, and had handed their login credentials to one of her bots.

Further notifications followed, as the bot tried the credentials on Tameka's list of relevant sites and grabbed as much information as it could every time it succeeded. She checked the files it sent her, and didn't take long to identify the account's owner. Carapace.

Tameka grinned to herself as she went through the records of the redcapes' activity. After a few sites, she found his chat logs. She pulled them up, and started reading through the recent ones.

Carapace: least there was no sign of that thing that ate nitro

Roadripper: And I still had to bail you out. Be more careful.

Roadripper: You said Artemis didn't seem to recognize the new cape, which means you lost to an *uncoordinated* team.

Bladewhirl: we didn't lose. we broke a bunch of their shit, gained some intel, then retreated.

Roadripper: While expending our own resources, and giving *them* intel. It's not enough to not lose, we need to *win*.

Sniper: Exactly. Cincinnati might be happy to keep the borders the way they are, but we're not.

Sniper: The separatists think they can carve away the wealthiest pieces of OUR America, and we're overdue for taking it back.

Sniper: Five days to get ready, then we go back and put holes in some bluecapes!

Radiance: u got it

Wyvern: Hell yeah

Another attack, and based on the timing, it was set for... tomorrow. Shit.

Tameka sent a message to Cygnus, then scanned the following logs for more details. Sniper, the leader of the Hamilton capes, seemed to be in a big hurry to conquer Cincinnati, and he kept talking about fighting for his ideas about America, but... hmm. Was that all it was?

Regardless, it was a useful look at what the redcapes were up to. Tameka set the bot to finish scraping for data, then sign out of all accounts upon completion without sending any new messages from them. Trying to hijack Carapace's accounts to phish other users wasn't worth making the attack more obvious, and any attempt to spread misinformation would get caught immediately. If Carapace got notifications about the new logins, maybe he'd keep being careless and underestimate them.

Footsteps approached, and Tameka looked up to see Cygnus. "You got news?" he asked.

"Yep." She pulled the most relevant logs back up, then spun the laptop around to face him. "Check this out."

Cygnus frowned as his eyes darted over the screen. "Hoo, boy. Big day tomorrow. Could be an opportunity, if..."

His voice trailed off, and Tameka spoke up. "If we prepare well. Which would mean coordinating with the bluecapes."

"Uuuuugh," Cygnus groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "It's gonna be such a hassle, but avoiding it would just be dumb."

"We'll be helping them," Tameka pointed out. "We can get something in return."

It's tricky politics, but if we phrase things right... Words whirled around in Tameka's head, arranging themselves into drafts of a message, then breaking apart to rearrange themselves. She spun the laptop back around and started typing.

Cygnus nodded. "That does make it more appealing. You got an idea?"

"Several," Tameka said. "You get some sleep. I'll reach out to Rudianos."

"Thanks. Guess I'll need it, huh?" He raised a hand in a half-wave. "Night."

"Night." Tameka's eyes returned to her screen as Cygnus left. On behalf of the Alchemists, I'm reaching out about an urgent matter relevant to both of our teams...

---

Isaac

I groaned and rolled over in bed. Nitroforce's body was used to running around all day, but I wasn't. Whatever time it was, it was too early.

I pulled my sheet back up to my shoulders, shifted back to a comfortable position, and shut my eyes again. Hopefully I can get back to sleep.

I waited...

waited...

...

Isaac.

...Hwuh?

A feminine voice, coming from nowhere in particular. It felt familiar, somehow.

I glanced around the room, then sat up for a better vantage point. Didn't see anything, and and there wasn't much space I could be missing. Only things around were bare walls, some bags with my stuff, and the door. Did I imagine it?

No, but I'm not with you physically. I'm quite far away.

My mind clarified enough to place the voice. That dream I had a few nights ago, about powers leaking out of the earth. Were those real? Someone using telepathy?

Yes. The connection's strength varies. Now that we have a stronger link, we should talk.

Well, this was unsettling. But it sounded like they wanted to help. Who are you? What were you trying to show me?

Call me Pandora. As for my message, you followed it well. Powers were sealed deep underground, and have recently started to emerge. You've seen the consequences.

And if it keeps going, the number of capes will keep increasing, leading to more violence. More things falling apart.

Indeed. The power available is finite, but large. Left unchecked, powers could continue to spread at this rate for years. By then, there would be little left to salvage.

Do you know a way to stop it?

I do. Although powers emerge with little relation to geography, there are certain locations where powers used from the surface can reach the seal below. One of them is in the city you've fought with.

Hamilton? So from there, we could reinforce the seal?

Yes. Not all powers would be able to affect it, but I believe your wolf power could deliver energy to the weakened part of the seal.

How do you know all this? Is it part of your power?

When the seal bound the powers below the earth, I went with them, to ensure that they would not return. I've had a long time to study it.

Holy shit. How old are you?

I'm told it's impolite to ask a lady her age.

Are you actually bothered, or just messing with me?

The latter. I've lost track of the exact number, and in any case we should stay focused.

So, wait, when you said to call you Pandora...

It's not my original name. Like others you've seen, I'm borrowing a name from myths. They're just a bit closer to my time than to yours.

How do you know English?

I have some ability to observe the outer world. Again, please focus on the situation. The connection won't be stable for long.

Right, sorry. Are you talking to others about this as well?

I've spoken with a few other capes, but none in your region. Most powers aren't responsive to the connection, and most capes would be uninterested in re-sealing powers.

Would that take away everyone's powers?

Eventually. They're fueled by the power leaking out through the seal.

Gotcha. Is there anything I can show others to get them on board? Like, to prove that I didn't just hallucinate all this.

It would be complicated. Given enough time, I could try to arrange some sort of-

-with the-

-elp-

Silence.

Dammit. Gotta use my time better, whenever the next chance is.

I took a breath and gathered my thoughts. Pandora, like her namesake, was watching over dangers that had been locked away. They were getting loose, and she'd come to me for help doing something about it. I could repair part of the seal, but I didn't know how yet, and I'd have to get to Hamilton first.

I still had a lot of questions. But this was a chance to finally help get things to cool the fuck down.

I'd been sitting there staring at the wall for a while, I realized. I stood up from my bed, and staggered out of the room.

Cygnus and Tameka were in the kitchen, Tameka sitting at her laptop like always. Andre turned as I entered.

"Hey, Isaac." He gestured to the pot on the table between them. "Coffee?"

"Thanks." I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and sat down. "Morning."

"Tameka got some intel last night," Cygnus said as I poured. "Bunch of communications between Hamilton's capes. Sounds like they're gonna head over again tonight."

"Ah, that's good." I frowned. "I mean, bad? Intel good. Hamilton attacks bad."

Tameka chuckled, finally looking up. "Mixed bag, yeah. But I'm glad the hack worked, and we'll be ready for them."

"How late were you up, anyway?" I asked. "All that after I went to bed and you're still up before me."

"I don't need that much sleep," Tameka said. She took a sip of her own coffee. "And it's not like I'm doing the sort of stunts you two get up to."

"I'm pretty sure low sleep is a problem for everyone," I said. "I'm getting out more, but the brain's still a muscle."

"You're thinking of the heart," Cygnus replied.

I sighed. "Whatever it is. You're using your heart and brain, either way. And all the other stuff."

I turned my eyes back to my mug and took a sip. I'd only really done stunts once so far, this would be the first redcape attack since then. Even so, I'd been trying to stay busy with helping out in and around the compound. I didn't want fights to be my only way of paying for my stay here - I knew the Alchemists were stretching limited funds to support people without asking for much.

I still didn't have a way to show the others what I'd been hearing from Pandora, but it sounded like she was working on it. In the meantime, I could try to figure out a way to get to Hamilton.

I had one idea. Might not be a good idea, but it was an idea.

As the conversation died down, I grabbed a bagel and returned to the computer I'd used. Time to see what else I missed.

CHAMPION OF SEATTLE: look i'm working with what i have here

CHAMPION OF SEATTLE: it's not ideal but it's probably the closest thing

madison (she/her): even so i dont think you can make cake that way

CHAMPION OF SEATTLE: i gotta try. for the sake of science, and also my kitchen

madison (she/her): its not gonna rise properly

madison (she/her): whatever you get, its not gonna be a cake

CHAMPION OF SEATTLE: maybe it'll be even better. revolutionize baking. necessity is the mother of invention

madison (she/her): i doubt it but youre clearly set on this lmao

So Shane was doing some sort of kitchen experiment and... wait, what?

I opened a direct message to Madison.

Isaac (he/they): hey mads

Isaac (he/they): you changed your tag?

madison (she/her): ah yeah

madison (she/her): been thinking about some stuff

madison (she/her): hope youre not too disappointed lol

Isaac (he/they): well I'm glad you figured out whatever it is

Isaac (he/they): just surprised is all

madison (she/her): thats fair lol

madison (she/her): i did spend a while on bad terms with this gender

madison (she/her): time away made it look different i guess?

madison (she/her): also gaining weight might have helped

Isaac (he/they): oh, huh

madison (she/her): realized id rather rework it to fit me better

madison (she/her): at least, probably?

madison (she/her): feels pretty compelling to me though

madison (she/her): just kinda sucked that bringing it up felt like leaving the team or something

Isaac (he/they): ooh yeah

Isaac (he/they): I mean, no, fuck that

Isaac (he/they): we're all still a team regardless

Isaac (he/they): not like I'd have much stake anyway, basically cis with extra steps

madison (she/her): okay now youre the one being dumb lmao

madison (she/her): you wouldnt call anyone else that, right?

Isaac (he/they): no but

Isaac (he/they): idk

Isaac (he/they): it does sound dumb, doesn't it

madison (she/her): reality check for both of us!

Isaac (he/they): yeah lol

Isaac (he/they): it does help, looking at it that way

Isaac (he/they): thanks mads

madison (she/her): np

I looked away from the screen, still processing the exchange. Then I read back over the conversation. Did I seriously just type all of that?

I closed the window and got up, trying to push the conversation out of my mind.

From the direction of the kitchen, Cygnus was approaching. Good, something less embarrassing to think about.

"Gonna be meeting with the bluecapes in a few hours," he said. "You want to come along?"

---

Around noon, Cygnus and I changed back into our costumes and headed for the meeting place. Cygnus had successfully negotiated for the roof of a nearby shopping center - a place that would offer minimal distractions as well as easy exits in case things didn't go well.

Rudianos was waiting for us as we arrived, flanked by another bluecape, Flashstep.

Flashstep wore a sleek yellow and gold jumpsuit, in contrast to Rudianos's dark gray armor. From what I'd heard, Flashstep could teleport himself and potentially others, although he'd claimed he couldn't bring unwilling targets. Rudianos, meanwhile, had some sort of enhanced strength, and his tendency to use physical weapons suggested he could increase their effectiveness as well.

"So," Rudianos began, "you have information you wanted to share?"

Cygnus nodded. "I do. There's a lot we disagree about, but collaborating against redcape hostilities is in both of our best interests. We saw that a few days ago. But we also saw how it can get ugly. If we're gonna be working together more, we should make sure it'll go better than that."

"You have demands, then," Rudianos said. "About Artemis?"

"I wouldn't call it that," Cygnus replied. "But she did try to start shit with me and my teammate, and her whole team says the same things every change they get. I'd love to ask you to cut ties with them, but I know you're not gonna go for that."

"Indeed." Rudianos's voice was tense. "We've formed a coalition of capes with different values, to get the strength needed to protect our city. Artemis, Cybermind, and Inferno are important pieces of that. But I can try to keep them away from you, when we have the choice."

"That's a start," Cygnus said. "But I also don't want them causing trouble for civilians."

Rudianos sighed. "I have limited influence over how they administer their own section of the city. I can't promise to keep them to your standards. But I'll do what I can to rein them in."

Implying you weren't doing everything you could until now, I thought.

Cygnus looked away for a few seconds, then spoke up again. "Well, the better you do, the more inclined I'll be to help out in the future. How's that sound?"

"Fair enough," Rudianos said. "If we've reached an understanding, are you ready to share what you've learned?"

---

Tameka told us to expect the attack around 9 pm, and to take a route past an old factory on the city's outskirts. A perfect place to meet them, away from civilians. If only they'd managed that last week.

We laid in wait, divided into groups. Cygnus was with me, and as Rudianos had promised, Artemis's team was the furthest from us.

It felt weird, taking part in this. Especially now that we were actively coordinating with the bluecapes. But I'd seen personally what Hamilton would do to seek the upper hand. Now that I have Nitroforce's power and skills, I can't just sit this out.

Around a quarter of nine, Tameka spoke into our headsets. "They're on their way. Everything looks good."

Before long, the lights of motorcycles appeared down the road. They're here.

Cygnus touched a concrete slab we'd salvaged from the factory, reducing it to a fraction of its weight. Together, we lifted it up, pointing it towards the road.

Below the approaching motorcycles, silver light exploded upward. Based on the plan I'd heard, that'd be Artemis's energy grenade. A cacophony of screeching and crunching erupted from the formation, as several bikes crashed.

The remaining riders stopped a moment later. Four bikes, out of the eight that had shown up. I doubted the riders were seriously hurt through their body armor, but it was something.

The road lit up again as Artemis fired on the stopped riders, joined by Cybermind's drone. One of the crashed riders threw something in their direction - it exploded with an electrical crackle, the shots stopped, and the drone fell out of the air. Some sort of EMP?

Whatever was going wrong for Artemis, Cygnus and I had our own task. Under his direction, we shifted our position, aiming the slab at the half that hadn't crashed.

I activated Nitroforce's power, blasting the slab forward and away from me. As it left Cygnus's hands, he withdrew his power from it, turning it into a several-hundred-pound projectile.

The slab crashed into the group, exploding into a cloud of debris. When it cleared, the number of capes standing was... still four. And the closest one had a shield out.

FUCKING CARAPACE.

Two of them hopped back on their motorcycles and headed for us, while the other two rejoined their partners as bluecapes closed in on them. We had more slabs, but no time to use them.

As the pair approached us, one of them took a hand off the handlebar and threw something towards us. I reached out, exploding the air in front of it, and it burst a few feet away into a wave of light and heat. Radiance again. But who's the other one?

By the time my vision cleared, I had my answer. A cape who had to be Bladewhirl had drawn her katana as she drove off the road towards us, and drew it back to slash at me.

I dove down and to the side, out of the way, and fired back with an explosion. Bladewhirl's motorcycle tumbled through the grass, crashing near the closest part of the factory.

While Cygnus faced off against Radiance, I chased after Bladewhirl. She abandoned the motorcycle, running for the factory, and dove through an open window.

I followed behind her. As I jumped through the same window, something moved below me, and pain seared into my right leg.

I stumbled to the ground, bleeding from a deep cut in my thigh. Bladewhirl stood over me, her sword at the ready.

"Why the fuck do you fight like Nitroforce?" she growled.

"He... tried to mess with me." I winced as my leg continued throbbing. "Didn't go well for him."

"Hmph," Bladewhirl grunted. "Guess he should have brought a sword."

She lunged forward. I raised a hand to try to blast her away, but was too slow. Her sword bit into me again, this time cutting across my chest, through my ribs. I gasped, wanting to scream, but couldn't find the strength.

My vision blurred as a familiar feeling crept through me. My body shifted, stretched out. Pain. Rage. HUNGER.

Nitroforce's body crumbled into ash as my monster form emerged. I hauled myself back to my feet, now towering over Bladewhirl. The wolf's thought processes bubbled back up to where Nitroforce's had been - but I was ready for them, this time. I was still thinking clearly, still me.

"What the fuck?" Bladewhirl shouted.

Bladewhirl slashed towards me, and I blocked with my right arm. Her sword dug into black fur and stuck in place, but couldn't cut deeper than skin.

I had a clearer head than last time, but it didn't change the conclusion. I needed to replace the life she'd taken from me, and there was exactly one reasonable way to do it.

I knocked her sword away. As Bladewhirl stumbled, I shoved forward with my left hand, grabbing her around the stomach and pinning her against the wall.

This felt rather unkind, but I could at least be nice enough to make it quick. With my right hand, I grabbed the side of her head, and twisted.

SNAP.

I let Bladewhirl's body drop to the ground, now nothing more than food. My stomach growled in approval.

As I tore into her, a thump came from behind me. Someone dropping down from the window, most likely. But they didn't seem to be coming closer, and I had a meal to focus on.

When I finished, my body shifted again, shrinking back down. Becoming Bladewhirl's.

"Fenrir?" a voice asked from near the window. Cygnus's voice. "Is that you?"

I turned to face him. "Uh... yeah. New look." I grinned sheepishly, not that he'd be able to see it through Bladewhirl's mask, and gestured in emphasis. "Sorry you had to see that."

"It's fine." Cygnus's mask covered his expression as well, making it hard to tell if he meant it. "Are you okay?"

I shifted around, getting a feel for how Bladewhirl's body moved. "Yeah, I... well, I died again, but that's nothing new. And I came back way hotter."

I am definitely taking this better than I should be.

Cygnus took a breath. "Well, uh, if that's what you're going for. Regardless, we should let the others know not to shoot you. You up to rejoining the fight?"

As I tried to figure out how to answer, something on my leg buzzed. Bladewhirl's brain picked up on what it was supposed to signal. Retreat.

"Wait," I said. "I... Hamilton doesn't know I can do this. They don't know Bladewhirl is dead. I could go back with them, pretend to be her."

"Hold on." Cygnus put a hand out in a stop motion. "Slow down, this is... it could work, but we need to give it more thought."

I shook my head. "We don't have time. They're calling a retreat, and by next time they'll figure it out. I know how her mind works - I can mimic her behaviors, gather intel, keep picking them off. Even if they catch on, I can come back from the dead, it's safer for me than anyone else. I can do this, but I have to do it now."

Cygnus ran a hand over his face. "Fuck. Okay, I... Check in, keep me updated. If things go wrong, run. I'll get the bluecapes off your back."

I nodded. "Got it. Thanks. Talk to you soon."

I grabbed Bladewhirl's sword, the only piece of her attire I'd been missing, and vaulted back out through the window. I headed for her motorcycle, and let her skills show me how to use it.

Sorry, Cygnus. Can't explain half my reason yet. But it'll be worth it.