A/N: Huge thanks to all the people who have Favorited or followed this story, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or question. Special thanks to my first, and so far only, reviewer. Don't know who you are, but you made my day. All snippets can be found on creative forums, same username. There I usally try for daily updates with chapters being posted here when usual, I don't own Worm or Exalted. But you should totally check out both, they deserve your support.

Identity - 2.1

My return to consciousness was marked by pain. My eyes opened to the sight of a simple white ceiling; where was I? The last thing I remembered was jumping down to face Lung, then... Scattered memories that both felt like mine and the drifting wisps of a half-forgotten dream. The beeping of a machine speed up as my heart did, marking the rising panic I felt with electronic noise. To my surprise, the noise calmed me. Almost everyone alive knew the sound of a heart monitor, a side effect of modern media, and the sound meant that I could be reasonably sure I was at a hospital.

Five minutes after I woke up, my theory of being in a hospital was proven false when three people entered my room. I recognized Miss Militia and Aegis of course, but the third was unknown to me. She was short, slightly pudgy, and with her bleached-blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun. The unknown woman moved to the side of my bed while the heroes watched from the door.

"Taylor Hebert, I am Director Piggot of the PRT." I tensed at the mention of my name, and the heart monitor began to speed up. "You can relax, you're not in a public hospital and no one outside the PRT knows who you are. We brought you here after your altercation with lung and let you heal."

How long had I been here?

Apparently I voiced the question aloud. "You had been out for a day. You came in with a broken rib and several second degree burns, Panacea wasn't available so you will have to make due with conventional medicine."

The room was silent for a second as I absorbed the information. Then Piggot spoke again.

"You managed to fight Lung on your own and, from what the Wards saw, seemed capable of matching him. I do not know if you know this, but Lung is one of the few people capable of matching an Endbringer on a one on one basis."

My mind raced; it was a death sentence. They obviously wanted or at least expected me to fight the Endbringers, but whatever happened in my battle with Lung was not something I could consciously control. I could feel cold shivers making their way down my spine at the thought of facing those monsters. My apprehension must have shown on my face.

"You understand, yes? We need you. It might be months until the next attack, but there is no time to waste. If you joined the Wards we could get you the training and support you need."

Here Aegis broke in, voice somber. "What the director is not saying is that as a Ward you are not forced to fight, it will be expected of you, but if most won't look down on you for refusing. Even then, if the attack is not close by then we won't be deployed. Shadow Stalker mentioned that you had only been active a short time, but trust me that joining the Wards is a much better option than most you have available."

Good cop, Bad cop? Really?

The worst part was that it was working; I wanted to be a Hero, and joining the Wards would let me accomplish that much easier than trying to do so alone. All it would cost was my independence. It was a small thing to cling to, but it was all I had that I could call my own.

In the end, it had not really been a question at all. They knew who I was, and they had seen me use my power at a level potentially capable of matching an Endbringer. Even if I walked out of there, they would follow me for the rest of my life. Every action I made would be recorded, scrutinized, and used to try luring me into their fold.

In the end, my answer was reluctant but the best choice I could see.

"There's no other real choice I can take is there? I'll join the Wards, if you keep dad out of it."

"You know we can't do that. You are underage, and we are required by law to have your guardian's consent for you to join the Wards. We are also obligated to inform your guardian that you have triggered in any case. Is this still acceptable?"

At my silent nod she continues."Excellent, I will have the paperwork readied and sent to your residence today."

Piggot stood and left the room, nodding to Miss Militia as she passed. After she was gone, the weapon wielding hero took over my briefing/introduction.

"You are mostly healed already so after this Aegis will show you to the Wards quarters. Once you have signed the papers and settled in we will be evaluating your powers for classification and potential use. I will be handling your training for the first few days, until you get a firm grasp on how things work around here. Other than that there will be no expectations from you; but I do recommend getting to know your potential teammates. Do you have any questions?"

I had one rather important one. "Will I be living here as well? Or am I allowed to go home? What about school?"

"Unless you ask for it specifically, we expect you to keep living at home. I don't know exactly how your home situation will be handled, but the most likely the school will be informed and you will transferred to Arcadia."

After her short informative speech, she stepped outside and called for some nurses to unhook me from the machine and IV drip I was attached to. As they did she bid me farewell and told me to meet her in the practice room at five. A quick glance at the clock above the door told me that this was in almost six hours. After she left Aegis helped me out of the bed and allowed me to use him as a crutch for the first few unsteady steps.

" The wards are unaware of your real identity, Clockblocker saw your face when you were unconscious but does not know your name.

We're close-knit group however, and I hope you will come to trust us eventually, but it is your choice if you want to reveal who you are. Other than that, try to ignore Shadow Stalker she's a bit of a Bitch."

2.2

Before leaving the medical wing, Aegis led me to a small room where my clothes from last night could be found. A relief, as the green hospital scrub that I was dressed in was not really the best piece of clothing that one could wear. The black outfit was singed and burned, but still wearable and I immediately tore of the itchy scrub and began dressed. I felt much safer as I wrapped the smoke smelling scarf around my face. With my identity at least nominally hidden; I relaxed, then blushed as I remembered the presence of Aegis. Face burning red I turned to see the masked hero faced the other way; it seemed like he had at least attempted to give me privacy. I coughed lightly to tell him I was done. He turned back around, and I could see a small smirk on his face.

"I didn't think hospital clothes were that bad. You were lucky I wasn't Clockblocker."

"S-S-Shut up, I've had a bad night." Smooth... I really needed to get out more.

"Yea I saw that; Lung is a bastard to fight, and he just keeps getting stronger the longer it goes on. Good job on matching him by the way, not many can do that."

I looked at him from the corner of my eye, but there was nothing in his face or tone suggesting mockery.

"Thanks, But I don't think I can do it again; it was…" I fumbled around for a word to describe what happened during the fight. "... Instinctive." and failed. He looked at me strangely, then shrugged and moved on.

"Well whatever, Militia will help you figure out your powers. Until then, let me show you around."

The Ward quarter of the PRT Headquarters was impressive. Chromed hallways led into a large dome-shaped room. Like a proud parent Aegis, gestured around the room, eagerly explaining where every door went and what every device did.

He began with a small cluster of doors near the entrance, each marked with a different symbol. "These are the Ward living quarters, they are pretty basic and mostly for those nights we can't make it home or those Wards without somewhere else to go. Respect people's privacy and don't enter unless invited."

We moved on, and worked our way around the circumference of the room. With him pointing out each door in turn and where they led. we finally stopped in front of a large bank of monitors, each displaying different pieces of information. The largest, and easiest to recognize was the map of Brockton Bay. It was covered in different symbols, each most probably represented different things that a Hero organization needed to known, villain hideouts and the like.

After concluding our tour, we both flopped down on separate comfy chairs. Part of a small area meant for relaxation. With nothing else to do, I attempted to strike up a conversation.

"So… You're the leader of the Wards? How's that working out?"

My question elicited a laugh from the masked teen. "Leading is the wrong word for it. Herding is better. All of them, and me I suppose, are very… independent. Clockblocker hates being told what to do, Vista often annoys people with her power, Shadow Stalker likes to brood, Kid win makes things explode, and Gallant can be a bit pretentious. But we work well together and trust each other, so they usually do as I say. How about you, how long have you been a cape?"

I was forced to suppress a small giggle at the thought of a Brooding Shadow Stalker before replying. "I triggered a week ago, but I have only been out two days now."

He stared at me. "Holy shit. A week? How have you had time to train with your power?"

My face flushed. "I haven't."

"Are you crazy? You went out to fight crime and haven't even trained with your powers at all?! Your lucky to be alive! I am going to have to tell Militia about this. She is expecting you to at least have some basic idea of what you can do!" his voice rose through the tirade, and I shrank into myself slightly at the obvious anger.

Seeing me flinch, he calmed himself before speaking again. This time in a much softer tone. "It's dangerous not knowing what you can do; both for yourself, but also for the people around you. Could you imagine if Legend started throwing around attacks without knowing how to modulate them? I need to go speak with Miss Militia about this, please stay in this main area and don't wander off. This place is large and I don't want to have to go find you if you get lost."

He rose, then exited the room, which left me alone. What should I do for the next few hours?

Aegis came to get me an half-hour before the appointed time and found me engrossed with attempting to design a costume. I had found some pen and paper and was laboriously sketching away trying to come up with a practical yet stylish concept. When I heard his comment it felt like wasted time.

"You do know that the PRT has a public relations manager who designs the costumes right?"

My head slumped.

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, time to train, just follow me."

We walked to the same elevator that brought us from the ground floor to the Ward's area, but this time he pressed the button for a sub-basement. The elevator moved smoothly and I had no sensation of movement before we arrived.

Compared to upstairs, this place was utilitarian to the extreme. Concrete corridors and iron doors made up the decor, with bright lamps shining above. Aegis led me to a door about halfway down the hall marked B-4. After telling me to go inside, he left me, moving to the adjacent door instead.

Inside was what could only be the testing ground. The right side of the room was an obstacle course while the left was clear except for scattered targets. The center was dominated by a large pitted cube and everything was made from either grey concrete or smooth steel, the only break in the gray-scale of colors was Miss Militia. Leaning slightly against the large cube she was idly playing with a large knife as I entered the room. As I did so, she sheathed her knife and moved forward to meet me. Before I could ask any questions or say anything. She spoke, voice sharp.

"If you do anything as stupid as going out trying to be a Hero without knowing what you can again, I will kick your ass and stop your paycheck. You will give this one hundred percent, and you will keep training after I no longer have the time. Is this understood?"

There was only one answer I could give. It was both the obvious one, and the one that I silently swore to follow. "Yes, Miss."

The knife shifted into a long pistol. "Good. Now, you have at least some notion of what you can do so I want you to summarize your powers with as few words as possible."

A thousand different ways to say what I could do flitted through my brain, but only two really said it. "Magic Kung-fu"

If she was surprised it didn't show. "That's a start. Now in more detail please, how does it feel to use? What does it do? "

It took the better part of an hour to explain what my power seemed to do; the two pools of power, the mark of mars and the aura, the physics defying martial arts. Most of the time was not taken by the descriptions themselves, but my helpless grasping for words. It was like I knew all the answers but they were just outside my reach. Like a thought on the tip of your tongue. After I was done, Miss Militia took a few minutes to think before speaking aloud. Probably more for the recording devices in the rooms benefit than mine.

"It sounds like a Brute/Breaker/Thinker combo, and perhaps with Trump as well depending on how it really works. Your power seems to enhance Martial arts, making them capable of impossible things but not unnatural ones. So, lets get a baseline. There will be some medical tests later, but for now I was thinking a spar. No powers, just skill. I want to see how much of yours is bound to that energy you mentioned."

As we moved to the open area on the left, I clenched my slightly shaking hands tight. I was nervous, the results here would probably not only shape my future in the Wards but also Miss Militias opinion of me. Taking positions facing each other, I clasped my hands together and bowed- how did I know this? -in the traditional manner. Eyes glinting slightly, Militia returned the gesture.

Suppressing my uncertainty of the memories that seemed to swirl in my mind at random, I focused on the Spar at hand. I instinctively fell into a loose stance, one that felt good, but did not take supernatural power to use. Her weapon sheathed, Miss Militia advanced; her style was unlike any I had seen before, almost blocky in its movements. But I could see the truth, it was a refined thing, each movement carefully calculated to use the minimum amount of energy.

It was a military style, and in the few seconds before she reached me, I had already begun to dissect it's secrets. Her first attack, a short stabbing punch to the sternum, was knocked aside by an elbow, her second much the same. Every time she attempted to attack it was shut down before it could even begin, and only her size and strength prevented me from crushing her defenses.

Her styles greatest strength was also its weakness. It always took the path of least resistance, and was therefore predictable. She soon realized this as well, and her blows became more fluid and unpredictable as she switched to another style. It Became a dance between us, I would read and neutralize whatever she was doing, and she would change. A push and pull like the tides. Time lost meaning as minutes turned to hours, and hours to days.

On the third day, she called her formless weapon to her hands and began anew. Old styles becoming something new in response. As bullets began to whine through the air, each carefully placed to force me along a specific path, I began to pull on the power within me and its kin from without. The mark on my forehead appeared, and crimson light filled with text began to fill the room.

As we fought through the days, my attacks changed nature as her weapon changed forms. I caught her bullets as they hounded me, attempting to disarm her with them only to be foiled by the weapon returning to her side in an instant.

I became fire, flickering like the candle and moving between her attacks as I closed. But each time I attempted to strike, concussive force from explosions drove me back. The light around me became a shining stroboscopic rainbow, blinding and dazing her, but the endless lead of a machine gun lost me that advantage. For two weeks and a day we fought, But I could feel myself begin to tire even as she seemed unhindered. With defeat a certainty unless something changed, I trusted in the uncertain and attacked with calm disregard. I weaved through bullets and danced through knife blows and in the space between heartbeats I struck; an open palm blow to her lungs that forced the breath from them out in a great sigh.

I retreated, and like so the spar is over and reality seemed to return. Confused I looked around, and spotted Aegis standing by the open door with his mouth hung open in shock. Miss Militia, with a wild look in her eyes, focused on the young man with an intense stare and asked him a question that burned in my mind as well.

"How long have we been in here?"

He stammers for a second before pulling himself together and answering. "About one and a half hours. You have been sparring for fifteen minutes."

There is silence.

2.3

After Miss Militia and I collected ourselves from the strange spar we had just experienced, we left the training hall together with Aegis for the observation room to talk. It was the same room where I had seen Aegis enter earlier. The inside was dominated by a large conference table, and the walls were covered in monitors each of which displayed a different angle of the training room we had just left.

By silent agreement, we choose our seats to be clustered together near the entrance. Aegis and I sat down first, while Miss Militia detoured to retrieve a small controller from a cupboard in the corner. Aegis was the first to speak, voice questioning.

"What happened in there, Militia? I thought you were supposed to fight without powers. Not to mention all the crazy things you pulled. I think I counted four or five different abilities from Taylor, and even you were doing things I have never seen you do before."

The older cape was quiet for a moment, seemingly contemplating what to say. When she spoke it was with a clear and steady voice that cut through uneasy atmosphere.

"Fifteen days. That's how long we fought in there, or at least how long it felt like. Fifteen days or pure, focused, and uninterrupted combat training against an opponent who could keep up. I learned more about myself and my powers in the spar today than I have in a long time. Properly used, this power could be an incredibly powerful tool in our fight against injustice. Taylor-"

She turned to me, eyes burning with the ideas she had flowing through her head. "I will speak to Armsmaster and Piggot about this; but if I can get clearance, I would like for you to help train both the Wards and the PRT."

Butterflies filled my stomach, her enthusiasm was both exciting and scary. While I understood what she was saying, and agreed in principle, I felt compelled to point out a rather large flaw in her plan. "I'm not even sure how I did that. It didn't happen when I fought the Empire or Lung and I still don't even know what my power really is."

Her enthusiasm quieted slightly at my words, but I could see that it was still present. I do not think she had given up on the idea yet. Manipulating the controller she had gotten earlier, she began rewinding the view on one of the screens, making both Aegis and I look on in interest.

"Regarding your powers, I still think my original thoughts are valid. But I want to see our fight to make sure." She pressed a button and on the screen, I could see myself facing the confident form of Miss Militia. She attacked first, but the moment she did everything changed.

It was a strange thing to see; it would be wrong to say that we moved faster than normally, instead it looked almost as if we were moving slower, but reacting to everything instantly. We moved through different fighting styles at an insane tempo, often spending less than a few seconds before shifting. Then at around the two-minute mark, it escalated. Miss militia's weapon leaped to her hand, and my forehead lit up with the mark of Mars.

Then things really went insane. When I switched martial arts it was no longer a matter of simple movements or styles, but of something much greater. In one I burst into smoldering flame and smoke, in another Strobing lights marked my passage with blinding rays. All that was consistent was the glowing red aura that began gathering strength and the mark on my head. The fight ended after fifteen minutes with a punch that seemed to come from nowhere, knocking the air from Militia's lungs. As the video ended, she spoke again voice confident.

"It's pretty much what I said before; at the most basic level you are enhancing Martial Arts, but It's definitely a Trump. It seems that you are using the conceptual ideas behind the styles on some level. I recognized Crane style among the things you were using; but beyond anything it could do in reality. You probably won't be able to do anything to powerful with just that, but your skill evens the field with a lot of enemies."

She looked at me, eyes crinkled form what I assume to be a smile.

"Once you've had your medical exam and our analysts have had time to watch this, you will get a written dossier on what we believe your strength and weaknesses are. I would recommend reading it."

She stood, walking over the cupboard from before and pulling out a small disk from an obscured device. "I need to get this upstairs, so ask Aegis if you need anything else."

With a final goodbye she exited the room, leaving an awkward silence behind.

"So…" Aegis' voice was hesitant

"I think that whatever happened might have had a mental effect as well." My voice was quiet, almost a whisper from the fear that I might have done something to Miss Militia. Something Aegis seemed to pick up.

"Don't worry about it-" His voice was reassuring. "-Even if something did happen, we have a lot of people trained to handle that kind of stuff, so relax. She didn't seem hurt or anything; just excited." He pulled himself out of his chair, gesturing for me to rise as well. "How about we go back to the Ward's quarters, the others should be back from patrol now and I think it might be nice for you to meet them before you go home."

Home, it felt like a lifetime ago I was there, and I did not look forward to the conversation with dad. Pushing those thoughts away for the moment I followed Aegis to the elevator, noting that I seemed to be moving with much better balance and posture compared to a before the spar. Another thing chalked up on the to be investigated board. It was starting to get crowded on there.

As we waited for the Elevator, Aegis spoke again; his voice light.

"You still don't have a name right?"

I shook my head.

"Well unless you want to introduce yourself with your real name, you need one pretty quick."

His face lit with mischief. "How about Disco. You looked like a Disco ball back there."

I groaned at the horrible suggestion, and almost by itself my hand stretched out and slapped the back of his head to indicate my displeasure.

"No, that's a stupid idea and you should feel bad for even saying it out loud."

2.4

The door of the elevator slid open silently to the entrance hallway and Aegis and I exited, still discussing what I should call cape persona.

"- how about Kung Fu Cherry? You looked a bit like a Cherry what with the red glow and you do kung fu."

I groaned. "Could you please try to be serious? Please?"

If he was repentant at hall it didn't show. " Mars? You have the sign thingy on your face."

Something inside me recoiled at the suggestion, it felt almost blasphemous and my reply was sharper than I meant it to be. "NO!" I blushed at the outburst. "No... Not Mars; it doesn't feel... Right. I was thinking about Montage, or maybe Sensei or something."

He looked at me dubiously. "Not the most intimidating names are they?"

"Well neither is Aegis!" I quieted for a moment, as I was trying to come up with a name, alien thoughts intruded in my mind once again- This tyranny has gone on long enough! I am a chosen of the Maiden of Battles, and you will answer for your crimes Lawgiver! -I gasped lightly. Compared to the other times the memory was much more solid, burning through my mind with crystal clarity.

I needed to speak with someone about what was happening to me, but I was hesitant. Both because it could get me quarantined and because it felt private in some deep, fundamental, way. I refocused on reality and noticed that I had stopped. Aegis had done so as well and looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay? You just spaced out suddenly."

I waved of his concern, pushed the question of my deteriorating sanity to the back of my mind once more, and restarted our conversation with only the slightest hesitant pause. "How about Wuxia?"

He looked unconvinced, but did not push the issue as we opened the last door to the Ward quarters. "Sounds okay, let's go with that for now. If it's a problem Glenn will take care of it."

Who was Glenn? Before I could ask however, I found myself in front of Aegis' team. They were still in costume, so I recognized them from their Paranet profiles. Aegis took control again, and lightly pushed me forward and introduced me to them.

"Say hello to Wuxia everyone, she might be joining us soon. Wuxia, everyone. I think you know who they are."

To one side, Clockblocker who sat slumped in a chair playing a game on a handheld device raised his hand in greeting. "Hey, nice to see you up and about; nice to see someone who doesn't complain after almost being burned alive!" He lowered his voice to a stage-whisper "I think most people are just too prissy, they should learn to suck it up."

Whatever more he tried to say was interrupted by a light slap that launched his device into the air from Vista. He leapt after it with a shout, which left Vista facing me alone with a small grin on her face.

"Ignore the idiot; I at least am sorry we didn't arrive earlier to help you out." She reached out and shook my hand. "Nice to see another girl on the team, Shadow Stalker isn't the greatest conversationalist and the boys… well they're boys."

Taking a single step she was gone, moving instantly to another part of the room through use of her powers. Turning slightly I found that Shadow Stalker had watched me speak with Vista rather intently from a few meters away.A look in her eyes I couldn't decipher. When she saw me it disappeared, and she approached me. "Well that didn't last long did it?" her tone was wry, and very different from when I met her on patrol. "I see you got yourself a name; good for you, Wuxia."

Before I could do more than mumble a thanks she turned and left, stalking to a shadowed corner of the room. The last two boys walked together Kid Win, almost bouncing.. actually bouncing in mid-air; probably from some sort of anti-gravity device, and Gallant walking with an easy gait and a smile on his face.

Kid Win reached me first. Reaching out a hand in welcome, even as he began to tilt over in mid-air. I took it, and twisted my wrist so he realigned with the ground. "Thanks, I'm still working out the kinks in these things." he gestured to what looked like a series of rings around his legs. "Hope you join up, always fun to get new people with new ideas on the team."

A hand clad in silver gently pushed the floating Kid Win away, and Gallant stepped forward to fill his place. I shook his armored hand, slightly surprised at how warm it was, before exchanging greetings. "Hello Wuxia, hope the others didn't scare you off." We moved to a small social area, I sat in an armchair back straight and nerves tense. Taking a seat in a couch opposite me, Gallant tapped his fingers in a formless melody against his knee as he spoke.

"Relax, I know it's a bit intimidating to meet the heroes you've probably seen on T.V. or read about in real life. But don't worry, we're just as human as the next person"

Intimidated? Who, me? whatever reply I would have used was interrupted by the flying form of Kid Win colliding with my head and knocking me over.

I spent the next two hours just hanging with the wards. We talked, well mostly they talked about being a hero and I listened, and we did silly things like playing volleyball with Kid Win as the ball. It was fun, and if nothing else I would join the wards just for that. Even Shadow Stalker joined in, if a little reluctantly.

I imagined that was what having friends is like.

Unfortunately, my reception at home was less pleasant.

Dad was a conflicted mess of sadness and worry all tinted with suppressed rage. We didn't even speak that night, he sent me to my room as soon as I got home. As I went to bed I pointedly ignored the repeated heavy thumps coming from his room.

The next morning I found him sitting at the kitchen table with sunken eyes and a cup of coffee in his hands. Silently I took a seat opposite him. With one hand he pushes a small stack of papers over to me before speaking.

"I don't really know what to think and I don't know what's worse. That you ran off and did something so stupid or the fact that you apparently had it so bad that you triggered."

I tried raising my voice in protest, but the words got stuck in my throat.

"Don't say anything, the PRT man was very Descriptive on what could cause a trigger event and they made no secret of that they would be watching me to see that I wasn't the cause."

Anger rose. "they have no right-" he raised a hand to stop me.

"They have every right. The fact that things got so bad without me noticing made me sick. Then you go and get yourself in a fight with Lung? That man has a reputation down at the docks, and it isn't pretty. You managed to piss him off, I've been getting calls all day from concerned workers about how he is rampaging through the docks area."

He sighed, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"You're a smart girl Taylor, and willful. If you want to be a hero you'll probably do so with or without my permission, so I signed the papers-" He gestured to the stack in front of me while running an aggravated hand through his hair. "If you sign them you can join the Wards, and I would rather have you part of an official team with support and help if things go wrong than you going out on your own."

I jumped out of my seat and ran around the table, and engulfed him in a hug, babbling thanks and apologies. His arms came around me and I relaxed into the gesture, taking strength from his love.

The next day when I entered the protectorate headquarters I found Miss Militia waiting for me next to the lobby desk.

"You have your papers in order?"

I waved a folder containing all the papers I had read and signed last night. Miss Militia took it and it on the desk beside her. Gesturing for me to follow her, she began to move to the elevator. Well inside, she spoke. "Today will be mostly Medical testing and other such boring things; but before that, you're going to meet Glenn." The name was spoken with a definite tinge of fear mixed with respect.

Who was Glenn and why was I going to meet him? When i voiced the question all I got back was a shrug and the answer that she didn't want to ruin the surprise. As the elevator doors opened on an unfamiliar floor, thoughts on who Glenn could be flashed in my mind. Perhaps he was a Thinker that could tell me more about my power? Or maybe some sort of training android to test me against. The ideas only became more and more outlandish as we approached a simple wooden door with the name Glenn Chambers in discrete letters on the outside. When Militia gestured for me to enter, my hand was almost shaking in anticipation and fear.

Who, or what, was Glenn?

2.5

My first thought when I entered the room was that someone had slipped me drugs.

Bright colors clashed across the walls in a cacophony of conflicted impressions and in the center of the room, behind a desk piled high with papers of various sizes and shapes, stood a man.

He was short and pudgy, but that was just a footnote in the... existence that he was. Clad in a horrible combination of bright purple and screaming orange, with hair that seemed to straddle the line between hairstyle and statue. I almost felt my eyes begin to water at the sight. After he spotted me he put down the paper he had been reading and rose to meet me, one hand extended to greet me.

"Welcome to the Wards Wuxia. I am Glenn Chambers, Head of public relations for the PRT."

His hand was sweaty and soft, but I felt callouses that spoke of much effort on them as well. My answer was subdued; now that the initial rush of my power had faded, my natural shyness had returned in full force. "A pleasure to meet you."

His face twisted and a wounded look took his cheer's place. "No, No, No! You must be Bold! Confident! You are a Hero now, and you need to be a paragon. Straighten your spine and stand up straight. Show yourself to the world and shout!"

His voice rose through the tirade, and his arms gestured wildly. His face reddened from effort, and for a moment I worried that he would faint. Then he deflated, and calmed down slightly.

"Sorry about that, but it's true. You will be exposed to the world as a Hero, your every action recorded, dissected, and commented. Whether for good or ill, people will know who you are. You need to be an inspiration."

He moved back to his desk, and pulled out several pictures and small plastic replicas of several famous heroes. " We try to make heroes heroic. If you take away the costumes and powers all you have left is people fighting. My job is to make normal people into legends." He held up a picture of the triumvirate. "All three of the triumvirate are presented as more than human, almost perfect idols for the masses. This works for them but for the most part they are exceptions. Most heroes need a more down-to-earth approach, to be more approachable. So try to remember that when you are in the field or better yet, whenever you're in costume; Presentation is everything."

He put down the picture and rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Well enough about that, let's talk about you." He took a step back, and I could see in his eyes that he had just mentally stripped me. However, there was no lust or perversion in his gaze, just a steely professional glint in his eyes.

"You're tall, which is good, if a bit on the thin side. Skin seems to be okay, and no obvious scars. But the eyes… Red eyes…. Hmm, tricky.

Black is out of course; too many bad connotations, especially with those eyes. Red might work, but might be too close to blood…" I wondered if he even knew that I was in the room any more.

"White is a classic, but it's a bit boring these days. The people want something fresh!" He sighed, then spoke to me.

"Could you move through some of your fighting forms; I want some idea on how you would move in combat."

With no reason to refuse, I dropped into a basic stance and began moving through the motions of punching and kicking. I tried to show off the full range of movements and found that it was rather relaxing. As I moved I thought about the strange memories that seemed to be growing stronger, I had noticed a rather clear correlation between me "discovering" new magical martial arts and the memories, but I was reluctant to simply accept it as a benign thing.

The thought of losing myself scared me, and if there was anyone that could help, the protectorate probably knew them. With that in mind I made my decision, I would try getting some alone time with Miss Militia as soon as possible to speak to her about this.

My train of thought was interrupted by Glenn's voice. "You can stop now. I have what I need."

I stopped. Glenn was no longer standing, having retaken his seat and was sketching furiously on a block of paper. Without looking up he dismisses me.

"Well that's all for today; I will probably have the first trial costume done in a few days, so you can look forward to that! If I need your help or any more information, I will probably just send someone to get you. Now go, I require peace to make miracles!"

Compared to the eccentric head of the PR department, the medical staff was downright drab. It was pretty standard tests; blood, sight, hearing, etc. The only high point, if you could call it that, was the MRI scan that they did. For some reason they redid it, twice, and seemed very interested in the results.

When I asked about it however, they just brushed it off as nothing important. Yea right. Unfortunately in their eyes I was underage and therefore "didn't need to know".

After that however, came the more Esoteric tests. The ones developed to classify a capes power. Some of them were simple, they measured how much force I could exert and how much pressure was needed to bruise me. Others were downright strange; like giving me samples of hundreds of different materials and asking me if I reacted to any of them.

Then came the more personalized test. There was no sparring, instead I was led onto a platform surrounded by cameras and told to show them what I could do. I began to demonstrate the martial arts that I knew, beginning with the more comfortable "Crane Style" and moving on into the new-found katas where light obscured me or I burst into smoky flame. All the while the red aura around me grew stronger the more I pulled on the power inside me.

The clinical nature of the test did help me to isolate the cause of both the glow and the mark; When I used the power from within myself, no matter to what extent, there was nothing. Well, nothing except the effects I used it to produce. But when I began to draw on the pool of power that was outside me? Then the mark immediately appeared, and the red aura began gaining in strength.

I also found that I could enhance my normal actions with it, burning it almost like fuel to do things I don't think I could have done otherwise. I balanced on one hand effortlessly, I could suppress my pain response and make myself harder to hurt, and I could learn small facts about people simply by watching them interact.

After it all was done, I was forced to wait for a few hours before they could present me with my rating according to their system. I Idly wondered why they made such a big deal out of the whole affair while I waited, but found that i was surprisingly eager myself to learn what they thought of my powers. A man who i recognized as having been with me through the entire process from a small stain on his doctor's coat told me the result.

Brute 2/ Thinker 3/ Trump 3

2.6

My hunt for Miss Militia ended when I found her downstairs in the reinforced basement training hall where we had sparred yesterday. She was training, whittling away at the central block of concrete with countless bullets spraying from a multitude of weapons. Her transforming weapon switched between forms so fast it looked more like a blurry cloud in her hands than a solid thing. The only clue I could use to figure out what weapon she was using at any moment was how she was standing; larger weapons required a wider stance, while smaller ones allowed her to move more. The sheer amount of firepower had slowly been drilling its way through the block, and I silently thanked her for not going all out when we sparred; there wouldn't have been much left of me if she had.

I entered the room quietly, careful not to disturb her practice, taking a seat on the floor, and begun meditating to pass the time. It surprised me how relaxing it was, and the time until I heard the constant gunfire stop had not bored me at all. In fact, I even felt refreshed. As soon as the noise faded away, I opened my eyes to see that Miss Militia had noticed my presences. When she saw that i was awake, she spoke.

"Wuxia, right? I like the name, it fits you."

I blushed slightly. "Thank you. I wanted to talk to you-" I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. I coughed and mentally slapped myself. Come on, I could do this. I tried again.

"I wanted to talk to you about some strange memories I've been having since I triggered."

Her eyes sharpened, and she leaned forward. "Strange how?"

"They are not mine. Sometimes, it's like someone else takes over; but its strange, because afterwards I can still remember it feeling like it was me. It even happens when I dream; I remember these impossible things, and I'm scared that I'm losing my mind or, even worse, someone is messing with it..."

I felt tears gather in the corners of my eyes. Swallowing the helpless feeling, I continued. "Even my martial arts seem to come from them, every time they take over my I remember... Learn... new things."

Her face, which had fallen slightly when I began, shifted into a concerned expression as I explained. Her exposed brow furrowed. "That... That's very strange. I haven't heard of any cape that can do anything like that."

I forced myself to say the next words. "What about Simurgh?"

"No, at least I hope not, if she could do something this extensive without being active then we would already have lost. No this is probably something else, something new." She paused for a moment.

"Is there any specific trigger? Anything that would allow you to try inducing an episode?"

"Why would I want to do that? I want it to stop!" What kind of idea was that?

She sighed. "You need to understand the problem before you can even try effecting it. Now from what you said, these flashbacks seems to be tied to your power in some way. If that is so, then it would be a good idea to figure out what it is before you really need it and don't have access. Right?"

I was still put off at the idea of purposely trying to call on the memories, but what Miss Militia said was logical. It had already proven its worth against Lung, and if I faced someone that powerful again it might be the only thing capable of keeping me alive. With that in mind, I decided to agree to her idea.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot. How do I do this?"

She laughed lightly. "I don't know. Like I said, this is new to me. But I do have an idea, assuming you don't know exactly what triggers it-"

"I don't."

"Then try this: Get comfortable, and focus your thoughts on your memories then do that thing where you start glowing. If nothing else it will be relaxing." I must have still looked unsure, because she reached out and lay a comforting hand on my arm. "Don't worry, I'll stay here and keep you company."

Bolstered by her words, I settled back into my meditative position. As I began channeling both my inner and outer power reserves, I felt my stomach doing flip flops. I didn't know if I really wanted this to work. I don't want to become someone else.

Time passed slowly as I sat there. Or at least I thought it did. With nothing except my heartbeat and steady lowering amount of power I had left to measure time with, I had lost track of it. With nothing else to do and trying to ignore what I was actually attempting, I focused on the power deep inside me.

It was like sinking slowly into an ocean with every breath.

in

The silence was comforting now, a blanket around me.

out

Fear bleed out of me, leaving only a serene calm that I think I could easily grow to love.

in

The world seemed so far away, a glimmer in the distance, but nothing more.

out

I usually spent the few hours before battle in meditation if I could. It helped me collect myself for whatever was to come. Every battle I had seen was a reminder of the mortality of all things. I had seen the creators of a world die, I had seen gods slain like insects, I had seen the greatest kings and queens creation had ever seen slaughtered.

I knew mortality, and I knew I would one day welcome death. But until then I would fight, and even as the world broke around me, I clung to that conviction. For a thousand battles I had survived and prospered, even as my enemies did not. Today would be no different.

The gates of Yu-Shan are my charge, and they will not fall.

I opened my eyes.

2.7

As soon as I opened my eyes I froze. I was no longer in the command pavilion, instead I was in a large grey room that I had never seen before. My mind raced; as it took in everything it could about my surroundings, I was already planning a dozen different paths to escape if needed. When I was satisfied that my preliminary scan was complete enough to be of use I focused on the woman clad in dark green facing me, hand resting on what looked like some sort of firewand. I relaxed; if she was the reason I was here then I needed to be careful, I was not one you easily could surprise. I kept my voice level, but with just a hint of command to remind her just who she was dealing with.

"Who are you, and why have you taken me from Yu-Shan?"

As her face filled with confusion, I sighed then repeated the request for information in every language I knew. Her confused expression only grew deeper as i spoke, and I n
Began to grow interested. I knew almost every language spoken in Creation, the fact that she didn't understand any of them was a curiosity."

Well the communications problem at least was easily solved. I pulled on my Essence, noting as I did that the pool seemed much smaller than I was used to. Forming it according to my will, I ensnared the female and myself in it's bindings even as I felt my caste mark appear and my anima flare.

Through the tenuous bond I poured my understanding of low realm into her mind. I ignored her gasp of surprise at the sudden knowledge, and instead pulled myself to my feet.

"Now that we can understand each other, I want to know how I have come to be here. Your lack of understanding of even the most basic of tongues seems to preclude you from being the cause of my relocation, but you should at least have seen how I entered the room."

She looked at me in surprise, but rallied with admirable swiftness.

" Did you just insult me? I'll have you know that I speak several languages, it is just that those you were speaking were not like anything that I have heard of before." She shook her head. "Anyway, that's not important right now. What do you mean entered this room? You just... Possessed Wuxia!"

I blinked for a second. Then turned my senses inward. I has noted that my body was different and had attributed it to a resplendent destiny, but on closer inspection that idea fell apart. The largest sign that something was amiss and that the woman I was speaking to might be correct was my essence. Or rather the lack of it. The vast store of power I had amassed over the millennium was gone. In its stead was the much smaller, if still respectable, power of a newly exalted Sidereal.

I laughed then. A bitter laugh filled with the regrets of a lifetime. I had failed; Yu-Shan had fallen, and with it Creation. It was ironic that the weapons that freed Creation would be both what destroyed it and survived its absence. I was not even me; my soul had been gone for a long time, "I" was nothing more than residual memories bound to a shard of power.

But now my new self needed me, without the support of the celestial bureau the new side-Taylor-real must be confused. I don't know how much she would remember of my thoughts, so I would have to make do with the third party I had available. She needed information, for a celestial exalt with no knowledge of what they could do was a danger to both themselves and the world. I was limited in what I was willing to share with this woman, but with some careful thought and well chosen words, I would be able to at least convey the basics without revealing too much to an unknown.

Moving slowly not to provoke her I rose, then bowed in greeting. "My name is The Crimson Watcher of Jade. But I prefer to be known as Hong, and I am the memories of the last person who used the powers young "Wuxia" now own."

Ignoring her silence, I continued. "I am... was, one of the chosen of Battles, a normal human gifted with the spiritual super-weapon that is an exaltation. The place I come from is no more and I do not know how I came to be here, but there are some things you must know. Things you must tell "Wuxia"."

Her answer was blunt and filled with conviction. " I don't know if i believe you, but I will at least give you a chance to explain. If what you say is true and it will help Wuxia, then I will relay you message."

I nodded, that would have to do. " well then, I don't know how much time I have left, so lets get started.

At the core of everything, is essence-"

I came back to reality from a pounding pain that seemed to fill my entire head. Slowly sitting up on the soft bed, I groaned pinched the bridge of my nose in a fruitless attempt to relive the headache.

Had I been drinking last night or something?

Then the memories poured in. Of waking up, of a conversation with Miss Militia that stretched deep into the night, and of taking up her offer to sleep in her bed instead of going home so late at night alone. It surprised me that the memories felt so much like my own. Looking back at yesterday now, There was no sense that I hadn't been in control the whole time. Wait. Where was I exactly?

I scrambled out of the bed, Miss militia's bed, noting with some relief that I was still wearing the smoky clothes from my battle with Lung. Bringing up an arm to my nose, I recoiled at the stench. Both it and me needed a vigorous wash.

Putting it that aside for now, I left the small almost cupboard like bedroom into the main area of what I assumed to be Miss Militias quarters in the PRT headquarters. There I found the room's owner sitting at a table with a laptop in front of her. Taking a seat opposite her, I tried to apologize.

"Sorry for taking your bed"

Her reply was kind, If slightly distracted by the computer. "I don't sleep."

She looked up at me, eyes focused. "How much do you remember from last night?"

"All of it. Now it doesn't even feel like there was any other person in control."

Miss Militia sighed and dragged one hand through her hair. "It's a hell of a situation. If what he said is true… Well then you are technically not even a parahuman. Your something completely different."

Popping open the disc drive on her laptop, she pulled out a DVD. "This is the only copy of last nights surveillance tapes, I deleted the rest. "What should I do with it?"

She was asking me? I felt compelled to ask: "Why are you doing this for me? This could get you into a lot of trouble!"

She looked at me, eyes heavy with some emotion I couldn't identify. "I remember everything from since I triggered. Every moment of my life since then is stored in my mind perfectly."

Uncertainty crossed her face for a moment before it was replaced with resolve. "I even remember how I got my powers. A vast creature, stretching into infinity and shedding shards of itself even as it died. One of those shards is attached to me, and I believe that every parahuman has one as well. Then I remember forgetting.

I have never told anyone this. It sounds crazy, and is something I can never prove, but I know what it's like living with the knowledge that a part of you is in turn a part of something much greater. Your life has and will change because of this. The least I can do is give you the choice if you want to spread this information to others."

I could feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes; this was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for me. I would replace her trust in me, I promised myself that.

"Can you please keep the disc for now? Don't turn it in but keep it, it might become useful someday."

She nodded. "I can do that. Now you should get going, I called you father yesterday but he is probably anxious for your return."

I rushed around the table and hugged her in thanks. Then almost ran out the room, face burning red, almost missing her bemused expression.

I think this Hero thing might work out.

2.8

A few days after my conversation with Miss Militia, I came into the Ward's quarters to find a small stack of boxes with Wuxia's name on them. I suppressed the natural urge to open them and instead walked around the pile for a clue to who sent them. Tucked neatly between two of the boxes, I found a letter. Or rather, the shockingly pink paper forced itself to be found. Even before I opened it, I could guess who it was from.

Like I thought it was a letter from Glenn, who in it explained that the boxes contained my new costume and several spares. It also went on to mention that he had included a mask that he recommended I wear instead of the scarf that was now serving to obscure my identity. Now knowing who had sent them I tore into the packages, only faintly noting the swishing sound of the doors opening behind me.

My first impression was of cloth; for a moment I thought he had sent me a bedsheet. Then I carefully lay it on the ground and began assembling the outfit for inspection. It was primarily white, with crimson trimmings and patterns woven throughout the garment. It had two main pieces, a top and bottom, both almost billowing with extraneous cloth. It was obviously inspired by Asian martial arts movies, large sleeves and impracticable designs.

I sighed. This would be almost useless in a real fight. The mask on the other hand was more to my liking. It was made up of two parts, to be worn together, but both also functional on its own; the first was a simple half-mask of white cloth, embellished by twin marks of mars on either side. The second was a stylized face in some white plastic, like a classical Greek statue I could wear, It was decorated by a pattern of intertwining red lines; I immediately recognized them from the aura I manifested when I used my power. Looking over what I had gotten, I decided that while the mask passed muster, the clothes needed to be improved.

Before I could pick it up and return it to Glenn as a lost cause, Clockblocker scared me by speaking up from behind.

"Try it on. It might look worthless, but Glenn knows what he's doing. Even worse, if you return it without at least trying it on, I think he might cry."

The worst part is that he was right; I could easily imagine the eccentric fashion designer bursting into tears if I dismissed his work out of hand. Shuddering at the thought, I gathered up the two pieces of clothing and moved into the bathroom for privacy to change.

As soon as I began pulling on the garments I noticed three things that immediately began to make me regret doubting Glenn's expertise:

Hidden from my visual inspection I found that the outfit actually had separate components. Obscured by the flowing fabric, I discovered that both the top and the pants had a skin tight "core" with small overlapping flexible plates of armor that protected my vitals and extremities.

Also the large sections of cloth that could potentially hinder my movements were detachable, cunningly sewn and crafted to be easy to both pull off and reattach. I tried it several times and found that in less than five seconds I could completely discard all the unnecessary sections leaving me with only the armored core of the costume.

Lastly there were a huge amount of pockets for storage all through the costume, allowing me to store any number of different handy items if I needed it.

I felt my ears burn in embarrassment at my earlier dismissal; this costume would work out just fine. Pulling on the Half-mask I gathered my old clothes in my hands and stepped back out into the main area where Clockblocker was standing with a cocky tilt in his stance.

"Well? How is it?" I could hear the amusement in his voice. I could feel my face flushing again.

"It's fine! You were right, It's a very good costume."

He laughed, then held out a hand. Somewhat baffled, I took it. He shook it enthusiastically, speaking with a light tone.

"Well then, now that you have a proper costume and everything; let me be the first to properly welcome you to the Wards!"

I felt the mask crinkle as I smiled, I finally felt like a hero. At the thought, I could feel myself be revitalized, energy filling my limbs and pools. I laughed, my life had never been better.

It took two weeks for something other than normal patrols to happen after I got my costume. For two weeks, almost every night, I joined one or two of the Wards in their Patrols. It was an interesting experience, each of them had completely different styles and habits. From Shadow Stalker's rooftop hopping hunter's patrols to Gallant's walking among the civilians and speaking with them about everyday life. While I did find it illuminating, when the alarm for a general summons came I was almost happy. Something that surprised me, I was usually one to seek conflict.

Unlike me, the Wards seemed less interested in the alarm and more afraid. Wondering why, I asked. Aegis was the one who answered.

"General Alarms like this usually only happen when something REALLY bad is going down. Stuff like Slaughterhouse 9 or an Endbringer attack."

Shit. I felt my happiness at the thought of action plummet. A few minutes later we found ourselves crammed into a briefing room with what seemed to be the entire base. Armsmaster took to the podium, and the entire room fell silent.

"For those of you wondering this is not and Endbringer attack-" Everyone sighed with relief. "-but this could easily be just as dangerous. We just got word that the Empire eighty-eight and the ABB are fighting it out in the docks. Normally we wouldn't call in everyone for this but we also got confirmation on that Lung is active and fighting Kaiser, and from what our satellites could pick up it looks like he has been preparing. Thermal bloom and visuals seem to indicate that he is nearing the level that he fought against Leviathan with. We have already called in the Triumvirate, but until they arrive we need to keep the citizen safe and contain the damage as best we can.

We will be going in with a modified Behemoth plan, PRT will stay on the outskirts controlling the populace and subduing any stragglers. The Wards will be inside this cordon and try capturing or neutralizing as many gang members as you can with a focus on parahumans. Miss Militia and I will be joining the fight and attempting to move it towards the bay and away from the city.

We don't have much time, so we are going now. Just remember the plan and don't do anything stupid. The Triumvirate will probably get here within the hour and I don't want to report any casualties.

Dismissed."

By the time he was finished I was almost hyperventilating with fear, only Gallants steady grip on my shoulder keeping me upright. My first real debut as an official hero and I had to face an all out gang war with Parahumans. In response to my panic, I could feel alien thoughts- Hong -brushing against my conscious mind. It was surprisingly calming. I felt my breathing steady, and clenched my hand.

I had fought Lung on my own, I had won over two of the Empires Parahumans, And I would not let fear get the better of me. Tonight I would show the world that I was worth being called a Hero.

2.9

As we approached the docks area, the temperature rose. The cool January air heating up from Lung's ability. We moved in a group, the wards moving through the city quickly by using the rooftops to avoid the panicking mass of people below. I almost stumbled when I saw the docks.

A dull crimson glow illuminated the entire seaside area, originating from a single point near the shore. Burning buildings dotted the landscape, and it looked more like a depiction of hell than Brockton Bay. Behind me I heard the low exclamations of shock from the Wards.

"What the hell is Lung thinking?" Gallant asked "Even if he escapes now there will probably be a Kill order waiting the next time he surfaces."

Aegis voice was controlled, any doubts hidden. "That doesn't matter right now. We need to focus on our jobs."

The group fell silent as we continued our movements deeper into the docks. As we did I felt sweat begin to roll down my body, I estimated that it must be more than twenty degrees hotter here compared to the rest of the city. After a few minutes, Aegis signaled for us to stop with a raised hand.

"All right, to cover more ground we are going to split up. Shadow Stalker and Wuxia, you do a sweep to the right. Take out any fighting gang members and but don't call for pickup unless they are Parahuman, we don't have enough resources to take in everyone.

Gallant, you and Clockblocker will do the same to the right, while Vista, Kid Win, and I will take the center. Keep watch for Lung and retreat and call it in if you notice him approaching. DO NOT even think about engaging him, he will probably kill you without a second thought. Everyone understand?

I hesitated for a moment before raising a questioning hand. " What about civilians?"

"Keep them as safe as possible, but focus on stopping the fighting. We can't do much about the fires right now either but if you can, try rescuing anyone trapped."

He swept his gaze over the group. "Alright, let's go."

Shadow Stalker and I moved together, we leap from rooftop to rooftop our movements describing a great arc towards the shoreline. We scanned the roads and alleys as we passer, but there was little requiring our interference. Most of the fighting had already died down, with only small groups of stragglers that we picked off with ease left. Instead of easing my fears it ratcheted it up higher, where were all the parahumans? I hadn't seen any signs of their presence.

Ten minutes later my question was answered by a house collapsing from a series of explosions.

We glanced at each other in silent agreement before angling towards the dust choked area. When we arrived the obscuring dust had mostly settled but I could see my costume rapidly begin to shift from white to a smudgy grey. I resisted the urge to sigh.

The source of the collapse became readily apparent when a series of explosions blew away the remaining obstruction. A mutated metal beast of screaming and whirling blades that only vaguely resembled a wolf, Hookwolf, was hunched facing a black clad man with a demonic mask, Oni Lee. Hookwolf had taken a beating, with large chunks of his metal shell cracked or missing entirely. But even as I watched the damage ground shut as new metal growths sealed any imperfections. Without warning Oni lee burst into ash and appeared behind the Murderous metal beast. In seconds half-a-dozen masked clones stood around the iron canineform and it only had time to desperately throw itself through one of the before the until now hidden grenade they held in their hands exploded, I guessed that was the reason for the collapse.

I stood frozen for a second; who should we help? Should we help?

Then Shadow Stalker pulled me down into a crouch. As another series of explosions rippled through the night air, she began preparing her crossbows. While I couldn't see her face I imagined it was tight with concentration.

"Do you know how to use a crossbow?"

For a second I boggled, who the hell knew how to use a crossbow these days? Then I shook my head. "No, I've had no reason to learn."

"Damn." she thrust one into my hands, already loaded with a dart. "better learn quickly then. We are going to try sniping both from here, and I need all my concentration to hit that slippery bastard Oni Lee. You get Hookwolf."

"I have no idea how to use this beyond point and shoot!" I protested.

"Well that is the gist of it." Her reply was sarcastic. "I don't expect you to hit, but it will at least distract Hooky down there and give us time to move. But in the one-in-a-million chance you actually hit, that dart is heavily laced with sedatives and should take him out even if you just manage to scratch him through that armor of his."

Fuck, this was probably going to end in tears. probably mine.

The crossbow felt surprisingly natural in my hands and as we stealthily moved to the edge of the roof I, for the first time, began pulling on Hong's memories to aid me. I shifted my grip slightly, settling the weapon against my chest securely.

We were silent as we took up our positions, slowly lining up our shots with the wildly moving targets below. I ignored the explosions, the screeching sound of metal tearing through concrete, and Shadow Stalker flickering into shadows. There was nothing except me and my chosen target. My breath hitched.

"Now"

As I exhaled, power flared deep inside me and I pulled the trigger. With a near silent twang the bolt leaps from the crossbow and into the air. In the split second before it landed I knew it would miss; yet I also knew that it would hit.

Just as the bolt was about to pass over the metal wolfman, it swerved in mid-air, turning at a right angle and embedding itself deep in the whirling metal. Hookwolf's angered scream seemed much too human for his monstrous form. I ducked to hide from the enraged Neo-Nazi, only keeping the top of my head over the edge to keep an I on things. I caught sight of Oni Lee just in time to see him impaled with Shadow Stalker's bolt, only for him to burst into a cloud of ash. I rolled to my feet, only catching a glimpse of a grinding masked face before the grenade in the clone's hand went off.

Time slowed to a crawl. I was going to die now. An explosion this close would rip me apart and Shadow Stalker didn't have time to make me intangible as well, if she even could. Then instinct took hold, power surging as my arms moved in a perfect sweeping block. Impossibly they CAUGHT the explosion and deflected it into the roof beside me, leaving me completely unharmed and unsullied from the blast.

The battle froze, as everyone tried to comprehend what had just happened. Unfortunately for us, Oni Lee was the first to regain his composure. In short succession, three clones surrounded me, each holding a knife and attacking without delay. I swayed like a reed, catching and redirecting their attacks into each other.

The first clone died with one of his brothers knives in his throat, the next one was incapacitated by a rib breaking elbow before exploding into ash. The last simply ran out of time and burst into another cloud of obscuring carbon ash.

When I could see again, Oni Lee was gone.

Beside me Shadow Stalker began swearing up a storm at the retreat, having been distracted the same way I had to allow him time to escape.

"Why did he run?" I voiced the question aloud.

"Because you blocked that explosion. You don't fight a parahuman without knowing at least the basics of what they can do, that's common sense, and blocking an Explosion like you did? Well that kinda shit usually means the cape in question can do some seriously strange powers.

How the hell you do that anyways?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea, I think my martial arts might be conceptual on some level."

"Fucking Trumps." It was quiet, but I could hear her whisper clearly. " Is it just me or is getting really hot here?"

Before I could reply, the building next to us exploded.

A mass of molten metal several meters in Diameter flew through the air impacting and stopping in the building across the road. Through the newly demolished building stepped a monster.

There was almost nothing human left about Lung; weirdly jointed legs connected to a bulk torso with a Long and serpentine neck. His face jutted forward and slitted eyes were set above a mouth that had too many teeth. Bulky arms with wicked claws and gleaming metallic scales were complemented by four enormous bat-like wings that stretched from his back, beating gently in the sweltering air.

Heat poured from his massive form in waves, each like stepping into a desert. Small flames flickered above each shoulder, Tiny pinpricks that shone so bright that I could feel my eyes begin to water just from a glance. To finish it all of above him a veritable sea of crimson fire floated, dyeing the world red.

… I had fought this thing?

The Molten sphere of metal burst, an enormous mass of spears and swords of metal pushing it apart from inside. Kaiser stepped out, Armor pristine and head held high. The illusion was broken by the fact that he was almost dragging one leg behind him and seemed to be moving with deliberate care as not to jostle to much. I guessed that he was probably badly burned under all that armor.

The Roar of a motorcycle and a burst of gunfire stitching across Lung's armored form announced the arrival of Miss Militia and Armsmaster. Behind them I could see the rest of the Protectorate from Brockton Bay; Velocity, Dauntless, Triumph, Assault, and Battery. For a second I relaxed, they should be able to stop him. Or at the very least keep him occupied.

Lung ignored them, focusing on Kaiser instead. He launched himself forward at breakneck speeds, cracking the concrete with every step, fire swirling around him. Walls of blades, burst from scattered debris to hinder him but they became slag before they could even touch him. It was almost sad, Kaiser could do nothing but retreat and continually throw metal obstructions and attacks that melted before they could come close. At the same time, that molten metal stopped most of the protectorate from closing in and instead forced them to support him from afar, to little effect.

Then the wind changed, a slight breeze cooled me from behind. Lung froze; his neck twisted like a snake and he turned it towards me.

No No NO!

His roar shook the earth, and in an instant the battle changed. the two white sparks at his shoulder erupted into bright beams of what I assumed to be compressed fire. One cut through several iron walls and Kaisers armor in an instant, vaporizing an arm and a leg before cutting off. The other strafed the Protectorate heroes, I saw Triumph and Velocity go down before the beam was blocked by Dauntless.

Then I was too busy to think. The sea of fire descended, covering the battlefield but a touch and twist of my power rendered it harmless to me. A blow that would rip me in half was deflected with another burst of power, and I sensed, rather than felt, the mark on my forehead burst into life.

I shifted slightly to allow Armsmaster's Halberd room to strike, and circled the draconian man to allow the other protectorate forces access. A tail I had missed whipped around, catching the pole-arm and ripping it from Armsmaster's hands. The bulky form of Lung was slowly forced back, constantly forced to defend. Then he exploded, A wave of fire and concussive force throwing the heroes off him and into the air.

Turning his attentions back to me, we fell into an almost rhythmic pattern of him attacking and me defending. It was strange, while his blows were more powerful and his fire control better I did not feel as pressured as I had been the last time we fought.

"Get back!" The voice of Miss Milita was clear over the roar of fire and din of battle.

Throwing myself backwards I was surprised to find that I flew through the air effortlessly, gently gliding backwards as if I was hanging on wires. An explosion ripped through the air, and I could see Miss Militia with a RPG launcher on her shoulder out of the corner of my eye. As soon as I moved my hands from their outstretched position I immediately fell to the ground, Tumbling to break my fall.

As soon as I was back on my feet, Lung was on me again, seemingly unharmed from the attack. Any help I might have gotten was stopped by him melting small puddles in the road and dipping his tail in the molten material, using the molten material as projectiles to keep them at bay.

I fought a desperate battle to keep myself alive and in one piece, pulling on more memories and on more power. The red Aura around swirled with Strange patterns and texts, and surprisingly brought me some relief from the pain of blocking the attacks of someone so much larger than me. The Other heroes involved tried their best to aid me, but Lung kept them at bay while he focused on me.

Then the sky fell.

Or rather, countless blazing azure beams of light descended on Lung, Blasting him away from me and out into the bay. Legend descended from above, and without pausing accelerated after the tumbling form of Lung. Behind him Alexandria and Eidolon came as well, moving in formation towards their target. Armsmaster and the active Protectorate members soon followed, only Miss Militia staying behind to speak to me for a moment.

"Are you alright?"

As the adrenaline of battle began to fade I felt bruised and battered all over. Tomorrow I would probably look more like a patchwork quilt of colors than human. But I was a Hero and Miss Militia was needed elsewhere. Gathering my remaining strength, I raised one hand in salute and waved her off.

"Go! I'll be fine. Give me a moment to catch my breath and I'll be back on top."

She looked at me dubiously, but the sound of distant roars and explosions seemed to convince her.

"Get back to the PRT headquarters and stay there. Lung seemed to be targeting you and you are exhausted, no need to tempt fate."

Something inside me laughed at that.

"Yes, Will do."

As soon as she was out of sight, I felt the last strength I had leave my limbs. I collapsed to the ground, limbs limp and shaking from exhaustion.

As I lay on the ground exhausted, I saw the silent appearance of a man. He emerged from the air itself with no warning rippling into existence like he had just stepped out from behind an invisible curtain; he looked like he had been skinned, grey muscles exposed and shifting with every movement. The last thing I saw before the uncomfortably familiar darkness of unconsciousness claimed me was was the flames around me reflected in the unknown man's crimson visor.

End Identity

Interlude: Lung

Lung began to suspect something was wrong when during his explanation of the plan to attack the Protectorate headquarters to rescue Sensei. One of the mid level bosses voiced a question that surprised him.

"Why do we have to do something this big and crazy for someone we don't even know?"

With a growl Lung walked over to the now cowering underling and grabbed his arm. A sickening crack sounded through the room as the limb snapped under his grip. Small slitted eyes glared out of Lung's metal mask daring anyone else to question him and his voice had turned gravelly.

"I may only have met her for a short time but she helped me escape from the Protectorate, nowwe will rescue her in return. "

The rest of the gang leaders present exchanged glances but remained silent as he continued.

Afterwards, he was approached by Oni Lee. His masked underling was silent as they walked over and took a seat in a corner for privacy. For a short while both were silent as the they studied each other before Oni Lee spoke in a raspy voice.

"Tell me more about this... woman."

"You as well? Sensei helped me escape and sparred with me. She's taught me so much, I owe her."

The masked lieutenant tilted his head slightly. "You already said that. What is she like? What have you done together other than that one time?

Lung thought back, but the memories seemed sluggish and flat. "She helped me escape from..."
Lung shook his head, this wasn't right. Anger rising, he rose and walked past the silent Oni Lee. "Take control until I get back.I need to figure this out."

"As you will."

When Lung returned a few days later, Oni Lee was there to meet him. Armored scale covered his body and slitted eyes peered out from a slightly distorted face. Eyes burned with hatred and flickering flames danced across his body. His voice was deep s he spoke to his second in command.

"Gather the men. We crush The Empire first and then go after the Protectorate."

They will call in the Triumvirate if we do this, you know that." The demon-masked man cautioned.

Lung's face split in a vicious grin that was too wide and contained too many teeth to be completely human."Let them come. The more they fight the stronger I will be."

"What about your "sensei"?" The temperature in the room spiked, and easily flammable objects burst into flame.

"We burn her to ASH!"

"Kaiser! Come out and play before I break all your little toys!" the words were punctuated with a jet of flames that ignited the warehouse Lung was standing in front of. Ignoring the screams and shouts for help coming from inside, he cocked his head and listened. Enhanced senses easily picking up the scent and breaths of a small group of people watching from a rooftop nearby.

Just as he was about to launch an attack against them, a new presence dropped in among them and they began to move towards Lung and the assembled members of the ABB. As the crowned figure of Kaiser came into view Lung's face split apart into an inhuman grin as a muzzle and wings pushed themselves out of his scaly flesh.

Behind Kaiser came what looked to be most of the Empires parahumans. They spread into a thin line facing the solid mass of the ABB. Kaisers voice rang out, Cruel and condescending.

"I always knew you were a beast Lung, but have you gone insane as well? These attacks mean war!"

Lung's neck stretched further than any mans as he threw it back and laughed, a grating inhuman noise. His eyes focused on Kaiser and growled, his distorted voice impossible to understand.

A longsword emerged from Kaisers hand, and a gesture with one hand prepared the Empire's parahumans to attack.

"You cannot even speak anymore. It seems that I will have to put you down like the mad dog you are."

Lungs reply came in the form of a roar that shook the windows of the surrounding buildings. With the flick of a newly grown tail, he launched himself at the self-styled king. In the moments before impact, his two bodyguards Fenja and Menja collapsed from knives entering their backs courtesy of twin clones of Oni Lee.

A metal wall intercepted the draconian bulk, but that soon melted like hot wax and faltered. The night lit up as flames began to pour from Lung's form. Beating his four wings, he lowered his head and charged the metal constructs blocking his way to Kaiser. A blasts of fire softened them enough so his bulk could smash through, an unstoppable force.

Kaiser seemed unconcerned, small gestures directed a dozen spears the size of a mans arm to spring from the remains in an attempt to impale Lung. They broke on his armored hide, shattering and melting from the heat and tough scales. Just as He got within striking range, Kaiser's armor exploded outward into a jagged-edged uneven sphere of interlocking spears and swords. A blast of fire melted the outer layers, but Kaiser was untouched deeper inside.

This would take some time, but until the Protectorate arrived, Kaiser would do as a warmup.