IHaveHidden
patreon
Mine 35 (I'm perfectly sane okay!)
🕑 Added 2025-01-02 09:29:58 +0000 UTCHook, line, and sinker. Cole watched as the duo in front of him shifted their body language. The level of importance he assigned himself was more than clear to the two heroes in front of him. That fact was something he expected and planned for.
Armsmaster's body language was still stiff and almost mechanical, but that was mostly from his suit compensating for his posture. The way his body shifted slightly from hostile to calm told him all he needed to know.
Miss Militia, on the other hand, was not as blatant in her shift. From the very start of this meeting, she had a soft spot for him, which was odd. She had this care in her stance that was clear even before he started rattling off his story, and it became more prevalent as the naive boy act was bought. Still, even if she had a soft spot for him at the start of all of this when he told them he was a healer, she still showcased shock.
"Do you mind going through power testing today?" Miss Militia asked in a soft tone after she had shared a look with her colleague. He did not expect them to test him so soon, but maybe figuring out what he could do was essential to what they were going to offer him.
Still, while the testing was not anything he was against on principle, he put up a face of hesitation. Coupled with the nervous body language coming off of him and the Energy in the room, it drew attention. He looked back at Miss Militia and bit his lip slightly before they could ask him what was wrong.
"Is it going to take a long time?" He asked with that nervous Energy being put to a ten. Seeing that from him, Miss Militia softened again, but Armsmaster coughed, drawing her attention away from Cole.
Cole felt his insides twitch at that. If he could have gotten away with it, he would have clicked his tongue at Armaster, getting Miss Militia to calm down. Manipulating the soft-hearted is so much easier, but Armsmaster had issues of his own.
Since the guy could not read the room on his own, he relied entirely on his tech to pull him through. Meaning he would follow along blindly to data that can be manipulated. Dealing with someone who relied on their intuition would be far more difficult, but the PRT did not really have that. At least not here
"We understand that your father would be worried about you not being home. We can have someone contact him on your behalf to make sure he does not worry, but Power Testing is crucial." Armsmaster spoke out stiffly, but he got his point across.
Miss Militia nodded along, clearly a little off as she was being dragged into his rhythm earlier. He looked away from the two of them and stared at the table while biting his lip again. Again, the hesitation was clear on Cole's face, but he was waiting for the silent Energy to build in the room before he could respond.
Armsmaster went to say something else, but in the reverse scenario, Miss Militia reached over and held his forearm to stop him. Clearly, she had a better handle on social situations as she read the awkward energy building from Cole. Armsmaster could read it as well due to his tools, but he simply did not care.
Both of them were operating off of a false assumption, but that was the picture he was selling them.
"It's not my father that I am worried about… It's Tammi." He spoke out with an awkward look on his face. Letting that statement linger in the air as the two capes looked at each other for a solution before he continued. "After that, Cape broke her out. She has been pretty clingy, and I worry about her. She is not in the best state, and she got powers from this whole mess as well." Cole explained that the nervous boy worried about the girl he loved.
Again, that statement seemed to set off another bomb for the duo as they stiffened from the information being thrown at them.
"Are you saying Tammi Herren Triggered as well?" Armsmaster spoke out dully as if not quite sure how to handle this. Cole just nodded sullenly as if regretful that something like that had come to pass. That feeling was not that difficult to pull off as he really did feel awful about her Trigger event.
"She was not handling the prison sentence well. Everyone turned their backs on her in an instant, and the only person still there for her was falling apart." Cole spoke out bitterly, and Miss Militia once again softened her stance. Armsmaster, on the other hand, had a contemplative look on his face.
"If that is true, then we should bring Tammi here as well, Cole," Armsmaster spoke out stiffly, and Cole suddenly jumped up nervously.
"You are not going to take her back, right? She did nothing wrong; it was her uncle who was breaking into the place. She was just waiting for that asshole! Please, I can't see her like that again!" Cole shouted out with manic Energy as his feelings spilled out of him.
This was an act as well, but it was based on reality. He was not really that nervous about the situation, but the thought still disturbed him to his core.
Memories of her bruised face and the feeling of utter helplessness as he watched it over and over again. He did not want to even entertain the notion of her going back.
He may not be like other Cape in most aspects, but he did Trigger. He was pushed to the brink, and those feelings still lingered in his chest despite his positive outlook for the future.
"No, we are not going to take her back to prison, Cole." Miss Militia coaxed softly, stepping in. Armsmaster took a step back from the sudden energy. Miss Militia glared at the guy as they both knew what his Trigger event was, but he walked straight into it without a second thought.
This is not exactly welcoming behavior with even experienced Capes, let alone a teenager who triggered less than a week ago.
"Really?" Cole asked as he looked over at Miss Militia with sheer desperation that seemed maddening at the moment. She just nodded softly, and Cole collapsed back into his seat as if his strings had been cut.
"Good, good." He muttered to himself over and over again. This caused another glare to be shot at Armsmaster, and the guy took it on the chin as he knew he had stepped on a landmine without thinking about it.
"Kids like you and Tammi need guidance, Cole, so I was simply suggesting she come in to join the Wards as well. She can work off her sentence as a member of the Wards instead of going back to prison, Cole." Armsmaster explained quickly. The guy was most likely leading to that point earlier, but Cole did not give him a chance to get to it. Seeing an opportunity to sell the wreck of a teen act well.
Cole ignored that comment and just kept repeating the words good as if they were a mantra to protect him from all evil. Armsmaster seemed annoyed by that, but Miss Militia's sharp look stopped any actions from the guy.
"Cole, she is not safe out there. The Empire knows you Triggered, and they are probably looking all over the place for her as a weakness for you. So it would be much safer for her to come to the Rig as well." Miss Militia explained slowly and softly to the rocking boy. Cole stopped his chanting and remained silent for a moment, looking nervously at the table. He bit his lip before looking over at Miss Militia with wet eyes.
"She is at a motel on 5th and Bishop," Cole spoke out quietly as if it was a betrayal he hated making.
"Don't worry, Cole, this is for the better." Miss Militia spoke out softly as Armsmaster sent a message to the Director about this new development.
"She will be here soon, Cole, so are you willing to go through Power Testing," Armsmaster asked, getting right to the point and seeing the issues being taken care of in his mind. Miss Militia let out a sigh but said nothing while waiting for Cole to react.
"Okay, but you have to bring her to me as soon as she gets here," Cole spoke out with a frown on his face. Clearly, I was not happy about what was happening, but I knew that this was what should be done.
"That is acceptable; she needs to go through power testing as well. We need to get Panacea over here for your healing ability, so we will focus on the other side of your power for now." Armsmaster spoke out calmly, already charting out how things would turn out after this.
"Do you mind if a Ward comes along to see your power testing Cole? They need to know what you are capable of doing so you can work together, and it should make it easier for you to bond with them if you show off a little." Miss Militia asked with a slight smile on her face.
Cole thought about it for a moment. He did not really care about a Ward coming along as he already got what he wanted from this for the most part, but he was wondering why they wanted a Ward here. Cole was still a flight risk, so he should be kept from the others even if he was very valuable.
"Okay, but I am going to put my mask back on." Cole agreed, wanting to see what game they were playing. Armsmaster grimaced at that, but Miss Militia just smiled and nodded in response to that demand.
Cole put his mask back on and waited, but he did not have to wait too long as this had been clearly arranged beforehand. The door to the room was opened, and two figures stood there. A young girl in a green futuristic suit with flower patterns along a skirt for some reason. The other was a boy in a complete knight suit that followed the futuristic theme that the young girl had.
Cole took a look at the both of them and figured out the game here. Vista was here to disarm him, while Gallant was another layer of detection as they got a handle on his emotional state. He was worried about how he was going to get out of that trick, but Gallant was frozen entirely and utterly still as he looked at Cole in sheer horror.
"Gallant?" Vista asked her partner about it as the boy did not even budge an inch from his standing position. Cole tilted his head in confusion about this dramatic reaction from the boy.
Sure, his emotions were not totally in synch with what he said, but this reaction seemed like a bit much. Cole looked over at the teen, along with everyone else in the room, before a thought clicked into place.
Cursed Energy was built off of all the negative emotions of Humanity. So, to Gallant's eyes, he must look like a complete and utter mess. Hell, if it was just feeling, it could be excused, but it was also intensity to consider here. His Cursed Energy Vessel might as well be an ocean with how large it is, so the kid was looking at a vast ocean of the deepest, darkest sides of humanity.
If Amy was a ticking time bomb to him, Cole must look like the rapture.
Comments
Enthessi
Your Honor, I plead Oopsie Daisy!
