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Mine 33 (Cole was a cape? No way!)
🕑 Added 2024-12-25 21:03:47 +0000 UTCHaving a handle on what their actions were going to be for the coming future he decided to work quickly. The position he found himself in was rather delicate after all. Having the PRT off of his back would do wonders for him.
He took a look at his door frame and considered telling his Father about this plan but decided against it. The shaky ground they stood on was still rather delicate and while he did not want Cole to be dragged into this messy battlefield, going to the PRT would still drag him into it.
At least the Wards were not really put into a truly dangerous situation. No group wanted to be the ones messing around with kids after all. It would be humiliating if defeated and if they crushed the Wards viciously then the rest of the world would turn against them.
The Empire wanted nothing more than to appeal to the public, even if their beliefs were outrageous. The Merchants, while utterly incompetent, knew that fighting that battle would only lead to being pushed out of the city. The ABB were rather hands-off in Cape battles for the most part, as Lung was too volatile in most cases and a coward at heart. Oni-Lee followed his patterns like the empty doll he was supposed to be.
The PRT itself wanted the Wards to have little to no contact with the enemy forces as well. Child soldiers did not exactly make good PR and that was what the PRT was all about. The only reason the Wards could fly by in the public eye was because those kids needed to be taught and guided by someone. People killing and fighting for whatever they wanted was a very real scenario in this world.
They did not want superpowered teenagers to follow that example.
He sighed but brought out his Cell to make a call. His Father might not agree with this route but he needed to do this. Not just because it was the optimal move for him but because he wanted to. Hiding away Tammi and stopping her from living a normal life was killing him inside. Even if this was a life she would prefer.
He really was too soft for his own good.
The dial tone rang out for a brief moment before it was picked up. This was to be expected as the PRT helpline was basically another emergency response number and they needed to answer all calls coming to them quickly.
“This is the PRT helpline, how can I help you?” A pleasant voice rang out quickly but it was clear there was a certain amount of urgency in their voice.
“Hi, this is not an emergency so if you need to transfer me to a different line I can wait.” He spoke out quickly as he did not want to mislead the person on the other line. He was also not going to let other people suffer because of his plots when he could simply wait a little longer.
“Understood, the lines are clear at the moment so I can help you but if things start to get busy I will put you on hold or transfer you.” The female voice spoke out again. The tone is still quick and easy but with a certain softness that was not there before.
“Thank you.” He spoke out with a smile before he took a deep breath. He knew what he needed to say and what to do but this still felt a bit off to him.
“So, I have recently gained powers and figured joining up would be good for my continued health,” Cole explained a little dryly but he did not really know how else to push that topic out.
The call remained silent for a beat too long as the person on the other side took in his words.
“Okay, we can certainly get someone over to talk to you about joining or we could arrange a meeting if you would prefer that.” The voice spoke out softly as if trying to coax a cat to come over. He wanted to laugh at that comparison but it was clear she wanted nothing more than to bring another Cape into the PRT.
“I would prefer if we met at a place other than my home. My identity is rather delicate and I don’t want anyone knowing I was talking to the PRT. I don’t really have a place I would consider safe for a meeting like this but I figured you guys would be pretty good at stuff like this.” Again he spoke out dryly which gave pause to the call again.
“That is understandable, we can arrange for you to be picked up at a location of your choice and brought to the Rig if you are comfortable with that. It is the safest location we can arrange. If not we can choose a different location” Again the voice spoke out softly in a tone that said she did not want to push too much with him.
Being brought to the Rig could feel rather confining as there really was only one way in and out of the place ignoring Movers. Most Triggers were in a rather delicate mental state so she wanted to make sure none of his boundaries were crossed. He felt a little amused at that thought but figured it was standard protocol when dealing with fresh Triggers.
“That works for me, can you pick me up at Dell Street in about an hour? I don’t really have a costume but I will be wearing a mask so it should be easy to spot me.” He spoke out as he brought out a blank white mask that covered the entirety of his face. No facial features as it just had narrow eye holes for him to see out of.
“If you feel like the location you have selected is compromised you can always call to switch to a different place.” She spoke out softly and he almost snorted at that. The place was certainly going to be compromised by the time he went there. Not by any of the other Gangs at least.
He already arranged with Lisa to have any of the plants in the PRT to be a bit busy right now. Coil really knew too much about what was going on in the background of this city.
“Noted.” He said simply as he hung up the phone and started to dress up to leave this place he put his mask underneath his coat.
He walked out of his apartment with a certain nervous energy and a frown clearly pasted on his face. He had an image to sell after all and judging from the eyes of his clones the people watching his apartment were noting it.
As he walked down the street to get to his destination the people who the PRT had watching him followed along while the guys the Empire assigned just happened to be knocked out.
He was going to reveal his identity to the PRT anyway to get Tammi that pardon and this little act will sell the image of a nervous teen who is too deep into all of this. Sure, a competent Thinker would be able to see through this act but thankfully Thinkers don’t work on him.
He might have to worry about Armsmaster’s tech but that was built on body language and with his Rogue levels and Kaito’s own skills he had a perfect handle on that.
So he walked to the location he arranged in the abandoned parts of the docks. As he got close to the location he was sure that the agents following him were getting more and more baffled about what was happening. They knew that a Cape was coming to this place and the person they were following suspecting they were a Cape just happened to be going to the same place.
This action did not fit the information they had on him so they were struggling to come to terms with it even as the truth was undeniable. The target of interest Cole Diamant, was turning himself in to join up.
He made sure that this location had no one but him and the agents following him so when he put on that mask and waited around it was a done deal that he was the person coming in.
It was not something they could acknowledge later on but it was something that was definitely going to be noted down.
He watched the agents from the eyes of his clones as they talked animatedly on their phones relaying this information. The smirk on his face hidden underneath his mask would have given the game away but that is what masks are for.
A nondescript van pulled up and the agents following him were shuffled into it before the vehicle drove away. His Clones observed it as the van pulled away and parked about two streets away, likely waiting for the appointed time. They may know who was here now but they did not want to spook the potential recruit even if that recruit might have a criminal record.
They did not have to wait for very long as it took a good chunk of time for him to walk his ass over here. So before he knew it the van was pulling up in front of him and the back was opened up with the PRT troopers in the back looking at him.
“We are here to take you to the Rig, do you have a name that you want to be called by?” A trooper asked stiffly as they motioned for him to enter the van. He shrugged and entered the van and sat in the seat in the back.
He noticed that some of the Troopers were looking at him like they could not believe what they were seeing but those two were the ones assigned to watch him. A stern look from their commander had that look fading quickly. They did not want to give the game away after all.
“I did not really think too hard on the whole name part, I know I should have but everything has been happening so quickly. One moment I was struggling to even think and the next I was handed superpowers. Not something I was prepared to deal with but I guess if I had to pick a name I would go for Rush” He babbled out trying to sell the image of a nervous teen.
The stern commander just smiled blandly at the words being thrown at him but the nervous energy about him started to take a back foot. The other Troopers followed his lead so the rest of the ride was not as tense as he expected.
Soon he was escorted through high-tech hallways to a meeting room that while cold and overbearing was clearly secure. It felt a bit like an interrogation room but it figured they would use a place like this for a meeting with a brand new Cape.
They may not want to spook him but they also had to take account for their own safety. He did not have to wait very long before two figures entered the room. Miss MIlitia with a warm smile on her face and Armsmaster had a stiff smile on his face that said he was trying too hard.
Fantastic, he did not want to deal with Piggot even if she had the most authority in this place.
Comments
Christopher Abernathy
Merry christmas! Ya gotta give us with the second hit, brother.
