7.15 Fairy Tale
9th of June, 2011
Emily only relaxes once Armsmaster and Nictimène leave the conference room, the former having given a rather flimsy excuse by saying he'd accompany the latter toward the Ward's quarters.
She isn't duped. She's known the man for over half a decade by now. If he hasn't spouted the first thing that came to mind just to have a convenient pretext to talk shop with the 'Little Hero', she'd eat her service weapon, magazine included.
"So, what did you get?" she asks aloud as she leans deeper into her chair and angles her head to look Insight's way.
"Not much," the Thinker admits through pursed lips as she crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes still locked on where the Endkiller used to sit, "She remains incredibly frustrating to read for me, and with her helmet up to hide her ears, she gives very little. Her control of her own body language is just too good."
Insight pauses as she side-eyes her.
"That said," she says, "I did get a few things. For starters, she came to us because she was asked to."
"By her guardians?" Emily asks, one eyebrow raised.
"No," the younger blonde snorts derisively, "Don't get me wrong, she likes her adoptive family well-enough, but she's only humoring them when cape-related stuff is concerned. Aside from legal counsel, I mean. Nah, my money is on someone higher up, someone who already showed up once without our say so to resolve a problematic issue."
"Alexandria," the Director quickly deduces, prompting the Ward to curtly nod, "She was the first to speak with Nictimène at the conclusion of the Somerset Incident, and the first to come when she dropped Bonesaw in our arms."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that the two are in contact. Why? I have no clue. Maybe the Triumvirate likes to play favorites with capes in their own weight class?" Insight muses aloud, her eyes drifting upward at the ceiling as she bonelessly slumps in her chair.
"So, she makes this new weapon of hers, ruminates for a bit about how to properly test it, gets an idea, calls Alexandria to pitch it to her, and Alexandria asks her to play ball with us, and the wider PRT as a whole," Emily summarizes.
"Something like that, yes. Thing is, Wonder Girl is the farthest thing from dumb. She knows she's scary as hell, and makes more than one government crony clutch their pearls due to her status as an independent and her lack of oversight for someone who's so young," the Thinker rattles, eyes still staring blankly above, "She was annoyed, but more in a 'I hate that I have to put up with this, but I get why' way rather than a 'this is entirely beneath me and you're wasting my time' way. I mean, it only takes one look at her interviews to understand that the girl knows how to manage her own image. Her slightly demure and polite persona is her way to reassure the masses that she isn't going to flip her lid."
"And deferring to us serves a similar function with both the military and politicians," she finishes the line of thought, Insight making a vague noise of assent she doesn't comment upon, "What of this live-fire test itself? How confident is she about cleaning up Eagleton?"
"Fully," the younger blonde answers instantly, "To her, there's no doubt that she'll be able to pull it off, and deal with any potential issues if she cannot. Which, considering how her sensory suit managed to find Leviathan's only true weak spot, something we only learned about after analyzing his corpse? Well, if it was up to me, I'd politely ask her when she's in a good mood if she'd be willing to do a regular flyby of every containment zone just to be sure nobody is getting blindsided."
"Why not ask her to share the technology instead?" Emily challenges.
"Because she isn't going to. Not now or ever," the Ward looks away to side-eye her, "No, let me rephrase that. Wonder Girl will not share technologies which can present a risk to her own safety. And I don't think I need to explain how a sensory suit able to pinpoint a weakness in what we used to think was an unkillable sentient natural disaster can be weaponized against her."
She pauses, before adding further as her eyes go back to the ceiling.
"She already shared the Panacea with us, which means that she's alright with sharing some of her tech. Just not the stuff that can be used against her. Meaning no weapons or stuff like that," the younger blonde lazily shrugs, "And I mean, I get it. If I was in her position, I sure as hell wouldn't want someone to produce guns that can bypass my own defenses out of the blueprints I gave them. That's basic self-preservation."
Emily concedes the point with a clipped nod, remaining silent for a moment as she lets the Thinker's analysis sinks in.
"How necessary is this live-fire test for her, truly?" she finally asks the only question that matters.
"It isn't, not truly," Insight answers after a moment, before straightening in her chair to look at her in the eye, "But, let's be real here, I may not be a huge fan of the brat, but she has a proven track record when dealing with S class threats and beyond. The risk is honestly minimal, somebody from the Triumvirate – my money's on Alexandria – will probably be here to oversee things in case they go pear-shaped, and everybody wins if she can one-tap Behemoth when he shows up in three months. I say she should be allowed to have a go at it."
The Director maintains the look for a moment longer, her feature twisted in a frown and with her fingers drumming an uneven beat against the table.
"Very well," she finally says, before pushing herself away from the conference table in one smooth motion, "I'll give a call to the Chief Director about all of this."
"Huh," the Thinker says a little dumbly while she stands up from her own chair, "Gotta be honest, boss, I thought I'd have to argue that one a bit harder."
"My job is to always think of the worst case scenario and to constantly keep it in mind, Insight," Emily answers as the two start making their way out of the conference room, "That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to bend a little when an occasion is too good to pass up."
She gives the probationary Ward a pointed look, and she averts her eyes.
"The potential benefits of freeing the personnel currently mobilized around Q3 outweigh my own personal distaste for the girl by a wide margin," she concludes while crossing the threshold, "Which is why I'll be kicking this up the chain."
She side-eyes the younger blonde as she steps next to her.
"And washing my hands of it."
***
"Your boss," are the first words out of Jacky's mouth as she enters the Ward's common room, prompting Missy to look away from the Console, "Is one hell of a hardass. Hope you know that, Missy."
The Shaker can't help but grin at that even as she watches Jacky slowly flying her way deeper into the common room, shoulders slumped, and generally radiating 'I'm done with today' energies.
"Would you believe me if I told you she used to dock our pay when we messed up?" she asks.
"Absolutely," her friend answers bluntly, before looking back toward the couch, "Hi, Vicky. Fancy seeing you here. And I believe we haven't been introduced yet…?"
"But you already know who we are anyway," Missy turns away from the console just in time to see stupidly handsome Dean flashing a welcoming – if a bit too practiced – smile her friend's way while having an arm loosely looped around his girlfriend's shoulder, "I'm Gallant but, well, most of the city is aware that I'm Dean Stanfield nowadays. And this is–"
"Arachne," Missy frowns a little at the taller girl's flat and slightly emotionless tone, her insectile mask hiding her face as she sits guardedly on the second couch facing the two lovebirds, "We've already met."
"We did," Jacky nods, her half-mask vanishing a second later, her pointed ears jiggling a little at the sudden freedom to Missy's amusement, "If in less recommendable company."
A beat passes as Arachne doesn't answer, Dean remaining silent too, his expression turning a little strained.
"Awkward," the older blonde in their midsts faux-whisper before flying off her boyfriend's arm to give Jacky a heartfelt hug, and Missy's eyebrows climb halfway to her hairline, "Hi Jacky, how goes?"
"I'm well," Jacky answers with a smile of her own as she quickly hugs her fellow flier back before pulling slightly away, "I'm done with the project that was eating at my life the last time, so I'm free to take a breather and come hang around for a beat with Missy for once."
"Pause," Missy calls, bringing everyone's attention back to her, and she gestures at the two fliers still hovering close to each other, "Since when are the two of you friends?"
Jacky blinks confusedly her way before wincing while Vicky merely shrugs.
"Sorry, I completely forgot to tell you," the redhead cringes.
"I showed up at her house last Friday. Had some things I needed to get off my chest," the Alexandria package admits while drifting back down toward Dean, "And we kinda hit it off? Though I'm surprised you didn't know, it was all over Saturday's Gazette."
"And it completely skipped my mind because I was swamped by work until yesterday and spent most of my time running simulations in class instead of paying attention to, well, everything else," Jacky adds, looking puzzledly back and forth between the two couches and the console, "Hey, you're kinda far like that. Do your thing so everyone's included."
Behind her visor, Missy arches an eyebrow.
"Is this an excuse for a quick snack?" she challenges.
Jacky's cheeks darken a little at that.
"I promised I'd behave," she retorts with a huff, before adding after a beat, "...Though, if you're offering–"
"No." Missy drily answers.
"Drat," her friend theatrically slumps, making Vicky giggle, though it is clear the blonde doesn't really know what's going on, "Foiled, yet again."
"Dork," the Shaker snorts, before compressing the space between the couches and the console.
"So," Jacky says while dropping herself next to Taylor without any hesitation, "How's crime-fighting treating you guys these days? Can't say I'm really in the loop – honestly, I never really have been – besides Missy telling me things were looking up on the Empire front earlier."
"It's exhausting, but we're doing well," Dean is the first to answer, a tired smile on his face, "Lots of patrols, and lots of calls for backup when the BBPD is bringing in the really tough customers. Though I'd like to say that it's nice, for once, to have everyone working together without interdepartmental friction."
"This is Dean-speak to say that the BBPD usually isn't our biggest fan," Missy comments while angling herself in such a way as to keep an eye on the Console, "And that they're enjoying bossing us around for once, even though the PRT's supposed to be in charge of this ongoing operation."
"She got you there, babe," Vicky laughs, "New Wave isn't really in the loop either, but my baby cousin caught a couple of crooks trying to pull a runner the other day. Two skinheads pursued by five cops on foot near Captain Hill. According to Eric, they were so comically bad at it, the only thing missing was the Benny Hill theme playing in the background."
"Why are you here?" Taylor's voice cuts through the good ambiance like a hot knife through butter, and Missy barely refrains from facepalming.
"I'm sorry?" Jacky asks back with a head tilt, her attitude clearly saying 'I'm polite for now but don't push it'.
"You heard me," yet the Master bulldozes through, leaning forward with all of her body, "You're not a teamplayer."
"Eidolon and I would like to beg otherwise," Missy interjects with a frown.
"Extraordinary circumstances," the dark-haired girl dismisses without looking away from her stare down with Jacky, "Which is why I'm asking. I'd like to know why you showed up here today."
Come to think of it, Missy doesn't know either.
"Oh," the redhead blinks, before shrugging, "Well, you could've just asked. I came to ask the PRT if I could be allowed to take a crack at solving the Machine Army issue."
"Wait, what?" Vicky blurts out, wide-eyed, and Missy has to admit that she shares the sentiment somewhat.
"There are some things on Earth Bet that require to be taken down in a very specific manner to make it stick," Jacky explains while half-turning herself toward the two lovebirds, "After all, there's a reason why the place hasn't been shelled to kingdom come. Or why the time Cindereal spent there didn't end up with the containment zone reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes. Besides turning itself into a collection of particularly fucked up techno-mimics, the real issue of the Machine Army is that it can 'hide' inside pocket spaces when under threat, leaving facing its units in direct combat as the only possible avenue to terminate the threat. I don't think I need to explain why this is an incredibly bad idea."
Dean, Missy and Vicky all nod at that while Taylor remains perfectly still.
"I just finished updating my suit and can now do the same type of attack that took Leviathan down at a distance, so I have a real shot at this," she pauses, then adds with a shrug, "Plus, I need the combat data to calibrate everything just right for the next Endbringer fight, so, two birds, one stone, as they say."
"So it is self-interest," Taylor comments, her tone growing colder.
Missy wagers that the dark-haired girl is barely holding herself back from saying something like 'typical'.
"Well, yes?" Jacky replies confusedly, "I mean, I made no secrets that my current priority was the three murder-kaijus. I'd rather not disperse myself too much by looking into the world's laundry list of issues until it's done."
"And once it is?" Vicky asks curiously.
"Then I'll deal with the big threats other parahumans can't do squat about, or those that'd be just too costly in human lives to justify an operation without Triumvirate-tier capes," her friend shrugs, "Like the other S class threats and containment zones. And after that, it's back to my easel for me."
Following her proclamation, you could hear a pin drop amid the common room.
As for Missy, she finds herself utterly unsurprised.
"Makes sense," she comments, "Caping isn't your thing."
"No," her friend snorts, her ears wiggling, "No, it really isn't."
"So you'll be, what, retiring?" Vicky asks in a clear attempt to try to wrap her head around Jacky's logic.
"Meh," the redhead makes a so-so gesture with her hand, "Kinda-sorta? I'll still be Tinkering on the side, probably releasing some patents for some technologies that could really help, and I'll still be available for when shit hits the fan in a major way. But otherwise? Yeah, I'll be done. I'm no hero material, and I really don't see myself saving kittens from trees for the rest of my life. There are plenty of other capes around who wouldn't half-ass the job like I'd probably end up doing if I had to put on the SNOW OWL every day."
"This is irresponsible–" Taylor starts to say.
"A bit selfish!" Dean blurts out, his traits strained once again, "But understandable. Don't you think?"
"Oh, it is selfish of me," Jacky nods, visibly unruffled, "But I'm firmly convinced that the opposite would be worse for everyone involved."
"What do you mean by that?" Missy asks, her lips pursed in confusion.
"What I mean is that it's all well and good to have Heroes, but that humanity shouldn't rely on them," her friend explains patiently, "Get inspired by them? Absolutely. But if everyone starts expecting that they can always rely on parahumans to solve their problem, then it becomes an issue. After all, thirty years ago, superpowers weren't a thing."
"...So who's to say it'll always be the case?" Vicky slowly nods in understanding while leaning forward, clearly engrossed by the topic, "And since you're Triumvirate-tier–"
"Then me retiring would send the message that while humans and parahumans live on the same planet – planets – our species is called humanity for a reason, and that it'd be good for them to lock in once again," Jacky simply concludes, "And like I said, I'll come back if the problem's too big."
Her friend turns fully back toward Taylor once again.
"You are an idealist, and I'm not," she says bluntly, "We're never going to see eye to eye on this because you want to help people, while the only reason I woke up and chose deicide right after getting my power is that I live on this dirtball, and it'd be a colossal dickmove if I didn't try to do something about it while knowing I could've. But once I've done my part, I'm out. Simple as that."
A tense silence follows for a beat as the two stare at each other.
Missy is about to say something, anything, to stop the situation from blowing over even further, only for Jacky to break eye contact first and turn away.
"By the way, Vicky," she chirps brightly while vanishing her suit's right arm, exposing the flesh under, "I fixed my arm!"
"Oooh, show me!" the older blonde enthusiastically flies closer above the low table.
Maybe a bit too enthusiastically.
But since it does the job of bringing this whole… thing to a halt, Missy's willing to take it.