---

Viola could under the following days confirm that the Minutemen had apparently failed to do something about Sheila at the Rockers. Possibly worried about what Sheila might have done, she kept her distance from her sister, but let her keep them alive.

Meanwhile, Sheila was a lot less worried about if they’d survive to the next day. Having money was a blessing. Now, it had been time for her to build up Creep’s existence. Where Wisp had been white… Creep would be black. The laser-pointers had to be left behind, while she did what she could to change who she was, just in case she was ever intercepted. Even if Creep was ever discovered, she wanted Wisp to be free to live with her sister should she escape.

Creep used black gloves, of course. No way she could leave fingerprints anywhere. She also tightly bound a hood over her hair, to limit white hair falling down onto the floor during missions. In case she was seen, she had a black blindfold bound around her eyes, and she had a cloth-mask over her mouth, leaving only her nose uncovered. In the mask, she had a voice-changer that she had stolen, just in case she had to talk, because Wisp was the one who made letters in the air. Her light-powers meant she could see just fine even with the blindfold, she just guided the light through the small holes and saw everything. The rest of the clothing was black, too, wearing socks because they were silent.

It was with some hesitation that she stole for the Rockers. Stealing had been something she did even before she had been doing it on behalf of the Rockers, and it was possible a line was drawn between her own personal thefts and the Rockers. … But it wasn’t as if she could stop stealing. Then she’d be confirming that they were the same individual. Sheila continued stealing as she had, but she acted a bit differently when she stole as Creep. Left the calling card, perhaps broke something, left damage or stole some snacks as a “brute” perhaps would. Wisp would never leave any signs of her theft behind.

When looking for weapons… At least once, Creep should have found a gun. The blinked at it in realization, before coming to a conclusion. Creep could have use of a gun. She figured that since with her power she had a laser-sight basically built into her, she should have an easier time aiming than most people. It didn’t mean she would automatically become good at aiming, but even if her hand was shaking she’d at the very least know exactly where the bullet was going when she messed up her shot. She would have heard with Shatterpoint if he could get her non-lethal rounds for it. The rest of the weapons were handed over as instructed, and she gave her reports on the areas.

Now, in present day…

---

---

Wherever Shatterpoint wanted her now, Creep was on the way, cloaking herself. As usual, she kept her wits about and scouted for potential danger first, before she entered the area. She looked around for Shatterpoint, and if she saw him she’d approach him and show a speck of light in his vision that meant she had arrived. If he wasn’t there… then she’d wait. Walk around so that she was a mobile target if someone was aiming for her (Sheila is very paranoid and distrustful), looking in various directions he might come from, but otherwise just hanging around.

@Eklispe

The last few weeks felt like living in a bubble. On the literal side, people didn't get too close. When he fought people it felt like he was seeing himself from the third person, his defense completely disconnected from any rational thoughts. Zach's power protected, protected more, and didn't stop until everyone who could hurt him had exhausted every tool they had. Every magazine empty, and often many bones broken. That didn't include the ones who ran outright, but the disconnect went further. On the metaphorical side, his power was great at isolation, not caring about anyone but Zach's safety. A bubble had the connotation of being soft though, and his was anything but.

A figure called out to the people it floated above, and Zach was raised from his glum stupor with shock. A ghost, more corpse than ethereal was hovering above the various members of Lethal Force, and Zach realized soon that it was Limbo. At processing the words he froze, looking to his fellow members for direction. If he was alone he would've followed, but now he wasn't so sure. He and the other leaders had lives under their control, it was hardly a small thing to ask them to risk said lives. So he looked to Judah, the natural leader of the group with eyes that begged for direction.

Knowledge, as they said, was power, and a true antihero didn't hesitate to sacrifice time and even sanity in the pursuit of the means to realize his ideals. Whether delving through a mad scientist's laboratory or a mad teacher's chemistry lab, an ancient library of lost civilization's secrets or a more modern library of books for one's research paper, the Margrave did not mess around. Though school did, for the most part, harbor more self-righteous simpletons and nauseating normies per square inch than the PRT headquarters, Elliot found himself enjoying it more. Here, in his senior year of high school, he was beholden only to the law of the jungle in this student-eat-student rat race for the best grades, and in this contest of champions Elliot came well-equipped with wits sharp as cheddar-coated glass. Wanton villainy, as he found, did not suit him. Neither did the mantle of the neon spandex-wearing goody-goody. If Elliot Prat's ability and attitude, exceptional yet widely misunderstood, would only bring him scorn in the world of metahumans, perhaps he could carve himself a niche in the more pedestrian sphere of life. To do that, he'd need to go to college, but since student loans offered a path tempting but darker still than the soul crystal of some warped sorcerer, his antiheroic quest for a scholarship was of paramount importance.

It was with a suppressed smug satisfaction that he slipped his spiral notepad and textbook into his forest-green backpack, stood, and made for the school's exit. Another week in the bag, so to speak. Being able to put aside expectations of heroism and heavy responsibilities sat so well with him that he felt sure he wouldn't stay with the Wards for the long term, even with the insufferable snotwad Dean out of the picture. In short order, the Margrave made his way to the Wards' predetermined gathering site. Since he moved for no man, unfortunately, he arrived a definitive last, strolling through the holographic classroom's doors into a room filled with girls. What might have been a dream come true for any other guy served as nothing more than another turn of the knife for Elliot, since each one of them hated his guts. He could not blame them, of course; it was only human to revile what one didn't care to understand. Such prejudice would be their undoing in due time.

The Margrave wasted no time striking a momentary pose. ”Salutations from the lofty yet deep realm of antiheroic academia, plebeians.” He altered his position to a less outrageous but more charmingly innocent stance. “No doubt, though your countenances carry naught but disdain, the furthest realms of your consciousnesses have longed for my darkly glorious return.” Unposing himself with a flourish, he did not wait for a dismissive response but instead made his way to an unoccupied seat on the fringes of the room, where he proceeded to occupy the chair's very edge.

Judah's efforts to get any sort of read from the phantom was utterly ineffective. In terms of what his power felt it might as well not be there at all. Limbo let out a echoing laugh. "You're thinking far too simply. I have to play a certain way see-" Limbo said tapping her temple knowingly, "Have to help the family, but as long as I'm careful I can help the family and also help me see?" Limbo let out a tittering laugh that raised shivers. "Of course if you don't come at all, well... let's just say it's better for everyone if you follow me, hehe." Limbo exited from the door and went into the hallway, waiting for a while to see if there was any indication they would follow. If they did she would lead them briefly before diving through a wall and reappearing the alleyway below them, turning the corner and vanishing out of sight for the moment.

As Limbo disappeared out the door, Judah looked at his allies and said,"I didn't sense anything except dread from her. She definitely can't be trusted, but this could be a good opportunity. Let's get our gear." He took his time getting ready. Limbo wanted them to follow her after all. She would make sure they knew which way she went and keeping her waiting seemed rather funny to Judah. He slung his bag over his shoulder; containing his weapons and outfit. If he needed to, he could change as they followed Limbo. His sidearm still on his hip. Being an FBI agent came with its' perks after all.

He left the apartment taking point. As they walked he saw Limbo down the hall. He didn't run or make any indication of him being in a hurry. As they got to the end of the hall, Limbo phased into the alleyway. When they reached that point, she turned the corner out of sight. Judah nodded to his comrades and whispered,"I'll go first. Keep your eyes open for an ambush." Then he made hand signs directing Zach to take Judah's right hand side and left hand for Sparse. He focused his abilities to sense any emotions emanating from all around them within a large radius. If there was any ambushes going on, he would sense the people behind them.

Sparce stepped out of the apartment after grabbing Gaia's bag from her room. She always carried it around, and while she was currently... absent from existence... Sparce carried it for her. He was a nice brother for the majority of the time. Sparce followed Mantis in the path of Limbo, his pistol holstered to his side and always ready to be drawn at a moments notice. He ducked behind the corner and waited for Mantis's sign that it was okay to continue. For all they knew, this could very well be a trap. Thankfully, Mantis could sense stuff, so this wasn't too terribly risky. "... I think we might change soon..." "You'll probably be better for this, I think."

The Adventures Of Wisp Creep

Shatterpoint was waiting in a discreet sidestreet. As usual, no sign of henchmen or the like, though he did notably have a briefcase at his side. As soon as the light glimmered in his eyes he spoke brusquely, "Good, I've heard the Community is holding a Rally tonight. 8:30. I suspect Patriarch might be there, even if not this is a good chance for us to find out information about them." "us" in this case obviously meant Creep finding out things for the Rockers. Still it was a fair move, if the Rockers ever hoped to make a name for themselves they'd have to run into the Community so it would be good for them to find out as much about them, and their leader, as possible. Shatterpoint opened the case he was carrying, revealing two rows of five darts as well as a small blowgun. The darts had caps on them so they wouldn't be wasted on anything accidently. "You've been doing good work for me, so here. This stuff should knock out any capes in a few seconds, and it should do the trick and non-capes too. Keeps them out for at least an hour, you don't have to take it but I figured you might want something extra for this just in case you run into trouble. None of the Community's lieutenants should be able to find you anyway. You want more gear we can talk about it after you finish this." Shatterpoint set the case down on a trashcan and unfolded a small map and pointed out where the rally was supposed to be held. "Don't expect you to do anything, just observe and tell us what you see. Meet here again tomorrow and give your information to the Rocker waiting here. Anything else?" Given Creep hadn't anything else Shatterpoint would get into the same plain car he'd left the Warehouse in and drive off.

---

Ngh. Community. That was a terrifying group to get into contact with. Each time she had to head into a group of parahumans, there was always the risk that someone there had an ability that’d be able to find her. However, at the same time, this was a great opportunity should she be able to obtain information. She could not only report her findings to Shatterpoint, she could also drop off an anonymous letter to the Protectorate…

The needles were an excellent extra weapon. A lot more silent than any of her current weapons, if she ever needed someone out cold quickly and silently. They would make it obvious someone had been there, but that was the case with all her weapons. Without a word, she walked forward and cloaked the needles and blowgun. She had a bit of extra space on the belt she kept the equipment on. So, having heard the briefing and confirmed the location…

She gave him a light-signal only Shatterpoint would see that confirmed she had understood and would be heading to the mission.

That’d do. He knew she’d only do what she wanted to. If she found any dangers, she would escape as quickly as she could. Observe. That’d be plenty. She’d rather not give them a clue about a Stranger that could want them ill. … Of course, it was a rally, perhaps coming as a potential applicant would have been possible. Then again, perhaps that would be extremely foolish. She settled for simply being a spy.

So, after seeing Shatterpoint leave and committed to memory the appearance and license plate on the car he left in, Creep went and got herself some straps and a small pocket-bag to add to her belt for the darts and the blowgun. She also went and stole some regular darts in case she wanted to use the blowgun without using one of the precious drug-filled darts. Also since she wanted to practice using it a bit before heading to the location, and she wouldn’t use the special darts for that. After having gotten slightly more proficient at the art of blow-darting, cursing slightly that she had to pull off the mask to do it (but of course, Shatterpoint didn’t know she covered her mouth), she felt ready enough.

Time to carefully head towards the rallying point of the Community.

@Eklispe

Zach moved at Judah's motion, grabbing his mask off a nearby table. It was a simple design, barely covering his cheeks, dipping down a bit before coming up to cover his nose. It was a navy color, with a white stripe down the center. A small elastic band secured it to the back of his head, and he tucked that band beneath his hair. He moved out into the hallway with Judah, listening to Limbo as she spoke. At their leader's motion he moved to Judah's right, and listening to the twin's speak. One thing Zach's allies found out very quickly was that he was rarely worried about traps. Foolhardy, but with a pretty good cause. He hadn't felt pain physical pain in months. One could adapt to avoid risks, and in Zach's case he had adapted to no longer consider the risks; for better or for worse.

"Elliot," Decoy began, with a stern tone clear through the thick Japanese accent. "Remember to watch your manners. Insulting your team breaks down trust. I am glad you appreciate your studies and do well, but remember who always has your back."

With that bit of chastising done, the hologram turned its attention toward the Wards as a whole. All of the team had showed up promptly, as to be expected. No doubt they were tired of being cooped up, restricted only to training and academics instead of the superheroing they had all signed up for. Messiah's question was quite apt, if it was only half hearted. "Now that everyone is present, it's time that you all got your gifts from me. I've been working overtime in order to get these completed for you, which is impressive since I need to perform regular maintenance on this entire building as well as your holographic communications interfaces. It's a good thing I can't sleep!" The hologram began making typing motions in the air, no doubt whatever sensor that tracked the real Decoy was translating the motions directly to them, even if they didn't get to see the computer he was at. The whole thing would have looked incredibly silly to an outsider.

A couple of seconds later, five presents seemed to phase into the room, each one wrapped in unique wrapping paper with individualized bows and name tags. Well, it would be incorrect to say that they phased into the room and more appropriate to say that the light bending around them ceased to camouflage their presence. "Inside you will find one of my holographic decoys, the same kind of projection disks that I make for the full fledged Protectorate heroes. If you're ever in a bind and need a distraction, you can activate these devices and slide them out, where they'll project a life-like hologram of you, complete with sound. Additionally, each comes with three settings for three different poses based on your individualized fighting styles. The first setting is the same for everyone, it projects an image of you simply standing still, but the other two are quite dynamic and unique."

Decoy allowed the Wards to open their gifts and marvel at his inventions. Inside each wrapped giftbox was indeed a disk, about four inches in diameter and half an inch thick. It was made of a metallic alloy not yet categorized in modern science books, and in the center of the disk was a single black lens projector. Along the outer edge of the disk were four buttons, but none of them were labeled. The object was also incredibly lightweight, only feeling slightly heavier than the glass lens. Whatever it was that Decoy used to make these things, it was amazing.

"They can only be activated if you have one of my holographic communications interfaces. As long as you're wearing your communicator, each button will project its label. They should read 'Setting 1,' 'Setting 2,' 'Setting 3,' and 'Off.'" In order to demonstrate, the hologram of Decoy's body broke apart, then reformed into a projection of the devices. Like an idiot's "how to" guide, it showed the Wards a glove covered hand waving over the buttons, which then projected out the labels. The image of the hand then pressed the "setting 2" button and the display zoomed out and reoriented itself so the projector was facing directly up. A new image appeared above the device, showing Inkscape spraying a massive cloud of ink gas. As soon as this was done, the hologram collapsed in no itself and reformed into the image of Decoy once again.

"And you'll be able to make use of your new equipment on tonight's mission. Any questions?"

---

---

The young lady looked to be feeling a bit overcrowded, now that all of the Minutemen were coming out from wherever they had been before to stand nearby. She bit her lip with the slightest twinge of anxiety, but a glance over to the wing cap that G4M3R had been working on seemed to relax her. She gave a deep breath, then spoke in a calm, sultry voice. "Well, it's the Community. They've been harassing my family's shop, asking for protection money and whatnot. You know, standard gang bullshit. Last night they really busted up my father while I was out getting groceries and said... They said they'd be back today at noon to pick up what we owe them. Or..."

The woman trailed off for a second, recomposing herself. She sighed and steadied herself on the counter. "Or we'd end up owing them, and the hospital. According to my dad, they made it sound like they were going to come back in big numbers, and bring some of their bigshots, like Xolotl." She took a second to scan the room. Finding a couch she could sit on, the woman took a seat, crossing her legs. She pulled out some lipstick from her purse and reapplied it. "My name is Sheila Jones. My father is Donald Jones. We live with my aunt, Genivieve Gutierrez, and her four year old daughter Lucille. You can find our store at 1516 North Colfax Avenue."

---

Lillian looked at the present with fascination. She reached out for it, hesitating and looking at Decoy with a look that said 'Is this really for me?'

The wrapping was pretty, she decided, with pink and purple. She almost didn't want to open it and ruin it.

Well, maybe if I do it carefully...

Listening to Decoy explain the things, she managed to barely tear the wrapping, carefully folding it for safe keeping.

Looking up at the end of the explanation, Lillian raised her hand.

"Decoy, sir? I had several questions. Umm, how long do these things last? Does mine have a dinosaur setting? Can it roar? Can we try them out now?" She stopped long enough to breathe, launching right back at it. "Do I have to keep going to school? You mentioned a mission, what does that entail? What are these made out of?"

She stopped again, grinning sheepishly, having realized she was speaking way too fast.
"I'm sorry, sir. I should've started by saying thank you. I'd hug you if I could. It's really nice and thoughtful and the wrapping was oh so pretty... It's a nice change from school."

Lillian looked around happily, eyes bright with enthusiasm. "It's not fair, though. I should be able to hug you for being nice. Nice people get hugs." With that final statement her eyes landed on Messiah, her face turning pink as she looked away quickly.

Her hand felt over the smooth device absently. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm. With a frown, she looked back at the protection. "Can it get warm? Like computers. Or cellphones running games."

Her brow furrowed as her frown deepened.

"I don't understand it. How it's light and smooth and it doesn't smell like technology and metal and it doesn't make all this noise like other stuff does. Like Elliot breathing harder than the others, or Alessa smelling nicer than the others. Oh. Sorry... But everything else makes sense if I think about it..."

Lillian hugged the device to her chest as she waited, nervous over all the talking she'd just done. It may very well have been the most anyone had heard her say since she'd joined the Wards, and she was feeling rather self-conscious at the moment.

The Adventures Of Wisp Creep

The sky was dark, the sun having set some time ago making the primary light source from streetlights and neon signs. It was hard to say whether this was an advantage or disadvantage for Creep in the event she was discovered, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that right? As Creep headed towards the location of the park she found that the roads around it were closed off, with police officers there watching. She also found that there were fewer people as she got closer and closer.

Eventually she would arrive at the park, clearly distinguishable by the large amount of people there, markedly different from the relatively empty streets she passed through to get there. It was actually a fairly nice park, benches, nice trees, even a little brook running through it. There were a few scruffy looking, desperate sorts of people forming the crowd, but for the most part: they looked... Excited. There was a small podium constructed, like the one a mayor might use to address a crowd. A few minutes after Wisp arrived an extravagant limo pulled up and the doors opened. The main event was here. None other than Patriarch himself, along with Xolotl and Eyeblight. A couple men came out to the limo and dragged out two black bags, clearly containing what appeared to be humans and put them on stage. Patriarch confidently made his way to the podium, his gaze, at least appearing, to make its way over the audience as the chit-chat vanished, leaving complete silence.

Patriarch spoke, confidently and measured, "It's time to welcome some new members to the family." This was greeted with a loud cheer from the crowd, though they quickly grew quiet again to let him continue. "First welcome, Rahul Marios." A rather well dressed Hispanic man was roughly pulled out of one of the bags and held up by two men. "He is the owner of the Denver Post and will be helping out our little family, isn't that right?" Rahul shook his head, clearly terrified, "N-no, I can't do that you don't-" His eyes widened in fear and Patriarch gently laid his hand upon Rahul's head and in an instant he stopped protesting. A smile came across Rahul's face, "Of course father." The two men backed away and moved towards the next bag as Rahul stood happily in front of Patriarch. A round of cheering and clapping. Having control in such a well-read newspaper would allow stories that came out to be twisted to their favor and put the blame on the PRT. "Now someone who should be rather familiar to you all, Abraham Achim." There were surprised gasps from the crowd.

Abraham was an influential member of the city council and had a rather harsh view on crime, believing that the police and the PRT should do whatever they had to in order to crush it. Policies he'd pushed for were sure to life more difficult for any criminals. Past tense. "Soon he'll explain that he's had a change of heart regarding his position on crime." Abraham was clearly scared but blustered all the same. "You bastards, you really think you can get away with this. You-" Just like last time, Patriarch laid a hand on Abraham's head and the struggling stopped. "Yes father." He said calmly. Though it was hard to tell, Patriarch seemed even excited now as Abraham took his place next to Rahul. A stunning women wearing a white leotard, along with white eye mask and a white with blue stripes bandana stepped out of the limousine and walked up to the stage. She was tall and well developed in all areas. She waved to the crowd and stood next to Patriarch. "Finally, our most impressive member of the family. Sonika, a class 7 Shaker and class 7 Mover." Class 7 in two categories? What a powerful parahuman, plus she was super hot. Surely the Community was practically unstoppable now! This information was accompanied by cheers and clapping and Patriarch let it continue, seemingly basking in it.

Ryan shrugged when Drake spoke up. "If you have suggestions I'm all ears. I threw out my idea, the only addition I have is to get some-" That's when Raymond finally decided to speak up, Ryan stopping mid sentence so he could hear what the soft spoken man had to say. He shut down Jason calmly and quickly, ambushing the cargo while it was being heavily guarded was pretty stupid, and suggested Ryan tie up the guards he tased that way they would stay down. Ryan's face scrunched up and he waved his hand in an iffy motion. "Ehh, I don't really know how to tie people up. I mean we have a few hours so I could learn I guess, but someone is gonna have to volunteer to be the test dummy." Raymond then asked if Ryan had any rope and gags available, to which he smiled.

"Ropes, hell yeah I have ropes. Gags, not so much, I'm not into that sort of thing if you catch my drift. But I can probably get some after a quick trip to the mall. Buy a few t-shirts, some to wear and some to use. Easy stuff. Though I would rather Chatty Kathy's fangirls buy the shirts for me." Ryan chuckled at his own joke, nice one. Jason decided to speak up once more, saying a few smart things and one really dumb thing. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Just because we can handle a direct approach doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything in our power to avoid one. I for one would rather not end up on a wanted list because you decided to go loud." He said in a snarky tone, finishing his drink and setting it down with a clink. "Aside from that I'm all for backup plans. Let's think of some hypothetical ways things could go horribly wrong and what to do afterwards. What do we do if a cape stumbles upon our night on the town? Things like that."

For better or for worse Judah was unable to detect much emotional traces, there were a few in the buildings next to them and on the street, but no one followed them in cutting off their escape route. No one in the alley except for Lethal Force. They turned the corner to find themselves facing... An old TV. As interested as they were in the Community it would be impossible not to recognize the figure that took up the entire screen. Samantha Harris, Alias: Troll. Preferred Alias... *sigh* Master Baiter. "Ah you finally showed up. Lethal Force, haha what a name. Anyway we're gonna play a game." She temporarily vanished off-screen, revealing a bound women in the chair behind her, long blonde hair looking rather disheveled, with her clothes in the same state and eyes wide with terror.

Samantha came back into view leaning over the chair, knife swinging loosely in hand. "Here's the game. I'm bored. You guys are pests. Two birds with one stone. So we're gonna talk. If you leave, stop listening to me, move out of sight, turn off the TV, this lady's gonna get real intimate with this knife, catch my drift? I haven't done this sort of thing before but I watched a video and it looks pretty easy. Agreed?" She was actually asking if they agreed. Of course they could refuse. After all they were vigilantes not heroes and it was just one person they'd be sacrificing. Of course even across the screen they could see Troll was positively bouncing up and down in excitement as she awaited their answer. It was practically assured she wouldn't let them off the hook that easy. Then again, they just had to listen to her right? Was that so bad? What was that saying... Sticks and stones?

Dunn raised his gun at the TV screen before he finally lowered it down, walking over to a nearby seat (probably thrown out by some guy, despite it being in great condition) and plopping himself down. The twin turned to face the other two guys for a second as he spoke. "Grab a seat, boys. Executive decision." Dunn turned back to the television as he heard Gaia speak in his head. "You're making us do this?" "If shit goes south, we'll run for it. They don't know what you look like, anyway."

---

"Why did you come to us and not the PRT?" Kyoshi inquired, her face still covered up. The situation seemed... kind of fishy, and the lost composure was a bit of a peculiar situation as Sheila reapplied her lipstick. Make up was important (God knows how much Kyoshi knew that), but to have something like that happen so quickly after the other, well... it just seemed fishy to her. In any case, she might not be lying and just be bipolar, but the job wasn't accepted until G4M3R decided. It was his main choice if the team took the job or not.

Zach had to slow himself every so often to not pass Judah, trying to stay orderly in their steady progression through the building and then the alley. An old TV awaited them, showing a young woman sitting in a chair. It was Troll, a well known member of the villain community, as well as the Community. As if to make even more puns then the villain normally did, she reference their name and presented a hostage. They would sit and listen, apparently, or the hostage would die. Something about it didn't sit right, in more ways than the obvious 'this is a trap' reason. She could read insecurities, a type of cold reading, but better at catching the details that might fall through the cracks, Did she know then how badly he wanted to stop the game before she could even play it? He wanted so badly to kill the hostage, and to play the game in reverse. Remove the time limits, the threat, the anxiety from the conversation, and see her advantage whittled down to nothing.

The twins made their decision before he could, sitting down. Seeming strained, Zach sat down as well, throwing his hoodie over his head to hide himself in the shadows it provided. He knew that would be a sign, and he was tempted to make it an even more obvious sign by making a rude gesture. He didn't though, he played nice as he expected his compatriots wanted him to. As he settled down, he reflected a bit, realizing how bad it would be to actually kill this innocent hostage for no other reason than the fact she'd be introduced to the fray. He justified it quietly, reminding himself that he never would have actually done it, but instead the thought was a reflection of their current situation. The justification didn't sit quite right, but he would manage regardless.

---

Rolling her eyes at Elliot's words, she couldn't help but crack a tiny grin when he got reprimanded by Decoy. Of course, that grin quickly grew into a bright eyed smile when he began explaining their 'presents.'

They were frickin awesome!

Picking her up she was further amazed at just how light the devices were, man they would be useful. She wondered if they had to program the poses into the other two modes, or if Decoy had already done that for them. Huh, maybe she should ask.

Opening her mouth to do so, Evelyn suddenly stopped as he mentioned that they had a mission. Two conflicting emotions rushed through her. The first was happiness, because she really wanted to prove herself and that she could work with the team, but the second...well it was worry. The way their last mission had gone, well...what if they screwed up again?

She thought it through before eventually turning her mind from the possibility somewhat to ask her question...and exclaim happily.

“Squeee, oooh, Decoy these are awesome, thank you,” her eyes lit up as she focused on the coolest gift she'd ever gotten before she asked, looking curious as she tilted her head, still smiling brightly.

“But um, do we have to program in the other two poses, or did you do so already?”

---

---

Glad that Headhunter had acknowledged his suggestion, not to mention Thunderbolt, Drake spoke up in response to the former's question. “Ah, certainly,” he said, withdrawing what appeared to be a disposable phone. He made several group texts and then sent a series of instructions. At this phase it didn't matter if they heard his voice as he'd ingrained key phrases with many of his people and given them various commands to listen to his texts, phone calls, and other communications without question.

He got a number of replies within the space of thirty seconds, causing him to rapidly silence the group chats, and then pocket his phone. “We'll have them when we need them. Additionally, I've already prepared some of my adoring followers for the operation. A number will be sending me updates from the Rally itself. Beyond that I've got about, mmm, four getaway cars, that will be hidden out of sight, but near, each side of the building so we can exit any way we need to and still have a way out in the vicinity. A bit further away I've planned for an armed group—rubber bullets and tasers of course—should we need a distraction or back up.”

He checked his phone, and then sent a few messages, informing the groups to pick one leader per group and have them message him when the objects of interest were acquired and delivered to the locations he'd set. He set the phone on the counter, looking up again.

“That will help us get out regardless, so that's one part of any contingency plan we think of taken care of.” He began picking at his well groomed finger nails absently as he continued. “So the question is. How do we move the cargo; how do we get in; how do we deal with a larger threat or security force than we are expecting? If we plan for those individual things and handle how we will deal with unexpected elements, then I think we'll be able to mix and match any individual portions of the plan as needed. It'll make things go smoother I think.” He glanced between the others, then picked up his phone. He made himself look busy, but he was really just playing a mobile game to occupy himself while he awaited ideas other than his own.

He'd contributed plenty already.

It was also notable that he'd pretty much ignored Heartless's comments. He didn't much like the villain's attitude.

---

---

Listening closely, Outsider nodded a bit, then glanced at the other members of the Minutemen. His first thought was how they had earned this 'debt'. Sure, extortion and the like were fairly part and parcel for gangs, but usually you didn't get harassed this bad unless you had borrowed or asked a favor of the gang first.

He looked down at the woman, feeling essentially nothing as he did, despite her looks and attitude. A side effect of his power.

“You say extortion and the like, but they're coming down on your family pretty hard. Are you sure your father didn't ask favors from the Community?” He paused a moment, then spoke again, adding something, “Regardless, I'm on board for helping. Even if someone did ask a favor or borrow money, that doesn't mean any of you deserve to be beaten and sent to a hospital for it.” He glanced at the rest of his team, as if to ask 'what do you think?'

---

Rend frowned at the woman, his jaw twitching sightly. All this chatter bothered him.

He gave a nod to Outsider for voicing his suspicions.

"It definitely is odd, but not unreasonable or unheard of. I'm game, if it means we get moving already," he spoke up, stretching his back and standing up. Grabbing the rest of his gear that wasn't on him, primarily his arrows, he moved towards the door to free up space in the main room. As he did he accidentally brushed against the woman's legs.

---

---

Jason grinned at Chatterbox. "Well, I already said how we'd get everything out. I'll carry it," he said with a shrug. "Getting in is the bigger question, that we can actively deal with. I suppose Sophia might be able to phase us in, or we could try going through a roof. I don't suppose any of your... Friends... Would be able to get access to the blueprints of the site? There could be access points not immediately obvious. Unless you'd rather just bust in the front door and overwhelm anyone inside before they can react. As for the possible increased threat... I've got nothing. There's too many possibilities, all the way through larger numbers to the PRT or another gang. Anything could happen, and I don't know how to plan for everything."

Jason tapped the wall beside him absently as he thought. "I guess we could decide what to do in case any big-shots are there."

'You know what, if Decoy hadn't said it, I would've,' Alessa confirmed, sending a pointed glance toward Elliot as she spoke. After that, she was fairly quiet as the Tinker explained how the neatly-wrapped gifts worked, unwrapping hers without much hassle and examining the device as he went through its functions. And Heavens, wasn't that all very fancy? Standing still, plus two extra customisable settings... and so light! Frankly, it wasn't surprising that both Lily and Lyn were happy with theirs; heck, Alessa herself was smiling fairly widely as she examined them. Not to mention, they’d have a great opportunity to test them later on.

'They're great, Decoy. Thank you very much.' She couldn't think of much else to say about the item that wouldn't just be unnecessary extension of her thought processes, so instead she listened in on- well, mostly Lily's various rapidfire questions. Heh, but she was adorable at times... what, what was that about Alessa smelling nicer than the other Wards? How would- ah, enhanced senses, that was probably something she had relating to her abilities, of course. And they had hugged each other at least once since that night Lily had slept in her bed, so even without...

Oh, there was something important to confirm, actually! 'Just so we're sure, Decoy,' the white-robed girl asked, 'my holograms do include my light mask, right? I figure it's not something you'd miss, but I figure it's worth asking anyway.'

---

Well, at least Jason could gather up the goods as necessary. Of course he could, nothing would necessarily be too heavy for him. And as it happened, Chatterbox did in fact possess the means to gather the right materials for the job, at least what Ryan didn’t already have, not to mention all the contingencies necessary to ensure the plan went off smoothly; however, Jason’s mention of the PRT did bring to mind the possibility of Protectorate forces showing their unwelcome faces. If other capes were around, that threw everything off, whether or not they were planning on stopping them directly, or simply seizing the crates for themselves. Inkcraft would be a bad foe to fight at close quarters, frankly - and unless he happened to be willing to lurk outside the warehouse proper and a suitable position presented itself, close quarters would certainly be where Headhunter would find himself.

Since nobody else was answering Ryan’s questions, Raymond did: ‘Frankly speaking, we can’t necessarily plan for any specific cape beyond doing research on all the parahumans who might be present aside from ourselves. I believe Noble and Morales are still out of commission, but somebody like Inkscape or Protean could be extraordinarily threatening even alone, whereas somebody like Sabotage may be somewhat less concerning...’ Completely coincidentally, Raymond imagined the Tinker/Mover would make entering into the warehouse an extraordinarily easy task, but with so little time before the actual insertion, it was hardly worth trying to contact her even if she’d be willing to work for them on a contractual basis. Bah.

‘In any case, I would assume going in loud is the least ideal option for all of us,’ he remarked, ‘since we have plenty of superior options. Adding to both points, in fact,' he decided, turning to "James" once again, 'is there any chance you might also be able to figure out if any particular parahumans will be guarding the warehouse during the rally, Chatterbox? I’d rather take them out first, if they’re most likely to raise an alarm.’

Ryan nodded at Chatterbox's words. "Good to hear, good to hear. A getaway plan is just the thing we need. As for infiltration, that's the easiest part of the job really. I turn into a shadow, go in and tase the guards, tie them up, then I let you guys in. And if there's some nasty Parahuman or threat in general I know I can't handle on my own I skip the tasing and go straight to letting you in. Maybe some tear gas would help if we're dealing with a large security force. Oh and we should obviously cut the power beforehand to give me maximum utility." He tapped his fingers on the bar counter as he fell into silence for a moment while Raymond spoke.

"Smart way of approaching the situation, but I meant in general ideas rather than plans. Do we run if we see a Cape? Probably not but it could depend on the cape. Do we fight it out, does one of us fight it out while everyone else runs with the package? That reminds me, our getaway cars are going to have to be pretty big. The stuff we're stealing is not going to fit in a four door car. As lame as it is, we're gonna need a mom van unless we plan on carrying our box all the way back home. Which is terrible."