At no point in Brockton Bay’s cape history has it:
- Played host to a literal biblical swarm.
- Seen a villain that demolished virtually all of the city’s heroes on his own, a day after defeating the previous villain to hold this reputation, as well as incinerating said swarm.
- Had two comatose, teen heroes, one of whom was a Ward and the other her sister, and;
- Been within spitting distance of an event worthy of an Endbringer response.
All within the space of two weeks.
Regardless of Amy’s own personal opinion on Seraph (she absolutely despised him), there was no denying that he made his mark on the Bay. The local PRT, for example, saw more reinforcements arriving than it had in a very long time. Additional Protecterate heroes have also been sent, along with a couple of Wards.
She hadn’t met them yet, but Amy knew Weld and Bastion by reputation. The two from New York, less so.
Looking over the familiar skyline from her usual spot, Amy blew a cloud of smoke, cigarette in hand. One benefit that came with Victoria being in a coma, as loathed as she was to even consider it: Carol had stopped riding her ass so much.
The hospital has also stopped being so busy, with the gangs lying low, and crime seeing its lowest rates in decades. Seraph was that much of a deterrent.
As a result, Amy hasn’t had to spend that much time healing as she did just a month prior. Instead, she spent as much time as she could sitting with her sister, who still refused to wake up. Her vigil, and the subsequent brooding she did at home, made her feel more exhausted now, with very little to do, than she did before.
Of course, as the single greatest healer in the world, she wasn’t ignorant of how comas worked.
Vicky was as healthy as she could possibly be, so it was just a matter of waiting. There had been several times when Amy was tempted to cross the line and just meddle with the inflamed Corona Pollentia and Gemma with her power.
Every time, she was able to resist, but not without difficulty.
It was the same just a few minutes ago, when she nearly gave in after hours of just looking at Vicky’s lovely face. She looked so peaceful, untroubled. Yet, Amy missed her voice. She missed her laughter, her embrace, and even her nagging about finding a boyfriend.
Even though it’s been only a few days, she could already feel the memory of those comforting gestures slipping away.
The frustrated healer was broken from her rumination when she saw a streak of green and white against the dark sky fly past from the corner of her eye. For a moment, Amy thought that Purity had finally decided to come out of hiding, but it was the green that truly caught her attention.
The distinct hue had been branded in her mind after several sleepless nights spent watching every clip featuring the cape she could find. It couldn’t be anyone but him.
Just as this thought sank into her mind, the hospital’s alarms began to wail. The lit cigarette fell on the ground as Amy forgot everything else and concentrated on sprinting through the white hallways with everything she had.
Hardly even noticing the hospital staff clustered outside her sister’s room, she burst through the door in breathless panic. Relief flooded her veins upon seeing that Vicky was all right. This was then replaced by confusion because Vicky was also awake.
“Amy?” she heard, almost from far away.
Amy Dallon should’ve been happy that her sister was finally up and speaking. And while she was, a much bigger part of her also despaired at the sight of the crystalline figure floating beside Vicky’s bed.
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A crystalline figure that bore a remarkable resemblance to the bedridden blonde, and was waving at her with considerable enthusiasm.
Armsmaster was a figure of calm within a whirlwind of chaos. Carefully cataloguing any potential evidence of the presence of a figure who has quickly gained infamy among cape circles, the Tinker was busy building the scene to have a better idea of how recent events transpired.
PRT agents were scouring the rest of the hospital interior and grounds for further clues. Though he doubted they would find anything meaningful. He certainly wasn’t having much luck with his own investigation.
While he did that, Miss Militia and Battery spoke with Panacea and the now awake Glory Girl. Of course, there was also the newest expression of her power, hovering close to the patient.
Protocols would have placed the teen in isolation to ensure her Second Trigger did not cause either biological or psychological instability. However, recent events have pushed the PRT and Protectorate’s resources to the limit. As such, they had to settle for a compromise in which the immediate area is cleared of civilians and other personnel without the prerequisite clearance.
Armsmaster had just finished scanning the window, which Seraph used for entrance and exit, when he finally joined his colleagues.
“So, you don’t remember seeing him at all?” Battery pressed.
Glory Girl shook her head. “Sorry, no. As I said, the first thing I heard was yelling, and then there was the alarm, and then the nurses, and then Amy. That’s it.”
“And that?” Battery gestured at the crystalline silhouette in mild concern, now busy playing with the blonde’s hair.
“She,” came the sharp correction, “was already with me before I woke up. Fragile was there, in that place.”
“What place is this?” Armsmaster cut in.
His intrusion drew a huff of irritation from the girl. “I already told them about it. Weird place. Lots of lights and twinkling stars. Not really much to do but think over there, but Fragile was with me the whole time.”
Before he could ask her more details on the matter, shouting could be heard from beyond the door. Suddenly alert, the room’s occupants braced for danger when a loud voice sliced through the cacophony.
“That’s my daughter, in there! I’m getting through, whether I leave you intact or in pieces is up to you!”
Colin didn’t need his visor to tell him that Brandish had arrived. Although she did sound uncharacteristically aggressive. A sentiment that Glory Girl apparently shared.
“Holy shit! I’ve never heard Mom this mad before,” she whispered in awe.
Deciding to preempt any unfortunate decisions made out of haste, Armsmaster moved toward the door after signalling to the other adult heroes to stay. Upon exiting, he immediately drew all eyes in the hallway, with more concerned gazes from the hospital staff and patients some distance away.
“New Wave,” he greeted the hero team, every member of which was present, before turning to the fuming Carol Dallon, wearing her work clothes. “You know our protocols, Brandish.”
There was no need to elaborate. As a capable lawyer and long-time hero, the Dallon matriarch would already know everything that Armsmaster could tell her. Not that she was in any state to actually remember them, it would seem.
“Do I look like I give a damn about protocols, right now?” she snarled, going right up to Colin’s face to do so. “My daughter is awake. I will see her. Or will you stand in my way?”
Her response put Armsmaster in a bind. On one hand, they simply couldn’t afford to have another public incident. The PRT ENE and Protectorate’s reputations were already hanging by a thread.
But neither could he simply allow Brandish to have her way.
Thankfully, he didn’t need to make the decision himself. Likely in response to one of the agents reporting the brewing incident, Director Piggot’s voice sounded in his earpiece.
“Let her through, Armsmaster.”
“Are you sure, director?”
“Yes, I’ll explain when you come back,” she confirmed brusquely.
Having received his orders, Armsmaster stepped aside, letting all of New Wave inside. Lady Photon gave him an apologetic smile as she passed, to which he simply nodded. He didn’t take the confrontation personally.
Once back in Glory Girl’s hospital room, Armsmaster saw the cape family asking after her condition. He decided to tune them out and opted to approach his colleagues, who now stood in the corner.
“Any new development?” he asked.
“Not much,” Miss Militia replied. “As far as we could tell, the projection is basically her forcefield taking the form of this… Fragile entity. Similar enough to other Second Triggers. The only unique aspect is how aware the projection acts.”
“Without extensive testing, we won’t really know more,” Battery added. “Panacea already confirmed that Glory Girl is as healthy as she has ever been. No contagions or mutations to speak of.”
The three fell to silence, simply observing the Dallons and Pelhams reuniting. Eventually, Armsmaster asked about Shadowstalker.
“No change,” Miss Militia declared morosely. “I’m not sure what it says about Seraph that he didn’t wake her too.”
“Maybe he couldn’t?” Battery suggested. “He was caught after he was done with Glory Girl. Staying to do the same for Shadowstalker after that would have been quite the mess.”
“Maybe,” Miss Militia conceded.
For Armsmaster’s part, none of his scans indicated anything out of the ordinary. Panacea’s examination provided no clues as to how Seraph was able to rouse the comatose Glory Girl. The room provided no clues to point them in the right direction, either.
The only thing he knew for sure was that the cape entered through the window, treated the patient, somehow, and flew off once caught in the act. Was this an act of conscience? A peace offering? What could possibly have prompted this gesture of generosity?
She couldn’t decide if she wanted to tear her hair out or fall on the floor and lose herself in hysterical laughter. Nothing in the world made sense anymore. Still in the room with the world’s premier swarm bringer, Lisa stared out the window toward the night sky.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked after several minutes of silence.
“No,” Taylor answered, looking in the same direction as the Thinker.
“Then why?” Lisa has been racking her brain for the other girl’s reason in what anyone else would consider utter madness.
“Because I can’t be sure, otherwise.”
The blonde could only stare at those inscrutable gray eyes with confusion. But then she eventually concluded that it didn’t matter. She gave the order. He obeyed. The only thing left to do was contain the inevitable fallout.
Because there will be a fallout.