(Armsmaster P.O.V)
His hands reached into the buzzing machine with familiar ease. Whirling parts and shifting gears bypassed without a second thought. Actions like this were usually frowned upon when working on any machinery, but his hands glided through the machine as if driven by divine guidance.
He had done this song and dance a million times before, and stopping the machine before fixing it was just so inefficient. Tinker tech needed near-constant maintenance, and if he had to stop the operation of some of his gear to fix it, things would spiral out of control. There was a certain amount of risk if you did not know what you were doing, but he had long since grown out of that phase.
So, the minor rupture inside of his mechanical saw was taken care of quickly, and he was able to get back to work. He needed to process and mold this Alloy by noon if he wanted to finish the latest iteration of his halbert. Admittedly, it was not an urgent manner as he regularly upgraded and innovated his gear to offer just a single percent more efficiency on a regular basis.
That said, he was not willing to put off something when he could take care of it right this second. Some of his colleagues could not understand how he could operate on such a strict schedule without a moment of downtime, but they did not see the beauty in tinkering.
They could not understand the feeling of power and pride that coursed through him as he finished yet another creation, how he could use his mind and hands to create solutions to problems even the Triumvirate could not complete.
With his algorithms, he could predict when an Endbringer would strike and prepare the targeted city for the very worst. Something that no other Cape could even dream of. Admittedly, that project was not just his own accomplishment as Dragon; his ever-distant companion worked just as hard on it, but he still played a significant role in it.
A feat that not even the strongest Capes in the world could even dream of trying, and the both of them figured it out. Sadly, the populace would instead sing praises on fools like Dauntless, who have showy displays of power, instead of someone like him.
He knew why the populace did not think highly of the detection system as it could only predict an attack thirty minutes in advance, and that was if the algorithm was at its best. They could not see what those thirty minutes truly represented. Once a door was opened in innovation, it was only a matter of time and effort to optimize the product over and over again until the item dazzled the world.
He felt truly and utterly annoyed that they could not see the miracle he brought about, but he was used to being underestimated. Still, he would show them exactly how wrong they were about him in time. The greatest hero in Brockton Bay was not Dauntless but him, and he would prove it.
The saw in his hand buzzed to life as the blade spun and sparked against the Alloy in front of him. A surgical cut to process the Alloy as quickly as he could. A machine would be able to cut this with far more precision, but a stand-alone system tended to break down even quicker, eliminating valuable time out of his schedule.
So, most of his tools were handheld and only propelled by the algorithms and calculations that drove his suit. Copying the near-perfect precision of a machine with a human body.
Dragon thought he was pushing his body too hard when operating like this and encouraged him to take the slower process, but he did not have time. More accurately, the world did not have enough time for him to take things easy.
This world needed salvation with attacks from nigh unstoppable beasts and monsters wearing the skin of humans walking the earth. Every second, he delayed his research, was a million lives drained down the drain.
He took a look at a file on his terminal showcasing a theoretical weapon that had his heart pounding in anticipation. The public did not understand the miracle he created with his detection system, but with this weapon, they would see who he was.
A blade to cut anything. A weapon that would put an end to the most significant threat this world had to offer. The sword in the stone that would proclaim him as the righteous savior of everyone.
Armsmaster would be the man who slayed a natural disaster, and no one could deny that. Not with the Nano-blade by his side.
Sadly, he still had several months of nonstop work before he even had a workable prototype. He had to create and optimize almost all of his systems to reach that goal, so the time frame was to be expected.
It was a tragedy, but the world has hung on for this long it could wait for his ultimate creation to be born.
As he continued his work, a message popped up on his interface. He frowned as it was a message from the Director summoning him for an emergency meeting. He looked down at his incomplete upgrade and let out a sigh as he placed his saw down and headed toward her office at a brisk pace.
He hated wasting time like this, but the PRT was funding his research, and if he genuinely broke ties with them, his research would hit a near standstill. He could have gone to the Guild when that happened, but most of their funds were funneled towards Dragon, and while his friend might have shared that load with him, it would still not have been enough.
As the head of the local PRT branch, his funding was significant and almost unlimited, but at the Guild, his projects would be monitored far more heavily. They would also demand he focus on projects that showed promise in profit instead of pipedreams that were unrealistic in their eyes.
Fools, if Dragon could focus her full attention on helping him, they could change the world together.
He entered the Directors office quickly and stood at attention as she looked over at a file on her screen with a frown on her face. His interface ran him through how she was feeling and then told him her body was reacting.
It was a strange combination of concern, excitement, confusion, disgust, hatred, and greed that had him confused. He could not comprehend how people could feel such vivid, conflicting emotions all at once.
Then again, he never understood people; even his friend Dragon was a confusing creature to him, but at least she understood the beauty in creation. She was also near perfect in all her actions, showing off a level of efficiency that he envied when she truly worked on something.
Sadly, Dragon could not invest all of herself into her work as he did, but she still was leagues ahead of the inane idiots he had to deal with.
Thankfully, he did not have to wait for very long as the ever-reliable Miss Militia entered the room, and he no longer had to guess at the Director's motives as she addressed the two of them.
"Thank you for coming here under such short notice, but a situation has arisen that could prove incredibly advantageous for the PRT." She spoke out stiffly. She did not seem that happy about this situation, but she was also a mess of conflicted feelings.
How could someone feel such hatred for Capes but work with them on a near-daily basis? It really shocked him, but he got used to it. Her disdain for Capes kept her from talking and dealing with him, so really, her hatred was just a bonus for him.
He shared a look with his fellow Cape, but she did not look like she had any information. This information was probably brought in by one of the Troopers. It was irritating that the Director kept them out of the loop on most things, but that was the price he had to pay for her to give him the free space he desired.
He heard enough stories from other Tinkers to know that he was lucky here. Having his work interrupted to run numbers and PR meetings would have driven him crazy.
"A recent Trigger has reported themselves on the Helpline, and it looks likely that we will have a new Ward on our team." The Director spoke out stiffly.
Well, that brings focus to the Director's complex feelings. Having another Cape in the fight against this failing city was always important. While the Wards did not fight against the various Capes in the gangs, they did strike down street-level crimes with excellent efficiency.
Something this city needed to deal with on a near-daily basis.
On the other hand, the Director hated relying on Capes, and having another under her command was bringing up her irrational hatred. A ward would also not be as helpful as the support the Director calls from the main PRT headquarters on a near-daily basis. She was always dissatisfied with the lack of support the PRT gave to their branch, but while they were the Cape capital of the North American continent, the Villains here left the city in an odd sort of balance.
Meaning a more substantial level of support was not needed. At least not in the minds of the head of the PRT.
"That's great; seeing another kid join up with the Gangs would ruin my day. It's bad enough that this whole mess with Stagehand was being played out. At least one kid was responsible enough to talk to the PRT when they Triggered." Miss Militia spoke out with a slight smile on her face.
That woman had a soft spot for kids, and fighting a teenager, even one that joined a gang would always hurt her. It was a rather pathetic display from the usually strong woman, but everyone had their weaknesses. He, for one, could not read a room to save his life, as Dragon so eloquently put it, and if he tried to talk his way out of a problem, he was likely to make it worse.
"Having another Ward will increase the effect they have on the city." He spoke out simply. His response drew a glare from Miss Militia and a sigh from the Director, and he just frowned back.
He knew he said something wrong, but he could not figure out what. He was just saying his appreciation for having another Ward like Miss Militia did. So why was she so upset with him? Really, people were such confusing creatures.
"It is true that this Cape is looking to join the PRT, but we ran into a strange situation when we brought them into the Rig for a meeting." The Director spoke out with a frown, and that confusion radiated from her body again.
Miss Militia leaned forward with worry radiating from her while he waited for the Director to get to the point already. He was wasting enough time already, and he did not want to deal with all this lead-up and nonsense.
"The Troopers monitoring Cole followed him to the location where we were supposed to pick up this new Cape. They thought it was a coincidence, but when he wore a mask and waited at the exact location listed, they knew he was the Cape who reported themselves." The Director spoke out with that frown again.
Miss Militia seemed stunned at this turn of events, and he frowned as well. He did not expect the cocky teen from the video to turn themselves in so quickly. Judging from his villainous actions and his relations with the Empire, he assumed it was only a matter of time before Cole became another Empire Cape.
"Do you think this is the Empire trying to infiltrate the PRT?" He asked with a frown on his face. His question earned another glare from Miss Militia and a contemplative frown from the Director. Miss Militia looked like she wanted to say something, but the Director beat her to it.
"It is not likely but possible. So we need to make sure operational security is perfect while he works for us. Make sure the Wards don't even hint at their personal identities, and his access to our systems needs to be monitored and limited." She spoke out sternly, and he nodded along, which made the most sense to him.
Again, Miss Militia looked like she stepped on something unpleasant, but she kept her silence for now. She recognized that some level of security was needed here, even if she was not happy about it for some strange reason.
"Good now, he should be in room 17 by now, so go meet the kid and see what he is up to," She commanded, and he nodded stiffly, leaving the room at a quick pace with Miss Militia following along with a frown on her face.
"You don't really think they sent a kid here to infiltrate?" Miss Militia asked with the same frown clear on her face. He did not even slow down for a moment as he went to respond to her question.
"Unlikely, making a play on secret identities like this is playing too close to the Unwritten Rules, but that angle needs to be defended against. We can never expect Villains to play by the rules even if their own safety is on the table." He spoke out blandly.
He really did not think a single person was stupid enough to play a game like this, but this world was really filled with idiots. That was something he was more than familiar with.
"Right, that makes sense; the Empire is probably the last group to make this play as well. Not after what happened to Fleur." Miss Militia spoke out with relief evident in her voice. She really is such a strange woman.
Instead of offering his opinion further, he grunted and continued on his way to Cole's room. The faster he got this done, the faster he could get back to working on his projects.
The both of them walked in relative silence as Miss Militia was more than familiar with how he operated, and her own worries were answered. She was looking over the file the Trooper submitted with a slight frown on her face.
Having her along might make recruitment more difficult as she was too soft for her own good when kids were involved, but he could admit that just him would be a terrible choice for recruitment.
He did not even know how to convince his friend to give up on frivolous activities. Trying to recruit a likely damaged teen sounded like the very worst place for him to be. It was not like he could think of a better person for recruitment either.
Assault was a joker who could not take a single moment seriously. Battery was okay, but she could not beat Miss Militia in recruitment, and she always seemed like there was something weighing on her. Velocity was flakey at best and was not someone who could bond with a damaged teen. Triumph might work, but the boy had issues of his own. The less said about Dauntless, the better.
So, in his head, Miss Militia and he made the best team for this. Miss Militia for her amiable words and soft smiles and himself for bringing down her unrealistic expectations.
They soon reached the room, and he let Miss Militia enter first, as her own friendly smile was probably a better sight than his own smile. The boy probably needed that sort of comfort since he was dragged to the Rig and placed into one of their interrogation rooms.
As he entered, he looked over at the boy and felt his stiff smile twitch as if he had not expected to see him like this. The showy suit and cocky smile that he hoped to see was nowhere to be found. Instead, the boy wore civilian clothes with a blank, featureless mask.
Stagehand was a near-perfect disguise as it allowed Cole to step away from his own identity. The body language, Face, Hair, and even the build of Stagehand were far away from the images they had of Cole.
Now, looking at the boy sitting on the other side of the table, it was almost ridiculously easy to see that Cole Diamant was the boy sitting underneath that mask. His hair was still out and about for people to see as the blond locks sat limply. His blue eyes shined through the eye slot of the mask itself. His build was sturdier than previous images, but it matched perfectly with the report they got from Shadow Stalker. If someone had seen Cole Diamant before, then they would have pegged this Cape as him ten out of ten times.
It was absurd since the boy was so good at hiding his identity before. At least when it came to his costume, it was his actions that gave him away earlier, after all.
He could see that Miss Militia was also seeing what he was seeing. She had a confused smile flashing across her face, but she shifted back to her warm smile quickly. What was going on here?
If he did not think overreacting would tip the scales on this recruitment, he would be pacing as he thought over what he knew.
"Oh wow, never expected that they would send the both of you to go over recruitment with me. I figured I was going to get another Trooper or maybe a Lawyer to hash out the details, but instead, I get the whole red carpet with Miss Militia herself and the ever-stoic Armsmaster. Big fan, glad I could meet you two." The boy babbled out with nervous energy radiating off of him. He seemed to talk nonstop, which was precisely the type of person he hated, but he was not going to let his own bias dye this scene.
He would say the way he was acting brought up even more questions. He took a look over his HUD to check over his statement, only to balk as he got a truth rating with an accuracy score of 90%.
From the actions that Stagehand previously took and the storied history of the boy, he doubted that he was actually a fan of theirs, but his program was all but screaming that he was. 90% may not be perfect, but reading body language, tone, and pace was not a perfect system, so there had to be room for error. Still, a score of 90% was almost guaranteed that what the person in front of him was saying was actually true.
"Well, we could not let such a promising recruit slip away without showing off our best side. Glad you came to us when you Triggered Rush, I know that Triggering can be a difficult experience, and when you go through something like that, people tend to lash out, so hearing such responsibility from someone so young warmed my heart." Miss Militia spoke out with a blinding smile and warm tones.
That woman really believed in what she was saying even if she did have some worry about the boy before her. Although her words had him almost slip into a frown as she called him a name that he was unfamiliar with.
He took a quick look over the file that she had been looking over earlier, deeming it essential enough now. As the information was provided to him through his HUD, he became even more confused about what was going on with Cole.
From the context clues and the words of the report, Cole was a Cape, but he was not Stagehand, which was frankly a confusing mess. Sure, some facts about Stagehand made painting him as Cole difficult, but more things fit the narrative that he was, so they were ignored. Now, those inconsistencies were being thrown in his face, and he did not know how to handle it.
No, this is fine. He could still be Stagehand, and even if he was not, they were going to find the truth out in this recruitment, so he just had to go along with the show that was being displayed here. He frowned at Rush as a name could work with a Cape like Staghand, but it did not quite fit. Then again, they did not know much about the elusive Cape.
"Ah, well. I would not call it responsible." The boy muttered in an embarrassed manner. That energy seemed to chip away at Miss Militia's own apprehension. Which meant she was going to be less and less helpful the longer this went on.
"What exactly do you mean by that Rush? You called the PRT and are looking to go to a place where you can be safe and guided properly. That is a perfect example of responsibility. Do you have anything else you need to share?" He questioned sharply, as he wanted to get to the root of the issue, and he wanted to do it quickly.
As he spoke to the boy, Cole seemed to shrink in on himself as if he was reprimanding himself for something in his mind. That body language drew another glare from Miss Militia, but he did not really care too much about that.
He would rather Cole reveal everything he was hiding.
"Well, I came here because I don't really have any other options. I made some deals that are biting me in the ass, and it's only a matter of time before I have to deal with it." Cole spoke out nervously and quietly, clearly not wanting to say too much, but that information was valuable enough.
He looked sternly at the boy with a frown on his face as he went over his statement with his algorithm. Again, he reached a high level of accuracy with only an 8% failure rate. So, he was likely to be telling the truth.
He could see how breaking his friend out of prison might be considered something that would harm him later on, but that should be on his shoulders only. A mention of a deal had theories building in his head.
"Well, Rush, that's a bit disappointing to hear, but I assure you that we will do everything we can to pull you out of the issues you are dealing with." Miss Militia spoke out softly, chiding him for his recklessness and reassuring him that everything would be fine.
He wanted to let out a sigh at this woman folding so quickly, but this was to be expected.
"Thank you…Uh, I guess I should tell you what's been going on." The boy muttered quietly as he reached for his mask and took it off. The familiar face that was posted on Stagehand's file was shown off to him. It was not quite as dull and empty as it used to be, but the boy was clearly no longer on the brink. He was probably not fine, but he was at least better than he had been before.
"My name is Cole Diamant, and well, my Dad is a member of the Empire. I figured if I did not go to the PRT, I would eventually get dragged into the Empire, even if my Dad has been stalling on that." Cole muttered awkwardly and his confusion about what was going on grew even larger.
That motive certainly fit with the picture that was being painted, but he never expected that the prominent member of the Empire would hide a Cape away from the organization. As far as he could tell, that man truly believed in the visceral hate he threw around, so having his son join him on his quest should have been perfect.
Yet, here Cole was telling them that his Father did not want that life for him. That is going to make things complicated. Usually, when Capes come to them with a family that is part of a gang, their relationship is strained to the breaking point. Making it relatively easy to get them out of their Family's control and push them out of their sphere of influence.
Maybe a bit cruel to the kid in question here, but it was seen as the lesser of two evils as the Gang member did not make for a responsible role model. However, Cole is still attached to his Father even though he wants nothing to do with the Empire.
He shared a look with Miss Militia, but she shrugged back at him. That issue could be dealt with later; they needed to concentrate on closing this recruitment.
"I'm pretty sure they already think I am a Cape, even if my Dad is stalling them. When I triggered, I saw an opportunity to help a friend of mine, and I took it without thinking about how it would look to the rest of the world." Cole admitted with a sullen look, and again, that made perfect sense with him being Stagehand, but at the same time, it became even more confusing with the other facts being thrown at him.
"Tammi Herren, you broke your friend out of prison." He spoke out stiffly, and the boy's shoulders dropped further. Clearly, he was right about that, but the boy sprung back up to say something.
"No! I mean, yes, but I did not break her out myself. My powers could get her out of there, but it would let out even more people in the process. I looked around and made a Deal with a Cape to break her out of prison for me." Cole explained quickly, but the room fell still.
He and Miss Militia had to process what he was saying right now, and they had to do it quickly. He quickly looked over his program, and he was still getting true but only at an 85% rating, which could be accounted for by the elevated emotional state.
Miss Militia looked over at him as she knew about his suit and all that it did, and he nodded stiffly at her. As strange as it sounds, Stagehand was not Cole Diamant, but Cole Diamant was a Cape. A peculiar and confusing mess, but it made the inconsistencies in Stagehand's appearance relatively clear.
He would question where he found this Cape, but he had ties with the Empire, and they had their ear to the underground far better than the PRT.
"I did not think that breaking just her out would have everyone sniffing around me, but I really should have…I just felt like I had to do something." Cole muttered sullenly as he shrunk in on himself again.
"It's alright, Cole. Trigger events can be messy, and honestly, you handled it far better than most people would." Miss Militia spoke out softly again, reassuring the sullen teen.
He wanted to argue that making deals with villains was a far cry from a good solution but held it back. In all honesty, Cole really reacted better than most. From what he said, he could have broken the girl out himself, but he would have had an even larger prison break on his hands. Most people, in the face of their Trigger event, choose to take immediate action. So delegating the task was a more reasonable response, even if it was a pain for them to deal with, as he basically invited Stagehand into their city.
"So what deal did you make with this Cape Cole?" He asked stiffly, as this was rather important. If he had not paid it off yet, then the damage could be mitigated, but if he already performed a criminal act for this Cape, they needed to clean up the messy bits of this deal.
The boy was likely to get a pardon for breaking out his friend as the PRT valued a happy Cape more than the petty charges they could throw at him. The Director would not be pleased about it, but she would follow the standards set in the PRT.
They are going to have to bring the girl back to prison, but that might alienate him further. Maybe they could work on that, but it was going to be a complicated process.
"Oh, he just wanted me to heal someone for him," Cole spoke out with an awkward smile. He nodded along, as that would be easy to deal with, as it was not technically a crime, and then he froze as he really thought over what Cole was saying.
Miss Militia was stiff, and she understood what was happening faster than him.
"You healed someone for him? So you are a healer?" Miss Militia asked with a soft, coaxing tone, but this time, he did not speak ill in his mind about her. A healer being recruited would be a massive boon. Injuries that would require calling in favors with Panacea could be taken care of without any issues.
Cole would let him push his research further than he previously thought possible.
"Yeah, but not totally; I got this pool of energy that I can use to enhance my physical capabilities on all parts and cause internal damage when used against others. But if I reverse it, I can use that energy to heal nearly anything for both myself and others." Cole explained excitedly as he revealed his powers without a second thought.
He sent a message to the Director as he needed to treat this recruitment seriously. They might have to make concessions that would irritate the Cape-hating woman, but they needed Cole, and they could not risk him slipping back to the Empire to 'save' his friend.
The Empire already had the only other healer in the city; if they got another one, the delicate balance in the city would spiral out of control.
35-
Hook, 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.
36-
Cole stared at Dean and felt like flipping the table from this turn of events. Vista was staring at her crush with clear worry, nothing else on her mind but the boy's state of mind, which drew more attention to his oddity. Dean on the other hand might as well be a statue considering his current state.
The situation had flipped the mood he was building in a near instant. Miss Militia was suddenly guarded and was staring at Cole with intensity as several weapons flashed in her hands demonstrating her unnerved mood.
Armsmaster was even worse as he fiddled with something on his belt. He had no idea what the thing was but Cole was sure it would only spell problems. It was also difficult to read the guy as he had the emotional spectrum of a teaspoon. To Cole's eyes he looked stoic and ready for action which was a far cry from the awkward stiff movements he was displaying earlier.
All that planning ruined because he did not think to account for a single boy. He knew about Dean's emotional vision when he came here and while he thought it was a problem he thought he could glide by on how valuable he would be to the PRT. They would know he was lying about some things but they would still sell their souls to him to get him to join.
It was not like he had done anything truly monstrous. He just stole from one fucking electronic store and broke one teenager out of prison. Not exactly criminal of the year, it was not like they knew he sentenced Coil to a likely eternity of torment. Nor did they know he was effectively the leader of a shadow cabal that had infiltrated their organization with ease.
Fuck, he can still savage this. All he had to do was play on the power interaction between them being off. So he faced the two adults with a nervous look on his face as he fidgeted in place.
"Uh, I know you wanted me to do power testing but should I heal him?" Cole asked nervously as he bit his lips and stared at the duo with a subtle shake running through his body. That offer did not calm the mood at all as the two of them simply stared daggers at him.
Vista on the other hand seemed to notice that things were going in a strange direction as she stood defensively in front of the frozen boy. Cole felt his lips twitch despite him trying to keep the nervous energy about him.
The sight of the determined little girl defending her teammate with everything she had was adorable. It was also hilarious as he could kill everyone in this room without really thinking about it.
Decay was highly lethal when he had no control but now that he could use the energy itself as a weapon he could kill with ease. Since his Cursed Energy pool was so large he could flood this entire building with Decay and kill everything with very little effort.
Not that he was going to share that fact with anyone. He did not really want to go around murdering people for the most part. He really only had a couple people he would even consider worthy of that treatment and despite his mixed feelings about the PRT he did not think anyone here deserved that.
Even Shadow Stalker did not deserve such treatment. A strange stance to take considering her actions but while she was a rather despicable person in Cole's eyes she did not cross any line that would warrant death in his eyes.
While he felt for Taylor her pain was not something he was willing to murder for.
Seeing the building tension in the room he shrunk in on himself and flipped his cursed energy from Negative to Positive and felt a rush of sheer elation that slipped by despite his tight hold on his emotions. That movement caught Armsmaster's eye and he finally took the thing he was holding out of his belt and Cole saw it as a remote that had two tiles on the ceiling shifting and pointing two nozzles at him that he did not like the sight off.
Miss Militia glided across the room and stood in front of the two wards with a Taser forming in her hands that would really ruin his day. He could not see what the two wards were doing but the space around him shifted and contorted in a way that told him he was all but trapped here if he wanted to escape by foot.
He was able to calm his rising mood as he used his control to keep his RCT from flooding his body, it was just sitting docile in his core now. Too bad he already showed his current emotional instability.
The room seemed like it was finally going to explode from the tension that was building but a sharp gasp tore attention away from Cole. Dean collapsed to his knees and was taking deep desperate breaths as he shuddered in his over designed mess of a suit. He was shaking and it must feel like he was restarting his heart after this mess.
The quivering space around him shattered for a moment as Vista lost focus on her power as Dean was too important to her little heart. That did not stop the two adults from acting.
The nozzles came to life as gooey foam was thrown at him and was on the move to coat him in that confining mess. Alarms blaring as the situation reached a point of no return. Cole felt himself twitch in annoyance as he contemplated just leaving this fucking place and flipping the table but let out a sigh.
He was here for a reason and he was going to stick to it despite it being annoying so he accepted his fate. Fucking Dean, you deserve to be cucked all the time. Freaking ruining his good deal just because you have bullshit powers.
At least he was not going to be tased. He did not want to have a shared experience with Alec. Lisa would laugh at him for ages if she found out secrets not tied to him were bound to get out eventually to her.
She might not bring it up to him considering their current relationship but he knew she would be laughing to herself about it. Stupid smug fox.
Well, if Miss Militia was going to use her Taser he was likely to replace himself with one of his Clones. He did not want to sign up from being tased after all.
He was soon coated in the foam that quickly hardened and expanded around him sealing off his movements with ease. He let out a panicked startled yelp as it happened even if he felt more annoyed about all of this internally.
Thankfully his acting did not have to continue for very long as the foam finally enclosed his head and he was greeted with the sight of white foam blocking out everything else in the room. He thought he would be in total darkness from the foam covering him but the light in the room was able to pass through the foam coating him.
He could still technically see as his eyes could map out the room using Cursed Energy but it was just not the same thing.
He felt like he was encased in stone and it had his heart racing despite knowing he could leave at any moment. There was something about this enclosed tight space that gnawed on the nerves despite him knowing it was safe.
Honestly how did Dragon make a cage that can trap people completely and allow them to breathe at the same time. Tinkertech is fucking bullshit and Dragon was the queen of that bullshit.
Leet being the unknowing king and court jester at the same time.
"Target contained." Armsmaster spoke out sternly from the other side of the foam. The alarms finally stopped blaring at that and he heard shuffling from the other side of the wall. He could tell that Miss Militia was comforting Dean as she patted his back and ran him through motions to calm the panicking teen.
Vista was staring at her crush with quivering lips that displayed her worry clearly. Armsmaster was standing stiffly at attention as he stared guardedly at Cole current prison.
"What the hell! Look, something is happening but this has nothing to do with me!" Cole shouted out in aggressive panic. His words seemed to fall on deaf ears but it was not like he was expecting them to really matter here. He just had to say something to keep in character.
So he just waited calmly for all of this to blow over. After a couple minutes of silence in the room Dean seemed to recover from his panic attack.
"What the hell was that?" Dean muttered out as he stared at where Cole was standing with a quiver running through him as he did. He was no longer seeing that pit of all consuming darkness but the memory was still engraved into his very being.
So the mix of all that is good coming from Cole currently did not give him any relief. Just confusion and fear of the maddening sight returning and claiming him in the abyss.
"Likey a master effect from Cole." Armsmaster commented without much fluctuation in his voice. Just stating a simple fact.
"Slander! I don't even have a Master Power!" Cole shouted out from his prison desperately trying to defend himself. Well, he did with his clones but he was not going to tell them that not that he was planning on sharing much with them.
Armsmaster looked stiff at his response but did not say anything to Cole. His program was telling him that Cole was telling the truth but he might be under a master effect as well. Which was going to lead to everyone in this room going underneath Master/Stranger protocol which would lead to a delay in his research but that was the price you paid when dealing with new capes.
"Are you okay Dea, Uh, Gallant?" Vista asked as she fidgeted in place, not sure what to do with herself now that things had calmed down. Great, they were still ignoring him. He was going to get suitable revenge on Dean. The guy was rich right? He might have better targets but getting revenge was also a good thing and it would advance his goals.
He let out a sigh as he was being petty. He had more tempting targets already arranged and people that genuinely deserved his retribution. Jack, Lung, The Warrior, hell even Skidmark had a higher place on his list….Maybe just send one Clone to target Dean's riches.
He had nearly unlimited Clones so he could afford to send one of them on a quest of petty vengeance. It might even endear him to Amy. Who was he kidding? Getting on her good side was like trying to tame a wild mangy cat that ran from everyone but one girl.
Vista's question tore Dean's gaze away from the foam trap for a moment. He gave her a stiff smile as if trying to reassure her but not feeling it. Before any more words could be said Cole decided to push some oil on the fire.
"Okay, if you guys are going to trap me here I'm switching my power back to the Negative state, clearly you don't need healing!" Cole shouted out sullenly but his words were finally heard by one person.
Not the adults that should be worried about the Power change nor Vista who was worried about what was happening but Dean. The guy's nerves were already on edge and the sudden comment was another triggering point. Dean may have no idea what this Negative state was but considering what just happened to him he wanted to not see that again.
"WAIT!" Dean shouted out, desperately setting off the room again. The guy took shuddering breaths as he tried to get his panic under control. The two adults seemed confused about the sudden urgency from Dean and Vista was also nervous about him nearly breaking down again.
There was a tense moment as Dean collected himself. Finally the laboured breath coming from the boy calmed as he was able to get a handle on himself again.
"What do you mean by Negative state?" Dean asked with a nervous energy clear in his tone. Miss Militia seemed stumped by his question before a look flashed across her face. Armsmaster on the other hand stiffened as if recalling something himself.
"Uh, does it really matter you got me trapped for no goddamn reason!" Cole shouted out angrily letting some of his real irritation dye his tone. Dean seemed to stumble over his response as he needed to know what was going on but the situation was already really off.
"Cole, we understand that this situation is less than ideal but you saw what happened to Gallant. We could not risk his health if you were doing something with your power. So could you answer some questions to ease the situation." Miss Militia coaxed from her position, a certain sense of awkwardness about her now that things were looking less dire.
Vista was looking back between Dean and the adults with confusion clear on her face but she held back for now. Armsmaster just left the talking to the more emotionally attuned person.
Cole took in their words for a moment before letting out a deep sigh that was heard from the other side of the foam.
"Yeah, he did look like he was dying. Uh, well like I said earlier my power provides me with a pool of energy that I can use to do things. In the Positive state I can heal and in the Negative state I can enhance my body and use that energy destructively." Cole explained awkwardly, Miss Militia and Armsmaster already knew that from his explanation earlier but they did not really understand it till now.
Dean was shaking as he stared at the foam with a glint of understanding but horror still prevalent in his eyes. Vista stared at her crush in worry as his shaking frame was far away from the stalwart and charming figure she was used to.
"Cole, is there a reason you label these states as Positive and Negative?" Armsmaster asked stiffly as he realized what exactly was happening but he needed confirmation.
Dean also needed that answer desperately, and Miss Militia was trying to ease the tension building in the panic stricken boy.
"Uh, it's a bit complicated but my energy is pulled from emotions. I pull energy from Negative emotions, expanding my energy pool." Cole explained awkwardly. There was a stark silence in the room as everyone got a handle on what was happening now.
Dean looked like someone just smacked him with a stick and Miss Militia was nervously looking at the foam with her maternal affection back into play even if she was also awkward. Armsmaster just let out a deep sigh that was filled with annoyance.
Vista was fidgeting as she now knew what was wrong and she could no longer blame Cole for everything. Clearly it was just bad luck that things turned out like this.
They were a bit too trusting in his words here but the 'truth' he was throwing at them had already built a picture of who Cole was in their minds. This sudden situation was not really about him and more about protecting a minor under their aegis.
Armsmaster dissolved the foam and kind of just looked at Cole stiffly. The teen in question was looking at the room with irritation clear on his face but was also not making eye contact with anyone.
"Cole, if Gallant is ever near you do not put your Power in the Negative State." Armsmater stated simply.
Dean grimaced at having to interact with Cole again but he knew that this was not Cole's fault but it was still traumatizing. Vista was not sure how to deal with Cole either, clearly her crush did not like him but she could not really blame Cole for that.
So she just kept quiet a habit she developed from hearing her parents argue over and over again.
There was a certain awkward tension in the room that simply could not be driven away. Not after the experience everyone in this room went through.
"So, how about power testing." Dean spoke out stiffly trying to close the gap even if he did not want to. Cole shifted his gaze to the guy and gave him a flat look that belonged 100% to him. Dean just coughed awkwardly and broke eye contact.
Hell, considering the awkward interaction between Cole's and Dean's power one of them might get sent out of the city. The PRT would not like to have one of their Wards drop dead out of sheer fright after all. He would be worried about him being sent away but Cole was valuable. Far more than a Ward that just sat around doing jack shit.
So they were probably going to send Dean away, or maybe he would leave under his own worries. That would not exactly endear him with the Wards but he was just here to get the PRT off of his back.
Cole let out a sigh.
"Fine." He spoke out quietly clearly just wanting this moment to end.
37
What was supposed to be a light hearted introduction to the Wards and an in depth exploration of Cole's Powers changed into a rather strange situation.
Dean was stiffly trying to bridge the gap between Cole and himself but that was a nearly impossible task. First of all the boy relied too much on his ability to read the emotions of people to interact with them. Honestly, the image of a gallant knight was carried by that power thoroughly.
The guy knew when people were feeling their lowest. The guy knew what words and actions tipped the scale when interacting with people. He could charm your pants off because he knew the buttons that would destroy or restore you.
Frankly, if the public knew how much of a Master the kid was they would be outraged. The PRT was able to side step most of those issues by masquerading him as a Tinker who relied on tools to mess with people's emotions but that still rubbed people the wrong way so the guy could only use more mild emotions for the most part.
Beams that could put you in a near suicidal state in an instant were frightening in way that simply could not be comprehend. Not to mention he could force love onto someone if he ever felt like it.
Still, while those powers were frightening he thought the other aspect of his power was more insidious. Not just because Dean's emotional vision put him into an awkward situation but because of how invasive that technique could be.
Vista for example was smitten with Dean because of how caring and gentle he was with her. More importantly she cared for him because he noticed her when no one else did. For a girl who grew up in a household where her parents were at each other's throats constantly and she was used as nothing more than a weapon, Dean's attention was lethal.
That would be great in most cases but that care and attention was fake. Dean only knew about her vulnerability because of his powers. Dean did not care for her more than anyone else. Her emotional state was upsetting to him so he took care of it. Simple and easy.
The way he went about fixing that issue was a problem as well. He showered her with the attention she needed and said all the right words at the right time. Every single time those emotions tipped in a direction he found unpleasant he would talk to the girl enforcing that girlish crush even if he did not mean to.
Noble intentions can lead to monstrous actions especially if you do not think about them. Dean had effectively played with her emotions over and over again because he did not like the sight of her despair. Sure, he did not want her to wallow in her despair but instead of addressing the issues she had he simply did things that stopped her from feeling so low.
Cole let out a scoff as they walked which had Dean flinching and Vista shooting him a worried look but the silence remained. Maybe he was being harsh on Dean because of how he messed up his plans but there was a sprinkle of reality in his dissection.
Sure, you could account Dean's actions from the direction of a boy trying to help a friend in the only way he knew but that just meant the malicious nature of his actions was not intentional. Whatever Dean was not something he should be too worried about.
While today had gone a little off the path everything seemed to be going back to the right direction. They were going to test his powers and the PRT will no longer look too deeply into what his alter ego will be doing.
Dean being able to see his Cursed Energy as the raw emotions that built them was annoying but he had a solution now that things have calmed. Six Eyes offered him perfect control over that energy and while he could not stop the emotions from showing off to Dean if Cole encountered him, he could shift the flavor of those emotions.
So instead of blinding hatred and all consuming envy he could simply have his core display a mountain of apathy. While that had problems of its own it should be able to stop Dean from connecting Cole with his Alter Ego. He could also focus on knocking out the prick first whenever he did face him.
While Cole was working with the Wards he was planning on keeping his Core in the positive state for the most part. So the differences between the Tower of Joy, Compassion, and elation were starkly different to the mountain he would display on a day to day basis.
It's easy to trick people who rely on something so heavily. You only had to see Cole's interactions with Armsmaster to find that key. Both Armsmaster and Dean were too reliant on their systems to figure out problems. Then again if you had superpowers it was perfectly normal to rely on them even if that introduced a flaw people could take advantage of.
"So Cole, where do you go to school?" Vista asked, trying to break the tension. Dean winced and gave her an odd look while Miss Militia gave her a stiff smile. Cole also looked at her flatly for a moment but this was not really on her. She was just trying to make small talk and she did not know much about him.
Due to the sudden hostile nature of their interaction earlier Cole's name came up so she used it without thinking about it. She did not take in account to the fact that he was wearing a mask and that he had not introduced himself.
So she was stepping into his privacy without really feeling like she was doing so. He could not blame her too much as the Wards all knew each other's identities and it was likely that she would know him when he did join them.
The issue was he had not technically joined them so touching on his secret identity was breaking the unwritten rules.
Seeing the gazes on her she shrunk in on herself and looked like a dejected puppy so Cole gave up on being stern here. Blaming her seemed rather pointless after all.
"I go to Winslow, if you are looking for a school to go to I don't recommend it. The tension between the various factions are constantly being tested and the staff turns a blind eye to it for the most part as no one wants to be dragged off in the middle of the night. Even the regular students have issues, just the other day I got into a fight with someone." Cole spoke out a little stiffly as he still had an image to sell even if he felt soft on the determined girl before him.
Armsmaster stiffened even more at the mention of the fight but no one but Cole noticed it. Well, it looked like Armsmaster was aware of Sophia's reckless actions back then but maybe he did not have the full details of what happened.
The guy was supposed to be the mentor for the Wards so he must get a report of all their actions even if he leaves most of the actual bonding and teaching to Miss Militia.
Vista seemed to bounce back to life when Cole responded and Dean let out a sigh of relief at that as well. Although, it looked like Vista was not quite sure how to take the words Cole was telling her.
"I'm not planning on going to Winslow. No offence but like you said Winslow has issues. I just wanted to know if you went to Acadia as that is where most of the Wards go so you could hang out with them at school but I guess that not going to happen. Well you could talk to Shadow Stalker but she can be a bit prickly. She is okay on the field and get's her job done but trying to talk to her at any other time is like wrestling a wild crocodile." Vista babbled out with energy he was not used to dealing with.
Cole kind of just stared at her numbly as she went on and on. He did not take her for much of a chatter box considering her silent nature previously but maybe this current outburst was from nerves?
He took a cursory glance at the rest of the people here and felt that assumption was wrong. Miss MIlitia had a soft indulgent smile as she looked at Vista and Dean had this sort of exasperation that screamed he was familiar with this scenario. Armsmaster did not really have anything going on but expecting him to have a read of people's emotional states was like asking a blind monkey to type out shakespeare.
Still, while she was vomiting words at a mile a minute he did not feel put out by it. In fact it kind of relaxed him and the emotional mask he was wearing cracked a bit as a soft smile slipped out.
He was not feeling most of the emotions he was showing the PRT throughout the day but he did have a bit of a foul mood going on from things going off rails. Now that mood had relaxed and even Dean's stupid face was not as annoying.
He really was too indulgent with small blonde girls….God, his father would be ecstatic to hear that but it was just a coincidence that the people closest to him were blonde girls….At least he hopped so. He did not think the years of rants from his Father really turned him into a racist but he could not deny that his life was currently filled with blondes.
As he was lost in thought he did not notice when Vista stopped her babble for a moment but he caught on quickly. He looked over confused about what stopped her but she was looking away with a light dusting of pink on her cheeks before she violently looked at Dean like she was rebuking a demon possessing her.
Cole gave her an odd look but everyone else seemed to know what was going on so he dropped it. Maybe she just wanted to look at her crush but why was she blushing before that?
"It's going to take awhile to get Amy here so the healing tests are going to have to wait, So they are preparing standard array tests for speed, strength, durability, and reaction speeds. Most of these tests are going to be fairly general but they are likely to bring you in for more testing later on. The PRT really likes to test the boundaries in our abilities to help us develop them." Dean stepped in with a tight smile on his face as he faced Cole.
The guy clearly did not feel comfortable talking about Cole's powers but he felt the need to cut in for some reason. Cole gave him an odd look but again dropped it.
"Huh, are you going to be fine? I know you did not have that reaction until you entered the room but is it fine to turn my Powers to the Negative state while you are in the same building?" Cole asked with some concern even if he did not feel an ounce of it.
Dean grimaced at that but shifted his expression back to that tight smile fairly quickly.
"Gallant was not put into a debilitating situation until he caught sight of you in person. That fits with his power set. He was in a room down the hallway while we were talking to you earlier so the distance should not be an issue. Still, before we begin testing you will wait twenty minutes to transfer Gallant into the furthest room from here just in case." Armsmaster spoke out in a mechanical tone clearly not caring and just stating facts.
He could see why even in the Wards Vista had issues with people paying attention to her. Armsmaster clearly put minimal effort in dealing with the often emotionally vulnerable teens and Miss Militia would not overstep in most places.
Vista had learned from a young age to deal with her own problems so she was not going to take her issues up with the motherly figure that Miss Militia was. That was why Gallant was the only one dealing with her issues.
It's a shame that people who often need help are unlikely to ask for it. From the habits they developed from being in a situation that would require assistance.
You would think the mental health program here would be extensive considering the Trauma required to become a Cape but the Bay had always been a problem child. Lack of funding, Lack of support, Lack of Capes, and lack of intel. This place was designed for a Cape Warlord to take over as an experiment so the main PRT line was very hands off here even if that issue would lead to some very bad PR.
"Okay, but what set him off? I don't want to freak out another Cape if I stumbled onto them in my Negative state one day." Cole asked with a frown as he looked over at Gallant.
Dean gave a stiff smile in response and Armsmaster stepped in to reply.
"That is classified for now. You are likely to join the Wards after this but until everything is finalized it's best to keep information like that close to our chests." Armsmaster spoke out briskly. Cole just nodded along clearly not caring too much about it.
But on the inside he was thinking over that response. It was true that he had not joined the PRT yet but there was no one in hell they were going to let him go if he wanted to leave. So this was not an issue about keeping information confidential and more of them not wanting him to know what happened.
Probably because it would look bad if the information about Gallants true powers came to light. It would also make recruiting him more difficult. They knew they were going to get the only thing he cared about here soon so they had him in a tight spot but recruitment is always better if it is willing.
One look at how Lisa shot Coil in the knees and tortured the guy told you what happened under forceful recruitment. In a lesser extent Sophia's sliping of the lease also pointed at that aspect.
Before any more thought could be put into that they arrived at the testing zone. It was just as top of the line as the rest of this place. While nothing looked beyond the reach of humanity it was clear that the tech here was at the very peak of what was being offered. That was the perk of working with an organization that was funded by taxpayers and backed by the Super-Hero Illuminati.
There were an assortment of men and women working on computers and messing with the equipment to calibrate everything. It was clear that this place was busy near constantly as several sections of the very large area were conducting experiments with tools and material while others were crunching numbers.
He could see several zones designed for testing he might be going through and while they were busy it was clear they were waiting for him to arrive.
"It's a lot right? The first time I saw this place I felt the same. So much going on and even knowing that I had power I felt like I was the unimportant one here even if they were planning on testing my powers." Vista spoke out from Cole's side. It appeared she recovered from her odd mood as she was back to chatting with him but there was something off about her.
A restraint that was not there previously and a strange sort of expectation coming from her body language.
"I guess it is, never thought so much work got done here but studying parahuman abilities and their consequences deserves tests like this." Cole spoke out again as he looked over at a sheet of metal that was being shot at with some sort of ray gun.
The clunky design and hasty look of it made it clear this was not of Armsmaster's designs and was more likely to be made by Kid Win. Kid was more likely to build Ray guns anyways. Armsmaster was a bit more physically oriented as his combat assistance from his constant iterations on his programs were enthralling to watch.
The guy was quite literally a machine on the battlefield when he got into it and while shooting ray guns was impressive it was not as showy as those displays.
"Right? I never thought there would be so many tests on something that seemed so simple to me but they are still asking me to come back and push my powers to see if I could do something. Even if they had done a thousand tests that were similar they are determined to find outliers and the hidden aspects of powers even if they have to bash their heads against the wall for years." Vista shot out with a respectful smile on her face.
Cole let out a light laugh and looked over at her with that soft smile back on his face.
"Quite insightful little lady, figured you were more happy go lucky than this from what the media says about you but you are pretty sharp." Cole spoke out with that smile on his face.
Vista froze as several emotions passed along her face. It was clear she was feeling conflicted as she hated being treated as a kid so him calling her little lady was irritating but the rest of it made it clear he was complimenting her about her mind.
She looked at his face for a moment before again retching her gaze away from him and the conflicting emotions on her face faded like a dream. She was back to looking off into the distance with an awkward energy about her.
Cole looked over and figured he knew what was bothering her.
"Sorry if that sounded condescending, You have been a Cape far longer than I have and being called Little Lady was probably insulting. Again sorry about that." Cole apologized as Vista really was impressive.
She had far more guts than Cole had at least. Sure, she had powers but she was still willing to fight tooth and nail for the world if push came to shove and that was not something Cole was confident about doing even now. If he had just one power instead of the System would he even dream of a future that was better than this or would he succumb to the weight of the world that had been pressing on him since he was eight.
Cole honestly did not know so seeing the determination blazing in Vista was impressive.
His words caused her to freeze again and before he knew it she retreated mechanically and was standing behind Miss Militia while staring at a wall. Cole looked over at her with some confusion clear in his stance but Miss Militia just smiled at him without saying anything.
"Alright, come over here Cole. The first test is ready." Armsmaster spoke out from his side. Cole blinked and looked over at a small area that had a target dummy with several devices strapped to the thing. Armsmaster was standing there with a scientist who was rapidly writing things done on a clipboard he was carrying. Which was odd since they had done nothing worth monitoring yet but what did he know?
Cole took a look around and did not see Dean, he must have been too preoccupied to notice when the guy left and the time passed.
Still, he was here for a reason so he went over to the test site and stood ready for everything. Before he could do anything the scientist walked over excitedly.
"So you must be the new Cape we are testing today. Considering you are an enhancement type we are going to get a handle on your baseline and then move on to enhanced testing." The scientist explained quickly while they dragged him over to the dummy.
Cole was surprised the dude was so willing to touch a Cape he did not know but maybe Sciene was the only thing on this guy's mind.
"Just hit this with everything you have but don't enhance yourself in any way, is that understood?" He asked with a serious tone that had Cole frowning.
He got it the first time, he did not need the guy repeating himself over and over again. He let it go as he was probably used to Capes rushing head first into this without really listening. That conflict drive and the Trauma did not make for the most patient individuals.
So Cole just nodded and everyone left the small area to give him space. He took a step forward and punched the dummy with everything he was capable of. There was a loud smacking sound as his fist made contact with the dummy and it shook slightly but everything seemed to stop shaking quickly.
"No, no enhancements." The scientist piped in from the side with a frown as he looked over at the display pumping out data. Cole frowned in turn being treated as a small disobedient puppy but let out a sigh as this was a matter of wrong information.
"I'm not doing anything, I get a small boost from my Power as a base but I am not activating any enhancements." Cole explained back with a frown clear on his face. The scientist paused his note taking and looked over at Cole before nodding stiffly and looking back at the data log.
"Okay, then punch it again. We need an average so you are going to do this several times. Try to keep your force as consistent as you can make it." The guy spoke out as he looked over at the data log.
Cole compiled but he could already tell he was not going to like this testing.
As the testing went on he was right. He was forced to change tiny aspects of what he was doing over and over again and they had not even got to using Cursed Energy as an Enhancement yet.
It was not like they were telling him what they were reading either. They just went onto the next test before he could even think about asking questions.
Finally he was told to use his cursed energy to punch and they told him to go all out. So he put his all into this as he was feeling rather annoyed about all of this.
This time when his fist made contact with the dummy it's belly sunk inwards and the whole thing shook violently and only seemed to recover after a minute of shaking. He raised an eyebrow at the thing as he did not think it was as durable as it was but he was proven wrong.
He did not have a perfect reading on how much force he could output but he was pretty certain he could demolish a building with just his fists at this point. He looked over at the Scientist to see how they were reacting to the new data but they were simply writing notes down and looking over the data.
"Another punch." The guy spoke out in the same clinical manner he did earlier. He let out a sigh as these guys really took the fun out of having super powers.
So he went through more and more tests like this never knowing if he was impressive or not. The only ones he knew were impressive was speed and reflex. The speed one because he could tell how fast he was moving on that treadmill even if he could not label the exact measurements.
Reflex on the other hand was good because he cheated. Ultra Instinct made the Reflex test a snore fest. Even when he was not enhancing his body with Cursed Energy he was able to dodge with a grace unlike anything they had likely ever seen.
If Armsmaster was a machine built on precise movements then he was a leaf in the wind that simply could not be touched.
It was not like UI made him glow silver like Goku. He did not have the imperfect UI that Goku had he had an UI mastered by an angel so he was in a constant state of UI.
Finally after what felt like days Armsmaster pipped in as they were going to drag him into another test.
"Panacea is here so we are ready to start testing your healing capabilities." Armsmaster spoke out and Cole felt like hugging the guy. Even if this was just more tests he figured the moody cat that Panacea was, would be better than these killjoys.
So Cole followed Armsmaster with enthusiasm unmatched.
When he entered the room containing the girl he felt his good mood simmer down. The girl looked absolutely exhausted.
Brown messy hair that was disheveled and needed a good combing before it even approached acceptable. Bags underneath her eyes that spoke out how little sleep she actually got. Stress lines that seemed to paint her face despite being so young. How in god's name did anyone think she was fine when she looked like this?
"So this the new wonder boy? Heard you made Gallant pass out from just looking at you. You made my day congratulations" She spoke out dryly with a tired frown on her face.
Oh, it's because she was all sarcasm and snark. That was why they thought she was okay.