Celestial
Piggot was still monologuing. Listing every single thing I had 'done wrong' while at school.
Fuck, half of these things hadn't even be me. But of course it was fine to blame me for having the wrong friends. Bitch had no clue what would happen if I behaved like a prissy little princess in a school full of gangers.
"We gave you a chance, Miss Hess. Care to explain why you are spitting on it the moment your probation is over?"
Fuck you, how was I supposed to answer that anyway? There was never a right answer to that.
"Just did what I had to to survive. School is full of gangers and teachers who don't give a shit."
Aaand that was wrong too. Of course she doesn't care about the facts.
"Do you think thats an excuse? You abused the goodwill of your teachers to continue just like before you joined the Wards. I would throw you into jail myself if I could."
Fuck, she's serious. I should run, but there's Armsmaster blocking the way out. Fuck! Quick, say something!
"Wait! I was just trying to make some friends! I just went along with Emma."
"Armsmaster, please escort Miss Hess out of my office."
Right, of course that wouldn't work. Shit. One last chance.
"Look, I admit that I did all of that. But I'm sure it was a Master who made the teachers report it. They just don't do it otherwise at Winslow! Let me help!"
Armsmaster actually snorted at that. Piggot just looked at me, nothing but disgust in her eyes.
Three days house arrest. Three days of my oh-so caring parents worrying about their innocent daughter that never existed. Damn idiots acting as if they know me.
And then summoned to Piggy's office again. Great, yet another tirade. I wish they could just get this over with!
"You're lucky Shadow Stalker. Winslows principal begged that we are lenient with you and is convinced that something strange is going on with the teachers. Apparently it takes a master-effect for them to actually do their jobs."
Well fuck you Hebert, can't get rid of me that easily!
"Make no mistake Miss Hess. I will be watching you, and if you step out of line like this again you will land in prison no matter what it costs me. Don't do anything but report on parahuman activities, don't engage in any fighting under any circumstances. Is that understood?"
As subtle as Armsmaster. But now I finally have a target again. Find out what I can about the new Parahuman and if they are at Winslow. Damn, Piggy must be scared if she is willing to risk me having a run-in with a cape's civilian persona.
I'd have had to be blind to overlook the changes at school. Not a single teacher is turning a blind eye. They even react to normal insults, for fucks sake! Nevermind trying to break up scuffles between the gang members. Yeez, that's just plain stupid and prone to get somebody stabbed.
Now I just have to write a damn report about it.
"Looks like Principal Blackwell was right. The change is too sudden. You can continue your investigation Shadow Stalker, but I am keeping a close eye on you. Oh and write a more detailed report tomorrow."
Damn Piggot, I already wrote three pages! What more do you want. Still, she's letting me hunt.
"I'm sure I'll be able to find out more about the new cape tomorrow, Director."
Play the nice little Ward and I should get out of this just fine.
Fucking Hebert had to go ahead and steal my power.
It was easy to tail her after classes. See where she's going, maybe catch her using her power overtly. And then she just walks through her locker! Phasing through shit is my thing, stupid imitator.
Except when I run after her I bounce off. I'm a bit more careful and can pry her locker open - it's easy by now, I have done that a dozen times already. I just never found a portal in it, or whatever this thing is.
This is bad. Because if thats her power, she might not be the master messing with this school. And that's who I am supposed to find. But maybe she's working with someone. If I expose a new gang Piggot has no choice but give me more credit.
Hot-damn, I'm good. Hebert is sneaking around school with somebody else. Phasing through walls just like her. People just don't have identical powers, it's probably Tinker-tech. Fucking Tinkers, stealing my power.
Gotta admit, this is actually exciting. Tailing Hebert was easy, she's dumb enough to never look behind herself. But this robed guy she's with does, without even being obvious about it. Makes this so much more fun.
Now the robed guy is messing around with all sorts of toys in the principals office. Too bad I won't be able to tell her that it's Hebert who messed up her office, no outing capes and all that.
Still, I can record this and give Piggot some actual proof.
Yawn, boring. Just lots of chanting. Of course Hebert would be crazy enough to join a cult. Shame she's in her phase-state, my camera can't record her like that. At least robe-guy is visible.
What the fuck? Where the hell am I? Sure, that was boring, but I'm good at this I didn't doze off.
A white flash and now I'm in some sort of office, except much fancier. Shit, there's a third person here. Hot chick, also in robes but pretty loose cut. Hope they don't notice me behind this cabinet.
She's bowing to Hebert. There's no way that idiot has any pull, probably just being polite - they do look asian.
Now they're leaving the room. Don't seem to pay much attention, I should be able to follow them.
Sweet, they are going to fight. Well, spar. Still, if I can get intel on that….and it should be interesting to watch too. Good thing I have my private phone with me, the one Emma bought me.
Holy Shit! That chick can fight. Damn she's good. I really, really hope they don't notice me, I won't stand a chance against that.
Now they're just talking. I'm not understanding a word, when did Hebert learn...whatever language this is.
While they are busy chatting, I sneak back into the office. Snatching the paperwork of villains, just like old days. Except I can't read the damn language either. And they are using scrolls for some reason. Fucking weirdos.
Okay, that's enough. Time to get out of here, quickly. Out the door, up to the roof of the school and just run as fast as I can.
Getting back to PRT Headquarters from there was easy.
Piggot was reading through stacks of paper, I could spot my last report amongst them.
"Well I must say I'm impressed Shadow Stalker. This is clear evidence of a new suspected villain group in Brockton Bay, and you found it entirely on your own. In light of that, we will extend your probation."
Finally some recognition! And all you had to do was to let me off the leash and let me do my own thing.Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
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■
♦Topic: New Cape??
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay
Conceptualist (Original Poster)
Posted on January 23, 2011:
Holy shit i think i just saw the debut of a new cape!
I didn't see much, it was over really quick. I heard some shouting on the street outside my window. A dozen people maybe, and they started fighting. Then someone started shooting and I got away from the window. And I swear the second I had turned my back there was this really loud thunder and bright flash.
When I looked outside again there was a woman floating in mid-air. She wore this really fancy dress and had everyone tied up in ribbons. And then she was hit by lightning again and was gone, just like that!
I'm hearing sirens, someone must have called the cops. Updates when I find out more!
(Showing Page 1 of 23)
► Bagrat (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 23, 2011:
Lightning powers?
There's a cape in the Empire that has those, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't wear a dress. Unless that's the new Nazi fashion?
But seriously, that must have been a gang fight. Glad nobody got hurt, that definitely puts the new cape into the Hero category for me. Which is good, Brockton Bay already has enough villains.
► Communist Kitty (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 23, 2011:
I wonder what powers she has.
Clearly some kind of way to produce lightning and a mover power. No way to tell if they are connected - maybe she just uses the lightning to cover her movement. It's what I'd do if I had that kind of power.
I have an idea about the ribbons by the way. There is a new Tinker that sells lots of really strong silk products. Those would presumably be good for tying up stunned people.
So my guess is that she has some kind of blaster power that stuns people, then just tied them up the normal way.
► DragonAngel (Cape Groupie)
Replied on January 23, 2011:
@Communist Kitty
That would make sense
So, any guesses on cape names? Thunder Lady? Storm Mother?
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 21 , 22, 23
(Showing Page 3 of 23)
► Rockodile
Replied on January 24, 2011:
The new cape was just at Winslow High!
She took down some gang members who threatened a female student. No lightning this time, she just popped up out of thin air.
And yes she used the ribbons again. They got to have something to do with her powers. I saw her do stuff with that's just plain impossible otherwise. One of them even sliced through the blade of a knife!
And this time she stuck around. Hugged the girl she had just saved. Even answered a few questions, so we now have a name:
Watchwoman
► DragonAngel (Cape Groupie)
Replied on January 24, 2011:
Oooh, Hugs! Capehugs for everyone. Awesome.
And someone even took a picture of her. Damn she's hot, I hope she's a lesbian.
► Crystal Goddess (Moderator)
Replied on January 24, 2011:
DragonAngel, don't be creepy.
► Communist Kitty (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 24, 2011:
Huh, guess I was completely off about her lightning flashbangs then.
New theory:
She obviously has some way to move those ribbons.
Maybe she has precise aerokinesis and uses that to buffer their movement? That would fit with the lightning she supposedly uses. And would explain her ability to hover.
► WingedOne (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 24, 2011:
Oh wow, that really is amazing. There is way too much violence at school these days.
But wait, Winslow? I heard a rumor that they are cracking down on bullies really hard these days. Could that be related?
► Rockodile
Replied on January 24, 2011:
@WingedOne
You are right, they totally do. I even got into trouble last week just because I was teasing someone! Bit too much if you ask me, but at least they are doing something.
Can't see how Watchwoman is related to that though.
► Communist Kitty (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 24, 2011:
Hmm, that's interesting.
Okay, so what do we know about Watchwoman so far?
- She intervened in a gang fight and took out both sides.
- She uses non-lethal methods.
- And now she protected someone from assault
Sounds like she is doing her best to be heroic.
And apparently, a teacher at Winslow was stabbed this saturday. Watchwoman hears about that, guesses that Winslow is a really bad place and now watches over it (hence the name).
► All Seeing Eyes
Replied on January 24, 2011:
I think you are on to something there.
But my gut tells me that there is something missing. If she uses lightning even rarely she'd be very hard to miss, so we would have heard about her before.
Unless she is new, but new Capes don't operate that efficiently. Both times she appears right when the situation gets serious.
So she probably has some sort of Thinker-power.
Which makes for a pretty weird powerset - limited telekinesis, lightning generation and extrasensory perception.
But then again we all know that Thinkers are bullshit.
► OverReactionGuy
Replied on January 24, 2011:
AAAAAHH!!!
WingedOne!!
Don't you see, its all a Simurgh plot. She's taking over our schools. The new cape is just a projection of her!!
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 21 , 22, 23
(Showing Page 4 of 23)
► SoundMind
Replied on January 24, 2011:
Oh god not this again. Do you have to do this in every thread that WingedOne posts in?
Not everything is controlled by the Simurgh, there is such a thing as too much paranoia.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 21 , 22, 23
(Showing Page 20 of 23)
► Bagrat (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 27, 2011:
Holy Derail!
So, for those who don't want to dig through over a dozen pages with wild speculation before the mods were able to calm it down:
- Watchwoman was spotted twice on Tuesday. One time she stopped a mugging, the other she saved a teacher from Winslow from a car accident.
- The PRT has confirmed that she got into a fight with Rune on Wednsday. Apparently Watchwoman held her own against the Empire 88 cape, but was not able to defeat her before Protectorate-capes arrived and Rune retreated.
- A video of Watchwoman taking on several Empire-goons has appeared. It can be found HERE. It shows her using parts of her clothing as whips and to block oncoming attacks including bullets.
And the big news:
While giving a statement to the PRT yesterday, Watchwoman declared that she and one of her teammembers would give a press conference on Friday, January the 28th.
► DragonAngel
Replied on January 27, 2011:
Sooo excited by the prospect of a new Hero team in Brockton Bay!
But I wonder why she didn't join the Protectorate. Maybe she's part of a super-family like New Wave?
► Communist Kitty (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 27, 2011:
You're right, that is exciting.
New villain teams pop up a lot, but most parahumans that are willing to fight villains join the PRT. Which means there are few people to form a team with, if you want to be an independent hero.
► Rockodile
Replied on January 27, 2011:
It's not just a press conference, it's also open to the public. I'll be there, and lots of other students from Winslow as well. She already has loads of fans.
► All Seeing Eyes
Replied on January 27, 2011:
I will attend too. I hope the public can ask questions as well.
► WingedOne (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 27, 2011:
....damn, there's always some guys who derail a thread when I post.
I completely missed that video. It's hard to believe her dress stops bullets, but they are definitely shooting at her and she doesn't flinch at all.
But the way she moves would make it hard to hit her in the first place. Pretty impressive.
► Crystal Goddess (Moderator)
Replied on January 27, 2011:
A thread about the press conference can be found HERE
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
I leaned back in my chair and smiled. Everything was working out like we'd hoped. The press conference, set up by the people Dad had hired, would be tomorrow. And Hu Dai Liang was doing a phenomenal job protecting the students and teachers from Winslow.
Best of all, the general opinion on the activities in Winslow was positive. A few posters saw it as a giant conspiracy/takeover, but those were the minority.
Ugh, that reminded me that I still had to go through the reports she had written. Tu Yu insisted on them, and was just as insistent that I read them. It felt really awkward to read so many details about other peoples lives, and it was pretty scary to think what so much information could do in the wrong hands.
At least I had gotten used to reading from scrolls.
"How could they make that bitch a hero?!"
I still couldn't believe it. Sophia - no, Shadow Stalker - was a Ward. A hero-in-training, working with the Protectorate. And I couldn't even tell myself that she managed to hide her part in the bullying campaign against me or her otherwise horrible behaviour at school. Maybe she did - but the report in my hand told me of many more crimes. Months of vigilantism, almost killing people several times before being "persuaded" to join the Wards. Outright hunting criminals like animals even after that. Constant reminders to use non-lethal force.
And yet, she was portrayed to the public as a hero. Others who called themselves heroes worked with her, covered for her crimes.
Well. If the "Heroes" of Brockton Bay were unable to even police their own ranks there was no chance of them bringing anything resembling order to this city. But with my powers, I might.
Decision made, I filed away the scroll in my hand and sat down at my desk. A quick glance at the polished oak surface and an empty scroll appeared. With practiced strokes of my brush, I began to write out a new policy.
Getting permission to host an event in a public building had been easy. Or so I had heard, I hadn't done it myself. Kurt and Lacey had, while the other people I had hired had taken care of the rest. All enhanced by my blessing, of course, else I was sure it wouldn't have been possible to do within four days.
The permission fees had been marginal, but getting the equipment, staff and security for this event had not been cheap. For now we were almost broke, though Tu Yu assured me that we wouldn't remain that way for long.
With the groundswell of publicity surrounding Hu Dai, it had been pretty easy to tempt local news - and even a few multi-state networks - into attending. National media had been harder, but at least two of them had reporters out there. No cameras with them perhaps, but their presence was a victory in and of itself.
As to layout, we'd opted for simplicity over anything else. Chairs set out in rows, with space left around the edges. and a raised platform towards the far end. It had an excellent view of the stage, and looking out from the edge of the stage I could see the blackened lenses of cameras glinting above it. It was strange to think that that would have terrified me less than a fortnight ago. Not that I wasn't nervous, but I wasn't afraid either.
And on the stage we'd set up a small speaking column - the names on the microphones from the various news outlets had been kind of overwhelming when I'd first looked at it. Yet ever more important were the screens lowered on either side of the podium, and the projectors bolted to the ceiling in front of them.
By the looks of the room, we had hit just the right capacity for the event. Together with the video recording, streaming and TV-crews, a lot of people would be watching this.
Most would of course be normal people from Brockton Bay. Those were the real audience, because public opinion wasn't just formed by the media, it also happened the other way around. We had even been loaned some nifty tinker-tech, which would allow any questions from the audience to be heard clearly.
But most questions would come from the assembled reporters.
The PRT had a presence as well. After yesterday's news, I wished it could have been otherwise. But it would look too suspicious, especially on such short notice. At least it had been possible to move their assigned area out of my main field of view, which did wonders for my figurative blood pressure.
Tu Yu had managed to build several cameras into Hu Dais clothing, and we had recorded all of her fights so far. Maybe later on we could acquire some camera drones, like Uber and Leet used, but for now it was sufficient. I stepped onto the stage right after the last recording was over.
"Thank you all for showing up. It really means a lot to us to see so much interest and approval of our activities."
I looked over the crowd. The mixture of pride and excitement my few words had already evoked was almost tangible to my senses. But they were also eager to see Hu Dai, so I decided to stick to the plan and keep it short.
"Now I know you are all here to see Watchwoman, so let me just get this out of the way quickly. We call our group Concordia, and will do our best to make sure that Brockton Bay is safe and stable for every honest citizen. That's best achieved by being open and honest about everything we do. You might have noticed the recordings we were playing - those will all be available to everyone for free after this event. That includes the DVDs near the exits, and of course the brochures that will explain more if you are interested. Accountability is our watchword."
Most people seemed to be pleased at what they heard, especially the prospect of free stuff. Time to end this on a high note.
"And now, without further ado, Watchwoman!"
Right on cue, the lights on the stage went dark. Hu Dai slowly walked through the air down onto the stage, illuminated by her golden aura.
I didn't pay attention to the rest of her performance. We had a mock battle planned out, showing off her combat abilities. A short motivational speech. Her reasons for being a hero and the like.
What I did pay attention to was the reaction of the audience.
Hu Dai's performance as Watchwoman came to an end.
"Well then, on to the questions! I think it would be fair if we take turns between the press and the public. And our first question goes to the public!"
Answering questions was officially the entire point of this gathering. I agreed with that, though Hu Dai seemed to really enjoy the attention as well. Which would not detract from our goal - showing that we had nothing to hide and that we were only working for the best interest of the public. The former was obviously false, but the latter wasn't.
Dozens of hands went up. The camera drones we had focussed on each person who had a question, and their recordings were shown on the screens all over the hall. One got selected randomly, and Hu Dai nodded to that person - a middle-aged woman.
"Watchwoman, is it true that you have attacked students at Winslow?"
Ouch. She certainly had some form of grudge or mistrust. Still, Hu Dai stayed calm.
"Yes, I did. They were threatening another student, so I subdued them. And I'd rather face legal issues myself than let someone else get hurt."
Most of the audience reacted well to that statement. Those who didn't were probably not as familiar with Winslow or its reputation, judging by their apparent wealth their children certainly didn't go there.
Unlike the audience, we were more deliberate with choosing questioners from the press. The choice fell to one of the more populist Cape Magazines, hoping that their question would not be as tense.
"How do your powers work? We've seen you fight, is there anything else you can do?"
Revealing all our capabilities was out of the question, obviously. Our first lie for today.
"Aside from fighting? Yes, I can sense when people are in danger. I don't catch everything, but I didn't have false positives so far either. As for how my fighting works, I can feel the flow of a battle and have some limited telekinesis. Well, an ability to manipulate my clothes; I can do a bit more than just move them. Make them luminescent or charge them with static electricity, for example."
That took the mind of most people off the legal issue of assaulting a student to protect another. Which we would have to deal with, but we had video evidence and witnesses on our side.
The next several questions were not really important and we had prepared fictitious replies for them where needed. Hu Dai apparently couldn't help but answer the question about her favorite foods with "fish and sausage", but somehow managed not to turn the question about her love life into a scandal. Three questions about her dress, what sort of diet and exercise regimen she had, whether she dyed her hair, who her favorite hero was, if she preferred cats or dogs and more that I couldn't care to remember.
Eventually, the desire for gossip was sufficiently satisfied and we got back to more relevant questions.
"Watchwoman, you said that you are part of a team. Are any of your teammates here today?"
That would be my cue.
"Yes, of course. We are not much of a team yet, just two parahumans. But we want to provide this town with new heroes, so we decided to form our own team. And here is the woman who had the idea to do it: Aedile!".
Of course, they had already seen me at the beginning of this show. But as I stepped out onto the stage again, they paid much more attention. A lot of people had suspected that I was a cape - not surprising, given my outfit. My robes lacked the elaborate long sleeves, ribbons and sashes of Hu Dais dress, but were still similar in style. Her dress was mostly white, with red embroidery, while mine was an off-white linen with lots of gold (actual gold, Tu Yu wouldn't accept anything less) and black thread worked into it. And where Hu Dai went entirely without a mask, I wore a veil.
The audience had been quite enthusiastic to see Watchwoman, but they didn't know anything about Aedile yet. Time to change that.
"Hello everyone, I'm Aedile. I want to thank Watchwoman for agreeing to this event, because I actually wanted to say a few words to the public myself. Because I messed up and want to apologize."
That got their attention. Most of their reaction was favorable too, though it was mixed with suspicion. I couldn't stop now.
"My powers caused someone to get hurt. I didn't want that, and I will do my very best to prevent anything like it from happening again. But I should explain. I have a Thinker-power that lets me understand Bureaucracy. Really handy for paperwork, I actually used it to help set up this event. And I can let others benefit from that too. But, well that's where I messed up. While I just understand how the rules of a Bureaucracy work, if I lend my powers to others it also makes them follow those rules very closely. I couldn't see how that would be a bad thing, and I was wrong. I knew how bad things were at Winslow High, and I wanted to help the teachers stop the bullying and gang conflicts there. I shouldn't have, not without asking. But I did, and because of me a teacher got stabbed in revenge. I am so very sorry."
Admitting all that shook me up. It was scary, and I did feel bad about it too.
Hu Dai must have noticed, because, just as I finished speaking, she pulled me into a gentle hug.
We hadn't planned that, but I needed it. It was pretty embarrassing actually, in front of such a huge audience, but right now that was okay.
After a while, I extracted myself from Hu Dai's arms and continued, but her arm remained around my shoulder.
"I will never again use my powers on anyone without their permission. If any teacher from Winslow feels that I have violated their rights, I will do whatever it takes to make amends. And Watchwoman has promised to not only protect the students and teachers of Winslow High, but also to bring the one who stabbed Mrs Knott to justice."
Finding a way into the press conference had been easy - it was actually open to the public, not like the 'open to the public' crap that got thrown across screens all over the country. Carefully picked audiences asking carefully picked questions. No place for people like me. But here I hadn't even had to do anything to get in. Just walked in and found a place, no one at the door to stop people.
Holders feel unthreatened by the possibility of attack.
Well that wasn't exactly a surprise. What I'd seen of Watchwoman - what little I'd been able to find - had shown a very capable individual, seemingly oblivious to the possibility of coming to harm. And given what had been written about her fight against Rune, she could get away with that opinion. It hadn't been lack of ability that had stopped her from driving the Empire cape away, from all accounts it had been that she just hadn't been able to catch her.
It was obvious she wasn't new to the Cape scene - she couldn't be, not with the degree of precision she'd shown - but as I sat at the side and let the world flow around me the degree to which she couldn't be started trickling in. I held myself back, I wanted to be able to focus on the announcements themselves, but this sort of information could be useful.
Freedom in arrangement of the space. Support network already present. Fledgling, an established one would have acquired a better venue, more media focus.Tinker-tech in use, advanced, loaned. Seen before, used at open forums. They want questions to be asked.
Definitely useful. Screens around the podium at the centre of the stage at the end of the room, playing recordings of some kind. Now what were they...ah. Some of Watchwoman's fights, but how had they done that?
Tinker-tech capable of creating cameras durable enough to survive parahuman combat. Access to an external source of resources (personal or otherwise) that must have significant depth.
Well now wasn't that nice. But there wasn't much more time to absorb, as the real rush of people started filling up the room. A lot of kids, most of the from Winslow. Fans, wanting to see their idol. But scattered among them were the more important fish. A lot of normal adults, more than I'd expected. Reporters - the few that were arriving in the last few minutes before the conference went live. Papers mostly. And there was the PRT delegation that everyone had known would be turning up. Had seats already placed for them, up towards the front and off to one side.
PRT are irrelevant. Invited only as a useful means. Part of -
I had to cut myself off at that point, as the lights in the room dimmed slightly and a figure in long robes and a veil approached the podium. Female, definitely, there was enough visible of her figure to work that out - but then she was coming out to speak, so trying to conceal gender would have been stupid.
"Thank you all for showing up. It really means a lot to us to see…" I tuned out the words, letting the walls fall steadily to pick up on the stream of information flowing from the figure. She was nervous, worried, I could understand that. Stepping into the world like this, you had to do it right. The Undersiders, we hadn't quite reached that point yet. Except...
Not scared of the people. Scared of a possible perception. Hiding herself to hide from it.
What? I didn't get the chance to hold on to that - it was one of the problems with my power, it could get away from me. Hopefully the reference point would come up again. DVDs at the back, and leaflets, I'd need to grab some of them on my way out. They would give me some firm references for extrapolating Watchwoman's powers. And we were moving towards a climax.
"Accountability is our watchword."
Lie. Stage management, exceptional awareness of her audience. All a show, everything here has been designed to sway public opinion. Hiding something, hiding herself is a ploy to distract people from it. Desperate. Would she kill for it? No.
"And now, without further ado-"
I lost the name I already knew to a sudden, almost blindingly painful burst of insight.
She is not a mouthpiece.
Fuck! It hadn't hurt like that in months. Not a mouthpiece then, so she was part of the group? In what sort of capacity? Damnit, if she'd just have stayed on stage a little longer...but with her gone my power didn't have any more reference points to work from. Hopefully she'd come back. And now I had to hold myself back even more, so that I didn't overload with Watchwoman. Her entrance was damn impressive though.
Expert performer. Completely comfortable about showing off what she's capable of. Confident enough to let her enemy's see what they want to.
I kept watching, as she whirled through movements that were at once dance and kata. Light swirled around her as she did so, flashing around the ribbons and sashes of her costume and directing them as part of the graceful performance.
She's not showing us everything. She hasn't shown us everything. More in reserve. Much more. Throwaway on the net might be more accurate than I'd like. Ribbons are not tinker-tech creations. Focused telekinesis around them, lets her do things like slice through the knife when she defended at Winslow. Her ability to float is based off of a similar ability. Can...
No, I didn't want information on her abilities. I could get that from the DVDs back home, without giving myself a splitting headache before Watchwoman had even started talking. Something else to focus on, I needed new reference points. Away from the ribbons and the katas...my gaze caught her face as she spun through another one.
Not paying attention to the crowd. Required to do this? No. Performance is a joy… she suggested it.
Suggested it? To who? I swept the stage, and then the room beyond it. If she wasn't paying attention, then someone had to be. Where was that woman from before? She had to be there somewhere…
Hidden by lighting. Likely has a perfect view of the audience.
And that seemed far too professional for my taste. They were pushing something here, but what if there were other things at work too? Trying to observe for the people who were watching for a watcher, but why come out like this if they were worried about that. What were they hiding? The flow of information was slowing to a trickle now, and with me refusing to let it run away with the ribbons or Watchwoman's combat style, there weren't any reference points left.
I kept my sense open whilst I waited for the performance to finish, but there was little that I was able to latch on to without getting drawn into what I did not want to focus on. Luckily it didn't take much longer, and Watchwoman descended to the podium and started to speak. Typical stuff really, motivational crap, why she became a her-
Truth/Lie.
...what the fuck?
She is completely dedicated to the cause of protecting others. Her background is a lie.
Ok, so she was hiding something. Like the other one then. I had to wonder if it was the same thing. I focused, letting down the walls a bit further to the flow of information, searching.
Her background does not exist.
And again I found myself repeating the same mental exclamation. Didn't. Exist. Hiding it I could understand. Being told that she didn't have one was crazy. I was pretty sure I missed a couple more reference points as I tried to adjust to that - maybe I'd be able to catch them on one of the news channels? - and by the time I was done we were into question time.
"Watchwoman, is it true that you have attacked students at Winslow?"
Oh wow. I wondered which gang had put up that question, almost enough to focus on the woman who'd asked it, but a mark for one of the gangs was easy to chase up. It was Watchwoman's reaction that I cared about.
She didn't even blink.
"Yes, I did. They were threatening another student, so I subdued them. And I'd rather face legal issues myself than let someone else get hurt."
Truth. Unhesitating and complete. Would accept any just punishment.
Given how parents reacted to threats to their children, I doubted anyone was going to push anything. And the audience just lapped it up. Everything she was saying sounded like a hero. I could have pulled the words straight out of a film. Straight to the next question, no attempt at rebuttal.
"How do your powers work? We've seen you fight, is there anything else you can do?"
And that from one of the press. A magazine, I guessed. And I knew before Watchwoman was even halfway into her second word that she was lying.
Extreme care placed on word choice. Lies, but only by omission. Powers are far more than they appear, scared of being seen as a danger. Full extent must be considerable.
Better and betterer. And now I was stuck with junk questions. Come on, come on, why wouldn't someone ask it? I was almost tempted to put my hand up myself, but I knew that eventually the question I was looking for would get asked. And whilst I waited I did pick up a few things, although the main was...bizarre. She had no sexual inhibitions. At all. Strange for someone who seemed so young…
"Watchwoman, you said that you are part of a team. Are any of your teammates here today?"
Finally! Maybe we were done with gossip at last, I wondered, as Watchwoman acknowledged the question. I leant forward on my seat as she did so, this could be big.
"Yes, of course. We are not much of a team yet, just two parahumans-"
Lie.
Yes! That was something I could use.
"-so we decided to form our own team."
Truth. Not as simple as she's implying. Had to form.
Had to?
"And here is the woman who had the idea to do it: Aedile!"
And the woman from before walked back on stage. Where the hell had she been hiding all this time? More than a mouthpiece indeed. Was this what she'd been so worried about? And if so, why?
She made something happen. Deeply regrets what happened, not what she did.
Yes, yes, her name was a lie. She's a cape, of course it's a damn lie.
"-thank Watchwoman for agreeing to this event, because I actually wanted to say a few words to the public myself. Because I messed up and want to apologize."
Agreement was never required, Watchwoman would have done this regardless. Wants to talk, but not just to apologise. Exceptionally aware of her audience's mood. Power? Power. Thinker.
And now she was launching into an explanation. Had to quiet myself down, this was perfect.
Did cause someone to be hurt. Winslow teacher was stabbed recently - related? Lying about her powers, even more so than Watchwoman. Thinker is barely scratching the surface. She was shaken by the stabbing, yet is unworried about the possibility of it happening again.
I had to slow down, focus on something in particular. A headache in a few hours was one thing, knocking myself out in the middle of the hall due to overload was quite another. And then Watchwoman hugged Aedile.
Does not believe Aedile did anything wrong. Would defend her actions, but is aware that doing so would undermine the work they're doing. Non-verbal support here is all she can give, but she doesn't care about any possible consequences of it. Not romantically involved.
So Watchwoman had responded to Aedile's request for help then. Was that it? I had to wonder, as Aedile retreated slightly, although an arm remained around her shoulders. Were they related? That could explain it, an older sister maybe, or perhaps she just believed she was.
Watchwoman subordinate to Aedile. Their powers interact, extremely beneficially. Complex personal relationship.
The crowd was just loving the interaction though. There was still suspicion, but even if it hadn't been by design, that hug would be all over the papers tomorrow morning. Above almost everything else in the 'hero' game, you had to be able to appear human. Sorrow and compassion were very deeply set into the perceptual bias for that. Everyone made mistakes. Admitting you had could be tricky - but this play had been masterful.
Ah, she was speaking again.
Will hold to her promise to never use that power again without given consent. Winslow may not be the only place that she's affected.
I could look into that later. 'That' power?
Powers is in fact far truer than she would wish people to know. She has at least one, probably multiple, other. Extremely afraid of what could happen if the full extend of her abilities become known. Other powers might be used on others without consent. Watchwoman both can and will track down the person responsible for the stabbing. Justice is important to both of them.
That….could be problematic. I'd put a lot of work into the Undersiders so far, and these people were shaping up - from what I was picking up - to be a bigger threat to us than the Wards and New Wave combined. At least with them we could play their areas of 'control' off against each other. But this was looking like another New Wave - if perhaps the family connection was unconfirmed - minus the dysfunctional family relations. And despite everything, I still hadn't been able to work out what they were hiding, or any more of their powers.
Well, personal threat analysis first. I stuck my hand up, hoping to get in ahead of another wave of gossip bullshit.
What do you know, I got lucky at last. That custom tinker-tech they had was nice stuff.
"Given your mission statement, what are the intentions of Concordia towards the gangs and other small criminal groups in the Bay?"
There, nice and simple. Should get me a good read for what I was beginning to worry was going to be an inevitable confrontation. And I needed that. If a confrontation was inevitable, I wanted all the time I could steal to try and work out weaknesses.
"Watchwoman will do her best to take on the gangs, and I will do my best to support her. But we're only two people, so we must set priorities. It's very important to us that the gangs stop recruiting children and teenagers, either by force or because they've no other options. Watchwoman can do a great deal to remove the first from the equation, but the second problem is our real challenge."
Not 'only two people'. Other parahumans involved. They already have plans for giving other options, and are confident about them. Will be moving to execution very soon.
Well fuck. There went my weekend.