Capítulo 2753: 4.x
Emily Piggot Interlude.
Vim was quite frankly an amazing Parahuman. Some would say she was dangerous, others would call her an asset, neither side was wrong.
She was versatile, her potions were essentially game changers and most importantly she listened to authority.
She was also the largest sources of headaches these days.
I glanced down at the reports again and frowned.
Tinker reviews were important and these last few days had shown that Armsmaster was willing to bypass, ignore and loophole his way through the rules to ensure that the potions could get through with minimal testing. Despite all the infractions he had committed, minimal punishment was meted out due to direct intervention from Director Costa Brown of all people.
It seemed the allure of cure all serums, Panacea in a bottle was too tempting to refuse. So instead Armsmaster had gotten away with a light slap on the wrist for his various stunts and a not so subtle commendation from the Director. If it was just this alone then I'd be able to handle it. I after all had a job to do. But one thing changed it all, one simple report from another underaged cape.
Gallant.
"While it's a strong word for it, some might say it's a facade ma'am." He told me. "She's putting on a brave face, she could crack at any second."
I raised an eyebrow at him. Gallant, a Ward whose name was synonymous with bravery, heroism and chivalry. "Explain." I demanded, I did not need a Ward with her powers breaking down on me.
"She's uhh… very peppy." That was an understatement. "But every now and then she thinks something and well… there's this nothingness, a deep depression, every time it surfaces she pushes it back down, tries to forget it."
"So what you're telling me is that she's a ticking time bomb?" I had seen it before, not just in capes but other men and women. They try to forget, try to suppress but the funny thing about pushing something down is that when it comes back up, it comes back stronger every time.
I would know.
It was then that Armsmaster intervened. "That's an unfair assessment Ma'am." Of course he'd defend her. "From what I've gathered, her civilian identity had undergone a bullying campaign that was vicious enough to cause her to trigger." That wasn't news to me, I read the file after all. She went to the same school as Shadow Stalker but the girl hadn't seen anything in regards to Vim's bullying. "However, with her removal from a toxic environment along with new friends in the form of Gallant and Shadow Stalker, I am confident that she will perform admirably." Normally there might've been a more in depth investigation into Winslow. However, with the lack of information, no evidence that anything would happen soon and the fact that Vim was transferring to Arcadia meant that an expensive investigation could be cancelled or at the very least be postponed until later.
"Really now? Getting away from bullying to play hero in Brockton Bay? Yes, that's much less stressful." Sarcasm was unbecoming of me but I simply couldn't help it. "Despite what she's gone through, can you guarantee that she won't go through worse? What makes you think she won't break then? What makes you think that we don't have another Mannequin on our hands?" If she truly turned on us then there was no telling what would happen. The girl hadn't even gone through proper power testing yet!
For all we knew she could raise the dead, kill an entire city with but a thought, create a black hole or something else equally outlandish.
Armsmaster clenched his fists at that.
"Because despite going through the worst day of her life, despite many heroes going through the same thing, we didn't let those bad days turn us worse. She might break one day, but she would never turn on us, there is no doubt in my mind that she is a hero to the core."
I allowed myself to raise an eyebrow in surprise. That was an awfully passionate speech coming from Armsmaster. He was charismatic when he needed to be, mostly during press releases and the like but to see him defend someone with such conviction was unexpected.
I shouldn't have been surprised. Considering that he had been praised by Eidolon of all people for bringing her into the Wards. There were even murmurs that he was coming down to Brockton Bay just to meet her. The world's strongest Trump meeting another Cape who could give out powers in a bottle. It was rather obvious what the intention was. While the Think Tank didn't have any conclusive answers of how powerful Eidolon could become with her help, there was a strange enthusiasm present.
Half of the staff whom had heard the rumours believed that the two put together might be able to defeat an Endbringer and those that didn't were still optimistic that they might at least match them. Even without Eidolon's abilities, any person, Parahuman or otherwise could benefit from her potions and possibly become temporary Parahumans themselves. Such an idea of course wasn't new.
While uncommon, it wasn't unheard of for Tinkers to give trained personal power armor, for bio tinkers to give additional muscle mass, Trumps to grant super strength and so forth. The game changer here was how easy and quickly Vim could do it. On top of all that, the potions almost made Panacea obsolete if the reports were true. According to Armsmaster the tests on Rats indicated that the wounds would heal quickly.
Seeing them used in the field was a different matter.
No one could've predicted that the effects would literally be instantaneous on fully grown adults. In one instance a woman had two broken legs, crushed by an upturned truck that Armsmaster was able to cut her out of. The moment she finished drinking a few potions she was up and running with no pain or evident side effect, it seemed the more serious injuries required multiple potions which only required seconds to drink. Even Panacea had to spend a few moments to use her powers. Owing New Wave any extra favors was something I loathed to do, so in that regard even I had to admit that Vim was useful.
It was no wonder that Armsmaster stood up for her despite any of her limitations.
"So." I began. "Why do you think she'll stay a hero then? How do you know for certain that she won't break?"
Armsmaster smiled at that, as if anticipating that question.
"Because despite the ability to become invisible her first act as a Parahuman wasn't to get revenge on her bullies or the facility, it was instead used to face Lung and the ABB, all because she thought they were threatening children." That was new.
"Why am I only now hearing of this?"
"Because I only heard it from her on the helicopter ride back here."
"While it does show that she has her heart in the right place, it still doesn't prove that she won't crack."
While it was good to have more Parahumans on the side of the law, this was too rushed and it wasn't just Armsmaster pushing things through. There was an outside force poking at us, nudging things in such a way to get her to become a Ward more quickly. At first I thought it was Director Costa Brown taking a personal interest in Vim's power set. However, there was more to it then that. I knew I was paranoid but in a world where M/S protocols existed, you needed to be.
Allowances had to be made in extreme times of course and with a city that played host to literal Nazis, a Cape that could take on an Endbringer on his own and a gang of mercenaries with Tinker Tech attachments, it was almost depressing to say that the drugged out Merchants were the least of her worries. While I couldn't see his eyes behind his visor I could tell that Armsmaster was matching my stare with his own. Gallant nervously shuffled and eventually I broke the silence.
"Very well." I admitted. "Vim is at this time currently is no danger to us or herself, regardless I want you both keeping an eye on her mental well being." They both nodded, most likely ready to do so regardless of my own orders. "Which brings me to my next point, Shadow Stalker."
The Ward and Hero both nodded, they knew exactly what I was talking about. I motioned for Gallant to begin.
"I don't think she's being Mastered." I glanced over the reports again outlining Shadow Stalker's change in behaviour, specifically around Vim. "At least, not intentionally."
"Not intentionally? So something like Glory Girl then?" He shook his head in denial.
"Not an aura, as far as I can tell. Vim's emotions are exactly the same with and without Shadow Stalker around and well… Shadow Stalker herself?" He paused as if choosing his words carefully. "She exhibits worry, confusion, signs of someone who uhh pardon the term, someone who has spent some time in the closet and is only now only experiencing these emotions."
"There's a specific emotion for that sort of thing?" I asked. He awkwardly began to fidget.
"Well no, I don't think so at least, it's just that it's similar enough to people I've witnessed who have come out as gay to their friends." That made more sense.
"Did you sense any anger or any other emotions from Shadow Stalker?"
"No, there's that, she's pretty much perpetually angry, or at least annoyed." Well at least that was consistent. "She's frustrated, that much I can tell. She tries to control it but well… she's a teenager, I don't think it's true love specifically but emotions are more complex than that. Just remember I'm not a mind reader, my abilities aren't perfect." Trust Gallant of all people to say the words 'true love' with a straight face.
"Do we know if Vim has any Master abilities at least?" This time I directed my questions towards Armsmaster.
"She hasn't exhibited any yet but considering her wide range of abilities I wouldn't be surprised if she had them." I frowned again. This was exactly why we put the Wards through power testing before deploying them into the field.
"So what's her current threat rating then? What powers do we have on file?" I already knew of course but I wanted to impress upon the two in my office of how dangerous she could be.
"She has a minor Blaster power in the form projected flames… that don't burn, grass is unaffected but I did note in my recordings that kinetic force was a factor." I nodded, a limited type of telekinesis that appeared as fire.
"She has her hammer space that she calls the 'Inventory' which allows her to store a variety of objects, no limit to note of as of yet, the ability to eat through her mask, a slow teleport and finally she's allegedly also a brute though I've yet to witness anything that could suggest it." She had spacial manipulation in other words.
"Of note she has the ability to take certain objects and turn them into weapons, armor and of course potions." The file mentioned that she did all this almost instantly.
"Said potions give her a Trump sub-rating." Giving regeneration, toughness and allegedly invisibility.
All of this was theory at this point. For all we knew her Blaster power could be more lethal than first shown. Still, the sheer amount of abilities she exhibited at the very least proved her potential.
"Ensure we find out what else she can do, I don't want any surprises." I ordered. "She still has some time before she has to go to Arcadia so you'll be able to do it yourself Armsmaster." I grinned at the prospect of denying him his precious Tinkering time. Yet, despite this he grinned in what I could only identify as eager anticipation.
"Of course Ma'am. I'll make sure to put her through the paces." He answered. At least he was professional about it.
"See that you do. You're both dismissed." Nodding respectfully they both took their leave allowing me to go over the paperwork once more.
As they left the office I finally allowed myself to wince in pain as I adjusted my chair. It seemed my kidneys decided to once more play havoc with my body. Yet, wincing was all I allowed myself for now, I had a job to do.
Pressing a button on the intercom I ordered someone to grab me coffee. I had a long day ahead of me. Despite what I thought of Vim, she was the least of my worries.
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Bit of a shorter chapter for now but hopefully it fills in some gaps that Taylor could not perceive. Enjoy!
Edit: Wurds, I cannot into them.
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