Kintsugi Plays Fallen Hero: Rebirth

On the one hand, quick wrap to avoid the complications of a third showing up...
On the other hand, draw it out defensively to avoid a similar mistake, and maybe let Argent's proximity reduce that distance a little?

("Argent" and covered in silver, yet I see those claws and go "werewolf?")

 

TBH, sometimes I think Argent's real narrative purpose is to see how many different animal similes the author can make about one character.

 

Argent already got the drop on us once. Let's keep our wits about us and take our time getting to know her.​

> I wait for my moment.

No use getting overconfident, when you can take your time to find an opening. Strategy is how you win a fight, not stupid bravado.

So, as Lady Argent moves in to attack, you switch into a defensive stance. Let her waste herself trying to find an opening as you analyze her attacks, read her intentions, block her strikes, and make sure to dodge when needed.

Just because you're winning this fight doesn't mean you should take stupid risks. That's what makes people lose, and you have worked very hard to make sure that never will happen to you.

The variables are all yours to control.

Lady Argent is fast, all right. But as she moves in for a strike, you shift and parry, letting her follow your lead without realizing it. This is all Sidestep, fighting someone who could tear you limb from limb, and still coming out on top. It doesn't hurt that right now, you're better armored than you used to be….

Still, you suppose you should end this eventually. The cameras will have already captured enough footage from your fight. All you need now is to get some distance, so you can enact your escape plan.

The next time she moves in, you will yourself to be still, trusting your armor for the chance to get a moment to connect with her mind, to—

Yes! Your perceptions connect with hers. As you roll aside, she aims her blow for the illusory double you have left in your place.

Good. You don't wait to see what happens next; you immediately turn and leg it. No way of telling how long until she realizes she's fighting air.

> Time to Get Away

A quick glance around the battlefield shows no immediate threats, so you take the chance to drop a smoke bomb. It blankets the whole area in thick, noxious mist.

Your helmet filters it out, but you can hear the cries of panic as the teargas-like substance causes people to run for their lives, retching and crying. Good. Nobody is paying you any attention right now, and the smoke hides you from the choppers.

You can't see the museum anymore, but you know the state you left it in. This will be pasted all over the front pages tomorrow morning—you've done what you came for, and now it's time to escape before more reinforcements arrive.

You know you are going to hurt tomorrow, but every bruise you've got tonight has been worth it. Still, you don't want to run the risk of running into Marshal Steel on top of all this. Sure, his armor would be easy prey for your nanovores, but he's also equipped with distance weapons. Better live to fight another day.

> No Use Pushing Your Luck

The grate to the sewer disintegrates easily under your gentle nanovore touch. In the chaos, it will take them a long time to figure out where you have gone. And between the wreckage and smoke, nobody will notice an innocent hole in the ground.

At least, not before you are long gone.

You did it.

You actually did it.

​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 5% / Fine: 95%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 27% / Anonymity: 73%
█████▒██████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 82%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

> Darkness Is a Familiar Comfort

After a few minutes of mad dashing through the dark tunnels, you allow yourself to slow down enough to catch your breath and figure out where you are.

This far below the surface, you are well away from any cameras, so you can relax your strut and make your way down the tunnel without having to pretend or hold a pose. It's a relief to let go of the part of you that makes sure you always look good.

The shadows are your true home, after all.

Perhaps one day you will be able to pull this act off without effort, but right now it's left you with the fizzy feeling of adrenaline withdrawal in your veins.

It only takes you a moment to tap the sewer schematics and bring them up on your HUD. This is not the most glamorous of escape routes, but when dealing with fliers, it's always safest to go underground. You doubt that Herald can do anything but moan in pain right now, but you couldn't have been sure of that when you planned this out. Besides, there are always choppers.

Better safe than sorry.

You picked this particular escape route in part because Los Diablos is crisscrossed by underground tunnels, some abandoned, some still in use. The tangled labyrinth below consists of everything from cable ducts to sewers, to the massive storm drains venting the sometimes-cataclysmic rainfall in the mountains. You checked the weather there yesterday; there should be a fair amount of water in the storm drains, but not so much that your path won't be navigable. It should be a straight path to the harbor and your waiting escape vehicle.

You hope.

The thick sewer waste laps around your feet, dragging at your cape. Suddenly it doesn't seem such a smart choice for your armor; the thin fiberweave turns heavy fast, absorbing sewage and worse.

Damn it, Dr. Mortum.​

You grimace under the helmet, grateful for the fact that it filters the air before you breathe it. It was designed to handle poison gas; apparently, it works just as well against the stench. Back when you scoped out these tunnels, you had worn an air filter, but that had only cut the worst of the edge. This is much better.

At least the disgusting part of the slog is just the first leg of your journey. Once you switch into the abandoned tunnels, you won't have to think about what you are wading through.

Or rather, try to not think.

Now that the adrenaline is fading, you are starting to feel the toll this battle has taken on you. Your suit's systems tell you it has been less than an hour since you woke up in the van, but it feels like a lifetime. Your new identity is out in the open now, and come morning, you will get to see how the press judges your performance.

　‣ I'm a little nervous about that….
　‣ I beat the hell out of the Rangers!
　‣ It won't matter what they think.

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 5% / Fine: 95%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 27% / Anonymity: 73%
█████▒██████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 82%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

my vote is for I beat the hell out of the Rangers (and they better report it just like that.)
we did it gang high fives all around

 

[victory fanfare intensifies]​

> I beat the hell out of the Rangers!

The press love their heroes, but they also love having their heroes laid low. You should know that.

There is nothing you did back there that the press wouldn't love to put on their front page, at least before the Rangers' PR department gets to them. You beat the hell out of some of the city's finest heroes up there.

There is no way the press won't use that to catapult you directly to infamy. And if they don't…you can always change their minds.

However, the press is not your current concern. You still have to get out of here in one piece, and it's quite a slog on foot. A lot of time to think about what you did.

Even though you don't want to.

It's much harder to deal with the memories without the adrenaline bolstering your conscience. Without the need to fight, you find yourself remembering the blood. The look on her face…. You beat Ortega—sure, you had planned to do that, but so badly?

It feels different when you are the one who caused the blood and the bruises, the broken bones….

But that is what you wanted. Right? You wanted her to…

　‣ I wanted her to respect me.
　‣ I wanted her to fear me.
　‣ I wanted her to stay out of this.
　‣ I wanted her to stop me.

…What did we want, exactly?​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 5% / Fine: 95%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 27% / Anonymity: 73%
█████▒██████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 82%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

My vote is "respect me," goes with the irritation when she focused on the crowd, her pushing and thinking she knows best with visiting the Rangers or going for therapy, and the fun of flirting with her when Barbara

 

> I wanted her to respect me.

You wanted Ortega to look at you like an equal. With respect. And you wanted her to see you as someone new: a challenge, someone important….

You suppose you were successful there.

Guilt is a useless feeling. It wasn't like she was pulling any punches, right? You were just better at dealing them out. You're enemies now—things have changed.

You have to get used to that.

> Stop Thinking About Ortega

It's a long way to go yet, and you can't allow yourself to get too distracted.

Good luck with that, Josie.​

You're going to be sore in the morning, that's for sure. Still, you would have expected to take more damage from this fight; getting away with bruises is more than you had hoped for.

Smiling to yourself, you press on, one foot in front of the other, following the dotted track on your helmet's HUD.

The dotted track…

You pause for a moment, lowering the intensity of your displays so you can focus on your surroundings.

Dark. Wet. Stinking. There's a sound of dripping water, and…

What was that?

Was it anything? A rat? Your own paranoia working against you?

If there really is something else in here, at least you are aware of it. Best to keep an eye and an ear open as you press on towards the exit.

You start walking again, wading through the muck as you try not to think too hard about what's in it. It won't be long until you can get out of the stinking part of the sewer. There's a connection further up that should allow you to get to a drier, abandoned tunnel, and then it's a fair distance to walk until you reach the ladder to the storm drain.

From there, it's a straight path to the harbor.

Of course, it doesn't look very far on the screen, and it surely didn't feel like this hard a slog when you test-walked the distance a week ago. But now you've spent an evening with your body comatose and folded up in a truck, followed by a long, hard battle that's drained a lot of the reserves in your suit.

Right now, it feels like it's taking forever.

　‣ Even so, I will be slow and careful.
　‣ I will hurry up in order to get out of here fast.

Should we make our escape as quick as possible, or go slow and keep an eye out just in case?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 5% / Fine: 95%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 27% / Anonymity: 73%
█████▒██████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74% (-8)
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

"stop thinking about Ortega" as if we would let that happen.
I have no idea what to say about this one tbh, I'm conflicted on whether suit reserves being low means it'd be smarter to get the hell outta dodge asap or go slow and keep an eye out so we don't get caught off guard by anything

 

Same, and I'm also hoping Mortum installed a self cleaning function to get the sewer muck out.

 

Probably depends on whether you think there's anything down here to keep an eye out for. If we're expecting to be ambushed or trigger a random encounter (or just paranoid about the possibility), it would make sense to stay vigilant; if not, or if we're more worried about giving our enemies time to catch up to us, we should probably beat a swift retreat.

if Mortum tries to upsell us on cleaning services we are going to have Words

 

hmmmmmmmmmm
well I definitely lean more paranoid in this situation so let's be paranoid! go slow and stay vigilant is now my vote.

 

-8........

It makes sense but 8........

Anyway yeah let's paranoid it up, no sense getting careless on our first venture

 

For what it's worth, this is more to do with the way the game handles numbers than anything: increases and decreases diminish as you approach 100 or 0, which means decreases are more dramatic when a number is very high. Case in point, the +1 for feeling bad about hurting Ortega and -8 for wishing she'd take us seriously are actually the same value internally; we were just already in the highest tier of Close With Ortega and didn't have room for dramatic growth.

 

Let it never be said that Josie Jacobs was not paranoid enough.​

> Even so, I will be slow and careful.

Right now, you will be slow and careful, allowing yourself to take your time. It would be easy to get lost down here, and while your map should keep you on track, you don't know the condition of these tunnels.

You're trudging through a half-derelict labyrinth; there are not many regulations in Los Diablos, so companies can build and rebuild pretty much as they please.

In addition, much of this city is interlaced with the ruins of pre-quake Los Angeles. There are tunnels here that aren't marked on any of your carefully-stolen maps, the remnants of old systems twisted and broken by the destruction. Not to mention the secret drains releasing unknown chemicals and sewage into the bay…there's plenty of trouble to run into, if you're not careful.

Luckily, being careful is one of your traits….

i mean right now the trait in question is leaning the other way, but sure​

Moving carefully ahead, you make sure to keep an eye on where you are going. There's no need to run yourself ragged; slow and careful wins the race.

> The Sound of Footfalls Echoes

Wait….

You frown under your helmet, keeping your pace as you let your mind drift and slowly fill the tunnel around you. There are hints of bleedover as thoughts from the world above filter through your senses, distant and muted. But you could have sworn that…

There!

That's not a thought-ghost—that's someone down here in the tunnels with you.

> Lady Argent

You're not surprised that she's showing up, since you didn't put her out of commission like Herald and Ortega. You just bought enough time to escape, and it looks like she has figured out where you went. At least she seems to be alone, which gives you a choice.

Should you try to outrun her? Or perhaps stage an ambush?

　‣ I am fast and know where I am going. I should be able to outrun her.
　‣ Better use this time to prepare an ambush.

Ah, we have company after all.

Do we use this advance warning to get the drop on her for round 2, or get a head start on beating her to the exit?​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 5% / Fine: 95%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 27% / Anonymity: 73%
█████▒██████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

uhhhhhhhhh
I'm gonna vote for 'outrun and head for the exit', because we do have the whole 'already been through a long hard battle that has drained the suit's power reserves' thing and I worry about getting into another fight right now, especially with her
would rather try to avoid it

 

Let's not do any bonus bosses on our first mission, thanks.​

> I am fast and know where I am going. I should be able to outrun her.

You don't need to fight Lady Argent, not now. Especially since there are no cameras around. It's better to run and make sure to get away safely. You've pushed your luck enough for one night.

You can afford to wait for the perfect opportunity.

Fighting through the knee-deep sludge, you finally reach the point where you can climb up into one of the drier maintenance tunnels and gain some speed. But will it be enough?

Lady Argent is fast—you know that, having seen the footage when you researched her. It's the stamina that is the unknown quantity here. Is she a sprinter with quick reflexes and reaction time? How about long-distance running?

There's no verified data you can rely on, so you will have to treat this as an unknown. It would be foolish to trust the stats quoted by various fan-sites. They are notoriously partisan, their facts based on arguments and guesswork, sometimes even planted by whatever sponsors a hero might have to keep them on a particular list. How do you know this?

You know how wrong they were about you.

The lights inside your helmet go from yellow to orange as the power drain increases, but right now you need to channel whatever you have left into your running speed. It's too bad you can't use the jump-jets, but the low ceiling makes that far too risky.

Still, you would be very surprised if she can catch up to you. The biggest question here is whether your batteries will start to fail before her stamina does.

> So Far, So Good

You don't think she's catching up; the distant specter of her thoughts doesn't seem to have gotten closer. It's obvious she has learned from your earlier encounter; she's a lot harder to read, her emotions not the blaring spikes that they were when you fought before.

Or is there something else going on here?

You don't have time to delve deeper into what you're picking up, but there's a numbness to her presence: blanketed thoughts, muffled emotions…what is she…

Never mind—you can ponder that particular strangeness later. Right now, you need to follow your path. You jump down into another connecting tunnel, low enough so that you have to bow your head to avoid scraping your helmet against the ceiling.

Luckily, it's not a long slog. It might feel like it lasts forever. But before long, you heave yourself up into another, much larger tunnel. You're pushing yourself hard to reach your next checkpoint.

The tunnel you are in is big; it's part of the old, disused storm drain system that was cracked and broken during the quake. Now it forms an underground cave, blocked off and abandoned.

You'll need to get up into the current system to access the harbor. That's why you made sure to leave a ladder behind. No way are you going to scale the wall without help….

There! You can see it!

You keep up the pace despite your aching body, running across the debris-filled ground and reaching the base of the ladder without having seen Lady Argent. Good.

Now for the climbing part.

Fuck!

You…had not expected it to hurt this badly. Your ribs feel like someone's jamming a knife between them as you force yourself up the ladder, one rung at a time. You can do this.

Just a little more…

Part of you is tempted to just give in to the pain and fire up the jump-jets, trying to hit the hole you made—but the consequences of failure are just too catastrophic. This might hurt, and it might be slow, but at least you will get there in one piece.

> You're Almost Out of Here

Pressing on, you watch your progress on the HUD map inside your helmet. So close now: you're out in the storm drain proper, running on the concrete walkway lining the side, still above the surface of the water.

You can do this. Just a little further now.

Can she follow? Will she follow?

Who are you kidding, of course she will. She's a hero, and you've decimated her team and most likely pissed her off big-time. Of course she will hunt you down—the question is, will she be able to?

Feeling the strain, you try to distract yourself with probabilities. How likely is it that she would have spotted the hole in the ceiling you escaped through without the ladder there to reveal it?

That depends on how far behind she was, you suppose; if she saw you, she wouldn't have a hard time climbing up. Not with those claws. On the other hand, if she didn't, she might follow the other tunnel to the cave-in and have to double back.

You hope that is the case.

You hope…but there's that brief brush of intent again, the jostled beehive of anger and frustration. She's coming. She's coming for you.

Now this has turned into an endurance race. Will you be able to keep running? Will you be able to press your suit and body just a little further to get to the end?

You have to. There's no option to fail here.

No option to be weak.

Pressing on, you will yourself to lengthen your step, to find a rhythm that works with your suit, to find that easy stride where you don't have to think. It's not the first time you're running like this. But back in the day, you were running for your freedom, then for your life. And now…

Now you are running for your future. That feels a whole lot better.

…Wait.

What is that?

Is that?

Yes! You're too tired to laugh, but the wind is picking up, and you can sense the opening ahead of you. You're there. You've done it. And Lady Argent?

You don't pause, scanning as you run—she's still there, but not close enough to stop you.

The adrenaline rush gives you the last push you need. You reach the final ladder, throwing yourself up it with so much enthusiasm that you almost tumble to the ground once you've cleared the exit.

> Thankfully, Your Car's Here

Your escape vehicle of choice is a nondescript van that used to belong to a dealer of recycled electronics. It's large enough to be comfortable, and most importantly, the windows are tinted.

You quickly strip the armor in the back of the van, stashing it in a crate ready for that purpose. It has a false top; anybody opening it would just see scrapped electronic equipment. That should also make it harder to find the armor with a scan. The matching coveralls hide your skinsuit, making you just another nobody.

Climbing into the driver's seat, you steal a glance in the mirror. Your eyes have a strange gleam to them, and you…

You blink. Hard.

It's weird thinking that the person staring back at you just went toe-to-toe with the Rangers and came out on top. Strange, but wonderful.

No. You can't let that get to your head. You need to drive back to your hideout and let the nanovores devour the van.

You can't risk leaving any evidence behind.

But all that is just wrapping things up. What matters is that you did it. You actually did it.

Now to get your aching body home and find out what happened to your puppet….

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are tired.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
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Armored Suit

Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 5% / Fine: 95%
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Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 27% / Anonymity: 73%
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Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
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Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
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Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
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Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
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Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
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Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
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Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
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Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
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We made it!

We have one last chapter to wrap up loose ends, and then it'll be time to sit back and enjoy the headlines.​

 

Back in your hideout, you take a moment to scan the surroundings before you allow yourself to relax. Closing your eyes, you focus on trying to pick up suspicious thoughts—any traces of something that could be a danger to you.

Nothing.

It's not surprising, as your current base is located in the old industrial parts of Los Diablos. The buildings here sustained a lot of quake damage, and the property values were too low to bother rebuilding anything.

The ground is riddled with cracks and has been deemed too dangerous to reinforce. If there's another big quake, chances are the entire hillside might come crashing down.

It's a risk you're willing to take; you don't plan to stay here long. Until you have the funds to get something secure, it is better to use temporary (and disposable) hideouts. It makes you a lot harder to track.

You had let the nanovores devour the van some distance from here, so you're thankful to finally get the chance to sit down. There's not a single part of you that's not aching or chafing.

Getting out of the skinsuit hurts, your pulled muscles and massive bruising making every movement an effort. Your ribs are sore, and stretching to pull off the top makes you gasp in pain. Still, it could have been a lot worse.

The shower here is improvised and cold, but it's enough to clean the grime from your body. The soap smells of hospitals, and you wince every time you touch a particularly tender bruise. But right now, getting clean is your top priority. Everything else can wait.

You don't want to smell another sewer in your life.

Once you are done with the shower, you make sure to deal with the myriad of cuts and bruises—the legacy of an intense fight like this. Still, it's nothing a week of rest and a few ice packs can't fix, so you count yourself lucky.

Sliding into a clean robe makes you feel like a new person. You just want to collapse and fall asleep, but you are still far too keyed up for that. Not to mention that there are a few loose threads to tie up….

So what now?

　‣ I let Josie go to sleep, getting back into Barbara's body to reclaim her.
　‣ I will visit the hospital and see if I can find Ortega.

One last item on our to-do list: check back in with Barbie and get her home, hopefully in one piece.

…Alternatively, if we want to see how Ortega's doing, we could fit in a visit before retrieving Barbara. It's reasonable that we might be concerned after seeing that fight on TV—and unlike her, we don't look like we've been in a fight.​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are tired.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 0% (-5) / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 27% / Anonymity: 73%
█████▒██████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

Is that another, subtler telepath doing some puppeting I'm picking up? Or...?

Somewhat leaning check in, partly because concerned friend would be normal behavior and this is no time to break normal routines, partly because I want to see how Ortega is reacting now that the cameras are off