#chapter 3.3

Now Recharging chapter 3 page 43 by Maiji/Mary Huang

3.3 Missing Information Felipe: Hey Morio! —How’s Emmie? Morio: Emmie is very well. Thank you. Felipe: That’s good! It’s great you found family! (It’s really cute, ha ha) *Felipe’s image of Emmie, based on conversations with Morio* [Mini earthmover] “Emmie”: Hello! My name is Emmie! *dust dust* Little kids play with me! I can clean things too! I love sheep! [“Emmie is smaller than I am.” “But bigger than, say, me?” “Emmie is smaller.” “Huh, OK.”] ["Emmie is a newer M-series. Emmie has fluffy hair like sheep. Like you.”] (Felipe: I have hair like sheep? What) [“Emmie loves sheep. Emmie has a sheep backpack and sleeps with a stuffed sheep named Ranran.”] ("Emmie": zzzz)

♥ support

Ooooh

You’d think he has the standard Alexandria package, flight, super strength, invincibility, but that isn’t exactly right.  He does fly, but the other two powers work differently than you’d expect.  See, he isn’t invincible… he just doesn’t have any weak points.

So a) Aegis is a “he”. I believe I assumed “she” when the name first came up, whoops.

b) Alexandria has the standard package, sort of Superman-esque. Could have something else too.

c) Not invincible, but no weak points. So in other words, all of him is equally strong/vulnerable against attack. I mean, that’s fair.

His entire biology is filled with so many redundancies and reinforcements that you just can’t put him down.

Oh my cod that’s very different

All of a sudden he sounds like a coddamn eldritch monstrosity.

Throw sand in his eyes and he can still see by sensing the light on his skin.  Cut his throat and it doesn’t bleed any more than the back of his hand would.  The guy’s had an arm cut off and it was attached and working fine the next day.  Stab him through the heart and another organ takes over the necessary functions.”

At least it sounds like these things are mostly internal, but still, easily the freakiest power we’ve heard of so far. I love it.

“Not that we’re stabbing anyone through the heart?” I made it a hopeful half-question, half-statement.

“No.  Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stab Aegis through the heart just to slow him down.  If you did it with something big enough.

Heh, that’s one downside to being practically unkillable. It lets the enemy go all out if they’re usually limited by a code against killing.

The guy’s like a zombie, he gets back up within seconds of you beating him down, keeps coming at you until you’re too tired to fight back or you make a mistake.”

“And he’s super strong?” I asked.

Brian shook his head, “Lisa, want to field this one?”

Ah yeah, I forgot to mention that. Brian said that power too worked differently than you’d expect.

She did.  “Aegis isn’t strong, but he can abuse his body in ways that makes it seem like he is.  He can throw punches hard enough that they’d break his hand, mangle his joints and tear his muscles, and his body just takes it.

It does sound like he has one more power: No pain. Either his freaky biology involves no pain or he’s trained himself to ignore it, which is very hard to do.

He has no reason to hold back,

See? That’s what pain is - a motivation for the body to not do the thing that harms it.

and he doesn’t need to waste any time protecting himself from you. He can also draw on adrenaline… you’ve heard stories like how little old grandmothers lifted cars off the ground to save their grandkids?”

Yeah, that’s pretty intense. If someone can control that, it’s practically super strength.

I nodded.

“That’s adrenaline at work, and Aegis can do that for hours at a stretch.  His body doesn’t run out of steam, he doesn’t get tired, he doesn’t exhaust his reserves of adrenaline.  He just keeps going.”

Daamn.

Ooh, that’s very interesting. *makes mental note about that myth*

I suppose it would make sense given that they’ll have had more time to hone their powers, if you compare them at the same age.

Clockblocker is sort of a one trick pony, his trick involves screwing with one of the key forces of our universe, but it’s just one thing.  Vista also messes with physics on a fundamental level, but she’s versatile.

Shit.

“Twelve years old, and she has the power to reshape space.  She can stretch a building like taffy, so it’s twice as tall, or squeeze two sidewalks closer together so she can cross the street with a single step.”

That is a damn versatile power. Someone shoots at you? Make the space between you and the bullet large enough to step aside long before it arrives. Someone tries to run away? “What do you mean you’re running “away”? You sure seem to be getting closer and closer to me...”

I’m guessing she could make an opening in Clockblocker’s shields, since she’s not actually moving things, just reshaping the space between them.

“Her weakness,” Lisa added, “Is the Manton effect.”  She turned her full attention to me, “You know what that is?”

“I’ve heard it mentioned, but I don’t know the details.”

Hmm... no idea.

“Wherever our powers come from, they also came with some limitations.  For most of us, there’s a restriction about using our powers on living things.  The reach of powers generally stops at the outside of a person or animal’s body.

That’s interesting. Especially considering Alec’s power is in violation of that rule, applying specifically to people’s nervous system. Same with Taylor’s power, really - mass mind control of creatures with simple brains naturally involves using the power on those brains.

Actually, maybe that’s why it’s limited to simple brains. Maybe whatever powers the powers doesn’t consider insects “living things” because their brains are too simple. I really like the concept of magic that doesn’t necessarily follow human ideas.

There’s exceptions for the people with powers that only work on living things, like you, Alec and Rachel.

Ah, yeah, Rachel too. In her case, it’s straight up bodily transformation, which definitely messes with way more internal parts than Alec or Taylor’s powers do.

But the long and short of it is that the Manton effect is why most telekinetics can’t just reach into your chest and crush your heart.  Most people who can create forcefields can’t create one through the middle of your body and cut you in two.”

This is a pretty neat concept to introduce, to deal with why people don’t use their powers on their enemies internal bits.

That said, one of my favorite ever powers in a work of fiction, outside of Worm, belongs to Tyki Mikk from D.gray-man. He can choose what things to interact with physically and what to phase right through, and one of his favored ways to kill is to stick his heart right through your chest and literally just pluck your heart out. He’s also generally one of my favorite villains, thanks to that power and his personality.

(Though I will say they took it a little far when he started flying on the basis of making air be solid to his feet.)

“Narwhal can,” Alec cut in.

“I said most,” Lisa said, “Why these restrictions exist is a question nearly as big as where we got our powers in the first place.  The capes that can get around the Manton effect are among the strongest of us.”

Makes sense. Seeing how he acts during the actual robbery is going to be interesting.

He brought us a plate of pizza pockets along with assorted sodas, and we ate as we wrapped up the plan.

“Alright,” Brian said, as Lisa shut her laptop, “I think we have a general idea of what we’re doing.  We know how we get in, we know who does what when we’re inside, and we know how we want to get out.  Keeping in mind that no plan survives contact with the enemy, I think the odds are still pretty good.”

Mr. “The Risk Is Too High” has been appeased.

“So, the enemy,” I said, resisting the urge to wince at the realization that I would be up against good guys, “My only experience fighting in costume… or even just fighting, is against Lung, and that didn’t go well.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Brian said, “You did better than most.”

I remember in 2.6 when Taylor expressed this sentiment, the others reminded her that entire teams of heroes had gone up against the guy without doing any real damage.

Lung was overpowered as hell, Taylor, and you still mostly beat him. The Undersiders just finished the job.

“I’ll rephrase,” I said, “It could have gone better.

That’s fair.

We’re going up against the Wards and they aren’t pushovers.”

If you’ll recall, you were invited to the Wards yourself. Still, that’s a valid point.

Brian nodded, “True.  Let’s talk strategy and weaknesses.  You know who the Wards are?”

I shrugged, “I’ve researched them.  I’ve seen them on TV.  That doesn’t mean I know the important stuff.”

You know what they want you to know. I can’t imagine they don’t have PR folks working hard on keeping track of what people know about the Protectorate and the Wards.

“Vista can stretch and compress space.  She can also do funny things with gravity.  Thing is, the Manton effect keeps her from stretching or compressing you.  It also makes altering an area a lot harder for her if there’s more people in that space.  So if all of us are in one room, chances are she won’t be able to affect the whole room.”

Handy.

Wait. Gravity? Interesting.

“But,” Brian added, wiping a string of cheese from the corner of his lip, “Every time we’ve run into her, she’s been faster and overall more powerful with her power, and she’s had new tricks.  Every second she’s on the battlefield is a second things become harder for us.  We take her down sooner than later.  Aegis, Clockblocker, Vista.  Those are the ones we’re most likely to run into, and whoever else winds up coming, they’re the ones we have to deal with, or we’re fucked.

I doubt any of these three are not going to show up. If not this time, the remaining one(s) will likely show up later, at least.

“Let’s quickly go through the rest.  Kid Win.”

“Tinker,” Lisa said, “Flying skateboard, laser pistols, high tech visor are staples for him.  Expect something new, depending on what he’s come up in his workshop.  He’s mobile but not that threatening.”

Sounds very eighties.

“Triumph?” Brian said.

“He turned eighteen and graduated to the Protectorate.  Don’t have to worry about him,” Lisa said.

Still no idea what this guy does.

“Gallant.”

“Glory Girl’s on and off boyfriend,

Ooooh

he pretends to be a Tinker in the same vein as Kid Win, but I think he just runs around in secondhand armor with a fresh paint job.

Pfft.

So kind of like the Iron Patriot to Iron Man?

His thing is these blasts of light.  Getting hit by one feels like a punch in the gut, but the blasts also mess with your feelings.  Make you sad, make you scared, ashamed, giddy, whatever.  Not that bad unless you get hit by a bunch in a row.  Don’t.”

That does tie in nicely with his girlfriend, at least.

“That just leaves Shadow Stalker.  Bloodthirsty bitch,” Brian scowled.

Alec explained to me, “She’s got it in her head that Brian is her nemesis.  You know, her number one enemy, her dark opposite.  She’s been going after him every chance she gets.”

Oh boy.

“She was a solo hero,” Tattletale said, “Vigilante of the night, until she went too far and nearly killed someone, nailing him to a wall with one of her crossbows.

Yikes, and this girl is after Brian?

Better watch out.

The local heroes were called in, she got arrested, and made some sort of deal.  Now she’s a probationary member of the Wards, with the condition that she uses tranquilizer bolts and nonlethal ammo for her crossbow.”

I guess that’s helpful at least.

“Which she isn’t,” Brian growled, “At least, not when she comes after me.  That arrow she shot through my side had a fucking arrowhead on it.”

I’m torn between “fuck no” and “fuck yes”. I’mma go with both, I think.

Now which time power does this person have?

“He stops time, if I remember right?” I inquired, as much to stay in the conversation as to get the clarification.

...of course it would be that. Clockblocker. Blocks the clock. Duh, why didn’t I think of it.

“More specific than that,” Brian said, “He can stop time for whatever he touches.  The person or object he touches is basically put on ‘pause’ for anywhere from thirty seconds to ten minutes.

Freeze tag!

So does he choose the duration, is it random, or does it depend on factors relating to the target? Do frozen objects respond to forces like being pushed or falling due to gravity?

Only good thing is that he doesn’t control or know how long it’s going to last.

Okay, that’s handy. For both the Undersiders and Wildbow.

But if he gets his hands on you, you’re out of action.  He’ll either stand next to you and wait until you start moving, then touch you again, or he’ll just tie you up in chains and handcuffs so that when his power wears off, you’re already in custody.”

Yo, quit the camping!

“Long story short, he touches you, you’re boned,” Alec said.

With a name like that you might expect him to be the one that keeps people from being boned...

“The upside is that whoever he touches is also untouchable.  Can’t be hurt, can’t be moved.  Period.

Or in terms I used above, can’t be affected by outer forces. I like that Brian actually answered my questions here immediately. :)

I’m guessing this applies to gravity too.

He uses that defensively, and he can do stuff like throw paper or cloth in the air and freeze it in time, making an unbreakable shield.

Yeah. That’s pretty clever, really!

You don’t want to run into something that’s frozen.  A car that drove into the side of a piece of paper that Clockblocker had touched would be cut in two before it budged the paper.”

“Noted,” I said.

“It’ll be more than five grand for each of us, I guarantee you,” Lisa told him, “It’s the biggest bank in Brockton Bay.  It’s also the hub of cash distribution for the entire county.  Said cash gets transferred in and out by armored cars on a regular schedule-”

“So why don’t we hit one of the cars?” Alec asked.

Alec swoops in with a good point!

“They have ride-alongs or aerial cover from various members of the Wards and the Protectorate, so we’d be caught in a fight with another cape from minute one.

Hm, fair.

Same problems that Brian’s talking about, as far as getting caught up in a fight, difficulty accessing the money before shit goes down, yadda yadda. Anyways, the Brockton Bay Central has cars coming in twice a week, and leaving four times a week.  We hit on a Thursday just after noon, and it should be the best day and time for the sheer size of the take.  Only way we’re getting away with less than thirty thousand is if we fuck up.  With what the boss is offering, that’s ninety thou.”

Dayum.

She folded her arms.

Brian sighed, long and loud, “Well, you got me, I guess.  It sounds good.”

Aaand there goes Taylor’s pillar of support against the idea.

Lisa turned to Alec.  There wasn’t any resistance to be found there.  He just said, “Fuck yeah, I’m in.”

So am I! I’m not there, though, so I’ll just spectate.

Bitch didn’t need convincing any more than Alec had. She nodded once and then turned her attention to the scarred little dog.

Then everyone looked at me.

It’s time to decide. Are you going to argue more?

“What would I be doing?” I asked, nervously, hoping to stall or find holes in the plan that I could use to argue against it.

Dude, girl, no, that’s weak. There are plenty of uses for someone with your powers in this job.

Say for example you find some form of flying insect with venom that incapacitates without doing too much actual harm. I don’t know bugs well enough to know if you can find something like that around Brockton Bay, but this is just an example, so let’s say you do. You can then have one of those follow each hostage around and tell them to attack if the hostage tries any funny business. Doing it this way also means you’ll have more control over whether anyone gets seriously hurt.

So Lisa outlined a general plan.  Brian made suggestions, good ones, and the plan was adjusted accordingly.  I realized with a growing disappointment and a knot of anxiety in my gut that it was almost inevitably going to happen.

I don’t think I’ve truly managed to get used to the slow pace of this story yet. No bank robbery this chapter, which was somewhat disappointing, but we did get a lot of information on some of the Wards and on how the powers are generally limited in this verse.

Overall, this chapter was... alright. The back and forth on whether or not they should actually do the robbery ended up getting a bit tedious after a while, though it might hold up better at a normal reading pace. Then we got an infodump, which while interesting, wasn’t all that exciting.

So yeah, maybe the chapter is suffering from too much hype on my part going in, but it does remind me quite a bit of 2.2, when most of the chapter was spent researching the Undersiders. It’s not bad, but it’s not that good either.