Sophia opened her eyes to the sight of a sterile roof. Her limbs felt like jelly, muscles numb. The rhythmic beeping of a machine immediately got on her nerves.She moved to stand up, trying to kick away at the blanket. Her feet did respond, but she felt weakness in their limbs. They moved sluggishly.A hand touched her shoulder and moved her down. It was cold to the touch. Not flesh."Don't strain yourself. The sedative hasn't left your system fully yet."She looked up at Weld, frowning."That bitch… it was Skitter and her shitstain of a group.""We know."There was a somber tone to his voice. That brought Sophia slightly out of her rage.Her mind began to race through the reasons why.It landed on the worst possible option.Hjack.Her eyes opened wide as she felt bile rise through her mouth. She just managed not to throw up."R-Regent… Fuck. FUCK." Sophia hit Weld's shoulder with a fist. It didn't do much, aside from bothering him."Yes, Regent." Another voice joined the two.In the back of the room, sitting on a chair by the door, was Miss Militia, her green eyes looking directly at Sophia. A mix of pity and wariness."We suspect that he didn't use his power to control you. At least, I do." The steel Ward explained.Miss Militia didn't look pleased at Weld's comment:"The Undersiders and an unknown cape assaulted the HQ. The unknown cape briefly talked with Weld and mentioned you were safe and unhurt. However, until we have made sure that Regent did not use his power to take control of you we need to follow protocol. Give me the week's password."
■
Glass broke against the wall as a laptop crashed to the ground. Sophia was furious. Skitter had not only tased, kicked and laughed at her, but she also put her in a position where she couldn't go out there and hunt down some bastards.She'd been locked down in her room for days now, alone, except for the occasional check-ins from Dragon and the PRT.Thinkers and tinkers both came to the conclusion that Regent did not use his power to influence her, though the reason was a mystery to Sophia. She had been defenseless in their grasp, and they didn't make use of the chance.They could've killed her.The cowards…Anger and stress had been building up within Sophia, and now was on the verge of exploding.A knock at the door distracted Sophia from her fury.
■
"A new cape showed up at the assault of our HQ last week." Miss Militia began speaking, turning on the wide screen in the meeting room.The footage was paused, showing a woman moving through the air with perfect grace, steel wires lashing from her wrists.She wore no mask. Sophia stared wide-eyed at her principal."She named herself Blackwall, and even though she collaborated with the Undersiders on this occasion, she confided in Weld that she is a mercenary, somewhat. It is unclear what her intentions are, but what is clear…"Letting the footage play, everyone in the room was silent as Blackwell- Blackwall easily dispatched two Wards without any help. Then the footage jumped to her fighting against one of the Dragonflight. Even then, she took down the suit within minutes of the fight starting, burning her hands badly in the process."...is that she is dangerous. Blackwall has shown no interest in keeping up the usual villain rules. She does not wear a mask, and she even insists she is not a parahuman. In any case, Blackwall is a threat that we cannot ignore."We've given her a Thinker/Tinker rating for now. It is unclear if the tech she used was the cause for her precision, or if a Thinker power allowed Blackwall to do the incredible feat of agility and coordination she showed. Given what we know, consider her to also have a sub-rating in Mover and maybe Blaster depending on equipment."Sophia wanted to scream.How? How did Blackwell, that cowardly and useless principal, become a predator when she had always been prey?That, plus the fact that she had decided to work with Skitter and her group of all people stoked the fires of anger within Sophia.She raised a hand."Yes?""I know her civilian identity. I knew I guess. It's not like she's hiding it anyway, so-""We're aware." A voice coming from the ceiling interrupted.Dragon."She was hired by the PRT for a confidential operation, which you are aware of and should not share the details. We believe Blackwall triggered very recently."Which meant Leviathan. Dragon did not say the name out loud, in any case, as the other Wards were still in the room.The loss of their friends was still fresh on their mind.Sophia did not care much about it. The weak were culled, simple as that."...moving on. Some international news. The hero Malacoda and her Blackbranch have put an end to the Fallen cell in Naples. It is likely because they're shifting resources to get a foothold in our city, be advised. With the death of Kaiser…"The rest of the meeting went by slowly, talking about the other active parahuman groups in the city and the odd inactivity from the Chosen.
■
Finally, Sophia was welcomed back into her true home: the night sky of the shithole that was Brockton Bay.Sure, she was out on 'patrol', but there were many names on her hit list. If she came across Skitter she would not hesitate to use her power to put an end to the insidious villain, to hell with the consequences. She could think about getting rid of the body after.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.Not to mention Blackwell… The bitch had betrayed Sophia. Once, they were on the same side: the principal didn't tell the PRT anything about her school life, and in turn the school would get extra funding from having a Ward enrolled.Using her power again made Sophia feel alive as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, glancing at the streets every now and then, keeping her ears open for any unlucky fucker.Because of that, she immediately reacted when she heard a footstep not far behind her. Crossbow in hand, she activated her ability to quicken her movement.Behind she saw a familiar face on an unfamiliar body.Blackwall.She stood tall, taller than Sophia remembered. She was slender and fit, which weren't words she ever expected to use for the ex-principal of the now destroyed school.And that wasn't the only thing that had changed.Blackwall's lower face was covered by a black respirator-like mask, except it was connected to a mechanical device that extended from her neck down to the middle of her chest. It didn't look like it was something she was wearing, as much as something that was sewn into the skin.She wore a tailored white suit, with fitted trousers and jacket. Her hands and feet were not made of flesh, but had been replaced with prosthetics made of slick black metal. They slightly reflected the moonlight piercing through the night.Sophia also spotted some weaponry on her. A gun with a wide barrel was holstered under her armpit, and a katana-like blade was sheathed by her side. On her back, she carried a long rectangular shaped suitcase. A rifle? Probably that. But none of these things were the most striking.What terrified Sophia the most were her eyes: red and black, hues too deep to be normal. Blackwall's eyes were inhumane, monstrous in a way that reminded Sophia of the only true monster she had ever faced.Leviathan."Sophia."The words cut through the quiet night, and Sophia reacted with violence. She did not hesitate any longer, shooting the tranquilizing dart with the crossbow and already taking out her other weapon, the one meant for lethal force.Blackwall simply snatched the dart from the air, moving too fast for Sophia to see. A heartbeat later Sophia found herself choking between Blackwall's grip, the dark metal hand tight around her neck. When had she moved?The occasional arc of lightning coming from the knuckles told her it would be a bad idea to try and phase through."Do not force my hand. I don't want to hurt you. Behave and listen."Blackwall let her go.Sophia crumpled to the ground, wheezing."Fuck you!" She immediately phased into her shadow form and attempted to pierce the woman with a dart, hoping that by phasing back it would quickly put a stop to the fight.Attempt was the right word.Again Blackwell moved with impossible speed. One moment she was within arm's reach of Sophia, the next she was on the other side of the rooftop, sighing."Turn off your Breaker form. Now."Her ultimatum sent another pang of terror down Sophia's spine.Somehow she knew the threat was real. This in front of her was no mere predator, it did not hunt. It did not need to outsmart its prey. It did not need to prove its superiority.This in front of her was a cold, calculating machine. Sophia was no animal on the run: she was cattle looking at a slaughterhouse.Blackwall merely accomplished what she set out to do. With ruthless efficiency and without hesitation.Sophia turned physical."Good.""What do you want, you bitch?! Are you here to kidnap me again?! Bring me to your fucking friends?! I'd rather die." Sophia spat out."Shut up.""You played along with me for so much time, only to reveal your true colours as soon as that monster turned the city honest! I guess I should count myself lucky, that at least you stabbed me in the back after everything went to shit!""Shut. Up.""But I know your name. I know your face. I will find your family, and I will hurt-"Again, a burst of speed.She felt pain spread from her gut. Then she kneeled down, and began throwing up.Blackwall had just punched her in the gut. Somehow Sophia could tell if had been a light jab, not even a fraction of her true strength."I am trying to be patient, because you are not only a child but also a victim. But my time is not unlimited, tonight there are many important things that require my attention, and you are the least of them. I'm sorry."I am not Andrea Blackwell. She is dead. Do not treat me like you know me, because you don't. You don't know a lot. And I'm sorry for that too, because you deserve to know. All parahumans do."You are a cancer that the 'old' me let fester to the point that so many people got hurt. I had to give up a lot to make sure that Regent did not use his power and take total control of you, and I don't regret that. Don't mistake my actions for affection, this was simply bias caused by the memories of who this body belonged to.""What-" Sophia could barely speak between wheezing. "- what the fuck do you want?""Be better, Sophia. Learn from your teammates. Make a difference. Help humans. Get out of this city. Or…"Blackwall looked in the distance, towards the bay. Towards something Sophia could not see, nor cared to know about."Or keep doing what you are doing. Show me that you are no human, that you're beyond saving. So that I can treat you the same as the parasite that dwells in your brain. As a monster to be exterminated."With another blur, Blackwall disappeared.Leaving a wheezing, hurting and crying Sophia on the rooftop.The moon looked especially comforting tonight.