Several Hellions stood on a nearby rooftop, watching the fight on the street below. Occasionally, they would cheer or throw insults, none of them really going
for either side in particular.
For the Outcasts on one side of the brawl, it was a frustrating change to a familiar scene. For years, they'd held the balance of power in Cherry Hills and
Four Seasons, able to force back any attempt by the police and heroes to try and retake control of Eastgates surviving residential zones. But that had changed,
with other gangs moving into the gaps the laws hard work had made. Which meant that now, in what was a relatively normal fight with a pair of heroes, they had
Hellions teasing and taunting them. That kind of abuse, coming from the lowest of Paragons gangs in what should have been their town, pissed off the mutant
gangers, drove them to fight even harder.
Not that it was doing them much good, honestly. "Come on boys, you know the routine by now," laughed the woman in black and white power armer as she
spun, the twin vibroblades in her hands slicing an Outcasts shotgun in half and slicing through his thigh, dropping him to his knees. "Frostfire breaks
out of the Zig, then he comes here because nowhere else in Paragon will put up with his crap," Duel Sabre continued as she planted her foot in the gangers
head.
Nearby, a purple-haired catgirl ducked under a rock coated fist, then thrust her palm out at the Outcast Brick in question. The ganger yelped as he was thrown
across the street and slammed into an old garage door. "Then some heroes come along and beat the crap out of you until someone tells us where he's
hiding!" Just Another Archer said, pulling a simple looking bow out of nowhere. Spinning, she pulled an arrow out of nowhere and fired a snap shot that
punched into another gangers shoulder. He dropped with a scream that was matched with a cheer from the Hellions above. "So, how about we just skip to that
part?" she grinned. "I've heard good things about the skating rink he tends to make."
Several Outcasts seemed to consider running, but the taunts from the Hellions above them convince them to stay. This would turn out to be a bad move, as a few
minutes later, they were all on the ground, some bleeding rather heavily. Duel slapped teleport beacons on some of them as Archer looked up at the Hellions.
"Get lost or you get a repeat performance!" she yelled, pulling a burning arrow out of nowhere. The arsonists vanished from the roof edge.
"I think you enjoy that," noted the small brown cat clinging to her shoulder, a smile in her voice.
"How can I not?" she grinned, before turning around and looking over the remaining Outcasts. Her eyes paused on one of them, widening for a moment as
her smile faded. Then her eyes narrowed and she walked up to him, pressing her sneaker down on his bruised chest. "Now then, let's talk about your
boss," she said, waving the burning arrow in front of his face. "All we need is the address."
"Go to hell Kitty," he groaned. "I'm not telling you anything."
Archer shook her head. "Aw, is that any way to treat an old friend?" she said, tapping the arrow against his shoulder, drawing a hiss from him.
"You forgotten where you come from Ryan?"
Ryan paused and looked up, before his eyes widened. "... Alice?"
"You know him?" Duel asked, body language showing her surprise.
"You'd be amazed how many Outcasts were already on the street," she said. "Come on Ryan, for old times sake?" Alice added. Her ears
twitched in amusement.
The Outcast looked up at her, then shook his head. "Sorry kid, not selling out family. You should know that... or did going hero make you forget
that?"
Her ears went flat against her head as she knelt down, knee resting on his bruises. "Family?" she hissed. "You used to be my family. You stood
up to Lost preachers, helped us stay ahead of the gangs. Then you started sparking, and you let it go to your head. You listened to Frostys BS and run off. Did
you ever wonder about the rest of us?"
"... Yeah," Ryan admitted, then gasped as she drove her knee in, hard.
"We're gone Ryan. Tom was in an old warehouse the Hellions torched, Brian got sick one night and never got better. Mal's a Skull now, the twins?
Council. Sammy's gone, just vanished..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Do you remember them Ryan? Kids trying to survive after the bugs tore
the city apart. We promised to stick together, to face it and win, to drive on." Her kitten looked at her nervously as Duel stepped slightly closer.
"I'm all that's left Ryan. The last of you left me five months ago, never even had the balls to say goodbye." She leaned in close. "He
got it from you, I guess."
"Al, I-" he gasped as she stood up, taking the pressure off his chest.
"Don't say you're sorry," she snapped, eyes gleaming from tears forced back. "You don't get to fucking say that. Go ahead and
protect your new family. Hope you do a better job then your last one," she said, walking away.
"Smooth," Duel commented, standing over him. "You got a follow up to proving you really are a waste of genetics?" Ryan was pulled away from
watching the departing figure, glaring up at the tech hero, but that faltered in moments.
"I... Did you know..."
"She was a street kid? Kind of obvious. The rest?" she shook her head as she knelt down and placed a tag on him. "Looks like you've got some
thinking to do buddy," she added before he vanished. She stood up and moved on to the other Outcasts, her gaze darting back to the girl in third-hand
clothes from time to time.
Alice stopped a good distance away, leaning next to a fence. Without thinking, her cat slipped off her shoulder and into her arms, providing a comforting
presence. She cuddled Neko for a long moment. "Sorry if I didn't present a proper example of a magical girl," she said softly.
"You're too smart for those clinches," Neko replied softly. Alice laughed, the sound coming out more like a sob. "But... if you need
anything..."
"Just... stay," she said quietly. "I mean, I know there's the magical link, but... That's not why you stay with me right?" she
asked, a faint trace of fear present in the question.
Neko leaned up, rubbing against her face. "That's never the reason," she answered. "I'm staying with you because you're you."
She laughed again. "Cheesy."
"Side effect of being a magical girls advisor," she giggled. Alice hugged her tighter.
"...Thank you."
"Anytime," she whispered. "You up for beating on more Outcasts?"
The archer put Neko back on her shoulder and wiped at her face. "We do need to give them a good show," she said, smiling weakly. "Let's get
to it."
for either side in particular.
For the Outcasts on one side of the brawl, it was a frustrating change to a familiar scene. For years, they'd held the balance of power in Cherry Hills and
Four Seasons, able to force back any attempt by the police and heroes to try and retake control of Eastgates surviving residential zones. But that had changed,
with other gangs moving into the gaps the laws hard work had made. Which meant that now, in what was a relatively normal fight with a pair of heroes, they had
Hellions teasing and taunting them. That kind of abuse, coming from the lowest of Paragons gangs in what should have been their town, pissed off the mutant
gangers, drove them to fight even harder.
Not that it was doing them much good, honestly. "Come on boys, you know the routine by now," laughed the woman in black and white power armer as she
spun, the twin vibroblades in her hands slicing an Outcasts shotgun in half and slicing through his thigh, dropping him to his knees. "Frostfire breaks
out of the Zig, then he comes here because nowhere else in Paragon will put up with his crap," Duel Sabre continued as she planted her foot in the gangers
head.
Nearby, a purple-haired catgirl ducked under a rock coated fist, then thrust her palm out at the Outcast Brick in question. The ganger yelped as he was thrown
across the street and slammed into an old garage door. "Then some heroes come along and beat the crap out of you until someone tells us where he's
hiding!" Just Another Archer said, pulling a simple looking bow out of nowhere. Spinning, she pulled an arrow out of nowhere and fired a snap shot that
punched into another gangers shoulder. He dropped with a scream that was matched with a cheer from the Hellions above. "So, how about we just skip to that
part?" she grinned. "I've heard good things about the skating rink he tends to make."
Several Outcasts seemed to consider running, but the taunts from the Hellions above them convince them to stay. This would turn out to be a bad move, as a few
minutes later, they were all on the ground, some bleeding rather heavily. Duel slapped teleport beacons on some of them as Archer looked up at the Hellions.
"Get lost or you get a repeat performance!" she yelled, pulling a burning arrow out of nowhere. The arsonists vanished from the roof edge.
"I think you enjoy that," noted the small brown cat clinging to her shoulder, a smile in her voice.
"How can I not?" she grinned, before turning around and looking over the remaining Outcasts. Her eyes paused on one of them, widening for a moment as
her smile faded. Then her eyes narrowed and she walked up to him, pressing her sneaker down on his bruised chest. "Now then, let's talk about your
boss," she said, waving the burning arrow in front of his face. "All we need is the address."
"Go to hell Kitty," he groaned. "I'm not telling you anything."
Archer shook her head. "Aw, is that any way to treat an old friend?" she said, tapping the arrow against his shoulder, drawing a hiss from him.
"You forgotten where you come from Ryan?"
Ryan paused and looked up, before his eyes widened. "... Alice?"
"You know him?" Duel asked, body language showing her surprise.
"You'd be amazed how many Outcasts were already on the street," she said. "Come on Ryan, for old times sake?" Alice added. Her ears
twitched in amusement.
The Outcast looked up at her, then shook his head. "Sorry kid, not selling out family. You should know that... or did going hero make you forget
that?"
Her ears went flat against her head as she knelt down, knee resting on his bruises. "Family?" she hissed. "You used to be my family. You stood
up to Lost preachers, helped us stay ahead of the gangs. Then you started sparking, and you let it go to your head. You listened to Frostys BS and run off. Did
you ever wonder about the rest of us?"
"... Yeah," Ryan admitted, then gasped as she drove her knee in, hard.
"We're gone Ryan. Tom was in an old warehouse the Hellions torched, Brian got sick one night and never got better. Mal's a Skull now, the twins?
Council. Sammy's gone, just vanished..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Do you remember them Ryan? Kids trying to survive after the bugs tore
the city apart. We promised to stick together, to face it and win, to drive on." Her kitten looked at her nervously as Duel stepped slightly closer.
"I'm all that's left Ryan. The last of you left me five months ago, never even had the balls to say goodbye." She leaned in close. "He
got it from you, I guess."
"Al, I-" he gasped as she stood up, taking the pressure off his chest.
"Don't say you're sorry," she snapped, eyes gleaming from tears forced back. "You don't get to fucking say that. Go ahead and
protect your new family. Hope you do a better job then your last one," she said, walking away.
"Smooth," Duel commented, standing over him. "You got a follow up to proving you really are a waste of genetics?" Ryan was pulled away from
watching the departing figure, glaring up at the tech hero, but that faltered in moments.
"I... Did you know..."
"She was a street kid? Kind of obvious. The rest?" she shook her head as she knelt down and placed a tag on him. "Looks like you've got some
thinking to do buddy," she added before he vanished. She stood up and moved on to the other Outcasts, her gaze darting back to the girl in third-hand
clothes from time to time.
Alice stopped a good distance away, leaning next to a fence. Without thinking, her cat slipped off her shoulder and into her arms, providing a comforting
presence. She cuddled Neko for a long moment. "Sorry if I didn't present a proper example of a magical girl," she said softly.
"You're too smart for those clinches," Neko replied softly. Alice laughed, the sound coming out more like a sob. "But... if you need
anything..."
"Just... stay," she said quietly. "I mean, I know there's the magical link, but... That's not why you stay with me right?" she
asked, a faint trace of fear present in the question.
Neko leaned up, rubbing against her face. "That's never the reason," she answered. "I'm staying with you because you're you."
She laughed again. "Cheesy."
"Side effect of being a magical girls advisor," she giggled. Alice hugged her tighter.
"...Thank you."
"Anytime," she whispered. "You up for beating on more Outcasts?"
The archer put Neko back on her shoulder and wiped at her face. "We do need to give them a good show," she said, smiling weakly. "Let's get
to it."