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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/KyleKKent on 2025-07-01 21:46:15+00:00.
(Yay! I forgot about Canada Day and to go to bed! Glee!)
Capes and Conundrums
They arrive at the burnt out and melted section of wall, numerous hunters and police are already there, and the stones are still so hot that any unprotected skin is getting burnt in moments. A couple Fire Erumenta, an Apuk and a Cannidor with reinforced boots and gauntlets are examining things as several Undaunted Soldiers are assisting the police keeping the more reckless and careless away.
No lava serpent had ever attacked the city before. This was getting all the attention and...
“Hey! Can’t you see the police line? Back away before you get yourselves cooked through! The heat here is second only to the trenches!”
“My name is Brutality Wayne, my family and I are all legal Bounty Hunters and registered investigators in numerous jurisdictions. The only one without a direct license is my grandson Terrance who is here to learn as we work.” Brutality says pulling out an ID and showing the officer who takes it and quickly runs a scan.
“You’ve got a lot of registered jurisdictions. And even more captures sweet Primals...”
“I’ve been at this for a while, although to be fair a lot of those were with the assistance of my many, many students and children.”
“You’re the teaching sort.”
“My father taught me that there is a great good in helping others. This is how I interpreted it.” Brutality says genially.
“Well you certainly took the lesson to heart if your family here is any indicationa and... is that one a child?”
“Teen, a few short years from being a legal adult. My grandson.”
“I see.” She says... “Is most of your family male?”
“There is a higher propensity for sons than is normal among the Wayne family.”
“Heh, Wayne, just like in the goofy stories. Did you change it?”
“No, it’s pre-existing.” Brutality notes in a mildly irritated tone.
“Oh... the city must be awkward for you to be in.”
“It’s something.” Brutality states calmly. “But more importantly, we’re going to take a look at the entrance hole.”
“Do you have thermal protection? Anyone without massive heat resistance is going to cook alive just going near it.”
“We have it handled. Thank you.”
“Are you sure? The small cavern the thing came out of is retaining heat even more than the corpse of the monster.”
“I’m certain. Thank you for your concern madam.” Brutality states and she sighs but nods.
As Brutality heads back to the group there is a sudden whistle and he turns his head to see Harold... walking barefoot over the obsidian so hot it has heat distortions coming off it.
“Where are you boots?”
“I didn’t want them to melt.” He says as if that bit of madness made any sense. “Anyways, we got hit with a plasma blast from a drone within a few minutes of the serpent showing up, to say nothing of the lizards and birds. The odds of it being a coincidence are so long as to be absurd.”
“Okay... and why are you not wearing boots?”
“I want to feel the melted glass squelch between my toes. Can we focus?”
“You’re crazy.” Someone nearby notes and Harold turns to stick his tongue out at them before turning back to Brutality.
“Back to topic. You think that whoever set off an explosive inside your facility also unleashed the beasts?”
“And may have been responsible for the attack on Hafid.”
“Do you now?” Brutality asks.
“Too many events happening all at once. I figure it’s best to consider them all connected, investigate each part, but be ready to chase them all down to the end, even if it proves you wrong.”
“An interesting mindset. Do you have anyone on mister Tonk then?”
“I have four Private Streams following him. Three in a trenchcoat and being obvious as they gather attention, one to be mildly seen from afar, and then the actual spy is not perceivable by any senses they have demonstrated.”
“... Could you repeat that please?”
•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• Four Streams and Rain)•-•-•
It was purest madness. How and why the Private Stream drones even had a sit on each other’s shoulders under a long coat protocol in their automatic state was baffling. The one on the top trying to look ‘mysterious’ and ‘surreptitious’ was more attention getting than the pile up of miniature people they were sitting on and taking almost all attention away from the one peering out from around corners.
All this meant that even if Halford Tonk had the capacity to detect her, he’d be so distracted by the nonsense happening that he likely wouldn’t.
On some level she understands. A comedy of errors happening in eye shot and clearly to people trying to spy on you would have someone put their guard up in entirely the wrong direction and put it down completely facing the wrong way.
Hence why she was currently copying everything on the data-chip she had stolen from the man. Her being subtle is just a case of reflex at this point and honestly it was just...
Another Vishanyan rockets overhead riding a giant jumping lizard. She pauses for a moment at the absurdity of reality and then looks down to find out that the copy was complete and she took it out and tucked the chip back into place as she slowly reaches into and starts going through Tonk’s expanded pocket as he stares at the Private Stream with the big obvious notepad taking big obvious notes.
More likely he’s scribbling something.
“Really?!” Apparently Halford has found his limit and she barely manages to move with him standing up incredulously. She pulls her hand away before being noticed as the trenchcoat Streams topple over, rip the coat and scramble into different directions with cries of distress.
Even if she was perfectly visible she’d be invisible with that mess happening.
“I give up. Today is too weird, too... everything.” Halford says with a sigh before putting down money for the drink he had ordered at the cafe and walking away. “Stalked over and over again, animal attacks, a fucking lava serpent in the city, how much more insane can things get?”
She follows him closely. Always on the opposite side of the ‘stalking’ Private Stream to make sure that if he suddenly turns to point that he’s not going to smack her or something. But he leads her to a public transport and then breaks into a run to slip onto a bus before Private Stream can get there.
She also fails to get on, but she’s more than capable of phasing through the door way shortly before it takes off and just standing in the entrance. Letting things calm down Axiom-wise before moving and then carefully picking her way into a place to stand near him.
“Finally.” Halford notes to himself with Rain right there to listen to him. “God damnit mother, you’ve overdone things today.”
Not a technical confession, not admissible in any court. But that’s Axiom-Ride level valuable on the slip-up level.
Several Swoop Callers are being brought down more peacefully in the distance as the sheer chaos that had hit the city calms down and Halford sighs. “Subtle as Skathac itself.”
Again, Axiom-Ride level valuable, but not proof in and of itself.
She keeps close to him as he arrives at his destination and gets off at the thirty third level platform between multiple skyscrapers. The plateau-top gardens looking bright and inviting with active sunlamps pointed right at them to give the impression of being outside despite the entire city being in a cavern.
There is a Private Stream already there, waiting with a local book held up in front of his face. Complete with obvious eyeholes to watch Halford with.
The man sighs and walks up to the little synth. “Okay, that is far more than enough. Why are you stalking me?”
“Stalking? Who said anything about stalking?” The Private Stream asks.
“I did, because you are stalking me.” Halford says. “Why?”
“... Abandon Mission!” Private Stream suddenly calls out and half the plants suddenly stand up and run away. The one on the bench goes nowhere as Halford grabs him by the collar.
“Explanations. Now.”
“Training?”
“Training.”
“We need to know how to position ourselves around public figures without getting in the way or causing harm so...”
“... This is bodyguard training?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you trying to spy on me?”
“We need to make sure nothing got into yoru food or clothes or...”
“Okay... did I accidentally sign a contract somewhere that states I can be used as a training dummy?”
“Yes.”
“Where!?”
“Right here, when The Undaunted were permitted to set up in the city we got approval to perform non-violent exercises in public so long as we do not interfere with the standard business of the residents or administration. See here? You’re employer, the mayor, signed it and therefore it’s considered legally binding that you... hey!” Private Stream starts to explain before the communicator is plucked out of his hands and Halford begins examining the contract.
“Give it back!” Private Stream says climbing onto the bunch to grab at it and Halford steps away. Then holds it higher as Private Stream makes a jump for it. Then starts repeating himself with endless repetitions of: “Give it back! Give it back!”
“This is actually legal. And you’re putting your stalking of me into this?”
“Not stalking! Protective detail!”
“And what about that one writing on a notepad?”
“Jerry? He doodles.”
“You’re all raw recruits aren’t you?” Halford asks.
“How’d you guess?”
“It’s obvious.” Halford says. “Consider this a direct order. I am no longer an appropriate target for practice protection de...
Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1lpegc3/oocs_into_a_wider_galaxy_part_380/