Hebert Disassembly Services Chapter 2: Conversations///

[center]<<<Emily Piggot>>>[/center]

Despite popular belief, she didn’t hate parahumans; she just didn’t trust them. She believed it was foolish to trust traumatized men and women as a police force for villainous parahumans; however, she was just a cog in the machine. And she was pragmatic enough to simply swallow her opinions and work with what she’s got. 

And despite her low opinion, she grew to trust the parahumans in the ENE Protectorate. Even if Assault was a pain in her ass.

Still, a part of her could help but want to be angry at Armsmaster for dropping this shitstorm on her lap, a Ward bullying someone so bad that they possibly triggered? Then the cherry on the shit sundae, being that the victim had compiled over a year’s worth of evidence, oh, and apparently she’d been turned into a damn robot with a potentially genocidal gremlin as a split personality!

Grunting, she dropped the file on her desk and looked at Miss Militia, “You talked to them. What can you tell me? Is the girl mastered or just crazy?” Honestly, neither would improve her mood, but one is better than the other.

“Well, according to interviews with Daniel and comparisons? No, she isn’t mastered… or crazy,” Miss Milita reported, “And while some of Cyn’s claims are… suspect, I believe that she’s a Case 53 that triggered with some sort of symbiotic power. The conversion from human to machine could be considered a Striker power in itself.”

“Mmm, and her cyberpathy?” Piggot asked, “That she used to identify our system has more holes than a goddamn sieve and apparently smells ‘like a snake’?”

“Possibly some sort of Master ability? Or Shaker? Provided she can actually interact and control our systems,” Miss Militia said, “However, when I asked her not to, she promised. For what it's worth.”

Piggot just hummed before looking at a file flagged Important, one that was apparently nearly lost and redirected because of Cyn’s actions. Though loath as she was to give the crazy parahuman any credit, she was woman enough to admit she did a good thing.

It was Armsmaster’s internal investigations regarding Hess’s supposed actions.

Scowling faintly, Piggot grimaced. She knew Hess was nothing but trouble when someone suggested she become a Ward on Probationary terms. The girl was rude, opinionated, bullheaded, and needlessly aggressive and abrasive. None of her fellow Wards had good things to say about her, even the resident ‘White Knight’ couldn’t make any positive comments regarding her behavior.

He really tried, though, though if that was because he was just that nice or some unknown quirk of his power she didn’t know.

“Well, if I can get a robot Ward to fill in for Hess, I think that’s a good trade.”  Though she’d take a joke of a parahuman over Hess, the girl was a nightmare to deal with.

Hell, she’d take Hebert as an Affiliate Hero if that’s what it took! As long as she wasn’t another villain, though, she and Cyn would be assessed as a potential threat if Cyn ever relapses and decides to ‘Deal’ with humanity again, if her story was true.

Shaking her head, she looked over at Armsmaster, who’d been standing silently, no doubt reviewing some tinker project or something similar, “And how is Mr. Hebert handling all this?” She asked curiously.

“Poorly,” He replied, not bothering to hide his grimace, “He’s not suicidal, but if he could become a parahuman, he would have, I think.”

“... Do you believe the environment of their home is suitable for a potentially volatile pair such as Cyn and Ms. Hebert?” It wouldn’t be the first time the PRT had to remove a potential Ward from a dangerous environment.

“I do not believe he is abusive to her, no,” He replied, “Their interactions before coming here were too pleasant, if that word can be applied to… anything involving a trigger event.”

Piggot allowed a faint snort, “Fair enough.”

“Though, from my observations, there is a degree of… estrangement.” Armsmaster added, “Possibly stemming from the loss of Mrs. Hebert, if she provided the emotional stability in the family. Her loss was possibly crippling, and Mr. Hebert didn’t know how to cope.”

“Like love birds, when one dies the other wastes away, pining for their other half…” Miss Militia commented, “Err, I enjoy researching birds on slow nights.”

“Miss Militia,” Armsmaster started, “I have access to your browsing history, you’ve researched a lot more than birds… did you ever find how to deal with a gnat infestation, by the way?”

“Yes, actually. I can send you some of my research later.” The military-themed hero said with another one of those eye-smiles. “Wait, you know my- right, you meant for the computers here. Wasn’t thinking.”

Armsmaster nodded in thanks and gave a faint chuckle at that.

Piggot snorted as well; it was easy to forget that Armsmaster was more socially aware than he comes off as. Having successfully de-escalated various incidents during his time as Protectorate Leader.

Then Piggot decided to get the meeting back on task, “Well, if she isn’t mastered, or crazy, what are the chances she would fit in with the Wards?” She asked, “And if failing that, getting her as an Affiliated Hero or Rogue?” Though personally, she doubted Rogue was in the cards.

She hadn’t gone through power testing yet, but if she wasn’t at least a Brute of some degree, she’d eat her dialysis machine!

“Fairly high,” He started, arms behind his back, “I think, if we make it clear to her that Sophia had broken the terms of her parole and that she’s a recent Ward, that the bullying started before she became one earlier this year to specify,” He replied, “We should let her interact with the other Wards first, let her see that her opinions of Sophia are shared, at least in her cape persona. Vista, Clockblocker, and Aegis are good options; all three at once if possible.”

“Heh, PR’s going to have fun with this one…” Miss Militia commented, “Ms. Hebert seems rather reasonable, Cym, on the other hand, might have other opinions on PR-friendly. She seems to enjoy terrifying people and sharing trauma,” She added dryly.

“It’d hardly be the first time the Protectorate has had a ‘Horror Hero’,” Piggot commented, though what went unsaid was that they were rarely publicly accepted and eventually underwent a rebranding when they tired of being scorned.

After all, you could lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.

“Cyn being an internal personality may be a boon here,” Armsmaster noted.

“Though she has manifested through Ms. Hebert's interesting holograms,” Miss Militia commented.

“When asked to,” Armsmaster replied, “If Ms. Hebert chose, she could likely also ask her not to.”

“Point,” Miss Militia said, “Though I can’t help but wonder, what if Ms. Hebert found herself in a situation and Cyn had to take over to save them both?”

“Then pity the fool who pushed them that far,” Piggot said without a shred of mercy, “Everything reported about Cyn tells me she is a vicious thing. I do not doubt that if that happened, the fool who started it would regret everything. But, she’s also a Ward and should be kept out of any situations that could turn into that. There’s a reason we have them only patrolling in safe districts.”

Of course, Vista and Shadow Stalker went out of their way to flaunt that. Thankfully, the second was not going to be a problem for her for much longer, and, with any luck, Taylor would be more stable.

“Forgive me for saying this, ma’am, but… in this city, is anywhere truly safe?” Miss Militia asked, “A part of me wonders how badly things would go if the Empire tried to recruit or shake her down,” She added with some morbid curiosity.

Piggot just shook her head, “Well, if there is nothing else important to discuss, you may return to your duties,” She said, “I’ve got an agent to rip into for not doing his job with Hess.”

Her two subordinates nodded and left… and left her to her paperwork. She needed more secretaries with secret clearance.

Though before she started, she shifted around and groaned, “Goddamn Nilbog…” She thought as the familiar ache radiated from where her kidneys should be, “If Panacea didn’t look like a burnout, I’d say fuck it and heal me! This bullshit makes me want a bottle of scotch…”

Honestly, thinking about the healer, she really hated how much they’d come to rely on her. And she didn’t mean just as a PRT Director, but as a citizen of this hellhole. She was well aware of how much time she worked at the hospital. And it wasn’t her job to wrangle an angsty teenager; the Wards alone gave her enough trouble, never mind the actual adult parahumans.

But that wasn’t important. With any luck, she was trading one problem for… not a solution, but at least someone that wasn’t a problem. Hopefully.

Well, provided she could keep that inner personality on a leash anyway…

[center]<<<Vista/Missy Biron>>>[/center]

Something was going on; she didn’t know what exactly, but it involved Shadow Stalker.

How did she know? Well, as much as she hated being the Ward Mascot and being treated as a kid, people tend to talk more freely when they think she isn’t paying attention. And from what she heard, Stalker had screwed up big time. She didn’t know any specifics, but she heard something about violating the terms of her parole.

Which meant, more importantly in her opinion, she’d be free of her bitchy attitude! Honestly, if she wasn’t so convinced that Shadow Stalker would try to do a runner, she’d be throwing a ticker-tape parade!

She always mocked her, belittled her, and made snide remarks about her. And it infuriated her!

She was a goddamn Shaker 9! The most powerful Shaker in the city! Just because she didn’t use her powers to savagely beat people or pin skinheads to walls with broadhead bolts doesn’t mean she was weak!

Her scar itched, a sign she should calm down before going into the… possible recruit’s room.

Really, M/S Containment cell, but she’d already been flagged as not a risk. They were just holding her the whole time because it was procedure. Though as she walked closer, she could hear music. Last, she checked that the M/S cells only had some outdated magazines to read; having a radio was against regulations!

Which, she wouldn’t care, but this was a serious thing. The only reason she wasn’t saying anything was that Miss Militia just sighed. Which Vista was intimately familiar with.

One that screamed fed up, she should know. She made the same noise whenever her parents fought for the nth time that day.

“Seriously, get some therapy or a divorce already…” Vista mentally grumbled before looking at the older hero, “So what’s she like?” She asked curiously.

“Well, Cyber is actually a very level-headed young lady,” Oh, Vista was already liking what she was hearing, “It’s her… other half that you have to be careful with. Especially if her story is remotely true.”

“Cyber?” Sounds like one of those temp aliases the PRT hands out, “Other half?”

“You’ll see, just don’t let the other one spook you.” That was mildly concerning, still, as Miss Militia opened the door and entered, “I’ve brought a guest. Cyn, can you please not try to scare her?”

“I Make. No Promises. Giggles.” The voice was eerily flat and monotone, and a little creepy in Vista’s opinion.

However, as the senior-most Ward (stupid rules making age more important than experience), Vista refused to be cowed and casually entered the cell.

“Hey,” She started, hand on her hip, “I’m Vista, you might have heard of me?” She threw on a confident smile… a confidence she didn’t really feel, looking at who must have been Cyn. The eldritch look was… unique, but Sveta seemed nice the one time she met her, so maybe Cyn wouldn’t be too bad?

“I’m… eh fuck it, the name’s Taylor,” The robot lady said, “And this spooky one is Cyn, whatever you do, do not ask for context whenever she says something disturbing,” She warned.

Cyn just giggled, or well, self-narrated her doing that, and just gave a wide grin.

“... Noted!” She replied, smile getting a little more strained. “So… if you’re giving your name so easily, uh, are you going to just join us?”

“You Are. No Fun. A Little Trauma. Never Hurt Anybo-d-d-dy~ Giggle. But I Will Be Good. Curious Look.”

“Not sure. And honestly, the PRT already knows it, so I didn’t see the point,” She admitted, “And apparently I can do holograms really well so well…” She just changed into a perfect replica of Miss Militia minus her power with a shrug before turning back into a robot.

“Well, that’s pretty cool,” Vista replied, “Is that what Cyn is? Normally, they don’t put two people into one of these.” It was a fair assumption to make, in her opinion.

“Taylor Let Me In. And I Will Not Discard Her. She Is. My Frie-e-e-end” Vista tried to ignore how the skin stretched over her frame, and just nodded, “Will You. Be Our. Friend As Well? Taylor Does Not Have Many. Puppy Dog Stare.” And now there are two images of Golden Retrievers in her eyes.

She’s so creepy, but even Vista couldn’t deny that’s cute.

“I wouldn’t say no,” She said diplomatically, “But I can’t say yes either, I don’t really know her. That’s… kinda what this was about.”

“Yay.” Cyn just flopped over and grinned, “I Will. Accept That.”

“So, what do you want to know, Vista?” Taylor asked curiously.

“Actually, I was wondering about the music?” Vista asked.

“Oh That Is. Actually Something I Made. For My Big Brother. And His Girlfriend,” Cyn said proudly.

“Huh, it was pretty good,” She acknowledged, “So Taylor, who’s your favorite Ward?” No, she wasn’t just hoping it was her. Mostly.

“Well, I like Shadow Stalker, I think her power is neat, but she doesn’t seem that friendly,” Taylor said, “Though out of you all? Honestly, you and Clockblocker is a close second.”

“She’s not,” Vista said quickly, “She’s a bi- bit unpleasant.” The cameras and microphones were on, and she didn’t want to get bitched out for language. Again.

“Yeah, I know someone like that, too. Fucking Hess…” Taylor grumbled.

“Bullies?” She asked, surprise in her voice.

“Yeah, before I was like this? I was borderline suicidally depressed from a two-year-long bullying campaign," Taylor admitted freely, “Then this happened, and it turns out I have a Psychologist subroutine. So that’s why I’m not more jaded and distrustful.”

“... I and Armsmaster were wondering about that actually…” Miss Militia muttered.

“Well, at least you have that,” Vista replied, moving to sit down next to her. “What do you do for fun?”

“Well, currently reading… and messing with people on PHO.” Cyn looked rather smug at that, “But before everything? Honestly, I was a motormouth and a big cape nerd,” She added with a nostalgic smile.

“Oh? What’s your favorite book series?” She asked, “I like Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time.”

“I like the classics, though that might be due to my mom being a Literature Professor,” Taylor said, “But recently I’ve been working my way through A Song of Fire and Ice. But generally I’ll read anything as long as it keeps my attention.”

“Do you think faster than normal? Or read faster now?” Vista asked, “Because I might be tempted to get some book reviews if so…”

 “Oh yeah, honestly, it’s still pretty jarring just how natural it is,” Taylor said, “I mean, I have an OS and a HUD and I’m navigating through it like I’ve always had them. I can adjust my audio and make myself deaf for goodness' sake! I just… I’m honestly scared by how natural everything feels.”

“My powers were the same way,” Vista replied, “Let me tell you, suddenly being halfway across the room just because you wanted to get a snack was a surprise.”

“Well, give me a week or two, then we can trade awkward power stories!” Taylor said with a faint laugh, “So just curious, but what’s it like in the Wards? Ignoring Shadow Stalker, of course.”

“Mostly pretty boring,” She replied, “A bit of paperwork sometimes, but they try to keep up away from villains.”

“Really? Huh…” She looked at her hands, “Cyn’s been telling me about my body. As a Disassembly Drone, I’m a walking weapon. With ‘nanoforges’ in my arms, letting me swap my hands with weapons freely. A repair program that can even rebuild my head, and eventually I’ll have wings and a tail!” She said, sounding rather excited.

“Cool,” Vista replied with a smile, “I can just compress space.”

“That Is. The Best Power. Making Physics Cry. Like A Baby,” Cyn commented, “And If You Are. Creative Enough. Terrifying In Ways. Beyond The Obvious.”

Vista coughed, “Yeah, I’m not allowed to do those things.”

“... Are They. Stupid? Is It. Because Of Your Age?” Cyn asked, honestly sounding offended on her behalf.

Vista coughed. “I can’t possibly officially comment on how they might or might not treat me based on age,” She said diplomatically, smiling at Miss Militia.

“Giggle. Conspiratorial Wink.” Okay, creepy she might be, but Cyn wasn’t too bad.

“I like you,” Vista started, pointing at Cyn, “As creepy as you are. Taylor, I’m tempted to like you, too.”

“Oh, I see how it is, you only like me cause my headmate is that it!?” She teased, her grin betraying her amusement.

“Maybe,~” Vista replied with a grin, “But, important question: pineapple on pizza, yes or no?”

“I Have Never. Had Pizza Before.” Cyn admitted.

“I will cut a bitch if they do that to my pizza,” Taylor said, “And if it’s a genuine mistake, I will simply glare distainfully like a cat.”

“I like it, personally,” Vista replied, "Hawaiian pizza is delicious.”

“Heresy!” Taylor hissed.

“What Is. Hawaiian Pizza? Curious Look.” Cyn asked.

“Pizza with pineapple and ham,” Vista replied, “Salty and sweet together is a classic combination!”

Miss Militia chuckled, “How about I bring some pizza down here?” She asked, “What type would you like, Taylor?”

“Um, Meat Lovers if possible. If not, extra cheese and pepperoni.” She answered before she tilted her head, “And… motor oil? Cyn, are you messing with me again?”

“No. As A Disassembly Drone. You Can Eat Anything. Especially Because Of Your. Solver Core.” Cyn explained.

Taylor just stared, “... I thought you were messing with me when you said I could do that earlier…” She admitted.

“Solver core?” Vista asked, “Is that like… some power generator or something?”

“... I Could Show You. But I Promised To Be Good. Sad.GIF” Cyn said.

“I think it’s a black hole,” Taylor said.

“Sigh.” Cyn said before projecting a hologram of a fleshy purple heart thing, “This Is. The Core Of Uzi’s Mother Nori.”

[spoiler=Core][img]https://i.redd.it/how-is-nori-a-core-and-why-does-doll-have-a-core-that-was-v0-kwljxd6myksc1.jpg?width=1587&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c7c36bef79383b4667ab958eb83adaed5e86e56[/img][/spoiler]

“Well…” Taylor started, “I was wrong, alright then.”

“Not Really. When I Was A Core. After N Stabbed Me. With His Stinger Filled With Nanite Acid. I Turned Into A Singularity And Escaped,” Cyn said, “Our Existence. Is An Exercise. In Confusion.”

“... Moving on,” Vista started, “How about favorite movies or ice cream?” She could probably work with Taylor if it came down to it. She liked Cyn, at least. Maybe she’d become a Ward, that would be nice…

“I Enjoy. Air Bud. It Was Big Brother N’s Favorite,” Cyn said, “And I Have. Never Had. Ice Cream Before.” Well, that was just sad and in need of correction!

Though, really, who enjoyed Air Bud, besides younger kids?

“Hmm, well, I haven’t watched any recent movies for… reasons.” Taylor said, “But I enjoyed Matrix with Will Smith. And my favorite ice cream is either Turtle Tracks or Moose Tracks.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen those,” Vista replied, “What’re they about?”

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