#bakuda the world was not ready for your genius

[faultlinesurfer]

Girl who has never done anything ever (she held the US Eastern Seaboard hostage)

[eatersgrin]

Snow White

Lung was standing by the horror scene. A half melted car, pieces of the driver's remains mixed with surviving shards of metal and curled, blackened plastic debris. What was left of Chao and the six others was a powder coated yellow muck. The mechanic brothers remained silent as they used extinguishers and heavy duty push brooms to corral the mess that marred the concrete floor.

Bakuda took her time coming down from the third floor. Oni Lee remained by the safety railing of the second floor watching the clean up, as the bomb maker traipsed by.

"You get a single chance to answer this, do not waste my time. Why did you put a bomb inside Girl?"

A robotic sigh was her opening to her response, "Because she is a big question mark. Because she is a possible danger. Because she is a liability. Because of exactly this - eight dead, a ruined vehicle. That girl - we don't know what she can become. And before you ask, I did it when I was alone with her for a few moments, just crammed it right into the meat of an open leg like a garlic clove and I'm Gordon fucking Ramsay."

"That wasn't your call to make, and you are well aware I make the calls so we have arrived at the discipline portion of this talk. And this is solely a talk because you are my Lieutenant and I trust in your capabilities."

"Punishment?!" Bakuda paused on the last step of the stairs, "I didn't expect to be judged like some asshole for acting in our best interests."

"Discipline is not a punishment but correction. I won't have division in the ranks. You tout your genius, your skill with technology, designed your own armor protecting you from your own weapons. You placed an explosive in her body to protect the organization, so you are now charged with protecting an expansion of it."

Bakuda stepped off the stairs, removed her helmet, and spiked it like a football, "You're sending me AWAY?!? I join up with you, help you escape, let you plow me, and you- you toss me out like hot garbage?"

She snarled out the words, a sneer of raw emotion covered her face. Pale blue eyes wide as saucers moved as they were drawing out the schematics of the biggest fuck you MOAB the world would never see again.

Lung slowly paced over to the woman, using his size to remind her who was in charge. Scooping her helmet off the ground as he made his way to her, "No. I'm charging you with the Girl's training and assembly of a proper - costume for her station. You want to evaluate her worth and show her why you were chosen for leadership, then do it. No petty games, no fights with lasting damage. I expect unity, loyalty, and mutual respect if not trust."

Bakuda stared daggers at Lung as he shoved the helmet back into her hands.

"Why?"

"Because it's important for the victories to come", he answered and placed a hand on the side of her arm.

"No, no, why is she important to you? Why go to Panacea? Why take her from the PRT or from her little Triad Gotti Crime Princess life?"

"Because she was tossed away and broken after being promised to me", he attempted not to betray emotion behind his new steel mask, as he answered her truthfully. "We were engaged pending my own terms, I stop the Undersiders. That deal was broken by her Father he sold her to Orchard. She was turned into a product. So... no one breaks a deal with the ABB and lives to tell about it. No one takes from Lung and does not suffer the consequences."

The Bomber dropped her sneer and raised an eyebrow. She stared up into his bloodshot eyes, "Fuck, really? Just admit you want to start hoarding concubines, Lung. I'm not calling you daimyo or daddy for that matter."

"This order is not negotiable", he released her arm and headed for one of the undamaged vehicles of the motorpool.

"Hey, I'll do it, but the moment her suit is ready she's going to start pulling her weight!" Bakuda called out.

Lung said nothing and sped off from the warehouse on the back of a green and red motorcycle.

^~v~^

The patter of rain on the window couldn't block out the sound nor the movement of Lung and Bakuda going at it on the bed once again. Petit didn't bother hiding that she was awake, she took another draw of gas from her tank and got up, taking the single sheet with her wrapped around her body. She exited the bedroom, shutting the door behind her for Lee's sake, as the assassin slept noisily in his corner.

Petit padded her way down to the ground floor and sighed. She had no idea how to unlock the doors or work the sliding wall panel controls to see the rain. Her mind raced with thoughts about the past couple days and she wanted none of it. The girl wandered over to Iggy's bed. He slept to one side of his bed with space just enough for another. She climbed onto the mattress, her sheet still wrapped around her, and stared at the guy sleeping quietly.

Envy was an all too familiar emotion, and she watched her acquaintance with a want for his life. The peace of his slumber, a mother who cared enough to call every evening, a brother who shared his passion, and the fact he chose this life. Ignacio chose to stop being an automotive tech at a big box store and become the personal mechanic for a crime lord. Money, respect, and making works of mechanical art.

"Hey, Chica, que pasa?" he whispered.

"Sorry to wake you, got - too sweaty up there."

"Ah... Oh, oh no. Yeah, I get it. Not to be a bummer but, Lung would kill me to find you here with me."

The girl, laying on her side, lowered her eyes to the bed, "I understand. I'll go. But would you mind opening up the wall door so I can at least watch the rain?"

Iggy sat up in bed, reached for his jeans piled on the floor and grabbed a keychain with four key fob remotes. He removed a remote from the four and passed it to her.

"There, the keys to the castle. Double click the open key while aiming it at the door you want to open. It'll unlock it for you, sliding walls will automatically slide open", he said with half lidded eyes.

"Neat, thank you. You can get some rest."

"Mhm, you too", he answered and collapsed back into slumber.

Another pang of envy filled her chest before she got up and shuffled to the boxes of clothes for herself and Bakuda. She pulled a pair of gray boyshorts and a black tank top and dressed under her sheet.

Finally she was ready.

She shuffled over to the wall panel and aimed the keyfob and pressed the key twice. As the wall parted open, the smell of the wet earth and the sound of the rain filled her senses, matching the sensation that itched in her brain of the falling drops of water. She let the sheet drop from her shoulders and walked out into the gravel and grass that served as the garage driveway.

The night sky was black, tinged orange by streetlights with scattered tufts of gray clouds pouring out their contents onto the city. As she strode under the sky a bubble of dry air surrounded her while the rain avoided everything around her for several feet. Slowly the dry bubble shrank until the rain passed close enough to her she could almost feel its touches.

She gestured with her hands and from the water puddled in divots and potholes all around her she made a figure of a man. Taller than her by at least a foot and a half. His shoulders broad, arms muscled but not overly thick. He stood bare chested and proud as it animated. The figure looked down at the girl and extended a hand.

She reached out and took it, while the man's grip was firm, he applied just enough pressure to pull her close. She rested her head against his chest and together they gently swayed in the rain.

^~v~^

The door to the backseat opened violently and the girl's head hung off the edge. She found herself staring at a large metal belt buckle that had the word 'BOOM!' molded onto it.

"Hey, Third Wheel, wake your tailed ass up. Also get dressed, pookums", a small pile of clothes was dumped on her chest.

"And make sure to wear this", one of her wax paper backed stick-on PRT masks hit her in the face. "You are getting some OJT, today."

"Nngh, breakfast?"

"Oh fuck no, I am neither a maid, chef, nor wet nurse. OJT is on the job training, Narco Princess."

She shook her head and sat up, "I have no earthly clue half the things you say."

"Ow, that hurts. I figure we'll never be friends but since we're both going out of our way to screw the boss we can at least call a ceasefire until Lung lets us kill each other or release tension via Foxy Boxing."

"I am not trying to screw Lung. We are-"

"Yeah, I know, you're engaged or whatever. Does not matter in the slightest. I've literally watched this guy go through professionals like a fat kid at a dessert buffet five minutes before closing."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't even know half of them were wearing mascara until they all had a try at suck-starting his froyo maker."

The girl sat up and gathered the clothes and mask, "Alright, I am getting up, Bakuda."

"C'mon, we got all day but I'd rather be tinkering. I should make shirts. 'Sure I'm here but I'd rather be tinkering.' You wouldn't understand", the Bomb maker stood their chattering away blocking line of sight of the girl as she dressed in the back seat.

"Okay, I am dressed yet baffled at your choices."

Bakuda lifted the short skirt and found Girl still in her boy shorts, "Aww c'mon, the other pair would have left room for your tail."

Girl shook her head, "That pair was too small to count as a pair yet too lacy to serve as an eyepatch. The shorts remain."

"So you like being covered up but don't mind some sex appeal. Good to know, Third Wheel. Okay, so now we're ready to-"

Explosions went off in front of the warehouse. The supposedly hidden, abandoned looking warehouse hiding the ABB's master Mechanics. More explosions, this time they shook the walls lightly, and the sound of a wild Karen yelling between detonations.

"Just put on your mask so we can go deal with whatever this shit is, Girl."

She peeled the wax backing off the black domino mask and applied it despite feeling oversized for her face. Without a mirror she simply let it cling to her as long as she could see through the eyeholes. She felt ridiculous being in thick heeled, black Mary Janes in a short even for clubbing silver skirt that barely hid her under shorts. Her top was a stretchy metallic gold spaghetti strap crop top with a knee length clear, thin plastic coat with white plastic snaps for buttons. But she followed the fully armored Bakuda out of the warehouse into the gray, overcast morning.

The air was thick with humidity after last night's rain and muddy puddles filled every pothole and divot on Lung's property and the street here in The Docks.

On the street was New Wave, or at least Flashbang down the ways hurling light grenades while Brandish challenged the empty streets.

"Come out Lung! Or do you only intimidate little girls?! Get out here you scaley sonuvabitch!"

Bakuda snickered, letting the filtered sound turn into a menacing laughter as the duo took up position in the middle of the street.

"What do you want with the Daimyo of Brockton Bay?" The Bomber asked as she tossed a single apple sized bomblet in the air and caught it with the same hand.

Brandish wheeled around and ignited a large pair of hand axes of orange lightning, "Why did he kidnap my daughters and bring them to the docks?"

Bakuda bowled over laughing, "Wow, that's some bullshit, Mommy move right there. You didn't actually talk to the girls. You heard second hand knowledge and decided to drop everything sixteen, seventeen hours later to get revenge? Answers? Piss off!"

"Maybe do not upset the parents of the capes who helped us?"

"Hey, third wheel, they attacked us, insulted our boss, and in our territory after being polite to the crotch fruits. They got this com-"

Petit stepped forward and bowed her head, "I apologize once again to the Dallon Family. Your daughter healed me after The Protectorate found me dying. I was injured again the next day trying to protect innocent people in the territory from looters. While I was injured Lung's men asked your daughter to heal me again, she wanted her sister to be her guard. She came and did her best, otherwise I would not be standing here today."

The parents stood there staring down Petit who remained bowing, face still looking at the drying ground.

Flashbang spoke up, "And why would Panacea do that? Why go with known villains."

"I asked her that myself, she answered she wanted to bring in the person responsible for the expressway bombing. Lung refused to give her the person but offered himself in their stead. But I believe that the real reason was she was unable to fix all the problems with me - my brain was altered against my will, I escaped from being sold as property. Changed by my purchasers. So she undid much of the changes and helped me with the pain."

"Like you said, you're standing where's Lung then?" Brandish asked.

"Panacea declared my body can heal injury on its own so long as I…", Petit reached out with one arm and let a torrent of her body's toxic soup across a street sign, hurricane fencing, and an abandoned vehicle. Immediately everything touched by the liquid began smoking and dissolving.

The girl gave a sigh of quiet relief and continued, "So long as I rid my body of the toxins inside. I wasn't used to the alterations and she has been guiding me on how to deal with it, and I am grateful."

"You're telling me my daughter gave up the chance at bringing in Lung out of professional pride?! At this point I don't want any of you talking to or harassing my daughter - my children. I don't care if you melt into a puddle like the wicked witch. You leave my family out of this, you hear me? Or Lung will become my personal project, shutting his businesses down, deporting his members and their families, and I will not stop."

Bakuda yawned, making a big show of stretching, "You all can go now. There are actual businesses around that are legitimate and you are terrifying them. You should probably go before they call someone and Lung actually shows up."

Flashbang put a hand on Brandish's shoulder and whispered in her ear before they turned to leave. It took them a couple minutes to make it to their vehicle down the block and driving off.

"You got the making of a politician, Girl. Leaving out juicy details to paint your ass in a sympathetic light. Also, getting a second whiff of your burning poison shit is - whoa. I got an actual gas mask and I'm pretty sure you lightly roasted the filter cartridges."

The girl nodded, "I have had a few years of practice playing messenger and emissary."

"Mazel tov, anyway while you were speeching it up. I called us a car. We need to go see a pimp about some whores."