Dirty Deeds Don't Come Cheap (Part 2) by MaLAguA

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Pastel yells to maintain pressure, no, not this scene again. Desperately work to save Sterling's life. Vic frustrated with the killer able to take them all down and escape. Wait, a pressure bubble, this isn't what Vic did, is this a nightmare of the incident or is something else going on? Oh crud, Vic feels it is all on him, don't tell me we have another of the group who blames themself for not being able to save Sterling. Blames himself for not keeping Scarlyt trapped with his water tentacles.

Yes, focus, this isn't a time for emotions to override control. And Vic finally realizes this isn't real. What is going on, Sterling's large body, those changes, this has to be a dream. On the beach, so many changes, definitely a dream. Okay, this is getting weird, is this some kind of dream premonition or what? This got very weird, almost seemed like memories of the ancient past or something connected to an aquatic species, or something strange.

Sunday, November 26th, 2016 - 9:40 am
Doyle’s waiting room, back in Whateley

Vic has to deal with the memories of the past few days, the search for Sterling, then the fight and Sterling now being in a coma with no signs of her being in there. A non-zero chance of Sterling ever waking up again, yet Tanya spends as much time by her side as possible.

That was less than a year ago, I know he tried to keep an emotional distance from Urresti's crew, but Vic, you need to talk about it. Esmeralda River, Vic's mom, runs an investigative vigilante group, that is dangerous work. To lose his mother, aunt, and 2 uncles all in the same incident at the age of 10, no wonder Vic tries to keep people at a distance.

Blames himself for not remembering Sterling clearly all the time, ouch. Weird, vivid dream, uh oh, I smell past-life memory perhaps. Called to Doyle to discuss his condition, hhm. His fingers healed that fast, don't tell me, his water powers have a more mystical connection to water and its healing properties than previous power testing has revealed.

Messages from Lizzy, Danny, and Izzy, I'm glad he got back in contact with his old friends. Oh crud, Tanya hasn't logged into the app in that long, this is bad. Caroline Kythe aka Lifeward has shown up to visit Vic, I wonder if she was brought in to help with Sterling. Vic's legal guardian, and one of the few people Vic trust in the Syndicate. Megaton's mother, aka Gwen's boyfriend, eep.

In the state as part of her job and decided to come for a visit, aww. The school had to contact her for the extra battery of tests on Vic, that is some legal stuff we didn't know about Whateley until now. An abridged version of the recent events, and less than a day ago they confirmed Sterling as braindead, noooo! Vic, telling Tanya to be strong and move on is the last thing you should do right now, just be there for her when you can.

Caroline has experience and great advice for Vic, they should have guest speakers at the school talking about these kinds of situations to prepare students for the possibility. Hehe, a nice change of subject, get Vic to talk about Tanya and if she knows about Vic's scholarship. Dr. Carmelita Gutierrez and her expression means the reason Vic's fingers healed so fast isn't nothing.

Sunday, November 26th, 2016 - 10:03 am
Doctor Gutierrez’s office, Doyle

In the doctor's office and waiting for news, I know that feeling all too well. 90% healed in 3 days that should have taken a month, whoa. Oh boy, his MID ratings have been called into question thanks to how fast his injuries healed with baseline medicine. Dang, has to have a minimum of those ratings for the Syndicate scholarship and Caroline bumped up a rank to get him the scholarship. Scholarship cared more about power over finesse and control, good grief, that is short-term thinking.

Ack! Vic had to go through all that testing again, poor guy. The telepathic test sounds unusual for the results with Vic. Gloves of water projected down the floor for extra support, creative use of his power. Assasy is a little ball of sunshine about power testing still. The woman from the magical department being there, hhm.

Of, great, the examiner doing something risky, they need to have people with common sense always with examiners like this. Well past 175 kg and a wide-eyed look on Assasy's face, what is going on with Vic's power? Hhm, based on the next testing it is starting to sound like Vic's current limit on the weight his power allows him to lift with its aid is purely psychological.

“From this we gather that he is able to push himself past the recorded power rating when put under duress into a new rating.” All eyes fell upon Vic as if demanding for him to be truthful on the next question. “So… the simpler explanation would be that he has been lying and putting up an act when it came to testing.”

Nope, pretty sure it is psychological.

“That Victor here gained some magical attributes during the test? That’s where the evidence points. It’s clearly magical, though at least not to the point it would get him invited into the magical track… yet.”

Something strange is going on, did remnants of the ring somehow affect Vic and his power? Did some water spirit living down in the tunnels decide to bond with him and he has an unknown Avatar rating?

Only flair out when under extreme duress. I knew it, Gutierrez is saying Vic might be an avatar, I knew something was up. Vic thinks about some of the people he knows who are avatars and doesn't want to be an avatar, uh oh. Vic, that dream was a memory of the spirit, probably a merfolk or related being, who is the spirit that now resides in you. It must have been in the tunnels, but for how long and why?

Vic doesn't know, brushing off the dream as just a dream, oh boy. Vic is changing, possibly into the appearance of the being he was in the dream. He is changing, it is slow, but it is still too much for Vic to handle. Vic thinks his ideal has been ruined, that if he develops a strange appearance he can never have a normal life. Unwanted changes suck.

About an hour later…

Caroline left Whateley with a driver at the wheel, and no, Vic didn't take it well. A school in Oregon, what does this school have that Whateley doesn't that can help Vic adapt to the changes he will go through, or have the friends he has already made? Cole is right, Whateley is the best place for Vic, they have dealt with students suddenly developing GSD in the past, just look at Fubar as the most extreme example.

“Anything in life will forge character, be it living as a mutant in the real world… or getting into crazy troubles in Whateley. The Syndicate extracurricular part can always be cultivated as a side activity, so he doesn’t lose his edge…”

Yes, keep Vic at Whateley, please. And Caroline, it isn't your fault, you had no way of predicting this would happen, Whateley Academy is the most unpredictable place in the world from what we've seen. At least she has Cole to help her see the truth of the matter.

An evaluation at the end of the month to see if he keeps his scholarship, okay, starting to hate the Syndicate higher-ups and how they run things like this so ruthlessly. Amanda, which Amanda is Cole's rival, trying to recall any teachers at Whateley by that name. Ah, Caroline got all the good gossip while there and learned about a couple of the big incidents. That fight against Scarlyt, all the powers she has stolen, the tricks she has, it wasn't a fair fight in the least.

Ah, good, Caroline provided some life-support magic to Sterling. Nope, Caroline is right, Scarlyt is hiding powers that she has stolen from others she has murdered since before she even came to Whateley. Ah, off to their job, so that is why the short visit.

Sunday, November 26th, 2016 - 1:40 pm
Art club

Caroline and Doctor Gutierrez both told Vic just to focus on day-to-day activities, a good way to not focus on the thing you are worried about. Ouch, Vic, you can't live your life like this. Rusty has a future as a clay sculptor with his pieces in museums. Crap, don't focus on your hands, you need to not dwell on that or it will eat you up.

Vic, even if your appearance changes it is your actions that make you a monster, not your physical form. Please, listen to Dr. Gutierrez, your life isn't over because of this. It took him time, but Vic realizes she is trying to help, good. Things are about to heat up in the winter term, uh oh. And she gave him a small protection ward, now there is a doctor who goes above and beyond for her patients.

Aww, Imp not there today, no easy source of distraction for Vic. Do not try to find the cat creature in the tunnels without going with at least two of your friends along, please. Josephine shows up right as Vic tries to think of what to do,

“Well, that sometimes happens. And you’re an official member of the club, its doors are open to you… that being said, try not to make a mess. One time, a group of unaffiliated gadgeteers tried to use their automated ‘paintfun’ invention to mass produce Pollock style art pieces… the thing’s automated AI failed and suddenly, we were all facing a rather angry turret.”

Ah, so a regular day at Whateley then.

The paintings can fall, good to know. Josephine is going to Berlin for her tutoring job, great, the kid of that corrupt politician, I hope the kid is better than their dad. Pre-filled copies of paperwork for permission to go to Berlin, Vic is one of the most prepared students ever. Off and abnormal, so Vic thinks getting away from Whateley will do him some good. Why do I have a bad feeling about this? At least he is going to visit Iggy, I won't jinx him by saying more.

Sunday, November 26th, 2016 - 4:31 pm
Preston Crossby’s residence

Josephine is very insightful, I wonder if she can help Vic out with his current issue? Preston Crossby, oh boy, if she knew what the readers knew about. A gathering or business meeting, I wonder why he has so many guests. Ill-matched patches on their clothes, bulk underneath their jackets to conceal handguns, good thing Josephine knows how to spot these things.

Great, goons harassing her as she tries to go to her tutoring job. Preston Crossby's brother yells at them for harassing his niece's tutor, good, got out of that mess. Declan Crossby, oh crap, it is Decaf. That means his brother is a mutant and Prohibition. Linda, Mrs. Crossby, seems nice. Josephine, keep that thought, don't get involved if you don't have to.

I hope Beth takes after her mother in temperament. You've read the situation right, Josephine, but it isn't your problem unless that endangers your life, or Mrs. Crossby or Beth's lives. A hard, black glossy thing, a hard drive, or could it be a devise of some sort. City cleaning, ah, sanitation, an old cover job for mobs and gangs.

Withdrew from the race in exchange for implementing policies he wanted to be enacted, I knew Preston was sneaky. A meeting, why do I suspect it is something much less benign than a meeting? Ah, and she knows about the sophomore who shares the same last name who is at Whateley.

Yes, Preston, she suspects, but she doesn't want anything to do with it.

“After all, no one normal dares to blackmail the MCO. And before you can say it, yes, we’re no slouches. I spare no expense when it comes to my family and crew.”

Preston, you are a fool to blackmail them without more firepower to back you up. And all the precautions in the world won't help, the moment you slip up even once they will pounce. Great, I knew I didn't like Preston from the start, but with a criminal past as Prohibition and had it covered up to get into politics, I want to see him go down now, not killed, but in jail.

Sunday, November 26th, 2016 - 5:57 pm
Parking building, Concord

Lloyd Barton arrives for a shady meeting, and he is the last to arrive of the hired assassins, taunted about it by Schrodinger. After the crap you have done a bad trip is the least the universe could pay you back, Voidgrip. Lloyd, you are an idiot to not worry about what Vince will do, not knowing the full extent of his assets or capabilities. Efreet, the first dossier Lloyd goes over, control of both fire and smoke and deadly from the description. And he has his own paramilitary group, this guy needs to be stopped.

Schrodinger, a duplicator whose replicates can duplicate as well if they have the energy, oof. And the replicates also have copies of all the same gear he does, which makes him a one-man army. Not that smart or ambitious, good, I would hate to see what he is like otherwise.

Animan or GSD that makes him look like a panther and from Efreet's company, yikes. Slipper is next and his power would be devastating if he chose to steal from government installations with it. A lithe woman in her 20s, Diskette is a Gadgeteer known for creating computer-bricking software. Another girl, Je ne se, poor girl doesn't want to be here. She can search through minds and delete knowledge about specific 'objects', crap, Vince, what did you do to get this poor girl here?

“It’s simple intimidation and terror.” Efreet noted. “Our ‘client’ and his assistant are meeting with a blackmailer, presumably so that the latter can reassert his leverage on him and the MCO organization. Our mission is to break into the meeting and let our two specialists here erase the physical, digital and mental evidence of the blackmailing.”

Oh boy, and using people who were deleted from the MCO database to do it, a high-risk operation doesn't begin to cover it. Don't shoot Pollux or his assistant, oh boy, with Preston and his brother on the other side this is going to end poorly for everyone.

Seesh, that is all they know about their target, that id-scrambler is good. 5'10, hhm. Don't even know where they are fighting, this just got even more complicated. I will say one thing about Efreet, he comes prepared for a war. Pantho, I think the guy who Efreet brought with him is a fan of the Thundercats. Time to move out and hope they don't keep changing the meeting location to shake any tails on them.