1.11 Outsider Part 11

I trot through the sewers, doing my best to ignore the stench. I really ought to get used to it because having a tunnel system is really useful. Especially one with such easy access and an extensive network.

I got everything from both bags with me. Quite lucky, I think, as the gang could have easily have spread the contents across the house.

Now I have two options, either head to my family’s house or the base. If I head home, I’ll have to answer awkward questions from my family. If I go to the base, folks that will be understanding and Narszara can use her magic to heal any scrapes and bruises.

To the base it is.

The walk to the base from my location technically isn’t that long, but that is only because the base is massive. I would mainly just encounter the unused areas that are for emergencies. To actually reach the parts of the base that I use, it’ll be about an hour and a half walk in this dark and smelly sewer system.

I guess that is what I should have expected as part of being a vigilante when not acting as a superhero.

I check my League communicator. I got a signal despite the fact no phone would be able to get a signal here. Then again, my League communicator certainly doesn’t count as just a phone.

“Report Janelle,” I say.

“No cameras or other devices recorded you,” says the AI via the speakers on my communicator, “Despite attempts by neighbours to call the police once they heard the screams from the house, police only receive notification once you entered the sewers. The police have also a report from the Sentinel detailing almost all of the Shirley Marauders’ crimes. Nothing overly serious such as murder or anything like that, but enough to put them away for a good many years.”

“Good,” I say before walking the rest of the journey in silence, thinking about the fight.

It was the first time I was out in a fight when not acting as a superhero. I was also the first time I when I got into a serious fight without wearing one of the greatest suits of power armour in the world.

It should have been terrifying, but I too calm and focused to worry. And since it went darn near perfectly, I can’t really look back at it and be worried. Especially since between the lack of evidence and my connections, I don’t need to worry about the police.

Sky, Helen, James, Fiona, Alex and Narszara are all waiting for me at the table as I enter the main room. Fiona is still wearing the white cos-mat costume while Narszara is wearing a green one. I only recently have gotten her to wear something other than her armour willing.

“Do I have a black eye?” is my first question and receive variants of the word ‘yes’ in response.

I sigh before asking Narszara, “Can you heal it please? I would rather not explain to my family or the police if they come knocking.”

“Aye milord,” answers Narszara as she gets up and walks towards me as I reach the table.

I sit down and place the bags on the table as Narszara looks at me. I feel an itch around my eye that fades after moment as Narszara retakes her seat.

One thing about Narszara is that she rarely uses words when casting her magic. I been meaning to ask her about that, but now isn’t the time.

“Any questions?” I ask, “I assume you all know about Fiona and her situation by now.”

“Yeah,” says Sky, “The computer lady also says you went and beat up the guys who mugged your sister. I’m guessing from the bags that she is correct?”

“The computer lady is Janelle and she is both correct and the AI of the League’s starship,” I reply, “I took down six of them and last one give me the information I needed. Janelle made sure that wasn’t any evidence of what I did and that the police didn’t get informed before I got away. She also released enough information to police for them to arrest the gang.”

“So everything is going to work out just fine,” asks Helen.

“The police don’t have any solid evidence of what I did and no jury would convict me anyway,” I answer, “Lily will probably just be glad I got her stuff back. Mum will be fine as long as the police don’t get too involved. She knows about granddad and the League. Dad on the other hand will be angry. He doesn’t know about Sentinel and the League so he thinks I’ll have risked getting badly hurt and getting into trouble with the law.”

“But let’s not worry about that now,” I continue, “It’s my problem not yours. Let’s talk about Fiona aka Flashblast.”

“From what I heard, she arrived in our dimension this morning,” says James, “Then you brought her back here and used the Awakener on her. Now she going to back to her home dimension and become its first superhero. And you, we, are giving her equipment and advice to help her do so.”

“We’re helped Fiona picked out some gadgets while you were busy with your...thing,” says Sky, “She using some Sentinel Tech with the rest of her gear being provided by her old boss. You’re also getting her a costume and a League communicator so she can stay in contact with us. How does that last one work?”

I sigh before replying. Sometimes I wish the others would just read what their equipment can actually do instead of only finding out when I mention things.

“The communicators used by the League have setting that can be used to contact any other League communicators, even when they are in different dimensions,” I reply, “Granddad gave them the ability to do so after members of the old League got trapped in other dimensions a few times. In this case, the setting will allow Fiona to contact us and vice-versa. That way she can asks us for advice on being a good superhero and I will be able to resupply her. So when will you be leaving Fiona?”

“As soon as Lantern returns with my costume,” says Fiona, “I’m not going reveal myself to my family straight away once I get back. You see, I want to scout things out and come up with a plausible story before I rejoin my old life.”

“So that was what Sam was doing?” I say, “I saw him flying overhead earlier.”

“Yup,” says Sam from behind me as he enters the main room of the base.

He got a costume folded underneath his arm which Sam then tosses at Fiona. The Drakesguard catches it with ease.

“Can you put it on?” asks Sky, “I really want to see how you’ll look as a superhero.”

“Sure,” replies Fiona with a shrug.

“You know where the changing rooms are?” I ask.

“Alex showed me,” says Fiona as she walks off.

I speak with the others as Fiona gets changed, mostly asking them about what they and Fiona have done together. Turns out that they mainly discuss the differences between our world and Fiona’s, gave her advice and help her pick out items from masses of Sentinel Tech stored in the base.

Sky was particularly impressed by the amount of gadgets and has decided that she’s going to use more of them when she can.

I’m about to start explain what different gadgets my granddad had invented by Fiona returns.

“Take a look,” says Fiona before striking a heroic pose with her hands on her hips.

The costume is white with golden gloves and boots. The sides of her costume are also gold while on her face is a white domino mask with a gold border. The costume itself smugly fits her body, showing off her muscles and curves.

“You look great Flashblast,” says Alex.