“This is not going how I expected!”
Alyssa really wanted to respond to that, but she was a little busy weaving between hits from a pair of military grade exo-suits. While she’d known they existed, from her basic research into the sort of thing she might run into, she hadn’t actually run into any of the suits until now. The exo-skeletal suits weren’t quite proper power armor, but they were the next best thing, and honestly more annoying for her. Specifically because they focused on letting their user make full, brutal use of speedware, rather than tank hits.
She was still faster than the pair of professional mercs using them, but they were good, forcing her to work to keep up as they flowed seamlessly together. Worse, they had fucking magical swords that had managed to slice right through her armor once already, actually drawing blood for the first time in any fight she’d been in so far. They’d carved right through her own blades when she’d attempted to use them, too. The sheer surprise of which is what had let them get that thankfully shallow cut.
If she could just get some distance to properly use her starbolts or telekinesis, she’d be fine. Unfortunately, the railway tunnels they were fighting in weren’t huge, and hers wasn’t the only fight ongoing. Cyborg, who had made the comment in the first place, was fighting a pair of more traditional Borgs in the same merc uniforms of the two using the exo-suits. Cyborg’s own augmentations were far superior to the two Borgs, but again his pair worked extremely well in tandem, frustrating his efforts to deal with them.
Meanwhile, Talia was working with White Tiger to protect a teenage kid that looked like a runaway, and their other three teammates weren’t on shift at the moment. With Grundy overdue, they’d decided they should keep three people ‘fresh’ at any one time, while they targeted the smallish Ibanescu crime family. They’d been after a human-trafficking ring run by the family when they’d stumbled into Dragos Ibanescu himself about to execute White Tiger. They’d had to rush in to interrupt that execution without a plan, only Talia’s teleportation letting her reach the vigilante in time.
Unfortunately, they had quickly discovered how the magically-empowered vigilante had lost. Alyssa had no idea who the fuck the extra muscle was, since they sure as hell weren’t within the means of the Ibanescu family to hire, but the resulting clusterfuck of a fight was not going great. The mercs had very professionally split them up, their own teamwork a well-oiled machine far superior to what Overwatch had managed so far. The mercs weren’t winning, not yet at least, but that could easily change if even one of them made a mistake.
Displeased with that reality and kicking herself for not spending more time on her personal skills with all the team stuff going on, Alyssa waited until one of Cyborg’s opponents was in her line of sight and reached out to mentally tug harshly on one ankle. She’d tried the same thing with her own opponents, but the level of TK she could manage while under pressure like this hadn’t been enough to make the heavier exo-suited mercs truly stumble.
Thankfully, without the extra weight and stabilizing gyros of the exo-suits, Cyborg’s opponent did stumble. The opening was enough that the Borg bit a lighting-fast jab to the face from her teammate’s fist, rocking the Borg back and dumping electricity from that fist into the man’s cybernetics. It wasn’t enough to take the man out of action permanently, but it froze his cyberware just long enough for Cyborg to spin around him, using his immobile form for cover…
Cover he used to throw a magnetic-grenade that latched onto the back of one of her own opponents. The man felt it, eyes widening as he disengaged to frantically try getting it off, but it was much too late. The grenade, not explosive but corrosive, ate through a critical motor system on the man’s exosuit and he cursed, immediately electing to eject from it. He did so cleanly, and clearly had some chrome even without the exo-suit, beyond just the speedware that had been synced with said suit.
Not that it mattered.
The breathing room only having to deal with one assailant gave her was enough for Alyssa to weave around his desperately speeding blade to launch a full-power starbolt directly into his chest. The bolt had enough power to launch him a dozen feet, and Alyssa used the completely unmolested moment to reach out and telekinetically rip a chrome arm off of one of Cyborg’s opponents.
“Booya! Teamwork, bitch!”
Grinning as Cyborg started utterly taking his two enemies to the cleaners, Alyssa focused back on her own in time to sidestep a mantis blade from the man who’d ejected. He was barely half as fast as he had been with the exo-suit, and apparently couldn’t use its oversized, magically-empowered sword without it. In other words, he was no longer a threat. Something she proved an instant later by ungently snapping his spine with a blow to his back.
She winced inside just a bit at that, but said spine was artificial anyway, in order to link him fully with the exo-suit. Even if it crippled him for the moment, it wasn’t technically crippling in the greater sense. That spinal-replacement requirement was why the suits weren’t common, outside of the military, as they were a pretty serious chrome and training commitment. Disabling him that way was a certain way to remove him from the fight, even if the sensation of snapping a spine had been more than a bit disturbing.
Re-engaging with the other exo-suit pilot, whose suit wasn’t working quite as well after being thrown by her starbolt, she doubled down her focus, determined to finish this quickly…
… … …
“Ugh. That was…a bit much. At least White Tiger was grateful?”
Even Alyssa had thrown herself into a chair, resting a cold drink on her forehead, as Talia made that exhausted-sounding comment. Nocturne had actually had the least nasty fight, it only being difficult because the asshole regular goons fighting her and White Tiger had kept targeting the kid to keep them from easily finishing the fight.
Said kid, Jade, was apparently a friend of sorts to White Tiger, and had been kidnapped to lure her in for a fight. The whole thing had been orchestrated not by the Ibanescu family, but by Mr. Bone. Who had, apparently, a bone to pick with White Tiger from her days as a thief, before she’d gotten the amulets that made her the White Tiger and turned vigilante.
“That’s true, and she flat out told us she’ll put in a good word about us with the Bats. Dunno how much good it will do, but having her contact information could help if we need to pass information to the Bat Clan at least.”
Talia nodded, and Cyborg shrugged…then glared at his shoulder where the shrug had hitched for a moment.
“Damnit, I’m going to need maintenance, and working on my own arms is a bitch and a half. The shoulders are the worst, too.”
Alyssa snorted at that.
“Give me five and I’ll help you with it. Even if I don’t know your cybernetics, I know enough about them in general to act as an extra set of hands fixing it.” This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
Cyborg pursed his lips for a moment, seeming to consider it, then nodded and relaxed a bit.
“Thanks. Been a while since I had someone else that could work on any of it, but from what I’ve seen with the Aurora designs, you’re more than up to it. So long as you listen, of course.”
Talia perked up at the mention of the first product Alyssa and Cyborg had been working on for the factory upstairs to output.
“How is that going, by the by? I mean, I don’t know shit about the technical stuff, but it sounded like it could be a big deal, right?”
Cyborg’s tired expression shifted, energy suddenly perking up again at one of his favorite subjects.
“It’s going awesome! The ‘neruochip’ that Alyssa came up with is going to make the new line of cybernetic prosthetics way the heck cheaper for the average joe. You don’t need even a fraction as complex of interlink installations between the nerves and the arm that will be the first product, since the chip just skips all of that and takes input directly from the ‘ghost limb!’”
Alyssa smiled as Cyborg excitedly barraged Talia with the details, even if most of it was clearly going over Talia’s head. She felt a little guilty claiming the ‘neruochip’ as hers, since it was just dirt common tech taken from the Major’s memories. But Cyborg was right. The Project Aurora line of cybernetics would make a big difference for a lot of people.
Getting a fully-touch-sensitive, fully-functional replacement limb cost upwards of forty grand on average. You could slash that in half if you didn’t care if your senses through it were dulled, and slash it down to under ten grand if you also didn’t care if it was more ‘clunky robot limb’ than true replacement. But by their best estimates? A limb made by their automated factory upstairs would give you full touch, and damn near the same dexterity as a real hand, all for under ten grand.
Heck, they’d even make a profit on it, since insurance companies generally had to pay out for at least ‘basic’ prosthetics like the clunky robo-limbs. Since their design would be slightly cheaper, even with a modest markup to help fund the team, and make the insurance companies look better? They weren’t likely going to have any trouble selling the product line once it was ready. In truth, they’d probably have more trouble meeting demand for a while than anything…
… … …
“Oof!”
The breath left both of their lungs as Alyssa and Dinah hit the mat. Alyssa had managed a grapple, her only goal of the spar since the whole point was for Dinah to practice against someone stronger and faster than her. If Alyssa had allowed herself her full striking speed and skill set, the sheer difference in physical attributes would have been too much for her sparring partner to get anything out of.
Yet, for all of that, Dinah had proven just how good she was by instinctively driving an elbow into Alyssa’s stomach at just the right angle to rob her of breath on the way down to the mat. Against a human, that blow likely would have let Dinah slip free in the moment they were stunned from the hit. Alyssa wasn’t human, however, and technically didn’t actually need to breathe. The same had been true for Major Kusanagi, who she’d inherited most of her skills from, and thus her instinctive reaction hadn’t been to release Dinah, but instead to tighten her grip.
The result turned what had originally been a grapple with intent to throw, into a maneuver that brought them both down to the sparring mat hard. Alyssa’s shifted grip forced the air out of Dinah’s lungs as they landed, while she herself was momentarily befuddled by the speed which things had shifted. Then farther distracted by the fact she’d drawn Dinah’s body tight to hers, one hand on a bare stomach and the other practically groping a tit, even as their hips pressed together. A few seconds passed as both of them processed and tried to get air back in their lungs, Alyssa mostly by reflex from her past life, as the lack of air wasn’t causing her true distress.
Then Dinah, mostly recovered, stiffened in surprise…and rolled her hips, radiating surprised curiosity?
Oh. Fuck. The fireworks of pleasure that movement sparked behind Alyssa’s eyes, as her sparring partner’s gloriously tight ass ground into her erection, clued her into what had happened. Yet, it also stunned her for an extra second or two as Dinah processed what she was feeling. By the time Alyssa managed to release the boob she’d been holding and push Dinah away, the damage was clearly done, at least by the way the blonde rolled with the push and was now staring curiously at Alyssa’s deliberately-loose exercise wear.
Well, at least she didn’t look disgusted or angry?
“Huh. So that’s what Talia meant when she said you were ‘well-equipped.’ I admit, I didn’t get it at the time, and she was too out of it from one too many drinks to clarify. Assuming she even would have.”
Alyssa blinked. Wait, what? Since when had Talia…oooooohhhhh, she’d helped her get changed out of bloody armor after that first ambush, when Alyssa had been mentally reeling and needed a pep talk. Fuck. She hadn’t even processed that Talia must have gotten a ‘good look.’
“Ah…this is all an awkward dream and you’ll wake up any minute. Now hold still while I knock you out?”
It was a weak quip but snapped Dinah out of her staring as she snorted.
“No thanks, I don’t need a free headache. Besides it’s not a bad surprise, I just needed a moment to process. Is it…I mean…you aren’t quite human, right?”
Well, at least she wasn’t freaking out, and seemed more curious than anything. Now that she wasn’t freaking out, Alyssa could even feel a mild amount of arousal from the blonde. That was…possibly interesting? Though more likely situational than anything. Best push that off to think about later, along with the sudden understanding that the spikes of arousal she’d sensed randomly directed her way from Talia might mean something. The fact that realization and Dinah’s continued quick glances weren’t exactly making her erection fade was enough ‘awkward’ to deal with for the moment.
“Not quite, no. My powers came with a lot of…physical changes. Including the one you keep glancing at, yes.”
Dinah blushed just a tiny bit, but Alyssa could sense the moment the confident blonde decided to double down instead of retreat.
“So, did you get to keep the original bits too, or…?” Get faster updates on g.com.
Blinking, taken aback a bit at the sheer audacity of the question, Alyssa answered without thinking.
“I have both sets, yes. Which is admittedly pretty fun.”
Somehow, they locked eyes, heat slowly creeping into Alyssa’s face as she realized what she’d just said and how she’d said it. Dinah’s face shifted to a smirk…even as her own blush darkened just a bit.
“I bet it is~. Still, you might want to go take care of that, before one of the others pops in.”
Refusing to squeak, despite her blush, Alyssa attempted her best regal nod, turned away…and returned fire with a comment over her shoulder as she flew off just a little faster than normal.
“Maybe you should too, I’m an empath, remember~!”
She could feel Dinah’s own blush go nuclear, even as a sharper spike of arousal shot through the blonde. Huh, Alyssa wondered if that…no, best not overthink it for now. It had been a weird, charged situation. The woman might not be so interested once the curiosity and the rush that always came with physical activity faded. Still, between her reaction and Talia’s possible interest? Alyssa had a lot to consider that she hadn’t quite been ready for…
… … …
“The last goblin dies and the figure on the throne stirs. You hear a rattle of bone as it stands, the scrap of a sword on stone as it lifts a glowing rune blade. As it finally takes a step into the light, you see a tattered cloak and crown of gold atop a skeleton long absent its flesh. Glowing eyes meet your gaze, and you each have just moments to react…”
Crystal, looking far more engaged than Alyssa had expected in the ‘Team Building D&D session,’ was the first to pipe up.
“Am I still raging?”
Still bemused how enthusiastically Crystal was playing a Barbarian, Alyssa nodded.
“Yes. Standing and stepping forward was effectively the boss’s action for the round. So this is a direct continuation on the previous fight.”
Crystal’s grin was huge as she replied.
“Then I’m going to charge! There’s enough room for that, right? With nothing between him and me.”
Mentally referencing the rules, Alyssa was quick to reply.
“Yes. So that’s a +2 Attack Bonus, and -2 AC.”
Crystal nodded and opened her mouth…only to be cut off by a sound all of them had been expecting for the last week, but none had really wanted to hear. The Endbringer Sirens of Gotham were going off, as Solomon Grundy was sighted moving past the edges of Slaughter Swamp. The entire team froze for bare heartbeats, then all sprung into motion at once, dice and character sheets sent flying as they darted for their costumes.
It was time to see just how deep of shit they were in, and how well their preparations had paid off…
... ... ... ... ... ...
A/N 1: Well, they've run into White Tiger now. The event actually IS something that happened to one version of Black Cat, I just modified it here for the differences in the realities, as well as it being Overwatch instead of Batman that saved the day. I thought it made for a decent showing of elements of the team in action.
A/N 2: So, Dinah now always knows about Alyssa's 'extra bits.' Absolutely nothing is locked in on the romance/relationship side of this story yet.