The commencement of Mistral’s speech was met with a professional shift in attention for most of those present. These people were used to switching their focus in a deliberate manner, though Finn noted how they still kept an eye on each other; since most of them were on different teams, trust was obviously at a minimum, even if they had worked together before.
He wasn’t surprised, as there was no one outside his team that he wouldn’t treat with that baseline level of wariness and suspicion. Lyra’s comment about there possibly being a Venin plant here wasn’t lost on him. He doubted such a person would attack while surrounded by enemies like this, but if he was wrong, he would be prepared.
To that end, he went over the people present. He saw one guy with a white ring the size of his torso suspended above his shoulder. Hanging from it were three spheres made of metal, wires, and other materials Finn couldn’t identify. They were machines, obviously, but neither the gadgets nor the run-of-the-mill costume rang any bells in his mind.
If Finn was able to use his power to block any light sensors inside, he would have an advantage. Ideally, though, he wouldn’t have to fight this guy at all. Same for the other independents he didn’t recognize. Some reminded him of descriptions he’d seen on Aegis profiles, but few of them were so familiar to him that he could be a hundred percent certain of their identity. Either because they didn’t get as much exposure as he and Lyra, or because they traveled around different districts for jobs.
Of all the people around, he could only name three of them with certainty. Valken, Holderbar, and Axon. He kept his gaze on Mistral rather than glancing at any of them, since that was pointless when his power provided better sensory information about everyone in the building.
Valken was hard to miss. The hulking woman stood head and shoulders above the crowd, her body clad in a suit of gray and black armor that was equal parts military and mythic in design. Her helmet, shaped like a falcon, concealed her face to everyone except Finn, but her reputation was unmistakable. No one else on her squad had powers, and yet they were trained professionals all the same. Combined with her tactical prowess, aerial mobility, and proclivity to take high-risk jobs, she was a force to be reckoned with.
On the other side of the room, Holderbar leaned against the wall. Compared to the others, he looked unassuming. Scruffy dark hair, simple leather jacket, hands in his pockets, impassive facial expression. His physiology also looked completely normal, indistinguishable from a regular human. The man was an enigma. He operated solo, rarely took jobs through official channels, and had an air of mystery that worked in his favor. His name had popped up a few times in conversation with Jack, and they were no closer to figuring out anything more than what the man wanted the public to know. Which included what he looked like, weirdly enough. He made no effort to cover up his identity, and even so, no one knew who he was. All of that screamed danger to Finn, even discounting the rumors about him being split in half once and walking it off.
Finally, there was Axon, the last person he could confidently name. She was the one he knew the most about, mostly because Jack hadn’t been able to shut up about her last year. And from Nar, the other day. Wearing a sleek bodysuit with circuitry woven through the fabric,
Axon specialized in some form of data manipulation. It made her amazing at gathering intel and gave her unmatched synchronicity with her gadgets. Really, those sounded like things Finn should be good at. She was like a fully realized version of the skill set he was working on right now. He would have to take inspiration from her power use, because his current capabilities with manipulating tech left a lot to be desired. Blacking out sensors was within his capabilities, and he didn’t have to use his hands to type, allowing him to communicate with his team without speaking. This woman just took it to another level. Jack seemed to think she had an artificial intelligence in her head, but Finn had his doubts, as he was becoming accustomed to the feeling of not having a tangible limit on his cognitive bandwidth when using his power. Plus, her brain wasn’t inorganic to his senses.
A couple of the others stood out to him, but nothing detailed or actionable so far. What he could do in this situation was limited, so he simply remained on guard.
“...value your services,” Mistral was saying. “So let’s not waste time. I’m sure most of you know what I’m about to tell you, but for those who don’t and those who need a reminder, I’m going over the roster of opponents quickly before we head out. All clear?”
There were nods of assent around the room, and Finn took a closer look at the DHD district captain as he pulled out a small device. He didn’t look much different from last time. Gray bodysuit, armor panels over his vitals, blue helmet. The only difference was his cape, which he had chosen to wear for this mission. He remembered debating Jack about its utility.
However, he was now able to pierce through the disguise, peer at the man beneath. Nothing out of the ordinary, a guy in his early forties, the fit physique he’d come to associate with people who did this for a living, combed dark hair, and a plain face. His eyes, though? Those were the eyes of a veteran. As expected of the leader of a hero team.
Mistral turned and gave the device to Radi, who pointed it behind them. An image appeared of a man in a green suit and a mask with a crude vertical mouth drawn on it. “We'll handle Havoc first. His power's the most dangerous in a crowded area. Those energy discs of his—sharp, explosive, and he can control them without needing to see his target. He uses them to boost his movement, too, so he’s going to be hard to pin down. This one’s going to be tricky. We’ll need to keep the civilians away if we’re going to minimize the collateral.”
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Next to Finn, Lyra tensed up at the sight of the projected supervillain, orange and red flaring around her. Having been part of that battle himself, he could attest to the fact that this guy had almost succeeded in killing her. Not that he needed that context to see the scar running across the middle of her torso.
He paused at that thought, realizing how invasive it was. With people he barely knew or even family, he didn’t care how much of them his power could see. But with Lyra, he had opened himself up to a world of things he didn’t know how to handle.
In any case, it held no immediate relevance. He could deal with it later. Or they could, he supposed. He shook off the train of thought.
“On the bright side,” Mistral went on, heedless of his thoughts, “most of our strike zones are clear of civilians. Fewer distractions, less collateral. Now, let’s move on to the next target.”
The image changed to a man dressed in maroon robes embroidered with subtle gold and silver symbols, a wand in one hand and a flask in the other. His face was covered by a high-collared hood and a metal half-mask that had more strange symbols engraved in it. “Grimoire,” Mistral continued, his tone measured. “He’s got conditional, small-scale reality manipulation, mostly through spell casting and alchemy—hence the whole magician act. What matters is that he fights with both pre-prepared items and active power use. That makes him unpredictable. Assume he’s got a counter for anything we throw at him. He prefers mid-range, but don’t be fooled—he’s just as dangerous up close.
“After that, we have Niebla.” He gestured, and the slide changed to show a woman shrouded in dark blue mist, obscuring her form to a silhouette. “Her powers revolve around controlling her unique vapor. It can disrupt your equilibrium, block vision, slow you down. Worse, she can solidify it at will, turning it into walls, blades, or anything else she needs. In close quarters, she’s especially dangerous, since she can use the mist to cut off our air supply or limit our mobility. Avoid letting her pull you into her fog. If you can disrupt the mist, do it early and aggressively.”
While the tension in the room ratcheted up for some, the overall mood was still eager, with the majority being confident in their numbers and experience.
Mistral pointed to the chain-covered man displayed behind him..“Fetter’s straightforward. Controls metal chains, can fire them off as projectiles, and he’s tough to take down. Not much finesse, but hard to injure.”
This villain was still fresh in Finn’s mind, and seeing him photographed instead of in person didn’t quite have the same effect. Although, now that he would be able to see the man beneath the bundle of chains, perhaps another in-person meeting would lack the same impact.
Taking a steady breath, Mistral shifted his attention to the last, and most dangerous, opponent. "Then we’ve got the Venin's boss: Viperia.” She might’ve looked human, but the slicked-back green hair, gleaming white scales, and razor-sharp claws told a different story. “Reptile shifter, very high strength classification. If you see her, disengage. Call for backup. I’ll handle her.” His voice hardened as he emphasized the danger. “And if you’re forced to fight, do everything you can to avoid her claws—one scratch, and you’re dealing with poison. No antidote yet. Radi can only work so fast, and she can’t be everywhere.”
He glanced meaningfully at Radi, his team healer, making sure the point landed.
“Now that we understand the threats, let’s talk teams. We can’t predict where each of these villains will pop up, so we’re going to structure the groups around completing key objectives.
The arrangement was made based on your skills, with some coverage in case you run into trouble.”
After that, no one wasted time. Pre-existing teams were, of course, kept intact. And the group divisions were announced one by one.
As for who they ended up with, it was obvious from the way Damsel was fixated on Lyra. The girl underneath, who he confirmed was indeed not Casey as he had sarcastically suggested to Aiden and Colette, looked excited, determined, and a bit uneasy.
Mountpin and Scalestrike, meanwhile, had their eyes on Finn. Scalestrike’s look, Finn had no idea how to interpret, what with him not being an expert on pangolin facial expressions. It didn’t seem hostile, though. This would be their first time working together since stopping that fire from Ignis. However, he found it odd to see the modified animal form in its original color, rather than the gold Nar’s copied power turned it into back when the jester had saved him from death by Trooper.
Contrary to the junior shifter, the adult heroine exuded boredom. His senses registered the dismissive arch of her eyebrow, and the way her body language screamed “unimpressed.” She evidently didn’t care for the setup or the fact that she had to work with the likes of him. Her casual disdain was so palpable, Finn was bemused. Their past interactions were nonexistent. She’d been present at the Homeland hostage situation where he’d gone to save his mother, but he had only seen her from a distance, that was it. Whatever caused her to have such a strong opinion of him, he didn’t care, as long as she didn’t make it his problem.
Finn deduced the intention behind the current line-up was to have himself and Lyra on scouting and observational support, with Mountpin taking point while Scalestrike and Damsel played defense. They would see how well that worked in practice.
Next to him, Lyra’s aura had calmed down, and she was observing their new allies too. If he was being honest, he couldn’t recall a time where she’d looked more confident. Good. She was ready.
They walked to the front together, and when every hero present was standing with their assigned squad, a burst of ice shot up at the ceiling and popped, scintillating crystalline flakes drifting down gently and recapturing the crowd’s attention.
“Final check,” Mistral said. “Everyone knows their assignments, everyone knows the stakes. I don't need to tell you what's riding on this. Stick to the plan, trust your teammates, and we'll walk out of this in one piece.”
He paused, letting the gravity of his tone sink in.
“Move out.”