At five-thirty, I rose to the sound of my alarm and stretched. At five-forty, I dressed in my hero garb and headed upstairs for a quick bowl of cereal. I skipped the coffee, I'd had plenty over the past couple days, but drank a glass of water. I sighed and rolled my shoulders, adjusting everything to make sure it was comfortable. At five minutes to six, I knocked on my mother's door, then pushed into the room.

“Mom, get up,” I said bluntly, ignoring the two people sitting up in the bed and instead going to the closet. I grabbed two rain coats and threw them onto the foot of the bed.

“Amelia Carina--”

“Leviathan's here, and you need to get to a shelter.” The interruption worked, as always. “Get dressed, follow the directions on your phone, and...try and stay at the back.” I grimaced, there was nothing I could do about Leviathan breaching the shelter...

“What are--”

“My friend lives just down the road,” I snapped, adding a little fear to my voice. It wasn't that hard. “I need to make sure she makes it. Go. I'll be right behind you.”

“Amelia pl--”

“No time!”

I ran off, out the door, and down the road, a sense of deja vu dogging my heels. In my case, I guess it was because I had literally done this before, rather than just having a little delusion. I slowed from a run to a jog after just a block, there was no need for me to hurry. This was probably the earliest I'd left yet, even if I started walking now, I'd probably get there only a little after the heroes.

I didn't slow down from the jog though, I wanted to beat the crowds. Fortunately, I managed, and arrived at the meeting point early. I pushed through the door and headed into the auditorium, looking around. What was this place? I couldn't really tell, some kind of mini-hotel? It was on the beach, so maybe, but what tourism did Brockton Bay get? For the capes, right, it wasn't just a dying port town.

I stayed at the back, as usual. Capes began filing in, some I recognized like the bone-witch that helped Clockblocker once and gave up once, but most I didn't. I did spot the Dallon sisters coming in, the whole of New Wave really. I considered joining them, briefly, but they wouldn't recognize me in my cape garb. Gallant might, when he joined them shortly, but I also just...didn't want to intrude on family.

There was Regent and Grue, followed shortly after by Skitter and that bitch Tattletale. Skitter sat alone and Tattletale joined the rest of her gang. I forced myself to continue scanning the room, ignoring Hookwolf as he stalked by. Flechette and Parian spoke quietly, without interruption from me. I sighed, scratching under the knot that kept my head covering together as Legend took the stage.

What the fuck was I going to do? I could try and approach Ballistic and Flechette again, but both were glued to the speech. Skitter was the same, and there was no one else who could handle Leviathan on short notice. God dammit. They started dividing capes into groups and I walked up to the front by routine. Someone handed me an armband and I stared at it.

Oh fuck I didn't want to die.

I'd actually enjoyed my time in Brockton Bay, really enjoyed. I'd made connections, if kind of weird ones, and losing them would...hurt. I knew it would, even though they were new and tenuous they were real in a world where everything felt so not. Oh god, I was scared of losing them. I forced myself through several deep, shuddering breaths until a cape tapped my shoulder.

“Are you alright?” I looked up and my eyes widened as Alexandria's impassive visor stared back.

“F-fine,” I squeaked. “J-just...first day jitters, you know?” I forced a weak laugh and shrank back as she frowned.

“What is your name?” Alexandria asked.

“In--”

I cut off my own answer. Inominate was a shit name, it wasn't even fucking spelled right. But what was a cape name for me? 'Flinch' would fit, but I really didn't want a reminder of what got me killed me so many times. Something to do with a 'shield' then, maybe or like, 'Bodyguard' or something. I considered my power and, involuntarily, where it had come from. I quickly stopped, but not before the inevitable answer came to mind. The pressure of my projection settled on my shoulders as I pressed the buttons on my armband and spoke, loud and clear.

“Amaranth.” A green light and beep.

“A good name,” she said. “You said it's your first day?”

“Yeah, but it's fine,” I replied with a shrug. “I'm...durable.”

“Very well,” Alexandria said after a moment's hesitation, leaving me to it.

I turned and saw Tattletale, a spark of anger lighting in my chest. I...wouldn't kill her, that was maybe an overreaction. But I could fuck with her a little, as a treat. I walked up, confidently as I could as the capes cried out a warning for the wave.

“Hey Tattletale,” I said, shouting to be heard over the roar. “Sevens are supposed to be lucky, right?”

“What--”

A flash of light and thunderclap interrupted her, and the fighting took me away. I organized with the Brutes on the front lines, this time standing next to an absolute giant of a man that introduced himself in a booming voice as 'Atlas'. Yeah I believed he could hold up the world, and when Leviathan pounced he proved able to survive the tail that crashed into his ribs.

He was thrown aside, but the tail stopped at me. I quickly ducked and fled before it could get a hold on me, like it often had. A success, and soon he was being harried by Dauntless and another cape with what looked like pilebunkers on each arm. I saw Ravelin's team moving in the background, flanking and harrying the Endbringer apart from the main body of the fight.

I stayed back in the second line for a moment. I could take another hit, sure, but I watched Alexandria get slammed under the water and knew what was coming soon. I ran forward after Leviathan's attention was drawn away, my projection letting me make it before anyone else. I helped her out of the water, smacking her invulnerable back with my impervious hand.

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“First time?” I asked with a hint of irony as water cascaded from her mouth. “Doesn't get easier.”

“I'm...aware.” Alexandria panted and stared at me for a moment. Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that to the woman with a supercomputer for a brain.

Suddenly both our armbands beeped a warning about the wave. She rocketed into the sky while I sprinted back towards the nearby Narwhal, stopping to help a cape in power armour to their feet. They stumbled along, slowing me down, but god dammit I couldn't just leave them! I hooked my arm around their back and pointedly thought about almost mechanical movements. My stride caught them, it seemed, but we were too late, just too far from Narwhal's shield when the cape stumbled and fell. I dropped with them to try and drag them the last foot as the light vanished around us. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited to wake up.

The wave roared around us, but I wasn't torn and tossed away like flotsam, nor was I drowning for the umpteenth time. I forced my eyes opened and glanced up, seeing two glittering triangles that jutted sharply from Narwhal's larger shield. It looked like she was straining with it, but it held and saved us from a watery grave. I pressed the buttons on the fallen cape's armband to signal for rescue. If they were lucky... The water dissipated and I rose as the shield dropped away.

“Thanks,” I said, jogging over to Narwhal. “We...I thought that was it.”

“Almost,” she said. “Make sure it's not for nothing.”

With that, she joined the fray. Her words stuck in my head and made me pause, rather than charge like I had before. Narwhal risked herself and how many other capes for two that were too slow. I saw a teleporter blink in, grab the fallen cape in power armour, and vanish a second later. A flyer swooped in and hefted up another, zipping away.

I had to survive. Help...yes, I'd help, but I had to be my number one priority. I knew there was at least one more wave to get through, plus everything and...I could do it. I had to be smart, but I could. No getting the monster's attention, only take hits I can get away from, and stay the fuck away from Armsmaster.

I stood a little bit straighter as Leviathan tore his way out of the collapsed building. Survive first, and if I could survive, then help. I followed the running battle in the streets and it left me panting for breath, but I'd done a good job. One cape saved, another injured instead of torn in two. I couldn't keep up and quickly fell behind, pausing to catch my breath.

Dammit. I couldn't take physical training back in time, so I was stuck like this until I could hit the gym. It took a minute, but I settled the stitch that was stabbing my kidney, took a deep breath, and ran towards the sounds of battle. They stopped when I was close by, and I arrived just in time to see Clockblocker appear on the ground in front of Skitter.

I turned away, no dice. Armsmaster began rallying and directing capes. I was sent a block over, at a crossroads between a sidestreet and an alley. Another cape, who remained oddly silent, was with me. Their costume was an oil-slick black robe that seemed to suck in the light where it didn't glitter with prismatic colours.

We waited there as a silent roadblock, the rain pounding down on us. I looked down and found my sweats had been mostly shredded, exposing the leotard underneath. Despite the damage, my scarf was shockingly intact. I guess I hadn't taken a hit to the head yet, lucky me. Needed a real costume though. Needed to survive this first.

The sounds of Leviathan tearing into the defenders closest to him pulled me out of my thoughts. I readied myself to fight, or at least to take a hit so Exxon there could do whatever they did. The sounds of fighting soon faded away though, leaving us behind. They took off, and I started to follow, then paused.

I had to be smart. Yes, I could help with the fighting. I could not help Armsmaster's attempted suicide by lizard. After that, I had no idea where he went, until the sinkhole and I really didn't fucking want to do that again. That was somewhere near Coil's base, around the downtown if I wasn't remembering wrong as usual. I didn't know exactly where that was, but I knew where Leviathan would be in the end.

With a sigh, I began navigating the stricken, flooded streets of the Docks and heading towards home. Not to actually get home, but I knew where the shelter that Leviathan eventually attacked was. Once I got closer, I could find it easily. I trudged along, trying to head uphill at all costs. I didn't know when the next wave was, and didn't want to find out the hard way.

I glanced behind me, halfway up a hill. The devastated city stretched out below, and I wasn't even past it all. Even here, a couple lighter things had been carried up by the surge, leaving the streets cluttered. It would be worse soon, so I had to enjoy the relative freedom of movement while I could. I continued up, pausing to catch my breath at the top of the hill.

Oh, there was school. Wait, I knew where I was, the shelter was just three blocks from here! Thank god for Mom refusing to let me call in sick on Endbringer drill days. The streets were more haunting, but still familiar despite the gloom and pouring rain. Weirdly, the street to the shelter led downhill. I stopped and waited, checking my armband to make sure it was still working. I stared out to sea, watching for...there!

The black wall of water rose up and raced ashore, smashing ice meant to stop it to pieces that carried forward, breaking against buildings, or toppling them. The surge stopped before the foot of the hill, but god I was glad I hadn't been closer. I jogged down to where the bunker was, sheltering in an alley across the street.

He'd be distracted here, that meant there was a chance I could do something, and do it safely. Relatively speaking, as everything was when it came to Leviathan. So I crouched down and waited for the fighting to come to me. It wasn't long before a few capes swooped down, Laserdream and Skitter with Armsmaster's halberd joining a pair that arrived not long before.

They began to cut into the shelter and I licked my lips in anticipation. A minute later, I felt a slight rumble in the ground and forced myself to stay in the alley as Leviathan leaped in and killed the two capes that stayed to guard the entrance. Laserdream took off and blasted him as he tore into the civilians that had made it above ground. Then, casting an almost idle flick of his water echo at Laserdream, turned and forced his way into the shelter.

I ran forward as she fell, pausing to let a stray water echo patter harmlessly off me. I focused on protecting myself as I approached, then slipped under his tail and into the shelter. I squeezed into a corner, and saw Skitter across from me, holding the halberd. She hefted it and pointed towards the base of Leviathan's tail with the blade. I nodded and reached out my hands, ready to try and do some damage.

I clamped my grip down on the flesh of the Endbringer's tail as she stabbed him straight in the ass. I felt it tear under me and took a step back into the corner, forcing myself to stand pointedly still, despite the monster thrashing in front of me. Despite my efforts, as he escaped the bunker, I felt his tail wrap around my waist and was jerked out and thrown to the street below.

I flinched as I skidded along, screaming in pain as my face was suddenly on fire with agony. I came to a stop and rose on shaky legs, turning and blinking. Oh, only one eye blinked. I could see Leviathan turn back towards the shelter and pause, then he was struck by a massive, monstrous blur.

The realization took a moment to get through the agony my face was in, but it was Bitch and her dogs. I sat on the ground, collapsed almost, panting and watching as they fought viciously, but were killed one by one. I stared numbly, watching him reduce them from six, down to two in short order. He moved in for the kill, but then the fight ended.

Scion arrived, without fanfare, without warning. Leviathan didn't notice until he was struck by a ball of energy from the golden man's hand. I simply watched as he meticulously stopped every little trick the Endbringer pulled, harried him, wounded him. Never killed though, he'd only do that once...

Before long, Leviathan was retreating and Scion gave chase. I rose and stumbled towards the shelter, unsure of where else to go. Already I could see capes gathering nearby, and I headed over on shaky legs. I wasn't sure who, but someone pressed something to my face and shouted for a medic. They guided me somewhere to sit down and told me help would be on the way. I nodded and just tried to ignore the pain I was in. After all I'd done it.

I'd survived.