Shade: Unbound

Finn checked the latest mission in with the Aegis app, and turned to Lyra. “I’ll be in contact for our next mission,” he said.

“Okay,” she replied. “Goodnight Shade, goodnight Gridlock.”

“Goodnight,” Gridlock said back over Finn’s earphone.

As she was about to leave, Finn addressed her. “Calliope.”

“Hm? Yeah? Did I forget anything?”

“No, it’s something else,” he said. “I’m offering you my help.”

“Um, with what? Haven’t you helped me out already? You let me on your team.”

Finn shook his head. “I mean your life outside the missions.”

Lyra stilled. “Oh.”

“I noticed you weren’t living in your own house. That, combined with what you said to me that first night out about ‘wanting to get away from it all’ made me think you might be dealing with some problems. My question is whether you want me to lend you a hand in solving them.”

“That was your first night out…” she muttered before collecting herself. “Oh! No no no, there’s no need. I already got way too much help from you guys, and I don’t think it’s something you can solve. Not that I’m underestimating your abilities! Just… it’s complicated.”

“Anything you want to talk about?” Gridlock asked.

Lyra visibly struggled with that, clenching her fists at her side. “...I can’t, sorry.”

“One more thing,” Finn added. “Do you think your daily life will affect your performance on the field in any way?”

“It won’t, I promise. I’ve been getting more rest lately,” she replied. “I can focus on getting better with my power.”

“Alright,” Finn nodded. He hesitated, then said, “Goodnight, Calliope.”

Lyra’s posture relaxed. She bid them both goodnight once again and headed off. Finn and Jack watched her leave in silence.

Minutes later, Finn landed on the rooftop of a building in his neighborhood and thought back to today’s missions. Lyra's contribution was even more valuable than he would have thought. She could silence his movements while he used his invisibility. This combo made sneaking up on people so easy, Finn was almost starting to think his power was a bit unfair.

Almost. It was far from enough for what he was going to do with it, in the future.

He refocused on the present, facing the skyline. Lyra was improving with her projectiles as well, making them more suited for areas of effect. Her range of hearing was becoming more refined, and she was using her reverberations to move around better. She also benefited from having him distract the enemy with illusions while she prepared her next move.

Overall, they had complementary skill sets. And that was evident from their increase in credit gain. Finn had earned more credits in one day than he had in his first week.

That didn't mean it was without downsides. The disadvantage of taking on higher caliber jobs is that it made them more known. It gave people an idea of their powers. Finn's Aegis profile confirmed that.

Name: Shade

Missions completed: 37

Ability: Illusions and invisibility, specifics unknown

Combat capabilities;

Offensive power: Low

Defensive power: Low

Mobility: Moderate

Utility: High

Hand-to-hand combat: Novice

Weapon proficiency: None

Power control: Moderate

Tactical awareness: Intermediate

Strategic planning: Intermediate

Estimated threat level: E+

People might not know about his armor yet, as he hadn't gotten hit much after buying it, but the negative assessment of his offensive power rang true. He relied on visual deception to beat his opponents, not overwhelming force.

That wasn't going to cut it against truly powerful villains though. Or moderately powerful ones, as he had learned in his fight against Frenzy.

For that reason, Finn was going to invest in a weapon. He had accumulated quite a lot of credits with Lyra's help. During this night alone, they had been able to earn over a thousand credits from a handful of missions. On top of the amount he had already saved, he could make a decent purchase.

Browsing the store, he first went and looked at the blaster gauntlets again. He didn’t have enough to buy them, but he was starting to think shock waves weren’t the optimal choice anymore; Lyra made them largely redundant.

Though at his current budget, his options weren't unlimited. He didn't want to exclude all weapons that dished out some sort of concussive force. They seemed like one of the best non-lethal choices for him currently.

He also saw some wrist mountable gadgets, such as a mini crossbow, which would require Finn to keep renewing ammo. And a pocket flamethrower. Finn wanted to skip over it, but Jack told him it might have its uses if he learned to apply his power to fire. Finn found it too destructive and volatile, so he decided to leave it for now.

Next up was a paralytic agent that could be administered with various bladed tools. It wasn’t lethal, but it would require him to use yet another weapon to penetrate his opponent’s skin, which made it useless against villains with high durability. Finn might have considered it if the supply wasn’t finite.

Finn came across the electric baton Moonflower had let him borrow on their mission together. The electrocution would serve him well, but he was looking for a better vessel than a baton. He’d seen how it held up against Frenzy. He needed something better.

“I don’t think this is working,” Jack said at length. “You’re looking for something that won’t turn normal humans into meat paste, and simultaneously something effective enough to hurt villains with enhanced bodies. So what I’d recommend is a tool you can adjust the intensity of. That way you’ll have something to take down both people with powers and people without.”

With Jack’s advice in mind, Finn continued scrolling. A tool that could adjust the intensity of its effects seemed like the ideal solution. After a few more clicks, Finn's eyes landed on a device called the electro-modulator glove. Singular, not plural. There were options for a set, but those went for over ten thousand credits, whereas this one was being sold for six thousand.

Was it out of his price range? Yes, but not so much so that he wouldn’t be able to get that amount within a week at his current pace. He read further.

The high-tech gauntlet was specifically designed for non-lethal combat situations. With its advanced electrostatic modulation system, Finn could precisely control the intensity of the electrical discharge.

Featuring a sleek and ergonomic design, the glove seamlessly integrated with Finn's grappling hook and invisibility abilities. Its backhand housed an intuitive control panel, allowing Finn to adjust the power output and select from various modes based on the scenario.

Beyond its primary function, the gauntlet held an intriguing capability—an ability to generate electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). Activating the EMP mode would enable Finn to emit localized electromagnetic bursts, temporarily disrupting electronic devices and disabling nearby security systems, providing a tactical advantage to him and his team during missions.

After adding the gadget to his list, Finn became more firm in his decision. He shouldn’t try to seek out a single weapon that could do everything when he could leverage a combination of tools and gadgets to enhance his combat capabilities.

Near the end of their shopping, Jack told Finn to make at least one purchase. Finn, who was about to close the app, stopped and asked what.

“Well, you didn’t want to get the baton because you didn’t think it was a good weapon, so why don’t you buy another weapon you think is good. One you can add functions to in the future,” Jack explained.

Finn considered what type of weapon would be good for him. Bladed weapons would present the same problem as before, and he hadn’t liked many of the ranged options, mainly due to the requirement of repeat ammunition purchases. But among blunt weapons, Finn didn’t want anything too bulky. It wasn’t that the baton was bad. It just didn’t feel the same as the sticks he’d been training with.

Selecting the closest thing he could find, he bought a collapsible, modifiable staff for a much more affordable hundred credits. The staff offered the advantage of being compact and easy to carry, making it convenient for Finn to bring it along during missions. Its extendable design allowed for greater reach in combat, giving him an advantage against opponents with longer reach or in situations where he needed to keep his distance.

With Jack's suggestion of a weapon he could add functions to in the future, Finn realized the staff could be further modified to conduct the shocks from the electro-modulator glove. The conductive material used in the staff's construction could be enhanced or replaced to improve its electrical conductivity and ensure efficient transmission of the electrical discharges.

With the drop-off location approved, Finn went to collect his new weapon. Catapulting over there with his grappling hooks, his anticipation grew. He recognized that with the addition of the electro-modulator glove and the modified staff, his arsenal would become more versatile and formidable. This marked a significant stride in his journey toward becoming a well-rounded hero, ready to confront a broader spectrum of challenges and adversaries.

*******

Jacques Spencer, known to most people as Jack, rubbed his eyes as he put down the headset for today. Which reminded him that he needed to get Lyra an earphone of her own for easier communication among the team.

He honestly wasn’t sure what to think of the girl, and it bothered him that Finn didn’t want him to look into her past. He knew something was going on, and he didn’t want her to bring down a world of trouble on them before they could get their hero career off the ground.

She seemed really nice, but while Jack wasn’t the most paranoid person in the world, he knew people could do horrible things even when they had the best of intentions.

Like he had when he first met Finn, for instance. It was more than four years ago, Finn had been eleven at the time, and Jack, twelve. The other boy had recently moved to this district with his mother. When he had been sent out of the house for spending too much time behind his computer, he saw Finn sitting in front of his door, staring into the distance. He went up to him and asked who his favorite hero was.

When Finn told him to go away, Jack had gotten angry, not understanding why Finn was being so standoffish. The frustration bubbled up inside him, and without thinking, he lashed out, resulting in a heated confrontation between the two boys.

Their scuffle caught the attention of their mothers, who quickly intervened and forced them to apologize to each other. Jack felt a pang of guilt as he looked at Finn's tear-stained face. It was only then that he discovered the reason behind Finn's cold attitude.

Finn's father had recently passed away, leaving him devastated and withdrawn. Jack's anger dissipated, replaced by deep remorse as he realized the pain he unknowingly inflicted on his newfound companion. In that one moment, Jack's perspective shifted, and he recognized Finn not as an adversary, but as someone in need.

And in some ways, that had never changed. At first, Finn needed someone to help him get through that dark period of his life. Now, needed someone to protect him from himself. After they became friends, he had slowly started coming out of his shell until he was something resembling normal again. But as soon as he got his powers, it was as if some other part of him finally woke up.

Jack had never seen that kind of drive in Finn. It both fascinated and worried him. Finn seemed consumed by the desire to prove himself, to make up for lost time, and to honor his father's memory. The intensity with which he pursued his training and sought out challenges was remarkable, but it also left Jack concerned for Finn's well-being.

Reflecting on their shared history and the encounter with Lyra, Jack couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Like it was with Finn, there was more to Lyra than met the eye. He couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that there was something she wasn't telling them, something that could potentially jeopardize their mission.

Conversely, it was true that Jack had been in favor of Lyra joining the team. Her power was certainly worth the risk. He just wished she would lay all her cards on the table. But it would be unreasonable of him to expect her to do that when they hadn’t returned the same trust she had shown them. He would have to talk to Finn about letting her into their lives a bit more.

Talking to him about it and getting him to listen were two entirely different things, though. Finn was far too guarded to trust someone so quickly. And he would probably say something about focusing on the mission, always preoccupied with the next step, the next goal.

Watching his best friend grow so rapidly and then seeing the dissatisfaction at his own failures was comical and frustrating. They hadn’t even been at this for a month, and they were already preparing to take on one of the major gangs.

Everything was moving so fast. Finn moved so fast.

That was why Jack tried to get his friend to attend Casey’s party. It was a good way for him to slow down for a moment and actually be Finn for a while, not seek out more trouble as Shade. Well, it was one of the reasons, anyway.

He hadn’t been lying when he said he wanted Finn to gather information there. It was important for him to get used to using his civilian identity to get himself into places where Shade would only raise suspicion. And the Wardell family was likely a very good connection to have. And if not that, then at least a force to stay apprised of.

On his second monitor, one of his coded bots alerted him of a confrontation between Homeland and three of the Junior Aces. Apparently, they had been fighting some regular thugs before Trooper came in. The situation had seemed hopeless, but Mistral had arrived in time to bail his charges out.

So many things to keep track of, he thought, turning his computer off and getting up from his chair to walk out of his basement. He had moved most of his stuff here when the house was being renovated a few years back, and it had stayed that way after the rooms were finished. It had stayed that way after his siblings moved out as well. He wasn’t complaining though, it was a decent place for Gridlock to operate from.

Just not as good as if they got their own headquarters.