Within the Apple 17B

Taylor suppressed an urge to sigh as she listened to Magus tell the cops what they’d done, for the third time, albeit in slightly different ways. She hadn’t seen the point of it all, the bad guys were down, the police were there, job should be done…

Apparently not.

The police had been all too happy to explain, in great detail, how easy it was for gang members to get off when they were collared by a Parahuman... especially after Magus had explained to them why he wanted her to know.

Apparently the police were just pleased as punch to have the chance to properly educate a young hero in the all the details needed to properly put criminals away.

How can it possibly be this complicated?

Worse, from what they’d told her, this was the easy mode, because the police were already on the scene before she and Magus had arrived, so there were plenty of official witnesses and a solid chain of evidence. To Taylor’s horror, they then went on to explain… in detail… what she would have to do if she were out on her own in the future.

Taylor wasn’t really sure she wanted to be a hero by about the halfway mark.

Magus, bastard that he was, just grinned as she desperately wished that he’d already taught her his teleportation trick.

The cops, while their Sergeant lectured her, had gone about cleaning up the gang members, packing them away into a pair of vans that had rolled in just after she and Magus had landed. That took less time than the lesson did, but Taylor was relieved when the Sergeant started to wind down.

“I’ll have some handbooks waiting for you at the station,” He promised, “In case you want to study on your own.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Taylor blurted. They had it written down? And they STILL made her listen to the impromptu lecture.

Magus just snickered, “She’s a book learner, can you tell?”

The Sergeant just laughed along with him, “Just pop by and pick them up in costume. If you have questions, my card will be in the book. Call the office, if I can’t talk I’ll get back to you.”

Taylor slumped in relief, “Thank you.”

“Anyway, we’re almost packed up, and I have everything I…” The Sergeant started to say before a scream cut him off.

“It’s Oni L- ARGHH!”

They spun toward the source of the scream, and Taylor sucked in her breath as she recognized the figure of the ABB’s teleporter, Oni Lee, standing over a police officer who was laying on the ground, clutching at his belly.

“Shit,” The Sergeant swore, waving to his men, “Get loaded up and get moving!”

“Apprentice,” Magus said calmly as he started walking, “Cover the cops. Do not get involved in this.”

“What? No! I can…”

“Protect the cops!” He snarled over his shoulder. “You’re the Apprentice, I’m the Master. If you can’t do what I tell you, that can still change.”

Taylor grimaced, but just nodded as she drew her wand and stepped to cover the police Sergeant. “Fine. Hey, remember, he’s a teleporter!”

“So am I,” Magus grinned. “This will be fun.”

*****

Xander sized up the man in the Oni mask, eyes narrowing as he noted the bandolier filled with frag grenades as well as multiple blades to match the bloody one still in his hand.

The man, Oni Lee apparently, locked eyes with him across the distance.

Normally, that would have been a big mistake, since Xander had passive legilimancy running nearly constantly. This time, however, all he got was a muted sort of buzz from the other man. Xander had known animals that had more detailed mental pictures of the world around them, and of the meaning of it.

This guy is either shielded in some way I’ve never encountered, or he’s not all there upstairs.

Either was bad news, to be frank, but he would worry about which it was later. The guy had just knifed a cop in plain view of a dozen other officers and two Parahumans. That took confidence, or insanity. Again, neither of those were a good thing.

Oni Lee barely even seemed to acknowledge his presence at first, but as Xander got closer, the masked man lifted his Tanto and planted the butt of the hilt to his free hand as he shifted his footing to face Xander.

Oni Lee… teleporter with a fondness for blades and grenades, according to the local internet.

“You are trespassing,” The man rasped out. “This is the Dragon’s territory.”

Xander nodded to the ground by his feet, “I may be, but that’s a peace officer. The city is their territory. Let me have him, and we’ll leave.”

Oni Lee seemed confused by that, his masked face tipping down to the look at the cop who was bleeding out, then he looked back straight.

“The police do not belong here.”

“That’s not how the game works,” Xander countered. “You want to play territorial games with Parahumans, that’s fine, but the cops are sworn to the city. The wholecity.”

Oni seemed confused by that for a moment, then something changed, something Xander couldn’t quite place.

“Behind you!”

Xander twisted as Taylor called out the warning, foot lashing out to catch the copy of Oni Lee in the throat as the other man lunged in with his dagger drawn. Xander was surprised when the body burst into dust, washing over him as he again felt the magical shift.

Knowing what it was this time, Xander continued to turn, catching the figure with a ridge hand even as it appeared from the night air, crushing his larynx and again turning the man to dust.

Clones. That’s new.

Oni’s response to losing two clones in quick succession was to teleport further away to get a chance to evaluate the situation. Xander opted not to allow him that and apparated in pursuit.

With a crack of displaced air, Xander appeared beside the shocked Parahuman and slammed a fist into his guts, then followed through with an elbow to his face as he doubled over. The Oni Mask cracked a moment before the body turned entirely to dust, mask along with it. Xander didn’t pause, extending his senses as he sought out the next location.

His clones are short lived, but they stay intact for a time after he teleports,Xander realized. Tricky bastard.

Xander had seen a clone user once before, but thankfully Oni Lee was nowhereclose to that ones level.

He felt the shiver in magic as Oni reappeared and locked eyes on him as the man appeared on the top of one of the police vans, reaching for a grenade. Xander twisted his fingers slightly and vanished in another crack of displaced air.

He appeared in front of Oni Lee, casting a quick flame freezing charm on the grenade as it was dropped, then jumped up to lash out with a kick that through the Parahuman back off the roof of the van.

“Grenade!”

Xander ignored the cop’s yell as the lethal egg bounced off the van and to the ground. The flame freezing charm wouldn’t stop the fire from burning, but it wouldn’t have the heat to trigger to the primer needed to detonate the small amount of high explosive that would make the weapon explode.

The spell would last several minutes, much longer than the fuse, so he stayed focused on the threat.

“Apprentice, flame freezing on the grenades if he gets close,” He ordered.

Taylor nodded, clearly frightened, but managed to look determined through it all.

“Backup en route,” a cop yelled. “PRT is responding!”

“Just get out of here,” Xander called. “Leave him to me!”

“You heard the cape,” The Sergeant snapped. “Everyone load up!”

“Wilson’s still bleeding out!”

“I’ll get him,” Xander promised. “Move! Apprentice, this means you, stay with the police!”

“But…”

The Sergeant, bless him, didn’t hesitate to grab her and drag her to the van.

“Come on, kid, this fight isn’t for you!”

Xander let them go as he surveyed the street, not feeling the presence of the other man anywhere.

He might have run but… doubt it.

With the moment’s respite, however, there was only one thing to do. Xander again apparated, this time directly to the fallen officer.

“Hang on, buddy,” Xander said as he cast a quick diagnostic and grimaced, “I’ll get you out of here.”

“W… watch… o…”

Xander felt the change in magic and air pressure and twisted in time to block the knife blade as it came in for his neck. He turned his arm, getting a grip on Oni, and pulled. As the man fell forward, Xander planted his shoulder in Oni’s midsection and rose up to his feet, and threw the man across the street.

Xander quickly cast several medical spells at the officer, slowing his heart rate and encouraging clotting around the would. Both would cause long term problems if not addressed, but they’d worry about that later. A quick pain relieving charm followed as Xander stepped away from the fallen man and into the street.

“Hold tight, this won’t take long.”

*****