Orb Weaver Interlude: The Heir

Reina went home early. Supposedly the Truce endured after the Endbringer fled, but there had been incidents in the past. She had helped Clockblocker, putting up structures of paper to let EMS workers move into damaged structures, and Clockblocker had frozen them.

In a crisis, he was not nearly the silly joker PHO said. None of the Wards were.

It is fortunate that they are kept from acting freely. They had not flinched at any point, not even when…

Standing between the two PRT guards who met her after Strider had dropped her off, Reina calmly put her hands together, disguising the tremble that had come into them, the memory of those four inhuman eyes, the way it had just pounced after them, like they were a toy…

Inhale. Exhale. You are Kanshi and it is not proper for you to display such weakness in front of the PRT. She turned to the guard and bowed properly. “Thank you.” The guards said nothing. As was proper. The Truce would soon end and she would be a—

Reina paused. Have I even committed any crime they can name as Kanshi? Working with the ABB made her complicit for various criminal conspiracy statutes, the Lawyer that Lung had retained to explain how such things worked to her had made that clear, but directly?

Hmm.

She walked out of the building, with the typical reporters waiting for any heroes. At this point, they were focusing on Reina, with picture after picture being snapped.

I fought Leviathan, but I was not supposed to. What has happened? Or maybe it was that she was new and few villains went out of town for Endbringer fights.

Maybe I should have… Reina stopped as a car pulled up to the curb. A car with an ABB driver. Reina had been planning to leave into the city and change—that had been the plan presuming she survived…what had happened?

The driver practically leaped out of the car to open the door for her, and Reina got in. Maybe the E88 had struck? No. That would be a violation of the Truce…

Had Lung found out how completely she had disregarded his orders to not fight Leviathan? Granted, she had tried to avoid the Endbringer…

Unsuccessfully.

She waited until they got to the core of the ABB’s territory, when the driver leaped out and bowed before her as he opened the door.

“Thank you,” Reina said. She turned and walked for the building where Lung would hold court. And the strangeness continued.

Several older women and men bowed deeply, as she passed, one man crying silently, tears dripping down his cheeks. One of the first refugees, from Kyushu.

Inside the building, Reina’s worry grew. Both sides of the hallway were lined with ABB members. She could not remember the last time so many had gathered in one place, not even for her unveiling.

She took a deep breath. She would not betray Lung’s expectations. She drew propriety around her like a cloak, and stood up straight, even though she was the shortest person in the hallway. The men and women bowed to her as she passed and what the hell…

When the door opened, only inertia kept her from walking forward. First she saw the high ups, the leaders of the ABB standing to each side, and at the far end, Lung and Oni Lee. Lung was sitting as was proper, but next to him, set slightly below his chair was another chair… but nobody sat when Lung spoke.

And then behind him, a big-screen TV, repeating something that looked to be a feed from a PRT drone. Reina hadn’t worried about them, her face concealed, but now…

Maybe I should have. It showed a quick clip. Her and The Investigator , fighting Leviathan, stumbling back, their open mouths speaking to unheard screams and curses. The Investigator was firing, sparks from normal rounds, explosions from her special rounds, while Reina was sending spears of paper, tigers, coils to bind and slow…

All useless.

She clenched her hands into fists, and fought to not shiver. She had survived.

“Who!” Lung said. “Who here has fought Leviathan?!”

“You, Great Lung!” one man said.

“Am I the only one?”

“No, Great Lung!” He Shouted. “Kanshi went to Galveston and fought!”

“Do any doubt her bravery?” There was silence. The Lung’s voice rolled on. “We have brothers and sisters who lived in Galveston, who are alive because of Kanshi.”

Well, me and the PRT. But it wasn’t time to mention that.

Lung continued. “While the E88 hid behind their rallies and hate, she journeyed to battle! I commanded her to not seek out the Endbringer, but when it came for her, she defied it!” Short sharp cheers sounded.

I guess he’s not angry that I fought, Reina thought. That was a relief.

“And now, she shall sit at my right hand, and her voice shall be as my voice to the ABB. Come, Kanshi, take your place.”

Kanshi wasn’t certain about the protocol… and she really had no idea what to say, so she walked up, remembering her lessons, turned, and nodded to the men and women, and then at Lungs gesture, sat down next to him.

“KANSHI! KANSHI! KANSHI!”

Later, after the celebration when they were alone, save for Oni Lee’s silent presence, Kanshi looked up to Lung. She really wanted to go home, read Jun his story and sleep… for a month. But one did not say such things. Still…

“Why?” She asked. “I thought I would be…”

“A subordinate who is unruly, who I would have to publicly call to account?” Lung shook his head, and Kanshi noticed he was a little taller, eyes a little sharper. “You fought Leviathan. Any who saw us in conflict would see you not as an unruly subordinate, but as a possible usurper. No, the plan would have worked…but now we must change. You will work to take over the more public facing parts of the ABB. I will be your superior, but now… will making you a friend influence the ABB’s actions? Are you truly loyal, or will you move to usurp me? What about my own intentions… Did I do this to reward you or keep you closer?”

Lung smiled. “It is… invigorating.”

His power. The extra challenges call to him…

“I will not fail you, Great Lung.”

“I know you will not. But… I will have you cease your English classes at Winslow, they do not challenge you and you will need the time.”

“I—Great Lung?”

“If you are to handle the public facing parts of the ABB, you will need to work money and organization, and unlike my power, your power will not make such actions easy. I have secured some tutors for you, and you can use the free period to study. I do not expect you to become expert, but you must know enough to tell when you are being lied to.”

“Ah. Very well.”

Later, Reina stood in her room and stared at the stack of books. She’d read to Jun and wanted to go to bed but now…

Principles of Business? A College introduction to management techniques? The books were almost twice as thick as her textbooks…and they had far fewer pictures than most high school books. Reina put them to the side, then closed her eyes and fell back into her bed with a groan.

Maybe this was Lung’s punishment for her fighting Leviathan…