Chapter 9: Judicator.

Author’s Note:
Hey guys, sorry about the short chapter. I just wasn’t feeling it today. After the flag, I kind of panicked and ended up feeling off for most of the day. Hopefully my muse kicks back in for Celestial Ascendancy over the weekend.

I already have the next chapter and a half outlined, so it should be a bit easier to write than this one was.

Thanks for your understanding. I’ll be posting the edited chapter right after this, along with a poll to help decide where we go from here, so please make sure to vote. It really does help.

The Abyss Stares Back

Chapter 9: Judicator.

Nate Vazquez.

Brockton Bay.

I looked around the house one last time, trying to ignore the guy still filming me from behind his curtain. He flinched when I waved in his direction, probably scared shitless, but once he realized I wasn’t heading toward him, he relaxed and went right back to recording.

I shouldn’t have felt satisfaction at his reaction… but I couldn’t help grinning in amusement.

“How long do you think it'll take them to get here, Ordis?” I asked, glancing at the Cephalon’s drone as it beeped softly on my shoulder.

“Hard to say, Operator,” he replied thoughtfully. “But I believe it would be wise to vacate the premises. They’ll surely send one of their capes, and I doubt you want a confrontation right now.”

“You’re right,” I nodded. “Still not sure what I’ll do about them in the long run, but picking a fight with the PRT right out the gate? Doesn’t feel like the smartest move.”

“I doubt you’ll avoid conflict entirely,” Ordis mused with a soft chuckle. “According to their rules and regulations, your actions tonight already warrant capture and imprisonment.”

“Heh,” I shook my head. “They can try. I’m not planning to go all out on them, though.”

“Mercy is a privilege of the strong, Operator,” Ordis said, more serious this time. “As you are now, that privilege is limited, especially when facing someone more experienced. If you wish to win without using overwhelming force, you’ll need to improve.”

“Then we better move,” I sighed. “Should we head for an ATM now that we’re out?”

Ordis gave a soft beep and perched back on my shoulder. My HUD flickered to life, highlighting several green dots scattered across the local map.

“I’ve marked the nearest ATMs,” he said. “I can spoof the cameras if needed, but I recommend you leave the Warframe behind somewhere secure and use your civilian clothing instead.”

“I’ll follow your lead,” I nodded, already moving. I dashed toward the closest one tucked near an alley, sticking to the rooftops.

“It’d be funny if someone tried to mug me right now,” I chuckled, landing with a muted thud on an old apartment building’s ledge. The cloaking system Ordis used earlier couldn’t be activated again, at least not without draining critical power, and I needed his processing focused on camera interference. So I kept moving as I was.

It wasn’t like I expected to stay hidden after tonight anyway.

No… I wasn’t going to be some ghost in the shadows. That wasn’t who I was.

I planned to become a beacon.

A beacon of hope for the people like me. People without power, surrounded by monsters in alleyways and abandoned buildings. People who couldn’t fight back. Who didn’t know how.

It didn’t matter if they were scared, or weak, or just tired of it all. The world had given them every reason to feel helpless. But my father taught me better.

He was my hero.

And I was going to be the same kind of hero.

“A bit rude, Operator,” Ordis chuckled, “You’re making me feel underappreciated.”

“You know I love you, Ordis,” I chuckled as I dropped down into an alleyway. Using Transference, I slipped out of the Warframe, leaving it behind as I walked calmly toward the ATM.

I had to admit… I was nervous.

Sure, I wasn’t a saint. But this? This was by far the most illegal thing I’d done in nearly eighteen years of breathing.

Keeping a clean record in Brockton Bay was something I was quietly proud of. And considering my family’s mess of a situation, that hadn’t been easy. But my parents had taught me better. Or at least… tried to.

I shook my head as I adjusted the final touches on my outfit. A large scarf wrapped around the lower half of my face, black pants, a blue sweater, and gloves to keep my fingerprints to myself. Simple. Functional.

The Warframe was deactivated behind me, hidden in the shadows of the alley. Still, I felt safe knowing I could summon it back in an instant. And it’s not like I was helpless without it. I just didn’t want to find out what happened to someone when they took a void blast point-blank to the face.

Those things erased entire simulations on the Orbiter.

They ate through my kitchen table.

Yeah. Better not risk it.

I stepped out of the alley, walking like I belonged. Like I hadn’t just taken down a dozen gang members and started my career as a masked vigilante.

The ATM was right there. A beat-up, off-brand machine tucked beside a dusty convenience store. It blinked lazily at me like it couldn’t be bothered to care.

I glanced around. Street was mostly empty. A car passed a block away. Someone smoked a cigarette near the entrance of the store, not paying attention.

Still… my heartbeat kicked up.

I hesitated.

“You okay, Operator?” Ordis asked softly.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, scanning the sidewalk again. “Just… making sure I don’t mess up my first crime.”

“You're not committing a crime, Operator. You are redistributing assets from a criminal organization into a secure, civilian account. It’s technically anti-crime.”

I let out a shaky breath after shaking my head and stepped up to the ATM.

As I reached into the inside pocket of my hoodie to pull out one of the bundles, I caught movement in my peripheral.

I turned sharply, but it was nothing. Just a cat skittering across the street. My nerves were making me twitchy.

“False alarm?” I asked quietly.

“I am not detecting any surveillance, nor any humans within twenty-five meters,” Ordis confirmed. “You are clear for deposit. Proceed when ready.”

I inserted the card Ordis provided and started feeding in the bills, keeping my motions smooth, glancing over my shoulder every other second. Every soft whirr of the machine made me think it was about to screech or I would be surrounded by the police. Nothing happened.

The money slid in without issue.

“Deposit complete,” Ordis confirmed. “Funds available for use. I recommend moving to the next location.”

I exhaled and stepped back.

“That was… less interesting than expected,” I mumbled, rubbing my gloved fingers together.

“Do not worry, Operator. You’ll get used to crime,” Ordis chirped unhelpfully.

I rolled my eyes and turned to head back into the alley, moving toward the next marked location.

“Wait,” Ordis said suddenly. “If you take the longer route around Seventh Street and follow the alley behind the liquor store, we can avoid all cameras for the next block.”

“Damn, you’re good,” I muttered.

“You know I love you too, Operator,” he replied smugly.

Later.

I’d made it halfway across the district, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, enjoying the freedom of using my warframe in the city without anyone bothering me.

I was with the last wad of cash, all of the ones I had secured safely on the ATMs across the city. But deep down, I felt like my luck was way too good compared to the usual and it wouldn’t last.

“Next one’s two blocks over,” Ordis said. “Take a left at the next building, then jump the gap…”

A sound caught my attention.

It was subtle, like a hum… No, it was the same sound my warframe did when I ran at my fastest speed this high up.

“Did you hear that?” I muttered, already slowing.

Ordis beeped twice, then paused. “…Yes. One moment, Operator.”

A brief silence followed, broken only by the rush of air as I moved to the edge of a rooftop.

“Flying presence detected,” Ordis said, quieter this time. “Behind you. Altitude: approximately fifteen meters. Trajectory: steady pursuit.”

I froze.

Then, slowly, I turned.

Hovering above the rooftops a dozen meters back was a woman, glowing faintly in pale violet. She was flying effortlessly as she followed me along. I had to admit that I felt a little envious before I snorted. Flying was cool and all… but my warframes were better.

I had a spaceship for fucks sake.

When she noticed I’d stopped, she floated closer.

It was easy to tell who she was, even without the usual fanfare. No mask, no dramatic entrance, just the soft sound of breaking the wind and a translucent light on her fingertips.

Only one group in the Bay had the kind of brass balls necessary to go maskless when heroing.

New Wave.

It wasn’t hard to recognize Crystal Pelham in streetwear.

Yeah… I called her by her name instead of her cape title. Why? Easy.

She wasn’t wearing her costume.

Just jeans, a lightweight coat, and that signature platinum blonde hair that made my chest tighten for reasons I didn’t want to unpack right now. I avoided looking at it. Focused on her eyes instead. Deep blue, a beautiful color that complimented way too well by the confident smirk on her lips.

It didn’t help that she reminded me of my ex, if a little less voluptuous. Crystal was a lithe version Jenna, but perhaps a little bit cuter in the welcome back home style she had.

Wonderful.

“Heya,” she said casually as she landed on the rooftop beside me, her boots barely making a sound.

Her posture was relaxed, but her eyes? Sharp. Her hands hung loose, but I could tell she was ready to move in a second. She clearly was experienced and comfortable in these kind of situations.

Unlike me.

I was panicking inside.

She gave me a slow once-over. “Are you new?”

Before I could even answer, she tilted her head and added, “Eh, no matter. Always nice to see more girl capes in the Bay,” she winked.

I blinked, hard, even if I knew she could not see it.

What?

Warframes were… unisex. On purpose. Androgynous armor, sleek design, no exposed skin, thankfully. So how the hell…

“What?” she grinned. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I’m a dude,” I said flatly, still trying to process her words. “Where’d you get that idea in the first place?”

Her cheeks pinked. It was faint, but it was there, and easily fake. “Oh. My bad,” she replied with a sheepish grin. “Amy always tells me to think before I speak. Guess she’s wiser than I give her credit for.”

I hadn’t even realized it, but… damn. She was good.

One awkward assumption, one flustered apology, and just like that, my guard was down.

It was subtle, and it showed how good she was. I never followed the cape scene that much before, but I didn’t expect someone as “young” as her to show this much planning.

“Did you need anything?” I asked slowly, my voice a little tighter now. “If not, I’ve got places to be.”

She held up both hands, playful but not threatening. “Relax. Not here to pick a fight.”

She paused.

“Just... curious.”

I didn’t answer, just keeping a wary eye on her and the surroundings.

She tilted her head again, studying me.

“You took out a Merchant stash, right?” she asked. “It was not that long ago, but rumors travel pretty fast in the cape scene here in the bay.”

I didn’t confirm, I just prepared for a fight as my shoulders tensed.

“Some of the stuff I’ve heard…” she trailed off. “They weren’t just taken down. You left them broken. That shows planning, and training.”

The reminder of what I had done should have made me flinch… but I just felt satisfaction.

Crystal gave a quiet sigh, brushing wind-blown hair out of her eyes. “I’ve seen a lot of vigilantes try their luck here. Most don’t last.”

She took a deep look at me, “Some don’t care about the damage they leave behind. I can’t say I am a fan of your work, but everyone has their reasons for doing what they do.”

I shifted my weight, “Are you here to fight, Laserdream?”

“Nope,” she chirped with a shrug. “You are quite lucky I was the one who found you first. Mom always told me to be careful with unknown capes, and I don’t want to get injured in a fight that wasn’t necessary to begin with.”

She grinned, “I think that’s better to what Vicky would do, don’t you think?”

“Why?” I asked finally. “Shouldn’t you be doing your best to stop me?”

She raised an eyebrow. “I should, but I think I’m intelligent enough not to attack someone that is quite calm in my presence.”

I paused. She was right. I was nervous, sure, but I was confident on myself that I could take her.

We stood in silence for a few more seconds. The wind picked up, catching the ends of her coat.

Then, finally, she smiled again. Less smirk this time. More… thoughtful.

“Also, my shields are the weakest of my family,” she said, “And from the injuries the junkies had… I don’t want any of that, not without back up.”

“I don’t wish to fight the heroes if I can help it,” I admitted, trying to relax my nerves. “I… I have my reasons, which I won’t explain to you, but… I won’t stop.”

“I think you should, Judicator,” she sighed. “Before anyone else gets hurt.”

I let the silence linger for a bit before shaking my head.

“See you around, Laserdream,” I chuckled, “And be careful out there, I can’t work miracles and clean the Bay in a night. I will be a long while… but you will see the legacy I leave behind.”

Assault.

Ethan knew he was fast, so it wasn’t a surprise that he was the first to arrive to the crime scene.

He scoffed to himself, enjoying the moment of silence before the cavalry showed up.

Crime scene, yeah. Right.

He slowed to a walk, stepping past the threshold. Maybe it was his past, the one the kids in the Wards had no clue about, but he didn’t feel all that bad for the groaning junkies sprawled out behind the door.

He waited two full minutes, just listening to the quiet. Apart from the occasional sob or wheeze, the neighborhood was still as a graveyard.

Then came the flashing lights.

The first paramedics pulled in, followed by the low rumble of a motorcycle. Ethan looked up just as Hannah, Miss Militia to the public, parked and swung her leg off the bike.

“Heya, MM,” Ethan called, waving lazily.

Shame Puppy was on medical leave. She always made nights like this more entertaining.

“Assault,” Hannah nodded, eyes crinkling above her bandana. “See anything?”

“Quiet as a ghost,” he shrugged. “Well… if you don’t count the sobbing.”

Hannah sighed, patting his shoulder as she walked past him. “Let’s take a look.”

Ethan whistled low as they stepped through the ruined doorframe. The place was a wreck.

And the beating the Merchants had taken?

It was brutal, precise, and most importantly, Personal.

Not the usual kind of mess they saw in the Bay.

The last real vigilante had been Shadow Stalker, back before she got press-ganged into the kiddie club. And Ethan, snark and black humor aside, had never liked her style. She was cruel and messy, and just for the sake of it. She hit like someone who enjoyed making people suffer

Even now, as a Ward, she walked around like she was some apex predator and everyone else was beneath her.

It was a shame neither Armsmaster nor Piggot had listened when he raised concerns.

But this?

This wasn’t Sophia’s kind of violence.

It was still violent, perhaps even more so. Personal, he was sure of it, but… not sadistic? It was hard to explain. But Ethan felt the difference.

“Damn,” he muttered, looking around. “This Judicator knows what he’s doing.”

“You think so too?” Miss Militia asked, her eyes on the medics swarming the living room. One was trying to stabilize a man pinned to the wall with a kunai of all things through the shoulder, no less. The guy was unconscious, lucky for him.

The blood, the groaning, the shattered furniture… this wasn’t someone flailing around. This was almost surgical with a tint of violence.

Then the smell hit them.

Burned chemicals, stale weed, and that heavy stench that came from too many people living in one place with zero hygiene.

“Smells like a truck stop bathroom,” Ethan muttered, wrinkling his nose. “And not the nice kind.”

A PRT officer snorted as he passed them, half-carrying a barely conscious man with a medic. The Merchant was sobbing something about a metal monster and death eyes.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, then stepped over a twisted pipe. He picked it up briefly with gloved fingers, bent at a weird angle, before poking his head into the kitchen.

More bodies and destruction.

“A Brute for sure,” he said, glancing back. “Y’know… if it wasn’t already obvious.”

Miss Militia huffed softly. He always liked when he cracked her serious face, even just a little.

“This wasn’t improvisation,” she said, her voice quiet. “This was a premeditated hit.”

“I can see that,” Ethan nodded, dropping the pipe. “And I doubt he’s working alone.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

“They shot at him,” he said, pointing toward a cluster of bullets on the floor. “But we only got the call after everything was done. Even I, at my best, would’ve needed a couple of minutes to handle this much. So why didn’t anyone call the cops until after?”

“Could be a Tinker,” she mused. “EMP tech or some kind of signal jammer?”

“Not an EMP,” came a new voice from behind them, “But he was seen talking to someone.”

Ethan turned as Armsmaster strode into the room with that usual no-nonsense gait.

“Someone filmed him near the end,” he said. “Judicator even waved at the camera. He’s being flagged as a Tinker for now, used some kind of powered armor.”

Ethan grinned. “Careful, Armsy. Looks like someone’s got competition.”

Armsmaster ignored him. Like always.

Miss Militia sighed. “A vigilante, then. At least he didn’t hurt any bystanders.”

“Assault,” Armsmaster said without missing a beat. “Go canvass the neighborhood. I want a full report from nearby witnesses by midnight.”

Ethan sighed dramatically.

So much for the fun part.

“Aye, aye, Captain,” he smirked, giving a lazy salute.