Great Sage Above Brockton [Worm/Chinese Myth] Sakadagami 2.05

We tell you now about two worthies who lived on the banks of the river Jing outside the city of Chang’an: a fisherman by the name of Zhang Shao and a woodman by the name of Li Ding. The two of them were scholars who had passed no official examination, mountain folks who knew how to read. One day in the city of Chang’an, after they had sold the wood on the one’s back and the carp in the other’s basket, they went into a small inn and drank until they were slightly tipsy. Each carrying a bottle, they followed the bank of the Jing River and walked slowly back. 

“Brother Li,” said Zhang Shao, “in my opinion those who strive for fame will lose their lives on account of fame; those who live in quest of fortune will perish because of riches; those who have titles sleep embracing a tiger; and those who receive official favors walk with snakes in their sleeves. When you think of it, their lives cannot compare with our carefree existence, close to the blue mountains and fair waters. We cherish poverty and pass our days without having to quarrel with fate.” 

“Brother Zhang,” said Li Ding, “there’s a great deal of truth in what you say. But your fair waters cannot match my blue mountains.” 

“On the contrary,” said Zhang Shao, “your blue mountains cannot match my fair waters, in testimony of which I offer a lyric to the tune of ‘Butterflies Enamored of Flowers’ that says:

In a small boat o’er ten thousand miles of misty waves I lean to the silent, single sail, 

Circled by sounds of the mermaid-fish. 

My mind cleansed, my care purged, here lacks wealth or fame; 

Leisurely I pick stems of bulrushes and reeds. 

Counting the seagulls is pleasure to be told! 

At willowed banks and reeded bays 

My wife and son join my joyous laugh. 

I sleep most soundly as wind and wave recede; 

No shame, no glory, nor any misery.”

• Journey to the West, ch. 10. The lives of the commoners contrast with the life at court, yet even the lowborn measure themselves to each other. Unlike those at the top, who scramble at every crag to ascend the mountain’s peak, they are content with enjoying the fruits of its base.

-x-

“An army of monkeys? You’re joking, right?”

When Triumph came into the Wards’ common room to tell them about the latest antics of Brockton’s newest cape, a short list had already formed in Vista’s mind. But she had to admit, an ‘army of monkeys’ was not among them. 

“What do you mean exactly?” asked Kid Win, lifting up his visor as he reclined on the burgundy sofa. “Like, civilians dressed up like him or-”

“Nope, I’m talking about an actual army of monkeys,” Triumph stressed, disbelief coloring his words even as he spoke. “An onlooker showed me a video he captured on his phone. Crusader and Victor paid a visit to the Asian district, and Sun Wukong decided to greet them. He stopped recording, but then the next clip he shows me is that of a dozen monkeys identical to Wukong going to town on the nazis.”

"Okay, where the hell did he pull that from?" asked Aegis, fiddling with his red helmet. "How does an extendable staff and being a monkey translate to clones?"

"Maybe he's a power copier or some kind of Trump," suggested Clockblocker. "But I'm not seeing a link. Or it could be that his whole powerset revolves around monkey business and driving people nuts."

Vista stifled a giggle, though she did a terrible job of hiding it. In her defence, Nazis receiving a beatdown always warranted laughter. “Can we see? I’ve been looking for something funny and YouTube doesn’t do it these days.”

Clockblocker sent her a brief look, but didn’t bother hiding his interest. 

“When it gets cleared by the evidence, I’ll show it. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ll see it by the time tomorrow’s news rolls out.” 

“Great, then we’ll make a movie night out of it,” Clockblocker snickered, but then his smile dimmed. “It’s not like we couldn’t use a few laughs considering…you know.”

Whatever brief levity that existed in the room was thrown out of a slingshot. Vista wrinkled her nose and felt her hands tighten on her arms. Yes, considering the sheer fuck-up their fellow Ward had gotten herself into, an excuse to laugh didn’t sound so bad.

“I’m still not sure we’re hearing the real story,” Aegis muttered, his brows furrowed as he played with his red helmet. “There’s gotta be another angle no one is telling the public.”

“Another angle?” Vista scoffed. “What else is there to know? Shadow Stalker was a bitch, and we all knew it. The rest of the PRT knew it. Hell, even a blind and deaf man would know it! A bullying campaign isn’t so out of character for her.”

Aegis flinched, but a rebuttal didn’t come right away. Since Triumph was due to join the Protectorate soon, he’d been trying his best to act as a mediator between their disputes as their next leader. He had to break up insult-fests between Shadow Stalker and the rest of them more than once; he had to know better than they how bad she was.

“Then why didn’t anyone speak up? I mean, sure, no one knew her identity, but if she was that bad, she wouldn’t have lasted so long without someone reporting her.”

“Winslow’s a shithole, Aegis,” replied Kid Win. His statement was uttered with the same surety as ‘water is wet’ and ‘the Slaughterhouse Nine are psychos’. “I’ve never been there, but even I know that. Either no one gave a damn or she made sure no one did.”

“That’s still being investigated, Kid Win,” a stern voice said from the corridor. The Wards turned as Armsmaster stepped into the room, with Miss Militia in tow. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t speculate about this matter further. We don’t need any ‘what-if’ statements leaking out of the building.”

Kid Win nodded, mollified as he pulled his visor back down. Triumph quickly joined the heroes’ side, trying to imitate their authority. While sometimes he pulled it off, right now Vista thought it made him look like an ass. 

“Sir, where is Stalker right now?” Vista asked. 

“In our custody while we clear out this whole matter. It goes without saying she won’t be patrolling or rejoining your routine for the foreseeable future.” 

Vista wanted to inquire more, but the hero’s rigid posture made her back down. She couldn’t pry it out of him even with a crowbar.

“Regardless, what Triumph has told you all is true; we’ve confirmed reports that Sun Wukong engaged Victor and Crusader yesterday evening. We thought Crusader had left the E88, considering there were no sightings of him for several months; according to his words, he was on ‘vacation’. He’s currently in our custody, having sustained various injuries through his armor thanks to Sun Wukong. We should be able to transport him to the Birdcage in a few days. Unfortunately, Victor was not present at the crime scene when PRT forces arrived.”

Vista’s nose wrinkled at the mention of Victor. Most Empire members were racist thugs, but they were usually pronounced about it, even if gangsters like Hookwolf took it to an extreme. Victor was a different kind of scummy: the condescending, nose-in-the-air kind. If you weren’t up to the “Aryan Ideal”, you were trash. Vista only engaged with him once, and the bastard had the gall to pull a Palpatine speech on her. Saying it was a shame that ‘a child of proper breeding should consort with undesirables’.

Orders from console and Militia be damned, she wanted to pull the space between them and impale him then and there. 

“We’ve combed all exits to the neighborhood, even searched the truck they used, but we were too late,” Armamster continued, and Vista shivered at the slightest hint of frustration in his voice. “We need to be ready for a retaliation attempt, either against us or the Asians.”

“Another one?” Kid Win groaned as he threw back his head. “It feels like that’s what we’ve been doing for months now! First Lung, then Stalker, now this! I mean, I know they’re nazis, but I think they’re not going to fall for bait like that!”

“Win’s got a point,” nodded Clockblocker. “Kaiser’s not a hothead like Lung was.”

Armsmaster frowned and looked one second away from delivering a pointed lecture combo on them when Miss Militia cut in. “We can’t afford to ignore it. If we don’t put our presence out on the streets, then the gangs will take that as a sign of complete neglect. Even if our control over the situation is limited, it’s better than no control at all.”

None of the Wards looked happy with that statement, but they still nodded.

“Since we’re down a member, we’ll have to increase your patrolling schedules,” Armsmaster continued, causing everyone to stifle groans. “It’s not optimal, I know, but necessity demands it. Browbeat is with Assault right now while the rest of the Protectorate is covering their assigned areas.” He tapped the holo-display on his gauntlet as he talked. “The new schedule will even out your patrolling times and consider your school time. Rest periods will be tighter than usual, but I’ve done my best to ensure a balanced workload between all of you. If the schedule feels overwhelming, talk to me so we can recalibrate.”

“Does this count as overtime?” Kid Win muttered, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “Seriously, we’re being stretched like rubber bands right now. And now you’re telling me we’ve gotta pull double?”

He has a point, Vista thought. Her schedule was relatively lighter compared to the rest of the Wards because of her age, and the pressure was growing tangible. Nevertheless, she welcomed the challenge. Give her a round of back-to-back patrols any day; anything to get her away from her home.

“Blame the gangs. They don’t care if it’s overtime or not.” Armsmaster shot back. Miss Militia glanced at him and interjected before Win could complain more.

“It’s more of a change in routes than actual increased shifts. We know how difficult these past few weeks have been, and so it won’t be too strenuous. It won’t conflict with your school time or personal time too drastically. Again, if you feel overwhelmed at any point, don’t stay silent.”

A small comfort, they supposed. Vista inwardly grimaced at the thought of increased patrol time, but Militia and Armsmaster were right; until they could get new Wards or heroes transferred, there wasn’t much they could do. At least it was better than being home for another session of scream-a-thons.

“What about New Wave?” Gallant asked with some hesitation. When every head turned to him, he flinched, but nonetheless continued. “They’re patrolling too. Vi-er, Glory Girl’s been telling me how she’s been flying across town every day, and the whole family’s pitching in.”

“We’ve already reached out to New Wave about the current situation and came to an agreement. They’ll assist PRT and Protectorate efforts in maintaining order and quelling the rowdier gangs. Your new routes have taken their presence into consideration.”

Small mercies then. Armsmaster lowered his gauntlet and faced the door again. “Kid Win, you’re with me. Gear up and meet me downstairs in fifteen.”

Win sighed and hopped off the couch. “Sure thing.” He stretched a bit and adjusted his visor as Vista and the others wished him luck. Before anyone left, however, Vista voiced the words she’d held back since Triumph came in and delivered the news.

“I’m guessing Wukong wasn’t there when Crusader was picked up?”

Armsmaster froze mid-step. Triumph bit his lip, holding back a reprimand, but even he couldn’t help but glance at the hero like all of them. For a moment, she saw Armsmaster’s fingers twitch despite his rigid posture.

“Efforts are being made to discern his location as we speak,” he said. Vista was sure if he wasn’t…him…the hero would’ve snarled. “I’ve sent a request to Dragon for some of her drones, but so far, he’s proven…elusive.”

“You mean harder than taking bananas away from a monkey?” Clockblocker joked. 

The Wards collectively groaned, and Triumph pinched his nose. “Not the time, Clock,” Vista muttered. Clockblocker just flashed a grin, though it quickly tapered off.

“Did any of you encounter him?” she asked.

Gallant raised his hand. “I saw him sitting on top of a lamppost downtown a few days ago on a patrol with Dauntless. He just sat there cross-legged, watching people and eating from a giant bag of nachos. We barely had time to move before he saw us, waved and jumped over the building behind him. The ten-story building…and the ones behind that.” 

Oh right, Wukong apparently had a taste for nachos, of all things. That could explain why she saw more kids eating nachos at the school cafeteria. “What about the police or the PRT troopers? I saw on console duty one of them reported him at a bank.”

“He always gets away before any sort of backup arrives,” replied Gallant, looking at the screens hanging on the walls. Currently, they were on CNN, with the long-faced anchorman jabbering about some political bullshit. “I was with Battery, and we inquired around the Asian district about his whereabouts, but no one could tell us. Personally, I think they’re covering for him.”

“And every tip we get is long-expired. That monkey really knows how to jump around.” Another chuckle came from Clockblocker and Vista braced herself for another lame pun. Or worse, a dad joke. “Talk about swinging in a concrete jungle, right?” 

…okay, not death penalty level, but still a felony.

“There’s also that girl, Taylor,” Aegis said. “We haven’t spotted her since Wukong took off with her. I hope she’s alright.”

“I don’t know if being Stalker’s top bullying pick leaves a person ‘alright’,” Vista remarked, but her snark vanished after that. “But I hope she’s at least better than before.”

“When we find Wukong, we’ll find Taylor Hebert,” Armsmaster said resolutely. “And you’re correct, Vista. Wukong has shown a pattern of sticking close to the Asian district. We’re formulating a plan of attack and coordinating with the police, so we’ll find him soon enough.”

Vista wanted to believe it. But she had a feeling that ‘sooner’ wasn’t as soon as the Protectorate or Piggot would like. Unless…

“...I think I know how we can find him faster.” The youngest Ward bit her lip. Armsmaster shifted his gaze to her, along with the room’s attention, but most importantly, Miss Militia’s.

“Absolutely not!” the heroine shut her down with narrowed eyes. 

“But I know where he’ll be!” Vista protested. “He won’t suspect I’m a Ward or even a cape-”

“You don’t know that. As things stand, we barely know anything about him. Stalker’s unmasking might’ve been a fluke, but one time by accident is one time too many. And you want to meet him as a civilian?” Militia shook her head. “It’s too risky.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t, but it sounds a whole lot better than playing tag with him all over the city!” 

“Um, sorry if I’m missing context,” Clockblocker chimed in. “But what exactly is Vista suggesting here?”

Even from behind a visor, Vista could tell Armsmaster wasn’t too pleased with her idea. “The day of Stalker’s incident, Vista encountered Wukong inside a bookshop while in her civilian guise. She’s proposing to use his familiarity with her to pin his location.”

Aegis’s head shot up. “Wait, so you actually met him face-to-face? Why didn’t you tell us before?”

“I told her to keep that encounter on a need-to-know basis,” said Triumph, arms crossed and looking none too pleased. “I told Piggot and the Protectorate, but we needed to be methodical. Using that information to lay a trap could damage our efforts in arresting Wukong, especially since he’s proven he can evade us with little effort.”

Clockblocker leaned forward without shame or heed of the room’s atmosphere. “He was in a bookstore? What did he want?”

“He was reading a history book and…he wanted recommendations. For reading.” And wasn’t that a bizarre request? She still had the list. 

“What did you recommend?”

“A few mystery novels-”

“Not important right now,” Armsmaster cut them off. “Regardless of how the encounter went down, we’re not sending a Ward alone to confront a dangerous cape like Wukong.”

“What about Willow Park?” asked Kid Win. “There’s footage of him playing with the local kids there. Couldn’t we place a stakeout nearby to alert us?”

“We have, but there’s too great a risk of collateral damage involved with such a public space. And…” Armsmaster’s frown grew. “It’s not just a matter of location, else we would’ve planted ambush sites in the park moments after he unmasked Shadow Stalker.”

“It’s PR, isn’t it?” Aegis asked with frustration. “You’re trying to avoid another scandal.”

Armsmaster and Militia didn’t reply, but everyone knew the question was rhetorical.

“We’re losing a great deal of goodwill from the public,” Miss Militia started. “We’ve been fending off calls and accusations for days on end. Right now, we’re on damage control while we try and resolve the whole Stalker incident without attracting any more press than necessary. We need to show the public that the Protectorate, the Wards and the PRT who manage them aren’t incompetent fodder like half the government is convinced we are. And despite our efforts and warnings, Brockton’s Asian community perceives Wukong as more of a hero and a fixture among them than any of us, and we don’t have much support from them on account of the ABB’s activities.”

More like letting them rule the area unchallenged, thought Vista as she recalled her previous stints in the district. Before the whole mess started, any patrols and appearances in the Asian district always bore the sword of Damocles that was Lung’s presence. Any crime they stopped, any ABB member they arrested and any extended presence there always ran the risk of the half-naked dragon-man trashing the joint. Granted, unless it directly interfered with his business Lung didn’t care too much…but it burned her to stare at the people whom they were supposed to protect and think: we can’t help you too much, or we’ll make things worse.

“Now enters a new cape, just as powerful as Lung, but has the one thing the ABB never had: actual support. If we rush this, we risk damaging far more than bystanders or anyone on the front lines.” Militia shook her head, and the ruefulness in her voice pained Vista. Militia was practically her mentor in the Wards, and she’d never seen her back down in a fight…unless it was to save a life. Which, in a way, is what she’s doing.

It didn’t sit right with her to play a game to save face and reputation; people constantly changed their opinions. One day, they heaped praise upon praise on the heroes, and the next, they were yelling at them for god-knows what. She’d faced the court of public opinion more than once, and she’d hated every second.

“Wukong and Taylor Hebert are top priorities, but he must be handled in a controlled manner,” Armsmaster continued. “Right now, your focus should be on saving lives and stopping criminals. Kid Win, remember; ten minutes.”

With those words, Armsmaster left the room, his boots clanking down the hall. Militia sent Vista an apologetic glance before joining him, and Kid Win ran out of the room, mumbling under his breath.

The girl crossed her arms and certainly did not pout. She understood what Armsmaster and Militia were saying, but it felt unfair. She saw an opportunity and they didn’t want to take it because of politics!

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t,” Triumph warned. 

“I wasn’t,” Vista replied with a tinge of bitterness.

“Good. The last thing we need is one of you pulling a stunt that could get us into even more hot water.”

“One of ‘you’?” Clockblocker glared. “Wow, did I miss the Protectorate ceremony, Triumph? ‘Cause last I checked, you were still one of us.” 

Triumph held back a hiss, and then his shoulders slumped as he sighed. “Sorry, Clock. It’s just…things have been wild recently. First the whole ABB mess and then Stalker…half the time I’m running to the PR department and stopping them from trying to “rebrand” my costume, like that’s gonna help us. Remember the press conference Piggot gave after the incident?”

“I thought they were gonna barbecue her with an industrial furnace,” he shivered. The Wards were kept from the conference itself, but the TVs broadcast it live for all to see and hear. The reports held nothing back, along with whatever noisemakers and ‘concerned citizens’ that tried to steal the show.

“I was arresting some gangbangers when some papparazzi started hounding me, questioning my competence as a leader.” He looked down and bit his lip, the golden aura of his armor seemingly dulling. “I should’ve done better. We all knew Stalker was problematic; if I’d just kept a better eye on her-”

“She would’ve found a way to get past you,” Vista said. No, that bitch did not get to drag down Triumph with her. “She slipped past the Heroes and the PRT’s radar; it wouldn’t have taken much to shake your attention off.”

“That’s not exactly encouraging,” he replied wryly. 

“It isn’t meant to be. But it’s not like we ignored the problem; if anything, Piggot ignored us! We told her Stalker was acting stranger than usual.”

“Vista’s right,” said Gallant. He rose from the sofa and walked over to Triumph, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “We can’t let this get to us. You’re a good friend and a great leader, don’t let anyone tell you that.”

A smile came over Triumph’s lips, and he nodded to the Wards. “Thanks, guys. That means a lot.”

“Don’t sweat it, man,” Clockblocker said with a reassuring wave. “Wanna take a picture? We can save the embarrassment for posterity! ‘The future leader of the Protectorate, in his darkest moments before his ascension, was supported by his ever-loyal teammates-’”

“Don’t, or I’ll tell the tech support to paint your suit pink for the rest of the year,” he replied. Clock immediately shut his mouth and they all shared a laugh. 

“That…felt good, not gonna lie,” Aegis said, still fiddling with his crimson helmet. “Yeesh, how long has it been since we actually laughed at something that’s not one of Clock’s corny one-liners?”

“Too long,” replied Triumph. “Say, Vista, if Armsmaster really did let you go to that bookstore, what would you have done?”

“Hmm…I dunno. I don’t think I would’ve tried to capture him, if I’m honest,” she tilted her head. “None of us are that good without serious backup. Maybe get a better read on him? I mean, I know everyone’s telling us he’s a villain and unmasking Stalker shouldn’t get him a pass, but he didn’t feel that dangerous to me. He looked really excited when I told him I read books. When was the last time that happened?”

“You shouldn’t let your guard down because of that,” Triumph said. “I agree, maybe he isn’t all that bad, but approaching a rogue cape like him is begging Murphy to slap you.”

Vista raised her hands placatingly. “Okay, okay. I swear, I’ll drop the Wukong issue. It wasn’t like I was gonna camp out at that bookstore and wait for him.”

“Good. We’re already on thin ice, and I’d really love to spare everyone more lectures.” 

The rest of the time until they were called on patrol was passed with easy banter and discussion on their patrols. Velocity was partnered with Vista for her next shift, and their area was downtown. With luck, things shouldn’t get too chaotic if Kaiser didn’t overreact like Lung.

Then again, they were Nazis. Enough said.

Yet as the chatter dragged on, Vista couldn’t ignore that niggling feeling in her gut. It felt…wrong to ignore the opportunity. Wukong was causing a lot of ruckus; if they could get an insight into what he was planning, they should take it regardless of the cost! Sitting around and waiting for him to screw up wasn’t going to happen, and if he did, then the situation could grow far beyond their ability to deal with.

Besides, it wasn’t like she planned to follow Wukong into an alley and press the walls against him. No, if she wanted to do this and not get caught, she needed to be extra sneaky. Like Stalker - eugh, she felt like puking just from the comparison. No, like…Oni Lee? Even worse! No, find stealthy heroes later, what she needed now was a better plan. 

I did say I wouldn’t camp out at the bookstore…but if he comes back to the park to play with the kids…he won’t mind another player, right?’