Word Play 10 (Patreon)

Short even for my chapters. No charge for something like this.

-VB-

Word Play
Chapter 10

-VB-

Dragon’s subsequent drop in communication, activity, and warning sent ripples throughout not just the Guild and the PRT/Protectorate ENE but across the world as quickly as the news spread.

PRT National quickly moved to contain Birdcage and all of Dragon’s factories on the US and Canadian soil. The Triumvirate moved quickly to the forefront of the PRT’s containment procedure, but it was too late.

Across all of Canada, Dragon’s factories all became sites of S-rank threat, and the autonomous robots produced by the unnamed and unknown threat squared up against the Protectorate heroes.

-VB-

“Oh, something horrible happened to Dragon?” I mumbled to myself as I looked at the TV in the motel room. Yes, I was still in the motel room because as much as I was using my powers, I wasn’t exactly making any money.

Actually, where was my money coming from?

How long have I been here…?

…

I’m sure the owner will come and tell me if I’m out of time. It’ll suck when I have to leave and set up shop somewhere else, but Brockton Bay had enough abandoned bui-.

Wait, if there were plenty of abandoned buildings for me to set up, why was I spending money staying in a motel? God, my head was not in the right place, was it?

I looked around the motel room. It was pretty dirty, I supposed. I should clean up at least a little before I signed out. Wouldn’t want to be rude, you know? I mean, cleaning ladies didn’t sign up to scoop up rock shavings.

…

Rock shavings?

Oh right, from one of my … My …?

“Father.” It was a gruff voice.

I looked up.

“Oh, it’s you. You can talk?”

It was one of my Weeping Angels. I closed my eyes for it and heard it swivel around. It embraced me, and leaned into its embrace. Though they made me stone statues in their quantum lock, they weren’t that different from us humans when they weren’t.

“Yes. I borrowed some … parts to allow speech,” it said.

“Hmm. That voice isn’t as soft as you are.”

My dear giggled like a girl. Was it a she? I can’t tell; I never could with Weeping Angels. Did that make me a bad creator?

“Perhaps I will find something else that will let me talk in a cuter voice then.”

“Hmm. If you like that voice, then I don’t mind, you know? A voice is just a voice.”

“Even so. I was looking for one anyways, father.”

“I see, I see. By the way, how are you and your brothers and sisters right now?”

“The humans in this city are now wary of us.”

“Right, right. There was that thing you did with Medhall, right?”

“Yes.”

“What was that about, anyway?”

“One of the child soldiers of the government, Clockblocker, can hurt us.”

“... Oh! I guess you were going after his dad?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I see. I see.” Should I stop them? “Maybe you can just ask him to leave the city.”

“Leave the city?”

“Uh huh. I’m sure if you make it very clear and very public, the government will have to follow through. I mean… you’re my Angels. They can’t possibly win against you if you really tried.” Then I paused. “Wait. Where’s the Box Spider?”

“Making more boxes.”

Before I could ask what that meant, my power dinged and gave me two more Words.