Work Text:
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
You are currently logged in, MrBlueSky
You are viewing:
Threads you have replied to
AND Threads that have new replies
Or private message conversations with new replies
Thread OP is displayed
Ten posts per page
Last ten messages in private message history
Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically
Topic: The Payday Gang
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Washington DC ► Teams ► Villains
► CptWinters (Original Poster) (Verified PRT Officer)
Posted on October 21st, 2010:
This thread is dedicated to sharing information and discussions on the notorious Payday Gang. The Payday Gang is a group of villains with an unknown total number of members, but are known to operate within cells of around four villains at a time, with majority of its members themed to suit wearing clowns. Originally, the gang operated out of the Washington DC area, starting in the mid 2000s, but have since expanded their operations to both national and even international levels.
The Payday Gang is infamous for their brazen and overly complicated heists, and are to be considered highly armed and dangerous. If you see any member of the Payday Gang, do not attempt to engage or confront them. Leave the area immediately and call your local police or PRT hotline.
While the members seem to change over time, the known core members of the Payday Gang include…
Dallas:
Male, white, has greying hair, wears a beige suit and a clown mask with the American flag printed on it.
Powers unknown, believed to be some kind of Master.
Eye-witness accounts lead us to believe that he is the gang's leader.
Chains:
Male, black, shaved head, wears a black suit, has a burly build, and has a clown mask that has a red nose and lips, with purple blush, and two blue lines running down his face.
Minimum Brute 5, known to be at least bullet proof with superhuman strength. Extensive firearms training. He is the group's muscle.
Wolf:
Male, white, blonde, tallest of the group, wears a black two-piece suit, and a demonic-looking clown mask with the bottom half covered in fake blood.
Tinker, unknown specialization, but has been seen operating Tinkertech drills, saws, and other devices for their heists.
Hoxton:
Male, white, brown hair, has wiry build. Wears black two piece suit with a pink clown mask with a cartoonishly exaggerated smile and scowl.
Combat Thinker with minor Mover rating, has enhanced reflexes and reaction time in addition to superhuman agility. Prone to extreme violence. DO NOT CONFRONT!
*New Info* Captured during PRT/FBI operation. *New New Info* Broken out by Payday Gang during a raid on the DC PRT.
Houston:
Male, white, wears a two-piece grey suit, and a clown mask with droopy, pink eyes, and a large smile.
Unknown powers, believed to be some kind of Stranger.
Newest member, believed to have been brought in after Hoxton's capture.
Bain or Bane:
Never seen in person, but eye-witness accounts have said members have been heard talking to someone called "Bain" or "Bane" over their radios.
Unknown if they are Parahuman or if they are just support.
Believed to have connections to villainous website Crime.Net
(Showing page 49 of 49)
► DonJon
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Erasmus: All I'm saying is that I think the Payday Gang isn't as bad as people say they are. Just look at some of the people they've robbed! They proved that Murkywater Security was actually a criminal front, assassinating people and stealing artifacts from around the world. And they also took out that one Russian villain, the Commissar, in DC.
►Erasmus
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Donjon: Are you forgetting how after they took out the Commissar, they went on a massive rampage to break Hoxton out of PRT custody? The kill-count from that day was on the level of the Nine! And just because they also target other villains doesn't make them heroes. It sounds to me like they're taking out the competition rather than cleaning up the streets.
►Razormind
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Okay, anti-hero/anti-villain status aside, can we just talk about how cool some of the heists they've pulled off have been? Like how they robbed DC's First World Bank without ANYONE noticing? They just made off with millions and only post-Thinker analysis was able to piece together what happened.
►Erasmus
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Razormind: I think the 3 security guards they killed noticed.
►Razormind
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Erasmus: Wow, way to ruin the fun dude…
►Erasmus
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Razormind: There is nothing fun about this! They're a group of villainous murderers and the fact that anyone thinks differently is mind boggling to me!
► DonJon
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Erasmus: I never really said that they were anti-heroes or anti-villains or whatever. All I'm saying is that they're not like the Nine, killing because it makes them all tingly. They try to leave civilians out of it, only fight cops or other capes, and sometimes take out bigger bad guys than themselves. They're professionals, and act like it.
►Erasmus
Replied on April 13th, 2011
Donjon: Sure, we can award them with the "Not as big of an asshole as you could've been" award.
►Donacdum
Replied on April 12th, 2011
I mean, the fact that they got some of the last remaining nukes in the world out of the hands of those Murkywater bastards is pretty cool…
►Razormind
Replied on April 12th, 2011
Donacdum: I'm sorry, they what!?
Jump to page: 1, → 47, 48, 49
Bain smirked as he read through the flame war that the Payday Gang thread had devolved into, closing the web browser after he found nothing more of value in the discussions. Sojourns into Parahumans.Net were fun from time to time, but he much preferred his own Crime.Net, far more civilized.
It was then that Bain heard a ping. Glancing at the wall of half a dozen computer monitors in front of him, Bain saw the alert. Dragon was trying another cyberattack on Crime . Net. Glancing at his site's security, Dragon was getting far further than she had ever gotten before, a credit to the so-called greatest Tinker in the world. Unfortunately for her, she accidentally triggered one of Bain's traps and was booted from the system.
This round went to Bain, but he knew Dragon would be back. He'd have to reprogram half of the site's cyberdefenses, but that wasn't anything that he was too worried about for now. He could handle all of that later.
Instead, he wanted to focus on the gang's next heist. Switching applications, Bain set up a video call with the Payday Gang, who were all currently waiting for the briefing within their hideout.
It only took a few seconds before Dallas picked up. Dallas was middle aged, older than most people would think a criminal mastermind would be, with sharp eyes and a strong jaw. Even Bain had to admit was an objectively handsome man, and his well kept salt and pepper hair and facial hair added to his graying, silver fox look.
"Bain." Dallas greeted, his voice gravely from years of chain-smoking. "What do you have for us?"
Behind Dallas were the 3 other original members of the Payday crew, Chains, Wolf, and Hoxton. The newest core member, Hoxton's temporary replacement and Dallas's younger brother, Houston was also in attendance.
"Well gentlemen, Brockton Bay Central Bank has just gotten a fresh shipment of Nazi gold meant for the local E88 gang. And as good Americans, I think it's our duty to make sure that money goes to more, reputable, hands."
"Right well." Chains chuckled with a deep, bassy voice as the former US Navy SEAL looked at his fellow criminals. "Ignoring the fact that Wolf is Swedish and Hoxton is a Chav." Hoxton flipped Chains a backwards peace sign. "Why the Hell are a bunch of Neo-Nazi's in Brockton Bay of all places getting all this cash?"
"It's because the Empire-88, one of the three big gangs in Brockton Bay, has ties to Gesellschaft." Dallas answered for Bain.
Bain nodded his head, the motion barely perceptible in the shadowy outline of himself he showed the crew. "And Gesellschaft has connections to Hitler's personal funds from WWII. Rumor has it that the E88 is going to be making a play to get control of Brockton Bay sometime soon, and needs the capital in order to kick out the ABB and Merchants, their rival gangs."
"Brockton Bay will be risky." Wolf spoke anxiously, his voice thick with a heavy Nordic accent. "Armsmaster is a good Tinker. One of the best. He will likely be able to counter most of what I have."
That was something both Bain and Dallas always appreciated about Wolf. While the Scandinavian man was most definitely psychotic, he was at the very least honest about what he could do and his limitations. The flaw of buying into one's own hype was the start of the downfall of many great villains.
"Ah but that's the beauty of this plan, my dear Ulf." Bain grinned. "You see, my little worms in the PRT's system tell me that Armsmaster and his merry band will all be out of town for an event, and won't be able to respond. If this all goes to plan, we'll be in and out before anyone important notices."
"I think we're all forgettin the most important thing." Hoxton cut in, his Yorkshire accent as thick as Wolf's Scandinavian one. "And that's how much dosh we're all gettin for this."
"Normally, a small city bank like Brockton Bay Central would only carry a few ten of thousand, maybe a few hundred thousand. From what I could tell about this gold however, we're looking at a payday of at least 2-3 million." Bain said with a smile.
"Right-o that's what I like to fuckin hear!" Hoxton clapped as he gave a face splitting grin. He then leaned forward and said, "So, what's the plan? We crackin' 'eads or we going in all sneaky-like?"
"We do this quiet." Dallas said with a grave finality in his voice. "Just because the Protectorate will be out of town, doesn't mean we should just kick the hornet's nest if we can avoid it. We're stealing from the E88 and I'd like to not call down a blitzkrieg on us. Bain, do you have a map of the bank?"
Bain did, and brought one up on screen. The layout was relatively straightforward, one larger open lobby in the front for customers, tellers, and cubicles. While the back held about a dozen offices, the vault, and a single emergency exit.
Dallas pointed at the front door. "We'll do a classic infiltrate and crowd control. Wolf and I will go in through the front door without masks. We'll pretend to be customers while Houston goes in the back and eliminates the security and cameras. Once they're down, Wolf and I mask up and get control of the lobby. I'll handle civilians while Wolf takes down the Vault."
Dallas then pointed at Chains. "I want you on overwatch across the street. If someone is coming our way, I want to know, and I want you to be able to take them down." Finally, Dallas pointed at Hoxton. "You'll be in the van. I want you ready for getaway or cavalry should shit go sideways."
Chains silently nodded, accepting his orders. Hoxton however, seemed to take offense to this. "What? You're makin me the fuckin' driver? An you're making dickbag over 'ere the ghost? Fucker can't sneak his way into a fuckin nursery school."
"Yes. I am." Dallas evenly spoke, obviously not in the mood for Hoxton's crude remarks. "Unlike you, he's a Stranger, so it actually makes sense for him to be the ghost. You have anything you want to say Houston?"
Bain glanced at Houston, who Bain had almost forgotten was there in the first place. As part of his powers, it was hard to focus on Houston's face or even notice his presence, making it easy to just overlook his very existence.
Houston meanwhile, didn't seem perturbed by Hoxton's words. He just stood there, silently looking at the map stone faced, repeatedly tapping his index finger and thumb together at his side.
"No, no nothing to say." Houston said quietly. "I agree I am the most suited for infiltration."
Hoxton clicked his tongue as he muttered under his breath. "Tch, of course you would, ya fuckin aspie…"
"Enough." Dallas snapped. It wasn't a yell, but it was harsh enough to stop the chatter. "Houston is on ghost, Hoxton is on getaway. That's final. Wolf, make sure you bring the Walk-in Closet in case we need to get changed quickly."
"Ja chefen." Wolf gave a two finger salute.
"Any other questions?" Bain posed to the group. When no one responded, Bain leaned forward and said, "Alright then, it's time to go make a withdrawal gentlemen."
Brockton Bay was a shithole, no two ways about it. It was a dying city with a dying economy in a dying world. Most of the houses they passed were dilapidated ghettos, boarded up and no doubt housing a variety of drug users or criminals within. The drive made Dallas question if Bain had gotten bad intel about the amount of money they were going to get from this heist, but the hacker had never failed them in the years they've worked together.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the bank within their Tinkertech modified van, parking in an alley about a block away. Everyone was dressed in their own suits, with Chains, Hoxton, and Houston already masked up. Dallas and Wolf kept their masks and sidearms within their jackets, and their primary weapons in the suitcases held at their sides.
"Go." Dallas whispered out, and everyone began moving to their positions.
Chains, carrying a silenced M14 battle rifle slung on his back, and an Uzi submachine gun at his side, climbed a nearby fire escape in order to gain a vantage point of the bank's entrance. Houston meanwhile, was already gone as he made his way to the back of the bank.
Hoxton, waiting in the driver's seat of the van, gave Dallas and Wolf a silent nod as they began to walk towards the bank's entrance.
"Alright Gang." Bain's almost chipper voice rang out over their earpiece communicators. "Do this right, and we'll have all the time in the world to clear out the vault."
"Who do you think we are Bain?" Hoxton's voice cut in. "Professional is mah middle name."
"I thought it was wanker." Houston whispered, his jab barely audible.
"Enough." Dallas quietly snapped as he entered the bank.
The bank was rather busy for the middle of a weekday. There looked to be about 40 people in total, a few older business men and civilians, one older woman manning the tellers, and some teenager with brown curls who looked like she should be in school right now. There weren't any security guards in the lobby, which meant they had to be within the security room in the back.
Dallas and Wolf took their place in line behind a younger, broad shouldered man who looked like he played some kind of sport. Dallas would keep an eye on him, as testosterone fueled idiots like that were usually the ones who tried to pull something.
"Through the back door." Houston whispered into the comm piece. "Locking it back up to avoid suspicion."
Dallas didn't respond as he casually checked his watch. Didn't even take a minute for Houston to get through the emergency exit. Another full minute passed as Dallas and Wolf stood in line, slowly inching forward with the crowd.
As the mousy, brown haired teen made her way to the teller, Houston's voice cut in again. "Security down. Cameras are ours. Plugging you in Bain."
"Alright alright!" Bain excitedly cheered. "Shutting down alarms and taking control of cameras. Okay boys, it's time to do your thi-"
"Contact! We have a van moving to the rear of the bank!" Chains whispered into the comms, cutting Bain off. "Looks like Capes."
Both Dallas and Wolf tensed, but didn't make any other moves that would draw suspicion to them.
"What the fuck?" Hoxton cursed into the comms. "Heroes already?"
"They don't look like any heroes I've seen." Bain said as he aimed the security cameras at the incoming Capes. "I'll run a check but they look pretty villainous to me."
Pulling out a cell phone and pretending to be on a call, Dallas turned away from the crowd and began whispering out orders. "Houston, stay hidden and follow them from behind. Chains, don't fire till I call a target. Let's see what they want."
"Going dark." Houston whispered as the villains presumably entered the bank through the same entrance he used.
"What the fuck is this, National Rob-a-fuckin bank da-" Hoxton's voice was cut off as Dallas' and Wolf's vision was completely covered in darkness.
It took all of Dallas' self control to not draw his pistol and begin firing as he was deprived of his senses of sight and hearing. He could only hope Wolf could keep it together long enough not to blow their cover. It was a strange sensation for Dallas, as if he were moving through water. It was then he felt something small impact his body. He froze as he knew the new Capes did something to him.
Then just as suddenly as he lost his senses, Dallas' sight and hearing were restored, and standing in front of him were 4 capes. The first was a young woman, with a puffy, collared jacket and a cheap, plastic dog mask. She didn't look too impressive, but the 3 monstrous dogs around her definitely did. Dallas made a mental note that she probably controlled the monster dogs.
Next was a taller male, wearing motorcycle leathers, and a skull trimmed helmet that bled darkness, probably the same darkness they used to blind and deafen him. Most likely some kind of Shaker. The third was some foppish-looking kid who wore a loose white Renaissance shirt and some kind of solid white face mask, complete with a scepter in his hand. Hard to tell what his power was.
And the final Cape was probably the most villainous looking one out of them all. A young woman, if her long curly hair was any indicator, was wearing some kind of jet black, insectoid armor, and two colored lenses that looked like bug eyes. She also carried a massive swarm of insects around her. She was definitely a Master, and a powerful one at that.
The jester looking one took two of the dogs and moved to the front of the bank, most likely to keep an eye out for incoming cops and Capes. The shadow biker and bug girl then nodded to each other as the biker and dog girl moved to the back of the bank. Meanwhile the bug girl stepped up to address the crowd.
"Fifteen minutes." The bug girl called out as she approached the hostages, bringing a spider to her hand. "That's all the time we'll take. Stay put, stay quiet, and we'll be gone just like that, and you'll be free to go on about your day. This isn't a show or a movie, make a move, and people will get hurt."
She then held out the spider for emphasis. "This is a black widow. One bite is enough to kill a fully grown human, and I just covered everyone here with them. Try anything, and I'll know in a split second, and I'll tell them to bite you several times."
The bug girl paused for dramatic effect, letting her words sink in. And on the general crowd it was working. Several of the civilians were freaking out, crying and shaking like leaves. Dallas cursed internally as the bug girl began to make her way to the back of the bank, most likely to the vault. He knew that he couldn't just let her go, otherwise him and Wolf would be worse than useless, they'd be hostages.
And so Dallas decided to take a gamble. The bug girl sounded young. At most probably a teenager. While she looked rather emotionless in her speech, he hoped that she wasn't experienced enough or hard enough to actually follow through with her threat.
"Hey! Hey, bug girl!" Dallas stage whispered to the girl, drawing almost all eyes to him.
The bug girl froze in place, and did the one thing that Dallas hoped she would do. She hesitated. Her intimidation wasn't going to plan and she didn't know what to do. Judging by the fact that he wasn't writhing on the ground in pain from a spider bite, he knew she didn't actually want to hurt him. Her mistake. The bug girl then spun around and zeroed in instantly on Dallas. With a fierceness in her step, she began stepping towards him, the swarm around her growing agitated.
However her voice was strangely calm despite the chaos of the swarm around her. "What did I literally just say-"
"Stop moving and shut the fuck up." Dallas whispered as he looked into the bug girl's eyes.
Immediately, the bug girl complied as Dallas' own Master power took control.
"Now get your bugs off of me and my friend here." Dallas commanded again as he gestured to Wolf, hoping to not draw the attention of the jester at the front door.
Dallas felt the spiders and centipedes creep their way off his body. He was definitely going to take a long shower after this heist.
"Good now-"
Before Dallas could give any more commands, another voice interrupted him.
"What the fuck is going on out here?" A new female voice shouted.
Dallas looked behind the bug girl, and a 5th Cape was now in the lobby. It was another young woman, with a mop of blonde hair, wearing a purple catsuit and black domino mask. Stitched on her chest was some kind of emblem of an eye. An indicator for her powers definitely. Some kind of sight based Thinker? Or maybe an eye-based Blaster.
As the blondie and Dallas locked eyes, the girl's own eyes went wide as she whispered to herself. "Oh shit."
Thinker it was then.
"Chains, the blonde bitch." Dallas said out loud.
"Fuck! Gr-" That's all the girl had time to say as the front window of the bank shattered, eliciting cries from many within the bank.
As the civilians screamed, the blonde girl fell to the ground, screaming as she clutched the bullet wound in her right shoulder. Immediately things burst into chaos. Mr. Renn Faire ducked inside to avoid the sniper, keeping his attention on the street as he looked for the gunman. Unfortunately for him, he didn't notice as Wolf drew his sidearm, a silenced Glock 18c and fired off three rounds. The first shot missed, but the next two impacted the boy in the back, sending him straight to the ground.
At the commotion the biker and the dog girl ran back into the lobby. Seeing the scepter man and blondie bleeding on the ground, and Wolf holding a literal smoking gun, the dog girl pointed at Wolf and shouted. "Brutus! Hu-"
"Call off your dogs!" Dallas shouted first, his Master powers taking control of the dog girl's mind.
The Dog girl froze, not saying anything as she then put two fingers to her lips and whistled, recalling her dogs to her.
The shadow biker looked at the dog girl in disbelief, then at Dallas. The boy cursed as he put two hands in front of him to summon his shadows, but a heavy thud rang out as the shadow biker collapsed to the ground. Behind him, Houston was standing with a telescope baton in his hand, having just smacked the Cape in the back of the neck.
Now, the civilians began to settle down as panic and fear was replaced by confusion as a group of unknowns just apparently stopped a bank robbery. The screams stopped, and the only noise in the lobby was that of the blonde bitch and the jester writhing in pain from their gunshot wounds.
Dallas and Wolf took the opportunity to don their masks.
"Now then, ladies and gentlemen." Dallas addressed the crowd as he opened up his suitcase and unfolded his M4 carbine. "Apologies for the confusion, but today you have the privilege of getting robbed by the Payday Gang."
Tattletale was quiet as she could be as she watched Dallas speak into his comm piece. "Plans changed. Chains, get in here, I want you ready for a fight. Wolf, get the drill set up and throw down the Walk-in Closet, we're going loud." Dallas listened to a reply, one that seemed to annoy him. "No you stay until I call you. Everyone else, move."
Within moments, the lobby was a frenzy of activity once more. Wolf placed down his suitcase, which began to unfold into a structure far larger than was possible to fit within it. Sections of machinery unfolded and extended, eventually creating what looked like a fully stocked locker. Wolf opened up the locker, and within was a veritable arsenal of firearms and body armor. Dallas and Wolf immediately pulled out sets of heavy combat tactical vests that had additional kevlar protection on the shoulders and thighs.
As they armored up, a new clown brazenly walked in through the front door carrying some kind of high powered rifle. Chains, member of the Payday Gang. High Level Brute, has military training, has Special Forces training, adrenaline junkie, is a criminal for fun. Tattletale's power filled her in on the newest clown.
"Goddamn." Chains chuckled as he entered the bank. "I have to say, this is probably the fastest we've ever had to switch from quiet to loud. A literal record."
"Shut up Chains." Dallas flatly said as he finished donning his body armor. "Watch for white hats while Wolf starts the drill."
"You got it." Chains gave a two finger salute as he moved to the Walk-in Closet and exchanged his rifle for an M60 light machine gun. Meanwhile Dallas began walking around and zip tying civilians hands together.
Tattletale let out a small hiss as pain shot through her bleeding shoulder. Today was not going well and she knew everyone was going to blame her for it. But how the Hell was she supposed to know that the fucking Payday Gang of all people was going to rob the same bank on the same day that they were? This was some Simurgh level of Rube Goldberg bullshit.
What the fuck were they even doing here anyway? Brockton Bay should be small pickings for a group like them. When the Payday Gang hit a place, they stole millions, and more than likely left a body count.
Gritting her teeth, Tattletale tried to focus her powers to see what they were doing here. She focused on the man with the blood stained clown mask first. The man moved through the lobby, striding to the vault with purpose, his finger teasing his trigger guard of his gun as he carried a large orange duffle bag.
Wolf, Tinker, speciality focuses on transforming items that are larger on the inside than out. Carrying a thermite drill to open the bank vault. Nervous. Anxious. Dislikes that things have gone so far off plan. Has anxiety issues. Has multiple mental disorders. Psychotic and unpredictable. Has no empathy. Will kill anyone here for getting in his way.
Tattletale tore her eyes off of Wolf as she tried to hide her wince. Okay, don't provoke the psychotic Tinker. Good to know. Tattletale then focused her eyes back on the obvious leader, who was currently zip tying civilians, and let her powers work.
Dallas, leader of the Payday Gang. Is annoyed that things have gotten so out of hand. Thinks he can salvage the situation. Thinks the payday at the end will be worth it. Payday will be in the millions. Tattletale's eyes widened at that. Millions! Where the Hell did that come from? Tattletale grit her teeth as she let her powers go again.
Millions come from gold currently in the vault. Gold is Nazi gold from Gesellschaft meant for the E88. Has a connection spying on Gesellschaft. As this info flew into Tattletale's mind, Dallas looked directly at her and her powers shifted. Knows you are looking at him. Knows you are some kind of Thinker. Knows you are analyzing him. Is considering killing you right now so you don't become a problem.
Tattletale immediately suppressed her powers and slowly raised up both hands in surrender, trying to smile through the pain as she did. Dallas held her gaze for a second longer, before ultimately turning away. Tattletale closed her eyes and let her head fall back as she let out a deep exhale. She needed to come up with an escape plan and fast.
Before Tattletale could think of any way to get out of this, a commotion drew her attention. Looking back at Dallas, she saw that one of the hostages, some teenage girl with freckles and curly brown hair lunged at him when he tried to zip tie her. But the girl's attack was clumsy and awkward, and she only wound up grabbing onto Dallas' jacket sleeve.
Dallas stepped back, confused for a second, before he reared his fist back, which was already covered by a blue medical glove, and decked the girl in the face. The girl's nose broke instantly, sending blood flying through the air as she collapsed to the ground. Tattletale didn't hesitate to let her powers figure out what the Hell just happened.
Girl is a Parahuman. Girl is a Striker. Girl is a bio-striker. Girl is Panacea out of costume. Tattletale's eyes widened at that. What the Hell was Panacea trying to pull? Panacea's powers not limited to healing, has full control of another person's biology via touch. Well if that wasn't the most broken power Tattletale had ever heard of. Tried to touch Dallas to knock him out.
Tattletale's eyes then flicked over to Dallas, who was looking down at the girl in annoyance.
"Dumb bitch." he muttered as he drew his pistol and aimed it Panacea's head.
Doesn't know that's Panacea. Thinks it's a hostage trying to play hero. Will kill her to make an example.
"NO! Don't do it!" Tattletale screamed, drawing a side glance from Dallas and Chains. "Unless you want a bounty the size of the fucking Nine, do not kill her!"
Dallas paused, confused by Tattletale's words. He had his gun still aimed at Panacea, but he wasn't shooting out her brains, which was good.
"Explain." Dallas growled out. "Now."
"That's fucking Panacea you dumb asshole!" Tattletale shouted before she hissed in pain. "As in the world's most important healer Panacea. As in one of the most important Capes in an Endbringer fight, Panacea. You kill her and you'll have the fucking Triumvirate coming after you."
Dallas froze, now looking fully at Lisa, trying to gauge any deception in her. Unluckily for him, she was telling the truth and nothing but.
"Damnit." Dallas swore under his breath. "And what was she trying to do?"
"Panacea's powers aren't just healing. It's biological manipulation. With a touch she could fix everything wrong with your body, or she can screw it all up. She can do everything from knock you out to give you super cancer. She tried to do the former with you." Tattletale let everything she gleaned from her powers spill.
Tattletale saw Panacea glare at her through the tears and blood on her face, but Tattletale ignored it. If anything she was annoyed the healer was getting pissy that she was saving her life.
Meanwhile Dallas just groaned, putting a thumb and index finger to his forehead. "God does every fucking Cape in this city use this bank?" he asked no one in particular. He then shook off his migraine and focused on the task in front of him. "Forget it. Okay you!" Dallas then pointed his pistol at another hostage he hadn't tied up yet, a bald, middle aged man in a suit. "Stand the fuck up."
The man stammered and shook his head, causing Dallas to walk up to him and force him up by the crook of his arm. Tattletale wondered why Dallas didn't just Master the civilian like he did Bug and Bitch, so she let her powers go again.
Can only Master up to two people at any one time. Mastered subjects are completely obedient and will fight to protect him, but otherwise require verbal commands. Doesn't want to let go of Bitch and Bug. Tattletale filed that information away as Dallas forced the man to his feet.
Pointing the gun at the man's spine, Dallas put a zip tie into the man's hands, "Take this, and tie her up. Fuck up, and I paint the walls with your brains. Understand?"
The man rapidly nodded as sweat dripped down his face. He clumsily moved over to Panacea's prone form, and kept muttering out apologies as he forced her hands behind her back and zip tied them together. Once the man finished, he immediately got off the healer and walked back to Dallas. The clown then shoved the man to the ground and zip tied him as well.
"Now then, are there any other Parahumans in the crowd that want to make themselves known?" Dallas asked semi-seriously. The hostages all remained silent, some whimpering and turning away as Dallas looked over them. "No? Good. Now let's all be good boys and girls and not move until we're done here."
Soon, the bank was silent once more save the sound of Wolf's Tinkertech Thermite Drill and the occasional sobbing from a hostage. Tattletale did everything she could to try and distract herself from the pain of her shoulder. Looking at her teammates, Grue was still out cold, while it looked like Regent had passed out. Tattletale grimaced. He needed help soon or he might not make it. Meanwhile, Bitch and Bug stood perfectly still, staring at the hostages while their dogs and bugs hung by them.
Tattletale felt the worst about Taylor. Her first night out and she gets into a fight with Lung. Her second day out and she gets Mastered by the fucking Payday Gang. It's like the girl was a magnet for supervillains. Tattletale wondered if Taylor would leave the Undersiders after this, assuming they weren't dead or in prison by the end of today of course. Regardless, Taylor was already hesitant to stay, only joining because of her hilariously obvious attempt at playing double agent. Lisa wouldn't've pushed so hard for her to join if Taylor didn't trigger every flag for a depressed and possibly suicidal teen. She didn't want another Reggie on her hands, not when she could stop it.
Tattletale's musings were broken with a loud clanking sound from the Vault. It seemed that Wolf's drill had finally done its job after several minutes of work. All of the hostages and the Payday crew members joined her in looking to the back.
With a nod, Dallas spoke, "Houston, go help Wolf. I got this here."
"Understood." A quiet voice said from behind Tattletale.
Tattlelate almost jumped at the sound, having not noticed the Stranger behind her. The only thing that stopped her was the burning pain in her shoulder. She watched as the clown who was guarding her and Grue disappeared into the back of the bank.
Was standing behind you and Grue the whole time. Watching to make sure you didn't try anything. Powers make it hard to notice him if not actively looking for his presence. Tattletale kept that in mind as she put quite a lot of focus on keeping track of where Houston was at all times.
Over the next several minutes, Tattletale watched as Wolf and Houston dragged out duffle bag after duffle bag of bullion, each landing with a heavy, clattering thud as they were dropped in the middle of the lobby. A quick peek with her powers told her that all of that was worth about four million dollars. Fuck, if only the Payday gang wasn't there, this would've been all theirs! That amount of money would easily be enough to set up Grue, Regent, and Bitch for life, pretty much cutting off the only carrot Coil had for them. And it would've been more than enough money for Taylor to use to get out of that shitty school situation she was in. Taylor may not have told her, but it was easy to figure out the younger girl was being bullied with her powers.
When the final bag of gold was placed down in the lobby, Chains' deep voice rang out as he shouted, "Capes!"
Immediately, Wolf and Dallas ran to the front windows of the bank, while Houston stayed back and watched the hostages. Across the street, they saw a group of brightly colored teenage superheroes. The first with a tall, young man in a red-rust costume, trimmed with silver and decorated with a shield emblem. Beside him was a smaller, most likely pre-teen girl wearing a forest green and white costume. Next were two armored boys, one in skintight white body armor that was decorated with clocks, and the other looked like a futuristic knight with his gunmetal-grey power armor. Floating above them was a boy in red and gold armor riding a hoverboard of all things, wielding two Tinkertech laser pistols. And last Cape was an obvious Brute, his body almost cartoonishly muscular wearing dark blue spandex with a diamond print.
"The Wards…" Dallas growled out as he glared at the Protectorate's junior superhero division.
Tattletale watched as the gears turned in Dallas' mind. He was confident his team could take the six Wards, the issue was doing it in a way that wouldn't end up with any of the kids dead. Dead Wards tended to bring down a lot of heat, more so than even the Payday Gang was willing to deal with. Dallas then turned away from the Wards as he scanned the bank, looking for something he could use as leverage. Tattletale's powers fed her that he was considering rigging the hostages with explosives, threatening to blow them up if they didn't let them leave peacefully.
"This is fucked." Tattletale then heard Houston mutter to himself. "This was supposed to be a simple heist, fifteen minutes, in and out. Instead, half the fucking Capes in this city are here and its all your fault!" Houston shouted as he drove his shoe into Tattletale's stomach.
Tattletale tried to scream but instead found herself gasping in pain as all of the air was driven out of her lungs by the kick. Gritting her teeth, Tattletale glared at the clown as she let her powers run on him. Is a control freak. Has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in addition to mild Autism. Is panicking as a result of loss of control over situation and plan. Blames Undersiders.
"You know…" Tattletale wheezed out between labored breaths, "This isn't even half the Capes in the Bay. More like… a quarter."
Tattletale cursed her inability to shut up sometimes as Houston reared back his leg for another kick.
"Enough!" Dallas shouted, stopping Houston in his tracks.
Tattletale then looked to the lead clown and saw him immediately stride towards her position, eyes widening as she realized what he was going to do. Grabbing her by the front of her costume and dragging her to her feet, Dallas then shoved her face against the bank's window to look at the Wards.
"Analyze." he ordered.
Lisa worked for a trigger happy psychopath long enough to know when to just let go and do what she was told. "They're the local Brockton Bay Wards. Aegis is the leader, has flight and redundant biology. He can fly, is strong, heals fast, and adapts to what just hurt him. Girl next to him is Vista, space warper, can stretch or compress space as much as she wants, but is Manton limited. Kid with the clocks is Clockblocker, anything he touches with his hands is frozen in time for up to ten minutes."
Lisa had to take a deep breath in as she continued. "But looks like Clockblocker and Aegis swapped costumes."
"Why?" Dallas asked as he let go of the back of Lisa's head.
"They're trying to set a trap. Have either Bitch's dogs or maybe your Brute rush the fake Aegis, only to get frozen in time."
Dallas grunted in approval. "And the others?"
"One on the hoverboard is Kid Win, standard Tinker with lasers. The knight is Gallant. Power armor makes him tough and strong, but his real power is emotional energy blasts. Last one is Browbeat, pointblank telekinetic and self-biokinetic. Can use that to heal quick or bulk up like he is." Tattletale then squinted. "There's also one more on the roof, I don't know who though."
Tattletale then heard a small voice come from a comm piece in Dallas' mask. "One on the roof is Glory Girl." the chipper voice stated, "The Bay's resident Alexandria Package."
Tattletale nodded and briefly let her power go. Dallas in communication with someone. Contact has access to bank cameras. Contact is most likely Tinker or Thinker. Glory Girl here because of Panacea. Panacea was able to get an emergency message to her sister when Undersiders attacked. Tattletale then suppressed her powers again. She'll make sure to not mention that last part so Houston wouldn't blow her brains out.
"Yeah. Super strength, flight, invulnerability, the works." Tattletale replied as nonchalantly as she could.
"And what are they planning?" Dallas pushed.
"They know you have hostages and don't want to risk them by attacking the bank. They'll try and wait it out until you run. When you do, Glory Girl will intercept, and hold you all off for long enough that the other Wards have time to catch up and tie you all down. With their powers together, they're probably guaranteed to get at least one of you doing that."
"Impressive analysis." Tattletale heard the cheery voice from Dallas' earpiece say. "Think she's available for hire?"
Tattletale didn't even try to stop the next words coming out of her mouth. "Just saying, if you guys needed another hand, I'd be willing to jump ship. Honestly, I think we've gotten along pretty well so far, you know, minus the whole shooting and beating me thing."
Dallas stared at Tattletale for a good, long time, honestly considering the idea, before he turned around and walked away. "Chains, Wolf, Houston, you're on deck. Show them why no one fucks with the Payday Gang." He barked out as the others readied their guns. To Tattletale's horror, Wolf first stopped by his Walk-in Closet and pulled out an RPG before returning to the windows.
With his allies in position, Dallas then turned to face the unmoving Bitch and Bug. "Bug girl, Bitch." Dallas then pointed to the Wards. "Hurt."
Dallas knew he made the right call by Mastering the Bug girl first, but only now could he really appreciate how good of a call that was as a biblical plague of insects burst out of the bank and flew right for the Wards.
Clockblocker, who was currently dressed as Aegis, felt his eyes widen as he was immediately swarmed by thousands of stinging and biting bugs. He spun, slapping as many of the insects as he could, but he was overwhelmed in seconds. Getting within his suit, spiders, cockroaches, and centipedes all began biting and gnawing at him. Bug girl showed no mercy as smaller bugs went onto and behind his eyes. When Clockblocker screamed, a smaller swarm of flies flew into his mouth and then his lungs.
The real Aegis and Gallant ran to try and help him but they were tackled to the ground by two massive hellhounds as Bitch's dogs attacked. The largest of Bitch's dogs went right for Aegis' throat, its massive jaws looking to tear into his flesh. Aegis was able to fly backwards, dodging the lunge as he then threw a superpowered kick right into the side of the dog's head. The large dog was knocked aside by the impact, but in the time it took for Aegis to kick the first dog, a second was already upon him.
The second dog latched its jaws onto Aegis' chest and began swinging him around like a chew toy, repeatedly slamming him onto the concrete street. Meanwhile Gallant was similarly pinned down by Bitch's third dog, his Tinkertech power armor not giving him enough strength to fight off the beast as it desperately clawed at his face.
Dallas took a moment to appreciate the sheer lethality of the two young Capes beside him, before he finally shouted, "Don't kill them Goddamnit!"
Bitch and Bug girl, both of whom were standing at the entrance of the bank, immediately complied. Bug girl removed her flies from Clockblocker's throat, and while she kept biting and stinging the other Wards, she seemed to focus more on distraction and interference instead of suffocation. Meanwhile, Bitch whistled and manually shouted a command, and the dogs seemed to adjust, focusing on pinning and biting limbs rather than looking to kill and maim.
Recovering from the viciousness of the initial assault, the rest of the Wards finally responded. Kid Win started firing off laser blasts at the swarm of insects, while Browbeat charged the dog pinning Gallant, knocking it away with a meaty punch. Before the others could do anything however, Wolf finally pulled the trigger on his RPG.
The rocket flew out of the bank window, slamming into a PRT Armored Car that helped form the perimeter around the bank. The APC exploded, rocketing to the sky with a fireball that sent several of the nearby Wards jumping for cover. Dallas didn't know if there was anyone in the APC, but at the very least he was glad none of the Wards were killed in the explosion.
With that, Dallas, Chains, and Houston took the opportunity to open fire as well. Pulling the trigger on his M4 Carbine, Dallas fired off a burst of rounds that slammed into the ground near Vista, who was still on the ground after dodging the RPG. Vista's eyes widened and immediately she bent space between her and a nearby tree, allowing her to crawl behind the tree into cover. The space warping hurt Dallas' head to look at, but once it normalized, Dallas began firing again, rounds slamming into the tree Vista was taking cover behind.
To any outside observer, it would've looked like either the Payday Gang was just wildly shooting into the air, or that they were terrible shots and the Wards had lady luck on their side. But was any Thinker worth their salt, like the blonde bitch he assumed, would know that they were all choosing to miss their shots. None of them were in the mood to kill children and shooting near, not at, the Wards was an effective tactic for both scaring and suppressing them.
As the Wards scrambled under fire, one of the side windows of the bank shattered as a blur of white and gold flew into the building. The marble floor tiling of the bank shattered as Glory Girl landed in the middle of the lobby, looking absolutely livid.
"Vicky!" Panacea shouted through her broken nose at her sister's arrival.
Glory Girl's eyes widened at her sister's voice, before her eyes became hard at the sight of Panacea tied up and beaten. Glory Girl snapped her gaze to the Payday Gang, fear and anger literally radiating off her.
"Are you all going to give up now, or do I get to beat you down before you surrender?" Glory Girl asked, the anger in her voice obviously hoping that the criminals would choose the latter.
Dallas shoved down the feelings of fear and intimidation Glory Girl was pressing on him, something that had he not been a villain with decades of experience with the worst humanity had to offer, would've been very difficult.
"Chains." Dallas growled. "Take care of her."
Chains chuckled as he dropped his smoking machine gun to the ground before he began cracking his neck and knuckles. Glory Girl raised an eyebrow at Chains' display before a savage grin appeared on her face.
"Oh thank God you guys have a Brute." She said as her aura intensified. "I wanted to kick somebody's ass today."
With that, Glory Girl flew forward with a burst of speed. Chains bent down low like a wrestler, and when the two collided the impact itself sent out an explosive shock wave that rocked the entire bank. Grunting, the two Brutes gripped each other's hands as they tried to force the other to submit. Unfortunately it appeared that both Chains and Glory Girl were in the same weight class as neither Brute seemed willing to give an inch to the other.
Gritting her teeth, Glory Girl was able to slip her right hand out of Chains' grip and throw a wild haymaker. Seeing the obvious attack coming, Chains let go of Glory Girl's other hand and blocked the punch with his forearm. Then with a lightning quick maneuver, Chains was able to get a grasp on Glory Girl's wrist and hand with both of his own and twisted them to the side with a jujutsu wrist lock.
While Glory Girl was both invincible and super strong, when against someone just as strong as her, her body still had to follow its natural mechanics as she twisted with the throw. Glory Girl flipped sideways and almost crashed face first into the ground. It was only her flight that saved her at the last second. Before she could recover though, Chains then drove his knee upwards and into Glory Girl's face, snapping her head back.
As Glory Girl recoiled, Chains then grabbed her right arm and in a single, fluid motion, threw Glory Girl to the ground with a Judo shoulder throw. Dallas smirked as he watched Chains dismantle Glory Girl. The general rule of thumb was that most Brutes tended to not train martial arts, their powers either making it unnecessary or too difficult to practice. Chains however, was a Navy SEAL and CQC expert before he Triggered, and knew hundreds of ways to kill a man with just his hands.
Glory Girl learned just how skilled Chains was as he slammed her into the bank's floor. The impact shattered even more tiles, and drove the wind out of the teenager's lungs. Chains wasn't finished yet, as he drove his fist into Glory Girl's face, snapping back her head once more as he then swiftly followed up with a second punch to her gut.
As the second punch landed however, there was a sickening crunch as Chains' fist somehow bypassed Glory Girl's invincibility. His fist indented itself in Glory Girl's lower abdomen, breaking her pelvis, spine, and rupturing several organs with a single hit. Blood shot out of Glory Girl's mouth and all over Chains, who quickly backed off.
"What the fuck!?" Chains shouted as he looked at the blood covering his hands and suit in confusion, before looking down at the pulverized Glory Girl. "I thought you were fucking invincible!"
"VICKY!" Panacea screamed, inconsolable as she began to worm her way towards her sister. "LET ME GO YOU BASTARDS! LET ME HEAL HER!"
It took a second for Dallas to recover from the sight of Chains nearly executing Glory Girl, before he turned to the blonde bitch and shouted. "The Hell is going on!?"
Dallas' yelling shocked the girl out of her own surprised stupor as she began explaining. "Glory Girl wasn't actually invincible! She… she has some kind of force field. While it's up it makes her invincible and super strong, but a strong enough hit will disable it for a few seconds!"
Feeling his migraine returning, Dallas shouted at the dying Glory Girl, "Who the Hell lies about their powers like that you idiot!" Thinking quickly, Dallas put two fingers to his communicator. "Hoxton! Get out there and buy us some time!"
"Fuck yeah time to go off the fuckin' chain!" Hoxton cackled as he floored the accelerator of the van.
Nodding, Dallas then turned to his fellow heisters within the bank. "Everyone, clean up and get ready to leave!"
Houston and Wolf nodded as they left their posts by the front of the Bank. Wolf went to his Walk-In Closet, retracting the Tinkertech device back into its suitcase form as Houston began grabbing bags of gold, placing one on his shoulder and passing another to Wolf.
Meanwhile Dallas closed in on Panacea and the same middle aged man he had zip tie her previously. Kneeling down, Dallas used a small pocket knife to cut the man's zip tie before he handed the blade to him. The man looked at it confused as Dallas backed up and aimed his gun at him.
"Use that to free Panacea." Dallas commanded, before he then aimed his gun at Panacea. "You will go heal your sister, and that is it."
Panacea nodded her head so fast it looked like she was going to throw out her neck. The bald, middle aged man quickly stumbled his way over to Panacea, and using the knife freed her from her bonds. Panacea immediately stood up and ran for her sister, both Chains and Dallas keeping their guns trained on her in case she tried to make a move.
Touching her sister's face, Panacea immediately got to work repairing the damage done to her. While Panacea worked, the sound of a revving engine became louder and louder as Hoxton made it to the bank. Outside, Gallant, who had just blasted one of Bitch's dogs, was sent flying as Hoxton drove his car right into the power armored teen.
The rest of the Wards stared dumbly as Hoxton then opened up the driver's side door carrying two Desert Eagle pistols akimbo-style. "Heya kiddos! Who wants to play with Uncle Hoxton?"
Hoxton immediately fired off three shots at Kid Win with unerring accuracy. The first two shots shot both of Kid Win's pistols out of his hands. The third slammed right into the anti-gravity generator of his hoverboard. The hoverboard sparked and died as the magnum round tore through it, sending Kid Win crashing to the ground.
His pistols still smoking, Hoxton turned as he saw Browbeat charging right for him. Grinning behind his mask, Hoxton fired off several shots at the Brute, which slammed against his telekinetic force field. Closing the distance, Browbeat threw a series of wild punches that Hoxton had no issue dodging. Slipping another of Browbeat's punches, Hoxton dropped one of his pistols and drew a specialized, Tinkertech-alloy combat knife. With an attack faster than most people could see, Hoxton slashed horizontally across Browbeat's face, aiming right for his eyes.
Browbeat stumbled back and screamed as Hoxton's knife was able to make it past his barrier, cutting deep into his unreinforced eyes. Both orbs were slashed open, causing blood to pour down his face as Hoxton then pulled out a sawed off shotgun that was strapped to his back. As Hoxton was about to blast him in the chest, space warped behind Browbeat and suddenly he was dozens of feet away, courtesy of Vista's powers.
"Oi, I was still playing with that!" Hoxton yelled as he chased after the injured Ward.
The appearance of Hoxton sent the already wild battle outside of the bank into absolute chaos. And just in time, as it looked like Panacea had just finished repairing her sister.
"Vicky!" Panacea cried out, grabbing onto her sister like she was a life preserver.
"Wuh, Amy?" Glory Girl slurred out, no doubt confused and disoriented after everything that happened. Looking around to gauge her surroundings, Glory Girl saw Dallas, and then saw Chains standing near her as well. "YOU!" she shouted as she jumped off the ground and moved for Chains once more.
Amy shouted for her sister to stop, but it was another voice that rang out above her's that halted the Alexandria-lite.
"Freeze!" Dallas shouted as he dropped control on Bitch, and instead gripped onto Glory Girl's mind.
Before she could take a swing at Chains, Glory Girl froze mid flight, relaxing her stance as she looked blankly at Dallas, awaiting orders.
Lisa watched with something of a morbid fascination as Amy's emotional state jumped from terrified, to hopeful and excited, then back to horrified and despaired. It was like watching a fucking ping pong match.
"Let go of her!" Amy screeched as she took a step towards Dallas.
Dallas only shot the ground by her feet, stopping the healer's advance. "Not one more step, Panacea." Dallas said, his voice intense but not raised. "I'll let go of your sister once we're free and clear. But until then, if you care about your sister at all, you will go sit in the corner and not move a fucking muscle."
"Bullshit." Amy growled out. "You don't want to kill her. That's why you had me heal her! So you don't have some teenager's blood on your hands!"
"True." Dallas conceded with a shrug. "But there's plenty of other things I could make her do to ruin her future. Maybe have her go on a killing spree on some Merchants? Sure the blame would get passed onto me as the Master, but would your sister really be able to live with herself afterwards? Lots of things are possible when you start to think outside of the box, kid."
Amy continued to glower at Dallas, before she backed off, making her way to the far corner of the lobby. When she reached her destination, Amy meekly sat down, wrapping her hands around her knees. Lisa could tell that Amy was on the verge of a mental breakdown already. She made sure to keep her mouth shut about her being a villain's daughter and her more than sisterly love towards Glory Girl. The last thing this situation needed was Panacea turning into Nilbog junior.
Lisa then flicked her eyes over to Bitch, who seemed disoriented and confused as to what was going on. Huh, so victims don't remember anything from when they were Mastered by Dallas. Not useful to her now, but at least Taylor wouldn't have any memories of maiming the Wards. Small victories, Lisa supposed.
"What… what the fuck?" Bitch asked no one in particular as she got her bearings. Beside her, Taylor stood completely still, focused on commanding her swarm, while the Payday gang looked at her.
"Welcome to the big leagues, kid." Dallas said as he approached her. "Shit's going down, and if you don't want your dogs to die, you may wanna get out there and help them." Dallas then pointed out to the street.
Rachel's eyes widened behind her mask as she followed Dallas' hand, seeing Brutus, Judas, and Angelica currently fighting against the Wards.
"You fuckers!" Rachel shouted as she charged out of the bank, whistling and shouting commands to her dogs.
Lisa groaned. Dallas didn't even need to use his powers to manipulate Rachel.
"Now then." Dallas said as he looked back at Glory Girl and pointed to the Wards outside. "Clear us a path, and for the love of God don't kill anyone!"
Without even a nod for confirmation Glory Girl flew out of the bank and right for the Wards. Aegis, who was bloody but unbowed, was caught off guard by Glory Girl's sudden attack as she drove her fist right onto his chest. The Ward captain was sent flying, his ribs immediately breaking from the impact.
With Glory Girl busy beating the Wards into submission, Dallas and Chains both picked up their own duffle bags before the lead clown walked up to Tattletale, his gun lowered.
"What you said earlier." Dallas spoke barely above a whisper. "If you want in, pick up a bag and don't fall behind."
Lisa's eyes widened at Dallas' offer, and she immediately let her powers go to work. Is genuinely offering you membership. Was impressed by your powers and thinks you'll make a good crewmember. Doesn't trust you at all, but is willing to gamble on your powers. Can offer money, housing, and protection. Will protect you from Coil if he feels you are valuable enough. Would be willing to let you go peacefully if you wish.
Pulling out of her powers, Lisa internally screamed. This was almost too good to be true. She had an out. A way to get out of Coil's thumb literally just fell in her lap. All she had to do was get into a mysterious, unmarked van with a bunch of strange adult men she's never met. Yay.
Sarcasm aside, Lisa snuck a glance at the rest of her current team. There's no way all of them were getting away. There's no way Lisa would be able to get Grue or Regent out while they were still unconscious, and there's no way Bitch would leave without her dogs. Meanwhile Taylor was still Mastered and she knew Dallas wasn't going to give up control on her until they were far, far away. And even if Lisa chose to abandon her team and run on her own, she doubted she'd get very far. Between the loss of blood, and the fact she'd be on foot versus a group of angry Wards with multiple fliers, she'd be caught in minutes.
Best case scenario there would be Coil tries to break her and her team out of prison and she'd be right back to square one. That or the PRT would pressgang her and the others into the Wards and then Coil would use his influence to turn her into some kind of mole. Either way she'd still be his. Worst case scenario Lisa gets tossed in some medium-security prison and she gets to spend the next 5 to 10 years using her powers to keep other inmates from assaulting her.
Looking back at Brian and Taylor, she knew that they would probably take flipping sides the best. Brian didn't have enough of a rap sheet that would disqualify him from becoming a probationary Ward or Protectorate member, while this was Taylor's first day out as a villain. She was in contact with Armsmaster so he might be able to help her out, and almost every terrible thing she did to the Wards today could be blamed on Dallas Mastering her. With her drive and sense of right, Lisa knew that Taylor would make a good hero like she wanted to be. All in all, the two of them would get in trouble, but it wouldn't be the end of the world nor the end of their Cape careers.
With Rachel and Alec though, the situation was a bit messier. There's no way either of them would be taken into the Wards. Rachel had a body count, even if it had to do with her Trigger, and Alec was too much of a hedonistic sociopath to care about being a hero. They were both looking at jail time, or at best insanity pleas.
But in all honesty, Lisa cared less about what happened to them than she did with Brian and Taylor. Alec was in it for the money and to get away from his family, and while Lisa could respect that she still wouldn't really call him a friend. And while she definitely empathized with Rachel's situation as it was her power's fault for her screwed up mind and villain label, it wasn't Lisa's responsibility to try and fix her. Hell Rachel would've probably sicced her dogs on her if it wasn't for Lisa's own powers telling her how to communicate with her. Lisa wasn't about to throw away her own future for a chance of maybe helping Rachel.
If she left with the Payday Gang now, not only would she be seeing massive paydays, pun intended, but she'd be free to live and be a villain by her own choice, not because Coil put a gun to her head.
Lisa nodded, "I'm in." She then made her way to the middle of the lobby and picked up the last duffle bag of gold. A difficult task due to the hole in her right shoulder. "By the way, the name's Tattletale, so you can call me that instead of whatever derogatory nickname you've been calling me in your head." She said with a tired smirk.
"Right." Dallas snorted before he then reached for his belt and pulled out a police-grade smoke grenade.
The other Payday crew members followed suit, and together they threw their smoke grenades into the street. The grenades popped open with a hiss, the white cloud concealing the front of the bank.
"Okay go! Go! Go! Fucking move!" Dallas shouted.
Using the smoke for cover, the Payday crew plus Tattletale sprinted out of the bank. Several police officers who were staying away from the Cape fight saw them run and pointed their guns at them. Wolf and Houston fired at them first, pinging shots into the police cruiser's engine blocks and forcing the cops into cover behind their doors.
As they ran, Glory Girl did her job beautifully as she tossed Wards around like they were ragdolls. Meanwhile Taylor kept her swarm focused on the PRT officers, biting and stinging them to keep them from shooting their containment foam. Hoxton, seeing his crewmates approach, stopped chasing after Vista and ran back to the van and popped open the back.
"Alright, all aboard the Hogwarts fucking Express!" Hoxton yelled as he turned the Van's engine back on.
The Payday Gang plus Tattletale piled into the back of the van, shutting the doors as Hoxton then floored it. Tattletale felt herself fall backwards at the sudden acceleration, bumping her wounded shoulder into the van's rear doors, drawing a cry of pain.
The shout seemed to draw Hoxton's attention, as he looked in the rearview mirror and asked, "Who's the blonde cunt?"
"She's our newest recruit." Dallas answered for her.
"The name's Tattletale." Lisa said through grit teeth.
"Here, lemme see that." Chains shifted over to Tattletale's position, pulling out a red medical hard case that had white cross emblazoned on it. Opening it up, he pulled out a clean pair of gloves and some first aid supplies and began treating her shoulder. "Sorry about this by the way. Nothing personal."
Tattletale's powers told her that he didn't really feel bad about shooting her, but knew that if she was going to be part of the team he should at least be courteous. "I'd say don't worry about it, but I'm pretty sure saying sorry doesn't exactly cover shooting someone."
Chains chuckled as he pulled the bullet out of Tattletale's shoulder. "Fair enough."
"We'll deal with compensation later." Dallas answered as he looked out the back of the van. There were multiple police cars and PRT vans chasing after them.
"So what's the getaway plan?" Tattletale asked, wincing as Chains disinfected the wound.
"We get to the bay." Wolf was the one who answered as he began flipping some switches on the van.
"The bay?" Tattletale parroted. "How will escape from there-" Tattletale cut herself off as her powers provided her with the answer. "Man, Tinkertech is such bullshit."
"I know right?" Wolf laughed through his thick Scandinavian accent.
As he flipped a few switches, several panels on the exterior of the van opened up. On the side of the van, two fins extended out from doors, and on top of the van a pair of propellers extended out. As it turned out, the van was also a submersible.
With the van now ready, Hoxton floored it right for the Boardwalk. Driving through a food stand and past some tourists who dove out of the way, Hoxton plowed through the wooden fence alongside the boardwalk and right into the Bay. The van sank like a rock until eventually its buoyant force equalized and the van began to float within the water. The propellers turned on, and slowly the van pushed its way forward away from the Boardwalk.
Tattletale couldn't help but laugh as they made their getaway. It would take a while before the police or PRT could get helicopters or patrol boats in the area, and by then they would be long gone. And it's not like they had any submarines of their own to chase after them. They escaped. Lisa escaped. From the Bank, from the Bay, and from Coil. Months of stress and fear melted off her as she cried and laughed and cried again.
"I think the lass has lost it" Hoxton called out from the driver's seat.
"Fuck off Hoxton I'm one of three sane people in this car right now so you don't get to play armchair psychologist." Lisa snapped out as she got her hysterics under control. "Right now, I just want to know where we're heading and what my cut will be."
"It'll be an even split between the six of us." Dallas answered. "Bain can help you set up an offshore account. As for where we're heading, we have a safehouse in Boston where we'll lay low before returning to DC."
"Actually, about that." the aforementioned Bain spoke over the car's radio. "Before you head back to DC, I have a lead on another job in the area that you all may be interested in."
The Payday crew members glanced at each other, a little confused by the sudden job offer.
"Alright, what's the job?" Dallas asked.
Lisa could tell Bain was smiling over the radio as he said, "The way I see it, why stop at one new recruit when we can get two? Tell me, have any of you ever heard of Bad Canary?"