June 6th, 1991. Toronto, Canada. 10:11 a.m. on a stormy Thursday morning.

Comms check.

Stormfront: Checking in, smoking outside on a bench. This rain sucks.

Zero: Sightlines into second story windows are clear.

Transporter: Fuel gauge around 90%, weapons tracking currently on passive.

Black Hat: I’m good, Cracker and Jacker will be in 30 seconds after you give the go.

Amp: Getting mad at Stormfront for neglecting to share his lighter.

Pockets: I’ve got all the main routes connected, starting secondary measures now.

Flora: Rooftop garden is all ready to grow.

Flashbang: Watching Flora get distracted by a very nice derriere passing in the – ow! All good here.

Bubbles: Distracting the security guards now.

Flashbang: I’ll say, you’re certainly giving – ow! Stop that!

Khyber: Parked out front in the throw away. Just watched the fuzz turn the corner.

Web: Taking my precautionary Aspirin now. Comms are clear Petra.

Security desk distracted by Bubbles, check. 10 min patrol route just cleared, check. Pre-op system infiltration achieved silently, check. Backups and response teams in place, check. Petra went through the list in her head once more. She exhaled slowly and looked at the projection Web was displaying on the command table. “Go.”

10:11 a.m.

She could hear – both in her head and audibly – Black Hat’s commands being given rapid fire to his programs. “Cracker, start brute forcing the firewall, Jacker get in and cut off their emergency systems communications. Cracker, you done yet? Don’t give me that – excellent Jacker, inner security systems are next, bring their security cam display up for me as soon as you can. Cracker, you’re still not done? I don’t want to hear that you’re tired, you’re a program for God’s sake. Jacker, nice work, go for the buildings’ broadcast system next. Cracker, I swear to –“

Examining the projection, she could see – and thanks to Web, sense – Flora’s plants spreading through the vents, growing rapidly towards the vent above the main security desk. Meanwhile, Bubbles had thrown up a translucent ‘bubble’ around herself and the guard station, for the moment only preventing sound from entering or exiting. Not that she need have bothered, the two gentlemen currently manning the desk were much too distracted by the blonde woman shamelessly flirting with them to notice their security system go on the fritz as Jacker assumed control.

Shouldn’t that be a giant red flag? I mean come on, surely they have to cover the whole ‘random attractive woman coming up and flirting for no reason’ scenario in training, right?

Bubbles: Men are idiots Petra, you know that.

Flashbang: Don’t blame them. Unlike someone you know, most men aren’t used to having women throw –Dammit! Flora, are you just waiting for me to talk and hitting me?

Focus you three.

Flashbang: Silence is not an answer Flora. Hey! Laughing at me isn’t either!

Bubbles: Like I said.

Stormfront and Amp were making their way up the steps towards the front doors of the bank, holding hands.

Amp: God, why are your hands so sweaty?

Stormfront: Well, something about pulling a job like this makes me nervous.

Amp: Nervousness is no excuse for sweaty hands!

Stormfront: Really? So you never, ever sweat when you’re nervous?

Amp: Of course not, I’m perfect after all.

Petra observed as Amp turned to Stormfront and gave him her biggest fake smile, one that Petra was all too familiar with.

Flashbang: Yeah, you certainly have a perfect –ha! Ducked that –mmmph!

Amp: Hit him again for me, would you Flora?

Flashbang: Not cool Amp, not – ow! Shit! Goddammit!! Cut it out Flora!

Zero: Flash, shut the hell up.

Flashbang: Sorry.

“-God, you’d better have that damn firewall – oh you do? Great, you can relax and go get a drink. No I’m not serious! Start on the other target’s security measures. Be careful with it, they’ll have some nasty surprises for invading malware. Yes, to them you’re technically malware. If it hurts your feelings, then take it out on them. Jacker, get the connection established between Stormfront’s mike and the broadcast system. Cracker, if you don’t shut your goddamn mouth – “

Flora: Vines are in place above security desk vent. Growing root system into the connecting walls will start making some serious noise, do you want me to start?

Hold until shit hits the fan. Approx thirty seconds.

Flora: Gotcha.

10:12 a.m.

On the projection, Stormfront and Amp had almost reached the top of the stairs.

Stormfront: Time?

Black Hat?

“I will shove so much garbage into it you – yeah boss, we’re about as far as we can get before we start stepping on toes – Cracker, don’t think you can start slacking because I stopped talking to you, go all out now, we’re going loud!”

Showtime people.

Vines came smashing through the vent, wrapping the security guards and suspending them from the roof. Amp discharged the energy passed on by Stormfront in a massive flash of light, blinding anyone not taking precautions in direct line of sight. Stormfront discharged a portion of static to rapidly heat the air around him, causing a thunderclap. The glass front of the bank shattered. Patrons and employees didn’t even have time to scream before the glass shards shattered on Bubbles’ second force field put up around the lobby. Bubbles herself collapsed to the ground, screaming and shaking in mock fear. There were a series of disturbances as Flashbang jumped around the lobby, stunning people further. Stormfront and Amp strode into the bank lobby as they shed the hooded overcoats that had been disguising their costumes, Stormfront’s voice booming out of every speaker in the building.

“Hi there folks. I would say to stay calm, but that’s not really good advice to give to hostages. So instead, how about we say this? Stay still, don’t do anything stupid, and you probably won’t die. Okay? Great. Flashbang, ziptie ‘em. Amp, help him out.”

Stormfront: I like channeling my inner Petra.

Focus. Keep this particular link for questions later.

Stormfront: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Save the flirting for my sister, will you? Or would you like me to widen out this particular comm link? I can think of-

Stormfront: Ah, no, let’s not do that.

Good boy. Petra could hear Web trying not chuckle.

“Jacker, now that you’ve got that audio hooked up, help Cracker. He seems to need it. Now don’t go taking that the wrong way. You’re just not making enough progress. Alright, fine, whatever, but Jacker’s making you look bad. Oh, so you weren’t really trying huh? That whole threat of cramming you full of garbage code is still – “

Flora: My roots have worked their way into the adjoining wall, it should start cracking soon.

Good, focus on the vault in the bank and growing your suit. Gut feeling, response team will scramble in about thirty seconds. Zero, any response on that front?

Zero: Increased activity, but nothing signaling panic yet.

It’ll get there. If you see them start to deploy, take disabling shots on their equipment and give Khyber and Flora their vectors.

Zero: 10-4.

Find the manager yet, Stormfront?

Stormfront: I don’t have him in my sight yet but I’m looking.

Bubbles: Check the one of those back offices, one of the guards was bitching about having to check in intern applicants.

Stormfront: Flashbang?

Flashbang: On it. Nope. Nope. Nope. No –woah!! Didn’t realize that literal brown nosing was an option for interviews.

Flashbang popped back into the lobby, with a very flustered bank manager with his pants around his ankles. “Hold him for a second, going grab brown noser.” He popped out and then back almost immediately, this time holding a hysterical looking young man. Upon releasing him, the young man took off towards the exit. The three gifted turned and watched. Three feet before the door, he ran full tilt into Bubbles’ force field, knocking himself out cold.

Stormfront whistled. “That had to hurt. Amp, done with the hostages?”

“All tied up. A couple might have pissed themselves.”

Amp began walking over to the unconscious young man and dragging him back towards the other hostages. Stormfront moved to help. “Could be worse. We could’ve gone with the root restraining method again. Also, Flash, did you mean what I think you meant with the brown nosing?”

Flashbang made a disgusted face and pretended to gag. “Nearly lost my lunch to the smell.”

Amp and Stormfront both turned with eyebrows raised, Amp dropping the young man. “..Smell? Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

10:21 a.m.

Flora: I think I’m through the adjoining wall. The vault is taking a bit longer.

Zero, check the leftmost windows.

Zero: Got it. Good call, two tangos, looks like Vector and Trickshot. May have seen Garganta and Calypso in the doorway behind them.

Flora, once your suit is on, contain Vector. He’s going to be a problem in open space on the street. Zero, hold your shots until you spot Titan, then prioritize directing Khyber to his location. Khyber, you know the drill. We do not want that fight going on anywhere near the rest.

Khyber: 10-4.

Good. Amp, Stormfront, if Zero can’t take out Trickshot’s guns fast enough, you’ll need to watch out for him. God only knows what crazy ammunition the bastard has come up with in the last year. Otherwise, keep up the special effects show as long as you can.

Stormfront: Gotcha, I’ll work on juicing up the storm outside.

Amp:…I’ll go be a lightning rod.

Atta girl. Flashbang, I need you ready to jump for the vault when Flora gives the go. Transporter, reposition 2 miles west, in case I need direct line of sight. Web, shift the static display, I need the street outside rather than the inside of the bank.

Web: Done.

Transporter: We’ll be there in thirty seconds. Weapons are cycling over to hot.

“-Boss we’re in the secondary building’s systems. Either Glyph’s AI wasn’t as strong as we predicted or Jacker was having a really good day. Cracker, you will get a god damn compliment the minute I feel you deserve one. Surveillance going up on screens one through four, Cracker, prioritize cameras tracking on Titan or Marionette, Jacker, keep Glyph’s AI in a corner. Cracker, what is with your sass today? I’m seriously contemplating, ah there we go. Boss, screen one and two will have Titan and Marionette respectively, three has what Cracker is guessing to be their crisis command center, and four has a display of all attempted inbound and outbound communication. Unless it’s not networked, it’s not getting through, but I thought maybe it’d be useful.”

Very, thanks Hat. Looks like Marionette is headed out to the street. Zero, she is priority number two. Titan is sprinting along a third floor corridor, no rendezvous yet, Khyber. They’ve already tried to call up Meridian twice. Shit, guys, they know who they’re up against. Expect them to have plans to deal with any of our normal tactics. This is going to go south and quick. Flora, how much longer on the vault?

Flora: With me concentrating on getting my suit ready and setting up for Vector, at least a minute.

Out on the street, a field of thick grass about waist high could be seen sprouting from the sides of the road and the asphalt was cracking as more forced its way up from directly underneath. Khyber had exited the throwaway car to avoid getting trapped in by the overgrowth. Amp had one hand in the air and another directed at Stormfront, as he shot bolt after bolt of lightning at her. For every bolt that went in, ten or more shot out of her upraised hand and both of them could feel the effects the rapid charge and discharge was having on the air around them. The storm outside was growing angrier looking, the rain increasing in volume. Flashbang was still inside the bank, teleporting around to keep the hostages nervous and stunned. Occasionally, he would teleport next to Bubbles, wait for her to grab his leg, and move her closer to the shattered windows. Thick vines had descended nearly halfway down the building and the top of it looked as if a rainforest had been transplanted to the Corp of America bank roof. Somewhere in there, Flora was finishing up growing her suit and the various other useful plants. Surprisingly, no opponents had shown themselves yet. That was concerning. On screen, Titan was still on the third floor, looking to be in deep discussion with Glyph as he fiddled with Titan’s helmet. Why weren’t they…

Khyber, bank vault, now. Flashbang, forget subtlety, get Bubbles the hell out of there now and stay out once you’re gone. Wait til I give the go ahead for the package drop. Pockets, collapse the vault route, that whole place is coming down. Flora, forget the wall and the vault, get your ass off the roof. Black Hat, get your AI out of their systems, stat. Amp, Stormfront, hostages are no longer viable, I repeat, hostages are no longer viable. Stop juicing the storm and get the hell out of Dodge. Zero, start shooting and don’t stop. Transporter, get us in sand range.