On the morning of 15th March 2081, two buses pulled up in front of the Tanisport courthouse at 9:45 a.m.

The Tanisport City Courthouse is located in the middle of the business district. The steps up the courthouse are long, white, and a perfect location for press conferences.

Or for the press to get a quote. There were always some interesting cases going on, some witnesses willing to make a statement…. and some reporters hanging around.

So when a long line of women started getting down from the buses, the reporters noticed.

Each of the women was wearing a long overcoat with a hood - something of a giveaway, considering the sultry weather. In addition to the bulky overcoats, each of the fourteen women also had a policewoman in what looked like SWAT tactical gear escorting them, complete with face shield and helmet.

Twenty-eight people started rapidly walking up the courthouse steps.

A news van screeched to a halt by the courthouse, and a reporter sprinted out, a cameraman behind him. In seconds, the reporter was in front of one of the women, and rapidly asking questions.

It didn’t take too many seconds for the other newspeople to recognize that yes, these were the witnesses in the Grunters’ trial, and yes, they were on their way into the courthouse right now.

The reporters - and their individual cameramen - stampeded their way in front of the witnesses. Questions flew thick and fast. The policemen started to yell and push their way through what was swiftly turning into a crowd.

It was at that point that the Grunters struck.

The first indication was the whine of a laser, followed by red light raking its way across the steps.

The laser cut close to the crowd, slicing through one unlucky reporter’s hand. The man screamed.

Six armored figures came plummeting down from the sky.

Asphalt crunched under boots, as the Grunter armored combat suits made their intentions - and firepower - very, very clear.

Screams rang out across the crowd. Reporters scattered.

The first indication the Grunters had that something was wrong was when the first laser hit a Grunter Rookie.

The Rookie lurched backwards, batting off the small fires on his suit. He looked up.

Only to see twenty-eight women in a line, wielding laser rifles ….

And nanofibre weave combat armor.

Helmets slammed in place, as the former Grunter slaves opened fire.

Anne and I had come up with the plan.

The Grunters wouldn’t attack me directly. Too difficult. So I had to be out of town.

Or at least, appear to be out of town.

Who would they attack?

The women they’d victimized. The witnesses against them.

When would they attack?

In front of the whole world, sending a message: Your so-called hero can’t protect you. He’s too busy picking up awards in other cities. Also, a poetic revenge for my hitting them when Gravitic and Grumman were both out of town.

What would they use to attack?

Their remaining suits. The Grunter battlesuits might not be a match for me, but they could easily overwhelm any normal police or federal marshals. And while villains didn’t usually carry out such brazen attacks, their reputation was toast anyway.

Gangs with a bad reputation need to be feared.

The Grunters had been hated, but now that I’d hit them, they were no longer feared. They needed to strike terror into the heart of the public.

Nanobots might not be able to swarm the entire city yet, but they could certainly monitor every inch of the courthouse. I’d been shocked when I realized exactly how much Anne could spy on - it explained George Alvarez’s fears quite well indeed.

So we’d tracked every courthouse employee for a week, and one had indeed turned out to be a Grunter plant.

From there, it was a simple step to tell the girls to discuss my ‘imminent’ trip to New York, the stuff I’d promised to buy them, the hush-hush meeting and award ceremony, and a half dozen other vignettes where they would be overheard by different people - including the Grunter plant.

And nearly twenty other suspects.

We didn’t know how many were actually plants and passed the information along. The one good thing about the women who survived the Grunter mansion, though?

They were all exceptional actresses.

So, step one, bait the trap.

Step two?

Protect the bait.

My MP regen was now 17.6 per second. At that rate, I could put together enough material for a new suit of armor in three hours.

I’d been stockpiling nanofibre weave for months. Enough that in less than a week, I had twenty-eight new suits of armor.

Daisy, Maria and Donna were among the twenty-eight women who volunteered to be part of the force that baited the trap. Of course, having armour and laser rifles didn’t guarantee that you could respond effectively in a firefight.

Which had led to a very difficult conversation with Lieutenant Doyle.

Doyle hadn’t been happy when I asked for the volunteers to train in a few basic formations within the confines of the Tanisport military base. "The military does NOT get involved in ultra versus ultra fights," he'd said.

“It’s a request,” I’d said, “and it’s for a good cause. You’re empowering victims of human trafficking.”

“We're required to stay out of direct confrontations,” protested Doyle, "no matter what the cause."

Fraser had, fortunately, intervened. “We’re not taking sides in a fight between ultras, we’re simply making available our facilities for victims of a series of heinous crimes. I can get this signed off by command - provided it’s kept secret and no U.S. Army personnel take part in the actual operation.”

Doyle had grumbled, but acquiesced. After that, Sergeant Banner and most of the platoon had volunteered to ‘help’ the women get their maneuvers right.

Frank, being true to his nature, had tried to ask Natalia out on a date. Natalia - to everyone's surprise - had agreed, assuming the mission went off smoothly.

On the fields of the Army base, twenty-eight women had practiced the exact moves they’d have to make time and time again, for a week.

And now, with six Grunter battlesuits in sight, they cast off their overcoats.

Slammed down their helmets.

Swung their rifles into position.

And fired.

Exactly as they’d practiced a hundred times before.

A fusillade of laser bolts slammed into the Grunters.

A second later, another volley followed. And then another.

The Grunter soldiers weren’t true soldiers. Under the concerted fire of twenty-eight disciplined opponents, they broke.

The Rookie’s suit failed first, and he went down. A Soldier was the next to collapse, as the laser bolts burned chunks off his armour. The other three Grunter Soldiers panicked and turned to run, only to be hammered in the back by more laser fire.

The Grunter Lieutenant fired back, hitting one of the women in armor. She flinched, but returned fire, targeting the Lieutenant. She missed.

The other twenty-seven women had, however, noticed the Lieutenant now.

In less than a second, twenty-seven more lasers had been fired at the Grunter. Fifteen missed.

The rest didn’t.

The Lieutenant’s suit ignited under the effect of twelve laser bolts hitting it within a second.

The Grunter screamed in pain.

This didn’t stop the next volley. Another fourteen bolts slammed into the burning suit.

The battlesuit exploded. Burning chunks of metal and flesh flew through the air, hitting cars, cameras and reporters alike.

And then, an unseen hand picked up one of the women - Wanda - and lifted her high into the air.

Then she fell, slamming into the ground.

The women scattered as a roar filled the sky.

A massive, hulking battlesuit nearly nine feet tall floated through the air. In its arms was a heavy laser, similar to the one on the Captain battlesuit. The suit levitated its way to above the battlefield, and opened fire on the twenty-eight former Grunter slaves.

Heavy laser bolts smashed into the pavement. The armored women scattered, taking cover behind pillars, cars and the buses, as Gravitic entered the battlefield.

Ordinary humans - even with combat armor - are no match for an ultra.

So when Gravitic floated into view above the field, firing away with his massive laser, I hit him with a Javelin Strike.

Step three: the actual trap.

Jeffrey O’Rourke was a reporter for Newsline Tanisport. The Grunters planning to attack the witnesses in the largest criminal trial in years? That story had interested him. Being on the ground just before it happened, getting the Best Ever camera shots? For that, he’d have given up his firstborn.

Getting to use his van had been a very cheap price indeed.

So when Jeffrey had sprinted out of the van, cameraman in tow, to ‘interview’ Maria and Daisy and the rest - and, in the process, confirm their identity to the Grunters - I’d remained behind in the van, priming my Fullersteel Pilum.

Until the right moment.

Until Gravitic revealed himself.

My first Javelin Strike had staggered the supervillain, knocking him off course. With his concentration disrupted, Gravitic’s hold over gravity weakened and his suit crashed into the pavement. He jumped to his feet, trying to spot the source of the attack.

I took a deep breath, chugged down my Adrenaline Serum, and slammed my Helmet into place as I exited the van.

GRAVITIC

LEVEL 20

CLASS: ELEMENTAL

FACTION: GRUNTERS

TITLE: JOINT FACTION LEADER

HP: 200/200 + ARMOR 680/1000

EFFECTIVE HP: 880/1200

HEAVY LASER +60 DAMAGE/HIT

GRUNTER COMMANDER SUIT - UNLIMITED FIRING RANGE, +5 STRENGTH

SPECIAL SKILL: GRAVITY CONTROL

GRAVITIC IS THE LEADER OF THE GRUNTERS, EXERCISING CONTROL JOINTLY WITH GRUMMAN. CRUEL, VICIOUS, AND PROUD, THIS SUPERVILLAIN ACCEPTS NOTHING LESS THAN TOTAL SUBMISSION FROM HIS FOES.

HOWEVER, HE DID NOT EXPECT TO FIGHT YOU TODAY.

The villain stared at me as I stepped out of the van.

I smiled.

Letters began to form in the sky. A message for Gravitic.

GRAVITIC - THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME

FIGHT ME IF YOU DARE

OR DIE A COWARD

I began to run towards Gravitic. The villain extended his hand towards me.

Suddenly, I was being pulled into the sky. He’d flipped gravity.

No worries. I yanked out my Laser Sniper Rifle and fired.

GRAVITIC -50 HP!

Gravitic’s concentration broke, and I was falling towards the ground again.

As my feet hit the ground, I used Bodycharge.

I slammed into Gravitic in less than a second.

BODYCHARGE! GRAVITIC -47 HP!

I was yanked backwards by the weight of my armor, as Gravitic flipped the direction of the local gravitational field again.

The villain was scrambling back, trying to put some distance between him and me. He’d understood that fighting me at close range wouldn’t help him.

All right, Laser Sniper Rifle it is.

CRITICAL HIT! GRAVITIC -100 HP!

The villain staggered further back. Then he gestured with his hand.

A car rose off the street and hurtled towards me. I ducked as the improvised projectile flew overhead.

Gravitic seemed to have found his stride, however.

A bench ripped itself free from the street and flew towards me. I dodged. A lamppost followed, and then a bunch of cameras.

As I dodged and weaved out of the way, I prepared my counter.

MINDSTRIKE! GRAVITIC -10 HP!

The objects the ultra was hurling at me fell to the ground.

Gravitic stumbled, clutching his forehead.

Human enough a reaction but not great in armour. Since the stumble gave me enough time to use a skill of my own.

JAVELIN STRIKE! GRAVITIC -320 HP!

The force of the second javelin toppled Gravitic backwards. The supervillian fell flat on his back, dropping his Heavy Laser.

I ran forward, readying a second Fullersteel Pilum.

Gravitic wasn’t out of the fight, though. I unleashed my next Javelin Strike as he stood up, only to see the Fullersteel Pilum hurtle skyward and out of the way.

So he’d figured out a way to avoid my missiles. I hadn’t expected them to do much, anyway.

Fortunately, I had more than one trick to play.

LIGHTNING STRIKE! GRAVITIC -40 HP!

The supervillain stumbled again, as the shock of electrical discharge hammered into him.

I wasn’t finished, though.

LIGHTNING STRIKE! GRAVITIC -40 HP!

LIGHTNING STRIKE! GRAVITIC -40 HP!

LIGHTNING STRIKE! GRAVITIC -40 HP!

The third strike had left Gravitic’s armour smoking, and the fourth ….

The armour failed.

Metal splintered with a scream, as the very expensive, very powerful Grunter battlesuit came apart. Armor pieces fell off, leaving the supervillain in a strange mix of part-metal part-underclothes.

Gravitic hobbled out of the battlesuit, then yanked his helmet off and tossed it aside. Standing there in his underwear and vest, he didn’t look that scary.

The supervillain was a middle-aged man with balding reddish hair and a squint. Even as I pointed my rifle at him, he seemed to be unconcerned.

“Surrender,” I barked. “It’s over.”

Gravitic shrugged. “No.”

A bus slammed into me.

VEHICLE IMPACT! 100 DAMAGE! ARMOR: 300/400.

The impact knocked me down. Gravitic raised the bus up high above, intending to slam it down and crush me.

At that moment, Donna Bartoli’s shot hit Gravitic in the chest.

I rolled out from under the bus as it fell, Gravitic’s concentration - and control - gone as laser bolts slammed into him from my allies.

The supervillain screamed in pain.

GRAVITIC DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +1000 XP!

1 GRUNTER ROOKIE DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +175 XP!

2 GRUNTER SOLDIERS DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +400 XP!

GRUNTER LIEUTENANT DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +300 XP!

Gravitic was down, but my allies kept firing. His skin began to blacken, then sizzle, as bolt after bolt turned the supervillain’s corpse to ash.

They’d recognized him, underneath the mask.

I turned towards the two surviving Grunter soldiers. They were crouching behind a car, pointing their guns in my general direction - but not firing.

: send the message

: done

New letters began to form in the sky, as tens of thousands of nanobots moved in eerie synchronization into a pattern reflecting the will of their commander.

GRAVITIC IS DEAD

GRUMMAN HAS FLED

SURRENDER OR DIE

The two surviving soldiers saw the message.

As one, they dropped their weapons, stepped out from behind the car and knelt on the ground, hands over heads.

“Armour off,” I hissed.

The two soldiers nodded, and removed their helmets.

The sound of laser fire had slackened off now. I could hear steps behind me - steps that belonged to Nanofibre Weave boots.

: oh hey donna’s coming to you

: and that’s daisy with her

The two women took positions by my side, leveling their rifles at the surrendered Grunters.

“Shall we deal with them?” Donna asked.

“No,” I replied. “They surrendered. That must be respected. We’ll take the armour and the rifles - and turn them over to the cops.”

“Cops might not be able to hold them,” murmured Daisy.

“If Grumman comes for them,” I replied, “I’ll be waiting. We’ll see how that ends.”

The two men had stripped down to their underwear, leaving the pieces of armour on the ground.

I could hear the wail of police sirens now. The cops had responded - finally.

: it’s only been five minutes

: has it?

: yeah - battles are fast

I cocked my head. “Load the Grunter armour into the press van,” I told Daisy. “Then get the girls together and head into court.”

Daisy turned to me. “Dressed like this?”

I nodded. “Let nobody mistake what you are now. You aren’t victims anymore.” I turned towards the charred corpse of the supervillian. “Your shots took him down, in the end.”

Daisy nodded. “We killed Gravitic.”

“You did. The guns are yours now. The armour, too. Wear them as warriors. Wear them with pride.”

2 GRUNTER SOLDIERS DEFEATED! +400 XP.

QUEST COMPLETED! SHATTER THE BLADE.

GRUNTER CAPTAINS DEFEATED: 2/2. GRUNTER LIEUTENANTS DEFEATED: 4/4. GRUNTER SOLDIERS DEFEATED: 14/14 (12 KILLS, 2 SURRENDERS).

+3000 XP.

BLUEPRINTS UNLOCKED:

POWERED COMBAT ARMOR: BOAR CLASS MEDIUM POWER PACK

BONUS OBJECTIVE ACHIEVED: GRUNTER COMMANDER DEFEATED.

+500 XP FOR DEFEATING A JOINT FACTION LEADER.

SKILL TREE UNLOCKED: GRAVITY CONTROL

SKILL UNLOCKED: POWERJUMP.

YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 9.