Chapter Fourteen - Public Relations

“Alright girls,” Emily said. She clapped her hands together twice, and five little heads turned her way.

Her sisters were still with Sam, though all three of them were currently hounding some HRF agents with questions, and she couldn’t help but notice that Trinity had stolen one agent’s unfolding baton and was stuffing it into one of her dollar-sign bags.

Sam was meant to watch over them, but the older girl looked harried. “We’re heading back,” Emily said. She looked past her sisters and towards the line that the HRF had formed along the middle of the street. The media was still there, and it looked like everyone in the neighbourhood had shown up.

She had to wonder if people were all idiots. If the HRF was here, that meant that there had probably been some sort of fight. Did they want to get caught up in a battle? The reporters and journalists she could understand, at least a little. It was their job to film things.

“They’ve been given permission to go,” Allison said from next to Emily. The more logistics-focused agent was easy to forget, she was so quiet. “You can head out at any moment, Boss.”

“Thanks,” Emily said. She waved her sisters over. “Come on, we have a bunch of things to get done before the day’s up.” It was past eleven, she had classes starting at twelve and the campus was a good fifteen minute’s drive away. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t have time to take a shower before class.

Her sisters ran over and gathered around her. “We got to honk the sirens!” Trinity said.

“You don’t honk sirens, idiot,” Teddy said.

“I’ll honk you!” Trinity snapped back.

“You’re both making a fuss, stop being so annoying and be better, like me,” Athena added.

“Girls,” Emily said, something of a warning in her tone. It worked, shutting all her sisters up long enough for her to continue. “I’m... I’m a little stressed, okay? Can we just go back home? I still have a lot of things to do today.”

She got five nods. Smiling, Emily patted Trinity on the head, then because she noticed the jealous looks on her other sister’s faces, she gave them pats too.

Sam gestured to the crowd gathered on the other side of the yellow tape. “Think we’ll have a hard time getting by?” she asked.

“They’d have to be pretty stupid to interfere with this many masks,” Emily said.

“So is that a yes? Because I don’t usually like gambling against people’s stupidity.”

Emily sighed, then turned towards Allison, who was still standing nearby. “I’m very sorry, but could we have a ride? Just down the street and away from all the, uh, them.” Emily gestured towards the crowds.

Allison adjusted her glasses, then glanced back at the vans parked nearby. “I think we can arrange something like that, sure. We have a protocol for delivering allied heroes to locations where they can change and disguise their presence.”

“It happens often enough that you have a protocol?” Sam asked.

“Some masks take the separation between their identities very seriously,” Allison said. “We make a point not to alienate the people assisting us when what they’re asking for is easy to provide.”

“Is, uh, hiding your identity that big of a deal?” Emily asked.

Allison nodded her head towards the crowd. “There are vans from three news stations there. Mostly they’ll be focused on Silver Fox right now. There are journalists out there too. When their ratings and sales depend on being as sensationalist as possible you can be certain that on occasion they will twist a story in a way that will ensure more sales. That can be to the detriment of a hero, at times.”

“Yikes,” Sam said. “Giving some poor chump bad PR for more views is kind of dirty.”

“It’s why the HRF puts as much emphasis on appearing friendly and helpful,” Allison said. She tapped a few things on her tablet, then looked over to the vans. “That one right there, 35B, will be the one carrying you out of the area. You can give the driver any address in the city.”

“Thank you,” Emily said. “Uh, and for the information too.”

“You’re welcome. If you have any questions, please call us. Or you can contact me personally here.” Allison tugged a card out from a pocket on her bulletproof vest and handed it to Emily. It was just the woman’s name and contact information next to the embossed logo of the HRF.

One of the agents opened the sidedoor of the van they were heading towards, revealing an interior filled with uncomfortable benches that looked too small, somehow. There was also a cage with a bunch of equipment where the passenger seat would be on a more normal van.

“Alright, everyone in,” Emily directed. Her sisters scrambled into the van, then Sam hopped in and Emily followed.

The driver was already up front. He half-turned to address them. “No belts, I’m afraid. We operate under the same rules as a bus. There are handrails, and unless there’s an emergency, I’ll be driving safer than a soccer mom being tailgated by a sheriff.”

“Uh, thank you,” Emily said. She settled on one of the seats and discovered that her initial assumption about its comfort was spot-on.

“So, that was something,” Sam said.

“Yeah,” Emily agreed. She leaned forwards, elbows on knees in what she knew wasn’t a very womanly pose, but it was just her and her sisters and Sam, and besides, she was a little too... not exhausted, but something close to care. “I hope that was worth it.”

“Your reputation will get a boost from this,” Sam said. “Think of how happy the locals will be that you took out a gang led by a villain. This entire part of the city owes you one.”

Emily nodded slowly. She could read between the lines there.

“And we got stronger,” Teddy said from behind her. “Got a skill upgrade point for being badass.”

“Don’t swear please,” Emily said, mostly out of reflex. So Teddy had gotten a skill upgrade too? “Did everyone get a point like that?” She looked over her shoulder towards her sisters who were all nodding.

“I got one,” Trinity said.

“Likewise,” Athena said. “We’ll all be a little bit stronger now, more fearsome!”

“We’ll kick even more butt!” Teddy cheered.

Sam laughed before she leaned up behind the driver. “Can you bring us next to Elm? There’s that little corner store there.”

“The one with the big wall full of candy?” the driver asked.

“You know it?” Sam asked.

“I live here too, you know.”

“Right, right, can you drop us off behind that?” Sam asked. “We’ll make it back safe from there.”

“Can do,” the driver said before he turned the wheel and started moving them around the street. Emily looked out ahead, there weren’t any windows in the rear. The walls looked like they were a lot thicker than a normal car’s. Were they bulletproof? She didn’t put it past the HRF to have armoured vans for carrying agents around.

The rest of the agents looked like they were packing up already, a few of them waiting in little groups that were clearly just loitering while nothing interesting happened.

It had been something of an overreaction to send out what felt like an entire army (though she imagined it was only maybe thirty or forty agents) to capture one villain.

Then again, maybe it made sense to overreact. It was better than the opposite.

She leaned back into her seat as they drove on and listened with half an ear as her sisters chattered and giggled about silly things in the back.

If she really was going to challenge the city as a sort of villain, she might end up having to face this kind of response. Could she do anything about it?

They had guns, tasers, they had body armour and helmets. They were incredibly well equipped. Then they had training to put that equipment to work.

Her sisters... were the opposite of well trained. Though she couldn’t exactly insult them by saying that aloud. They were doing their best.

The van pulled to a stop, and Emily almost jumped when Sam reached over her and tugged the door open. “Come on!” she said as she jumped out.

Emily scrambled to follow her, and was soon followed by her gaggle of sisters.

“Thanks for the ride, old man!” Trinity called to the driver.

He laughed, waved, then put the van into drive again and moved on.

That left Emily and company next to the entrance of an alleyway right next to a quiet little corner store.

“My car’s only a block away,” Sam said. “Want to keep up the good work, or are we done for the day?”

“I think,” Emily said. “That we’re done for the day.”

***