Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by
Guild of Gamers: The Card Master
Chapter 09: Concession
– Amy Dallon (Panacea) –
Leaving the 'family meeting', Amy frowned to herself thoughtfully. Being called to the PRT to test a new source of Parahuman healing twice in one week was a genuine surprise. The even bigger one was that she could find no real issues with either.
Trollhide was better combat healing than hers. Not only did it require no real focus after Corvo 'cast' it, it turned the patient into a decently tough brute for the duration so even if they were still under attack, Trollhide would greatly increase their chances of surviving long enough for the healing to fix them up. It wasn't any use for diseases or mental issues, but pretty much everything else was perfect.
She envied Charlie a lot. He didn't even need to be there to heal the patients. He could just send a summon, cast through them and never have to deal with the begging, the demands, the stress. He just cast his spell and went about his day without a care in the world. He didn't need to see the injuries, he didn't need to focus on fixing them. He just… waved a card and laughed in her face. She would kill for the same distance. She'd sell her soul to be able to do her duties without needing to be there in person. Charlie didn't know how good he had it.
If his monsters weren't so… fascinating, she might just hate him by default from sheer bitterness. It wasn't fair, of course, but when did that matter when it came to emotions? Nothing was fair.
After she tested Trollhide, Carol called a family meeting. Her concerns were simple. The Brockton Bay PRT had their own healer now. Which meant they needed New Wave less. With Charlie being able to cast through his summons, they'd always go to him first since he wouldn't even need to come in to heal anyone who got injured.
New Wave got a lot of leeway and an impressive stipend from the PRT, compared to most independent heroes. Nobody in the family thought for a moment that it wasn't because of her. The PRT needed her to keep their heroes in the fight, so when Vicky caused too much collateral damage or was too rough on a criminal or villain, they never raised a fuss. That stipend paid for the entire Pelham side of the family, as Carol was the only member of either family with an actual job. If the PRT didn't need her anymore, that stipend wasn't going to stay as generous when their next review came around. Vicky would find them being far harsher the next time she caused a mess.
New Wave didn't take corporate sponsor deals. In the same way that Carol refused to allow her to be paid for her work, shouting that it wasn't heroic when she tried to point out that doctors got paid for doing less than she did, New Wave refused to become a hero for hire group. To sell out, risking losing control or finding themselves trapped in unpleasant contracts. Heroes don't need a paycheck to save the day, right?
Well, they still needed to eat. They still needed to pay their mortgage. People always say that crime doesn't pay. They were wrong. Fighting crime doesn't pay, unless you're going for one of the few dangerous enough to have a bounty on their heads.
Piggot hated them. Not for anything in particular, she just hated capes. An independent hero was only marginally better than a villain to her, as any cape not under her control was a risk. A problem. Now that she didn't need New Wave, she'd tolerate them even less.
So, New Wave had a very serious family meeting which amounted to 'what do we do when Piggot slashes our stipend to save money' and 'Vicky, don't punch the nazis too hard next time even if Amy is there to heal them'. Carol made a lot, but Brockton Bay was an oddly expensive place to live for such a shithole and she was the only one with a regular income in two fairly large families. Their part of town was, anyway, and nobody was eager to move into a cheaper part of town because being publicly known heroes in gang territory was just asking for trouble. The Unwritten Rules barely applied to them thanks to New Wave's policy of unmasking, and if they moved three houses down from Lung's favourite brothel or Kaiser's minority lynching corner they might as well hand themselves to the gangs on a silver platter, tied up in nice ribbons.
Most of New Wave were too young to have a proper job. Mark was Mark. Aunt Sarah was the most active hero of the adults, and had frequently mentioned not wanting a 'civilian life' where she'd be vulnerable. Uncle Neil agreed with her.
She'd suggested accepting one of the offers from the stupidly rich people who constantly tried to bribe their way onto her waiting list. It made sense to her. If they didn't, the PRT almost certainly would for anything Trollhide could deal with, and most of he fucking assholes found their way in front of her anyway. Usually by making 'donations' to the hospital instead. Sometimes they used fake names, but she'd gotten good at spotting the rich and powerful pretending to be something they weren't. If the money was going to be spent anyway, why not have it go to them instead of some hospital officials back pocket?
Carol disagreed.
Vehemently.
With how much she reacted, you'd have thought that Amy suggested that she run around giving everyone super cancer and demanding they pay her to remove it. Aunt Sarah had sided with her, but that had just led to a long, loud argument that went nowhere and had everyone but the two sisters backing out within the first two minutes for their own safety and sanity. In the end, the meeting ended with nothing done and Carol angrier than when it had started.
Then, a day after Trollhide, she got called in to look at another form of Parahuman healing, once again by Corvo the Bullshit. Carol charged a large consultancy fee for that one, and the PRT paid it without even blinking. That alone should have set off every red flag in their heads. The government opening its wallet without even haggling? She could see the moment Carol began to panic, when they accepted her demand. Because if they were willing to pay out that easily, they thought they were going to get even more out of it. They were confident that whatever she was being asked to test, it would make the money they paid New Wave inconsequential.
And they were fucking right.
With Trollhide, Charlie at least had to do something. Sure, he could be sitting on his ass watching tv but he'd still have to wave his funny card and focus on the injured person for a moment. He'd have to take a second out of his oh-so-precious time.
So, obviously, his power went 'Oh, I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Here's a way to heal an infinite amount of people without ever having to lift a finger.' What the fuck kind of luck did he have? People said powers were a lottery, and Charlie had won every jackpot possible in a single go. At this point she was shocked his powers didn't come with a billion dollars and a lap dance from Alexandria as bonuses because what the actual fuck was he.
The Concession Stand was a level of bullshit she had not even considered possible. It looked at the rules on how powers worked, laughed in their faces then served up a number nine with large fries and a vanilla shake.
Fatal wounds? Have a slice of pizza! Deadly diseases ravaging your body? Try our double cheeseburger and fries! Brain damage? Have you tried our delicious strawberry milkshake?
What the actual fuck. Charlie didn't need to be there. He didn't need to lift a single fucking finger. He didn't even have to acknowledge that the Concession Stand existed. His power just spawned the greatest hospital in the world, in the form of a theme park fast food joint.
'He's dying, get Panacea!' had just become 'He's dying, lets go to Fugly Bobs!'.
For New Wave, this was even worse than Trollhide alone. It was infinite, free healing, requiring no parahuman involvement now that it was placed down. The Concession Stand never got tired, it never needed a break, it was never unavailable or busy or overworked. It just… existed, pumping out Panacea in the form of greasy burgers and vanilla shakes.
No complications. No temptation. No exhaustion.
She loved it.
God, she shouldn't. But she loved it.
Brockton Bay relied on her. That was the reality she had lived with for so many years. Every hero that fell was one she had to get back up. If she slept in, people died. If she took a day off, people died. If she stopped to catch her breath, people died. Every time Vicky dragged her to the boardwalk for 'sisterly shopping', Amy felt an internal counter clicking up with how many people probably died while she was trying on dresses for Vicky's consideration. If she spent time on herself, that little voice in the back of her head that sounded like Carol screamed that she was practically murdering people with her selfishness.
But now, there was a replacement. A new form of healing. One that could be packaged, saved and delivered where it was needed. It hurt her pride to know that Corvo's fast food joint was a match for her, but more than anything else it filled her with relief. This burden was no longer hers alone. If she slipped, if she faltered, someone else was there to pick up the slack.
Even if that came in the form of a megaburger with fries and a soda.
Even now, the PRT was doing some big show of using the 'food tokens' to heal those she hadn't been able to. Brain injuries, coma patients. The food worked when liquified and fed through a special IV drip, so it wasn't even a problem if the patient couldn't eat. She knew what they were doing. 'We have a healer better than Panacea'. They never mentioned her by name, but by targeting the patients she had been forced to refuse, it was a clear message to the city. Corvo can do what Panacea couldn't.
The only way she was better was that she could do cosmetic changes, and possibly reverse ageing if she tried. Two things she'd happily not do because she didn't want to become a parahuman plastic surgeon for rich assholes. For everything else, Concession Stand was her equal in all but speed, and while it worked slower than her, it could work on a thousand people at once while she was stuck with one.
She didn't know what Carol and Aunt Sarah would decide, but… she couldn't bring herself to share their worry. If Charlie kept growing, he might make her entirely… unneeded.
Nothing would make her happier.
– Charles 'Charlie' Barnes (Corvo) –
"Can we not do this, pretty please?" I ask with a groan as I enter my room, after a long day of PRT training, only to find Emma waiting for me. I've kept an eye on Madison, but for the most part she's just been exactly what she's presenting herself as. Flirty, teasing, and a massive cape nerd.
My [Foul Watcher] found out her PHO account… and all the smut she's written. She's already started the first Corvo harem fic. The first chapter is Shadow Stalker losing a bet on a joint patrol, only to be sexually dominated on a rooftop, doing the rest of the patrol with Corvo's semen under her mask.
I don't know if Sophia knows Mads writes porn of her getting dominated. Somehow, I doubt it. Sophia doesn't seem like the type to appreciate being made the bottom, even in smutty fiction.
"Is it true?" Emma asks, a strain to her tone that I've never heard before as I pause, tossing my stuff away and leaning against my desk.
"You're going to have to be a little more clear than that," I point out. "What are you doing here, Ems? I don't know if you missed it, but I've been busy as fuck and right now I'd appreciate you departing my bed so I can collapse face first onto it."
"Can you give people powers?" Emma asks, actually giving me something to work with this time, Scion be praised.
"Eh," I answer with a shrug. "You're half right, kinda. Some of my cards grant power-adjacent shit while active. I've got three of those at the moment, flight, incorporeality and a healing one that also makes the target a Brute. Seriously though, do you and Sophia even go to the toilet without texting the other first?"
How else could she have learnt that? I've not told her anything about my power testing, and my parents barely know anything. Hell, Anne knows more than the rest and she's back at college now so she didn't tell Emma anything. Unlike Emma, I actually talk to Anne fairly often, in texts at least.
"I-"
"Want powers? Yeah, no shit," I cut in, making her flush and pale at the same time. Anger, shame and several emotions I can't even begin to guess at flash across her face. "Sophia told me about the alley."
"Then you know! You know why I don't want to be- no, why I can't stay weak!" Emma replies, a fervour in her tone that I've not heard before. "If Sophia hadn't been there, I'd be dead. If I was lucky. More likely I'd be another pretty white girl who vanished off the face of the earth, and some ABB whorehouse would get a new redhead to pimp out. Dad was useless, I couldn't do anything, but Sophia showed me what it means to not be weak. To be a survivor."
Sophia, what the fuck did you tell her? And her comment about Dad explains some things. His complete favouritism didn't start until around when this alley incident apparently happened. Is it guilt on his part? He failed then so now he overcompensates. I guess he has his pride too, and not being able to protect Emma would hit hard.
"I only have three buffs, and one is more healing than an actual enhancement," I point out.
"But you keep getting more cards, right?" Emma asks, a desperate craze in her tone.
"I do, but there's a teeny tiny problem. Someone went running to Dad, who went running to the PRT, and now I'm a Ward. One with far more attention on me than Sophia ever had. If I was an indie hero, I would be free to do whatever I wanted with my cards but the buffs are the PRTs new favourite toys," I explain. I feel a little bad to kick her while she's down, but at the same time she did do this.
My life would be far simpler if I hadn't been conscripted. Or maybe I'd have joined up myself after going over the decisions and considering all my options.
"But you don't have to show them all your cards, right?" Emma asks, and it amuses me that we both came up with the same solution to this problem. She's only suggesting I do what I'm already doing.
"True, but consider this. Do you think people wouldn't notice if you suddenly gained a superpower? When they already know about my buffs? The Unwritten Rules only go so far and the PRT already have their eyes on everyone in our family because protecting Wards family's is part of their job. I don't know serious this surveillance but I had fucking Alexandria arrive to meet me. The PRT don't want to risk anything happening to their golden goose, and that means I am certain they're being more thorough than they would be with other Wards," I counter. I know for a fact that my family has a security detail because Contessa told me. Part of being a Cauldron employee is that if anyone comes for my family, Alexandria gets a Door to the scene and makes the villains internal organs external.
Having the Thinker (by her own claim) as an employer comes with some pretty hefty benefits. She messages me occasionally with advice for whatever situation I'm in. The whole Missy outfit thing went way smoother after she told me who was the best person to message about it.
Emma goes silent for a long moment, regret clear as day on her face as she realises that she unknowingly shot herself in the foot. But, credit where it is due, she doesn't stay down for long/
"But you're influential enough to get away with it, right? They need you too much to argue over a single card, especially with your healing. Sophia said as much. They know you're not planning to stick around once you graduate from the Wards," Emma says, once again confirming that these two don't have a single independent thought between them.
I swear teenage girl friend groups become fucking hiveminds.
"Maybe. But even if I could, [Arcane Flight] and [Ghostform] aren't much use on their own and I don't control what cards I get," I say, crossing my arms with a frown. "And even if I do, why should I empower you? You're safer without them, instead of trying to join the cape scene with a borrowed power. The PRT will keep you safe, the ABB can't target a Wards sister."
She pauses at that, because she knows I've got her. If safety is her concern, then she is better of not getting involved at all. Being a Wards sister is far safer than being a Ward. But it isn't about safety. It's about power. I have it. She wants it.
"I know. Sophia said as much," Emma admits after a long moment. "But I still hate it. I don't want to be weak. I don't want to stay as a nobody. Powerless, weak, pathetic. I've told myself that I'm strong, a survivor, but it was just a lie. An excuse I made to explain why me not triggering wasn't a bad thing. I almost convinced myself, and then you, my own twin, got powers while I was left weak."
A dozen different responses are on the tip of my tongue. Some are pointing out that not having powers doesn't make her worthless. Others are pointless hot air, reassuring her that she isn't pathetic when I already know she wouldn't listen. All die because I frankly don't know what to say.
"This is what I've wanted for as long as I can remember. All I've wanted. I don't give a shit about modeling. I don't care about my popularity. They're just… distractions to take away from the fact that I failed. I always wanted to be a hero, even more so after meeting Sophia," Emma admits candidly. "I know you don't like me. I don't blame you. I liked putting you down for being a nerd because it made me feel less pathetic. It gave me something I could use to pretend I'm better than you, but you succeeded where I failed. I won't say I'm sorry. We both know I'm only sorry because it's blown up in my face. But I would do anything, literally anything, to be a cape. I don't even care if the power is weak. I'll take anything."
"Emma-" I start, but she's clearly on a roll.
"I mean it, Charlie. I will do anything if it will help convince you. I've been a shitty sister, and I've pretended to be better than you for years, but I'll kiss your feet and beg on my hands and knees if you want," Emma says, her tone only growing more zealous as she stands.
"I don't even know when I'll get more cards," I point out, trying to cut off the crazy I see in her eyes.
"I've waited years. I can wait more," Emma promises. "Besides, your power is growing all the time, right?"
Two Blue Cards Added.
Ha ha. Very funny.
[Oracle's Insight] - Blue
Effects: Enchants a target with scry.
[Sakashima of a Thousand Faces]
Type: Legendary Rogue
Orphaned as a child, his life seemed to have little chance of importance within Kamigawa. Desiring more, he wore masks and costumes, learning the intricacies of disguising himself as others before moving on to learn illusionary arts from master illusionist Chinsen. Using the techniques he learned, Sakashima would go on to infiltrate ogre strongholds, kitsune forest, orochi colonies, and even the flying cities of the soratami. Eventually, he mustered the nerve and skill to pose as their leader and rule them. Still, it was all too easy for him, and a desire to infiltrate the impossible, the Realm of the Kami grew within him.
New Features Added.
Buff spells can now be semi-permantly bound to a target, greatly reducing the mana drain at the price of not being able to change the target easily. Once removed, the card goes into a long cooldown depending on the spell cost.
Creature cards can now be merged with a willing target, granting the target the abilities of the card. This causes the target to become the summoner's summon in the creature's place, following the same rules as a regular creature. They will not be able to attack or plot against the summoner. They will not be able to disobey a direct order from the summoner. The summoner can use their senses and read their thoughts. The summoner can use the creature as a relay for casting spells.
Oh, ha fucking ha.
So, my power has a personality and apparently that personality is 'big fucking troll'.
— Quest Section —
Should Charlie empower Emma?
Yes, with [Oracle's Insight].
Yes, with [Sakashima of a Thousand Faces].
Test just how far 'anything' goes, first.
Put this entire mess off for later, she doesn't need to know about his new mechanics or cards.
Author's Note: And Emma strikes first, besides Madisons early skirmish and Sophia laying some groundwork, because Emma Barnes does not have anything resembling chill.
Written: 12/05/2026