[center][img]https://imgs.search.brave.com/j6vCjKJEeCiwA6QMAHPRPEPvdRdMy3uZdYSOHDevZzg/rs:fit:860:0:0/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWFn/ZXMudW5zcGxhc2gu/Y29tL3Bob3RvLTE1/NTQ3NDQwNzItZTk2/NTM1N2RhYTYzP3E9/ODAmdz0xMDAwJmF1/dG89Zm9ybWF0JmZp/dD1jcm9wJml4bGli/PXJiLTQuMC4zJml4/aWQ9TTN3eE1qQTNm/REI4TUh4elpXRnlZ/Mmg4TVRKOGZHeGhj/bWRsSlRJd1luVnBi/R1JwYm1kOFpXNThN/SHg4TUh4OGZEQT0[/img][/center]

[center][h2]Bridgewater Bank[/h2][/center]

[hr]

Ten minutes later, the Wards were deployed to the downtown area of Birdgewater to deal with the mercenary group known as Blackburn. They were known for being ruthless in their operations, and for disappearing as soon as they're finished. Blackburn's numbers are relatively small, but each member was capable of taking down an entire PRT squad individually. The PRT briefed them on the group's powers, and then piled them into the back of an armored vehicle with half a dozen senior officers. More were on the way, but first contact came down to the Wards themselves. Each member was given specific advice on how to approach this by the officers they road with. This began with a simple warning to proceed with caution, as Blackburn was seen using firearms as they attacked, and to always assume that the mercenaries wanted to kill them. 

Decree, Munnin and Keystone were advised to take a backseat and play a supportive role. That meant sneaking in and "convincing" the hostages to follow Decree out, flying over the roof to monitor stragglers and the upper windows, and pointing out strategies and the inherent flaws in their approach. Keystone's power gave him a combative edge, so he would have the easiest time against Champion. While Ethos' power didn't do much in a direct confrontation, the PRT recommended that if she did decide to directly engage Blackburn, she should avoid Ironsides and focus on the other three. Ironsides' power could potentially negate hers, where the others did not have any abilities that physically altered them. She was given the approval to use her powers "as she deemed necessary." 

Hornet, Shattercrash and Richter were advised to be the strike team. Using their mobility, Hornet and Shattercrash could get around Champion and Sundown's explosions the easiest, and Richter only had to touch Kintsugi's minions to take them out. Their powers were the most offensive, so they were tasked with taking the heavy hitters out. This left Tandem, who was strongly advised to spread her clones out between all three subgroups, so no one is left fighting one-on-one while she stole their weapons into her pocket dimension.

Of course, the team was more than welcome to handle this however they wished, if they didn't like the advice. So long as they did not outright kill anyone or injure the hostages, they should have no trouble explaining their approach to the Protectorate after the robbery is done. The PRT's officers would be on standby to avoid a crossfire, rather than rush in to help these mostly untrained children against the brutal villains. They were on their own, and would only be assisted once they incapacitated someone. Would they be able to bring down some of the most dangerous capes in the entire state, all alone?

The bank itself was [i]big.[/i] Twenty-five stories of floor to ceiling windows and a brutalist exterior of concrete and metal jutted out from the surroundings and offered very little vantage points to scale the building from. Bridgewater Bank was built to last, during the reconstruction period after Confessor, and its architecture showed that off, with thick concrete crenelations lining the faces of the building that offered shock absorption in the case of natural disasters. Overall, it looked uninviting, as any heartless corporate building was, but at least it would take a lot to knock it down. 

Keystone's power would notice a substantial flaw in the plan of the buildings; While it was very sturdy, it had no external methods of escaping from the higher floors. The elevator system operated on an independent circuit, meaning it could operate in the event of a blackout, but getting to them wouldn't always be easy. Especially when Sundown had already destroyed them, according to a few text messages from inside the building. 

Police cars and riot barricades littered the front of the bank, with cops and special forces ready to open fire on anyone who looked like a villain. Numerous broken shapes made of twisted metal, asphalt and concrete littered the ground, vaguely formed into animals. These were the work of Kintsugi, a construct master who made minions from the environment. 

The Wards were dropped off on the opposite end of the street, while the van swerved off into another direction. The officers simply said "good luck," and left them to it.

[color=ff00c2]"Don't know about you guys, but I'm going in through the front. Munnin, just fly up and use the earpieces to tell us what you use. Don't get punched. I fought Champion once, and she'd snap your neck with a broken wrist if you looked at her funny,"[/color] Shattercrash said, as she stepped out and immediately offered some of her personal insight.

Having said that, her hands and feet began to crackle with a neon pink glow, and she stormed across the street to the front door. Glowing footprints slowly faded away behind her as she pulled from her internal well, stepping across the barriers and hopping through a broken window, disappearing behind fake potted plants and chairs.

And then...

[b][i][h1]BANG![/h1][/i][/b]

Barely a few seconds after she was out of sight, a loud and sharp blast rang out from inside. Then another, and [i]another.[/i] The cops outside tensed up, not able to see what was happening clearly.