[hider=Creep Attack]… No capes. No, this was a typical den. Five delinquent guys and a girl.

As she watched them laughing and counting the money they had stolen while sitting around a couch, a small part of her tensed up. This’d do for another practice run. If she couldn’t win here, then she’d never stand a chance against the real warriors. With that in mind, Creep removed her invisibility to simply stand there beside the couch. One of the kids jolted as he saw her.

[color=darkkhaki]‘Who’re you!?’[/color] one of the youths shouted at her unpleasantly, causing the rest to also look at her and be startled. Creep let out the breath she was holding.

[color=7a5e6a]‘I am Creep, leader of the Rockers,’[/color] she simply stated. You know, that group that was currently in the process of growing larger and beating up other smaller gangs within their borders. There was a moment of panic in the kids before the same one called out.

[color=darkkhaki]‘[i]BEAT ‘ER UP![/i]’[/color]

No negotiations here, it appeared. The group of six delinquents rose from their seats. Two went immediately for her with their fists. One had a baton already at his side. The other three scrambled for their own weapons. Well, then. Creep still wasn’t used to this kind of confrontation, but there was a reason why she gone through some combat-practice with a more able Rocker for the last few weeks.

Abusing her perfect sight around her, she could create a map of the apartment and perfectly keep track of where everyone was. While fooling the thugs as to her real location, she dodged aside and let them punch her mirage. Using the training she had gotten, she kicked hard at one of their knees from slightly aside while also curving his vision using her power at his face. The kick hadn’t impacted properly, but combined with her manipulation of his vision it was enough to send the first one careering so his head hit the wall. Creep stumbled a little from inexperience performing that kick, but it didn’t matter because all the delinquents saw was her suddenly standing to the side of the downed man unperturbed. They had been allowed to see the kick, not her fumbling after it.

The second man was taken down similarly. He came swinging his fists for her, and she dodged aside in the mannar she had practiced, before performing another of the kicks she’d been taught. The hard impact to his leg combined with the world before his eyes suddenly turning ninety degrees was enough to make him fall. He wasn’t out, however, so she delivered a swift kick to the side of his head which put him in enough pain to count him as out for now. Creep silently confirmed her legs had gotten stronger.

Now, if it hadn’t been for her power letting her map the surroundings, the one with the baton would have hit her. However, now she knew exactly what angle it was coming from and kneeled under it. Seeing how he had a nicely exposed stomach, for some reason, Creep pulled the taser she had obtained and jabbed it into his stomach. The bolt curled through his body and he fell, with Creep grabbing his baton and forcefully pulling it out of his hand on the way of slipping out from under him as he fell. Could be useful against the next set of opponents, she figured.

She now stood in between the three she’d felled and the three remaining. Her kicks weren’t that particularly strong, still, the two she had merely kicked would be getting up soon enough… but the remaining three were now hesitating to take on an obvious parahuman. Creep breathed heavily through her nose. Even after numerous tussles as a Rocker, actual fighting still sent such unpleasant surges through her. She hadn’t actually made any mistakes yet, but the idea that she might one day… All it took was for one misstep… Now, she felt that her power was probably actually helping her avoid making mistakes, [i]somehow[/i], but such a vague promise gave her no comfort.

[color=blueviolet]‘Freeze! Don’t move!’[/color] the girl of the group shouted at her, raising a gun. Creep frowned. The moment she had seen the gun taken out of the drawer she had obviously taken a step back from the mirage she let them see and knelt, minimizing the chance of being hit from actually being fired at. It was a good thing her clothes were all black, black was by far the easiest colour to make a mirage out of. Still, this was annoying.

[color=7a5e6a]‘No, I won’t,’[/color] Creep said, the mirage turning to look at the girl. [color=7a5e6a]‘C’mon, then. Shoot me. If you’re ready for the consequences of murder, shoot me. If you just kill me in here and clean up, perhaps nobody will ever know… but can you truly risk it? Can you risk attempted murder?’[/color] Creep said, her voice calmer than she was feeling. Herself, she was shaking a bit… but her mirage was not. The girl holding the gun shook, thinking about it… but eventually she cried, and the gun fell from her shaking hands. The guys to her left and right saw this as a sign of their defeat, and lowered their weapons. Creep sighed as she stood, both invisible her and her mirage taking out a phone.

[color=7a5e6a]‘Good decision. Saved you a lot of regret,’[/color] Creep said, before dialing a number to one of her unpowered lieutenants. 

Her core was still shaken from the action, but after each fight, said core was a bit less shaken than the previous one. There was something intrinsically different fighting as Creep and fighting as Wisp. As Creep, she had to get up close and personal, actually hit her enemies herself and not just shoot light or lasers into their eyes. Creep was a lot more physical, meaning Sheila had actually had to learn how to attack. In her first action scene as Creep, she’d been somewhat of a wreck, even if nobody had seen. Now, two weeks later… this had almost been professional. … Or maybe she was overestimating her own performance thinking so, heh. Finally, the guy on the other end picked up the phone while Creep still stood visible among the delinquents, keeping her eyes on all of them at once. 

[color=7a5e6a]‘This is Creep. I need some cleanup…’[/color]

They had a few more prospective Rockers to offer membership to. If they agreed, they could even keep the money they had just stolen. They’d take the gun, though. In addition, Creep kept the guy’s baton, sliding it in on the inside of her knife-belt. Honestly, she could use a blunt weapon occasionally.[/hider]

[right][h3]Creep[/h3]Sheila Hopkins

[i]Rockers HQ[/i][/right][hr]

It was early in the morning, a bunch of Rockers sitting in a circle talking at an hour too early for most people to be awake.

[color=firebrick]‘We’re being led by a bunch of kids, you know? And a [i]girl[/i], at that?’[/color] One of the newer Rockers questioned, looking at the rest of the little gathering in the room. The rest weren’t entirely following along with the reasoning.

[color=gray]‘Your point?’[/color] One of the more senior members asked. The new guy clearly wasn’t considering they were led by Ceramix and Shatterpoint a while back, who were as young.

[color=firebrick]‘… I’m just a bit worried. They might get overambitious or make some crucial mistake, and then it’ll all fall apart or something. Wouldn’t it be better to have an adult take the reigns, and let the parahumans just be parahuman?’[/color] 

[color=seagreen]‘Careful,’[/color] another Rocker said. [color=seagreen]‘You never know when Creep might be listening,’[/color]

[color=firebrick]‘Eh, what are the chances she’s listening right now?’[/color] the new guy smiled widely.

[color=7a5e6a]‘One can wonder, yeah,’[/color] Creep said, right behind him. His flinch could be categorized as adorable. She had been listening for a bit, and just now lost to the temptation to reveal herself due to the excellent timing. 

[color=gray]‘Boss, you’re early today,’[/color] one of the members nodded to her while the new person was still reeling.

[color=7a5e6a]‘Yes, I am. I had some scouting to do and an incident to take care of, so now I’m here,’[/color] Creep simply told. [color=7a5e6a]‘Still, our man here has a reasonable worry. Who am I to believe I am mature enough to make the most reasonable decisions in my day-to-day life?’[/color] Creep asked, in an attempt to appear more relatable. She had found that she enjoyed being in power. It had been a remarkable realization.

[color=7a5e6a]‘Unfortunately, this world demands respect, and few things in this world gives a group or a leader as much respect as being a parahuman with a leadership role. My name is already known, I have a place in the villain community, and at this point the Rockers would be hurt if I were to be replaced. We’re doing pretty well so far, aren’t we?’[/color] Creep said with a little smile in her tone. It was easy to speak when nobody was interrupting and all eyes were on her.

[color=7a5e6a]‘That said, I have no intention of ruling as a tyrant. If you have any suggestions or criticism of any of my or anyone else’s decisions, you’re encouraged to bring it up. I promise you’ll be listened to and taken under consideration. We’re all friends and companions here in the Rockers, are we not…?’[/color] she said. [color=7a5e6a]‘Be nice. Gossip is fine, just make sure to bring things up if you have concerns. The Rockers would not be the Rockers without all of you,’[/color] she simply said, and then turned to leave. She had no idea what kind of impression she was leaving, she didn’t know how their minds worked. Still, nothing to it.

Creep went to her office and checked for reports or what otherwise deskwork there was to do for the leader of an organization like the Rockers. She had the phone on her that the Broker or other allies could call if they needed to make specific moves on the Community. This war of theirs had taught Sheila a lot about troop planning and weird versions of military planning… 

The other members of the Rockers could be wherever, Sheila didn’t necessarily want to disturb them this early if they were sleeping or something. There wasn’t an emergency yet, after all.