Whatever It Takes || Code 8: Connor Reed

Victoria saw that Garrett of course, he was now at the head of positively massive group of multiple powered people and she shouted in a fury, lunging forward to find the others.

Every single droplet of water from every area around her, then every drop of liquid or even blood, it was all rising with her sheer fury.

The Pyros looked panicked as she was washing them all away and she landed in front of her group, as the water was rising all around her. "You should never have shown your fucking face here, Garrett." She growled as Garrett was shaking his head at her.

"Your group is bad for my business. You guys are going to have to go." Garrett said and Victoria heard a scoff from behind her and she looked over her shoulder, to see that Griff and Linden were both walking forward and Linden was cracking his neck.

"Over our dead bodies." Linden growled and Garrett scoffed at the words, before he was looking at Victoria, who was staring at him angrily.

"You would die for her?" Garrett wondered and Linden glanced over at Victoria, before he was looking back at the four kids, at Heather and the others before he turned back around to look at Garrett again.

"Not for her, but for her cause." Garrett grabbed a gun and fired it at Linden, whose body repelled the bullet as Linden shrugged it off.

"A Brawn, huh?" Garrett wondered and Linden shrugged cockily as Garrett shook his head, before he put the gun away. "You win this round, Victoria. But, we will be back." Garrett threatened and then Victoria was shaking her head at him before she was growling softly.

"And we will be ready." Victoria was threatening her older brother in return for it and Garrett scoffed quietly, before him and also his crew were going back to their vehicles quickly and they were all driving off together.

Victoria took a deep breath once she was sure that they were gone, before all of the liquid splashed onto the ground again and she was shaking her head. "Is everyone okay?" She asked and then suddenly, she was tackled by four kids. "Whoa." She said quietly.

Jaime was technically a teenager but in Victoria's mind, she was always going to be a kid. The twins Tommy and Tyla were both tall like their dad, which made them fast and surprisingly strong for their ages and then there was the last one.

Victoria smiled gently now at the sight of Freya, a kid who had been desperate for any help after she was thrown out on the streets, after her foster parents didn't want a Class 3 Reader in their house.

"Kids inside now, go downstairs and start training." Victoria said and then as soon as they heard the utterly serious tone in her voice, all of them took off into the house.

She was looking at Heather, Griff and Linden who were all watching her and waiting for her judgement call. "We are going to have to hope, that we are ready when they come at us again." Victoria hardly had to say it, but they all needed to hear it on some level as they nodded quickly as she sighed. "And I'm sorry, that I wasn't here earlier."

"Did your powers take you on a detour to Connor's place too?" Griff asked and Victoria looked startled at the question, before she was turning her head to stare at him. "Tyla told me, that Tommy told her, that the same thing happened to him earlier." Griff stated.

"Yeah, that happened to me too." Victoria saw no reason to lie about it as she walked into the house and she was shaking her head, swiftly going to put on a pot of coffee for herself.

"Why does your brother hate you so much?" Linden asked and she was looking at the coffee pot, watching as it brewed.

"I don't like answering questions about my personal life." Victoria countered as Linden sighed.

"Okay, then who the hell is Connor and why do you and Griff sound like you two know him so well?" Linden asked.

"Do yourself a favor Linden? Stop asking questions that are likely to get you killed in some way, shape or form." Griff called out as he shoved past the Brawn to quickly get into the kitchen, since it was his turn to cook and she hands him a mug of coffee. "Thanks." He said.

"I can't be killed..."

"Anybody can be killed." Victoria corrected as she was taking the whole coffeepot with her, plus a massive mug. "You are just a lot harder to kill than most." She said and he was looking at her.

"Well, nobody has succeeded yet." She was shaking her head before he was holding his hand up to his throat, as he was choking, suddenly struggling to breathe.

Linden felt like he was drowning as she walked away from him, before she let go and Linden gasped, shuddering from the floor. "What was that?" Victoria asked and Linden was spitting blood to the side, since she had been effectively drowning him from the inside.

"Fucking bitch." Linden spat and she shrugged her shoulders, before she was walking into the gym room.

"I would be really careful about insulting her, Linden." Griff said and Linden turned back around to look at him. "I have seen people be nearly killed for far less than just calling her a bitch." He pointed out and he was casually stepping over Linden, who was still recovering from the art that many people who knew any Hydros, they always called it "the clots" and it was an extremely effective tactic.

Victoria was shaking her head as she was looking down at her hands, seeing them as they shook and she shut her eyes, trying to get them under control again.

"You looked like a human lightbulb." She said and Connor glanced at her, before he found himself laughing at the words as she nodded. "Thanks." Victoria said and he shrugged.

"You owe me now, for that horrible gut feeling from the teleportation." Connor stated and Victoria's eyes flashed with laughter as she nodded. "Have you even gotten used to it?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Nope."

---- ---- ----

Jordan, Connor and Victoria were all laughing as they were throwing back drinks and the kids were sleeping already. Victoria was using her power to tip drink bottles to pour them more, barely having to focus as she was flicking her finger.

Connor and Jordan were in a strangely intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors as Victoria was laughing loudly, whenever Connor lost a game and let out a stream of curses as he went.

Victoria opened her eyes again and she opened her hands, seeing that they had finally stopped shaking and she was looking over at the doorway, seeing Griff standing there. "If you went to stay with Connor and left me in charge, I wouldn't blame you." He murmured and she was shaking her head.

"I could never do that." Victoria said and Griff crossed his arms over his chest, lifting his eyebrows. "Look, I love Connor and I would love to keep our family of five, all together in one place. But I made a promise to your brother years before, that I would keep fighting for powered people that could not fend for themselves. Above anything else and I intend to keep it." Victoria said as Griff sighed, before he was nodding.

"Okay, if you're sure." Griff said and she nodded. "So, can I have the coffeepot back now?" Griff asked and she was looking over at it, before she picked it up and held it out to him. "Thanks." He said as he was walking out of the area again.