Being a superhero has its perks. You create this network of people that can do incredible things. If you are good with people, you may even get some allies.

While Pippa isn’t great at social interactions, she is much better when she is her alias, Beacon. Beacon can be anyone she wants to be. Well…kinda. The public perception is its own box that even a superhero can be shoved into.

But nonetheless, she feels more confident as Beacon.

So when she proposes to Nightfall expanding the group to take down Brainwash, she has some people in mind.

While she desperately wants to call Cotton (and she normally would), she knows he needs some space. They didn’t leave things off the best. And Water Craze has been on a bit of a break.

It’ll be good for her to focus on something else to distract her from him anyway.

So that takes out Water Craze and Whirlpool (not that she would help Beacon anyway).

So she has to look towards other allies. Good thing she isn’t short of them.

Making lists calm her, so she mentally begins to craft one.

She once was in a gladiator fight with the vigilante Reflection. Ever since escaping the weird kidnapping where they were literally pitted against one another, she has seen her every once in a while. And those weren’t entirely unpleasant, so she would probably agree to help.

Freefall is an ally. She met her during a huge heist that this crime group had been planning. These criminals were hitting specific banks, one of them being the one in her town. Freefall is normally known in the city nearby, Edderson. Pippa bets she can call in a favor.

There is someone who Beacon thinks she’ll be able to contact. Wisp. It’s hard to get ahold of him even if you’re in the same room. His powers revolve around being like a ghost. He can phase through objects and become invisible. With those skills combined, he could’ve been an impossible to catch thief. Good thing he came a hero. Or close to it at least. Last that she heard, Wisp works for the government. So maybe more like a soldier.

Outcry isn’t exactly a hero. Pippa isn’t sure how to categorize him, perhaps an anti-hero, but they are gonna need an ace up of their sleeves against Brainwash. Something surprising. Outcry is pretty out there for Beacon. And it helps that if he can get his cry off, it could disorient Brainwash.

With help from them, they might be able to do this. Certainly Brainwash can’t take six highly skilled heroes, vigilantes, and anti heroes. Right?

She’s got her list. Hopefully they all say yes.

———

(Yes, I titled it Assemble in reference of the MCU. I am a huge superhero fan if you couldn’t tell.

FYI, you’ve never met any of these new people except for Reflection.)