They dragged the kid into the warehouse, with a bag over his head and no restraints, thanks to Regent's talents. Though 'kid' is a bit of a misnomer, mused Tattletale He'd be a line backer, if he had muscle instead of that bit of chub. Indeed, the "kid" would have stood over six feet tall and probably taller than Grue, had the sedatives and Regent's control not been keeping him from standing. Earlier in the alley where they forced the target to walk to, after they had used the sedatives their employer had supplied, Lisa had asked Regent if his control would be permanent while the kid was like this.

"No" she remembered "I'll only be able to grab and maintain control of this guy when he's drugged like this. Once they wear off, it'll be like trying to take control of any other person." So, they had a time limit. Grue put the kid on the lone chair next to a small table, conveniently set up in the middle of the warehouse. Coil thinks of everything. Except actually telling us what the fuck we're supposed to do with this kid.


Their employer had called her just a few hours prior, the day before the planned bank heist. "The heist is now unnecessary Tattletale. Your team can still proceed with what you have planned, if you so choose, but know that you will no longer have my support. Not during the heist itself, not after with the laundering and depositing of the money, and definitely not with getting you and your team out of PRT custody once you are caught." He paused; partly for dramatic effect and partly to let her respond, she surmised.

Through gritted teeth she responded, "Well boss, you wouldn't have called just to tell me that. What do you need now?" Her power told her he was smiling; underneath that snake themed condom he called a costume.

"Your team's new assignment is the abduction of one Nikil Patel, a high school student at Arcadia. I have already texted you his picture. He will be taking the city bus home from school in three hours. Pick up the sedatives I have had delivered to the PO box and have Regent control him. Walk him to the 'Jim's Porkyard' warehouse in the docks, cover his head with a bag, and put on your costumes. I will contact you once you are all inside the warehouse."

"I assume we'll be paid, especially considering how you jipped us by backing out on the bank job?" Baiting Coil was a dangerous game, but one Lisa loved to do.

"You still have the option of under taking that mission, just without my support," Which means it's a suicide mission "Your team will each be paid $10,000 in cash for your services. This is satisfactory."

Lisa didn't need her power to know that last part wasn't a question. One does not negotiate money with Coil. "Fine, ta ta for now." she said, ready to cut the call.

"Oh and one more thing Tattletale," his silky voice whispered "I need your whole team on this. Nikil may not look like much, but he is not to be underestimated. Skitter and her insects will go a long way towards intimidating him. Goodbye, and do not disappoint me."


An absolute creep she thought. Her power had given her a pretty good indication of why he didn't need the bank heist anymore, but why he needed Nikil, she still didn't know. She remembered texting Taylor and learning she had a test she couldn't skip and shopping with her father she couldn't get out of. Skitter had promised to meet them at the loft later, after the job was done. So Lisa had gone ahead and told the rest of the Undersiders the plan, leaving Brian and Alec to handle the abduction, while Rachel, her dog Brutus and Lisa herself met them at the warehouse. The girls were waiting in costume while the boys dragged the target in. "Sorry, the sedatives are almost worn off. Guy must be too fat for the dose." Alec said as Grue got Nikil into position.

"It's fine," Tattletale told him "Just go get dressed." Brian's costume was easy; he put on his leather jacket and the motorcycle helmet, and he was done. Alec had to strip down to his briefs to get his costume on, so he went into the backroom for some privacy.

They arranged themselves around him, Tattletale close to him and next to the table, directly in front of him. Grue was a few yards behind her, to her right, near the table. Rachel was equally as far back, on her left, holding the chain she used as Brutus' reins as she sat on top of him. He was the size of a small car now, and growing still.

"Now what Tattletale?" Grue asked.

"Now we wake him up, and find out why the boss would want him." she replied.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No. Bastard never tells me anything. Now, wake him up."

Sighing, Grue took the bucket of water that had been placed under the table (Did Coil want us to wake him up? Lisa thought) and threw the contents of the bucket into their hostages face. Nikil spluttered and gasped for breath under the wet bag, but didn't swear or jump out of his seat like she expected. Either he's been in this position before, or the kid was more awake then he let on, Lisa thought, as she reached forward and rip the bag up and off his head.

He glared back at them. Slightly long nose, tan skin, strong jaw; he'd be handsome if it didn't look like he was trying to kill them with just his dark eyes. "Sooooo, know who we are, grumpy?" Tattletale asked, let her voice be more cheerful and half an octave higher than it was. Always gets men to put their guard down when I talk like that. Some women too.

Nikil took a breath and looked her in the eye. "Tall, dark and motorcycle fetish over there is Grue. The ugly girl over there with the growing monster dog must be none other than Bitch, most apt description I've ever heard," he muttered the last part, then continued in his loud voice "Regent must be off somewhere adjusting his thong and fishnets, and I'd bet my life that bug girl is somewhere in the shadows of this steaming pile of crap you call a hideout, probably ready to drop a thousand bugs on my head if I even try to get out of this chair. And finally, you're Tattletale, based on process of elimination, and the pink eye on your chest."

As he analyzed them, her power started doing the same to him. Overweight, but working to lose the excess weight. Faster than he looks, fast reflexes, not parahuman in origin. Smart, but convinces others he's smarter or dumber, depending on what suits his purposes. Stubborn, arrogant, and very quick to anger. Orphan, raised by one male guardian, uncle? No, older brother, at least an 8 year gap. Knowledgeable, knows more than is available on Parahumans Online. Brother is cape? No, brother is at least as tall as him, if not taller; no cape in Brockton Bay is that tall, except for Manpower, whose identity is public. Brother is PRT; Nikil's natural muscle structure is not inconsiderable, despite only recently having started working out. Field agent, must care for his own body and regularly exercise. Why did he let his brother get fat? Negligence? No, guilt, blames parents' deaths on himself? His brother IS the cause of his parents' deaths.

Tattletale smiled. She had what she needed.

"Oh, do you like looking at my chest?" she purred, and gave him her best flirtatious smirk. Now the poor boy will blush, and get nice and flustered. What is it about hormones that make schoolboys so easy to figure out?

Instead, he gave her a savage grin and replied "It's better than looking at that thing you call a face. Good thing you wear that skimpy mask, I definitely needed the filter. Though in the future, cover up more, please? It was kind of you to put that bright symbol right on your chest too, draws the eye right to your only salvageable assets, though if I had to guess, you use a powerful pushup bra to keeps those saggy things in control. All in a bid to try to sucker poor, innocent little boys like me, eh?" As he finished he winked and stuck his tongue out at her.

Off to her right, she heard Grue cough. Trying not to laugh her power told her, not that she didn't already know. For once, I'm glad Regent's ridiculous frilly crap takes so long to put on. He'd be shitting himself from laughing so hard.

She mustered her trademark grin and leaned forward, till she was almost nose to nose with him. Moderately strong cologne, shaved this morning, tropical smell, made by the commercial tinker Essence. Expensive, but made affordable by the discounts PRT workers and their families receive on certain tinker made goods. She drew her pistol, and laid it on the table, with the barrel facing him. "Now now Nikil, play nice, or we won't. We can do a lot of harm to you here, and elsewhere. I know for instance, that you only have a little bit of family, just an older brother. We could hurt him, or you could tell us what we want to know, up to you. Now, did your dear older brother ever tell you any juicy PRT secrets at the dinner table?" Now, he's gonna snap at me, better take a step back.

For a moment he was silent, just watching her. Then he chuckled and said in a quiet voice, barely audible to her, "Your name should be bitch, you know that? Brother dear did tell me one little secret; if I'm ever in trouble with some capes, to hold the two buttons on my watch to activate the tracker, so he could send a squad after me. And when it vibrates, they're near my location, waiting for the signal to move in."

Her power seemed to scream at her as her mind raced to process the new information it seemed to throw at her. He noticed two new faces on a bus filled with mostly Arcadia students, large black man, slight figured curly haired teenager. He deduced they were Grue and Regent then? No, he waited and noticed that they stayed on the bus as it emptied on its way to the docks. He didn't identify them till he felt Alec slip they syringe into his arm. Grue and Alec never noticed Nikil reach for the buttons on his watch, too busy watching the bus driver for signs of reaction.

His watch gave a short buzz, and he gave them one last grin.

He kicked her hard in-between her legs, and not for the first time, she thanked God she wasn't a man. But still, she swore all she saw for the next couple of seconds was red. The kick was powerful enough to drive the air from her lungs, and distract her long enough for his fist to slam into her jaw. I think he broke my tooth she thought dimly as the ground rushed up to meet her, and darkness washed over her.

At first she thought she was unconscious, and then realized how ridiculous it was to be able to think and be unconscious. The darkness was Grue's, and left her deaf and blind, but her power started working overtime to fill in the blanks of what was going on in the darkness. Nikil grabbed her gun, and fumbled to turn off the safety, while Grue ran forward and moved her out of the way. He stood up and rushed the kid. Too close to change direction when he heard the click. So close Nikil couldn't miss. Hit in his gut then the right side of his chest, directly opposite the heart. His momentum was still enough to bowl over the teen. The darkness dissipated as he lost consciousness.

Lisa was able to see again and craned her neck to check on Grue. He'd collapsed on top of the kid, who was simultaneously trying to shove him off and raising his gun at her. She attempted to scramble to her feet, when suddenly her ears were ringing, and her costume felt wet. Gunshot too close, impact in shoulder, going into shock. Rachel growled and attempted to rush forward on Brutus, but stopped when bullets tore into the ground in front of her. Wrong angle, not Nikil.

She moved her head to follow the angle the bullets had hit, and saw Miss Militia sliding down a rope that descended from a broken skylight in the ceiling. The barrel of her submachine gun was smoking. Around her, several more ropes carried half a dozen PRT troops.

"Rachel Lindt, AKA Hellhound, you are under arrest. Stand down. Now." The young woman and her dog were covered in Christmas lights, from the seven laser sights trained on her from the ground, as well as the three additional ones covering her from the roof.

Lisa was in too much pain, too selfish, to yell out her warning. Rachel charged and all ten rifles emptied their magazines.

This time, Lisa did pass out.