Like I said Thinker powers are fucking hard. The way I wrote Tattletale's section was because of the prana affecting her power not to mention Information Erasure that some Worm fans should look up. Tattletale beats it barely. Her power also interacts with it by giving her a pseudo master vision (not the worm masters you idiots). I will edit and improve that area eventually. Anyway enjoy the story.


Chapter 2: Threat Level

"Run that by me again. Otherwise I think I'm hearing things." Emily Piggot, Director of the PRT ENE branch ordered the hero. She and most of the high ranking staff were inside the meeting room. The Protectorate heroes accompanied them as well along with newly promoted Triumph and Wards leader Aegis. With the exception of Assault, they were listening closely.

Armsmaster, still wounded and had to attend via one of Dragon's holographic projectors, sighed as he began his report. "At approximately 8 p.m. I've intercepted a call that there was an Empire gathering and an unknown cape. I arrived 10 minutes later to find a large gathering of dead bodies and an unknown cape."

On the screen in front of the meeting table was an image taken from Armsmaster's armor. The picture was blurred slightly but it was the best image that he acquired through the ordeal. It showed the girl standing in front of him before she attacked. Next to it was a picture of her parrying his halberd with knives. He heard chatter about how revealing the cape's clothes are and how Glenn smashed his face against the table.

"This is the cape we are calling Assassin." He spoke. Somehow the name fit and he couldn't fathom why. "The reason this image is not clear is due to a unidentified Stranger power. A quarter of the think tank identified that it erases information about the cape and her abilities in question."

"Most of the Think tank?" Somebody asked.

"It appears that it affected most of them as they couldn't think clearly as it interfered with their powers, giving them nothing. The remaining thinkers theorized that this Stranger power works on everyone. They said that only Thinkers of the highest caliber and by extension, Tinkers specialized in observation and the like can bypass this barrier. I am one of them apparently."

"So we have a killer that looks like a kid wearing something worn by a stripper being able to erase information about herself." Assault said his piece. "Damn, looks like we drew the short end of the stick." He got struck by Battery on the head for his remark.

"I'm more worried about the fact it's a child no older than 8 and she's willing to kill." Miss Militia spoke, she looked uncomfortable while doing so as she looked at the image. "I can't imagine how she would learn live her life."

The Protectorate hero continued. "Assassin also displayed a shaker effect where she creates a thick mist." The image turned into his viewpoint as he fought his opponent. "It disables most forms of electronics barring tinkertech and reduces visibility to a few feet. It also occurred to me that she has a way to see through it in order to fight me as she did."

"Sounds dangerous." Dauntless commented. His spartan like armor sparked a few arcs of electricity. "How did she get away?"

"She disappeared into blue notes of light. I suspect it was either teleportation or invisibility. However until we get information we can't know for sure." Armsmaster said as he finished his report. "Lastly the mist began to break up once she left. However it was slow and took an hour to fully dissipate. "

Everyone looked at each other with varied thoughts. Some wanted to apprehend Assassin and send her to the Birdcage yet others have thought of killing her to save the trouble. Then again, it was a child doing it so everyone was conflicted over their choice. The director slammed her fist and everyone's attention was directed to her.

"While it is a shame to kill the girl, she is a danger to everyone around her. Especially with how she did it." she said with conviction. "We will be assigning her a rating of Stranger 6, Shaker 4, Brute 2, and Striker 0. Orders are to treat her as if she were Bonesaw. Do not let her get close. Imprison her if it is possible for her to be contained. Do what is needed to be done regardless of her age. Any questions."

"Yeah." Dauntless spoke up and eyed the image of Assassin warily. "Why the Striker rating?"

"Autopsies of her victims showed precise skill with her knives." Armsmaster said. "Everything was cut either cleanly or ripped apart to cause the most pain possible to her target while they're still alive." Everyone winced in fear. No one deserves that kind of pain, especially while still conscious. "That said, anyone with enough skill can do it. Parahuman or not."

Silence held reign throughout the room. Anticipation and dark thoughts filled the bodies of everyone in the room. Thankfully, Armsmaster changed the image in the projector to a seemingly normal man. One that had beaten an entire squad of troopers and somehow left.

"Moving on, this is a man we suspect has newly triggered. Subject Berserker was automatically given an automatic Brute 3 rating for his strength." The images showed a hole in the wall the shape of Armsmaster. People chuckled for a moment at the man's expense before reigning it in. "First contact was made within the mist cloud Assassin made. He reacted to my presence, punched me through a wall and into the street outside. He was most likely afraid at the time and acting irrationally."

"Bullets didn't seem to faze him." Miss Militia said confirming her suspicions. "When I arrived he took my appearance with caution and allowed himself to get shot by me. He twitched in reaction but that's it. He treated the men as if they had lethal rounds, he dodged them with ease."

"So he is smarter than he gives on and knows his limits." Battery said. "He has to be faking insanity or something."

"We will send it to the thinkers to get more information." Armsmaster said. "Aegis, inform the Wards that should they encounter either of the two capes that they should keep away and call backup."

"Very well. Everyone is dismissed. Triumph, Aegis leave. The other heroes stay." With that the PRT employees left with Aegis and Triumph behind them. Director Piggot waited for a few seconds before looking at Armsmaster's projection dead in the eye.

"What did you hold back?" the director asked. "Don't lie, you kept some information to yourself." She pressed a button on her desk and the sounds of shutters fell. "No one is listening except for us. Nothing will leave this room."

Armsmaster visibly slackened slightly and gave a sigh. "Director, I wanted to explain this information to you privately in due time." He started up the projector again but this time it showed a body of one of Assassin's victims. "While I was looking for information, I cross-referenced the data about her methods. The way the female victims were opened were disturbingly similar to the serial killer Jack the Ripper in London."

Assault's mouth went slack-jawed. "Hold up, you mean our mystery cape is trying to bring back the memories of a successful murderer centuries ago?!"

The tinker twitched. "You are correct. Unless Jack Slash transformed into a girl and used different methods then yes, Assassin is imitating a well known killer and succeeding."

"It's probably for the best that no one else knows that tidbit." Dauntless said. "I mean, who wouldn't be afraid of Jack Jr."

"That's the information I kept from you about Assassin. Berserker however…" the hero paused as if he wanted to delay his words. "I recognize him. He was the man who treated me in the hospital." That got everyone to stare at him.

"The man who knocked you out is your doctor!" Assault spoke up in volume. "Talk about irony. I mean, you expect the doctor to pull a mad scientist gig, not raging berserker."

"He acted as if he never met Colin as anything but a patient." Miss Militia said as she remembered something she saw. "His eyes seem to say sorry. When we met him." She paused "But he seemed different when I met him at the hospital."

"How different?" The director pressed on.

"The man we met was a doctor who knows what he is doing. The one who attacked us was a madman."

"If they are one and the same, then how is he switching between them." Velocity asked.

"I didn't say that." Miss Militia said. "But that idea does warrant some thought."

"We'll send that to our thinkers." Armsmaster cut in. "For now, I suggest that we avoid Assassin and start finding information on Berserker."

The director felt the urge to drink a lot of alcohol just to damn her liver. An unknown Brute and Jack Slash's daughter are in her city. The only silver lining in this that they might get some much needed help if Assassin keeps killing.


Archer ducked behind the table as bullets flew past his cover. He made the practiced motion of loading his revolver with ammunition and looked behind him. The man spotted his fellow cops under suppression near the wall. Merchant forces were pinning them down with their Assault rifles. Despite the inaccuracy of drug addled shooters, they didn't want to get hit by stray bullets and stayed put.

The BBPD was given an anonymous tip about a drug warehouse guarded by merchants. An hour later, they moved in force to take the drugs and apprehend the Merchants. The first indication that something is wrong was the lack of Merchants in the first place. No one saw even a single passed out druggie since they entered. The second was the large pile of drugs in the center of the room. Narcotics, hallucinogens and stimulants were packed into plastic bags and boxes. All of it ripe for the taking.

With the drugs more or less secure, they called in people to help. At the moment there were 10 people. A bit much for investigating a suspected drug den but they live in Brockton Bay. Where Nazis walk free and a dragon lives untouched. So it wasn't a surprise when two cars and a van parked outside the building and gunshots were heard. It would come to Archer that the Merchants arrived and shot the tires of their interceptors.

'Fat lot of good that did to us.' Archer thought as he heard more bullets fly and hit the table that protected him. 'Fuck that. Lives are on the line here'. The servant grabbed his gun, a revolver and checked the invisible medications Foreigner made on it. It would only appear when he donned his Servant outfit so his cover was safe. Aiming the gun behind him, he shot at the doorway where a Merchant just appeared. The bullet landed on the man's chest so he died. Archer rushed out of his cover towards the doorway and slid behind it, bullets lighting up his trail.

He grabbed another pistol, an M9 from the dead merchant near him and quickly checked for ammunition. He had 10 shots in the stolen gun left. Archer aimed it towards the Merchants attempting to suppress him and his coworkers and pulled the trigger. The bullets struck their targets and felled them quickly. He moved to a window where he saw more Merchants lined up to enter the building, one of them, Archer recognized as Skidmark. He shattered the window with a punch and aimed the appropriated weapon outside. He emptied the cartridge of the M9 on the Merchants and threw it away when there was no more ammunition to fire.

He rushed back inside to warn the others. "Incoming Merchants! Armed with rifles." That got the remaining police to quickly set up an improvised barricade with furniture nearby. It wasn't long when the Merchants entered the building that the firefight started. The cops quickly fired their guns at the merchants. However that battle turned for the worse when Skidmark entered the fray.

The Merchant cape wasn't as dumb as people say he is when he layered the air around him with deceleration fields to stop bullets and acceleration to boost his fellow drug addicts. Bullets from both sides peppered each other. Only 2 cops fell compared to the dozen merchants that died by either friendly fire or the BBPD's tenacity to survive. Suddenly both sides stopped when one man stood up and stared defiantly at Skidmark.

Archer breathed in and out calmly, his hand on the holster where his main gun is. The servant looked at the parahuman driving the other cops away. Skidmark laughed at himself and swore as he saw Archer across the room. "You're a cocky little shit aren't ya. You think you're hot shit. I have power! What can you do?"

"This." Archer said as his fingers twitched. "Thunderer" he invoked his Noble Phantasm's name loud enough that only the parahuman heard it. His hand moved lightning fast as he moved his revolver out of it's holster and quickly fired three powerful shots at Skidmark. One in his right elbow, one on his left foot and the last at his crotch.

"My dick!" Skidmark yelped in pain. "You shot my di-" he was cut off when Archer shot him again in his left hand and right knee. Archer rushed forward and punched the man in the face. Several fields the parahuman placed vanished as Skidmark fell to the ground in pain, unable to sustain his power without concentration. With their leader down, the remaining Merchants that aren't taken out went into a frenzy. Thankfully they were quickly taken care of. With the battle over, Archer and the others fell to the floor in exhaustion and adrenaline. Moments later, backup arrived.

"Is that the last of them?" Archer asked as he watched his fellow cops round up the surviving Merchants into the corner. Many of them are bruised or filled with bullets holes on them.

"Should be captain." One of the officers said. "There was a van filed with merchants but we quickly ambushed them. We also contacted the PRT about Skidmark and they should be here eventually." With that every policeman frowned. It's not a secret that there is no love between the BBPD and the PRT.

"Casualties? Both sides if possible." Archer asked his juniors.

The officer sighed as he looked at the paper. "We lost 4 of ours with 7 wounded. The merchants have 20 dead with everyone else wounded." he explained. The man winced when he seemed to read something. "You shot Skidmark in the nuts, that has to be painful."

"The bastard is a Merchant, I doubt many of them can even understand pain!" One of the sergeants who came as backup hollered which caused every cop to laugh. Suddenly, there was a male scream followed by a soft thud.

A few officers pulled out there weapons and went investigate the alley the sound came from. They saw a man holding a pipe in the air and another on the ground bleeding. The man holding the pipe raised his hands in the air and dropped his weapon.

"I can explain." He said to the officers. Behind his men, Archer shook his head. This was going to take a bit more time than expected.


Saber waited in the bright light of the meeting room. He sat in a chair custom made for his size as he waiting for his guests. Made with red leather rimmed with silver. A nice throne to suit his needs. His sword was hidden in a secret compartment on his chair and could easily be retrieved. There he waited and moments later, the door opened.

Max Anders walked into his office with confidence in his steps. Saber took notice of the CEO's eyes both observing the room and searching for secrets. The man stepped in front of his desk, pulled the chair back and sat down. The two men looked eye to eye, sizing each other up until Saber began to talk.

"So we finally meet Max Anders. To be honest I was expecting to talk to you within the week." he said to the man in front of him. "It was a stroke of luck that my schedule wasn't really full today. Otherwise we wouldn't be talking now."

"Gaius Everglade, I was about to set up a meeting a few days from now." The CEO said with a flat face. "And somehow, 24 hours ago you manage to get Panacea on your payroll and stay there. The internet works fast." The man shrugged his arms and placed his hands on the table. "Ms. Gaius, I know the miracle healer's family would be down on you for a number of reasons yet they didn't. How on Earth did you do it."

Gaius smiled and reached into a drawer on his desk. He pulled out a bottle. The brand wrapped around it says 'Red Wine'. "Psychiatrists Mr. Anders. Psychiatrists."

The CEO of Medhall raised his eyebrow. "Pray tell how psychiatrists made her stay in Medical Magic?" The man grimaced at the absurd name on his tongue and saw Gaius smile.

"You see everyone knows the girl is a miracle in modern medicine." He explained before his face hardened somewhat. "However, she is still human and she was breaking piece by piece. One of the psychiatrists I hired was watching her work and noticed something wrong." The man waved his hands in the hand. "It turns out Panacea had been carrying heavy issues for a long while regarding her patients. Many of them weren't very grateful for her help. They saw her as a tool so she was turned into one." He popped the top off the bottle and poured a bit into a glass. "Would you like a drink?"

Max accepted the offer and grabbed the cup. He held it in front of his eye for a moment and stared at the liquid within. The man then sipped the drink and licked his lips "An exotic taste. Imported from Italy?" He asked the other man.

"Yes, from my personal stash back home." Gaius proudly declared as he drunk his own cup. "I always liked drinking it when appropriate."

"I shall cherish it then." the CEO replied and finished his drink. "Now where were you?"

"Yes, the healer had issues with her family. She never said what but I suspect it to be neglect. Can you imagine it. Either Lady Photon or Brandish neglecting their kids, the fallout would be big."

"People would start putting hate on New Wave and other heroes by extension." Max said. "Such as Gallant, there are rumours that he can see emotions. If that proves true, the PRT already knows and there not doing anything to heal the damage."

"I can agree with you there. Capes aren't the best role models in a family." Gaius spoke. "Many of them have been traumatized the day they get their powers."

The CEO observed the other man carefully. "You seem to be quite knowledgeable about powers."

"I have a friend who is a cape, a tinker I believe they're called." The man explained. "She created a sort of stasis tube for people to be placed in. Very useful for delaying someone death until we can work on them."

"You have a cape on call?" Max asked him.

"Oh heavens no!" Gaius answered. "For one she's in Italy doing who knows what. Also I had to pay a hefty sum for one of her stasis tubes." He looked to the side. "I have several of those machines and they are not cheap."

"Do you have any way to contact her?" He wonders.

Gaius shook his head. "Apologies, I haven't heard from her in a while and I never acquired her number."

"A shame." The CEO said. "After hearing about your stasis tubes, I wanted to buy some from her. She is a Rogue correct?

"That she is" Gaius answered. "She usually wanders around Italy and tries not to make to many waves."

"Very well." The CEO of Medhall stood from his seat. "It was a pleasure talking to you Mr. Everglade. Strange last name if anything."

The fat man laughed. "No offense taken, and it was a pleasure talking to you as well." He said as they shook hands. "We should do this another time Mr. Anders." He suggested.

"I think I can make time for next month." Max said as he opened the door and left.


Danny Hebert made an exhausting sigh as he drove his car back him. He considered it lucky that he brained a Merchant on his way to his car with a pipe. William McCarty, the cop he helped thanked him for taking care of the last Merchant. The cop discreetly gave him a few hundred dollars and said that he deserved some compensation for helping them, even if it was just one Merchant. The man told him good luck with life before he drove away on his motorbike with a with the other police officers following him after stuffing as many merchants into their vehicles as they can.

Parking the car, he got out of it and locked the door. He walked up to the porch and opened the door to his house. "Taylor, I'm back." He said to the house but no one responded. He entered the kitchen and saw a note on the table. 'Hey dad. If you're reading this I went out to go shopping we were running out of fruits so I'm going to the market. Love you.'

He read the note and sat down on a chair. Recently, his mind was occupied with his daughter. The man noticed she was acting slightly more differently than usual, more secretive than anything which didn't help their strained relationship. He wanted a chance to reconnect with her but there aren't many of them that will help them with how much damage has been done.

Standing up, Danny went to the front door to close it when he looked outside at that one crooked step on the porch. 'Maybe I should repair it now, we have materials.' he thought. His mind made up, he went back inside the house to get his the tools and a bit of wood.

Entering the basement door, he stepped down the stairs and slowed down upon witnessing something strange. Danny saw a circle carving on the ground that is lit up by a number of candles. He also saw the form of his daughter standing in the center of the circle with her hands facing the ground. A few drops of liquid of what he could assume to be blood dropped from her hands.

"Taylor!" He cried out to his daughter, but the girl didn't hear anything. Her concentration focused solely on the circle beneath her. A few more drops landed on the ground before Taylor noticeably moved. She breathed loudly as she looked forward.

"Escalate…" Taylor said with a whisper and the outlines of the circle glowed with a green light. Her magic circuits appeared and she began to feel hot. She kept standing as she felt her muscles burn as she used the ritual to increase her physical strength. "Augh." the girl grunted in pain as prana filled her muscles, overheating them and boosting them to the peak of superhuman. The ambient mana cycled together with her Od as it repaired her body as fast as it was breaking. She began screaming as she felt her muscles reconstruct themselves.

He watched in muted terror as his daughter screamed in pain. He didn't try to get closer because he didn't know what was happening and how to stop it. The sound of Taylor's voice grew quieter and quieter as the ritual began to lose power. When the light died down Taylor fell to her knees heavily breathing. Her body was wracked with pain as light traces of steam wafted out of her body. Her circuits, still somewhat active glowed with power.

When the assumed danger passed, Danny rushed to his daughter's aid and scooped her up. He heard her gasp as she noticed him but he didn't care. All he wanted was his daughter's safety. After all, he didn't want to lose her like his wife. "Taylor, Taylor, I'm so sorry." He said, tears rolling down his eyes.

She should have been worrying about what will happen to her. She should have thought about the effects of her dad finding out about her activities but she didn't. Instead, she hugged her father back and cried, remembering the days when things were simpler and happier. 'I should have learned bounded fields first.' Taylor thought as she hugged her dad with tears staining her eyes.


Is this a good ending point? I'll take what I can get. I'm going to get a vacation so the next chapter might be up in a week or so. I just want to skip to the good part I had planned but it must wait, everyone needs some time to shine before I unleash chaos. If you're wondering about Taylor using a ritual this early, your fears are founded. She is still an amatuer who should have known better. But she is the Queen Escalator, who is dabbling with magecraft of the 'danger follows every action' variety.

Read, review and follow if I'm lucky