A/N: In this chapter the Emperor will be talking and I wanted to point out something. In an earlier chapter we see him say something to Riley and it was written like 'this'. In this chapter he will talk like 'this'. It's because the Emperor sounds normal to his ears but from another POV his voice is felt more potently, what with his charisma and psychic presence.

Interlude

Rebecca relaxed back in her chair, giving a disgusted look at the pile of paperwork laying completed on her desk.

It didn't seem to matter that computer technology was present in almost every house in the world, the pencil pushers and bureaucrats from Washington still wanted everything in triplicates and paper.

She put that thought out of her mind and mentally went over her schedule for the rest of the day. In middle afternoon Alexandria was due an appearance in the Protectorate HQ, then back in the office and finally a quick trip to see if everything was going smoothly on Doctor Mother's side.

If they trusted the words of the Thinkers on their payroll, then Cauldron had at the very least two years before Scion decided to be done with humanity and started to destroy the earth. They didn't know exactly what would be causing such a shift in his behaviour, but they were doing all they could to avert the disaster.

It was initially estimated that they would have a decade before it happened. Now they had to accelerate their plans if they wanted humanity to have a chance of surviving.

With a bang, her office door was pushed open, admitting her breathless secretary, Jennifer.

Rebecca shot to her feet, a scowl on her face.

"What's the meaning of this?!", she barked out.

Jennifer averted her eyes, but still didn't offer any apologies for her abrupt entrance, in fact, her entire face was covered by a vicious smile. "Ma'am, we just receive the news! The Slaughterhouse Nine are dead!"

It took only a moment for the information to be processed, before her expression closed down.

"I want a report of the situation on my desk as soon as possible! Move!"

The secretary nodded, smile still in place. "The news is all over the television, ma'am, we didn't manage to keep it under wraps for long, but I'll have it momentarily as soon as the police finishes their preliminary report". She left the room and closed the door behind her, a bounce to her steps.

Outwardly, Rebecca Costa-Brown showed nothing but her legendary calm. She had commanded PRT squads from her office in dangerous situations and never once had anyone seen her break her composure.

Inwardly, Alexandria was fuming.

The Slaughterhouse Nine may not be the most powerful of parahumans, but they knew themselves and their powers. They wouldn't be caught off guard and no rookie could ever get the drop on them.

She didn't even consider the PRT troops as candidates for their deaths.

Who could have done this? Eidolon and Legend were accounted for, in fact, every parahuman of the Protectorate was accounted for. A new trigger? Possible, but unlikely. No one that new to their powers could have killed all the members of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

Rebecca restrained herself from flying out the window and going to see the scene for herself. Did this parahuman even know what they had just done? Multiple plans hanged on the presence of the Nine, not to mention their uses in causing trigger events everywhere they went. It was a despicable tactic, to allow their sickening behaviour to continue, but the world needed more parahumans and if she had to sacrifice hundreds for a potentially powerful cape, she hardened her heart and gave the order.

She settled down in her chair and started the computer. She didn't know who managed this feat, but by God as her witness, it better be someone who could offer as much as the Nine to the survival of humanity and not a fluke of luck, or she would have words with this one.

oOo

Clad in her costume, a black and grey one with a skirt, knee-high boots and elbow length gloves with a tower emblazoned on her chest, Alexandria strode the hallways of Cauldron's base, her cape swirling behind her with each step.

She held her helmed in her left arm, unconcerned with protecting her identity in this facility, where she knew only trusted people were allowed entrance.

Alexandria entered a meeting room, seeing her fellow members of the Triumvirate already inside, Doctor Mother at the head of the table, Contessa behind her as per usual.

As she swept in the room, she voiced a question. "Where is The Number Man?"

It was Doctor Mother who answered, "He had business in Boston, I'm afraid he will not be able to join us today."

She nodded, before taking a seat at the table.

Doctor Mother gazed at each of them, before resting it on her. "What do we know of the situation with the Slaughterhouse Nine?"

Alexandria allowed a grimace on her face. "Nothing to point us toward the culprit, I'm afraid. All the members except for Bonesaw and the Siberian are accounted for and the only reason for their deaths seems to be heavy brain damage, nothing conclusive."

Legend raised his head from the bowed position he had previously. "What of Crawler, did he regenerate from it?"

Eidolon didn't say anything, but she could sense his curiosity.

"No, and that's one of the most confusing parts. We know he managed to regenerate from brain wounds before, but this time he died like the others", she slowly shook her head, "Permanently."

Legend stood up from his chair, a frown visible even under the mask. "I'll be leaving for New York, I have to assess the situation as the leader of the Protectorate, make sure my Wards don't get cocky now that one S-Class threat is no longer a danger." He nodded to each of them before exiting the room and she could hear his muffled voice calling "Door" before he disappeared.

The Doctor turned to her again, "Now, what do we really know?"

"Bonesaw is unaccounted for, she disappeared without a trace, though from witness reports we know she teleported out right before the others died."

"What of Manton?"

The only sign of her frustration was the tightening of her fists. "The police found him a few hours ago in a van. No signs of struggle, his case is being archived as we speak."

Eidolon flinched and the Doctor released a sigh of frustration. "His projection was one we were counting on. Its help against Scion would have been invaluable...", she looked at Contessa, whose expression was serene as ever, "Path to find the culprit?"

"It's another blind spot. I cannot find him."

The Doctor inhaled sharply. "Another?"

Contessa nodded.

"Very well. Until we have more information, keep going as usual. This was a blow to our forces but we still have time to recover", the Doctor stood up and nodded to them. A clear sign of dismissal if there ever was one.

Alexandria stood up as well and exited the room before her cry of 'Door' opened a portal leading to the Protectorate HQ. This might have been a setback in their plans, but there was still work to be done.

oOo

She stalked down the corridor in a towering rage, her very footsteps creating cracks in the floor as she walked.

Rebecca didn't even announce herself before she ploughed right through the door, her advance not impeded by the three inches of thick metal.

"What the hell is going on?!", she ground out.

Doctor Mother was sitting at her desk with her face in her hands, The Number Man was gazing in the distance, probably integrating these new developments in his calculations. Contessa, as usual, was unfazed.

She received a glare from the Doctor for her entrance, before the heat subsided and she slumped her shoulders. "What is going on is that someone, who is a blank spot in Contessa's power, is killing every powerful parahuman villain we have kept alive to this day for the fight with Scion. I...", she threw her hands up at the ceiling, "This is a disaster!"

She stood up and began to pace from one end of the room to the other. "Everything we worked for, every sacrifice we made in the name of the survival, every time we left those despicable people live another day, fight another fight, kill someone else, all, WASTED!"

Rebecca inwardly flinched. She had never seen the Doctor so out of sorts before. She had always seemed to have the situation in hand, a plan for every circumstance, the right words to convince people to join them. Now... now she was seeing her for what she was. A woman who had spent decades of her life with the survival of the human race in mind, performing atrocities and condoning others for doing the same, all with a purpose in mind. Only for all she had managed to create to crumble down in the course of days.

Nilbog, the Sleeper, the Three Blasphemies, Moord Nag, Ash Beast. One after another, powerful parahumans that could give them a chance of victory against the Entity, dead.

The 'Culling', as the media called it, started just after the deaths of the Nine. The world was holding its breath after the death of the Sleeper. Was this it? Was it finished? Would the perpetrator switch targets from villains to heroes? The method of disappearance varied between cases, but no one believed it to be coincidence all those death happened one after another.

Rebecca really wanted to hit something.

oOo

It was the day after her scene at Cauldron that she received an urgent message from the Doctor. 'Urgent, come here ASAP.'

She didn't question it, it had never happened before and whatever shook the Doctor had to be important.

She politely ended the meeting between PRT Directors she was holding, citing an incident in the HQ, before she called out 'Door' and entered full speed the half-formed portal.

She found herself in front of the Doctor, Contessa by her side, with The Number Man questioning a pale and sweating aide.

"-know! I told you everything I could remember, he just said to give you a message!"

The Doctor pinned the aide with a hard gaze before nodding slowly. "Return to your post Richard, and do not speak of this to anyone." As the aide scurried away she took a deep breath before turning to her.

Rebecca didn't know what exactly was happening, but she could make an educated guess. An intruder in their base had given a message for them and was probably waiting behind the door they stood in front of.

"An intruder appeared in this facility fifteen minutes ago. Our sensors didn't find him until then and our thinkers still cannot give us any information on him", she paused to take a deep breath, "We didn't find him, he let us find him." She took a moment to meet each of their eyes in turn, stressing the importance of what she just said. "We have no information on his powers nor his motivation for this meeting, but since he didn't attack we can assume he is peaceful, for the moment. We will hear what he has to say and then will decide what course of action to take. Am I clear?"

David arrived while the Doctor was talking and remained silent.

Rebecca nodded. This was not a normal situation, where she could go in confident of her power. This stranger managed to infiltrate a secure facility riddled with monitoring equipment in another dimension devoid of human life, they didn't know his power and couldn't make rushed decisions.

She took the lead, at least confident that if an attack waited on the other side of the door, she could protect those behind her.

What she would find on the other side would change Rebecca's life forever and nothing would ever be the same.

oOo

The first thing the noticed was Him.

Taller than them even while seated, she calculated His height at 13 feet at the very least.

Bronze skin, filled with rippling and sculpted muscles, she didn't doubt that the Man could break her with His finger. He sat on a throne made of a strange opaque white material and she could see small veins of colour snake their way through it. He wore a simple button down shirt, with the first buttons left open and black silken pants while His feet were left bare.

His black hair was shoulder length and seemed to wave in an unseen wind, His nose was aquiline and His lips were stretched in a small amused smile.

He was giving off a soft golden glow, His form impossibly perfect.

His eyes were two pools of deep brown, and as soon as she looked at them she got an impression of an indomitable Will and unrestrained, pure, burning power.

All of this her formidable mind registered in the span of a second, cataloguing every inch she could see of Him. Rebecca didn't know why, but as soon as she saw Him, her heart started to beat faster, filled with a new vigour His mere presence seemed to gift her.

"Welcome, please, be seated."

His voice, a rumble that shook her entire world, was filled with unparalleled charisma and had a commanding tone to it.

She didn't trust Him.

She didn't trust the reactions of her body, the effect He had on her mind. But she followed the example of the others, seating herself at the table, before turning her gaze to Him.

"In the last few days I endeavoured to remove many of the threats that plague humanity. The Sleeper, the Nine and many others... including the seventeen hibernating Endbringers, waiting for deployment."

The entire sentence was so absurd it sounded true. She didn't want to, but she couldn't doubt His word, not when the look in His eyes promised absolute seriousness. Even Doctor Mother, who looked ready to explode at His claim of having destroyed her life's work, blanched at the mention of other Endbringers.

Seventeen Endbringers... she felt faint, even through she couldn't be due to her powers. The entire might of the world's parahumans struggled against three, what would they do against more?

"In the coming weeks I shall remove the Simurgh, as she is the most dangerous of the three, and the others will fall as well."

How could He talk so casually about destroying Endbringers? They were named such for a reason. It didn't matter what they used against them, there was no victory, only defeat, and the times they managed to chase them away from cities it felt like they were allowed to do so, much like a game.

"He is telling the truth", confirmed David softly, his eyes never leaving Him.

Contessa, while never loosing her calm façade, had a tremor in her voice. "It's Him, my blind spot".

The Man nodded, before continuing. "After the situation with the Endbringers is dealt with, I shall turn my attention to dispatching the Warrior, commonly known as Scion."

The silence that met His proclamation was absolute. No one wanted to comment, to say how such a thing was impossible. And yet... David confirmed it, He was saying the truth. He had killed dangerous parahumans from around the world in the course of days, He denied the other Endbringers the chance to threaten the earth, could He really have such a power? Rebecca's mind boggled at trying to understand it while her very soul resonated with His words. Such level of power... it was like the Warrior, for all they prepared, they didn't know what he was capable of.

"For the moment, the abomination is content to play the hero, so I shall leave it alone until the appropriate time has come for his end. Meanwhile, you will be focusing on increasing diplomatic relations between countries, with the end goal of creating a unified government for mankind."

He turned His gaze to each of them and when it was Rebecca's turn, she found only determination in His eyes.

He stood up. "I shall leave you to start planning your part of the operation, if you have need of me, I shall be studying the corpse of the other Entity."

As He left the room, Rebecca once more reflected that she didn't trust Him. His claims were preposterous, His plans ambitious and He didn't even hesitate, so sure was He of His success.

Why, then, did she feel her heart almost burst such was the fierce hope she experienced when her eyes landed on Him?