Director Piggot sighed as she realized that dawn was breaking. She pulled her coat on a little more tight. Her own cuts on her forehead were sewed up and she was using a computer from Providence's and Hartley's National Guard.
The death toll was at about two thousand, with more being found in their beds or in front of their TVs. Most everyone in Brockton Bay had been hurt and the city was without lights. Most of the hospitals were almost paralyzed.
Her door opened, admitting a slightly ragged looking heroine. "I've got the casualty list." She was holding a manilla folder.
"Go ahead, just the highlights," Piggot said. She leaned back in her chair.
"On top of Velocity and Assault's death, Triumph has a broken arm and we had to tranquilize Battery. We've got Clockblocker and Imp down with concussions. That leaves the bumps and bruises of Aegis's team. I'm amazed at how lightly most came out. Aegis, Bitch and Shadow Stalker basically got away unscathed. I wish I could say the same for Skitter and Tactics." Miss Militia was very unhappy and it showed. If Assault had any real warning before he hit the wall of the transport, he would not have been hurt at all.
"Skitter had a second trigger?" the administrator asked thoughtfully.
"Or a psychotic episode that amplified her powers. She summoned millions of bugs to fill a warehouse. On top of that, she's more bruised than not. Crawler also dripped acid down the left side of her face and her left breast. We had to sedate her. And she got off lightly compared to Tactics." The leader of the Protectorate shuddered at that.
"What did the autopsy on Tactics tell us?" Piggot asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"She's alive. Somehow, even when she was skinned, eyes gouged out, most of her ligaments cut and missing lung, kidney and stomach, she refuses to die. When I told Tattletale, she nodded. Then mentioned that Hercules was almost impossible to kill, even when poisoned by the mythical Hydra." Miss Militia swallowed here. "He just wished he was dead so that he begged his father Zeus to kill him."
"The doctor's said the shock should have killed her. The blood loss alone-" Piggot was more awake and gripping the edge of her desk tightly in a mixture of fear and anger.
"I tagged team both Cassandra and Tattletale and they agree that she will even recover on her own with normal medical attention. Once Panacea get's back from her trip to deal with the worst at the three metro hospitals and she's rested, I'm going to see if she can fix her up." Miss Militia smiled wanly. "At least they have friends. Tattletale and Grue have stayed with Skitter in her room when they were told to rest and Cassandra and Regent have been staying with Tactics."
"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" Piggot asked as she narrowed her eyes.
"Yes. Tattletale believes, after she learned most of the counter-ambush, that the PRT is heavily infiltrated. Someone tipped off the Slaughterhouse Nine and the Travellers. They somehow used Trickster to move people around even more effectively than before. Possibly Bonesaw enhancing him." Miss Militia slumped into her seat. "I'll be writing up my letter of resignation for my utter failure of leadership."
"No, you will not. I agreed to that crazy plan. Tactics was right. That high of a chance and to be able to jump both of our teams on the Slaughterhouse... it should have worked. Let Tattletale know that we'll both be interviewing mission critical officers, then down the chains to find these leaks. We will find these bastards and make them pay."
Miss Militia blinked in surprise at that as her eyes peeked over the top of her large scarf. Then she nodded fiercely.
Yes, they would.