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Chapter 13
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Blue eyes, as deep as oceans, bore down on me. I could feel myself sinking into the abyss. Prana whirled in my circuits, the flow warring with the fog dragging at my thoughts. Look away. I tried to pry our eyes apart. A blink and they were joined again. Dull lethargy embraced me. What was I doing? The blue eyes seemed bigger now, swallowing my field of vision.

Oh yeah. I was...

… I was...

The flow cut off. My mind suddenly jerked to awareness.

"Fuck."

"Language, Taylor," Rin chided. "Don't be surprised if you don't get it the first few times. As a magus I'm stronger than you, and I have Mystic Eyes of Whispers to boot."

The tires of Saber's sedan thudded over a break in the pavement.

It was Tuesday, three days after the meeting at Somer's Rock, and we were piled up in Saber's car. Shirou was in the driver's seat, while Rin looked back at me from the passenger's side. The trip had been delayed one day on account of Lisa, who currently sat to my right. As for Saber? She was riding escort on her steed, enjoying the thrill of the open road and the wind whipping across her face.

We had skipped over to I-495 ten minutes ago, bypassing Newburyport and hopefully some of the traffic along the coast. Barring any major delays, we would hit Boston in half-an-hour.

Which all led to this. Hypnosis resistance training. Which, I suppose, beat I-spy as a roadside time killer.

"Sorry," I said. I shook my head, trying to free my mind from the vapors of Hypnosis induced sleep.

"Ready for another round?" Rin asked.

I grimaced.

"How about we do something different?" Lisa interrupted. The freckled blonde offered me a conniving smile. "Taylor might pick things up easier if she experienced the other end of it."

My look of relief transformed into a glower of betrayal.

"I suppose. Hypnosis is a required skill for a proper Enforcer, so I have to teach it to her anyway," Rin said after a moment of consideration. "But before we do, how are things holding?"

"Give me a second," I murmured.

I pulsed my circuits. A connection, like an ephemeral thread, came to life invigorated by the flow of prana. My power buzzed in my head like an eager puppy. The line fastened. A presence filtered through my brain. Sight. Touch. Sound. Denser and heavier than I was used to.

Mr Fuzzy was what I had named him. A tarantula of the species lasiodora parahybana to be specific. My first familiar.

Mr Fuzzy wasn't anything terribly special. Shirou had picked up the little guy at a Brockton Bay pet shop last Wednesday, which said all anyone needed to know about Mr Fuzzy's rarity. He wasn't particularly threatening either. Mr. Fuzzy might give some poor soul a terrible scare and a few nasty welts if he jumped onto their face, but he'd meet a grizzly end under their boot shortly thereafter.

But Mr Fuzzy was mine in a way no insect before ever had been.

Information flowed through me. Sight was crisp, almost human. Hearing was sharp, capable of distinguishing words and phrases. I could taste the dank, dark air passing beneath Mr. Fuzzy's mandibles. My power pulsed, the five quiet circuits attached almost throbbing in response. My awareness expanded through the link, spreading into a miniature sphere of influence that measured a mere meter in radius.

Disappointing. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and I would just have to deal with Mr Fuzzy's limits.

Hundreds of bugs danced in Mr Fuzzy's zone of control, moving according to my will. The tarantula skittered amongst space Rin had allocated as my workshop, reviewing the laboring spiders. Widows span lines of silk while golden orb-weavers gathered the fiber and wound it onto spindles. I reissued orders, pulling away one shift of spiders to feast on a parade of crickets while a second stepped up to take their place.

I reviewed my tiny factory and was pleased by the rate of production. Three-hundred black widows had been gathered from a swath of Brockton Bay. Two-dozen eggsacks were already incubating, but it would be near a full month before they hatched. Which was good because I still hadn't gotten the hang of feeding the critters prana without making them explode.

Well, I would just have to scrounge up more when I got back.

With a thought, I disconnected from my familiar.

"The bounded field is holding up without problems," I said. "But having to babysit to keep my spiders from working themselves to death is really annoying."

"I have some thoughts on how to improve things, but you'll just have to deal for now because it'll take some time to work out the kinks," Rin replied. "Any trouble projecting your power?"

I shook my head. "Hasn't diminished the slightest. But the bond is getting duller the further we travel and I'm using about twice as much prana to communicate as before."

"Familiar bonds don't have infinite range, so that's to be expected," Rin explained. "That your parahuman ability is undiminished is unfortunate, as it indicates that the issue is with the familiar rather than the connection."

"So, maybe if I try with something else?" I asked hopefully.

Lisa grimaced. "Yeah, that's not going to work. You're probably going to need something a little more esoteric."

Lisa and I looked to Rin for confirmation. The brunette sighed.

"Lisa is, unfortunately, correct. To achieve better results you'll have to modify the underlying organism, which is outside my domain of expertise. I do have a book related to the subject, A Treatise of Homunculi and Chimera by Jobst von Einzbern, if you'd like to borrow it. It's not a light read, however, and parts of it are in sixteenth-century German."

Joy.

"Or you could grab Panacea and make her do it for you," Lisa teased.

"It'd be safer to kidnap Bonesaw," I deadpanned. Well, not really, but nabbing Panacea would definitely earn me a kill order. "And since when could Panacea muck with biology?"

"Oh, please," Lisa said, rolling her eyes. "Panacea has always been a biokinetic. It's so obvious. I can't believe people fall for that bullshit propaganda New Wave spews claiming she's just a healer."

Yeah. Obvious. Which was why Lisa was the only one who knew.

"Not everyone in this car is a Thinker," I said sourly.

"Technically, untrue," the blonde corrected cheerfully.

I gave Lisa my deepest glower.

"Ahem," Rin noised. She formed a polite smile. "Let's focus on the lesson, shall we."

Shit.

"Do I have to?" I knew I sounded like a whiny fifteen-year-old, but that's because I was a whiny fifteen-year-old.

Rin's eyes darkened. "Taylor, there are three skills that every Enforcer must learn. Hypnosis, Reinforcement, and Resistance. As a member of my unit, I expect you to be diligent in your pursuit of these techniques. If you wish to study beyond those limits, I will provide materials. However, I will not waste my time on a resistant student."

I shrank back. "Sorry, it's just..."

Rin's expression softened.

"I know you have your issues with Hypnosis, but it is a necessary skill. Hypnosis allows Enforcers to resolve problems with minimal violence. So, if for no other reasons, you should learn it for the benefit of everyone around you."

"It's not that I don't understand. It's just... Mucking with other peoples' minds bothers me."

I shook my head in distaste. The truth of it was, I was all too aware that learning Hypnosis would turn me into a giant hypocrite. Basically, I was being stupid and stubborn when I should be acting like an adult.

Squaring my shoulders, I met Rin's gaze.

"How do I do this?"

Rin scrutinized me for a moment, judging my commitment.

"To start, how about you reiterate what you have learned."

I closed my eyes and refreshed my memory. Rin had given my a crash course in Hypnosis at the beginning of the trip, mainly from perspective of how to resist it. But, as usual, the brunette couldn't thwart her urge to provide excruciating detail.

"Hypnosis is a mystery that falls under the air-information axis. Activation of the mystery is initiated by forging a prana bond with the target through the principle of correspondence, typically by means of a shared sensation. The most common tactic being eye-contact, with the medium of transport being the shared reflection in the ocular lens."

"Correct, though sound or smell also suffice. Be especially wary of treated incense, as prepared tools laden with prana are harder to resist. Eye contact, however, is the easiest medium to work with so we'll start with that," Rin lectured, adopting her classic pose. "Now, name the stages."

"Junction, lull, then suggestion," I said quickly. "First forge the prana bond, then lull the target mind into a sleep-like state, finally apply the suggestion once the conscious mind has fallen into slumber."

"Good, you have a grasp of the core theory then," Rin said. "I'll walk you through the steps. But before that, we need a volunteer."

An evil smile spread on Rin's lips as her eyes turned to Lisa.

"Me?"

From the blonde's innocent smile, I deduced that she wasn't entirely opposed to what was coming.

"Well, it would hardly be fair to have Taylor start with someone with a strong magic resistance like myself," Rin retorted boldly.

I looked at Lisa. "You sure you're okay with this?"

Lisa set her hands on mine and looked me straight in the eye.

"Taylor, I trust you," she said with dead seriousness. "But if you do turn me into your love slave, please be gentle."

…

There was only one thing to do. I punched Lisa in the shoulder. The freckled blond jerked back, a teasing smile upon her lips.

"Ow," Lisa feigned. She held her arm pathetically, pretending I had given her more than a light tap.

"Oh, please," I retorted, playfully shoving her again.

"Hey, stop!" Lisa returned between fits of giggles.

"Don't make me pull this car over," Shirou warned from up front.

Rin sighed at our childish antics, but I could hear Shirou's stifled chuckle.

"If you two are done, I'd like continue with the lesson," Rin said sternly.

I flushed with embarrassment. The two of us settled back into place. Somewhat nervously, I looked Lisa straight in the eye.

"I'm ready."

"Good," Rin said, picking up from where she left off. "Hypnosis is a finesse technique, so it won't require more than a small amount of prana. Begin by concentrating the energy at the back of your eyes. A gentle pressure and no more, I don't want you spraying intraocular fluid all over the back of Saber's car. Once you have it, you should feel a resonance or echo in Lisa's eye. The experience should be akin but weaker than what you feel when forming a familiar bond."

I nodded and allowed my prana to flow, pooling near my retinas. I was careful to limit the amount of energy, avoiding the application of pressure not so much because I didn't want to dirty the back of Saber's sedan, but rather that I didn't want my eyeballs exploding. That was one experience I could do without, thank you very much.

And no, the fact Avalon could regenerate my eyes didn't make it better.

My effort was slow and clumsy. I wasn't used to concentrating prana in a specific part of my body, having mostly used my hands or bugs as vectors. It wasn't hard, just different. Like trying to write with my left hand instead of my right.

"You are getting sleepy. Very sleepy," Lisa spoke in a dull monotone.

I glowered at the blonde across from me. My eyes itched. The prana inside made them feel weird and I wanted to rub away the sensation. I focused, searching for the connection Rin described. Something flickered at the edge of my awareness, sliding, bobbing, or outright vanishing with every bump of the road and roll of the car.

"I think... Yeah. I'm pretty sure I got it," I said, finally catching the connection. I poured prana into the bond, creating what was best described as a live wire.

"Excellent. It'll come faster with practice," Rin said. "Now once the junction is solid, allow your prana to flood in through Lisa's optic nerve. Then slowly, gently, exude a pressure to slow her thoughts. Envision your prana as a gel capturing the electric impulses cascading through her neurons. Remember, gentle."

"Wow, that feels funky," Lisa said. She blinked several times in rapid succession, nearly shattering the connection. "Just as an aside, Taylor, please don't break my brain."

"She can't," Rin replied for me. "This sort of bond is too weak, and Taylor doesn't have the leverage to apply that level of pressure. Especially on living tissue that naturally resists prana."

Well that was a relief. In retrospect, I should have known without having been told.

"But don't take that as an excuse to be careless," Rin immediately warned.

Lisa blinked again, this time lazier. Her gaze and motions were growing dull. More telling, she didn't offer any quips, which I took to indicate that my efforts were working.

"What happens if I push too hard," I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

"You'll knock her unconscious for all of five seconds. Then she'll jerk back awake with her fight-or-flight response fully engaged, which will make your job that much harder," Rin explained. "The trick is to apply enough force to lull the mind without pushing so hard that she blacks out."

I nodded, careful to keep my gaze pinned to Lisa's then applied more force. I could feel her brain gel up faster, slowing until the blonde's eyes grew glassy.

"Looks like you have it," Rin said, observing me keenly. "At this point you can branch out to apply a suggestion or further disrupt neural operation. For now I just want you to lull Lisa's mind into a proper sleep state. You can achieve this by massaging the lower-front section of her posterior hypothalmus with your prana."

I jerked and almost broke the connection.

"Massage the what now?" I asked in annoyance. It was all I could do to not glare at Rin.

"The posterior hypothalamus. It's the region of the brain under the main lobes and near the brain-stem. You can find it by looking just above pituitary gland," Rin supplied helpfully.

"The only words you spoke that meant anything to me are 'lobes' and 'brain-stem'. So unless you have a picture, you're going to have to do better than that," I replied caustically.

"Personally, I prefer to visualize a sword cutting the target's consciousness," Shirou's gruff voice interrupted. "You might try the same, but in terms that better fit your parahuman power."

Now that was something I could work with.

"I'm trying to teach her how to do this properly," Rin retorted in a huff. "Visualization is a crutch. You'll get better results and have more versatility if you learn the functions mechanically."

Yeah. Too bad Rin, but I was doing this Shirou's way. If Rin wanted to teach me this 'properly', she needed diagrams and a textbook. Refocusing my approach, I visualized Lisa's mind in terms of my power. A connection, like the one I used to control my bugs. Now, how would I put a bug to sleep?

I'd give it an order.

I frowned and thought sleep in Lisa's direction. Nothing. No, I was doing this wrong. Sleep, I commanded again, but this time I targeted my network of insects instead of Lisa. Sleep. I repeated the order several more times, tracing the feel, capturing the essence of what I was sending my bugs. Then I turned my mind back to Lisa.

Sleep.

The effect was instant. Lisa's brain function shifted. All strength left her frame. The freckled blonde tilted then collapsed on top of me.

I blinked. Was it supposed to be that easy? I shook my head then cut my circuits with a purely mental Beenden. Rubbing my throbbing eyes, I turned back to Rin.

"Done."

Rin frowned, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"She's quick," Shirou said, teasing the brunette. "At this rate she might end up replacing you."

"We'll see," Rin replied dangerously. Her gaze flashed back to me. "What did you do?"

I squirmed under her attention. "I... uh... told her to sleep like I would tell my bugs?"

Rin's eyes narrowed further. Cold. Threatening. A chill swept down my spine. I had the sudden feeling that I was a specimen pinned to a steel tray and Rin was looming over me, scalpel in hand.

"Interesting," she breathed, elongating the word. Then Rin suddenly turned back to the front, flipping her hair as she moved. "We'll talk about this later. We're nearly there. Wake Lisa up."

My eyes shifted to the window just in time to watch a Boston city limits sign whiz by. No more time for lessons then. I nudged Lisa awake, first gently then with increasing force when the freckled blonde squirmed rather than rise. By the time Lisa was blinking her bleary eyes, larger brick buildings flew by on our left as we crossed a bridge and entered the city proper.

Reaching under my seat, I opened my bag and procured my mask and equipment. My costume was already on, the chitin armored chest hidden beneath a light jacket. A crude disguise. The pants peeking from beneath would draw eyes and questions.

It was times like these that I appreciated the design of Rin and Shirou's uniforms. Throw away Shirou's cape and Rin's shawl then hide the breast plate under a coat and the two of them looked like ordinary civilians.

Probably intentional, come to think about it. Something to keep in mind when I made my next costume.

Shirou, no, Archer pulled into a parking garage half-a-kilometer from the meeting point. Saber's bike came to a slow beside her sedan. I stepped out, pulling my mask over my head, officially taking on the role of Overmind.

"Anfang Käfer."

Trading power and a dollop of control for area, I gripped my swarm and oriented myself. It took a few seconds to find the meeting place. I gave it a good gander, scanning the space with my bugs. I didn't get the best look at it. My swarm was too thin to form a proper chain of eyes and I didn't want the Ambassadors to know I was spying on them.

"White van, four suits, and two capes. Looks like Citrine and Switchup," I reported.

"How rude," Caster said, cute nose scrunched in annoyance. "After coming all this way, he intends to shove me into the back of a car and drag me around in the dark."

"Told you," Tattletale said while fixing her domino mask to her face. She offered a smug smile. "Accord can't afford to meet with all of Unit 09. You're too strong and he can't guess your motives. But he can't refuse a meeting either, so he's giving you what you want under safe conditions."

Saber nodded thoughtfully. "The excess of soldiers is to ensure our cooperation. If we move while our enemy provides Caster escort, they will raise the alarm."

I formed the picture in my mind. Three or four suits against Saber and Archer? No way in hell Accord was that stupid.

"They'll have backup," I concluded, casting my awareness across the nearest blocks. Too many people and no one stuck out. If anyone was watching, they were out of costume. Smart. "Othello?"

Accord's Ambassadors consisted of five supporting capes: Citrine, Othello, Switchup, Gaslight, and Shiftstate. Othello was a Stranger classed cape most often used as an infiltrator or spy. The PHO's description of his power was iffy, portraying it as teleportation or invisibility. Tattletale had speculated that what Othello had was closer to an invisible friend and the two of them could switch places.

"Probably," Tattletale replied.

"Then we come to a crossroad," Saber said solemnly. "Will one of us remain behind to let our enemy think we have fallen for his deceit? Or shall we bypass this trap altogether?"

"We ignore it," Caster decided in a snap. "If Accord wants to be rude, we return the favor."

"He'll know we're holding out on him," Tattletale pointed out.

"He'll suspect," Caster corrected. "But as you said yourself, he can't refuse. Besides, if your impression of his character is correct, he'll think better of us for evading his plot."

"Then we head out in the car while Caster meets them?" I asked.

"No," Archer said after a long moment of consideration. "Saber and Overmind will remain here and intervene if necessary. I'll take Tattletale to an alternative observation point on the roofs. Assuming everything goes as planned, we follow the van separately."

"And meet up when we reach Accord's headquarters," I finished, nodding in understanding. Having two groups would also make it harder for the Ambassadors to shake us. "I guess I'm riding behind Saber then?"

"And Archer gets to sweep me off my feet," Tattletale teased.

Caster's brilliant blue eyes tightened into a dark glare. Tattletale shot back with a playful smile.

"I suppose I need practice for when I'm giving piggy-back rides to little girls," Archer mused.

Ouch. Caster's expression turned smug. Tattletale took it with good humor.

"If we're done here, I'm off," Caster interrupted. She paused, then snidely added. "And do try to avoid dropping her. It's terribly difficult to replace a Thinker."

Without waiting for a reply, Caster turned and dashed to the side of the parking garage. Vaulting over the concrete parapet, the brunette dropped out of view.

"Was it something I said?" Tattletale asked innocently.

"We should go," Archer interrupted.

Without hesitation he swept Tattletale into a princess carry. In as many seconds as it took Caster, he vanished.

"Stay here or reposition?" I asked.

"I would prefer we be positioned for swift response."

I nodded and reluctantly removed my mask. Pulling my jacket back on, I took a seat on the back of Saber's motorcycle. The tiny blonde rolled her machine out of the garage, circled the block, then pulled into a small gas station.

While we moved, I kept eyes on Caster.

The brunette sauntered into the park, blood red spear in hand. The location Accord had chose was out of the way, long unused, and shielded from the public eye by a copse of pine trees. The Ambassadors' white van was pulled up onto the grass, flanked by a line of suits. Citrine was slightly to the fore, a picture of elegance in her yellow ballgown. Switchup, wearing a domino mask and James Bond tuxedo, stood at her side. I could smell the gunpowder residue on him and had already located the pistol holstered at his back.

"-ere ar- your -mpan-ns?"

Citrine's voice filtered through my bugs, barely intelligible. I adjusted the position of my swarm, thickening a few nodules with a better mix of insects.

"Oh?" Caster noised, making a show of looking around. "I -ppo that dep-nds. Where's Accord?"

Citrine gave a light frown, as though she were put upon. "He will meet you at a more comfortable location."

"Then it is only appropriate that my companions are also elsewhere," Caster returned with an angelic smile. "Is that my ride?"

Citrine's frown deepened. Pressing lightly on her left ear, she murmured something too quiet for my bugs to catch. After a moment she nodded to a pair of suits. The two well-dressed security guards opened the van's trunk. The interior defied my expectations. Instead of cold metal there were leather seats and lush amenities.

"Accord is displeased but finds your terms acceptable. You may keep your weapons if you wish," Citrine said finally, nodding to the brunette's spear. "And please help yourself to the refreshments."

"How droll," Caster sounded. With a nonchalant jaunt she entered the van. "Shall we?"

Switchup and three of the suits entered the back of the van with her, pulling the doors closed behind them. Citrine and another suit took a seat up front.

Moving my swarm inside would be too obvious, so I layered my bugs beneath the vehicle's undercarriage.

"They're moving," I informed.

"Understood," Saber said firmly, wheeling out of the gas station.

We trailed the van, using the side streets to follow, always staying a block or two away. I provided direction, gesturing or shouting against the wind to let Saber know whenever they turned.

After ten minutes of pursuit and a couple twists and turns, the van came to a stop underneath a four-story glass office building. Saber pulled into a back alley moments later and we disembarked.

I put on my mask. Again. While I was wrestling with the buckles, Archer showed. The redhead descended, feet tapping against concrete walls, freckled blonde in tow. Tattletale winced as they set down.

"That was exciting," Tattletale groaned, setting wobbly feet on the ground. She grimaced. "And a little bumpier than I like."

"Not quite the Disney Princess dream you were imagining?" I returned.

"About the same as Angelica, actually," Tattletale replied while shaking the kinks loose. "More padding but worse on the spine."

"I'll take that under advisement," Archer interrupted. "Overmind, what's the situation?"

"They moved Caster through an underground parking lot," I answered. "She's in the elevator now, headed for the third floor. I'm still moving my swarm in, mapping out the interior."

Archer nodded. "We should have time to plan before the meeting with Accord begins."

"We could wait until they release Caster," I pointed out.

"No good," Tattletale replied. "While this isn't a throwaway base, Accord will definitely relocate the moment they let Caster out of sight."

"Overmind, can you describe the enemy's fortifications?" Saber interrupted coolly, returning our focus to the task.

"Sure." I paused. "Actually, I can do you one better."

Gathering ants, cockroaches, and other insects, I traced out five squares in the back alley concrete. One for each floor. The insects moved, defining the building's interior and providing a crude map of sorts. Archer, Saber, and Tattletale suddenly crowded closer.

"Hey, can you show where Caster is now?" Tattletale asked.

"Elevator, heading to the third floor," I said, pointing out my cricket surrogate.

"Nice. Okay, it looks like Accord owns the third floor," Tattletale explained, she picked up a short length of wood. "Scratch that, he actually owns everything, but the first two floors are run by civies who are out of the loop. Accord uses them as cover to make his other businesses look legit."

Tattletale paused, then tapped her rod on two small boxes. "Security rooms here and here."

"You're relaying this from your bugs inside?" Archer asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"I see," Archer murmured. He squatted down near my maps, eyes narrowed. "If you don't mind, I would like to try something."

I nodded. Archer waved a hand over my bugs. A wall of prana ripped through my swarm. Sharp, intense, even though the amount of energy used was minute. Static crawled through my mind. My power warbled, fading in and out as though a string had been struck. I caught whiff of the mystery only from experience. Structural Analysis. But so fast and precise that it dwarfed my abilities.

I blinked. "Wha-?"

Without waiting for an explanation, Archer promptly projected chest-high copy of Accord's tower. The redhead then unfolded the model like a doll house, opening the interior for all our view.

"Oh, that's a heaping pile of bullshit," Tattletale complained, stealing the words from my mouth. She looked at me. "Can you?"

My insects filed into the tower, taking the position of people and patrols. Accord's tower held nearly two hundred persons in total, though only a fraction were under Accord's direct command. I marked those carrying carrying guns with spiders then slowly mounted flies on the walls wherever I found a camera.

"What shall be our method of approach?" Saber said, her stern blue eyes studying the structure.

"There are three elevators," I pointed out, gesturing to the shafts. "And one of them gives us a straight shot to Accord's office."

"Good eye, but that's Accord's escape route. It'll be trapped to hell and back," Tattletale replied. "Assuming we can get it running in the first place."

"Don't have to," I returned. "Cut our way in then climb up. Sure, there'll be a lot of traps, but there won't be any guards."

Saber frowned. "I dislike leaving foes at my rear."

"Cutting in is a good idea," Archer said thoughtfully. "Allows us to cross from multiple points. How is their security setup?"

"Big bank of monitors, some computers," I said, describing the security room. "Half-a-dozen suits packing heat on the third floor. Nothing but generic uniforms on the first."

"It's hierarchical. Bottom office handles ordinary security. Petty thieves. Beak-ins. They'll have access to cameras on the first two floors and the roof. Middle office works under Accord. They have access to everything short of Accord's personal space," Tattletale concluded.

"What's the risk of reinforcements if we hit him directly?" Archer asked.

"High. Third floor security can't peek in on Accord's meetings, but they'll sure as hell get an alert if anyone or anything sets off the alarm. And since this is Accord, you can bet that triggering any of his traps will do exactly that."

"Then we must strike at our flank before we turn to our fore," Saber decided.

"Risky," Tattletale noted. "We might trip an alarm while handling Accord's goons, but if we strike the third floor security office first..."

"We could just kidnap him," I pointed out. "All the alarms in the world aren't worth a cent if we're gone before anyone shows up."

Frankly, I wasn't sure it mattered either way. Between the dossiers Tattletale provided and the scouting of my swarm, I was confident we could walk in through the front door and pull the gig off. Still, no sense in being careless. It would be annoying if the local Protectorate showed up and spoiled our interrogation.

Tattletale grinned. "Wow. And to think I'm the supervillain."

I gave her a dirty look. Not that anyone could tell, given I was wearing a full mask. But this was Tattletale. I'm sure she got the message.

"Caster wants access to his records," Archer reminded. "But if things go sour we'll keep that option in mind."

"Then hitting the security office first is our best bet," Tattletale concluded. "We cut them off there and there is no way to raise the alarm except through Accord's personal systems, and he's going to be a might bit busy."

"Caster proceeds," Saber asserted.

The tiny blonde pointed at the insect representing Caster. I shifted my attention back to my swarm. Caster moved into Accord's office, flanked by two cape escorts. A pair of suits placed themselves outside the door, providing professional guard.

"She's in the room with Citrine and Shiftstate," I said, clarifying the details that couldn't be read by watching bugs advance. "Two goons on hand, with about half-a-dozen others within thirty seconds to the door – including Switchup. There are... a lot of traps."

I grimaced at the plethora of mechanics buried behind ceiling and walls.

"Gaslight?" Tattletale asked.

I shook my head. "Can't find him. Either he's not there, or he's out of costume."

Gaslight was a Blaster. A weird one. Instead of shooting beams of death, Gaslight fired memories. A knock off Gallant of sorts. Less combat effective, but better at support.

Tattletale frowned. Then she waved it off. "Doesn't matter. One less cape makes things easier. Our biggest problems are Citrine and Shiftstate. Citrine will probably focus on nullifying Caster's magecraft, which could put her in serious danger depending on how well Citrine's power works.

"Shiftstate isn't so much a threat as a mission risk. Shiftstate is a Striker/Shaker. He can turn gas into a solid or a solid into a gas. If we break in, he'll freeze us in place then drop Accord straight through the floor. It'll be hard to stop them from pulling a runner after that."

Archer nodded. The redhead closed his eyes and placed his fingers against his temple for a long moment.

"I've warned Caster of the danger," Archer said. The redhead looked at me. "Overmind, disable as many traps as you can. We need to move. The clock is ticking and we don't know how long Accord will chat before he throws Caster out."

Archer didn't need to tell me twice. I set my minions to work. Critters crawled through the walls, their tiny jaws clamping down on cords. Spiders operated in teams, weaving silk into gears and jamming hidden mechanics. I amplified my work with light touches of Structural Analysis, the mystery feeding me clues as to how Accord's machines worked. With that information, I attacked weakpoints and avoided folly.

"How we getting in?" I asked, mind divided.

"The roof," Saber supplied. "We shall cut into the main stairwell from above, bypassing the enemy checkpoint. From there we shall proceed forth and storm the security office on the third floor before doubling back to assault Accord."

"That leaves us with a fair bit of exposure during the ascent and in the third floor hallways," Tattletale pointed out.

All three of us looked at Archer.

"I have something that might work, but I've never used it before," Archer said grudgingly. "Trace on."

A simple, bone hilted dagger appeared in the Archer's right hand. Its blade was as long as my forearm, the grip bleached white by time and age. The redhead passed the weapon to me. Despite being more than twice the size of my normal knives, it felt light, ephemeral, as though it were a breath away from vanishing from the world.

"Can you activate it?" Archer asked, gruffly.

"Anfang Ader," I murmured, my eight primary circuits warming in response.

I concentrated, pushing prana through the dagger's hilt. The energy rolled over the weapon's surface, repelled like water on a rain jacket. A connection that refused to be forged. With a frown, I wrestled with the energy for a few seconds before giving up.

"Can't seem to get it to click."

"Thought that might be the case," Archer said, taking the dagger back before handing it to the tiny blonde. "Saber, if you would."

"So that you are aware, that dagger never belonged to me," Saber said, sounding quite displeased with the notion. "The legend was misappropriated."

Despite her words, Saber gripped the weapon's hilt. Almost immediately, shadows curled around the girl's arm then wrapped the tiny blonde in darkness. Except it wasn't darkness. Whatever the shadows touched became diminished. Less visible. Less tangible. Less real. It wasn't invisibility. I could still see Saber, standing as she was before. Calm. But my eyes wanted to slide off her. To look through her and into the space beyond.

"I think I see what I'm missing," Archer said thoughtfully. He pulled a second bone-hilted dagger from thin air. "Try it now."

I took the weapon again, letting my prana flow a second time. The reaction was instant. My shadow wavered then stretched, coiling itself around me like a snake. An empty warmth swept over my skin, neither cool nor hot, but the absence of both simultaneously. The world grew duller somehow. Faded, like an aged picture.

"Works," I said, though saying anything at this point was redundant. "Takes prana. Is Tattletale going to be able to handle it?"

I glanced at the freckled blonde.

Tattletale squinted, but managed to focus on me.

"No luck," she said, shaking her head. "I have four circuits, but they all attach to my power. So no magecraft for me."

"The field will extend over a soldier and his steed. So long as Tattletale remains close to one who wields it, the dagger shall provide sufficient cover," Saber provided. "Time grows short. We best proceed with this endeavor."

I nodded. Archer produced a white hilted dagger of his own while I double check my equipment. I looked up a second later to watch the redhead throw a coil of rope at Saber. The blonde knight snatched it out of the air then threw the loop over one shoulder. Without a word, Saber seized Tattletale by the waist.

"Hey!" the startled Thinker sputtered.

"Stiffen your neck," Saber ordered, hefting the girl into a protective carry.

Tattletale's eyes widened. That was all the warning she got before Saber shot off in a blur. Her speed and the dagger's magic were too much. My eyes lost sight of them in an instant. I blinked, glancing around trying to figure out where they had gone. It was only when Tattletale stepped away from Saber and gave me a jaunty wave from the top of the building's roof that I found them.

"How the hell?"

"Let's move," Archer replied, taking off at a jog.

I followed, shadows wrapping me in otherwordly stealth. To keep my eyes from sliding off Archer, I tagged him with a bug. Even with that advantage, it was a struggle not to forget his existence. We stopped at the corner of Accord's building in a back parking area nestled between a fence and a two storied building with few windows. The rope fell down to greet us, whipping against the textured concrete that made the building's walls.

Archer wrapped the cord around one arm, then held out the other.

"Hold tight."

Saber pulled the two of us up at a pace faster than I could jog. It only took a handful of seconds for us to reach top. Archer pushed me over the parapet and onto the roof before vaulting over himself. With a sharp gesture, he vanished the rope.

The top of Accord's building was gorgeous. Instead of asphalt, the roof was covered in lush green. Soft grass sank underfoot. A series of miniature trees grew from pots, beautifully trimmed with blossoming spring flowers. For a moment I admired the sight, my strategic mind picking out the three security cameras. One watched the main road, a second covered the rooftop entrance, and a third scanned the heavens in search of flying capes.

I didn't know how Archer's shiny new Stranger power interacted with electronics, but at this point it didn't matter. None of the cameras faced us.

"Where shall I place the aperture?" Saber queried.

My swarm swirled then drew a box of insects over the main stairwell. Saber nodded, armor forming around her. With a jerk of motion, she drove Invisible Air through grass, dirt, and concrete. She turned, sheering through stone with a wrenching motion. Once done, she pried out a clod of stone and earth, revealing the path below.

Without a word, Saber dropped inside.

One by one we followed, jumping down onto the fourth floor landing. Archer came last, pulling the lump of rock and grass into place behind him as he fell. I studied the severed segment. The cut Saber made was fine. If I didn't know what I was looking for, I would probably miss it.

Good enough.

"Stick close to Overmind," Saber ordered the freckled blonde before taking the lead.

Tattletale threw an arm over my shoulder. Our shadows intertwined then spread over the two of us. Weirdly, it made her feel more real rather than less.

"Guess we're buddies," she said, descending the stairs.

"We do seem to get stuck together often," I observed with a smile.

Saber paused at the door to the third floor. "Clear?"

My swarm scoured the space ahead, careful to remain hidden in the rafters. Traffic on the third floor was lighter than on the first or second, but there were still more than enough workers moving about that I couldn't guarantee any sort of safety. I waited for the best opening I could see.

"Clear."

We moved out into the hall at a rush. My hands were wet with sweat. My eyes darted side-to-side. I was nervous. Rationally, I knew that if things went wrong, we were strong enough to smash our way to victory. But I wasn't worried about us. I was worried about Caster. How much would Citrine's power degrade her own? How would it affect her magecraft? Her reinforcement? The enchantments on her armor?

Could Citrine negate so many powers at once?

We reached the security room without interruption. The door was sealed by code, card, and buzzer, with a wide peephole so that those inside could look out. If that wasn't enough, a camera covered the entire hall. Archer dealt with the obstacle expediently, forming a black blade in hand before slicing around the knob.

Saber and Archer burst inside.

Five suits looked up in shock. One was seated at the security bank, eyes having never caught our presence despite how we showed up crystal clear on the monitors. One fumbled with his coffee. The other three were better positioned and reached for their guns.

They never had a chance.

A deluge of insects dropped down from the rafters, startling the suits. Archer flashed in, folding a guard around his fist. With a twist the redhead pressed the suit against the ground, then slapped him in cuffs faster than I could blink. Saber took out two more, snapping bones like twigs. The suit with the coffee dropped his cup and pulled out his gun. Archer was faster, whirling the guard into a grapple while snatching the ceramic mug out of the air.

Saber set her sword against the last suit's neck.

Tattletale and I moved into the room, pulling the door shut behind us. Hopefully nobody would notice the crescent carved around the knob.

"Leave that one awake," Tattletale said, stepping away from me to approach the bank of machines. "I need a password."

Saber dragged the suit out the chair then pressed him against the ground before restraining him with plastic cuffs. Archer had the other four on the floor, hypnotizing them into blissful unconsciousness.

"No need," Archer answered. He stood, then glanced at me. "Put this one out."

I grimaced, looking down at the suit Saber had restrained. Shit. I knew nothing good would come from learning Hypnosis. With a groan, I approached Saber, who helpfully hoisted the suit to eye level. The man struggled pointlessly against her grip, muffled cries rising from his gagged mouth.

"Keep him from moving, will you?" I said.

Saber gabbed the suit's head with her free hand, holding it perfectly still. Good then next I had to... fuck. I had to take off my fucking mask to do this didn't I? I shot a scowl toward Archer, who was taking Tattletale's seat. He and Saber remained impassive. This was a lesson wasn't it? Shit. Maybe I could...

No. I wasn't skilled enough to play around. With a frustrated expression, I fumbled with the buckles then pulled off my mask. This time there was no wasting time and no asking questions. I knew the drill. Prana flooded my retina, drawing pangs of pain when I pulled a little too much. I brushed the irritation aside and looked the suit in the eye.

An echo. I found it almost instantly. I seized the connection, then dove straight in.

Fear. Pain. Adrenaline. The thoughts of the suit were not serene like a still lake as Tattletale's had been, instead they were the chaotic surface of a stormy ocean. Lulling this mind was akin to pinning a raging beast. Anger tore at my feeble grip, sharp claws sheering through my control. I bore down on him in frustration. He choked, his mind a churning fog.

Too harsh. Not power, finesse. I eased up. The suit sucked in a breath. For an instant he relaxed.

I flipped his mental switch before I could lose my psychic grip. The suit slumped. Saber set him gently on the ground, giving me a nod of acknowledgement.

"So much bullshit."

Tattletale's loud complaint drew my attention. Archer was stepping away from the controls of the security system, returning them to the freckled blonde. Tattletale turned and gave me a look of exasperation.

"Overmind, please tell him that's bullshit."

"All magecraft is bullshit," I replied. I pulled my mask back down then buckled into place. "I thought you knew that already."

"Yeah, but this is extra bullshitty bullshit."

I rolled my eyes. "What did he do? Snag the password by reading the keyboard's history?"

Tattletale threw up her arms. "You knew he could do that!"

"Yeah. Of course I did. Structural Analysis is one of the mysteries I'm studying."

Did she really think I would practice thaumaturgy without reading up on it? That Structural Analysis could read an object's history was well known, though the level of mastery required to do so was admittedly rare. It wasn't that large of a jump to deduce that Archer could use the mystery to grab a password. To be fair, the possibility hadn't occurred to me until a minute ago, but it was obvious in retrospect.

"Tattletale," Saber interrupted, tone reproving.

"Yeah, yeah," Tattletale replied, waving her off. The freckled blonde returned her gaze to the machines. "Give me a sec."

Archer glanced at Saber. The tiny blonde nodded, indicating that the room was secure. Tattletale leaned over the keyboard, flickering screens gleaming in her eye.

"What do we have here," she breathed. "The whole world at my finger tips. Whatever shall I do?"

"Deactivate as much of their systems as you can. Paralyze their response if possible. But keep things quiet for now," Archer ordered. He turned to me. "What does it look like?"

I shifted my perspective, sweeping the building with my human mind before checking on Caster. Sunlight poured into Accord's office through broad, glass windows. Accord himself was short, barely over five feet tall. He sat behind a gorgeous, handcrafted desk, flanked by Citrine and Shiftstate with Caster opposite. Two suits were outside the door, ready to respond.

A hint of how much Accord feared us. A fear that was well deserved, assuming this operation would go as planned.

"No response from the suits or Ambassadors," I said.

"Good," Archer said, nodding.

"Now what?" I asked.

"We get into position, then wait," Archer said firmly.

"Archer's right," Tattletale said. "Private meetings aren't technically covered by the unwritten rules, but they come close enough to make people uncomfortable. Waiting until the meeting ends..."

"... lets us claim that any truce that might have been has ended," I finished.

"Exactly," Tattletale said, gleefully pounding a key with a broad motion of arm and finger. "Besides, Caster's negotiations might work out. We'd feel awfully silly if we broke in right as they struck a deal."

Archer and I snorted.

"What? It could happen."

"We best make haste," Saber concluded. "Hostilities may begin at any time."

"Oh, ye of little faith," Tattletale said, smiling. "Oh. I'm done here, in case you're wondering."

"How are we getting in?" I asked, glancing between my partners.

"The third floor bathroom was adjacent to another room. What's in it?" Archer asked as he headed for the door.

"The one that aligns with Accord's office?" I asked, following a step behind. "Computers and filing cabinets."

"We'll enter from there," Archer decided.

The two blondes piled up behind us. Archer tilted his head, waiting from my signal. I closed my eyes, focused on my swarm, and judged the motions of the patrols.

"Clear."

We moved.

It was a short jaunt from security room to bathroom. Archer wasted no time carving a hole into the far wall then pushing the remnants into a stall. From there it was a waiting game. I spent the idle moments directing the rest of my swarm into the rafters above Accord's office. Insects flowed through air vents and skittered above ceiling tiles. Chitin jaws continued to loosen wires and strings. Smaller critters crawled between gears whereupon their larger brothers tore them apart. Silken threads wound through everything.

Most of all, I watched and listened.

"Who w-s it you said, t-ld y- of this matter?"

"I didn't."

"F-ltline then," Accord replied. "I've h-rd rumors of their interest, and you cert-nly know that if I had knowledge of this matt-r that I couldn't share it with anyone that would, in turn, sh-re it with them. Sloppy. I expected better of you given Unit 09's reputation."

"There is no need to play coy with me, Accord. I am aware that parah-ans can be created. My interest in this affair is not -tagonistic."

"I'm afraid that I kn-w nothing."

"I'm not asking."

"Sh–"

Saber sliced through the wall before I could finish my curse, her invisible blade expertly skewering the fragment of debris to set it gently aside. In the same instant, a bow virtually teleported into Archer's hands. My swarm dumped down from overhead. Caster jolted from her seat.

Shiftstate was faster. He raised a hand and the air hardened. My bugs froze in empty space, suspended in solid sky. Caster stilled, her form caught half in motion. But, as fast as Shiftstate's reactions were, they were a breath too slow. Archer's arrow whistled from his bow with a deep thung. The moment before the air congealed, it struck Shiftstate's shoulder, sending him stumbling back.

Then Saber joined the fray. The tiny blonde bulled through frozen air, shattering Shiftstate's power with her torrential aura. The tiny blonde plowed into Shiftstate, folding him in half on her shoulder. Citrine reached for a small pistol. Archer blurred into motion, throwing the woman into a perfect takedown.

The walls clicked. The now free Caster leapt over Accord's desk. Darts struck Caster's seat with a pitter-patter, two-thirds failing to fire due to my sabotage. The brunette snagged the tiny Thinker and shoved him to the ground with his companions.

"Don't move," Caster ordered.

-oOo-

Carnwennan [White Hilt]
Projected Noble Phantasm – Rank D – Anti-Unit

The dagger with which King Arthur slew the witch Orddu in Welsh legend. When used, the dagger has the power to wrap the user in shadow, moving their existence slightly outside the confines of the world. While not true invisibility, Carnwennan's shroud is not to be disparaged. Eyes slide off the user. Sounds are unheard or forgotten. Revelations of the user's presence are missed whether the target be man, beast, or machine. In totality the granted stealth is equal to Presence Concealment C as wielded by a member of the Assassin class.