Interlude: My Empire (Kaiser)
Kaiser walked into Hookwolf's home with Krieg at his back, his imperious gaze slow and sweeping.
Capes stood in the arena as points on a triangle, each pawn facing the other two. Shaped fire was born from the first, flickering red extending from his hands like claws. The second played with her pebbles, juggling some into the air as if a court jester. And the third danced and didn't dance, his still body framed by the wild paths and twirls his small slivers of water took.
"Kaiser! Krieg." Hookwolf greeted, approaching first. This was his lieutenant's home, but he was the master still. Hookwolf's eyes didn't quite meet his own.
"Hookwolf," Kaiser said, a wry smile on his lips, "keeping the men in shape I see."
"They need all the training they can get if they want to hold Stormtiger's turf. Won't last a week as they are when the fighting picks up otherwise."
Krieg nodded. "Vigilance is always a wise course of action."
Kaiser's eyes shifted back to the pit, watching the the girl's weight shift back as she caught a falling stone before pitching it in a single sharp motion.
"Your aim sucks, Hail," the third said, moving his head marginally to the side, just so that the stone sailed past him and exploded exploded into icy shards upon hitting a wall. A tendril of water coalesced around his arm in an instant and closed the gap between them in the next. "Just like your name!"
"You're just jealous you didn't think of it first," Hail said, jumping back as the water whip struck the ground she had stood on, punching a deep, narrow hole through the ground. "Hail Hitter is a glorious name!"
That was an...unorthodox pseudonym. Krieg raised a brow at Hookwolf.
"They can call themselves whatever the hell they want as long as they get the job done," Hookwolf grunted, crossing his arms.
The clawed cape charged, swiping at the third only to hit empty air. "You're one to talk about names, Lakesnake." He grinned. "God, I can't even take you seriously. How did you last so long in the pits, pet?"
"Whatever you say, ashock," Lakesnake said, edging closer still towards Hail.
The fire turned blue, coating the entirety of his fists now. "It's Ash Hawk."
Kaiser tilted his iron crowned-head slightly towards his chief brawler.
"Those two are...were Stormtiger's boys," Hookwolf said. "Chose to follow his style." Naming themselves in homage to their fallen commander, that was something Hookwolf would respect, even if they sounded stupid.
"And the girl?" Krieg asked.
"Well..."
"Chill guys," Hail said, hurling another stone at Lakesnake. "No need to get all warmed up."
"...she likes her puns too much," Hookwolf finished.
"That is just patently ridiculous," Krieg said. "She should change it. All of them should."
"Bah! What does it matter? They're willing to fight!"
"Reputation, Herr Hookwolf. Our enemies will not respect us with names like those among our number."
Kaiser raised a clenched hand, quelling their quibbling. He revelled, not in the silence itself, but in the power behind such a simple gesture. Krieg always was one of the old guard; always too worried about face, about the image of the Empire, about their "principles". Hookwolf worried too little.
He gripped the quiet for a moment longer still, and they waited for their kaiser to speak first.
Lakesnake's water batted a rock away, only to have half of it ice-over on contact. It failed to slow his assault though. The fluid half of his liquid tendril twisted and coiled, flinging the frozen edge like a knight would a flail.
"Their names could be better," Kaiser said, "but reputation is earned, respect is earned, through the trials. They will prove themselves in battle first and if they are worthy, our enemies will fear them."
"And if they aren't?" Krieg asked.
"My Empire is not for the weak."
Lakesnake's attacks now seemed erratic at a glance, thrashing this way and that, but Kaiser saw the underlying pattern. Each strike was calculated, pushing the girl closer towards the corner where she could be controlled.
"Do you think they will be ready in time?" Krieg asked. "The Protectorate are formidable foes even without Eidolon."
"None of 'em will ever be Stormtiger's equal," Hookwolf said. "But together, maybe they'll have a chance, numbers and all that. If nothing else, they can keep the children busy."
Krieg frowned. "The Wards are dangerous in their versatility."
Hookwolf snorted.
This had to be curbed. "Underestimating our enemies is a fatal flaw," Kaiser said. "A child with a gun can kill as easy as any."
"Yes sir," Hookwolf said, tone turning somber.
Lakesnake lashed out, landing a solid against Hail's sternum with the solid blunt end of his water whip. She collapsed against the wall, wheezing for air and grasping her chest in pain.
"Don't let the other guy box you in like that, Hail," Hookwolf said. "No space means the enemy can close in."
"Gah!" yelped Ash Hawk. Vapor blew into his eyes and face, and when it cleared a thread of water wrapped itself around his throat. Lakesnake had used his ice again, purposely throwing it against the fire to melt it quickly and the moment's distraction it bought allowed him to shackle his enemy.
"At least one of them can fight," Hookwolf grunted.
Useful. Kaiser took a closer look at the victor. There was potential there to be purified by time and tribulation.
"That one can handle more," Kaiser said.
"I'll have Cricket fight him," Hookwolf said.
"Kaiser, Krieg, Hookwolf" a feminine voice said from besides Krieg, though no footsteps were heard nor shadows seen. It could only be Fraus. "I have to say, that girl was quite something. The blood on her mask was a nice touch. Wore it like a natural."
"Her answer, Fraus?" Krieg asked.
"She'll be there," she said. "Did you know she's been talking with the Undersiders?"
Hedging her bets already? Smart girl.
"I've had suspicions, yes. Will they be a problem?" Krieg asked.
Fraus tilted her head to the side, her black hair didn't move with her though. Not surprising. There wasn't really anything there after all. "Not anymore. Thing were heating up between her and Tattletale, I think, when I got there."
"Go on," Kaiser said. Fraus's eyes lit up. How typical of the gossip. Still, details would be nice. It would be in the Empire's interest to see the two come to blows.
"I didn't hear much," she began, licking her lips, "buuuuuut it looked personal. Tattletale was really tearing into Resonance, a weird recruitment pitch if you ask me. I'm surprised she didn't get slugged."
"Not recruitment, a failed recruitment," Krieg mused. "She turned them down and this Tattletale didn't take rejection well."
"Ooooh, maybe it was over a boy?" speculated Fraus wildly.
Kaiser rolled his eyes. "That will be all, Fraus."
Fraus shattered into a thousand thousand pixels, shimmering in the air and visible only to them.
"Hmph. That pet project of yours again, Krieg?" Hookwolf said. "The girl from the north?"
"Yes," Krieg answered. "You'd like the girl, I think. She can hold her ground quite well."
"Against Merchants," Hookwolf retorted.
"Against six capes," Krieg said.
"The PRT helped her. New Wave helped her. She didn't do that on her own."
Maybe not, but persuasion is a power all on its own.
"She's new to her powers and she'll only grow stronger with time. I'm confident she can be turned to our point of view," Krieg said, glancing meaningfully at Kaiser.
Hookwolf crossed his arms. "I don't see why we need her anyway. What's one cape going to do to change things?" he continued.
"You'd be surprised, Herr Hookwolf. With her on our side, the Merchants and the Undersiders would be kept busy in the coming weeks. Crucial time while Purity's hitsquad deals with the ABB, leaving only Coil to be dealt with."
"That tinker can't do much," Hookwolf said.
"We don't know what he is," Krieg said. "That's what makes him dangerous."
"You overthink things, Krieg. He has tinkertech weapons. He's obviously a tinker, busy in his own little world downtown. He'll keep his head down 'til we come for him. The Merchants are drug peddlers and the Undersiders are insects."
"The Undersiders remain undefeated," Krieg retorted.
"Because they run!"
"And now they grow in number," Krieg said. "Already two new capes have joined them, recent triggers both. Resonance isn't the only one they've been courting."
The pitfighter frowned. "Why would anyone join them?"
"For the same reasons our people flock to us," Krieg said. "Sustenance and security. Somehow, they've been getting supplies into the city undetected and that requires money, plenty of it. They must be getting it from somewhere. Small time heists alone could not fund their efforts."
The aggressive recruitment, the unexplained wealth, someone was gearing up for a war and the Undersiders were the tip of the spear. "Not somewhere, someone." Kaiser said. "The Undersiders are being used as a proxy to raise an army inconspicuously."
Hookwolf snarled. "Untrained, inexperienced-"
"-capes," interrupted Krieg. "Enough for a war with the Empire. Faultline's crew is still in the city. The Travelers too."
"Then they've already been bought," Kaiser said. There was no business to be had in a post Endbringer city, ergo there was no reason for mercenaries to hang about.
"Who are we fighting?" Hookwolf asked, baring his teeth.
"This was subtle, planned," Kaiser said.
"It could be the Ambassadors or the Elite." Krieg tapped his chin.
"Or Coil."
-Resonance-
"Ah Resonance! It's been far too long," Krieg said as the girl walked out of her camp by herself. "May I introduce my companion-"
"Kaiser," she cut him off, "I know who he is."
"Krieg, I want to speak to her alone." Krieg bobbed his head and backed away, out of hearing. "Well met, Resonance," Kaiser said, sharpened steel reshaping itself until his hand was could be shaken safely. He was not denied. "Is your friend not coming?"
"I had him keep watch. This parley doesn't extend to the Merchants. They're still a threat to my camp."
Cautious. Even his Empire had not come out unabridged tonight. With the advantage of numbers, they could spare a few capes where the other gangs couldn't, not without appearing weak.
"Their days are dwindling," Kaiser said. Whether by our hand or another's. "You aren't lacking for supplies, I hope? If you need more, all you have to do is ask." Kaiser smiled.
She frowned. "We're fine."
"Of course, Resonance. Do keep it in mind for the future though."
Resonance held his gaze a tad too long. "I'll do that."
Liar. Kaiser smiled wider. "Excellent. Shall we?" He led and she followed. Far too quietly for his liking. "Something on your mind?"
"You don't fit," Resonance said. "You don't seem like a Nazi."
"I prefer the term 'white supremacist'."
"Why's that?" Resonance asked.
"Marketing," Kaiser said. "A white supremacist upholds the inherent superiority of the American people. Nazis and Neonazis are anti-democratic fascists. Very un-American."
"Riiight. And being a racist appeals to you?"
Kaiser stopped. He could spout Plato or Strasser or Malthus verbatim, but that was not what she needed to hear. No, she was far too much like Purity for that. He recognized that idealism in her.
Yet she wasn't all Purity either. A true idealist so diametrically opposed to the Empire would rather die than accept their help. No, Resonance's idealism was tempered by a certain pragmatism. This required a delicate touch.
"Racism, sexism, classism, so many isms humans use to hate each other," Kaiser said. "Even civilized, man proves to be nothing but a slave of violence."
"What?"
Ah, surprise. What a beautiful sound. "All ideals are flawed, Resonance, if not in philosophy then in practice," he said.
He saw her eyes narrow, the bloodied and battered mask framing it in a fearsome light. Fraus was right. This was her element. "Then what do you believe in?"
"Power," he said.
"Power," she repeated.
"That's what it takes to affect real change," Kaiser said. "Policies and plans and ideas are all fine and dandy, but without power they're just words on paper, aren't they? The strong rule, the weak follow. You're an example of that."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You've been part of this camp for what? Eight days? And I hear already you're seen as something of a leader here. Tell me that isn't because you're a cape?" Kaiser said.
She ignored the question. "What do you plan to do afterwards? After you have your power?"
Really, the question was what could he offer her. "The same as you, I imagine," he said. "A better city, a better Brockton."
"But your Empire made things worse," Resonance said scathingly. "Drug trafficking-"
"Demand begets supply, the first rule of Economics. Do you honestly believe if I put a stop to the drugs, people would cease their self-indulgent depravity?" Kaiser said.
"It would help."
"For a week, at best, before the ABB and the Merchants ramped up their output. Or, heavens forbid, yet another gang, as if that's what the city needs. Nixon's war on drugs is an exercise in catastrophic failure, Resonance."
"So what? We just give up?" she asked.
Kaiser shook his head. "Not on our people. I have...subsidiaries that try to rehabilitate them." Owning a pharmaceutical was useful in more ways than one.
"And leave the minorities to fend for themselves?"
"A trap I dug for myself, admittedly. The greatest problem of heading an ideological movement is having to appear compliant with those ideas," he said. "My capes wouldn't stand it if I helped the other races, the Empire would fracture."
"You think yourself the lesser evil," she said.
"Aren't I?"
She didn't answer. "What about the murder, the extortions and the arson?"
"I don't ask you to excuse the failings of my subordinates, Resonance, but the crimes we stand accused of are far less onerous than the PRT makes it sound."
"Murder is murder. There's nothing complicated about it," she said.
"Reality is oft more nuanced than black or white. A man kills a criminal and we deem it murder. Hand him a badge and dress him in blue, call it justice," he said. "As for our extortion, well, is it really still that if the money's freely given?"
"And the arson?"
"Do you actually miss the ABB's brothels and dogfighting dens?" Kaiser asked. "If anything I improved their real estate value. I made Lung richer, that ingrate."
She didn't speak.
"Brockton Bay stands on a precipice, Resonance. In a few short weeks, our good shepherd Eidolon will be leaving the house and scum like Lung and the Merchants will be out and about once more. Violence and chaos will follow," he said. "They're brutes who break, as if the city wasn't broken enough. What's needed here instead is business. The Empire, my Empire, can make that happen."
"Is this your idea of a job offer?" she said dryly.
Kaiser laughed. "Nothing so concrete. Merely an understanding between like minds. The Empire will continue to supply you and however many refugees you shelter, in exchange, you keep doing what you do best. Cleaning up the city, gang by gang, from north to south."
"Leaving you for last," she said.
"Geographical happenstance. It's not your fault the Empire is based in the extreme south."
Krieg was wrong. Resonance would never join my Empire, but an alliance based on circumstance, in the service of some higher cause...
"We're here," Resonance said, her eyes flicking towards the dingy doors Hookwolf had pushed past several feet ahead. "I'd like to enter by myself if it's all the same to you."
Plausible deniability. Disassociation. "Of course," he said. That suited him just fine. Keeping this talk a secret was the best for everyone involved.
Coil was already waiting inside Somer's Rock. To his right were the Travelers and to his left the Undersiders.
What bothered him most about the scene was their eerie quiet and solidary stares. They were clearly united, and it fit the idea that Coil really was behind the Undersiders ramping up.
Coil had held his ground with nothing but tinkertech armed mercenaries for years in one of America's most cape saturated cities. His losses were few and his victories many. That spoke of intelligence, cunning, caution.
If he really was behind things, why was he being so damn obvious right now?