Italics are quotes from Worm.

-PatB-

It's not light out yet, but both of us are awake, Amy's head still tucked under my chin, "Something's still bothering you about last night."

"I choked Triumph out last night, and didn't help him until he almost died."

"Why?" Amy's voice is calm, unruffled.

"Because his dad had a shotgun he was waving around at me. He shot a few of my swarm clones."

"That's a reason not to heal someone."

"I hit him with an epipen, and left them another, and called them an ambulance."

"Coil wanted you to threaten them?"

"Apparently. Trickster was lead, and he," I sigh, "He escalated badly."

"And you escalate well?"

I laugh, "Better, anyway."

"That's good," she says, twisting about on the narrow bed, then starting to kiss my neck.

It is light outside by the time we get out of bed.

-PatB-

Pinky is standing at my side, the smell of cooking meat suffuses the area, and my people are hanging out, chattering, not doing anything useful. A day off will do all of us good, however.

Grue wanders up, and I walk over to talk with him. He seems to be doing a bit better.

And then it all goes.

Dragon.

I direct my people out of the street, Pinky getting under cover, then Grue and I escape, paying attention to the strengths and limitations of the suit we encountered.

Coil is a dick, Noelle's locked up, Genesis, Ballistic, and Bitch are missing.

So we're taking on Dragon, and seven of her suits, and the local heroes. This is not going to help me get elected Mayor. I put it from my mind, and Trickster swaps me into the PRT building.

A few minutes later, Imp shows off her prisoner.

Grue goes off with her phone, Trickster and Sundancer go off to talk, and the Director tries to assert her moral superiority.

"If I'm responsible for setting Bakuda off, doesn't that mean that you're responsible for everything Lung, and Oni Lee, and Squealer, and Skidmark did, when you didn't take care of them? For the Empire? Where do you get off, Director. You couldn't even keep Shadow Stalker from tormenting schoolgirls, and you want to blame me for this mess you've made?"

She goes quiet, either pleased to have me respond or thinking.

Pinky is with Tattletale and her people when we drive up, and Tattletale sends one of her people off to dispose of the truck.

Tattletale starts in on Piggot while we walk, and Pinky comes up on her other side, steadying her when she stumbles.

After a moment Piggot finishes, "But because of that, because I could die in a matter of hours if you don't let me seek treatment, you're either going to have to compromise your personal code or you're going to have to let me go and find another way to beat Dragon."

"Sorry, no, we're not," Pinky says, "Fixed your kidneys already. And there's the scarring, and just a little more flexibility, so you can tie your shoes again," She looks across Piggot at me, "I made you a bush that grows RPGs, 'cause I thought it might help against the suits."

"An RPG bush?"

She nods, smiling.

"No matter what anyone tells you, ever, you are the greatest girlfriend in the history of the world."

Pinky blushes, still smiling.

"So we have all the time in the world to question you," Tattletale grins at Piggot, who doesn't seem as assured as she did.

"Grue, go with Trickster and Sundancer, your powers work well together, look for Ballistic. Strike hard, strike fast. I'll take Regent and Imp, so we'll have a little bit of firepower with Shatterbird."

"Okay."

"My team will go see if we can find Bitch, rescue her from whatever they've sent after her. Hunker down after you rescue Ballistic, wait for us. If we don't arrive before dark, we lost, mount a rescue, we'll do the same for you."

"Sounds good," Grue says.

"Whatever happens, we'll figure it out from there."

The Director raised her head, staring up at the sky.

"You have something you want to say?" Tattletale asked.

The Director shrugged.

"What?"

"I'm looking forward to this."

And she tells us Armsmaster's rebranded himself, is working with Dragon, and has helped her design a new suit to go after us. Pinky gives my hand a squeeze.

We set out, Shatterbird pulling our team on a glass-encrusted door. It is very sketchy. As we get close to my headquarters I notice the swarms of relay bugs, and start spreading them out.

"Let us off," Pinky says, "I loaded Atlas with RPGs, so we'll catch up in a moment."

Regent slows us to a stop while I fly Atlas to us. Pinky climbs on behind me, and we follow after the other three.

It doesn't take long to find Bitch, her people, and the first Dragon suit.

The suit is busy eating scrap, and repairs itself.

"How do these RPGs work?"

"Here," Amy pokes one, slips it into the launcher, "Check the backlist area, 90 degree cone behind, clear for 45 meters," she shoulders the launcher after looking behind, "Choose the target."

I can feel it waking up, eyes turning on as it searches for a target, then lock on.

"Squeeze the trigger," *WHOOSH* "Powered flight for 200 meters, then coasting."

I feel the RPG's fins shift as it chases its target, then a bit of satisfaction as it hits *CRUMP* the suit.

"How many do we have?"

"Thirty," Amy says, reloading.

I grab up an RPG and a launcher, and follow her steps.

Unfortunately, RPGs don't do enough damage to this self-regenerating suit, either, so I convince Bitch and we run, or fly, away.

Bitch jousts with it a bit as we flee, and Shatterbird fills it full of glass, batters it about a little.

The next time the suit tries to reform, the molten glass gums it up badly.

There's no one at Ballistic's. I spread some more relay bugs, and find another dragon suit. Azazal, the one designed for the Nine and us.

-PatB-

A/N: More skimming of canon. Amy's influence starts really changing things.