The video halted and Emily Piggot closed her eyes, drawing in a slow, measured breath.
"Explain, in brief, how this happened," she told the man standing before her. She had worked with him for years since being appointed to Brockton Bay, but she had to admit that she had never seen him look as tired as he did now.
A sigh escaped Armsmaster's frame. "Which part? When Taylor Hebert appeared out of nowhere and tossed Leviathan away, or when she came to the conclusion of who was responsible for her house being blown up and walked out on me with the intent to kill him? Which she apparently succeeded at."
"None of your reports suggested the capacity to repel an Endbringer," Piggot said pointedly.
"It wasn't a fact that I was aware of," he replied. "To be absolutely honest, given the possibility of the girl, Dinah, being targeted again, considerations on the scope of her powers were not high on the list of priorities. Especially with her disinterest in joining the Wards."
"Mmm," Brockton Bay's PRT director said. "Regarding that. Reasons?"
"Disillusionment, I would measure. Apathy in some regard, too."
"Unaware of one of her tormentors being a Ward, then?"
"I believe so. But I'm not convinced that she would care if she did know," he said. "I had hoped that exposure to other Wards, Flechette, Freighttrain, and Spyglass, would pave the way for her induction into the Wards program."
"And regarding Calvert, assuming that this video is authentic and he was Coil?"
Armsmaster's expression darkened. "That, from the information we've gathered, is fact. What his goals were remains another matter entirely. We're going over what information we were able to obtain from his systems, including trying to track down who made that video available."
"And Ms. Hebert?"
"Currently, we've arranged for lodging. With Coil's operations broken for the most part, we don't expect further issues with Ms. Alcott, but given her connections to the Mayor, we're erring on the side of caution." he replied. He hesitated and she leveled a stern look at him.
"Out with it, Colin," she told him.
"May I ask your thoughts on the Hebert situation? What do you intend to do?" he asked.
"Those above me have stressed that association with the Wards program is highly desirable, given recent events. It is suggested that whatever means accomplishes this is acceptable." Piggot said sourly.
He arched an eyebrow. "Whatever means?"
"Apparently," she said with a snort, "some factions believe that coercing her through any means necessary, such as threats of prosecution, is an effective means of persuasion." She held up a hand to curtail him. "Thankfully, Director Costa-Brown is not one of those and has stressed that this is a delicate matter. Still, this video, doctored, or no, lends support to those other factions and their view of her as dangerous and needing to be controlled."
"On a leash, you mean," he snorted.
"One way of viewing it, yes," she said. "It is a case of no small importance and one that must be handled with care. Understood?"
"I'm not sure how we're going to manage this," Armsmaster admitted. "I don't have confirmation, but I believe the blonde with her in the video is Tattletale, from the Undersiders. What little we know on them suggests a high level Thinker. Knowing Calvert is Coil is going to erase a lot of goodwill that had been built up from association with the Wards."
Piggot made an indelicate sound to convey her opinion of Thomas Calvert. "Nonetheless, I don't believe this is an insurmountable obstacle. At present, we have latitude in how we act, but as I mentioned, there are those who desire a forceful approach. Opinion is divided and even Director Costa-Brown has others she answers to. If those people start listening to the more extreme opinions ..."
He nodded. "Heard and understood, Emily." He rose and she eyed him critically.
"And get some rest. You look terrible." she told him. "I need you on top of your game. Oh, and before you go. The Travelers?"
"In custody," he replied. "Well. Three of them. We're not sure about the one called Genesis, but Ballistic and Sundancer are secure. Trickster did not survive his injuries. He was dead before we arrived on scene."
She nodded. "Good enough. Keep me updated. And get some rest." He nodded curtly and left the room. Emily Piggot sat there for a long moment after he had gone before rising slowly. Not for the first time, she cursed her infirmities.
Thomas Calvert.
She had worked with him. He was a bastard, she knew. That he had gained powers and used them in some bid for who knows what made her wonder how well she had known him at all. Even with what she did know, it perplexed her. But he was enough of a bastard that she could believe it of him, of that she was certain.
No matter. She pushed a key, starting up a different video. This one from one of Dragon's units that had captured the fight from a distance. She stood there, watching as the girl blasted Leviathan away, the footage ending with a shot of her, the sun beginning to shine on her face while something sparkled down around her.
Opinions were divided over this Taylor Hebert. And Emily Piggot was not surprised. What she understood about the girl's power was frankly terrifying, especially given the demonstrated ease that she manipulated the abilities of Eidolon and Legend. Or the casual escape from Alexandria's grip while airborne. To say nothing of her propelling Leviathan away as if he were nothing more than trash to be discarded.
And now the Director wanted her aligned publicly and openly with the Wards. And dealing with the more extreme elements within the PRT that wanted her dealt with in a more serious fashion. Fear. The Leviathan incident was one issue. It was compounded by her unstoppable march through Calvert's compound that culminated in her executing him without even blinking an eye.
Now her town was tasked with the unenviable situation of managing this. She fully expected the more extreme elements to bring pressure on her in a bid to circumvent Costa-Brown. She grimaced sourly at that thought. Knowing some of their antics, she would not be surprised to see them assign Tagg to the matter if given the opportunity.
The thought made her grimace again and she took a deep breath. She could handle this. It was hardly as difficult a situation as some she had faced. It was just a matter of bringing in the right people. Armsmaster had made some inroads with the girl. Hopefully those could be repaired and strengthened. Now for the matter of how she was perceived. And she knew a way to address that.
Emily Piggot, Director of Brockton Bay's Parahuman Response Team, picked up the phone and dialed a number.