It's Omake time!
Interlude 3.X: Coil
Tattletale waited for the boss to be ready to see her. It was always bad when she was kept waiting. She found herself going through the possibilities for what might be occurring in the other timeline, and they were never good.
Everything had started going wrong when IT had appeared.
"Hey boss," Tattletale said in that obnoxiously flippant, irreverent tone that she knew annoyed him. "You said you wanted to discuss something in person?"
Coil nodded. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chair opposite his desk. He waited for her to sit down before he went on. "I'm told you wish to join Starfall's little girl gang."
Tattletale arched an eyebrow, but she didn't look surprised. It was a 'go on,' not a, 'how did he know?' "That's right," she said.
"Why?"
Tattletale smirked. "Come on, boss. Don't tell me you can't see the advantage in having me in the group dealing with the Jewel Seeds. How many do you think you'll need to get what you want? Three? Four? Even one could give you a second trigger. It did for Clockblocker, and for those two parahumans in Philly."
Coil pushed a button, and steel restraints snapped into place around Tattletale's wrists and ankles, effectively bolting her to the chair. "Pretty excuses," he said, "but not your real reasons."
There was fear in her eyes, but not surprise. She knew what he was doing. She knew that if all went according to plan, none of this would ever happen. Which meant he had no reason to hold back. Coil produced a long, thin knife and examined it for a moment. "I'd like to get to the heart of the matter," he said.
A green light sprang up, and Coil barely had time to turn before IT was there. The ferret. The damned idiot ferret. Coil didn't hesitate; he spun smoothly and flung his knife at the ferret's chest.
The knife hit point first and bounced off; the ferret's chest was unmarked.
"Tattletale," the ferret said in a young boy's - or maybe girl's? he couldn't tell - voice. "We're leaving."
Coil collapsed the timeline.
Coil split the timeline and called Tattletale in. Things proceeded as they had the first time until...
Coil pushed a button, and steel restraints snapped into place around Tattletale's wrists and ankles, effectively bolting her to the chair. "Pretty excuses," he said, "but not your real reasons."
There was fear in her eyes, but not surprise. She knew what he was doing. She knew that if all went according to plan, none of this would ever happen. Which meant he had no reason to hold back. Coil produced a 9mm pistol from his desk drawer. "I'd like to get to the heart of the matter," he said.
He was ready when Yuuno appeared; he spun and opened fire, emptying the entire clip into the ferret's forehead.
Nothing. He might as well have been firing paintballs.
The ferret's eyes narrowed.
Coil dropped the timeline.
Coil split the timeline and called Tattletale in. Things proceeded as they had the first time until...
Coil produced a .50 caliber Desert Eagle from his desk drawer. "I'd like to get to the heart of the matter," he said.
Yuuno appeared on the opposite side of the room this time, but it didn't stop Coil; he took aim and fired, hitting him center of mass again and again and again, firing as quickly as he could without the recoil spoiling his aim.
The ferret looked down at the smudges on its chest where the bullets had struck, then back up at Coil, and its eyes narrowed.
Coil dropped the timeline.
Coil split the timeline and called Tattletale in.
"Hey boss," Tattletale said in that obnoxiously flippant, irreverent tone that she knew annoyed him. "You said you wanted to discuss something in person?"
Coil nodded. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chair opposite his desk. He waited for her to sit down before he went on. "I'm told you wish to join Starfall's little girl gang."
Tattletale arched an eyebrow, but she didn't look surprised. It was a 'go on,' not a, 'how did he know?' "That's right," she said.
"Why?"
Tattletale smirked. "Come on, boss. Don't tell me you can't see the advantage in having me in the group dealing with the Jewel Seeds. How many do you think you'll need to get what you want? Three? Four? Even one could give you a second trigger. It did for Clockblocker, and for those two parahumans in Philly."
"You raise a good point," Coil said. "We'll need to arrange a few details to ensure that the Undersiders can still function without you, but it's a good idea. Good thinking, Tattletale."
After the meeting, when Tattletale was gone and no longer within hearing distance, Coil kicked his trashcan into the wall in a sudden release of anger and frustration. "Curse that infernal ferret," he snarled.
He was beginning to hate ferrets.
Coil took a series of long, deep, calming breaths. He could fix this. This could still be salvaged. Even if he lost his Tattletale, he could still make do if he could get his hands on that newly triggered Thinker that Tattletale had identified a few days back.
Step 1: move up his plans to hire the Travelers...