"Had the PRT used simple ordinary restraint this would never have happened," Magneto said calmly. "
"So you deny being responsible for the horrors inflicted on Brockton Bay?" the reporter asked.
"I do. The virus was not ready for human trials and I warned the PRT to that effect. Trials were being held in a laboratory ten miles away from Boston, two hundred feet underground using every safety method known to man or Tinker. They chose to break containment and take the virus deep inside a major, populated city."
"Some people say you shouldn't have been working on it at all; the PRT certainly takes that position."
"I was trying to distribute abilities to mentally stable people, heroes who would stand between humanity and the Endbringers. No one likes to say it, but we've been slowly losing ground for a long time. This had a chance to be a game changer."
"People have been mutilated and maimed," the reporter said. "Someone will have to pay."
Magneto looked at her for a moment, something cold in his expression. "No one is denying that many people have lost their human form; most didn't even gain abilities. Had I had a chance to perfect that formula this wouldn't have happened. Even if it did, it would have happened to people who knew the risk instead of innocent people who are the victims of the gross negligence of the PRT."
"There are going to be lawsuits for years," the reporter said. "What do you say to people who are wanting to sue?"
"The PRT is responsible for this," he said. "The formula would have been harmless if it had been left alone. If I'd even been on the premises I had measures that would allow me to destroy it the moment it escaped into the air, but I was deceived and led away by the PRT."
He leaned forward. "As yourself this; if the PRT really believed the formula to be as dangerous as they say why didn't they destroy it on the premises, or use a mover to transport it to a place where the danger would be less? Instead they chose to keep it; presumably to use it for themselves, denying the people the abilities that they deserved."
The screen shut off, and the room was silent.
"It goes on like that for another twenty minutes. By the time it's done he has her eating out of his hand," Director Costa brown said grimly.
Director Costa Brown and three other members of the board were sitting at the end of the room. They had been particularly quiet and stone faced.
Armsmaster, Velocity and Assault and Battery sat on either side of Emily Piggot on the opposite side of the room.
"He had to have planned this. The interview happened less than ten minutes after the virus was released," Piggot said. "There wasn't enough time to set it up, much less be prepared with all the answers."
"What did you think you were doing?" Costa-Brown asked. "Policy on Hebert was that she should be left alone unless she actively attacked the PRT or civilians. Her "grandfather's" clone or whatever he is seems to have her powers but more control and experience. What made you think it was a good idea to antagonize him?"
"We had creditable evidence that he was engaged in biological tinkering with a potentially worldwide effect. Protocol was clear."
"You should have called us," Director Costa-Brown snapped. "This wasn't Blasto or Bonesaw trying to create a bio-weapon, this was an ally trying to create a weapon that might be the key to fighting the Endbringers. You didn't think that was worth sending up the chain?"
"Hebert has a lot of supporters," Piggot said. "Even here in headquarters. Operational security demanded that we give them no warning of what we were about to do."
Director Costa-Brown turned to Armsmaster. "You led the raid on the complex. Was he right about the precautions taken to keep the virus from spreading?"
Armsmaster stared at her for a moment, then nodded his head grudgingly. "The methods he was using were impressive and actually better than the best the CDC uses."
"If he was treating the virus with that much care, why drive it to Brockton Bay in vans instead of using Strider to move it to a secure location."
"Strider was unavailable due to current operations against the CUI," Armsmaster said. "And time was of the essence. We weren't sure of how long it was before he would complete the virus and begin distributing it."
"Later in the interview he claimed that future iterations of the virus would have been made harmless, so that they only affected the user and not people around him. Is that your analysis?"
"Everything he said in the interview is technically true," Armsmaster said stiffly. "Although he was carefully shading the truth."
"Which a man under the threat of billions of dollars of lawsuits would most certainly be tempted to do," Director Costa Brown said dryly.
"The man almost asked us to do it," Assault said, speaking up. "He's capable of teleporting to the middle of the ocean, and he could build a base anywhere in the world, hundreds of miles away or thousands of miles away from anyone. Why build it in our backyard?"
"Convenience?" one of the other board members asked. "He needed the help of Panacea and perhaps it was for her comfort that it wasn't too far. Ultimately it doesn't matter if he intended this to happen or not. We're here to determine who is responsible on our end."
Director Costa Brown looked down at her papers for a moment before looking up and sighing. "Why weren't there any parahumans guarding the caravan?"
"Valefor surprised us," Armsmaster admitted. He flushed. "He'd gotten hold of a PRT uniform and had infiltrated the lead van before we had gotten there. He flipped up his visor and commanded us to take an extended visit to a business in Boston called the Pussycat Lounge."
"Doubtlessly to foster the impression that the Protectorate is corrupt," Piggot said, glancing over at the others. Battery in particular was turning an interesting color of red.
"It's hardly his normal method of operating," Director Costa Brown said.
None of the parahumans had been killed or mutilated, only ordinary members of the PRT.
"We believe they intended to damage the PRT and Protectorate as much as possible because of Leviathan's defeat," Armsmaster said.
"That's only a theory," Piggot said irritably. "Because Hebert conveniently killed all of them before they could be questioned. They certainly didn't leave a manifesto. "
"Valefor took the time to dress up in costume," Armsmaster insisted. "Which meant he wanted to be recognized.
"How did it turn against them, then?" Costa Brown asked.
"We were under radio silence," Armsmaster said. "But Kid Win called and I wasn't answering, so he hacked my visual feed. He got a good look of a dancer named Candy before I managed to shut him out."
"That probably would have raised some alarms," Battery said, her face even redder than before. "If he hadn't seen me in the background."
"I'm sure that the Youth Guard will be thrilled to learn about this," the first board member said.
"It took a while for word to get around that we weren't at our posts, and once people who knew about the operation learned about it, the alarm was raised."
"None of this would have happened if you'd contacted us," Director Costa Brown said coldly. "We aren't responsible for the many many leaks that your branch seems to have, and we would have been able to field people who would not be compromised. That's assuming that we even chose to go forward with such a risky plan in the first place instead of simply convincing the Heberts of the need for oversight."
"They've worked with us successfully on other projects," the second of the board members said. "It's possible that they would have been amenable for having PRT agents as the first in line for the new project. We could have increased our numbers in the Protectorate by a factor of ten."
"Now we've got ten thousand people running around with frog eyes and lizard tails and God knows what else and a thousand random people with super powers. Maybe a tenth of those are actually useful in a fight. Given the nature of Brockton Bay, how many of those do you think are going to actually be heroes instead of people who resent the fact that we let three major gangs rule the city for decades?"
The last board member looked disgusted.
"This isn't the usual kind of cluster fuck that you can sweep under the rug, Emily. Someone is going to have to seen to pay for this, and we still have need of the people in your team."
Director Costa Brown stared at her for a moment before saying, "It's time to step down, Emily. Your... opinions of parahumans have been known for a long time, but as long as they didn't affect your judgment they were tolerated. For a time they were even useful if they kept you from idealizing the people who worked for you."
She took a deep breath. "But people are going to think you did this because of a personal grudge against the Heberts. That because they wouldn't bow down to your personal mandates that you intended this as an object lesson. I think he said as much in the interview."
"Um... I don't think he's actually named Hebert," Assault said. "He goes by..."
Director Costa Brown stared at him, and he was silent suddenly. While he normally would have been cracking jokes, no one in the room was in the mood for humor.
"You are gone," Director Costa Brown continued. "Step down for the good of the organization and you might be able to keep your pension. Fight us on this, and it's possible that jail time might be involved."
Piggot's face was frozen. She stared at Costa Brown, then nodded slightly. "You'll have my resignation by the end of the day."
"As for the rest of you, it's clear that this chapter of the organization needs a thorough spring cleaning. We'll be sending someone in to take over as soon as we've made the decision. In the meantime, Armsmaster is temporarily demoted as acting head of this branch, with Battery to take his place. This is only a temporary placement until we can determine the best course of action."
Director Costa Brown and the other board members rose to their feet.
"We've given this branch a lot of latitude, considering that this was where Leviathan fell, but the entire organization is at risk because of this. You've heard of a Coyote chewing its own leg off to get out of a trap? Consider yourself to be the leg."
With that they stepped out and were gone.
"That... could have gone better." Assault said weakly.
Piggot ignored him, rising slowly to her feet and leaving the room without saying a word. Armsmaster followed him.
"We could have at least held Panacea's feet to the fire for all of this," Velocity said. "She should have known better than to get involved with something like this."
"Hebert can be quite persuasive," Battery said. "At least recently. Her grandfather seems to be cut from the same mold."
"A lot of people are suffering because of this, and nobody knows what the end results are going to be," she continued. "They'll blame us just because we're the ones on the scene."
"We could have said no," Assault said.
"And what if Hebert and her grandfather had been wrong and the virus was deadly instead of just a mutagen? This could easily have ended up as the kind of nightmare that keeps all the thinkers up at night."
"The news keeps showing the same pictures over and over; people in line at the hospital suffering. It's almost as though the reporters are trying to make us look bad."
"It's their job," Battery said. "To pull heroes off their pedestal and show that they have feet of clay."
"It's not as though we haven't all made some questionable decisions in our time," Assault said. "Me more than most. But it's frustrating that just when things seemed like they were starting to actually turn our way that they start falling apart like this."
"Were they, really?" Battery asked. "Or were they turning in the Heberts' ways and we just happened to be going in the same direction."
"You don't really believe Colin's theory that Lenhsherr actually wanted us to break into his facility?" Velocity asked incredulously. "You make him sound like some kind of chessmaster."
"He's some kind of thinker who is good at judging people," Battery said. "He finds out what people want and he gives it to them. What did Piggot want?"
"Control," Velocity said. "I've looked into her past, and Nilbog changed her. I think it made her afraid."
"It made her afraid of us," Battery said. "It made her think that every single one of us had the possibility of becoming Nilbog if we just had one bad day, and that meant that she never really trusted any of us."
"So all he had to do was make her think that bad day was coming," Assault said. "And what she was going to do was pretty clear."
"How did he know she wouldn't bring Legend or Eidolon into this?"
"I'm not sure he really cared if she did," Battery said soberly. "Powers don't work well in space, at least not ours. Everybody heard what happened to Lung. How well do you think even Legend would do if he got the Leviathan treatment?"
"You make it sound like he's a villain," Velocity said.
"Isn't he?" Battery asked. "He intentionally released a bioterror weapon on American soil, and instead of a kill order he's walking free. He's managed to make it sound like we're the villains, and there are a lot of people who are going to listen to him."
"His granddaughter has done a lot for the city," Assault said.
"Al Capone started one of the first soup kitchens during the Depression. There have been times when the Tongs rescued people in Japan during natural disasters, even all the way up to the end. Villains have always used charity to make themselves look like heroes, and he's doing this for the same reason."
"I think he cares about the city because Taylor does," Assault said. "She might be the only one he'll really listen to."
They stepped into the elevator headed down. Assault leaned against the wall while Battery stared straight forward. Velocity fidgeted as he stood on the other side of her.
"She's certainly the only one other than Eidolon who can match him," Velocity said.
"My question is about how the Fallen knew what was going to happen," Battery said. "We were keeping tight operational security and they knew exactly where to target us. Either we've got a leak somewhere, or this "Magneto" is actually in league with them."
"Do you think he'd risk his granddaughter?"
"Is anyone really sure she is his granddaughter? For all we know he actually mastered her and she's in his thrall right now."
"She did change a couple of months ago," Assault said. "Quite dramatically. Armsmaster said it was almost like she was an entirely new person, and he thought she might be having a psychotic break."
"Still, having all of her powers, being a Tinker and a Master? That doesn't seem likely. Powers just don't work that way," Velocity argued.
"They don't work in outer space, but neither Hebert nor her grandfather seem to have any problem with it. They don't fit the mold we're used to, which means that we have to be very careful around them."
"Doesn't it seem weird that someone who has been in a coma for thirty years is this... lively?" Assault asked. "Shouldn't he be more confused about cell phones and Britney Spears and computers?"
"Tinkers and Thinkers don't follow ordinary rules," Battery said. "Even usual ones. For all we know Magneto can read minds."
The elevator slowed to a stop. They'd reached their destination, even if none of them were particularly anxious to be out in the lobby. The lobby was filled with reporters who had questions about what had happened and while Armsmaster would be making the official statements they all were expected to be there.
"That's impossible," Velocity said. "Besides, if he could do that we wouldn't stand much of a chance."
The door opened and they stepped out into a sea of flashing lights. The reporters would have their pound of flesh and the next thirty minutes were likely going to be almost as uncomfortable as the last thirty, even if for different reasons.
All they could hope was to do damage control while those higher up dealt with things in their own way.
Hopefully they wouldn't end up like the coyote's leg.
