Disclaimer: I don't own Worm
This chapter was edited by nags and AcidaliaPlanitia.
Special thanks to peterdinkelie for poking holes in it.
Chapter 08 - Intermezzo
In one timeline, I reached my upper-middle-class house in the better residential parts of Downtown, near Shantytown. I had consciously chosen that location to be far away from the contested area where Downtown bordered upon the Docks.
I had no intention of beingcollateral in some border dispute between the E88 and the ABB.
I stepped out of the car and made my way to the door, typed in an eight-digit security code, and the scan of my retina granted me access. I had invested no small amount of money and had the best non-Tinker-tech security system installed. Bulletproof glass, a panic room, and a heavily armed security detail of my men hidden in a house a minute away were all measures put in place to protect my life.
I walked through the living room right to the small cabinet in the corner, filled with glasses for the various beverages found within. I took out a whiskey glass and filled it halfway with a Bowmore 1957, and placed two ice cubes from a small ice machine inside.
My power had its uses, aside from the obvious – being able to regularly open and taste a whiskey of which only existed twelve bottles worldwide without diminishing its worth was something I immensely enjoyed. This particular brand, allowed to mature for forty-three-years, was just the right beverage to celebrate this very day.
I opened the two buttons of my custom-tailored suit-jacket and loosened my tie with the glass in hand, seated myself on my expensive leather couch, and placed my feet on top of the small table right next to it. A smirk on my face, I took a small sip from the delicious liquid in my glass. Welcoming the familiar burning sensation traveling down my throat, accompanied by the unique taste. Ready to enjoy what was about to occur in my other timeline.
…Where I was seated around a conference table, along with Miss Militia. Deputy Director Renick was still overseeing and directing Parahuman relief efforts for those parts of the town that had actually suffered any damage. The rest of the Protectorate was either on the Rig, helping if their powers permitted, or at home, with only Ms. Militia and Armsmaster on standby.
This was usually a more than sufficient measure, keeping around twenty percent of the Protectorate capes at hand. After all, the parahuman crime rate – aside from very special circumstances – drops to near zero in the direct aftermath of an Endbringer attack, and usually requires about a week to climb back up to previous levels.
Villains and heroes alikewere getting used to the new situations they find themselves in, usually reduced strength across the board. It was the rare exception to the rule for a team or organization of an attacked city to be at full strength afterward. Furthermore, it was an often-observed occurrence for one or more resident gang or even the Protectorate to crumble or be extinguished, changing the playing field in its entirety.
Something that didn't happen this time around. None of the participating gangs – the Empire, the Undersiders, the Travelers – suffered any losses. Last I had known, Manpower of New Wave had been bisected, with only a timely intervention of Panacea saving his life, and a suspected prolonged hospital stay until his lower extremities could be regrown.
Meanwhile, the local Protectorate lost Dauntless and Velocity, both heavy losses. Dauntless had been the only flyer in their rooster, with a power that allowed for seemingly gradual but unlimited growth, and Velocity, their speedster. Among other things, this meant that their fast-response and force projection capabilities were greatly diminished. As a result, it would be more difficult for them to react to any fast raids.
On one hand, it was a reason to celebrate because this would make the Protectorate far less of a threat,especially against my Undersiders – the ways I could leverage this new advantage were near endless. Yet, I had to curb my enthusiasm a bit; it was a fine line I had to walk. In case the Undersiders become too much of a problem… there might be transfers in the future to combat their synergy.
On the other hand, it meant that when I finally took over the PRT and got the Protectorate under my thumb, there would be two fewer capes. Especially Dauntless; if the thinker projection of what he might be capable of in the future held some truth, it was a heavy loss.
In total, with the Wards losing Gallant, the government-sponsored Heroeshad suffered the most. A loss that turned out to be vital in achieving my goal of recruiting young Ms. Hebert. In retrospect, I couldn't believe my luck; if not for Gallant's absence, I did not doubt for a second that they immediately would have picked up on the precarious state she was in and tried their hardest to alleviate her suicidal would have confoundedmy plan before it could even be hatched.
Gallant's death was something that would have had to happen at some point. It was inevitable: an empath, no matter how weak, was just too great of a threat to keep around. At least getting rid of him this way spared me the trouble of doing it myself later on.
Truly, the loss of Dauntless and Velocity also played another not-insignificant role: with them still alive, the chances of young Ms. Hebert successfully slipping away from the Protectorate would have been slim,and the chances for the Undersiders to find her before the Protectorate, even slimmer.
While we waited for Armsmaster and the Director's arrival, I mentally recounted the various stages of my plan, double and triple-checking if there were any loose ends I had to tie up. Nothing came to mind.
I recalled the moment this all started. It was a seemingly normal day that began with me consulting my newest acquisition and asking her my two standard questions of the day:
What is the probability of any problems at this location in the next hour? What is the probability of any problems at this location before noon?
The answer to the first question was 7.92%. It was an insignificantly higher number than yesterday, which was to be expected. The town was more of a powder keg now than ever. Among other things included in this were fluctuations based on the weekday and the activities of the gangs, which, as I had learned in the last few days, could result in a change of the numbers within a 5% margin. My second question also received an increased probability of 9.21%, which couldn't be helped.
The Undersiders stirring up trouble in the past weeks didn't help to relax the situation, especially them daring enough to poke the Dragon. I knew that it was risky to use the Undersiders in such a fashion; they were valuable assets, especially Tattletale, and I invested a considerable amount of time and money into them. Losing them was not a scenario I would condone lightly.
Nevertheless, I needed Lung off the board. The other gangs I could deal with - in time. Subversion, murder, andleaking their identities were just some of the options open to me, which would work well enough againstmost, chiefly among the Empire. It was a fragile organization; Kaiser's leadership was more important to them than even they realized.
The chances for the Empire to splinter up into smaller, weaker factions in the event of his demise was considerable. Depending on the exact happenstance, easily in the 90% range. The problem was Lung. If he remained in the Bay when it happened, such an event would lead to him taking over the Bay with over a 75% chance...
Yet all my attempts to remove him thus far either utterly failed orwere pyrrhic victories. In most cases, it meant losing the Undersiders and other assets in the process, or it kickstarted unpleasant I couldn't see my organization getting back from easily, if at all, with the Vultures circling the city.
Those bad scenarios only got worse with Lung's recruitment of Bakuda and her arrival in the city. It was difficult before to get Lung out in the open to get a shot at him- with her here, it became near impossible.
This was one of the many reasons I needed another team, one with more firepower, enough to be able to put down Lung if the need should arise. The Travelers, on paper, seemed to be precisely that. The warnings of Accord that they were unstable and close to self-destruction would have been taken more seriously by me in any other instance; I would have reconsidered hiring them, but under the current circumstances... the city was approaching a breaking point, I couldn't be picky.
After all, it was so much harder to remove the sole gang of a city when they managed to consolidate their hold over it than it was to remove several factions warring over it. Regrettably, it was the natural order of things and would happen in either case, no matter who won, the Empire or the ABB. Should that happen without the other one weakened substantially, not only would I be unable to remove them, they might turn their attention my way. So far, I wasn't worth the hassle of taking a chunk of the city away from, and neither had a real interest in it. With their perceived main opposition in achieving absolute control over the city gone, this would undoubtedly change.
For all those reasons, I couldn't not hire the Travelers. A team with their power falling into my lap… I just had to be a little bit more vigilant around them. It also didn't hurt that the Travelers had their own proto-Endbringer in their team. And so, a promise of healing swiftly made secured me their allegiance. Should my suspicions of there being no way to heal her be true – the numbers my pet provided me with gave me just a sliver of hope – I was sure that I could string them along for some time. It only needed to be long enough to get control of the city. Especially if I could get them to believe that being in charge of the city was a requirement for getting her the healing she needed. Perhaps a higher security clearance that would grant me, or the more assets this would allow me control over, with less of my forces bound otherwise.
Even so, when they have outlived their usefulness, taking the Travelers out would just be another step to solidifying my hold on the city. Noelle in particular – a manufactured S class event with the means already in place to smother her would go a long way to firmly establish my position.
Then there was the Empire stirring. It was only a matter of time before they retaliated against the ABB for the loss of Alabaster. I suspected the time for them to take action was getting closer, with them possibly just waiting for the right opportunity to do so; the 2% increase of something "bad" happening was likely owed to that. No need to waste a question on my little pet if I had no real need for confirmation at this stage.
Truthfully, I valued the constant access to her answersof higher importance than eliminating all dangers. I knew that to be impossible; there was always the chance of something going wrong.
Therefore I didn't invest more questions to find out the exact cause, but went back to my work. There was a promising lead on Bakuda's laboratory I wanted to follow up on in a throw-away timeline. Given thatwhat I have seen her build in one or two experimental timelines was nothing short of incredible, thepossible increase in their ability to fight against capes if my professional mercenaries could have access to that arsenal was mind-boggling. Moreover, she would bring a final solution for the Lung problem to the table if I could convince her to work for me. My Tattletale would once again prove her worth in gold by accomplishing that.
I noticed my mind was straying – it had been a long day after all – but I had to refocus on the matter at hand. I couldn't allow myself to become too drunken in this victory... if I overlooked something, this moment could be the start of my defeat. I had all the right pieces but hadn't the time to consolidate them all in a way it would be needed to be truly safe.
I remembered as the Endbringer sirens sounded – I lost no time and went back to my pet. By burning through another series of questions, it became clear that she couldn't see or predict the Endbringer directly. Instead, she was able to see around the effects of what would happen.
The numbers she gave me had me doubting her power and made meconsider that she might be able to lie to meafter all. Yet, she offered a 70% chance that neither my operations nor the city, in general, would suffer any devastating damage that would have forced me to reconsider or abandon the city.
In the moment, I couldn't believe those numbers, nor come up with any plausible scenario in which they might become a reality. My surprise knew no bounds when it was reported that Leviathan was killed; by a teenager no less. I certainly wouldn't be the only one to think that, if such a feat was possible, at all, it would be a team-effort of various capes; that if a small group or person would be responsible, that it would be the Triumvirate, Eidolon specifically having found a power in his arsenal able to deal with them.
But a teenager…well, at least it would explain those other roughly 30% percent of that event – Leviathan dying not coming to pass or at a time when half the city was already sunk.
If that wouldn't have been strange enough, reports wereslowly trickling in telling us that the person believed to have been the one responsible had help by another teenager, and that Alexandria thought the other teenager, a lone girl, to be responsible and the only reason they even had gotten that much information had to do with the fact that the teenaged boy had an injured leg and therefore couldn't flee the scene like the girl apparently did.
I barely took notice of the reports as Kaiser claimed the male teenager as his and his transparent attempt at garnering good publicity, fully trusting Alexandria's verdict. In case she was incorrect, everything wouldn't be lost – with all the Empire cape Identities known to me, an opportunity would present itself, or would be orchestrated.
There was quite some speculation at that point as to why one of the people responsible would flee the scene having done what was commonly believed to be impossible... why not earn the fruits of that labor?
I had some theories myself, but my main focus, after the threat was over in both timelines, was to get to the bottom of things. Which was why I closed the timeline where I was hunkered down in my base, safe behind inches of reinforced steel in one of the highest-rated Endbringer shelters on the continent, and split the timeline again at my current location, the PRT headquarters.
As luck had it, it had become the gathering point for the defenders, after contradictory reports circulated with the capes. Most made their way there to get the truth... my Tattletale one of them, and it was her services I was in dire need of if I wanted to get on top of things. I needed to figure out what happened and determine in what way that unknown cape might be a threat to my operations, or if she could be turned into an asset. In which case, I needed to do so without delay before somebody else got to her, the Protectorate themost likely the contender I needed to beware of.
In one timeline, I approached Tattletale in my role as PRT commander and asked for her help in the name of the PRT. I brought her to a vacant meeting room and granted her high-level access to the data-stream that came in via the PRT and Protectorate to hopefully get her to provide me with some useful intel so that I could get a leg up.
In my other timeline, I called Tattletale and ordered her to stay put, hinting that her services might be needed – which they might in case the Tattletale in my other timeline would tap out from overuse of her power. This happened faster than anticipated, since she had strained her power during the short clash of the defending capes with Leviathan, trying to find out his secrets.
Working off the intel Dragon provided, Tattletale managed to find out the identity of the mystery cape before the Protectorate could do the same. One Taylor Hebert.
This presented me with the opportunity to reroute some of my men to her home. I did so in both of my timelines. I had to be fast because I knew the head start Tattletale managed to provide us with would wane with every minute that passed.
Unfortunately, the PRT also figured out her identity shortly after us, thanks to Dragon. To my misfortune, a PRT van was in the vicinity surveying the damage the city suffered. By the time my men got there, the PRT was already parked outside her house waiting for orders. Yet, not everything was lost.
I redirected my attempts – the girl was, after all, a minor – to her parents; well,parent, according to Tattletale, the girl's mother having died a few years prior in a car accident. It would just be a matter of hours days at most before a recruitment attempt by the Protectorate would be made.
I needed to be present, even if only by proxy, to influence the proceedings. If there was the slightest chance to foil their attempt and drive her into my grasp, I had to take it. That was the reason I sent PRT men on my payroll to the shelter her father, according to the evacuation plans, should be within. To get them to make the first contact. It would mean a chance to ever so subtly influence her father... just getting him to reconsider a Ward membership for his daughter would give me options.
In the worst-case, getting rid of Emily via drastic measures became something to consider given the potential problem she might pose...
That was when it all seemingly started to go wrong. Armsmaster arrived at the Heberts' residence, andgoing against protocol, made contact with her. At a time when barely anything was known about her.
In my imagination, I had already seen her joining the Wards and, by doing so, ended up backing me into a corner.
My first instinct was to take out the Director. Yet, I held back on that nuclear option for now. Instead, I decided to gather more information. Killing her anywhere near Alexandria didn't seem to be compelling... I had no intention to test if I would be able to outwit her if need be.
Via my high-rank access, I had a fresh Tattletale watch the proceedings of her interview with her. To say it interesting was an understatement. It took Tattletale one glance to know she was suicidal, and with some prompting, the usual threats and measured violence, I managed to convince Tattletale to tell me the rest.
It was no wonder they messed up this hard.
According to Tattletale, Alexandria's Thinker power was a combination of eidetic memory, increased intelligence, and faster perception and thinking – meaning she was solely dependent on cold reading her opposition... which her power was perfectly suited for.
Unfortunately for her, young Taylor either possessed a Thinker power of her own that somehow allowed her, to a certain degree, to subconsciously channel her emotions, orshe had a blunted emotional range that made it hard to properly get a read on her.
A fact that explained how Alexandria was unwittingly responsible for Armsmaster putting his foot in his mouth more than once, pushing the girl's buttons, getting her to retreat in herself. Driving her further away from joining the Protectorate than I could have hoped for.
There was just one little hick-up. The girl loved her father. Despite his obvious failings as a parent. He was a clear obstacle in my plans. The sole remaining figure she had a measure of trust in, preventing her from being truly vulnerable to manipulation. Tattletale said as much before I needed to replace that version of her with a new one. I got confirmation from my pet that it was indeed possible to sour her relationship with the PRT even further, getting a realistic shot at her.
But for that to happen, I needed Tattletale's help – 79% chance instead of 15%. According to my pet, not recruiting her would result in problems for me down the line with a 97% probability. As a result, I wasn't left with much of a choice. But for it to work, I somehow had to isolate her even further. Subsequently, it became much more important to get my hands on her father in order to prep him. I needed to instigate a falling out no matter what.
The shelter, near the docks, was finally opened. Following regulations, because the danger had to have passed for some time, my employees made contact with Daniel Hebert, Head of Hiring of the DWU, in both timelines.
In one timeline, I ordered my people to approach him and take the scenic route as long as possible to return home.
In the other, a freshly replaced Tattletale directing my men started working over Mr. Hebert, metaphorically speaking.
It took me three attempts – the maximum number possible I could get out of the drive without it being too suspicious. There are only so many detours because of suspecting traffic jams, destroyed streets, and stops to get gas to be believable.
As it turned out, the problem wasn't Mr. Hebert but Tattletale. The instant she realized what I was trying to doas I prepped him – a task that required granting Tattletale access to my previous sessions with her and all the information she gleaned of the Hebert girl – shetried to sabotage my attempts.
The first time, the things she had my agents say to the Hebert girl in their home got them killed on the spot.
The second time wasn't much better – just that in the alteration her father died, I heard the Tsunami warning in the distance when that timeline was forcibly shut.
In my last attempt, I invested a considerable amount of time and discussed the situation with Tattletale – I made itabundantly clear to her what would happenifshe didn't live up to my expectations. That finally got me the desired result. The truth of the matter was that without her prior attempts at screwing me over, I might have missed her one try to do the same in the last one... It always gave me a feeling of accomplishment when Tattletale managed to screw herself in another timeline without her knowing it ever happened.
It was always a fight to get her to use her powers in this way. For some strange unexplainable reason, she was more defiant than usual. I made a mental note that it might be useful to find out what she found more objectionable in this case than in the others.
I would have asked her if time constraints hadn't required that I committed both timelines for the final attempt. Usually not a risk I would take; if not for my pet assuring me that it was possible, in the first place and me not being forced to, I wouldn't. I couldn't allow for somebody as powerful as that girl to not be under my control. Not after I already invested so much in the Travelers, in order to have more firepower than anybody else in the city. To my great relief, I was able to recreate the outcome with Tattletale none the wiser. I discarded the timeline with Tattletale bleeding out on the ground at my feet and kept the one where I had sent her back home a few minutes prior.
I immediately called my base and had Mr. Pitter relay my questions to my pet. After all the trouble I went through, I couldn't allow the girl to slip through my fingers. I needed to know exactly where Ms. Hebert ended up after running away. By doing so, not only was I forced to burn through the last question for the day but had to strain my pet. She barely managed to answer my last question that narrowed it down before losing consciousness. Mr. Pitter had to put her in an artificial coma to prevent any lasting damage - He estimated that it would take two weeks before it could be risked to wake her again.
Losing access to her even for just a day was a high price to pay, nevertheless one necessary. That much the numbers made clear. The girl not under my thumb would be instrumental to end my operations within the month. Not a risk I could take, Isent the Undersiders to recruit her in both timelines. Even with my help, the remaining search area was considerable. It didn't help that the Heroes searching for her too, turning this into a race. But it would increase my chances to find her first tremendously.
After all, the girl seemed to play with Tattletale's heartstrings. I was convinced she would get it done.
I didn't expect in the timeline the Undersiders were faster for them to get into a scuffle with Alexandria, but I couldn't argue the results. I just had to make sure to minimize the fallout of it in the coming meeting. Which shouldn't be too hard, given how easy it was to manipulate Emily.
Should the worst happen, and the Undersiders become unsalvagable as assets afterwards, I just needed to use one of my contingencies plans with a few adjustments, it should still get me the services of young Ms. Hebert.
The only thing that I needed to do at that point was to make sure that my two employees couldn't be questioned. Which was inevitable going to happen after the clusterfuck with her father. This was probably the easiest part. An ambulance, which arrived on the scene to take care of the `injured´ took them. Unfortunately for them, instead of bringing them to the hospital, or extracting them to safety like I made them believe I would, they made the acquaintance of the fish in the Bay.
I usually prefer less drastic measures to handle loose ends, but with the national and international scrutiny of those events, just paying them off and getting them out of the city wouldn't be nearly enough. One of the thinkers looking into this would find them, and from there, it was only a matter of time until they spilled my secrets, either through bribes or other more unsavory means. I couldn't risk it, no matter how difficult it wasnowadays to get competent personnel.
When Armsmaster finally did arrive, Emily Piggot, the Director of the PRT ENE branch, entered in his wake. I could smell the sea-water still clinging to his armor as he rounded the table, walking behind me to his seat. He remained standing with a large monitor at his back. Emily gave me a cursory glance before she seated her obese ass.
"What are you doing here Commander Calvert?" she asked with a scowl.
"According to the PRT handbook, during an S-class crisis, every reservist is required to return to active service," I simply stated to her growing irritation.
"I'm aware of the regulations," she gruffly replied "I want to know what you are doing here, in this room?"
"As the currently highest ranking PRT officer after you and Deputy Director Renick, I thought it important to be up to date with the current events and give my advice if asked."
She grunted, "I see, you can stay." What she didn't say out loud, because her eyes said enough, was 'as if I would ever ask you for advice.' I must be grating for her to have to deal with.
I smiled at her as I said "Thank you, Emily," which sent her teeth gnashing. Inwardly I beamed, enjoying the fact that so little was necessary to drive the woman sitting in my seat, filling the position that should be mine, up the walls.
"Alexandria?" Ms. Militia asked, directed towards Armsmaster.
"Won't attend this meeting. After she regained consciousness on-site, we followed protocol. She was brought to a check-up in the Med Bay on the Rig and was still there when I left. The attending doctor was certain that she would make a full recovery."
With that out of the way, Emily demanded, "Report."
"After we located the origin of the shockwave, Alexandria and I made our way there. Given the close proximity and the possible time-sensitivity, we departed immediately from the Rig. We would have preferred to do so with a greater number but withthe unfortunate lack of flying capes at hand and the fact that most out of town Heroes had already left, we were left with little choice," Armsmaster recited in his monotone voice. If not for my interest in what he had to say, this would be the moment I might have yawned.
Sofar, I hadn't received a full report from Tattletale, only a short message stating that the mission was a success and they suffered no losses.
"When we arrived at the scene, towhat I can only conclude was a failed attempt at suicide by the tentative named cape Tiamat, we discovered she wasn't alone. All six known members of the Undersiders were there, surrounding Tiamat in a loose formation. We gathered that Tattletale, kneeling in front of Tiamat, was engaged in a conversation with her."
Behind him on the monitor, he displayed camera footage of their approach in conjunction with his report. "According to the behavioral pattern the Undersiders displayed prior to that incident, their first instinctual response is to flee."
"They have a reputation as getaway specialists." Miss Militia chimed in.
"Exactly," Armsmaster agreed "the only known instance where they engaged other Parahumans was during the robbery of Brockton Bay Central Bank, and in that situation, the Wards gave them little choice. They needed to spring the cordon open andknew that without doing so quickly, the noose was being closed around their necks. Vista and Clockblocker's power, in particular, made it the best tactical choice to take them out before attempting to flee."
"So you concluded they would act the same in that instance," Emily stated.
"Yes," Armsmaster confirmed, "we threatened them to put pressure on and left them with a clear path to flee. We were only two against six, one flyer. They should have had no trouble to run interference long enough to get away."
Mulling over what I had seen and was told, I asked, "Didn't taking out Grue counteract that plan?"
"Not exactly," Armsmaster said. "We assumed, given their initial reluctance to flee, that it might be the push needed. Furthermore, he left us with no choice, he used his power, and since we set out with the distinct goal to not allow them the recruitment of Tiamat, we had to stop him from spreading his darkness, as it would have allowed them to take her with them and escape without us being able to prevent it. If not for Tiamat's interference we would have prioritized securing her - with their greater numbers and us defending Tiamat they should have had no trouble to escape. In the event that we overestimated their capabilities, there was a distinct chance that we could have apprehended them all."
"I see," Emily said, accepting his reasoning, "then what about Tattletale?"
"Tattletale has been classified as a thinker seven, with unknown specifics," Armsmaster droned on. "As a result, we couldn't rule out she was a social Thinker of some kind. In order to test that theory, Alexandria faked her behavior and observed Tattletale's reactions to that. Which allowed us to conclude that she had at least a partial social component to her power. The risk such a Thinker posed for the, as we assumed, fragile state of Tiamat's mind was one we couldn't take. It was our mistake; since Tiamat seemed to be in a dissociated state, we now believe that the manipulation we feared Tattletale might be capable of had already occurred."
He gestured to the stilled frame behind him. It showed Alexandria stopped cold from taking out Tattletale. "As you can see, Tiamat possesses incredible bodily capabilities. According to Alexandria, Tiamat was able to overpower her while using her full strength and did so without displaying any visible strain. Furthermore, she took a direct hit by Alexandria, which didn't cause her to flinch. Due to this, she is at least a Brute nine, if not higher. Considering the way she moved also indicates a considerable mover-rating. That shouldn't be surprising, given where her power seems to stem from. If it is on the same level as Leviathans is yet to be determined. So far, all data points to the fact that Tiamat holds all the powers of the late Leviathan."
"So you are saying we have an unstable kid with the power of an Endbringer running around in our city." Emily succinctly summarized.
"Unfortunately, that's not all," Armsmaster reluctantly said.
"Don't keep me in suspense – spit it out!" Emily demanded. She was clearly in no mood for games.
The picture behind him changed slightly. There was still Tiamat, holding onto a struggling Alexandria, but that wasn't what he wanted to show us. A red rectangle appeared around Tiamat's feet and zoomed-in onto them.
It took me a moment to comprehend what I was seeing. Around Tiamat's feet was a thin layer of water.
"After Alexandria's attempts at breaking free from Tiamat's grip were unsuccessful, she tried to fly away – lift Tiamat from the ground, get her to an elevation where she could be deprived of easy to access water to disarm her of her greatest weapon. But as we can clearly see," Armmaster said, pointing at the water, "she didn't allow that to happen."
The implications were not lost on us, and frankly, they were frightening. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Miss Militia's face contorting in understanding.
"I don't understand," Emily said, hinting at why she was unsuited for her position. "What is so novel about this? She controls water; what of it? Leviathan did the same."
"It is not the water that concerns us but the fine control she has over it. Leviathan was considered a macro-hydrokinetic. He didn't show any hints at being capable of such finesse when exerting the power of water. He had his water-echo, and we have numerous records of him using water as a projectile. But those were usually done on a large scale, with great force. He never used his control over water to hold an object; to use water to surround someone with it and drown them. Frankly speaking, we thought him unable to do so. Only able to move big bodies of water. But after witnessing this, there is a chance that he could do it all along but chose not to. Our best guess, at this time, is that he didn't have the mental capabilities, and since his tested and proven method of wanton destruction sufficed in reaching his goals, he never refined his approach. The alternative ..."
" - is too scary to consider," Emily interrupted Armsmaster's explanation. It might be just light, but I could have sworn she grew paler, listening to him.
"Tiamat, on the other hand - " he started again, only for Emily to end his sentence for him.
" - has a human mind."
I shuddered at that thought, and it now seemed even Emily became aware of what Armsmaster was trying to allude to, while doing his best not to have to voice it.
"What does that mean for her power rating? Since it seems you want to base her's on Leviathans." Piggot asked unconcerned, as if the last minute didn't happen. Seemingly not sharing our apprehension.
"For now, to err on the side of caution I would give her the same Brute and Mover rating, but I would increase her Blaster and Shaker rating by at least two points and possibly add a not unsubstantial master rating and possibly Thinker rating," Armsmaster answered.
"A master and Thinker rating? Why?" Emily wondered, and I had to agree with her sentiment.
Armsmaster proceeded to share his thoughts on the matter with everyone present. "It is just speculation at this point, but she did most of what we see here without even looking at the water around her. She didn't hurt herself or anybody else without explicitly aiming for it. For her to possess such a degree of control over water after having this power for mere hours should not be possible. I have trained with a few Shakers throughout my career and what they all have in common is a hard time using their power in a delicate manner, to only exert the force needed in the specific area aimed at inthe task. They described it to me as controlling a limb that could no longer feel. Most take years to get anywhere close to the control she showcased just in this short encounter. The only reasonable explanation left – if we don't want to assume Tiamat has had this power for years – is that she receives some kind of feedback from the water under her control, and this is where it gets scary: if she has the same range as Leviathan while being able to feel or somehow sense through water in addition to controlling it…"
"I see," Emily said, furrowing brows a sign of her growing apprehension.
"Then there is the Trump rating." Armsmaster continued. "According to our current hypothesis, she either copied or stole Leviathan's power. Aside from that, we know nothing – is it temporary? Can she steal or copy more than one power; can she hold onto more than one? What are the requirements for her power to take effect? After all, we know it could be just a special case of power interaction. Previous reports from Endbringer fights clearly indicate that nearly all power-affecting trump powers had no effect directly on the Endbringer or their powers."
Funeral silence followed this tidbit of information, while the people present considered his words. Nobody really dared to say it, but I was sure everyone thought the same. If she was a trump able to affect an Endbringer, she might be the one person who could end the other two inexistence.
Back home in my laid back in my armchair, I was smiling with my whole face. This day got better and better.
The next one to raise her voice was Piggot, changing the topic. "You still haven't explained the reason you brought her in. And why you refused to do so this afternoon."
"Williams -" Armsmaster started.
"Who?" Piggot narrowed her eyes at Armsmaster.
"Sergeant Peter Williams." Armsmaster clarified. "He was part of the four-man squad you sent to the Hebert residence as a precautionary measure, to keep an eye on her until we could be sure about the girl's involvement and had more information about her and her family, to increase the likelihood of recruitment."
Irritated, Piggot angrily said, "I know why I sent them there. What does that have to do with your actions?"
Instead of giving Piggot a straight answer, he deflected. "You remember the bank heist a few weeks back from the Undersiders?"
"I do," Piggot said and added, "notthe greatest accomplishments of our Wards." Switching to a sharper tone, she wanted to know, "Is there a point to this?"
"Momentarily," Armsmaster appeased. "After the Undersiders robbed Brockton Bay central bank, at the exact same time the Protectorate was absent, I became suspicious. This amount of luck, to choose the one time in the last year where none of us was available to respond, seemed more than just lucky. I then proceeded to do a thorough check on all the jobs the Undersiders as a group did in the city, along with jobs that they presumably did. That was when I ran across a distinctive pattern: of their jobs taking place away from current PRT and Protectorate patrol routes and personnel. Despite the suspicions of what Tattletale's power might be as a Thinker seven, some things struck me as odd, after reviewing the chain of events. Why a bank? There are easier-to-access locations with an assured higher payout, for far less risk. Why in the middle of the day? When the number of witnesses and other confounding factors is the highest. Chief among those questions; how did they know the Protectorate was out of town? Because otherwise such a reckless plan was doomed to fail from the start."
"Since you are presenting us with this - I'm sure you have some idea, and if not answers then educated guesses to them," Piggot suggested.
"Indeed," he said. "Given the secrecy of the training exercise the Protectorate took part in and the fact that we left no obvious clue, there had to be an informant in our midst. To uncover him, I took a look at everybody who had access to that information and, in doing so, discovered a few irregularities regarding the spending habits of some of the PRT personnel."
"You checked up on my men? Piggot said with a dangerous undertone and narrowed eyes, "without my authorization?"
"Not just yours -" Armsmaster casually admitted, "like I said, everybody with access to the information was checked, including the Wards and the Protectorate."
In response, Miss Militia mumbled under her breath, "Glad to know we are above reproach," and then added, louder, "And I guess Sergeant Williams was one of them?"
"Yes -"
"What exactly did you find?" I asked. I had to know how Armsmaster flushed them out, to know which of my people were compromised and how to make sure none of my spies wouldn't be found out the same way in the future.
"Some troopers not touching their bank accounts in certain months or to a greatly reduced degree –" Armsmaster began to explain, only to be interrupted by Emily jumping directly to the conclusion.
"Which indicates the money they spent in that time-frame came from elsewhere, and you suspect it being bribes?"
"Yes -" He admitted.
"It could have other origins - the partner, a won bet ... there are explanations aplenty," I interjected.
"Which is why I took a closer look at all those with such financial irregularity – their internet presence, social contacts, the recipients of their calls…" He listed, just as I hoped he would. Strangely I was disappointed to find out that he managed to discover them because they made rookie mistakes. No wonder those Empire spies got outed.
Thinking it over, it also could be intentional. Have some low-level spies too stupid not to leave a paper trail to be found in case of a spy hunt, pawn sacrifices to protect their more valuable assets.
That's how I would do it. Meaning that when I would take office, I had to vet all members thoroughly.
"Let me get this straight. You claim the reason you approached Tiamat without allowing us the time to fully vet her was because you assumed Sergeant Williams was a spy for the Undersiders... just great. Look where this moronic action got us!" She barked. Knowing her, she was just getting ready to rip Armsmaster a new one.
Interruptingher tirade, he said spoke, "The Empire."
"Come again," Emily ordered.
"Sergeant Williams is not paid and spying for the Undersiders but the Empire 88. That was why I acted. Dragon intercepted an SMS he sent, informing a third party which we assume to be one of the Empire's unpowered gang-members of his current position and task."
That shut Emily up hard. It must be quite the dampener to her realizing that if he hadn't done what he did, the Empire and not the Undersiders might have been successful in getting to Tiamat.
"I see," was all Emily said in response. She settled, contemplating for a moment, until she suddenly asked, "Can we leverage this?"
"What?" Miss Militia asked, surprised.
I wasn't, not for trying this. However, for her to ignore her ideals…She was always uncompromising. I always thought she would break before she bent. The few conversations I conducted with her away from prying eyes in a throw-away timeline made that clear. Perhaps I shouldn't have given it up as a lost cause this easy, if not for the pain it was to get a hold of a PRT Director in the first place.
Just considering this showed how desperate she was, seeing her hopes dashed, willing to do everything to get any leverage, to maybe still have a shot at getting the Hebert girl to join her Wards.
I couldn't fault her. She needed that win. It wouldn't be enough, not for the Chief Director nor the public, that she happened to be the Director of the PRT Branch under whose jurisdiction Leviathan was killed. Because in the end, nobody would care because it was under her leadership that the Protectorate failed their attempt at recruiting her, and that was all she would ever be remembered for. This failing might even be enough to get her replaced.
Merely for that, I had every reason to go against her. However, by doing this she was also acting against a team I considered to be my property. I wouldn't allow her to do that. I was the only one permitted to do that.
"Them, breaking the truce," Emily elaborated "The footage clearly shows that Grue used his power first, while the truce was in effect."
"It also shows Alexandria being the first to strike. A court could argue, given the situation, that Grue felt threatened by her. Who could blame him? He is a mid-level Shaker with a power that cannot be used to hurt somebody by itself, and she is Alexandria. A member of the Triumvirate. I don't see that ending well for us," Armsmaster tried to reason with her.
I saw where she intended to go with this, and I couldn't allow her to, which was why I interrupted her rather harshly.
"I have to agree with Armsmaster's assessment. Tiamat, according to his report, gives the impression of being highly unstable, and from what little we could see latched onto Tattletale to such a degree that she protected and followed her orders, going against Alexandria without a second thought. Alexandria, who happens to be the idol of a generation of young women; and she came close to killing her, if not for Tattletale."
I let that sink in. "What do you think would happen if we were to go after her in that situation, not twenty-four hours after we had a part in Tiamat falling out with her father. The, as far as we can tell, only human contact in her life. I'm sorry to say this Emily, but I can only see any attempt taking advantage of that scuffle backfiring, massively. Especially since we don't have them in custody. Leaving them with far too many options: to retaliate, telling the truth, getting their hands on that footage undermining our trustworthiness – that could go as far as dissolving the truce if our actions are considered a violation of them. Keep in mind this is just what I could come up with, with barely any time at my hands. Tattletale is a thinker seven, in a team that specializes in getaways we so far utterly failed to catch - we weren't even close - and we now have to assume, a team that has the power of an Endbringer at the tips of their fingers; I really don't think we should risk it."
"Commander Calvert makes some good points," Armsmaster finally conceded. Emily just narrowed her eyes at him.
"Perhaps the outcome isn't so bad," Armsmaster said, "considering the alternative."
"Elaborate."
"The Wards are always in the focus of the public - the next Protectorate Heroes, the future generation ... you name it. They are, for all intents and purposes, celebrities. Their every action is viewed through a magnifier. They get criticized and piled on online for the smallest of mistakes. People obviously forget they are just teenagers with an already fragile psyche littered with self-doubts, on the verge of reaching adulthood. How do you think, after all, we know about her, Tiamat would thrive in such an environment?"
"We could have shielded her from the public until such a time she can take it," Emily made a half-hearted attempt to mount an argument.
"Would we?" He threw back at her, for the first time of the meeting actually looking at her. "If she were a normal Parahuman, I would be inclined to agree, but she isn't. She killed Leviathan, the public would demand and accept nothing less than to see, to get to know her, she would in a matter of days put the publicity of the Triumvirate to shame, and there would be nothing we could do about it.
Because the higher-ups would use her to make a name for themselves and our organization. Can we be sure she can take it? Can we even be sure any Parahuman could withstand that pressure? After all, we are all damaged to different degrees. Could even a non-triggered "normal" person, someone without all the luggage that comes with being a Parahuman? Drug abuse is just one of a great many wayscelebritiesattempt to cope with public scrutiny. And that is all under the assumption that we can keep the whole Shadow Stalker debacle away from her, keep her from ever knowing."
"You don't think that likely?" Miss Militia asked the obvious.
"No, as professional as some of the Wards are, we can't trust them not to let something slip. A careless remark here, a stammering there when the topic of the conversation shifts to her? With some other clues, Shadow Stalker's sudden absence after she joined, which happens to coincide with the time Sophia did the same... both having similar body types… No, I honestly don't think we can manage to prevent her from putting it together at some point, if she were to join us. The question is how long would it take."
"You give her an awful lot of credit," Emily remarked.
"Do I?" Armsmaster challenged. "Children who are victims of abuse have some characteristics in common. They, so to speak, grow up faster. They have a greater understanding of the world, get paranoid second-guessing their surroundings, the people they interact with. Given her school records - the unredacted version that goes back before she went to Winslow. We know she is intelligent, slated for skipping a class. Honestly, I would say we are lucky the events played out as they did. Imagine what might have happened if we didn't catch their relationship in time and they unmasked to each other..." He slightly shook his head not bothering to paint us a picture of the consequences this might have had.
"Then there is the fact that out of all the gangs Brockton Bay has to offer, the Undersiders are the least violent. They respect and uphold the unwritten rules, and if we ignore that slip-up of today, even the truce. An event in which we were not exactly innocent about it occurring… For all intents and purposes, they are cavalier thieves with clear rules of engagement. It might be that they just came to investigate the explosion just like Alexandria and I. It is reasonable to assume that Tattletale picked up on Tiamat's mental distress, perhaps even the fact that the PRT and by extension, the Protectorate had a hand in it and just tried to help, and only our presence escalated that situation. Which otherwise might have still been salvageable."
"Do I understand this correctly? You think that Tattletale's company might be good for Tiamat's mental health?" Emily asked, pointed.
"I do," he said shrugging, "As mentioned earlier, Tattletale's power extends to social interactions. Our best guess puts her roughly in Tiamat's age group. I'm no expert, but most of Tiamat's problems stem from the ostracization of her peers, not having a friend her age she could trust. I don't think you would find anybody more qualified in the Bay to help her deal with her problems. Is it unfortunate that this person is a villain? Certainly, but there are worse people in the Bay."
An assessment I shared, given that he was working with a lot of conjecture in contrast to myself. This conversation was improving my opinion of Armsmaster by the minute.
"Excuse me, Shadow Stalker debacle?" I feigned ignorance. Tattletale was more than helpful in clueing me in on what they meant. The fact remained that Thomas Calvert never got the memo, and I had a secret identity to keep. "I could glance at some things following your conversation, although some pieces seem to be missing to form a complete picture of the situation."
Emily glared at me. Ms. Militia just sighed as Armsmaster answered. "During the interrogation of Tiamat's guardian and to determine where she went, the PRT personnel that arrived at the scene was given the permission to look through her room for clues. While doing that, they came across what, at first glance, seemed to be Tiamat's diary. On closer look, it turned out to be documentation ranging back nearly to last summer, describing in detail a vicious bullying campaign against Tiamat, instigated by three girls, including Shadow Stalker in her civilian identity. Culminating in what could only be labeled as attempted murder in early January, which was followed by a hospital stay for about a week."
That was news to me. I hadn't had the time to look at her medical records. What was worse, it seemed like I wasted a good opportunity to recruit Shadow Stalker as a covert operative if I would have just known this sooner.
"And this is just the information we were able to piece together in this cursory glance. We managed to substantiate enough of it in this short amount of time to know that the diary accounts seem to be accurate. We fully expect that there will be more unearthed, but this alone doesn't paint a nice picture of Shadow Stalker's actions, and our failings to get a probationary ward to toe the line. By other circumstantial evidence, we suspect Tiamat was the victim of a sustained bullying campaign that started her freshmen year and since then has just increased in intensity and cruelty. It is too early to say if any misconduct was perpetrated in costume by Shadow Stalker. But given this evidence, although circumstantial, it is highly likely people with such tendencies can't just put them on hold."
"I don't know what to say," I said, "that is quite the shock," from a certain point of view it was. How shockingly easy it would be to turn her against the Protectorate. "If this ever gets out – if the connection between Tiamat's civilian identity to her cape identity is ever made and this leaks..."
"It will be a disaster of epic proportions. I'm aware Calvert. We will take care of it." Emily hissed. From where I sat, it was easy to see that the knuckles of the hand she had placed on the table were turning white. "What about our missing troopers assigned to escort Mr. Hebert back home? Have they been found yet?"
"No -" Armsmaster answered. "The trail went cold after they boarded the ambulance. But from what little we could gather from Mr. Hebert, who was in a state of shock, didn't paint them in a good picture. Exceeding the mandate of their orders to escort and protect him and his daughter while maintaining minimal contact at best and outright sabotaging our efforts at worst."
I ostentatiously browsed the preliminary report in front of me "That can't be right" I mumbled loud enough for all to hear. "Our men didn't call in the incident?"
"No - The neighbors called it in what they referred to as a domestic disturbance. It was only due to the fact that I flagged the location of the Hebert residence as one of interest to the PRT that we were even made aware of the situation. It took console to request a status report in the wake of the 911 call to be appraised of the situation.
Our men blamed the failure to do so as on Mr. Hebert's agitated state and the injuries they suffered at the hand of Tiamat.
Reinforcements and ambulance were dispatched to their location and we immediately began our search for Tiamat minutes after the fact."
"How is it possible for a simple escort mission to become such a catastrophe?" Piggot demanded. "More spies?"
"At this point, it is entirely unclear." Armsmaster stated, "Neither of them stood out in my investigation. For the time being, until we know more, we, as a precaution, operate under the assumption that they have been compromised and M/S protocols are in effect."
"As I was watching the interview you conducted, I was wondering why didn't you bring up the financial benefits of joining?" Miss Militia wondered.
Armsmaster gave her a skeptical look. "What benefits? She killed an Endbringer and is, therefore, eligible to the bounty placed on its head. Even if it is somehow split by the committee considering it as a team effort of the defenders, she would still get the lion's share as the one dealing the killing blow. We can't compete with that, and frankly, there isn't much you can't buy with this amount of money. Aside from credibility, thatshe would have gained as a Ward. There isn't much we could have offered she couldn't get herself. If I would have made that a major point in my attempt to recruit her, it might have backfired the moment she became aware of the bounty if she wasn't already."
"You could have promised her to extradite the process - make her go through power-testing to alleviate doubts of the committee."
"No - Dragon and I analyzed the video of the interview and we came to the conclusion that her severe trust issues were the reason the interview failed. She seemed to misconceive each of our well-intended statements in the worst light possible." He assessed. "Just hinting that we could extradite the process could have been misinterpreted as us doing the opposite trying to keep her from the money until she plays ball. Therefore I think, in retrospect, it was the right call not to mention it and Dragon agrees with that assesment."
A bounty that should be substantial. It was said that every living Japanese citizen at one point or another has contributed to Leviathan bounty. Just the interest over all those years should have created an enormous amount of money.
That could prove to be a problem if it gets ever paid out. It would make any efforts to get her to work for me for anything that money could buy obsolete.
I had to admit it could also be detrimental for me should Tattletale ever got her hands on that money. But I considered that a moderate risk, nowhere near as dangerous as her being in close proximity to an easy-to-manipulate girl with the power of an Endbringer.
A contesting claim, since Kaiser wouldn't want to miss out on a chance to get his hands on a fraction of that money, it would require the PRT to figure out in what parts the two were responsible for Leviathan. A fact that I wouldn't put it past the higher-ups to use as leverage or at least incentive to establish a more friendly rapport with her.
That was when Emily directed the conversation elsewhere. "What does the public know about her at this point?"
"The information blackout, usually applied during Endbringer attacks, in this instance worked in our favor. There were only a hand full of people who witnessed Leviathan breaking the shelter and even less saw his demise. Most of the information is nothing but unsubstantiated rumors and conjecture. It helped that Alexandria and Legend attempted to get the boy to join the Wards, which was observed by no small number of capes with different allegiances. That will give their corresponding reports more credibility. It also helps that Kaiser claimed the boy as one of his own.
"According to Dragon, there is a rumor circulating onPHO that a newly minted Empire cape was the one who killed Leviathan. Some Empire affiliates, based on that rumor, claim that its death is the beginning of a new era. They are essentially trying to use it as a PR campaign to increase their influence and public standing. Conservative estimates state that we will have to expect a significant uptick in Empire sympathizers and members both powered and non-powered in the coming weeks. …If nothing is done to reduce the traction of this campaign."
"What about other groups? Do they subscribe to this rumor, too?" Emily asked.
"It seems that way. Without an official statement so far from the PRT they do, and with every minute we delay this, the rumor gains credibility. People making up reasons for it, and the rumor being true, would explain our reluctance in admitting a Nazi killed Leviathan." Armsmaster explained.
"So the chances for anything to be known about Tiamat outside certain circles is negligible. The information iscontained, should we do nothing, but this also means a strengthened Empire at least short term?" Miss Militia surmised.
"Yes."
"What about long-term? What are the models telling us?" Emily wanted to know.
"Difficult to say," Armsmaster admitted.
"Why?" Emily asked, slightly leaning forward in her seat.
"Many reasons, any additional variable makesa prediction difficult. We know that the boy wasn't responsible for Leviathan's death. Yet, some are claiming he did it; therefore, it is a lie. This misrepresentation might pass for now, but the moment the truth is revealed, repercussions are to be expected. The longer this lie is maintained, the more substantial it might get. Therefore, I doubt Kaiser is stupid enough to do so. It is more likely he allows this rumor to circulate for now, so that nobody tries to recruit the real culprit improving his chances to do so. Gaslighting the masses, so to say. If he then makes a public statement in the next few days, citing not having heard the rumor earlier, he and the Empire should be fine."
"Shouldn't he already know about Tiamat joining the Undersiders with those spies still in place?" Miss Militia inquired.
"Most likely, he already does, and that can mean a great many things. It is plausible he is not content to accept that and as we speak is leaving no stone unturned to find her." Armsmaster hypothesized. "As a precaution, I have assigned Assault and Battery to guard Tiamat's father, for the time being."
"You think they would so blatantly break the unwritten rules?" Miss Militia asked.
"With a hundred percent certainty, no. But I wouldn't put it past them. After all, this situation is something entirely new. There hasn't ever beena recorded Parahuman with such a strength. As a result, I find it reasonable to assume that recruitment tactics would change accordingly. Some might come to the conclusion that recruiting Tiamat is worth the potential fallout of breaking the unwritten rules and perhaps even the truce," he said. "Then again, it is not like that we only have capes in the city that adhere to them."
"Lung," I said. The questioning glances of the two women I addressed made me clarify my statement. "From all the reports I read, he doesn't seem to care about the rules, any rules, thinking himself to be above them."
"That reminds me," Emily said, "do we know why Lung didn't participate in the fight?"
"No, nothing definitive." Armsmaster conceded.
This might be a chance to get them to take care of this problem for me. "In this case, I would strongly suggest we stop using kid's gloves when it comes to him and his organization," I stated. "One of the many reasons that we give Parahumans a certain leeway is grounded in the idea that those villains provide assistants in S-class events. With Lung obviously not caring, I think it is time we let him reap the rewards for not showing up."
"While I agree with the sentiment, the reason that Lung and especially Bakuda would have been assets against Leviathan also happens to be the reason why it wouldn't be a good idea to follow your suggestion." Armsmaster lectured me. "Not in this volatile situation. There is a high chance that Lung might feel threatened by the cape, who presumably did what he couldn't do."
A glance made it clear the two women had similar views since they didn't bother with any backtalk; a pity. Not that I thought that they would go along with it, but I had to try.
"You think he might go after Tiamat?" Emily questioned.
"Not necessarily," Armsmaster said, "However he might feel a need to re-establish his dominance. I doubt the Empire won't use the ABB absence for propaganda purposes. If he goes for Tiamat, the Empire, their new cape specifically, or just the next target of opportunity is hard to say. Either way, I don't think he is planning on sitting around and watching the Empire swell in strength."
"So, you expect there to be a gang war?" I asked.
"Yes, at this point, I would say it is inevitable."
"And there is nothing we can do about it?" Miss Militia wanted to know.
"Short of removing one of the gangs," I offered, "which you already denied as not viable, I don't think so. Besides, I'm not too sure that the aggression when it happens might originate from the ABB. With some of the Empire buying into that rumor, it could be some of them thinking the Empire invincible with their newest addition will kick-start something. Well, Lung going after Tiamat might be the best-case scenario."
"Who do you think would turn out to be the victor in such a fight?" Emily wondered.
"Lung would lose," was the flat statement this elicited from Armsmaster.
"That's what I feared," Emily said. "Any word on Bakuda? Since her debut in the Bay?"
"Wait a minute -" Miss Militia interrupted, hand raised to appease Emily "I'm confused at your choice of words. Why did you say Lung would lose and not that Tiamat would win?"
"Because she won't," Armsmaster said. That answer surprised even me. "I expect two outcomes. In the first one, given how catatonic Tiamat seemed to be in our last encounter, she needs riling up of some kind. I can't picture that going well for Brockton Bay when Lung finally managed to rile her up enough... Two, given her heroic inclination and the usual threshold for killing people in general have... a threshold and self-control Tiamat demonstrated to possess in abundance in the way she took down Alexandria. A propensity I think we can assume to be shared by the Undersiders or Tattletale in particular. All of this indicates that by the time she comes around to end him, there might not be much left of the city around them."
"Coming back to the topic at hand - No, Bakuda hasn't been seen since she killed Alabaster." He informed us.
"So we go forward assuming the worst - that she is building up." Emily went on, "Unhinged as she seems to be, it might be a disaster if the leash Lung has on her is removed."
"What about the kill order on her you requested, Director?" Miss Militia asked.
"Still pending, and I don't think much will come of it." Emily confided in us. "Killing a single cape and dismembering a few bystanders isn't enough to fulfill the stringent requirements for one to be issued."
"So, no matter what we do, there will be war," Miss Militia added, resigned to what seemed to be inevitable. "We're only able to run damage control, and we might be able to choose who it is we are going to be up against. That's great."
"So to summarize," Emily listed, "Kaiser tries to use Leviathan's death, claiming he has a cape that presumably helped in his employ, while hoping to get his hands on the one who actually slew the creature. Weaponizing this and their participation in an attempt to sway public opinion against the ABB. Which, rather sooner than later, will put pressure on them to act... Meanwhile, Lung might or might not feel threatened by it, to help that process along. All the while we have an unstable, suicidal girl wielding the power of a city sinking Endbringer in the mix. And here I thought after an Endbringer attacking in my city that the day couldn't get any worse."
"That's not the worst of it," Armsmaster cautioned.
"Out with it." Emily ground out.
"Several wandering cape groups might come in the Bay under some pretense. There can be many found in the aftermath of this. Chiefly of concern is the Fallen."
"That makes sense. The question remains for what exact purpose." Emily looked at me, puzzled. She was always somebody who had trouble realizing the non-obvious, so I elaborated. "Usually they make a pilgrimage to the place an Endbringer attack occurred, to pay respect to their 'gods' and to 'bear witness' to their power which is clear to see in the aftermath of their visit. This time, however, the city became a grave. There's no telling how they will react to that."
"There is also no reason to ruminate over unfounded speculations," Emily chided. "We have more than enough problems to take care of without adding imaginary ones to the list. But to be on the safe side: I want for you, Armsmaster, to keep an eye on the movements of the known members of the Fallen and inform me the minute you notice something out of the together a dossier about their roster and their abilities, just in case, and circulate it throughout the PRT and Protectorate."
"Yes, Director," Armsmaster agreed.
"Good. If there is nothing else," Emily said with the obligatory pause for the rest of us to interject. "You are dismissed."
-POV Change-
I stepped through the portal into the conference room of Cauldron and noticed to my satisfaction that the others were already present, with me being the last to arrive.
Doctor Mother, the dark-skinned woman in her white lab coat at the head of the table, nodded at me to acknowledge my presence. I reciprocated the gesture and took my seat opposite of Contessa and the Number Man with Eidolon to my right and Legend to my left. I opened the clasps of my helmet and put it on the table in front of me. A courtesy not shared by everyone.
Contessa was inseparable from her fedora, and Eidolon barely wore anything else than his costume nowadays.
"Why didn't we bring her in?" This was the first thing I asked as I addressed the others.
"We concluded she wasn't ready. A frail psyche isn't what is needed to make informed decisions." Dr. Mother answered.
"We could have gotten her into the Wards instead of handing over the reins to villainous gang." I glowered, "A gang controlled by Coil."
I was never a fan of his. He had a useful power and was part of our experiment. Apart from that, he was no better than Teacher and should share his cell, if anything, not be allowed free reign to put a city under his thumb.
"214 steps," Contessa chimed in from the other side of the table "in the first month barring any exceptional circumstances, to keep her content and with the Wards."
"Still, I'm having trouble seeing this as a good idea allowing her anywhere near someone as amoral as Coil." I renewed my argument.
"Won't that generate trouble for our other plans? The truce?"
"She won't work for Coil. She is one step removed from him directly, for time being." Dr. Mother stated in an attempt to appease me.
"Considering her aversion towards authority, it is unlikely that will change even if Coil wants it to. In addition, we have reason to believe Coil won't play a role when it comes to her for much longer."
"Then who else will?" I had to wonder.
"Tattletale," Contessa answered.
"Another villain?" Legend chimed in. He tried to hide it, but he liked this even less than I.
"She wasn't a villain by choice," Dr. Mother clarified, "and even as such, she and her team played by the unwritten rules."
"So the truce is secure?" He wanted to know.
"Yes," was Contessa's short response.
Dr. Mother, on the other hand, expanded on that and explained, "Tattletale is aware of the importance of the truce, she wouldn't threaten it lightly, and the rest of the Undersiders aren't keen on making big waves. They are comfortable with their current position, and if the PRT doesn't go out of its way to antagonize them, nothing will come of it. In fact, they fear reprisals for breaking the truce or being labeled as such."
"I see," I said, not fully convinced but accepting the situation as what it was. "So what you are saying is that the girl's prospect as an asset isn't threatened by the company she keeps."
"No, for now, it is in our best interest to keep her exactly where she is," Dr. Mother said. "She will eventually heal, and if our predictions are right, seek us out by her own device together with her partner."
"Decentralization," I threw in.
"Never put all your eggs in the same basket," Legend mumbled under his breath.
It was loud enough for Doctor Mother to hear it still, and she commented it by saying. "An old but none the less true platitude."
"What else do we know about the girl?" Eidolon asked.
I slightly turned my head with narrowed eyes to get a better look at him after he voiced his question. It was uncharacteristic for him to show that much interest in a person, let alone most topics we discuss. The briefing they all should have received before I came here should have included everything Dragon found out with the gaps, surely, having been filled by Contessa, as she always did.
He hadn't bothered to remove his mask, and his hood was drawn deep over his face. It slightly muffled his voice, so it was hard to get an accurate read on his inflection. His body, on the other hand, told me enough. He was tense, something wasn't to his liking, and I had a strong inkling what it would be, with his powers weakening.
Fear, Jealousy...
Unlike myself or Legend, he defined himself solely through his role of Eidolon, the strongest cape there is. For him to be outdone by a fresh trigger must sting.
I made a mental note to monitor this, to make sure it wouldn't become an issue going forward. For now, I had better things to do than worry about the wounded pride of my coworker being confronted with the fact that he no longer has the greatest stick in the world.
"What is it, you are asking? Is the file incomplete?" I addressed him.
"It isn't," Numberman said. "It contains the usual level of detail."
"She isn't the usual Parahuman," Eidolon bit back.
"I think on that we can all agree." Dr. Mother interjected. She waited for Eidolon to say something else.
When he didn't Legend asked instead. "Isn't a bit much we put on her shoulders?"
"We did no such thing, we didn't put anything on her shoulders. On the contrary, we went out of our way not to do that," Dr. Mother stated.
"That is not..." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "The public, no matter what we do, will pressure her. PHO, the news, talk shows, you name it. With her not under our purview, we don't have the means to shield her from it."
"It is taken care of," Contessa returned.
"Tattletale?" Legend asked, resigned.
A nod from the fedora-wearing woman put that matter to rest.
"What about PR? She killed an Endbringer. It would have increased the Protectorate reputation and boosted recruitment," Legend brought up.
"I did the numbers." The Number Man said, "The changes would be negligible at best. On the contrary, it is in the PRT's best interest to stay away from the Endslayers as far as possible. Projections show that any close association with any government body would unsettle the carefully maintained power balance." The Numberman added.
"The CUI?" I wondered.
"Amongst other things, yes." He confirmed.
"Kaiser and his scheme with his son. I can see why this might get troublesome," Legend said. "So where does this leave us. We just keep to ourselves... stay away from Brockton Bay in order to keep the experiment running and what, wait?"
"Yes." Was Doctor Mother's answer.
Eidolon was the first to stand up and leave.
Authors Note:
Many of Armsmasters "digging deeper" in the Undersiders and the bank-job is owed to the fact, that he neither was suspended for Lung's crotch rotting off nor did Bakuda's rampage happen, which both were incredible time-sinks for him (in canon). As a result, he had a lot more time on hand to look into those things.
It was phrased a bit circumspect - but Cauldron wants to offer Taylor and Lisa a seat at the table when they think they are ready for it.
Since knowledge about Contessa power can make someone question their free will - they prefer a hands-off approach to not give the whole thing the smell of meddling - so to say.
Originally I had Grue Shaker rating listed as a 7 instead of mid-level -
I think canon never really gave a number for it - Therefore I'd be interested to know what you would rate him at.