How to annoy Tagg

(By CmptrWz)

"What is the progress on getting the Family under control?" Tagg asked, looking around the table. "Because I haven't heard any good news yet."

"To cover what hasn't worked," Armsmaster started.

"Also known as everything," Assault interrupted. Armsmaster and Tagg glared at Assault.

"We started by trying to apply indirect pressure via the DWU," Armsmaster continued. "That resulted in immense backlash. We still have no union support for any actions in the city, and that continues to spread."

"On that note, we are running out of non-union contractors to call upon," Miss Militia added. "We are probably going to have to expand our own staff to compensate."

"Someone then stupidly attempted to 'take them out'," Armsmaster continued after a quick nod to acknowledge Miss Militia's point. "Fifty six assassination attempts later someone with some sense finally noticed and called a halt before we had actually angered the Family."

"Yea, the fact that attempt fifty seven was going to involve a nuke might have had something to do with that," Battery said, glaring at Tagg. She couldn't prove it, but she thought he had been behind that entire fiasco instead of the flunky that took the blame.

"Further parahuman attempts to contain them merely resulted in the parahumans being safely contained, secured, and picked up by the BBPD," Armsmaster continued. "Who have been finding the entire thing hilarious, as well as slapping fines on the Protectorate every time it happens."

"Doesn't help that they add a day before the manacles disappear every time," Triumph grumbled.

"Then we get into attempts to contain them by the PRT," Armsmaster said. "It only took three days for them to stop dodging the containment foam entirely or breaking out of it and start dissolving it instead. We aren't entirely sure how they do that, but presume that they got a sample of the dissolving agent and can now produce it on demand."

"Don't know if you noticed," Dauntless interrupted. "But they have started using containment foam on the PRT as well. Usually by Saurial or Raptaur spitting it. Last I heard the dissolving agent is becoming decreasingly effective with the Family's variant of the foam."

"I had not seen those reports," Armsmaster admitted. "I will seek them out to update my assessment."

"What about the tinkertech containment device that was brought in last week?" Tagg asked, looking impatient. "Has that been deployed?"

"So far it has been used three times," Armsmaster said. "Against Saurial, Raptaur, and Ianthe. In all three cases the containment field successfully contained them, went into lockdown, and then was brought back to PRT headquarters. Once the containment field was dropped the captured member of the family was missing and an item was left behind. With Saurial there was a note chiding the PRT. With Raptaur there was a containment foam grenade that exploded with fifty times the amount of expected foam. With Ianthe there was what we think was a nuke that generated an EMP burst to fry the device, but then vanished before radiation could be a concern."

"The remains of the device were attempted to be repaired," Miss Militia said. "But vanished overnight. Security footage showed nothing of interest happening, but the device disappeared out of a locked safe. The replacement unit arrived this morning but vanished before it could be deployed. This one vanished while moving between floors on a secure elevator."

"Damnit," Tagg yelled. "What is it going to take to get them under our control?"

"An act of a much higher power?" Assault volunteered.

"That is an interesting variation on the formula," Dragon said. "It looks like all it does is make the dissolving agent take twice as long to dissolve a given amount of foam."

"That is the goal," 'Raptaur' said. "Makes it harder for the PRT to free their equipment and resume chasing us."

"Armsmaster tells me that they appear to have given up on the containment unit idea," Dragon said. "The original and replacement both having vanished without a trace means they can't justify the expense of buying a third one."

"Thanks for letting us know when the replacement was arriving," 'Metis' said, poking at the computer. "How much longer before Tagg is out of here and everyone can stop this ridiculous dance?"

"We estimate another two weeks at most," Dragon admitted. "Politics are rearing their ugly heads on both sides of the issue. Others would be pushing harder for his removal if you weren't basically ignoring his attempts. His power play when Emily got her vacation approved was a masterpiece in some ways, as annoying as that is."

"It would be a different story if he were to come at us directly," 'Saurial' said. "He hasn't, though, and is using those under his command instead. They aren't at fault, as you know, so we generally go easy on them."

"Though we are more and more tempted to introduce Tagg to our big brother," Raptaur added. "If only we didn't think that would result in him trying to get nukes again."

"But big brother might like to eat the nukes," Saurial said. "Which would solve that problem quite nicely."

Dragon processed that particular statement and realized that Saurial did not appear to be joking. Which, coupled with their ability to ignore gamma radiation, would imply that nukes were useless against the Family itself. Yea, being told by Tagg's nominal superiors to assist the Family in keeping casualties down during his irrational campaign against them was looking better every day.

"Blocking all the reports on what is going on from reaching him outside of meetings has been fun," Metis added. "Keeps him out of the loop, but when he looks after the meetings the reports were filed correctly."

"More fun is the fact he keeps finding the hardcopies filed correctly as if he had read them," Dragon added. "Though I wish I knew how you were doing that, it has meant he added a supposed stranger rating to the entire Family based on it. He thinks that until the meetings he is just incapable of remembering the reports. Which is also amusing everyone in the meetings, though they are doing their best to hide it."