Interlude: Various 2

Armsmaster looked at the carnage and the wrecked street, then at the unconscious young girl who had ended the large fight. It was unbecoming of a senior Protectorate hero to feel envy for a teenage girl and yet that was what he felt. He had worked hard for his position and had leveraged his Tinker abilities almost as far as they could go, but he could feel the ceiling starting to hit his head, the lack of resources and most importantly time. And then here was this girl who was practically the next Eidolon… and she wasted her gifts. She could be on the fast track for a Protectorate position in just a few years, but because of a childish grudge, she spurned them, refused to join the Wards and accept the resources and benefits that they could provide.

Perhaps I'm being unfair. Perhaps her ability has other limitations… And Shadow Stalker did cause her Trigger Event.

Colin Wallis banished the thoughts and instead chose to simmer in his indignity. After a moment, he took a breath and let that fade too. He had to be rational. Yes, she had an incredibly potent and diverse ability, but if the unconsciousness and blood dripping from her nose was any indication, they did not come without cost. And the fact she was still willing to be a hero and actively assist or at least accept the Protectorate's assistance, also spoke well of her.

She isn't like Lung, a powerful parahuman simply resting on her laurels and refusing to contribute meaningfully. She's only been active a handful of weeks.

He approached Hebert, but before he could get far, a cape dressed as a stage magician was blocking his way. Stranger or Mover then if his sudden appearance was any indication. Hebert couldn't have summoned him if she was unconscious (could she?).

"That's far enough Tin Man." The unknown cape (and probable projection. If her projections could operate even without her being conscious… she was even more powerful than they thought) warned mildly, letting the tip of his cane rest against Armsmaster's chest. "The girl needs rest, not more poking and prodding from you and your lot."

Colin bit back a sharp retort that automatically came to mind, but forced it down. Antagonizing Hebert or her projections would be… unwise. "My apologies. I just wished to make sure she was unharmed."

The cape gave him a once over. "You're telling the truth… Hm, maybe you aren't as dumb as you look."

"Pardon?"

"I mean your armor is cool and all, but it doesn't protect you fully." He reached out with lightning speed and poked Colin's bearded cheek. "One quick enemy or a bullet and you're a goner."

"I know how to guard the spot." Colin defended. "And the PR benefits are more than worth the small weakness."

The other cape rolled his eyes. "PR over real effectiveness, why am I not surprised?"

Colin let out an indignant huff. "For Tinkers, our budget is directly tied to our popularity and effectiveness, which in turn has an effect on the quality of our gear overall. I need to maintain a certain likeability with the public in order to-" Colin stopped himself. "Why am I-?"

"Oh sorry." The cape laughed. "Minor Overmind- er Master ability, just got you a little talkative is all."

And there goes my afternoon. Bastard.

Colin had a particular hatred of Master/Stranger Protocols, especially when it cut into his tinkering time.

"Please do not use Master abilities upon Protectorate personnel." Colin growled. "If you attempt to do so again, I will use force to subdue you."

Green eyes sparkled with mirth. "Oh I would love to see you try… But unfortunately if I were to use my powers it might kill her." He motioned toward Hebert. "So you're all in luck today. The name is Magician." The now named parahuman/ projection grinned. "Now I'm going to ask you all to take care of the girl while I go enjoy the fresh air for a change. Ta ta~"

"Wait-"

The projection tore open a hole in the air and jumped through it.

"Damn."

Assault sauntered over from where he'd been discussing something with Battery. "So bossman, what are we going to be doing with uh…" He scratched his head. "Do we have a cape name for her yet?"

"No. We'll take her back to the Rig though. Maybe get a chance for the Wards to make a good impression on her, explain the benefits of joining us." Colin said thoughtfully.

Assault chuckled and picked up a piece of rubble. "You've got a one track mind, Armsy, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

"I mean really, why would she join the Wards? She's got a whole team of heroes at her command, what can we offer her?"

"Training, money, PR assistance, costuming services, and-"

"Man, I was being rhetorical." Assault interrupted. "I bet she can get all that from her team. I mean, the way they talk and act? They're something more than just projections. Besides, she's probably still pissed at us for the Stalker thing."

"Perhaps." Colin agreed. "But if she were to just see that the benefits of joining us far outweigh the risks of remaining independent, then perhaps she could be swayed."

Assault just shook his head and tossed aside the rock he'd been holding. "Whatever you say, man. Don't be surprised when it all blows up in your face."

While Colin was forced to sit in Master/Stranger quarantine, Ethan was busy running damage control with Piggot.

"And you still think we should play nice with this girl?" The PRT ENE Director asked with disdain and doubt in her eyes. "I gave her the benefit of the doubt when all she'd done was defend her home from a small army of mercenaries, but after this? Her projections strike me as far too dangerous to be allowed uncontained."

Ethan held back his grimace and maintained a neutral and professional expression. "Ma'am, from what we've seen her projections are diverse enough to cover practically every single one of our power ratings and also just plain powerful in their own right. If we don't treat her right, then we'll never get her onboard."

He had his doubts that she'd ever truly join the Protectorate or Wards, but he couldn't just outright tell Piggot that. After the latest battle with Echidna, combined with what had happened with Archmage a few weeks ago, Piggot was practically foaming at the mouth to get the girl under control. If she tried to press-gang Taylor… Well Ethan could only imagine the fallout from that. So far Taylor had shown only an inclination to do good. If the Protectorate spoiled that, then Ethan wasn't sure he could stick with them, even if that pissed off his wife.

Piggot grunted and then looked at some files on her desk. "Damn Hess and her incompetent social worker. Thanks to her, we've got Eidolon 2.0 in our city and we can't do a damn thing about it." She crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it into the trash.

Ethan felt a mild spike of irritation that it was that that caused Piggot to be angry about Stalker, not the fact Stalker had been bullying and harassing a civilian for months prior. Though thinking about it, she probably was pissed about that too, Piggot had never shown a particular inclination toward capes, just the opposite in fact. Still, that the chosen bully victim had turned out to be a potentially Triumvirate-tier cape probably rankled the underfunded and undermanned Director something fierce.

"Hebert doesn't appear to be hostile towards us, but that can change in a heartbeat if we pressure her too much." Ethan tried to diplomatically explain. "But if we can at least establish a working relationship, then maybe she'll come around. At the very least we could use the extra backup against the gangs."

Piggot's scowl only deepened. "You're right, damnit." She admitted. "I want you on it ASAP."

Ethan frowned. "Ma'am?"

"You'll be her contact with the Protectorate. You've already met her and seem to have a cordial relationship." Piggot decided. "So give her a burner phone and try to set up joint patrols or get her to give you information when it falls into her lap. With her powers…" Piggot rubbed her forehead. "She's a fifteen year old girl goddamnit, but she might be the most versatile cape in the city. We need her help." Piggot admitted with a suddenly exhausted sigh. "You're dismissed Assault."

"Director." Ethan gave a lazy salute and then left. Guess he had to go have another conversation with Ms. Hebert. Joy…

The man who called himself Mr. Suit sat at an outdoor cafe, enjoying a nice cup of tea and watching the people going by. He glanced at the novel he was reading, sighed, and then decided it was about time to get something productive done.

"Will Taylor Hebert be safe in the hands of the Protectorate?" He mumbled to himself.

A hauntingly familiar voice echoed in his mind as his power processed the question and gave him its answer. "For now, they shall treat her as their own." The voice of his long dead wife answered softly. "But their patience will not last forever. They seek to use her power for their own ends."

"Of course they do." Suit muttered. "The woman with the fedora," he lazily spun said fedora on his finger for a moment. "Will she be an issue?"

A different voice, that of his first child. "While the Paths you take are different, you seek the same goal."

"Not much of an answer…" Suit grumbled.

"Talking to yourself again old man?"

Suit glanced up as Lisa Wilbourn sat across from him. "You know as well as I that its an aspect of my power. I'm sure your own told you as such."

Lisa scowled. "Yeah and you still scare the shit out of us both. I have a question for you, if you're up for it."

"Shoot."

"How are you and the Hebert girl connected exactly?"

Suit took a sip of his drink as he contemplated what to tell the former thief. "You know the multiverse is real of course."

"Uh-huh. It was a pretty big deal when Dr. Haywire made that portal of his."

"Well on this Earth and on several others, powers all come from the same source." Suit began to explain. "However, the Earth I am from derives its powers from a different one. The two power sources clash in certain ways and so the being that is behind your powers-"

"Whoa, hold up." Lisa held up a hand. "You're saying there's an intelligence behind our- Oh shit its Scion isn't it?" Lisa began to mutter to herself. "First parahuman, doesn't really act human though, of course he's a goddamn alien."

"Indeed. Scion and his partner, who I'm still trying to locate, destroyed my world. However, in our last days, we managed to construct a device that would take the imprint of our world's people, as well as our power, and infect a piece of Scion."

Lisa's eyes widened. "Oh hell, of course… you're not real are you? You're one of Hebert's projections!"

Suit smiled thinly. "I am still real… in a sense. But I am not one of Taylor's projections. I kept myself and Janus free from her power, so while we are sustained from the same well of energy, we are not held thrall by her."

Lisa snorted. "Yeah, seems like she's really good at controlling those things."

"She is still learning." Suit corrected her mildly. "And the only projections she has had trouble with… well there is a reason for that. But make no mistake, her power will grow and with it, so will her ability to influence those she summons." He finished his tea. "She already demonstrated the ability to use their powers for herself, rather than summon the super. That is already further development than I would have expected." He sighed. "How much longer until the end? How much time do we have?"

Another voice pierces the fog of his mind, this one belonging to his youngest daughter. "Can't say for certain. The numbers keep changing, your actions, their actions, it all causes fluctuations to the calculations." The voice faded with a small giggle of amusement and Suit felt a pang in his chest. If the Plan worked… then he would hear that voice again in person.

"Your power still weirds me out." Lisa broke him out of his thoughts. "You claim to not harm innocents when you're doing your little cognivore routine, but with the amount of raw intelligence you now have… how?"

"Ah." Suit nodded sagely. "Destroyed timelines."

"Excuse me?!"

"Before Scion and his mate destroyed our world, Janus and I were locked in a struggle, not for anything meaningful you must understand, he was just bored. So he would go throughout time and space causing havoc and I would follow with my apprentice, who had similar powers to Janus." Suit explained with an almost fond nostalgia in his eyes. "Part of the effects of her powers in particular prevented the butterfly effect from taking hold. So whenever I was in those timelines, I killed whoever I could, simply to build the processing power that my ability grants me."

Lisa's eyes widened in sheer horror. "You've killed hundreds."

"Thousands my dear." Suit corrected sadly. "Maybe more. When I first received my ability I would have been rated a Thinker 1, at best. Now I am a Thinker 9, minimum, though Janus claims I'm a 12+." Suit chuckled. "I think he only says that because he's the one who gave me powers in the first place."

"You really have to give me your full origin story one of these days."

"One of these days my dear." Suit promised. "But first, we have business to attend to."

He stood and asked one more question, cocking his head to the side as if listening to someone standing next to him. With a decisive nod, he spoke. "Door to Cauldron."

A rectangular portal appeared in space. Standing on the other side was a woman wearing a perfectly fitted suit, a pair of glasses tucked into the breast pocket.

Suit grinned and held up the fedora. "Best two out of three?"