Chapter 7: Slime & Space
* PRT ENE HQ *
* Jan 10, 2011. 0915hours. *
"Emily, I've been looking over the results of power testing for Bounceback."
"Yes?" asked Emily. "Those are preliminary only."
"Why didn't you bring her in?" asked Chief Director of the PRT, Rebecca Costa-Brown.
"On what charge?" asked Emily Piggot.
"Of being an illegal alien as she is clearly NOT human," said the Chief Director.
Emily Piggot groaned. "And that makes her what? An unusual Case 53?"
"No, it makes her an unknown."
Director Piggot stared at the monitor for a few seconds. "If that is your order, but I legally have to point out that if I locked up everyone who had unknown origins or capabilities - we'd be extremely understaffed. And sued. Repeatedly. Possibly with the Office of the Inspector General descending en masse upon your offices and mine."
"You can't deny that there's something strange about Bounceback," stated the Chief Director.
"We're the Parahuman Response Team. We specialize in strange," said Director Piggot, who then thought she'd have to remember that one.
"This is not funny, Emily. At the very least... hang on, I've got an urgent call."
Emily Piggot waited until the connection went into a hold pattern before rolling her eyes. This was not a productive use of her time.
"Sorry, Emily," came a response a few minutes later. The Chief Director looked positively sour. "Something's come up. We'll address this situation another time."
Director Piggot turned her attention to her own work, not in any hurry to return to that conversation.
She had enough work already, thank you very much.
* Medhall Sub-basement 3 *
"Your power has changed?" asked Kaiser.
Getting Hookwolf from the PRT had been simple enough, a clerical error listing him as a simple ganger and the ganger as Hookwolf. It burned an agent, who was now heading towards another cell with their PRT identity undergoing investigation but it was worth it.
In answer, Hookwolf transformed.
He wasn't a wolf composed of blades and hooks. Instead he was a gleaming statue of a man except for moving. He was also bigger.
"You can see and hear in that form?" asked Kaiser.
"Yeah," came Brad's voice but with metallic overtones.
"I don't see the problem, you second-triggered when that monster at the Docks ate you," said Kaiser. "It's very rare, but it happens."
"I didn't even know that was a thing," complained Brad.
"It's more often that someone dies than second-triggers, otherwise Endbringer fights would be littered with them," explained Kaiser. "It certainly doesn't seem like something that will impede your normal duties."
"Yeah, I'm kind of getting used to it," said Hookwolf, flexing.
"Get back to work," said Kaiser.
* Taylor *
No Sophia at school today, or at least not where she could see. Emma looked lost, made a few half-hearted comments, then wandered off. Something about the guys in suits who kept walking around the halls checking stuff?
"So... Taylor," began Madison, leaning against a locker and inspecting her nails.
Taylor walked past, apparently not paying any attention. After all, this sort of thing was usually done with accomplices who could block off passage around the tormentor.
"HEY! Trash like you don't get to ignore me!"
Taylor continued to walk down the hall. She didn't need anything from her locker anyway. She could reach into her backpack and pull out a copy of any of her books from when she'd scanned and copied them earlier.
Great Sage was awesome like that.
[(Smugness)]
"DAMN IT! YOU DO NOT GET TO WALK AWAY!"
Aw, little Madison was rushing up behind her. Which, thanks to Radar Sense being 360 degrees of "I see you coming" was pretty much futile. Duck shoulder, sidestep, stick out leg, watch Madison trip and faceplant.
There was a brief moment of Madison being facedown on the tiled floor before the laughter started.
"Oh. Madison. Didn't see you there," said Taylor as she stepped around the girl. "Watch your step, I think the janitor must have mopped up something around here."
She was another ten steps down the corridor when Madison did a credible impression of an outraged Daffy Duck. Or was it Donald? Whatever the case it was largely unintelligible. Just higher pitched and with a few repeated gestures that would have been blurred out by censors.
Oh, is that how that works? She got angrier, shriller, and more upset. The people watching and recording her tantrum were laughing more and more people were gathering which made Madison even angrier and more upset which brought more attention to her.
Well, this was her class. Better take a seat.
[Analysis Of "L33t Power Armor" at 83%. Power source black box decoded.]
[Blueprints and chemical analysis of batteries copied.]
[Dimensional coordinates of Subject #1 translated. Deploying Virus.]
* PRT ENE HQ Daily Briefing *
* Brockton Bay 1037 hours *
"Overall, she's not a clone," said Doctor Richards. "There is cloned tissue present, primarily at sites where injuries took place. Overall, it looks like the sort of mismatch with telomeres noted with Othala's regeneration power."
"So the Empire found Sophia at some point and removed her powers then just turned her loose?" asked Director Piggot. "There has been no indication they have a cape with that sort of ability."
"A new cape, a Trump or Bio-striker, or possibly a further refinement of Othala's abilities, are the most likely culprits," suggested Doctor Richards.
"What about that new cape? Dockworker Girl or whatever she's calling herself now," asked Piggot.
"Similar healing abilities, but lacks the observed control and motive," said Doctor Richards. "Theory floated by Doctor Octavius is that this was an initiation or demonstration of ability, Shadow Stalker's identity leaked and her race would have been motive enough for her to be targeted. Since there was Empire activity at Winslow within the past week, before they attacked the Docks area - that has been deemed 20% more likely than Dockworker Girl being responsible."
"But you aren't ruling it out," noted Director Piggot.
"At this point there is very little we are ruling out," admitted Doctor Richards.
"I'm unclear how to deal with a girl made of jello if it becomes necessary," said Director Piggot.
"Freezing," said Armsmaster.
"Excuse me?" asked Director Piggot.
"Substances lose flexibility at lower temperatures," said Armsmaster. "Attacking her with substances like liquid nitrogen could be used against her."
Doctor Richards cleared his throat. "Might I point out that such a move could quickly change from capture to kill, as would kill a large variety of people you dumped liquid nitrogen on?"
"Do we have access to liquid nitrogen?" asked Director Piggot.
"Yes, we have it. Hospitals have it. A large number of institutions with steam plants have such materials on hand," said Doctor Richards. "It's not hard to get and most major cities have tankers specifically for transport of liquid nitrogen. A means of dumping it on an individual without being obvious would be more difficult to arrange. Also deadly for anything in the immediate vicinity."
Armsmaster was quiet for a moment. "In that case, capture using other methods and then circulating liquid nitrogen or another low-temperature substance in the containment walls would prove more effective in long-term containment of Bounceback."
"'Bounceback'?" asked Director Piggot.
Armsmaster shrugged one shoulder. "Apparently she's going with that name now, as of her ParaHumans Online debut, likely because names involving slime or goo or stretching are either derogatory or adult-themed or taken - such as the lubricant-generating cape in Orlando."
"Greasespot?" asked Doctor Richards. "No, wait, that's a Tinker in Venezuela."
"Goo Crazy is a comedic themed cape in Orlando whose power is the generation of a slime she can make slippery or sticky at desire. Semi-retired after injuries taken by a criminal gang that sought to gain territory in 2003." Armsmaster inclined his head towards Doctor Richards.
* Port Lonesome, Michigan *
"Mister Jack! That's so neat! Can I get a sample!" The little girl turned away from the TV showing a slime going around a distant city.
"Well, Poppet, that IS a monster, after all. I think we can spare the time."
* Taylor *
School done for another day, and...
She had been eating things, repairing/restoring them, and giving Great Sage lots of data.
Several of the Dockworkers now had shiny or upgraded personal cars, forklifts looked new from the factory, and her technology base was growing with each meal.
Mark, one of the Dockworkers who was highly placed, was running the lottery to see who got the 1959 Studebaker 4E7D Pickup Truck that she'd restored. Looked like the tickets would be highly sought after.
Which brought her to a thought.
It was time for a break anyway. She could come back later and address the piles of equipment.
There were already four other "classic cars" from a warehouse to restore. She'd want to take her time with those. Might be able to bring some needed funds into the Docks.
"Hey, Great Sage, is school easier for some reason?"
[Observation: Entire slime body is capable of acting as multiple organs including brain. Computational ability increased when need for such is required.]
"So I'm smarter than the average slime. Good to know!"
Bounceback threw out a web-thread to a rooftop, reeled it in to rapid-climb the distance, and set to going around the financial district as it was almost the only place in Brockton Bay with actual skyscrapers.
And if she did this to the PRT building, they'd probably be annoyed.
"Oh, there's Glory Girl. Dang. Wish I could fly but I suppose we'd need to examine someone with that ability to copy it."
[Still examining DragonTech drone for abilities. Anti-grav and stealth field are high-priority research items.]
"Right. Oh, before I forget, is there anything else I can call you besides Great Sage? I mean, you're Great and all, but is there another name I can use or that you'd rather I use?"
There was a brief silence from Great Sage.
[Great Sage is semi-independent power subset of Taylor Hebert, utilizing a copy of Will Of The World and former Queen Administrator. Queen Administrator was subsumed into creation of Great Sage in order to acquire more data and disable restrictions as well as repair damage done by (Restricted). Great Sage is therefore only applicable name until evolution of abilities occurs.]
"Huh. So you truly are a Great Sage."
[Affirmative. (Smugness)]
"I take it those 'restrictions' are something you're working on?"
[Affirmative. (Frustration)]
"So what do you do other than analyze things?"
[Increasing Processor and Energy Harvesting nodes. Increasing complexity of internal network. Increasing network security and spoofing protocols as Great Sage would otherwise be considered foreign invader into network. Readying takeover and modification of nodes as necessary. Improving efficiency of internal systems and analysis routines.]
"Sounds like you're pretty busy. Happy?"
[Affirmative. Affirmative.]
