Looking for the Butcher would be their first problem. The Teeth had been attacking Coil's interests, having an incredible ability to zero in even on those that were disguised by multiple shell owners.

Almost like they have a precog on their side, Jim thought. But Tattletale had given Claire the addresses of some of the biggest ones, and they were near them. Or rather, Jim and Orb Weaver were. Claire could portal to Jim and would bring the others through, and Jim was fast enough to get to any place that wasn't across town with Orb Weaver in his arms.

Claire had ruled out using Vicky.

"She's barely holding it together as it is. If this goes bad and she gets into trouble with the Protectorate…" Claire had shook her head. "No. We can call her when we get the Butcher."

Tattletale had frowned but nodded. "It'll require a little change to the plan. You can portal right to Merlin… Yeah, but warn him first."

"He probably knows," Claire had muttered.

"Glory Girl has issues with going overboard," Faultline said. "I'd prefer to keep it to the people here. This is a job for professionals."

And with that, the decision was made.

I guess we're the pros, Jim thought. "Can you detect anything?" He asked Taylor.

She shook her head. "People. Nothing that looks like the Teeth. A lot of their bones aren't well, wet and I can track them by that." The lower part of her mask was open and she took a sip of the tea she'd heated at Faultline's. "Want some?"

"Nah, I'm good," Jim said. He paused. "So… Do you mind me asking what got you… working like this?"

"I was going to be a hero from the start," Taylor said. "I won't lie… sometimes I dreamed about just dealing with my problems, but that would have let them win. After they left, I decided to take some time, get ready, and talk to Dad about some things." The slim figure tilted her head. "I think it helped. Dad told me some stories from the old days, about how Marquis always seemed to know what everyone was planning, and how people were afraid of what he could do, what he might know…"

"And that was your model," Jim grinned. "Sounds good."

"Thanks. The big problem isn't the capes," Taylor wasn't watching the street. "It's the gangs they build up around them. Without soldiers, they're just thugs. Powerful thugs, but thugs… So I've been taking that away from them." There was satisfaction in that calm voice.

"It's about protecting people," Jim said. "Back home, that was the thing. It doesn't matter what people think, as long as you do the job."

"Righ—" she cut off. "I can sense a big group, just came into my range."

"Heading for his warehouse?"

"Yes."

Jim pulled out his phone. "Claire, they're here, but…"

"One small figure is among them, carrying a big gun. That's the new Butcher."

"She's here," Jim said.

There was no reply, but moments later, a large portal emerged. Claire turned and raised her hands, and another portal appeared below them, Bitch and her dogs emerging moments later.

"She knows—"

"Don't worry," Grue said. "Bitch doesn't want to become the Butcher. She'll keep their unpowered people back."

"Good," Jim said, as Coil's mercs started shooting from the warehouse's windows.

"Okay, let's do this. Claire send the note to Merlin," Jim said. It would have been easy to just portal Newter into arms reach, but the Butcher was too dangerous. They had to be down before they could use Newter.

And with that, Jim leaped down, even as Claire portaled Grue to Bitch and her dogs, the howling beasts growing as they charged, right before a cloud of darkness obscured them. The Teeth had arrived in vehicles, vehicles that Faultline and Gregor were now moving to, Faultline shredding them with her powers while Gregor created some kind of foam that he was using to make the soldiers of the Teeth who had turned around slip and fall. Shamrock was fighting Hemorrhagia, the lithe merc dodging the woman's furious swings with what looked like a sword made from blood.

Labyrinth and Spitfire weren't here. Spitfire's power was too potentially deadly to risk using by the Butcher, while Labyrinth might impact with Claire's portals, which would derail the plan.

Jim growled, dodged a soldier, grabbed him and then spun him around and threw him into another band of Teeth, sending them sprawling. Claire was hanging back, but moments later a pair of golems rose up from the garbage and marched into the fray, distracting the Teeth.

"Mother fucker!" Spree screamed, and suddenly there were clones, duplicates charging Jim.

You couldn't hurt Spree by killing his clones, and so Jim charged them, Eclipse blazing in the light, and suddenly there were pieces of clones flying everywhere. But Spree came up with more, and they were all charging into Jim.

I'm going to have—

"Brutus! Hurt!" And then Brutus came roaring through the scrimmage of mercs and Teeth, slamming into Spree, gripping him by his legs and shaking him like a rag.

The clones started to fall, as the dog-masked girl grabbed Spree and smashed his face into the asphalt, once, twice, three times. Jim couldn't see what as happening in Grue's darkness, but several unconscious mercs came flying out of it. Meanwhile, suddenly Teeth and Mercs alike started coughing and slapping themselves.

Taylor. Jim saw a merc fall out of the window, screaming and slapping at himself. The rest were facing similar problems. Moths flew into open mouths and wasps went for eyes and ears.

I wonder if she's still drinking her tea?

But they weren't free yet. There were more Teeth bringing up the rear and some of them had facemasks, and…

"This is the Protectorate!" the voice from behind the Teeth caused everyone to pause for a moment. Then Velocity zipped through some of them, dropping confoam grenades as he went. They weren't normal grenades, looking like flat lengths of metal that were flush with his body.

Armsmaster's work, Jim thought, and then he was ducking back, growling as Animos leaped over Grue and confronted him.

"Fucking Trollhunter!" The man growled. "How the fuck did you spoof Butcher? She said this would be a good place to be!"

Then he turned into some kind of animal and roared, the sound blasting back behind Jim. Grue's darkness just… snuffed out and the bugs around the sound just started acting randomly.

But nothing happened to Jim. The animal looked surprised, and then Jim was on him. He strained, spinning Animos around him and then throwing him into a parked van. Animos staggered to his feet and charged Jim again, but Jim ducked down, avoided the snap, and then punched Animos in the head, once, twice, three times… At the third blow the monster sagged and turned back into his human form.

Vex was with the Butcher, but…

Why isn't the Butcher fighting? The gun was on the ground by her, and she was squatting, hands over her ears. Vex was shielding them, more and more forcefields appearing.

Wait a minute… 'she said…'.

Dinah hadn't been trying to avoid them, she had been helping them. Behind them, the Protectorate, now including Glory Girl and Armsmaster, were cleaning up the Teeth. Armsmaster was dueling with Reaver, the Brute wildly swinging away at the hero.

None of them were getting close to the Butcher. Protocol.

"It's over," Jim called. "You can't sit there forever."

"How did…" Vex's eyes widened. "You little shit!" he growled at Dinah. "You fucking sold us out!"

"Yes!" Dinah said. "98 percent chance that the Teeth would end today." She clapped her hands to her ears. "I don't care what you say. I don't, I don't, I don't!"

"It's over," Jim said. "Everyone else is gone."

"Don't fucking care," Vex snarled. "The cunt fucked us over, but there's one way I get out of here…" He reached down, gripped Dinah by her hair, and pulled her up. "And that's by becoming the Butch—AIIEEEE!" he screamed and Dinah vanished, the explosion bowling Jim over as she appeared near him.

And at that moment, every damned bug in the place just descended upon Vex, the Teeth screaming and shrieking as his forcefield started whipping around him, desperately trying to fight the bugs that were on him, stinging and crawling into every orifice. The forcefields vanished, and an inhuman buzzing voice emerged. "Do we want him alive?"

"Killing people is generally frowned upon," Armsmaster said. "I can tranquilize him."

"Okay," the cloud of insects rose up, revealing a screaming Vex. Armsmaster knelt down and injected him, then turned to Faultline.

Jim didn't care. Claire was by his side, along with Tattletale, Newter heading for them.

"They're screaming, they're screaming. Most of them hate me," She moaned. "They keep asking questions… Chance that my Mom dies—no, no, 40 percent. Chance that I go—It hurts!"

Jim bit his lip. Then nodded. "Dinah. Chance that things will be better by the end of today."

She took a deep breath, moaned, then shuddered and relaxed. "95 percent."

"Good. Newter…"

"Got it," The teen stared at Dinah as he held her by her hand. "Poor damned kid. She's out."

"Claire!" Jim called, and then he, Newter, Claire, Tattletale and Regent vanished in a portal.

"And here we are!" Tattletale said as the room appeared around them. "So…" She smirked. "Is my plan good or not?"

"A teenager with a plan," Merlin snorted as he gestured for Jim to put Dinah on the table. "You're the infamous Tattletale."

"My fame proceeds me?"

"Fair Claire's note, more like it." Merlin shook his head. "I would suggest a more modest costume that incorporates better body armor. Stand over there, all of you, and try not to get in the way, or Amelia might accidentally turn you into piles of goo."

"I—I wouldn't do that," Amelia said.

"You're right. She would deliberately turn you into piles of goo, so try not to irritate her."

"Asshole," Amelia muttered under her breath. "I…" she touched Dinah. "Okay… wow. There's a growth around her Corona Pollentia… it's infiltrating… Oh, wow, that's…"

"What?" Jim asked.

"It's a growth that is woven around the parts of the brain having to do with speech and perception. That's how they talk to her."

"Can you take it out?"

"No." Amelia said. "The corona could just grow it again, and I don't want to risk damaging the corona or convincing the Butcher to jump…" She paused. "God, I can't believe I'm working on a brain!"

"Then why are you?" Merlin asked. "She's nobody to you."

"I… No. This is an external growth. I'm not changing who she is, I'm keeping her sane," Amelia said.

"So, a sufficient reason to make an exception to your rules?" Merlin asked.

"Y-yes! Okay, fine! Now be quiet before I turn you into some goo!" Amelia started muttering to herself. "Right, so the connection… Okay…"

For the next hour, they did nothing, just watching. Jim shook his head. I've seen her regrow arms faster than this…

On the other hand, it was probably a good idea to take her time on the brain.

"So, we got any booze?" Newter asked.

"Faultline lets you drink?" Claire asked.

"It sort of doesn't affect me," Newter grinned. "I can give everyone but myself a high."

Can't even touch someone without them going into lala land, no hugs. No necking, Jim thought. That really sucks.

"Done!" Amelia said.

"What did you do?"

"I had to make like a little… subsidiary brain to filter them. They can shout and she can hear them, but she can… tune them out for a while, and they can't shout at her that loud. I can't completely lock them out—I tried and things started getting… weird. Plus side, she's got their powers and can talk to them, maybe even compel them to tell the truth."

"So the teleporting, super strong, blood seeing preteen is going to keep those powers…" Tattletale said.

Newter raised his hand. "Can I say, that whoever her teachers are in junior high are going to hate you?"

"Don't be an idiot," Merlin said. "She's never going to school again. Even if this works, she's too dangerous, and if someone kills her… I assume you couldn't keep the… entity from jumping?"

"I don't even know how it does that," Amelia said.

"Well then, awaken her…"

Moments later, Dinah blinked, sat up and looked around. "They're…quiet." She said. "I can talk to them, but they can't… scream."

Tattletale walked forward. "You're a percentage precog,right?"

"Yeah."

"Chance that Pana—Amelia's changes last for the next year?"

"98.7 percent chance," Dinah's words were certain.

Tattletale sagged and gave a sigh of relief. "Good."

"What do you mean, good?"

"That was a big flaw in my plan," the teen said. "I couldn't be certain that the Butcher entity might not find a way around Amelia's work. But now, just ask ever so often, and you're good." She smirked. "And now, I have a another question."

"I've been using my power a lot. It hurts."

"This is the last question." Tattletale smirked and rattled off a few paragraphs that had Jim wondering if she had gone insane. "Chance that if we adhere to this plan, Coil ends up in PRT custody, against his will, in the next day?"

"94 percent," Dinah said, and even as she winced, she smiled.

Amelia was looking ill. "You're kidding."

"Nope," Tattletale said. "C'mon, it'll be good fun!" she looked over at Regent. "After all, with all the games you play, don't you want to find out what it's like to be a girl?"

Jim looked at Claire. Claire was just staring at Tattletale.

"Hey, you know," Regent said. "This could be a good start for you. Panacea the cosmetic doc."

"One hundred percent chance that I remove your vocal chords if you keep talking," Amelia said.

"Now that's getting closer to a roar." Merlin had an approving look on his face.

"Let's get started," Amelia muttered. "Lay down."

To say that Coil was shocked when he got Lisa's call was an understatement. He hated it. Hated not being in control, trapped with one active timeline, the other wasted on being safe.

"So, did you…"

"Got Dinah, and even better…" Tattletale sounded smug even for her. "Got Trollhunter and Shadowdancer."

"How?" Coil asked.

"They were going to put her in a coffin!" Trollhunter's voice was a growl. "She's with us now."

"But…"

Lisa took the phone back. "Look boss, we managed to shut down the Butcher, but nobody believes us and wants to take the risk. We also really burned some bridges and lost Regent. Claire portaled us out of the PRT but they're looking for us, so…"

"I'll send some of my men around."

Inviting them in might be dangerous, but he had a safe timeline, after all.

When the van arrived, four figures emerged from it. Coil stared at the small girl. She seemed unsteady, clumsy, a likely side effect of what Panacea had done to her.

He walked up to them, and without any preamble. "Hello Dinah, I'd like to ask a few questions."

"Shoot," she said, her tone casual.

"Chance that the Butcher jumps from you to any other parahuman in the next month."

"0.01 percent," She said.

"Chance that you attempt to harm me in the next week?"

"One percent."

Coil smiled and collapsed his safe timeline. He could finally start using both of them now.

In the second timeline, he told his men to escort them to a conference room while he went elsewhere with Dinah. He didn't have to stay miles away now, so he could get some other work done.

In the main timeline, he gestured for them to follow him. "You'll find working for me to be quite congenial, Trollhunter. We share many of the same goals. Order, helping the city, working to try to protect the people." He looked back at them. They're children. Easy to manipulate. "I might even be able to find a way for you to return home. But that would require your assistance in… obtaining some things for me."

"Whatever," Jim said. "I'm done with the PRT. But I need you to get Mr. Blinky to safety."

"I will." And to a place where you cannot find him. After all, it never hurt to have… safeguards. Dinah remained silent, looking rather bored.

In the other timeline, Coil started questioning Dinah. He had many operations that had been disrupted, many that had been put on hold. Dinah provided him with answer after answer.

The fact that the travelers had nearly a 99 percent chance of killing him was enough of a reason to drop that plan.

"I'm surprised," Coil finally said. Over three hours had passed. In the other timeline, he was eating with them, celebrating their new alliance after they had hammered out an agreement. In this timeline, they were being given a long tour by his security chief, complete with mock drills to hone their skills and delay them.

"Oh?" Dinah asked in that bored voice of hers.

"That you an answer so many questions, so quickly. Most thinkers have a limitation on their powers."

"Yeah," the girl said, "It might be because I've been totally making things up."

What?

"Yeah." Dinah stared at him. "You know, except for not having any boobs, I could get used to this."

Coil moved to call his guard—and he didn't move.

In his other timeline, he paused, a spoon almost to his mouth.

"You know, it's weird, but I think being exposed in two…whatever the hell it is you're doing, made my power work faster."

"You're—" Coil's mouth shut. Then, "Bwak, Bwak!" how was he doing this in both timelines? The other was clear. Somehow, they'd forced Panacea to transform Regent's appearance into…

"You know, I'm bigger than the squirt, so Amelia just grabbed the body weight she didn't need and stuck it in a cooler." She paused. "Really, seriously, you keep trying to pull plots and mindscrews… I'm lazy, not stupid, and my dad is Heartbreaker." She paused. "Now… let's see how I do—"

The timeline collapsed.

Jim watched as Coil paused, his spoon almost to his lips. Then he turned and nodded at the guards. "You're dismissed." Turning back to them, he smiled. "If you will all come with me to my office, I'll finalize some matters."

Everyone followed him, just like normal.

Well, until the office door closed and Coil started belting out "In the Navy."

"Regent," Lisa hissed.

"Relax, it's probably soundproofed. Besides, he wears a snake suit that shows way too much. If they're going to overlook that…"

"Right." Lisa shook her head. "Sit him down here. He's probably got a ton of fuck you measures, but…" She glanced at "Dinah". "Is he here, alone?"

"Yap, power's shut down. Good thing to. It felt… weird."

"Then you don't have any safe places," Jim said. He put Eclipse up against Coil's neck. Just enough to part the fabric of the suit. "Remember what happened to Lung? I was trying to kill him. I don't have to try anything here." Jim remembered a time when he'd been just as cold blooded, telling Stricklander what was going to happen. Coil didn't have a spell to hold his mother hostage. "I bet you're used to dying, because you get a free do over. But there are no do overs here." He glanced over at Regent. "Let him talk."

"I—I assure you we can come to an agreement." Coil was still, his eyes flicking back and forth.

"Sure. You go to prison, you give Tattletale all the codes." Jim looked down at the super villain. "Sound good?"

"I like it," Claire said.

"So do I," Lisa agreed.

"What's to keep you from killing me?" Coil asked.

"My word." Jim tilted his head. "Unlike you, I keep it." He paused. "Before you say anything, remember, we have a precog. And she really hates you."

"You… You knew." Coil didn't say anything. They knew what I would do before they even called me.

"So, codes?" Lisa asked. "Or Regent can have some more fun."

Jim watched, and then Coil started shouting out codes. Lisa stared at him, nodding. "He's telling the truth. Now, let me send Faultline her entirely too large payment."

"This wouldn't have worked without Newter." Claire gestured at Lisa. "They were driving her nuts and we could have never risked Amelia."

"Hmph," Lisa reached up and pulled Coil's mask off. "Now… My, my, Thomas Calvert." She grinned. "You knew Piggot back in the day… Ellisburg. Oh don't be surprised, remember, you told me to evaluate the PRT, including that hard working office drone, Thomas Calvert. Let him talk, Regent."

"Yes," Thomas said. "But you know, I might mention just how powerful Regent's ability is. Maybe that would be worth me leaving, my silence for my freedom—" His breath cut off as Jim picked him up. Jim felt his eyes flare yellow. "No. You're staying silent, and you're going to prison."

"Why?" Coil got out.

"Because I'm going to ask Dinah if you will stay silent, and unless the odds are really good, I'm just going to kill you to be safe."

"You have no idea who Regent's father is, what he did to him, what he might do to you…"

"No. But I won't find out the truth from you." Jim dropped Coil and Claire touched his shoulder.

"Maybe we should kill him," Regent said, Dinah's voice strange with his words. "I mean, nobody really wants Dad dropping by. That'd be bad."

"You know, if we can't trust him…" Claire frowned. "We could just drop him in my shadow dimension."

"Yeah, say he died…" Lisa turned to look at Coil. "And then maybe take a trip… you know, to Ellisburg, so you could make new friends."

Coil tried to split the timeline. He couldn't. He tried again, he couldn't. It wasn't fair! He'd spent so much for this power! Done so much, and to have that… Beast threaten him, and his own people betray him…

But then he looked into those yellow eyes.

The Trollhunter would kill him. Shadowdancer would hold him and then put him back in Ellisburg… and his power wouldn't help him there. He could still barter with the PRT. His power was useful. He could…

But he had to surrender. He had to mean it. If Dinah said the word, he'd be dead.

And she could see the future. Thomas wanted to wail, to giggle. He could have lied through his teeth, and those naïve children would never realize it. He could even mislead Tattletale.

But they had a precog. A precog he'd help find for them. And now his power was useless, under the control of Heartbreaker's brat.

And that meant that all of his futures now led to only two places. His death.

Or his imprisonment with a chance, just a chance, of freedom later.

Then Regent allowed Thomas to speak and he started following Tattletale's orders, providing them with codes, sending commands to his mercs, opening up the base firewall to the PRT…

As he heard the sound of PRT troops catching his own men by surprise, those he hadn't sent out to ambushes, Thomas felt himself start to weep.

He wanted to think it was Regent, just playing another petty game with him.

But no. The tears were all his.