When Claire was released, she was handed her school clothes. Not her armor.
Well, at least they're not loading us into pods to be sent to a parahuman containment center. At least they didn't just kill me.
Claire had spent the last few hours thinking about the measures she'd read about for parahuman who fell victim to the Simurgh.
They were not comforting.
The two faceless PRT troopers waited until she dressed and then walked behind her as she headed for the Director's office. On the way, she met Jim, Vicky, and Taylor.
Not Orb Weaver. After all one person in their group didn't know who Orb Weaver was. Well, Vicky and the troopers.
Taylor was staring at Jim. Claire wondered—Oh Jim.
Either someone had handed Jim something from his on-base clothing house and fate was a jerk, or Jim had decided to lighten the mood.
There was a picture on his sweater, a roof with a hole in it—and a cartoony version of Orb Weaver's Facemask peering through the roof. Underneath it, a font covered in webs read: WEAVER IS IN UR CEILING, JUDGING U!
Vicky stared at it, then snorted.
"Are you okay?" Claire asked.
"Oh me? Finding out that my sister has something called 'queen shaper' and that the Simurgh talked to me, and oh, it's not killing people because it wants to, but because someone is making it do it and that yeah, there was a super tinker who made the twenty-one endbringers…" Vicky took a breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. Anyone wanna eat at Fugly Bobs?"
Taylor snorted, and suddenly Vicky changed. "OH shit!" her aura came rolling out, worry and nerves in it. "Look, this is going to be okay. You don't have to worry. We can make this good. Don't panic."
"I won't," Taylor said.
But maybe you should take her advice, Vicky. Claire tried to calm down, did some exercises, then gestured at Vicky. "Aura?"
"Wh-oh shit! I thought I was getting better."
"We've got… an excuse," Jim said.
And then they were at the door to Director Piggot's office. The guards took up a position and the teens walked in.
The office was…
Director Piggot was sitting behind her desk, looking…
I've never seen her look that grim, Claire thought. Armsmaster was standing, and Miss Militia was sitting down, looking positively gray. Merlin and Alexandria were standing by the opposite wall.
"Congratulations," Director Piggot said. "We believe you were unharmed by the Simurgh."
"How—" Vicky swallowed. "How can you be certain?"
"Your destinies remain unchanged," Merlin said. "Both via the mechanical foresight of Probability, and my own arts."
"But the Simurgh can mess with thinkers…"
"But not with my arts, which she does not know of."
"And we have used other methods, some suggested by Merlin," Alexandria said. "Suffice it to say, I believe you are clean and that is not a statement I would make lightly."
"And yet the Simurgh chose you." Merlin said. "Chose you to speak with, and that means we must tell you… Hard truths."
Miss Militia looked up at them, and her eyes…
They told her. About Scion. Claire realized. "Why?" She asked. "We were keeping this secret—"
"And yet, if our enemy has a power like some we've seen, could he not reveal that secret at the moment it would do the worst damage?" Merlin shook his head. "This is the endgame, Shadowdancer, and we must now trust to speed and courage."
"It is… A risk," Armsmaster said. "And you will need some trustworthy parahumans to work with, Shadowdancer."
"Okay…" Vicky said. "Not really liking the sound of this, but shouldn't, um, Taylor leave? She's a civilian and her dad—"
"No." Taylor shook her head, and held out her hand. "I've been thinking about why I was there. It was by chance, or…"
"A Simurgh plot," Miss Militia said.
"And I know why she wanted me there. Queen Administrator." Taylor paused. "I was thinking about it." She glanced at Vicky, then the others. "I… This isn't something I want to do, but if this can stop the Endbringers, or even make them safer… It's worth it." Suddenly a pair of flies flew out of the vent, orbiting around her head.
Vicky's eyes widened. "You're…"
"Orb Weaver," Taylor said. "And my power involves controlling, or acting as the administrator of a group of bugs. I'm the fulcrum they move around, and I'm female."
"Queen Administrator," Claire breathed.
"Yes." Taylor nodded. "She wouldn't have had me there otherwise. I hope nobody will… use this against me, but this is too important. D-people I care about live here, and if this can make them safer…" The bugs started buzzing around wildly, but Taylor closed her eyes and they started flying normally.
"Courage is not always on the battlefield. But you will need all you have. We are not facing merely the Endbringers." Merlin's voice sounded respectful, almost comforting.
Yeah. Merlin being encouraging. Always a good sign the Apocalypse is near.
"Should Victoria be present?" Alexandria asked. Claire noticed that both Vicky and Taylor looked surprised at that. "She was secondary to the Simurgh's desire."
Merlin looked at Vicky, then nodded. "Much will be placed on Amelia's shoulders. She'll need someone to talk to, and Victoria is… tolerable, when she's not attempting to be the center of attention."
"Humph." Vicky glared at Merlin. "We've just talked to the Simurgh. I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me."
"Oh, really?" Merlin asked. "How about this. Our true enemy is Scion, who will at some point destroy this world and every other alternate world, and we're going to kill him, before we deal with the rest of his world-eating species."
Staring at Vicky's expression, Claire sighed. "She wasn't ready for that, Merlin."
Colin watched the teens. Claire and Jim were calming Victoria down, but they were both calm, clearly well aware of the situation.
Part of him was extremely impressed. To be able to carry that information and not let on…
Part of Colin was annoyed. He was their superior, after all.
Taylor, or Orb Weaver, was also looking calm, although building sensors showed a frenzy of web building in some corners.
And yet she'd quickly come to a very logical conclusion—one that Colin had arrived at while listening to their conversation. Queen… Some kind of superior power?
Regardless, she will be a credit to any effort against… Against Scion.
Especially since now that they were in the loop, Colin, Miss Militia and Director Piggot could cover for the rest. The fact that they would be… supporting them.
If Colin was honest, it did burn a bit. But if they failed that would be it, and if they succeeded…
Well, glory enough for all, and if these teens gained more… They had earned it.
"What if Scion finds out?" Claire asked. "Wasn't that your reason for…"
"That risk appears to be less than we feared." Alexandria shook her head. "We've been doing some… Brainstorming with Merlin."
"Every power is neutered in some way," Merlin said. "That was clear from both you and Contessa's reports. They were modified—for example, to not harm the hosts."
"The Manton Limit," Vicky said.
"Exactly. Or Miss Militia's limitation to guns." Merlin shook his head. "And yet, they can do vastly more. Used to their full extent the entity would know all of our plans before we had even thought of them, but…"
"That would be the Thinker's job," Claire said, eyes widening.
"The what?" Vicky asked.
"Long story." Claire shook her head.
"And one you will hear when you, Taylor and Amelia join me," Merlin said. "But for now, you may be confident—these beings are not creative, and 'Scion' is evidently unaware or unwilling to accept that its counterpart is no longer with us." The wizard shook his head. "And in any case, the risk is greater that secrecy will come and strike us in the back when we least expect it."
"Okay," Vicky said. "But… so this plan, sort of, if we trust the Simurgh and I cannot believe I just said that…we're going after Jack Slash?"
"More afraid of him than the Simurgh?" Jim asked.
"I…" Vicky raised a finger, then lowered it. "Point, but still, nobody takes them…"
"We believe Jack Slash's power has a master component to it," Armsmaster said. "But it will not be useful against Merlin, Jim or Claire."
"And as a wizard, I have been remiss in sending you on quests. Be a good apprentice and go fetch Jack Slash, Fair Claire. While you're at it, you might want to kill the rest of Slaughterhouse, as well. I'll be speaking to Amelia and a certain Fairy Queen to get things ready on my end," Merlin said.
Colin rolled his eyes. He wasn't the best conversationalist, it was true, but even he could see how unfunny that joke was.
After all, they'd have to have at least a day of planning before Jim and Claire were sent to take Jack Slash.