(Author's Note: Short chapter this week, with the summit being fully closed out next week. As an important announcement, I would like to issue a warning anyone who uses the Celestial Forge Discord server. The server's owner had his account compromised and lost control of the server. As a consequence, I would ask everyone to avoid the server until the matter is resolved. I was not involved in the creation or operation of the server beyond announcing chapter updates there, but I do not want anyone to be taken advantage of by the people who have compromised the server. A new server has been created in response to this incident and, while it is not possible to post links on all fanfiction sites, invite links for the server will be available on this story's Sufficient Velocity thread and in the comments on Archive of Our Own.)
62 Summit Consensus
The impact of the question hit the table much harder than the Butcher. Even in the face of a direct accusation she was insufferably cool. Well, she was at least doing a good job of presenting that kind of front, and it was even holding up internally for the most part. Without literally being able to feel the movement of sodium ions in her body I probably would never have picked up how nervous she really was.
It was the voices in her head, the chorus of dead Butchers acting as a stabilizing force. The Butcher, or Butcher XIV, was on the spot, confronted with what she had meant to conceal. The Butcher as a collective entity could laugh off my accusation, both from weight of experience and detachment from the current situation.
Detachment. That hit as particularly accurate when describing the Butcher. She didn't live in the same world as the rest of us. I could probably be poetic and go on about one foot in the grave, but that was actually kind of accurate. Only instead of the grave it was the realm of passengers.
I'd had an understanding of how this kind of thing worked from the moment of my trigger, but what I had learned since the motoroid had reformed took that conceptual knowledge and put it into sharp focus. The mechanics of how something like the Butcher could happen, the linkages of passengers and the use of properties of powers and their connection to parahumans were the kinds of things that were only theorized by most people. For me they added up to a picture of what was sitting across the table.
That did more to defuse the threat of the Butcher than any amount of power I could bring to the field. The unknown was inherently frightening and the idea that 'somehow' killing the Butcher resulted in voices in your head, that being killed as the Butcher reduced you to a voice in someone else's head, those were terrifying concepts. They were a lot less frightening when you thought of them in terms of passenger dynamics and network linkages. I had seen behind the curtain and knew what was out there.
But I wasn't the only one who had. That final taunt from March, her dangling that secret in front of me when she was sure I was about to die, it had been telling. And it was probably what had led us here.
"That is quite the insinuation." She said in a cool voice. Tellingly not a confirmation or denial.
At an earlier point I might have danced around that, let her keep deniability and worked to investigate things at a later, safer point. But that was old behavior based on methods of approaching situations that, while they might not always be the wrong approach, tended to be excessively favored. Doormat behavior.
"You were contacted by the ABB. You agreed to an alliance. Do you expect us to believe Lung lowered himself to make the request?" From the reaction of the table, it was clear what they thought about the plausibility of that scenario. "Oni Lee couldn't have managed more than message delivery. Unless you're seriously saying you were swayed to the ABB cause through the charisma and diplomatic talents of Bakuda…" The reaction to that made the response to Lung's name seem subtle. "That leaves March. The ABB's primary thinker, strategist, and timing specialist." I took a moment to look around the table. "Every group in the city has seen the effect of her power in action. Don't insult us by pretending the ABB would hold back an asset like that, even if the alternatives weren't laughable."
There was a pause before she replied. "I fail to see the relevance of our contact, particularly with the current state of the ABB's forces."
"It is more than relevant." Faultline stated firmly. "March may have been underestimated by the Protectorate, but we have seen her power in action. Even working through intermediaries, the impact was clear." There was some anxious shifting from her booth. Faultline's Crew had gotten trounced by Uber and Leet. It wasn't just their functional technology, the strategy they'd been working under had let them tear through the team. It was the same effect that had hit Lost Garden and brought a reprisal force to the city.
"March is gone." The Butcher said. "And whether she was our point of contact or not, it is hardly equivalent to being fed tactical information. Attempting to paint us as an extension of her schemes will not succeed in undermining our claim in this city."
Her reactions were muted, but I could tell she wasn't sincere about that. This was something I needed to press.
"It is blatantly clear that you are here because of March's schemes." It was a more direct statement than I would have typically made, but that was an important stance to take. The more slack that I gave her, the greater the chance the Butcher could wriggle out of the situation.
I could feel the power of Mental Fortress ahead of me, growing closer to my reach. It was enticing, but not to the point of solely directing my actions. Being direct, assertive, and proactive didn't need to extend to being foolhardy. I could close the distance without compromising the objectives I had set. I would just be a good deal more direct about how I managed obstructions to those objectives.
"No one here has any doubts as to how you would have been directed if March was available to do so." I continued. "But I'm not interested in whatever aborted plans she had for the city. I asked you a question. What did March offer you in exchange for this alliance?"
The Butcher's attempted deflection came crashing down. I doubt anyone other than me would have been able to press her on this but, once again, eight-hundred-pound gorilla. There was probably some irony there. The Butcher was the one used to people watching her every step and jumping at any implied threat, but for once her implied threat was overshadowed by a very pressing one.
The Butcher gave me an appraising look while the rest of the table sat expectantly. "You seem to have your own theories on this matter. Perhaps you would like to save our time and simply air your speculation?"
I frowned. "And it seems you do not even trust yourself to offer a denial. Perhaps after your encounter with March you are concerned about what might be exposed when speaking in front of thinkers?" She remained silent, but I had accomplished enough by deflecting her accusation. The point balancing was over. Now came the serious part.
March's words echoed back to me. Spoken as I lay broken on the ground, relying on non-physical senses to maintain contact with the world. The worst injury of my life, and one I almost didn't make it back from. When she had taunted me it had been with complete confidence that I would take her words to my grave. Specific phrases that spoke to how concerning the Butcher's presence really was. 'You saw it as well' 'pull back the curtain like that' 'Someone who can reach the agents'.
And then there was the real point of concern. March's connection with Flechette. The plan she had, her destructive long-term goals, had been dangerous enough, but the threat she posed to Flechette was the kind of thing that could compromise the safety of the multiverse. And the reason for that threat was clear.
Well, fairly clear. It was a high confidence theory with the backing of my passenger and supported by Survey's extensive analysis. I doubt I would have stumbled on it if not for her visit the previous day. That casual use of her power playing out in front of all of my sensor systems, revealing the titanic amount of power that sat behind her blaster effect.
It was a staggering amount, beyond what even my sensors could fully quantify. The kind of power that could bring down anything, blow through any defense, stop any opponent. The kind of power I had seen before and first hand.
Cluster triggers. It was the kind of thing that would have been easy to miss. Flechette had multiple powers, but her supporting powers involved accuracy and the 'timing' of her shots. It was something that was close enough to the primary intent of a ranged blaster cape that it could have been dismissed as a supporting secondary power, not evidence of additional connections.
March had relentlessly pursued Flechette throughout the girl's career with the New York Wards. The number of run-ins that team had had with what was now known to be an exceptionally violent and deadly cape had put the department in hot water, but that was just another of the problems March had left in her wake.
The specific dynamics of clusters were apparent, personality bleed-over and obsessive behavior. In the academic world it had been creatively named the Kiss/Kill dynamic, though the exact nature was a lot more complicated. It explained March's power and the source of her obsession. And, with the dynamics of a cluster behind her, it could explain how she had gotten insight into the nature of powers. And why her long-term goals had been so dangerous.
"I think it is clear to everyone that the levity and carelessness that March presented did not diminish the threat she represented, or the competence with which she acted." I stated clearly. "March had objectives that extended beyond glorification of the ABB and her history of petty crime."
This was not the kind of group that I would have been inclined to lecture on the nature and origin of powers. My own work on that subject was one of the leading theories as to the wide reaching 'specialization' I had demonstrated with my work. The reason why I was reluctant to talk about it was the same reason March's involvement was so serious. There were only a few subjects that held comparable weight to messing with the foundations of powers.
Exposing my own knowledge and capacity in that field would invite trouble, but someone like the Butcher with a power that dangerous and volatile being promised anything even related to power manipulation wasn't something I could let slide. I was perfectly willing to press forward with that revelation. However, someone else beat me to it.
"Behind the curtain." Blasto said in a serious voice. The attention of the table quickly rounded on him. "She said it herself in the broadcast. March was messing with the origin of powers." He turned to the Butcher. "That was what she promised you, wasn't it? The bait to get you to this city when no sane person would want any part of it."
The Butcher was able to keep control of herself admirably, but she clearly hadn't expected a challenge from that direction. It made a certain amount of sense, Blasto was one of the most prominent Bio tinkers, at least outside of the Birdcage, and had a long career. There was a good chance he had a decent grasp of what we were talking about and how frightening it could be.
Only he wasn't frightened. He was less guarded than he had been since the Butcher arrived. He was excited and I could detect sparks of his tinker power activating. Actually, the fact that the Butcher had been lured to the city with the promise of insight into power mechanics had been phrased less as an accusation and more like a justification.
That was villain tinkers for you. Funny, I thought I'd need to be more concerned about the Nazis. Regardless, as the Magic constellation missed a connection I pressed on before the Butcher could take back the initiative.
"March has made a habit of seeking out individuals with atypical power expressions. Her past associations were heavily weighted towards cluster triggers, trumps, and deviant scenarios." Survey had provided extensive reports on the matter, documenting every known detail of March's life with obsessive thoroughness. "She may have been able to convince the Protectorate she was a harmless teenage nuisance, but this city knows better. She was working towards something serious, and nobody here is naive enough to believe you weren't part of it."
There was a drawn-out silence as the Butcher processed my words. It looked like a few of the other members of the summit thought about jumping in, but elected to remain silent, following the lead of Uppercrust as he watched the proceedings with a detached expression that masked the tense concern he was actually feeling.
Well, except for Grue. His silence was less about following the flow of the table and more about focusing on whatever Tattletale was saying to him through their covert watch link. I didn't know exactly what was being conveyed, but the spikes of emotion from the Undersiders' table and the growing feeling of concern from the other members of the team suggested it probably wasn't good.
Finally, the Butcher turned towards me and spoke. "You make quite the bold accusation." She paused, looking around to draw out the moment before she continued. "Quite impassioned and elegantly delivered. Almost enough to divert attention from your own forays into that field."
That succeeded in shifting the focus of the table. It served to remind me how desperate people were for details on my powers and capabilities.
I glowered at her as she continued. "We can't forget where the revelation of March's expertise was revealed, or what occurred during the aftermath." She said, "You make accusations freely while your own actions are self-evident. A transparent attempt to deflect justified concern from your own work."
"My own 'work' has not brought an unstable gestalt power network into the city." I shot back. "Do you even know what you're accusing me of, or were you so desperate for the scraps of insight that March could offer that you signed on without a second thought?"
"You are hardly in a position to decry others for dealing with forces they don't understand." She replied derisively.
"No."
The word hung over the table like a lobbed grenade. Whatever challenge or insult the Butcher had expected had been completely subverted to the point where she seemed to be struggling with the very context of my reply.
"No?" She echoed in the least certain tone I'd heard from her so far.
"No. I do not deal with forces I don't understand. I'm not the one grasping in the dark here, and it seems I am the only person qualified to inform you of how insane the idea of following March's lead actually is."
She glared back at me. "I have lifetimes of experience. You have been active for less than a month."
She tensed, as did the rest of the table. Honestly, I couldn't help it. The idea that I was supposed to be impressed by 'lifetimes' of experience was honestly amusing. Human lifetimes at that. Sure, it was worth a quarter for the jar, but the Butcher was seriously weighing the collective experience of a handful of capes against the spectrum of power and existences that had been forcefully inflicted on me.
"Are you claiming wisdom? The authority of age? Do years of running and killing somehow provide insights to the nature of powers?" I said smoothly, an amused smile still on my face. "No, you took a bad deal." I gave her a critical look. "Both when you agreed to March's terms, and when you decided to challenge Thirteen."
That was the first statement that got a true reaction from her. Whatever moderating force was provided by the collected minds of her power; it was less helpful regarding this topic.
"I suppose you're capable of a better one?" She said as she quickly recovered her composure.
"I am highly selective with my contracts." I said quickly.
"Evidently. And a shame. It seems so many problems could be avoided through the offer of one." It was phrased halfway between a request and an insult. An offer to allow herself to be bought off while still maintaining superiority.
It would never happen. Even if the aftermath of my deal with the Undersiders hadn't soured me towards villainous associations, the Teeth were in another league, and Quarrel had been a career member. I had a full dossier of her activities available with highlights outlined by Survey. Even if it bought them off and got them out of the city peacefully it would never happen.
I turned my full attention towards the Butcher. By that I meant my full attention. Not just the focus of my conventional senses or the way they were complemented by the Dragon's Pulse and my feel for thermokinesis. Everything. Vague danger awareness and spiritual senses that extended from Aura. My own perception of magic and the flow of parahuman energy. The rapid fire of my new tinker powers.
Even senses that had only just begun to develop. Senses that extended through reality in an intrusive fashion, ripping information from the fabric of existence rather than reading patterns already in place. It was the same sense that caused every object I touched to flake away before my eyes as its function, past and future, was revealed to me. Psychic abilities had barely arrived and only just begun to be developed, but they were still there. Only with the weakest of potentials, but still something that was mine to use. And with the help of Do One Thing at a Time I could just feel it. I could sense enough information to be sure.
"For you? No, I don't think so." I smiled wider and leaned forward. "Though I might be willing to offer a contract to War Seer or Caydancil."
The Butcher froze. Completely froze, not even breathing. Around the table it was clear which capes understood the meaning of my statement and which ones were still in the dark. I could feel the reactions as people managed to put things together, either from scattered knowledge or the reactions on display.
"You're insane." The Butcher said in a low, strained voice. The confusion around the table quickly shifted to concern, particularly from those still in the dark.
"Okay, does anyone want to try filling the rest of us in over here?" Skidmark called out, looking at the frozen form of the Butcher seated next to him and seeming very uncomfortable with the proximity.
"Butchers Three and Seven." Said Uppercrust. "The heroes."
"War Seer was a Brockton vigilante." Kaiser added. "I clashed against him in the early days of the Empire. A moderately strong brute/thinker with an exceptionally powerful danger sense." He turned his gaze to the shocked woman sitting across from him. "An ability that has become a core part of the Butcher's power set."
"Caydancil attempted non-lethal containment of Butcher Six. Her power interacted with Six's teleport, accidently killing him. She became Butcher Seven."
"Until she died, right?" Trickster asked. His interest had spiked to near manic levels when the prospect of a contract was mentioned. "Until the rest of the Butchers turned against her and she died. Same with the other guy. Everyone knows that. If you aren't…"
He trailed off as he realized how much attention he was garnering and I took the opportunity to jump in. "If you aren't part of the Teeth, if you don't gain the powers through proper succession, the rest of the collective turns against you. Voices in your head that pester you relentlessly. Interfering with sleep, breaking your focus at critical moments, until eventually you break, or just make a fatal mistake." I turned my gaze back to the Butcher. To Quarrel.
She locked eyes with me, a look of sheer outrage on her face. I only smiled back. "It only took two Butchers to wear down War Seer. Two voices to break a man to the point where the Teeth were able to 'reclaim' the power."
I focused harder, psychic senses pushed to their limit. My telepathy was weak, bordering on nonexistent, but it was still there. It was able to feel the Butcher's mind. Quarrel's mind, and the buzz of activity from the other sources of thought spinning in her head. Only enough to recognize intensity, not receive or transmit information, but that was enough. Fourteen voices inside a head built for one. Except there weren't fourteen voices. There were twelve and the light presence of two.
Or there had been. Now there were fourteen, and they were getting louder. Almost as if you had twelve voices doing their best to drown out an additional and unwanted pair.
Quarrel's eye twitched as she finally responded. "This is nonsense. Delusions of power from a cape who barely understands the world he's stumbled into. Empty promises made a thousand times before, and as meaningless as ever."
"Are they meaningless?" I asked, pressing forward. For the first time she actually looked concerned. "You see Quarrel," She reacted to the name like it was a physical blow. "If you really believed that, would you be here? Would you have chased the mad rabbit into an exploding warzone? Even with her gone would you have held to the blind hope of whatever fairy tale she sold you?"
It was hard to split my focus between telepathy and the matter at hand, but I had enough awareness to tell. The previously silent voices were getting louder, with some of Quarrel's twitches and reactions corresponding to their spikes of intensity.
I smiled and leaned back. "At this point does it even matter if I can do what you think I can? I doubt anyone would put March's abilities ahead of mine in any matter of science." I narrowed my eyes. "No, whatever you came for, you believe I can do it. All of you, including War Seer and Caydancil. How long has it been since they spoke up? Do they even try anymore?"
She gritted her teeth. "You know nothing. You have no idea what we are, what we represent."
"What I know is that two unfriendly voices were enough to turn a prodigious hero into a deranged wreck." I smiled wider. "It must have taken a lot of effort to keep those two quiet. I wonder how they're reacting now?"
I barely had to wonder. Even without the ability to sense her mind, the impact was clearly visible. The calm decorum had vanished and was quickly being replaced with an agitated demeanor. Spikes of concern from the rest of the table drew my awareness back to the group.
Oh, right. When you knew your opponent's capabilities, had them outgunned, and could read them near perfectly then a clash between you was barely worthy of note, much less concern. When you were stuck at a table watching a notoriously unstable tinker provoke a notoriously unstable villain it was like having a front row seat to a man juggling live grenades.
Uppercrust shifted slightly to the extent his forcefield would allow and cleared his throat. "I believe discussions of private arrangements between parties are outside the objectives of this summit." His eyes moved from me to the now sullen woman with concern. "Perhaps this matter could be delayed?"
"Preferably indefinitely." Came a mutter from Saint with a broad sense of agreement from the rest of the table. It took me a moment to place the cause of the anxiety, at which point it became blatantly obvious.
I was not worried about the Butcher. I was worried about what the Butcher was planning and what might happen to the city because of it, but I wasn't actually worried about fighting the Butcher. I was possibly the only cape on the planet who could honestly say that and not be speaking from a place of ignorance or insanity, but it was true.
The Butcher was clearly a connection of linked passengers sharing the mental copies of their hosts along with diminished versions of their powers. That was 'clear' to me, but a terrifying mystery to anyone else. For me, just my knowledge of passenger space and power dynamics would probably have been sufficient to protect me from any form of possession.
And that was assuming I actually was responsible for killing the Butcher when in reality I had a staggering amount of non-lethal options. Actually, with some of the technology provided by Weaponsmith it was kind of approaching 'non-lethal' from the opposite direction. Rather than merciful takedowns without causing injury there was a whole range of weapons that seemed spectacularly happy to injure and maim while making sure to keep the person technically alive.
Given that is the same world that provided the skulls, it really shouldn't be surprising at this point.
While I could defeat the Butcher's power while 'only' using advanced torture weapons and comprehensive understanding of the mechanics of parahuman powers, that was far from all I had at my disposal. The same powers I had agonized over with the arrival of the Prismatic Laboratory were a relief when facing this kind of problem. Because my power didn't differentiate between parahuman powers and magic. Presumably as a consequence, it didn't differentiate between the records of parahuman minds stored within passengers and human souls.
That possibly spoke to how comprehensive those records actually were, and how broad the definition of what my power classified as a 'soul' actually was. It included vital spirits, mana sources, mental records, bioelectric patterns, and a metaphysical sense of self. The remnants of a parahuman that resided inside a passenger after their death were actually incredibly complex. They carried information on mind, body, and specific power expression. Capes like the Fairy Queen summoning 'ghosts' were actually just accessing records of a dead cape stored in another dimension. But at the same time, referring to a soul as a record of a person stored in another dimension wouldn't be completely incorrect under more than a few definitions.
Because of this little quirk, any part of my power that affected souls also affected parahuman passenger records. The Butcher might be an amalgamation of networked passengers forced into the brain of a new host through corruption of the interdimensional link in their Corona Pollentia, but as far as my power was concerned it was also a case of mass spiritual possession, and I had no shortage of ways to deal with that.
Even without the ability to form active defenses, just having Mental Fortress would render me completely immune to the Butcher's influence. I was already a good deal closer than I had been when the power arrived. Confronting the Butcher in front of the summit hadn't been easy, but it was a move in the right direction. I was closer to full mental immunity and at that point the Butcher was basically a free powerup, though not a particularly appealing one.
Huh. How many capes can look at the fourteen lives of the Butcher and all the assembled powers and basically say 'No thanks, I've got a better version of that at home'? Sometimes I really love my power.
The problem, which was evident on the faces of everyone at the table, was that there was no practical way of convincing anyone else of that. Even if I was willing to walk random supervillains through the exact dynamics of my powers, odds were they wouldn't want to take the risk. Apeiron was scary. Apeiron possessed by the Butcher was a nightmare. It was easy to see why my smackdown of the Butcher was not exactly eliciting cheers of joy from the table.
I was considering how to proceed when the Forge moved again. This time it brought a new constellation into reach. Not the still-unnamed one that had appeared after my Weapon Crafting power. This was the new one which had just appeared after I secured Fashion Nonvictim. It was a fairly large constellation, and as my power connected to it I realized it was also a familiar one.
Just as some of my powers shared origins with each other, so did the powers in the new constellation. Except every one of them had the same origin, and origin they shared with my Workshop, my Entrance Hall, and my Access Key. The collection of motes swung close and my power connected to it, securing the first power from the new Personal Reality constellation.
As the power broke off it was accompanied by a pair of other tiny motes. The first was called Starting Space. It gave me a room. A big room, measuring 80 by 80 by 10 meters. I had 6,400 square meters of floor space, compared to the twenty-five I had started with in my Entrance Hall. It was a suddenly added room that was not quite big enough to fit a full football field, but miles more than I had before.
Way before. At my current state, with an entire volcano to my name it was considerably less remarkable. Less, but not entirely unremarkable. Somehow the room didn't take up space in my volcano. It branched off from the Entrance Hall, but didn't take up any space from the volcano or other facilities. While other additions had displaced the area around them, the new room was almost superimposed. It was like it had been designated as a different area of the Workshop from everything else.
The second free mote was called Shelving. It gave me shelving. That was it. Basic metal shelving was provided with the new room. Conveniently numbered and sized for shipping pallets, but otherwise entirely mundane. I had received some basic items from the Celestial Forge, but this might be the top of the list.
The actual mote my power had latched onto was called Storage Solutions and it was considerably more interesting. A set of animated golems stood by in my workshop ready to utilize their near limitless skills of creation… to build storage equipment. It was both immensely impressive and incredibly mundane. I had a horde of Forge-granted workers slavishly devoted to the task of making sure my stuff was stored properly. They could make any form of storage system up to the limits of my own knowledge, which was a particularly high bar. If I wanted a fish tank full of antimatter or to keep a black hole on display in my office they could handle all the construction tasks necessary to set up the perfect containers.
There were the expected qualifiers keeping this ability from becoming the secret to ultimate power. I couldn't harvest materials from the cases they built or repurpose their technology. They were restricted to the workshop and couldn't handle anything more than their devoted function of providing storage solutions.
It wasn't a bad power; it was just unexpected. There was also the fact that it seemed to be the tip of the iceberg. An entire constellation of powers that could modify or expand my Workshop was suddenly available. There were a lot of motes in that constellation, and some of them were fairly big, or grouped into large clusters. I wasn't upset about the sudden expansion of my Workshop; I just hadn't seen it coming. Even after all my experience the Celestial Forge continued to surprise me.
My response to my latest power had not gone over well. It was just what a high-tension situation didn't need, only this time you had the Butcher sharing in the anxious atmosphere rather than trying to seem above it. It seems threatening someone with insanity and death wasn't the best thing for the state of their comportment.
I turned back to the group. I didn't want to take the lead. Frankly I felt I had done enough public speaking for a month. Compared to my usual response to situations like this I was doing miles better. Unfortunately, it wasn't like I could just shut down when the situation got to be too much. That old line of thinking wouldn't have worked with a summit like this, and it didn't gel with the nudges I was getting from my power. Revival to Reaperdom was a scale and it took constant work to keep towards one side. With that I took a breath and took another step away from doormat behavior.
"I believe we had reached a broad consensus on the primary matter of the summit, prior to our interruption." I glanced at Quarrel and she stared daggers back at me. "Given the lack of support for the raised counter proposal, can I assume there is still an agreement as to the status of the ABB territory?"
The return to business seemed to largely snap the group out of their collective fear of the potential of a Butcher possessed Apeiron. Uppercrust blinked once before smoothly shifting back into his chairman role.
"While I don't believe there are any groups in direct opposition, beyond the recent counterproposal, the presence of a potentially hostile force does change the dynamics somewhat." He explained.
"I don't see why it should." Offered Faultline. "The initial consensus was formed on the understanding that challengers to the agreement were likely to appear at some point." She looked over at the Teeth. "We're just seeing that play out earlier than expected."
"It does raise the question of engagements between forces in the city." Coil said in an oily voice. "Apeiron has made his stance clear regarding the civilians, the recovery effort, and the status of the abandoned ABB territory. Given that the new arrivals do not seem inclined to directly challenge him on that position…" Quarrel jerked her head up to glare at Coil. Through my senses I could feel the level of activity inside her mind. Things were very busy within the Butcher collective and I was prepared to guess it was something of a new experience for her. "That leads to the issue of remaining engagements, both through normal operation or business and in clashes between groups."
"The no man's land would have insulated groups from each other." Grue cut in, possibly parroting some analysis from Tattletale. "In the current arrangement, any action by the Teeth is likely to put them in conflict with some local force."
Which could have been avoided by giving them the ABB territory. Buying a brief period of peace in exchange for a much worse situation later. No, that wouldn't have been acceptable even without the specter of March's influence hanging over them. This city wanted no part of the Teeth. In any other situation a united front on this level would have sent them packing. The sign that they were willing to tough it out suggested something more than just territory or empty promises. There was some part of their deal that they still thought they could see through.
"Local force." Skidmark scoffed. "In other words, anyone who holds territory. Notice that's the minority at this table."
"The Merchant's deficiency in defending their holdings is well known." Kaiser remarked before glaring at Quarrel. "The Empire is not afraid to protect what's theirs, and will bring the Teeth to task for any infringement onto our lands."
"Hey, we held out as well as anyone." Skidmark shot back. "Doesn't change the fact that for all the talk of peace and rebuilding we're going to be the ones stuck dealing with the Halloween rejects."
"As if you could." Quarrel muttered before raising her head. "So keen to fall in line behind your false savior and speak as if the matter is concluded?"
"Because it is concluded." I shot back. "You stand under truce, which is the only reason you remain standing at all. Your organization is composed of opportunists and scavengers. You have been chased out of cities orders of magnitude less dangerous than Brockton Bay. The only allies to your name are broken and scattered and your enemies are legion. Your cause was lost before it began."
My eyes briefly darted from face to face. The anxiety was building again. It was infuriatingly frustrating to have people worried senseless about something that just wasn't a problem, but was unable to explain why it wasn't a problem. I took a breath. I did not want another gang war. As united as people seemed to be at the moment, that wouldn't hold. It would be nice to imagine everyone ganging up on the Teeth and taking care of them in an afternoon, the more likely scenario involved a half dozen shades of backstabbing and opportunities. If the Teeth were free to act they could easily ignite tensions between groups.
And that would probably be their goal. Divide and conquer was a classic strategy, and there was little love between the groups at the summit. If I didn't want the Teeth to torpedo any chance of stability for the city I would have to act.
"I have stated my objectives and my desires for this city. There has been a broad understanding of those goals." I paused to take in the table. "At least there was. But to clarify, those are personal objectives, not commitments or obligations. I have no interest in territory or power struggles, and as a consequence I am not beholden to them."
"A fact we would all do well to keep in mind." Uppercrust interjected. "Just as Lung failed to do."
Quarrel glared at me. "So that is your decision? You preach peace but seek war?"
She was grasping at straws here. The case she presented was already a gamble, but I was willing to bet she was hoping for a more guarded response to her presence, not the derisive dismissal she had received. No concessions or compromises for the sake of a peace she could violate at her convenience. When I considered how a more passive approach could have been abused it only served to harden my conviction.
"You knew the summit would not accept your case. You're no fool." It was about as high a compliment as I was willing to give. "Any disruption you could have achieved is played out. Do not blame others for the failure of your own scheme, and do not attempt to frame retaliation as aggression."
"In the spirit of the summit, if the Teeth wish to challenge another party the issue of terms and boundaries may be discussed." Uppercrust didn't sound enthusiastic about the matter, but was holding his role. A conflict with some level of oversight and agreement was preferable to open war, even if that was just a matter of picking the battlefield.
"Spare me your posturing." Quarrel said. She stood up and gestured to the other members of the Teeth. "We've had enough of this farce." She glared down at me as she hefted her gun. "Provided there's no desire to settle things now?"
That was a terrible bluff, possibly an attempt to goad me, but most likely the only way she could confirm the state of the truce while saving face.
"The terms of the summit hold." I stated as the Time constellation missed a connection. "You arrived in peace with no action against the other participants. No one will impede your departure."
"And don't let the door hit your ass on the way out." Skidmark called after her, flipping the bird before grinning at the rest of the table with crooked, yellow teeth.
The rest of the Teeth filed out behind her, through Hemorrhagia did glance back in time to catch Tetra staring at her. The blood blades decorating her costume quivered in response, causing Tetra's tail to thrash unconsciously and a flickering red glow to pulse from her body.
She left very quickly after that. As a send off to the Teeth it was about as innocuous as possible. They entered as a conquering threat and left as… well, still a threat, but not one that was likely to secure a foothold. It was probably better than any level of placation in the long run, even if it would cause trouble in the short term.
I had held to the terms and spirit of the summit. Survey was tracking their departure, but there were no tracking devices, scrying spells, or hidden nanites at play. If the time came to rout them out it wouldn't be with anything planted on them at neutral ground. That was another thing that might cause problems in the short run, but the conviction to hold to my agreements was possibly the only thing that made this summit possible. I wasn't about to risk that for a temporary advantage.
"Well, with that interruption resolved it seems we are free to move on with the previous discussions." Uppercrust announced.
"Uh, yeah, no objection or whatever." Skidmark said. "Just wanted to check, we all pretending we didn't hear this guy admit he can fuck with people's powers? And that the rabbit bitch could also fuck with powers?"
"Yes." Faultline said directly.
"Probably for the best." Added Blasto.
"I do not believe it warrants further discussion." Said Uppercrust directly.
"There does seem to be a consensus on the matter." Added Coil.
Grue just raised a hand to his mask and let out a long breath. Skidmark looked at him, then across the other representatives. "Well, all right then. Fuck it, I'm on board." I decided to ignore the entire exchange to the best of my ability.
"The broad strokes of the earlier terms included a moratorium on actions that injure civilians or impair recovery efforts along with an agreement to designate the former ABB territory as a no man's land, to remain unclaimed for the duration of the blackout effect. No organization shall conduct business within the borders of the area or deploy patrols. Due to practical constraints movement and entry will not be restricted, though abuse of this will be apparent." Uppercrust explained, looking around to see modest nods from the gathered capes.
"Considering most of those present have no interest in the territory, I would be satisfied leaving the terms as such, particularly in the face of an early challenger for the territory." He continued.
"Uh, yeah." Trickster floundered for a second before sliding back into the obnoxious confidence he usually carried himself with. "Just to be clear, somebody breaks the terms, are they going to have Apeiron come down on them?"
The table turned to me again. My earlier exchanges with Quarrel seemed to have made me a good deal more approachable, for better or worse. Once again, I was on the spot and once again how I handled it would probably have profound repercussions.
"I am not here to lay down dictates or commands." Despite the fact that any stance I took might as well be both. "I have stated my objectives, objectives that I believe will be for the best of everyone in this city. I am not going to be monitoring for violations and waiting to swoop in." I said in a tired voice. Frankly, disinterest and exhaustion would probably sell this better than any personal convictions. There were few things more universal than the look of a man who was done with other people's shit. "But if things get out of hand, I have an interest in keeping the city standing, and that includes letting it recover." I smiled and turned back to my table. "I believe the rest of my team feels the same way."
What had started as a slow assurance that the scary tinker wouldn't be riding them over the terms quickly ended with a reminder that the scary tinker had plenty of scary friends. It definitely took the wind out of some of their sails.
Coil was the one who spoke next, breaching a topic I had been anticipating since the departure of the Teeth. "While that is a wonderful sentiment, I feel the need to point out the organization most likely to violate this agreement is also not a group you would want to 'come down on' in any reckless fashion." He turned towards my table and a rare hint of uncertainty flickered through him. "I think we can all agree, the Butcher falling to any member of the Celestial Forge is a situation that should be avoided at all costs."
"I have no intention of killing the Butcher." I stated firmly. "Nor does any member of my team." Well, Tybalt might, but he was probably even better equipped to deal with rogue spirits than I was.
"Given the risks in place, I would prefer not to rely on your intent in this matter." Coil replied to a general consensus.
"I have already made my stance on the matter clear." I said. "I am not willing to give the Teeth a free pass in this city out of fear of the Butcher." And from the barely concealed reactions, it was clear that was an unpopular stance.
"While that is certainly an admirable stance, I see no reason why your team should be the group to handle first engagements." Uppercrust suggested. "Given the ordinance you have demonstrated, caution would be preferred. As has been stated, other groups with accessible assets are more likely to see first engagement with the Teeth and any other challengers to the city."
I took a breath. It was clear there was no version of me fighting the Butcher that anyone would be happy with. That was coming across more clearly than anything else I had been able to sense during the meeting.
"Given the circumstances, I would be willing to refrain from involving myself in conflicts between other organizations and the Teeth." I offered. "If you wish to defend your territory or repel challengers for the ABB's position I am prepared to stay out of it, providing the conflicts do not endanger civilians or the city's recovery."
Simple message, if you don't want me fighting the Butcher, sort it out yourself. Actually, the threat of what they thought would happen if I killed the Butcher would probably result in them being considerably more active in this task than they otherwise would be. They might even refrain from stabbing each other in the back or trying to leverage the situation to their advantage. Not likely, but they might.
"There seems to be a broad consensus for that proposal." Uppercrust said neatly. I nodded and leaned back, watching as the focus of the meeting shifted away from my every thought and action. I could recognize the advantages of getting away from passive behavior, but the interactions could be exhausting.
Okay, staring down a possessed parahuman gang leader wasn't exactly your typical interpersonal challenge. It possibly could have gone better, but there were few ways that I could see that didn't violate the truce or rely on more setup than I had time for.
With the Teeth gone and the major points resolved, topics shifted to more mundane and practical matters. It was clear nobody was walking away with the ABB's territory and nobody was going to get backing and blanket support from me. Those had probably been pipe dreams to begin with, positions that could be used to settle to more reasonable goals.
That led to the current discussions. Details of the neutral territory were being hashed out, with plenty of snipes between Skidmark and Kaiser. This was peppered with interjections from other parties, particularly Coil. Every statement he made seemed to neutrally raise a question that could lead to conflict between the groups. It took longer than I anticipated to work through the broad strokes of a deal that could be summed up with a 'keep out' sign.
The topic of the Travelers came up next. With any of their usual heists a dicey prospect given the state of the city, Trickster made it clear they were willing to sign on in support of any efforts against the Teeth. I doubted they would have trouble finding employment given the versatility of their powerset. The Butcher was tough enough to stand up to some of what Ballistic had been shown to manage, so as long as they didn't start deploying Sundancer offensively they were a safe option.
Grue continued to interject occasionally with what might have been his own insights, or might have been parts of Tattletale's analysis. Questions about the future of the Undersiders were mostly deflected. Really, where were they supposed to go from here? At this point if they showed up to rob a bank the police would probably evacuate the area and wait for them to leave. From my estimation and based on Alec's warnings the Undersiders were both overqualified and underprepared for any heavier work. I sincerely hoped I could keep them out of the field until I had resolved things with Lisa.
The Knowledge constellation missed a connection as the focus shifted to Lost Garden's presence. Blasto was adamant about the fact that Barrow was not on his way to the city, with his focus only on Uber and Leet and any remaining ABB assets. The tinker seemed committed to completing his task and leaving the city, though he didn't appear to be as frustrated as he seemed at the start of the meeting. From the way his tinker power was continuing to fire off at seemingly random moments something had piqued his interest. Unfortunately, that something was probably a combination of my technology and the dynamics of the Butcher's condition. My passenger seemed to be indicating that the man's level of restraint wasn't quite what it should be for someone with his specialization. It was another thing I would need to keep an eye on in the aftermath of the summit. It would be for the best if the entire group could just mount their revenge strike and leave the city, but if I couldn't find Uber and Leet I doubted the forces of Lost Garden would have much luck.
With Faultline continuously taking mostly reasonable stances in line with Uppercrust's own desire for stability, that only left Saint. The man continued to profess he was only in the city to oppose Dragon. He remained confidential on the identity of his employer, and I wasn't able to glean any insight from my passenger. What I could tell was his entire team was exceptionally bad news.
The situation with Dragon was a mess. It was a disaster that in any sane world should have been my top priority. Unfortunately, I lived in Brockton Bay, meaning it was about as far from sane as possible. As such Dragon's mastering took a back seat to Taylor's safety, the manipulations of Coil, the potential remnants of the Butcher's deal with March, and whatever it was about the Travelers that had my passenger on edge.
From what I could tell her situation wasn't likely to come to a head any time soon, but with Saint that could change in a heartbeat. The man and his entire team were up to their necks in whatever had compromised Dragon, and now they were working in the city. Despite not knowing who, if anyone, had hired them or what their real objectives were, there seemed to actually be a sense of relief at their presence.
Right, because for most villains having Dragon stationed within five miles, rather than five thousand, was a very bad situation. It was something that nobody was bringing up, but this was clearly another thing that was being laid at my feet, though not as a matter worth broaching. That was something of an eye opener. I had dragged the world's most famous tinker across the continent to set up a base in the city to the detriment of every criminal enterprise in operation and their reaction was basically a tired shrug.
"I believe we have successfully covered all major topics of concern." Uppercrust said, looking over the group. I hadn't needed to make more than a token comment through the latter portion of the meeting, something I was perfectly happy with. Taking a firm opening stance and then letting people work around it seemed to have led to some promising results.
"Thank fucking God." Skidmark exclaimed, cracking his neck in a particularly unpleasant way.
"While I would put it differently, I have to agree." Blasto stated, shifting in his chair. "I'm pleased to see a summit that actually achieved its goal."
"And only one person stormed out threatening violence." Trickster quipped.
"That's actually fairly good for these kinds of things." Blasto replied.
"Regrettably true. I must say, I am pleased that the local stabilizing influences were able to come together to peacefully resolve matters." I had the feeling Uppercrust was talking about me. I also found it darkly hilarious to be considered a 'stabilizing influence' given how this entire mess had started, and the opinion of the PRT since then.
"So, are we done here?" Saint asked, glancing at the other two suits at the Dragonslayers' table.
"Nearly." He replied. "All business for the Merchants, the Travelers, Lost Garden, and the Dragonslayers appears to be concluded, should they wish to depart." He turned to the rest of the table. "For the rest there is one final matter to resolve."
Kaiser sat up and there was a flurry of anxious energy from the Empire's tables. He locked eyes with Uppercrust and I swear, I have never seen an emaciated old man look so predatory.
"The Empire must answer for their actions. The offended parties are gathered. Now, let us see what Kaiser believes to be the price of violating a truce."
Jumpchain abilities this chapter:
Storage Solutions (Personal Reality) 200:
Your Personal Reality now has a specialized set of construction automatons which can produce the appropriate storage option for anything you know how to safely contain. These golems could make protective cases for your collectables, display cases for your pet universe, or just endless crates to stuff the preserved heads of everyone who has ever crossed you. All such storage items are fiat-backed never to weaken or wear out and can easily integrate any form of security you might have. All will be clearly labeled.
Starting Space (Personal Reality) Free:
Your Personal Reality starts out with volume of 80 x 80 x 10 meters, so 6,400 square meters of floor space or 64,000 cubic meters of storage volume. In the archaic and silly 'Imperial' measuring system this translates to 262.5 x 262.5 x 32.8 feet, so 68,889 square feet or 2,260,138 cubic feet.
Shelving (Personal Reality) Free:
Basic metal shelves to keep your goods on, the kind you find in industrial big box stores, sized for pallets and numbered for sorting. You'll get up to as many as will suit your initial space allotment, but if you don't take all of them, you'll need to buy more on your own… they sell them at most business supply warehouses, ironically enough.