Step 6.7
I'm getting déjà vu here.
Nothing slowed down. If anything, they kept speeding up.
I climbed into my suit and Veda began the start up. The Haros sped out of the building, flying east toward Shanty Town. Only Green remained, hovering over Astraea's head.
Dragon started picking through the data gathered during Astraea's earlier run. Glory Girl argued with her mother. I tried to tune out the harsh whispers. Seemed like kind of a family thing, and I didn't want to think about how dad would probably agree with Brandish and try to make me stay home while the 'adults' handled the situation.
"So… what are we doing?" Trevor asked.
I turned to Trevor with a frown. How to explain to him that he needed to take this more seriously without publically humiliating him?
"The Protectorate is going to focus on the capture of Cranial and the rescue of her victims," Miss Militia said. "If you want to help, there are ways you can contribute."
The heroine turned to the Wards, saying specifically to Aegis, "You're going to split into teams and patrol the borders of ABB and Empire territory. Both gangs have stated they will stay low for now, but we aren't going to take their word. If you see anything, do not engage. Report it immediately. Eidolon and her team are on standby for the next twenty-four hours with Strider."
I raised my brow. I knew Strider. Big time rogue, a teleporter who often helped gather heroes from all over the world for Endbringer battles and other crises.
They really intended to flood the city? Why not just do that… and make Brockton Bay exactly like Boston. Fuck. Two cities on the east coast becoming warzones didn't look good, or work well for the people who lived in them.
That explained that.
Why force the gangs into backing down with a brutal all-out assault when threatening one might make them back down on their own, especially when they saw a way to benefit from doing so later. Ramius' words about how the Protectorate didn't have enough heroes also helped. I did a quick look online. No news about any big Protectorate operation against Cranial, but apparently Alexandria intended to beat the crap out of the Elite in Sacramento.
Two birds, one stone. Either, Eidolon and the rest came to Brockton and cleaned up the gangs, or they went to Sacramento and helped Alexandria clean up the Elite.
That realization didn't make me feel better. PRT manipulative bullshit at its finest.
"The exception is you, Vista," Dauntless said. "We'll have you to go with troopers to the forward operating base and use your power to protect the area."
"I can do that," the girl said. I'd read her power grew stronger the longer she stayed in one place. Maybe stronger isn't the right word. For someone who warps space, staying in one place naturally meant she got more time to warp it.
"How is that going to work?" I asked.
"We'll map a specific route that will allow PRT and Protectorate assets and allies to enter the area," Dauntless explained. "Vista will twist all other ways in and out so that we can lock it down with fewer resources. She'll use her power to shift these routes periodically, making it more difficult for anyone to launch a direct attack."
Miss Militia looked to Lady Photon and Brandish, saying, "Glory Girl and Shielder are welcome to join the Wards if they want."
"That's fine," Brandish said.
Vicky scowled. "But mom-"
"You can join the Wards or you can go home," Brandish said. "Stop being childish."
Vicky scowled. "Stop treating me like a child, maybe?"
"You did get shot last time," Panacea said.
Vicky spun around. "Et tu Amy?"
The robed girl shrugged. "I'm just saying. Suppose I'm going to wherever the wounded end up."
"If you will," Miss Militia said. "We're expecting this to get ugly." She glanced to Stratos who shook his head. Miss Militia seemed a little disheartened at that. Not sure why. "We'd prefer to be select about who is directly involved."
What I heard is that they didn't want any "kids" to be involved. Not unfathomable. The goal was to kill Cranial. Probably not something the Wards should be involved in at their age, and New Wave didn't want their kids doing it either.
"Outside of Cranial," Dauntless said, "we're mostly concerned about Mush and Squealer's tanks."
"She has more?" Lady Photon asked. "How? We destroyed at least six ourselves two days ago."
"We don't know," Miss Militia said. "There are definitely more, but exactly how she's churning them out is unclear. There's concern of a third party, possibly the Elite."
The Elite in Brockton Bay? Exactly what we needed. It would explain how on Earth Squealer kept building the damn things and where the materials came from. She'd need a factory of some kind. An assembly line to work all of it for her.
"Just what we need," Brandish said. "What about Cranial? Does the Protectorate know where she is? It's been a few hours. She might have left the city."
"Unlikely," Dragon said. "Cranial typically operates a main lab with several sub-labs when she sets up in a city. She normally stays in one place for several months before leaving, and has rarely rushed to escape even after being discovered."
"And she's still free?" Laughter asked.
"She has consistently been ranked a lower priority," Dragon explained. "She'll often establish herself in cities with bigger problems, to be fair. Brockton Bay right now is exactly the kind of place she likes to hide."
"Do we know what her goals are?" Lady Photon asked.
I still felt kind of amazed Dragon was standing behind me. I mean, most famous tinker in the world, right there. Behind me.
The tinker's suit shook its head.
"I could give a long history on her, but I don't know that we have the time. Cranial will not rush to escape, but she may have other subjects or experiments. There are over one hundred missing persons in Brockton Bay right now, and over a dozen are children in the age range Cranial targets."
"Of course," Lady Photon said. "At the very least, what can we expect from her technology?"
"Most of her known tech is nonlethal, but that intelligence dates back to her time in Toybox," Dragon said. "We have very few reference points on what she's been developing the last ten years, and almost nothing about what she's been doing to her victims."
"We're treating her as a tinker four, potential master-stranger two," Miss Militia said. "I can brief anyone unfamiliar with PRT threat ratings and responses quickly." She directed that at me mostly.
"We do need to be careful," Dragon said. "If Cranial can manipulate us, there are several capes here capable of a great deal of damage. I would be particularly concerned if Miss Militia, Stratos, or Newtype were to somehow be turned on us."
"Is StarGazer safe?" Brandish asked. "She could also rend a lot of destruction if somehow manipulated."
"I'd like to see someone try," I said. I highly doubted master and stranger effects would work on Veda. She didn't have a 'brain' to manipulate.
"This is part of the risk of engaging a tinker with a power of unknown breadth and depth," Dragon said. "We should all be prepared at all times. Don't let your guards down."
Finding Cranial didn't worry me. Between all the data, plus Dinah and Tattletale I figured we'd find her quickly. Even engaging her didn't concern me much, but I'd become accustomed to walking into fights over the past two months.
What came after worried me.
It angered me more the more I thought about it.
Why did this warrant the PRT going all in? People died in Brockton all the time. Hookwolf, Lung, and Merchant drugs killed people constantly. No one ever proposed flooding the city in heroes over that. Cranial kills five kids and suddenly it's a bridge too far? That didn't make any sense, even if I felt like a bit of an asshole for thinking it.
If the Protectorate hit that hard in the first place Brockton Bay might not be as bad as it were. Cranial probably wouldn't have been free to kill anyone.
Using her as an excuse to halt the gang war didn't make it any better. It just highlighted the broader failure. It probably wouldn't even do that. Lung, Kaiser, and Coil saw the writing on the wall. Why fight the Merchants themselves if they could sit back and let the Protectorate do it? Then they'd swoop in at their convenience and divide up the territory. Maybe go have a gang war over that.
Nothing's going to change. It's just delaying the inevitable.
Armsmaster finished his talk with Tattletale and Sovereign looking less than pleased. The Undersiders talked briefly, and Grue waved Sovereign and Hellhound toward the van. The two of them left on their own, while Grue and Tattletale came to join the powwow.
"We're setting up the FOB at the Downtown Community Center," he said. "Direct all civilians, injured, and prisoners to that location where PRT personnel will deal with them."
"My team will guard the FOB," Faultline said. "Coil is paying for the contract, and I don't go back on my contracts."
Armsmaster nodded.
"Very well. For the duration of this operation all arrest warrants for Faultline, Gregor the Snail, Newter, Labyrinth, Tattletale, and Grue are suspended. This suspension will not apply to criminal conduct committed during the operation. As this is a Protectorate and Guild operation, I ask that all participating capes follow my instruction, and Dragon or Miss Militia in my absence."
"The Think Tank predicts that we are certain to face heavy resistance from the Archer's Bridge Merchants," Armsmaster said. "Also be aware that we are uncertain of the status and disposition of Cranial's victims. They may attempt to defend her. The foremost goal is the neutralization of Cranial and the recovery of her victims."
"What if she surrenders?" Lady Photon asked. "If we catch her alive, we might get help sending those kids back to their lives."
"If she surrenders she may be taken alive," Armsmaster said. "However the Think Tank is giving us very low odds on that outcome. A much greater concern is that precogs we've spoken to are warning us Cranial is capable of unleashing a great deal of collateral damage if cornered. These may be fail safes intended to negotiate her release or safety. The Chief Director has explicitly stated that we will not negotiate with her under any circumstances."
"I request that Forecast and Tattletale be present at the PRT HQ building where they can use their powers in concert with the Think Tank." Armsmaster turned his head to Tattletale. "I reiterate that you will not be held on any charges, so long as new ones are not warranted."
"I'll be on my best behavior," Tattletale said with a smile.
"Is that acceptable?"
Armsmaster looked at me. I looked down at Dinah.
"I can only answer a few questions before my head hurts too much," she said. "Five or six. Eight at most."
"We shouldn't need to strain you that much," Dragon said. "StarGazer and I have finished compiling the data Newtype gathered from her raid earlier today. It will be very useful."
"We have already narrowed down twenty locations where Cranial may have equipment," Veda said. "Several of them may additionally be Squealer's workshop."
"Cranial is the goal," Armsmaster said. "Reality dictates however that we must consider the Merchants in league with her at this time. This operation may expand into a broader campaign to suppress the Merchants."
"Transfer the list of targets to the Think Tank," he continued. "We will utilize Velocity, and Newtype's drones for reconnaissance. I am sending our current order of operation plan to all capes present now."
My phone dinged, and I pulled it from my pocket. Everyone else did the same, and I assumed we all got the same message from Armsmaster.
This is really happening.
I didn't expect it, but it felt like an anvil on my back.
And I didn't get any time to process it.
Astraea's armor closed around me.
Dinah followed Tattletale and Grue toward a PRT van that pulled onto the floor. When the side door opened, Ramius stepped out and ushered them both inside. I didn't like Dinah being anywhere near Tattletale for obvious reasons, but knowing Ramius was with her made me feel a lot better about it.
Faultline and her crew got into their van, I guess to drive to the FOB themselves.
"Laughter, Brandish, Manpower, and Flashbang can ride with us," Miss Militia said. "Can a flier give Stratos a lift to his position?"
"I can take him," Dragon said.
Her suit turned towards mine.
The GN drive spun to life and the Astraea's eyes flashed.
"Newtype, would you mind accompanying me?" Dragon asked.
"No," I said. For once I didn't stutter. Didn't have time to.
I followed Dragon and Stratos up the ramp to the roof-level parking. I started arranging the Haros, sending them to look at the buildings Veda and Dragon picked out. Velocity already crossed the city with his power, but he didn't have sonic cameras that let him look through walls.
"I was hoping to talk to you," Dragon said. "StarGazer opened this private line for me. Is that alright?"
"Um, yeah."
"I'm not really sure how to broach this topic," she said after a moment. "I suppose I've never been in this kind of situation before, even with all my experience."
I figured she couldn't possibly mean Cranial. Dragon led the Guild with Narwhal, and the Guild dedicated itself to hunting the worst of the worst. She'd been directly involved in the raid on Heartbreaker a few years ago, and a half dozen different battles with the Slaughterhouse Nine.
"Your name came up when the PRT was planning how to handle this," Dragon said. "Namely, a few people suggested it might be an upside to get you involved in a larger scale Protectorate operation. To give you experience."
I raised my brow, happy that no one could see the confusion on my face.
"Sorry," she continued. "I'm not saying it was the focus of any discussion. The PRT is very, forward looking. You've made a name for yourself, very quickly, without any mention of your power's potential. You're going to be a leader, and there are people who've noticed. It came up, is what I'm trying to say. That the experience would benefit you."
Right, half the capes who died in Endbringer fights had never fought an Endbringer before. Looking around me, I realized this probably didn't differ much from how the Protectorate organized those battles. Probably only a matter of scale really.
"Okay," I mumbled. Not really sure what else to say.
I figured the big wigs in the PRT talked about me because of my power, but the idea of anyone talking about including me because they thought I'd be important? That's a turn from my life experience for the last few years.
It made that weight on my back feel heavier.
This is real. This moment is happening. People arranged it with me in mind.
I don't think I fully appreciated it until that moment, what I'd set myself out to do. I wanted to change the world, to build something bigger than myself. People would watch me, talk about me, take me seriously.
"I see things a little differently. I think I know your answer," Dragon said, "but Cranial is going to die. We're going to kill her."
"That's what a kill order is for?" I said, questioning.
"I don't… like the idea of you being involved. This isn't like normal heroing. Please. Let us take care of this. You can help in other ways. Patrol with the Wards."
Wonder if she talks with Dad?
I imagined him saying pretty much the same thing. If he knew the Protectorate planned to kill Cranial, he'd probably demand I stay at home.
Good thing he didn't know.
"Laughter needs this," I said. "She's smiling now, but she was crying after the bodies were found. You know her background?"
"Behemoth," Dragon said. "I'm aware."
She probably didn't have an easy time with corpses and a burning building.
"She needs to be involved," I said. Dragon's suit opened, and Stratos climbed into the empty space inside. I pushed the GN drive's output, covering the roof in a sheet of green. "And I'm not going to do nothing."
"Of course," Dragon said. "Apologies. I felt compelled to say something."
"It's okay," I answered. "I get it."
At least Dragon didn't patronize me while trying to push me into doing something else. I could respect that.
The turbines on Dragon's suit spun, fire erupting from the engines and propelling her suit into the air. Astraea followed on a trail of green, my eyes tracking Lady Photon and her daughter flying closer to street level.
The van carrying Dinah joined a convoy headed to the PRT building, while Faultline's turned toward a gathering of PRT and emergency vehicles closer to Shanty Town. Dauntless flew over the truck carrying the rest of New Wave and the Protectorate, Armsmaster and Miss Militia leading the vehicle on motorcycles.
I did take a quick look at PHO as we landed on a skyscraper overlooking Shanty Town. People already knew something was up, with pictures of Dragon's suit flying through the city the subject of a dozen threads. Of course, someone already snapped a picture of her suit with Astraea flying right behind it. The internet is crazy fast like that.
Dragon's suit opened again, and Stratos stepped out.
"I've upgraded the scope since the last time you used it," Dragon said. A panel on her suit extended, a handle popping out on the end. Stratos took the case and flicked it open. "It should see through buildings much more effectively now."
"Breaking out all the stops are we?" Stratos asked. He set the case down, lifting a gun stock and scope from inside. No gun or anything, just a stock and a scope with a handle attacked to the front. "Is what it is."
"I know you don't like using your power this way," Dragon said.
"It's fine."
Stratos walked toward the edge of the roof, wind throwing his hair back and forth. He knelt by the railing and pressed the stock to his shoulder.
"I don't like dead kids."
My jaw slacked slightly. I measured the distance into Shanty Town as over a mile, and Dragon said the scope could see through buildings. Stratos' power worked on line of sight, but if he could reach that far using a scope…
He can use his power like this?
The plan Armsmaster sent out called for everyone to move into set positions before starting. Stratos on the roof of the building we were on, and the Protectorate and New Wave on First Street with a straight line into Shanty Town. The Wards' patrol routes were highlighted, and contingencies described that I didn't have time to read.
The PRT set up a perimeter around Shanty Town, with pictures of Cranial's face, and the faces of her victims, distributed to everyone so they could watch any crowds.
I felt that anvil on my back again.
I'd never seen the Protectorate do anything on this scale, not in Brockton Bay. And I'm standing and waiting to start with Dragon.
What a fucking day.
"Stratos is in position," Dragon said over the open channel. "Newtype and I are on standby at his location."
"I'm going to go toward the Docks with Kid Win," Aegis said. "Clockblocker and Valiant will move toward the Towers."
"Operation start, four minutes," Armsmaster said.
"After this is over, we should talk," Dragon said. "I know I'm still in Toronto, but this feels much more personable than chatting online. My last talk with Doctor J implied he was very excited about something you've been working on. He didn't give specifics, and I didn't want to pry."
"I'm trying to make a version of my Haros that can be mass produced," I said. "No tinker needed."
"Ambitious."
"They're supposed to be medical assistants," I said. "There are other applications." They'd be useful to police for one, construction, the park service. Basically anyone who simply doesn't have enough people to do all the work that needs to be done or could use extra eyes to watch things. "We've almost cracked it. There's a few more parts to debug."
"It would be a big breakthrough," Dragon said.
"Protectorate is in position," Armsmaster said. "We'll separate into teams. Dauntless with Lady Photon and Laserdream. Miss Militia with Brandish, Laughter and Triumph. Prism, Manpower, and Flashbang will be with me. Velocity will join me after completing his search. We'll wait for Cranial or her victims to be located for fifteen minutes before starting a general search of areas of interest. I leave Dragon to her own devices."
And of course he didn't mention me. What, he expected me to just do what Dragon said?
"I can work with Newtype," Dragon said. "This suit should keep pace with her's. We can put out any fires that start during the search."
"Of course," Armsmaster said.
"Testing, testing," a voice said. Not a Haro for once.
"We hear you Faultline," Miss Militia said.
"Right. My team is at the FOB. We'll work with Vista to keep it secure until the Protectorate is finished."
"The operation is live," Armsmaster said. "Take this time to prepare yourselves."
On the private line, Dragon said, "If Armsmaster seems annoyed, it's only because he doesn't like the idea of any one cape getting special treatment. He means better than his behavior suggests."
Not in my experience. Not really sure how anyone could be expected to parse someone's intentions and behavior as different things. It's not like mind readers really exist. How someone acts is the only real way to judge their character, and I judged Armsmaster as petty and rude.
The height of how the PRT manufactured heroes from strings.
But I'd lament that later.
The clock ticked, and I think I found waiting worse than anything. If left to my own devices I'd already be down there flying around. Instead I watched the Haro's cameras as they checked buildings and apartments, and listened to Velocity say "nothing here" every minute or so.
"Nervous?" Stratos asked.
"No," I lied.
"Nothing wrong with being nervous, kid." He leaned over, turning the scope down toward Shanty Town. "Nervous is how people should feel about hurting other people."
"Cranial needs to be stopped," I said.
Stratos nodded. "Doesn't mean anyone should feel good about it. Keep an eye on your friend, will you? She's a sweet girl. Blood wouldn't look good on her."
Lafter? "You want us to stay out of it too?" I asked.
Stratos chuckled.
"If anyone listened to me, I'd be the only one doing anything tonight."
I glanced at Dragon – well, her suit – but she didn't respond to that at all. I did worry about Lafter, and it did hit me kind of suddenly that the night might end with Cranial dead in the street. My first instinct is to repeat what mom always said. The government shouldn't kill people. Being a hero, and having my own perspective though?
I felt like some people, just some, probably deserved to die.
Would anyone really weep if Kaiser wound up a bloody mess one day? Lung? Skidmark? They'd ruined so many lives the idea that their lives mattered made me want to throw up a little.
Mom would say that was wrong. That it's not the way the world should be.
"Hold up," Velocity said suddenly. "I've got something."
I raised my head, turning my attention to Orange's cameras. He turned in the air, pointing a pair toward an apartment complex Velocity entered.
Armsmaster pressed, "Velocity, report."
"Some kind of tinker tech," he answered. "It's hooked into the circuit box."
"Let me see," I said.
"Hold your position," Armsmaster said.
"I am," I snarled. "I'm sending Orange to do it."
Orange landed his cradle and popped out. He slipped through the half open back door easily enough, and found Velocity in the basement.
"Can you give him a lift?" I asked.
"Hm? Yeah. Sure. Why not?"
Velocity picked Orange up and lifted him toward the circuit box. Looked fairly standard, if poorly maintained, save for a weird looking cylinder. It glowed a faint blue, with a cable on either end. It looked clean and smooth, in line with the network Veda found.
"It's not plugged into the circuit box," I said. "It's just hidden in it. Where do those cables go?"
Velocity leaned to the left and held Orange out to the right.
Individually they tugged at some of the wires leading from the box until they found the one that pulled on the cylinder.
"Let's see," Velocity mumbled. He followed one end while Orange hopped to the ground and followed the other. "I've got a wireless receiver," he said a moment latter, lifting a standard wireless router from the ground. "Looks commercial."
Orange kept going on his end, stopping on the opposite corner.
"Cable box," he said. "Cable box."
Cable box?
"Oh shit."
"Cable box?" Velocity asked. "Why is it hooked into the cable box?"
"Subliminal messaging," Dragon said. "This is concerning."
"Unless you don't watch TV." Tattletale? "Which I don't."
"Velocity," I said. "Lift Orange up. Let me take a closer look at the box."
I checked our map of the hot spots in the network. Twenty or so, mostly in residential buildings and a few offices. Cranial probably couldn't hack the entire cable network, not like this. If she'd manipulated everyone in those buildings though…
"Be advised we may be dealing with a hostage situation," Armsmaster said. "This will not stop us from proceeding forward."
"It won't?" Lady Photon asked.
I saw Stratos lower his scope ahead of me.
"The PRT doesn't negotiate with villains in these circumstances," Tattletale said. "If Cranial tries to use people and M/S effects as bargaining chips the PRT and Protectorate have no choice but to slap her down harder, or every villain with a master or stranger power would do it."
"She's not wrong," Dragon said. "The moment the Toronto PRT acquiesced to Heartbreaker's brainwashed followers in 1997 is the moment he went from being a small time rapist to a major threat. It is unpleasant, but we cannot allow this possibility to derail us."
She was probably right. Still left a bad taste in my mouth.
"I'm looking at the hook up," I said. "It's local, not a tap into the wider cable network."
Not a city wide crisis then. No one said anything, but I didn't think I was the only one silently questioning if we'd all be affected by something. Subliminal messaging, or some kind of signal looped into cable channels. That's a terrifying possibility. Not having to worry about it came as a major relief.
"Then only the people in buildings equipped with such devices are likely affected," Armsmaster said. "We'll mark all the buildings where Cranial's signal is strongest. The PRT can compile a list of residents. Any PRT or Protectorate personnel who live in these structures will need to submit to M/S protocols immediately. The same for any independents."
I don't think any capes but the Merchants lived in Shanty Town. This did raise some questions. Did the Merchants willingly sign up with Cranial, or did she do something to make them more cooperative? She'd helped Squealer build those tanks maybe, so some kind of trade must have happened, but why and for what?
I checked the building with Pink's sonic camera and looking through the floors. About forty people inside, some watching TV.
And now the weight felt like it might break my back. It's one thing for Cranial to hold people hostage, but ignoring that because some other villain might do the same later down the line? What if they became violent? How did the PRT plan to assault an entire section of the city under that-
"It's going to be okay," Dragon said. I turned my head toward her, curious if she really knew what was going through my head. "This is the sad reality," she said. "Sometimes being a hero doesn't feel very heroic. We don't always get to follow our conscience when doing the right thing."
"Not too late to go on home," Stratos said. "No one will think less of you."
I scowled. "I'd think less of me."
"Hmm." He raised his scope again. "Well, if you can't live with yourself…"
"Can we confirm that any signals or manipulations Cranial is producing are not city wide?" Miss Militia asked.
"Forecast," I said. "Are you there?"
"She's here," Tattletale said. "One sec, they don't have enough headsets for everyone."
That didn't surprise me.
"I'm here," Dinah said a few seconds later.
"Pen and paper?" I asked.
"I've got it."
"If the heroes in Brockton Bay try to capture Cranial on June 16, 2011, do any of them attempt to aid her escape or prevent her capture?"
"Is she supposed to start shaking?" Tattletale asked.
"It is normal," Veda answered.
"Oh, she's writing. Let's see." Great, and now Tattletale got to see how Dinah's power worked. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Yes. Fuck."
"Wait for her to finish," I said. Cranial got to someone? Who? Laughter spent some time in Shanty Town before I recruited her, or maybe one of the heroes. Did any of the Wards live in Shanty Town?
"Sending a private message to Armsmaster," someone said.
"Confirmed," the Protectorate leader replied. No one said anything for a moment, and then, "Triumph, I must request you surrender yourself to M/S lockdown."
"What?" He asked.
"Sorry," Forecast said, her voice really fucking heavy.
"It's not your fault, Forecast," Miss Militia said. "Or yours Triumph."
Triumph protested at first. "I don- Right. Right. Okay."
"It's only a possibility," I said. I did ask a fairly specific question though. "There might be nothing wrong with you."
"It's okay," Triumph said. "I'm on my way to the HQ building now."
"A squad of troopers will accompany you," Armsmaster said. "If Cranial has accessed TV networks or internet it is possible any of us may act against our wishes. Be on the lookout for abnormal behavior. As of this moment I advise no one being alone. Stay in pairs at the least, preferably groups of three."
"I can answer four more questions," Dinah said.
I felt pretty confident I was fine. Veda compared my brain scans to those first collected when we installed the monitor in O Gundam, and they didn't seem any different. I couldn't rule out that there might be something the monitor couldn't scan for, but I didn't watch much TV outside of the news, and I lived well away from anywhere Cranial's signal appeared.
Lafter is probably okay too. If she'd been affected then Cranial would have triggered it, or set it to trigger, when her lab door got kicked down. She wouldn't need to try and destroy evidence so recklessly. She could have avoided discovery entirely, so no, Lafter definitely wasn't affected.
Good thing I thought that out too, because Brandish piped up with her opinion.
"What about Laughter?" She asked.
"If Lafter was under a master effect Cranial could have completely avoided anyone learning she was here," I said. "I'm fairly sure that only the areas where the signal is strongest are affected. I don't know how Cranial might have gotten to Triumph, but I think the rest of us are fine as long as we don't live in these buildings."
"I would concur with Newtypes analysis," Dragon said. "Given the limits of Forecast's prediction Triumph may well be perfectly fine. It is prudent to avoid the risk, but I wouldn't consider further risk high."
"The Think Tank is in agreement," Piggot said. She'd been so quiet I almost forgot about her. Maybe she preferred leaving this kind of big cape op to Armsmaster. "They just got back to us with a negligible concern for internal M/S risks. Armsmaster, proceed."
"We're beginning the operation now," Armsmaster said. "Routes are being sent to all teams. Velocity and Newtypes drones will continue the search. Meanwhile, we'll start by taking residents of the affected structures into custody. Be sure to tell residents that they are not under arrest and we are merely concerned for their safety."
"Tell them it's a gas leak," Stratos said. "That usually works."
"Move out," Armsmaster said.
Dragon's thrusters fired suddenly, and her suit shot into the sky. I followed after her, directing the Haros to start locating all the systems linked into Cranial's network as they could. I didn't want to disconnect them. That might make things worse.
sys.t/ Green, hook yourself into the network
sys.t/ see what you find
sys.h[gn]/ okay okay
sys.v/ I will attempt to obscure our access
sys.v/ Cranial may become aware her network is compromised
I knew that, but if anyone could slip in unnoticed it would be the Haros and Veda. I wanted to know what Cranial was doing to people, and I wanted to know sooner rather than later.
I saw Dauntless, Lady Photon and Laserdream to the north.
And the invasion below.
Rows of cars and trucks started pressing into Shanty Town, PRT vehicles in the lead, but police, ambulances, and fire trucks following them. The lights stood out in the dark, especially since a lot of Shanty Town didn't get illuminated at night outside of the buildings themselves.
This is happening.
Dragon and I didn't move. The plan called for us to stay right where we were and wait.
Not my favorite plan.
Miss Militia's team reached a building first. Troopers and police set up a perimeter, and Miss Militia walked in with Brandish while Laughter and Prism waited outside. Two or three minutes later, people started walking out of the building. A few seemed agitated, arguing or refusing to get into the PRT transport vans, but no one really seemed to be acting in any way I wouldn't consider normal.
I mean, law enforcement did just surround their home and tell them they needed to be detained.
"The first building is clear," Miss Militia said. "No meaningful resistance."
"Continue on," Armsmaster said. "We're approaching the second now."
"Merchant assets detected," Veda announced. She highlighted a section of the city in the south Docks, right at the edge of ABB and Merchant territory.
Dauntless, Lady Photon, and Laserdream turned toward the area, and I took a closer look with Red's cameras.
"Three of the tanks," I said. "Maybe a dozen guys."
"The Merchants are undoubtedly aware of our presence," Armsmaster said.
I checked the clock. Twenty minutes? How had it only been twenty minutes? Forty since Dragon landed in the city.
The first gunshot rang out, and the tanks spun around. Dauntless raised his shield, the shells bouncing off the wall of energy it projected.
Laserdream dove behind him, a field forming in front of her hand for a second before she fired.
The beam slid right off the tank's surface.
"Squealer's anti-beam coating works on Laserdream's power," I said.
"I noticed!" Laserdream said. She flew to the left as guns turned her way, but Lady Photon let out a series of blasts that knocked the shooters over.
I started to move. My GN blade would cut through the tanks easily.
Dragon raised her arm.
"It's alright," she said.
"Locked on target."
I turned my head toward Stratos, and in the camera feed as one tank toppled over, it's entire lower chassis popping out of existence. The second and the third followed, and Dauntless slammed into the ground. The wave of force rolling out from him shattered a few windows, and threw the Merchants off their feet. Stratos vanished the guns, leaving the tops of the tanks as harmless boxes.
"Targets neutralized," Stratos announced.
"There are more," Veda announced. She began highlighting Shanty Town, and might as well have just drawn a circle around the entire eastern quarter of the city. "I have detected Trainwreck as well."
"Neutralize the Merchants as necessary," Armsmaster said. "Question any if possible. If able, establish contact with Merchant capes and determine if they are willing to back down. Our primary goal is Cranial."
Stratos turned a little, another trio of tanks, and the front end of a sedan, all popping away a mile to the east of Dauntless' position. Lady Photon and Laserdream flew side by side, trading lasers with men who emerged on a rooftop.
"Armsmaster," Stratos said. "Permission for precision?"
"Granted, Stratos."
The men's guns vanished, along with some of their fingers.
He can aim that precisely from this far away?
People said Stratos existed in Brockton Bay as the Protectorate's answer to Lung.
I think they were underselling it.
"Stratos, Dauntless, Lady Photon, and Laserdream will handle the Merchants," Armsmaster announced. "All other participants will continue looking for Cranial and her victims."
They intended to let four capes handle all of the Merchants?
Watching Stratos vanish guns, tank legs, car engines, and bats left and right, I didn't see any reason to protest. Police and Troopers could handle a lot of unpowered gang members when they didn't have tinker tanks or guns. Losing their guns tended to cost them fingers too, and a lot of them stopped fighting at that point.
He cleared out the area around the flying team to the north, and then turned his attention south. A group of Merchants moved toward a police and PRT barricade at the border of the Towers, up until their engines, wheels, and guns started vanishing.
And my anger mounted, because why the fuck didn't they do this years ago?
"I've got an ID," Velocity announced. "Sending the image to HQ."
And things kept moving too fast for my emotions to be anything more than fleeting.
"Michel Hichens," Dragon said. "Kidnapped from Chicago in 2005, identified as being in Cranial's company in 2007."
"How should I proceed?" Velocity asked.
"Approach with caution," Armsmaster said.
I directed Purple to go to Velocity. He'd been running down a one way street when he stopped. She arrived just in time for me to watch the full grown man hit the ground as a boy my age threw him.
"Velocity?" Dragon asked.
"He's being attacked," I said with a start.
"Velocity, report," Armsmaster said.
I cursed, and shot into the air. I didn't really know what I intended to do, but I didn't want to keep standing on that roof.
"I see him," Stratos said. "The kid has him on the ground."
Armsmaster must have seen me, because he said my name really angrily. "Newtype-"
"We will assist Velocity," Dragon said. Her suit followed after me. "The boy may know the location of Cranial."
Purple dived out the sky on my order, knocking the boy over and getting him off Velocity.
"Back off, back off!"
My heart raced for a moment, the boy going end over end toward a wall. Then his hand slapped against the ground and he flipped off of it to his feet. He looked up at Purple angrily for a moment. Velocity appeared behind him, grabbing both his arms and pulling.
"Come on kid," he said, "I don't want to hurt you."
He answered by snapping his shoulders out of place and jumping. He threw his feet back, striking Velocity in the stomach. The hero's grip slacked and the boy spun around and swung his foot into Velocity's jaw.
I slammed into the ground, a few feet away and grabbed the kid. Velocity stumbled but caught himself, and Dragon hit the ground beside me.
The boy glared at me, one shoulder snapping back into place – which looked as bad as it sounded – and punching Astraea in the jaw.
"That's not going to work," I said.
I lifted him up by his shoulder. He winced in pain, which didn't make me happy, but better than letting him fight Velocity. Eventually the skinny man would stop being nice.
"Velocity?" Dragon asked.
"M'okay," he said with a slurred voice. "Knows how to throw a kick."
Dragon turned to the boy, who'd now decided to hang from my hand silently.
"Hello Michael," she said. "Do you know who I am?"
He didn't answer.
"I'm Dragon. A hero. I'm here to take you home."
Still no answer.
"I need to find Cranial, Michael."
And yet more 'no answer.'
"Purple," I said. "Zip ties."
I lowered the boy toward the ground. He tried to run as soon as his feet hit the ground, but I pushed down a little and got him onto his knees. Purple rolled over and bound his ankles, and Velocity tied his wrists.
"I don't like this," he said.
Neither did I, and not just because the kid attacked Velocity. The sound of gun and tank fire filled the air, along with a few explosions. Even with Stratos taking out tanks and guns, the Merchants seemed to have plenty. He couldn't keep up with them all by himself.
And what about when the Merchant capes showed up?
"Be advised," Dragon said. "Cranial's subjects may attack. Michael is not responding to questions."
"Bring him to me," Armsmaster said. "I'll try for a few minutes, and then have him moved to HQ for further examination."
"I got it," Velocity said. "I'm almost done searching the buildings on the map. The Skittles can take the rest?"
"We can," Veda answered.
I checked my own map for reference. Between Velocity and the Haros we'd checked most of the buildings in west and central Shanty town. That still left about a dozen to the east and south, and four in the north. They'd found nothing so far but more wireless receivers hooked into cable boxes.
None of the residents seemed to be that violent though. Mostly they seemed agitated, understandably so. A few looked nervous, and Veda identified most of them as paroles or having open warrants. Also understandable. No great signs of mass mastering.
Maybe Cranial wasn't engaged in brainwashing, but surely she'd set up all those receivers for something.
Green's search of her network proceeded slowly, and I didn't have time to really look at it. A few quick glances showed a heavy encryption of data. Veda and Green worked very very slowly, trying to get through the information and make sense of it without triggering anything.
"We believe we've located Squealer's workshop," Piggot announced.
"It's this crumbly little warehouse on the shore," Tattletale said. "Ninety-five, point whatever percent. Seriously, you guys have the best surveillance systems!"
"Newtype and I will proceed," Dragon said. "We will likely need assistance."
I sent Navy away from his search area toward the building and had Pink and Red split the gap.
Dragon launched into the air again, and I followed. We flew a northeastern route toward the beaches south of King's Port and the Boardwalk.
"I'll route my team that way," Armsmaster said. "Militia, continue evacuating civilians."
"It's getting harder," she said. "The Merchants are putting up fights now." I heard gunshots in the background of her call, and just below me in general. "We'll set up a perimeter, leave the evacuations to the BBPD. Commander Noa, bring your squads forward with me."
I couldn't follow everything. Too much, too quickly.
"Forecast, how many questions can you still answer?"
"Two," she said.
"If Dragon and Newtype pursue Squealer, do they find Cranial?"
I waited a moment, looking at the building through Navy's cameras. I linked the video to Dragon so she could see it too, and we did a half circle over the building. I got some interference, not unlike what happened whenever I saw Bakuda's tech. Squealers gave me some images though. Blurry objects in the warehouse, and smaller figures. They seemed person sized, and moving.
Dinah answered.
"Yes."
I dove, driving through the ceiling and hitting the ground. Emerging from the smoke I aimed my bazooka, eyes scanning the room.
"That was sudden," Dragon said.
She flew through the hole and hovered in the air.
It certainly looked like Squealer's workshop. I saw half assembled vehicles all around me. A boat, a car, a truck. Even something that looked like a tiny version of that big thing from the first Star Wars movie. The brown one with the treads? I spotted a pair of half-assembled mini-tanks too, along with a half dozen men and women dressed as mechanics staring back at me with shocked expressions.
"Where's Squealer?" I asked, leveling my bazooka at them.
The lights all shut off at once, and the night-vision came on instantly.
The dust from my landing began to clear, and something moved behind me. I spun, Dragon already firing a rocket from her shoulder at the giant whatever the fuck that is.
Dragon's rocket exploded, but the armor seemed unphased.
The machine dwarfed anything I'd seen Squealer build before, including her big tank.
It stood maybe twenty-five to thirty feet, a mechanized torso on top and a tank body on the bottom.
The treads on the chassis spun, the armored body pointing itself toward the wall to my right. The torso turned toward me, a car sized visor lighting up and staring down at me. The arms raised, four gun barrels taking the place of fingers. The armored chest rumbled, and a pair of cannons fell over the shoulders.
All the weapons pointed right at Astraea, and over a speaker a woman said, "Fuck you, homewrecker."
