A Waken 10.6

I followed the convoy from above.

Dauntless fell in beside me soon enough. Armsmaster and the PRT naturally assumed Bakuda might come and try to free Lung. I think they assumed I chased her off, or that she ran after Lung hit the ground. Armsmaster wanted Lung in a cell sooner than later, so he didn't bother asking me much about what happened.

sys.v/ the bait is set
sys.v/ the Haros are ready

Multiple birds, one stone.

I couldn't see Lung's apartment, but it would be on fire by now. That would ensure my 'evidence' was found quickly. Then I only needed to sit back, watch, and let the dominoes fall.

The Protectorate had everyone waiting when we reached the Rig. I landed Exia on the helipad and followed Dauntless. Green, Navy, and Purple followed me. They landed their cradles around Exia and rolled at my feet.

"Mission success, mission success!"

"Pushover, pushover."

"They're chipper," Dauntless said.

"Yup."

"Sorry," he said as we got into the elevator together. "We've never talked much. Kind of awkward now that I think of it."

"It happens," I said. "Kind of a busy line of work."

"True. See my kid every day but it's never quite enough."

Tell me about it.

In raw power Dauntless could be a match for a Gundam, maybe. It might be him watching me. Also a maybe. There were too damn many maybes.

The Rig maintained its own cells separate from those at the PRT HQ building. Thanks to Armsmaster being right there with his lab they were probably better suited for holding Lung. Though, I hated to think what might happen if the man managed an escape. The Rig was fortified, but a thirty foot Dragon man could do some damage.

Lung was still being strapped in when we got to the detention level.

"Vicky?" I asked.

"You actually caught Lung?" She looked slightly surprised. "Like, really?"

I stepped up and glanced into the cell.

"He's right there," I noted. "I didn't clone him."

"Yeah," she mumbled. "But he's Lung."

Panacea leaned against the wall in plain clothes—jeans and a blouse—chatting with Armsmaster. Miss Militia and Triumph were watching Lung as a bunch of guys in white strapped him onto a medical bed and stuck a needle in his arm.

The man looked a little pale, but he was breathing. His wounds had mostly closed up. Mostly. He still seeped blood from a few scars and his arms seemed out of proportion to the rest of his body. The hollow stake I shot into his gut was still there.

Panacea to make sure he doesn't die.

Gut wounds can be very nasty.

"Formula eight?" I guessed, looking at the vial the medics were hooking the IV into.

"Yes," Armsmaster confirmed. "It sedates just fine when the target's body temperature is in a normal range."

I nodded.

Armsmaster looked away from Panacea, asking, "Faultline?"

I tried to look sorry, mostly because I did feel kind of sorry.

"Faultline?" Vicky asked.

"Newter's blood," I explained. "I used it to knock Lung out once we ensured there would be no collateral from using the Gungnirs."

Vicky gave me a blank stare. "But she's a villain."

I looked at her. "And?"

"She's a bad guy."

I still didn't see the point.

"There's no law against hiring someone for something that isn't illegal," I pointed out. "And besides. I didn't actually pay her anything. Apparently rescuing Labyrinth was good enough for her. She gave me the blood for free."

Armsmaster hummed. Yeah, I didn't think he'd like that answer.

"But she's a villain," Vicky repeated.

"And she isn't destroying the city," I added, "so I don't particularly care."

Vicky frowned.

This is awkward.

"What happened with Bakuda?" Armsmaster asked. "What state was she in when she fled?"

"She lost her launcher in the fight." I paid only a little mind to Red's camera feed on my visor. Bakuda was lingering in some back alleys, not doing anything. "And she didn't really flee. I let her go."

Heads turned my way.

"She turned on Lung," I continued. "As soon as the fight started she attacked him."

Even the medics in the white outfits turned their heads my way.

"I can send video." Most of it should be just fine unedited. It would simply look like taking advantage of an opportunity to take out Lung. "She ditched after he went down."

"She turned on Lung and you let her go?" Triumph asked.

"Lung is more important," I said. Then I lied. Well, sort of. "Without him the ABB will never come back. It's done. The Empire is the only organized criminal gang left in the city."

"And Faultline." Vicky scowled at me.

"She's hardly a gang," I pointed out. "She runs a night club and breaks the law for profit. On the scale of evil, it's trick-or-treating while changing costumes to hit the same house twice."

I shrugged, and added, "It's easy enough to stop her from committing any crimes. Just pay the woman to be more heroic. Problem solved. I have bigger fish to fry."

"You're going to go after the Empire?" Militia surmised.

"I'm going to bury the Empire."

I got a few blank stares, Panacea of all people broke the awkwardness, and Armsmaster walked me away to give a statement. Vicky looked unhappy and for the life of me I didn't get it. Even the PRT and Protectorate knew Faultline wasn't a priority. She didn't even try to hide. It's not like anyone ever knocked on her door to say she was under arrest.

"The tranquilizer project is important," I said once we were away from everyone else. He stood as still as ever, halberd held at his side. "We should keep working on it. It'll be useful in the future. Hardly any brutes present the challenges Lung did."

Armsmaster remained silent. Was I too subtle? Armsmaster was socially inept, not stupid. I hoped he realized I was really talking about Dragon. Though the tranquilizer project was a good idea for all the reasons given.

I needed him to free Dragon. We didn't have time for one tinker to go at it by herself.

He didn't say anything.

Well, he said lots of things during my interview. I assumed he had his lie detector on. Unfortunate thing that. All it really did was teach me to lie better.

"I don't care why Bakuda did it," I admitted, after we covered my version of events. "I'm quite content to have Lung locked up. I don't know where she plans to go next. She could do any number of things."

"She could attempt to rebuild the ABB," Armsmaster suggested. "She said nothing during the fight that hinted at her intentions?"

"She really wanted Lung dead." Turns out the secret to lying, is just don't lie. Spin the truth, as Kati would say. "He might be if I hadn't been right there."

"You think she won't attempt to free him?"

"Doubt it."

And that was completely true. If anything she'd try and kill him again. I needed to check with Dinah about that. For all I knew her possibilities had shifted again. Maybe she calmed down…And I killed that thought because it didn't feel right.

"Lung is finished," I replied. "I don't think anyone here needs to be concerned with anything but getting him to the Birdcage."

"It is his most likely destination," Armsmaster agreed. "I'll contact Dragon. Quick transport would be preferable."

I raised my brow behind my visor.

"Dragon will handle the matter."

And I still didn't know if that was supposed to tell me something or just be a general statement.

"In the meantime, we should continue the project. You are correct. Lung is atypical for most brutes. Designing a more general purpose tranquilizer will be much easier."

And still not sure.

"I should warn you that Director Piggot will not look kindly on your working with one villain to defeat another."

"Mercenary," I corrected.

"Semantics," he countered. "Heroes are supposed to uphold the law. Not sidestep it for convenience."

Funny. I'd been doing that the entire time. "I didn't become a hero for the law. I became a hero because people deserve more."

"You're pushing your luck," he warned. "The scale you're operating on now is not one where the Protectorate can willfully ignore how you do things because of your potential."

"Threat?"

"Warning," he affirmed. "Ultimately that decision is not up to me, but the Director. You're intelligent enough to know that Director Piggot does not trust parahumans."

"I know."

I took a step toward Exia. Armsmaster didn't stop me.

"There is some progress I wish to discuss with you," he said. "Next time you drop by. I have a suspicion."

"About the tranquilizers?"

"No."

Dragon then.

What did he find?

I climbed into Exia, and Green and Navy rolled into their cradles and took off with me. The missile batteries didn't turn as we left. No one called me. Dauntless didn't come running out to give chase.

"Phase two complete." No smile. This isn't a good thing. "Let's get started."

I guided Exia back to the factory and glided into the workshop.

"Victory, victory!" Green and Navy jumped up and rolled about me as I stepped out. "Mission success, mission success!"

"No bragging," I chided. "This sucks."

I stopped as my mask came off.

"Nice chair," I offered, noting the new recliner Lafter lounged in.

"It really is," she mused with a satisfied smile.

"Looks comfy."

"You have no idea."

It is her money, I thought. Someone around here should spend on herself.

I took my seat and leaned back.

"Purple?"

"In position, in position!"

"You know you could have just asked me to sneak into the-super-not-secret cape base."

I turned, glancing at Aisha and Black. "You're back?"

"Yup. Message delivered! You have an appointment tomorrow at midnight." I nodded. "Veda's been filling me in," she said. "I didn't think you were this ballsy!"

"If we can clear the Protectorate and PRT leadership, then we can bring them in. Maybe." There were so many complications, but all of them were moot if anyone was compromised. "I'm going to wait and see how this plays out."

One stone, so many birds.

Dinah entered an hour later.

"Hi Taylor. Hi Aisha."

"Sup," Aisha greeted. "You bring the popcorn?"

"Yup."

"You brought popcorn?" I asked.

"Yes." Dinah looked toward the lounge. "Lafter brought a recliner."

"This is the best chair ever," Lafter drawled. "I don't need a bed anymore."

"Sounds nice," Dinah commented. "I sent White on ahead."

I nodded.

There was no more time for games. Lung was out. The ABB was over. With Orga, and Bakuda if she kept herself on track, the Docks were mine. I could easily expand that into Shanty Town. That was two thirds of the city.

Now, I only needed to coax the Empire out of hiding, flush out a pet, and see who I might be able to trust.

"You asked the questions I left you?" I asked.

"Yeah." Dinah pulled a chair over and sat down. "Same result."

I frowned. "Any feelings?"

"Fear."

Fear? Of Teacher?

It didn't make any sense. We'd been able to precog things around him before, though looking back there were things Dinah had missed. Things like the data leak that exposed so many capes, and then the reappearance of Cranial's kids. There might be a component of her power we didn't understand.

I preferred thinking of it that way.

The alternative was that Dinah couldn't see Teacher, or at least nothing he directly did. I really didn't like that possibility. Some possibilities just needed to not exist.

Has Teacher taken notice of us?

Maybe, maybe not. I'd never explicitly gone hunting for a pet like this. My search of Blue Cosmos was passive. A survey for clues that ultimately went to more questions. Operation British and the assassination attempt on Dean that killed his grandfather instead.

What is different this time that Dinah's vision is being blocked?

"There was something," Dinah said. "When I was looking at next week."

She unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to me.

Butcher.

"My luck," I grumbled.

"What do we do?"

"About what?" Aisha asked. "By the way we need a microwave down here. I might be invisible, but everyone upstairs noticed the spontaneous bag of popcorn I popped in."

"I will task the Haros with acquiring one," Veda replied.

"Usual source?" Aisha asked.

"I do not know what you mean."

Kati arrived, laptop in hand.

"Everything ready?" I asked.

"Yes," she answered. "The videos have been noticed but haven't caught a great deal of attention. I have the press release ready to go out." She checked her watch. "If we send it now, it'll hit the evening news right as most people tune in."

"Can I see?"

She nodded and opened her laptop. I took it from her and read over the screen.

It covered the bases. Lung was captured. Bakuda turned on him. The ABB was officially dead. And it pointed out that only the Empire remained, for now. It was a subtle call out, but one I wanted emphasized.

Only the Empire remained. And only for now. I wanted it on every news station.

I nodded and handed the computer back to Kati.

"Do it."

She nodded and found her own seat to start her side of things. I needed her to push the story, and I needed her to focus the news as other details started coming in.

I turned on the news on one screen and then pulled up YouTube, PHO, Wikipedia, and a dozen other sites on others. I'd smashed Lung into the ground with a Gundam. Now I needed to fight the real battle online and on the air, all while no one realized I was every single side fighting.

"Veda. Go."

"Executing."

She posted video of the fight online. The Haros recorded it, but the accounts belonged to 'passersby'. Veda used a series of VPN's to hide herself and varied her activity to prevent Dragon from noticing her.

I really didn't need Dragon to call in and ask what I was doing.

One video was titled "Lung defeated." It showed the PRT and Protectorate taking the man into custody with Exia standing over him. Green shot it from an abandoned building's window.

Another was titled "Newtype fights Lung." That one didn't get the fight much. Mostly it saw the fires, explosions, and GN particles. But it caught two important things. If one slowed the video down, they'd see the Gungnir firing and the debris cloud the stake kicked up. If they watched to the end, they'd catch Bakuda shooting through the air.

The third video was titled "bakuda and newtype beat lung."

Veda logged into dozens upon dozens of dummy accounts. Some were old, inactive for years. Others she created over the past week for the plan. They started up-voting and down-voting, commenting, and spreading the videos online.

Lung's Wikipedia article quickly updated with news of his capture. PHO debates fired up with people looking at every damn pixel of video. Everyone wanted to know what really happened. Did Newtype beat Lung? Did Bakuda beat Lung? Did they both do it? At the end of the day it didn't matter.

I'd have to thank Leet, asshole. His attempt to kill me taught me the importance of ambiguity. Specifically, targeted ambiguity.

People would wonder now. What side was Bakuda really on?

Red was still with her. She'd made her way back to her workshop and made no attempt to get rid of him. Orga and his guys were gone. They'd left while she'd waited.

"I'm starting," I told her through Red. "Lay low for now. We'll talk soon."

"Whatever you say Mazinger." She hunched over a workbench, assembling components with one hand while the other hung at her side. "Deal is a deal."

I glanced at Dinah. She shook her head in response.

She still tries to kill Lung.

Like herding an exploding cat. A problem for later. She'd be quiet for now and I needed to focus elsewhere.

Kati released our press statement. The PRT and Protectorate were already hard at work, but they couldn't spin Lung. I caught him as far as they were concerned.

And thus the arguments online fed on the gasoline. Who was right, and who was wrong? Naturally, people started asking questions. Eventually those questions reached reporters.

Kati started answering her phone.

"Kinue," she said. "Hello. How can I help you? Come now. You know how PHO can be. Don't believe everything you read. Video? One moment."

She lowered her phone. She took some popcorn from Aisha as she walked into the room with a bowl. She waited a little while, chewed on a few kernels, and raised the phone again.

"I see," she whispered after spending some time waiting. "Let me talk to Newtype and get back to you."

She ended the call and repeated the process a few more times.

Meanwhile, someone in a PRT press conference asked if Bakuda helped with Lung's capture. Given what I told Armsmaster not that long ago, there was only one true answer. Yes. She did. Reporters asked more questions. I didn't pay that much mind.

The uproar would be enough. It would tie the PRT and Protectorate's hands. They wouldn't act until they knew what way would play best, PR wise.

"Yes," Kati answered when she started calling people back. "Newtype told me Bakuda did help. She turned on Lung right as the fight started. We're not sure why, but we doubt she intends to free Lung."

I let it play out. There wasn't a lot I could do about it at this stage anyway. Kati and Veda handled all the specifics. Kati got the story out to reporters and Veda moved things online with a horde of dummy accounts. I trusted them to take care of that part.

I focused on my own.

White positioned herself across the street from the PRT building, while Purple sat on a roof on the Rig. If anyone there noticed I arrived with three Haros and left with two, they didn't alert anyone. If security looked they'd find camera footage showing Purple went back to her cradle and flew away.

The Rig was just as stationary as the PRT HQ building.

Veda could hack it with the rigs I built with only a little more preparation and some prearranged doctored video. Armsmaster or Dragon would be necessary to notice and they'd have to look really hard. I doubted that would happen.

The time for waffling over right and wrong is over.

I needed to know who could be trusted.

I pulled the headset I'd thrown together off the desk and pulled them over my ears.

Aisha and Dinah had joined Lafter by the big TV in the corner. They flipped back and forth through the news stations and watched the chaos unfold. Kati manned her phone and Veda her dummy accounts.

Turning the monitors closest to me to White and Purple's video feeds, I waited.

Purple and White focused their upgraded transmitters. Passively manipulating the PRT and Protectorate's security systems was pretty easy. Actively getting a signal back from them, not so much. I couldn't quite hack into their cameras or microphones to listen in with my current tech. Not if I wanted to be unnoticed.

But, I knew Dragon and her code fairly well.

I could tap their lines, crack their encryptions, and listen in as signals went back and forth from the PRT building and the Rig.

"I can monitor this myself," Veda proposed.

"I'll help. Responsibility and all that. What do we have?"

"There is debate about whether or not to immediately pursue Bakuda. It primarily hinges on how much a threat she poses to the public."

I nodded.

"What about the evidence we arranged?"

"It has been discovered."

She played a few phone calls for me. Investigators and CSI-types. The Police responded to the fire at Lung's apartment first, and they did so pretty fast. The PRT intervened after catching wind of it. Lots of bitching about jurisdiction.

They noticed the important things. Burnt up papers and deeds. A laptop that just barely survived. People telling them about a black haired woman in a suit who entered and left before the fire.

Perfectly done, Lafter.

I half worried she'd ditch the wig for some reason.

"Is it working?"

I sat up, turning to look up at Lafter. I glanced back toward the corner where Dinah and Aisha continued watching news with the Haros. I expected Lafter would be with them.

"Is it?" she asked.

"I don't know yet." She never showed much interest in the details before. "It's going to take a few hours for things to work their way up the chains."

Lafter nodded and took Dinah's chair…Which Dinah put there and immediately went toward corner by the TV. I looked that way to find her sharing the recliner with Aisha. They were both small framed enough to fit in. Dinah looked fairly pleased for some reason.

Must be a comfy chair.

Lafter settled in and sat quietly while we waited.

"Since you're waiting"—I switched a monitor to the instructions manual I threw together—"read this." I turned the monitor to Lafter. "Kyrios is different from Queen or Exia. I built it with your power in mind."

"Does it spew out ball bearings?" she asked as she leaned forward. "I kind of like that tactic."

"Depends," I mumbled. "Do you consider millions of exotic particles to be super ball bearings?"

"Huh?"

"Read. You can switch it to German if that's easier."

"Nah, I'm fine with American."

It should work. Lafter's power became more active the more active the world around her was. The thing literally reacted to chaos and enhanced it. That shouldn't be limited to the physical. Millions of GN particles in the air could throw her power into overdrive. We'd have to test it.

But first she needed to read the manual. The simulators Veda ran her through a few times a week were to keep Lafter from crashing the suit. They didn't cover Kyrios' unique features.

"You should call your father," Kati suggested between phone calls. "By now he's heard the news and is probably worried."

"I already called him. Exia barely even got scratched. Lung didn't stand a chance."

Neither Exia nor Queen even needed repairs. Just a few replacement armor plates for Exia. Good.

I could start building Kyrios without delay. Which is basically what I did. I expected it might take a few hours for the PRT to catch onto what they found in Lung's apartment. What I wanted them to find anyway.

I set the basic frame for fabrication and then the compressors, control systems, thrusters, and the rig for the solar furnace. It would be finished in four days.

It took till near the end of the business day for the conversation I wanted to start.

The Protectorate all gathered at the Rig. Murrue went to the PRT HQ building, along with Noa. Calvert and Piggot were already there.

"This is it, Veda." I took a deep breath, and, "Cut the line if you get any hint someone has noticed us."

"Naturally."

I set my work aside and settled in. Lafter noticed and leaned toward me. Orange rolled over to her and held up a set of headphones, fresh from the fabricator.

"Thanks."

"No problem, no problem!"

"You're not usually interested in the details," I noted.

"The details aren't usually so interesting!" She smiled. "I wanna see what they think of my super secret identity! I call her Ms. Buckingham!"

"You just had fun setting the place on fire."

"Ms. Buckingham does have a bit of pyromania in her, yes."

I rolled my eyes and focused my attention on the not-very-private conversation. A conference call. Three locations. One at the Rig, the PRT building, Dragon's base outside Toronto, and a house in the suburbs? I checked the address.

Calvert is working from home today.

Veda took note and broadened our search. Green took off and flew out that way. It would be easier with everyone I wanted to watch in one place. Intercepting signals isn't hard but there is a limit where range is concerned.

"I will fast track a transport to Brockton Bay," Dragon offered. "If Bakuda really did turn on him, it seems unlikely anyone will attempt to free him. However, Lung would be difficult to recapture should he free himself."

"Unlikely," Armsmaster said. "The current tranquilizer we're using to sedate him is effective. Panacea has confirmed he is in a deep sleep."

"His injuries?"

"The stake has been removed," he described. "Lung's body appears able to regenerate as normal now, but he is unconscious and will remain so. Transport should be without complication."

"Where does that leave the city?" Noa inquired.

"The Empire is the only one of the big gangs left," Ramius pointed out. "For smaller groups, there are the Undersiders and Faultline's Crew."

"We're staring down the barrel of the Boston games," Piggot grumbled. "Or rather, the Brockton Gangs."

"This was the inevitable end point of Newtype's brand of heroism," Armsmaster stated. "We have been preparing."

Someone chuckled. Stratos? "A teenager cleans up the city and you talk like you resent her for it."

"Hardly. Newtype doesn't fully comprehend the consequences of her actions, but we would have reached this point regardless of her."

Some papers rustled, and Armsmaster continued.

"The Patriots are still camped in the mountains to the west and Accord has been struggling ever since Leviathan. The new crews moving into the city are not particularly violent, but he is not in a strong position to hold his ground. The Think Tank has also warned us of the Elite."

"They make the Empire and ABB seem like rowdy school children," Dauntless lamented.

"I advise that we leave Bakuda be for the moment," Armsmaster proposed. "As much as recapturing her would secure this victory and restore faith in the public"—because they lost her in the first place—"there are too many variables. A large battle between Bakuda and the Protectorate will have injuries. Injuries other parties may exploit to establish a foothold."

"Newtype might deal with it for us," Piggot hoped, falsely.

"We'd sit back and let her take down another villain?" Stratos sighed. "Well, a free paycheck is nice."

"Do speak your mind Stratos," Piggot grumbled.

"I'm just wondering how long we're going to let kids do our jobs. They should be in school. Hanging out. Drinking underage. Not making up for our failures."

"Newtype's refusal to share information in advance has largely sealed that arrangement," Calvert said. "The Lieutenant only gets information right before the girl acts. With StarGazer and Forecast, she has her own miniature Think Tank, solely dedicated to Brockton Bay."

"It is unfeasible for us to keep pace with her," Armsmaster admitted, amazingly. "This is not a wholly bad thing. The city is progressing and we've had time to focus on other matters."

"Armsmaster and I believe we have taken our Endbringer prediction software as far as we can," Dragon offered.

"I can also refocus my efforts on the anti-brute tranquilizer project. Newtype expressed she was still interested in helping."

"All well and good for the tinker in the room," Piggot stated.

"Can we get any assistance from the Think Tank?" Miss Militia asked. "We're in a strange place now. Any number of things can happen. I think we're missing the forest for the trees here."

"She has a good point," Dauntless agreed. "There are so many things in play now. Armsmaster?"

This is it.

It had taken hours. Hours for the PRT to appropriately take control of the chain of evidence, get the evidence to PRT custody, then to the Protectorate. I considered slipping something into the files that would get me a back door but no. Dragon knew my code well. She'd recognize it like a signature if it was found and then I'd need to do a lot of explaining.

So, I kept it simple. Comparatively. A nice little script available on the dark net. Tinker made, but not by me. I'd take the website down in a week as a reward, rather than taking it down immediately.

"Yes. We have no idea who the woman seen at Lung's apartment could be. Average height, curvy build. Long black hair. She wore a suit and witnesses gave her eyes as brown or hazel. We have no photographs."

"Could she be an assistant?"

"She wasn't Asian," Armsmaster noted, "though she was reportedly in the company of two tall men, one of whom was Asian and the other was either Asian or white."

I listened and my brow went up. Took me a moment to put the pieces together.

"You stole Lung's furniture?" I asked.

"Liberated," Lafter clarified. "I liberated his recliner." She gave me a shrug. "It was just going to get burned."

"Please tell me you didn't leave finger prints."

"Do I look like an amateur to you?"

"You went off mission to 'liberate' a recliner."

"It's a really good recliner! Besides, this just makes it even more mysterious!"

Unless someone connected the boys who helped 'Ms. Buckingham' to two of Orga's guys.

"A new player?" Prism asked.

"Or an old one," Triumph suggested. "Empire?"

"Working with an Asian man?"

"The Empire has maintained minority informants before," Miss Militia pointed out. "They avoid detection because people assume no one with brown or black skin would ever aid the Empire."

"There is always someone out there willing to do anything for the right money," Calvert stated. "But why burn Lung's apartment?"

"Presumably to destroy evidence," Armsmaster theorized. "They moved quickly, but the work was sloppy. Many of the papers survived the fire as did Lung's computer."

"We've managed to recover some data," Dragon added.

"Lung had a partner," Armsmaster continued. "Or rather, he acquired one recently. Some of the emails refer to efforts to coordinate."

"They also mention Lung did not trust Bakuda," Dragon added, "and he worried she might turn on him."

"Worried right I'd say," Stratos said.

"The curious part," Dragon explained, "is the nature of the arrangement."

"Land deeds," Armsmaster revealed. "Captain's Hill. Some of the properties are known to be under Hookwolf's control."

The room went silent.

"Veda?" I asked.

"It appears an email will be incorrectly CC'd due to a technical error."

I watched her slip into the PRT's email server using White's transmitter and rig a little Trojan to reroute emails pertaining to the new evidence to a few people who shouldn't be getting it.

Like Jim in accounting. AKA, an asshole. The guy who hid Nazi memorabilia in his basement and thought Hitler wasn't such a bad guy.

Be the sleaze bag you are Jim. And let Hookwolf be a murderous asshole.

Given how eagerly the man wanted me dead early on, I didn't think it would take much to push Hookwolf over the edge. Big mean cape like him, classic enforcer type? He must be chafing at the Empire's new 'in the shadows' way of doing things.

Push him enough. That was the plan. Push him just hard enough that he tore the Empire apart himself. After that, it was just clean up.

When all this is done and I'm giving out apologies, I'll be sure to thank Piggot for willfully letting the gangs maintain moles in the PRT.

"Lung was buying Hookwolf's territory?" Noa asked. "That…"

"Would be unusual," Dragon admitted, "for any outside party."

"The Empire would never side with Lung," Stratos said. "Not in a million years."

Armsmaster quickly agreed. "However, recent events may be pushing them harder than we thought. The loss of Medhall, and the actions taken by Schwarz Bruder and Celestial Being."

The Protectorate and PRT continued debating. They had three theories. The Empire was desperate comprised two of them. In one version they wanted money and saw no need for Captain's Hill anymore. Better to sell it than try defending it. Version two guessed the Empire wanted time to regroup, maybe free some of its captured members.

The third theory, of course, was frame job.

"The evidence may have been planted," Armsmaster suggested, "and the fire set to make it look like a botched clean up."

"Why?" Piggot asked.

"To sow discord within the Empire," he answered. "This kind of tactic is typical of the Elite." I know it is. "They also have Thinkers who could plan it."

"A little overeager, isn't it?" Stratos offered.

"Accord could arrange something like that as well," Prism noted. "We know he's poking around."

"It could be someone else entirely," Miss Militia countered.

'Newtype did' it was not proposed. Or at least, nobody said it.

"We'll need to ask the Think Tank," Dauntless said. "There are too many possibilities."

"We should focus on the victory," Triumph replied. "The Empire is still around, but Newtype has beaten them underground. We can do a PR surge. Focus on the bright side while watching out for what happens next."

Piggot apparently liked that idea. They immediately went into a few ideas for public relations. Tours of schools, hospitals, and police stations. Dauntless and Calvert liked that last one. Said the local police relationship would be very important in watching the streets going forward.

They wanted the Wards to do something at Winslow. To my chagrin, the school was reopening. All the previously comatose students were awake again and Brockton Bay needed the building to accommodate them.

Whatever. Not my problem anymore.

They weren't going after Bakuda and there was now a big question mark about Lung's mysterious partner who may or may not be Empire. It might help that save for her hair color, Lafter matched the physique of Fenja and Menja. On the other hand, surely the Empire could be less sloppy.

It didn't matter.

I just needed the question out there. The idea that Kaiser was cutting a deal with Lung would rile up Hookwolf. And if that wasn't enough, I could rile him up some more. The idea that a new player was operating in Brockton Bay already?

Well, that was important information.

The kind of information that needed to be quickly communicated.

Let's see who talks to whom.

The Haros could insert data into a system with the rigging, but they couldn't receive any. When the conversation ended I could only sit back and look at who called whom. Those I could tap into easily enough, but face to face conversations I couldn't listen in on. A lot can be done face to face, as my use of Aisha's power showed.

Armsmaster went off to tinker. Of course, he did. He talked to Dragon about Lung's transport and about me.

"She's fine. Not a scratch on her. Barely a scratch on her suit."

"I'm worried the official stance on her will shift."

"It's possible. It's also possible she'll simply be left to manage the city herself."

"You think they'd close down the local PRT and Protectorate branches?"

"We're only here in the first place because of how bad crime is in Brockton Bay." He grunted. "Was."

Right.

I didn't put much thought in that. Brockton Bay was a crime-ridden hell hole for so long. The fact the PRT and Protectorate were in the city was just life. Everyone expected it. The idea the team might go elsewhere, to some other city wasn't close to a thought on anyone's mind.

My success might cost Armsmaster his team.

That kind of sucked.

Armsmaster continued, saying, "At the very least operations would scale down. Coordination with New Wave and Celestial Being. Support for the Wards. Not a full Protectorate team. There is little need for the team if whatever plan she has in place to deal with upstarts works."

"Plan?"

"I assume she has one. A show of force of some kind, or a threat of one. That would be her style."

"For someone with such a sophisticated intelligence apparatus, she is rather direct in dealing with villains."

"She is."

I felt like that was selling me short, but I wouldn't complain. That I tended to hide my indirect actions played to my advantage now. People didn't know about them, not to the same degree as my habit of blowing up illicit goods and smashing.

Of course, my whole scheme now was so convoluted, I didn't expect anyone to think I was doing it. Even Tattletale shouldn't be able to do it. Depending on her power, anyway.

Armsmaster and Dragon chatted.

Piggot remained in her office, still talking to Calvert.

"We may need to consider shifting our stance on Celestial Being."

What?

"A little harsh, Thomas," Piggot replied. "Her success may not be our glory, but it benefits our goals all the same. The city's crime is way down since she began operating. I loathe her attitude, but she does get results."

…Why couldn't she just say that to me?

"You're the one who argued that we should give her some slack in the first place," she revealed. "You convinced me."

"It was the correct call at the time," Calvert said. "We needed something to break the stalemate. It's broken now. Now we need to start asking ourselves if Newtype is really the kind of Hero we want flying around the country 'liberating' cities."

"You think she'll start operating in other cities?"

"I think she thinks she can save the entire world all by herself."

"Was he always this much of a prick?" Lafter asked. "I'm helping! Where's my credit?"

"I always knew he was kind of a snake," I grumbled. "He's always rubbed me the wrong way."

"I can see why."

"It's admirable," Calvert continued, "but I doubt I need to explain to you that it's a dangerous way of looking at things. We can't chalk her success up to mere luck, but sooner or later she'll get unlucky and I worry she won't be the one to pay for it."

"I'm aware."

"Have you read my report? A former ABB captain had a very interesting story. Newtype made a deal with him. He surrendered the territory around her factory and she left him alone. She might not be the idealist she wants us to think she is."

"Or she might just be young and foolish." Piggot chuckled. "And what would you propose? A bullet?"

"There's hardly any call for that, Emily. If anything, my transgressions give me a distinct insight on how disastrous good intentions can become."

I wondered what the story there was. The PRT didn't advertise its personnel like Protectorate capes. Piggot and Calvert were grandfathered into the current organization. They'd been troopers before, back when the PRT tried to deal with capes on its own without any capes of its own.

They sounded like there might be some bad blood buried between them.

"I would propose we be watchful," Calvert said. "We hardly need Newtype getting involved in the Nine or thinking she can 'solve' Ellisburg." There's an idea and I'll think about it just for you. "I hate to think the hell she might unleash if she antagonizes the Elite. She'll find the largest parahuman gang in America far harder to deal with than city-based thugs."

"You're telling me nothing I don't already know," Piggot replied. "Get to the point. Enough buttering me up. What do you want to do?"

"I think we should simply do our due diligence."

"I don't like him," Lafter decided.

"He's doing his job," I admitted, reluctantly.

He kind of was. The PRT would be fools not to look at me and think I could do a lot of damage. I didn't appreciate the thought though, so for once I wouldn't mind if they were fools.

Piggot's first call after hanging up on Calvert was Chief Director Costa-Brown. Figured. Miss Militia was calling the Protectorate base in Philadelphia. Dauntless was calling a home number I chose not to look too hard at. He did mention a kid so I figured he had a family and was preparing to go home. Triumph—

Triumph was talking to the Mayor?

That seemed kind of—

"That is strange," Veda announced.

"What?"

"Deputy Director Calvert is making two calls at once."

I sat up a little.

"At once?"

"Yes. One is to a reporter in Providence. Accessing phone records. They converse frequently. Female. Possibly a girlfriend."

"Ew," Lafter mumbled.

"And the other call?" I asked.

"A burner phone. I cannot identify the owner but have located their position here."

Lord's street, just down the block from the PRT building. The call wasn't long. A few seconds. It ended while the first call continued.

"Taylor, I am looking up some of Ms. Gilford's writing."

"The reporter?"

"Yes. She is highly critical of parahumans and the Protectorate." Not unusual. Lots of reporters were. Arguably it was their job to criticize those with power. Fourth estate and all that. "She is a member of Blue Cosmos."

That was more unusual.

The second person he called called someone else. Then that person called someone. And that person called someone. All really brief calls. The last one ended up calling Calvert back briefly.

Then Calvert pulled out a third damn phone.

Lafter scoffed. "How many phones does one person need?"

Veda revealed, "That is a number I know."

"Whose?" I asked.

"Tattletale's current burner phone."

I blinked. I didn't know how Veda knew what the number of Tattletale's current burner phone was. Didn't ask.

"What about Tattletale?" Aisha called.

Too busy feeling puzzle pieces fall into place.

"Um, Taylor?" Lafter leaned over and looked me in the eye. "That's weird, right?"

The pet. The connection between Teacher, Coil, the PRT, Blue Cosmos, and the person who fucked my plan to fuck the Empire.

"It's fucking Calvert?…Asshole."