A Waken 12.8
The machine guns continued firing and the bullets continued flashing. I barely made out Othala's form in the barrage of light. She exploded at one point, appearing beside Leet. The arms holding the guns swivelled, continuing to fire at her while Leet's suit billowed dust from its feet.
The machine slid to the side, skating like Chris' did. The one eye in the head tracked Othala, and the other two mechanical arms on its back began loading something into the cannon held by the left arm.
"What do we do?" Lafter asked.
"There are abnormal gravitation waves emanating from Leet's suit," Veda said. "It appears to be coming from the weapon in his left hand."
The cannon. Gravitation waves?
"He's going to trap her somehow," I mumbled. He meant what he said about becoming the Butcher's roommate. "Stay back. He's going to shoot something at her and suck her in."
"Have a gold star," Leet grumbled.
He could hear us? I thought he was just transmitting, but if he heard us then he hacked into our com line… How the fuck did he hack into the com line?
I glanced at Queen. The suit's head stared down at Leet, almost like Veda was surprised.
Othala exploded again and swiped at Leet from behind. The arms already had her targeted, machine guns still unleashing a constant barrage. Leet spun, his axe catching Othala in the side and knocking her into the air. He chased her as she rolled over the ground, kicking her once and then turning his shield when fire erupted from her body.
His movements were odd, fluid in a way that seemed almost organic. What kind of control system was he using?
Othala dropped the intense fire, the air blasting out with steam as the source suddenly vanished. The bubble wrapped around her and Leet's bullets started curving over the surface and smacked into the ground.
"Move," I said.
I guided Exia right, while Lafter went left with Kyrios. Veda pulled Queen higher into the air and deployed the Fangs. A volley of fire peppered Othala, knocking her off her feet.
I started to draw my long sword, but I didn't have it anymore. It almost killed me. I lost my shortsword too, and a khatar. I forgot to pick up my beam sabers from the parking lot. That just left the GN missiles and the Gungnir, which I didn't want to use, and the buster sword and its built-in pistol.
I turned the pistol on Othala and fired as I drifted. Lafter shot with her remaining shield, joining the barrage.
The beams went through the bubble shield, battering Othala and knocking her to the ground. She didn't drop the shield this time. Leet's bullets kept curving away and hitting the ground.
She turned to one of the warehouses and exploded.
The bubble held for a few seconds, then faded away. I switched my cameras to sonic and spotted Othala in one of the warehouses lifting something from the ground.
He already hacked the com, so I snapped, "She has Magic Hat's power."
"I know," he replied.
How? Was Squealer watching the fight at Arcadia? That just brought me back to the question of how they knew to go after Victor.
His suit chased after her. One of the machine guns vanished, replaced with a strip of sheet metal. The arm threw it and the machine gun exploded in Othala's hands. She stumbled back, hands covering her eyes. Leet swung his axe into her gut and knocked her up into the air. He swung the cannon in his other arm over his head and down, catching Othala and slamming her back into the ground.
My lips pursed.
He's buying time.
I started rising up as Lafter and Veda kept their distance from the fight in the warehouse.
"An unknown tinker is on site engaging the Butcher," Armsmaster said. "The area appears free of potential loss of life."
"We'll set up a perimeter," Miss Militia responded. "Prism. Triumph. Take the street."
"Keep distance," Armsmaster ordered. "The tinker is employing unknown equipment."
Not entirely unknown. "It's Leet."
After a momentary silence, Stratos summed up the feeling with, "… Leet?"
"You're sure?" Renick asked.
"Yeah."
Admittedly, it was something of a gut feeling but I felt pretty damn sure. Leet was inside that suit and after failing to get revenge on me, he was trying to get revenge on the Butcher, the last of the Teeth.
Why does this shit always happen to me?
There really is a god. Life is too weird for there not to be, and I was some kind of joke. Two capes were trying to kill me because someone else killed someone they cared about, and in a way they did it to each other. Couldn't they have fought this out without dragging me into it?
Of course they couldn't, that would imply a fair world.
Reaching a higher altitude, I glanced to my right. Squealer's car sat several blocks north, and lightning coursed over the ground behind the vehicle.
"Militia: Tear gas," Armsmaster said.
"Butcher is immune to pain," Veda noted.
"The body will still react," he countered. "We may need additional options to blind her and those of us present can be sealed inside our armors. Dauntless, Stratos. Maintain the perimeter. If Butcher attempts to flee, attempt to turn her back. Keep the fight here."
"That might be hard if she presses the issue," Stratos warned. "Especially if we don't want to risk a kill."
"Thus far Othala has attacked Newtype and pursued the one who produced her husband's ring." Veda maneuvered queen as she spoke. "I do not believe she intends to escape."
I turned my eyes down toward Leet as he continued fighting Othala in the warehouse. "What do you need?"
Leet's suit glanced towards me.
I waited for an answer, not wanting to wade into a fight where Leet of all people was planning to employ some kind of gravity tech.
This sucks.
With the time-stop option out the window and Armsmaster's serum requiring us getting really close—plus I'd realized Heatwave's power could incinerate the serum before Othala inhaled it—I was ready to try anything. Anything that got Othala locked away and unable to hurt anyone was a win.
And Leet clearly had a plan. Hopefully it worked better than his plan to kill me.
"A minute," he said.
A minute then.
I turned my shield toward the warehouse. "Vacate the building."
Leet hesitated for a moment, then his suit leaned back and he skated out the doors. My shield opened and the missile fired. The roof imploded, green light swirling and shredding the sheet metal to ribbons. Metal wailed and the warehouse began to collapse, falling atop Othala and pinning her under the debris.
That should be good for a bit.
I raised my head, noticing the canisters sailing through the air.
Miss Militia stood on a roof at the end of the block, her power in the form of a grenade launcher. She fired it six times, then burst her weapon into mist and reformed it. She started firing again.
The canisters clattered to the ground and exploded with smoke.
Debris and tear gas. At least Othala wouldn't be able to teleport away at the first glimpse of open air.
Kyrios set down atop the rubble pile, ignoring the gas swirling into the air. Othala shifted under it all, gradually forcing her way out of the debris. As Lafter came down, a beam bent and broke, bringing a new wave of metal and brick crashing down onto Othala and burying her again.
Armsmaster started forward but maintained a course that kept him far apart from Leet. "What are you planning?"
Leet's suit shifted weight and steam hissed from its back.
Squealer came roaring back into the lot, her car dragging a large sphere behind it. She drove past Leet and the chain connecting the orb broke. The object to rolled while Squealer kept driving. Leet's suit swept forward and caught it, bringing the object to a stop.
"I'm going to trap her in this," Leet answered.
"She's going zorbing?" Lafter asked.
The debris pile exploded, fire washing over the ground as Othala used Heatwave's power to blast a way out for herself. I worried she might do that, though it was nice she didn't do it immediately.
The tear gas ignited in an instant, drawing the fire into the air before exploding in a concussive blast. I felt it hit my chest through the hole in Exia's armor.
A scream filled the air and I watched the haggard figure rise through the exploding fire. I couldn't quite make out her face. Angry? Sad? Pained? She looked past me rather than at me. Leet. Armsmaster. Lafter. Armsmaster.
She exploded, but he was already moving. Armsmaster swept the haft of his weapon across his chest, knocking Othala's hand away. The helmet of his armor shifted and closed over his mouth, obscuring his body from sight.
Othala shouted and threw a wild punch. Armsmaster stepped back and swung the base of his weapon upward. Othala took the blow without flinching, and when she tried to grab his shoulder he stepped to the side. He brought his weapon's blade down and the axe-head shifted and opened.
A green mist blasted into the air.
"Serum applied," Armsmaster said. Othala stumbled back and shook her head. "Leet's device may be unnecessary."
Othala roared and tried to punch him again.
A jet of flame exploded from Armsmaster's back and he shot into the air.
He built a jet pack. That was my idea!
Othala exploded in chase. Armsmaster batted her aside, and I drove Exia after her. Swinging the buster sword forward I shot past Othala and hit her back toward the lot.
That serum wasn't the fastest acting. That was why we couldn't use it on Lung. We'd have to wait and see if it worked on Othala.
She hit the ground hard and rolled. I took shots at her. The more she moved, the faster the serum would work. Veda and Lafter did the same. Even Leet opened fire with his remaining machine gun.
I drew closer, pulling the trigger on my controls over and over again.
There was something… I couldn't put my finger on it.
Why was she doing this? Even if she did manage to kill me, she'd never escape. The Protectorate would go after her hard. They'd have no choice after a flagrant attack and murder in broad daylight. The Butcher was always a violent killer, but not a stupid one.
I'd read enough of the history to notice how the Butcher only crossed the line so much. Did she not care what happened to her as long as she got some kind of revenge? Armsmaster might be right.
She didn't want to escape.
Othala ignited as Lafter drew close to her.
Lafter pulled back.
Othala exploded in front of her, arm outstretched. Lafter rolled, letting Othala move past her. Kyrios' legs swept up and the thrusters fired. The blast knocked Othala down, and Lafter raised her last shield. GN particles pulsed, and the fins on the suit's back and knees opened to reveal more particle condensers.
The shield became a cone, and Lafter charged. Othala screamed again and drove her hands forward. Her fingers hit the GN field like a wall. The field bent but held, holding Othala back as Kyrios pushed her into the ground.
Why is she doing this?
She tried to kill me before, then she chased Squealer through the city. Now she was attacking Lafter while Leet and I were right in front of her.
Did she not have a plan before? Maybe the serum made her delirious.
She still hadn't said a word. She seemed happy when I had a sword sticking out of my chest and angry when Panacea came to heal me. 'No' was the only word I'd heard her say, not that I expected much of a conversation.
I glanced at the sphere. Leet hadn't said what it was, but I could guess. How would I get rid of the Butcher if I'd had time to actually plan for it?
Othala looked away and exploded again.
Lafter swept her arm up, switching the shield to fire a particle beam. It hit Othala in the back and the Fangs fired from a half dozen directions. Leet pulled the orb behind him, one of the mechanical arms pressing into a panel on the surface.
"Get back," Leet warned.
I fired my pistol and rose into the air.
Leet tried screwing me once before. I wouldn't put it past him to do it again. Best to avoid the temptation. Kyrios retreated, quickly drifting backward before rising into the air. Leet's machine gun opened fire and the barrage battered Othala.
She moved her hand to shield her eyes.
Leet leveled the large cannon at her. The weapon pulsed once and a light shot from the barrel. Othala was thrown back as the blast hit her and Leet slammed the back of the weapon into the sphere.
His suit hissed steam again and he released the cannon and skated away.
I saw the effect on the ground first. A visible wave of dirt and dust that rose and rolled toward the cannon barrel. Othala leaned back, as if fighting a strong wind trying to blow her over. Her feet slid over the ground and as she was pulled toward the weapon she turned.
She exploded, but the cannon followed her. The weapon spinning the orb up and to the left. Othala shouted as she spun through the air and drew close to the sphere. She looked at it and then at Kyrios.
I shouted "Lafter!"
The objects swapped places. Lafter tensed and raised her shield. Othala flew the other way, still ensnared by whatever Leet's weapon was doing. Some kind of gravity beam that entangled her even when she teleported? My brain hurt trying to figure that out mechanically.
Othala tried to teleport away again, but the weapon kept drawing her in. She turned toward it at that point, teleporting closer and reaching for the weapon. Instead of grabbing hold of it, her body compressed and she vanished into the barrel.
"Wait." Lafter lowered her arm. "Is that a Pokéball?" She turned to Leet. "That's a Pokéball!"
Leet's one eye turned toward her. "No it's not."
"What is a Pokéball?" Renick asked.
"I'll explain later," Prism said. "Or you can ask Valiant. He'll know."
I brought Exia down to land. The cannon drew into the sphere as it fell. The surface of the device closed completely, leaving a smooth copper surface that reflected our images.
Lafter brought Kyrios over it. "It's a fucking Pokéball!"
I just assumed that was a game thing. Guess Leet hadn't changed that much.
Armsmaster looked the object over with a wary expression on his mouth. "What does it do?"
"Puts the Butcher in permanent stasis. She won't die. She won't be able to escape."
I tensed. "You're going to freeze her in time?"
"The pressure inside the orb will prevent her from moving and she won't be able to see out of it. The interior is larger than the exterior, so she won't be able to reach the walls. A system will feed nutrients and fluids into the air to keep her alive."
A permanent prison. The Birdcage for one. Probably a good thing. Letting the Butcher loose in the actual Birdcage sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.
Am I supposed to feel sad?
I didn't. I didn't know how Othala ended up the Butcher, but… Well, Nazi. If someone had to be forever imprisoned to deal with the problem that was as good a victim as any.
I turned my head to Leet.
He watched me, and I didn't miss the axe still in his hand. He probably noticed my sword still drawn and pointed at the ground in front of me. I frowned, kind of annoyed I couldn't see his face. Hard to tell what someone is thinking when they're fully encased in armor.
Guess I'd been doing that for a long time.
"Are we going to fight?" I asked.
The eye remained locked on me. Veda subtly positioned Queen in the air. Lafter didn't move, but Kyrios was already over the sphere and on Leet's flank. They both watched us closely, not paying much mind to Armsmaster as he walked around the sphere.
The eye looked away.
"No," he said. "We're not."
The mechanical arms drew his weapons into his backpack, settling the gun and axe into their slots. I flipped the buster sword back and set Exia on the ground.
Butcher was a truce kind of threat. So, truce it was.
"Console, Armsmaster. Butcher is contained."
"I'll pass it up," Renick said. "There's talk of bringing Tagg in to handle this. Legends team is assembled and they're preparing for transit."
"She's not getting out," Leet stated confidently. "I built it for her."
The question annoyed me. "How did you know?"
Leet's eye turned. "Know what?"
"That Othala was Butcher. I've been looking, and I didn't know. You went after Victor to get to her. You knew before now, and you knew enough to figure she'd come after me."
Leet turned his suit to face mine. Armsmaster had stopped his inspection, his head turned to watch over his shoulder.
"I didn't expect her to go after you," he said in an annoyed tone. "Not everything revolves around you."
I frowned. That wasn't what I meant, but I guess we weren't friends. Not even close.
"You never considered that Othala would attack Newtype?" Armsmaster fixed his gaze on a particular part of the sphere. I assumed he was scanning it. Veda was doing the same, and what she saw confirmed what Leet said. "She arrested Victor, and Othala."
Or running his lie detector?
Leet went silent for a moment, as if only just considering he was being questioned. "I wasn't trying to get Victor killed. I just needed him as bait. The precog I used said she'd come after me if I took him."
He has a precog?
Could that throw off Dinah's power? If Leet went after Victor based on a precog's suggestion, and that caused the dominoes to tip over, maybe Dinah's simply didn't notice it? Thinkers could interfere with one another and we'd never really tested Dinah against other precogs.
"This wasn't an attack," Leet insisted. "Not by me."
Armsmaster hummed, but said nothing. Truth then?
Leet and I watched each other, and I felt the tension rising. That and a nasty headache. Amy said something about needing to eat more. Was my body exhausted from the healing and running low now that the adrenaline was fading? The headache was pretty bad actually. Could feel my heart pounding in my skull.
Queen's head turned toward me.
"I'm fine," I stated over a new line, one that Leet hopefully wasn't hacked into.
"You are fatigued," Veda answered. "I have informed Pink of Panacea's advice. She is preparing a substantial meal."
My head did hurt. A lot. The ache kind of faded when I started the chase. Adrenaline will do that, but as it faded from my system the throbbing returned.
Shit, I should call dad.
He'd probably seen the news or gotten questions already. Did anyone get a good shot of me almost dying?
You'd rather have your kid than a tombstone.
Fuck.
"What kind of maintenance does this device require?" Armsmaster asked. "Is there a schematic?"
"I can keep it running," Leet said, eye snapping to Armsmaster.
Armsmaster turned. "That will not be necessary."
"It's a complicated device."
Oh.
That's what this was?
For a moment, I really thought he wanted revenge for his friend. Leet broke the unwritten rules. The PRT and Protectorate were after him, and if he broke Squealer out they probably wanted him even more. Two fugitive tinkers working together and with a potential willingness to break the Endbringer Truce?
Leet wanted a get out of jail card and he just handed the Protectorate the Butcher.
Bullshit.
God really does hate Taylor Hebert.
The PRT troopers and the rest of the Protectorate closed on our position while Leet and Armsmaster glared. They'd arrive soon. Armsmaster looked ready for a fight, halberd held loose at his side.
Would they press the issue? If pressed into a corner, could Leet release Othala from the sphere? The serum might be working on her, or it might have burned away with Heatwave's power. Gambling on Bakuda coming up with something was stupid when we already had the problem solved.
Being the bigger person fucking sucks and this left a bad taste in my mouth.
Using the Butcher as a bargaining chip.
"Is it supposed to turn yellow?"
I turned to look up at Lafter. "What?"
"Is the Pokéball supposed to turn yellow."
"It's not—" Leet stopped. His suit's eye flashed, fixed on the sphere.
It was yellow, and getting yellower.
Renick cursed. "Wait. Boston got back to us. Citrine, one of Accord's Ambassadors. She had a wide range shaker power with trump elements. It manifested visibly as a yellow field."
"Define," Armsmaster commanded as he spun to face the orb.
"She could shut down powers. Manipulate physics. A lot of things."
I tensed. "What was her range?" And how much shorter is it now? Did she keep the range and lose the intensity?
"One wasn't given."
I glanced at Leet. "How much bigger is the inside of that thing?"
The mechanical arms pulled his weapons back out and his suit skated back and away from the orb. "Obviously not big enough."
I released the buster sword and took back to the air.
"Be advised," Armsmaster said as he backed up. "The Butcher is using Citrine's shaker power on Leet's device."
I noticed something on the surface. A warping. Renick said Citrine's power could manipulate physics?
"The surface is oxidizing," Veda explained. "The structure will break down."
"Citrine died on the other side of the city hours after the fight," Leet mumbled.
I raised my brow at that but focused on the sphere. One piece of the sphere began to crumple, the material corroding faster and faster. If it was bigger on the inside than the outside, it would explode.
Failure on two solutions? She was still conscious, so Armsmaster's serum didn't work either.
Armsmaster retreated from the sphere, saying, "Militia: smokescreen."
More canisters shot into the air and landed around the sphere. That wouldn't last long. An explosion would throw the smoke away and Othala could burn what remained off.
My brain spun, which made the headache worse. Blinding her worked, but she could get around tear gas or Leet's flash bullets. A lot of her powers seemed to need line of sight. Remove that and she couldn't use them. Could I gouge her eyes out? How could I get close enough without her twisting Exia's armor apart?
Even if I managed it, it wouldn't really contain her. She'd still have Heatwave's power, Citrine's, and any others she hadn't used thus far. For all I knew she possessed some kind of regeneration.
She has too many fucking powers.
No wonder the Protectorate couldn't stop them.
I started dialing but stopped. If Leet hacked one com line, he could hack another. I did not need him listening in on my call with Bakuda.
"What do we do now?" Dauntless asked.
"We need to keep her contained," Militia said, still firing canisters into the air.
The sphere was almost completely obscured by smoke. I watched with the sonic cameras as the prison began to bend inward and outward. It took on a blurry quality though, similar to how Bakuda's tech messed with the cameras.
"She has recklessly attacked since appearing," Armsmaster stated. "There is no reason to believe she will stop."
But she hadn't. At the parking lot she executed a plan to kill me. All of that couldn't be a coincidence. Then she chased Squealer and Squealer fled… She never followed.
Was she just mad? Why do I care?
The smoke exploded, blasting out in long arms into the air.
I shouted, "Armsmaster!"
He raised his halberd right before Othala came lunging from the fading smoke and swung a piece of the sphere into his side. It hit him with a tang and broke, rusted pieces of metal splintering against his armor. Othala grabbed him by the throat and spun, throwing the man into the air.
Queen caught him and I charged to catch up. Othala exploded behind them. Leet's machine gun began firing but Othala buried a hand into Queen's wing and swiped her fingers through the E-Carbon. The material warped and I swung the buster sword over my head.
Othala exploded away before I hit her and when she appeared on the ground she threw two of the Fangs from her hands.
Leet turned his shield and both Fangs cut into the armor. Othala exploded to his other side, grabbing the machine gun and ripping it from the clamp holding it. Leet spun back away, swinging his axe as the weapon exploded.
Othala opened her eyes, caught the axe and drove a hand into Leet's suit.
She changed again.
Like in the parking lot, when she switched from wildly attacking to having some kind of idea what she was doing.
A loud bang echoed in the air and Othala's head snapped back. Miss Militia's quickly leveled her over-sized rifle again and fired. Othala's chest flinched and Leet shoved her back.
He skated back and I turned around to take aim. Othala exploded and knocked Miss Militia to the ground. I'd already fired, a beam knocking her in the shoulder while the heroine rolled back. Dauntless swooped down and tackled her. He raised his shield and a wave of force threw Othala through the air and back into the lot.
Othala exploded in the air and Lafter ducked back as a punch nearly connected with Kyrios' head. Kyrios vanished and was replaced with Queen. Veda reacted quickly, drawing a beam saber and pushing Othala back with the blade. The Fangs circled and fired and Othala exploded next to me.
I swung my sword – I'd started watching her eyes closely – but Othala did nothing to stop me from hitting her. I knocked her into the ground, then kicked her toward Armsmaster as more smoke grenades clattered around us.
Her clothes were mostly gone, lost in the fighting. Her skin still looked unmarked, but I saw welts and bruises under the surface. She wasn't invincible under the skin.
If we keep doing this, she's going to kill someone or one of us is going to kill her.
…
One of us is going to kill her.
"She's trying to die," I muttered.
Dauntless paused in the air above. "What?"
"She wants to die."
My hand fumbled with the controls. I raced forward, spinning Exia behind her as she wrestled with Armsmaster for his halberd. Lafter came up beside me, shield opening into a claw. She grabbed hold of Othala's torso and I covered her eyes with a hand.
Fire burst out.
I let go and retreated, reminded of the hole in Exia's armor.
I flipped the external com on and shouted, "Eve, stop!"
She flinched, eyes turning toward me. I stopped, holding my position. Could she be talked to? She watched me for a moment, and her face twisted.
"Why won't you die," she snarled.
So she wanted to live long enough to kill me. Great. The thought process eluded me, but just great.
That's why she smiled before. I die and then she dies.
She exploded and her fist hit Exia's faceplate. I shoved my shoulder into her and tried to cover her face again when I found myself looking at her side from forty-feet away.
Armsmaster swept his halberd into her side. This time lightning coursed from the weapon and Othala's body recoiled from the shock.
"She's trying to make us kill her," I said. Killing me would just be nice?
Lafter scoffed. "Is killing herself too much trouble?"
She flanked Armsmaster and projected another cone-field in front of Kyrios. Miss Militia fired a large rifle again, hitting Othala in the knee this time. Her leg snapped back and Veda kicked Othala into the cone. Fangs fired into the ground, kicking up dust and rock. They kept firing, producing a cloud that held even as Othala unleashed Heatwave's power. The GN field contained the blade, save for a few spits of flame that escaped.
"This isn't going to last long," Lafter mumbled.
Dauntless floated overhead. "Do we have a plan here?"
"Legend's team is incoming," Renick advised.
Stratos snickered. "Do they have a plan?"
Armsmaster rose up, but I noticed him favoring one leg over the other. "I assume Leet does not have a second device."
"I don't," Leet said. "I didn't know she had Citrine's power or I would have planned for it."
"Until it blew up," Lafter quipped.
"We wouldn't be in this mess if Newtype wasn't so good at pissing people off."
"Do you really want to start that?" Prism asked.
"Now is not the time," Armsmaster said in a cool but commanding tone. "Contain her until Legend's team—"
Veda interrupted. "Newtype." She brought up a visual on my HUD.
This is either going to be good or bad.
"Bakuda is coming."
"Just what we needed," Prism snarled.
"We cannot allow Bakuda to become involved," Renick exclaimed. "The Think Tank does not consider her personality stable. Adding the Butcher on top of it is an unacceptable risk."
"I'll turn her back," Stratos said.
Shit.
"I called her." Armsmaster and Miss Militia both turned their eyes toward me. Damn it. "I wanted her to use a bomb like the one she used on Lung. The one that froze his arm."
"A weapon based on Gray Boy's power," Armsmaster stated in a flat and dismissive tone. "That could work."
"Forecast said it wouldn't work. Butcher transfers to Bakuda if we tried it. And yes, I've already told her that."
Miss Militia turned, sweeping her weapon nother. "Then why is she coming?"
I lied. "I don't know." Please have something.
I charged, projecting a GN field from my own shield to strengthen the cone Lafter trapped Othala in. It held for a moment, but Kyrios' power faltered. The GN field broke and Othala's fire flowed out.
The dust the Fangs kicked up might block her vision, but she still saw something. She punched Kyrios in the leg, swiped a hand through its arm and then turned on me. I parried with my buster sword. It was too big for that job. Othala jumped up and stepped on the blade A blast of heat fired from her back and forced the edge into the ground.
Heatwave's power or someone elses?
She jumped back when Veda swung a saber at her before she could do anything else, falling free of the dust cloud.
I saw Bakuda land on a roof behind me, beside Miss Militia. The heroine turned a gun on her and Bakuda didn't respond. She walked over to the roof edge and shouldered her grenade launcher.
Armsmaster glanced to the roof. "Militia?"
"She's saying she's going to make the Butcher go away."
Renick audibly sighed. I heard him talking to someone before, "How?"
Miss Militia looked at Bakuda but didn't drop her weapon. "She says Haywire was a hack."
Haywire?
Armsmaster hummed. "We need details."
Lafter mumbled, "Didn't we just try Leet's thing only for it to not work?"
She came at Othala from behind, right as I pulled my sword free of the ground. I batted the woman into Kyrios, and Lafter slammed her down into the ground. The Fangs fired a volley to throw up more dust, but Heatwaves power blew it away.
"Leet's thing didn't work," I noted. "Neither did the serum. She's going to die if we keep fighting."
I noticed him keeping his distance now. All he had left was his axe.
"Using untested tinkertech in the field is dangerous," Armsmaster continued. "Especially from villains."
Othala came towards me, running.
Veda intercepted her, swiping a saber at her legs and tripping her. "Are we not in an emergency situation?"
"We should wait until Legend gets here," Prism said.
"Othala is suffering internal injuries," Veda revealed. "She may die before Legend and his team arrive."
And did that team even have a plan? If the PRT had a scheme for trapping the Butcher or permanently dealing with it, they'd have used it years ago. Simply throwing more capes at Othala wouldn't work. She wanted to die and when she did someone would win the worst kind of prize.
If she was talking to Dinah, she might already know it would work. Haywire specialized in dimensional tech. "Can she say how this will deal with the Butcher?"
Suddenly, Bakuda leaned towards Militia and her voice came over the com.
"Yeah, so you might want to move!" She drew back and her boots pushed her into the air. "Shit I'd better get cred for this!"
She's just going to do it anyway.
Good.
"StarGazer."
I turned my pistol on the ground and began firing. The Fangs did the same and Lafter followed. Othala tried to chase me and I drew her into the dust cloud. She could still see me somehow, and if she could use any of her other powers she would.
"Armsmaster, pull back."
The man hesitated but began moving. Leet moved too, spinning his suit around and racing in the direction Squealer went. Miss Militia hesitated but she began firing more smoke grenades into the air.
Bakuda landed atop a warehouse and I noticed her arm held tight at her side. The one Phalanx broke. Did she tinker something with one hand?
"Taylor—"
"Stay back," I ordered. She never once chased Queen while her vision was obscured. Did she see living things? "It's going to be fine."
Bakuda leveled her launcher, pointing it my way. Now would be as good a time as any to stab me in the back. Pleasant thought.
I noticed her wave the barrel toward me a few times. Too close? Well, at least she warned me. Kyrios and Queen flew out of the dust cloud we'd shot up and the smoke Miss Militia added to it. Leet escaped the lot entirely and Armsmaster ran toward the street.
Othala reached for me and I turned my shield. Her fingers sank into the surface and an alarm went off as the E-Carbon in the arm began to warp. Bakuda kept waving her weapon.
I pressed a button and released the shield.
"Burn red."
The GN drive ignited and my chest slammed into Exia's as the thrusters threw me back. Othala was thrown forward by the blow back and-
Pathetic – Letting a little girl get the better of you – She's just a tinker – Why won't she die? – Strong – Who is that? - A new voice - Hat! – She won't die – But we're not dead yet - Newtype is strong – I can't see – It hurts – Die already. Maybe the rest of us will get lucky.
Exia's back hit the ground as my grip on the controls loosened. My lungs inhaled and I looked up at the sky. The stabbing pain in the back of my head vanished almost instantly, but a burning ache lingered. My headache flared back up as the pain faded, which was almost worse.
What the hell was that?
Raising my head, I watched Othala stumble.
I swore I heard something for a moment, but more than that I felt something. Something so familiar it hurt. A helplessness so deep that life didn't seem to matter anymore. That dying was preferable to continuing to live trapped and alone.
The locker.
"Wait—"
Bakuda fired. The grenade hit the ground at Othala's feet and…
"She is still there," Veda said. It let me know I wasn't imagining it.
Bakuda was close enough now I could hear her laugh. "No, no, wait for it! This is gonna be great!"
Othala looked down at herself, and I noticed all the smoke was gone.
She raised her head and I raised my shield—Right, no shield—as her eyes looked my way.
Then she was gone.
GN particles continued burning around me, and I raised my empty hand in a guard. I thought for a moment Bakuda teleported, but there was no explosion. No object appeared in her place. She was simply gone.
"Where did she go?" Lafter asked.
"So impatient!" Bakuda shouted. "Honestly, you can't rush genius!"
A second later Othala reappeared. She crashed to the ground, gasping for breath. She raised her head and started to move when she vanished again.
"You're welcome!" Bakuda raised her weapon and slung it over her shoulder. "Am I allowed to collect a Guild bounty for this? The Butcher has a bounty, right? I'm thinking something in the underground lair department, but not a cliché."
Miss Militia's rifle turned as Othala appeared again, this time on her back. "What did you do?"
She was laughing, arms wrapped around her chest.
"How much time do you have?" Bakuda asked back. "Cause I'll explain it, but it could be awhile."
Othala disappeared yet again.
"She is vanishing every ten seconds," Veda revealed. "And moving exactly ten feet each time she does."
"Yeah, I threw her out of phase," Bakuda said. "Her body doesn't know what dimension it's supposed to be in, so it just keeps jumping."
At ten seconds on the dot Othala reappeared, sitting and staring.
And I felt absolutely rotten for some reason.
Armsmaster watched Othala. "How long will this effect last?"
Bakuda tapped the face of her mask. "What's the half-life of Bismuth-209?"
"Two times ten to the nineteenth power," Veda answered.
Bakuda nodded. "So like, a tenth of that?"
Heads glanced back and forth. Othala vanished during the silence and reappeared once. She jumped, apparently having noticed she kept returning to the lot. She exploded into the air and then exploded again like she wanted to escape.
She vanished and ten seconds later reappeared in the lot, about ten feet from where she was before.
"What now?" Stratos asked.
Bakuda shrugged. "What's the Guild bounty on the Butcher?"
Othala stumbled for a few moments. Then she looked at me, her face sunken and confused. The expression was slowly replaced by anger and she exploded toward me. I dodged the attack and raised my pistol but she vanished again.
Ten seconds.
"I mean, I guess you could build a bunker or something," Bakuda said. "She's gonna keep flashing back to this area like, every ten jumps? From her perspective. It's a theme thing. Ten. Ten. Ten. You know, for style points."
When Othala reappeared she instantly went after Armsmaster. He avoided her, deflecting her blows with his halberd and tasing her thrice before she vanished again.
"But it is long enough to kill someone," Bakuda continued. "I guess. So maybe put someone on guard duty or something. Do I have to keep asking about this bounty to get an answer?"
"Not to ruin the gloating," Dauntless said, "but won't she die of thirst in three days?"
"Nah." Bakuda waved her hand at him. "That's the other half of the brilliance! Her body is rewinding ten seconds every time she phases. It's why she keeps showing back up right here. Yeah, Little Miss Know-It-All said time-stopping her wouldn't work but letting her starve to death in a couple days seemed like a bad idea so here we are. Inspired by an Indian cape I read about. Wasn't sure it would work."
How the fuck did it work?
My headache got worse trying to think about it.
And why do I feel so cold?
I tapped at the controls, watching the lot for Othala's next reappearance.
sys.t/ Dinah?
I didn't get an answer immediately, and started to worry after my second message didn't get a response. I was typing out my third message and getting ready to check on White when a flurry of answers came.
sys.d/ she's sleeping
sys.d/ she said to say don't worry about it
sys.d/ not sure what she meant
Okay...
sys.d/ oh and this is Missy
sys.d/ what happened?
sys.d/ are you okay?
sys.d/ where's the Butcher?
sys.t/ what happened to Dinah?
sys.d/ she's passed out
sys.d/ but I think she's okay
She used her power too much, but if she said don't worry about it, then it was fine?
Othala vanished again. She'd tried running that time and made it pretty far before she disappeared. When she reappeared she gagged and coughed up water. She was soaking wet, which I found weird but ten seconds wasn't enough time to drown.
Did she just come and go randomly?
"What if she kills herself?" I asked.
Bakuda looked down about the time Othala disappeared. "I don't know. Can she?"
She had some measure of invincibility, and if her body kept snapping back to exactly how it was ten seconds before… Could she kill herself in ten seconds with absolutely nothing?
"But seriously, anyone got Dragon's number? It says online the Guild rewards bounties to villains too and if not…" She shook her head. "Well, that's just false advertising. Not very heroic if you ask me."
"It can be negotiated," Armsmaster said with a stern look. "Deputy Director. Bakuda's device appears to be working so far."
"I heard that doubt, Beardmaster!"
"I recommend we sweep a two block radius and establish a quarantine. We should observe for a time before making any determinations."
"Legend's team is insisting on coming," Renick announced. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Retreat and hold position."
I powered Exia down from Trans-Am. The suit's weight settled around me and I turned to look at Leet. He watched Othala as she reappeared and continued to do so until she disappeared. Then the eye on his suit turned toward me.
"I must request that Bakuda and Leet remain here to answer questions," Armsmaster said. "You are not under arrest and the Protectorate considers the Truce to remain in effect for twelve hours or until a crime is committed."
Leet looked past me to Armsmaster. His suit started to crackle with lightning. I never saw Squealer come back. She simply drove off.
"No," Leet stated bluntly.
Air hissed and steam puffed into the air as his suit vanished.
"Shit," Bakuda cursed. "If Leet's not that dumb"—she jumped and her boots ignited—"I'm not."
She shot off into the air and Dauntless moved to follow her. Armsmaster told him to leave it. Apparently picking a fight with a villain who didn't want to surrender themselves wasn't allowed.
"Withdraw," he ordered. "We should get out of sight. Troopers can take stations to observe the area."
We gathered a block away along the barricade the troopers established.
"Gather close," Armsmaster said. "This will likely be a long weekend."
I turned my head and regretted it. Ouch. "Why-"
Before I could ask something slammed into my back and exploded. Confoam surrounded Exia, expanding into a huge blob. Miss Militia fired another grenade and another. Armsmaster pressed a button on his suit, and confoam exploded from it to encase Lafter, Kyrios, Prism, and himself.
Kyrios tried to lift off, but confoam really is stupid strong stuff. Once it hardened the suit became trapped just a few inches off the ground.
My head snapped around, which didn't help the pain. "The fuck?!"
"Sorry." Miss Militia turned her weapon on her own teammates and fired. They all stood there and let the foam cover them. "It's standard after-action for any encounter with the Butcher."
I turned Exia's head, feeling some foam expand into my suit through the crack in the chest.
Armsmaster just stood in the foam and said, "We'll all be going into M/S quarantine when Legend's team arrives."
A scowl crossed my face. "Seriously?"
Queen floated in the air just above us. "Am I required to submit myself?"
"Your suit is operated by remote," Armsmaster answered. "As such you were not personally near the Butcher."
"Kid Win, Flechette, Weld, Shielder and the Dallon sisters are in custody," Renick said. "Which isn't really custody. This is all precautionary."
I shouted. "But she's not dead!"
This made sense if she was, or if someone thought she might, but really?
"We were going out tonight," Prism complained.
"We can reschedule," Triumph replied.
"A weekend ruined," Stratos mumbled.
"If we're lucky it won't be necessary again," Miss Militia said. She transformed her power into a pistol at her waist and then dropped a grenade at her own feet. She sighed as the foam encased her. "How shall we pass the time?"
Seriously?!
