A Waken 17.6
Okay.
No one could hide for long once Veda gets her foot in the door.
"There is something wrong with this situation," Veda informed me. "Even Bring and Ribbons are unable to track them down and they are hyper-specialized for these tasks."
"What's wrong with it," I noted, "is that this is only the second time it's happened. Someone figured out you're hunting them down and is directly trying to counteract you."
I darted left, avoiding the missile as it streaked past me. Rolling mid-flight, I aimed past 00's feet and fired. The beams streaked through the air and one struck the missile as it tried to turn. The explosion shattered the windows of a tall office building but it was empty so no one got hurt.
"Second time?" Veda inquired.
"Number Man," I told her as I spun back about and pulled up.
The binders opened up, missiles spraying from the ports along the rims and peppering the large army truck below. The driver jumped out in the few seconds I gave him before detonating the charges. The vehicle exploded and Greystar appeared behind him from a stream of swirling ribbons. He struck the driver from behind to bring him down and then vanished back into his power.
That left the field clear from what I could tell.
"He made off with Toybox's funds and vanished on us," I continued. "That's the only other time it's happened."
"I did not get the sense he was endeared to Teacher," Veda reflected. "History aside."
I nodded in agreement.
On the TV the news was all about us—the riots spreading across cities, and the attacks that had followed mine. One clip showed Weld leading his team in Boston. A swarm of insects obscured the fight, but I could see Lightning and Gentle Giant working their way through a crowd to grab a man with a rifle. Weld was shielding a downed police officer and Weaver stood atop a car with a watchful eye on the crowds.
Blue Cosmos on one side, anti-Blue Cosmos on the other with a thick police line bisecting the rowdy crowds.
There had been other incidents. A whole lot of them, but mostly small or interrupted before they could get going. The Fallen had somehow gotten involved but we were handling that. That Dinah could see all of that happening meant it was random or spur-of-the-moment violence. It wasn't David, which meant he'd done something and we'd missed it or he'd done nothing.
Both options were nerve-racking.
"I'm starting to think we didn't give the Protectorate enough credit. Even with all these thinkers explicitly looking for it, we're more in the dark than I'd like."
Obviously, things hadn't advanced far enough for David to come out in the open himself. Worse, he might have realized we were onto him and was planning his own move. As if that thought wasn't daunting enough, other groups kept making stupid moves. The Fallen. The Adepts in New York. Now an Elite hit squad.
Some of it didn't even make any sense.
"You need to be in Amsterdam soon," Veda informed me.
"Right. I remember."
Looking over the block below, the rest of the team seemed to have things under control. PRT and police were on their way, so the would-be hit team was dealt with before it even got close to its target. Good thing, too.
The last thing we needed was any cape, or cape flunkies, killing Azrael and making a martyr of the asshole.
"Door please," I called.
I flew backward through the portal, docking 00 in the workshop and climbing out as soon as the suit opened. From there I took another door, crossing into an apartment. A woman on the other side blinked at me, her lips parting to speak.
"It's alright," Relena said. She was setting out some tea cups. "She's with me."
That, apparently, was enough. The woman—a maid, I assumed—lifted a tray, tucked it under her arm, and walked away into another room.
"Sorry," I offered. "I was dealing with some idiots."
Relena looked at me from the corners of her eyes. "This is pertaining to the men who went to Houston in anticipation that you'd go after Azrael?"
I nodded. "I am surprised they managed to so thoroughly scour Veda's worm from the phones. We made that program to be like cancer."
Relena cocked her brow.
"It is explicitly designed so as to damage any system it is forcefully removed from," Veda clarified. "The damage leaves a trail I can follow. Either they found a way to remove the program entirely without triggering the failsafe"—impossible—"or they have isolated the phones I infected completely."
"We saw them use those phones," I noted. Right before they left using that portal power.
"That leaves only one conclusion."
It was supposed to be impossible. "I have no idea how they could do that."
"Is it possible Teacher has done as you have done?" Relena asked.
I turned my head and Relena clarified, "Made an AI? First Dragon, now Veda. Surely there will be more now that tinkers know it is possible."
I shifted my attention toward Administrator.
Possibility. Restrictions. Negation.
Shit. "Veda, is that something you can investigate?"
"It is," she confirmed, her voice heavy.
"That would complicate things, wouldn't it?" Relena asked.
"Yes," I answered. "Yes, it would."
If Teacher had an AI of his own, or even some hyper-specialized VI like Richter's other programs, that could be a very big problem.
"Get Tattletale's opinion," I suggested. "They probably have a lot of tinkers…" I tilted my head, thinking.
I didn't get much time to ponder the possibilities.
A door opened and an old man shuffled through into the suite. He noticed us quickly because this wasn't a threatening visit. We'd left the lights on and waited for him.
Mr. Lybaert glowered at us.
"Breaking and entering, Relena? What would your father say?"
His voice was old. It fit because he looked old, but his voice seemed to add on the years.
The man shuffled down the short flight of steps leading down from his kitchen. He balanced on his cane, his legs so stiff I wondered if maybe he should have a nurse. Before I could think to ask, Relena stepped forward. She went to the side opposite his cane, looped her arm into his, and helped him toward a chair.
Lybaert settled with a sigh and rested his cane against the wall.
Relena settled down in front of him, sitting on the coffee table. "We asked your housekeeper to let us in. Don't punish her for it."
"Melinda? Wouldn't dream of it." He glanced at me. "Good help is hard to find."
It occurred to me then they were both speaking English rather than Swedish, Belgian, or French.
Lybaert shifted slightly and Relena handed him one of the teacups she'd set out.
"I think," she finally replied, "my father would be shocked to see you supporting Djibril."
Lybaert scoffed. "He's his father's son, with less charm."
"Then tell me why," Relena pleaded. "Why are you supporting the registration act?"
His eyes turned to me. In a way, it was refreshing not having a backdoor into his head. I didn't have a single clue what he thought about me or anything else for that matter.
Lybaert took the cup Relena offered and looked away from me. "You don't realize what you've done, do you?"
I frowned. "I've killed the EU."
His grimace deepened and Relena bowed her head. "The skeptics," she whispered.
Lybaert nodded. "They're keeping quiet with all the focus on Blue Cosmos, but they see their chance. The registration act was exactly what they wanted."
"Which countries?" Relena asked.
"Italy and Austria," the old man answered. "Portugal. The Kingdom has always had one foot out the door; they've been chomping to bolt for a few years."
Between all the Endbringer attacks and international cape criminals, the EU had endured. Countries like Spain and Germany were dependent on the Union after all the damage they'd suffered. Others like Poland and Yugoslavia were in tenuous positions and needed the stability the alliance offered.
"It'll work?" I asked. "They'll turn the registration act into a wedge and use it to pull their countries out."
"If we'd shown a united front, we could have preserved it." Lybaert sipped his tea. "With Blue Cosmos mollified, we could have focused our capital. Kept the Union together and repealed the registration act later." He scoffed. "If the courts didn't strike it down first… Now it'll all fall apart."
I'd apologize, but I didn't want to.
"A peace bought by sacrificing people is not a peace," Relena said. "It's a ceasefire."
"And the people you're trying to sacrifice shoot laser beams and build WMDs in their garages," I added. "It'll never work."
"Have you stopped to consider what their prospects become if the EU falls apart?" Lybaert asked. "Capes are already a low-key arms race. Despite laws and agreements, all nations have been garnering cape resources that can be militarized. The Internationals. The Protectorate. The next war in Europe will be fought with capes, not tanks or jets."
I was going to retort but stopped myself. My eyes turned toward Relena, and I waited.
Relena gave Lybaert a dead stare. "That's not why you're supporting the act, Jeanne. That's the reason you're telling everyone."
The man grinned solemnly. "You've learned politics."
"I've known you since I was young," she countered. "This act is something you never would have supported a few years ago. What has changed?"
"Blue Cosmos has changed," Lybaert said bluntly. "Capes have changed." He looked at me again. "You're becoming bolder. Only other capes can stop you, and you all know it more and more as time goes on." He set his cup down and asked, "How long before this age of heroes ends and becomes an age of warlords? Maybe it's already happened."
I frowned. It's not that I didn't see his point, but the registration act wasn't putting limits on a cape's ability to abuse their powers. It was punishing people for having powers at all.
"This isn't about capes," Relena charged. Her eyes narrowed. "It's about the EU."
His expression became more solemn, which looked like pure misery on his wrinkled face and wiry frame.
"The cape situation is going to explode one way or another no matter what you do," Relena explained. "But the EU has been your life's work. Preserving it in the face of civil strife prevents Europe from fracturing at the time it most needs to work together."
Lybaert took a long sip from his cup and set it down slowly.
"You're young," he said. "You can't remember how much the world can change in such a small span of time. I was alive for the war. The big one. I'm not blind. I see plenty of that German psychopath in Djibril and more than a little of the Nazis in his ilk… But I've seen war. I've seen cities razed to the ground."
He inhaled sharply, a hand reaching for his cane and gripping it.
"Never again," he said. "The EU must survive. The competition of empires must remain in the past."
Really? I didn't even need the nudging that came with the moment. I would have said something on my own.
I frowned. "Look out that window."
He twisted around stiffly in his seat. "Your point?"
"That block right there. See it?"
"Yes."
I raised a hand and snapped my fingers.
He looked back at me, brow cocked.
"Gone," I stated. "That's how long it would take me, or anyone with powers like mine, to level that city block."
Lybaert grimaced.
"There are a lot of capes who could do that," I assured him. "Some could do more. You're not saving Europe from a war. You're making the war inevitable and worse. The registration act is going to force capes to defend themselves."
"But the Union would survive," he affirmed, as if that was the only thing he cared about.
"You yourself acknowledge that the Union is going to dissolve now," Relena pointed out. She rested her hands over his gently. "Jeanne. What's the point now?"
The man nodded, bowing his head.
He didn't say anything, because I supposed there wasn't a point anymore. Taking the fight straight to Phantom Pain and Blue Cosmos threw out whatever power-sharing deal the factions in the EU came to. Now countries were both threatening to leave the EU if the registration act passed, or if it didn't. Some probably wouldn't, but it might only take one to bring the entire thing down.
"Let it pass."
I turned my head toward Relena and Lybaert raised his.
She looked him in the eyes earnestly. "It's only a charter. If the EU ends now, it can be remade and we can use the experience of the first charter's shortcomings to make it better. What is it, and what hope will there be for something new, if the people are set against one another and spoiled by bitterness?"
She gripped his hands tightly.
"The people are what need to be protected, not the charter."
"The charter is what protects the–ugh!"
Lybaert coughed a laugh. Relenea quickly offered him his cup and he drank the last vestiges of tea from it. The man inhaled deeply when he finished and stifled another cough.
"You are your father's daughter," he whispered.
"My father wouldn't have known what to do when he saw you supporting such a draconian law," Relena countered, her voice edged with cold. "He was never good at handling disappointment, though he tried. He let such things defeat him easily."
My brow shot up. That might have been one of the most blistering insults I'd ever heard that didn't sound insulting.
Despite that, Lybaert smiled and his voice sounded endeared. "You cut me, dear."
"Did I?" The tone and her eyes made it clear who she thought had done the real cutting.
Lybaert chuckled again and covered his mouth for a single cough.
"Not young anymore," he mumbled. "Would either of you mind letting me prepare for bed? These old bones don't even like sitting anymore."
Relena rose without a word. I wanted to press about whether he planned to keep backing the registration act but a pointed look from Relena told me her opinion on that idea. Quietly, I turned and followed her out of the apartment and into the hallway.
Rather than down, we went up toward the highest floor. There was a sort of lounge there with a trio of double doors leading out to a view of Amsterdam.
"That was cruel," Relena accused without looking at me.
"What was?" I asked.
"You pointed at a city block and said you could blow it up."
I balked at first and despite the nudging seeming to want me to go in the opposite direction, I admitted, "I… Old habit. Shock and awe in the bluntest manner possible has gotten me far."
Administrator whirled. My balance swayed for a moment, foreign sensations rushing from my head to my limbs for a brief moment. I caught myself before Relena noticed.
Administrator?
Restriction.
What happened?
Restriction.
Who are you arguing with?
Restriction.
The last one came as a warning.
Relena and I came out onto an open-air balcony. Her face was harder than I was accustomed to. I didn't need a backdoor into her head to know she was angry. Query? Because someone like Relena doesn't relish confrontation. Confusion. Administrator struggled to reconcile what we'd call 'politics' with 'non-confrontation.'
I imagine Shard politics, or whatever they had, were all about confrontation.
"I'm sorry," Relena apologized. I was about to ask 'for what' when she elaborated, "I'm sure that method works very well on others like you."
My brow rose. "Capes?"
"Those who prefer action now to action later," she clarified.
Ah. "I am an action girl."
"I'm sure that works well as a hero." Relena scanned the city. It looked older than Brockton Bay. In a good way. There was a character to the buildings and the city as a whole that Brockton Bay lacked.
"But?" I asked.
"It's cancer in politics," she answered. "Look what it's already done. A mere threat to the EU's prosperity and unity has caused someone like Jeanne to support something as wrong as the registration act."
"Yeah, we have a quote for that. 'Anyone who chooses security at the expense of liberty deserves neither.'"
"Who said that?"
"Benjamin Franklin," I answered. "Though, usually people use the quote wrong. He was lambasting the Penn family for disrupting the Pennsylvania legislature because they didn't want a tax bill to pass."
Kind of interesting, given our current situation.
In more ways than one.
"You like history?" Relena asked.
"My mother was the kind of person who loved learning," I told her. "I get it from her. Plus, Blue Cosmos has been throwing that line at me for days now online and I had a feeling they were using it wrong."
"Why?"
"Because they're Blue Cosmos and the last thing they're thinking all that hard about is liberty." I glanced back. "What do you think he's going to do now?"
"I doubt he knows." Relena folded her hands together in front of her. "He wants to do the right thing, but he doesn't know what it is."
"Maybe it would have been easier if I weren't here?"
That comment might have been true, but Relena was right. It was cruel and far from diplomatic. The man was clearly already down and we needed him to switch his vote. Kicking him wasn't the way to help.
It's not like I didn't understand what Lybaert was afraid of. He was an old man, and I didn't describe him that way to dismiss him. He'd been a boy during the Second World War and I did know enough about history to wrap my head around what he said. He didn't want to go back. To him, the EU was part of what stopped another war in Europe from breaking out. One that would see capes pressed into service as living weapons. In a way, it almost seemed like that would be inevitable.
Whether it be by my hand, Teacher's, or Blue Cosmos', the age of capes as heroes in flashy costumes was coming to an unequivocal end. It could not return from this. The reverse was also true. With the registration law already dividing people, was the EU effectively doomed regardless of the outcome now? Lybaert seemed to think so.
His life's work was becoming undone before his eyes. That was something I could sympathize with.
"No," Relena assured me. "He needed to see you. Maybe any cape would have done, but I think it needed to be you. He needed to see how young you are and wonder if he was really sparing anyone any pain by supporting the registration act."
"I'm sure Tattletale could have done that."
"Lisa would have spent the entire conversation trying to subtly manipulate him. He'd notice and have been on guard. Your blunt approach may have been too blunt, but it was better."
"Suppose we'll find out in two weeks."
"There are others I can talk to," Relena assured me. "The act won't pass, and even if it does I think it would be an overreaction on your part to jump on it."
"I can't turn a blind eye to that," I warned her. "I won't."
"You don't have to fight every battle," she told me, that edge back in her voice. I didn't think it was directed at me. "There are already a few dozen capes heading toward Sanc."
My jaw tensed. "A few dozen?"
"And those are just the ones who've identified themselves. The council is processing a number of VISA requests."
"They're not fighting you on the sanctuary thing?" She'd told me she didn't rule Sanc and her entire position was honorary on account of her father's role in founding the city-state. Sanc was ruled by a committee.
"Some wanted to, but I reminded them that we've been pushing the criminal elements out of our periphery. We have space."
Stella and the kids had been doing work on that front apparently. I still needed to talk to them.
"Have you considered the problem of parahuman crime? I'm sure plenty of villains will try to slip in."
"Doing the right thing often comes with new problems," she replied. "We'll deal with them as they come."
I nodded. "I should get back then unless you need more help."
"Not for the moment." Her expression became sad. "I wish Fortuna hadn't left."
"You miss her?" I asked.
"She'd have advice."
I thought I could point out that Count's advice couldn't be trusted, but that was my experience with Count talking. From what I'd gathered, almost as soon as the bulk of Sweden sank into the Baltic, Count showed up and integrated herself into Relena's family. As easy as it might be to equate what Count did with Relena to a master power, I doubted it would fit.
Why create the person her plans needed when she could find someone who already was, or would become, that person and use her power to elevate them?
To Relena, I had to imagine Count was closer to a sister or even a mother. Her memories of the woman weren't mine.
"No sign of her since she dropped in on Tattletale?" I asked.
Relena shook her head no.
I still had no idea how she managed that without even Veda noticing her. A disguise, I figured.
"This is going on longer than I hoped it would," I admitted. "The longer it goes on the greater the risk of a high casualty event."
"You can't stop it?"
"As a certain terrorist group once said, they only had to get lucky once. We have to get lucky every time."
Relena nodded grimly. "Sooner or later, something will get through."
"And other groups are making weird moves. I can't explain what's going on with the Elite, the Fallen, or some of the Adepts. I think someone else is behind it."
"The Simurgh."
I nodded grimly right back at her. "I've thought she had her own thing going on for a while." Administrator had basically confirmed it, though the Endbringers weren't tied into the network and she had no idea what specifically they were up to. "Her attacks were too consistently convenient for Teacher for them not to be in league on some level, but she also set Noelle up to expose him."
"To what end?"
I looked away, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't know."
I was still working on that. Warning. We couldn't know that. With how damaged the network was, we couldn't be sure if the Simurgh was still fulfilling her intended role as a failsafe. It was possible her agenda had changed. Possibility. A lot really hinged on the exact nature of her connection to David.
I didn't see any way for us to find that out though.
"It doesn't really change anything, does it?"
I glanced at Relena, brow raised. She was right though. "Probably naive," I proposed. "Teacher's been playing this game for ten years and the Simurgh is the Simurgh… It was never going to be clean."
"All we can do," she agreed, "is everything we can do."
Agreement.
Fair enough.
I returned to the workshop after that. We were both too busy to chat for all that long.
Example.
Chris, Missy, and Lily were in my workshop, which was weird because I'd never actually had any of the Wards in my workshop before. They all wore their costumes, including what looked like newly upgraded armor and padding. It looked like Chris' handiwork at a glance.
"You're really just walking around like you own the planet," Missy commented. "I feel cheated."
"Why?" Chris asked.
"Because that feels like something I should be doing."
I glanced around, taking note of Lafter and Veda's avatar. A quick scan said Riley was—Oh god where the hell was Riley?
Veda: I have handled it
Okay, but that still begged another question. "What brings you three here?"
Lily began to answer but Missy interrupted.
"Professional courtesy."
Lily sighed and shook her head. "She means, we were hoping you could help."
It was a good thing I knew what Missy meant—and Warp apparently remembered me—because the bitterness came through strong. It was more general than directed though. Looking over the three of them, I'd say Missy was just not bothering to hide the feeling. Lily and Chris shared it.
Chris stepped in, smiling warily and explaining, "What she means is that we're probably not supposed to be coming to you for help."
"But we think it's stupid not to," Missy added while Lily nodded.
"We approve of not being stupid," Lafter noted.
"We do," Veda agreed.
I found my way to a chair—provided by Navy—and sat. "Is there something going on in the city I don't know about?"
Missy shrugged. "Kind of doubt it."
"Not that we're accusing," Lily uttered nervously.
I wasn't insulted. I knew what I was doing and the Wards weren't dumb enough to have not figured it out.
"The city's light on parahuman crime, obviously." Chris reached for his thigh and pulled a tablet from a pocket far too small to hold it. "The Red Hands are careful and they don't hurt anyone. We don't have the thinkers to deal with them and their crimes are so low-key no one thinks we need to."
Chris tapped at the tablet and turned the screen toward me.
"We've been focusing more on the city outskirts," Lily elaborated. "Petty villains have been creeping in and around Brockton Bay ever since the gangs got taken out. No one seems brave enough to try and set up in the city but they've been growing outside it."
"We've been taking lots of field trips," Chris continued. "But there's something weird going on."
My brow rose.
That was more or less what I expected to happen. I couldn't possibly get rid of every villain from Brockton Bay to the next nearest cities. The Protectorate couldn't even attempt that. Too many towns. Too many villains. Too few heroes. I'd suspected that once I cleared out the city proper the Protectorate and Wards would move that way to keep busy and that would help keep new criminals from moving in.
Or at least slow them down until I had time to deal with them.
Suggestion.
No, we're not doing that.
Rejection.
That's not what 'scorched earth' means.
She was still working on her vocabulary and did not understand it as well as she thought she did.
Consternation.
"What's happening? One of the minor gangs getting uppity?"
Lily tensed up. Surprised? "Gang war, actually."
I sat up straighter, looking Chris in the visor. Lafter and Veda didn't seem surprised. I guess they'd already had this explained to them before I arrived.
Chris listed them off. "The Eighth Street Kings, a few independent villains backing them up, the Adepts, and the Men of Mayhem. They've all been feuding lately and we can't really tell why."
"Aren't most of the Men of Mayhem just guys in costumes?" I glanced at Veda. She nodded. And they were vigilantes. Why wouldn't they feud with criminals?
"They've got two actual capes," Chris revealed. "Nothing too fancy, but what's weird is that they're fighting with the Adepts against the Kings."
…
The fuck?
Uncertainty.
"Why?" I asked. "A bunch of guys in costume playing cape is one thing, but they're teaming up with the Adepts?"
"Yeah," Missy agreed. "We thought it was weird too."
"The Adepts kind of dismiss normal people thinking they can play cape," Lily expanded. "It got weirder when Stratos tried to talk to Avenger and got blown off."
"Blown off how?"
"As in Avenger never showed up for the meeting," Missy answered. "He gave a place and time and we all went over to have a talk about what was going on and instead they were fighting over a gas station a few miles away."
How did I not hea—Duh. Phantom Pain. Teacher. The Simurgh. I had a thousand things on my mind that weren't things happening immediately outside Brockton Bay. I just didn't have the time and the villains operating out that way were small-time. Petty. They got by on not attracting attention.
"Wait"—I leaned in—"they were fighting at a gas station? Isn't Avenger's whole deal—"
"He makes things explode," Chris confirmed. "Not by much. It's more light than anything but yeah."
"The whole station went up," Missy added further. "Three people got hurt when their car window shattered."
I watched the local news and that hadn't been on it. Though I didn't watch it constantly and what was going on with me was a much bigger story. Damnit.
Consolation.
I know, I know… Just…
Frustration.
Yes.
Falling back into my seat, I scowled and exhaled.
"Not that it's not a big deal," Missy offered, "but you have been kind of busy."
"Still not accusing," Lily reiterated.
Chris sighed and held out the tablet again. I realized I hadn't even looked at it. "We thought we could handle it. None of these villains are exactly top tier and initially, the Men of Mayhem were helping us."
"Until they stopped and started helping the Adepts."
My scowl grew. "A master?"
"We don't know."
I took the tablet and looked it over. It was a PRT file, a list of incidents and reports. Shootouts. Brawls in the streets. Some fights spread into houses or stores. The gas station was the most recent and the biggest escalation.
"Do the Adepts have any masters?" Chris asked. I looked at him, surprised. He managed to appear apologetic. "Not that I'm accusing you of anything."
No, it would be dumb to pretend that I didn't tacitly keep tabs on the Adepts.
That however only further begged what the fuck was going on.
Turning to Veda, I said, "Has Felix been up to anything?"
"Felix Swop?" Lily pressed. "He controls birds, right?"
"Yeah, not people as far as I know." His power was a bit similar to Rachel's. "Makes them into literal firebirds."
"I do not believe the capes orchestrating events on the Adepts' side are part of his circle," Veda warned. The Adepts liked to call their little cells 'circles.' "It appears a second group of Adepts has moved into the area around Stamford."
"Near New York? And they're ranging out this far?"
Capes outside cities having wide ranges were not unheard of. Less law enforcement. Fewer heroes. More freedom to move. It's how the Fallen had always avoided too much attention, and where a lot of the groups like the Nine or the Teeth hung out. Those that lacked the abilities of capes like the Nine or the Teeth anyway.
"I think it's worse than that," Chris warned. "Next page."
I tabbed over and read the page twice. "What's the PRT doing about this?"
"Nothing," Missy supplied.
"What she means," Lily chided, "is that the situation is not a priority at this time."
She said it like she was reciting someone.
"Everyone's looking at everything else going on," Chris expanded. "No one's paying much attention to this, but I started asking some of the New York Wards about the Adepts who'd started showing up and they mentioned this stuff."
There was a whole ring of fights. Low-level stuff, comparatively. No gas stations exploding, but it was weird. Battles waging between various smaller cape groups, the Adepts, the Elite, and some independent and corporate teams from New York to Vermont into Canada. Some of the groups fighting were even allying together and I couldn't see the exact reason for why.
Why on Earth would the Elite team up with the Adepts? The Elite didn't 'team up.' They took over or managed.
"No one's wondering what the hell all this is?" I shook my head in disbelief. "And it's happening right now."
"I think people are wondering, they just have a lot of other things on their mind." Chris held his hand out and I returned the pad. "Some of the Wards and Protectorate closer to the fights have been looking into it ourselves. Miss Militia knows we're here, but officially we're not asking you for help."
"We kind of figure the AI"—Missy pointed her finger at Veda—"probably has the time if nothing else, and this seems like something that's gonna blow up in all our faces eventually."
She wasn't wrong.
"Is Felix involved in this?" I inquired.
"He claims he is not," Veda answered. "While I do not think he is the main planner, I do not believe him. Echo and Epoch have both been involved in some of the brawls and I do not believe they'd do anything without his knowledge."
"The guy thinks he's a sorcerer," Lafter mused. "Best to assume he's not all there."
"Myrddin," Pink chirped, "Myrddin."
"Best to assume he's not all there," Lafter repeated.
We knew better, but lots of people legitimately thought powers were some form of magic. Suppose any sufficiently advanced technology might as well be, but that was beside the point.
The Adepts were a gray group. They committed some crimes but mostly minor ones. Really what they were was a cape-run multi-level market scheme slash cult that kept itself low profile. They sold access to 'levels' that they claimed could give people powers or make their powers stronger. I had doubts that many of them honestly believed that garbage but they were more agitating liars than threats.
"I have begun investigating," Veda revealed. "I have the resources to spare and I am very alarmed by this series of events. The number of arms being used by some of the groups seemed beyond their normal means."
"Someone is supplying them," I whispered. Shit, why did that sound familiar?
Veda nodded. "That takes money."
"Follow the money?" Lafter asked.
"And figure out what the hell this is."
"And tell us," Missy interjected. "We're heroes too, even if the guys in the offices want to ignore we exist."
Ah, guilt my old friend.
I hadn't meant to screw the local Protectorate and Wards over this hard. Half of them jumping in to help me when the Dragon thing happened wasn't helping them but that made it more unfair. They'd done the right thing and they were being punished for it. It wasn't right.
Miss Militia and Stratos were still important to the Protectorate as veteran heroes with useful powers, but even I could tell neither of them would ever rise higher than their present positions. It would almost certainly affect the Wards too in some way. Hopefully less so.
Not much I could do about that now though.
"I get it," I said. "We have too much on our plate as it is. We can't run off and deal with whatever this is." I hoped we didn't have to deal with whatever this was. Doubt. We can hope. "Sorry."
"We know you're busy," Chris replied. "Thanks. The Thinkers are all busy with other things. This is just completely going under everyone's radar."
I kept my face straight as it occurred to me none of our thinkers had mentioned this. Was that because we weren't looking in this direction, or for some other reason? Uncertainty. Yeah. This would be a good way to screw us by dropping a huge turd in our backyard. A distraction or a divergent attack.
No. No way this was a coincidence.
Someone was making a move here. The Elite or the Adepts or someone using them.
The longer this game of dangling ourselves out as Teacher bait went, the more fucked the situation was going to get.
Chris and Missy hung around. Mostly, it was Chris. He'd never been in my workshop before and he had questions. It was a decent distraction. I liked talking shop and despite the many tinkers now around me, my time was limited.
Lily hung close and I could feel her apprehension. It wasn't just about the weird situation happening in the rural areas of New England either. She kept looking at me like she wanted to ask something. She felt frustrated too because I seemed to get along with Missy and Chris in a way that left her feeling like an extra wheel.
It heightened her already overwhelming sense of loneliness.
Reiteration.
This is not a you told me so moment.
Correction.
I hid my grimace. It was one thing not to want to pressure Lily. I didn't want to be Jack Slash. Using my backdoor into people's heads to take advantage of them was absolutely too much power.
Not being able to turn it off though, I couldn't exactly ignore it either.
Lily came here hoping I'd say something. Part of her worried that with everything going on, the door I'd offered was closed. It wasn't of course, but she didn't know that. I knew that she didn't know.
Agitation.
It's the same thing.
Rejection.
And if not for you and this, I wouldn't have any idea how bad it was.
At the very least, I needed to wait until we were alone to address the issue.
Negation.
"We should get started heading back," Lily eventually said. "Can only fudge reports so much."
Chris nodded, turning away from StarGazer. "Thanks for the help."
"Haven't really helped yet," I noted.
"Yeah but you could have blown us off," Missy commented.
I paused. "You don't think I'd do that, do you?"
"We are kind of busy," Lafter reminded.
"No," Chris assured me. "It was more a question of if you already knew anything." He shrugged and smiled. "No way to know until we asked and it's not like waiting would really change much."
I glanced away, pondering. "Right."
"Also," Missy commented as they started toward the exit, "you know you have a robot army in here, right?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
"Just checking."
Lily passed me by and reluctantly, I took her arm and gave her a look. She stiffened, a flurry of emotions running through her. I didn't speak. I couldn't think of anything I could say that wouldn't ultimately be manipulative in some way. Touching her was bad enough.
She calmed after a moment while Chris and Missy continued on oblivious.
"Something else?" Lily asked.
Administrator goaded and I looked away. "Is there?"
Her initial reaction was confusion, and then understanding. She nodded and her arm slipped from my hand. She continued on, quickening her pace to catch up with the other two.
Happy now?
Satisfaction.
They left. Veda used StarGazer to teleport them away and to another part of the city. That way they could make like they'd just been on patrol and never visited.
I sighed. "Where's Riley?"
"The old guys took her," Lafter answered.
Old guys? Query? "The Foundation?"
"That's what I said."
"Doctor J suggested she could help them with their anti-master project," Veda explained. "We needed her out of the building anyway."
"And that's okay?" I inquired.
"Yes. She is currently absorbed in helping Instructor H modify and analyze the system they used against Heartbreaker more broadly. I am observing."
Well, I guess that was okay? Possibility. The Foundation weren't fools. They'd gotten by as a team of two normal geniuses and three non-combat capes for years. They beat Heartbreaker. They could probably handle Riley, so long as Veda was keeping an eye.
Really this was probably a good sign.
Riley needed to tinker but we couldn't have her experimenting or dissecting people.
Alarm?
Shit, you're right. Letting her play with anti-master tech wouldn't necessarily be a good thing. I had to imagine that stuff could easily become master tech in Riley's hands. Fuck I didn't want to deal with that.
Precaution.
No. She's already uncomfortable and waiting for us to go Jack Slash on her. If we prove her right she will become Bonesaw again.
"You look like you need a nap." Lafter yawned. "I need a nap. And a retirement plan."
I cocked my head slightly, glancing at her.
"What?"
"Nothing. You're right." I turned away, glancing over the monitors. "Veda, bring Riley back as soon as you can. Probably best not to let her stay out too late, tinkering or not."
"Is she still sleeping with you?" Lafter asked.
"She has a hard time getting to sleep alone."
"You're not worried she'll… I don't know. Frankensaw you?"
I glanced over my shoulder. "Frankensaw?"
"I'm tired," she deadpanned. "You're not going to get my best right now."
"Then go to sleep. Upside of this whole deal with my power, I have a half-decent idea what most of the capes around me are thinking."
Lafter nodded and then froze. "Wait. Like, how—"
"Go to sleep, Lafter."
I pulled my visor off and sighed. My eyes were doing it again. It had calmed down a bit in the past few days to my surprise. I wasn't sure what that meant.
"I still have that doctor's appointment tomorrow?" I asked.
"Yes." Veda stepped up behind me. "Another series of scans and an examination."
I nodded, used to the routine by now. Thinking of it, I wondered if Riley might have something to add. Then again, maybe it was best not to make my biology the subject of her interest. Wouldn't want to be Frankensawed.
I continued to sit quietly while Veda waited.
"You are considering the same thing I am," she observed.
I nodded. "What do you think, Veda? What are the odds someone on David's dime has made an AI?"
"It is possible," Veda answered. She walked up behind me and bowed her head as well. "It is improbable that more will not follow Dragon and I. A better question might be what form this intelligence would take. The Machine Army is capable of intelligent action and decision-making, but it is not human in demeanor or characteristics as Dragon and I are."
"Zero?" I asked.
"The name has been popping up online with increasing frequency, and its stated opinions are extreme."
That was bad.
That was really bad.
The last battle between two AIs was a mess and one of them didn't really want to fight. Saint's program for attacking Veda was basically on autopilot the moment the Nine got him. It hadn't been capable of adapting on the fly or trying to counter Veda.
"I have attempted to contact Zero to no avail," Veda continued.
"Tracing?"
"Unsuccessful."
Pondering that, I looked over the information Chris and Missy brought me. The latest in a long line of what the fuck. Phantom Pain making a play for all the secret identities in the PRT only to be stopped by 'Zero.' The weird moves from the Fallen. The Simurgh and Dinah's latest forecast of the next attack.
It was all coming to a head. Fast.
The nudging was back and this time I didn't disagree with it. Suppose I took some small satisfaction in learning I wasn't a slave to that little thinker power of mine.
Still, we agreed this time.
There was absolutely something very strange going on, and we had a feeling it was intended to smack us in the face.