Emily Piggot was not a woman known for her patience when it came to cape induced mayhem; her subordinates had at least gotten a true enough read on her disposition that they did not try to bullshit their way around that factor. She did not like parahumans, but she disliked incompetence and unprofessionalism more.

So that being said when chaos like that induced by the rogue cape Mordred hit her desk, she expected clear details by the numbers. Yes, they knew that Taylor Hebert was Mordred, and did not act upon it, the PR hit would be... ugh. Yes they knew that fucking brat child Sophia Hess had triggered her, and yes they knew that they were beyond lucky the victim was at best indifferent about the fact as she moved on with her life not giving a singular fuck about the group of idiot brats that had created her new persona and powers.

That did not negate the fact that said implacable object of a broken young girl regularly threw down with the unyielding force of the Dragon of Kyushu for fun and confused the ever loving shit out of everyone around them as they leveled city blocks of abandoned warehouses, all while taunting each other and occasionally breaking out laughing.

Emily knew that many of the Protectorate and PRT personal wondered if they were lovers, rivals, or a combination of a jilted version of both.

They were wrong to assume as such.

She knew the truth.

They were friends, and were enjoying the hell out of fucking with everyone around them by simply ignoring acknowledging the fact, because it was funny.

So she was by no means surprised when her deputy director Renick called for an emergency meeting after a series of unexplained explosions rocked downtown and the names 'Lung', 'Mordred', and 'Coil' were brought up.

She couldn't help rolling her eyes as Armsmaster began procedures while firmly placing his halberd to the floor, and she then largely ignored the vainglorious pompous ass. Eventually Battery tapped her leg to get her attention, bless her heart, and not in the southern sense, and I focused on the display.

"At precisely 2200 hours today an incomplete office building in the downtown region collapsed after the ABB assaulted an as of yet known target beneath it. The resulting explosion miraculously resulted in no deaths. At the same time several houses and vehicles were destroyed with...esoteric explosives as well as several bomb threats being issued across the city."

Armsmaster grimaced then let out a sigh, "When first responders arrived at the downed skyscraper they found Lung lounging in a lawn chair drinking from a bottle of sake and he simply stated when asked what he was doing to, "Ask Mordred what she plans for the villain known as Coil, I'm busy, go away."

The room was silent for a time, then Emily did something very foolish, but it seemed for the best.

"Mordred, what are your plans for the villain known as Coil?"

She heard footsteps behind her, then a figure clad in skinny jeans and a heavy grey hoody walked up to her clapping lightly.

Fuck.

Turning to see the girl staring down at her, emerald eyes glittering over the rims of her glasses, slasher grin spread across her face, Emily barely registered all of the capes in the room bristling for a fight.

She barely managed to yell out, "Everyone stand down!"

Thank god they obeyed, and then Taylor Hebert's grin turned from 'stone cold sociopathic mass murderer,' to 'genuinely amused teenager.'

Emily shivered when the girl placed a hand on her shoulder and cheerfully stated, "I like you. You get it. Anyhow what do I plan? Well you see that completely depends on Thomas Calvert over there. How does it feel Coil? Getting completely subverted by the teenage girls you kidnapped and forced into your service? Oh that's right, you didn't get Dinah because I slaughtered your mercs and took her into my protection."

Everyone turned to that fucker Calvert as he kicked away from the table and knocked his chair over as he sputtered and tried to pull his pistol out.

His hand spasmed and he dropped it looking shocked before Miss Hebert...a spray of green light and crimson lightning later, Mordred marched forward, pulled back one metal shod fist, and punched his face into the ground.

She tilted her horned helm head to the side and spoke in a conversational tone, "It was a bit of a bitch to organize Lung and the ABB's forces with the Undersiders taking out all of your escape vehicles and your fucking ridiculous Bond villain base. But it was worth it, in the end."

She began pacing and while the other capes in the room were riled they knew exactly what they would be fighting if they made the first move.

Oddly enough they showed signs of self preservation.

Stopping she grabbed Calvert by the neck and he managed to gasp out, "I-ca-can-can pay you anything you want!"

Then Mordred froze, began to shake, started giggling, and then began straight out cackling as she dropped the man to the floor so she could hold her stomach.

Gasping for breath, she eventually managed to regain her calm, shaking her head slowly as she responded with, "Foresight and Insight purloined your fortune just before Lung took out your Endbringer bunker Coil. You're broke, your mercs are dead, and anyone with two braincells to rub together is going to investigate what you had for breakfast today much less your acts of treason against the United States Government."

He stared up at her in confused horror, "If...if that is...Why, why bother with all of this?"

A sword, Clarent if Emily remembered correctly appeared in a cloud of green light as it landed in Mordred's hand. She stared at it a few moments, then scoffed to herself as she approached Calvert.

It hit Emily that the surrounding capes had been in fact attacking the armoured figure since the sword manifested, but their efforts had been so meaningless, doing nothing in the end, pointless token efforts against the Knight of Rebellion who hadn't even acknowledged them.

Raising her sword, Mordred laughed, "I want everyone to know exactly what happens to the next motherfucker who tries to kidnap my girlfriend and little sister."

Her sword swung down, and Calvert screamed like a bitch as his head was cleaved off.

Mordred shook the blood off her sword, stared down at the dead body laying before her for a few moments, then sighed.

Her armor faded away in a fog of green motes as she shoved her hands into her hoodies pockets muttering, "Well...that didn't do anything for me..." as she walked around the capes and bureaucrats surrounding her as if they weren't even there.

They let her pass.

Emily sighed, she was not paid nearly enough for this teenage super powered cape bullshit.