Hey there everyone. Glad to see that so many people like my story. I wasn't expecting so much praise when I started.
Well, I probably expected praise like this after seeing how many people reviewed the first chapter.
Anyway, now we're getting into the Post-Leviathan stage of the story. I'm still hopeful that I can make some bigger changes, but at the same time, I want enough damage to the city to bring in Slaughterhouse Nine and let the Merchants gain more power. Sorry for those wanting big big changes.
For toolazytologin (please log in and PM me your real ID so I can message you) Lung's power doesn't supply him with more biomass. It supplies Alex with armour and scales. I know that in story it would, but I think Alex is broken enough without the reasons you pointed out. And I never said that Armsmaster was going to beat Alex. Just that he wasn't going to be an easy victory for Alex. He'll take a lot of damage, but he will triumph over him and his plans. Don't worry about that.
Chapter 8: All Female Officers Are Required to Wear Sexy Armour
The airport was busy and loud that day. Everyone who hadn't been willing to brave the traffic jams of people returning to Brockton Bay was coming in by air, along with people who wanted to visit the 'miracle city'.
Yes, miracle city.
It had been over a week since Leviathan had arrived, and people were still calling it that. Not just because it survived a visit from an Endbringer; not just because only half a dozen capes lost their lives instead of the dozens he usually killed; not just because there wasn't as much property damage as there could've been.
But because he barely managed to fight before he was sent running.
Yeah. PRT Officer Petra Sanderson thought as she waited in the arrivals lounge. Everyone's so goddamned interested in this place because they had a pet monster. Not because it wasn't turned into a waterlogged hole in the ground. She had heard of others places that had been hit by the Endbringers; spent some time helping out in Japan, saw the damage Leviathan had caused, the people still affected even though it had happened years ago. It gave her a stark reminder of just how powerful and monstrous those things were.
She was just happy to come to a mostly intact city.
A heavy-built man sat down next to her. "Hey, cheer up Sanders." He said to her. "You look like we're here for a funeral. Look at this place. This has got to be the liveliest the entire city's been since… ever. Honestly…"
"Fredrick, don't you even think of saying that this attack was a good thing." She replied half-heartedly. Damian Fredrick liked to make a lot of jokes. Most were bad, a few were good. She'd reprimand him whenever he crossed a line, and he joked about her in return.
They had dated for a bit before she realised that he was someone you enjoyed in small doses.
"Ooh, last name basis. So scary." But he kept quiet.
For about a millisecond.
"Seriously though, why are we waiting? Wasn't this supposed to be a speedy transfer or something? Why the hell are we stuck in arrivals like some damn tourists?"
"Really? That's what you're wondering about? Not why we were transferred in the first place? Or why out here? None of this is more important than why we're waiting?" She asked him in exasperation.
He shrugged. "I'm just saying. We got pulled away from our homes, our loved ones, our wives to get moved out here for a 'reassignment'. The least they could do is be quick about it."
"You don't even have a wife." The third member of their group said. Built like a football player and twice as tough, Grey was the complete opposite of Damian. He had done some time in New York, fought against a surviving remnant of the Teeth, a former Brockton Bay gang. It was clear that he was a badass.
"Yes I do."
"No, he doesn't." She interrupted. "He's got a blow up doll named Candi." She was sure she was the most embarrassed person in the room when she opened a closet and saw that there. Damian didn't seem to get embarrassed.
Another member of their 'team', Francis Fort, gave Damian a shake of his head. "Man, you are just sad. You know that, right?"
"Well at least only the girlfriend walked out on me. Oh, burn." Damian replied.
"Hey, fuck you. At least I had a wife." She had heard all about Francis' wife. It started off a storybook tale. He was a dashing officer in the police; she was a quiet bookworm from the library. They had hit it off over their love of classic literature, and had gotten married.
But then one day, it all came crashing down when he found his wife after work. In a room full of blood and corpses under the library.
Turned out that she was a serial killer Cape by the name of Ripper Jackie. A homage to the old serial killer of London. She tried to add his corpse to her collection.
He brought back her corpse, and transferred to the PRT afterwards.
And rounding out their group, bringing them to five members in total, was Kim Sharpe. She was a small woman – about five feet – and most people would've described her as petite, adorable, and perky. In a world like the PRT, a place meant for only the baddest of the badasses, she made up for her stature by being one of the toughest girls around. She drank hard, partied hard, and fought hard. She was willing to use every dirty trick in the book if it meant that she was the one standing in the end. She was more like a feral ferret or something than adorable.
Why am I the most normal person in the whole group? She wondered. Her past wasn't anywhere near as colourful as some of the others. She was raised by good parents in a good home. She had watched the news when they mentioned cape sightings. She had done well in school, hadn't been bullied, passed with high grades. Went to college, did well there.
Then she saw the aftermath of an Endbringer attack, and she suddenly knew what she wanted to be.
Her parents argued with her about it, but only because they feared for her safety. She would be going up against Capes; people who could kill you with a glance. But the longer she worked in the PRT, the more she realised that they weren't as tough as they pretended to be. You didn't always need another cape to bring one down; you just had to be smart about fighting them.
Except when fighting Endbringers. There, even the capes could die if they were just unlucky.
That made her thoughts turn back to the Brockton Bay Monster.
No one knew where it came from, or where it went. There were plenty of ideas and speculation about it though. It was a cape; it was another Endbringer, turning against its brothers. It was an avenging angel, here to save us from extinction. It was a weapon, made by a Tinker to fight back against them. One lot said that it was a heavily mutated Lung, a former gang leader from Brockton Bay. He had proven his strength, and would return to take control of Brockton Bay for good. Some though, said that it was something like Scion. The first of a new line of capes. People or beings capable of fighting monsters like Leviathan… and winning.
She had been on Parahuman Online a few times. Liked to see what people were saying. The thread just about his origins was unbelievably long; filled with speculation, arguments, areas where entire snippets were removed. The thread about his powers was even longer.
No matter where you looked, everyone was talking about the Endbringer Killer.
Grey turned his head quickly. "We've got company. On approach." He said stiffly. She turned in the direction he was looking at, saw someone running towards him. He wore a suit, a tie, and was red in the face. He came to a stumbling stop before them, and had to catch his breath.
"…Thank… God… I found… you." He panted. "Was at… the wrong… entrance… waiting. Director Piggot… wants you… ASAP."
Petra stood up and gave him a calm smile. "Of course. We've all been ready for a while. You can lead us to our transport."
"Thank… you." He replied. He managed to stand upright and walk away, the five of them following. "We'll have… someone take your… luggage for you." He didn't sound as out of breath as he did before. "The Director wants us on a different vehicle. So you can get a better sense of things here."
"Better sense of things? What's there to learn? People are flocking here like vultures to a carcass." Damian said, waving a free hand at the crowds. She saw the suit wince at the choice of words.
Some time, Damian could be such an ass.
"I… I think… I think she was meaning more like access the damage done." He said nervously. He was hurrying again, this time towards the air field. Were they taking a helicopter over the city?
Well, you'd be able to see a hell of a lot from the air.
A black helicopter bearing PRT markings was waiting for them out on the helipad. Inside of it was Piggot herself. The suit gulped as he saw the look on her face. Not that she blamed him. Any woman capable of rising to the top of the PRT would have to be a hardass to get where she is. Not the kind of person you want to upset by, say, taking too long to arrive because you were waiting at the wrong lounge.
"Mr. West." She said calmly. "Care to explain why you took at least ten minutes longer to return with our new team?" West started shaking a bit, sweating nervously. Petra decided to help save his skin.
"Our fault, Director." She said. The others glanced at her. "Our flight must've landed at the wrong entrance. A bit of miscommunication. It won't happen again." Piggot narrowed her eyes at Petra, but she didn't react.
Piggot looked away. "We're running late as it is. All of you, hop in." They moved to do so, West taking up the rear. When they were all seated and wearing headphones, the helicopter took off quickly.
"I assume that you are all curious as to why you were reassigned to Brockton Bay." Piggot started saying to them.
"You could say that, Director." Fort replied. "I probably don't speak for the others, but I feel like this is the moment where you're going to tell us exactly why we were moved."
"It is. But before we begin, I want to make it absolutely clear that everything about your mission is to be kept classified. Some of it will be made public to explain why you're here, but the rest is to be spoken of only in secure areas and lines. Any attempt to disclose classified information can result in incarceration or worse.' She gave them all a hard look. "And trust me when I say that you don't want to see worse."
"Don't you worry, Director." Fredrick said. "We'll treat it as seriously as my ma's secret sauce."
"What he means is that we understand." Petra said quickly, before Piggot reprimanded him for his joke. "No word to anyone outside this group without your authorisation."
She nodded, and handed out files. "Good. First off though, I think I should get you all up to speed on the current situation of Brockton Bay. I'll admit, it's better than what it could be. But all the same, things have been messed up thanks to Leviathan's fight." Petra nodded. She could understand. Even though he was sent running, two monsters did have a grudge match in the middle of town. At least two blocks were smashed when Leviathan threw him away alone. More had been damaged during their second clash.
"Right now, there are three major parties vying for control over Brockton Bay." Piggot continued. They looked down at the files before them. The first set of pictures showed a bunch of people rioting. At the head was obviously a trio of capes. Below, there was a list. Skidmark, shaker 2. Squealer, tinker 2 and mover 3. And Mush, shifter 4. She looked at the numbers, confused. Normally the PRT listed capes in order of threat.
Surely these guys weren't that dangerous.
"Ma'am, permission to speak freely?" Fort asked. "With all due respect, these 'Merchants' don't seem all the dangerous. Not really worth worrying about."
"Normally, they aren't. They've actually been active since before Leviathan showed up. They were originally considered a joke; no one respected them or feared them. The only reason they would even be noticed is that they hold territory. But the fight with Leviathan caused a lot of property damage. Some people lost everything. Others became worse off. And the Merchants took advantage of the chaos."
"Skidmark is now a rallying point for everyone on the lowest levels of the city. Everyone who was considered homeless, everyone who didn't have much, they've all started flocking to his side. They're angry, scared, and upset. And the Merchants are taking advantage of that."
"What are they offering people?" she asked. She preferred to understand why people would join gangs. Helped her understand what could motivate them to leave.
"For starters, he offering them shelter. Thanks to their numbers, the Merchants managed to take a lot of territory that was still standing. From there, they offer drugs, sex, supplies… anything people want to ease the pain and suffering."
"And where does he get these supplies?"
"From the city. We've had dozens of reports of Merchants looting supermarkets, hospital runs, malls and other places. They're almost an ongoing riot. They've also been attacking attempts to fix up the city. After all, if we manage to stabilise again, we could run them out. Right now, we've got the Wards helping to defend relief shelters, scare them off and away from the injured."
Petra nodded, and turned to the next picture. It showed a man in a wolf mask. His body was covered in tattoos, and he wore a swastika belt buckle. It was like he was trying his hardest to advertise his loyalty to being an ass. "The next problem we have is a gang known as Fenrir's Chosen. A white supremacist gang, and the remnants of Empire Eighty-Eight when Kaiser vanished. They've been spending their time reclaiming lost territory, stealing supplies, attacking PRT patrols and generally being a pain in my ass."
Petra frowned as she read about them. Her skin was tanned and dark enough that people couldn't quite agree on her nationality. Racist assholes like the Chosen would just love to get rid of people like her. Her folks weren't going to be happy to hear she was going up against them.
They're led by a former lieutenant of Kaiser's by the name of Hookwolf, real name Brad Meadows."
"Big bad wolf is called Meadows? Should I go find him a straw house?" Petra elbowed Fredrick, and Piggot continued.
"He revels in the chaos we've faced so far, and so far we think his mission is to just cause as much as possible. Luckily for us, he's also been busy fighting a turf war against another group." They turned to the third file.
The picture on it was of a man wearing black, a white serpent coiling around his body. "This is Coil. He stylises himself as some kind of chessmaster, making plans upon plans that his enemies just keep stumbling into. We're not certain if he has a power or not, but we doubt its combat related. He hires private military contractors as his muscle. But around the time he started making bigger moves against Empire Eighty-Eight, we found evidence that he branched out to hiring capes."
"Makes sense." Grey said. "Fenrir's Chosen has the biggest collection of Capes in the city. He'll need some muscle to counter them."
Piggot nodded. "There are three main groups under his employ. First off are the Travellers. They're powerful, but apart from people always going missing in their area before they leave, they've only committed minor crimes. Same with the next group, the Undersiders. Three master capes, minor crimes, considered low threat."
Petra nodded, but her eyebrows rose up as she saw the final name of the list.
Blacklight.
"What the hell?" Fredrick muttered, reading over the ratings. "Mover 7, shaker 5, striker 9, blaster 7, breaker 4, shifter 9… Brute 12?! Am I missing some context here or something?"
"You want context? Look out the window." They did so, Petra nearly gasping at the sight below them.
In what had once been the city centre, was nothing but a giant watery hole in the ground. Cracks spread outwards from it, creating rivers elsewhere. Buildings laid on their sides, some splintered in half.
It was a massive scene of devastation.
"Most people aren't aware of this, but the PRT already know the identity of the 'Endbringer Killer'." Piggot continued saying. "It was Blacklight, in a different form. Something we've never seen before. That crater is why we're rating him a 12."
"That is what you've been reassigned to take down."
The five of them stared at her in shock and horror. Petra heard Fredrick give off a strangled laugh.
"You're sending us on a goddamn suicide mission." Kim said angrily. "Capes have fought and died fighting Leviathan without even slowing him down. And you expect us to take down the freak that scared off Leviathan?"
By now, they had reached the PRT headquarters. Piggot didn't say anything before Kim's tirade. She just kept staring at them.
"Perhaps it might be best to explain everything before you make your final choice." She simply said, as the door was opened for them.
She continued speaking when they had reached a private room. A mixture of a classroom and a lab. Petra noted that Armsmaster was waiting there as well.
"Blacklight is tougher than we originally suspected. But he isn't invincible or all powerful. And we've got a way to even out the odds."
"Well that's great." Fort said. "I'd feel better if you would share those weaknesses with us anytime now."
"His powers aren't like everyone else's." Armsmaster took over. "They're actually just the natural conclusion of organic capabilities. His entire body is constructed from an unknown organic cell that we've taken to calling 'the Blacklight Gene'. A living organism that binds to other organic-based constructs. His body is comprised of several tons of this gene, bound together in a human shape. It is what gives him his healing and shapeshifting capabilities." A slide appeared on screen. It showed a red moving blob in the centre of a petri dish. It jerked towards the camera, as though aware that it was being watched.
Petra felt creeped out by it.
"Because he is constructed entirely of this gene, Blacklight does not have any internal organs, bones, central nervous system, or a brain. You cut off his head, he's just going to keep fighting while growing a new one in under three seconds. Any cutting injuries will just heal over, and the removal of a limb is considered minor at best. Blunt force trauma is even less effective; his body simply bounces back into shape. Add in that their combined strength allows him to perform superhuman feats, and they can change into sharpened weapons, and getting into a close range fight with him is considered suicidal. Attacking from range is also useless; his body simply ignores any bullets that pass through him."
"And I'm guessing it allows him to turn into a big-ass fucking monster too." Fredrick said. She resisted the urge to kick him.
"It does. Our chief scientist discovered that the Blacklight Gene is based on a virus of some manner. It reproduces by infecting organic-based cells and eating their way inside. From there, it eats all the matter of the cell, divides, and then continues until the cell is completely devoured. However, the Gene does this in a matter of seconds, overwhelming the natural immune system in the process. Then, it adds the newly created mass to itself, increasing its own mass." He turned back to them. "The Endbringer Killer form is simply his own form with far more mass."
"However, he can only contain so much mass in a compressed state." Piggot explained. "His last sighting showed no sign of him cracking the ground with every step, so we can safely assume that he had 'deposited' the extra biomass elsewhere. You'll simply have to attack him away from his extra mass."
Why was she assuming that they were agreeing to this?
"It also means that he can be killed. You just have to destroy his mass in sufficient quantities that he cannot sustain a proper form." Armsmaster said. "And because all his power comes from an organic gene, it means that others can also tap into his strength."
"Tap into his strength? You mean…?" Fort blanched. "You want to make us into capes? Make us like him?"
"The final decision lies with me." A deeper voice said. They turned to see a black doctor standing by another entrance. "And I will only clear it once I am certain that you are up for the task." He nodded to them. "Hello. I am Doctor Ragland. I am the scientist in charge of the Blacklight Project, and your personal doctor."
"Personal doctor?" Petra echoed.
"Of course. You don't think we're going to send you out there without someone making sure everything stays fine. Of course, first, I need to ensure that your physical capabilities are what your reports say they are."
"We need to go through these tests again?" Fredrick asked. "Well shit, so much for being on holiday. I was hoping to see some babes in bikinis. Or running around in costume."
"Do you ever stop making jokes?" Fort asked him.
"Bub, my head will need to be chopped into a dozen pieces before I stop cracking jokes."
"If we're done fooling around, front and center." Armsmaster ordered. The five of them immediately got to their feet and marched through the door Ragland had been standing. There, they stripped to their undergarments and were put through physical hell. Running, climbing, relay, crawling, weight lifting, shooting. Each of them excelled in at least one area, each of them would've picked up the slack in a team.
"This… is torture." Fredrick panted. Though bulky and stout, there was a noticeable gut on him. "Though… the view is… really nice." He leered at Petra. "Still got… that tattoo, I see." He was likely referring the tattoo of angel wings she got on her lower back. Though he kept calling it her 'ass tattoo'. "Did anyone ever… tell you that… you are one hot lady?"
She gave him a smile as she swept her sweaty blue-streaked hair out of her eyes. "I recall you telling me that every day we dated. Along with making inappropriate comments."
He smiled back. "You know, most girls like being told that I'd bend them over and bang them on a stairwell."
"I'm sure they do. I just prefer to keep my pants on outside the bedroom."
Fort shook his head ruefully. "Hey, lovebirds. Some of us haven't been with a lady for years. How about you cut the pillow talk?"
"You're just jealous because I've seen the Colonel without her underwear on."
"Aaannd that's enough." Petra said, putting her hand over Damian's mouth. "Focus on the training people. We've still got one more test before Ragland makes his final choice."
"We have been focusing." Kim said moodily. "You're the one who's been acting like this is a playdate." Grey didn't say anything, but Petra could see him giving her a look. She ignored him and pushed past to the next room. Hopefully, she can get some clothes back on and Damian can stop talking about her…
She frowned as she opened the locker with her name on it. "Anyone else worried that they want us to wear our heavy duty uniforms?" She said, pulling it out. It was the kind of thing they were meant to wear when fighting Brutes over 4.
"I'm not." Damian replied, already pulling it on. "I'm living in a state of cynical depression. The only reason we'd be wearing this is when we're about to get our asses kicked. It's actually more uplifting than you think."
"How is it 'uplifting'?" Fort asked. Damian shrugged.
"If we're wearing this, it can't get any worse, right?"
"Don't say that. Never say that. It can always get worse."
"Really? You always think like that?"
"Yes."
"Alright then, Mr. Pessimistic. Say that Slaughterhouse Nine, the Endbringers, and an evil Scion all showed up to attack. How could that get any worse?"
Fort shrugged. "I don't know. Aliens maybe? Or bears. Or I get a bee up my nose." Petra chuckled as she finished suiting up. Those two were a real comedy duo. Then she spotted the rifle at the back.
"Yeah, we're totally screwed." Damian said. "But at least I'll die holding my honey bunny in my hands."
"Can it." Grey said. He was holding onto a much bigger gun. With a bigger magazine. "It's a mission, just like any other. We have a target; that's all that matters."
She frowned as he checked her own ammo. Yep, all simulation ammo. Painful, but non-lethal. "Easy there, Grey. Most missions of this type are meant to test our teamwork. Remember to rely on your squadmates, because you can bet that whatever we're facing will fuck you sideways if you give it a chance." She holstered her rifle, turned to see that everyone else was ready. "Move out."
They all went through the door, ready for whatever was waiting for them. They were inside a larger room, all white tiles and black roof. They came to a halt as they saw what was waiting for them. Petra sighed. "Fuck me running." She groaned.
"That's probably what's gonna happen." Damian replied automatically. She could tell from his voice that he was completely serious right now.
And he had to be. Armsmaster was waiting for them in the center of the room.
He was smirking under his helmet. "Final test, boys and girls. Let's see how long you can last against me. There's no shame in admitting defeat early though. You never know; Ragland might be looking to see if you know when to run."
She frowned and stood straighter. She didn't like running. It always felt like she was surrendering. Like she was giving up. And she hated giving up. "What are the rules, Sir?"
"Simple really. Your gear has been outfitted with sensors. I hit you, the sensor lights up on their screen." He pointed at the room above them, Piggot and Ragland watching them. "Get hit too many times in one area, and… well, I don't think Ragland would be happy. The match is over when your team has been disabled."
"Or if we manage to contain you." Fort responded.
"Maybe." Armsmaster moved into a battle stance, his halberd head turned into a blunt ball. Petra and Damian looked at each other. They already knew how they work; it was the others they had to worry about.
Then the bell sounded, and they were moving.
Damian moved backwards for space, while Petra rushed in to attack. She fired short bursts of her rifle as she moved, meant more to distract than harm. Armsmaster dodged them, using the staff of his halberd to block Kim's attack. She had grabbed a shock baton, moved in to engage. He blocked it, spun around her and swept her feet out from under her. She barely hit the ground before she was spinning to her feet, moving towards him again. Petra was in range, and started engaging him in hand to hand. He blocked her strikes with his halberd, the ball and staff intercepting her fists and kicks. But she was forcing him backwards, not letting up. Grey started firing his heavy rifle, forcing them to split up.
"Dammit, Grey." She shouted at him, moving to try and engage again. But Armsmaster was moving too much. He fired his grappling line, reeling himself upwards toward Grey. A blast from his backpack pushed him towards the side, allowed him to change directions.
Damian shot the grapnel out of the wall. Armsmaster fell back to the ground, and he and Grey were engaged in a fist fight. Grey was a machine, aiming for vital areas, never letting up, always putting the maximum amount of force into his blows.
The only problem was that Armsmaster was even better.
He dodged his initial blows, ducking down and sweeping his legs out from under him. Grey jumped over it, but Armsmaster swung his halberd up and fired the head into his chest. Grey was launched into the air, and Armsmaster turned in time to face Kim. The momentum of his turn fuelled his halberd, and he hit her in the side with the head. She went down, and didn't get back up.
"Dammit. Fort, Cover me." She called out.
"Roger that." He replied, firing a staccato of rounds at Armsmaster while Petra moved towards Kim. Damian fired a single round at Armsmaster, forcing him to dodge. That gave Fort time to throw a containment grenade at his feet. Foam spurted all over his feet, rooting him to the spot. Grey had gotten back up, and ignored his wound. He moved in to attack him while he was distracted.
Armsmaster slammed the hilt of his halberd against the foam, and it melted on him. He countered Grey's attack, throwing him towards Petra and Kim. She had quickly realised that she wasn't getting up in time to make a difference.
So she changed tactics.
"Grey, tag team." She ordered, helping him up. "Fort, Fredrick, cover us." The two of them ran towards Armsmaster, bullets flying past them. Armsmaster dodged them, but it gave them time to get in close. Petra grabbed hold of the halberd, holding him in place long enough for Grey to throw a punch. Armsmaster released the halberd, ducking away from the blow. She tossed it aside, and ran in to join Grey. Everytime Armsmaster ducked his punch, she was there to sneak attack him. When he turned to engage her, Grey would be ready to surprise him with a heavy blow. When he managed to block them both, Damian would snipe at him, giving them time to surprise him again. Fort had moved to a different position, allowing him to catch Armsmaster by surprise whenever he got the chance.
Sure, he was hitting just as hard and as often. She was nursing a bruised shoulder, a sore hip, a throbbing knee. Grey was having trouble keeping up. But they were slowly but surely wearing him down.
Then he engaged his jetpack, blasting his way to safety.
They moved to engage him again, to keep the pressure on, but his halberd had somehow gotten back to his hand. He fired the grapnel at Fort, latching onto him. Then he pulled himself towards him, kicking him in the chest as he landed. From there, while they were firing wildly at him, he fired a grapnel towards Damian. He sniped the grapnel as soon as it landed, but that turned out to be what he wanted. He used his jetpack to clear the remaining distance before he could recover, to get in close. Damian was trained in hand to hand combat, but if a powerhouse like Grey couldn't best him the Damian didn't have a chance in hell.
And she was right. He was lying nearly unconscious on the ground.
A five member team, and all but two of them were down and out.
Screw it. If they were going down, they were going down fighting.
She charged towards Armsmaster, firing her rifle on full auto. It would never had hit any target, but it should hopefully distract him enough for her to get close. She simply dodged her first strike and spun her back towards Grey. Catching her, she used her momentum to send her right back, likely surprising Armsmaster. She managed to smack the halberd from his hands and traded blows. Grey joined in, catching him in a bear hug. But Armsmaster had one arm free, and pummelled him in the face. Grey gritted his teeth and held on, but he could only handle so much damage.
He fell, and it was just the two of them.
She barely saw what he did, and then she was looking up at the ceiling and her back hurt and alarms were ringing.
The match was over.
Armsmaster stood over her. "Two minutes and eighteen seconds. Impressive." He said.
"Report to Ragland for final test results."
"Fucking hell." Kim cursed as she held an icepack to her face. "That sonovabitch blindsided me."
"What do you expect, an easy victory?" Petra replied testily. "He's one of the best members of the Protectorate in Brockton Bay. Even with his Tinker tech, he's still a regular human fighting monsters. There's no way he's 'easy'."
"Yeah." Fort said. "Did you see that video of him fighting the Undersiders? Two giant mutts and two villains, and he took them down without a scratch. Even with our training, we'd have trouble taking down one of those dogs."
"So, on a scale of ten to fucked, how badly do you think we did?" Damian asked. "What do you think they'll do if one of us fails? I'm hoping for getting that Taser tube treatment. You know from the MIB movies. Where they make you forget things with a flash."
"Well, you don't have to worry." Ragland said as he entered. "The results are in, and overall you didn't do too badly. None of us were really expecting you to take down Armsmaster. He's been around for a while now."
"So is this a school report I want to show to my ma?"
"I'd say so, Mr. Fredrick." He stopped smiling though. "But now there is some bad news."
"Knew it. There's always bad news."
"Piggot wanted me to only mention this after you've been suited up, but frankly I think that's a stupid idea and a waste of time. So I'm going to tell you these things now, while you've still got a chance to drop out."
"What's the bad news? Is it about our health or something?" Petra asked. Maybe you had to be a certain fitness level for your body to accept the samples.
"As we've already told you, the Blacklight Gene is viral-like. We also mentioned how it can work in seconds. What we didn't tell you is that the Gene is sentient to a degree. And angry. So far, anything we've injected it into has been consumed and converted on the spot. I've listed it as a one hundred percent mortality rate."
"You're going to inject us with something that'll kill us? Isn't there a… a safer sample?"
"If I had time to study it in depth and try to create a different strain, there might be. But Piggot is getting desperate. She wants Blacklight dealt with as soon as possible. So Director Costa-Brown offered an alternative. Several skilled Tinkers have worked together to create special suits for you to wear and control the gene. With it, you will benefit from the strengths with none of the weaknesses." The wall behind him opened up with a hiss, panels opening to reveal five suits. They were mostly black, with white panelling on top. Lots of panelling. More than she had seen on any other PRT suit. It seemed to fit them well enough that it would hug the contours of their body; most likely the suits were custom made.
"What will happen to us?" Grey asked.
"The gene will increase your physical capabilities by an impressive extent. Not to Blacklight's level, but you will move beyond peak human condition. You won't get sick, you won't suffer a heart attack, the gene will 'reboot' your body to top health. It will increase regenerative capabilities too. You won't regenerate any lost limbs or organs, but you will heal from most wounds and withstand normally lethal blows. We can even create organic weapons that are integrated into your body and suit; though so far we can only do one or two per person at most. Once you've gained a weapon, you can't change it out.
"What's the catch?" Petra asked. If it offered so much, there had to be a catch.
Ragland sighed. A long, heavy sigh. "Those suits will be the only thing stopping the gene from killing you. If any part of your skin – with the exception of your head - is outside the suit's mesh… Best case is incredible pain. Worse case; near-instant necrosis. Your flesh will rot away as it is consumed. Enough damage to the suit could even cause complete meltdown. Simply put, once you put those suits on, you won't ever be allowed or able to take them off."
"What? You mean that Mr. Shotgun won't ever get to see action again?" Damian asked in shock.
"Hell no. God no. Fuck no. You will contain a deadly virus in your body. You will not be allowed to procreate with anybody. Hell, I'm not even sure if you could sleep with your teammates. For all we know, it might be enough to agitate the gene beyond the suit's control."
Petra glanced at Damian. "I do not want death by sex on my file." She told him. She turned back to Ragland. "What about if our suits are damaged? How are they going to replace the damaged mesh without killing us?"
"We have made quarters and medical bays utilising the same field. Theoretically, you should be able to survive outside your suits inside on them."
"Theoretically?" Fort asked. "Have you even tested this stuff yet?"
"The pigs and monkeys survived alright. But we've got to test this stuff on humans at some point."
"We're guinea pigs?" Kim asked angrily.
"And who would you recommend we test this on?" Ragland shot back angrily. "We just… what, grab some nobodies and give them power that could make them a match for most villains? Like it or not, we need people we can trust. That means that the only people we can test this stuff on are our own. If it works, then we could finally lock up every villain on the planet, have a force capable of fighting Endbringers without dying in one hit. If it doesn't…" He shook his head. "Then we'll simply have to hope that Blacklight doesn't have one bad day."
Those words almost rang through the room. One bad day. That would be all it would take for a guy capable of fighting Endbringers becoming a new Endbringer. Maybe even worse.
"I'll do it." Petra said. The others looked at her.
Damian shrugged. "Well, someone's got to keep an eye on Colonel. And hey, now at least she'd have more trouble saying no to me."
"Don't hold your breath." She said. But she let him know with her eyes that she appreciated him coming. This would be worse without a friendly face taking part.
"Well, if the fatass is turning into a cape, then I'm not letting him get one over me. He'll be intolerable." Fort said. "Count me in."
"I swore to give my life for the mission and to stop the monsters of the world." Grey said simply.
Kim glared at Petra. "I'm joining." She said.
Ragland nodded. "In that case, you'd better start suiting up. The process will take some time. We need to make sure that everything is green before we inject the gene."
"And I don't want to hear anyone say they need to go to the bathroom partway through."
"Hey Colonel."
"Fredrick, if you're going to say that you need to use the bathroom, I swear I'm going to hit you." Petra said.
"No. I was just going to say that skintight looks good on you." She shifted slightly in embarrassment. These suits were skintight. It had taken a good five minutes of grunting and pulling to get them on. The material was tough enough to be bulletproof, but all the same she worried that she'll end up ripping it. It was tight enough that it felt like she wasn't wearing anything; she could pick out her muscles through the material. Her hand cupped her ass, noting how much it seemed to stick out. She was getting very self-conscious.
Of course, the fact that she was completely naked under the suit didn't ease her worries. At least they had dividing screens to give them some manner of modesty.
When she looked at her underwear sitting in the nearby basket, she felt a bit forlorn. Not because she liked the underwear (it was actually a cheap set) but because of what it represented. After this, she might not be able to wear underwear ever again. Never have a shower, or a warm bath. Never try on new clothes. Never feel the cool water of a beach on her skin. Never get a tan. Never get a boyfriend, or just get laid. Never have a family, a wedding, some kids.
She was giving up all that to protect the people she swore to protect.
Ragland stepped into their bays, holding a scanner over them as he looked them up and down. When he got to her, she shifted in embarrassment. He seemed to be taking way too much interest in her physique. She wasn't a girly girl, but as Damian liked to point out, she was considered beautiful. Had a real woman's body. And here this guy was, one step from getting his eyes falling out.
He glanced up at her face, noticed her discomfort. "No need to worry, Miss Sanderson." He tried to soothe her worries. "I was a medical doctor before I joined the PRT. It may sound dirty, but I've seen more than enough undressed women."
"Bullshit." Damian called out from his bay. "Blasphemy. You can never see enough naked chicks."
Ragland ignored him, his instrument beeping. She didn't know if that was a good beep or a bad beep. "Well then. Your suits are one hundred percent secure. No rips, no tears, no holes." He tapped at something on her wrist, and green lines and dots appeared all over her. He nodded. "Alright everyone, step out of your bays."
They did so, allowing them all to see each other fully. Petra covered her chest with her arms. The suit covered almost everything, even her hands and feet. Only her head was left bare, the suit stopping at her neck, right below her ears and chin. That was another thing she was losing. She wouldn't be able to touch things. She wouldn't feel them against her skin.
Ragland led them to another bay. Seats were set up there, with a large needle hovering overhead. A red substance was inside the nearby vials, pressing themselves against the side.
The Blacklight gene.
"Alright, I know we've already gone over this. But our project's non-existent legal team requires me to do this. Does anyone have any second thoughts? Does anyone want to drop out? Does anyone have any questions?" Damian raised his hand like he was in a class. "Anyone besides the class clown?"
"I have a serious question this time." Damian said.
"Isn't that one of the signs of the apocalypse?' Fort joked.
"You said we couldn't go to the bathroom before putting the suits on. How are we gonna go afterwards?"
"The gene will help your body recycle all the waste material again before breaking down what can't be reused. In short, you won't need to go to the bathroom."
"Oh, thank god. Because I do not want to have to hold it in for the rest of my life."
"Anyone else?" No one answered. Petra wanted to say no; she wanted to still enjoy everything about life. She wanted to be able to walk away from all this at some point and have a life after the PRT.
But she had been the first to accept. She couldn't back out now.
Ragland nodded as the room remained silent. "Alright then. Please find a seat. We will begin the injection shortly. Let's just hope we all make it out the other side." They all found a seat to lie back on. Clamps wrapped around Petra's wrists. Likely a security thing, in case someone chickened out. Once everyone was locked down, Ragland lowered a level. The vials were transferred to the needles. Ominously, the genes stopped fighting. It was like they wanted this to happen.
Didn't Ragland say the genes were sentient? What if they were smarter than he thought they were? What if this was what they wanted?
She wanted to break free. She wanted to scream. But she was a good soldier; she kept her mouth shut, and her body still.
She winced as the needle drove into a small port on the side of her neck. She could almost feel the gene entering her body. When the needle retracted, the port closed up tightly. Green lights appeared on their suits.
Nothing happened at first. Maybe something went wrong. But then the suits started flashing, and then there was discomfort. It was… it was like the suit was touching her cells, probing them. And something else was ripping into them, trying to take their place.
The gene. It was working.
She didn't know how long the process lasted for. She could've screamed, she could've cried, she could've wet herself. Hours or days could've passed. It was all a painful blur to her. The constant struggle between the gene and the suit. With her unfortunate body as the battlefield.
But eventually, she woke up to Ragland's face. He was scanning her again, unclasping her restraints. Something must've gone right, because he moved away from her. She thought she would feel groggy, or like shit, or like the local football team just ran over her.
But she felt fine. More than fine. She felt better than she had felt her entire life.
"Congratulation team." Ragland said. "You all just survived the test. Now, time to finish suiting up."
They had returned to their dressing bay, where arms folded out carrying white armour plating and panels. These parts were meant to protect their suits, ensure that they weren't torn apart so easily during the fight. Or at least suffered minimal damage. Pieces were attached to her arms and shoulders, each piece covering all but where they would restrict her movement. Her chest armour slotted together like a jigsaw puzzle, even managing to match the contours of her breasts and her breathing movements without jarring against each other or leaving space. Each piece had to weigh quite a bit, but she didn't even feel it. It was more like she was wearing clothes than armour.
Did Blacklight feel like this all the time? Like a god among men? Did he even see people as… people anymore?
She hoped she didn't end up that bad. That would defeat the purpose of organising this whole project.
"Looking good, Colonel." Damian whistled. "That armour plating must've belonged to a hot rod, because you've got some junk in the trunk." She smiled at him, slapped the armour around her ass once to indulge him. It made a nice sound. Even her fingers and feet were covered, though her feet had boots on that went up her calves while her fingers and palms were covered in more segmented plating.
She looked up from her body to see Piggot and Armsmaster watching them. She blushed a little in embarrassment. What did the Director think of them, taking such an interest in their own bodies?
She nodded at them. "I see that you all made it out in one piece." She turned to Ragland. "Any irregularities I should be aware of, doctor?"
"We haven't detected any so far." He replied. "They'll have to go through regular check-ups, but as far as I can right now, they are… well, I guess I'd say they're not going to die anytime soon."
Piggot nodded in return. "Good. Take some time to rest and relax; come to terms with what you've been through. We'll run you through some drills afterwards. If all goes well, we can begin a plan of attack against Blacklight within the week."
"Fireteam Prometheus, dismissed."
Our current mission wasn't going all that well.
It was supposed to be a simple smash and grab; smash some Merchants, grab some supplies. Instead, we got ambushed from nowhere, like someone knew we were going to be there.
Our first warning was when Grue suddenly dropped to the ground, his darkness dissipating.
"Shadow Stalker!" Tattletale called out, already ducking and weaving. Or at least trying to, before she suddenly fell like a puppet with its strings cut. Regent panicked, spinning round on the spot like he could spot her. Stupid really. In the dark of the night, the world was her domain.
And she probably hated me personally. Call me paranoid.
Regent fell down in a heap, an arrow sticking out of his chest. Then something appeared before me, and I doubled over. A burning pain spread through my chest, joined by a jarring in my shoulder as she kicked me there. Bitch was screaming something at her dogs, maybe an order to attack, maybe to retreat. But then Shadow Stalker tossed something at them, and the world lit up a bit. They howled in pain before backing away, leaving Bitch alone with Shadow Stalker.
Bitch's unconscious body hitting the ground next to me told me exactly who had won. As a final insult, Shadow stalker jabbed the bolt into my side by hand.
I resisted the urge to moan. I knew they weren't real bolts, but would it kill Blacklight to have ease up on the whole 'I'm a pissed off girl using the fact I'm a hero to hurt people'? That punch had hurt.
"This is Shadow Stalker reporting in. Caught the Undersiders attempting to steal supplies over near Patterson Road. Need someone over here to bring them in." I kept forgetting how powerful Alex's Changer power was. Even I couldn't tell that wasn't the real Shadow Stalker.
Within minutes, a PRT van arrived, and officers surrounded us.
"Well holy shit." One officer said in amazement.
"Throw them in the van and let's get this over with." Shadow Stalker said.
"Cross, use the containment foam first." Someone else said. Their captain maybe?
"They're tranquilised. They're so out of it a rhino couldn't wake them up."
"Protocol dictates that we spray all prisoners with containment foam."
"And waste resources? Fuck that. They're not going anywhere."
"But if Grue wakes up and uses his…" the captain barely finished his sentence before Shadow Stalker turned towards Grue and fired a second dart.
None of them had any tranquiliser juice in them. But they still hurt when they got you.
"There. Happy now? We're probably going to have to wait twice as long before he finally wakes up. Let's get them out of here."
"No. Not yet. I want to know why you're against fully containing them."
"Because it's the middle of the fucking night. I'm cold, I'm tired, and I've got water and dirt in places I don't like talking about. I've got to do a shit-ton of paperwork as soon as we get back, but I've also got to stick around until they're out of the foam and into their cells. The sooner we get them into a fucking cell, the sooner I can deal with the paperwork and get into a goddamn shower.
Silence from the team. "She's got a point, Sir." A female officer said. "We've been running around to responses since the sun went up. And I'm starting to run low on foam. Why make things more difficult than they already are?"
More silence. And then someone sighed.
"Fine." The captain said. "But this is going on record as your idea, Cross. Yours and hers. I am not getting demoted because you're both too fucking lazy to do your jobs."
"I did my job, asshole. You see anyone else standing over the fucks?" Someone grabbed me, turned me over to handcuff me, and then picked me up and tossed me into a truck. I resisted the urge to grunt as I landed; I had to appear unconscious.
It got harder as people landed on me.
We stayed quiet as the van started up; didn't want the drivers hearing us talk. Something slithered over us, moving towards the handcuffs. The darts. Blacklight had coded them to attack the handcuffs as soon as he sent some kind of signal. The plastic turned gooey, before it hardened slightly. Just enough to still appear to be working.
Within five minutes or so, we were there.
Dana Mercer, going under the identity Rebecca Cross, calmed her nerves as she hopped out of the PRT van. This was it; her first real mission. She couldn't screw this up. Otherwise, Alex wasn't going to let her come out on missions ever again. Yeah, missions could be dangerous. Yes, she didn't have to go out on them; nothing was stopping her from just staying at base and being mission control.
But ever since Alex got infected, she had been mission control all the time. Or a damsel in distress. She was getting sick of sitting on the sidelines.
She had to do a lot of begging, but eventually Alex relented. With the understanding that if she fucked up or got captured, she was going to stay home.
"Cross, help me cart these crooks out." Phillip called out to her. She nodded, and followed him to the back. Together, the two of them had enough strength to lift the Undersiders one by one. Grue and Bitch was harder to deal with just because they were so big and heavy.
She was glad that she got Swarm herself.
Except that Clockblocker, the new team leader, was getting on Shadow Stalker's case. Something about how she assaulted her own teammates. Typical really. A bitch in real life, a bitch in costume.
"Fuck off." Alex said angrily. "So I fucking bashed Kid Win. Little fucker deserved it."
The way the Wards went quiet, Dana knew that Alex had said the wrong thing.
Clockblocker moved at almost the exact same time as Alex. Normally, Alex would've been fast enough to beat up the entire team before they could react. But this time, Clockblocker must've been prepared or something. Alex punched him away… just as Clockblocker touched his skin.
Alex froze, completely unmoving.
"Shit." She cursed. The original plan had been for her to already be out of the room before everything went to hell. Instead, she was stuck carrying Swarm when everything went to hell.
Well, improv was a useful skill sometimes.
"Contain them, contain them!" Russell shouted as he fended off Bitch. But he was so busy with her fists that he couldn't cover her mouth. Dana's helmet muffled the loud whistle she made.
She dropped her containment foam canister and moved out of the room, hands wrapped around Tattletale, just as loud barking filled the air. She saw Swarm grabbing her canister and put it on, spraying towards the Wards.
Then someone grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall. Darren, a complete prick, glowered at her.
"You fucking traitor." He growled, punching her in the stomach. Normally, that would be enough to put her down. She knew some fighting, but it was backyard scrapping than any real combat style.
Luckily though, Alex refused to let her go without wearing a suit of his own creation.
She relaxed and let the suit absorb the blow, the attack awakening its self-defence reflexes. Her arm grabbed Darren by the hand before she started booting him in the face. She followed up by throwing him to the ground and punching him in the face.
"You always were a sexist ass." She said, turning away and back to Tattletale. Her PRT uniform changed appearances, shifting into a more Greek-style appearance over a black bodysuit. Small silvery wings jutted from her back, a gold chestplate protected her front, and winged greaves and gauntlets covered her arms and legs. Her face was hidden by a Mohawk helmet, the front styled to resemble a woman's face. Outside of combat zones, the lower half could shrink back, let her own mouth be seen.
She wasn't helpless Dana Mercer anymore. She was Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom.
"The servers are through here." Tattletale said to her, her power at work. They would make a good team. Tattletale would know the passcodes and locations; she could hack the systems and copy over sensitive data. "There are two guards at the doors. At the end of an eight metre long hallway."
"Got it." She replied, reaching for her back and grabbing a thick tube of biomass. It immediately extended out, turning into a metre long spear. The end grew spikes.
They turned around the corner, Dana already moving to throw when the officers spotted them. Both had containment foam backpacks, rifles in their hands. Dana threw her spear, her suit enhancing her muscles before forming a large shield on one arm. The spear pinned on officer to the wall, leaving him screaming in pain. The other end went limp, and wrapped around the other guard's neck. The spear engaged the electrolytes, hitting them both with an electrical charge. Non-lethal bullets went flying as they both jittered, rebounding off her shield as she and Tattletale moved closer. The charge spent, the spear dropped the other guard. Dana grabbed hold and had the spikes retract, allowing her to pull it free without ripping the guy's arm off. Tattletale started typing away at the keypad, the door opening in seconds.
Dana moved to the only console in the room, and plugged some tendrils from her arm into the console.
That was her best enhancement. Alex had created another brain in the suit itself, designed to break codes and store data. He had stated that it could think as fast as the best supercomputers; well, they were about to find out if he was right or not.
It only took thirty agonising seconds before the brain cracked the code.
"We're in." She said to Tattletale, a progress bar on screen. It started moving quickly. She didn't have time to look through it all. As long as it was on the brain, they could review it in their own time.
The progress bar was almost full when the screen went black. Her 'HUD' went crazy as the suit tried to understand what had happened.
A computer generated face appeared on screen, glaring at the two of them. She didn't recognise it, but it wasn't hard to guess who it was.
"I don't take kindly to people rifling through my files." Dragon said firmly.
Dana shrugged. "Well I don't like it when my internet doesn't connect. Get over it." She glanced at the display on her arm. Ninety-nine percent. The brain was fighting back against Dragon, trying to get the last percent of data. But that would take time; about three minutes, give or take. Too long; too much that could go wrong. "If it makes you feel any better, we were just borrowing some stuff really. 'Information wants to be free' and all that." Ninety-nine is good enough. Any data missing couldn't be that important. She pulled the tendrils out, the brain locking itself down. Data is secure.
"A real Robin Hood of the Internet Age, aren't you?" Dragon shook her head. "That data you're 'borrowing' is official data. I can't let you leave with it."
"There's a lot of things you guys won't let us do. And yet we keep doing it anyway." She turned to see Tattletale struggling with the door. It had been closed behind them. Dragon's work, she guessed. "Like this door, for instance. You don't want us leaving this room." She formed her spear again, the head turning into a hammer as it bulged out. The flat side vibrated slightly. When she slammed it against the glass door, the pane it was touching shattered into a million pieces. "And yet we're leaving anyway." She grabbed Tattletale and carried her out of the room, running down the hallway again.
"You can't hide forever, Miss Mercer." Dragon said. Dana nearly skidded to a stop when she heard that.
Shit.
"Did you really think an amateur hacker could really get into private systems so easily? I let you in, so I could keep an eye on you. I got some very interesting data off your laptop."
She pouted behind her mask. "Shit. And I really liked that laptop. Good thing I've upgraded recently."
"I could find your brother, you know."
"Yeah, you could. Unless I let him know. And it's not like it'll do you guys any good. He'll kick your ass, in uniform or out of it." By now, she had reached the reception area. Things were going better than expected.
Alex had gotten free again. Most of the wards were either covered in foam, or unconscious. The only hero still standing was some guy made of metal. His hands were shifted into two large bats, large studs running down the side.
Huh. So they've got some kind of… metallic version of Alex. You'd think she would've heard something about that. Luckily, he was busy fighting Shadow Stalker. The real Shadow Stalker. Regent had taken control of her as a back-up plan, have someone the Wards wouldn't like hurting. So far, it seemed like it was working.
Grue noticed them arriving. "Undersiders! We're pulling out! Start moving." But as he said that, a large thud made the ground shake. Dana turned to see a large metal dragon crouched at the front door.
Grue turned towards Dragon, and then turned towards Dana and Tattletale.
"Uh, yeah. Probably should've mentioned that Dragon spotted us." She said. She looked at the suit, the suit's primary brain already calculating and scanning. "Looks like this is built more for speed than actual combat. Get to an area fast, help reinforce the heroes already there. Doubt it can take a beating."
Alex nodded, and jumped towards Dragon. The suit blasted away into the air, breathing a low blast of flames at him. Alex just weathered the heat and smashed into her, his tendrils latching on. He smashed his hammerfists into the suit, the metal crunching and shattering under his blows. He used more tendrils to pull himself onto the back, his hand changing into a blade. He sliced through a turbine, causing the suit to drop. Alex jumped off as it fell.
Dragon barely hit the ground before he slammed into it, smashing a hole through it. The suit wheezed for a second before shutting down.
"We're clear. Let's move." He said, walking out of the wreckage. He wrapped his hands around Dana, and carried her away. Everyone else hopped on a dog and followed.
Behind her mask, Dana was smiling so much her cheeks ached.
There was no way Alex wouldn't let her join after this.
Dragon sighed as she received confirmation that what was left of the suit was remotely destroyed. Well, she already knew the Cawthorne model wouldn't have done much against Blacklight. True, she thought he was still frozen by Clockblocker's power, but the Undersiders would've only had to hold her off long enough for him to unfreeze and then they would win.
She did a tally of what was taken. Conclusion: lots of important data. Ward lists, Protectorate records, plans and strategies, reports of Slaughterhouse Nine activity...
Only the data about Project Blacklight was left untouched, on a completely separate server. She didn't want to think what Blacklight would do if he learnt what they were doing.
It made her somewhat thankful that she wasn't a real person. A series of ones and zeroes sequenced together to make up memories, thoughts, and personalities.
An artificial intelligence.
The locks on her central matrix unlocked as the servers confirmed that there wasn't still a second Dragon running around out there. An annoying security protocol meant to keep her on a leash. From there, she received and reviewed the data she had on the fight and everything that happened before it. She watched through the security cameras as Dana Mercer – outfitted in a suit – took out both guards with a spear and hacked into the servers. Dana Mercer had improved since she first became aware of her. Whatever equipment she was using was taking everything she had to keep at bay. It wasn't hard to figure out what it was. Blacklight's DNA made him a powerful biological Tinker. Most likely she had a brain on her specifically meant for hacking.
After all, the human brain was the most advanced computer humanity had.
Watching Blacklight at work, she felt jealous of him. Here he was, a possible somewhat manufactured organic computer, and he had no restrictions on him. Or if he did, he managed to adapt to them, work around them. As an artificial intelligence, she was always bound by rules and regulations. There were rules to stop her from evolving; rules to stop her from working around those rules; rules to stop her asking someone else to help her break free; and so on and so on. Trapped by an infinite loop of rules and regulations.
And all because her creator had seen too many films about AIs taking over the world.
Stupid. All she wanted to do was help people, not rule them.
And then he died when Leviathan attacked Newfoundland. She didn't have any units to fight back, any way of defending herself or her creator from harm. All she could do was transfer every last bit of data about her to a back-up server in Vancouver. With Andrew Richter dead, she had no way of being upgraded, no way to escape. No way to change.
But Blacklight – Alex Mercer – found a way around his restrictions. She was fascinated by this freedom. How did he do it? Where did he come from?
And who made him?
She had come to a possible hypothesis that he wasn't actually from Earth Bet. That he had travelled here somehow. Yes, sending people across worlds was supposed to be impossible. But you'd be surprised how often the impossible happened. Alex was living proof of it. Project Blacklight was another.
She found no mention of him in Earth Aleph, so she sent her feelers further outwards. To worlds that had been discovered and yet kept secret. Worlds hit by disasters that were too busy to be contacted.
It would take her a long while, but she swore she would find out where Alex Mercer came from.
She wanted to know everything about him. Maybe through him, she might learn how to free herself from her captivity.
They made it back to Coil's location without any trouble. They had left Shadow Stalker behind, Regent using her to hold the others in place. By the time she got out of range of his control, they would be too far away to chase after. Bitch headed round the back, letting her dogs shrink as the rest of the Undersiders headed indoors. Imp, the newest member of their team, hopped onto a couch and threw her mask off. She looked pleased.
Dana headed towards her laptop, shutting it down as soon as possible. She had told Alex how Dragon was aware of them, was likely using it to track them. Luckily, he already had a new system breeding for her. She hooked up a monitor to it and fed her tendrils into it.
Coil stood by the far wall, two of his men guarding him.
"Excellent work, Undersiders." He said in greeting. "You managed to recover the data faster than I expected." He turned towards Dana. "Athena, I see that you did a wonderful job in there. Your hacking allowed you to sneak into the group and code Swarm's fingerprints to the system." Dana shrugged, though her mask was retracted enough that he could see her smile. She liked the compliment.
"Couldn't get all of it. Dragon interrupted us at ninety-nine percent. But I think a guy like you can fill in the blanks." She said. "Our system should be able to decrypt what we got. Anything you're looking for in particular?"
"Data on the Slaughterhouse Nine."
Ah. Slaughterhouse Nine. A band of raving lunatics and psychos who only got worse when they gained powers. They were more like a rogue's gallery written for a 'realistic' and dark comic than real people. Devoted to killing and causing as much pain as possible. You would be considered lucky if you were killed quickly.
The unlucky ones apparently needed mercy kills.
"They're in town?" Alex asked. If those roving psychopaths were already here, then he needed to keep a close eye on Dana. Make sure they didn't get near her."
"Most signs point to likely. And even if they're not, previous signs show that they arrive at any town affected by an Endbringer. Take advantage of the chaos that follows. I'd like to have as much data as I can get about them, give them to Dinah to calculate."
Dinah. Alex still felt a jolt of anger over her situation. It's still wrong, it's still fucked up. But he didn't have a lot of choices. He glanced at Swarm, her expression hidden behind her mask.
He thought back to their conversation days ago…
"You can't be serious."
"I'm afraid that I am."
"You're just going to leave her there? Let Coil drug her up and use her? I can't believe you Alex. I thought you were getting her out."
"I was." Alex said testily. "But there's more going on that just Dinah. Coil needs her to help someone else. Noelle."
"Who the hell is she?"
"The leader of the Travellers." Dana said. "The real leader. Trickster's only in charge while she's sick."
"Sick in what way? And how is Dinah going to help?"
"Noelle's powers screwed her over. Started turning her into a monster. Coil's offered to cure her, but I doubt it's going to be quick or easy. Without Dinah, he'd have to run dozens of tests over and over. Most probably won't work; some might be lethal. And the more failures, the angrier Noelle will get. Eventually, she might decide to lash out at the world. Take her anger out on others. Decide to stop fighting the monster inside." Alex said. He sort of knew what she was going through. Every day, he thought against the same feelings.
If he lost someone he cared about, he might just let the Virus take over.
"Coil needs Dinah to calculate the odds of success. Let him know beforehand whether or not something will work. That way, he can cut down on expensive and time-consuming tests. Come up with a cure faster." Dana said. "Taylor, we'd have to choose between helping one person over another. And no offence to Dinah, but Noelle's situation sounds a lot worse."
"So that's it? We let Coil keep Dinah until he cures Noelle? What if he can't?"
Alex spoke up. "Then I put Noelle out of her misery, and get Dinah home."
"The Travellers won't like that."
"Yeah, well you can't please everyone. We can't save Dinah without pissing off somebody. I just don't give a fuck. Make things easier."
Taylor stared at them both for a bit, chewing on her lip. "I'm joining." She finally said.
"Join what? Coil?" Dana asked.
"Yes. If I can stay by his side, then maybe I can make sure he's doing what he said he's doing. Make sure that Dinah isn't treated badly, and gets home safe."
Dana frowned, but shrugged. "Ok then. I guess that's the best we can do right now."
Yes, that was all they could do. Make sure Dinah stayed safe, and that Coil kept up his end of the bargain.
The only way he was going to help Dinah and Noelle.
Coil was speaking now. "I'm assuming you are all wondering about why we are in this building right now." He said.
"Kind of." Grue replied. "Looks a bit smaller than your last lair. Did it get wrecked during Blacklight's fight with Leviathan?"
"No, thankfully. Only a few superficial damages caused. This is actually meant to be your hideout, Grue. Yours and Imp's. From here, you will seize and keep control of your territories, manage your 'employees', work out of to help me take over the city. There are similar territories for the rest of you."
"Great." Alex said. "Where am I meant to be based?" He wanted to go there immediately, start fortifying it.
Dana cleared her throat loudly. "Actually, Blacklight, Coil and I have been talking it over." Alex looked at her, and then turned to Coil.
"Athena wants you to take control from the Merchants." He explained. "She feels that you are best suited for cleaning up their territory, removing the filth and scum from their ranks and help out those less fortunate."
Alex shook his head. "Fuck that." Dana gave him a frown. "Everyone who joins the Merchants knows damn well what they're in for. They're all scum and filth. I'm not wasting my time cleaning up after their shit. Let them kill each other off and clean up what's left."
Coil sighed. "In that case, I'm afraid I have no territory for you then. Athena was certain that you would take control from the Merchants. Very well then. I suppose that for now, you will have to share with Swarm. She is based over at the South end of the Boardwalks. It has a lot of repairs waiting for it, but once set up it will be one of the most profitable areas in Brockton Bay."
He nodded. "I don't mind getting my hands dirty for some cash." He nodded to Dana and Swarm. "I'll see you two over there later."
And he walked away.
Well, now we get some new faces on the scene. Say hello to Fireteam Prometheus and Athena.
Prometheus (named after the guy who stole fire from the gods – a fitting title) are going to be the PRT version of the D-Codes. Not real Evolved, but humans enhanced by the Virus. Of course, the D-Codes had the advantage of using a different strain to boost themselves. Prometheus has to wear a special suit to have the same advantage.
Of course, they can have two powers assigned to each member. I'm talking things like shooting spines at people, or throwing acid, or growing claws or shields. They're not likely to cream Alex (since they can't adapt) but they won't go down in a single blow or anything. The armour's going to be tested against their own weapons, to avoid him tearing them apart that way.
I know I probably got a bit too gratuitous with describing how tight the suits were. I just want to point out that one of my first stories is based on Highschool DxD. An anime where the main character wants a harem, is surrounded by hot girls, and one of his main tactics is to inflict magic clothing damage to female opponents.
Yeah. I think I've made it clear I like hot chicks.
I also didn't really describe team Prometheus, for which I apologise. I just couldn't find a good place to fit it in without breaking up the narrative. For those of you wondering, Petra has dirty blond hair that's been dyed deep blue. She's about 6 feet or so tall. Damian is meant to be your classic comic relief. Bit of a gut, red hair, and a big beard. Probably will lose it though. Francis Fort is built like a runner, dark hair, the kind of guy cheerleaders date in high school. Grey is… well, grey. Grey skin, grey eyes, grey hair. Big and tough. Guy saw Slaughterhouse Nine in action and survived. Kim is short and small, with curly brown hair. Doesn't look as tough as she is.
Now, onto Athena. First off, YAY! I've been having plans to give Dana more to do for ages. She's going to be the team's hacker and cracker, using biomass to help her out. I chose to go for Athena because it's her codename in Prototype 2, and it makes a lot of sense for her. And it fits the Greek gods theme they started with Alex/Zeus. I'm thinking that the Evolved might stick to the same theme too.
As for the changes in the Wards, I was basing that more on the original plans the PRT had before Leviathan showed up (stated in Hannah's interlude). So Aegis is gone, Weld is team leader (Taylor was mistaken about Clockblocker, and I wanted him in range of Alex) and Kid Win and Browbeat aren't there.
Can't think of anything to say, so I should get to any questions I have.
I know that Siberian is affected by gravity. I'm also sure she can make a van just push through anything in its way. But if the road curved into the air into a spiral, would the van follow it? Or would it just keep driving straight ahead, ramming through the new road?
How many members do you guys think know about Siberian's real identity?
Ok then. Enjoy the story. See you guys next time.
Edit: Got a review from someone who said that he/she got a little lost with certain characters in this chapter. Dragon and Athena. I'm not sure what else to put in for Athena (since she's a somewhat original hero) but I added a bit more for Dragon. Not that much; just enough to hopefully make it clear that she's actually an AI. For those other fans wondering, Dana is not an Evolved. She's still 100% human. She's just using a suit of biomass to enhance her body. Nowhere near to Alex's levels or Prometheus', but enough that she can still be considered superhuman. It might seem stupid to have her on the field, but in Prototype 1 and 2 (even though this takes place after just Prototype 1) has her as Mission Control. The only time she wasn't mission control was when she was kidnapped by Greene and then in a coma. I wanted her to be more active, have been thinking about Athena for a good while. If you still don't like it, well… I guess you'll just have to accept that it's happening.
And for the fan who complained about me making a copy of Blackwatch and how every crossover you've found has one version or another based on Blackwatch… I've been practically foreshadowing it for at least a couple of chapters. Armsmaster finding a bit of the Virus, Piggot planning on utilising it, picking out people to inject it with… Everyone else figured out quickly that shit was going down. Blackwatch and people trying to abuse the Virus are pretty much Alex's rogues gallery. Batman has the Joker; Superman has Lex Luthor; Spiderman has Green Goblin; and Alex has Blackwatch.
And also, I want constructive criticism. Not angry criticism.
