Interlude 1: PRT
[B]PRT Headquarters
April 7th
6:00 EST
[/B]
Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown was not having a good day.
The transfer of the villain known as Tyrant to the Birdcage had been interrupted,with Tyrant being freed by a previously unknown parahuman currently called Speed. While the name was uncreative(all the good names had been taken early on) it was an apt description. The current camera footage suggested that Speed was one of the fastest known movers on record(besides teleporters), and worryingly, he seemed to bypass the usual restrictions speedsters had. Except for one or two, all of the known speedsters in the world where limited in how much they could affect the outside world.
Speed made the list 3.
Being able to throw punches at 100 mph into your face before you can see them coming was worrying, and it had already landed 3 PRT agents in the hospital(one of them in intensive care) and a cape. The list of known healers in the states was depressingly small, and only 3 actively worked with the Protectorate, one was a minor, and none of them could heal brains.
More worryingly was the escape of Tyrant, with a new protectorate thrall. Tyrant was a Stricker/Master who completely controlled anyone he touched. His range was unknown, and the only drawback was his inability to retain control past 24 hours of being touched by him.
The current item in the agenda was discussing what to do with Speed. It wasn't very productive.
The director from Brockton Bay(Director Piggot, her memories told her) was less than happy with the situation.
"We can't allow this to continue. This set a dangerous precedent. Madcap was bad enough, but whoever decided to pick up his legacy couldn't of started with a better person. Now, we have a Master with a member of the Protectorate who escaped transfer with help from someone who took down a full transport, without problem, on his first try." Director Piggot took this moment to pause, before continuing.
"With this 'Speed' on the loose,no villain sentenced to the Birdcage has a guarantee to end up there. Any number of criminals will pay just for the insurance of escaping transfer. Speed has even proven that he can escape containment foam. Even worse is if he attracts a following." The Chief director frowned.
"Explain."
Director Vagts spoke up."What I believe Director Piggot means is that Speed has proven that breaking up Birdcage convoys are something that is not only possible for someone like Madcap, but can be done by others. It's know that Madcap was a particularly powerful parahuman, and it's even lesser know that he got off by joining the protectorate. If villains start to perceive that not only can birdcage convoy breaks happen, they can be profitable, we're looking at this becoming a business, or even a way to gain favours." The Chief Director had had these fears, but she had hoped that no one else had picked up on them. The birdcage was just a step below a kill order, and the preferable alternative to it. The birdcage had long been a deterrent to villains, a reminder that those who broke the unwritten rules would suffer in an inescapable nightmare.
While Madcap had been a nuisance, they had ultimately been able to contain him, but Speed had proven himself to be able to escape their only countermeasure against parahumans via an unknown power. Even worse was Speeds apparent immunity to thinker support. Currently, Speed sat on top of an impressive Mover 9, Brute 4, and Trump 2. Madcap had taken a joint effort between Legend and Battery to stop, and this new parahuman looked like he outclassed Madcap in power level, if the broken face of Private Peck was anything to go by.
The power assessment wasn't necessarily meant to provide an in depth report to PRT/Protectorate members, but instead change their threat level to those fighting them. Speed had nearly healed instantaneously from a gunshot wound, and had dispatched armoured PRT soldiers with a single punch. The trump rating signified his immunity to all know thinkers, and the exact mechanisms of his escape from the foam was a complete mystery. Nothing was out of place until Speed had simply walked out of the foam and through the door like it wasn't there.
The PRT was now faced an uncontainable threat that had already freed one villain from a future in the Birdcage, and they had no idea of how to stop him.
"I'll contact Dragon on possible ways to contain Speed," She said,"and I'll talk to Alexandria herself about possible parahumans that can capture him. In the meantime, keep an eye out for sightings of Speed. I'll contact the PR department on a more suitable name for him for our press release. Now, I believe that our general consensus is to make bringing in Speed a priority for any departments who see him?" A quick set of nods around the room confirmed this. Rebecca had feared this.
"In the meantime, I recommend that only parahumans engage Speed. PRT troops cannot be expected to reliable contain him, so for now we should have non powered individuals avoid engaging him unless necessary. If Speed is brought in in the meantime, than containing him and preventing his escape is priority 1. We'll offer him the same deal as Assault, but we can't count on containing him for long. If you manage to capture him, I expect the report to be on my desk within the hour." At the second round of nods, though some were considerably less happy this time, Rebecca took the opportunity to end the discussion.
"If that's all, then this meeting is adjourned." With no one protesting, the Director all signed off, some having to deal with the beginning of the no doubt long day of running their respective departments. After they all signed off, she waited a few seconds before pressing the button for privacy, and then opened the hidden space that hid her costume. Barely a few minutes later, Alexandria was the only one in the room.
"Door me."
Above Europe
High above the earth, the Simurgh turned from west to east.