A/N: Well, as I look back on it, I'm not sure if having this chapter from Skitter's perspective in particular achieved anything, but having it from an actual cape instead of a guest at least meant that I could use proper names for everyone. Still considering whether the next chapter will be from J'onn's perspective or not; the revelations for both sides might be interesting.
Echidna charged at Skitter, causing the ground to shake. In her fury, the monster didn't notice the thread affected by Clockblocker's power until it had begun to cut her.
The formation of capes which had largely succeeded in containing Echidna nearly broke when the four Psycho-Eidolons rushed them from all sides. Three, however, veered off abruptly, managing to dodge a multi-pronged blast of light from Scion. Eidolon engaged his remaining clone while the other three fled from Scion, obviously trying to keep the golden hero busy, to give Echidna a chance to recover the situation.
There was cautious optimism throughout the crowd, as far as Skitter could tell, at least. They were still reeling from the damage the first Eidolon clone had wrought, but the sheer hopelessness that had gripped them when Noelle had spat out three more copies was gone.
Echidna had already regenerated most of her body mass, but all the heroes within her had been freed, and all the clones Skitter was aware of were dead, save the Eidolons. Echidna's lower mouths bellowed impotent rage as she was held back by ranged attacks. Even if she managed to break through again, Skitter had a set of threads in place, with Clockblocker at the ready. She noticed Tattletale arriving nearby, with a number of others, including the Travelers. A heated conversation took place, with Tattletale pausing only briefly at the sight of a bright, golden burst from some distance away.
"Well," began Tattletale, "We've got Sundancer on board to take out Echidna." The Traveler didn't seem very enthusiastic about this. "We're gonna wait for the local airspace to clear up, though."
The only Eidolon-clone nearby was still dueling his counterpart; with Echidna essentially contained, the other members of the Triumvirate and a few more heroes were assisting, most from a safe distance.
An explosion put an end to the clone and pushed Eidolon and Alexandria back, as well. The two collected themselves on the ground. Skitter noticed that just about everyone else was giving the pair a wide berth, even Legend.
"It's over," declared Tattletale. Another flash of golden light, closer this time, reinforced this point. "Sundancer?"
Sundancer stopped her advance, frozen in her tracks. A pulse of golden light washed over the crowd, briefly illuminating a cloaked figure within it. The latter rapidly disintegrated.
Scion hovered over the crowd, his gaze fixated upon Echidna. With gesture from him, a beam of golden light sprang forth, skewering Noelle. She writhed and thrashed, though if she was screaming, there was no sound of it. Scion's light muted everything within a certain radius, while preventing collateral damage as well. Seconds passed, turning into minutes, as nothing of note was happening as far as Skitter could tell, except perhaps, that Echidna's lower body seemed to shrink, ever so slightly.
For a moment, there was a collective release of tension as Echidna's attempts to escape proved futile. This did not last.
Skitter approached Tattletale, who was watching an argument involving Alexandria and the Travelers.
"Even if Tattletale had the authority to offer you such a deal, you didn't fulfill the terms," grated Alexandria, as a crowd began to form around them. "You'll remain in PRT custody, and held to account for your crimes."
Sundancer collapsed, stricken, while Genesis and Ballistic exploded with rage. The burgeoning spectacle was interrupted, by a cold, hard voice.
"I don't think you're in any position to talk about dispensing justice," declared Chevalier to Alexandria, as the crowd nearby murmured agreement. "If half of what your partner said is true, it's you who should be joining Trickster in the Birdcage."
Alexandria's arguments in response seemed to sway some of the crowd, though they didn't impress Skitter. Although some of the heroes remained unconvinced, it seemed like the PRT boss was going to get her way. Predictable.
Clockblocker appeared to share some her dismay. He caught her looking at him and laughed, hollowly.
"Earlier, what you were trying to say that there wasn't much of a difference between heroes and villains," he said in a low voice. "It doesn't sound so crazy now."
"It does to me," Skitter replied. "I don't think anything I've done ranks up with creating the Slaughterhouse Nine, or human experimentation." Clockblocker winced, and Skitter, to her surprise, felt a tinge of regret.
It may be harsh, but it's the truth. If the PRT could come to accept the corruption at their core, maybe they could reform after all, and mount a better response against the endbringers, or at least stop creating serial killers. It didn't seem likely even as she thought of it, though, especially if Alexandria managed to conceal all of this from the public.
"Everything we did was for the greater good," Alexandria insisted. She turned toward Lisa. "Tattletale, you should be able to tell if I'm lying."
Tattletale's brow furrowed at Alexandria's statement. "She's telling the truth..." began Lisa, "But she's hiding something." The PRT director might have reacted slightly, nearly imperceptibly, to Tattletale's second assertion.
"Disclosing the particulars of certain operations would likewise cause more harm than good. As such-"
"That's not it," interrupted Tattletale. Alexandria tried to continue, but was shouted down. After the strange spectacle of seeing the likes of Weld, Chevalier, and Miss Militia supporting Tattletale, Skitter listened to her friend continue. "You definitely believed that what you were doing was necessary... But very recently, you found reason to believe that might not be the case." She put her hand to her head, apparently trying to make sense of what her power was telling her. Skitter suspected that Alexandria would have liked to snap Tattletale's neck as she said that. Fortunately, by Skitter's estimation, even taking Eidolon into account, it was unclear that the triumvirate could actually defeat everyone against them. Tattletale's latest pronouncement, and Alexandria's reaction to it, seemed to have inflamed the crowd.
The insults and protests continued for a fraction of a second after the light in the area abruptly dropped. Nothing had blotted out the sky; but the strengthening of a faint glow heralded the approach of Scion.
The golden hero's expression did not seem artificial at ll as he approached; in fact, though his physical form was the same, the way he carried himself made him seem like a completely different person compared to when she'd encountered him for the first time. Suspended in front of him, floating almost as if she were carried in his hands, was a nude woman who bore a striking resemblance to Noelle's human section. Scion hovered towards the Travelers, seemingly oblivious to the others present. He deposited what appeared to a be a living, sleeping Noelle in front of them.
Tattletale, apparently in realization, managed to draw back some of the crowd's attention.
"It's Scion! It's something related to him, that threw a wrench in your plans," Tattletale exclaimed. This time, Alexandria's reaction was strong enough to be noticeable; the bugs Taylor had managed to sneak onto her detected changes associated with an increase in nervousness. Eidolon flinched outright at this revelation.
"I don't think we need to hear any more about their motives," growled a cape Taylor didn't recognize. "The Slaughterhouse Nine, case 53s, and now this endbringer? What we should be debating is whether this deserves the birdcage or a kill order." Before anyone could act on this suggestion, however, a low, measured voice brought about total silence.
"N..No," spoke Scion.