1.3

Armsmaster took his spot at the front of the long table that dominated the Protectorate's debriefing room. The rest of the Brockton Bay team had already assembled. Assault, Battery, and Miss Militia sat on his right while Triumph, Dauntless, and Velocity were on his left. After Samedi's escape the rest of the team had been called in. It had been several hours, almost dawn, but his ears were still ringing.

"So Boss what's so important that we needed to come into the office before dawn?" Assault asked yawning
Closing his eyes behind his visor he briefly considered how to approach the situation. He settled on the direct route

"Approximately six hours ago the Wards captured the serial killer Samedi, and approximately five and a half hours ago she escaped custody." He gave them a moment to take stock of that information. The armored hero felt some pride that they managed to remain professional, looks of shock and disbelief were exchanged, but they subsided quickly and he continued on with his debriefing. "Attempts to track her escape were unsuccessful and she has likely gone to ground."

"So we're back to square one then?" Dauntless questioned irritated. This case had hit close to home. One of her victims was an informant of his, someone he truly thought he was close to changing for the better.

"No. We now have a name for her as well as an identifiable picture to work from"

"So who is she anyway?" Triumph asked.

"Taylor Hebert" Miss Militia answered. "A former student a Winslow High. Reported missing a little more than a month ago. Time-line puts her disappearance around Samedi's seventh murder."

"Wait" Battery interrupted "Winslow High? Just how old is this girl?"

"Fifteen, soon to be sixteen."

"Fif-fifteen? You're telling me that one of the most prolific killers in this cities memories isn't even old enough to drive?" Battery stared in disbelief. It was somewhat understandable, what little evidence they had on Samedi's appearance gave the impression of someone older.

"If we could get back on topic." Armsmaster said tersely. "Right now the news of her capture and escape are being kept from the press, but we can't guarantee that will last long and both the PRT and the Protectorate must be seen making headway. Suggestions?"

"Has Piggot decided to up her threat rating?" Velocity spoke up for the first time

"Making a fifteen year old an S-class? That's a step isn't?" Battery asked. She was right too. At A-rank Samedi was still listed as wanted dead or alive, but if they listed her as S-rank it was a death sentence. A kill order. The number of S-rank threats in the world barely reached the mid teens. Of them the number of them underage was two.

"Director Piggot after some consideration has decided not to reclassify Samedi." Armsmaster stated

"However her bounty has been increased. We need to make head way on this before a cape hunter ends up giving her even more power."

There was a period of silence. Then Triumph spoke up.

"The fact of the matter is that we really aren't that much better off then when all this started. We still don't know where she is hiding. Hitting the pavement on this one ain't going to help us. What we need to do is catch her in a trap. As long as she can set the stage we'll always be late on the scene."

"How do you suggest we draw her out?" Asked Miss Militia

"Bait" was the response. The others' faces had looks of shock to one degree or another. Except for Armsmaster's, he rubbed his beard and considered the notion.

"Look if there is one thing my dad taught me was when you're hunting the easiest way to catch prey is set out bait they can't refuse. We know her type. All we need to do is give her a target that she'll go after and wait."

"It would have to have some kind of time limit." Velocity said calmly "We find a target that will be out of her reach, she'll either have to act or lose her prey."

"What if we're too late?" Assault asked "We were just talking about making sure she doesn't get stronger. If we screw up we've practically fed her."

Several of the heroes turned slightly green at his word choice. It wasn't a pretty thought. No one really knew what Samedi did with her victims' brains, but the popular opinion among the PHO was that she ate them. Like a super powered Ed Gein.

"Also don't forget about the live bait" Battery chimed in "We'd be asking them to take a great risk."

"Noted." Armsmaster replied "But so far it is our best option. We'll cover more ground if we work individually. Time is a factor here. The faster we get her off the street the more lives will be saved. Miss Militia you debrief the Wards, see if you can't get them to remember any more of their encounter." The scarfed hero nodded "Assault, Battery, I want you to see if any thing about her life before can be dragged up. Start with her father, he may still have a way to contact her." Assault acknowledged quickly, Battery looked uneasy before nodding as well "Triumph, you and Velocity's job will be crowd control. We need to keep this from becoming a circus. Dauntless we need more information on Samedi's combat style. Find a way to meet the Undersiders, see if they are willing to share anything."

"What about you boss?" Assault asked

The armored hero took a deep breath before answering.

"I'll be finding our bait."