Chapter 10-7

Seconds passed. For a moment, all was quiet. Then Leviathan unfroze, and the chaos continued.

"No more running, big guy." Armsmaster shouted, halberd held high. "We're ending this, right here!"

Leviathan turned to him, seemingly accepting the challenge. It leapt forward, pushing its water-echo forward like a bulldozer. The Tinker was fast, though, jumping out of the way and tearing a deep wound in the monster's side. The two continued their little dance like this and for a while it looked like Armsmaster was actually winning.

Easy. Too easy.

As Aegis and I hovered over the fight, I wondered what Leviathan was planning. Leviathan was supposed to be cunning and unstoppable. No offence to Armsmaster, but there's no way a guy with a pointy stick could possibly kill something that's been destroying island after island for over fifteen years.

Then I heard it. Movement under the ground. Water, and lots of it.

"Water from the storm drains!" I yelled, amplifying and directing my voice the best I could. "Dodge left!"

Armsmaster darted to the side moments before a spike of water tore out of the ground. His halberd twirled around and the bottom opened up, revealing some sort of miniature energy cannon. He took aim and blasted out one of Leviathan's eyes.

The spike of water split apart into a dozen smaller threads and started circling him like a school of hungry sharks. His forcefield took the brunt of the damage, but it wouldn't hold out forever. Even if it did, the Endbringer was inching towards him. We had to do something. We…

Suddenly, Red jumped from a nearby rooftop and sank her claws in the monster's face. With an annoyed gesture, Leviathan grabbed Red, threw her on the ground, and stomped her with its foot.

The armband stayed silent.

The Endbringer raised its foot and Red was still attached to it, screaming and clawing. The foot came down again, and still no message. Another stomp, and another after that. Somehow, Red was still alive. Leviathan looked at the madwoman clutched to his foot and I could almost imagine its slumping its shoulders as it marched on, ignoring the little gnat that just would not die. A brave effort, but like everything else, ultimately futile. Just a distraction.

A distraction that was just long enough for space to warp and Clockblocker to hit the monster square in the chest. Suddenly, everything stopped: the rain stopped falling, the water in the streets stopped moving, and the tendrils converging on Armsmaster collapsed. The Endbringer was frozen in place, and all I could think was: oh my God, Clockblocker can freeze Endbringers. Bullshit. Such bullshit.

"WOOHOO!" The boy shouted over the sound of incoming fire, while dangling from the monster's chest. "Round of applause for the Clockball special!" He let himself drop and face-planted right into the ground. Vista popped into being right next to him, nodded our way and disappeared again with Clockblocker in tow. Meanwhile, Red pulled herself out from under Leviathan's foot, kicked the frozen monster a few times, and walked off.

On a side note: Clockblocker was never going to let us hear the end of this. If I lived through the day, I'd be sure to remind him of how much he screamed during all this.

Aegis landed next to a downed Armsmaster. We pulled him out of the water and onto the closest patch of dry land we could find. "Sir, are you alright?" I asked. He coughed up a puddle of water in response. Not sure if that was a good thing.

"Arm…" He hackled. "Armband, tell everyone to stop firing. Leviathan will be invulnerable until the time-stop effect wears off. Effect lasts anywhere from 30 seconds to ten minutes." Slowly, the message was spread around and the Blasters stopped. The Tinker looked around, grunted, and ordered. "See that man over there, white costume, steel tips? Take me there, now."

Aegis and I obliged, half-carrying the surprisingly heavy Tinker. "Sir, you haven't answered my question. Are you alright? Do we need to get you a healer?"

"I'm fine." He grunted back. "My suit's mostly intact and the regenerative nano-bots are fixing the rest."

Regenerative nano-bots? Isn't that how my self-healing trick works? Did he copy my power? That's… Call me petty, but I felt a little violated.

While we were dragging Armsmaster across the street, Legend landed right in front of us, followed by Eidolon and a dozen-or-so other capes I didn't recognize.

"Dispatch…"

White-suit-and-steel-tips raised his hand and the world stood still. Or rather, everything outside a small bubble around us stopped moving. Interesting.

It was almost serene in here. Disconcertingly so, actually. The silence outside the bubble contrasted the violence outside: Leviathan, frozen in place while withering under a barrage of fire. The city around us was in ruins; the Docks shattered, flats torn apart like cardboard, streets filled with bodies, blood, and the occasional terrified civilian.

I'd barely noticed any of it during the fight itself. That should've worried me a lot more than it did.

"Armsmaster." Legend said. "Good to see you're still around. Are you alright?"

Then, it hit me. Legend was here. And Eidolon. And a bunch of other heroes, some of which I recognized from TV. Here, right in front of me. I activated my power. No one would hear me squee like a little girl.

"Just a few minutes and I'll be fine." The Tinker replied, while coughing. At least there wasn't any water this time.

Legend nodded and walked towards the edge of the bubble. "There's something wrong here. Leviathan isn't acting like it normally does."

"It's moving too much." Eidolon chimed in. "Like it's ignoring us. The only instances it deliberately killed something is when we got it to stop moving. It even left the Protectorate Headquarters intact. Also, where are the waves? That wall should have been destroyed already."

"Movement looks like a search pattern. It's looking for something, I think. Outbreak?"

"Better question is: why does it need to in the first place? Why hasn't it found its target already? No one's ever been able to hide from these things before…"

"Outbreak can." Armsmaster chimed in as Aegis and I helped him to his feet. "Outbreak can spoof Thinker powers somehow. If the Endbringers are using the same principle to track down their targets, it wouldn't be surprising that they can't find it."

Legend frowned deeply. "That's…disconcerting, in more ways than one."

"It also bought us a lot of time." Armsmaster started to smile. A facial expression that felt rather out-of-place, considering the situation. "We have about half a dozen Tinkertech warheads coming in from Canada. Collaborations between Dragon, myself, and Bombardier." Bombardier? Who's…Wait, is that what happened to Bakuda, the psycho bomb-Tinker who held an entire school hostage? Seriously, I knew our standards were low, but this is ridiculous. "Exotic effects, mostly. A time-stop bomb, a bomb that converts matter into glass, a physics canceller…"

"A what?" A cape I didn't recognize blurted out. I couldn't help but share the sentiment. Somewhere, somehow, a physicist just burst into tears.

"A physics canceller. Technically a misnomer." Armsmaster explained. "It's a device that superimposes the physical laws of a differed universe over a small section of our own, essentially creating an area where matter as we know it can't exist anymore. The techs called it a physics canceller and the name stuck."

"Fucking Tinkers." Someone whispered, followed by murmurs of assent. All and all, it sounded pretty terrifying. I really hoped that thing wouldn't make things worse somehow.

Armsmaster snorted. "Anyway, we're hoping those things will actually do some real damage. I'm not arrogant enough to think we'll kill it, not after everything else it's shrugged off over the years, but we might be able to get it to retreat."

Legend frowned. If he was wondering if Armsmaster's wonder-bomb would accidentally end reality, he wasn't sharing it. "Yes, I've heard about that. Somehow I doubt it'll be that simple. Wouldn't be an Endbringer if it was. What do you need from us?"

"I need you to keep Leviathan in place for the next eight minutes."

"That's…a tall order, considering that it's barreled through anything we've thrown at it so far." Legend started pacing around the bubble. "Eidolon?"

"Concussive force projection, line-of-sight limited teleportation, and regeneration." Eidolon said, probably listing his powers. "I can knock Leviathan around, but not enough to stop him. It's all I can give you, for now."

I thought for a moment before coming up with a solution that seemed way too sensible. "Umm, Eidolon?" I asked, raising my hand. "This might be a stupid question, but you can have any three powers, right? Why don't you just replace the last two powers with something that boosts the first?"

"Mobility and durability." He replied, curtly. Did I annoy him or something? Was questioning your superiors a big no-no around here?

"Yeah, but there are other people who can help you with that. Mobility? We have a ton of movers. Aegis right here can easily carry you and take you wherever you need to be."

"Banshee…" Aegis warned. I should probably have stopped, but there were more important things than some big-wig thinking I was being disrespectful. Like stopping the monster outside our little time-bubble

"You can't hurt it, Aegis." I explained. "I'm stronger than you, and even I can't get through the outer scales. You'll do more good playing taxi for Eidolon than you ever could on your own." I turned to Eidolon and said: "As for the invulnerability bit: there's got to be tons of capes that can grant brute powers. I mean, just in the Bay, we've got Othala from Empire 88. That's your third power slot covered."

Eidolon lowered his head, ever so slightly. "Banshee, please use your power. Just you and me."

I blinked, until I understood what he meant. With a thought, the area around the two of us was silenced. The others outside looked at us curiously, before Armsmaster and Legend continued their discussion. "How did you know what my power was?"

"I recognized you from your case file. I was asked to consult a few of days ago. You're a Brockton Bay native, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell you the truth, if only so you don't make a scene and become a problem." He sighed. "My powers are fading." Before I could reply, he held up his hand and said: "It's practically a public secret at this point, so I might as well say it. Everybody knows it anyway. No point in beating around the bush anymore."

I had heard something like that on PHO once. A few cape-related talk shows too. Never thought I'd hear it from the horse's mouth… "I see."

"The thing is, every time I use a power, it'll fade away. Most I can use more than once, but inevitably, they all fade. I need to save my big guns for the important stuff."

"And a city of three-hundred-fifty thousand isn't important enough?!" I snarled in response.

"New York has a population of four million." He calmly said, completely unfazed by my outburst. "Houston, one point five million. Los Angeles, two million. As much as I hate to admit it…no, Brockton Bay isn't important enough. If I spend a crucial power here, the next attack could be a disaster. I made that mistake once and it cost us Newfoundland. I can't do that again. Not for a city that's already lost."

Rage boiled up inside me. Yes, his logic was sound, but…

"I'm sorry to have to say this, but…"

"For fuck's sake, you people keep doing this!" I yelled.

"Doing what?"

"One kid gets pushed into a locker full of shit and the school does nothing because they've got bigger problems. Dockworkers get laid off and the city does nothing because they've got bigger problems. Nazis run around unchecked and the PRT does next to nothing because they've got bigger problems." My muscles tensed and my teeth grated. We were starting to get funny looks from the people around us. "There're always bigger problems, but no one stops to ask where those bigger problems came from. Nobody seems to realize that the big problems were once little problems that someone chose to ignore until they became too big to stop." I looked him square in the eye. I could see sadness and a hint of guilt in his. "Where are we going to draw the line? How many cities are we going to keep throwing onto the fire until we realize it's only making things worse?"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." About what, I wondered. At least he sounded sincere.

"I'm tired of being ignored. I'm tired of not being worth helping. You can save the city, Eidolon. Keep Leviathan pinned down for a few minutes. Maybe give us a fighting chance."

Eidolon nodded. I didn't know what it meant. "Cancel your power, please."

Legend walked towards us. "Eidolon, are you…"

"Do you still have that healer in your Wards? The 'inverse vampire' with the glitter obsession?"

"I…do, though he's Protectorate now. He grants temporary regeneration powers to people who drink his blood. It's…macabre, but it gets the job done."

"Good. Aegis, please take me to him when Dispatch deactivates his time bubble."

Suddenly, the world outside the bubble started moving again. Aegis grabbed Eidolon bridal-style and took off.

They both looked really uncomfortable. And ridiculous. But mostly uncomfortable. Now I feel kind of bad for suggesting it…

"I'm never going to let him live this down." Dispatch said with a giant grin on his face. A grin that quickly faded when Legend shot him a harsh glare.

Yeah, really feeling bad now.

The leader of the Protectorate took to the sky and spoke into his armband. "To anyone still fighting, the battle isn't over yet. Leviathan has been frozen in time and is completely invulnerable for the moment. We need to place as many obstructions in its path as possible. Heavy munitions are on the way and we need Leviathan to stay in one spot for as long as possible."

I turned to Armsmaster and asked. "So, uh, what happened back there with Eidolon…"

The Tinker frowned. "Officially, I have to warn you that while good ideas are always welcome, insubordination will not be tolerated in our organization and that you are to speak to your superiors with respect. The Triumvirate have been heroes for longer than you've been alive. Under most circumstances, I should reprimand you for openly contradicting them on the battlefield."

"Oh, okay." That sounded concerning.

"Unofficially, I hope to God you got through to that stubborn bastard. We're going to need all the firepower we can get."

I blinked, but didn't comment. "Noted, sir."

Meanwhile, Leviathan was being buried in just about everything. Slabs of rock, metal spikes, layers upon layers of forcefields, anything that would slow it down, if only for a second. I hoped it would be enough. I really, really did. Honestly, I was running out of ideas myself. I'd pretty much thrown everything I had at it on my little rodeo ride and the monster just shrugged it off.

Six minutes in, Leviathan unfroze. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, I saw the water being drawn towards the buried Endbringer. Before I could say anything, the entire mass exploded outwards, shattering forcefields like glass and raining water and debris down on anyone too slow and unlucky to get out of the way.

"Losses as follows: Viator, Halo, Debaser…"

I tuned out the rattling of names. Leviathan was on the move again, and it hurled itself straight towards…

Straight towards the rooftop my team was hiding. The Endbringer changed course and let its water-echo crash crush the building like a house of cards.

No.

"Rookie down, CE-9. Browbeat down, CE-9. Clockblocker deceased, CE-9."

No, no, no! Not my friends. Not like this. I had to…had to.

I fell on my knees. What was I going to do? Scream? Cry? Swear vengeance on the living force of nature? There was…there was nothing I could do. My friends…the first friends I've made in two years and… and I couldn't help them. I was too powerless to help them.

Looking at the bodies in the street…I was powerless to help anyone. At least with Outbreak, I could make a difference, but here, against Leviathan?

Rage, pain, and sorrow all balled together into nothing. My emotions, my…everything just shut down. I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't fight this. I couldn't take the hits and I couldn't do any meaningful damage. I wasn't fast enough to evacuate civilians and I probably wouldn't be able to talk them into coming with me, even if I was. There had to be something I could do, but if there was…I couldn't see it.

I walked around aimlessly, vaguely in Leviathan's direction. The street I was in…I think my bus to Winslow passed here. Or was it the next one? Did it even matter? The place had been reduced to rubble. Winslow was probably gone. Washed away along…along with everything else.

What have I accomplished, since I started out a little over a month ago? I fought Lung and now the Empire is stronger than ever. I got Sophia kicked off the team but the PRT hadn't learned anything from the mess. I stopped the Undersiders from robbing a bank but they're just a footnote. A dozen other things came to mind: robberies, muggings, Outbreak…did any of it even matter? Were the people I saved still alive? If they were, would they remember what I've done for them, or hate me for not being able to do more?

Leviathan was struck by a blast of some kind and its water shadow exploded. The monster stumbled and crashed into a building. It tried to regain its footing and was struck down by another blast, followed by a third, followed by a fourth. Leviathan was hammered into the ground by a barrage of pure force. An actual hole started to form with the monster sinking into the ground. I turned my attention to a hailstorm of profanity coming from above.

Eidolon. He was standing on a building, hurling blast after blast, while screaming so loud I could hear him down here. Aegis stood behind him, looking more terrified of the enraged superhero than the Endbringer down below. How powerful is that guy anyway?

Huh, guess I did do something good today: I managed to talk Eidolon into doing some real damage.

The barrage stopped. Leviathan tried to pop its head up and was immediately smacked down again. Were we winning?

Missiles flew over our head and struck home. Leviathan couldn't move out of the way in time and took the brunt of the damage. One of its legs seemed to slow down before stopping entirely. A part of its skin turned into glass. Another started to fall apart, as if it was aging thousands of years in seconds. A third turned blue and cracked, turning into a fine powder. Then, the last bomb struck and the world went mad.

It started as a tiny hole right above Leviathan's chest. Slowly, the hole grew and distorted, its color turning into shades I literally had no name for. Tendrils of altered space-time shot out of the hole, tearing through the Endbringer and everything around it. A building was bisected, the lower half turning into water while the top half just stayed where it was, floating. A street folded onto itself, and again, and again until I felt nauseous just looking at it. The people caught in the effect were warping right in front of my eyes, turning into something that looked like it belonged into a Picasso painting before disappearing. Not dying, disappearing. God knows where to.

Then, there were the survivors. The few that didn't fade and managed to escape the altered reality came out as twisted, snarling monsters, attacking anything in their path. A liquid, living blob of metal. A girl, on fire and screaming, being burned alive by flames coming out of her own hair. Another was growing limbs, mouths, and eyes in places that most certainly shouldn't have any.

Then, it hit me. They triggered. That field of whatever the fuck it was, it made the people inside trigger, and in a bad way too. This was bad. Really bad.

"Take them down!" Armsmaster shouted, just as metal-blob man threw itself onto a bird-themed cape and crushed him.

"Iron Falcon desceased, CF-10."

"Dragon, what the hell is going on? Are those Case-53's?"

"I…I don't know." Dragon replied. "I have no model for this. We tested the bomb, even on organic tissue. This shouldn't be happening."

I jumped onto the blob and poured my power into it. The mercury-like substance started to sing and bubble, before it reshaped itself and slapped me away. Another cape flew by and shot it with some sort of freeze-ray, turning it into ice. I smashed it into pieces. Did he deserve that, I wondered? No idea. They were victims, yes, but… God, Endbringer.

Slowly but surely, the tendrils of altered space withdrew back into the hole, taking with them cars, debris, and people. Even Leviathan was lifted up a few feet before the hole collapsed onto itself with a deafening bang. A blast-wave followed, blowing away debris, shattered every window still intact, and knocked everyone in its path off their feet. In an instant, the battlefield had fallen silent. The rain had stopped, the water was still, and no one moved.

"Did we kill it?" Someone asked. As the people got to their feet, murmurs started. Some people even cheered. Leviathan was completely unmoving, broken in a hundred different ways, with its hand raised as if trying to shield itself from the blast. Even the Case-53's had stopped, collapsing like puppets with their strings cut the moment the hole closed. For a moment, it seemed like the battle was won.

Then the rumbling started. Jets of water tore out of the ground while the largest tidal wave I'd ever seen smashed through the wall surrounding the city.

We hadn't killed the Endbringer. We just pissed it off.