Chapter Thirty-Seven: Just another day at the (Wards') office...
April 7, 2011
Dennis spent the night on base with Fi, Taylor, and Lisa. Armsmaster had approved talking Lisa into protective custody for the duration of their actions against Coil, and since they were trying to keep the whole thing off the PRT radar, it made sense to stash her in one of the extra bunks in the Wards' base. Of course since Lisa was also a villain and a thinker, she had to be under constant surveillance, which meant the Wards were on rotating guard duty.
Dennis volunteered for the early morning shift, from 4 AM until whenever the day began, and he spent the time on his regular paperwork. There were forms to file for missing school, plus the follow-up forms to prove that everyone who had skipped classes had made up the work. There were reports to write up, but not yet submit, about what they'd learned about Tattletale and what she'd hinted of the other Undersiders, even accidentally.
There were four authorization forms to backdate allowing Kid Win to request Contract's help in his lab, since tinker labs were classified as high-risk environments and potentially dangerous to non-tinker and non-brute individuals. At least Chris was remembering to send Dennis the form whenever she turned up. At this rate, they'd be better off finding a way to give Contract a Tinker 0 rating.
It would be worth it to the team too, since Chris had three registration packets waiting for Dennis to approve. He'd finally finished Intrepid's replacement tinker gun, which had interchangeable options for sonic, hard light, or containment foam shots. Chris had also developed a… data transmitter? It wasn't until Dennis got to the drawings in the back that he realized Chris had built a sort of keyboard that could be operated by bugs, allowing Beetle to transmit information without having to speak. The text could be sent to any teammate whose visor was capable of receiving text dumps, or could be turned into audio through a reverse-use of Contract's program.
The third device was even stranger. It seemed to be a combination gun and hover transport, similar to the board Kid Win already had but with much more bizarre configurations. It seemed like the same cartridges that propelled the board could also be used as back-up ammunition producing flares or fireballs of some sort. The hard-light shield emitters could double as mobilization by methods that Dennis didn't begin to understand. The main weapon seemed to be the same sonic-style shot that was the first choice in Intrepid's gun, but scaled up four times as big.
Dennis signed off on all three designs, knowing that Chris most likely had them built or almost so, and forwarded the reports to Piggot and Renick.
Once that was out of the way, he set himself to emptying the rest of his inbox. There were bulletins, newsletters, complaints from PR that they still hadn't had a formal full-team interview, solicitations for interviews, fan mail that had sneaked past the screens, PHO alerts and updates which he pulled their own folder to deal with later rather than deleting, and then a single email from Weld. Interesting.
From: Weld (NNE, Boston)
To: Clockblocker (ENE, Brockton Bay)
7 Apr 2011 2:33 AM
Subject: Joint Exercises
Clockblocker,
I know you don't want to hear this, but I got a message from Company. He advised me not to mention his name, but I have no intention of approaching you under false pretenses. Anyway, he said that Contract has benefited greatly from some full-contact exercises that you ran a little while ago and suggested that I reach out to you and invite the Brockton Bay Wards to join my team for some joint training.
As it so happens, I was already looking for the right time to re-extend this invitation. The Boston Wards regularly train with some or all of the New York Wards, and we've issued the same invitation to Brockton Bay in the past. At that time, Triumph replied that you were too busy with duty to have time for outside activities, but with crime at an all-time low (I guess having the Ender in the city might have something to do with that) I thought now might be a good time to renew our offer.
I understand (through Jouster, not Company) that Contract's time in NYC wasn't very pleasant, so I'll leave it up to you if you'd like to include some, all, or none of the NY Wards in any activities our teams might coordinate for. We'd also be happy to come visit you, if you like. However, I'd feel remiss if I didn't point out that we have a fully enclosed arena for practice and simulations, and plenty of open bunks if you'd like to do more than a day trip. I've spoken briefly with my team and we're good for full mask, partial reveal, or full reveal. Again, whatever is comfortable for you and yours.
Given the tone of Company's email, I'm sorry that I waited for his prompting. I wish we could get together without him hanging over us. We all just want to help.
Regards,
Weld
Clockblocker read the email twice, then checked the time. Just after seven. Unless Tattletale was an early riser, he had time to answer.
From: Clockblocker (ENE, Brockton Bay)
To: Weld (NNE, Boston)
7 Apr 2011 7:12 AM
Subject: Re: Joint Exercises
Good morning Weld,
First, about Company: Contract and I have an agreement. As long as I don't report to him, or any other PRT Thinkers, she doesn't want to know what does and doesn't come from him. You might be aware that Company and his crew produce weekly reports about the whole situation, and she has flat told me that she'd rather have me read it than have no one on the team who knows what's going on, but she doesn't want to know what it says.
In the spirit of that arrangement with her, I would also prefer not to "have him hanging over us" as you put it. Do you agree that neither yourself nor anyone else on your team will be reporting to him?
If you can, in good conscience, agree to this condition, I think that both of our teams could benefit from the type of exercise you allude to, whether full contact or just single-touch training. What sort of timeframe did you have in mind? Think about what I've said and get back to me whenever is good for you.
Clockblocker
Clockblocker read over the draft of his email. Missy would tell him that it was very blunt, but blunt was just his style, and it wasn't any more straightforward than Weld's own message had been. He dodged the question of the New York Wards, as well as all other details, because they didn't matter if Weld wasn't willing to agree to this basic requirement.
Contract's aversion for Company bordered on fear at times, and Clockblocker wasn't sure why. She showed none of the same resistance to Tattletale, who by her own admission was also an extremely powerful thinker. Was it because Tattletale's power didn't work on Contract? Or because Tattletale was just a single individual?
Clockblocker sent the email and sat back from his computer, thinking. Contract's disdain for PRT wasn't hard to deduce, although she didn't seem to have problems with individuals like Piggot or Renick (well, not after she was proven right about Shadow Stalker anyways). It was more as though she shied away from the institution as a whole. It wasn't hard to see how Company might represent the more bureaucratic parts of the PRT in her mind, not least of which because he was there in New York when she was forced into the PRT.
Clockblocker opened a new email and sent a quick note to Jessica Yamada. Contract had given permission to him (and he suspected Armsmaster as well) for them to send information to Yamada, although she had not been released to tell them anything in return. When he'd asked Contract why she was okay with Yamada and not Company, she'd reluctantly admitted that she did, occasionally, overestimate herself, and then had clammed up and offered no details.
It was more than enough for Clockblocker, and his respect for Contract took another jump. She'd needed to have sense beaten into her before and, though she didn't like the idea, she knew it might be necessary in the future. It might also explain why she never missed a scheduled session with the therapist, even though she was sporadic about attending every other activity on her calendar.
His inbox dinged, and Clockblocker opened the reply from Weld.
From: Weld (NNE, Boston)
To: Clockblocker (ENE, Brockton Bay)
7 Apr 2011 7:28 AM
Subject: Re: Joint Exercises
Clockblocker,
I find that condition more than reasonable, and as I haven't mentioned Company to any of my teammates I don't need to check with them before agreeing. We're available whenever is good for you. Whether due to our proximity to Brockton Bay (and consequently the Ender) or for some other reason, crime has been in a slump here as well, so my team hasn't used any of our allotted school absences this month. (But between you and I, getting together on the weekend would let us avoid some paperwork.)
Let me know what's best for you, in this regard and in the others I mentioned before.
Weld
Clockblocker nodded in satisfaction and flagged the message to catch his attention later. He'd bounce ideas off of Missy about what she thought they needed to focus on to get the most out of this sort of opportunity, and then bring it up with Contract and see what she thought about the other details. Most likely, however, it would all need to wait until the situation with Coil settled down.
He opened a quick draft email and pre-wrote a post script, telling Weld not to call Contract "the Ender." Then he realized that he wasn't sure how to explain why Contract hated the nickname. Oh well, he'd ask her if she wanted him to say anything about it when he got her opinion on the other details.
Clockblocker jumped as a body landed in the chair next to him, spinning it a little, and he pulled his hand back before he reflexively tagged Contract.
"Sorry," she muttered, pulling her visor on over her bedhead, "didn't mean to startle you."
Clockblocker glanced toward the doorway to the dorms, which was nominally in his field of vision, and then admitted to himself that he had gotten too wrapped up in his work. To be fair, however, Contract was wicked good at going unnoticed when she wished, although walking around in socks half the time certainly helped her move silently.
"I had something I wanted to discuss with you before our visitor gets up," she added, curling her feet up under herself. Clockblocker had noticed that she'd only started sitting like this recently, and it had taken him a good three days to work out that it was a posture she only used when she was comfortable and felt safe in her surroundings. When she was more alert, she put her feet up on the nearest table. He hadn't expected to see it this morning, but she evidently felt safe even with Tattletale asleep a few rooms away.
"Go for it," he said, turning towards her. Although the visor would translate his words into subtitles for her, he knew that she also preferred to see what little of his face was exposed by his mask to help her read his emotions.
"I think we should arrest Tattletale."
A month ago, Clockblocker would have reacted immediately, probably a reflexive protest against a radical move with no immediately apparent benefit. Now he recognized that this was just how Fi spoke: she started with the simplest summary she could and then explained herself afterwards, as a sort of preview to what was coming. He waved her on to show he was listening.
"Coil is going to try to contact her eventually, and at that point we'll be reacting to him instead of acting on our own terms. If we fake an arrest now and put the paperwork in the system for his spies, then we'll buy ourselves some time. Ideally, we'll be able to convince her to help us arrest the remainder of the Undersiders at the same time. That would solidify her cover and keep them protected. Plus, you know, get three teenage criminals off the street."
Clockblocker nodded, liking the idea, but it wasn't perfect. "How do we justify keeping Tattletale separate from the rest of her team?"
"We could keep them all isolated," she offered.
"No, we would do that anyway. I mean, how do we justify to the rest of the PRT why three Undersiders are in holding cells and one is hiding our base?"
Contract shrugged. "I haven't gotten that far."
Clockblocker nodded again, letting her know that he'd heard her. He found that nonverbal communication was even more critical with Contract now that she'd lost her hearing. "If we arrested only Tattletale, it would draw less attention if we wanted to hold her in a non-standard location, but it would still generate more than enough gossip for Coil's spies to hear about it around the water cooler, no matter who they are."
"So maybe it's a bum idea," Contract said as she uncurled and put her feet up on the table. As Clockblocker tried to figure out whether something he'd said had made her uncomfortable, Tattletale wandered out of the bunk area, still dressed in her street clothes from the previous night. Oh. That would explain the shift in posture.
"What's a bum idea?" Tattletale asked. Then she started, seeming to realize that he and Contract were in civilian dress except for their masks.
"Arresting you to give Coil a good reason not to call," Contract explained. "I was hoping to be proactive."
"And hoping I'd turn on my teammates," Tattletale accused. Clockblocker thought her defensiveness was a little much, considering she hadn't seemed all that fond of them yesterday, but then he'd defended Shadow Stalker despite her abrasive personality.
Contract shrugged but didn't deny it. "You did say that Coil had them under the guillotine as well."
Tattletale took the seat across from Clockblocker, not taking the bait to explain what Coil was holding over her teammates' heads. Whatever it was, it was probably related to their civilian identities, because Tattletale was guarding it carefully.
It was up to Clockblocker to fill the silence before it got too awkward. "Do you have a better excuse that we could stage for Coil's benefit?"
"Do you really think that's necessary?" she bit back. "Why can't you guys just deal with him? I mean, hell, you killed the Endbringers!"
Clockblocker leaned forward in unison with Contract's feet hitting the floor as she sat up, both of them taking offense at that. Clockblocker got his response out first, maybe because Contract was still reading Tattletale's words or maybe because Contract wanted to hear what he would say.
"Don't you dare. You came to us for help, you don't get to judge us or make demands. You have no idea what the Endbringers cost us. And no idea what you're asking." He held Tattletale's gaze as well as he could through his helmet's visor, which meant that he was watching as her eyes went wide.
Shit. Had he given away more than he meant to?
Tattletale looked over to Contract. Contract didn't yell, as he had, instead drawling in a low, dangerous tone, "The Endbringers weren't human. Their death was not murder. Whatever else Coil is or has done, he deserves a trial."
Tattletale gulped and leaned back further in her chair, raising her hands in surrender. Her face was white as a sheet, so she was clearly freaked out by whatever she had seen or guessed. "Sorry," she muttered, glancing down. Contract snorted, then leaned back and put her feet back on the table next to his laptop.
Well then. That was that.
Now it was his job, as team leader, to move them in a productive direction. "That's not to say that we're not trying. But it's been less than a day, and we're flying blind here."
"If you want Coil dealt with," Contract continued, following Clockblocker's cue flawlessly, "then sit down and map out everything you know. Bases. Suspected bases. Financials. Powers. Other assets." She turned to Clockblocker, dismissing Tattletale. "I'm going to the gym."
"Be safe," he wished her, as she dragged her feet off the table again and disappeared into the elevator. He wondered if she remembered or cared that she was still wearing only her socks, then decided it wasn't his problem. Most people didn't come into the office until 8 AM anyway, and if anyone wanted to tell Contract to wear shoes they could be his guest.
Once the door was closed, Tattletale returned her still slightly-wide eyes back to him. "Did she really destroy the Endbringers alone?"
Clockblocker wondered how much he should say. Technically, those events were secret under the Endbringer truce. The official story had never gotten Triumvirate approval either, they'd just assumed that so long as they weren't being struck by lightning or other high-power shenanigans, then the big three didn't disapprove.
In truth, Contract had explained that she hadn't actually destroyed the Endbringers, Eidolon had. But what she had done was both the necessary prerequisite that let him destroy them, and also far more impressive, in Clockblocker's opinion.
Evidently, Tattletale didn't need a verbal answer. "What she did, she did alone. But it wasn't destroying the Endbringers, it was something bigger. Something you've been sworn to secrecy about. Then why say that Eidolon helped?"
Tattletale gasped, and Clockblocker realized that she was verbalizing her thought process in order to better cold-read him. Well, time to finish that before she got them both killed by the CONSPIRACY.
"Shut up," he barked out in his most commanding tone. "Just… shut up." Tattletale nodded, eyes wide again. He wondered how much she would be able to read if Contract was still sitting next to him. Maybe she'd be able to see it all, because all she needed was him, or maybe Contract would distract her power and confuse it. He didn't fully understand what Contract did to Tattletale's powers, but it was something to at least consider.
After yet another an awkward moment in a conversation that had been littered with them, Tattletale reached for the roadmap of Brockton Bay that Clockblocker had bought last night in preparation for whatever patterns they might be able to spot about Coil's movements in Brockton Bay. She opened it up on the table, and Clockblocker closed his computer, setting it aside to make room. The previous night, they'd signed the necessary paperwork and then gone to bed, since it was almost ten o'clock. Now, finally, they'd be able to get some details on Coil.
Vista had taken the first night watch before going home, and had spent her shift printing out all the records the PRT had on Coil and manually redacting anything they didn't want Tattletale to know, mostly details about the powers of the heroes he'd faced. He picked them up off the chair on his other side and set them on the table, pushing them toward Tattletale.
Cautiously, she reached out and flipped the first folder open. Then her eyes widened and she smiled that fox-like grin which all girls seemed to naturally master and which frankly, had never yet failed to raise the hairs on his neck. Even Vista had her own version of it, and it never ended well for her enemies.
"Now this, we can work with," Tattletale murmured.
"For your sake, I hope so," Clockblocker reminded her. Tattletale glanced up to catch his eye, saw his seriousness and sincerity, and nodded.
"I am sorry about what I said."
Clockblocker nodded, but didn't say he forgave her. Truth be told, he didn't. It wasn't that he hadn't said his own fair share of stupid stuff in his lifetime; he had. In fact, he'd made the exact same mistake when he demanded favors from Contract without understanding the toll it would take. It was just that Contract was his teammate, and he didn't want to forgive Tattletale for attacking her, so he wouldn't.
He might have to be more mature now, but no one said he had to be perfect.
Clockblocker and Tattletale spent hours together pouring over everything they knew about Coil, and compiling everything that Tattletale's power could provide. By lunchtime, she was complaining about a thinker headache, but a reminder that this was her life potentially on the line shut down her whining.
Still, Clockblocker did take the opportunity to have them stop, eat lunch, and work on summarizing what they knew for the other Wards. As agreed, the rest of the team suited up on their way back to the base so they could enter as an impressive, united front, and Intrepid left Winslow early in order to arrive with the others when they finished their normal half-day of classes. Taylor, as Beetle, had hung around the base all day, covering some of the Wards' allotment of console hours and generally trying to pretend she wasn't Taylor by being stiff and distant from Tattletale.
Clockblocker was 99% sure that the whole secret identities thing was a bust, but Beetle was also able to use the time to do a lot more weaving, so he didn't say anything. She had finished her own costume around the same time as "that night" and was a good portion of the way through a protective skin-tight shirt for Contract, which she could wear in place of or under her normal costume.
Clockblocker had changed into his full gear as soon as Beetle was awake and on console, and had taken the opportunity to grab a thirty minute nap as well. He'd texted Contract when he woke up, and several times thereafter, but all he'd gotten back in reply were colon-parenthese smiley faces, which were Contract-standard for "I saw this, but I'm not replying to you, but I am replying to you so that you don't send out a search party," and actually conveyed nothing about her mood. He assumed she wasn't still in the gym, but he didn't intrude on her privacy by trying to verify.
Despite this non-interaction, she emerged from the elevator with the rest of the team, murmuring to Intrepid too quietly for Clockblocker to catch it. She took the seat at the table furthest from Tattletale, even though it wasn't the best tactical position for her see the map from.
Tattletale's earlier jab must have bothered her more than he'd realized, but there was no time to deal with that now.
"Alright team, we've got good news." He stood up and swept his hand over the map, which was marked with a variety of color-coded dots. "We found Coil's base."
"Really?" Vista asked, leaning forward eagerly as the others murmured.
"Tattletale was able to use the pattern of his past crimes to isolate two comfort zones. One is his house, the other his base of operations." Clockblocker pointed to the two yellow shapes, one among the better neighborhoods of Brockton Bay and the other in the developing industrial zone. "Coil's base is here," he touched the black circle in the second section of highlighting. "One of his front companies is building this skyscraper, and he's got himself set up underneath it."
"Based on his past crimes and what he's told me," Tattletale volunteered, "he's got about fifty thugs on his payroll, but only ten to twenty of them are on duty at any one time unless he's actively planning or executing a crime."
"We still don't know anything specific about his powers," Clockblocker told his team before they got too excited, "but we do know he can use it to help and protect others, as he has used it to benefit the Undersiders in the past."
"Can we get into the base?" Vista asked.
"Unknown," Clockblocker admitted. She nodded grimly.
"I'd assume not," Contract said. "His men carry tinker-tech weapons, I can't imagine he uses less security for his own lair. What about some sort of scam or con? Can Tattletale bring one of us in under false pretenses?"
"It would have to be you or Beetle," Intrepid answered immediately. "Everyone else is an established Ward. And I don't like either option. We're much stronger as a team."
"What if it was both of us?" Beetle asked. "We could run with a basically true story. Tattletale spots us in civilian garb, gets close to me, and I take her in to talk to Contract. We pretend dissatisfaction with the PRT, which wouldn't be hard for either of us to fake. Tattletale can even say it was obvious enough for her pick up on it."
Clockblocker immediately knew that Beetle was referring to Shadow Stalker and her trigger event. It really wasn't a far-fetched story. If Shadow Stalker hadn't been taken down by Contract and then prosecuted so swiftly by Dragon, it might have even become the truth. Contract was tied to the team now, by the experiences they'd had together, but a month ago he was pretty sure that she would have gladly jumped ship, and he didn't want to think what Beetle might have done if she'd learned her tormentor was a Ward before they'd gotten a handle on the situation. Clockblocker couldn't imagine what his reaction would have been if that little Asian shit who'd made him trigger had actually been a government-sanctioned hero.
"You're still two very fresh capes," Kid Win hedged. "I don't like the idea of letting you walk into danger without us."
"Not for long, just until you guys can bust through the protections and join us," Beetle protested.
"Even better, we might be able to draw him into the open," Contract mused. "If I was a criminal mastermind, I'd meet eager new recruits at a secondary site, not my main base."
She glanced at Tattletale, who joined the conversation reluctantly. Clockblocker had told her to keep quiet unless she had facts to contribute, at least until the initial brainstorming was out of the way. The team still distrusted her to various stages, and he didn't want her messing with their dynamic. He gave Tattletale a tiny nod before she spoke. "I don't think Coil's base is actually finished yet, and he's too much of a control freak to let new recruits see half-finished work. Otherwise he would have used the base to impress the other Undersiders."
Contract nodded. "So we can draw him out. In that case, the only thing about this that I don't like is Coil's power. We don't know how it operates, but he's never been caught before and neither have the Undersiders, who have his protection."
"He's never been worth the effort," Gallant reminded her. Clockblocker sat back and let them talk, bouncing ideas back and forth off of each other. He'd been hip-deep in this all day; it was time for some new perspectives.
Contract tipped her head, acknowledging the point, but didn't verbally respond. It was Kid Win who took up the conversation. "I could try to come up with something that would disable other tinker-tech, but I'd need a lot more time. By the time I came up with anything, we'd be well past the case's unseal date."
Beetle sighed. "If we could find him around Brockton Bay somewhere I could tag him and follow him, but if he keeps so quiet then we could be waiting too long, as Kid Win said."
"Well, we know where he lives," Contract said, gesturing to the yellow oval that Tattletale had identified as containing his house.
Clockblocker wasn't the only cape that stiffened at that, opening his mouth to protest about the unwritten rules, but Contract continued, "I'm not saying we use the information against him. Not directly. But he's gone after Tattletale when she was out of mask, and from what she's not saying I'm assuming the other Undersiders as well. I'd feel a lot better if we knew who this guy was. What he's done with his civilian life. Get a more complete profile."
Vista was shaking her head vigorously. "We can't. We absolutely can't. If word ever got out, in the slightest, that heroes were looking for villain's identities, you'd be putting hundreds of families at risk. Our families especially."
Clockblocker had to swallow twice to get past the lump in his throat. "She's right. We can't."
Contract met his gaze, or so he assumed behind her mask, then glanced around the table. Her gaze seemed to linger slightly on Tattletale, then she met Intrepid's gaze and her head drop in shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize the severity of the cape code."
Clockblocker felt his breath rush out of him in relief and didn't even try to control it. He'd been reluctant to even allow Tattletale to do the physical profiling that she had, but it had been necessary to figure out which of Coil's properties he might be using.
Tattletale had been to one location, which turned out to be a temporary set up. They'd needed a physical profile to find his main base, and that by necessity had to include Coil's civilian home, but that was as far as Clockblocker was willing to go.
They brainstormed a while longer, but the basic fact was that they were working under a time limit because Coil could call Lisa at any time and she wasn't confident in her ability to lie to him. Additionally, what little they knew about Coil's power suggested that their best chance of success rested on initiating contact.
After hours of discussion, they had generated and discarded what felt like a hundred ideas. Tattletale had proven extremely valuable in demonstrating the plans' flaws, which was frustrating but necessary.
Clockblocker was glad he'd taken to time to reassure her about the security of the Wards' base. Although housed in the same building as the PRT, they had totally separate security and surveillance systems, and as a maskless zone the area was regularly checked for outside eavesdropping. Once he'd explained that to her, she'd been much more free with her information.
In the end, the Wards had come back to the very first plan, such as it was. Lisa would present Beetle and Contract to Coil, and go from there.
Clockblocker had come to the point where he actually did believe Tattletale, but that didn't mean he was willing to risk his teammates lives to save hers. She had chosen to be a villain, and that wasn't their problem. If it wasn't for Coil's PRT spies, he'd have been tempted to tell her there was nothing more they could do.
Thankfully, that decision wasn't his, it was Armsmaster's.
"You want to what?"
All things considered, Clockblocker thought his boss was taking this whole thing very well. He and Contract had been nominated to go explain the situation to Armsmaster and get his approval, Clockblocker as team leader and Contract as Armsmaster's… legal ward and the plan's biggest proponent.
Armsmaster had listened closely, then issued his demand in a quiet, if stressed, tone.
"It makes sense." Contract said, perfectly calm. In this case, not being able to hear the incredulity in Armsmaster's voice might end up working in her favor. "The Wookie Prisoner con might be the oldest one in the book, but that's because it's a good con. We contact him, we set the time, we control the meet. No big deal." Contract shrugged, for all the world genuinely unconcerned, and maybe it wasn't such a good thing that she was having trouble reading Armsmaster.
He was far from unconcerned. "No big deal?" he repeated slowly. Clockblocker couldn't tell if he was impressed, further upset, or incredulous, but he certainly wasn't calm.
Contract opened her mouth, then a thoughtful expression flicked over her face for just a moment, before she apparently changed whatever she had been planning to say. "I am confident in my ability to survive this encounter, and to bring my teammates through it safely. At worst, we will have to retreat and cost ourselves the element of surprise, which we won't have for much longer anyway. It's the best we can do right now."
Armsmaster pursed his lips, then turned to Clockblocker. "You agree with this assessment?"
Clockblocker shrugged and raised his hands helplessly. "It really comes down to whether Coil is a credible threat. If he is, then he's a bomb waiting to blow up in our faces and this is as good a course of action as any. If he's not, we'll be giving a golden opportunity to a B-rate villain and taking a lot of risk for nothing."
Armsmaster nodded thoughtfully. "Are you as confident in the Wards' ability to retreat, if it becomes necessary?"
"Yes," Clockblocker admitted, "I am." Mostly, he trusted Contract's confidence, knowing that she probably had a dozen tricks up her sleeve. If Clockblocker had been kidnapped, his first priority would be to make sure it couldn't happen again. Although they hadn't discussed it outright, he was pretty sure Contract had some sort of worst-case contingency. He made a note to get confirmation of that before the mission went down.
"Then I'll authorize this, for execution the day after tomorrow." Contract opened her mouth to protest, no doubt wanting to argue for a faster timeline, but Armsmaster didn't pause for her objection.
"I want the Wards to go to school as normal, but spend all other hours continuing investigation and research. Look for any contradictions or holes. Anything at all that could show we've made a poor assumption."
"Yes, sir," Clockblocker agreed, feeling more comfortable already with that decision made.
Contract swallowed twice, visibly, before she stood just a touch straighter and nodded sharply. "Yessir. Permission to begin immediately?"
Armsmaster nodded, and Contract turned on her heel and swept out of the room. Armsmaster jerked his chin in her direction, and Clockblocker hurried to catch up.
When he did so, he realized that she wasn't angry, not exactly. Oh, she wasn't happy about the delay either, but she seemed more stubbornly determined than anything else.
"We good?" Clockblocker asked her as they waited for the elevator, mostly for the purpose of having something to say.
"Fine," she said shortly. He leaned over a bit to try to see her face and she sighed, the stiffness going out of her posture. "I don't like giving my enemies time to prepare. I guess I'm not used to being a Ward yet."
"It's been two days, and Coil doesn't know we're coming," Clockblocker prompted cautiously. Really, for an investigation, even an expedited and covert investigation, things had been flying along pretty fast.
"I guess." She raised a hand to rub her forehead. "I just remembered I have to go talk to PR. Catch you later?" Clockblocker shrugged as the elevator dinged for him. She waved him in, and headed for the stairs, since the administrative floor was above the tinker labs and the Wards' base was below.
Clockblocker shook his head as he stepped into the elevator. Heaven help anyone in PR who tried to tell Contract what to do today.