Rebecca Costa Brown/Alexandria
Alexandria has been on pins and needles. So tense that it was clearly visible to every other person in the jet. Lips squeezed into a thin line. Unmoving, tense posture. Almost mechanical, too well-coordinated arm movements, when typing a report via sensor keyboard. She pretended to look calm. But everyone knew the truth.
A private flying machine based on a rotorcraft, designed, developed and produced by Dragon, took her, together with a group of experts directly to the place of the main headache of the entire Protectorate to date. Of course, she was exaggerating on this cause. The upcoming budget plan was far worse in terms of headache, but this whole situation required a delicate approach and she liked to sort this whole mess by herself.
Brockton Bay has always been... an interesting city. Not the biggest, not the richest, not the most dangerous. Slowly dying after Leviathan walked by during the attack on Newfoundland. Smothered by the crime and government inefficiency. But it was in Brockton Bay where the All-Father, Marquis, Kaiser, Panacea, and Teeth were born. Brockton Bay was a place where individuals such as Lung, Coil, Armsmaster, Labyrinth and a couple of others capes decided to settle down no less important. Brockton Bay was a melting pot, a cauldron where cape forces collided without strict supervision. A fine, concentrated example of a brave new world's ugliest sides. Once Alexandria tried to do something, but almost immediately her actions were postponed and redirected by Contessa's intervention. That was until recently.
After the last Cauldron meeting, which was meaningful at last, Rebecca very closely watched for all kinds of variables that could change so much. She looked for something powerful, something game-changing. And the hospice situation immediately caught her attention. But when Path told her to wait, and Alexandria waited. Yesterday, however, her personal communicator received a four-word message.
"The time has come."
And Rebecca rushed to action. The conversation with Piggot came out... informative. Of course, she didn't get the whole picture, Piggot was pretty stingy on the details, but even such a squeeze was enough for Rebecca to realize the scale of the situation.
Trigger is not for nothing called "the worst day of life," it's the only way to get the Agent involved. And for Taylor Hebert, that day lasted a month. The butterfly effect in its mighty self. A lot of seemingly unrelated incidents, not quite ordinary, but quite unimportant from a global point of view, provoked a series of events that led to one of the most powerful triggers that Alexandria has ever met. And now, thanks to the very clumsy actions of her subordinates, she will have to deal with all this herself.
From the porthole, she could see the gradually approaching coastline of the East Coast. And that meant that the almost five-hour flight was coming to an end. Not that she could not make it on her own, but the status and the team of experts on board prevented her from doing so. And who said anything human wasn't alien to her?
Finishing her report, Alexandria turned to her subordinate sitting across from her. Dwight Macready was one of her specialists in human psychology, and he was the one most often trusted to work with particularly complex capes, whose abilities or personality make them too dangerous, but it was not profitable to declare a cape a villain for one reason or another.
"Dr. Macready, what do you think our chances are of successfully recruiting Pantheon?"
The doctor looked at Alexandrian for some time before chewing his lips thoughtfully to answer:
"I can't say I fully understand the situation, but based on the known facts, I would say it's extremely low. Family Tragedy, bullying, coma, badly chosen words. Pantheon, first of all, is a teenage girl. And they are known to be very prone to the accumulation of negativity and lack of piety in front of the Authorities, which is represented by Wards and Protectorate. And the actions of the Shadow Stalker makes us not the best guys in a story."
"So you think the recruiting option is unrealistic?" Rebecca squinted under her mask.
"I'd say unlikely. I don't know how your face-to-face meeting with her could affect her actions. But I doubt it'll make a big difference."
"That pretty sums up my thoughts for today. Thank you, Dwight." heroine nodded gratefully to an old man.
"It's my job, ma'am." the doctor responded with a polite nod.
The brief dialogue calmed down, and the cabin plunged into silence, which, however, did not last long, because after twenty minutes their transport came to land on a special platform on the roof of the Protectorate Rig.
Piggot herself came out to meet Alexandria. This full woman of forty years was one of the most obvious examples of the post-Golden Age. Once a hopeful field agent, reduced to a crippled woman, in constant need of medical support. That was the cost of one of many mistakes that PRT did through years. One example which provided a valuable lesson to all of them but at a great cost.
Piggot could have been honorary discharged with a lifetime pension, but that woman was one of a kind. Biased in her view of capes? Yes, but knowing almost everything about them, Alexandria cannot say that she wasn't right in her opinion. But Piggot got a spine that allowed her to coexist and somehow control that complete clusterfuck which Brocton Bay indeed was.
"Pleased to meet you, Director Piggot." Alexandria greeted the woman as she barely left the transporter.
"Good afternoon, Alexandria. How was your flight? " - They both understood and accepted the rules of this polite game, which lasted exactly until one of the players decided to finish it. And Rebecca decided to take the bull by the horns.
"Better than on my own. But, Director, let's get to the point. Director Costa Brown has provided me all the information I need, but I'd like to hear it from you in person."
Piggot's face darkened. Bags under her eyes seem to have increased in size.
"I think... we should discuss all this in my office. It's not going to be a short story."
After that phrase, she turned sharply on her heels and moved towards the entrance to the interior of the base as fast she could do so.
Without saying anything, the masked heroine moved after her.
Alexandria was gloomy. It was all Piggot could say, judging mood by the small part of her face that the mask left uncovered. But the crooked lips and the charged atmosphere in the room for some reason left the director with no doubt that the information voiced did not lighten the mood of Triumvirate member. However, if you think about it, it was quite an obvious outcome of events.
The heroine was sitting in front of Piggot, folding her hands at her chin, completely depriving herself of any movement. It was so unnatural that even Emily who was accustomed to parahuman habits felt uncomfortable.
Finally, Alexandria spoke:
"Director, what I have just heard is one of the worst examples of incompetence of the PRT staff, which I only know about. It's a miracle that journalists didn't learn about this fiasco." - Alexandria's voice was calm and cold as Arctic ice. And yet, only the deaf wouldn't hear a note of irritation and discontent in it.
"We were constrained in our means, ma'am," Piggot was not used to looking for excuses, but it was a special occasion.
"What means, Emily? What were you thinking when you let that fool Stalker go to Winslow? Arcadia was specifically chosen as placement for Wards. Because we are sure that they can identify and prevent this situation. I know it. Director Costa Brown knows it. You know it. So let me ask again, Emily, why was she going to Winslow?" - it was a reinforced concrete argument that actually pinned director to the wall. It was her signature that was under the resolution that allowed Stalker to visit Winslow on an exceptional basis.
"Her lawyer insisted on it…" Piggott ran out of arguments, but she did not want to admit defeat so easily. Futile attempt and she knew it.
"Director, why do I have to remind you that you're head of PRT branch? That you keep the law and order on the streets, protecting them from gangs, villains and those who are Stalker-like? Stalker was put on probation, Director. That means that you acknowledged, that Stalker is in need of constant supervision. The rules for such cases are written by blood, and you're insanely lucky that Pantheon was sane enough to call for a healing projection to save the lives of your people, who were in danger through your own fault!"
"She is insane!" the director exclaimed in her heart, irritated by the mention of the Pantheon's escape from the hospital.
"Are you a parapsychologist? As far as I know, Miss Yamada is still in shock" - sarcasm in Alexandria's voice were almost physically dripping with poison. " Director, let's be honest - you all made a mess of it. Stalker, Barnes, Yamada, Armsmaster, all of you. And the mess is so bad, that even fear for what will happen if a worst-case scenario occurs"
"Worst-case scenario?"
"You don't have to pretend, Emily. You know what the worst-case scenario is. You were there for one thing. Nobody wants to add Brocton to the quarantine list"
Emily's obviously pale. The paintings of that day, ten years ago, were still too alive in her memory. And Alexandria's purposeful words woke up these ghosts of the past.
"You can't…" - she attempted to speak, but Alexandria stopped her.
"I can and I definitely will if the situation would spiral out of our control. We know next to nothing about her abilities but can only guess about their deadliness or versatility. Our analytics reevaluated her."
"And?" - Piggot managed to get control of herself, which earned her a fair amount of points in Alexandria's view.
"Trump 7 at least."
The woman clenched her fists, soothing her rapidly beating heart. And the heroine, satisfied with the director's reaction, meanwhile continued:
"Okay. That's enough verbal lace. Here's my suggestion, Piggot. I have the authority and the tasks to do. And no time for games. You know what's coming. And while I'm here, I say - you do. It's over - we're splitting up, no strings attached. I think Director Costa Brown will be satisfied with the result. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes," Piggot exhaled through her teeth, imagining what might happen if she did not. But she was pissed off by this whole situation to the extreme. And she was all the more nervous about having to work for a cape, even a cape like Alexandria. Especially if this cape was Alexandria.
"Very well." -heroine nodded, knowing the answer in advance. There was no need for the Path to Victory, just a little blackmail and authority pressure
"In that case, do you have any data about Pantheon's current location?"
" Last time the cameras picked her up she was in the Docks. Anyway, that's where we last caught the traces of her Projection. It's reasonable to assume that she's still there." - A sudden change of subject helped, Emily, found the strength to calm down a little to answer the question quickly.
"I agree. She couldn't have gone far in a hospital gown on her barefoot. Although I don't think that's gonna stop her. There are not much stopping high trumps at all."
"Those Projections of hers..."
" Yes. Each time they appeared in response to quite specific requests. When she wanted to save herself from death, called the Mortician. She wanted to be healed, called on Isis. She wanted to defend herself... and called on Bai Hu."
" Bai Hu?" - Director didn't hear that name. Or moniker. Definitely something Asian.
" We assume that the basis of Pantheon power is the creation of independent projections based on mythology. The beast she called upon is very similar to the descriptions of the White Tiger, Guardian of the West and one of China's four sacred animals. Director Costa Brown has included a mythology specialist in the group so that we can make a probable list of the forces of her projections."
" So... What do you want from me for now, Alexandria? asked the woman after a short silence to reflect on the information she received.
" Not much at all. Show me where Stalker's cell is and arrange a press conference."
"It's not like you're gonna…"
"You already gave your consent, Director. Don't make me feel regret it."
"Roger that, Alexandria."
When Alexandria walked into her cell, Sofia suddenly realized she was in trouble. Not that this thought had not come to her for the last seventy-two hours, but with Triumvirate member in her cell, the situation took a really bad turn.
Sophia was not a fool and was well aware that she had no chance against Alexandria, let alone that she was still in a high-security cell with electricity flowing through the walls.
"Sophia Hess, I assume" - Alexandria's voice was dry and expressed absolutely no emotion. And it was frightening.
"Y-yes, ma'am."
"Well. Since you were a member of Wards you're informed about how Unwritten Rules apply to Protectorate capes civilian identities, yes?"
"Of course" Alexandria nodded
"That's good. Because you would manage to understand my trick. Do you want to know about my trick, Sophia?"
"It's not like I have a choice ma'am"
"Smart girl. I almost pity you. You see, before going here I asked Dragon to turn off the cameras in your cell. For privacy reasons of course. The trick is, that somehow our talk would reveal some very well kept secrets. Such as secret identities. Since i know yours already that would be mine. Fear not. I won't grant you this knowledge. But here's the magic. Everybody will think that you do.
That automatically makes you an A-class threat. There's a corresponding mark on your file already. Do you know what happens to capes that have that class of danger if they fight back?"
Sophia swallowed a tight lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. Kill Orders. Or Birdcage.
The heroine took a close look at her. There was still no emotion on her face. And it scared her.
"I see that you understand. That's good. Let me explain the situation to you for a moment. You and your girlfriends basically tortured girl until she went comatose. And then she triggered. Not really worth of my attention, not you first, not you last. Believe me, we've already got a whole bunch of you in Alaska. But there's one little problem, Stalker. What you've done has gone beyond that one person you nearly killed. Trigger you called killed forty-nine people. Forty-eight in the hospital and one shortly before that. Forty-nine corpses, Stalker. Isn't that a little too much for a snotty girl? It doesn't matter, though. It's your problem. The thing is, Sophia, people, living people, started asking questions that we can't answer. And do you know why?"
Sofia knew. She knew too well. The perfect pattern seemed to turn against her in an instant.
" People ask questions, and we can't give answers. And for a second, think about what happens if all that shit you've done comes out. What are the consequences for the entire organization, for the Protectorate? Your stunt could easily force back our attempts in making peace with society and government for an entire decade at least. And that's a problem, Hess. Big enough that it matters to me personally."
Alexandria's face expressed emotion for the first time. It was a smile.
But Stalker thought it would be better not to be born at all than to look at a smile with which you can kill babies and burn cities with all the residents. Simultaneously.
"And you know, I don't like problems. And so, Hess, you have a choice. In three or four days, I'm obliged to hold a press conference here on the Pantheon investigation. But I can always kill two birds at once and say that one of the Guards has an important press announcement. And guess who's gonna be that Ward?"
Alexandria raised her eyebrow expressively, asking a rhetorical question.
"All in all, Hess, you have three options. You go on stage, you take a mike, and you tell everyone you broke the rules of your trial period. A rapist gets shot or something. We'll arrange a reason for you. I nod my head understandably and send you to Anchorage with my peace of mind to guard the city against a polar bear kamikaze attack. From a public relations standpoint, it'll be a headache, but not you first, not you last. The second option is you take a microphone and heartily say you're leaving the Wards for some reason. Whatever it takes, we'll organize it again. Everything is fine, peaceful, we nod our heads understandably and let you go free with a pure soul, where the police are waiting for you, who sends you to the Correctional Centre. On paper, of course, you'll be in juvie, but the right word, the difference is small. Or did you think you could get away with a crime like that? You're gonna sit there for a couple of years on easy levels, you're gonna come out, and you might even try to be a hero again. And finally, you can try to run away. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're not even cuffed. I'll even give you a head start in a couple of days. Except... while you were lying unconscious, Armsmaster implanted a Tinkertech tracker under your skin that can track you to within a couple of meters. And then I'm gonna give your old friend Pantheon tracker tuned to that tracker's signal. I think it will make your predator life a little more diverse." Alexandria pointed to the quotes with her fingers, before opening the cell door.
"It's up to you, Hess. And please understand that one thing. You're prey now. And this prey must pray that her predator would be merciful to her. Do you understand who is who?"
Sophia understood.
There was a knock on the door. Loud enough for her to hear and wake up. She froze, trying not to move, fear stifled her nature again.
Knock repeated, but this time, a couple of seconds after the second knock, someone pushed a stack of bills through the barely visible gap under the door.
Unbelieving her eyes, she went as quietly as possible to the door and picked up the unexpected package.
The first banknote was written on it in wide handwriting:
"I will not harm you or nor I am associated with Protectorate. Please, let me help you.."
She had doubts. She was afraid. She didn't believe it. But when she looked back and saw Persona's cheering smile, she opened the door to a stranger.
AN: *Hides Necronomicon* Well, it's alive. Hope i'll be able to write more chapters before Christmas