Brian felt like his world was falling apart, the Undersiders was now basically defunct after what people now called the Day of Eighty Eight Insanity, where all the local Nazis had gone full tilt, and then immediately getting crushed by Medusa of the Protectorate who could apparently turn into a giant snake woman.

And in the aftermath of that Lisa had gone missing, and here in the morning both Alec and Rachel had absconded from the Hideout, and their Secret Boss had called him telling him that if he still wished to have custody of his sister, he would now be joining the Travelers.

And speaking of his sister, thankfully Aisha was okay as she had called him and told him she was in his apartment.

Though he didn't know what had happened to his parents and at this point he didn't really care about them anymore.

He was so tired.

He went to open the door to his apartment, though as he did he could hear voices speaking.

One was Aisha, and the other he didn't recognize…

Oh right, she had mentioned she had brought a friend over so that they could both stay safe.

He opened the door fully and entered. "Aisha, I'm back."

"Hey Bro, glad to see your black ass hasn't been hanged yet," Aisha language was as crass as usual as he went into the living room and…

Brian's mind crashed.

What?

Why?

Why was she here?

Why was Medusa sitting on his couch with his sister's legs over her lap as she laid on it?

Snakes of hair turned to look at him as did the face of the scariest woman on the east coast. The massive woman with equally massive tits stared at him with those menacing yellow eyes, slit like a predator gazing at its prey. Gazing into his soul just as much as the practical hood of black-mouthed snakes with their glowing red eyes forming out of her navy hair, the matching red eye tattoo on her forehead seeming to glow as she did.

"So glad you could join us Brian." She said, voice level and with an undercurrent of sadistic satisfaction and smug superiority, motioning for him to come closer with a bright-aqua clawed hand of navy blue scales that led into the aquamarine scales of the rest of her body contrasting with the bright orange dress, the bright colors of something poisonous. "I think it's time we have a little talk."

Cold fear and sweat ran through and appeared on his body.

"What are you doing here?" Brian asked as his mind raced. "...Did my sister do something bad?" He asked, as he hoped, he hoped that she didn't know who he actually was. But somehow that seemed like a far off dream, but one he would indulge in.

"Not bad so much as stupidly dangerous." Medusa said, giving a pointed look at his sister, who looked sheepish. "Really, kids oughta know better than to sneak into a Parahuman's home right after a massive nazi attack."

"Yeah that is stupid, don't worry I will be having words with her," Brian said as he looked at his sister, a non-physical sigh of relief going through his body. At least his secret was still safe.

"Good, good… before that though."

His heart started pounding in his skull immediately as he tried to restrain the darkness. "Yes?"

"I do think we need to talk about your stupidly dangerous decisions as well," Medusa said, he could tell she was staring directly at him even as he avoided eye contact. "Grue."

Brian's heart halted. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I've already extracted your and the rest of your team's identities from Lisa."

"Yeah, Bro. Blondie went and tattled," Aisha said.

"I you… can't do that, the rules, this is against the rules-."

"That your little sister broke by breaking into my. House." She all but growled, Brian keenly reminded of the fact that said sister was still very much so within her grasp at the moment.

"Sorry."

"What do you want?" Brian asked as small wisps of smoke trailed off his body, he knew that he couldn't beat her, she was the strongest cape in the city. But maybe he could grab his stupid little sister while she was distracted with the darkness.

"What I want…" Medusa said, leaning forward a bit as she spoke, promises of violence clear in her every movement. Even sitting, she loomed over him and seemed to do so more as she continued. "Is twofold. One… stop Coil. Period."

"Okay… What does Coil have to do with me?"

"If you don't already know, he's the guy who's been signing your paychecks recently."

"Wait what?" Brian asked. "Coil is our…?"

"'Boss'." Medusa said with venom in her words so strong he felt like he would turn to stone. "Yours, and the Travellers… and the Merchants… and every villain Cape in town who isn't ABB or E88 it seems."

"Oh. Yeah that makes sense." Brian said in realization, yeah that did make sense, he seemed to be the only guy with the cash for this, and he had considered it, he wasn't stupid- it was either him or Accord. "And the second thing?"

"I want you." Medusa said -wha?-. "You and your whole team," -oh okay- "To stop being the bad guys and start working for me on the other side of the law."

"Sure, as long as Aisha is kept safe, that is my only condition," Brian said immediately, taking the deal that could result in him not being turned into a statue in his apartment. "But ehh… I don't know where the others are."

Medusa whispered something under her breath he didn't catch before speaking up. "You have cell phones, right?"

"Yeah, but Regent was a non-answer and Bitch left hers behind in the hideout, though she is probably out and getting dogs from the Empire Dog Rings, and heading back to her kennel, so she should be easy to find in the long run, but Regent? Regent I have no clue." Brian answered.

"Well, we can put in some work to find them. I'm sure you want your friends to be safe and sound." Brian was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be a threat, but it sure as hell sounded like one to him. "We can go right now, if you'd like. Maybe drop off Aisha somewhere safe first if you don't trust her powers yet."

"...Wait powers?" He asked as he looked at his sister in shock.

"You didn't tell him?" Medusa asked, sounding mildly scolding.

"Hey, I got them yesterday when fucking Nazis tried hang my beautiful black bod up in the hood," Aisha said as she put up that usual front of a 'confident and sassy black girl', she spent to much time on the internet. But he could tell that she had been deeply hurt emotionally, because that was what happened when one Triggered. You just didn't get over that in less than a day.

Brian would know.

He still hadn't gone over his Trigger, and it had been three years.

"Aisha… we will be having a talk later, but let's just take her with us, there really isn't a safer place in the Bay than by your side," Brian said.

"Aw shucks, your making the snake blush." Medusa said with a grin that made it clear she was toying with him. "In that case, let's get moving. The sooner we act, the better, and… we should probably focus on finding Regent first. Hellhound has her dogs to help her."

"Again I don't know where he is."

"Do you know where he lives? In general or specific?"

"He lived in our hideout, dude said he ran away from home, dad was apparently a giant piece of shit," Brian answered. "And again hasn't been answering his phone. Like I woke up this morning and both were gone from the hideout."

"Then let's try your hideout first." Medusa said, like it was simple. Like he wouldn't be breaking the trust of his friends to do so.

"It's in the Docks."

Medusa rose from the sofa, now properly towering over him with the body that could slap him aside like an annoying insect. "Then let's get going. We've got work to do, Undersiders."

Well that had been a rousing success!

She had gotten to meet the second of the Undersiders, Grue aka Brian Laborn, on amicable terms, convinced him to join and help in recruiting the other two, and she got to do the 'Darkseid on the Couch' thing!

Verity was feeling great!

At the moment, they were about to enter the Undersiders' little hideout that apparently served as the home for half the team, a building on the docks that she'd passed by a few times without even registering before.

Hiding in plain sight.

Genius, classic, classy, perfect hideout for a group of teen supercriminals. Well, paracriminals technically, but she didn't really care.

Verity looked down at the now-suited up Grue. "So do I knock, or do you have a key?"

"I have a key," Grue responded as he took it out. He inserted into the lock and opened it up and quickly stepped inside and quickly came back out.

"Something wrong?"

"Like I told you nobody is here."

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure, waste time if you want."

"You were in there for less than a minute." Medusa said as she walked in. "And you're still technically a teenage supervillain. Forgive me if I don't fully trust you yet."

"I have no reason to lie," Grue said back as Medusa quickly scanned the rather open first floor, the 'living room' had a couch and a large Tv, which was connected to the kitchen and a stairway to the first floor. "If Regent was here, he would be on the couch, and Bitch never goes up stairs, that is basically Tattletales' domain."

"Interesting." Medusa said as she headed towards and up the stairs.

"And I don't think there is anything up there you need if you have Tattletale?"

Medusa tilted her head back to look at him. "TT asked me to grab her laptop and a change of clothes, be pretty rude not to."

"So she went and jumped sides?" Grue asked.

"Spoilers~." Medusa said, grabbing Tattletale's laptop, spare costumes, and a change of normal clothes from the…

Well, it was a conspiracy board room.

Which, given her power, made perfect sense.

"Damn she is a crackpot." Aisha commented.

"Thinkers gotta think, and everything needs fuel." Verity said as she put the grabbed items into her bag and secured them there. "It's like brain food." She said as she began heading back down.

"You got it?" Grue asked as he crossed his arms. That helmet of his was still super cool, especially with how he combined it with the head-smoke-thing to look like a cross between a Makuta and Ghost Rider.

"Package is secured, is there anywhere in town you think Regent could be?"

"No idea, we weren't that close, but I know where Bitch's Kennel is." He answered.

"Yeah, in case it wasn't obvious, I was kind of putting that off until last because it's going to be really hard to be subtle with those dogs." Medusa said.

"Heh, you think," Grue chuckled. "And they aren't big all the time."

"Makes more sense honestly." Medusa said. "Can't imagine where you'd get all the meat to feed them from… lead the way."

Grue nodded as he placed the note, and began to lead them like before to Bitch's place.

It thankfully wasn't that far away. The place was located on the northern end of the docks, and like most buildings in Brockton Bay it looked abandoned an in disrepair but she could see lights inside the building, and as they got closer Verity got hit by the familiar scent of dog fur and dog shit which wafted from the walled off back yard.

"Note to self: gas mask." Verity said quietly into her armband, utterly disgusted at what she was experiencing.

Super senses sucked sometimes.

"Huh?" Aisha asked. "You smell something bad?"

"I have super senses sweety." Verity said, covering her lower face with her hand. "There's a loooot of dogs living here. You do the math."

"...ew."

"Yeah, so can we get this over with?" Verity urged Grue.

"Yeah," Grue replied as he went over to the large door and knocked on it. "Rachel, it's Brian can we talk?" And immediately as he did so Verity heard the sound of at least eight dogs barking.

A minute or so passed by before the dogs went quiet and the door was opened up to reveal a teen girl with short auburn hair, about the same height as Taylor, built like a brawler and with thin scars all over the visible part of her skin, and looking out brown eyes full of distrust- and she hadn't even noticed Verity yet.

"What do you want-" Her words stopped as her eyes landed on Verity.

"Shh." Medusa said as she held up a finger to her lips, pre-empting any reaction. "Not here to start anything."

"...The fuck you doing with her here?" Rachel asked her body clenched and tensed for either fight or flight.

"She is here to…" Grue trailed off as he looked back at Medusa.

"I'm getting the gang back together." Medusa said with a grin. "I'm certain you wanna be reunited with your friends, right?"

"Not my friends," She responded.

"Your hunting pack, then." Medusa said. "Especially since I'm also offering room and board, for you and the woofers."

"You a hero, why wouldn't you put me in jail after I hurt your bug?"

"Well, honestly, you're an impulsive teenage parahuman, bad decisions are your forte, not holding that against you too much." Medusa said with a smile, before she leaned down till her face was level with Rachel's. "But if you ever hurt my pack again there will be consequences." Gorgon said in no uncertain terms.

"I understand… I am sorry." She said as she averted her gaze like a scared dog.

"Good. Then gather your dogs and your things. We're going back to my place unless you know where Regent could be."

"Don't know, saw him leave when I did this morning," She responded. Which was good, that meant he probably wasn't hit by the attacks yesterday or something.

"Then get your things. We'll have to ask TT."

"Big place," Rachel commented. "Room for dogs."

"And people." Verity added as they entered. "HONEY, I'M HOME!" She said once the doors were closed.

"Welcome back. I am guessing mission was a success cause I made a lot of food," Sabah replied as she exited to greet them in an apron. "Hello you two and… eight, I am Sabah."

"Woof, woof, woof," All the dogs replied.

"Hey, ehhh, yeah your girlfriend is very convincing," Grue replied.

"She is," She replied.

"And very scary," Lisa said as she came out of the kitchen as well. "No Regent… well Brian, Rachel welcome to the Snake's Den and the formation of the Neo Undersiders."

"Hmm."

"Good to see that you're okay Tats," Grue said as he took off his helmet. "And I guess so 'cause, Medusa is going to be taking our Boss off the field."

"I'll give you two the full story later, but let me tell you, he is an asshole and was never ever going to have let you go," Lisa said.

"On that note, Lisa, can you check them over for bugs?" Medusa asked.

"I am tick free," Rachel grumbled. "As are the dogs."

"I meant listening devices."

"I can, but they should be clean," She replied.

"Just a just in case since Grue here said about being refurbished into the Travellers, so things may have changed."

"Yeah the Undersiders are basically done for as that kind of group, so it would make sense as he still sees Grue as a valued asset," Lisa said as she patted Brian down. "Clean."

"Well not as clean as I would probably like in another sense," Brian grumbled.

"Yeah you need a shower Bro."

"Yeah I wasn't saying anything since we were in business mode but all of you need to get washed up." Verity said. "Which should be easy with how many bathrooms there are."

"Yep this is a total rich person's place, those two have an amazing sugar momma." Lisa said as she pointed at Verity and Sabah.

"She is not a… I can't actually deny it anymore." Sabah said with a sigh.

"No, no she is not a sugar momma, a sugar momma expects sex or sexual favors, this is a partial adoption by the richest and baddest bitch in the world." Verity quickly corrected them.

"I am just teasing." Lisa replied.

"I know but don't put ideas in the 13 year old's head."

"I have the internet, I know more about that shit than most adults." Aisha said.

"...I meant the idea that my girlfriend is having relations with basically her second mother."

"...ew."

"Yeah, exactly, now everyone who isn't TT or Sabah, go get washed up. You can claim a room that's not already taken, and it is obvious." Verity instructed. "And if the dogs need to use the bathroom, use the yard for now, if they aren't house trained they will be."

Rachel and Brian nodded as they dragged the respective members of their family with them.

"Now, TT, Regent hasn't been seen since this morning at the hideout and isn't answering his phone. From that info, and what you already know, do you have any possible idea of where he could be?" Medusa asked.

"Hmm, well his actual identity is not public, soo… I think Coil had him picked up to do something for him." She answered.

"So no point in searching for him tonight then."

"Or the next few days, I think he wants to have him use his full powers for something, that something can't be good."

"Mind elaborating what those 'full powers' are?" Medusa asked, since according to their records he fucked with nerves, which was already insanely dangerous, so she could only guess what his full power was if that was just the surface.

"Alec's true name is Jean-Paul Vasil, he is one of Heartbreaker's many, many children." Lisa told her. "His cape name used to be Hijack."

"...Right. Heartbreaker." Medusa said slowly. "I had him on the Bucket List for after I was done with the Nine… and I don't like what what you said implies."

"Piece of absolute garbage, and yeah doesn't just twitch nerves, but if he spends enough contact with somebody he can fully hijack a person's nervous system and puppeteer them, the PRT would classify him as Master 7."

"...He wouldn't be doing that on Dinah, would he?"

"Don't know, or somebody else, with Dinah, a child of her age… giving her a drug addiction would be the most viable method of control."

"Coil better fucking hope someone else gets to him first physically because if I do I'm going to remove his spine from his skull after putting it there first." Gorgon cursed.

"He is a trash person, and it just get worse the better idea of his personality I make, cause going by how his power works, and responses over the phone, I think he has either had me killed or raped in several timelines by his men or done the deed himself." Lisa said, her face going green before she slapped herself in the face as if to smack the thoughts out.

"Verity," She heard Sabah say. "You are growing dear, I know you are angry but you would break the house."

Sabah's words made her realize she was, in fact, growing in tune with the BURNING RAGE inside of her, so she took a moment to breathe and calm the fuck down.

When did she become the Hulk?

"...I'm hungry, is there food? Do I make food?" Verity asked as she forced herself to focus on something completely different and the emotional exhaustion that seemed to come after she grew began to settle in.

"There is food," Sabah replied; she had said as much less than five minutes prior.

"Yay." Verity said tiredly before planting a kiss on Sabah's forehead. "You da best."

"Very much so."

"Wagh, I can literally see the mental fucking between you two you know?"

"Ha! That just once again proves your power is: stupid." Verity said smugly even as her face heated up a bit.

Sabah buried her head in her hands, as she very much had been pinged accurately.

"So TT." Verity asked as she made breakfast for the house, TT being the only one to have come down to the kitchen at ass-o-clock soon after Verity had woken up. "Does coffee help or hurt your powers? I'm assuming the caffeine can lead to quicker thought processes but also missing more stuff, right?"

"It does nothing, I just like the taste, with a bit of cream and sugar," She responded as she took a seat. "So how is your master plan going?"

"I literally cannot convey my Master Plan™ to you in words you could understand." Verity said as she continued making pancakes. She'd also thankfully thought ahead to get more meat for the dogs, but she'd be doing that last. "The short term plan though? Taking down Coil? Relies on either us getting information from Bossman -sorry, you know him as Halbeard- on his profiling since you've already hit a wall, or us making a breakthrough on Dinah, or somehow catching one or more of the Travelers."

"As said Coil is a paranoid fucker, he is not going to do anything until the situation stabilises and he knows what moves to make," Lisa said.

"Which is why it's exactly the time to strike." Verity said as she flipped a pancake. "Think about it: he's on the backfoot. He has no clue what we're going to do. He especially has no clue what I'm going to do. If we can get even the slightest sliver of info, with your deduction skills, and my ability to bulldoze through bullshit, we could make a breakthrough." She flipped another. "Problem is that it relies on going out and doing something about it, and I'm the opposite of subtle, and you're all wanted criminals. So what I'm trying to ask here TT, is where do you think I should go today to try and find a lead on this? With or without your presence via the Mendax Express?"

"I am staying here," Lisa responded.

"Fair."

"But places to go… Hmm, ask your PR guys if you can go and do some meet and greets, act like you're not on his case, he probably thinks that I am in the depths of PRT custody and is waiting for me to be inducted into the Wards and make contact that way."

"Mhm… that could work." Verity agreed. "I can also check in on the daycare thing as well, so two birds with one stone. Perfect. Thanks TT!"

"You're welcome Mama."

"Don't."

"Isn't that what you want to be?" Lisa said with a smug smile. "Brockton Bay's Mama Snake?"

Verity's hand gripped a bit too tightly on reflex and she felt the metal handle give. "Ugh… I'm trying to make breakfast here Lisa, and you just made me ruin my good pan!" She said, holding it up for Lisa to see the grip marks now imprinted in the metal.

"Sorry."

Verity sighed. "You are right, that is what I want. Eventually. Once I'm actually good at this and have had more than two paychecks to my name. And maybe childcare training. And a therapy license."

"That's adorable, and if it's money you want I can get a lot."

"...Don't steal any more, but if the money's already stolen and clean…" Verity trailed off.

"I can do many things, but if Coil gets caught I could easily pump his bank accounts clean."

"Oh you bet we're gonna that, that's petty as hell I love it." Verity said with a grin. "In that case, you do owe me a new pan later."

"I'll buy one online for you."

"Your request for the daycare trip has been approved, and one has been scheduled for this Friday. You are also cleared for a Meet and Greet on the boardwalk today," Miranda said, the older lady's voice sounding very, very tired. "Good on you for that, people could use that considering the last few days' events."

"Thanks, I was hoping it would help." Verity said, relieved both were good. "Are you okay, Miranda? I know everything's been… rough lately, and I know I haven't fully recovered from Sunday, mentally."

"I have just been busy with calls, you performed very, very well my dear, though your bigger form did cause a bit of a stint, some idiots thought you had turned into another Endbringer," She mumbled about some idiot named Tagg. "But it was dealt with."

"Come on, I wasn't even that big, I was only like 4 stories tall, that's still shorter than OG Godzilla."

"You were the size of Behemoth." She responded.

"...Oh." Verity said. "I… thought they were a lot bigger than that."

"50, 35, and 15 feet tall in order of appearance Medusa, you should know this."

"I was more focused on their respective equivalent Death Auras."

"Most would."

"...Huh, I guess that means I can fist fight the Endbringers now." Medusa realized. "Neat."

"That is not 'Neat' young lady, but yes." Miranda said.

"How is that not Neat? I can be the best distraction during evacuation if I can, potentially, physically overpower an Endbringer long enough for… I dunno, Eidolon? Legend? To blast it to kingdom come if my beams don't work."

"Save that kind of discussion for the fights, now you have people to greet and meet down on the boardwalk, I have put out a Tweet saying you will be there today." Miranda ordered.

"Yes ma'am thank you ma'am."