[31st March 2011]

[Protectorate ENE Headquarters, The Bay, Brockton Bay, United States of America, Earth Bet]

Her city existed under an uneasy tense peace, with the PRT and Protectorate suddenly the top dogs as heroes were rotated in from other cities to ensure their defences were kept in place. Emily Piggot would have been happy, even just for the fact the Merchants had been dealt with due to acting up yesterday in violation of the Truce in effect since the crisis the crisis began. It had been an object lesson to the ABB and Empire 88, along with Coil and Faultline's mercenaries, that the old days were over and nobody would tolerate idiocy with the dangers only a portal away.

Unfortunately that reinforcement to levels necessary to dealing with the problems of Brockton Bay had brought with constant meetings, reviews, and second guessing of actions taken from the PRT and Protectorate as a whole. Such as the, yet another, conference call she had to sit through after Renick and others information gathering trip to Earth Gimel. The good news was the other side weren't liars in the ridiculous things that told them...the bad news being they weren't liars and had been truthful in the dangerous yet ridiculous outline they had offered.

"...perhaps offers some insight into why the Simurgh has crippled our orbital capacity, as alien could exist here as well, and is clearly more advanced than ourselves..." the Chicago based Director Hearthrow offered as that merry little implication made its way through the debate. For now the consensus was to DO NOTHING that might potentially attract such attention if aliens did exist in their reality; basic information indicated it was akin to shouting out in a dark park for help. You might get it, or you might get worse monsters, or conquerors, according t the sparse information on the subject.

Emily stayed quiet on that subject, as she could offer little more than supporting the line of 'find out more before shouting for help' approach one or two of their number had suggested. Indeed this part of the debate reeked of seeking to put off discussing the more practical talk in her mind, watching as Costa-Brown finally brought that particular idiocy to an end. WEDGDG's own recommendations were the same as hers after all, even if it had only being assembled in barely a day, and the first step to understanding the situation with aliens was in understanding their fellow humans there.

"So, shall we discuss the analysis of our opposite numbers?" she offered refusing to flinch at a jerk of pain as she moved on her chair "That, one hopes, we can more easily adjust and plan for than things that may, or may not, exist in this universe"

"Indeed, I think it would be a more productive endeavour to discuss the political, and geopolitical, situation on Earth Gimel, just as we did with Earth Aleph in the wake of that discovery..." Director Costa-Brown announced calmly on the screen, drumming her fingers off the table cities away "...as they have parahumans, tinkertech, and both a more stable, and potentially more dangerous, paradigm than ourselves. Most notably the status of this Justice League of theirs, and the organisation currently in charge of their side of the portal, SHIELD"

Tagg shook his head "I'm more interested in the analysis of their history, such as the fact parahumans appear decades ago, yet their rate of appearance has been much slower than here. Or, as per WEDGDG's analysis, likely kept low"

"Till recently, if that was the case at all..." Emily corrected him having read the same report "...though I admit the appearance of capes during World War Two would have resulted in a much greater escalation based on our own models, rather than the stop-start-stop-start nature we observe based on the information retrieved by Dragon and Armsmaster on their history. I happen to agree with the suspicions laid out that they may have used the Indian model, and till recently, their governments were maintaining a more aggressive background approach than we would care for"

"That some of us here would not care for"

"Director Tagg..." Costa-Brown stated with a sigh "...this is not a debate for here and now. What we have observed of this Shield's history, indicates it to be more a odd merger of the Protectorate and PRT rather than a version of the PRT, as evidenced by their use of parahumans as agents. Nor, is this Justice League equivalent to the Protectorate, save smaller, but an actual international organisation, existing in various formats going back to the Second World War, under UN mandate of all things"

"Failed previous iterations..." Emily noted "...but that merely come with the up and down nature of governmental power versus that of various capes. One thing we have to note is that while overall parahuman numbers appear to be much lower than if events had played out here with an arrival of Scion, and the follow on Trigger events, they're ability to respond globally, with overwhelming force, likely has a big influence. If we could gain access to such abilities..."

Director Costa-Brown nodded, a faint frown as Emily trailed off "Yes, if we could, response times might be sufficient for what was needed. Earth Gimel's slaying of what can only described as a proto-Endbringer, or perhaps even juvenile one, before it could gain power..."

Humbert, a Canadian Director gave a faint snort "Ah, if we had only been so lucky and Leviathan had appeared in the middle of the desert unable to make full use of its hydrokinesis! Bah, such luck"

Costa-Brown shook her head "Perhaps it did, and we did not know. The area was an active warzone, after a nation-state collapse, it would be a prime target on our side as well. What is a surprise is the capacity shown to deploy multiple teams of capes on short notice, along with military forces in support, to the area when we, with similar time, would have been unable to do so. Certainly not a team of Russian Tinkers, the Protectorate, Chinese Not-Yangban, and a host of independent capes from nearby nations...so, I do believe our initial belief in numbers overall might not result in tactical superiority should it come to a clash between our worlds"

Emily winced at that faintly "Yes, that is a concern, as was what was clearly a 'reformed' villain, in loosest terms, and this Enchanter either has access to a disturbing level of illusion tech as their version of PHO suggests, or is a *Bio-tinker* of some manner with the bizarre power to turn people into cats. Hardly the types I feel confident running about Brockton Bay for however many days they were here"

"The fact they allowed us look up the information, and other sources, without interference is a positive sign..." Director Armstrong offered "...and, having seen the information, I do think that's more reflective of that nature of this Shield organisation prior to its...official?...activation. It's very clear it existed well before that point and only various crisises brought it to the public at large's view. What we've observed of its roster of capes, does indicate a more black ops or darker nature perhaps, but in many ways it's likely what we'd choose to check on them should the situation have been reversed"

"Yes, a good point Director Armstrong..." Costa-Brown replied with a slight nod "...and, while this Cheshire appears to a villain, Combat Thinker seems, the details we've seen on this Enchanter indicate a government trained cape. Bodyguard incident Washington, another bodyguard incident Washington, then this fully televised one in Taiwan, and then reports of dealing with the local Slaughterhouse-9-lite. Now his reported mentor is worse, if unmasked, between the mental asylum and prison-time for murder resulting in...lots of mysterious deaths by all accounts"

"They're a cleanup crew, otherwise they'd be in the local Birdcage, which, apparently, their currently head of Shield built in North America at least"

"We suspect they are such Director Tagg, nothing confirms that position to our satisfaction..." Emily corrected the man with a frown "...but your point is taken. What I want to know is to be our position on such, as Brockton Bay is point on this situation, and we've more, albeit unhappy, information than we had before, from aliens, to decades old AI..."

--

[01st April 2011]

[Secure Meeting Room, Cauldron Compound, Multiversal Lattice]

"We don't have long..." Rebecca...Alexandria...told the others immediately after exiting the Door into the room where the others awaited "...I can't be away for more than half-an-hour, and Legend is fully on duty for the next while in Brockton Bay"

"Yes, unfortunate, but you have been successful in adjusting the PRT stance?"

She nodded in response to the question of Numbers Man "Yes, though it was a fight not with the faction wanting to concrete it over and pretend this never happened. They didn't have the influence, but could have caused several problems down the line if I didn't redirect their energy elsewhere. Have we had any success with accessing Doors to their Dimension?"

"No..." Contessa replied calmly, sipping at a coffee it seemed as she sat unhappily in her chair "...something is blocking us out, even when Dragon was there. Which is..."

"Good, which is good, if the effect is also keeping out other...parties, let us say..." Doctor Mother reminded them frowning at Contessa as Alexandria took a seat beside Eidolon and Numbers Man "...it might indicate that this alternate earth was beyond intended parameters of the Entities"

"Or could have more of them, another, different, one..." Alexandria reminded them, though not too seriously as reports and analysis indicated otherwise. Or at least if there was those creatures took significantly different, and longer, steps than did their great nightmare "...but I accept your point, and with the PRT and the military in support of maintaining the Gate, and communicating, we still have a method to gain access to that world now that experiments have failed. It could serve as a fallback position, for some fraction of the populace, should our worst fears come to pass"

"If they don't prove another Earth Shin...though we'll have to adjust the naming order I suspect..." Eidolon started then muttered almost to himself before sighing "...but, without our normal methods of access, it's going to be nigh impossible to effectively trade in the shadows, or offer incentives that aren't going to risk exposing ourselves"

"An unfortunate, but acceptable, problem..." Contessa replied with a weary sigh "...what is an actual problem is should one of the Endbringers attempt to *deal* with the situation so to speak. Or, for panic to cause an Earth Aleph situational response amongst the general population and wider parahuman community"

"You are the one who suggested the leaks to PHO"

Contessa nodded back to Alexandria "And it is the start of building a favourable path to trading weapons, at least from our side of the portal..." she nodded at Numbers Man "...funds are already in motion, donations here, thefts there, that should encourage an economic and political incentive for an Open Door strategy. So, it comes down to threats beyond our ability to effectively see..."

--