[06th April 2011]

[Outside Bay Central Hospital, Downtown, Brockton Bay, United States of America, Earth Bet]

"What happened with the Path?" Alexandria hissed, temporarily cutting the feed to others on the line as she rose back up into the air, watching the chaos unfold below. There was only going to be few moments for this, and Contessa had assured them this would work...

"I...don't...understand, every just...changed, like a fresh trigger, when you punched him!" came back over the line, indicating Contessa and Numbers Man were clearly bewildered by what had just happened "It's...you'll need to rely on your own instincts till we can figure out how he's doing that"

"Understood, out" Alexandria snapped back, switching the frequencies so that this never happened and she connected with the support-line as chaos took control of the main lines. Some sort of Master Effect was inducing fear in those nearby, and that had rippled out into poor-reactions when she herself and launched, and then failed at, her attack upon this other world' villain "Dragon, status?"

"Less than ideal, three dead PRT officers, but no cape deaths as yet despite ignoring of the warning we were giving. Target is contained to the construction side of the hospital, but efforts are merely slowing his movements. I am very concerned about this damage reflecting ability, as a plane...just appeared on my screens, or I somehow missed a plane entering a no-fly zone over an incident site via a series of highly improbable system errors"

Alexandria gave a tight nod as she surveyed the chaos "I believe I ordered non-lethal efforts outside my own?"

"Evidence indicates it is damaged directly inflicted, and the Master affect is causing poor performance, and...bizarre reactions"

"Outside me being hit by plane debris from nowhere, what exactly are its effects?"

"A piano fell on Armsmaster, and Miss Militia was attacked by a dozen feral cats despite her being a mile from the area. As best my cameras and sensors can tell the Effect triggers, almost instantaneously, upon direct damage being inflicted, however minor it maybe. Just as the rhyming demon as he called himself indicated in his rather brusque explanation"

'Yes, but Contessa so was sure, as were all the Thinkers in the Protectorate's employ' she wanted to reply, as a seven foot tall Case 53 angrily singing an explanation was less than acceptable for believing. Not when WEDGDG were warning that this Cain was a potential trigger to an extinction level event, on Earth Bet at least, within the next fourteen months. She'd hoped a quick, decisive, blow would be enough to deal with the situation with Eidolon and Legend still a few minutes out unless they revealed more of Cauldron's abilities, or risk Scion interfering, when such powers were on the line. If they could just figure out a way to replicate these abilities, the risk might have been worth it...

An explosion caught her attention...an ice-cream truck, apparently on fire, had slammed into one of the Changer forms of this Cain, crushing between the shrieking van and the wall behind him. It had pinned the villain cape at least, and that gave some brief moments to tapper down on the fear induced poor decision-making some para-humans were showing. Alexandria called out orders as she hovered down, trying to get the injured out of the way of the fight, before flying forward to slam into the struggling 'Cain' alongside the outsider cape.

Even if she couldn't directly harm the villain she could restrain him till they figured out something more permanent to institute the kill order. A Tinker-like City-wide Master Effect similar to the Simurgh's? That was something that ensured this one was dealt with now, not later, even more-so after erecting an energy barrier capable of resisting hers and others efforts to breach it. All while the other para-human, Enchanter, from Earth Gimel had shown himself to be some sort of Eidolon-lite as went on his security camera watched killing spree with his partner Cheshire.

It was one of her strengths to be able to think on such things even as she pinned the struggling man, who was well built with vaguely Semitic features, but the eyes were all wrong she found as she gripped his throat with one hand, the other pinning his free hand. He was clearly also deserving a Brute rating in addition to some many other likely classifications as he found against her own strength. Futilely of course, as Brute rating or not, she was simply stronger and between the press of the...weirdly on fire ice-cream van and sword wielding 'Demon' they might be able...

'What?' Alexandria managed to think as suddenly her hand was filled with nothing but misty air, then a hand gripped her from behind and slammed her face forward into the hardened concrete wall. For but a moment, the surprise fading as she drove one hand into the concrete like it was sand, then swinging her right arm back in a cutting gesture. That sent him flying off to slam into a nearby truck, but apparently not cause any damage as no backlash effect occurred this time.

Pressing her feet into the building behind her Alexandria pressed off it, flying forward to engage this Cain once again as he was in his human form, red-coloured energy forming in his left hand. She closed with him in a second, pinning him again, overpowering his lesser strength once more...before suddenly darkness engulfed her somehow. Then her foe did the misting thing once again, silent and invisible as she released she'd been blinded and immediately broke away by flying directly upwards to avoid getting involved in some fight with a friendly by mistake.

"This is Alexandria, I have been blinded by unknown means. Holding in reserve till can clarify what just occurred, healer potentially required..."

--

Sara Livsey, though now in her mask of Tattletale, held onto Glory Girl's arm as Collateral Damage Barbie flew her and her Nilbog-junior sister over to a building overlooking the fight below. Personally she would prefer if the walking WMD would be somewhere far, far, away from the Master effect using Vampire, but that wasn't going to happen she knew already. Not unless she herself wanted to blab that knowledge...and very likely get killed by someone for either doing that in this situation, or the ball of conflicting emotions and neurosis that was the Dallon family.

Still, that danger, and Glory Girl hating her aside, this was the safer option than going with the murder-ninja outsider girl. Going with someone who was, according to her power, getting excited by the violence, and enjoys new role in life...when that role was wandering around a hospital killing things that should not exist outside old horror films. Dead, but not Dead, and sees you as prey, were not things she had any sympathy for, but the sheer enjoyment the ninja-girl was getting, along with following her master's orders, was far too unnerving for Tattletale to risk travelling with. Killing her because Tattletale knew too much wouldn't be seen as problem for the ninja, one where an accident might need to occur...

[Alive. Dead. Not Dead. Not Alive. Wants To Kill Us All...] she winced even looking at the walking nightmare in human form even a distance as he flung a car at the Not-Human cape from the other Earth. That had been a shock; Magic was Real!!!

Real and learnable, as were Actual Physical Spirits and Gods!

It had merely been weird at first when she'd realised it, then it had been a source of great excitement, a means to escape maybe...and then the blood-drinking abominations had revealed the Master Vampire behind them, with a ritual that sent the calm, ruthless, 'Enchanter' into severe concern and fear...

Well, a city-wide Master Effect? Yeah, that was unnerving her too, let alone the whole Breaks Reality When Harmed power she'd got to observe on this Cain. Cause and Effect were supposed to work normally dammit, not, Effect Then Cause. What was worse even looking at the unnatural horror was painful for her as her power gave both too much information, as well going with Insane Troll Logic was all she could call it. The Colour of Death was Black? Reality was a Dream? Beware The Fool? Going to Kill that High Priest?

'What the hell does that mean?' she thought with confusion as she let go Glory Girl's arm and let herself drop the short drop to the rooftop below. Panacea did as well, then scampering over to Alexandria...damn it was Alexandria, and she'd been blinded somehow. It wasn't going well as fights go, and that was with what should be overwhelming firepower to deal with one gu...abomination in human flesh. New Wave were out, all the local Protectorate capes with reinforcements, the Empire who'd turned up uninvited, and even the Triumvirate...and something nagged at her that they could still lose as she heard words that Rune had been Mastered alongside some PRT officers.

"...should wear off, there's nothing physically wrong, it's as if a film of...something is blocking your sight rather than anything being. It's weakening I think, but I can't..."

"Understood, get her to the injured Dragon..." the powerfully built one ordered, her steps like thunder on the concrete reinforced roof "...you, Thinker Seven, describe the battle to me, including what your powers inform you of this Cain"

"Easier said than done..." Tattletale replied being serious, rubbing at her head as she tried to watch the fight going nowhere "...looking at him...is just painful. That effect, you need someone like Clockblocker to try freeze him..."

Dimensional manipulation? Where is the energy he's using coming from?

High Brute rating, but Traps and Self inflicted injuries don't cause a backlash effect?

It was hard to track, but they *were* managing to corral the creature as the minutes passed, albeit via means of Shaker powers to trap him, and foaming those that got too near for his Master effect. Clockblocker was a good bet, but getting near to the target wasn't going to be easy. The murderous ninja-girl was back with her partner in crime, but they were lingering back beyond some occasionally using some sort of ice-based energy weapon and a sonic one...

[Praying to the Shrouded Lord provides powers should he answer]

'What?' she thought, then shook it away as she listened to the chaotic melee continue, watched and gave her opinion that the best options were the Not-Human Etrigan and perhaps Vista for allowing Clockblocker to draw close...

--