(Author's note: Final part of the interlude. We'll be returning to Joe next week, meaning rolls will resume once more. In the future I'm hoping to include more addendums in place of longer interlude sections such as this.)
65.4 Interlude Cothran
Ben Cothran sat in shock as the magnitude of Alexandria's words settled over the room. Once again, she had managed the tone and presentation of the statement to make the significance clear. In any other case there might be some question over what she meant, if he had aligned with a group of minor capes or hired on a few mercenaries.
But there was no chance of that, no chance this was some alliance of convenience or collection of hired help. From the weight of the statement, the impact with which it had been made it was clear exactly what she meant. Apeiron had a team, and a team that needed to be treated with the same level of caution that was being extended to him.
Her need to drive that home concerned Ben. Tinkers, particularly strong tinkers, were massive force modifiers. You just needed to look at the Undersiders to see that. There was no question that the group was competent, but without Apeiron's technology it would have taken extraordinary circumstances for them to rise above the ranks of small-time villain teams.
The fact that Apeiron was working with a team brought the most concerning aspect of the entire situation front and center. Apeiron was a Tinker. It seemed like an obvious statement, but with the amount of focus on the man himself it was easy to overlook the fact that his accomplishments were tied to things he created, not powers intrinsic to him. In theory, anyone supported by Apeiron could be nearly as dangerous as he was. A second vector for his terrifyingly powerful technology. Or a third, or fourth.
Well, there was no reason to speculate on the size of the team, not at this point in the presentation. Alexandria had paused to allow the impact of the statement to sink in, but he knew from experience she would pick up before things could devolve into conjecture of questions that she was already planning to address.
He let his eyes jump to the other members of the meeting, confirming the expected level of impact from the statement. They realized it as well. If this was only meant to be a warning to watch out for five or six people armed with Apeiron's technology it wouldn't have been delivered like this. He turned back to the front as Alexandria prepared to continue.
"The local criminal elements of Brockton Bay recently held a meeting to address the power vacuum caused by the effective dissolution of the ABB. It was held last night at a location traditionally regarded as neutral territory by the city's gangs." She explained.
Ben nodded. Sites like that weren't unheard of, but typically required an extensive history of criminal elements. Additionally, someone needed to be able to defend the neutrality of the chosen location. The behavior of the ABB didn't give the impression of that kind of a situation, but it was possible that things had degraded in recent years, or that Lung's capture had caused the group to decide to abandon local conventions entirely. With how they had taken civilian hostages, it wasn't the kind of situation other groups would have tolerated for long.
"Local representatives included the Empire Eighty-Eight, The Archer's Bridge Merchants, the Undersiders, 'Faultline's Crew', a local mercenary group, and Coil, an independent villain." Photos of the individual teams played across the screen behind her as she spoke, including a new set of stunning costumes for the Undersiders. No doubt more of Apeiron's work. "Details on the individual parties are available for your review."
Hopefully, they would be kept to a minimum. Ben knew how local analysts could exposit near endlessly on the history, interpersonal dynamics, and psychological profiles of capes in their cities when all he was looking for was team compositions and power profiles. Some of those information packets were the size of dictionaries and read like soap opera recaps. He would at least skim the provided materials, but if they started getting into intra-team romance speculation he was going to limit himself to the abstracts and just directly request the PRT threat assessments.
"Attendees from outside the city included the Dragonslayers; a contingent from Lost Garden led by Blasto, a displaced botanical tinker from Boston; the Travelers, an itinerant team of villainous mercenaries; and the New York branch of the Elite." The screen shifted to a collage of the groups in question. Ben had a passing awareness of a few of them but had never encountered them in the field. By his guess, that was the case for most of the rest of the critical situation roster.
"The Dragonslayers' presence is a response to Dragon's transfer of her base of operations to Brockton Bay. Lost Garden was attacked by Uber and Leet in an action largely overshadowed by the events of the Ungodly Hour." A few clips played of the two villains, dressed in zombie costumes, attacking the nature-themed organization within the forest of Barrow's shaker effect. It had the feel of something that had been edited down. Possibly intended for a larger release before the Ungodly Hour reframed everything.
"It is believed the Travelers were already committed to Brockton Bay prior to the Ungodly Hour, likely hoping to secure employment in action against the ABB or to exploit the unstable situation in the city." Footage of the team in action played behind her. Multiple forms from their changer, Genesis. Ballistic launching entire cars like rifle rounds. Trickster effectively controlling the battlefield with teleportation, moving allies out of the line of attacks and causing opponents to be struck by their teammates. It finished with a slim girl directing a ball of plasma like a miniature sun, and from the level of devastation it caused, it might as well have been one.
"The Travelers departed their previous two areas of operation, New York and then Boston, more quickly than is typical for their pattern of operation." Alexandria paused as reports filled the screen behind her. "Their departure from New York followed an incident where forty individuals vanished in a single night. Investigations are ongoing, but it has been confirmed that the Travelers were operating nearby. Following their departure from Boston, there has been no sighting of the team's fifth member, Perdition." More footage played of members of the Travelers or their opponents appearing to flicker back in time. Injuries vanished from teammates while enemies attempting to outflank or flee found themselves pinned down.
A major incident, carefully concealed, then the departure of a teammate. It suggested that he might have stepped over the line and the rest of the team dealt with him, the kind of self-regulation you saw in those kinds of groups. But forty people in one night was a horrific incident, and the boy's powers didn't seem to have the kind of offensive power that could accomplish that through either reckless use or sadistic indulgence. Ben didn't want to think about the details of those disappearances, but he knew what it meant. The kind of hole that it would leave the lives of the survivors.
So, an unstable team, ungrounded and thrown into an already chaotic situation. No doubt it would be exposited upon further in the documentation, but it was hardly a good sign, and from the way Alexandria was progressing, the situation was about to get worse.
"Uppercrust's presence in the city is due to his commitment to a rebuild of the city's coastal defense systems and PHQ that was made prior to the Ungodly Hour. His attendance is believed to be a representation of Elite interests and defense of his work." She paused as the screen shifted. "Additionally, Uppercrust has been suffering from the effects of a rare genetic disorder through his entire career. Efforts have been taken to conceal his health issues, but evidence suggests a sharp decline in his recent health. It is likely that his primary objective in Brockton Bay is to obtain medical treatment from Apeiron." Highly classified medical documents played across the screen, resolving in a summary that spoke to exactly how serious the situation actually was.
Uppercrust was dying. There weren't many statements that could hit as hard as 'Apeiron has a team', but that was one of them. The man had been a fixture of cape society for as long as Ben could remember. Okay, it was probably only fifteen years, but considering the number of capes who burnt out in months, that was practically an eternity.
No Uppercrust meant no more coastal shields, or at least vastly less effective or reliable ones. Cities complained incessantly about the man's prices, but Ben had no doubts they would change their tune the second they had to source an alternative. Simply put, there wasn't one. No other tinker worked on that scale with that level of reliability. Without him and his systems cities would be reduced to hiring on what tinkers they could find, or retaining shakers in the hopes of providing the same effect. Build and maintenance prices paled in comparison to retaining a cape full time, particularly when every other major city would be trying to secure the same resources.
And then there was the man himself. Apparently, Uppercrust was the reason the east coast branches of the Elite tended to play nice with the Protectorate. He was still part of a villain organization, and Ben didn't doubt his capacity for violence. Avoiding the rise of another version of Bastard Son or Blueblood had no doubt required him to get his hands dirty, as would maintaining his position against those capes, but whatever brutality was needed the man at least kept contained and discreet.
And he was going to die. Well, probably not just instantly keel over, based on the medical reports. Instead, they were looking at a gradual withdrawal of his services, less activity, shielding systems left without his oversight, and free reign given to the other factions within the Elite.
Unless Apeiron could heal him. That was what really struck Ben about the situation. It was easy to think of capes in terms of threat assessments because, for the most part, that was all they were. A threat to you, or a threat to the people you were fighting. Action figures smashing against each other in the public sphere, or force applied at the right moment to head off something terrible. The way that capes impacted society was limited to those clashes, the expressions of violence, and the triumphant or reflective aftermaths once they were over.
In a lot of ways, it was reactive. You held the line. Responded to villains trying to destabilize the lives of normal people, either through something as simple as a string of muggings or as dire as an exponentially progressing threat. Capes who could operate beyond those limits were a rarity. In a lot of ways, powers seemed like they were designed for the fight, with any utility being a happy accident.
He had been thinking of Apeiron in terms of those clashes. Heroes and villains, threats and defenders. He hadn't given much thought to the man's reach beyond the field of combat. For most capes, even most tinkers, it wasn't a factor worth considering. That might be the result of a bit of his own biases, the need to focus on threat assessments and nothing else, but there was an element of truth to that. Even with the greatest tinkers, their reach and impact rarely extended beyond their own department. They had their own equipment, a handful of items that might be handed out to lucky teammates, and some upgrades to the local PHQ, which were really as much about their own workshop as any utility for their office.
Uppercrust reached further than that, and if Apeiron's healing could cure the man, or even just buy him some more time, then his impact would extend far beyond any cape conflict, even ones on the scale of what had been seen on Thursday night.
And Uppercrust knew that. The man hadn't held his position within the Elite by being blind to what was in front of him. If there was any hope of Apeiron being able to heal him, he would leverage every resource available to make it happen. Considering just the personal wealth of someone like Uppercrust, that was a staggering prospect. Add in the man's authority within the Elite and the connection of favors and obligations he had acquired over the years and the prospect of what they could be looking at became terrifying.
One of the most powerful men in the country was prepared to do whatever it took to secure Apeiron's help. The outcome would have drastic repercussions on civic defense, the functional viability of cities, every upcoming Endbringer battle, the internal politics of the Elite, and a dozen other factors that Ben couldn't even begin to list.
Once again, something that would be worth an entire day of strategy briefings, contingency plans, and response protocols, and it was being skipped over because, incredibly, they had more important things to worry about than the future of the second-largest parahuman organization in the country and the stability of every coastal city that relied on Uppercrust for protection.
"Apeiron was expected to attend the summit alone, or as an associate of the Undersiders. Instead, he arrived with a group of six other capes." Alexandria explained. The screen shifted to show a close-up picture of Apeiron standing in the middle of the street. His costume had changed yet again, this time dropping the facemask and cowl, leaving only his high-tech visor. His hair was dark gray, not the light brown that had been exposed on Thursday night, and now sported a single bright red lock over his forehead.
Just a picture of Apeiron. No sign of the rest of his team. In fact, the way the image was focused and cropped suggested they were being deliberately excluded from the shot, meaning Alexandria was walking them through the reveal. Again.
Sometimes dealing with a thinker control freak could get frustrating. Of course, knowing that that frustration would be instantly recognized and noted the second you felt it didn't make things much better. You either had to go with the flow or accept that you'd be fighting a pointless, losing battle over petty issues that didn't matter. He leaned back in his chair and waited for her to continue.
"While the capes who arrived with Apeiron have made no official appearances prior to the summit, there is evidence that they have been providing support to his operations for some time." She explained.
Ben leaned forward and noted several other members of the meeting do the same. Here it was, the reason for all the review and buildup. Some piece of the puzzle that was Apeiron had been revealed. Probably not enough to get the whole picture, but enough that they could start making educated guesses rather than just listing horrifying possibilities. Ben watched as the screen shifted to a new scene.
It was a long-distance shot looking out over the ocean in what appeared to be the aftermath of the attack that had taken out Lung. Apeiron was floating just above the water's surface, hanging limply while being supported by a pair of thrusters that seemed to be anchored in the flesh near his shoulders. He suddenly reacted as a new figure entered the shot, with the camera adjusting to focus on both of them.
Slightly above him, a beautiful suit of purple power armor floated in the air. It had a feminine appearance even without considering the absolutely ridiculous heels it sported. They watched as the armor swooped down to support Apeiron, then vanished. The two figures just blinked out of existence, leaving an empty ocean in their wake.
The clip cut to various other angles. The distance from shore meant there wasn't much difference beyond the quality of the camera in question. It was something that had already made the rounds in broadcasts and assessments of the fight. Apeiron's recovery suit. Similar design to his transforming motorcycle, but distinct in its own way. With a complete lack of context, it had been largely lost in the media storm following the incident. When all journalists could do was speculate blindly and confirm that nobody was sure what was happening… well, they could still fill a 24-hour news cycle, but they tended to go with topics that had a bit more meat on them.
"This suit was initially assumed to be a recovery system deployed in response to Apeiron's injuries. There was no evidence of its arrival on-site, or indication of how it departed. The prevailing theory was the use of advanced stealth or teleportation technology, though it was noted that Apeiron had failed to demonstrate any such capacities himself." Alexandria explained.
Ben nodded. The suit had just blinked into existence, then vanished again without a trace. Apeiron had demonstrated no shortage of advanced technology, but that specific combination was unseen, no pun intended. Though he could certainly work with that. Strangers were annoying to fight but great for setting up jokes. He could already picture Charley's face when he finally got a chance to use that pun.
"Based on Apeiron's previous actions it was believed that the suit was an unmanned drone, similar to those used in other operations." The screen advanced again, showing a much more detailed shot of the suit in question. It was still zoomed in, but based on the lighting and background Ben could tell it was from the same shot as the recent picture of Apeiron. "This has proven to be incorrect. The suit was present at the summit and, based on the reports we have been able to acquire, appears to be occupied."
Reports from within a villain summit. Ben had to wonder who their source was? Summits like that were more about neutrality than confidentiality. Blabbing about anything sensitive would get you on the other attendees' shit list, but it wasn't anything as serious as breaking the truce. If he had to guess he'd say Uppercrust. He wondered if things had been leaked to the Brockton Protectorate and passed along to them, or if they were dealing with their own branches of the Elite following whatever report the man would have made to the other executives?
"This was not the only direct connection to the Ungodly Hour." Alexandria said as the screen advanced again. This time it showed a shot of the giant robot from its battle with Lung. Next to it was another image cropped from that same group shot.
It was the same robot, or the same design, though obviously not towering over the city. He couldn't tell the exact scale from the closeup, but it looked bulky. Rather than the ceramic panels present on the larger model, the new suit had a brilliant golden finish. The entire suit was composed of the same material, lacking the differentiation that had made the larger mech seem so distinct from Apeiron's other work.
That distinction was still there, but in a different direction. Even while appearing to be cast from solid gold, it came off as less ostentatious than Apeiron's other work. It was unaccented beyond a scarf wrapped around the suit's neck that flared dramatically, but not on anything close to the level you saw from Apeiron.
"This suit also was present in Apeiron's group. While there is no direct confirmation as to whether it was autonomous, remotely piloted, or occupied, analysis is leaning towards the third possibility. While there are no records available from inside the summit, the suit was reported to have consumed beverages and exhibited highly expressive behavior." She explained.
There was skepticism at that, and not just from Ben. Looking at the structure of the suit, the way the joints were arranged, the proportions of the shoulders, the diameter of the knees, it didn't seem like a normal person could fit into that. The suit was a stylized design. You saw that a lot, particularly with larger constructions. Even if it was oversized, you couldn't fit a normal person into it.
Not a normal person. In the cape scene that hardly narrowed things down. From partial cyborgs to Case 53s there were any number of options. It was even possible that the pilot stayed inside the torso and directed the limbs from there, but he'd need an accurate sense of how big the suit was to make any judgments on that.
"One more member of Apeiron's team is believed to have been present during his fight with Lung." Alexandria said seriously. Ben wracked his brain, picking over the reports of the battle and what he had seen of the streamed video. He couldn't think of anything, but then again, he had dismissed the recovery suit and mech as well. He'd heard theories about the mech being another tinker's work, but never considered the person who built it would show up in a smaller version of the same design. Try as he might, he couldn't think of any other person who might have been present at the fight.
Then the screen advanced to the next image and he realized his problem was limiting his thinking to 'persons'. The image showed possibly the most dramatic moment in the fight, once again, a title that had firm competition, but you couldn't really argue with the point where everything turned around. Apeiron, still bloody and broken, was being propelled up by the force of the red energy spilling off him and red tendrils whipped around him, slashing at the air and burrowing in and out of his wounds.
The second image showed the same unmistakable fibers, only this time instead of invading a person's flesh they were consolidated into the form of a fanged creature with burning red eyes and fur of the same vibrant, glowing red. It was wrapped in a large coat, elegantly designed to be as complex as it was striking. Black fabric cut in an aggressive pattern with seams just loose enough for the creature's red glow to bleed through. Ben liked to think he was fairly understanding of so-called 'monstrous' capes, but between the predatory stance and the image of the same material literally invading Apeiron's wounded body, that thing looked like death incarnate.
"As with most of Apeiron's team, the precise capabilities of this cape are unknown. Analysts have confirmed an extremely high probability that the effect that facilitated Apeiron's recovery from March's ambush was due to the direct action of this cape, either through direct symbiosis or an unknown power expression." She explained, letting the impact of her statement settle over the group.
Ben's thoughts were circling back to what Apeiron had said to Weld. Alexandria probably intended this, and he would bet other members of the roster were making the same connection. Apeiron's apparently involuntary transformation. His technology specifically developed to address 'mutations and physical alterations', even if it had difficulty with those due to parahuman powers.
That may have been the hidden piece. The fact that the technology struggled with changes due to parahuman abilities meant Apeiron had run into that limit. There was a distant possibility that, with his apparent knowledge of power dynamics, he was aware of that limitation just from theoretical understanding, but the evidence on screen effectively countered that.
Apeiron had built technology to accomplish a task, and had run into the limits of that technology when attempting that task. Apeiron had been able to address some aspects of a Case 53's mutation. Apeiron, when heavily injured, stressed, and deprived of his technology, had transformed into a bestial form. Apeiron had received some item from his suit that allowed him to revert to human shape. Once that transformation was revealed Apeiron was willing to use it while in combat with Lung, demonstrating effective control and familiarity with the form. Apeiron had arrived with a cape who possessed extremely atypical biology, one who may have been present as a symbiotic or even parasitic presence within him as far back as his fight with Uber and Leet's mechs. A cape who had remained a mess of tendrils through his fight with Lung, but was now standing next to him in a mostly humanoid form.
It was unquestionable that Apeiron could affect a person's form, and to a greater degree than his healing had already demonstrated. Apeiron had, until recently, worn a costume that fully concealed his body. Apeiron was working with a second tinker who, if they were present within that suit, likely had an abnormal body shape. Apeiron had been retrieved by another suit that fully concealed its wearer.
Even Lady Khepri, for all the assumptions about her model status, easy to see from her stance and build, concealed everything but her hair. Ben had to wonder, if she was actually concealing some personal condition, some aspect of her appearance that she was ashamed of, what would she think of everyone assuming she had a face to match her figure?
He was broken out of his musings as Alexandria pressed on. "The information available on these capes is highly limited." The screen shifted again, showing a larger picture of the crimson cape. "SHE was identified by Apeiron as Proto Aima."
There was another pause as she allowed that to sink in. Most of the team were familiar enough with the range of capes to not be taken aback, but Ben noticed Sideswipe mouthing 'She?' to himself.
"Assuming the display during the Ungodly Hour was either the result of her direct action or an expression of her abilities, Proto Aima appears to be capable of inducing significant levels of physical enhancement, though this appears to be coupled with an unknown detrimental effect. Apeiron spoke her name, which is Greek for 'First Blood', during the display of her abilities following the ABB's execution attempt, though he used an archaic pronunciation."
That raised a red flag in Chubster's mind. The number of Case 53s with no memory of their past who happened to speak a foreign language or some obscure variation of such was significant. He remembered one case where a Case 53 turned out to be completely fluent in Yenisei Ostyak, a central Siberian language with only a few hundred speakers at most. It was very interesting for the linguistics professor writing a paper on the situation and very frustrating for the boy in question.
"There is also evidence of a highly destructive striker effect that may be involuntary, as well as the displayed ability to integrate into Apeiron's technology." The screens showed another picture of the horrible shield, this time outlined in burning red from fibers that could be traced back to where they emerged from Apeiron's flesh. "It is also believed that the sword Apeiron manifested towards the end of his conflict with Lung may be an expression of her abilities." The footage of Apeiron splitting Lung's head in half replayed on screen.
The image transitioned to a picture of the bulky robot suit. "This individual was identified as the Matrix." She paused as she turned to clarify her statement. "The definite article was specifically used during his introduction. While there is an obvious connection to the robot deployed against Lung, the nature of this connection is as yet unclear."
The screen shifted again, showing a wider display of the suit in question. "It was immediately clear that the design of the mech was a vast departure from Apeiron's usual work." That was putting it mildly, but unless you had a renaissance master on commission everything was going to be a vast departure from that man's work. "There was also the question of resource and construction requirements. Apeiron had not displayed any indication of possessing the materials or facilities needed for a project of this scale. Even taking into account the demonstrated speed of his work, the logistics of a project of this nature could not be practically concealed within an urban environment, much less one as turbulent as Brockton Bay."
Ben's mind jumped back to Dragon's footage from the end of the fight. The use of healing technology, the way the damage seemed to have repaired itself like a closed wound, and the ridiculous arsenal that seemed to be growing out of the robot's body.
"While the possibility of a concealed assembly site and launch mechanism is not being fully dismissed…" Alexandria's tone made it clear what she felt about that possibility. "The predominant theory assumes either a changer effect or material generation able to emulate technology in question."
Ben tensed. Having someone secretly build Endbringer sized mechs under their nose was bad, but having someone who could either turn into one or conjure it out of thin air was substantially worse. On top of that, it was clear there was some property of self-repair and field modification. He didn't know why the suit hadn't opened up with a full barrage, but cape powers could have eccentric limitations. There could be any number of reasons why a display like that had to be built up or needed to be kept in reserve.
"The individual in what was formerly known as Apeiron's rescue suit had been identified as Lethe." Another red flag popped up in Ben's head. "As the name suggests, it has been confirmed that she is a stranger, not a teleporter as was also suspected. What's more, the scope and strength of her ability has raised numerous concerns."
Ben's mouth nearly dropped open. The scale of how bad something would need to be to specifically justify concerns above the base level for the entire situation was harrowing.
The screen displayed a series of official Protectorate reports, assessments of the summit by the looks of things. Specific sentences were highlighted. "During analysis of the details of the summit, there were several incidents where Apeiron's team was described as being composed of six individuals, rather than seven. These errors occurred simultaneously across Protectorate offices with no connection or direct contact with each other, and always within the same window of time. The first occurred between 21:07 and 21:16 eastern time, with shorter incidents occurring at 22:37, ending at 22:40, and a final incident at 06:57, concluding at 07:03. Following the effect being identified, master stranger protocols easily identified subsequent expressions."
The screen shifted again, this time showing a series of news reports, transcripts, and blog posts. "This also potentially explains a previous incident that had been observed following the Ungodly Hour. Following Apeiron's collection by Lethe, there was a period of fifty-eight seconds where there was no mention of him or Lethe in any form or communication. This effect went unnoticed by those affected and the discrepancy was overlooked until flagged during an assessment of media coverage from the incident."
The weight of the information being presented hit him like a truck. This explained why Alexandria had been so circuitous in how she presented the information. Stranger effects, particularly those that affected memory or perception, were nightmares to deal with. He wouldn't have been surprised if every team on the critical situation roster was being walked through this information in the same way.
"The seriousness of this cannot be understated. We are looking at a global ranged stranger capable of concealing her existence and doing so in a manner that does not arouse suspicion in those affected. Based on her name we are working with the assumption that the effect is memory-based, though it appears to affect electronic records as well, though the extent of this is not precisely clear at the moment. Assuming the effect displayed when Apeiron was collected was solely an expression of her power it appears to be capable of doctoring photographic evidence to remove her image from them." Alexandria gave them a hard look. "Most concerningly, she appears to be capable of extending this effect to others, effectively making the world FORGET about the existence of Apeiron, if only for a brief period."
There was the terror cherry on top of the nightmare sundae. A stranger with the apparent powers of Lethe would have been a nightmare on her own. Assuming her power armor was anything close to what was expected from Apeiron's work she jumped to the kind of threat that response teams would struggle against. He'd seen it before, the challenge of just keeping everyone on task against high-level mental effects, pivoting on the word of the handful of capes with resistances or immunities to those kinds of effects and hoping you could see things through without getting slaughtered by something you'd never see coming.
But they weren't just dealing with her. They were dealing with an entire team, a team that she could apparently extend her powers to, at least temporarily. Fifty-eight seconds. He didn't want to think about what Apeiron could accomplish in fifty-eight seconds of someone forgetting his existence.
"Due to the nature of Lethe's power, we cannot be certain how long she has been associated with Apeiron, or if she was in fact present at any of his previous encounters." Alexandria explained in a grave voice. "The normal procedure would be to review records of the encounters for evidence of occurrences that fall outside of the norm, but this presents a unique challenge when dealing with Apeiron."
Right. Were there any appearances by Apeiron that fell INSIDE the norm? His first appearance had apparently seen him drive off a teleporting duplicator assassin and things only got worse from there. You could probably make the case that he had a power-armored stranger backing him up the entire time and it still wouldn't explain everything.
"It also raises the possibility that Apeiron had been involved in additional encounters while under Lethe's stranger effect, though given the timeframe of events in Brockton Bay this is not particularly likely." Alexandria added.
The screen shifted again, showing the four identified members of Apeiron's team. "While Lethe is undoubtedly the most powerful stranger on Apeiron's team, there is evidence of supporting stranger powers from all members."
Forget red flag, crisis alarms were going off in Ben's head. He quickly glanced around, noting the flickers of tension evident from the other members of the group. All save Sideswipe. Bless that kid, he didn't realize the nightmare that could be unfolding in front of them.
"Apeiron has demonstrated numerous stranger effects related to the manner in which he is publicly presented. In addition to the well-established 'Enigmatic Artificer' effect…" Ben winced. Somehow hearing the words said out loud made it harder to ignore the way the title had popped into his head every time the tinker's name was mentioned. "And the 'attack names' earlier displayed…" The artist's rendition of those images appeared on the screen. "Apeiron has admitted to possessing an effect that influences how he is presented, apparently involuntarily."
She paused, glancing over the assembled capes. "While this raises numerous serious issues, the presence of such an ability is able to explain many of the elements of earlier events that were suspected to be due to direct manipulation through high-level master or thinker effects."
At this point, dismissing early master concerns was cold comfort. They had much bigger things to worry about just from the implications of Lethe's abilities, to say nothing of what the entire group sharing similar powers could mean.
"It is unknown if Proto Aima possesses any overt stranger effects, but if the suspicions of her symbiotic abilities are true, then she appears to be able to effectively conceal herself within another creature." It was a possible stretch for a stranger power and enough to give Ben hope that this might not be heading in the direction that he was concerned about.
A map of Brockton Bay appeared on the screen with a trail leading out to the bay, then following a return path.
"This is the confirmed flight path of the Matrix's robot." She explained. It was the first time he'd heard ownership attributed to someone other than Apeiron. "While there was no direct observation of its point of emergence, the area surrounding the beginning of its flight path has been extensively examined. There are no locations where a machine of that size could be concealed in that region, and travel from an area that could provide housing on that scale would have been detected." It wasn't direct confirmation of a stranger power, but the only other possibilities were a changer power or projection, both deployed fast enough to go unnoticed.
"Also, despite constant observation from multiple points, the robot was able to evade detection during its withdrawal following Lung's defeat." The screen showed the robot returning to the bay, and then it was gone. The same thing from multiple angles and multiple types of footage. One moment it was rocketing over the city at full blast, the next it was gone. Completely vanished.
It didn't CONFIRM a stranger effect, but there weren't many other explanations for something like that. Like with what had been suspected from Lethe, it could be teleportation, but to be managed on that scale that quickly with no evidence of similar work in Apeiron's other devices, it wasn't impossible, but it also wasn't that likely.
"This brings us to the final members of Apeiron's team. While we have reason to believe they may have been involved with Apeiron during or prior to the Ungodly Hour, there is no direct evidence of their appearance."
Ben noted that statement would be a lot more definitive if they hadn't opened with Lethe's assessment. Which was probably why they had taken the time to cover her first.
The screen showed a rugged-looking man wearing an advanced flight suit with glowing armored plates strapped to it. A fighter helmet and visor concealed his upper face, but left his strong chin and easy-going smile uncovered. He stood with a strong build and casual confidence that would be the envy of any PR consultant in the Protectorate. It was like a completely natural expression of the image that consultants struggled for years to cultivate.
"This is Fleet." Alexandria explained. "While we once again have limited details of his capacities, he demonstrated high-speed movement backed by a significant strength." Concerned looks were shared from around the table and Alexandria once again moved to head off questions. "There was an incident with the Empire contingent. Power use on other members of the summit. Fleet made a show of force in response and Apeiron was able to defuse the situation."
That was good. And concerning. But it did give some insight into the dynamics. The team was independent enough to take their own initiative but willing to follow Apeiron's lead and not escalate beyond that.
"Fleet was reportedly completely undetectable during his movement, to the point where it was theorized to be a form of teleportation." Stranger effect for silent movement. Or breaker effect to not disrupt the environment when you moved, coupled with speed sufficient to be essentially instantaneous. Either option would be bad, but only the first one laid another stone on that extremely troubling path.
"Additionally, Apeiron credited Fleet for both the planning and implementation of the attack which resulted in Lung's defeat. He was also credited with the design of the weapon system, and possibly the entire vehicle itself."
Tinker. Three tinkers in one group. Minimum three, with evidence of the sharing of other powers. Forget paving stones, a truckload of gravel had just been laid across that path with highway construction teams moving in.
"The next member, Survey, was credited with detection of the active power from the offending member of the Empire contingent. She also demonstrated an extensive range and resolution for conventional scanning, able to precisely detect people and equipment at an undetermined distance of at least three hundred yards." Notably, the screen had not advanced to the next image, instead remaining on Fleet. There was a pause as Alexandria addressed the group.
"While it is suspected Survey also possesses a stranger power, it is believed to be closer to that seen from Apeiron, and manifested through a unique expression." Confused looks were exchanged between members of the group before the screen advanced to the next image.
Sideswipe's jaw actually dropped. Ben managed to keep himself from following suit, but it was a close thing. Hillmover's eyebrows rose noticeably at the sight, the strongest reaction Ben had seen from him in years. Máscaras was letting loose a string of stunned Spanish mutterings under his breath. It was hard to gauge the reactions of the rest of the group, mostly because that meant taking your eyes off the screen.
Okay, it wasn't actually that bad. Ben had been subjected to more than his share of mesmeric effects over his career. He could tell the difference between induced emotion and a natural reaction. It was just a strong natural reaction, and not a particularly discriminatory one. Sunstreak was suitably impressed by the sight, but Burnout was looking a little hot under the collar, and not doing a particularly good job of concealing her reaction.
The fact that it was a video loop of the woman smiling slightly and then looking demurely off to the side really wasn't fair. Her silver hair cascaded in a manner so perfect that an association with Apeiron seemed undeniable. Her identity was only 'concealed' by a thin band of transparent blue material across her eyes. It seemed to float in front of her face with no visible means of attachment. She wore a kind of fitted jumpsuit, beautifully cut and designed in a way that seemed to accentuate her already striking appearance.
Stranger power. Influenced perception. He could see that. Boy, could he see that. Though it didn't really edge into master territory. Did he think she was beautiful? Yes, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone willing to honestly deny that fact. Was he ready to launch a thousand ships and burn the topless towers of Ilium? Maybe if he was twenty years younger and without attachment. No, this was firmly in the stranger camp, but close enough to the border to give people justified concerns.
The very distracting video ended and Ben sat up as Alexandria began speaking. Without that looped smile, the rest of the team quickly refocused, though Sideswipe still looked a little dazed. "Now, the final member of Apeiron's team had demonstrated the most prominent stranger power, second only to Lethe." She gave them a serious look. "Some of you may have recognized the particular order in which information was presented to you. I can now confirm any suspicions you may have. This is indeed part of the stranger protocols that have been put in place regarding the final cape who accompanied Apeiron to the summit."
The entire room was on alert. The range and power of stranger effects associated with Apeiron and his allies was an undeniably serious matter. Everyone was braced for the coming reveal. Ben leaned forward as Alexandria continued.
"I would like to present you with an open question." She said seriously, eyes moving in quick bursts as she took in their reactions. "What do you think about a cat being a member of a parahuman organization?"
A suffocating silence filled the room. It felt like Ben's brain had stalled out from under him. He looked around and could see he was far from the only person taken aback. Looking back at Alexandria he thought he saw a flicker of disappointment in her expression.
"Um," Arbiter began. "Did you say a cat? A CAT, on a parahuman team?"
"Indeed." She replied, watching their reactions closely.
"Do you mean like as a mascot or something?" Sideswipe ventured a little unsteadily. "Or like, as a pet?"
"No, as a full member of the team." Alexandria said directly. Sideswipe seemed at a loss for where to go from there. Ben could only imagine what he was going through. Hardly what you would expect from a top-tier crisis response team.
Ben reluctantly tried the only thing he could think of. "Are we talking about 'monstrous capes'? Case 53s or capes with non-humanoid forms that might resemble cats."
"We are not. We are talking about a cat as a full, powered member of a parahuman team." Ben could hardly believe she was delivering that kind of statement with a straight face. Seeing the complete bewilderment before her, Alexandria nodded and the screen advanced to the next image.
"This is Kataklyzein, the final member of Apeiron's team, which has been formally announced as the Celestial Forge." She was very precise in the pronunciation of the name, but a caption was provided on the picture on display.
A brown and tan cat stood on its hind legs gripping a double-headed spear of some black metal. The same metal composed the Greek helmet that concealed the cat's identity. His costume had a cut that gave the impression of armor without being overly bulky and it was as well-made as any of Apeiron's work. The only real unusual feature was the fan of feathers that emerged from each side of the helmet and around the base of his tail.
This had been done to highlight a stranger effect. Thinking back, Ben remembered his thoughts on the matter, how he hadn't been able to conceptualize what was obviously right in front of him. The revelation was clear to the rest of the group, and they were as put off by it as he was.
Alexandria nodded in understanding. "To the best of our knowledge, Kataklyzein possesses a stranger power that causes people who are unfamiliar with him to find his presence implausible. The effect only persists until sufficient details of the situation are made available to an individual. It is theorized this is a mild defensive effect, sufficient to prevent enemies from seriously assessing him as a threat until he encounters them." There was a serious pause as she shifted her gaze from one person to the next. "While the effects of the power are comparatively mild, it is extremely prominent. Even the most highly resistive parahumans have been fully affected, unable to seriously consider Kataklyzein until they confirm his presence directly."
Ben sank back in his chair. It was a hell of a demonstration, drastically more effective than the brief display of Survey, or the footage of dozens of tons of flying metal suddenly vanishing from sight. Actually working through a stranger effect for yourself was a hell of a trip.
"There were no direct displays of Kataklyzein's abilities during the summit, though Apeiron did claim that the cat was stronger than him and stated that he could have taken Lung on his own." Alexandria explained stoically. It was a hell of a claim, but they weren't exactly in any place to doubt Apeiron's claims.
"We have examples of seven capes, all with a variety of powers." Alexandria began speaking as seven portraits filled the screen behind her. One for each member of Apeiron's team, each member of the Celestial Forge. "What's more, individuals appear to possess a strong primary ability with less prominent secondary powers. Individuals such as this are commonly known as Grab Bag capes."
Commonly, not professionally. That wasn't the term Ben would have used, and it wasn't the term he was afraid of. He watched with mounting dread as Alexandria continued.
"Lethe is an extremely powerful stranger." The photo of the woman's armor highlighted. "While there is no evidence of secondary abilities as yet, the rest of the Celestial Forge have demonstrated evidence of stranger abilities specific to the manner in which they are perceived."
The focus shifted from Lethe to Apeiron. "Apeiron's tinker abilities are self-evident. Evidence of supplemental tinker powers can be seen in the work of the Matrix and in Fleet's claimed accomplishments. Survey has demonstrated significant awareness, which may be due to a technological specialization in sensors."
Apeiron's photo dimmed and Survey's was highlighted. "Given her demonstrated abilities, there is strong evidence of a prominent thinker power for either detection or information management. While information is not available for the rest of the group, Apeiron has demonstrated an effective thinker power from his first appearance."
The picture of the golden armor came to the forefront. "The feats demonstrated by the mech deployed against Lung suggest some level of material projection. This is evident from collected debris and spent ammunition vanishing after a twenty-four-hour period. A similar effect was observed with Apeiron's own works, resulting in an erroneous designation as a shaker prior to the abilities he demonstrated while assisting the Undersiders."
The screen glowed red as Proto Aima's photo lit up. "There is little information regarding Proto Aima's full abilities, but it is clear that her form is highly variable with the ability to integrate to other materials or organisms. This suggests a significant changer ability, something that has been directly demonstrated by Apeiron and suspected on the part of the Matrix. Additionally, a range of theories have been presented regarding the purpose of Apeiron's restorative healing technology and the use it may have had for members of his team."
The display shifted to highlight the portrait of Fleet's smiling face. "Once again, there is minimal information regarding Fleet's abilities beyond a reported tinkering ability and greatly enhanced physicality. It is clear that he is able to move at extreme speeds, both silently and with massive disruption when required. Estimates from his display against the Empire suggest he was able to break the sound barrier in the act of raising an arm." Ben blinked. That was certainly one way to make an impression on a rival group. "This is consistent with his observed movement speed when first confronting the Empire, suggesting prominent mover abilities."
Finally, the screen shifted to the picture of Kataklyzein. "While there have been no demonstrated feats from Kataklyzein, Apeiron's statements suggest significant durability and offensive potential, likely a strong brute power."
Alexandria turned to the group. "Seven individuals, each with a prominent central power and minor expressions of the powers of the others in the group." She paused as the weight of her words settled. "It is believed that Apeiron is part of a large cluster."
"Fuck." Attention shifted towards Ben and it took him a moment to realize that he had just spoken out loud. Not that he really regretted it, given what they could be looking at. Alexandria was eyeing him expectantly. With grim resignation, he decided he might as well dive in and say what everyone was thinking.
"A seven-person cluster. High power, and one prominent individual?" The few people who hadn't put things together were reacting as they fell into place. Ben gritted his teeth and pressed forward. "You're basing this on White Rock, aren't you? It's the Smuggler's Cluster all over again."
Alexandria didn't even bother to deny it. This time Ben managed to keep his profanity internal.
"Um, sorry?" Sideswipe cut in. "What happened at White Rock?" He looked around the group. "I know about cluster theory." He said defensively. "But what's the story with this 'Smuggler's Cluster'?"
Ben let out a breath and turned to face the new cape. It was easy to forget not everyone was up to date on missions like that. "White Rock had an active portal. Some of the locals were using it for smuggling, profiting off trade between worlds, like from the Aleph portal, but with a new world to exploit. They messed things up, triggered an outbreak. Panic led to a bunch of people triggering, but some local effect with the portal extended the window that allowed a cluster to form. You had a six-person cluster where most of the power cycled through, concentrating on one person at a time. They started fighting over it, things got messy…"
"And we had to move in." Finished Breakout. Máscaras nodded seriously, a move echoed by the rest of the group. Somehow, instead of clarifying things, the explanation seemed to have left Sideswipe more confused than ever.
"Wait, what do you mean they had a portal?" He asked. "Haywire made the only portal. And what do you mean 'new world'? Aleph and Bet are the only discovered ones." He paused as he looked around the room. "…right?"
Ben stared at the man while at a loss for words. Eventually, he managed to force out a question. "What is your security clearance?"
That seemed to snap the cape out of his stuttering confusion. He sat up and faced Ben. "It's level-five." The proud declaration didn't get whatever reaction he was hoping for.
"No," Alexandria said firmly. "It's level-seven. And Chubster has kindly volunteered to bring you up to speed on key case details and operational protocols. I suggest you begin with information security guidelines."
Ben wilted slightly under her glare but nodded. "Absolutely." He turned to Sideswipe and gave him a sympathetic shrug. "You should probably clear your calendar for the next few days." He said. It looked like they had homework.
Sideswipe seemed caught between embarrassment at being called out and pride at his new security clearance. Ben couldn't even remember the point where increased clearance had been a point of pride. At this point every time they bumped you up it just meant something new and horrible you had to deal with. He'd honestly be happier if he was still at the level where they didn't tell him about restricted S-Class threats, or the portals, or the power brokers, or the various doomsday clocks for human civilization.
"Setting aside that disruption, yes, the Smuggler's Cluster did exhibit an unusually large and diverse number of capes. Clusters typically share an inciting event for their trigger, causing the powers to follow a similar pattern. The unique circumstances at White Rock allowed triggers separated by days to be joined in the same cluster." A new set of photos appeared on the screen, this time taken from driver's licenses or other pieces of identification. Six faces, two of which they knew all too well.
"Prior to external intervention, the group descended into infighting, likely a result of what is known as the 'Kiss/Kill dynamic'. The situation devolved into a major power struggle between two members of the group." The screen shifted to show the man and woman. Seeing their civilian ID pictures didn't have the same impact of facing the Blood Priest or Goddess in the field. "They were acting with the intention to drain the other members of the cluster and enhance their own abilities."
"What happened to them? Did we…" Sideswipe trailed off.
"The cluster was isolated on Earth Shin with any access to Bet sealed off." Alexandria explained. Sideswipe muttered 'Shin?' to himself, but didn't raise further questions. "Of particular note is the role of an active portal in creating the cluster, and the transfer and enhancement of power between members of the cluster."
Apeiron's technology had opened a portal. Apeiron's technology had modified powers. Apeiron had been getting stronger, massively stronger, from the moment of his appearance. More so than even a Mad Scientist specialization could explain. Add in the sheer number of powers he had demonstrated and the appearance of his team and a disturbing number of pieces fell into place.
"The working theory is that Apeiron was the primary member of a large cluster, one that was possibly facilitated by his early technology. Dimensional or power-based expressions could create conditions similar to those seen in White Rock. Given Apeiron's evident understanding and manipulation of powers it is possible that he has discovered a means of empowering his entire cluster, or precisely controlling the distribution of power. Selectively enhanced tinker powers, particularly with a specialization in the manipulation of parahuman abilities, could result in universal enhancement without the power dynamics seen in White Rock."
Ben had to admit, it was possible. People had been bending over backwards trying to explain Apeiron's abilities and consistently failing because they were just too far beyond conventional understanding. Fortunately, they didn't deal in the conventional. With the full scope of the horrors of the cape world arrayed before them, the highest levels of the Protectorate had come up with an explanation that actually fit. They were no longer dealing with the terror of the unknown.
No, they were dealing with a much more known variety of terror. It was like a nightmare cocktail. Take a Mad Scientist who was probably specialized in power manipulation, already one of the scariest concepts imaginable, then make him part of the largest cluster on record, with all the insanity and behavior modification that came with that. Use it to amp up an already frightening power to terrifying levels, then have him do God knows what to the other members of the team, some of whom may have been trapped in inhuman forms since the moment of their trigger. Then dump the whole mess onto the powder keg of a city that was Brockton Bay. At this point, they were probably lucky the city wasn't a smoking crater split over twelve different dimensions.
"Despite the instability typical of large clusters, all reports of the Celestial Forge suggest an amicable relationship between the members." Alexandria assured them. "There is no evidence this behavior was coerced or the result of mental manipulation. Apeiron's stated opposition to such effects, and the lack of a primary source within the presumed cluster seems to support this."
"A group this large is seriously stable?" Burnout asked skeptically.
"Remarkably so, for a group their size in their position. Thinker analysis consistently supports this assessment." Alexandria assured her.
"Blue." Arbiter said, then turned to the rest of the group. "The closest circle to Apeiron is blue. Minimal threat without provocation."
Alexandria nodded at her before continuing. "Multiple thinkers, both Protectorate and independent have confirmed as much. Apeiron's own statements during the summit prioritized the peaceful redevelopment of the city and non-interference with civilian workers. The ultimate agreement set a region of neutral territory between the remaining gangs until major aspects of the city's recovery are completed. Furthermore, his condition for not pursuing repercussions against the Empire for their violation of the summit's neutrality was an extension of one block of the neutral area, with the gang withdrawing from the region and removing signs of their presence."
Ben was impressed. Then again, if Apeiron told you to stand down, and had a team like the Celestial Forge behind him, what were you going to do about it? He doubted anybody wanted to see a repeat of the Ungodly Hour directed at them.
"While Apeiron's situation possessed significant risk, he appears to be focused on maintaining order both in his surroundings and his own behavior." She explained. "It is suspected that his strict adherence to contracts is a method of managing potentially detrimental aspects of his tinker power, possibly expressing a Mad Scientist variation. Strict adherence to agreements could provide a moderating factor on any growing instability."
It sounded nice, but it was just theory. Honestly, the cluster idea was also just theory, but if fit better than any other model he could imagine. Ben knew how bad a situation like this could get, and he usually had front-row seats to the event when things broke down.
"At the moment, the primary concern in Brockton Bay is not Apeiron." The entire room looked at Alexandria like she had accidentally slipped into one of the dozen foreign languages she spoke. Instead, the screen advanced again, showing a wide shot of the street outside the bar where the summit had presumably been held.
A pair of unmarked vans pulled up. The back of each of them opened and a set of capes with costumes covered in spikes, bone, and teeth stepped out onto the street. His eyes jumped to a slim woman who hefted a massive chain-gun like it weighed nothing.
"The Teeth made an appearance during the summit." Ben watched as the assembled capes made their way into the bar, trying not to think about the disaster something like that could invite.
"They claimed to have been hired by the ABB and that their arrangement entitled them to the now vacant territory." Alexandria explained. "As expected, this was rejected by the other parties present. In particular, Apeiron was highly confrontational towards the Butcher."
Ben reflected that it was incredible how you could hear the scariest phrase in your life, over and over again, on the same day. He didn't know if anything was likely to top that, but he wasn't inclined to tempt fate.
"Specifically, Apeiron questioned the Butcher's true motives for arriving in the city, attributing it to manipulation and offers from March." Alexandria's voice was grave. "It was heavily implied that March had promised some capacity to manipulate the Butcher's power, either enhancing it or allowing more control to Butcher Fourteen."
The group was stunned, which, Ben noted, was becoming something of a theme in this meeting.
"She can't actually do that, can she?" Arbiter asked. "Not before, and definitely not in her current state, right?"
Without a word from Alexandria the screen shifted again, showing a young, college age girl, the picture from a student ID.
"This is Janet Williams, a former first-year parahuman studies student at New York University. She dropped out of her program to begin an independent research project. She sought out and conducted interviews with capes that had non-standard power expressions or unusual trigger events, with a focus on cluster triggers. She was one of the fatalities at White Rock, identified after the incident had been resolved."
The screen changed again, showing a photo from a surveillance camera. Janet walking next to a short girl with black hair, possibly Asian, but the resolution was fairly poor. "Janet traveled with a suspected parahuman who went by May. Her identity wasn't confirmed until recent thinker investigations." Ben felt a wave of anxiety flow over him as he looked at the blurry photograph. "Specifically, the obstruction of thinker analysis was matched to that seen from March's activities in Brockton Bay."
Alexandria turned towards the group. "March was present at White Rock. It is probable she gained some insight into cluster dynamics, the mechanics of powers, or interdimensional travel from her time there. Possibly all three. When she returned to New York she focused extensively on recruiting and working with capes from known clusters or Grab Bag capes that had not been confirmed to be members of known clusters. It is possible that her transfer to Brockton Bay was at least partially driven by the presence of Apeiron or the Celestial Forge."
It was a bad situation. Sure, March was incapacitated and hadn't made an appearance or demonstrated a shred of her earlier coordination, but the kind of information they were talking about was inherently dangerous. If March had been through the hell of White Rock, Ben didn't even want to think about what it must have done to her.
And apparently, she had found someone else with the insight she was chasing, hunted him down, ambushed him, and nearly took the prize. Even after he had broken her, she still made one last grasp for it. He didn't imagine things turned out the way she had hoped, but just being able to open a portal like that, having the knowledge and ability, even as a last resort, was incredibly dangerous.
He felt like he was repeating himself. Really, was there anything in Brockton Bay that wasn't incredibly dangerous? Maybe that girl who dressed like a doll and brought stuffed animals to life? The local PR office had denied his request for a cross-promotion for the Chubster stuffed toy, though he had only been half-joking about it. She seemed like a sweet girl sensibly separated from Apeiron or any part of his associated craziness.
"When questioning the Butcher on this matter Apeiron made several direct statements regarding his ability to affect powers." Alexandria continued. "He claimed to be working with full understanding of the principles at hand. He also referred to the Butcher as an 'unstable gestalt power network' and, when prodded on the matter, refused to offer a contract to the Butcher."
Well, that was hardly surprising.
"But offered one to Butchers Three and Seven." She concluded.
Ben had to force himself to blink to clear the shock from his face. Fortunately, Alexandria pressed on rather than waiting for the inevitable wave of stuttering questions to bubble forth.
"With apparent sincerity, Apeiron expressed willingness to offer FULL contracts, with everything that appears to imply, to the trapped minds of Butcher Three, War Seer, and Butcher Seven, Caydancil." She paused, and for a moment she almost looked amused. "He then cited the case of Butchers One and Two being sufficient to reduce War Seer to nonfunctionally and inquired if Three and Seven have been quiet as of late. He also pointed out that, regardless of his actual abilities, Butcher Fourteen clearly believes in his capabilities, and thus Three and Seven should as well."
"He turned them against her." Sunstreak said in amazement. "He actually tried to start a… What would you even call that?" She looked around for confirmation. "A civil war inside the Butcher's head?"
"The Butcher, Butcher Fourteen, was apparently put off balance by the ordeal. She pressed no further claims and eventually departed under the protection of the summit truce." The woman turned serious, any joviality at the surprise upset quickly replaced by the gravity of the task before them.
"In response to concerns from other parties, Apeiron agreed not to pursue action against the Teeth, leaving matters to other groups." Ben felt a wave of relief at the news. "While this is exceptionally promising, it does not completely remove the threat of a worst-case scenario. Additionally, should Apeiron learn of March's survival, all analysis suggests he will pursue her to the exclusion of all agreements save his established contracts. The Brockton situation is recovering, but is not stable. Given the potential of any member of the Celestial Forge becoming a host for the Butcher, the critical situation roster has been engaged to be ready to intervene."
Standby. Normally it only hit this level when there was an Endbringer attack imminently expected. He knew how badly extended periods of being ready to deploy at a moment's notice could wear on a person. That said, he doubted anyone would be comfortable leaving things be until the Butcher was well outside of Brockton Bay. And probably March as well.
"Nonlethal containment methods specific to the Butcher will be provided, with action drills for select members to commence this evening. In the event that containment proves infeasible additional measures have been approved, with briefings taking place on a need-to-know basis."
Ben felt his guts twist at that. With as long as he'd been on the roster he'd heard things. Rumors, lies, and even the occasional true story. It was hard to tell what was an actual policy and what was nonsense drummed up from nowhere and passed around, getting more outlandish with every telling.
There was one story about a special containment procedure for the Butcher. Something that they'd break out if it looked like someone vital was going to get possessed. Heaven's Chain, because it wouldn't be a Protectorate legend without an overdramatic code name. The idea was that, in the worst-case scenario, they'd send in someone to intentionally make the kill. Someone with enough lethality in their powers and an attack that wouldn't trigger the danger sense. Someone who would, depending on the version of the story, be immediately contained by a standby team, have some worn tinker tech immobilize them, or, in the most outlandish version, be killed by another cape. Who would then be killed by someone else, and so on. A chain of kill switches to build up a Butcher collective where Heroes outnumbered villains enough to completely quash any attempts at control.
It was bullshit of course. The Protectorate didn't have the capes to throw away on something like that. He might buy that one person would volunteer to take out and contain the Butcher, but finding a chain of people willing to volunteer for that kind of thing and, even less likely, stay quiet about it, was completely impossible. Whatever additional measures were being prepared would be of a more conventional nature, and hopefully not involve him in any direct way.
"Until the Butcher's presence is addressed the city will remain a priority zone. Due to this, while official policy regarding Apeiron and the Celestial Forge will be decided at the national level, subject to approval by Chief Director Costa-Brown, no alterations in the local administrative structure will be made." Alexandria stated.
It meant the local director had gotten something of a stay of execution. They wouldn't be holding review hearings with the threat of the Butcher on their doorstep. Given the memories of the public, if she could somehow resolve the matter with the Butcher, manage to open relations with Apeiron, and somehow get the ABB hostages released, people would probably forget about her earlier missteps.
Yes, because miracles had a tendency to do that. More realistically, good performance during the end game might blunt some of the not unjustified retribution coming in the direction of the director and Protectorate leader. How well they could weather that was anyone's guess. Besides, there were bigger concerns for the moment.
The screen faded and the room's lights returned to full brightness. "Thank you for your time." Alexandria said cordially. "I would remind you to review the provided reports and will be speaking with you individually about specific protocols and response measures. Brockton Bay has seen a trying week and has stood alone through most of it. The time had come to remind them, and the country, that the Protectorate will always be there for them."
It was a nice sentiment, and a good note to end the meeting on, but Ben understood the magnitude of what they were facing. The real task ahead of them was getting Apeiron on board in any conceivable fashion. It didn't matter what he had done, or how stable his technology was, or if he was secreting S-Class threats in his workshop. He was one of the rare capes who could make a real difference in the world. His team could make a difference, possibly without any external support.
The number of missions where he had seen victory won by inches was more than anyone would be comfortable with. They needed to get Apeiron if not in their corner then at least pointed in the right direction. The disaster that hit Brockton Bay would pale in comparison to the disaster of letting Apeiron slip through their fingers.
Or turn against them.
At least the decisions were being made at a higher level. Chief Director Costa-Brown was competent and level-headed. She was more than capable of managing the situation, though he had the sense that she didn't get along well with Alexandria. It had been the source of plenty of office jokes, high ranking women not being able to tolerate each other. He never indulged in that kind of thing, but it was clear the two women couldn't stand each other's company. They coordinated well enough, but it was always with a level of professional detachment.
Still, it wasn't the kind of thing they let spill over into their work. He trusted the Chief Director to lay down some stabilization policies for Brockton Bay and trusted Alexandria to have them ready in case those policies failed. Until then, he'd have to apologize to Charley for delaying that college trip.
And walk Sideswipe through two levels of security briefings. He better clear his calendar as well. That kind of thing could drag on, and made emergency response training look relaxing by comparison.