"Should you receive any powers, they will be permanent. There is no means to remove or replace powers, and attempts to add extra powers results in… complications," the doctor, introduced to him by the scary lady in a fedora, informed Thomas Calvert. "And whether successful or not, we will hold you to our agreement."
"Of course," Calvert responded easily.
The lady in the fedira had already made that point quite clear.
"Very well. Drink this."
The liquid in the proffered glass wasn't particularly appetising, but Calvert followed the instruction.
The taste didn't match the appearance.
It was far worse.
Even the rations he had been given by that CO who wanted him dead had tasted better.
Still, after everything he gave up to be here, he wasn't about to sacrifice his chance for powers.
Against every instinct he possessed, he forced the vile stuff down.
The doctor watched him intently.
"Do you feel anything different? Any sense of your body changing?"
"Only that my tastebuds committed suicide," he attempted to joke, following the directions from the book on how to be charismatic he had once read.
It fell flat.
"We will keep you here under observation until I am satisfied there are no complications," she declared, standing to leave. "It would be best if you did not try and go anywhere until we release you."
{}
Fortunately Calvert was cleared before running out of the vacation time he had arranged in advance.
Less fortunately, he still had no idea what his powers were by the time he reached Brockton Bay.
It was only once he was settled in the facility he had organised the construction of in advance that he was able to experiment himself, and find an answer.
And when he did, he couldn't help but laugh.
{}
Sarah Livesey (for as long as it took to arrange a new identity) sat before a supervillain, in his underground lair no less, and did her best to level a glare of superiority at him.
Given the mercenary with a gun to her head, this wasn't particularly successful.
"It would be for the best if you simply gave in and worked for me," the villain stated. "You see, my power allows me to control fate itself."
"You know how many villains say the same? Or egotists without power?"
"Then how about I prove it?"
The villain, with a certain theatricality, revealed a coin in his hand, and flipped it.
Heads.
Fifty percent chance.
He produced a second coin and flipped it.
The coin landed nearly upon the first.
Heads.
Twenty five percent chance, her power supplied, ignoring how the coin had landed upon the first.
The third coin landed heads as well. Then the fourth.
There was a tower of fifteen coins, all having been flipped into place showing heads, by the time she gave in.
This result…
It went far beyond probability.
{}
Things had gone downhill for the Undersiders since Coil had sent them to rob the bank, culminating with Tattletale here, in an interrogation room facing one Thomas Calvert.
"So you maintain that your group of villains were being used by Coil as deniable assets," he summarised what she had told him so far, "and that you've spent the entire time since your recruitment trying yo find a way past his 'fate controlling' power?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Except, Tattletale, I have a Watchdog report here, stating that Coils power is simply to control the results of a coin toss "
Her brain screeched to a halt.
"Hardly something that qualifies as controlling fate."
She seized the report.
Report from Watchdog, cross-referencing output of multiple Thinkers. Asserts Coils power to be control of coin tosses. All interactions with Coil fit this conclusion.
For a moment her options warred with each other.
She could take this chance to escape Coil.
All it would take was admitting she was wrong.
"Hardly something a Thinker 3 would be fooled by," Calvert continued.
That decided her.
"Of-of course I knew," she bluffed. "But Coils powerbase was enough to keep the team in line."
"Such a cunning way to both take charge and not be the target of anger for unreasonable demands or challenges for leadership," Calvert responded, shaking his head sorrowfully.
"R-right, by claiming Coil was threatening me I was able to get the others to do what I wanted without thinking I was the one giving orders," she bullshitted, entirely willing to take credit if it didn't mean her rating would be dropped to an insulting level.
{}
Brian stared at the footage of Lisa revealing she was the real mastermind behind the Undersiders.
He wasn't alone.
The others, Rachel, Alec and Taylor, were watching it as well.
"I can't believe she would do something like that," he finally stated.
"I should have realised," Taylor grumbled. "I should have seen that she was lying about a benefactor so I would stick around to uncover them rather than turn in the Undersiders…"
It was something Lisa had revealed early on, that Taylor had only joined to act as a spy, but the PRT representative had convinced them to wait until the video was finished to make any judgements.
And now, seeing Lisa for what she really was, Brian was willing to let Taylors actions go.
"So what now," he finally asked.
"Well, given how your actions as the Undersiders were as a result of a provisional Master 0, and the initial results of looking into Rachels Trigger, we are willing to offer you all places in the Wards."
Brian struggled with himself for a moment, before giving in.
"Just… as long as you get my sister away from our mother, get her somewhere safe."
"But of course, we would hardly be willing to let anyone threaten the family and friends of Wards."
This drew Alecs attention.
"So if I were to tell you that my mother fell victim to Heartbreaker…"
"We add another level of priority to dealing with him."
The now former Undersiders shared a look between them, before nodding.
Brian turned to the PRT representative.
"I think we have a deal. Thank you, mister Calvert."
{}
Coil sat back, watching his plans progress.
A lesser man would have given up, upon discovering his amazing power was simply to manipulate the results of a coin toss.
But not him.
And now he had used the Undersiders to gain the cooperation, unwilling as it may be, of one of the strongest Thinkers in the world, before removing them (particularly Tattletale whose loyalty had always been practically non-existent) in such a way to improve his own standing with the PRT.
Simply removing villains from play wasn't too impressive, but recruiting all of them bar their leader?
That earned some serious kudos.
Just like he would upon 'rescuing' the young Alcott when he no longer needed her assistance.
There was the sound of a disturbance in the corridor, and he poked his head from his office to see Assault and Velocity arguing over their patrols.
"Gentlemen," he started, stepping towards them as he drew a coin from his pocket, "surely there's an easier way to settle this…"
