Chapter 24
After we arrived to the PRT HQ, Weld and Clockblocker dragged a restrained and blindfolded Trickster out of the van to hand him over to a pair of uniforms. They brought him into the building as we followed, but they continued to the elevator while we stopped just inside the doors.
Glory Girl was there, staring at Gallant's portrait with a gym bag by her side.
"Glory Girl?" Weld spoke cautiously. "I wasn't expecting you so soon."
We'd all witnessed her outburst at her sister without understanding what had really happened, and Weld had shut down speculation on the subject after she left.
"Can I stay over?" She asked without turning away from the portrait, her voice thin. "I'm ready to join and all, but there's stuff going on at home and I just can't stay there right now."
"I'm sure we can arrange something, if the team is okay with it," Weld answered.
They all mumbled in agreement, while I remained silent. Weld took that as a yes.
"Let's go to the base," he said. "I think we're long overdue for a team meeting."
We followed him to the tinkertech elevator, where he presented his card to the sensor, sending us down. Once the doors opened, he led us down the chrome corridor in silence, presenting his card to the other sensor to open the door, then brought us to the meeting room at the center of our headquarters.
There was a large, reinforced chair at one end of the table, and Weld sat in it. Flechette and I took place on his right, and the three other Wards and Glory Girl, on his left. She looked like she'd been crying, I noticed.
"First, I got word that the Protectorate is handling the case with the bodies, and we're not to touch it or get involved in any way," Weld spoke.
"No word on what's going on?" Asked Clockblocker.
"They're staying quiet on the subject."
"Maybe a serial killer?" Vista suggested.
"We should focus on what we do know," Weld shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about—"
"Actually," Kid Win cut in, "Sorry, but I have one theory."
"What?" Clockblocker asked.
Kid Win glanced at Weld for approval before speaking. "There were two other crime scenes, right? Any idea if there were the same number of bodies at each crime scene?"
"Same number—" Weld raised an eyebrow. "Why… Oh. Shit. I think I follow."
"Three crime scenes with three bodies each. So it'd be nine bodies?" Clockblocker asked. "Each killed in some different way? I don't see what killer that would fit with."
"Not one killer," Kid Win answered. "Nine bodies, each for different killers."
"The Slaughterhouse Nine," Clockblocker realized, leaning back in his seat. "Fuck, that'd be all we needed."
A chill crept up my spine at the thought. The Slaughterhouse Nine were some of the most fucked up parahumans in existence. To think that they might have come to our city…
"Wouldn't be the first time they've arrived at a location in the wake of an Endbringer event," Flechette pointed out.
"Maybe it's them," Weld conceded, "and maybe the Protectorate figured that much out, with the clues they have from the other two scenes. It could be someone or something else. Either way, it's not our case, not even in our league, and we should stay as hands off as we can manage. But first, we need to talk about the team."
He straightened in his chair.
"Glory Girl. When you were hit, none of us thought you were incapacitated, except for Apiary. Would you like to share what happened, so we can avoid it next time?"
Glory Girl did not look like she wanted to share, but she relented after a few seconds of pressing silence.
"I have a skin-tight forcefield that breaks sometimes if I'm hit too hard."
She didn't elaborate any further, and Weld turned to me.
"Tattletale said that it shorts out for a few seconds after a good hit, like a punch or a gunshot," I explained, "so with two hits in quick succession, the second will actually land."
Glory Girl turned away at the mention of Tattletale, her arms crossed.
"Does Tattletale have a filing cabinet dedicated to all our weaknesses and limitations in her evil lair, or does she play it by ear every time?" Clockblocker asked.
"Can't say," I answered.
She did have a filing cabinet in her room at the loft.
"Apiary," Weld continued. "Our files listed Genesis as a Changer. You knew she was a projection. You knew Trickster's power worked by line of sight."
I shrugged. "We've teamed up before."
"And Ballistic? Sundancer?"
"Sundancer's power doesn't have a low setting, so she's afraid to use it. Same thing with Ballistic. They were sandbagging for the most part. At least, until the end."
"They've killed people before," he said bluntly. "At least sixteen confirmed kills, mostly due to the sheer powers at their disposal. On top of that, there was an incident in New York where forty people disappeared in one night while the Travelers were nearby."
My eyes widened beneath my mask. Forty?
"The point I'm trying to make is that you may have more insight into them as former allies, and I appreciate you sharing that information, but you can't rely on your previous assessment of someone to guess what they'll do now that you're on the opposite side. You might know them as people and as allies or rivals, but you don't know them as villains against heroes."
I nodded.
"You nearly died today," he continued. "The only reason you're still alive right now is because Panacea came as soon as she heard Glory Girl was injured."
I didn't know what to answer to that.
"There's a reason I told you to wait in the van," he continued. "I appreciate you trying to help and coming out to check on Glory Girl, but this isn't the first time Coil has tried to have you killed, and this could have been avoided."
"Sorry," I mumbled.
"After what happened today, I'm going to talk to the Director about what our response to Coil and the Travelers should be. We can't let this slide, or else they will only grow bolder and try again."
I nodded.
"But that's not all that I wanted to talk about. Now that I've seen the team in action, I think I've identified some of the key issues. Apiary, am I right in assuming that you had bugs all over the battlefield to provide situational awareness?"
I nodded again.
He turned to the other side of the table. "Vista, am I right in assuming that you had trouble using your power with Apiary's bugs all over the place?"
Vista nodded.
Weld continued. "That's just one example of why we need to learn how to work together. That's why I'm instituting mandatory team training."
Clockblocker huffed.
"You've already expressed your opinion on games, and I'm not disregarding it," Weld addressed him. "But this isn't what I'm talking about. We won't get through the current crisis if we don't work as a team, and we can't work as a team when half the members are new and can't anticipate each other's powers and decisions. From now on, we'll start the day a bit earlier at seven thirty with an hour of training, and we'll also have meetings like this at the end of every day. Gives us a chance to talk about our recent patrols, fears, concerns, ideas. Or hell, just talk, because I'm seeing this trend where we only see each other in passing, while patrolling or in class, and some of you are going out of your way to avoid spending time with some of the others."
He didn't name names, but I felt called out. How was I supposed to balance that with giving people the space they needed?
"To make it work in the schedule," he continued, "I'm picking up an extra patrol shift or two, and I'll shorten your patrols and move them around slightly."
He turned to me.
"Speaking of patrols, Apiary, I've brought my concerns about the tensions in the group to Director Piggot, and she agreed that having you patrol separately is detrimental to team cohesion. I understand that there is a history here, but starting now, you will patrol with the rest of us."
He glanced at the other side of the table, as if he expected some of them to protest, but they offered no noticeable reaction one way or another, aside from Vista looking away.
I didn't know how to feel about that. We'd fallen into a routine of mutually ignoring each other in our limited interactions, and while I wouldn't call it comfortable per say, it had become familiar ground. The prospect of being forced to spend hours patrolling with Kid Win, Vista and especially Glory Girl felt like bracing myself for another day of school. I didn't know what to expect, only that it would most likely be bad, and I had no routine to rely upon.
"Director Piggot has rejected my request to institute mandatory therapy for everyone," Weld continued, "and I'm frankly baffled about it. She says that if any of you feel the need to talk to one of the PRT's therapists, it has to happen during your downtime rather than on the clock. I know we don't have much downtime as things are, but I urge each and every one of you to make an appointment. I genuinely think that everyone would benefit from it."
There were a few nods from the other side of the table. Weld smiled at that.
"For tonight's patrols, I was thinking Vista with Flechette, then Apiary with Glory Girl, followed by Clockblocker and I. Is that alright with you?"
"Sure," said Flechette as Vista and Clockblocker nodded. Weld's eyes lingered on Glory Girl, whose face was unreadable.
"Glory Girl?" He asked.
She exhaled loudly before speaking. "Fine, I'll do it."
Weld turned to me, and I didn't want to voice my apprehensions in front of everyone, so I nodded instead. He offered a warm smile.
"And me?" Kid Win asked.
"Special duty tonight," Weld smiled. "You're recruiting."
"Recruiting?"
"There's a kid calling himself Chariot. Been racing around the city in a powered suit that lets him move a hundred miles an hours. Assault finally caught up with him last night, brought him into custody. Wound up calling the kid's mom, got him to agree to talk to our recruiter. You. You'll be meeting the kid in his home."
"Why me?"
"Shared interests. You're both tinkers. You have the best idea of how he thinks."
Kid Win nodded. "Cool."
"You convince him, it'll look good to the guys upstairs," Weld added, and Kid Win shrank in his seat. Weld continued, oblivious. "Now, about the paperwork you guys have been submitting, there's been a few recurring problems…"
Glory Girl was silent, and had been since we left headquarters. She flew a foot above the ground, ignoring the flood and the pitiful state of the street, while I slogged through the few inches of water over the pavement, careful not to trip into a hole.
She hadn't used her aura on me as far as I could tell, and barely even acknowledged my presence, but I still couldn't shake off the impression that the other shoe was about to drop. I had no idea how much of a grudge she might carry against me or how that grudge might translate into actions. Would she keep ignoring me, or was she the type to wait until my back was turned or my attention was elsewhere before doing something? I had bugs on each of her joints, warning me of her every movement, but an advance warning might mean nothing when she was faster than me.
Was she simply giving me the cold shoulder because she expected an apology? Should I apologize? I didn't even know what to say. Sorry I robbed a bank and messed with your sister, and also covered you with wasp stings and spider bites? I didn't think it would go over too well.
"Patrol, we have reports of a disturbance near Rowan Avenue, not too far from your position," Weld's voice over the comms cut through the silence.
"Acknowledged," I answered.
We altered our route, making our way toward Rowan Avenue. When it fell in my range, I found more than a mere disturbance.
"Console, we're a few blocks away from Rowan Avenue," I spoke while pressing my earpiece. "Fenrir's chosen and Purity's group appear to be openly fighting in the streets."
"Do not engage," said Weld. "I repeat, do not engage. I'm relaying this to the Protectorate."
"Acknowledged."
I glanced at Glory Girl, who was still silent, eyes lost in thought.
"We should go back to our patrolling route," I said tentatively.
She shrugged.
As we made our way back to Connelly Parks, where we were supposed to be, I felt another incident with my bugs.
"Console, there's people setting a house on fire about three blocks north of our position. Permission to engage?"
"Permission granted," Weld said. "Relaying it to the police and fire department."
Glory Girl flew ahead. By the time I arrived to the burning building, she'd evacuated the family who lived there, and the four who had set the house on fire were neatly bound in spidersilk.
I called it in, and Weld said that the police and firefighters were on their way. Once they arrived, we left to continue our patrol.
This time, Glory Girl cleared her throat, drawing my attention.
"Earlier, why did you leave the van to help me?" She asked.
I hadn't expected that to be the first thing she would say to me. Did she really think that I would stand by and do nothing when faced with the possibility of someone dying?
"I could tell through my bugs that you weren't moving, so I went to place you in the recovery position while waiting for Clockblocker to tag you," I answered.
"Thank you," she said after a pause.
I offered a nod.
We continued our patrol in silence for a minute, then she spoke again.
"When you robbed Brockton Bay Central, Tattletale threatened to spill my sister's secrets. Did you know what she was referring to?"
I thought back to what Tattletale had said, trying to remember her words.
"The identity of Panacea's father?"
"No," she shook her head. "She talked about shame and heartbreak."
"I don't know."
"Tattletale didn't tell you?" She asked.
"No. We had more pressing matters at hand, and it never came up again."
She frowned.
"What is Tattletale's real power? I know she's not psychic."
"I can't tell you," I said.
"Can't, or won't?"
"Can't. It's part of my deal with the PRT. I'm not giving information on the Undersiders."
"So you're protecting them," she said with contempt.
"They used to be my friends, and I don't want to betray that."
She huffed. "Sounds like you haven't moved on."
"I joined the Wards. Isn't that enough moving on?"
"What about the conflict of interest it creates? Shouldn't you have moved to another city?"
"I had reasons to stay here," I said.
"Like?"
I swallowed, buying myself a second to think.
"I wanted actual accountability to be held about the oversight and neglect that led to the situation with Shadow Stalker, though I quickly found out that it wouldn't happen."
"Armsmaster resigned," she pointed out.
"Only when things were made public, and Piggot was the one in charge. Except that Coil wants her gone, and proper accountability would only help him advance his plan."
"What else?" She asked. "You said you had reasons, plural."
I hesitated, unsure of how much I wanted to share about Dinah, but if Glory Girl joined the Wards for real, she would have access to the records and could find out the truth later on. I didn't doubt that she would confront me if she thought I'd purposely misled her, so I decided it was better to be upfront about it.
"We didn't know it then, but our bank robbery was a diversion to allow Coil to kidnap a young precog from her home," I admitted. "Part of my deal with the PRT was for them to rescue her, though so far they haven't accomplished anything, despite me giving them Coil's base on a silver platter."
"But you were still complicit to her kidnapping, and to Tattletale fucking with my sister," she pointed out.
"I didn't know about Dinah at the time," I said. "And at the bank, we were just trying to get away."
"To get away with robbing a bank, you mean."
"To get away, period, at that point. I don't know if you've noticed, but you can be pretty intimidating."
She scoffed. "Only when people have a reason to be intimidated."
"I'm not saying that any of what I did was right, but I had reasons at the time. I did the bank job to get the Undersiders to trust me, so I could find out who their boss was. I was planning to turn them in after the fundraiser, but then other stuff happened, and I ended up staying with them."
She looked at me, clearly unimpressed.
"What's the deal with your sister anyways?" I asked to change the subject. "Why do you want to know Tattletale's power?"
"That's private, and I need to know in what measure she was responsible for what happened."
I shrugged. "Can't help you, sorry."
She frowned, her expression closing.
That was the extent of our conversation for a long while.
I didn't know if it was the full moon or something in the air, but people seemed crazier than usual. We interrupted assaults, looting, more arson, drug deals, hate crimes, and auto theft. And that was just on the unpowered side of things.
On top of the Nazis duking it out in the street, Über and Leet were robbing the Forsberg Gallery, and Circus was targeting a high-end jewelry store downtown. We left them to the Protectorate to deal with since I was benched from fights with the parahumans working for Coil. The Merchants were throwing some kind of initiation party for their new members in the Docks, which we were advised to stay far away from, and we were sent to stop Faultline's crew from robbing a bank not far from our patrolling route.
I had sent a selection of bugs ahead of us, and the mix of grasshoppers and jumping spiders allowed me to see and hear what was going on inside.
Tellers and clients were on the ground, neutralized, presumably with Newter's bodily fluids.
Faultline, Gregor the Snail, Newter and Spitfire were present, along with Labyrinth and a redheaded woman I'd never seen before. They moved around with the confidence of people who had done this a hundred times, filling bags of money and placing them on a trolley.
I relayed this to Glory Girl.
"We cut their exit," she said. "Take the back door, I'll take the front."
I nodded. She had more experience than I did stopping bank robberies. Not always successfully, but I didn't dare to point that out.
As I made my way to the back door, bugs set to work, tying several spidersilk cords to the door handle, then tying the other ends to a utility pole so it was taunt and the door couldn't be pulled open from the inside. As a precaution, I also sent a large swarm of bees to wait behind the door.
A few minutes later, they tried the back door, then gave up after a minute of trying to open it. Glory Girl flew down until she faced the front door, and I sent a swarm of bees with her.
Newter pulled the front door open with his tail, allowing Spitfire to spit at Glory Girl. She dodged to the side, only to be targeted by a stream of slime from Gregor the Snail, who'd anticipated the move.
My bees flew in, covering their faces to keep them from aiming again, and Glory Girl entered the bank.
She flew to tackle Faultline, but the Newter tried to intercept her, and she had to fly higher to stay out of his reach. Now really wasn't the time to find out whether her forcefield would protect her from him.
Meanwhile, I tried tagging Newter with bugs that immediately became paralyzed, then sent other bugs to carry the firsts to try and smash them against the exposed skin of the other members of his team, but I didn't get that far.
Gregor emitted some kind of chemical that spread through the air and killed my bugs on contact. Just like that, I lost both my eyes and ears on the situation, as well as my ability to intervene.
I heard Glory Girl scream in panic, and hurried to untie the spidersilk blocking the back door before going in, leaving my bugs outside to keep them away from Gregor's bug killer. Since I was unarmed, I grabbed the fire extinguisher on my way in, briefly reminded of Panacea using one as a weapon against me during our bank robbery.
By the time I reached the bank's front room, Faultline's crew was gone, and I found Glory Girl in a white tank top and shorts, trying to smother the flames engulfing her discarded dress and cape with the bank's welcome mat. It didn't work, the fire melting the carpet instead.
I aimed the fire extinguisher and sprayed her costume and the carpet until the fire went out.
"Are you okay?" I asked her once I was done. "What happened?"
"I'm fine," she said. "Gregor knocked out my forcefield, and Spitfire spit on me. They left while I was taking off my costume to avoid getting burned, and Gregor covered the door with some kind of adhesive foam so I couldn't follow. It just sucks because that's the only costume I brought from home."
"There's always the blank bodysuits in the armory," I told her, and she nodded, not looking at me.
I pressed my earpiece. "Console?"
Nobody answered.
"Console?" I repeated.
Still nothing.
Had I been on the receiving end of an EMP blast like when Leet teleported me? I checked my phone, and it was open and working. I called Weld, but he didn't pick up. Neither did the others.
"Something's wrong," I told Glory Girl. "Nobody's answering."
"Then I don't think it's a coincidence that every gang in town was up to something tonight," she said. "It was coordinated, a distraction to keep us and the Protectorate busy."
"Makes sense," I said. "Faultline's crew are mercenaries, so they wouldn't rob banks unless someone paid them for it."
Which meant that Coil was behind this.