Authors note: A lot of characters this chapter and I hope I get close enough with most of them. They tend to vary from story to story so I apologize if anyone seems particularly out of character.
Firelordeg: Thanks for the support! My upload schedule barely exists as much as just when I can get my muse to work but I am glad people are enjoying the story.
Blaze1992: I don't have a full list atm as understandably you have a lot of insects in fiction. If anyone wants to suggest something and I happen to not have it on there feel free! Thus far I am struggling slightly with the horde of bugs from various bug factions in games and when I have named characters he separate entries it makes things a bit harder for some series that only have one or two entries due to just not having that many compared to the others... also researching is pain for some of them. *Looks at the various Kirko that keep appearing.*
Armsmaster:
Power testing for Tamer had been odd but gone well, if only the interruption hadn't taken most of his attention away from the admittedly impressive healing abilities of 'Rose'.
Tamers newest creature was displaying rather human behaviors of possible PTSD, or perhaps some other issue related to humans in general. Unlike most of her minions Vit'Rik acts similar to a Parahuman with increased hostility, seeking conflict, and like most Tinkers a desire to safeguard they're own technology.
He spent a good portion of his time keeping an eye on him through various sensors in his suit while reading off his audio script when prompted. Human interactions were not his strong suit and he knew it, thankfully being a Tinker means with enough time and resources he can work through any problem.
Walking into the briefing room right on time for the meeting he looked over the Wards and his fellow Protectorate members, Dauntless and Velocity were on patrol but everyone else was in attendance.
"Today we are going over the newly emerged Parahuman Tamer, real name Taylor Hebert." He stated as the wards perked up, Gallant looking concerned.
"We are attempting to keep her identity hidden for several reasons, she is a powerful Master cape that produces minions of various intelligence levels all loyal to her to some capacity. They appear randomly overtime and are not disappearing from what has been observed. Thinker analyses leads us to believe they will not." He said calmly and Clockblocker waved his hand in the air as if he was in class. After a moment of thought a briefing does have analogs to a class so he inclined his head towards the ward.
"So we have a super strong master with permanent projections... can I just call Bullshit?" He said before Vista warped space to slap the back of his head.
"She is rated Master 8, Trump 5, Thinker 3." He stated calmly only for the Wards and even the Protectorate members to look at him in shock.
"That seems a bit high... where is she getting the Trump and Thinker ratings?" Battery spoke up, Assault seemed a bit disgruntled at her side but remaining quiet.
"She will constantly get permanent minions of various strengths and they are all loyal to some degree. One designated as Purple Worm could in theory destroy a city just by digging out the foundations. The Trump power was recently gained when she obtained Harpy, it grants her and it an anti precognitive field that makes them potentially lethal to any Thinker with a precognitive power. Her own Thinker ratings are from her ability to see through the senses of some select minions such as Harpy." He stated as Aegis looked thoughtful.
"It sounds like each of these minions has powers equal to Parahumans... and if she keeps getting them she basically is making an army just by being around." The Ward said with some worry.
"Our current theory is that she is taking beings from other worlds and bringing them here. Due to they're physical nature some of them could become A or S class threats." He then brought up a Hologram of the Stalker Dragon had captured.
"This is subject Stalker, Tamer only controlled it through pheromones and even that was limited. She turned it over to Dragon due to its ability to rapidly reproduce and the unique substance that can be harvested from it known as element 710. This substance is very energy efficient and Dragon hoped to reverse engineer it to create the element but her facility went offline without any alarms being triggered and the subject is gone." He stated with a frown. He had worked with Dragon and had concluded element 710 was the most efficient energy source he had ever seen and it had been ripped away from him before any progress had been made.
"So we have bugs that want to eat us that we kept alive so we could use them for... oil. Are we the baddies?" Clockblocker asked before he got hit by Vista again, though the exchange was noticeably more tense.
"Dragon is searching for the subject now but it hasn't begun any large scale operations. It is rated as Brute 4, Mover 2, Stranger 5 due to its sturdy body, rapid movement, and being able to blend in with its surroundings." He said only for Assault to interrupt him as the display showed Stalker turning invisible.
"Wait so it's a Predator! From that one movie from Aleph! Remember that one Puppy?" He asked Battery teasingly before he promptly got a elbow to the ribs for his efforts. It likely did nothing but he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"I want you appraised of Tamers situation for another reason, she will likely become a target for the gangs but her trigger event involved Shadow Stalker which is why she has been removed from the Wards program. You will not bring up her cape or civilian name in front of Tamer or where her creatures may hear you." He said coldly, a black mark on his record with the Wards. He usually left them to Miss Militia but ultimately it reflected on him. Steps would need to be taken to prevent this from happening again.
"Shadow Stalker caused her trigger event, that's just... how did that happen?" Kid Win seemed to have an accusatory tone to his voice. It was fair considering circumstances but it still roused a bit of anger from him.
"A few select people were covering it up as it benefited them to do so. They no longer work for the PRT." He stated coldly.
"Okay... this still feels a bit much for someone who hasn't done anything wrong." Gallant said with some concern.
"While this is true her minions are not all completely under her control and we have some concerns about the gangs trying to coerce her forcefully." He stated before changing the image on the projector to one of the first minions who stood on four legs but had a humanoid upper body.
"This is Plaguebearer, or Strikes Far as he prefers. He currently doesn't speak English but is intelligent and speaks French along with German and other languages we don't have any correlations with. He is Brute 3, Shaker 2, like his name suggests he can carry any disease with no ill effects. His body is four times as strong as a baseline human along with increased durability. His Shaker rating is related to him being able to transport even Tinkertech plagues with ease."
"That's... a rather foul power." Triumph muttered loud enough to be heard but most nodded in agreement.
"What's more concerning is he is one of the potential S class threats. His species self designated as the Necrophage reproduce using the dead like some species of insects. Most are unintelligent and driven by endless hunger. Only those who form an addiction to a substance known as Dust are truly sentient and even then they will eventually revert if it is not obtained. He has described being in Tamers presence as a constant source of the substance so as long as they are not separated for long periods of time this is no concern."
"Wait one of the first creatures she summoned is an S class threat if it goes crazy?!" Vista exclaimed as Clockblocker echoed her "Bullshit!" Only she didn't slap him this time.
"That is correct, these are not projections as we are familiar with them but wholly organic beings. Next on our list is Digger or Yorick as Tamer has named him." He swapped the projector over to the new creature, though similar in stature if one took away the humanoid torso it looked more wild for certain.
"His species are known as the Kirko, they have a caste system and were at some point domesticated by humanity but viewed it more as Slavery. They come in multiple shapes and form to varying degrees of intelligence." He stated as he saw many eyes widen.
"Though Yorick does not display it he may be suffering from memories of those times. If he is ever having a psychological break or warns you away do not approach for any reason. He is Brute 3, Strike 4, Blaster 5, Mover 3. His physical body is notably durable though we aren't sure by how much. Physical strength is high and his claws can tunnel through cement with ease. We aren't sure how he navigates underground so he only has a Mover rating but it may be Thinker as well. He is able to also spit out a cement like paste as well as powerful acidic substance that rapidly degrades after leaving his body." He states calmly.
"Damn... didn't think I could feel so sorry for a giant bug and then get scared of them just as fast." Assault piped in as he shook his head.
"Moving on, the next subject, Purple Worm is aptly named. It is roughly 5 feet wide and 80 feet long with a large maw at the front and venomous stinger on the back. It is considered a dim witted animal the Tamer has 'tamed' so be cautious in any situation with it as it's known to swallow prey whole. Brute 4, Mover 5, Striker 6 due to its large body, tunneling capacity, and extremely lethal venom." He said with a frown, it wasn't the biggest worry he had but certainly not something to ignore.
"So beware the giant danger noodle, got it." Clockblocker tried to give a thumbs up but was smacked in the back of the head by Vista once more before he got his hand above his head.
"Next is the current most dangerous minion, Harpy. As said previously it provides the trump aura to Tamer and itself. It has no intelligence of its own but is essentially a Biotinker construct that Tamer has control over. It is extremely dangerous and is rated Brute 4, Blaster 7, Mover 6, Trump 5. It's true durability is untested so the Brute rating is likely higher but the Blaster power will likely kill all but the most durable brutes in a single blow. It's flight and trump capacity makes it extremely mobile and nigh impossible to predict, do not engage any situation that it takes the field and is not a friendly." He states as the being appeared on the projector, the Venom harvested from it was impossible to recreate though he had used the concept to help miniaturize his own Lung grade tranquilizer and with the added tranquilizer he may be able to take Lung down even at larger sizes, if he got it approved anyway.
Aegis grimaced at the description. The Ward correctly realizing he likely wouldn't survive such a weapon. Armsmaster swapped the image with one of the newest minions.
"Next is subject Rose, the newest to appear and Tamer brought her in for power testing due to her healing abilities. Appearing as a arachnid like creature with a humanoid torso she has proven to be sentient but reliant on Taylor for unknown purposes. Her legs are not make for ground travel and she was unwilling to disclose what terrain she was designed for. Her species seems to be another Biotinker creation, specifically she was made to nurture the species young. Thankfully she cannot reproduce alone and is mostly cooperative with Tamer around."
Vista cringed slightly at the image. "That explains it... she was trying to be nice to me when we met even if she disregarded everyone else."
"Or maybe Mama bug could tell someone needed a hug... ow." Clockblocker was hit by Aegis this time who gave him a disapproving stare.
"Panacea cleared her but her body is extremely advanced biologically. She has spines that are able to be launched at high velocity with unknown piercing power. Her healing abilities require her to be close and she has a limited reserve before needing to rest but the regeneration is near instant and an improved version of what is observed with Othala. Brute 4, Blaster 3, Striker 5 but all of these ratings are subject to change." He said as the Wards stopped they're commentary.
"Last is Vit'Rik, another Kirko similar to Yorick but of a higher caste. He is very intelligent and posses Tinker Tech gear with high thermal outputs. I was sadly not able to obtain a sample and he is very distrusting of humanity as a whole." He said as some annoyance seeped into his voice.
"I was shown some of his behavior and it screams soldier to me. He had fought in a major conflict, likely the rebellion for his species freedom. Do not antagonize him, as human as he acts at times his alien mindset could mean he has developed unaddressed mental issues. That means you Clockblocker." Miss Militia said seriously but was giving one of her patented eye smiles towards the Ward who silently raised his hands as if to surrender.
"We have very little information on him, I theorize he is a thermal, heat, or perhaps flame based Tinker but it is hard to know without examining his equipment. While he is a Kirko he seems less physically capable compared to Yorick but still above the human norm. Tentative ratings of Tinker 4, Blaster 3, Brute 2." He stated calmly as he reigns in his annoyance.
"So we've got a bunch of bugs and we are going to get more... that sounds fun..." Clockblocker says as he guards the back of his head for a blow that didn't come.
"Harpy is extremely dangerous... what can we do to even stop something like that?" Kid Win asked as he shook his head at the frankly intimidating creature.
"Based off previous Thinker analysis Tamers creatures will go wild and not disappear if she is killed. In that case of her escalating to an A class threat our only answer is to Master her." He said coldly, it wasn't required for the Wards to be aware but it was a dangerous spot to be in if they lacked the proper intel.
"Holly hell, how did we ever get authorization for something like that!" Triumph exclaimed as everyone started to get nervous or glare at him. Odd, he wasn't the one who cleared it but it was the most efficient method even if it wasn't heroic.
"We don't have another option without potentially releasing A or S class threats that she has generated or may generate in the future. It was signed by the Chief Director within hours of the report being submitted to her, seeing how she is a S class threat on her own with enough time it was deemed our only option as she can eventually escape the Birdcage with her creatures and her death releases any restraints they have." He said with some exasperation which only seemed to rile up the Wards more. He was thankful for the reluctant nod of support from Miss Militia, she had seen enough A or S class situations to know the kinds of casualty's they would avoid with this plan.
"I know this makes everyone nervous but we have no evidence she would consider being a villain. It's just more of a reason to treat her well and away from the gangs." Gallant spoke up, a few nodded at his words but Assault wasn't satisfied.
"She's not even an adult, no trial or anything you just decided to Master her if she's a problem because her powers scare you!? This is exactly what's wrong with the PRT these days..." he stood up and lift briskly, Battery following after a half hearted apology, no one was pleased.