Chapter 10 - Taylor III
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Topic: Pantheon, New Unmasked/Unmasking Cape Group
In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on February 1st, 2011:
Edit: Original Thread was in the Brockton Bay subforum but I and Moderators agreed this is bigger than just one city so moved it here.
The last ten years we had a lot of hero and villain debuts, some more impactful than others, but I don't think my jaw ever dropped the way it did when a friend of mine sent me what was happening on the Brockton Bay news.
Anyway, I sleuthed around, called some of my contacts (actual insiders even) and put together a timeline. Edit: Up to date as of Feb 4:
• January 18th: Lung, who 1v1nd Leviathan and kinda held his own (Here), and his underling Oni Lee get killed by a new trigger. Looks to be a shaker or changer that can turn into a black ball that sucks things inside (Speculation at the time). Documented by several patients of Northfield Hospital via phone cameras: Here, here, here and here
• January 19th: Last time Purity was seen patrolling former ABB territory. Probably recruited right afterwards due to disruption of her usual schedule. (Go here for Purity Thread)
• January 21st: Parahuman related explosion at Cornell University, three injured and two dead. Alice Yoshida is an immediate suspect internally for reasons I couldn't find out and PRT raids her dorm room and finds it completely gutted. (neighbor uploaded a video here, great find by Valkyr) New York PRT gives out an official arrest warrant for a 'Cornell Bomber' later revised to 'Alice Yoshida'. Was probably recruited while on the run. No info on how Markus found her before the authorities yet.
• January 25th: Pantheon interrupt a press conference of Roy Christner, the Brockton Bay mayor. Markus introduces himself and his teammates with their legal names (Markus Leon, Alice Yoshida and Kayden Russel) and then unmasks seven Empire Eighty-Eight (Thread Here) capes on live television. Full video Here and here with body language analysis. PRT gives out a press release that the E88 capes are in their custody (Here) and the Mayor was unharmed though his team put out a message that Pantheon's actions will not be tolerated (Here).
• January 26th: PRT raids the homes of all the unmasked Capes. When they get into Kayden Russel's apartment, my insider tells me that it was already completely empty. No info on a residence for Markus Leon.
• February 2nd: Apparently all other villain/mercenary groups in the city met at a well known neutral ground (See Somer's rock) to try and counter Pantheon. According to reports from the PRT Pantheon crashes the meeting and kill Skidmark, Squealer, Mush (See Archers Bridge Merchants). They also capture E88 leader Kaiser as well as Menja, Fenja, Alabaster and Krieg. Everyone else manages to escape.
• February 3rd: Video is uploaded by new account PantheonOfficial where they unmask Menja, Fenja, Alabaster, Krieg and a very pale looking Kaiser one by one and a voice identified as Markus Leons gives their legal names. (I won't link the video her but I'm sure you can find it)
• February 4th: PRT confirms that the four of the five Empire capes are in their custody. As of today, Kaiser is still missing but everyone I talked to agreed that he is probably dead. The E88 is done.
That's where we are right now. A powerful, unmasked cape group that made it their mission to unmask their enemies. Actually very shocking if you know anything about the history of capes with open identities. (Here is a good video about it)
It even got enshrined in law that you could use your cape identity in legal proceedings so there really is no reason to use your real name.
Anyway, here is what I could dig up on the members (felt very uncomfortable doing this):
Kayden Russel: She is 29 and has a website where she advertises her Interior Design business (Anyone hire her before?). She has a kid and is divorced from Kaiser (who got unmasked in the newest video). Not much info beyond that, doesn't seem to have any social media profiles but her Cape activity is well documented in her Thread. Notable is that she hasn't participated in any Empire rallies in almost two years now. (Maybe since her pregnancy). Blaster 8, Mover 4
Alice Yoshida: 21-23. Doctorate Student at Cornell University, extremely diligent student apparently but nobody liked her (Interview with a classmate here) because she takes offense very easily, also a bit of a bully. Was apparently supposed to be stripped of her Masters degree but can't find much on that, which might be the reason she blew up her school. Tinker 8(presumed)
Markus Leon: 39 and was an extreme sports athlete in the late 80s and 90s. (Old video of him cliff diving) Apparently became known for a couple of years to try anything dangerous. (Interview with climber about Markus, actually calls him a maniac) Was one of the testers of the Wingsuit in 99. Can't find anything on an actual job. Never married but has a kid, who is almost an adult, with a longtime girlfriend. No interviews of him personally or anything and even the videos he is in, he never speaks. Notably he doesn't have a criminal record in the US but he does have one in Canada where he had to pay a quite large fine for illegally salvaging Newfoundland after Levithan sunk it. Breaker 8-12 (speculation)
Tell me what you think. New gang or vigilante group? (Yes, I know that two out of three are wanted criminals and Markus is a killer too so you can stop sending me hate in DMs)
(Showing page 77 of 78)
► Ekul
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
Fellow Brockton Bay Bros… How fucked are we? Teeth 2.0 or worse?
► AverageAlexandros (Cape husband)
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
Damn, there is something terrifying about that voice paired with that appearance. If we didn't have a video of his trigger I would have thought he was a Case53 or something. Also lets hope the heroes get them quickly, I don't want them to start unmasking heroes too.
► Lolitup
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
RoverLocked Clearly not a Class S situation, they can't create something that perpetuates itself. If the Elite aren't S Class then Pantheon isn't either.
► AnonymousEDT103
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
I went to Cornell, beautiful old buildings. A fourth of the campus is now a health hazard. TWO PEOPLE DIED! These people aren't heroes no matter what people say. Protectorate, do your job, throw them into the Birdcage, all three of them!
► XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
They are going to unmask every single cape, cape culture is on its way out! Or Marky is going to destroy the world by sucking it up with his powers.
► Winged_One
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
I'm going there soon, hopefully nothing bad happens.
► Robby
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
Do we have any more info on who Markus Leon is? I'm not usually one for doxing but he put his name out there. Do we have any social media accounts, personal videos, where he went to school, etc. His gf, anyone interview her yet?
► TRJ
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
We really gonna act like they aren't just another Slaughterhouse? Even talks like King.
► TheGnat
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
You can trigger after 30, I thought that wasn't possible.
► Robby
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
TheGnat It's just more rare.
Triggering is only possible during a period of heightened emotions and teenagers, due to their hormones, are a lot more likely to trigger because of it.
There have been quite a few well known capes who triggered after 30, Uppercrust from the Elite is in his late 60s right now, Sphere/Mannequin was in his late 30s when he showed up and Exalt from Houston was older than 30 too.
In brief: Possible Yes, Improbable also yes.
► New_Ohmstar
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
RIPiss the Empire, you will not be missed. Pieces of shit.
► Chrome
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
Void Cowboy: No way is Markus that powerful.
Everyone else: I am a lot more worried about Alice, unstable personality + powerful Tinker ability + already shown willingness to blow up shit and kill people. Literally White Supremacist who very probably turned over a new leaf only for that leaf to also be rotten is actually less of a worry.
► Xyloloup
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
Thank you Markus, my little sister just came back from an ABB brothel. We tried everything to get her back but the police told us she was there of her own will. Nobody wanted to help us because they were scared of Lung. She just came back and we are so happy.
Thank you Markus and thank you Pantheon.
TRJ F U
► Miraclemic
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
Ekul Very, there are already shootings on the borders of the E88 and ABB territories, criminals are running wild without Kaiser and Lung. Robberies and carjackings are up too. Pantheon hasn't taken any territory so things aren't as bad as with the Teeth but still... Everyones afraid, at least in my neighborhood.
► Nod
Replied on February 4th, 2011:
Somer's Rock, we got something like that in Chicago too. It's pretty important for villains (and the heroes too) to de-escalate tensions without killing each other or bystanders. Usually I would say he's going to die for not respecting the rules but with the unmasking, it's obvious that he's deliberately trampling over cape culture. Anyone have any idea if something happened in his past?
► ButcherXXX (Banned)
*Threats aren't allowed
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Private message from IntoTheDarkHole:
IntoTheDarkHole: Ready?
Taylor closed the webpage, her heart beating out of her chest. She fiddled with Assault's personal business card, turning it over again and again. Feeling the embroidered name and number with her fingertips.
Markus had told her that he would rid the city of cape gangs as fast as possible. And he did, by killing and unmasking, destroying the balance and igniting a gang war between the unpowered gang members. She had never heard so many gunshots in a single night and she was afraid every time her dad left the house for work or to buy groceries.
Only the fact that she could practically sense a couple blocks around her, every human tagged with an insect and covertly frisked for weapons, allowed her some measure of peace.
Maybe she should have taken Markus' offer immediately, maybe she could have changed something, convinced him to go slower, to not spit in the face of every single cape in America. Maybe arrest normal gang members too instead of only the Capes.
She just hadn't expected things to escalate so quickly.
But maybe she should have expected the man to work faster than the heroes. After hearing that she would have to remain in bed for almost a month, Ethan had told her that she could have access to parahuman healing if she signed with the Wards. Markus instead told her to wait a bit and came back ten minutes later with a blindfolded woman. A single touch and Taylor could suddenly feel how the skin under the bandages regenerated in real time. She wasn't completely healed then, but her third degree burns were more like a major sunburn than anything else.
She asked who the healer was but Markus just chuckled and told her it was a secret. Now Taylor understood that it was Othala, an Empire member who Markus had very probably kidnapped right out of her bed.
He could have done the same to her but when she said that she still had to recover a little while, Markus didn't argue, just nodding in understanding.
"We are going to change the world Taylor." He left her with those words and she believed it now, she just didn't know if it was going to be for the better.
But maybe, maybe she could improve things. At the Wards she would be one of dozens without influence and a weak power, at Pantheon she at least had the attention of the leader who respected her.
That night once again flashed through her mind, those blue eyes in that mutilated face. His steps forward even while at death's door. The deep voice telling her everything would be alright.
Taylor looked down at Ethans card one last time before setting it to the side. Her dad wouldn't be happy about this.
After taking a deep breath, she turned back to the computer and started her message.
AN: Hopefully Taylor can make Markus a better person, I'm sure that's going to be real easy.