There was no need for subtlety or fanfare anymore. Plots, caution and maneuvering were pointless now that I had claimed Eidolon. There were few in the world that could challenge me, and after this outing, there would be even fewer. In addition to the increase in strength, I would even buy the world an extra ten years by killing these fools. Wasn't I nice? Or was it eight years? I didn't remember exactly. It didn't matter. That reason was secondary to my primary goal.
I appeared inside a white van as Strider's teleportation completed. An overweight, middle-aged man squawked in surprise at my appearance. My hand was on his shoulder the moment I appeared. He collapsed. His spirit joined me in the van, and, at my command, a nude woman painted with white and black stripes appeared next to me, fully under my control. The woman reached out and touched my shoulder, and I laughed when the effect of her magic carried over to me. The Siberian was unable to affect her Master with her magic, but I was her Master's Master. Her magic could protect me just as well as it could any other who was not Doctor Manton. With this, even if I didn't have Eidolon, I wouldn't need Sting or Alexandria.
The Siberian's magic would offer far greater protection than Othala's invulnerability while also supplying me with my most powerful Brute. When The Siberian faced the strongest heroes the Protectorate had to offer and felled Hero, she also won Alexandria's eye. Her magic allowed her to bypass the invulnerability of the single most durable parahuman on the planet. With The Siberian under my control, I would need little else in the way of muscle. Even before I'd taken her, I was already among the strongest in the world.
I had Eidolon, and unlike David, I would use the magic well, sparingly. I would not burn through the spirit's reserves to make a flashy explosion like he did, consuming his reserves at four times the rate he should have purely to create a spectacle that would enamor him with the public. The man lived for their praise, making his every outing as showy as possible, inadvertently weakening himself ever further. I would use these magics well. I would conserve them and recharge them when needed with my magic. I would use them to escape Zion and live peacefully. The fate of Earth Bet was up to the rest of the world to determine. Let Cauldron beat against the end of the world. I would not be here when the Gjallarhorn was blown.
But I was getting distracted. I had things to do. There were steps I had yet to take before I would be content to flee. The first of these was dealing with the fools Doctor Manton threw his lot in with. And it was not as if I was in a rush to leave. After today, the apocalypse would be put on hold. I had tasks I wished to accomplish in the Birdcage. But that was also for later.
Since I was here, I would dispose of the rest. I may have more power than I'd need, but a little more never hurt anyone. There were still a number of desirable magics I wanted in the wider world, but those contained by Manton's allies were strong. They would be mine. I took the Siberian first because she was the most dangerous as well as the key to dealing with the others. Now, none of the Nine held any magic that threatened me. I could dispose of them all with relative ease, using their one time ally to end them.
Crusader, Menja and Othala joined Eidolon and The Siberian. Crusader sent ghosts into the air, and Othala empowered them, sticking to invulnerability and super strength so Burnscar would not gain any advantages. With that done, Othala was banished. Purity appeared in her place, and Eidolon subtly enhanced her power with his own. We advanced.
X
"Uncle Jack! Look!" Bonesaw said with a surprised gasp as she thrusted the small phone she was playing with towards him.
Jack Slash took the phone and rubbed his little bonesaw's head affectionately. She truly was the best thing he ever did. Jack couldn't contain his surprise as he read over the article Bonesaw provided him. "Eidolon kicked it, huh? It's a shame they don't say who killed him. I'd like to meet that fellow."
"It said he died in Brockton Bay. Maybe they're still there! Can we go? Please?" Bonesaw begged, sticking out her lower lip in a pout.
Jack smiled affectionately at the girl and said, "Now, Bonesaw, you know that isn't how we do things. We vote. Now, we have one vote for Brockton Bay. I vote we stop by as well, so that makes two. Anyone else?"
Shatterbird shrugged. "I don't care."
Burnscar rubbed her hands anxiously. "I…I want to go."
Mannequin's joints slotted into place as he stood. He nodded… And immediately thereafter was smashed into the ground by a gigantic, shadowy foot.
Jack exploded out of his seat, a grin on his face. "Look at this! It's been some time since someone was bold enough to come after us. Hatchet Face, go get…" Jack trailed off as he saw Hatchet Face vaporized in a stream of golden fire. That was unexpected. Hatchet Face was a strong Brute. Destroying him with one blast was impressive, especially considering his nullification aura should have helped to protect him. Oh well.
"Siberian?" Jack looked around, a small frown on his face. "Siberian?" The striped woman walked out from behind a tree and approached him. "Ah, there you are!" Jack said with a smile on his face. "Why don't you go and–" Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
Jack leapt back just as the Siberian's fist passed through the space his head once occupied. Jack frowned at the snarling Siberian. "Now, Siberian, is that any way to treat your friends? Shatterbird, why don't you…" Shatterbird was lying unmoving on the ground. Well that wasn't fun. "Burnscar…" She was also unmoving. What was happening?
"Crawler!" Jack yelled, seeing the Siberian advancing towards him with a predatory smirk on her face. "Now is your chance to finally fight the Siberian! Show her what you can do!" There was no answer.
"Apologies, Jacob, but they can't hear you. I am sorry to say you're on your own now." a small blonde boy said as he drifted down from the sky. He was flanked by a procession of shadowy figures. Ah. That's what was happening.
"I take it I am in the presence of the Fairy King? Allow me to present my humble self. I am–" Jacob felt wrong. Something in his chest was…
Jacob fell to his knees.
"I didn't feel like wasting time dealing with your Thinker magic letting you dodge attacks and irritate me with conversation. It's hard to counter complete, instantaneous nervous system shutdown. If David wasn't such an idiot, he would have used his power similarly. It's a testament to Bonesaw's skill that you aren't dead yet. I can fix that." The boy's hand descended towards Jacob.
"W-wait… I–" The hand touched his forehead…and nothing happened.
"Huh. That's never happened before. Likely a byproduct of your secondary power." the boy said, sounding completely surprised.
"What can I say? I'm–" Jack was cut off as his body was divided into dozens of neatly sliced, meaty cubes by Eidolon's power.
The boy shrugged, as he looked upon the grotesque mass of meat before him. "There is more than one way to break an egg."
X
That was anticlimactic. These were the terrors that had torn a bloody swathe across the United States for years? All but two of them were dead in the first minute. Most of them were dealt with in one or two strikes. All it took to deal with Crawler was to have Eidolon shut off his healing and let the Siberian literally walk through him. I'd expected him to be a threat, so I'd dealt with him and his trailer first. I needn't have bothered.
The only one still alive was Bonesaw, and she was in a deep sleep watched over by Eidolon. Bonesaw was skilled, so I wasn't going to risk her waking up on her own and escaping. She was still alive only because I was separated from the Siberian and did not want to risk her plagues ending me.
Panacea, Blasto, Tattletale and the Siberian appeared beside me. The Siberian laid her hand on me to protect me while I touched Bonesaw's forehead, taking her power and killing her. Tattletale informed me of seven separate deadman's switches activating upon Bonesaw's death, but Panacea quickly dealt with all of them. Blasto offered minor input on how to counter some, but his help was mostly unneeded, especially once Bonesaw herself joined my spirits and quickly showed Panacea how to deal with the rest. It would have been irritating if Bonesaw's death had unleashed a zombie plague that slew the entire planet, so I'd been cautious.
The Slaughterhouse Nine were dead; all of them were now subjects of my court. There was still another stop I intended to make before my scheduled time to enter the Birdcage, but I hadn't expected the Nine to be dealt with in a meager hour. If I finished my next task as rapidly as I had dealt with the Nine, I would likely find myself with extra time. Should such an occasion arise, I would deal with it as it came. Though I had my doubts that dealing with my next target would be so simple.
I pursed my lips as I pondered my next move. I had power now. Some of the most feared magics in the world belonged to me… Magics?
I sighed, walking towards a metal table Tattletale informed me was Bonesaw's improvised laboratory for the Nine's stay at this rundown cabin in the middle of nowhere Iowa. Tattletale, Bonesaw, Panacea, Blasto, Eidolon and Canary gathered around me as I laid down on the table.
I couldn't afford to put this off any longer. If I did, I ran the risk of being so far gone that I thought I was hearty and hale, electing of my own will not to fix my mind. My power was great, but that power came with a price. The first was my curse of youth. Fortunately, I hadn't encountered many issues due to my stature after receiving Othala. Her power granted me the strength and durability my form stole away, dealing with the weakness almost immediately even though I was still a child physically. Perhaps Bonesaw could help with that?
I was getting distracted. I needed to fix my mind. If fixing myself now meant I would have to do it again later, I would need to suck it up and fix myself multiple times. I couldn't risk going off the deep end when I faced my next foe. Attacking them without my reason intact would spell my end.
Panacea laid a hand on my arm and shut off my nerve endings while Bonesaw cut into my head under Tattletale, Blasto and Eidolon's supervision. As Bonesaw cut into me, her spirit translated her findings to me. Evidently, my skin and bone were both healthy, but that wasn't what she was searching for.
It was a strange experience to watch a shadowy specter casually set aside a panel of your skull, but I had Canary hum dulcet tones to calm me. Her voice was beautiful.
Bonesaw's next report alarmed me, causing me to jolt even under the effect of Canary's power. Bonesaw had discovered that I was Mastered. I clenched my fist as my breathing turned furious.
Cauldron. There was no other answer. Who else had the opportunity to shackle me? Contessa must have used my conversation with Alexandria to…
Tattletale was saying that was highly unlikely. If they could have mastered me, they would have done so before losing Eidolon. No, the Master had to be someone else, someone with constant access to me.
As one, Tattletale and I turned to look at the spirit of Canary standing nearby. I ordered Bonesaw to determine what the mastering was forcing me to do. Her spirit told me the Master effect was forcing me to remain myself. That did not make sense.
As Bonesaw delved deeper into my brain, her reports turned even more worrying. My power had thoroughly destroyed my ability to reason, corrupting and co-opting everything. Tattletale assumed that with each new power, the effect magnified twofold. By the reports of Panacea, Blasto and Bonesaw, I should have become a schizophrenic madman unable to comprehend the workings of the world by now. The only thing keeping me lucid was Canary's Master effect. By having her sing to me so often, I'd unintentionally mastered myself into remaining somewhat normal.
I needed to deal with this right now. If my current personality was the effect of a Master power then… No. I would not dwell on that.
I ordered Bonesaw to find a way to fix me, and her spirit began rushing around her lab, gathering various tools and vessels with Blasto's help while Panacea kept her hand on me and ensured nothing happened while Bonesaw was distracted.
The operation that followed was grotesque and visceral. At one point, Bonesaw had to remove my brain from my skull completely, somehow maintaining its connection to my body with a spool of copper wire. I did my best not to think about how she was doing what she was doing.
Once the operation was over, Bonesaw sewed me back together and Panacea healed me with biomass provided by Skitter's bugs. I was no longer mastered and felt…like myself. It was like someone had pulled a magnet out of my head that was forcing me to move a certain way lest it crush my brain. I felt calm. I felt…good.
Bonesaw, with help from the spirit responsible, had also removed the Master effect over me and installed some biological contraption to prevent Masters from easily taking hold over me in the future. Because she'd made the anti-master protection so generalized rather than in response to any one specific power it wasn't foolproof, but it would certainly work long enough to allow me to summon Canary and counter whatever effect was being attempted. She and Panacea also installed a block in my head that would hopefully prevent me from losing myself to my power again. Panacea would regularly check on it by touching me, but both spirits were confident it would work.
I… It wasn't long since I came to this world – had it really only been a week? – but it still felt like a year since I was able to think clearly. I'd… I'd really turned into a monster, hadn't I?
I sighed as I swung my legs over the side of the table and looked ahead. Each and every spirit I'd taken winked in and out of the space in front of me as I remembered killing them all. Some were unnecessary. Some hadn't deserved what had been done to them. I'd killed them anyway.
I took a deep breath and stood. This was the choice I'd made. I knew at the outset that this path would damn my soul, and I chose to walk it anyway. I wouldn't allow myself to fall to despair now. I was not a hero. I would never be a hero, but that didn't mean I would go out of my way to cause needless suffering anymore.
When I was losing it, I started internally and externally monologuing about being a monarch. While it was perhaps arrogant of me, that was a title I could assume. Monarchs were rarely saints. They did what they had to to safeguard their people, sometimes terrible things. I didn't have people to watch over yet, but that would be my new goal. I would become their Vlad Dracula, impaling those that would threaten them on spikes and leaving them to rot in the sun. I would create a utopia for my chosen subjects and eliminate any and all threats to their prosperity.
I snorted. Beautiful as that mental image was, it didn't change the fact that I was an unrepentant mass murderer and had intentions to kill again. Originally, I was going to go after Toybox for their Tinker powers, but now I was shying away from that course. I didn't really need their Tinker powers. Tinkertech was finicky and required far too much maintenance to be useful in the long term. I would need to personally inspect, maintain and upgrade anything I made with Tinkertech which would pull my focus away from other things. Hard science was better. Besides, I had an alternative.
Eidolon appeared next to me. I'd never attempted this before, but I knew it was possible with Eidolon's power. Eidolon lifted his arms, and the Slaughterhouse Nine's temporary lodging disappeared, replaced by a vast plain with tall yellow grass that extended in all directions. Strider, Othala, and the Siberian appeared at my side. Othala granted me flight and invulnerability and the Siberian laid a hand on my shoulder for redundancy's sake. Strider began teleporting. We stopped at the top of a cliff overlooking a river. A dark forest with vines snaking between the trees. A vast ocean with coral reefs jutting out of the water like shark fins. On and on we went.
This was an entirely separate Earth – an uninhabited Earth. I didn't know if Cauldron knew of this world or had plans to start operations here, but I didn't care. I would use it to progress my new goal all the same.
Strider returned me to the forest. Skitter, Panacea, Bonesaw, Blasto, Bitch and Tattletale appeared around me.
Skitter got to work pulling everything her power controlled to us while Panacea and Bonesaw began gathering other forms of biomass. There wasn't really a lot I could do right now. I had plans to be elsewhere soon and would need a lot of time to get anything substantial going here, but I could start.
The bugs Skitter collected were mostly ones I recognized. I wasn't sure if those I didn't recognize were native only to this Earth or if I simply wasn't aware of their counterparts on the Earth I was familiar with. It didn't matter, I was collecting them to fuel Panacea's power, not to catalog them.
Over the next three hours, Panacea, Bonesaw and Blasto used material gathered by Skitter to create new species. There weren't a large number of them, but the hope was that they would multiply and there would be more when I came back. Skitter's orders would remain after she left, so I was confident there would be more when I returned.
My plans for Bitch would have to wait for later as three hours wasn't enough time to create a new 'dog' that was recognized by her power, but I would have plenty of time to come here and make progress when I was 'trapped' in the Birdcage.
I didn't need Toybox and their Tinkertech. I had all of the best biologically oriented powers on Earth Bet and could use them to create whatever I needed. Some of the best builders in nature were bugs. I could use Skitter's control of Bonesaw and Panacea-created bugs to construct whatever structures I needed. Bugs and canines both could serve the role of guardians.
I chuckled under my breath. I'd called myself a fae when I spoke to Alexandria, hadn't I? Strangely, that title kind of fit me. I came from beyond Earth Bet and had unexplainable powers. Now I was planning to use nature itself to create an otherworldly home that I would rule over. It felt kind of ridiculous that my fractured brain was able to pick a name so fitting for me – Oberon.
Of course, this was just in the beginning stages. I still had things to do on Earth Bet, then more to do in the Birdcage, but I would stop by this world every few days to help things along with my spirits. Once there was enough progress, I would likely move everything to a new world that would hopefully be outside of Zion's reach. ROB gave me my powers, so it was possible that Eidolon could now reach beyond the shard network. Actually…did that mean I could go to other…
No. I had enough to deal with right now. Once I'd finished everything on Bet, then finished in the Birdcage and progressed far enough with my plans that were a biological affront to nature itself, then I'd explore that potential.
I had things to get done before I went to the Birdcage for one major reason: The Faerie Queen. I had no idea how she would react to me, but that was why I'd told Alexandria I needed a week before going to the Birdcage. I wasn't sure how Glaistig Uaine would react to me even before I'd called myself Oberon, but now I had potentially slighted her before ever having met her. There were even odds that she'd either consider me insignificant or try to kill me the moment she laid eyes on me. I wanted time to gather some strength before that confrontation. Now that my mind was whole, I was starting to see a better way to do that.
Jack Slash had shown me my Striker power wasn't absolute, so I was willing to bet Glaistig Uaine was probably immune to it. That meant if it came down to a fight, whoever had the better capes would win. I had Eidolon now, but outside of him, my versatility was far eclipsed by Glaistig Uaine's. I needed powers that would lift me up to level with her without much effort on my part. I had heavy hitters, but I needed power interactions and powers that made my abilities, as well as those of my spirits, stronger.
My original plan had been to raid Toybox, but that had been before I fixed my head. I wasn't suddenly a beacon of morality, but in the future, I would try to do at least a little better. Even if I hadn't given my word – which was binding even with a fixed mind – I wouldn't go after the Protectorate, Wards or Guild now. If I was really serious about creating an otherworldly haven, I needed to brush up on my nonexistent political skills for the inevitable negotiations I would be party to in the future, but that was for later.
For now, I knew of a group that the world as a whole despised for their inhumane practices and tyranny. No one would lose any sleep over their deaths, least of all me, and I would gain what I needed to feel confident facing the Faerie Queen through their deaths. In addition to being monsters, they were formed around some of the most effective power interactions on the planet. From what I remembered, their power interactions made them untouchable by the entire rest of the world. Add on the versatility provided by my power, and my strength would increase tenfold with just a few additions. The hardest part would be claiming them through those power interactions, but I could deal with my targets the same way I dealt with Manton. I wouldn't need to fight them. All I had to do was teleport behind them and touch them on the shoulder.
Eidolon and Strider appeared at my side as the biologically-oriented capes faded. Skitter ordered the new bugs the others had made to multiply before fading herself. Eidolon summoned his power and returned me to Earth Bet. Eidolon summoned up the same power he used to locate Doctor Manton and used it to locate the man that would allow me to bring my enemy down almost immediately… The power was saying he was in two-hundred-thirty-four places at once. That couldn't be right. Eidolon tried again and received the same result.
That…was very weird. The power had honed in on Doctor Manton without issue, pinpointing his location and letting me kill him the moment I arrived. I wanted to do the same with my current target because if he was allowed to use his power to connect to…his…allies…
Oh. That's what was happening.
My current target was a cape called Null or Zero; he was connected to the Yangban, the parahuman military force of the Chinese government, and was instrumental to their success. Null's power allowed him to work as something of a relay network for powers, allowing every single parahuman within his network to use one-another's powers simultaneously. Every parahuman in his network could call up every other power in the network and use it in tandem with their own, leading to a devastating fighting force to face. The Yangban had a number of powers that I could use to enhance myself and my spirits, but I needed to eliminate Null first so their cohesion and the threat they posed to me was drastically lessened. The problem was that I couldn't pinpoint Null himself. Every time Eidolon used his power, two-hundred-thirty-four different people lit up around the world. The vast majority of them were in China, but there was a group of twelve in Niger and another thirty in Egypt at the moment. I didn't know what they were doing in Africa and didn't really care. I needed Null dead before I took the others that I wanted.
I switched targets from Null, ordering Eidolon to target Two, another Yangban member with the power to amplify the powers of nearby parahumans. When her power was used in tandem with Null, Two and whoever she was connected with could create a feedback loop that drastically increased the effectiveness of any power used in the network. Unfortunately, when Eidolon's power found her, I received the locations of two-hundred-thirty-four individuals again.
Pursing my lips in frustration, I ordered Eidolon to provide me with the location of Alexandria. The power worked without issue. Alexandria was currently in Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown's office doing work for the PRT. The power was working fine then, it was just a weird power interaction that supplied me with Null's entire network whenever I targeted someone in it.
I tried various other Yangban members I knew of and wanted, but every time I came back with the same result. For whatever reason, Eidolon's power was highlighting everyone connected to Null's network any time it tried to focus on an individual within the network. Tattletale joined us as I tried to figure out who Null was based on the various pings I received. Tattletale was able to narrow it down to one-hundred-twenty-two individuals, but that was still far too many. The moment I killed any Yangban member, everyone attached to the network would lose the power and know they were under attack. I needed to kill Null first so I could take Two and the others without the threat of every power in the network being used against me.
I needed a way to be certain I was teleporting behind Null so every power in the network was shut down from the source. Eidolon wasn't cutting it, and neither was Tattletale at present. I could ask Alexandria to get Contessa or Clairvoyant to give me the location, but then I would be in Cauldron's debt, and that idea did not sit well with me. I had a full week to figure this out, and I would. I just needed to find information from a source that wasn't Eidolon to give Tattletale something else to work with. I had a good idea where to get that information.
On my order, Strider took me to Brockton Bay – the top of the Medhall building. Tattletale scanned the area and pointed out another building that would give her a better vantage. Strider took us there and Tattletale continued her search. Three new vantage points later, Tattletale found what I was looking for.
Kaiser, Manton and The Siberian, Purity, Labyrinth and Tattletale were drifting in the air at my side as I strolled boldly down the center of the street. I'd selected a theme while I was going insane, and I planned to stick with it. There were enough similarities between myself and the fae for me to easily assume the role, and, while it was probably a screwed up reason, I enjoyed playing the part. If any theoretically real fae had an issue with me pretending to be them in the future… Well, if things worked out with the Yangban the way I hoped they would, I would welcome them to try to screw with me.
What few people were out this late in the evening fled the moment they laid eyes on me, many paling or screaming as they ran. A large pick up truck that was coming towards me squealed to a stop before reversing away as fast as possible. It seemed everyone was suitably wary of me and what I could do. Good, that would make this easier.
Tattletale told me to turn left, and I did. She indicated a restaurant ahead of me and I walked up to the door.
"I seek the Dragon of Kyushu." a dozen voices called in unison, whispers overlapping and subsuming my voice as I spoke. "I give my word as a king that I have not come for battle. None shall be harmed unless I am attacked first. I seek a conversation."
There was silence on the street around me for close to a minute. Skitter appeared at my side and began looking around the area. It was possible Bakuda was a member of the ABB by now, and her bombs had the potential to royally screw me. If Lung decided to attack instead of talk, I needed to be ready.
A bell hanging over the door to the restaurant jingled as a shaking, sweating woman pulled the door inward and bowed. "Th-the g-great Lung will s-see you, your majesty." Her eyes were fixed on the floor, refusing to even look at my feet.
I strode right past her. She jolted as my spirits flowed around her. The moment I was inside, she fled out the door and closed it behind me.
A tall, shirtless, burly man sat at the center table of the restaurant, a cup of tea in his hand. Lung's iron mask lay on the wooden table in front of him as he watched me approach. There was no one but the two of us in the restaurant.
"You are not welcome here, child. Speak quickly and leave." Lung said curtly. He did a good job of hiding it, but Tattletale recognized the nerves in him, the fear. His power was the one thing he held onto to give himself purpose. The thought of me taking that from him was terrifying to him. He was going to attack. No. Bakuda was going to attack. Tattletale was able to pick up that Lung was confident his backup would be able to deal with me. I needed to get what I came for fast. I had no reservations about killing him and the ABB's entire cape roster, but I wanted information on my true target before they died.
"I seek information about an old enemy of yours: the Yangban. I ask that you tell me all you can of where they held you, their soldiers, and their methods."
Lung's eyes narrowed. He was surprised. "You intend to fight the Yangban. You will lose."
"If you believe that to be the case, then supply what I ask. Your enemies shall break themselves against each other, leaving you free to eliminate what is left."
Lung's lips thinned into a line. Skitter felt someone teleport to the roof of a nearby building. Tattletale warned of a coming attack. "No. You will–"
Strider arrived in place of Kaiser to teleport me backwards as Oni Lee teleported again. One of his clones was holding a futuristic bomb that was flashing red in the space I just vacated. The bomb exploded, warping the space around itself. That bomb might have been able to kill me.
The Siberian laid a hand on my shoulder and spread her power to me as I flew up with the flight Othala granted me. I did not want to risk Bakuda having trapped the area.
While I could leave now, I'd come to give Tattletale a better starting point she could use to find the Yangban's bases and the locations of Null and Two. While there were others I could seek who may have been held by the Yangban at one point or another, Lung was the only one easily available. As it was, it would be better to get Lung to talk. That and, of course, an attempt had just been made on my life. A fae king would not suffer such, would they?
"I ask for conversation and you seek my end? I shall not allow this slight." I declared. Skitter's bugs felt Oni Lee teleport again. Purity was swapped for Kaiser who made several needles before being swapped for Rune. Oni Lee teleported closer, Skitter's bugs marking his every move. The moment he reappeared, three needles were sent into his throat. One went up towards his brain while the other two went down to pierce his lungs and heart. Oni Lee collapsed. Another spirit joined my court.
Canary took Rune's place as I descended back towards the restaurant. Lung was standing just outside the door. Liquid fire not unlike napalm was sloughing off his body as his muscles bulged. Metal scales were slowly growing on his limbs and torso as he gathered his fire together to hurl it at me. His current state was a problem. I needed him to cooperate to get the information I needed from him. Canary began to sing.
The fire rages within you
Burning down the world
You search so desperately for solace
But only embers do you hold
You strike with such ferocity
To reclaim a life long mourned
The woman in the hat is watching
Break like the kingdom you forged
Lung froze, the fire surrounding him like a halo flickering before winking out. He was staring straight ahead at nothing. It was as if he was seeing something that wasn't there – a specter from his past that had come to haunt him once more. Canary descended down beside him and began whispering orders in his ear. His expression was dead as he spoke short, clipped words in answer to the prompts Canary put in his head. It wasn't long before Tattletale had all the information she could get out of him. I laid a hand on Lung's shoulder. The Dragon of Kyushu fell.
I turned and rose into the air. Canary had told him to supply the location of Bakuda during her interrogation, and now I planned to visit the woman who tried to kill me. There was a roar in the distance of a motorcycle fast approaching – Armsmaster's approach as Tattletale supplied – but I paid it no mind, flying directly towards the warehouse where I would find Bakuda.
Skitter's bugs mapped out the area when I arrived and found the woman within the building darting around her shop in a panic, frantically working on something. I didn't want to risk getting caught in a Grey Boy bomb or some other trap she had set up in her lab, so I had Manton summon the Siberian and Crusader summon his ghosts. My projections flooded into the warehouse.
Bakuda annihilated the first wave of Crusader's ghosts with a grenade launcher, but she turned and jumped out a window in a desperate panic when she saw the Siberian approaching. Free of her lab, she was a much less intimidating threat. The Siberian was resummoned to my side and transferred her power to me as Strider teleported us down into the alley Bakuda was fleeing through.
Krieg appeared in front of me as Bakuda reflexively fired a grenade at us, using his power to alter the grenades path to the street behind Bakuda.
Bakuda was shaking. The grenade launcher fell from numb fingers as she backed away. "I… You can't kill me! I have a deadman's switch! If I die, everything in a twelve block radius goes too! Killing me will kill you!" she finished with a snarl, her fear having been traded for rage.
I stared at her with no emotion as I walked forward, Bonesaw taking Canary's place. Bakuda began to back away again, but Fenja appeared behind her – having replaced Crusader – and knocked her legs out from under her. Bonesaw walked forwards with the Siberian and I. The Siberian laid her other hand on Bonesaw's spirit to grant Bonesaw her power. With the Siberian's power, Bonesaw reached down and easily carved into Bakuda's chest with her fingers, crushing the bomber's heart.
Bakuda instantly went slack, but no explosions sounded. Bakuda's shriveled heart was still beating in Bonesaw's hand as she fiddled with the valves, fooling it into thinking it was still alive and attached to an equally alive person. Bakuda's spirit appeared at my side and deactivated the deadman's switch without any fanfare.
I had what I needed from Brockton Bay, and if I had my way I would never return. This place was a cesspit. It could rot for all I cared. Strider appeared at my side and pulled me away from Brockton Bay towards my next target. Tattletale had taken Lung's information and been able to narrow down Null's probable location to forty-nine individuals. I just needed to do a little more research and I would find him.