Monday, February 28th…

"Dude, this is a dumb fucking idea." Tim Howard aka Uber muttered to his partner as he adjusted his armor over his body. It was a set of stark-white, plastoid Stormtrooper armor that Uber and Leet used during their Star Wars themed show where they raided a patrol of "Rebel" Wards.

"I mean, she said she's got a job for us. She's not a hero. So this could turn out good!" Todd Sweeney aka Leet said back as he shifted uncomfortably in his own armor, the lighter Scout Trooper version of the armor.

Uber held the SMG-sized E-11 blaster in his hands, the standard armament of a Stormtrooper, while Leet had Han Solo's DL-44 heavy blaster pistol holstered at his side from a different Star Wars themed performance. Leet had tried to make the smaller EC-17 hold-out blaster that a Scout Trooper actually would've used, but unfortunately the weapon blew up the first time he tried to test it.

"You know she pretty much single handedly took out the Merchant's right?" Uber grumbled as he scanned the perimeter around them.

When Tech-Priest had contacted Uber and Leet for a business meeting they decided to meet up in a neutral area away from both of their headquarters. They had chosen an abandoned train station in the Trainyard. It was a simple, red brick building emptied out of everything but a few piles of trash and abandoned benches. Nearly all of the windows were either broken or boarded up. A quick scan with Leet's drone said that their only company were insects and abandoned train cars, but that didn't mean anything to Uber when they were meeting with a Tinker.

"The Merchants attacked a Tinker in their own workshop. That's like, seven different flavors of retarded," Leet said back. "Even we could take on a small army of Capes and druggies if I had all of my tech and defenses."

Uber had to think about that, and actually came to the same conclusion. If Skidmark, Mush, Squealer, and their goons attacked their base, Leet still had enough functioning tech that Uber was pretty confident he could take out most of them.

"Fair," Uber conceded. "But she's not a villain. She's a Rogue. One who's been known to be friendly with the PRT. What part of her message to you made you think you could trust her?" PHO was flooded with threads about Tech-Priest's initial appearance at the PRT HQ, as well as the Protectorate response to help her after she was attacked. She may not be a hero, but she was most likely on their side.

"I may be friendly with the PRT, but that by no means puts me on 'their side.'" A synthetic voice boomed around Uber, echoing throughout the empty station.

Uber's hand twitched on his blaster, and he almost raised it. At the opposite end of the train station, he watched 4 red-hooded figures approach. The two, taller, male figures pushed open the spray painted glass double doors as two, hooded female figures walked through.

One of the figures Uber could immediately tell was Tech-Priest, as her hair and stature looked the same as the girls he saw on PHO before the threads got locked down. The other woman, and it was definitely a woman, not a girl judging by her stacked figure, Uber had no idea who it was.

"Tech-Priest." Uber said, his voice calm and warm. He was using his powers to boost his interpersonal communication, very useful for diplomatic situations like this. "We didn't hear you approach."

Tech-Priest waved him off with a cybernetic hand. "That is the point. Enginseer here was able to modify our transport with stealth technology."

Uber blinked, processing what he was just told. Then his eyes moved to Enginseer. She was a somewhat tall, attractive woman. Busty, with unkempt blonde hair beneath her red hood. Uber had never met Squealer in person, but even with her welder-style goggles, and the fact that she was a Tinker who worked on vehicles, it wasn't hard for him to put together who he was looking at. He swallowed.

"Oh, stealth technology!?" Leet asked excitedly. Apparently he didn't come to the same conclusion that Uber had. "How did you achieve that? I have a pseudo-cloaking device built based on the same framework as my hologram projector, but it's pretty temperamental right now."

"It's actually a chemical substance placed on top of our transport I call cameleoline." Enginseer said proudly. "Like a chameleon, it reacts to the nearby environment to blend, creating a near perfect camouflage. Combine it with sound dampeners on our engines and wheels, and it becomes quite difficult to detect."

"Whoa." Leet breathed out, undoubtedly impressed. "Oh man, using chemical based camouflage rather than light based cloaking! Man, how have I not thought about that?!" He then turned to Uber. "Dude! Metal Gear Solid show! Easy! You can be Snake and I'll be Otakon!"

Uber had to admit that sounded pretty fucking cool. Like, uber cool. But right now they had more important things to worry about. "As awesome as that sounds, we should probably focus back on why we met in the first place."

"Indeed," Tech-Priest agreed as she snapped her head towards Enginseer. "And we shall stop sharing our technological secrets before we've had further negotiations."

Enginseer bowed her head in shame as she stepped back. "Apologies, Tech-Priest."

Uber nodded as he stepped forward. "Right well, so you said you wanted us for a job. What did you have in mind?"

Tech-Priest moved forward to meet Uber halfway. "Simple. I wish to extend an invitation to the two of you into my organization. I believe an merging of our two groups would be a boon to all involved."

"What?" Uber asked, the sheer surprise at Tech-Priest's audacity not letting him come up with any better response. Tech-Priest wanted to combine their gangs? What the actual fuck?

"You're interested in video games?" Leet asked excitedly. "Do you want to do streams with us too?"

"No. To both of those questions." Tech-Priest said to him blankly. "And to be blunt, if you join us I would ask that you end both your criminal activities and your streams."

Uber pulled a face like he just sucked on a lemon. "The Hell? Why would you want to team up with us if you don't want to be a villain or do video game streams?"

"Because Uber," Tech-Priest rasped out as she focused her gaze onto Leet. "Your companion here I believe is one of, if not the most important Tinker in Brockton Bay."

…

What?

Uber turned his head slightly and saw that Leet was standing ramrod straight, thrown completely for a loop by Tech-Priest's words. And Uber knew why. While Uber loved Leet like a brother, he knew that Leet was honestly dragging him down. If they were lucky, half of what Leet made would work, and that number was getting smaller every day. While it sucked to say, Leet's time to shine as a Tinker had come and gone long ago.

"That…" Leet stammered out. "That isn't funny."

"Good, because I am not telling a joke." Tech-Priest immediately answered. She took a step towards Leet, causing him to flinch and reflexively step back. "You, Leet. You who are so used to being abused and written off as a mere fool are one of the most important Tinkers in Brockton Bay! You were blessed by the Machine God to create anything! No other Tinker can make such a claim! Not me! Not Armsmaster. Not even Dragon!" Tech-Priest practically lunged forward as she moved face to face with Leet.

"Yet here you are, squandering your potential on video game knockoffs and replica weapons! Do you not hear the Omnissiah beg you, cry for you to break through your asinine constraints to create more!?" Tech-Priest gripped Leet by the straps of his Stormtrooper armor, causing him to fall back.

"Whoa whoa back off!" Uber shouted as she shoved his way between the two Tinkers, separating them.

That was a mistake, because as soon as he touched Tech-Priest, her two guards immediately raised their Tinkertech guns and aimed them right for him. Uber instinctively began reaching for a quickdraw skill to see if he could get a shot off before they hit him.

"Hold!" Tech-Priest shouted, stopping her guards in their tracks. Slowly, they lowered their weapons, letting Uber relax. Tech-Priest straightened her robes and spoke. "Apologies Uber. I may have allowed my excitement to get the better of me. Perhaps I need to recalibrate my emotional dampeners. But regardless, my point still stands. I see potential in you, Leet. More so than anyone else in this city. If you leave behind your life of streams and petty crimes, I can provide you with resources and allies who can help you achieve so much more than you ever have before."

Tech-Priest turned her head back to Uber. "And you are free to come as well. Your combat capabilities are well known, and I would be more than happy to provide you with Tinkertech weapons and enhancements should you desire."

Uber blinked again. This was a lot that Tech-Priest was trying to push onto them. Sure some non-exploding Tinkertech and an army of cyborg goons would be nice, but she was asking them to change their entire livelihood to join her. Not to mention the whole fucking Squealer thing. His eyes flicked over at Enginseer. Both her arms were mechanical. Was she injured that bad in that attack against the Mechanicus, or did she ask for those upgrades?

"I'm in." Leet immediately answered.

Uber snapped his gaze to his friend. "Dude! What the Hell!?"

Leet returned a look of determination that Uber had never seen in him before. "Uber, think about it. We barely make enough from our streams to support ourselves, and our luck won't hold out forever. One day we're either going to be caught by the Protectorate, or taken down by some other villain. And to be honest, working with Tech-Priest sounds a lot better than jail or getting incinerated by Lung."

Crossing his arms, Uber shook his head. "You know bro, you'd almost make a convincing argument. Hell I'd join you in saying yes if it wasn't for the fact that Tech-Priest here turned Squealer into her own personal cyborg slave!" Uber pointed a finger at Enginseer. "Or am I wrong, Tech-Priest!?"

Leet gasped behind his mask, while Tech-Priest scowled at Uber. However, it was Enginseer who responded before any other. "It is quite rude to point, you know?"

At her words, the energy and conviction behind Uber's accusation deflated. "Sorry." He muttered as he lowered his hand.

Enginseer nodded. "Thank you. And to answer your question, yes, I am the Cape formerly known as Squealer. But you are wrong in your other assessment. Tech-Priest did not enslave me, she saved me."

"Saved you?" Uber couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the statement. "Lady, I don't know if you've looked into a mirror recently, but you're a few limbs short to be considered any sort of 'saved.'"

"If you cannot see the blessings these improvements have bestowed upon me, then that is your failing, not ours!" Enginseer hissed at him, her face contorted beneath her welder's goggles. Then just as suddenly as the anger appeared, it vanished as she composed herself. "What do you know of me from my time as Squealer? I do not remember much, but I read the articles, saw my criminal record. By the Machine God I've even seen photos of what I used to look like. And I am disgusted by who I used to be.

"I look at the technology I used to create, and I am disgusted by how small my mind was. What are monster trucks when compared to the power of a fully armored main battle tank that even an Endbringer would fear? What are dragsters with boomboxes compared to a mechanized walker that could level a city with a single blast of its main cannon?" Enginseer stood tall and proud as she approached Leet and looked him in the eyes. "Tech-Priest turned me into something better. She made me not a failure. So what do you think she could make you into?"

Leet froze and he stared back into Enginseer's eyes. He swallowed hard as his emotions were no doubt battling within him.

"I'm in." Leet eventually squeaked out. He then turned to Uber. "Dude. I don't want to be a loser anymore."

Uber sighed in resignation. Leet seemed dead set on this. And this was the first time Uber had seen his friend really want to go for something. "Are you going to lobotomize us and turn us into cyborgs?"

As he said this, Uber focused his powers on reading microexpressions. He had seen an Earth Aelph TV show where the main character could tell if a person was lying based on involuntary microexpressions, and he had experimented with using his powers on it. While he could now recognize the expressions, he still had to study which expressions correlated to what a person could potentially be thinking, and he could tell if someone was lying with a moderate accuracy.

"So long as you do not betray or attack us, I shall not force anything upon either of you." Tech-Priest said. "Though if you wish for it, I shall provide you enhancements and maintenance free of cost."

Uber narrowed his eyes on Tech-Priest, and to his dissatisfaction, couldn't tell if she was lying. She had zero microexpressions. It was like she was a fucking doll or robot talking. He sighed.

"Okay fine. We're in. But!" Uber pointed his finger at Tech-Priest. "If I smell anything fishy, I'm pulling us out."

Tech-Priest scoffed. "The only thing you shall be smelling is progress and motor oil."

"That sounds objectively false, but whatever." Leet shrugged. "So, where do we go from here?"

"What do you say about combining our labs tonight?" Tech-Priest asked. "We have space in the Manufactorum, and the sooner we share our technology with one another, the faster we can both make improvements to our Tinkertech and ourselves."

"Tonight?" Uber asked incredulously. "We have a lot of stuff, volatile stuff might I add, that we'll need to move over."

"Don't worry, I have plenty of Skitarii here for manpower, and we have a second camouflaged truck which we can fill with the tech."

Leet nodded. "That sounds good. Guess we can ride with you to show you where our lair is."

"A logical course of action." Tech-Priest bowed before she spun around and made her way back to the truck, Enginseer and her two Skitarii guards falling in behind her.

Leet stepped forward, joining them, leaving Uber behind for a moment. Uber sighed, hoping he was making the right choice letting the two of them get absorbed into Tech-Priest's gang, before he then swiftly stepped forward to catch up to his friend.

Taylor watched impassionately as her Skitarii carried crate after crate of Leet tech into her workshop beneath the Manufactorum. As she knew she would be, Taylor was greatly impressed by the sheer breadth of technology Leet had been able to create. From holographic projectors and laser weaponry, to power armor and medical technology.

Leet had by far the most diverse portfolio of Tinkertech that Taylor had ever seen, and yet nearly all of it was limited to pop culture references and props. Taylor could recognize some, such as the iconic lightsaber, or that armor from Halo, but the identities of many of the others eluded her. It was simultaneously exciting and disappointing to now be working with Leet. He had such potential, but hamstrung and limited himself in such a foolish way. Hopefully Taylor could remove that silly and illogical constraint that Leet placed upon himself.

The sound of a heavy crate dropping upon the table next to her drew her out of her thoughts. Uber and Leet, no longer in their Stormtrooper armor and instead just wearing the black body suits and domino masks, had just carried over a box filled with some of Leet's weaponry that Taylor wanted to see.

"What do you have for me?" Taylor asked as Uber and Leet began to lay the weapons out in front of her.

Leet grinned a full face smile. "Only some of my best weapons!" He then stood over the two laser guns that they held in the train station. "These are my Star Wars blasters! The E-11 blaster rifle and the DL-44 heavy blaster pistol!" He then shifted to a much more alien looking weapon, two oblong purple-blue shapes connected by a handle that pulsated with plasma. "And this is the Covenant Plasma Rifle! We used this when we did the Halo special last Black Friday."

Taylor grunted, not caring for the particulars of the weapons' fictional history. She examined the E11 blaster rifle, her mind breaking down how it operated.

"It's actually really cool how they work." Leet explained. "The gas I used is a Tinkertech concoction based on the Star Wars Tibanna gas. The gas is released from this tank and goes into a chamber that I call the Xciter. It-"

"Energizes the gas into a hyper-charged plasma state, at which point the excited particles are then forced through a focusing crystal into a high-energy particle beam." Taylor finished as she looked over the gun. She then glanced up at Leet. "Or am I wrong?"

Leet blinked at her. "Uhh… yeah. That's exactly right. Do your guns work that way too?"

Taylor shook her head. "No, I focused on pure photonic energy. In fact, until I looked at your weapons, I was unsure of how to create my own particle beam or plasma weapons. And upon further inspection of your blaster…" Taylor held the E11 blaster rifle into the air as if it were a newborn infant. "Leet, my friend, I think I can replicate and mass produce your technology."

Uber and Leet both let their jaws drop, while even Enginseer looked at Taylor in surprise.

"What!?" Leet shouted as he slammed both his palms onto the workbench in front of them. "You… you can copy my tech!?"

"Not a perfect copy." Taylor nonchalantly waved off. "For instance, I have no idea how you created this Tibanna gas. I suppose a better word would be, reverse-engineer. But this weapon, combined with the designs I have of Kid Win's Spark Pistols and Armsmaster's Plasma Halberd, I am quite sure I can now create my own version of a plasma weapon, despite it not being part of my speciality."

There were more blank stares. "What!?" Uber shouted again. "Are you like Dragon? Can you make Tinkertech based on others?"

"Oh it's not Tinkertech." Taylor answered. "At least, not entirely. See, Tinkertech is not just highly advanced technology. Do you think I could've actually programmed my prosthetics on my old laptop? Or do you really believe that Leet or any other Tinker could actually constrain photons into a hard light form? That is not advanced technology, that is the breaking of physics. And the breaking of physics is required in the construction of such technology. And this reality breaking aspect of Tinkertech is not something that I can replicate. However! In recent days I have been working on what I would call my partial-Tinkertech."

"Partial-Tinkertech?" Leet asked back.

Taylor nodded. "Indeed. For example, knowledge to create lasers has been around since the sixties. However, it is the efficiency and portability of the energy sources and focusing lenses, along with other various constraints, that limit the creation of handheld, mass producible laser weaponry. Tinkertech however, bypasses all of those limitations by the sheer fact that it is physics breaking bullshit. The tradeoff there being, as we all know, only Tinkers can build and maintain their Tinkertech. What I seek however, is a merger of the two paths. In the case of lasers, keep the energy sources and lenses Tinkertech, but replace the rest of the parts with highly advanced, non-physics breaking technology in order to reduce the cost and maintenance time of the Tinkertech. Such as replacing high conductive carbon for copper. This dramatically increases its replicability and reduces Tinker upkeep from something required daily to instead required weekly or even monthly. This is all in exchange for a reduction in power and reliability of course. Such is the sacrifice when working with sub-optimal material. This process is how I am currently able to outfit so many of my Skitarii and Guardsmen at once with their weapons. Simple really."

"Wait, simple?" Uber let out a humorless laugh. "If it's so simple, why has no one else done it? Why hasn't Dragon or Armsmaster been able to do it?"

"Well simple is a relative term," Taylor chuckled to herself. "While I've only met Dragon once and cannot speak for her, I do not believe Armsmaster has the same level of intelligence that I do. After all, I have the equivalent knowledge of PHDs in multiple engineering and scientific fields. And this knowledge base is only growing by the day. If I wanted to construct a non-Tinkertech neodymium inertial confinement fusion reactor, it would be a simple matter of acquiring the resources and fabricating the parts. I am not being arrogant when I say I am most likely the smartest person in the entire world right now.

"And in the same way that my intelligence allows me to substitute parts of my own Tinkertech to reduce upkeep, this knowledge also allows me to substitute Tinkertech out of my speciality with existing science and technology. Combined with my own Tinker powers, I believe I could functionally reverse-engineer and replicate any of your tech, Leet. Or anyone else's Tinkertech for that matter."

Taylor then placed the E11 blaster rifle back on the table. "For this weapon here, perhaps if we replaced this Tibanna gas with hyper compressed hydrogen, and changed out the Xciter with something I could build with my powers, perhaps a miniaturized fusion reactor similar to what I use to power my armor, then I could create my own plasma weapon. Though I envision one that is far more damaging with a lower rate of fire than what I've seen in the Star Wars film."

Uber's eyes narrowed on Taylor. "Okay, so you're not exactly replicating Leet's tech. You're just so fucking smart that it's easier for you to reverse engineer and make your own tech based on his. But I don't get how this helps you semi-mass produce it. Even if it's only partially Tinkertech, it's still Tinkertech. And reduced Tinker maintenance is still Tinker maintenance. How are you able to maintain all of your Skitarii and Guardsmen's equipment, and the Tinkertech of anyone you sell to?"

"Very good question, Uber." Taylor smiled at him. He was sharper than she anticipated. "First, the non-Tinkertech parts could be maintained by any engineer or technician with the necessary electrical engineering knowledge. The few Tinkertech parts would have to still be maintained by a Tinker, either myself or another. But, I have ways to enhance the speed of such maintenance."

Part of the reason that Taylor could expand her Skitarii numbers so quickly was that when they were mind-slaved to her, Taylor could control them as if they were her own body. And she quickly discovered that this meant she could perform Tinkertech maintenance through their bodies with little to no issues. Combine this with the fact that her multitasking abilities let her control all of her dozen Skitarii at once, she could build and maintain Tinkertech at a rate twelve times faster than any other Tinker. A number that would only grow as she built more Skitarii.

Although having the Skitarii work on their own technology was a waste of their time and potential. They were soldiers, and having half their number focus on maintenance and repairs while the other half fought was horribly inefficient. She needed to create a new kind of cybernetic servant. One dedicated to maintenance, repairs, and other cognitive functions.

"Can you also understand my tech?" Enginseer interrupted Taylor's thoughts as looked at her. "Why have you not mentioned this before?"

Taylor nodded. "I have been able to understand your technology as well, but I believed that was for… other reasons." Taylor also hypothesized that her neural connections to Enginseer gave her better understanding of her Tinkertech specialization. While she can't come up with designs like Enginseer can, she can easily analyze and reverse engineer the designs Enginseer has made. "Regardless, this only further exemplifies why you are so important, Leet. I had been stuck on the creation of my own plasma weapons for quite some time, and your weapons have given me the breakthrough I need. I am excited to see what else I can learn from what you've built thus far, and what you will build in the future."

Leet could only stare unblinking at Taylor for several moments. All of this was apparently too much for his organic brain to take in all at once, and he required some time to process this. "Holy shit. Holy fucking shit!" He finally found the words and he excitedly bounced in place. "Holy fucking shit balls. If that's all true, and you can copy my tech. Oh my God then you've pretty much got rid of my main limitation! Fuck! Think about everything we can do together! I would just need to build singular prototypes of… anything really, and you just make more of them! Fuck this is overpowered as fuck!"

"Eloquently put." Taylor bluntly responded. "I take it that this makes you more interested in this partnership?"

"Interested!? To get copies of my Enterprise teleporter, or my MJOLNIR armor working?" Leet was practically jumping in the air. "Tech-Priest, believe me when I say, LET'S FUCKING GO!" He then ran to grab more of his technology from Enginseer's truck, leaving Uber, Enginseer, and Taylor to watch him run out of Taylor's workshop.

Watching his friend run off, Uber sighed and let his head hang a bit. "Okay then, this is now a thing." He patted his legs a few times, seemingly amping himself up before he looked back up at Taylor. "Anyway, with Leet gone, there's some other stuff we should discuss in the meantime. Like our identities and costumes. As well as my role here."

Taylor nodded. "Indeed. First, I would ask that the two of you cease your activity as Uber and Leet. While I am not a hero, I am still a Rogue and the PRT would frown immensely on me working with active villains."

"I figured as much." Uber sighed. "Well, I suppose we could do that. What would we be called though?"

"I have an idea for Leet, but as for you, I think it would be best for you to work with my Guardsmen. Perhaps market you as an elite Cape soldier who will protect the Manufactorum. With the Tinkertech arms and armor to match. I'm thinking of the names Stormtrooper or Tempestus."

Uber hummed at that idea, nodding thoughtfully. "I'd be lying if I said the idea of being a real life Spartan-II isn't cool as fuck. Though calling me Stormtrooper in a town with literal Nazi's isn't exactly a good idea."

"Indeed," Taylor said dryly. "Tempestus it is then. I have a design for a suit and weapon you can use, and we can speak with Sergeant Merrick about your training regimen." Taylor ran her eyes up and down Uber's body. "Physically, your body is already at a high level of fitness, but as with all things, you could be improved upon."

"Training regimen? Improved upon?" Uber's face pulled back as if Taylor had just insulted his entire family. "Tech-Priest, my powers let me master any skill I focus on, right? What kind of training would I need to go through?"

Not even bothering to resist the urge to sigh, Taylor shook her head at Uber. "Uber, have you not been paying attention to the last five minutes? When my enhanced intelligence is combined with my powers, the result is synergistic to say the least. I have studied your streams, and your powers are not as broad as you let others believe. While it wouldn't be to the same magnitude, if you were to become an expert in combat related skills without your powers, you could then focus powers on more, esoteric, skills."

Uber scowled, seemingly unconvinced. "Like what?"

"If you master the basics of marksmanship without your powers, then you can use them for more advanced branches of soldiery. Such as sniping or stealth. Or if you broaden your base martial arts and hand to hand capabilities, then you can use your powers for adjacent skills like parkour or acrobatics to give you an edge in combat."

Uber opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it, thoughtfully looking up. Good.

Not wanting to lose the momentum she had on him, Taylor continued. "Head back up the stairs and meet with Sergeant Major Merrick and Lieutenant Mira. I want you on patrol with the Guardsmen as well once your armor is complete."

"Lieutenant Mira?" Uber pulled another annoyed face. "That chick who called me and Leet a pair of misogynistic man-children?"

Taylor shrugged. "You did beat up quite a few women in that Grand Theft Auto stream."

Uber groaned as he let his head fall back in exasperation. "That was one fucking stream," he muttered under his breath. He then looked back up at Taylor defiantly. "Besides, you fucking kidnap people and turn them into Borgs. You can't exactly take the moral high ground here."

"Into what?" Taylor asked, irritated. "I am not taking any high ground, just stating facts. I know what I am and accept it, and I care little for the opinions of others. If Mira's comments hurt you so, either grow a thicker skin or change yourself to prove her wrong. I care little either way, so long as you work with her." She then shook her head. "And stop with the pop culture references, it is a waste of my processing power to have to look up everything you say."

Quietly grumbling out a small, "Whatever man," Uber shook his head and walked to the exit.

Now with only the two of them alone in the basement, Enginseer turned to her leader and said, "It appears things are moving in your favor, Taylor."

Taylor allowed herself a small nod. "Indeed, Arcana. But not moving fast enough. Uber and Leet will only stay for as long as the money is good. Which as it stands, is not very long at all."

"So you will go through with it then?" Arcana asked as she gave a thin smile.

"Yes. I will accept Coil's deal. If we want to pay Uber and Leet, expand the Manufactorum, and begin construction of our latest designs, we need Coil's resources."

"Tempestus you mean." Arcana said, smirking at the fact that she got to correct the hyper intelligent Taylor. "And what name will you give Leet?"

"Something far more respectable for a member of our Manufactorum. A name that also encompasses all he is capable of doing. Like, Aristan, or Errant." Taylor shrugged as she waved her hand through the air. "Something in that vein."

"Suitably vague, but appropriate." Arcana bowed her head slightly. "But back to Coil. I agree this is the best path. I've estimated that the Chimera alone will take over a million dollars to build, if we attempt to gather all of the supplies through legal channels. If we wish to expand our arsenal of weapons to now include plasma and arc weaponry, we will need his funding."

Taylor nodded her head. "I will also reach out to the PRT again. While they may not be interested in my cybernetics, perhaps they will be more open to semi-mass-producible las-weaponry."

"Planning on selling to both sides?" Arcana smirk deepened at the deviousness of it. "Risky, but potentially well worth the reward. And to be sure, you are not dissuaded by Coil's status as a villain? He controls downtown, and you will not be able to buy him off like Uber and Leet. Despite her annoyingly noble view, Lieutenant Mira does have a point. If your goal is to remove the gangs from Brockton Bay, you will come into conflict with Coil eventually."

"Coil is indeed a villain and we would be fools to put any kind of trust into him. But I am willing to lower myself to working with him for his money. As it stands, we are not strong enough to face down Coil. We are not strong enough to face any of the other major gangs in Brockton Bay." Taylor leaned forward, placing both hands onto the table. "Coil will be funding his own destruction. And we need his money if we want to save not only Brockton Bay, but the world itself."

That proclamation drew a surprised look from Arcana. "The world? A city is one thing, but attempting to save the world is quite the escalation. What has caused you to change goals?"

"Knowledge is both a power and a curse, Arcana." Taylor said softly. "I have connected several hundred gigabytes of RAM within my mind to background processes examining global issues. Climate change, world hunger, Endbringer attacks. It originally wasn't for any reason beyond potential challenges that we as a group eventually try to create solutions for. However, there was a pattern in the numbers. A greater picture that began to unveil itself as I devoted more and more processing power to decoding it." Taylor lifted her head up and looked Arcana right in the eyes. "In a hundred years time, the world as we know it will end"

Arcana stared at Taylor, not saying anything for several seconds. Curious as to what she was feeling, Taylor used her data tether to look into Arcana's mind and see what she was feeling. Despite her own emotional dampeners, Arcana was feeling an alarming mixture of fear and confusion.

After a few more moments, Arcana was able to marshal her emotions and asked, "The world ending is very vague. What do you mean by that?"

"The Endbringers will indeed bring the end." Taylor answered flatly. There was no room for emotions here, just simple ruthless calculus. "At their current rate, within twenty years humanity will be reduced to a fraction of its current size, most likely around two thirds of the current global population by my analysis. With the destruction of cities, the population will condense, forming pockets of civilization which the Endbringers will then attack. And that is without considering the potential of a major crisis such as a nuclear winter or the destruction of all clean water on the planet. But even without them, occurrences of Parahumans are on the rise, and continuing to grow exponentially over time. And where there are Parahumans, there is conflict and the resulting destruction. After the twenty year period, humanity will continue to decline, reducing by a further fifty percent every following decade, until we as a species are functionally extinct."

Arcana paused again as she let this new information wash over her. "That is… sobering. Do you think anyone else knows this?"

"Perhaps." Taylor shrugged. "The data I used to come to this conclusion is public knowledge. Merely… spread across the vast tracts of data on the internet. Any Thinker of high enough rating, perhaps even a true precog would be able to come to the same conclusions that I have. I would be shocked if the PRT or Watchdog has no knowledge of this."

Letting out one final sigh, Taylor felt Arcana strengthen her own emotional dampeners, reducing her feelings as she let the cold power of logic take her over. "So what are we going to do about it?"

Taylor smiled. She would even say she was proud of her acolyte. "The plan does not change. We can do nothing to save the world if we can't even save a city. For now, we focus on Brockton Bay, but we shall keep the knowledge of the end of the world above our heads like the sword of Damocles, and every action we take shall be dedicated to preventing it." Taylor leaned in closer to Arcana. "Humanity has been chosen by the Machine God to be its people. And we shall not fail it by letting humanity fall."

A/N, 7/17/22: And we're done with another chapter! Sorry for the involuntary hiatus, life got busy and all that jazz. I'll see about getting a second chapter done this month, but no promises. To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter, but I decided to just release it and keep the story going rather than staying in writer's block hell and keeping you all waiting. The next chapter will be some interludes for Arc 2, then we get to move onto Arc 3!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!