Interlude 5
Robin Sawyer, known to most as the Protectorate hero Velocity, hummed to himself as he strolled casually down the street.
The life of a Mover was a lonely one. Well, his specific brand of Breaker/Mover, at any rate.
Robin's power sped his perception of the world while also removing him from it, in some esoteric way. It was a curse as much as it was a blessing.
He could jog on water. He could walk across the city in less actual time than it took Colin to make it half as far on his fancy bike.
He also couldn't touch anything, at this speed. His power kept him safe from the hazards of moving like this, but it also protected the world from him in turn.
Robin idly kicked a piece of crumbled brick as he passed. It did exactly jack-squat.
Still, there were benefits to existing like this. Even at a relaxed walk, he could barely be seen, unless he stopped for a few seconds. Around him, the world moved in slow motion, cars and people reduced to a silent movie with only one spectator in the audience.
Hence, the loneliness. And the boredom.
He couldn't even listen to music on his patrols. Electronics didn't play nicely with his Breaker state, and the sound came out all distorted and broken. He technically had a radio in his helmet, but it was set to automatically power off when he started moving out of necessity. Colin was still trying different methods, but every prototype so far had been fried by the incongruence between his power and the surrounding world.
He didn't mind the quiet, though, in general. It was as peaceful as it was boring.
Three intersections ahead, a black sedan with tinted windows ran the red light at reckless speed, even if they still moved at a crawl to him.
Car chases had the potential to get very bad, very quickly. He decided to take a moment to check in with the console.
The world sped up around him and the sounds of the city exploded in a raucous cacophony compared to the peaceful silence of his Breaker state.
"Velocity to Console. Just saw a high speed vehicle heading north on Market. Please advise," he spoke into the coms.
"Copy that, V. Tag along but stay back a ways, I'll have an update in thirty," Ethan's chipper voice replied. "Don't spend too long in dreamland and miss it."
Assault was stuck on console duty as punishment for… something. Robin had lost track of his transgressions. Still, he appreciated the upbeat attitude.
"Roger roger," Robin said, turning off the radio and returning to 'dreamland'.
He jogged ahead and around the corner. At least his powers helped keep him in shape.
He often wondered if they were killing him at the same time, though. Every day had the potential to be a week or more, from his point of view. His powers seemed to handle the heavy lifting, keeping him from having to sleep and eat constantly, but still… would he find himself going grey in a few years?
Probably better not to think about it.
It didn't take long to catch up to the speeding car, even though they were doing a stellar job at maintaining their velocity through the morning traffic. Probably a professional, then.
As instructed, he hung back a few blocks and returned to a walk to match their speed. He didn't want to tire himself out unnecessarily.
Keeping track of real time was difficult like this, but he had a lot of practice. He stepped into an alley, just in case, and returned to tangibility.
"Velocity to Console. What are we looking at?"
"We just got a report of a disturbance in the Trainyards, could be cape activity. The car might be headed that way. Continue to follow and provide reconnaissance. Low profile, you know the drill," Ethan said.
At least Assault could be serious when it was warranted.
"On it. I'll check in when I can. Velocity out," Robin said.
He continued his casual stroll through the silence, keeping the black car at the edge of his vision.
Sure enough, they drove into the abandoned Trainyards at a breakneck pace. Someone was definitely in a hurry.
They skidded to a stop in front of… was that an abandoned hospital?
Not exactly encouraging.
Robin hid behind a building and peaked out to monitor his target.
A skinny girl with long black hair jumped out of the driver's seat. She didn't look like she was old enough to be driving, especially like that. A parahuman? Or just a really good driver?
Then she pushed off the ground and flew ten feet in the air and thirty feet forward, and his question was answered.
It also seemed like she only had one foot? In this slowed reality, she moved like she was swimming through molasses. Even from this distance, Robin could see that she was missing her left foot.
Strange.
It definitely didn't slow her down much, though. She landed on her good leg and jumped again, the force carrying her into the desolate building.
Back in the car, he saw the passenger grab something out of the back and slide over into the driver's seat before they slowly pulled away.
Well, slowly to him. They were probably moving as fast as they could.
Robin stepped fully into the alley and returned to the normal timestream. He pressed one of the buttons on his visor to tag his position before reactivating his radio.
"Velocity to Console. The driver exited the vehicle and entered the old hospital at my current location. Driver is a parahuman, Mover or Brute. The car was driven away by a second passenger. Please advise."
"Roger that, V. Stick with the rogue cape, and see if they exit the building. We'll get backup ready to go just in case."
"Gotcha. I'll keep you posted," Robin said.
Reentering his Breaker state to glance at the hospital, Robin almost did a double take.
From the front door of the building, Carpenter appeared.
The pieces clicked together in his mind. The supernaturally skilled driving. The enhanced leap.
Carpenter, the murderer who had killed forty-seven people with some combination of saw, gun, sword, and hammer was… a kid?
Well… shit.
He watched carefully as she flew through the air, coat and scarf flowing in the morning breeze behind her.
That's a big hammer.
It roughly matched the indent on the busted warehouse wall from Saturday night, though. If it could do that to sheet metal, he didn't want to imagine what it could do to a person.
What it had done to a person. Multiple, from what he saw of the reports.
She also had a sword strapped to her side. Crazy.
And, where her previously absent foot had been…
What the hell is that?
She reached down and yanked back on one of the levers, the metal post in the middle of the device sliding back and clicking into place.
Was that…
Surely not.
Carpenter brought the contraption down on the roof of an abandoned car, and the cylinder slammed downwards to throw her up and over the surrounding buildings.
She had replaced one of her feet… with a pogo stick from hell.
That was a new one.
Robin stepped back again and took a couple breaths before he radioed it in.
Sound returned to the world.
"Velocity to Console. Driver has exited the building. It's Carpenter. Repeat, I have eyes on Carpenter."
There was a long moment of silence rather than an immediate reply. Not unexpected.
"Velocity," Armsmaster's voice was grave compared to Ethan's. "Do not engage. Follow at the maximum distance possible while retaining visual. Carpenter has an unknown Combat Thinker ability that may allow for enhanced senses; do not stop moving and do not exit your Breaker state within her line of sight. Militia and I are leaving PHQ now. ETA twelve minutes. Ping your location every thirty seconds if possible."
"Yes, sir," Robin confirmed before moving again.
The fast moving villain… vigilante? Was already out of sight by the time he rounded the corner, but he knew which direction she went. It only took a few minutes of jogging to catch up, keeping a wary eye on the dark figure bouncing over the ruined buildings. As instructed, he stayed far back and hid behind the crumbling structures whenever possible.
It soon became extremely apparent where she was heading. He could see the shining beacon that was Purity in the distance.
He stopped in an alcove to report again.
"Velocity to Console. I have eyes on Purity. Carpenter is after the E88 again," Robin said, glancing up from his current cover to see…
A gunshot echoed over the buildings and Purity fell from the sky.
"Update: Carpenter shot Purity. Repeat, Purity is down-"
An ungodly roar echoed through the air and his mic screeched briefly in his ear before shorting out.
"HOOKWOLF!"
The voice didn't sound human.
For a moment, Robin was frozen with instinctual terror. Some deeply ingrained part of him screamed that he was being hunted by a predator he had no hope of escaping.
What the hell was that?
It could only be Carpenter, but…
They hadn't included that bit in the briefing.
Robin sped up again and carefully made his way forward. He even climbed a fire escape the old fashioned way so that he could crouch on a rooftop a few hundred yards away from the action.
They really should have chosen a darker color for his costume. Even hiding like this, he didn't like being bright red when he was trying to keep a low profile.
Just in case, Robin moved to the left and back again every couple seconds. The rapid vibration helped to keep him invisible to normal perception. He kept his eyes focused on the battle far down the road.
Damn.
Carpenter took Hookwolf apart.
She can teleport?
Then she killed Rune.
And Stormtiger.
Jesus.
Were those Hellhound's dogs?
He could see Carpenter yelling at Hookwolf in slow motion, but he didn't dare return to tangibility to listen. He didn't want to end up on the receiving end of one of her bullets, and he had no idea what her range was. She had taken Purity out of the sky, after all.
Hookwolf turned and ran away.
Robin didn't know if that had ever happened before. Probably, but not without a fully coordinated Protectorate response.
He stayed to watch and see if he could gather any useful information, even if he didn't dare move any closer.
Carpenter walked over and huddled next to Hellhound, Grue, and one of the dogs, but he couldn't see what they were up to. Soon, she stood and headed back towards the wreckage to retrieve her hammer.
Carpenter was…
Was she stealing the bodies?
That was…
Not good. Extremely not good. Possibly Bonesaw or Nilbog levels of not good.
It might also explain the unmatched blood samples present at her last two massacres. If she was taking the parahuman corpses for Tinkering, or whatever she was doing with them…
Shit.
And the Undersiders were helping her?
He saw her clasp hands with Hellhound, and then get into the car with Tattletale.
When Tattletale and Carpenter finally pulled away, Robin ran another block down the street in the opposite direction and risked returning to normal speed.
"Velocity to Console. Carpenter killed Stormtiger and Rune, ran Hookwolf off, and took the bodies with her. She and the Undersiders are working together."
He was greeted with only static.
Oh. Right. Whatever Carpenter had done knocked out his mic.
Robin sighed. He was going to have to fill out a form for that. And everything else that he saw today.
So much paperwork.
At least he could hear Colin's bike getting closer, now that sound could reach him again.
Should he follow Carpenter, or stay here and wait for Colin and Hannah?
There was going to be a lot of cleanup, and he couldn't run off without a way to communicate. He decided to stay and debrief.
Also, being alone anywhere near Carpenter was terrifying.
Besides, they already knew where Carpenter's base of operations was, now. He could foresee lots of meetings in his future.
…
Public speaking wasn't necessarily his favorite part of running the largest gang in the city, but it was certainly a profound experience.
"You, each and every one of you, have the rare opportunity to be part of something greater than yourselves. Together, we provide one and other the means to rise, to become more than the sum of our parts."
People were easy to manipulate, when one found the right words and tone. Most people barely thought about anything for more than a few seconds, and making them feel the right things was more important than what was actually said. Invoke the correct emotional response, and people would fit the message into their previously established worldview.
"Together, we can cut away the poison that has infected our society. We are honor-bound to do so, to create a better and brighter tomorrow."
They were the same people who heard 'part of a balanced breakfast' in a commercial and assumed that meant the advertised product was healthy.
"Join us, in this righteous mission. Do your duty to both yourself and your kin, and do not shy away from what must be done."
Every army needed soldiers, and soldiers who were devoted to an idea were the most zealous and enthusiastic. Give them a target to blame for their hardship, the root of their suffering, the cause of their malcontent, and they could be aimed more effectively than any weapon.
"We will not falter in our pursuit of improvement. We are strong enough, brave enough, to stand up for what is just, even in the face of such adamant and evil adversity.'
Max Anders stood clad in his shining steel armor, blades curling high behind him as he addressed his Empire.
Here, he was not just another member of high society. He wasn't just another faceless man in an expensive suit.
Here, he was Kaiser.
And his Empire roared their approval.
At his back, his Valkyries stood tall and armored, the perfect complement to his towering forest of steel.
To his left, Krieg was dark and menacing in his Nazi apparel. The necessary evil, to burn away the undesirable.
To his right, Crusader and his ghosts were resplendent in shining armor. The righteous hero; the counterpoint to the less palatable parts of their crusade.
Unfortunately, Othala wasn't present. The continued absence of Victor was wearing on her, and she refused to leave their safehouse. At least she would still heal anyone who needed it, but the loss of enthusiasm was concerning.
"Do not allow yourself to become complacent. Do not fall for the lie. Do not let others dictate the direction of our people. Only we can be the change that must occur. Only you can make that decision for yourself."
The crowd in the wide warehouse cheered. Max felt his phone vibrate in his pocket under the armor, but he ignored it.
"Go forth, soldiers of the Empire Eighty-Eight, and do not go quietly!"
The applause was music to his ears.
He and the rest of the capes stayed on the stage while the audience filed out. He would meet with his more competent and influential unpowered members shortly to ensure that the enthusiasm built during the rally would not be squandered.
Soon, Brad and Kayden would bring in the irritating Undersider, and he could begin his work to curtail Hunter. The loss of Victor and Cricket may not be seriously debilitating, but it was an insult that could not be tolerated.
Krieg hung up the phone and met him as he made his way off the stage. He leaned close to speak quietly into Max's ear.
"Hookwolf and Purity failed. Hunter intervened and… Max, Kayden is dead."
What?
Surely not.
Purity…
His Kayden…
It felt like a knife to the gut, twisting and tearing, but Max remained stoic. He was the leader for a reason.
"Are you certain?" He asked.
"Brad was, at least. Rune and Stormtiger are gone, too. And, according to Hunter, she already killed Victor and Cricket."
Shit.
This was… a serious blow. To both the Empire and his credibility.
Not to mention his emotional state. Max could feel himself becoming more compromised by the second as his iron grip on the helpless rage and encroaching grief slipped.
For all that he manipulated her out of necessity, he loved Kayden, in his own way. And that psychopath took her from him.
From Aster.
Hunter thought that she could hunt them like animals. Like beasts. Max's blood boiled at the idea.
He couldn't exactly call for help, though. If anyone found out how many of the Empire's roster had been cut down, they would eat him alive.
Calling a moot at Somer's Rock would be no use. Coil was a backstabbing snake, and Lung wouldn't give a single shit about a vigilante hunting the Empire. The less said about the Merchants, the better, and the Undersiders were working with Hunter. Faultline would have no vested interest in helping him, especially while Hunter gave no indication of gunning for her crew.
He couldn't even request assistance from Gesellschaft without admitting how weak his forces had become.
Five of his capes, some of his strongest, butchered in less than two weeks. It was abhorrent.
"She… Brad said she had a message for you," James continued.
Max raised his eyebrows behind his helmet.
"For me?" He asked warily.
"She said that if you go after her people again, she would 'mount your head in her workshop next to Cricket's'," James said.
That little…
How dare she presume to threaten him?
"That won't be a problem," Kaiser said coldly.
"Sir?" Krieg asked.
"Find her. No more games. We'll rip out this insidious, venomous weed by the root, and burn her for everyone to see," Max hissed.
"Yes, Kaiser."
…
Lisa flopped onto the recliner in the Undersiders' lair and groaned in frustration.
It was going to be impossible to get those stains out of the car. And the smell. She would probably just burn it and claim the insurance money or something. Blame it on the gangs.
Most effective methods of car insurance fraud include-
Not now, power.
"Wow, you look like shit. What'd I miss? Also, you're in my chair," Alec said, returning from the kitchen with a plate of pizza rolls.
"Haven't you looked at your phone? Rachel's shelter got attacked by the Empire," Lisa said, closing her eyes and making no move to get out of 'his' chair.
Phone located on bedside table. Power induced apathy affecting necessary motivation required for retrieval.
"There's no pause button in ranked mode."
Lisa sighed.
"It wouldn't have made a difference anyway. Hunter dropped in and killed them all before I even got there. Well, not all of them. She let Hookwolf live because she didn't feel like talking to the Protectorate."
"Damn," Alec said with a low whistle. "This is who we're supposed to be recruiting? Not that I mind a little bit of bloody murder to spice up the group dynamic, but it's a wee bit high key for my tastes."
Has no moral objections to murder. Has killed before. Prefers not to kill for practical purposes.
"Brian vetoed the recruitment anyway. Not that Hunter would have accepted. She shot me down from the get-go. Was kind of a bitch about it too," Lisa complained.
"You're just mad that she didn't fall for your charms," Alec grinned.
Lisa opened her eyes to glare at him.
"No, I'm mad because she refused to even consider joining, then she stole my car and got blood on my seats. And in my trunk," Lisa said.
"That's rough, buddy."
"I hate you so much."
"I'm wounded, truly," Alec deadpanned. "I don't think I'll ever emotionally recover from the sting of your disapproval."
Lisa's phone rang.
Of course, Coil decided to call now. She wondered how much random bullshit he magically already knew this time.
Lisa flipped Alec off in lieu of a response and went to her bedroom to take the call.
"Sup, Boss?" She chirped with false bravado.
"Tattletale. I hear you had an exciting morning," Coil said.
"Yep. You want the good news or the bad news?" Lisa asked.
"I would be surprised if you have even worse news, considering the fact that the Protectorate saw your entire little escapade, and now believes you are partnered with Carpenter."
Lisa's blood ran cold. How had she missed that?
"Velocity caught wind of your little morning drive through downtown and tagged along," Coil said, as if answering her question.
She changed tactics on the fly.
"All part of the recruitment effort. Shared conflict creates instinctual bonds. I've already moved us from being 'strangers' to being 'comrades-in-arms'," Lisa said.
Coil hummed doubtfully, the bastard.
Does not expect recruitment to succeed. Recruitment is a cover for gathering information. Wishes to blackmail Hunter. Believes this is the only method that will ensure her compliance. Does not currently possess the necessary blackmail material.
That made sense. Hunter would never work for Coil willingly, and he had to know that.
"See that you continue, then. Just don't let Carpenter drag you down to her level. You're supposed to be drawing her in, not the other way around."
As if she ever had any chance of that.
"Sure, sure. I'll make sure to resist the temptation to go on any murderous rampages," Lisa snapped.
"See that you do."
He hung up on her. Asshole.
She allowed herself a small smile, though.
No need to tell Coil that Carpenter knew he was their boss.
No need to tell him that she would drink his blood and harvest his organs while he screamed.
With any luck, Hunter would remove Coil in a delightfully violent manner and Lisa could step in to take over his organization. Hunter didn't seem like the type to worry about petty things like finances. She was too busy drinking blood from the skulls of her enemies and shooting Nazis.
Hunter was an enigma, both to Lisa's power and to Lisa herself. Her power's feedback had been… conflicting, at best.
She really wanted to know what Hunter was thinking about that made her so certain that Lisa wasn't actually psychic.
As for the rest…
Hunter is suicidal.
Hunter is not suicidal.
Hunter wants to die.
Hunter does not want to die.
Hunter does not believe that death is permanent.
Hunter knows that death is not permanent.
Hunter has died before.
Hunter is not dead.
Lisa shook her head and fell backwards onto her bed.
Whatever the hell Hunter was, she just might be the perfect wrecking ball to throw into Coil's house of cards.
Lisa just had to make sure that her skull didn't end up in Hunter's collection in the process.
…
Emily Piggot hung up the phone and clenched her fists hard enough to draw blood from her palms.
The Empire were out in force, pushing to take territory in both the Docks and Downtown. For now, the damage was limited to unpowered scuffles between them and foot-soldiers of the ABB and Coil's mercenaries, but it wouldn't stay like that for long. They hadn't done anything like this in months, and certainly not in broad daylight.
She knew why they didn't try to hunt at night, though. Not that it would save them from her.
Emily had already known that she was being stonewalled, but she thought that the Chief Director would have some decency.
There was a murderous tinker in her city, with a lair in an abandoned hospital, killing capes and stealing their bodies for her experiments, and no one wanted to do anything about it.
"Establish contact, Emily."
"Forcing an escalation will only lead to further bloodshed, Emily."
"For all her faults, Carpenter continues to target exclusively villains. Surely that should allow her the benefit of the doubt?"
Emily wanted to scream.
No Kill Order. That request had been a bit of a stretch, but multiple parahuman homicide had certainly earned one before. There was more than sufficient precedent.
No Birdcage order. Clearly, Carpenter meant something to someone. Fifty people was a lot of bodies to ignore.
No blowing that accursed hospital to smithereens.
No walling it off and throwing away the key.
No publicizing the true extent of her crimes.
Just a… warrant for Carpenter's arrest, under suspicion of murder.
As if Velocity hadn't seen her kill three people with his own eyes.
Emily hated capes. And, currently, Rebecca Costa-Brown.
She dialed the phone.
"Director. Any updates?" Armsmaster's voice was tense. She knew he was dealing with conflicts on a number of different fronts in addition to Carpenter, and the idea of attacking a Tinker's lair was not to be taken lightly.
Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get that order. Not today.
"Find someone who isn't busy with the Empire and isn't likely to get themselves killed by Carpenter while attempting a diplomatic approach. We must establish contact to determine both the veracity and the severity of the threat before we decide on a course of action," Emily ground out.
There was a long pause.
"Yes, ma'am," Armsmaster's voice was conflicted. "I would advise forming a defended isolation perimeter around the area, in the meantime."
Emily very much agreed. Rebecca did not, and they definitely didn't have the manpower to maintain an isolation zone without out-of-town support.
"I appreciate the insight. At this time, please maintain the current level of surveillance and attempt to make non-violent contact. That is all."
The words felt like ash in her mouth.
"Are you sure, Director?" Armsmaster asked.
"Yes. Thank you for your concern," Emily snapped.
She hung up and hurled the phone against the wall.
When Carpenter killed them all, she was going to allow herself the pleasure of saying 'I told you so'.
…
"I know that we all have more than enough on our plates, so let's move through this quickly. Velocity, you have the floor," Colin said.
The current protectorate roster stood around one of the large conference tables at the PRT headquarters. With the Empire on the move, they decided to meet here instead of the PHQ.
The Wards were not present. The Wards had a single, very simple standing order when it came to interacting with Carpenter, which was simply, "Don't."
"Carpenter is more versatile and better equipped than our original estimates indicated. I observed several abilities and Tinkertech armaments that were absent from Sunday's report."
Even Assault didn't interrupt.
"At some point since the Medhall break in, Carpenter either lost or amputated her left foot. She has replaced it with a Tinkertech prosthesis that functions as both a weapon and a mechanical means of transportation, increasing her Mover abilities substantially."
That got some raised eyebrows.
"Wouldn't a prosthesis function as a mechanical means of transportation by definition? It wouldn't be much of a prosthesis if it didn't," Dauntless said.
"The combination of her natural mover abilities and the prosthesis allowed her to clear a four story building and leap at least 150 feet laterally," Velocity said.
"So… she strapped a Tinkertech pogo stick to her leg?" Assault asked.
Velocity shrugged but didn't comment.
"Her other new piece of tech matches the blunt damages from Saturday night. She fought Hookwolf with a giant hammer made of metal or stone, the head of which lines up with the dent on the warehouse wall."
Assault whistled appreciatively.
"Next, she can teleport."
Several groans sounded from around the table. Teleporters were irritating to fight when they didn't also have a grab bag of other deadly treats.
"I'm assuming that it's close range only, since she didn't use it to close the gap between herself and Rune or Purity. She only used it to dodge Rune's projectiles, but she definitely turned to smoke for a split second and reappeared a couple yards away," Velocity continued.
"It might be reactive," Miss Militia added.
"Possibly. Finally, she has a sonic ability that has some type of mental effect, similar to Glory Girl's aura. Her scream shorted out my microphone and was distinctly unpleasant and disorienting. I felt… afraid, although I had no reason to. Aside from the obvious, of course."
Colin added the items to the whiteboard as Velocity talked.
"Master? Or Shaker?" Battery said.
"I don't know. They checked me over when I got back and decided I didn't need confinement, but it was… unsettling. Like I was a bug under a microscope or something," Velocity seemed to suppress a shiver at the memory. None of them mentioned the obvious similarities to… her.
They all looked at the list.
"That's… a lot of powers," Assault said.
Enhanced strength.
Enhanced durability/regeneration.
Enhanced speed.
Enhanced perception.
Short range teleportation.
Hazardous scream.
Tinkertech:
-Prosthesis.
-Hammer.
-Sword.
-Saw.
-Pistol.
"At least we know that her regeneration ability or tech can't regrow limbs," Colin sighed. "Unless, of course, she amputated it herself to allow for more effective use of the Tinkertech prosthesis. It's not unheard of."
"Been thinking about lopping some bits off and installing more efficient replacements?" Assault asked with a grin.
Colin didn't dignify that with an answer. He had obviously considered it, but the degradation of the Tinkertech over time could leave him stranded at an inopportune moment. Plus, he hadn't managed to program an artificial intelligence powerful enough to handle a comprehensive neural interface. It wasn't exactly his area of expertise.
"Plus, we still don't know what she's doing with the bodies," Miss Militia pointed out.
Everyone looked uncomfortable at the reminder. Colin decided to move on.
"Velocity has identified what is likely her lair: an abandoned hospital in the Trainyards. We have been tasked with establishing non-violent contact with Carpenter."
"They don't want us to go after her?" Battery said in surprise.
"Not yet. Direct conflict with her could turn lethal at the drop of a hat, and, despite her suspected crimes, she has still only ever targeted the Empire. There could be mitigating circumstances," Colin said. "Also, Velocity reported that she's young, potentially Wards age. Without an active Birdcage order, she is still technically a candidate for probational recruitment."
"You still want to recruit her?" Triumph asked in surprise. "After the… what? Fifty murders? That's… a lot of dead bodies, boss. For anyone, even a teenager."
Colin resisted the urge to grind his teeth. He certainly didn't want to recruit the murderous vigilante, but Emily had her orders from on high.
"Until she turns on innocent people or heroes, we'll have a leg to stand on," Colin said.
"That's more than Carpenter has, metaphorically and literally," Assault said.
Battery smacked him on the back of the head.
Colin sighed.
"All of which brings us to the most immediately pressing question. How do we establish contact, and who do we send? I'm open to ideas."
"I can't believe I'm about to suggest this," Dauntless said. "But Assault may be the best candidate. He's the most bulletproof out of any of us, and his attitude may… defuse… what would otherwise be a tense situation."
"I volunteer as tribute," Assault deadpanned.
Ethan's previous occupation as the villain Madcap also gave him a unique perspective when it came to bringing in well-intentioned vigilantes.
Colin still didn't like it, for multiple reasons. Assault wasn't the best negotiator, and it felt… cowardly, to allow his team to go into a dangerous situation while he sat back and watched.
Battery didn't look happy about this turn of events either.
"How do we know she won't assume we're there to fight her and come out guns blazing?" Battery demanded.
"I could make a PowerPoint presentation," Assault offered.
Battery looked like she wanted to hit him again, but resisted this time.
"It's a valid question. It seems needlessly risky to enter her hospital. Wandering into a violent Tinker's lair is a bad idea across the board," Colin said.
He was loath to admit that his best idea was to just… stand outside, in plain view, until she came out to talk to them.
Maybe the PowerPoint wasn't such a bad idea, after all.
"We'll maintain surveillance on all sides of the building from a safe distance. Assault, you'll be on standby starting at 5:00 tonight. Hopefully, when she leaves for the evening, we can make contact," Colin continued.
"Not to prod the elephant in the room but… what exactly am I aiming for, here? Pitch the Wards and a potentially clean slate to an edgy teenager who, by all accounts, hunts Nazis for shits and giggles?" Assault said.
"That, and provide additional reconnaissance. We don't know what she's doing with the parahuman bodies or why she's targeting the Empire. We don't even know what her Tinker power actually does, aside from apparently creating… unique… weaponry and prosthetics," Colin replied. "We also don't know the nature of her relationship with the Undersiders. She may be part of their team, or the incident today could be a fluke."
"I can probably manage to ask without getting shot," Assault said. "But she doesn't exactly have a reason to answer."
"Depending on the tone of the interaction, advise her that every further escalation will put more pressure on us to pursue her. We are being more than reasonable with this approach," Colin said.
Even if it grated on him to do it.
"I'll do my best, boss," Assault grinned at him. "I have it on good authority that my mouth is one of my better features."
Battery smacked him again.
…
In one timeline, Thomas Calvert reviewed the reports from the morning's mayhem.
When he tasked Tattletale to recruit Hunter, he hadn't expected it to blow up so spectacularly in her face. Not that he was complaining. The current conflicts with the Empire across the city were perfect for his goals, and the PRT's limp-wristed approach would only make it easier to eventually depose Emily.
He would bring Tattletale in later to get all the information that she failed to include in her report. She wasn't as slick as she thought she was.
For now, he had a better use for his other timeline.
Namely, figuring out what the hell Carpenter had done to this damn hospital.
He and a select group of four men walked warily through the hallways, but they never seemed to end. By all logic, they should have hit the side wall of the building ages ago. It felt like the hospital went on for miles in every direction.
Just endless corridors, broken waiting rooms, offices, exam rooms and surgical suites. None identical, and yet all eerily similar nonetheless.
Some kind of Shaker effect? It had to be Tinkertech of some kind. No parahuman power could do this, especially not as part of whatever grab bag Hunter acquired.
In a way, it reminded him of a very different set of endless corridors and pristine white rooms-
He shook those thoughts from his mind.
Something in the stagnant air changed. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, until…
He heard it, then. A repeated and rhythmic beat of metal on tile.
His men raised their weapons, but Thomas knew that it was futile. This reconnaissance mission was never meant to succeed, and he had no doubt that the spider would know when flies entered her web.
There was a very different metallic thunk, like a vault door locking into place.
Thomas turned just in time to see the vague ripple of living darkness rocket down the hallway before his men began screaming.
And then suddenly went silent.
"Good afternoon, Coil," a cold voice hissed in the dark. "I didn't think I would get to make good on my promise so soon. This is exciting."
It didn't take long for Thomas to drop the timeline. No amount of information was worth… that.
…