~Emily Piggot~
She stared with unmatched intensity at the newest growing headache on her desk. She wished for nothing more than to have it disappear, but alas. She learned early on that things rarely went the way she wished them to go. Ellisburg was only the shitcaked cherry on top of the pile of dung that was her life. There was a time when she wanted to make a difference. When she desired to genuinely improve the lives of the masses with her service. And deep inside of her, that flame still had some embers left, she supposed. She just couldn't afford to let those personal ideals guide her actions. She had to be pragmatic, cold, and ruthless to make sure this absolute dumpster fire of a city survived another week. Her task certainly wasn't made any easier by the sabotage from the top. Budget cuts left and right, endless meaningless platitudes, and borderline idiotic orders came to her mind, such as the one to use a surly, edgy, self-righteous, and frankly psychopathic teenager with a massive chip on her shoulder as a poster child for redeemed vigilantes.
It was a hard and thankless job to keep the dumpster fire going, but she was used to it by now. Which was why she was admittedly a bit rankled by the newest cape additions to the bay, despite her mixed personal view. The precarious balance with the gangs of the city that they somehow managed to preserve for better or for worse was in danger of a major upset they simply couldn't afford. Manpower and resources were scarce for the Brockton Bay PRT and they were used to keep literal Nazis and a gang thriving through sexual slavery at bay. Now with the merchants as good as gone thanks to the newest headache, a power vacuum had formed.
At least that was supposed to be the case, but the other players in her city were evidently spooked by the unapologetic break of the Unwritten Rules. This, in combination with the obvious lack of information on all sides, caused a bit of an unintended ceasefire. One she was very reluctantly thankful for since it allowed them to lick their wounds and stock up for what was inevitably to come. The reason for her gratitude wasn't just the silent gangs. That wasn't even the main reason. With trepidation, she glanced at the guesstimate she was sent by the Think Tank. Another Endbringer attack was coming up and according to the experts, chances were high that it would be Behemoth. She already cringed at the inevitable death toll. God, how she hated those fucking disasters. Forcefully, she redirected her thoughts to the presumably lesser headache.
Two months ago, two new capes appeared for the first time in Brockton Bay. They didn't care about putting on masks or trying to hide their identities in any way. On their very first day in the struggling city, Lucifer's pet assassin murdered Skidmark in broad daylight in front of cameras. Now, don't get her wrong, she didn't mourn the moronic drug lord and gang leader who sampled his product daily and without any reasonable restraint. She didn't spare a single tear for the bastard. He deserved his death and worse as far as she was concerned. The problem in the matter was the complete disregard of rules they'd come to rely on and the disregard of the consequences of their actions. It was those rules that somewhat protected the wards and the PRT Heroes even when they encountered villains, and now they were undermined.
It went further than that however. The Think Tank and Watchdog failed to profile them. Worse than that, Brockton Bay as a whole had become a complete void for thinkers and even precogs who concentrated on wide-range analysis. Additionally, both seemed to be extremely resistant to the targeted powers of the thinker variety. Possibly immune even. All they knew was that they weren't affiliated with any of the gangs and that they basically obliterated the merchants by taking out their leader and leaving Squealer to be taken by the PRT. The fact that her body was completely clean from any and all diseases as well as the signs of addiction as confirmed by Panacea was just another part of the mystery. As was her sudden fervor to do good. She practically begged to join the heroes and while they were wary of her change of heart and treated her to the full extent of a Master/Stranger Screening, she seemed to be genuine and they cautiously put her to work upgrading PTR vehicles under Armsmaster's schooled eye. 'At least something good came out of this mess...' She pursed her lips with a heavy frown on her brow as she thought about Squealer.
Her behavior made more sense after she explained how exactly she was recruited by the Merchants. She was just a fresh trigger antsy to start tinkering when she was grabbed by Skidmark himself during a supply run. He then drugged her up to the gills, did unspeakable things to her to break her will, and put her to work. When she heard the story out of the woman's mouth, she couldn't help the dark satisfaction that rose in her at the fact that this particular bastard was dead. She disliked capes in general and she wouldn't ever trust them beyond some very very rare exceptions, but that didn't mean she wanted them to suffer. Most of them at least. Nilbog, Jack Slash, Bonesaw, and their ilk could burn in Hell for eternity and she'd watch every second with a gleeful smile. Most simply were dealt a shitty hand and now they were locked into a life filled with conflict.
Very few managed to escape the downward spiral that seemed to affect almost all Parahumans, and that was why she hated capes. Not the person, but what powers did to them. How they were influenced by their new-found capabilities and how their trauma twisted their perceptions. The fact that they almost always ended up escalating whatever issues they had. It was the one thing most members of the Wards didn't quite understand. They weren't sidelined to publicity stunts and safe patrols because she was evil or incompetent and just wanted to see the city burn. They were sidelined because in this rotten world, at least some fucking morals still existed.
The Wards program existed to allow powered underaged individuals to master their abilities in a safe environment while being supervised by experienced personnel and properly if subtly trained how to deal with threats. Though the Youth Guard managed to intervene in the latter quite often, much to her annoyance. They were children and didn't deserve to be put to use as fucking soldiers. The mere thought caused heavy revulsion in her. She wanted to shield what very little of their innocence remained after having to live through the worst day of their lives. To keep them out of the permanent spiral of violence and conflict just a bit longer. Not that she managed to do that very well in the cursed environment that was Brockton Bay. 'Just another reason to be hated for being a hardass and doing the right thing. That's alright, I guess. It fits my profile. I was never a nice person.'
She smiled sardonically to herself with far too many teeth showing before shaking her head to clear it as she'd already gone on too much of a tangent. She needed to hurry if she wanted to start her dialysis on schedule. She resumed glaring at the reports on her desk. The one she was reading now was focused on the remnants of the merchants. Long story short, they were basically defunct with most members mysteriously disappearing. Except for some leftover dregs that tried to keep the gang alive, they were done for. Rumors of a cape trying to rally them had flared up for a week or so but nothing came of it ever since.
She put that part of the documents aside and focused on the reports that had her scratch her head. The new duo in the city moved quickly and took over the Merchant territory. That much would have surprised nobody. The real surprise came from the fact that it happened with the explicit permission of Mayor Christner. And what did he do with his newfound wealth in real estate? He went and built a nightclub called Lux at the docks. That was it. He claimed the whole territory and evidently protected it since crime rates were at an all-time low in the area, but did nothing much with it as of yet besides creating a rival for the Palanquin. And rumors had it that the Lux was superior in every way. His actions were a bit of a conundrum and that was a much bigger problem than it seemed to be at first glance because it made him somewhat of a loose cannon.
How this Lucifer managed to convince the mayor of making his claim on the area official despite being at least accessory to a murder, she'd never understand. They politely asked Roy Christner to go through the M/S protocols and they turned up nothing. And it went further than that. There weren't any charges leveled against them for the murder of a Parahuman either and when she inquired why that was the case, she was blocked completely. Despite the frankly horrible post she was assigned to, she was pretty high up in the totem pole and her clearance reflected her status. The fact that she had absolutely no access to anything beyond a basic threat assessment about this man and his entourage who set up shop in her city made all her alarm bells ring. Her clamoring did nothing but earn her orders to tread carefully and prioritize a diplomatic course of action over a violent one. An order that made her cringe.
Capes and diplomacy rarely went hand in hand in her experience. Not to mention the numerous differing opinions within her roster. Some were glad the scum was permanently off the streets, others argued that all they did was trade one evil for another. It was a mess and no one understood the orders she got from above when normally, cold-blooded murder in broad daylight was something that brought down the full force of the law on the offender. Not to mention that of capes. They at least bothered to explain it away with a Kill Order on Skidmark, dated to a few days before his unwilling end. Everyone and their mother realized this was a cover up, but somehow Skidmark managed to piss off so many people that very few tried to get 'justice' for him.
With all that said, they didn't actually stir the shit pot all that much yet. The gangs were cautious because no one really knew what this new factor was capable of, and the fact that it took them a mere week to rout the Merchants indicated that they weren't pushovers, but they also weren't aggressively expanding beyond their territory. They just set up shop and threw some surprisingly tame parties while offering favors to those in need of them. They did deal violently with those intruding on their territory with less than 'pure' intentions, but that was something all forces had in common, including the PRT and the Protectorate. If one squinted enough, they kind of distantly resembled Faultline's crew. Only, while Faultline rarely dealt in favors and preferred hard cash or information as payment, Lucifer Morningstar was all too happy to make deals where favors were exchanged. He really liked playing into his Devil Theme it seemed. They also had no problems operating within Brockton Bay even though their base seemed to be in the city.
As far as those who dealt with him were concerned, he always delivered on his promises and operated on a personal code of honor of sorts. There were favors he categorically refused. Everything concerning the harm of children for example. She could respect that at least. She wondered how he managed to get his club up and running so quickly so she dug into it a bit and was not surprised to find another 'deal' he had struck. This time it was one completely above board. He paid the DAU for basically commandeering a rather large chunk of the docks despite not being obligated to thanks to the carte blanche from the mayor. And he went one step further and hired them for all the physical labor he needed, including security jobs. The semi-permanent job opportunities made a friend out of the Dockworker's Association. Specifically of the head of hiring and spokesperson Danny Hebert, who was seen several times at Lux before the club officially opened.
She sighed as she took in all the information and contemplated how to prepare for when this particular pile of shit hit the fan. If it followed the usual patterns of this city, it would be messy and violent. 'Why does fate seem so determined to make this place explode?...' She asked herself before swallowing down the bile that was rising in her throat and fighting down the somewhat subdued agony she was permanently suffering from. She knew her subordinates thought she was a paranoid and bigoted bitch for not letting Panacea heal her. Well, they were right of course. She was self aware enough to admit that much, but that wasn't the only reason. She swore to herself that she would never owe a Parahuman her life, and she stood by that decision. She'd rather suffer an agonizing death than let it come that far. She'd die on that hill. Literally.
~Amy Dallon/Panacea~
'This was a mistake. Kill Order or not, this club is run by a pair of murderers. I should be in the hospital, not here. Why did I let Vicky convince... Right. Because it's Vicky. And because I really wanted to see her dance with that slip of a dress on her. Because her nervous system always lights up with endorphins when I agree to one of her harebrained ideas and this was the least destructive of them.' She sighed as the familiar sensations of self-loathing and disgust made her insides curdle. She was used to it by now. One can only hate oneself so much before even that lost its 'luster'. She took another deep draw from her cigarette while secretly wishing that her habit would somehow end up killing her before she could do something unforgivable. 'Maybe I should take a more proactive approach. I don't think I'd survive if I jumped here, would I?' She blew out the smoke explosively, letting it mingle with the salty air until it vanished into the night and hoped to do the same.
The roof beneath her vibrated from the bass-heavy music, reminding her that somewhere down there her sister was grinding against her boyfriend who was a remarkably naughty hero in training today. As far as she knew, the wards had strict orders to not engage the man who owned the club and to avoid the premises at all cost, but Dean folded almost instantly when Vicky decided that 'maybe they should give themselves another chance.' And thus, the toxic relationship continued.
The same complicated cocktail of emotions she knew by heart surged through her once more and she suppressed the sudden urge to cry. With practiced ease, she pressed down on her emotions just like always. Here she was, on the roof of a club her sister had snuck them out to. She was shirking her responsibilities in the hospital for the slight chance to observe the ravishing sight that was Victoria on the dance floor. And she didn't even get to enjoy that since all the lustful joy she could get out of it was marred by guilt, disgust for herself, and the tempting thought that she could easily take Dean out of the picture. Vicky would be sad for some time but surely she'd recover if her loving sister... She cut off that line of thought violently while feeling physically ill from how easily her fantasies escalated. 'What am I even doing?... God, I'm a mess...' She acknowledged to herself, lost and forlorn.
She leaned back and looked upon the stars above her, letting their gentle glow calm and numb her agitated mind and endured the dull headache that was becoming a constant companion. Idly, she marveled at how something so far away could be a source of comfort. She was exhausted and drawn. She felt like a flame about to go out silently with no one to care for it. Carol was hounding her with responsibilities and accountability as she always did since she triggered and she did it without sparing a single word of praise for the good she did or how strict she was with keeping the code the woman all but indoctrinated her with. Vicky noticed her exhaustion but was far too straightforward to be of any real help. All she was trying to do was get her to goof off and relax with her as if that was in any way possible when she was close and Carol was on her case. The iron self-control she developed over the years was strained time and time again when her sister was involved.
She knew well she was sick in the head and the undulating Aura of awe and terror certainly didn't help matters. Oh, it had little to do with how she latched onto the only friendly face in her 'family' and she knew she was already well on the way of developing an unhealthy crush and fixation on her sister when Victoria triggered, but the Aura and how little control she had over it at the start only intensified the situation. Nowadays it wasn't much more than a slight nudge towards either admiration or fear and she could ignore it well enough, but the damage was already done. Her obsessive fixation and impure love for her sister was cemented and she would do everything in her power to take this secret to the grave.
'Mark may count as a friendly face too from time to time but mostly, his face is empty...' She thought to herself and another sharp stab of guilt tortured her. Depression. Just an imbalance of chemicals in the brain from a physiological standpoint. If she had a bit of practice, it would be an easy fix... but she couldn't. It wasn't because it was hard but because it was far too easy. A slippery slope that led to unimaginable horrors. If she began tweaking things in a brain, a simple stray thought was enough to change personalities and character traits. Even sexuality wasn't a problem. After all, what was love other than an explosive mix of hormones? It would be so easy to change the target of Vicky's affection. Just a little tweak...-
She shook her head violently and forced herself to banish those thoughts even as she dry-heaved over the railing. A harsh sob made it past her emotional self-control and tears stung in her eyes but she managed to stave them off for the moment. Honestly, sometimes she wished she never triggered. Life would have been so much less complicated. 'And Vicky would be dead...' The mere thought filled her with an inordinate amount of dread that wasn't easy to suppress. She'd much rather deal with this mess of a life than for that to happen. Still, that didn't change the fact that she was running on fumes. Healing was becoming more and more of a chore and the intrusive thoughts of just letting someone die and be done with it all or to change them in ways that made them more efficient and durable were getting harder to ignore. She was just... so... done. She took a few steps back and leaned against the wall behind her before slinking down to sit on the floor and drawing her knees up to her chest, not caring at all about the state of the dress she was wearing. She wasn't an attractive girl anyways and much preferred her comfortable hoodies and sweatpants over this elaborate yet revealing... thing Vicky forced on her without prior warning. Her eyes were once again drawn to the sky and she noted that despite the clouds covering a large part of it, the stars were exceptionally bright that night.
'Is it just me or are the stars only this radiant above Lux?' She mused idly, trying to distract herself as she held up the fag in her hand and compared it's dim glow to the merrily twinkling bodies of gas and plasma. Not a fair comparison, she knew, but what could possibly compare to the beauty of the stars? 'Vicky could... Easily.' The thought only brought some vague discomfort to her. It was a benign one by her standards. Of course it was another slippery slope to think like that. The more she was desensitized against her own thoughts, the more 'normal' they'd seem to her. She couldn't allow that. She could never forgive herself if someday, she'd try to make her thoughts reality. 'There it is. My old friend self-disgust. It's been so long... Almost a minute.' She smiled to herself. It was a lonely and sardonic edge that could certainly never be mistaken for an expression of joy.
Her venture into stargazing and the familiar descent into incestuous fantasies followed by self-destructive tendencies were interrupted by the door beside her opening. She was already planning to lay into whoever interrupted her beautifully dark brooding moment when she noticed a heavily scarred and massive snout. Then came a head that fit with the size, marking the canine that had somehow opened the door as one of the biggest she'd personally seen. The dog's side profile revealed a curious eye, a perked up ear, and a slightly twitching nose before it pushed through the door completely, letting it fall closed behind it. In a sudden twist of fate, several clouds parted in the same moment and the canine creature was suddenly illuminated. It was as if the stars decided to shine down just to cut its monstrous silhouette perfectly into the night. The dog slowly turned its head towards her and tilted its head. She realized distantly that she should have been scared by a dog that was almost as tall as her, but... 'I really shouldn't find that as cute as I do. This is a monstrosity with more scars than most of Hookwolf's victims. God, I'm fucked up.' She mused absentmindedly. That didn't stop her from glaring at the beast though.
"Can you, I don't know, piss off maybe? I was having a miserable moment of utter despair decadently seasoned with self-loathing up here and you ruined the vibe with your ugly mug."
She grumbled without much heat in her voice and all too human amusement seemed to enter its eyes before it released a strange bark that seemed more like a chuckle than anything else. Even dogs were laughing at her apparently. It then went and plopped down on its stomach beside her while ignoring her protests. Uncertainty consumed her. She wanted to pet the dog, she had no illusions about that. She desperately needed a bit of fluffy and uncomplicated interaction and petting a dog, even one as ugly as Sin, was a solid fluffy moment. But she didn't know how it would react.
So far, it seemed like a peaceful doggo who looked rougher than it actually was, but that could change at the drop of a hat. 'If things go bad, I can just send it to sleep. No worries...' She encouraged herself and reached out. The dog noticed her movement and did nothing but follow her hand with its eyes, making her more confident in her actions. Finally, her hand touched... her head and nothing would ever be the same again.
She expected to see the insides of yet another vulnerable flesh bag. To have her power try and tempt her into modifying the creature instead of limiting herself to healing. But that wasn't what happened. Instead, she was flooded by fire and sulfur. The way it burned made no sense to her biological senses, and everything that suddenly entered her mind lacked the physiological grounding she was used to. It was so alien that she struggled to even orient herself. The perception her power granted her was thoroughly overwhelmed as it tried to make even the slightest semblance of sense at what she was seeing.
Her biology, if it could even be called that, was so far beyond her understanding that every ounce of her mental capacity was engaged and she still couldn't even scratch the surface. Every single cell of hers seemed like an engine of Hell. She couldn't make rhyme nor reason out of what was in front of her inner eye and... Then it was over. They were still in physical contact but her access to the creature's body was cut off. She blinked at her and saw the canine creature look at her with a faintly worried gaze. An expression she was certain would have been impossible for a dog.
"You're not a dog at all, aren't you?..."
She murmured and remembered what this Lucifer Morningstar was spouting to anyone who was listening. 'Divinity, he claims. He says he's the Devil and a deity in his own right... I just dismissed him for another nutter. A delusional cape like Glaistig Uaine. But...' She couldn't help but have some doubts as she absentmindedly wiped away the few drops of blood that flowed out of her nostrils. Was it really possible to modify a dog to such an extent? Because now that she thought of it, the vid she'd watched of their first appearance, murder and all, showed a large dog too. It was too much of a coincidence for her to not be that dog. That wasn't important though. No cape, no matter how powerful or strange, ever had anything even close to the structure of this body, and she healed an incredible amount of capes to reference from, ever since she triggered. Was she even a biological lifeform? No, she had to be. Otherwise she wouldn't even have been capable of getting a glimpse of her makeup.
Another startling suspicion entered her mind. 'Is he a biotinker? Or maybe a biokinetic like me? If so, he's so much better...' There was no negativity or jealousy attached to that thought. All she wanted was to take another look. She didn't even get past the first few cells that drew her attention, but she could read her theoretically. Given enough time, she could decode all those processes and translate them. What for? She didn't know, but she wanted to see and learn. To further her understanding of an utterly alien physiology. Influencing the beast's body was another matter entirely as seen by the fact that her powers were shut off without so much as a hint of strain on the dog's features. She was almost certain changing her would be impossible.
Her cells were beyond complicated and could only barely be likened to anything she'd ever seen. No. That wasn't right. The parallels she had drawn were inputs from her power over theoretical concepts that may or may not apply in a higher dimension. Because what the fuck?! In front of her mind's eye, a theoretical model of a four-dimensional cell based on complex spacially folded carbon-based molecular structures came to life. It was self-sufficient and everlasting with what amounted to zero wear and tear while sporting strong regenerative capabilities. She was certain she could create it too. If she had the biomass of several earths at her disposal.
She had uncountable ideas to improve on the human body ever since she triggered, and it wasn't just humans either. All kinds of animals and plants had traits that could be translated and integrated into the genetic code of a different species. Splicing genes was one of the basics for her ability. But this thing? This theoretical concept that she barely even comprehended? The most complicated and inspired thought she ever had? It came to her after understanding less than 10% of the concepts that made up the very first cell she looked at. Her power was drooling and begging her to molest the dog for hours on end and before she grasped what she was doing, she was pleading with her to have another look.
"Come on. I know you're smarter than any animal I've met. Probably smarter than most humans too if we are honest. Let me have another look please? I won't be weird about it, I was just startled before. Look, I promise to scratch you behind the ears. You'd like that wouldn't you?"
Her negotiations fell on fertile ground as her ears flicked with interest and a considering gleam entered her eyes after she preened a bit from her compliment. 'Definitely smarter than an animal.' She reconfirmed her opinion. Hesitantly, the monstrous dog put her massive head on Amy's lap and she almost cooed rather uncharacteristically when she looked up at her with uncertain puppy eyes. All thoughts about the unreasonable cuteness of this seemingly mauled canine fled her mind when fire and ash once again invaded her perception. A reverend breath left her lips when she laid her eyes upon the Infernal beauty that spread before her senses.
Quickly, she realized that she was incapable of diving deeper into the anatomy as she would usually do. Her instincts told her that she was capable of it, but that a safety measure in her power stopped her. With absolute certainty, she realized she wouldn't survive the attempt. Not before she understood the basics. Her power was working in overdrive to decipher what it was seeing but it was slow-going. Not that this caused any frustration. The opposite was the case. A never felt euphoria spread through her and a wild and probably deranged smile bloomed as she hummed a disjointed tone while caressing the dog as she had promised. The rumbling sound of satisfaction that left the beast only added to her own feelings of joy. She didn't even notice that she worked herself into exhaustion and fell asleep with a living heater curled around her. And neither did she notice the annoyed grumbling of the Demoness who came searching for a dog and found a grumpy healer peacefully slumbering instead.
~Lucifer Morningstar~
"Lucifer! Cherona fucked up and abducted a cape!"
Indignant chuffs and barks explaining the situation followed her loud statement and he entered the lounge behind the dance floor just in time to watch in amused silence as his two most loyal underlings clashed violently yet again when Cherona was goaded into the fight. A familiar dance of blades and teeth unfolded in the background as he paid attention to the other occupant of the room. On his crème coloured couch, there was a rather prominent figure. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic and it was clear that she was dead to the world despite the ruckus Maze and Cherona were causing. The premier healer of Brockton Bay and the poster child for New Wave was his guest and he didn't even have the chance to refuse. This could spell trouble, but he wasn't all that worried. He had met Sarah Pelham aka Lady Photon and found her to be delightful company. If there was any kind of misunderstanding, he was certain it would be quickly cleared up by the leader of New Wave.
As for why Panacea found it necessary to bunk on his roof, it was well known that she received an instinctive understanding of her patient's biology and that ability was most likely the reason for her unconscious state. From what he could see, she got her hands on Cherona and got a glimpse of her hell-forged body. He would have to make sure she didn't just blabber about what she'd seen but he suspected she was a sensible young woman. He was sure they could work out something to ensure her silence. Though the murky and twisting layer that covered her Soul was a bit worrying. Whatever it was, it seemed mostly directed at herself. Which was no less worrying, to be honest.
He casually walked through the storm of hell-forged steel and ripping fangs to reach his liquor cabinet and got himself a Whiskey on the rocks to nurse while he waited for her to wake. She looked as if she could use the sleep and he wasn't in a hurry. He spent two months researching and building connections and it was time for a small break. Networking was an important part of being the Devil and it wouldn't do to disappoint the preconceived notions of the world, but all work and no play makes Lucifer a rather bored boy. That said, his ventures went well for the most part and with his new resources and associates, he built his Den in this cesspool of a city.
He took territory after some contemplation and established his reputation through both, by legal measures and by means of gratuitous violence. He also made some new friends. The dockworkers! Which was a bit of a mislabel since they were hard workers from all ways of life, unionized under the lead of the Dockworker's Union. They were rough folks, but knew how to party and Daniel was a competent and tough negotiator. He was also a poor and depressed sod. Attempts to get him to ease up and live a little were met by failure as of yet. He wouldn't give up though and he even invited him to bring his daughter along if he wanted her to get out a bit.
With the dockworkers helping him along, it didn't take much time to repurpose one of the more central properties he acquired to establish the Lux. A nightclub in the style of the Emerson Theatre with some alterations. One of the classier establishments he had visited in his time in LA. A place of polarizing Sin and Pleasure without preying on the weak was what this place would symbolize. Nothing happened without consent here as ensured by a plethora of Runic Wards he laid down. He had honestly forgotten just how much fun it was to fiddle with meanings and bend reality to his whim by inscribing a few well-crafted phrases.
Humanity had no idea that every single star out there held a unique microscopic core of Celestial Silver that was tightly inscribed with thousands upon thousands of Enochian Runes in its core. Each star held different concepts and together, they linked up into a nigh impenetrable array to protect against outside forces. It was truly his proudest work and even Father was inclined to agree. At least that was the case in his home universe. From what he sensed with his as of yet limited perception, this universe's defenses were on the weaker side. Not even close to what he created in fact. Which was likely to be the reason why outsiders could put strange passengers into mortals.
The lacking protections had a positive side too though. With none of his Father's Rules in place and more freedom than he ever enjoyed, he re-learned to love creation and experimentation. Drug consumption was risk free in his establishment for example. A Cleansing Ward triggered when one left the warded premises, which removed all influences on one's mind and body. This way, one could have all the fun with none of the side effects. His genius was boundless! That wasn't the only ward he had created of course, and in emergencies he could take direct control over any and all of his self-made assets. The expansion of those was one of the projects he saw more as a recreational activity than work.
Thoughtfully, he swirled his drink as he watched the ongoing tide of Steel clash with unbending claws and bones. Neither of his subordinates was known to back down and their tenacity showed time and time again. It was an almost nostalgic feeling even though he hadn't been away from Hell all that long. Hid thoughts spiraled a long moment and served him a steep reminder that his chances to find his way back into his home universe weren't all too great. 'I'm adrift but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It means freedom and a journey to find myself. It feels downright adventurous.' He grinned lightly but deep inside, he was glad that two of his most important anchors were displaced with him. It would have been far more challenging to find a measure of peace otherwise. 'Speaking of peace...' He mused. In due time, he would have to clean up the city and beyond, but he couldn't tip his cards too early. He was still working on balancing his Self and he wasn't entirely aware yet of the forces behind the Parahuman phenomenon. He knew that humanity was... modified by outside forces. He'd seen similar cases in some of his Father's projects.
He didn't know the details though, and that was a worry. Creatures capable of empowering their forces were always an annoyance to deal with. If their personal strength was up to par too, it would be even more bothersome. He had to be sure of their motives and the comparative strength they wielded. If they were on the level of a Creation God or beyond, things could become hairy rather quickly. His eyes turned to the entrance of his club that was about to be broken into sad little shards of stone, glass, and metal by an overly zealous sister. He stood up leisurely and placed himself in front of the dance floor just in time to witness his entrance explode inwards when a living blonde missile slammed through. She took a moment to orient herself before noticing him. With determination in her eyes, she adjusted her direction and accelerated.
'Collateral Damage Barbie indeed...' He mused with some levity on his mind as he adjusted his relaxed stance slightly to disperse most of the impact. He wouldn't want to hurt such an upstanding and moral hero.
"Let Amy go!"
She screamed into his face as her fist slammed into his waiting palm, causing a shockwave to extend from the point of impact. Her nonplussed visage when she looked at her fist, firmly encased by his larger palm, elicited an amused quirk of his eyebrows, but it didn't seem as if she was ready to give up yet. 'I may as well entertain her a bit.' He mused with a devilish smirk.
~Victoria Dallon/Glory Girl~
She gulped at his expression when her second, far less restrained punch was caught too and realized that she might have been just a bit hasty. She wouldn't give up just like that though. Instead, she readied herself to kick him in the nads. Before she could do more than pull her leg back, the grip on her fists tightened just enough to cause her forcefield to shatter, much to her horror. His expression darkened and an unamused frown pulled his brows together.
"Oh, aren't you a fragile one."
He taunted her and for some reason, it made terror rise in her like never before. She had no idea why such an enormous amount of instinctive fear surged through her, but she quickly realized that struggling was futile. Her forcefield was up again just under two seconds later and with it, her strength surged to comfortable levels again but she wasn't quite as much of an idiot as others claimed her to be. She couldn't do anything against the man in front of her. He was stronger and quickly realized her limitations that she'd hidden carefully by pretending to be completely invulnerable.
She was at his mercy and he knew it. Maybe if she'd waited for her family, there would have been a chance, but now... She cursed herself for her thoughtless actions and for underestimating the cape that had largely stayed out of conflict as far as the online community knew. Unbidden tears sprung up in her eyes but she glared at him defiantly and refused to let them fall. In answer, he rolled his eyes.
"If I wanted to hurt you I would have done so by now, don't you think? Your sister fell asleep on the roof while petting my Hellhound. She looked as if she could use the sleep so I opted to wait for her to naturally awaken before confronting her. If you want to take her with you, be my guest but I'll have you pay for the destroyed property you left behind first."
The first thought that went through her head was. 'Wait, she petted one of the Undersiders?' she quickly caught herself though and scowled at him indignantly. He just wanted to confuse her. As if she'd believe a single word out of this villain's mouth!
"I don't believe you! Why would my sister be on the roof anyways?! It's clear you don't care for the Unwritten Rules since your barkeeper murdered Skidmark, so I guess you don't respect civilian identities either! Nothing is stopping you from lying to me!"
Something dark flashed through his amused and exasperated eyes when she accused him of dishonesty. It cleared up quickly and the smirk on his lips never faltered, but she realized that agitating the villain who had her life in his hands wasn't her brightest idea.
"Let me tell you two things, Victoria. My word is my Bond and the Devil tells no lies. It is beneath me to obfuscate the meaning of my words. It is your prerogative to treat my words with disbelief, but I would have guessed you would at least ask your sister for details before accosting a club owner in his home and property. Are you certain you are a hero? Because your actions paint you in a far worse Light."
She flinched from his voice and the emotions in it. The deeply displeased tone of his voice could be likened to a growl without growling. It was as pleasant as ever, but there was something dark in it. Something twisted that made her want to curl into herself. The moment was broken by her sister finally deciding to grace them with her presence. She stepped out from the lounge behind the man who was still keeping her under complete control with a massive dog beside her. Despite its gruesome appearance, it was actually strangely cute with its lolling tongue and doggy smile while enjoying Amy's absentminded scratches. The girl herself was glaring at her with half-lidded, sleep drunken eyes and a mouth twisted into a fierce scowl.
"If you don't stop shouting I'll remove your left tit while you're sleeping, Vicky. Don't test me. He's right by the way. The dog is not a normal canine and I fell asleep while combing through her biology with my power. Her biological makeup is the most interesting thing I've ever had under my hands and I got a bit carried away."
She cringed at the very real threat. Despite her obvious displeasure and the supreme frumpiness of her hair, Vicky knew her well enough to see that Amy's mood was better than it had been in a long time. Her shoulders were almost relaxed and the bags under her eyes were two whole shades lighter. Even the scowl on her lips seemed a bit softer somehow. And the way she caressed the docile monster of a dog was precious. She wasn't slow so she quickly realized she had overreacted. Now she felt bad for the accusations she'd thrown around. Glancing at the club owner who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a sardonic smirk, she mumbled.
"I'm sorry so... Uhm, no harm done?"
She tried and he glanced over to the pile of rubble that was left of his entrance with a deadpan. She winced. So maybe more like some harm done. He ignored her reaction and skipped the topic entirely.
"Since you seem to have calmed down, I will release you now. If you want to join us for breakfast, I've made some scones and the coffee beans I've recently imported turned out to be delightful. Maybe we can even have a civil and polite conversation! If you feel like committing another act of violence however, I'll throw you to Maze. She'll dance with you until you have it out of your system. Just know that she's a bit of a sadist. She won't permanently harm you, but you won't get away pain free."
He did as he said and released her fists. She glanced over to the Glory Girl-shaped hole and cringed again when a sky light chose this moment to crash down. 'Maybe mom's right. And Amy. And aunty Sarah. And Dean... Dammit...' It wasn't the first time that she acknowledged her hot-headed nature. She wasn't an idiot. Just a passionate battle nut who had some problems with impulse control.
She tried to keep all the warnings in the back of her head but it was hard in the midst of battle. And if her family was in danger? All bets were off. Still, nothing seemed to have happened so she sent a quick text to her mom that they were both ok and would return together once they had some breakfast with Lucifer's permission. Before doing so, she decided to ask an important question though. She had to avoid consorting with enemies after all.
"Uhm... No offense but before I can eat breakfast with you, I need to know your alignment... Are you an aspiring hero, a rising supervillain, or a rogue?"
The expression on his face when he glanced back at her was a strange mix of amusement, incredulity, and a hint of fondness that made her want to duck her head with flushed cheeks.
"Asking the Devil for his alignment is a rather bold move I'll admit and accusing me of being a hero even more so. I do not have much patience for the labels the government decides to tuck on people. I prefer to judge people by their personality and actions instead of what I am told about them by corrupt sources. If I have to choose, you may consider me a rogue. I guarantee I am handsome enough for it."
He winked with a... roguish smirk before turning around and walking away as she hurriedly typed a message and sent it into the family chat group. With her eyes on him, she followed the man who showed another aspect of his power by floating trays with the promised scones as well as steaming mugs filled with divine caffeinated liquid if her sense of smell clued her in correctly. Idly, she noted that he moved with unnatural grace, hinting at a thinker aspect in his powerset. Now that she knew she'd overreacted and had calmed down, she felt the familiar curiosity rise. She wondered just what his power was and why he called himself Lucifer. She'd seen super strength from him. Pretty substantial degrees of it since he didn't even strain slightly from her punches.
To be fair, she didn't go all out but she had a feeling things wouldn't change much if she did. Durability was off the charts too and somehow he had protected his clothes from the force of her attack. Those things combined accumulated into a pretty high Brute rating. From the video footage, she assumed a Mover rating because of the smooth and impossibly fast way he arrived in front of his 'opponents'. Now telekinesis was added, which would give him a Blaster rating. 'He may be a grab-bag cape. Is the one who murdered Skidmark his Cluster mate?' She hypothesized and the thought made her excited. She only met two grab-bags before and neither had much time for her. The villain Circus was the first and beyond some banter, they didn't really talk. The second was the ward Flechette while on vacation with her family, and their interaction was limited due to Flechette being called away by her team leader.
'I wonder what his primary power is... A form of tactile telekinesis maybe? A combo package of telekinetic powers would fit the bill I think. He didn't even move when I barreled into him and kept his relaxed stance throughout our clash. Or is he just that much stronger than me?' She wondered as she silently sat down on the cream coloured couch while glancing around and appreciating the tasteful but expensive decor. Her curious looks ended up drawing some attention and she earned herself a glare and a scowl from the previously lone occupant. She was quickly ignored again when the woman received a cup that was floating in her direction. So this was the woman who killed Skidmark. She was seated not even two meters away from her and she looked a bit worse for wear. From personal experience, she assumed that the woman was in a fight a short while ago and it was probably a challenging one.
As for the death of Skidmark, she was kinda split about it. Well, not really. Try as she might, she couldn't feel all that bad for his death and she certainly didn't feel obligated to get justice for the drug peddler who met his demise. She didn't condone murder. Not at all. But that man deserved to be put six feet under and there was a Kill Order made public that was dated to a few days prior to his death. It was an obvious cover-up, but one didn't raise many protests. The list of crimes released with the order made sure of that. If put beside figures such as the self-styled nazi general Kaiser and the rage dragon Lung he seemed fairly inconsequential, but she knew just how much of a monster the man was.
She'd seen her fair share of horrors, but things such as drugged up kids desperately begging for another shot and gaunt, shivering girls offering their bodies to anyone who accidentally glanced in their direction to finance the next line to sniff touched her bottom line, and badly at that. It was horrific and the few raids in merchant territory that she participated in made her view on the city and the government far more jaded. Shaking off the grim thoughts by compartmentalizing her emotions, she smiled brightly at her grumbling sister who sat down beside a murderer as if it was the most normal thing to do. The piercing glare she received for her choice of seats was answered with a withering scowl and a growl as she side-eyed the beautiful and dangerous woman. Neither gave in for a long moment before the murderous one leaned back with a chuckle and crossed her arms.
"You've got some bite, kid. I can respect that. The name's Mazikeen and I am the one who hauled your ass down here. Next time you decide to spend the night, try not doing it on the roof."
A vague grunt was her answer and Vicky couldn't help herself. She giggled at the familiar sound. No matter where she was, Amy without her coffee was only barely categorized as human. Communication almost exclusively happened in the broadest of terms and her vocabulary was at the level of a caveman until she reached a near-lethal dose of caffeine.
"Got something to say, you flying bimbo? Who goes dancing in a club with her boytoy and comes back a few hours later to smash it apart? No warning, no negotiations, no communication. Do you know how lucky you are that Lucy doesn't care much about money?"
She flinched a bit at the caustic tone and couldn't really refute her. She wrecked the front entrance over a misunderstanding and didn't even try to talk before smashing through. She was, once again, a hot-headed teenager and failed to keep her temper. Her downward spiral of self-recrimination was quickly interrupted by Amy's silent but threatening hiss.
"Leave her alone if you don't want me to give you fingers on your tongue."
'Wait, can she actually do that?' She mused with a blink even as warm feelings blossomed in her from Amy's protective streak. Those turned into confusion and faint amusement when Mazikeen's eyes switched their target and a dangerous smirk appeared on her lips. She leaned over to Amy and pushed her chin up to make her look into her eyes. Her intense stare seemed to fluster her startled sister. The faint blush on her cheeks was a surprise to Vicky and she'd have to think about it later. The smirk grew wider and her eyes gained a lazy kind of look as her lids fell almost half way down. 'Bedroom eyes!' She realized with some measure of trepidation. Altogether, the expression on her face took on a predatory note when she seemingly found what she was looking for. The tone of her voice was nothing like she'd expected. Instead, it seemed... silken. Almost seductive really.
"Careful there, little healer. I told you I like your bite, but that doesn't mean I don't bite back. And now that I think about it, maybe I'll take you up on the fingers. Just imagine what I could do to you if I had those. Who knows, maybe you'll end up enjoying it..."
She pulled back a bit and playfully snapped her teeth which made Amy gulp and left her a flustered mess sporting a nuclear blush. She quickly hid her face in her mug and Vicky finally grasped why all those double dates didn't work out. 'Ah, she's gay. And all it took for me to realize it was a hot bartender slash ninja assassin flirting with her in front of me. Huh... Why didn't she tell me? I would've been sooo supportive!' Before she could work herself up into a right mood, a pleasant chuckle reminded her that Lucifer was still here. He watched over the scene with an unreadable but pleasant expression on his otherworldly handsome face. 'Why didn't I notice that earlier?' She asked herself as she ogled the man a bit. It was ok to look. Dean and her were on a break anyway after he ogled Lucifer's barkeeper the previous night. When his smooth voice finally 'chastised' his barkeep, it wasn't actually a reprimand. For her at least.
"Maze, don't break the poor girl. There's time for that later. Now, why don't we talk about how you'll recompense for my broken door?"
The conversation that followed was terrifying and not even her sister helped her. Instead, she was watching with unholy glee as if she deserved it or something. She pouted all the way home. At least the scones were divine and the coffee was the best she ever had. Still, working as a waitress two Saturdays a month for a year was a fairly tame arrangement to get out of having to pay for the club's entrance. She just hoped her mom wouldn't mind too much. She had a feeling that she would meet her match if she tried to work against the Club Owner.
~Alexandria/Rebecca Costa-Brown~
There was a rare hint of a frown on her brows as she continued to observe Contessa. Her guidance was irreplaceable and yet, the blind spot that was just added to her paths was absolutely massive. Around two months ago, she suddenly collapsed and stayed in a coma for three days. When she woke up, she was catatonic and refused to eat, drink, or wash herself. She just sat half-hunched in her bed and looked around sometimes with empty eyes. Over the following days, she recovered somewhat and began taking care of herself again. Two weeks after her collapse, she talked for the first time since she fell into a coma.
"Step 1: Do not antagonize the Entity designation: The Lightbringer."
Were the first words out of her mouth and the possible implications sent ice-cold shivers down her spine for the first time in years. The Thinker continued her duties for Cauldron soon afterwards and safe for some minor setbacks, things proceeded as planned for the most part. The sole major exception was Brockton Bay. Any and all plans regarding that city had their paths reset and all of them now had a single step. 'Don't antagonize the Entity designation: The Lightbringer.' It wasn't just her either. Kurt only saw the number 666 flash before his eyes when he targeted Brockton Bay with any of his calculations and if the bay was somehow involved in the calculations as a step, his power would automatically try and work around it much to his annoyance.
Clairvoyant refused to 'look' towards Brockton Bay any longer and refused to give a reason beyond 'He had burning eyes too.' She tried contacting some other less prominent thinkers but it was always the same. So here she was. Her pet project had no guidance from the path or any other notable support under Cauldron's control any longer and she really didn't know what to think about that beyond the fact that it was vexing. On one hand, they didn't directly interfere in the microcosm of budding Cape feudalism but on the other, an experiment without a measure of oversight and means to collect data wasn't an experiment at all. Not to mention that if Contessa was to be believed, something akin to the Entities seemed to have taken up shop in the 'Cape Capital'.
If she wanted to continue her observations on the experiment, she'd have to collect the data more manually than before or she'd have to remove the disturbance. The fact that she actually needed some moments to find her rhythm after that thought showed her that they had come to rely much more on Thinker support than she'd realized. It was an uncomfortable truth to grasp. At least her mental state was solid enough to quickly find the optimal ways to conduct her research. There were several possible reasons that could muddle the waters so comprehensively, but only two were likely in this case. She refused to believe that another Entity had chosen Earth Bet as its playground. Primarily because all hope would be lost if that was the case. Something must have faked out the Path to Victory and most of the other Thinker powers. A second trigger or an incomprehensibly powerful fresh trigger came to her mind. She would guess the latter, but didn't have enough data to corroborate either hypothesis. At least they had a possible lead from the power-interactions she'd seen so far. It was strange to learn of a cape that had legitimate religious connotations. Sure, there was Haven, but their theme didn't come from their powers but their belief.
Once she started to research potential new capes in the bay, she quickly found a report of a man who perfectly fit into the profile. He called himself Lucifer Morningstar and opened a night club in Brockton Bay after his companion 'Maze' killed a cape and gang leader named Skidmark. The fact that she learned of this only now was another testament of how much they'd come to rely on Thinkers. Usually, the reports came presorted with the most important information being marked and on top of the 'pile'. It was necessary because even her own prodigious mind wasn't capable of working through the amount of data available from both the PRT and the Protectorate. This man was an obvious blind spot for Thinker based powers, and it was a much more comprehensive effect than what she'd seen as of yet. This caused the information about him to be lost in the unending storm of electronic paperwork and she had to hunt it down manually. The fact that this Stranger effect was capable of giving Contessa's Path to Victory false input was beyond worrying.
She watched the camera footage of Skidmark's end and that was when she made the connection. She knew him. She hadn't met him personally but she received footage of him from Myrddin after his visit in Kansas. This was the same man who had anonymously delivered a catatonic Mama Mathers and her son Valefor in addition to several other Parahumans suspected to be members of the Fallen to the Kansas City Branch of the Protectorate. Myrddin received the captives from the man since he was the highest ranking person on site with Chevalier having been called away for different obligations. Myrddin then took the initiative to lead a strike team to the coordinates he provided them with. They led them to a compound with numerous unconscious unpowered members of the Fallen and their victims. The latter were in suspiciously good health and they learned that the man who casually took out the Mathers Branch of the Fallen shone down Light and healed them while reassuring them that he would send help their way, outing him as one of the very few capes capable of area of effect healing. Without side-effects for that matter as they determined after putting the victims through the necessary protocols and tests.
This piece of information alone should have bumped up his importance severely, not to mention the fact that investigations around this case brought to light incredibly dark secrets about the Fallen, but the information went through several lines of Thinkers who sorted through the pile of data and put him at the bottom of the stack. This happened more than a month ago, and he disappeared after claiming his bounty. Nothing came out of the following local investigations since none of their Thinkers could get even a hint of a lead on him. Now that she found him, she had to wonder just how strong this Stranger power of his was. It twisted information about him into pretzels, no matter the source. She'd have to meet him personally to get a read on him, that much she was sure of. While the mental enhancement aspect of her power was technically rated as a Thinker effect, in reality it was a physiological change as to how her brain worked, so she shouldn't be influenced by a Stranger effect that targeted Thinker powers.
With those thoughts swirling through her mind, she returned to her office via Doormaker's portal and quickly logged on to lock his profile behind the highest level of security clearance, only to realize that it already was. Along with several other measures in place that would hide his information. These measures included the highest level of necessary clearance to view the details surrounding the Mathers case. After a short bout of confusion, she concluded that the only person who could have done that was Contessa, beyond herself that was and she'd remember. She'd ask later but she was almost certain it was her. The Thinker's words continued to echo in her mind. 'Step 1: Do not antagonize the Entity designation: The Lightbringer...' But whoever he was and whatever his power set truly was, they had to be careful to not let this asset fall into the wrong hands. Maybe it was time for Alexandria to visit Brockton Bay.