YES, IT IS I!
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From below the Immortal Elder Ge, the Celestial Master, 8 also brought forth the report. "Your Majesty, the Minister of Darkness, King Qinguang, supported by the Bodhisattva King Kṣitigarbha, Pope of the Underworld, has arrived to present his memorial." The jade girl in charge of communication came from the side to receive this document, which the Jade Emperor also read from the beginning. The memorial said:
"The Region of Darkness is the nether region proper to Earth. As Heaven is for gods and Earth for ghosts, so life and death proceed in cyclic succession. Fowls are born and animals die; male and female, they multiply. Births and transformations, the male begotten of the procreative female—such is the order of Nature, and it cannot be changed. But now appears Sun Wukong, a Heaven-born baneful monkey from the Water-Curtain Cave in the Flower-Fruit Mountain, who practices evil and violence, and resists our proper summons. Exercising magic powers, he utterly defeated the ghostly messengers of Ninefold Darkness; exploiting brute force, he terrorized the Ten Merciful Kings. He caused great confusion in the Palace of Darkness; he abrogated by force the Register of Names, so that the category of monkeys is now beyond control, and inordinately long life is given to the simian family. The wheel of transmigration is stopped, for birth and death are eliminated in each kind of monkey. Your poor monk therefore risks offending your Heavenly authority in presenting this memorial. We humbly beg you to send forth your divine army and subdue this monster, to the end that life and death may once more be regulated and the Underworld rendered perpetually secure. Respectfully we present this memorial."
When the Jade Emperor had finished reading, he again gave a command: "Let the Lord of Darkness return to the Underworld. We shall send our generals to arrest this culprit." King Qinguang also touched his head to the ground gratefully and left.
-Journey to the West, chapter 3
The previous evening…
Colin swung the doors open and strode into the PRT briefing room. Director Piggot sat in her chair, her arms steepled and bearing a heavy-set frown. Under the soft-blue fluorescent lights, several more heroes sat around the table, and they all bore marks of exhaustion similar to his: tenseness, the odd mark or injury on their suit, and a drumming finger here and there. They all eyed him but made no move to give their usual greetings hello's and waves. Triumph gave him a brief nod but was frowning under his lion-shaped mask.
He didn't blame them. The past three hours were intense, in a different way than usual. Colin had been riding his bike in proverbial before he got the call. And if what he'd gathered was accurate, then it was only going to get worse.
Wordlessly, Colin slipped into the chair between the director and Triumph, his armor clunking against the armrests. Piggot also flickered her eyes in his direction and checked her phone before her frown grew deeper. A quick check inside his visor confirmed the reason for her displeasure.
"Are we waiting for the others?" asked Battery, looking at the entrance. "We need to get back out there soon. There's been flare-ups all over the city."
"Miss Militia and Clockblocker are still out helping with rescue efforts and Velocity is helping Dauntless with wrangling a sudden Empire break-in," replied Colin. "I'll debrief them when they get back."
Piggot nodded and stood up. "Right. I thank you for coming so quickly, but there's been a recent development that we need to address. Armsmaster?"
Colin straightened himself and cleared his throat. "At 16:30, Oni Lee conducted a raid with some ABB members on what we suspect was an Empire safe house. Miss Militia and Clockblocker responded to the Console alert and moved to engage and capture until he managed to teleport away. The BBPD arrested the gangbangers that accompanied him. The casualty count is currently seven injured, with three undergoing further treatment at Brockton General." He tapped his wristpad and images of the ramshackle building appeared on the big screen. "Minor has been dealt to the supposed safe house from gunfire and Lee's whereabouts are currently unknown."
"PRT troops are spread throughout the area and on the lookout for Lee," added Piggot. "We've told the Wards to keep an eye out on patrols as well, with standard encounter procedures."
Assault raised his hand. "I'm not trying to sound callous here, but this doesn't sound unusual for Lee. He pops in, stabs people and disappears. Why call a general meeting over this?"
"Because the attack was a ruse to keep us distracted," said Colin, typing in another command. "From this."
A video clip appeared on the monitor and everyone's eyes widened. The shaky clip looked like it was shot from a nearby window. Battery leaned forward, her blue helmet focused on the hulking tattooed figure standing before a line of kneeling people.
"An execution? What the hell is he trying to-"
Lung was about to hurl a fireball at two of the civilians when something grabbed his arm. The camera zoomed in at the would-be saviour and Assault pointed at the screen. "Hey, isn't that the new cape you told us about? The one that was making all the news with the ABB thugs?"
"He calls himself Sun Wukong." Colin paused the clip. The quality wasn't the best, but even through 360p everyone could see the monkey holding Lung's arm while munching on a snack. "Evidently, Lung decided to answer his challenge. We anticipated that a reprisal would come sooner or later, but we hoped the increased patrols would intercept one of them before it could escalate."
Assault's eyebrows rose from behind his red domino mask. "What kind of a name is Sun Wukong?"
"Chinese deity, from local folklore. Our new cape appears to be a fan."
"Lung sends Lee to keep us busy and he goes to make an example of a threat to his turf," said Triumph, crossing his arms. "We should've seen it coming. He likes taking the direct approach, but he's not a complete hothead. What happened next?"
Colin resumed the clip and the room watched as Lung spoke to the monkey-faced cape in Mandarin. He made a mental note to translate and add subtitles for record purposes.
"Okay, he's got serious balls on him. Even I've never done that in a fight," commented Assault, his lips twitching as he watched Wukong roll around in hysterical laughter. Even with the language barrier, he knew it was an insult. Naturally, Lung didn't seem to share the sentiment and started blasting.
"More property damage. Is that where Miss Militia is right now?"
Instead of replying, Colin stared at the footage, taking in every detail he could. The fire cleared with no sign of the cape…
…only for him to knock Lung backward in the blink of an eye.
"Okay, he's got some muscle," Battery said as she leaned forward. Sun Wukong then whipped out a staff from…somewhere and began to beat the tar out of one of Brockton Bay's most feared capes. "This isn't edited, right?"
"I ripped it straight from PHO, and the scans so far confirm it's raw footage," Colin replied. "I haven't taken anything more than a cursory glance yet."
The screen flared and shook again as Lung no doubt used his pyrokinesis even more. Colin winced as the focus was lost and with it further information. Yes, he knew he shouldn't rely on amateur video for intel but this was the best he had since the news broadcast. Fortunately, even through a blurry shaky-cam they could hear the roaring of fire and shouting.
"Uh, does this get better? Or did someone else film this?" asked Triumph.
"We're combing through PHO and social media for possible uploads. Until then, this is what we have."
The hero frowned and Colin found himself sympathizing; getting half-baked information like this was grating, but at least it was better than nothing. Image and audio enhancement should fix some of the problems.
Finally, the video seemed to clear up and show the monkey-man standing with his staff before Lung's growing form and fire all around him. He spoke again, to the same predictable result.
"He's nimble, I'll give him that," remarked Assault. "Did that fire even touch him?"
"Inconclusive for now, but I'll add it to our current intel." Mover 3. Brute also extends to fireproofing? The footage is too blurry to make out signs of damage. Doesn't seem to extend to his clothes. Civilian wear, though why a robe? Leaning into the monk aesthetic?
Then, Sun Wukong grabbed Lung by the neck and -
"What the fuck?" Battery collectively voiced for all of them. Even Colin had to make sure he didn't imagine it the first time. The staff grew to the height of a tree. Redwood? No, shorter, but the camera perspective shook him off. "Did he just-"
"Is he a Tinker?" Assault blinked, chewing on air.
"Unlikely. I haven't seen any evidence for Tinkertech. I've put him down as a Changer, though the specifics of the power are too muddled to make an accurate conclusion. Seeing this, I'll up his Brute rating."
The camera panned up, trailing up the length of the suddenly-tall staff…then fell. The owner picked it up, only to find empty air and the sound of ringing steel. Everyone stared at the empty screen with varying measures of disbelief, visible even through their masks. Even Colin, despite keeping his composure, tried very hard not to twitch. Lung was a tough cape, his power making drawn-out combat virtually impossible. He'd fought against Lung many times trying to prioritize quick capture, and it always ended the same way: both sides retreating.
But this?
Assault's eyes widened and he pointed at the screen. "Uh, since when can monkeys do that?"
"Monkeys climb things, so maybe it's related to that?" replied Battery, albeit weakly.
Director Piggot, who'd remained silent throughout the entire showing, finally spoke, her voice guarded and her stubby fingers tapping the table. "Armsmaster, are you absolutely positive this footage hasn't been doctored?"
"Positive," replied Colin with finality. "Ignoring editorial touch-ups, there's nothing to indicate this was a fabrication. It matches reports I've been hearing of sudden bright disturbances coming from that block."
"And no one here can tell me where they ended up?"
"PRT troops are conducting searches of the nearby area and the entire district. I'll spread the search area to the docks if need be. At the rate he was transforming, it would take a while before he cooled down. It'll be hard to miss him."
"And if he's still transformed?"
"Every hero and myself will be immediately notified and move to capture. With luck, he might be too wounded to resist. I have backups prepared for the worst-case scenario."
She nodded, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. The heroes glanced at her, though their eyes flickered to the screen.
"What kind of fallout are we looking at?" she asked, opening her eyes.
Triumph frowned and looked down at the table. "There's no way the E88 is gonna ignore this. The moment they look at what we just saw, they're gonna declare open season. Problem is, Kaiser knows we know that. He might order small incursions or a full-blown assault to grab as much turf as he can, or to weaken the ABB at least."
"Not just the Empire," commented Battery. "The minor gangs might try something, but I wouldn't count on it being as severe." She turned to Colin. "The problem here is how the low-rankers will act once they realize Lung is gone. Either they'll lay low if they're smart, or go wild with nothing to hold them back. And we don't know where Lee is?"
"Same situation as his leader," he replied, not that he liked the answer he was giving. "He might keep issuing orders from wherever he's hiding. And we don't know Lung's current condition."
"I never took Lee as anything more than an enforcer," said Triumph.
"To be fair, I don't think any of us pictured he'd have to be anything more than that."
Assault made a strong point, though Colin. In the ABB, Lung was at the top, followed by everyone else. Lee was at the top of the ladder, but only due to his parahuman status and loyalty. The internal structure of the ABB was semi-organized, with gangbangers and collectors, but they all reported directly to Lung.
And now Lung was MIA.
A variant of a phrase he had trouble believing would come to pass.
Piggot stood up, drawing the attention of the entire room. "I want all PRT forces on high alert for Empire capes and Skidmark. All Protectorate Heroes are on full alert, from the look of things we'll be running damage control." She glanced in his direction. "I want updated patrol routes on my computer in thirty. Pair up Wards like before, they'll be assisting with rescue efforts. Expect engagement with enemy capes. Contact BBPD and tell them they should brace for a gang war."
Colin swiftly nodded and moved to leave, but then Assault raised his hand again. Piggot rolled her eyes. "This isn't a classroom, Assault. What is it?"
"I think we're forgetting the main reason we came here. You know, the monkey in the room?"
Battery cuffed him on the back of his head and he yelped. Piggot's eyes narrowed at the statement and she addressed him again. "Bring him up on the screen." With a tap, the unfocused image of the new cape, munching on his snack, appeared. The director eyed the picture for a minute, her beady eyes searching for some unknown clue before continuing. "Armsmaster, has no one yet made contact with this…Sun Wukong?"
He shook his head. "Negative. He hasn't been spotted on any patrols, and by the time social media catches wind of him, he's gone."
Piggot's jaw twitched and she gritted her teeth. "So you're telling me, that the cape who just made Lung - one of the biggest pains in our collective ass for years - look like a total idiot, is just…gone? I asked you to find him a week ago!"
Colin barely managed to hide his scowl. "He's evaded all our efforts, ma'am. Most of our resources went to trying to avert this exact confrontation."
"And look how that turned out?" she bit out. She inhaled again and Colin could see the blood pressure rising. While he still struggled with reading faces, the armored hero could imagine her thought process. They couldn't divert any more resources than necessary from the upcoming gang war. Containment was priority one, as much as it grated her and himself. If this Sun Wukong kept provoking other capes like he did Lung, there's no telling the kind of damage he'll leave in his wake. The footage basically confirmed that de-escalation was not in his thought process.
"We need him on our side, or at least show the public he's friendly with the PRT. That video will spread and people will know it's not us. The moment this mess calms down, I want to find him. Give him the full pitch, and make him come for power testing. This could be the biggest break we've had for this city, and we're not going to let it slip by us."
Colin nodded in full agreement. The PR implications alone were huge.
"What if he doesn't want to come?" asked Triumph. "What if he's just trying to replace Lung and this is all a stunt to get the Asian district to trust him?"
"If he refuses power testing, insist again and if he still refuses, then leave with an open invite," replied Colin. "That was the directive before and there's no need to change that, just make it more urgent."
The director hummed in approval and her eyes hardened. "If this really is a ploy…we'll need to prepare appropriate countermeasures. Do you have anything off the top?" She asked Colin.
"Nothing right now," he said, another dose of frustration seeping into his voice. "I'll need to gather a better measure of his powers and mindset. It might need to be a coordinated attack; so far we've seen he can take out multiple opponents, but when it comes to capes he's only fought them one-on-one. That could be a weakness to exploit…but I can't say with certainty. Not unless he actually challenges the Empire and they send out their capes to deal with him." Which was exactly what they hoped to avoid.
Piggot stayed silent and looked at the empty screen. The heroes all mulled over his words; even Assault was scratching his head with a small frown.
"I think we should focus on damage control for now," said Triumph. "That seems to be the more immediate concern. Not saying we should dismiss this, but like Armsmaster said, we shouldn't try anything before we know more. And Assault only posed the question as a what-if scenario."
"Part of the job is dealing with what-if scenarios, but you're right about the immediacy." Piggot rose and the rest did the same. "For now, you'll all patrol in shifts. Armsmaster has additional tasks, so he's exempt from this. One will patrol inside the district and two outside. The rest will follow Armsmaster's recommendations, and I'll have Miss Militia pitch in ideas. Let's try not to have the entire city collapse from under us, shall we?"
Assault chuckled even as his partner sent him a warning glance. They and Triumph left the room shortly, leaving only himself and Piggot. She watched them leave then turned to stare at the, quite frankly, bizarre frozen image.
"Who are we dealing with, Armsmaster?" she asked, frustration evident in her tone. "He makes a show of himself beating up those thugs, fights Glory Girl, then goes to town on Lung? And not showing himself in between?"
"A cape who's drunk on his own success, ma'am," Colin replied, his mind racing with implications. "But whether he was always intending to go after Lung or this was a domino reaction, I don't know. I'm more worried about what Kaiser will do once he decides to act against him."
"Or if Sun Wukong decides to act against Kaiser," she retorted gravely.
"There's nothing to suggest Wukong is aiming to attack the other gangs, Triumph is off the mark with that hypothesis. Other than the Glory Girl incident, he's stuck to the Asian district, even though he appears at random. Other than the food shenanigans, the civilians aren't sure what to think of him. For all his recklessness, he doesn't seem to provoke those reactions. He went after those ABB thugs because they threatened a civilian."
"A proper hero, is he?" she remarked and snorted. "I thought teenagers were the ones who acted immature."
He acted like a carefree teenager alright…but looking at the photo, Colin wasn't sure. He could be really leaning into the 'role' of his inspiration, what with the archaic speeches and words. Still, even if he was an adult, it didn't change anything, except sour his opinions. The idea of him being a Case-53 was starting to lose traction, thanks to his investigation and Glory Girl's limited testimony. He might have to ask her to retell it for clarity's sake, at least until they encounter Sun Wukong face-to-face.
Who would've thought a monkey could cause this much trouble?
Piggot gave him the side-eye "You can go now. Tinker whatever you need to prepare for this."
Without another word, Colin turned and left the meeting room. As he entered the elevator and pressed the button, he felt his frown finally grow.
Seeing Sun Wukong beat Lung with such apparent ease grated on him. He knew he should be above petty jealousy, and a part of him wanted to thank Wukong for the ease with which he'd dealt with the gang lord. But when a man tries for years to take down a monster like Lung, who'd committed almost every crime imaginable and even got away with killing independent heroes, it would be understandable that he would feel resentment when an unknown individual with little regard for the consequences of his actions does it in one fell swoop.
Years of effort - gone in a flash.
And people will know who to thank.
No, that wasn't the case yet. Lung was MIA, not captured. No one knew where he was. He could still find him and if the story was spun right, the PRT would come out looking spotless with his name as the victor.
The elevator stopped and he headed to his lab, mental plans of weapons and a new drug cocktail to deal with the gang lord starting to draw themselves. His halberd needed to be outfitted with that micro-thin tip he'd been building to penetrate Lung's scales and the cocktail imbued inside. A good dose should tranquilize twenty elephants in a few seconds, so it should work on Lung.
Regardless of whether he brought Lung to justice today, tomorrow, or even next week, Colin Wallis acknowledged one thing. One way or another, he would meet with Sun Wukong. If he kept acting out like that, he'd draw the other gangs into a bloodbath.
He just hoped this monkey-man was mature enough to see it.
We finally have the first real PRT meeting! The heroes watched a clip of Wukong beating the snot out of the dragon, and now they're left cleaning up his mess. I'm sure it will not be a sore point in the future, not at all!
Not much else to say here, other than the E88 and other parties' reaction will appear down the road when they become relevant.
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