Interlude 1

Thomas Calvert prided himself for always being in control. Be it with his emotions, his actions, or even in his daily life, he was always on top of things. Some might say it was a boast, but those same people couldn't achieve the things he had done. They weren't the owner of a thriving construction company and the leader of the third most powerful gang in Brockton Bay, he was.

Now he might not have had the sheer raw power that Lung could field, nor did he have the legions of men and capes that Kaiser had at his beck and call, but he didn't need those; Not when he could control his fate. Leaning back on his seat, he watched in interest as two futures lay before him.

On one end was his current negotiations with his target's father where they talked about the old Ferry. Reviving the old service in a dying city might sound like a fool's errand and a waste of precious capital, but the way he saw it, it was an investment in his future city. Ruling over a decaying ruin did not sound appealing.

It also served as a softer way to slowly take control of his target. Why exert force when favors could do the trick? He just needed a few more steps forward and he'd have the girl wrapped around his fingers, doing her best to keep him happy as he made sure her father was happy. If that didn't work, he wasn't above using the stick.

Moving his attention to another time, one where he was hidden deep inside one of his bunkers, he watched as his men stalked the girl. She had made some unexpected moves, something had her spooked. It was no secret amongst the villains that there was a new tinker lurking in the shadows, but he had expected the Empire to be more subtle about it.

If it wasn't for today's meeting, he could have pushed them away from his prey as always, but he just had to improvise especially as things started to devolve on his end. "Sir, the target has made contact with Glory Girl," His lieutenant informed him as the man's tinker tech camera tracked the girl as she faced down the brute.

It was a pain tracking them down, given that eyes slid off them, but that Stranger field of theirs extended only so far. By the time visuals were reestablished, however, he now found himself staring at this situation. "How do we proceed?" His lieutenant asked.

Frowning, he reached for the jar of chocolates he had on his table before pausing. No, not right now, not when he's stuck to just using one timeline. Sighing, he considered his options. He couldn't let the girl have any positive interactions with the local heroes, not if he wanted the girl all for himself. He needed her away, but not escalate the situation that he needed to collapse the timeline; at least not yet.

"Enact the Poison the Well Protocol," He instructed, "I can't have her ruining my hard work." He wasn't going to take any chances. If he wanted her opinion on heroes to sour, he just had to manufacture an event that would make her hate them.

It was dangerous having Glory Girl go on a rampage from a dose of some tinker tech drug, but he trusted that cute little thing to teleport them out of harm's way. He had to give credit where it was due, having a creature with such a high Mover Rating was quite the master stroke. He'd prefer something with more fire power, but mobility was far better sometimes.

As the initial shot took out their field, he smiled as a puff of smoke enveloped the two. While the girl was left unscatched, with the tiny creature having teleported away, the same couldn't be said for the blonde menace. He watched in glee as Glory Girl screamed in rage as she launched herself at the girl. As expected, the creature teleported away, pulling their master out of harm's way, leaving the cape to cause havoc.

He was ready to pat himself on the back, before he froze as he found himself staring at a pair of angry blue eyes on his screen. Barely a beat late, the strangled scream of his men echoed over the radio. Before he could even respond, the video cut off before the screaming started inside his base. He'd miscalculated.

"You!" Before Calvert could even comprehend the angry tone in that voice, he felt heat and pain-!

Reaching up, he grabbed his head, reeling from the headache and the phantom feeling echoing inside his skull. Did one of his timeline collapse? How! Looking around, he found himself inside the safety of his office. "Mr. Calvert?" a voice called out in concern. Looking up, he stared at the man as he gave him a look of concern, "Are you alright?"

Taking deep calming breaths, he nodded back, "Y-yes. I'm just not feeling well." Wincing at the ice pick jamming itself inside his head, he grimaced; The unexpected collapse of timelines could be quite painful. Powering through the pain, he split the timeline once more as he continued their discussion on one end, while leaving in another.

"Can you excuse me for a bit?" He asked as he got up and stormed out of the room. While his office was a fortress, he didn't feel safe now that he was just in one place. He needed to get to one of his safe houses.

As he headed for the emergency exit and to one of his cars, he cursed, "Damn it all, what happened?" It all happened so fast. It needed to be corrected but, first, he needed to test things out. Fishing his work phone out from his pocket, he dialed his men.

"Sir?" His lieutenant asked in surprise.

"Shoot the girl," he instructed as he slipped inside his car and started the engine, "She's of no use to me." Could it be the girl messing up his timelines? If that was the case, he couldn't have that, not even if she was extremely useful.

Just as he commanded, the girl was sniped out of the sky, but the retribution still came and it came swiftly. He barely heard the first screams when his car seized up just as he left the building. "Coil!" A voice called out in anger before-!

Again, Coil reeled, the pain magnifying as he leaned down on the table to gather himself. How?! Gritting his teeth, he forced himself as he fixed his suit. "My apologies," He apologized as he reached up to rub his temple, "My headaches have been flaring for quite some time now."

Splitting the timeline once more, he abruptly got up and stormed away, leaving the man behind. "I'll be back," He excused himself as he walked down the familiar path and ordered his men to bring down the pink creature. Something was causing him to-!

He had to bite his tongue as a pain groan escaped his lips. Laying face down on his table, he was barely able to keep himself decent as he got back up. "Mr Calvert, If you're not feeling well, we can always do this another time," Danny Hebert offered as he looked up at him in concern.

With his temper flaring up, he snapped, "N-no!" He was not having a good day, but it was fine. He can do this. Unclenching his fist, he took a deep breath, before he sighed, "No, it's fine." With the phantom pain melting away, he leaned back as he considered his next move, "I just need to breathe."

He had to refrain from splitting the timeline again as his temper simmered below the surface. He was getting angry, thus he was getting sloppy. He needed to get things under control and if he was going to regain control, he needed to figure out what was taking him out. It couldn't be that fuzzball, right?

"Should I call your secretary?" Hebert asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. He had almost forgotten that he was still discussing things with the man.

"No, that won't be necessary, but I appreciate the concern," He replied as he forced himself to smile. Glancing towards the door, he asked, "Can you wait for me outside? I just need a moment." It was unsightly of him to be in such a state. It would not do his image good to be seen sporting headaches akin to some kind of thinker. He didn't want that kind of attention.

Thankfully, the naive union dock worker didn't pry in any deeper. Nodding, the man got up before excusing himself out of the room, "Of course." As the doors closed behind the man, Thomas let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he could use both timelines.

Reaching for his aching temple, he tried recalling everything he had on the girl. Something changed, another variable that was added into the mix, but what he saw didn't match up. The girl was a powerful biotinker yes, but there was no chance her creations could already fight right off the bat. not when it took even the likes of the creator of the Machine Army months and the Three Blasphemies and city blocks worth of resources to be made. What could a girl who had been relying on an old decrepit store do in a month?

Frowning, he paused as he considered a certain, uncomfortable possibility. Breaking into cold sweats, he pulled a certain drawer beneath his table and grabbed the jar of chocolate he had hidden. Setting it on his table, he split the time again as he grabbed a candy on one timeline. Popping the sweet treat inside his mouth, he forced himself up before he started pacing around.

Could he be stepping on their foot? There were only a certain few that could beat him at his own game and that woman was one of them. If that was the case, where was the Door? "Calm down Calvert, It's not her," he breathed out, leaning against the wall, "If it was, we would have already heard from them." They weren't shy about warning him, after all.

It must've been the girl. "Let's see what we can do," He grimaced as he reached for his phone and cycled through his contacts, remembering who owed him favors. He needed her gone, now. Such a task, however, would prove impossible.

He fumed with impotent rage as one after another, his timeline collapsed. Having all his men bear down on them didn't work, nor did the capes he called could bring them down. Hell, even throwing out the word that there was a biotinker on the loose wasn't enough; In fact, it made them all the more elusive with the damn pink fuzzball teleporting away before the screaming started.

Only his control stopped him from using both timelines as he did not want them getting tipped off. He needed to play it safe, but it was getting increasingly frustrating. "She's just a damn biotinker!" He screamed as he threw his phone hard against the wall, "How the hell can she make my timelines collapse!"

"That's easy, she doesn't," A child-like voice called out in both timelines. Feeling the presence before him, he felt ice filled his veins as he slowly looked up. There, just a few feet away was the pet of the Tinker which had become the bane of his existence. How? How the hell did he know?

"Thirty timeline splits," The tiny creature replied flatly as they stared at him, their tail flicking around in agitation, "Or rather, simulations." For a moment, he stared in confusion at their unmoving mouth before he realized they weren't speaking.

Smirking, the creature winked at him as they whispered in the back of his head, "Bingo~"

"W-what?" He choked out as terror filled his veins. They were inside his head. This creature wasn't just limited to teleporting around, they were telepathic as well. As the realization sank in, he felt his knees grow weak.

"That's how many times you've tried fucking with my partner," The creature spat back as he bristled. "I'd appreciate it if you stopped with this bullshit," They asked and Calvert frowned. No, they were bluffing. They must've been some sort of trump. In a fit of rage, he pulled out his gun in one timeline before pain, awful pain filled his senses as he snapped back to reality.

"Thirty One," The creature counted as Thomas collapsed on the ground. As he crawled away, the creature followed closely, moving without a sound. Looming over him, they smiled as they asked, "Come on Calvert, do we really have to play this game?"

Panicking, he split the timeline, ready to beg before he felt a saw paw against his face. "I'm getting real tired of your shit," They replied before a cold dreadful feeling washed over him as his focus returned to a singular point. Patting him on the head, they chuckled, "There, much better."

Again and again, he tried splitting the timeline, but it remained silent. "M-my powers," He whispered in horror as he grabbed his head, he couldn't feel it. Looking up at them, he screamed as panic filled his voice, "How! What have you done?!"

The creature laughed as they flew behind him and ruffled his hair. "I Disable'd them, nothing fancy," The told him as they climbed up on top of him and sat down on his head. Sweat dripped down his back as he felt their miniscule weight on top of him in warning, "You were getting annoying."

No, this can't be happening! Avoiding the creature's gaze, he glanced towards the phone in his hands. Desperately trying to remember his time fighting in the streets against Nilbog's spawn, he flipped through his contact before his fingers seized up as they started glowing. It felt as if someone held them in place.

Seeing the glow wrapping around the digit, his fingers moved on their own, closing it before his hand threw away his only hope. Without his phone and with the creature on top of him, he was truly and utterly without options and they knew it. Leaning down his ears, they whispered, "Do you really want to bring them here, Thomas?"

"Can't we discuss this like civilized men?" They asked as Thomas felt his heart race.

"I'd really appreciate it if I don't have to bloody my hands again," They warned. There was nothing he could do. Clenching his eyes shut, he breathed deeply before letting out a shuddering sigh as he nodded shakily.

"Alright, you win," He choked out, dreading what was to come. Once again, his life was in the hands of someone else as he sat there, powerless to do anything about it.

"Good," The dreaded creature replied as he gave him a pat on the head, "Now, let's talk." They… wanted to talk? That was it? As he gazed up to them in confusion, they nodded, "I just want to talk; Just you and me. Is that really so hard to believe?" A talk? Yes, he could do that.

Gathering his wits, he asked, "W-what do you want?" Why did the creature keep him alive when he could easily end him. Did they want something from him? "Wealth, favors, my service? Just ask and I could give them to you," He offered.

"While those are some attractive offers, that's not what I'm after," The creature admitted before they clapped their hands, "What I want is some peace of mind."

"Peace of mind?" He replied slowly. They just wanted to stop? Nodding hastily, he promised them, "I-I'll stop. I'll never touch you or whoever you're close to!" He knew when he was beat and when he needed to cut his losses. For a moment, he thanked his stars. Perhaps he could work with them. If they didn't want him gone, then he must have some use… he could take advantage of that.

His celebration would be short-lived as the creature chuckled. "Close, but not enough," They told him as the jovial smile they sported fell, replaced with a hostile frown, "I want you to fuck off."

Glowing a harsh pink, they floated away before facing him. As he shrank back from the creature's hostile gaze, his back pressed against the wall, the pink terror hissed out, "I want you to sell your company, your assets, everything that'll tie you down here, and get the hell out of my town."

"In fact, I don't even want you in the same state," They added. "Set up shop anywhere, I don't care, so long as I don't have to see your face ever again." With their warning served, the harsh glow faded before they turned away. Just as they were heading for the door, they paused before turning around and warned him, "And don't bother lying, not when I'm here."

Feeling the gentle tap against his forehead, he nodded. What else could he do? If he was to leave however, some people would get angry, people he made promises too. "M-my handlers would not like this," He told them as he despaired, "How am I going to explain this to them?"

"You don't need to worry about that anymore. I'm sure they're already making plans," They smiled back before waving him away, "Now fuck off." With a flash, they disappeared without a trace? Daring not to move, he wondered, was it finally over? The creature reappeared with a pop.

Holding up his hands, he stammered, begging for forgiveness, before stopping himself as he watched the creature lift the bowl of candy he had in his desk. "Oh, I'll be taking this as well," they said, sticking out their tongues as they turned tail, "Thanks!~"

He sat there, waiting for them to reappear and end things, but as he felt his powers snap back into place, his attention splitting once more, he was finally gone. For a moment, he considered being spiteful and poisoning the well. If he couldn't have them, then he could make their lives harder by leaving a few, inflammatory tips to the local news of a possible and hostile biotinker, but he decided otherwise.

Collapsing his timelines, he picked himself as he made himself presentable. If they wanted him gone, they could have done so there and then. The only reason he was alive right now was they were beneath their notice. It stung that they considered him so lowly that they didn't bother eliminating them, but small mercies he supposed.

This would ruin him, selling everything he had and starting a new life, but it was better than being too dead to care. As he reached out for his table, he paused as he remembered the tiny terror that his prized snack. "I… really should have taken one before all of this went down," He sighed as his phone rang. It was a call from his secretary.

Answering the phone, he asked, "Yes? What is it?" He had enough surprises for today. He really didn't want things to further spiral out of control.

"Someone claiming to be Danny Hebert's daughter is here," The told him before adding, "They came with this pink creature, but Glory Girl is with them." Freezing, Thomas considered just dropping the call and running. "Should we call the PRT?" They asked.

"N-no, there's no need," He replied before he cleared his throat, "We'll be down there in just a minute." Closing the call, he prayed and hoped. They'd probably understand that selling his assets takes time, right?

A/N:

Do not fuck with Mew or their partner. Even a weak one can fuck you over without even trying. Poor Thomas had to learn the hard way and he got his jar of candy stolen for his troubles lol. Speaking of candy, I think Calvert is the elitist type; the ones that hates local chocolate. He'd try to present himself as refined by only having European Chocolates like Cadbury or Ferroro so Mew hit the jackpot with that one. Mew is eating good tonight cause those chocolates with be as big as his mouth.

Anyways, I'd like to thank vyor once more for making this possible. He keeps the stupid idea at bay.

Now if you want to support me or want to read some fic chapters in advance, consider dropping by either or Ko-Fi. I couldn't have done this without the support.