Thomas Calvert finished the last security scan before finally entering the PRT after-crisis reunion. One that would usually only concern the Director and the Parahumans under their command. However, as consultant with precious advice to give, Thomas Calvert was not only allowed but commanded to participate in for once. Which he did in this timeline, while in the other he personally reviewed the exact situation of each piece on the chessboard that was Brockton Bay, from the safety of his bunker. Not that he didn't already plan for every eventuality, but it never hurt to be sure.

"I just received confirmation from Dragon. Crusader has been transferred to prison, and Lung was successfully brought to the Birdcage." Stated Armsmaster. "I also received news of the autopsies. Oni Lee and Bakuda are officially dead."

"The ABB is gone, then." If Emily Piggot, Director the local PRT, was relieved by the disappearance of one of the most irritating thorns in the city's side, she was hiding it much better than all the other person present. Even Calvert allowed himself to sport an open smile at the new. "I have received their signed Kill Orders the same morning."

Ah, that would explain her sourness. He had been aware the negotiations that started right after the suicide bombing run Bakuda used as diversion to attempt to free Lung. About thirty ABB members took with them two hundred and forty-seven civilians in a single afternoon, all so Oni Lee would have a better shot. All in vain, of course, when the Mastered criminal purely and simply refused to move from his cell. That little stunt, idiotically revendicated by Bakuda the same day, sparked the gathering of political and organizational bodies necessary to confirm a Kill Order. The subsequent escalation in body count, mostly from Oni Lee's liberal cloning of bombs, only accelerated the process. Though, to have it finally approved the exact same day of their demise? It took no genius to see the handiwork of Cauldron behind the scenes. Only the result mattered in the present day for Emily: she found herself sidelined and the final decision taken without her input.

"Our first issue is that the press and the public aren't going to forget the villains dealt with them, not us." Continued the Director.

"Come on, it's not that bleak. With how many people we got out of explosive gang battles and sabotage, I don't think anyone will accuse us of laziness." Said Assault with a relaxed tone despite his obvious exhaustion. The past few days have been trying for everyone. Calvert included. Bakuda made a mess. Gathering the other villainous forces at Somer's Rock had not been an easy task. Dealing with the Travelers' and Khepri's nonsense even less so.

"That's not the point. It doesn't matter enough to them that we saved lives and infrastructures, they will only look at what we didn't do: arresting those responsible. Our PR has taken a heavy blow and the newspapers are all too happy to profit from that." Retorted Emily. On that she was quite right, even if the masses somehow sung their praises, the press would find any possible way to stir controversies. That Coil nudged their headline in that direction had little bearing on that fact. They would have done it by themselves, albeit less efficiently. "Lung may be old news, but the fact he is finally in the Birdcage will get us something."

"I have been working with Panacea to remove the last bombs Bakuda implanted in people. Kid Win is also having success demining around the city with Vista's and Velocity's help, his EMP device is working adequately." Informed Armsmaster.

"That's a start." The recent improvements from the Ward helped alleviate some of the burden, a detail Calvert knew exactly who to thanks for. "I also want more patrols in the Docks. With the fall of the ABB, we need to prevent the remaining gangs to worm their way in."

"New patrol routes in the damaged areas have already been drafted. You will find them on your desk for approval after this reunion." Added Armsmaster. The very picture of efficiency, one Calvert would use a lot better than Piggot once he took place in the seat of power.

"Good. The next point is Khepri. We are officially reclassing her as a Villain." Calvert didn't miss the various level of uneasiness from the room when the topic came to light. "Her new status will be announced in the press conference, alongside an ultimatum to surrender herself. If she doesn't comply, capturing her will be the next priority-"

"No way." Piggot stared at Assault, who had just interrupted her, as if he was a particularly annoying child. "Sorry Director, but that's going too far. The girl may be going Rogue, but you can't seriously call her a Villain. I already told you what I thought about making her responsible for what happened at the Docks."

"Even discounting Fenja and Menja own responsibilities for that clusterduck at the Docks, her part in the damages is still evaluated at hundreds of thousands of dollars. That was more than enough to bring her into custody."

"Her part? Fenja and Menja were about to ram a building full of people! Had Khepri not shown up, I'm not sure we would have been able to avoid a body count!" Shot back Assault without missing a beat, and it was telling of Battery that she did not stop or correct him.

"While legally Khepri might be liable for some of the damages, it was never taken to this extent for heroes." Noted Calvert. Playing the reasonable voice was all too easy when the opposition took drastic measures fuelled by urgency and paranoia. "I must remind you, Director, that I was opposed to this course of action. The girl proved herself inclined to cooperate, the pressure of the financial pressure and the arrest drove her away."

"She escaped custody by Mastering Miss Militia, almost provoking even more damage at a hospital full of patients! If the situation had not been so dire everywhere else, she should have been declared Villain the same day." Retorted Emily with gritted teeth. "And just now, she murdered two people in front of a live audience!"

"Bakuda did have a Kill Order…" Pointed out Velocity before shutting up before the Director's stare.

"Technically, Bakuda and Kaiser killed each other. At worst, Khepri was an accessory. I would myself call her involvement a great chance." Intervened Armsmaster to the surprise of everyone, Calvert included.

"Elaborate." Dryly ordered Piggot, but Armsmaster stood composed as usual.

"Among what was left of Bakuda, I identified a dead man's switch I suspect was connected to her heartbeat. During her power testing, we noticed Khepri's Shaker ability blocked radio signals. It is highly likely that had Bakuda been neutralized conventionally or killed, she could have set off the entirety of the bombs she had implanted into her subordinates, those hidden in the city, and the nuclear ordinance I disabled in her secondary lab." Listed Armsmaster. "So yes, I consider her involvement a great chance."

A chance I spent nearly a full week orchestrating! Wanted to scream Coil at the assembled heroes and especially at Emily's face. His simulated attempts at neutralizing Bakuda via his mercenaries, the Travelers or other means all ended disastrously because of that damned dead man's switch and the crazy bomber's inventiveness. Who else would create a bomb that collapses the synapses of everyone holding a specific thought pattern? Realizing after innumerable permutations and finding into the PRT files that Khepri's power would disable the dead man's switch if she was caught in its radius, it took even more attempts to finally isolate a sequence of events that would lead to Kaiser and Bakuda fighting each other. A good dozen of them leading him to threaten Tattletale so she would not be such an insufferable bitch and drive Khepri away! And because for some reasons his power simply couldn't take the Duels into account at all, he had to gamble one last time in a way he hated to do anymore. Witnessing the livestream show the best possible result filled Calvert with such relief, he almost opened the wine he swore to keep for the moment Emily will be fired.

"She did some good in her foolishness." Begrudgingly acquiesced Piggot. "The girl still allied herself publicly with villains, fleeing with the Undersiders instead of waiting for the Protectorate like she should have…"

"After getting told she would either be either imprisoned or forcibly conscripted?"

What should have been cheek from Assault instead sounded like a dangerously sane question in Calvert's ears, and if wasn't wrong it was the same for the other heroes. Except Miss Militia, the useful tool she was, and perhaps Armsmaster.

"She is simply too dangerous to roam free!" Insisted Piggot, her face becoming redder by the minute. "Even without the ridiculous collateral damage, should I remind you she is also a Master?"

"Isn't that Master effect confined to parahumans, and only through her primary Shaker ability?" Pointed out Dauntless. "It's not like she can use it against anyone she sees. And her range is also pretty limited…"

"That Lung is still under her power proves it has lasting effects. Who is to say she isn't trying to form her own gang by subduing other villains?" Oh, Emily, you wonderfully bull-headed and tunnel visioned woman. She was playing her part so well Calvert was tempted to applaud the performance. "We have no idea how long she can make it last, or how deeply she can ingrain commands..."

"If you want to Birdcage her with Canary, just admit it. I'm sure the public will love another girl sent there for a single mistake and maybes." Shot back Assault without missing a beat, freezing the atmosphere of the meeting instantly.

"Look Assault," Said Triumph uncomfortably. "Canary's case is a sham, but the Director isn't going to…"

"Oh, really?"

"Stop that Assault, you said your piece." Interrupted Battery, clapping a hand on her husband's shoulder. "The Director is simply looking out for the worst case, not planning for Khepri's Birdcage cell."

"Sorry Puppy, but from where I stand, I'm not seeing much difference." There was a dangerous undertone in the former Madcap's words, one that further weighted on the reunion.

"Since Bakuda was under a Kill Order, it can be argued she collaborated with villains on the premises of a truce. And leaving the fight scene with the quickest method in these circumstances makes sense." To Calvert's surprise, it was Miss Militia who broke the heavy silence. "With the death of Bakuda, it is logical to believe the Empire would turn on Khepri as the new primary culprit. Which they did, as the reports we received indicate they are searching for her. Staying on site was too dangerous."

Unfortunately, the fact that it was Miss Militia who advanced the thought-out argument meant Piggot snapped at least partly out of her crusading mindset, as evident by the receding crimson on her fat face.

"It only proves my point. Khepri must surrender herself to the Protectorate, if only for her own safety. And after what she did, we cannot afford to treat her simply as a misguided rogue. Especially before the public. I won't let our PR tank even further by letting the newspaper portray a dangerous parahuman with no regard for collateral as a sob story."

"I don't think that's going to work." Velocity had his phone out, open on a website everyone here was very familiar with. "PR is already on her side. And not just by a small margin. Someone leaked a video of her fight with Lung, people are remembering she's the one who got him. Many are also thanking her for getting rid of Bakuda and Kaiser. Apart from the nazis and their sympathizers, many are treating the latter as not so unfortunate collateral."

A scroll on the page confirmed the Mover's words. Calvert nodded both to the room and in the privacy of his Coil persona. It seemed Tattletale and his pocket influencers did their work seriously and kept the right narrative afloat. Piggot would not easily, if at all, change the perception of the public now. Now, to give his own pitch on the subject and further antagonize Emily.

"If we cannot turn the opinion against Kehpri, I would suggest profiting from it instead." All gazes turned to him. Perfect. "While her power is still not fully understood, the fact it operates on the rules of what can only be described as a card game has sparked an unusual level of enthusiasm and curiosity. One that can be exploited on a much larger scale." Taking a few sheets from his case, he put them on the table for all to see. "These are the financial previsions of a commercialisation of the game itself to the public, in a collaboration between the PRT and Khepri."

Calvert didn't even need to reach for Number Man or any other underground assets. All of the data he provided was the result of legitimate business prospection he started as a side project after Khepri's power testing in the Protectorate HQ and merely accelerated once he realized how both lucrative and PR effective it would prove.

"The numbers are based upon the turnover reached by Japanese card game industries, taking into account the American rather empty market in that domain. Page three outlines further potential expansion with PR events and collaborations with popular parahumans. I would have consulted Glenn Chambers to pitch him the concept and establish better previsions, but I have not found the time yet"

Oh, Piggot was visibly hating it. Both that it came from him, and that everything she was seeing was not only perfectly reasonable, but immensely profitable. Calvert hadn't even needed to shift the numbers; the prospects were just that good.

"As such, I would recommend not using the damages Khepri caused to pressure her to join, but to incentive her with the benefits of a lucrative business partnership that would completely eclipse them. Given the low quality of her costume, it is very likely she comes from an impoverished home, middle class at the absolute highest. Her legal guardians, whoever they are, would certainly jump on the opportunity. If the girl is as heroic as she appears, helping her family would also be a powerful incentive."

"You know, I think that would be a great idea. It would hit a lot of birds at once." Said Dauntless with an appreciative hum. "Shadow Stalker wasn't a good case, but we still considered her a vigilante, not a villain. And unlike Shadow Stalker, Khepri really wants to be a hero. It'd be better to entice her with benefits than pressure. The carrot and all that."

"On a purely practical side, her power has too much value to lose to the villains. With Khepri's help, I expect our rate of capture to increase significantly. Furthermore, as I have outlined in my report, the duel between Bakuda and Kaiser happened in a spatially altered location that prevented the consequences from affecting the city. If my theories are correct, it may be possible to eliminate or at least reduce the most glaring drawback of Khepri's actions."

Armsmaster's little speech seemed to have an effect as Piggot stood up, sending one last hateful glare at Calvert's business project. He could almost hear the gear turn in her head; her distrust of himself, defiance against parahumans in general, and her obstinate refusal to bend before what she likely saw as a teenager's temper tantrum. All that pitted against the cold reality that not only a vastly more profitable course of action was presented, but her entire parahuman team (minus Miss Militia, maybe) was turning against her. Sadly, Coil could not give himself the full accolade for that marvellous little scene; Assault's frontal opposition, while expected, worked much better than envisioned, thanks in no small part to Armsmaster. Calvert wasn't entirely sure why the Tinker stood so adamantly with Khepri, the shared glory of capturing Lung couldn't explain it all. A favourable power interaction, in the same light as the one leading Kid Win to gain better understanding of his specialty? He would need to ask Tattletale (in a simulated timeline, of course).

"Very well. You made your point." Piggot was not seething, but it was close. "Khepri will remain classified as a Rogue. We will still announce in the conference press our desire to see her surrender to the Protectorate, if only for her own safety. Protectorate forces will still have orders to bring her to HQ if possible, under the same protocols established before. As for this…" She pointed at the business proposal. "I will ask our department to study it. Your input was appreciated, Thomas Calvert."

That was Emily for 'I wish I could court martial you for putting me in a bad spot', and he took it in stride. Everything was proceeding exactly as he needed them to. Now for his final gift of the day, which should have been started some minutes ago… Ah, Piggot's phone was ringing. About time.

"Yes?" She took it immediately, and her face morphed in the most delicious shock before all too quickly snapping back to cold military fury. "I'll be there in a minute." She closed the call and faced the gathering with a newfound target for her fury. "Cancel everything we had. Someone leaked the identity of the E88 capes online."

Happy birthday Emily, you fat cunt.

Parahuman PRT Files

Subject: Khepri

Status: Rogue

Parahuman Rating

X = threat rating for unpowered personnel

(X) = threat rating for parahuman personnel

Mover: 0 / (3)

Shaker: 1 / (8)

Master: 0 / (8)

Thinker: 0 / (1)

Trump: Null x Nine

Debrief: against non-parahuman opponents, Khepri poses no more danger than a typical teenage girl of her age. Beyond a slightly higher than average physical fitness, she has shown no trace of training in any form and has never been seen in possession of a single instrument of self-defence. A single civilian may neutralize her without issue.

In contrast, Parahumans personnel should avoid confrontation at all costs. If they enter Khepri's range, which has been estimated around thirty-five meters, she can force them to enter a hyper-specific form of confrontation ruled by her power, qualified by the aforementioned Khepri as "Duel", whereas the Parahuman must battle in a card game. During this game, the participants are surrounded by an impenetrable force field that have not been breached yet.

Addendum: further testing required for potential All-or-Nothing classification.

The affected parahuman appear unable to use their power in their usual form. Instead, it is expressed as a special ability during the card game itself, referred as 'Skill' by Khepri. That ability appears to be unique to each Parahuman so far.

The primary danger cause by Khepri, beyond the harm caused in the battle itself, is that the creatures called forth during this battle can and will affect their surroundings, though it appears to only be by proxy of their actions during the game. Khepri and other participants have proven unable to command them for any other purpose.

Addendum: it appears the creatures may persist for an unknown maximum duration after the battle, during which their actions appear less limited (Report: Hospital Incident) Mover rating added in consequence.

The confrontation follows precise rules each participant is automatically informed of. It is possible to win against Khepri at her own game (Report: Power Testing and Report: Fenja x Menja vs Khepri) but always considers the situation is to your disadvantage.

As a defeat against Khepri allows her to inflict a powerful Master effect with no known limitation (Report: Lung and Report: Hospital Incident), it is considered imperative for parahumans personnel to avoid all interactions with Khepri. Instead, they should alert the PRT of her location and maintain enough distance to avoid her ability. If the situation does not permit it, it is recommended to avoid confrontation.

If Khepri is engaged against another parahuman, the procedure is to focus on evacuation for all civilians in the area and contact the PRT for non-parahuman reinforcement to handle the aftermath.