Interlude 10
Lisa managed not to scream as she flew through the unexpected doorway of unnatural white fire that appeared on the concrete wall of the highway overpass.
Permanent selectively permeable gateway into infinitely tessellating pocket dimension.
Hunter had her own dimension. Because of fucking course she did.
For better or worse, Oni Lee's bloody corpse cushioned the worst of her fall. Landing on her recently healed shoulder was still decidedly unpleasant, not to mention getting tangled up with the dead psychopath.
"Ow, Jesus, would it kill you to be a little more gentle…" Lisa trailed off.
Hunter was gone.
The flaming doorway was gone.
Behind her was only the cracked drywall of… whatever this place was.
Fantastic. Just brilliant.
What the hell, Hunter?
Hunter considers Lisa Wilbourn fragile.
Okay, that was kind of true, but also… rude.
Hunter believes Lisa Wilbourn will be safe within pocket dimension.
Lisa was less sure about that, but she couldn't exactly complain right now. Mainly because Hunter wasn't here.
She also became aware that it wasn't completely silent.
Echoing from somewhere deep within this strange extra-dimensional space that Hunter apparently pulled out of her ass, Lisa heard a slow and steady thump-thump.
She looked up at the ceiling and almost screamed again.
Mottled red and pink tubes of unnatural flesh branched across the crumbling drop ceiling of Hunter's domain. The primary limb was thicker around than her arm, and smaller, grotesque capillaries grew off it and anchored it to the tiles and the metal brackets above. The abomination pulsed gently in time with the rhythmic echo in the dark.
The sound she now recognized as a heartbeat.
Hunter is romantically involved with Panacea. Panacea heals by directly manipulating patient biology. Panacea is able to manipulate any and all biological life.
That was… a bit terrifying. Maybe a lot terrifying.
Her power had been too busy monologuing about all the relationship drama to deliver that little tidbit of information outside.
It might be useful as blackmail, but she still really didn't need to know about Panacea's family problems. Especially since the dirty laundry was all pretty much hung out to dry for everyone to see at this point.
And, of course, the fact that Hunter would kill her in a heartbeat if Panacea asked her nicely. Definitely something to keep in mind. She was already in a dicey situation on that front from trying to kill Glory Girl. How was she supposed to know that Panacea was in love with her sister? Or that the healer could sign her death warrant on a whim?
Lisa stood up and dusted the ash and dirt from her torn up costume. At least she had thought to wear road leathers over the bodysuit, otherwise she might not have had any skin left when Hunter found her.
Artificial life form created by Panacea at Hunter's request. Artificial heart exceeds standard human proportions by a factor of twenty.
Great.
Lisa closed her eyes and massaged the bridge of her nose. She needed to refocus her power on something less horrifying, and figure out what to do next.
Picking her way carefully down the dark hallway, Lisa tried to direct her power towards the weird pocket dimension itself.
Dimensional anomaly tessellates infinitely based on original template and Hunter's subconscious desires. Hunter indirectly observes and controls the Labyrinth at all times. Panacea exited the Labyrinth independently. Panacea is able to navigate the anomaly.
Interesting, but not especially helpful. How the hell did she get out?
Egress is only possible with assistance from those who have taken communion.
Um… what the hell, power? What does that mean?
No answer. Of course.
"...shit, she could have at least bought us dinner first-"
"Regent?" Lisa called. She couldn't even bring herself to be annoyed at his attitude. She was just happy that Oni Lee hadn't gotten around to executing him before Hunter arrived.
"Tats? Fancy running into you here," Regent replied from down the hall.
"What was that?" Spitfire complained. "I definitely didn't sign up to fight Lung!"
"In our defense, neither did we," Lisa said as she entered the next room of this infinite maze and found her two wayward team members in a familiar position on the cracked tile. Apparently, Hunter had a habit of stashing 'fragile' people in her personal pocket dimension. "Coil screwed us. He was supposed to stage a distraction, but I'm starting to think we're the distraction. Or, at least, the bait."
"Coil?" Spitfire asked, pulling herself to her feet and checking for injuries.
"He was our boss, up until about ten minutes ago," Lisa sighed. Everything was going to get thrown in the blender now. She just had to hope that the pieces would land in advantageous positions. "Best explanation I can think of is that he used us to draw Hunter out, either hoping that she'd get herself killed fighting Lung or as a diversion for some other plan. It's technically possible that tonight was just a series of bad coincidences, but I doubt it. Even New Wave and Armsmaster's presence stinks. There's no way everyone just happened to be nearby."
"Why did Hunter show up to help us, anyway?" Spitfire asked.
"Oh, yeah, I might have glossed over that bit during the recruitment speech, but we kinda ended up as best buds with the Bay's newest serial killer completely by accident," Lisa explained. She just couldn't help herself. "So, Hunter helped Bitch rescue some dogs, then she stole my car, opened an inter-dimensional portal in our living room, and bought a fake ID from me in exchange for a one-time 'Fuck Up Everything in the General Vicinity' coupon, which I cashed in tonight to save our collective asses. Alec also wants her to step on him with that prosthetic leg of hers-"
"And who could blame me?" Alec interjected.
"-but he's destined to die disappointed because Hunter's totally in love with Panacea."
"What?" Spitfire exclaimed.
Alec clutched at his chest overdramatically.
"Additionally, our local miracle worker has apparently been moonlighting as a villain and making nightmare abominations for Hunter in her spare time, not to mention mucking about with Hunter's insides-"
"Kinky," Alec said approvingly.
"-which explains how Hunter managed to slaughter the Empire so easily. Finally, and most importantly, we are currently trapped in Hunter's personal nightmare realm with no means of escape unless she, Panacea, or Bitch come back for us."
Lisa took a deep breath. Damn, that felt good. Watching all the drama unfold with her power's commentary had been hilarious, but it was almost painful not to chime in. Luckily, even she knew better than to interrupt a conversation between the barely stable Barbie, her even less stable sister, and her somehow even less stable girlfriend.
"Wait, so, we're totally fucked if Lung kills them?" Spitfire said in a panicked voice.
"Theoretically, yes, but don't worry. Hunter is going to murder the shit out of Lung, and I'm not even entirely sure she can die. My power is being a bit cagey about it," Lisa replied. "No, the much higher risk is that Hunter will run off to rescue her living plague of a girlfriend and forget about us for a few days, in which case we'll have to resort to eating Regent."
Lisa realized that she might be in a slightly manic mood from all the violence and severe injuries. Also, she didn't actually know what was in that injection Hunter stuck her with.
Spitfire looked nonplussed. She wasn't really used to the chaos of cape life yet. Not that anyone would be used to Hunter's brand of crazy.
"Forgot how much you talk," Rachel's voice echoed from one of the endless hallways. "Haven't missed it."
Lisa turned as Rachel and Brian arrived, slightly singed but generally in one piece.
"I didn't forget just how refreshingly direct you can be," Lisa quipped, "but I appreciate the save back there."
"Didn't do it for you," Rachel grunted.
Brian shot Lisa a look and turned to Rachel.
"Regardless, thank you," he said. "Hunter may have owed Lisa a favor, but you didn't have to come."
Rachel just stared at him for a moment before turning away as if he hadn't spoken.
Didn't want to come. Does not believe it was worth the risk to her dog's safety. Will follow Hunter anywhere without hesitation. Trusts Hunter implicitly. Wants to impress Hunter. Is unflinchingly loyal to Hunter.
Great. Hunter was starting a cult without even realizing it. Just what they needed.
There was a long and extremely awkward silence.
"So… what now?" Spitfire finally asked.
Lisa felt a strange whispering in the back of her mind and the Labyrinth seemed to twist ever so slightly around them.
Hunter is here.
Thanks, power. That's not creepy at all.
At least she hadn't forgotten about them.
The group turned towards the sound of metal steps against the broken tile.
The leader of the Hunt looked… a bit worse for wear, overall.
Hunter's long coat was almost entirely shredded. There were more bullet holes and burned areas than actual coat.
Her shirt and vest were likewise destroyed, showing a tattered tank top underneath.
Even her hat was slightly deformed from the fire.
Oh, and, of course, she was absolutely drenched in blood from head to toe. Can't forget about that part.
And she was dragging…
Huh. Apparently, Lung's clothes didn't survive his transformation. That was… unfortunate. Mainly for Lisa. She didn't sign up for that kind of show.
"Undersiders," Hunter said. Her voice had a deadly, hissing edge to it that Lisa hadn't heard before. Hunter was in 'serious mode' for once. "Coil has used and betrayed you. He threw you into the fire as part of a vain attempt to distract me. He will not survive the night. You are free to go, although you may want to avoid any safehouses that are subsidized by Coil."
"Well… shit," Alec said.
"Alternatively, you are all invited to join the Hunt. Your skills and abilities could be useful in the future, and the rewards are… unique," Hunter grinned. She wasn't wearing her scarf. "Rachel, I would appreciate a demonstration, please."
Rachel's skin suddenly turned to metal and her face transformed into a terrifying steel mask.
Newly acquired ability bears resemblance to Hookwolf. Hunter is able to permanently impart parahuman abilities to others.
Holy shit.
Unique rewards, indeed.
Alec eyed Hunter with a more serious expression than Lisa had ever seen on his face.
"How do you feel about Masters?" Alec asked.
Hunter raised an eyebrow.
Conflicted about Master abilities. Is capable of permanently Mastering humans. Has Mastered multiple people. Prefers murder.
Damn, Hunter.
"Using Master abilities against our enemies, or having them used against us?" Hunter asked.
"Both?" Alec shrugged.
Hunter smiled. It was scary.
"Give it your best shot," Hunter said.
Parahuman augmentations provided by Panacea include protections against Mastering. Is not biological.
Did everyone around here have multiple bullshit powers?
Given Hunter's abilities, that was probably accurate, actually.
Regent suddenly hissed in pain and gripped his own arm.
"What the fuck are your nerves?" Alec asked in shock.
Hunter blinked.
Was not expecting a negative reaction due to biological changes. Is not fully aware of all adjustments made by Panacea. Does not care.
Okay… maybe Hunter and Panacea were both freaks. Good to know.
Lisa was still seriously considering the offer, though. She was reasonably sure that they were focusing all their toxic, codependent energy on each other. They would probably leave her to work mostly independently with the bonus of overwhelmingly powerful protection and backup.
"Join the Hunt if you want to know," Hunter replied.
"You said you're going to kill Coil?" Lisa piped up. That was an important consideration.
"Yes. You want to tag along for the ride?" Hunter grinned. This time, the smile wasn't quite as sharp.
Did she?
Hunter is acting on precognitive instructions. Already knows what Lisa Wilbourn will say. Is aware that Lisa Wilbourn knows that Hunter is acting on precognitive information. Is aware-
Lisa cut off the positive feedback loop before her power could put her in a coma. She hated precogs.
"You're going to drag me along regardless, aren't you," Lisa sighed.
"Yes," Hunter answered honestly. "I need you to diffuse the bomb."
"The what now?" Lisa asked automatically.
Coil has multiple fail-safes, including high explosives built into the walls of his primary facility.
"It'll be fine," Hunter waved her hand lazily.
Believes it will be fine. Trusts precognitive source. Has interacted positively with precognitive source before.
Fucking precogs.
"Fine, I'm in," Lisa said. "And if we actually manage to kill Coil, I'll consider your other offer."
Hunter's smile widened and Lisa couldn't decide if she regretted her decision or not.
"When we kill Coil, you'll be a wonderful asset to the Hunt," Hunter said.
This was probably going to go horribly wrong, but things had a tendency of going horribly wrong in Hunter's favor, so maybe it was better to be on this side of the table.
Maybe.
…
Victoria felt like she had so many different thoughts vying for attention that she couldn't actually focus on anything at all.
She just… flew. Like always.
With the familiar weight of her sister in her arms.
She wanted to look down at her, but the idea brought too many questions to the forefront, and she couldn't handle it.
It was better to ignore it.
Just like always.
Fuck.
Victoria took a deep breath.
"Crystal," she called suddenly.
They slowed so that her words could be heard over the rushing air.
"I need to talk to Amy. Alone," Vicky continued. "Can you go head the others off? Tell them… whatever you want, I guess, and that we'll meet them at home?"
"Are you sure?" Crystal looked between them with unsure eyes.
"Yeah. There's… look, there's… a lot… here, and we… I… need to figure it out before we talk to the rest of the team," Victoria said.
Amy was tense and shivering in her arms, but Vicky couldn't let herself focus on that.
One thing at a time.
Crystal stared at them for a long moment before she finally nodded and rocketed away.
Victoria sighed and descended, landing in a deserted alleyway between two run down buildings. She didn't want to be on a rooftop in case their mom and Aunt Sarah came looking, and she didn't want Amy to feel like she was trapped.
She set Amy on her feet and floated backwards.
Amy just crossed her arms and stared at her, even though Victoria couldn't fully meet her eyes.
Now that the adrenaline from the fight and the screaming match had worn off, Vicky felt… cold.
"Ames… what do we do?" she said. She didn't know what else to say.
Amy blinked.
"I don't know," her sister replied.
Victoria bit her lip and finally forced herself to look at Amy.
She looked… stressed, and worried, but also resolved in a way Vicky hadn't seen before. Or maybe just hadn't noticed.
Actually, she had seen that look before, just this week when Amy stared down their mother.
Did Amy see her as an enemy?
Was she?
Victoria had no fucking idea.
"Can you tell me why? Why her? Why… everything?" Victoria finally asked. Maybe if she had more of the story, the world would start making sense again.
Amy looked at her in silence for another long moment and then sighed.
"It's a long story. The cliff-notes version? I met her at the hospital, in costume. I threatened to kill her a couple times, and she showed me her blood vials. Her work… It's like nothing I've ever seen, Vicky. Nothing like anyone's ever seen. I know she's a villain, and she's broken, but I just… I kind of am, too, I guess," Amy said with a sad smile. "Then she showed up at the house, half an inch from death. Even her blood vials couldn't fix her, but I could. So… I did. Even though I probably shouldn't have. And then we talked for… a long time. You were there for part of that."
Vicky nodded numbly. It was insane, to know that the messy girl she found in her sister's bedroom was… her.
The image of Hunter appearing out of thin air in front of her and tossing her away like a ragdoll refused to reconcile with the awkward girl from Amy's bedroom.
Although, it was kind of obvious, in hindsight. She had already known that the car crash story was bullshit, and Anne lost her foot the same weekend that Hunter fought Hookwolf.
"And then… I don't know, we just… kept meeting. And I couldn't stop. I meant what I said, when I asked you for advice. She's… special. Sometimes in horrible, awful ways, but… I'm pretty awful, too," Amy whispered.
"No, Ames, you're-"
"Don't. Please. You don't…" Amy trailed off, and her expression looked… cracked. And guilty as hell. "I don't… I can't tell you everything, but… you don't understand."
Victoria narrowed her eyes.
"Can't? Or won't?" She asked warily.
"Won't," Amy admitted softly.
She didn't know if that was worse or not.
"And you know you aren't being Mastered?" Vicky asked. She knew it was a stupid question, but she couldn't help herself.
"I don't think so, but it doesn't matter," Amy said. "Hunter… Anne… can find me anywhere, even in M/S holding, and the only person she'd listen to is me."
"That's… if she'll listen to you, why are you telling her to kill everyone?" Vicky's voice raised on its own.
"I'm not a good person, Vicky," Amy looked almost resigned. "I've saved so many people, but… If I had to choose between you, or Anne, and everyone else… I'd let them all burn and smile while they died."
Victoria didn't know what to say to that.
But the expression on Amy's face was more resolved than ever.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" The words slipped out before Victoria could stop them.
Amy nodded.
"Between randoms on PHO, Crystal, even fucking Tattletale… this won't stay quiet. The PRT might be able to repress it if they really want to, but… what's the point?" Amy shrugged. "And Carol's going to be fucking insufferable, even if she doesn't kill me on the spot."
"Fuck. Thanks for that," Vicky groaned. "I'm going to be stuck dealing with that hurricane of bitchiness all on my own."
"You could always come with me," Amy said, but she didn't look hopeful. More like she couldn't help herself.
"I… I can't. I don't want to… fuck, I don't even want you to go. But I don't think I can stop you," Victoria's voice cracked. "I'd probably try, if I could. To stop you, I mean. But I can't."
When had she started crying?
"I don't know how to save you," Victoria whispered.
"I'm not worth saving," Amy replied softly.
Vicky wanted to argue, but she knew it was pointless. Amy was so fucking stubborn, sometimes.
"She's not… all bad," Amy said suddenly. "You really didn't notice, tonight, did you?"
"What?" Victoria asked, reaching up to wipe her eyes.
"While you were fighting. And before, with Tattletale. She… Anne took a lot of bullets for you, Vicky. Even while you were trying to hit her. Even when you actually hit her. And Tattletale wasn't bluffing. She tried to knock out your field and kill you, on purpose. That bitch knew exactly what she was doing."
Victoria blinked.
That hadn't even occurred to her. She knew her force field had weaknesses, but… it never seemed important.
"Why?" Victoria said.
Amy just smiled sadly.
"She told me, a while ago, that she'd die before she hurt you. And I think she meant it," Amy said. "So just… under everything else she's done, remember that she'd probably let you kill her if the only other option was hurting you. Because she knows I love you. I have no idea what that says about her, but… I think it's good."
It sounded a bit… unstable, to Vicky, and possibly suicidal, but she decided not to say that out loud.
"You think she can kill Lung?" Victoria asked instead.
Amy's smile gained a dangerous edge.
"He's already dead," Amy said confidently. "She's very good at what she does."
Vicky decided not to argue about that, either.
She didn't want this conversation to end, though, because then it would be real.
But their family was waiting, and they deserved an explanation.
Even if it would have to come from her.
"Where am I dropping you off, then?" Victoria said.
Amy's expression softened, and Victoria's chest ached. This was the only option that wouldn't make everything even worse, but that didn't mean she liked it.
"Brockton General. There's a door in the morgue," Amy said.
"How does that work, anyway?" Vicky asked out of genuine curiosity.
"Nope, you gotta join the dark side before you get the really cool secrets," Amy raised an eyebrow. "But… there isn't not a door in our basement, at home."
Well, that was… terrifying. But also…
"So you can come visit, right?" Vicky asked. "Maybe when Mom isn't home."
"Yeah," Amy said. "Anytime you want."
"Okay."
Victoria didn't know what else to say.
"Ready?" Vicky asked.
"Not really," Amy answered.
But she held out her arms anyway, and Vicky scooped her up with practiced ease and soared away into the night sky.
…
Thomas kept his face carefully controlled in both timelines, even though he wanted to give in and smile. Perhaps even cackle like a stereotypical supervillain, despite the absurdity.
He had finally managed it. Both timelines were progressing as planned, and it was glorious.
Still, he couldn't afford to forfeit the advantage. He paid close attention to the screens in his command center.
In one timeline, he had called the Undersiders to warn them about Lung's presence at the casino.
In the other, he did not.
All of the chess pieces were already perfectly placed. It had been a simple matter to move them into position.
Panacea wasn't home or at the hospital in either timeline. It was likely she was with the Hunter, or at least somewhere in Taylor Hebert's domain.
Careful monitoring of New Wave's patrol routes ensured that Victoria Dallon would be present at the inevitable altercation. Ms. Alcott wouldn't be repeating her previous stunt, and the hero's connection to Hunter may even cause further delays.
He had lost communications with his ABB moles when the fighting started, but that was to be expected.
Thomas watched Dinah Alcott closely in both timelines.
In one, he kept the monitoring agents at a distance, aside from the mercenaries that subtly infiltrated the Alcott's protection detail. He had already realized that it was imperative to keep a wary eye on her in both timelines, because sometimes even the 'safe' timeline would suddenly go awry for no discernable reason if she was left to her own devices.
In the timeline where Hunter was distracted, his men converged on the Alcott household.
Her parents were absent. They had received invitations to a conveniently timed fundraiser and their hired security had already been replaced by his agents.
Dinah made a valiant attempt at escaping, but there was nowhere to go this time. She sprinted across the lawn and managed to stay ahead of his men for several blocks, but she was eventually cornered by one of the support squads and forced into a car.
It was one of his undercover vehicles that wasn't equipped with recording equipment, so he called the mercenary in question.
"Report," Thomas demanded.
"Asset secure. No communication with the asset, as instructed. Returning to headquarters."
Coil could barely contain his excitement. With the combination of his own abilities and a powerful precog, he would finally have the edge he needed to keep himself safe from Taylor Hebert. For all her power, he would be able to stay one step ahead of her if he could always see her coming.
In the other timeline, Ms. Alcott was still safely reading in her living room, none the wiser. Just in case.
He waited with bated breath.
Three vans pulled up to support the vehicle holding his asset as they approached his base.
They arrived without incident, and he allowed himself to become hopeful.
A small army of his agents escorted Dinah Alcott to the command center, blindfolded for good measure.
Not that it would make a difference. She would never leave this bunker.
The doors opened and Coil couldn't help but smile.
"Good evening, Ms. Alcott. I apologize for the necessary discomfort, but one can never be too careful," Thomas said.
His attention was diverted when the version of Dinah Alcott in his safe timeline got up and walked over to a member of her security detail.
To one of his mercenaries.
"Apology accepted," the version of Ms. Alcott in his base said.
Thomas had a bad feeling about this.
In the safe timeline, the mercenary speaking to Ms. Alcott pulled out a cell phone and dialed.
"Report," Thomas barked in that timeline.
The mercenary in question didn't answer.
"What have you done?" Coil demanded in the timeline where Dinah stood in his base.
"Your usefulness is at an end, Thomas," Dinah Alcott said coldly. The tone and words were even more disconcerting in her high, clear voice. "I apologize for the necessary discomfort."
Coil's blood ran cold.
What had he missed?
He wasn't sure which timeline to drop. He had the girl in this one, but she was up to something in the other. Both could be terrible, if there was something critical he was missing.
In the 'safe' timeline, a mercenary standing at one of the monitors in his bunker answered a cell phone.
"Yes, Hunter," the mercenary said in a dead monotone.
What?
Then Coil's own mercenary drew his sidearm and shot that version of him in the head.
The timeline collapsed, and he was left with a solitary existence, staring into the expressionless eyes of the child in front of him. Where had her blindfold gone?
His heart pounded in his ears.
He immediately split the timeline again, because what else could he do?
In one timeline, Thomas went for his gun.
In that timeline, the operative directly beside Dinah Alcott shot him before he even managed to free his sidearm from the holster.
Thomas split the timeline again.
In both timelines, there was the familiar sound of her metal prosthesis on concrete directly behind him.
He had lived this same experience countless times. It felt strangely routine.
The air was suddenly driven from both sets of lungs as an intricately engraved steel blade sprouted from his chest, severing his spine and piercing his heart.
At least she killed me quickly this time.
Thomas Calvert knew no more, in any timeline.
…
"What the hell happened out there?" Emily barked into the phone on her desk.
"My full report will be submitted as soon as I return-" Armsmaster started.
"I'll have questions about that, too, but I need information now," the director of the PRT ENE cut him off sternly. "The interstate is on fire, I'm receiving conflicting reports about the Undersiders and Lung, and PR is somehow already requesting direction regarding Panacea, of all people. What happened?"
Armsmaster sighed into the phone and Emily resisted the urge to reach through it and strangle him.
"I responded to several calls regarding Lung's appearance on I-95. I found Hunter present and engaged with Oni Lee. Lung was already significantly escalated, resulting in a high risk to civilian lives. I prioritized Lung's containment. During the altercation, Hunter arrived and killed Lung before I could stop her," Armsmaster said.
"She killed Lung? How?" Emily demanded. The arrogant gang leader had directly challenged the local Protectorate and won. He was not easy to kill.
"Hunter now possesses heavy ordinance designed to be wielded using her Brute abilities. Between that and a Tinkertech blade that countered his regeneration, Hunter relieved Lung of his head."
Wonderful. As if Hunter needed even bigger guns.
"Fine. Then why am I hearing that New Wave was present? And that Panacea is somehow… involved… with Hunter?"
There was a longer pause, this time.
"I wasn't aware that New Wave arrived on the scene. They must have focused on Oni Lee. The surrounding area was obscured by Grue's power, and I was occupied by the primary threat," Armsmaster said. "Do we have any updates on Panacea's status?"
"She is in New Wave's custody, from what I can tell. We are already attempting to reach out and meet with Lady Photon, but we haven't made contact," Emily grumbled.
Teenagers. Teenagers with heavy ordinance.
It was irritating to an extreme degree. She hated being forced to take these irrational children seriously.
Now it was Emily's turn to sigh.
"So, in summary: Lung and Oni Lee are dead, Hunter escaped with the Undersiders, and New Wave is a PR disaster that could explode at any moment," Emily said.
"Yes," Armsmaster confirmed. "I also witnessed Hellhound using several new pieces of Tinkertech equipment reminiscent of Hunter. An axe, a shotgun, and a personal protection shield of some kind. Hunter is not above sharing her tech with her Hunt, and it seems less prone to degradation than traditional Tinkertech."
Just what they needed. An entire gang of murderers outfitted with the blood Tinker's creations.
"I look forward to reading your report. If Panacea is compromised, we will have to tread carefully. Her allegiance will add credibility to the Hunt. Not to mention that she was the one who verified the safety of Hunter's surrendered tech," Emily said. "Get back here and start sorting this mess out."
"Yes, Director."
Armsmaster terminated the call and Emily leaned back in her chair.
Things may have gotten more complicated in some ways, but they had also simplified in others. New Wave's reputation would take a significant hit if Panacea had truly joined the Hunt, leaving the Protectorate as the primary heroic organization in the city. The ABB would crumble within weeks without Lung and Oni Lee to force them together, and the Protectorate was more than equipped to handle the reemergence of the splintered Triads and Yakuza.
That is, if the Hunt didn't get them first.
That was the crux of the issue.
The Hunt would soon become the most powerful villain presence in the city by a wide margin, especially if they had subsumed the Undersiders. Coil's mercenaries wouldn't last long against a versatile force of organized parahumans like that, not when they were supported by Hunter and her tech.
It galled Emily greatly to do it, but she prepared to begin a new game of PR spin doctoring. To the public, there would be a tightly matched fight for control of the city, with the valiant heroes barely holding back the murderous but undoubtedly powerful agents of the Hunt. Despite the conflict, life would improve when compared to the previous gangs, and it would all be due to the hard work of the PRT.
The truth may be that the status quo only existed because Hunter wasn't actually trying to oust the PRT, but the public didn't need to know that.
…
C: Where are you?
C: Vicky, answer plz
C: We're at your house. Things are tense af, get Amy here asap
V: omw
Victoria landed on the front porch with a worried knot in her stomach.
This was not going to go well.
Part of her was still pissed at Amy for making her deal with this, but it couldn't be helped. The metaphorical bomb would go off regardless, and it was better for everyone if her sister wasn't in the blast radius.
Even if it was kind of her fault in the first place.
Whatever.
Victoria took a steadying breath and walked inside.
The rest of New Wave was already assembled.
"Victoria-" her mother and aunt exclaimed at the same time before looking at each other tensely. Aunt Sarah sighed and let her mother speak.
"What happened? Where's Amy?" Carol demanded.
Victoria tried to come up with a shortened version that wouldn't immediately set her mother off, but that wasn't exactly easy.
"Crystal and I saw the Undersiders fighting Oni Lee, so I decided to try to bring a couple of them in, but Hunter… stopped me. Then we took down Oni Lee, and Hunter left to fight Lung. You told us not to fight her or Lung ourselves, so… well, and Amy was there, so we thought we should bring her home…"
This wasn't going well. Trying to avoid the pitfalls was hard when the entire evening had been nothing but pitfalls.
"And this?" Carol yelled, holding up her phone.
Even from here, Vicky could see that it was shaky cell phone footage of Amy and Hunter's impromptu make-out session on the ruined highway.
That was… probably the worst case scenario, then.
"Well, um… you know Amy has a girlfriend…" Victoria chewed her lip awkwardly.
"And you decided not to tell me she was dating a villain?" Her mom yelled, still waving the phone.
"I didn't know until tonight!" Vicky justified quickly.
"Where is she?" Carol demanded again.
"Amy's gone, Mom," Victoria said sadly.
"What do you mean, gone?" Aunt Sarah cut in.
"She's… with Hunter. She's one of them, now," Victoria sighed.
"And you just let her go? She's a villain, Vicky!" Carol yelled over Aunt Sarah's reply.
"What the fuck was I supposed to do?" Victoria yelled back. All the helplessness she felt before began to spill out. "Even if I brought her here, or arrested her… Hunter can get to her anywhere with those portals of hers. Amy would be out of prison in a heartbeat, and then where would we be? She'd just… hate us even more than she already does."
"You know what her power can do!" Carol exclaimed, pacing across the living room. "She's a menace, a risk to everyone, everywhere-"
"And whose fault is that?" Victoria couldn't help herself. "Maybe, if you hadn't treated her like shit for years, she wouldn't have run away the first time a villain was actually nice to her!"
"What-" Aunt Sarah started.
"Victoria-" her mother tried to cut her off.
Vicky didn't let that stop her. The anger and frustration for this whole terrible situation needed to go somewhere.
"You made Amy like this, Mom! If you had actually given a fuck, gave a single solitary shit about the daughter that you chose to adopt, she would be here, and happy! Instead, she would rather live in an abandoned hospital with a blood Tinker, because that fucking murderer already loves her more than anyone else in this room!" Vicky screamed.
"She's a threat!" Carol snapped while the rest of the room fell silent. "I treated her exactly like she deserved, and I was right! Running away to join a gang with a body count in the hundreds-"
"Oh, fuck you, Carol," Victoria spat in her best imitation of Amy's vitriol. "You're such a fucking hypocrite. She fulfilled your stupid expectations because you treated her like that every fucking day!"
"Carol, Vicky, stop-" Aunt Sarah said sternly. The rest of the team just looked speechless. Victoria didn't care.
Amy was gone, and it was their mother's fault.
"She's just like him," Carol screamed, plasma lancing between her fingers. Her mother's eyes flicked wildly between Vicky and Aunt Sarah. "I knew it from the moment you forced her on me, but you wouldn't listen!"
What?
Victoria felt like she was missing something, here.
"Oh… Carol," Aunt Sarah looked at her mother sadly.
"Don't give me that look! I knew this would happen, and now there's another one out there!" Carol yelled. "A new villain gang that pretends to be high and mighty while they kill people, and Amy's one of them!"
The room fell silent in the absence of Carol's shrill voice.
"What is she talking about, Mom," Crystal asked after a long pause.
Aunt Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Amy is Marquis' biological daughter. We took her in after we defeated him to protect her from his remaining gang and his enemies," Lady Photon said softly.
A chill ran down Victoria's spine.
"That's why you always hated her?" Victoria hissed at her mother. "Because you think villainy is fucking hereditary?"
"I WAS RIGHT!" Carol screamed back, but she sounded more like a cornered animal than the usually pragmatic woman Vicky had known.
"You turned her into a villain," Victoria floated forward until she was inches from her mother's flushed face. She flooded the room with her aura until the air seemed to warp around them, demanding overwhelming terror and respect from her sad excuse for a family. "Not Marquis. Not Hunter. You. Take some fucking responsibility for once in your life."
Victoria flew towards the stairs in the stunned silence that followed.
She couldn't help but send one parting jab over her shoulder.
"Hunter broke into the PHQ without breaking a sweat, and she knows what you did to Amy. Amy's restraint is the only thing stopping her from putting a bullet in your brain while you sleep, so maybe keep that in mind before you open your fucking mouth in the future," Victoria said coldly.
Then she flew upstairs and slammed the door to her bedroom shut, leaving the broken remains of her team behind her.
…