Chapter 8
Power tried to latch onto my soul, but I was in no mood and both powers were beyond me anyway. I pushed them aside and focused on my current conversation.
"Eat shit and die," I replied flatly. "I don't want any part of your schemes, Calvert."
"Now now, there's no need for that tone. I just wanted to have a pleasant chat." His voice had a lightness to it that betrayed just how little he truly cared about this situation. Or maybe that's just what he wanted me to think. "After all, civilized people can have conversations, whereas barbarians? Well, barbarians just jump straight to the murder and mayhem." His voice became silky and downright snake-like, danger screaming out at his every word. "Someone without courtesy or decorum might say… detonate an explosive placed inside Brockton Bay Memorial Hospital. The Pediatric Wing truly doesn't have much security."
Ice filled my veins at the threat. No way Coil would go that far, right…? No, he would. I was dealing with an utterly amoral bastard who wouldn't hesitate to use darker means to get what he wanted. Bombing a hospital did seem a little extreme though… Did that mean I was in his throwaway timeline?
No, I think, therefore I am. Until proven otherwise, assume this is reality.
I grit my teeth and choked back the urge to curse at him some more. "What do you want?"
"What do I want? A great many things I suppose. To see this city raised to grand new heights, to control the crime of Brockton Bay, to become it's undisputed ruler in both my civilian identity and as Coil. Unfortunately, that wish has been denied to me." His voice hardened. "How did you deduce my identity? Was it Tattletale?"
"Never met her," I said honestly. I knew Lisa, but I'd had no dealings with the villainous Thinker. "But she's far from the only Thinker in town."
"Oh? So was it this new player on the block then, this… Mak? I'd start giving names to avoid any sort of loss of civility on my part, Magus."
"Not every Thinker goes around dressing up in a costume, some are smarter than that. I learned through my own means and methods," I told him.
"Avoiding my question and protecting your sources. Admirable, if foolish. I'll learn eventually." His voice took on a musing quality. "Though perhaps you are the Thinker, you've already displayed a number of grab-bag abilities, it wouldn't be exceedingly far-fetched to believe that you have some sort of Thinker power of your own."
I remained silent, letting him draw his own misguided conclusions. Just like Lisa had told me, Coil knew that my civilian identity was a Thinker of some kind, but no specifics. That was good. Kudos to her.
"Yes, I do believe that makes the most sense," Coil decided. "So what gave me away exactly?"
"I saw the future. I saw what your plans are. I saw how you die."
"Oh really? And how do I die then, Magus?" Coil sounded amused.
"Trying to put down a warlord more dangerous than you could even comprehend. Outsmarted and outmaneuvered by a rookie parahuman, one who isn't even a cape yet," I taunted.
"I suppose I'll just have to keep a closer eye on any rising stars then," Coil replied evenly.
"Nah, you don't have to worry about any of that. Because I'll get to you long before they can."
"So confident. And yet it is I who holds all the cards." Frustration was beginning to leak into his voice.
"You hold nothing. You think a bomb threat is enough for you to blackmail me? You'd have capes down your throat before you could blink. I'll give you a choice, Coil. Surrender to the authorities and allow them to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law and I won't track you down and rip you apart." I snarled out the last sentence, my voice cracking from how much raw anger was coursing through me. The snake wanted to threaten children to try and get to me? Any ounce of mercy I might have shown him was off the table at that point.
"How sad. Just another brute playing at hero. Here is my final ultimatum: You will attack the Director with lethal intent. The bomb has now been armed and only I can disable it and that only happens if I see the Director dead or you fall in the attempt." Coil's voice was gloating, victorious. "Test me and children die. The choice is now yours." He cut the connection, leaving me standing there in the hallway, seething.
I cursed under my breath and began to prepare. Using Lunatic Eyes, I began to manipulate soundwaves directly into the ears of Director Piggot and the assembled Protectorate while I also mechanically began to give my introductory speech. Basic P.R nonsense, nothing groundbreaking, which was perfect for getting the far more important message to my fellow heroes.
"This is Magus. I'm using my sound manipulation to speak to you all right now, but time is limited. Coil just threatened me with a bomb that he claimed to have placed in the Pediatric Wing of the hospital. Coil only disables it if I attempt and succeed in killing the Director, or I'm taken down in the attempt."
I breathed in deeply. "I have a plan."
/
Armsmaster didn't like deviations. The world was a chaotic place, but people made it orderly. In his mind, the Protectorate and the PRT represented that order. Villains and their ilk were chaos.
And he hated chaos. Chaos meant death. Destruction. Mindless violence. Threatening to bomb a hospital in some attempt to destroy the career of a young hero? It was the exact kind of thing villains did. A temper tantrum at having finally been exposed for the scum he was. A smarter man would have fled the city, used his wealth to create a new identity and life. Instead, Calvert had decided to lash out, ignoring the fact that he had been the first to break the Unwritten Rules with his powers and actions alike.
Colin hoped Magus - Mak - had some ideas for putting the snake away for good. Colin already had a few of his own. For now though, they had to thwart his current scheme.
He had never worked with Strangers before. Most Strangers, by their very natures, tended to be villains, though Colin knew of a few who either worked with the Protectorate or operated as more clandestine agents for the PRT. Either way, he was definitely seeing the benefit to having one on their side now. Magus, using his strange abilities that seemed almost… mystical, had somehow created a larger illusion over the whole front steps of the PRT HQ, then tied an illusion of himself to Colin before dropping the larger one. To all eyes and cameras that Colin could access, Armsmaster had headed inside after taking an emergency call.
"Begin the operation," Colin subvocalized into his mic.
On queue, he turned and leapt at the Director, swinging his 'cane' directly for her skull. He was stopped dead by Assault as the kinetic manipulator hurled himself into his path.
"That was a lot of force bossman," Assault muttered as the crowds began to panic as what appeared to be a new hero tried to kill the PRT Director. "Thought you were gonna hold back."
"That was holding back. About how powerful Magus' blows are at this point."
"Oh… this is going to suck, isn't it?"
Colin felt a small smirk slip onto his face. "For you, yes."
He twirled his halberd around and moved, easily sidestepping a blow from Battery and then launching himself at Miss Militia as she lined up a shot with a pistol.
The situation might have been dire, but Colin appreciated a chance to cut loose and teach his team something about fighting a single skilled opponent while guarding a VIP at the same time.
I reappeared out of the shadows, an illusion already woven over myself to appear as a plain civilian. I'd been to Brockton Bay's primary hospital already, but was generally unfamiliar with the layout. I was walking around, checking signs, when I spotted Panacea doing the rounds.
I marched straight up to her and hooked an arm over her shoulder, leading her off down the hall while at the same time weaving another illusion around her to get rid of the costume. "Amy, it's just me," I said quickly even as she stiffened and began to reach for exposed skin.
She blinked in surprise. "Mak? But I just saw on T.V, you went wild and attacked- An illusion?"
"Eeyup. I need your help. Where's the Pediatrics Wing of the hospital?"
"I'll take you there now." She pulled free and began walking off while I followed. "What's going on?"
"Villain might have planted a bomb."
"Shit. There's some kind of construction project going on down there. I thought it was kind of odd when they just showed up out of the blue a few days ago, but the admin said it was ok…"
"Bribed, blackmailed, or just plain lied too. I'm willing to bet those construction workers are just Coil's mercs. I won't ask you to help me directly once we get there-"
"To hell with that," Amy snapped, looking oddly like Victoria and Crystal with the set of her jaw and fire in her eyes. "I'm a hero, same as you. And besides," she smiled slightly. "It's the White Mage's job to be ready to heal, right?"
"I suppose it is," I agreed. "But lets make you don't get killed by a stray bullet."
I grabbed the edge of her robe and filled it with power, allowing my mana to naturally seek out and fill in the imperfections of the cloth, making it both more comfortable for her to wear while also making it stronger as I focused on reinforcing it's admittedly nonexistent defensive qualities.
"What did you just do?" She asked curiously as she rubbed the cloth between her fingers with a look of fascination on her face.
"Just made you mostly bulletproof. Don't get hit in the face," I told her.
"Noted. Come on, this way, down the stairs. Less cameras."
"Oh that's not a problem." I altered the illusion to render us both invisible instead of just changed. "Presto, no one can see us."
"Your powers are scary sometimes. I'm glad you're a hero."
"So are a lot of people. And even more if we prevent a bombing."
Amy nodded in agreement as she continued to lead me down through corridors and stairways until we spotted the signs of construction work. I guess the mercs had been doing something or maybe they were legit workers with some of Coil's mercenaries just planted among them. Either way, I thought it was weird when I spotted two workers lazing near the entrance of all the construction, suspiciously large tool bags within easy reach…
They were laughing and joking, acting as if they were on a lunch break, but I could see in their watchful eyes that they were keeping a lookout for something. I motioned for Amy to stay back and crept closer myself before peering into one bag. I saw some regular tools, but also the black metal of a handgun, a silencer already screwed onto the barrel. My gut reaction was to start swinging a bludgeon around and knock them out the old fashioned way, but I decided against it. I had a much more subtle way of doing things right at hand.
I moved back to where I'd left Amy. "Those two are definitely hostile. Probably more inside."
"Can't you take them out?"
"Probably, but if any of them get in contact with Coil, this whole place goes up and we all die." Well, I wouldn't. Teleportation had it's uses, but I'd feel guilty as hell. "How'd you like to teach them that the White Mage doesn't just heal…?"
A devious smile slipped onto Amy's face as I began to explain.
"I'm in."
Armsmaster ducked a blow from Triumph and slammed a fist into his throat before he could use his sonic shout. A quick punch to the gut folded him and put him out of the fight for at least a few seconds while his regeneration tried to repair the damage. The task he was performing would have been impossible for Magus. Powerful as the man was, he wasn't familiar enough with his own powers or skills and had never been in a proper cape fight. Colin had been wearing the metaphorical cape for over a decade and more than that, had fought beside these same heroes for years. He knew their styles in and out, perhaps subconsciously preparing for this exact scenario or just in case a Master ever infiltrated the Protectorate.
It helped that everyone amongst them knew that this was more a carefully choreographed dance than a true fight. He spotted at least a dozen openings where Miss Militia could have put a round through his skull or Battery could have simply used a burst of strength to crush his head. Even Velocity could have grabbed some confoam grenades and tried to get him pinned in place, but they had to keep up the ruse, give Magus enough time to find and disable the explosive. He was suddenly grateful that the young man had developed a Tinker ability, even if it had irritated him at the time.
The Director made another move to escape and once again Colin jumped through the air to intercept her, making a decent mimicry of Magus' power, even if his own landing cracked the pavement.
"That was close, Magus," Coil's oily voice oozed over the comline. Magus had thoughtfully handed over his earpiece before he'd made his way to the hospital, smart enough to know that Coil would probably keep taunting him. Armsmaster had to fight the urge to speak back and just ignored the villain as he fought off an attack from Battery. "If Piggot escapes, then I will detonate the bomb and then you'll be looking at prison for nothing. Oh, I suppose you can just say that I made you do it, but no record of this communication will exist and certain emails, text messages, and phone calls can certainly be arranged to appear. Were you perhaps a member of the Empire? Or a plant from the Yangban even? You won't get out of this squeaky clean, you insolent pest."
The words stoked Colin's ire. So many ideas on how to make Coil pay flashed through his mind. The villain was trying to tarnish the reputation of an earnest hero, which in of itself would reflect badly on the Protectorate and Armsmaster at having missed such a thing when hiring him.
He grit his teeth and activated the plasma blade on his halberd.
Assault looked a little concerned when the illusory disguise held up a glowing cane, but the veteran hero got a determined look on his face. "Think we're selling it?" He muttered over the radio.
"We'd better or there will be hell to pay," Colin subvocalized back, then charged.
/
It was surprisingly easy to sneak around when you can both bend the light around yourself and also the sound of your passage. Amy and I had scouted ahead and made out at least a dozen 'construction workers', but half decent examination had determined that they were Coil's mercenaries.
They were surprisingly effective builders. It was kind of a shame to interrupt their renovation.
Once we mapped out where each and every one of Coil's mercenaries was at, Amy just walked up and placed a finger against their necks. One by one, each mercenary was placed into a deep slumber. It went off with barely a hitch.
At the heart of the project though, we found what was undoubtedly an explosive device. I'd never seen a real bomb, but when there's a detonator with a countdown ready to go on the side of it, there are only so many things it could be.
"You have a plan for this, right?" Amy asked nervously as we kneeled next to the bomb.
The timer was set for just five minutes. Long enough so that some trained specialists could get out in time, but too long for a total evacuation to take place.
"Yeah, no problem." I said nervously. I let out a deep breath, reached for my dwindling mana, and placed a hand against the side of the bomb. "Trace. On."
/
Coil watched in two different timelines as events played out. It was glorious, to see that upstart bastard be forced to attack his teammates before they could even be called such. Coil had to admit that the man had skills, the way he danced about the battlefield and delivered savage blows was certainly a treat to see. Had things gone differently, Coil could see himself hiring Magus, instead of dealing with him in this manner.
Perhaps I still will. Once he's been branded a villain, what other choice would he have?
Coil felt himself gloating, but was pulled out of it as Magus went back into PRT HQ alongside Armsmaster in his 'safe' timeline.
Armsmaster…
The hero had taken an emergency call moments before Magus had begun his attack on the Director. He had yet to reappear, something Coil hadn't really paid much attention to as he was too busy gleefully gloating over his all but assured victory. He hadn't taken any such call in the 'safe' timeline.
Coil was loath to give up such a timeline as he was committing considerable resources in the other, but he also hated to make any rash decisions without a backup plan in place.
He closed his safe timeline where he hadn't attempted a gambit against Magus and opened another.
In one timeline he immediately detonated the bomb, sacrificing an entire squad of his mercenaries. Such an action would hurt morale, but the increased pay might smooth things over. He watched in satisfaction as the heroes stopped fighting Magus and began to all run, jump, or otherwise make their way towards the now burning hospital, Magus the most furious looking of all.
In his other timeline, Coil dialed the number of Echo Squad's leader. No answer. Coil nervously licked his lips and typed in the detonation code for the bomb, hesitant to send it. He had to be sure before making any permanent decisions.
"Magus," he spoke calmly into the line he had to the hero. "You didn't somehow let our little deal slip to Armsmaster, did you?"
On screen, Magus didn't falter so much as a step as he executed a perfect parry of a blade that Miss Militia had formed before slamming the end of his cane into her forehead.
"No. Too many lives are at risk." The strained voice came through, though it had an odd quality to it. A bit…echoey.
"I see you want to test me then." Coil almost hit the button to detonate the bomb immediately, except…
Agony coursed through him, pure pain burning along his nerve endings. Magus stepped out of the shadows, eyes full of hate. "You killed them. So many children, dead." He kneeled over Coil's form, eyes glowing read beneath the mask. "So I'm going to make sure this timeline doesn't exist."
Coil involuntarily dissolved that timeline as the pain echoed even through time and space. Sweat began to bead down his forehead. He keyed in the code and triggered the countdown. Perhaps Armsmaster would disable the bomb somehow, but either way it would serve as a distraction as he prepared himself.
"Squads Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, combat alert status one," Coil ordered via radio. "Stranger protocols in effect, begin continuous patrol of all entry and exit points. Squads Foxtrot, Gamma, and Hotel begin the evacuation procedure, we're going to be moving post-haste."
The bomb's schematics were in my head, my mana mapping out every single component, from the smallest screw to the complex circuitry that allowed it to be detonated remotely. It was really rather fascinating, but I was broken out of my examination as my PRT phone rang.
"Magus here," I said, keeping one hand on the bomb.
"Magus," Armsmaster said, voice strained with stress and a touch of fear. "I think we've been made. Have you found the bomb?"
"Yeah, working on disarming now."
"You might not have time for that. Bombs typically aren't easy to disarm and you've never done this before."
"Could I manipulate radio waves to cut the bomb off from ever hearing the detonation signal?"
Armsmaster considered a moment. "That might actually work-"
The timer began counting down.
"Shit!" I spat, running through my options.
"What?!" Armsmaster definitely sounded panicked now.
"Thought of that too late. It's counting down."
"I'll have them begin evacuating the building. Magus, escape if you have to. I don't want to bury a hero on the same day they debuted."
"I'll do my best."
Alarms began ringing moments later. I looked at Amy. "You should go. What I have planned… it might not work."
"No way," she said stubbornly. "Vicky wouldn't leave a friend behind, neither will I."
"Vicky is nearly indestructible," I muttered, though I felt a small amount of relief at hearing those words. If I was going to die… I didn't want to do so alone.
Knowing the structure of the bomb wasn't as helpful as I imagined. Maybe if I had twice as long, I'd be confident in my ability to defuse it. Teleport it out? No, I didn't have access to any locations that were free of people.
Or did I?
"Thanks for getting us this far, Amy. I'll take care of the rest." I gave her a thumbs up and then allowed the shadows to consume both me and the explosive.
I reappeared on the hardlight bridge connecting the Rig to the mainland. I gazed out over the ocean. Then I shadow jumped as far as the eye could see, as far up as I could. I rematerialized, falling, cold from the high altitude. At the same time, I pulled back my arm, poured all my remaining power into it, and punched.
That was the last thing I remembered before the damned thing detonated and the world went dark.
A/N: Almost had Magus and Amy heroically punch the very explosion itself out into the air, power of friendship style, but decided that was too shonen and they aren't good enough friends for that to actually work. Next time will be time to take the fight to the snake.