A oneshot fanfic centering around Chubster during the Leviathan fight at Brockton Bay prior to Taylor encountering our late hero. Intended to be plausible in canon Worm with some liberties taken. Takes place over Extermination 8.1 to 8.3. Also posted to AO3


"Incoming, site Gimmel. Stand clear."

Following the warning given over the radio, an assortment of capes appeared in the parking lot with a muffled thunderclap. The surrounding armored PRT officers, with trepidation winding up their postures in tight springs, could be heard releasing a slow, tense breath as one of the newly arrived capes took the lead and stepped forth, her heavy black cape trailing behind her like a flag in the battlefields of old.

"Thank you Strider. Boston should be the next one ready."

At his departure, a small crack cut through the squalling air sirens as the newly arrived group followed after their leader. Ben Cothran glanced to the left, taking in the view of the local Protectorate HQ floating out in the distance and the approaching storm beyond it. It's Leviathan then, he figured. The waters looked calm for now, but he knew they would become very familiar with the heavy waves that would come from offshore, early-spring having yet to soften the bone chilling cold.

Turning his head to the right, Ben examined the city determined to be the Endbringer's target: Brockton Bay. He didn't know much about the city beyond it hosting the PRT ENE branch headquarters and that Uppercrust of the Elite had some previous dealings with the PRT/Protectorate here. Best to take in the scenery now before the dark clouds and pouring rain left them fighting in the overcast.

And, the somber thought entered his mind, to remember what it once looked like, should the worst come to pass.

Ben's gaze dropped lower, spotting a small group of teenagers in masks and dark costumes. Locals, by the looks of it. Poor kids, Ben mused to himself. While he could respect the guts it took to show up in uniform and fight an Endbringer, it was a shame that this wasn't an unusual sight at these fights. Even members of the Wards would sign up to jump across the world if it meant they could help make a difference.

"Arbiter, you'll be with the Blaster teams. Leviathan's waves will need brute strength to be repelled. Vixen, Resonance wasn't able to make it so you'll be head of coordination. Find someone to work as your assistant."

If it weren't for the curt delivery and stern tone of voice, one would assume the great Alexandria might have been feeling a little stressed given the situation. For the LA Protectorate, they knew it as a certainty. The aptly nicknamed flying brick was not one to indulge in sentimentality especially in public view yet here she was, walking with them into the dark brick building and directing some of them to their stations like a concerned nanny.

Not to say it went unappreciated. Only a crazy person looks forward to an Endbringer battle. Everyone, from the most veteran of heroes to the unpowered civilians had their hearts cry with despair when those air sirens went off, even Ben. Some just knew how to keep those fears locked up better than others.

Upon entering the meeting site proper, Alexandria turned to address her team. "Leviathan's waves tend to cause the most widespread harm amongst defenders. Non-movers, position yourselves high enough to avoid getting washed away but low enough to relocate quickly when needed. Remain vigilant at all times and adapt quickly to any changes in its behavior. I'll see all of you after this is over."

"D'awww don't go all 'empty nest' on us now ma'am. We'll be back after the bell rings." Ben cheekily responded, a shameless grin unobscured by his mask.

ThunderBird let out a cough as Marionette seemed to find something interesting about the ceiling. Alexandria's head didn't move, but her slight pause let him know she took a second to look him in the eye before heading off to speak with Eidolon.

Almost got a reaction that time, Ben mused to himself, still smiling wide. Oh well, Arbiter at least seemed to appreciate the levity, hiding her giggle with a subtle chuff.

The Wards split off from the adults as they went off to check in with the Brockton Bay Wards. The LA Protectorate however, moved to situate themselves spread out amongst the folding chairs in the meeting room. Even now, even amidst mostly fellow heroes and the odd local group, Alexandria's team had a job to do.

As the steady flow of incoming capes began to slow down, Legend stepped up to the front of the room and cleared his throat as the chatter quickly ceased.

Ben sat.

"We owe thanks to Dragon and Armsmaster for their early alert. We've had time to gather, and that means we have just a few more minutes to prepare and brief for Leviathan's arrival, instead of jumping straight into the fray as we arrive. With this advantage, some luck, teamwork and hard effort from everyone, I hold out hope that this could be one of the good days."

"But you should know your chances going in. Given the statistics from our previous encounters with this beast, a 'good day' still means that one in four of the people in this room will probably be dead before this day is done."

A classic from the various playbooks the PRT adopted on crowd psychology and one of the reasons the Protectorate is known worldwide for participating in Endbringer responses.

Individualize them, make them think about who they are.

"I have seen too many good heroes," Legend went on, "And villains, too, die because they let their guard down."

Make them think about how all of their life has led to this moment.

"As much as Dragon and Armsmaster's advance warning might give us the opportunity to make this a good day, other issues threaten to make it just the opposite."

Let them lose themselves in directionless apprehension.

"Newfoundland. Kyushu."

Break them down…

"You are doing a good thing. The greatest thing. This is why we are tolerated, why society allows and accounts for the capes that walk the streets and fight in its towns. Because we are needed for situations like this. With your assistance, we can forestall the inevitable. Your efforts and, if you choose to make them, your sacrifices, will be remembered."

…and build them back up.

"Capes! If you have faced an Endbringer before, stand!"

Myrddin stood. Rime stood. Bastion stood. Cinereal stood. Pretender stood. Chevalier stood. Narwhal stood.

Chubster stood.

With the standing capes scattered in the gathered crowd of strangers, the message was clear.

Take heart, you are in the company of Champions.

-PRT-

As Legend began directing people into different squadrons, Chubster made his way over to where Alexandria and Dragon's mech were waiting for the front line defenders, picking up an armband on the way as he steeled his heart for the coming clash.

"Thank you all for coming. Our job is to focus on containment. Leviathan is fast and agile; it'll need to be bogged down in order for the Blaster squads to land their hits. In close range, swipes, stomps, and kicks seem to be the Endbringer's standard moveset with its hydrokinesis, whip tail and trailing water echo giving it long range capabilities. After you tank a hit, move before the water echo slams into you or push through it. Avoid crowding it and let the Barrier squads help close up the flanks. Leviathan has been shown to be even faster in the water than on land so after each tidal wave expect it to have slipped our defenses and request aid from the Mover squads once it has been spotted. This will be a running battle, so be ready to step in once whoever is engaging Leviathan at the time needs a chance to breathe."

Classic Alexandria. Straight to the point with no room for uncertainty or consolation. Though Chubster supposed she deserved some slack, having seen and known many of the dead capes Legend referred to.

Suddenly, cries rang out as Bastion's voice cut through, "Wave! Shields up!"

The building shuddered and the lights flickered off as the ceiling over by the windows that faced the bay began to collapse, cold water flooding into the meeting room between the gaps of hastily assembled barriers.

"Strider, get us out of here!"

With a thunderclap, the air was sucked from Chubster's lungs as his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness cast by Leviathan's storm clouds.

They were outside in the city proper now, with water from the initial tidal wave up at their calves and raining down upon them like the sky was trying to drown them. Most of the capes were in the middle of the street, shaking off the sudden disorientation as the Mover squads started taking flight, mentally preparing for the day to immediately devolve into chaos as was more the norm for an Endbringer response.

And dead ahead was the Leviathan. Three stories tall and built like a green humanoid lizard that never heard of leg day, its silhouette cast a silent menace over the city with only the sounds of crashing water from its afterimage setting it apart from the rain. It slowly strode forward on digitigrade legs as its long, thin tail slowly swayed behind him.

Leviathan spotted, CD-5.

"Move! Get in position!"

With a roar, Alexandria shot forth, as Leviathan crouched on all fours and lunged, clipping Alexandria in midair as it continued forward, shoving itself right at them and immediately taking out several capes as the Brutes and their backup Barrier squads rushed in.

The armbands rang out. Carapacitator down, CD-5. Krieg down, CD-5, WCM deceased, CD-5. Iron Falcon down, CD-5. Saurian down, CD-5…

The Mover squads were picking up any retreating capes they could, helping them gain some distance and repositioning some of them atop of the surrounding rooftops while the Brutes and Barriers immediately got to work boxing the Endbringer in.

From Chubster's arm, a clear synthesized voice announced, "Alert. Reinforcement required." Looking at the armband, a map of the current sector was displayed, with a big red dot denoting the Endbringer's location and a gap in the spread of defenders around it. The armband continued to list the casualties as he moved toward Leviathan's flank, his eyes never leaving the monster.

Sham down, CD-5. Acoustic deceased, CD-5

Alexandria disengaged as the Blaster squads, now in position, unleashed a volley of firepower followed by a group of Brutes charging in to maintain the pressure. The Endbringer, in response, flicked its tail at a rooftop, the snap of its tail muting the rain for a split second.

WOOO-THISH!

Harsh Mistress down, CD-5. Resolute deceased, CD-5

Hearing a ping from his armband, Chubster stopped and raised his voice to address the capes nearby.

"Alright! Welcome to the party! I'm a Brute with no Moves, so any way of slowing or staggering the bastard will be appreciated! If you can't take a hit, stay behind the fat man, got it!?"

One of the nearby capes replied, "get in close and I'll link you!"

Woebegone down, CD-5

The Brutes currently confronting the beast staggered, as a particularly large woman was crushed underfoot, disappearing under the rising water level. With its leg still extended, Leviathan began to crouch, as if preparing to lunge again.

Chubster shouted out as he quickly waded through the water, two additional capes hurriedly catching up with him.

"Lock it in! Close ranks!"

Grinding its foot into the ground, the Endbringer strode forward, swinging its arm in a massive horizontal swipe, throwing its shoulder into the movement. At the last second, Chubster stopped moving and froze, arm held mid-swing, feet planted, and breath held in his lungs. The other two capes to either side of him braced for impact.

SLAM! SPLASH!

Leviathan's claw and its subsequent water echo smashed into Chubster's still form with the force of a flying school bus, washing away one of the capes at his side and drowning his vision beyond the lens of his mask. The hit, however, did no harm to him, not even shifting the arm at his side as the Endbringer's claw recoiled from the collusion.

"Variable durability and intimate proximity momentum dampening indirectly proportional to subject's mobility" is how the PRT researchers described it. Chubster preferred a simpler way of saying it: The less he moves, the less he can be moved. While standing on solid ground and pretending he was a living statue, he could be run over by a metro train and not so much as budge so long as he did not flinch. And getting Chubster to blink would be a challenge given that his training involved having a staring contest with Alexandria's fist flying at Mach fuck.

Taking the opportunity Chubster's momentarily unyielding form provided, Legend let loose a bombardment of his strongest laser blasts, splitting apart and bending at sharp turns through the air to hit the bastard in multiple areas simultaneously. Leviathan became unbalanced as its legs were knocked out from under it, water bursting into the air from the impact of its body being slammed into the street by superpowered artillery, all the while its neck snapped backwards from the force of the number one Blaster's attacks exploding underneath its chin.

Chubster and the other Brute still standing beside him ducked out of range of the Endbringer's flailing limbs as Legend increased the pressure, his onslaught of lasers like hellfire from the heavens outpacing the rain. The sheer amount of kinetic, freezing, incendiary, and whatever-the-hell-else blasts pinned it down on the street, struggling to even get its chest off the ground. Leviathan manages to force one hand up, the gesture matched with a pillar of water rocketing in between the two in a bid to block Legend's shots, only for Legend to simply redirect them around the geyser.

Having failed with its first attempt, a swelling wave raised unnaturally from the relatively narrow street and crashed into the pinned beast, helping it to roll at the same time its tail whipped into the air at the hero. Legend had kept out of reach of the tail itself, but its water echo shot forth like a jet from a water cutter, knocking the hero back. Now free to move unburdened, the visibly damaged Endbringer rose to its feet and reengaged the capes, building up a shell of water by rolling in the air before unleashing it in a bloody bursting bubble.

Fierceling deceased, CD-5. Adamant down, CD-5

Preoccupied with the capes in front of it, Chubster rushed at Leviathan from behind. Positioning himself within range of its tail, Chubster came to a halt with his body at an angle to the Endbringer, his arms spread wide in front of him as the swing of its tail brought the tip end of it into Chubster's reach.

Upon making contact with his chest, Chubster's arms wrapped tight around it, clenching his teeth as the movement briefly reduced his durability, his legs straining to keep him from being swept aside as he shoved his arms through the water echo. The tail's smoothness that made it perfect for swimming and cutting through the air also made it difficult to get a solid grip on. All of the tiny adjustments Chubster had to make to keep it in his grasp prevented him from fully hunkering down with his power at max.

In a blink, the space between his arms was suddenly emitting a soft red glow. Risking a glance, Chubster lowered his gaze and saw lines of red light connecting his arms and wrists to the beast's appendage. Letting himself fully relax into a still state, Chubster saw that the tail remained stuck in his embrace despite Leviathan's struggle, the red lines holding onto it like a fly caught in a web.

Attaboy, Chubster thought.

With the Endbringer's tail pinned down, the responding capes piled onto the beast in earnest. An unknown shaker had cracked the ground underneath one of Leviathan's feet, water draining away somewhere underground as the Brutes focused on its other leg, preventing the beast from finding stability. Its disproportionate upper body made it an easy target for the attacking Blasters, landing hits on its broad chest and back without fear for friendly fire when it tried to swipe at the Brutes. One particularly potent Blast knocked Leviathan to the side, crashing into a nearby building as its foot sunk into the cracked ground.

Pushing itself off of the now crumbling building, the Endbringer held in its claws chunks of debris that it launched at Chubster's unmoving form at the same time a wall of water rose at Leviathan's side, surging toward the Blasters on the ground with a shove of its other hand. The Barrier squads were quick to react, with shields, walls, and force fields materializing in place to block the wave and some of the rubble being flung at Chubster. A squad of Blasters redirected their fire from the Endbringer and shot the projectiles out of the air like clay pigeons. The remaining bits of glass and brick showered over Chubster and splashed into the water around him.

Stalwart. Unwavering. Unshaken. Standing in the shadow of the City Killer, Chubster remained an anchor holding down the beast's tail. No matter how hard Leviathan squirmed, he would not move. Let it attempt to bury him; his fellow capes blasted the rubble to dust as the floodwaters washed it away. Let it send waves and jets of water at him; they parted before him, pummeling his body with no effect. Let it swing and swipe at him; every attack he endured was another death prevented; another opportunity to hurt and punish one of the bastards laying siege upon humanity.

Neither heavy rains nor scorching sun nor freezing hail nor gloom of night shall stay Chubster from his self-appointed task.

And yet, despite the indomitable spirit filling him with steadfast courage, he was but human. His mind was clear of hesitation but burdened with worry for his young daughter. His body forged strong under Alexandria's leadership, yet weary from the toils of heroism. His heart beat with stoic experience, but stuttered at the sight of the ruined cityscape.

Under the blinding tide of a pressure steam, Chubster's lungs burned. Years of playing the trombone have lent him an impressive set of pipes, but the Endbringer's assault was just too much and lasted too long. As a member of the LA Protectorate, he had endured terrifying blows for longer than this, yet in this moment he was desperate for a moment to breathe. Perhaps it was due to him running to keep up with the beast. Perhaps it was because of the chilling rain beating him down and soaking his uniform.

Or perhaps it was the fear, wailing from within the cage in his heart.

He needed a reprieve if he was to last.

Suddenly the jet stream battering him was cut off, like a fireman closing the valve of a firehose. His vision cleared, Chubster could see a cluster of Brutes engaging the beast, pulling its attention away from him. Taking the chance while he could, Chubster drew in a sharp breath –

WHAM!

The Endbringer's foot connected with Chubster right in the middle of his inhale, its digitigrade legs giving it deceptive range. The slight movement of Chubster's expanding chest had lowered his durability slightly but enough for the blow to affect him, anymore and he would surely have been turned to paste. Chubster was thrown back, his arms flying in the air as the red lights in his arm blinked and disappeared, the beast's tail freed and immediately cutting through the air and snapping at the capes behind the Brute lines.

Leviathan's kick had forced what little air he had left out of his lungs, leaving him winded and still struggling without a breath. Lacking the strength to catch his legs under him, Chubster slammed into the ground, his head impacting the water and the asphalt beneath it. His helmet protected his head from splitting open but between his suffocating lungs and the pounding in his head, it was just too much. His consciousness fading and the floodwaters consuming his downed form, Chubster could only muster one final thought.

I'm sorry Charley…

Chubster down, CD-5. Good Neighbor deceased, CD-5. Hallow deceased, CD-5.


A/N: This happens to be my very first fanfic/writing project ever, so let me know what you think about it, especially tone. The only writing I have ever done prior was essays for school so I'm curious if my writing comes across as too stiff. Like too much "tell" and not enough "show." I didn't want to completely copy canon but also set out to try and keep canon details consistent. Luckily, Taylor doesn't pay too much attention to the fight before Chubster goes down, giving me some wiggle room. I do have some other short stories that I am working on before I try my hand at longer storytelling.