Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)

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ExploerTM said:
On the next day a new website went online. Everything, from design to UI pointed at that it was made in the 2000s, but nobody on the web ever remembered that site. Some people were claiming they did but dataminers quickly disproved them. That site claimed to be a fan made site of the Earth Bet's original game. And you guessed it, nobody ever heard about said game. Site was also – probably illegally – hosting a link to download said game for free. Few people tried it and confirmed it was legit, no viruses or any other shady stuff. Soon more people downloaded it. Game wouldn't have won any awards back in the year it was made, 2006 if game credits to be believed, much less today, but it was serviceable and some even argued that there were quite a few fresh ideas that current games should incorporate here and there. Some people from credits were found but they either were very confusing that game was actually released or offered no comments whatsoever. A bit of mystery surrounding the game gave it somewhat of a recognition on the Internet, being a little urban legend. While not many actually played, a lot at least heard about it. If only because the name of the main dev was very familiar to the crowd, though game claiming to be Earth Bet original confused people a lot and gave food to many, many speculations.

Regardless, the game became somewhat known, ask anyone about it and even if it will take them a minute or two they will recall its name.

Cecil McHenry's Omega Protocol.
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I'm not sure if anyone else is going through each Omake like I am but damn.
This one hit me harder than I expected.
I wanted to give a congratulations
Well played.
 
Just found a couple perks and I figured what if Apeiron was precisely what everyone feared he was.

Spiderman PS4 said:
We're Going To Change The World Peter- 600
Few are the men that can look down on the world like you do. Your mind is one of those that will be looked back on in centuries time as one of the greatest in history. You have all the potential to change the world with your intelligence. Create a cure for cancer, true cybernetic bodies, unlock the secrets of turning matter to pure energy or creating true space flight. They'll likely take years of work but you well and truly can change the world. But why cure cancer when you can make superheroes and monsters instead? You might have a world class mind but you also have truly superb talent for creating technology meant to interact with super powers. Giving, taking or altering the superhuman powers found in this world. Making a man have the powers of a spider or creating a monstrous symbiote superweapon or sealing the negative powers of a poor young child. Even technology meant to enhance, weaken or otherwise interact with these powers is within your grasp. While you have no experience with magic, you might perhaps learn to apply some principles from your work here to that field too.
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And the other one:

Generator Rex New said:
Obverse, Study, Replicate (400 CP): The former head scientist of Providence, Doctor Fell, was a man who believed that the ends justify the means. To discover a way to replicate Rex's curing ability, he was willing to dissect the boy molecule by molecule. Even if you don't share the same ideas, you learned one thing from the doctor: How to reverse-engineer superhuman abilities. Unlike Fell, you don't need to dissect the original users to discover how to replicate their abilities, needing just to observe and carefully analyze how their powers work and what is their source. You can discover ways to replicate these powers using technology, like creating an exo-armor to replicate super strength or gauntlets capable of copying and controlling machines, or ways to grant them to other people. This perk works better in reverse-engineering biological and technological traits, including the ones granted by the nanites, but also works on more esoteric abilities, like magic and more weird things.
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So, re-read the chapter where Emma gets arrested and thought of something: Taylor says to herself that she was only sticking it out at Winslow to try for help Emma and now she knows that the girl is just plain broken and needs professional help at a minimum, she's just about done with the place and would cheerfully ditch it for some other education option. Which naturally leads me to the Apeiron Academy and Joe getting accredited as a homeschool teacher (does that need accreditation?) to get her ahead of that game.
What do we think? Skitter with the knowledge of "real" physics? More or less terrifying? What about bringing Rachel in? The regular school system has clearly failed her hard and wouldn't know how to help her now anyway.
 
Lisa's New Glasses (Shyft)
  • Apocrypha
    • Omake. Lisa may be out of character a bit but I had the idea. Exorcised.

    Lisa's New Glasses

    Sleep was one of the few times Lisa could defer the use of her power. It was always working, all the time, and she knew the exact state of her bedding each every time she woke up. It was limited to her perceptions, but she was all too aware of how many bedbugs and incidental creatures lived within her immediate proximity. It was a miracle that she was not even more of a compulsive cleaner.

    That night though, sleep not happening. She tossed and turned. The high-threadcount sheets normally reminded her of more pleasant things like money and comfort, but now her mind raced along with her heart. Everything came circling back to Joe. To Aperion. To the unreasonable and incredible new circumstances. In a matter of weeks a well-intentioned college dropout had gone from fresh trigger to the most important parahuman in the world, if not the most powerful.

    She sighed, staring at her ceiling as her mind continued to circle. Joe. Aperion. She did not want to think about him! Thinking about him caused her nothing but problems and stress and- she needed to sleep dammit! Impossible things happening left right and center, and all of it focused on such a... a...

    Lisa blinked, and icy cold fear gripped her heart. She wasn't sure her power had closed off that particular aspect of the human condition, but she'd long since given up on feeling anything like that.

    Okay, she thought. I go from not being interested in anyone to clammy hands and accelerated pulse. I go from 'anxiety' to 'crush'....

    She sat up in her bed and looked at her wrist, the watch gleamed faintly in the dim bedroom light. She took a deep breath, and made possibly the most difficult choice of her life.

    "Watch- text message to joe. "I need your help."

    Thankfully, he replied in a reasonable time- not instantly. The holographic display updated with his answer- "calling you, wait 1."

    The phone function rang, and the hush field enveloped her. She could scream and rant and cry if she wanted... "Lisa. I'm here."

    "Joe..." She counted a few heartbeats, trying to calm herself down. "I think... I think something is wrong with my power."

    They weren't on video call, but she got the sense he was checking something. Probably her biometrics. "Your stress levels are elevated- something more specific?"

    Bandaid off, he could see through anything she used to deflect or mitigate. "I've spent more than a year just... being incapable of some things. Basic human things like... attraction. Until tonight..."

    "Focused on me."

    "Apparently." She admitted. "I have a theory or two as to why, but..."

    "As do I." Aperion replied. The change was subtle, but a bit more direct, more knowing than his usual affable Joe-ness. God, she really was crushing on him, if she found that attractive!

    "I have a solution in mind, if you'd like it tonight."

    She did not want him at her apartment. She did not want him closer, more involved in her life than he already was. Not that she had a choice, if even a tenth of what she suspected were true... But she could never doubt his intentions. "I'll text you when I'm ready for company."

    "See you soon."

    He hung up, and now it was on Lisa to prepare herself.

    === === ===

    He arrived with a muted pop outside her apartment door. She'd forgotten to give him her address, but considering his resources, it was a perfunctory limitation- a social grace he'd have induldged for her sake if she'd remembered to go through the motions.

    She considered brewing some coffee, but being up all night and wired on top of this was unreasonable, impractical. She'd thrown on some sweatpants and a jacket, and forced herself to not fret about her hair and the bags under her eyes. And she tried, failed to remind herself to not worry about how she looked or presented herself because no matter what she did he'd see through her intentions....

    He'd arived out of costume, and alone thankfully. Though Lisa was sure his team were just a call away. Her power reared up behind her mind, confirming her theory as he slipped inside.

    Joe looked her over, possibly with some strange invisible sensors or whatever he had developed since they last spoke. She couldn't see anything, other than his clothes being very well made and extremely flattering. He already towered over her, but the jacket and pants seemed to make him fill the room. She shook her head and scrubbed at her eyes. Thankfully she hadn't started crying.... but she was close. She made a silent gesture to the chair and sofa, or her kitchen island.

    Joe just shook his head, but made a point to set a small slip of technology on her entryway table. Her power latched onto it, completely befuddled by its seamless appearance. It didn't even have any obvious buttons- but he waved his hand over it and suddenly the air seemed... friendlier. "This shouldn't take too long. Powers want to be used, and they'll nudge their hosts in whatever way they can."

    "And because I'm understandably terrified of you, mine decided to mess with my hormones instead."

    "More or less." Joe offered. "I'm going to build you a focus. Something to help moderate your power. It'll be more like a totem item than any specific bit of technology."

    She had been worried about what his plan was. Nightmare scenarios involving wet tinkering and stranger things. He was all but confirmed as a power tinker anyway...

    "Okay." Lisa nodded. "Let's... get started."

    Joe smirked and raised his hand. In one moment it was empty, in the next an immaculate looking oval of polished wood appeared in his hands. "I tried to stick to your theme. It should do, but I can try again if you'd prefer."

    He handed it to her, and it took her a second to realize it was a glasses case. There was no seam or clasp, but her thumb found the faintest hint of a catch and it popped open with sublime ease. The glasses were no less impressive. Gleaming frames that reminded her of the watch he'd already made, but somehow even more impressive. Detailed scrollwork more fine than a human hair, almost too small to see- and even just looking at it, she could tell it was going to be light weight and comfortable.

    Still. "I don't wear glasses?"

    "That's fine, its just one of its forms."

    Forms? She reached for them, and the second they touched her fingers, she knew. The lenses and arms shifted into smaller components, until they appeared in her hands as a pair of earrings, with diamonds that looked more valauable than the whole building itself. She rolled them in her hands, and they changed again to her mask, slightly asymmetrical with one side being wider than the other... except she was pretty sure it was animated, changing size and shape in her hands.

    The last form was a hair clip, again edged with diamonds, and she let out a low moan.

    "I... I assume it does more." She breathed.

    "Lots. But the important part is that it should help you with your power. Put it on."

    She pulled it back to glasses form, mostly out of curiosity. The second the frames settled on her nose, the world changed.

    === === ===

    Fatigue banished, exhaustion- a distant memory. She was so wired now that she'd be crashing hard in about two hours, but until then, the world was her oyster. Now that she was aware of it, it was telling- no. Damning. Her power had been insinstent, omnipresent. Everything she ever saw, heard or noticed came bundled with incredible inferences and additional insight. Useful, but incessant. Constant to the point of overwhelming. Even after she learned how to moderate her power- no. She'd been fooling herself. She'd barely managed to figure out how to block it out until she couldn't hold it back anymore.

    And the backlash- 'thinker headache' no longer seemed sufficient. Even if her power was still opaque to her, the glasses seemed to reveal the sublteties and intentions.

    Joe simply waited, content to let her explore her apartment anew. The focus was nothing invasive. If anything it was a support, carefully managing what her senses were showing her and in turn organizing those perceptions. Her sink had been a dreadful place, full of contaminants and overly powerful cleaning chemicals. Now she could look at the sponge next to her faucet and only know academically what was growing in it...

    But if she wanted to know more, her power was there. Like everything she sensed was gathered into organized folders, tabs and annotated. Constantly. If anything she felt like her power was working more, gathering even more insight to her surroundings... Bed looked even more incredible.

    A mirror caught her eye, and she finally looked at herself with the new glasses. Fashionable, was the first word that came to mind, accentuating her features and nothing else. Hot was the second. Like she could look over the lenses through her lashes and bid a man to walk into a noose with a smile on his face. Such a terrible power.

    "You made me look like a sex-kitten librarian."

    "I did no such thing, you're just fortunate." Joe laughed. "I'll send you a comprehensive guide on the focus to your watch- after you get some sleep."

    "It's not working on you very well." Lisa admitted. "Like, I am getting my usual insights, but..."

    "That's more on my own protections. Yours is similar."

    "Protections?"

    Joe just shrugged as he picked up the white noise device. "Proof against all pre and post-cognition, including the Simugrh."

    what.

    === === ===
     
  • Apocrypha
    • Shyft said:
    Lisa's New Glasses

    He handed it to her, and it took her a second to realize it was a glasses case. There was no seam or clasp, but her thumb found the faintest hint of a catch and it popped open with sublime ease. The glasses were no less impressive. Gleaming frames that reminded her of the watch he'd already made, but somehow even more impressive. Detailed scrollwork more fine than a human hair, almost too small to see- and even just looking at it, she could tell it was going to be light weight and comfortable.

    Still. "I don't wear glasses?"

    "That's fine, its just one of its forms."

    Forms? She reached for them, and the second they touched her fingers, she knew. The lenses and arms shifted into smaller components, until they appeared in her hands as a pair of earrings, with diamonds that looked more valauable than the whole building itself. She rolled them in her hands, and they changed again to her mask, slightly asymmetrical with one side being wider than the other... except she was pretty sure it was animated, changing size and shape in her hands.

    The last form was a hair clip, again edged with diamonds, and she let out a low moan.

    "I... I assume it does more." She breathed.

    "Lots. But the important part is that it should help you with your power. Put it on."

    She pulled it back to glasses form, mostly out of curiosity. The second the frames settled on her nose, the world changed.
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    First, a fantastic omake!

    Second, now I am convinced that Apeiron somehow was the source of another famous pair of glasses.

    ​
     
    104.1 Interlude Hannah - Addendum Joe
  • Threadmarks
    • 104.1 Interlude Hannah - Addendum Joe

    Interlude Hannah

    Hannah did her best to seem unhurried as she made her way through the PRT headquarters. Through the crowded and cramped corridors, filled with the press of overworked agents and staff. Her route took her back towards Director Piggot's office, and the level of ambient stress and frantic energy only seemed to grow with each step towards her destination.

    Even in the absence of every crisis the city was dealing with, the PRT office would have still been busy in the wake of a major show like the afternoon's charity event. All the commitments connected with an event like that, the press releases, the statements, the approval of highlight reels and department image work, it was still happening, but had been squeezed in alongside the other concerns they were dealing with. Concerns that in any other situation would have completely overshadowed charity and publicity efforts.

    They had to deal with the Empire's clash with the Teeth and the ongoing efforts to manage the state of the city after the Ungodly Hour, but also had to at least put forward the impression that they had a handle on things, that they could support recovery efforts and memorialize the fallen. Too much happening too fast and coming at the department all at once. Things had been bad before, and the combination of the day's events had moved the situation to a new level.

    And that wasn't even accounting for the latest revelation that had been laid at her feet. Her and the director, and thankfully contained to just the two of them.

    She tried to show no sign of her worry at the latest potential disaster to befall the department. The best she could do was put on a good front and attempt to seem unaffected by the hectic atmosphere. The PRT building had always been hectic, but things had been taken to a point beyond even the most critical and desperate times she had seen in her long career. The PRT headquarters had been transformed in the aftermath of the attacks. The building had been designed as an administrative center, not the base of operation for the PRT and the remaining Protectorate relocating from the PHQ.

    The remaining Protectorate. It was probably a mercy that the team hadn't taken any fatal losses during the disasters that struck the city, but that didn't mean they had escaped unscathed. Velocity was still wheelchair bound and would be for months unless Panacea happened to feel unexpectedly generous. A speedster unable to walk was practically a joke, but Robin had been helping where he could, mostly with console and monitoring duties, at least to the extent that his doctors would allow.

    Assault would have been in nearly as bad of a position as Velocity if not for a stroke of good fortune that regrettably hadn't spread beyond his person. He was probably the department's only hope of seeing any healing from the girl going forward, but refused to press her on the matter. Honestly, even if she had agreed, the mess of containment measures, policy decisions, and active investigations around her case would likely have prevented any additional healing from taking place, no matter how desperately needed it was.

    And it wasn't like it would have helped Rory. Not where it mattered. His own healing factor had seen to the injuries he suffered, at least the physical ones. Triumph may have made an appearance at the charity event, but with how the Ungodly Hour had affected him, she could understand his reluctance to return to the field. The elation she had felt at having the experiences of her own trigger confirmed had been tempered by the shock of what Rory had seen when subjected to the effects of Apeiron's damaged technology and the subsequent breach that was being classified as Case 68.

    It was impossible to imagine a sharper contrast from Victoria Dallon's account of the experience. When she had heard the girl describe what had happened, it felt like validation for that pivotal moment in her life. The vision that no other cape seemed to be able to relate to the way she had. Rather than the delusions of a confused girl, it was finally being regarded with the weight she knew it always deserved, only it had come as a double-edged sword. Taking one hero out of the city for testing and incapacitating another, leaving the Protectorate even more shorthanded.

    And, of course, there was Armsmaster. Or, more specifically, the lack of Armsmaster. She had hoped that Colin's recovery would have lessened the load, allowing him to take over some of the duties she had been struggling with since the first night of Bakuda's attacks, but that hadn't been the case. She knew it was overly optimistic to consider him recovered just because he had woken up, but in any other situation the team would have needed to actively restrain him from getting back into the field, or at least from micromanaging every aspect of their activities from the second he was well enough to speak.

    That hadn't happened. Supposedly he was following medical recommendations regarding his recovery and rehabilitation. Given what she had heard about the surgeries he had undertaken, she couldn't fault him for that, but still, his attitude towards the local office was more than a little concerning. Actually, it was a good deal more than a 'little' concerning.

    Colin practically was the Protectorate East North East. His identity as a hero was so closely tied to the department that there was barely any division between him and the Protectorate branch. You even saw that influence through PR decisions made for other heroes. The department lead by a tinker had capes whose costumes just happened to lean towards a more sleek and modern style.

    Well, at least for the cases where the Protectorate had assisted in establishing their identities. That influence was definitely more evident on Aegis, Gallant, Vista, Clockblocker, and Velocity than on Shadow Stalker, Browbeat, or herself. Battery's synergy was more of a happy accident, with the details of Assault's identity being a special case. Still, there was no denying the influence the man had had, both directly and indirectly. It had reached the point where deviation from that theme became a deliberate choice rather than an idle indulgence.

    Now that titanic presence was just gone. It wasn't even like there was a hole left by his absence. That would be putting things too lightly. It was like the foundation of the entire department had been pulled out from under them, both in terms of Armsmaster's technical and logistic contributions and the very weight of his presence. She had been trying to make up the difference, but even without the need for sleep, there was no way she could fill those shoes.

    And no way she would want to. Hannah knew that she and Colin were different people with different goals. She could run a department and had on several occasions when the situation demanded it, but for her it wasn't the central drive that it had been for Colin. Specifically 'had been', because there was no way the old Colin would have stayed hands off in the face of everything that had been happening. Given the most recent revelation, she was once again wondering if he was deliberately separating himself from the growing disaster.

    The idea that Armsmaster would ever give up on the Protectorate East North East was an insane idea, but that assumed that the branch was still the branch that he had built and helmed through his career. When the PHQ had been destroyed and the city thrown into chaos it was like they had lost more than just a headquarters and a leader. It felt like the whole department had been torn down, with nothing but a hollow shell limping forward until it collapsed under its own weight.

    Or maybe that was just the exhaustion talking. Too long on her feet with too little food and too much caffeine. Not needing sleep wasn't the same as not needing rest. There was only so long she could maintain her pace before it started to wear on her, and she was long past that limit. Physical and mental exhaustion were piling up, along with the standard wear and strain from pushing herself constantly. Muscle aches, stiff joints, sore feet, and a general feeling of being strained past her limit all compounded the aforementioned exhaustion, driving her mind to dark and pessimistic places.

    As she moved through the halls her aching feet felt heavy, despite the urgency of the situation. She knew how important this was, but she just couldn't muster the response it required. Maybe she was becoming numb to the sense of urgency. It seemed everything over the past weeks had been urgent and all of it had all piled upon her shoulders.

    She took a breath and tried to shake the fatigue from her limbs. She needed to reinforce the image of confidence and leadership the department needed right now, one she was struggling to maintain. The stress of 'leadership' was wearing on her even more than the hours she had been working. Thankfully, she was experienced enough in not showing sighs, particularly for public events. She had cleaned up for the charity event, complete with freshly pressed costume that had been sourced from somewhere. Putting forward the department's best face to try to distract from the way things seemed to be falling apart.

    And it had worked. Or at least as well as anyone could tell. The Protectorate's presence at the event had been a balancing act from the start. The department's reputation was in tatters after their handling of the rolling series of crises that had hit the city and the further revelations about the extent of the ABB's activities had cast a darker shadow over their earlier management of the situation with the gang. Revelations that had been shocking even to members of the team, leaving her wondering exactly how they had ended up in this state.

    That was an issue that she didn't have the time or resources to address. Just dealing with the current run of problems and commitments was pushing her and the rest of the city's heroes to their limit, with their commitment to the charity event not helping their situation. They couldn't be seen to be ignoring an effort on behalf of the victim of those disasters, but also couldn't be seen to be delinquent in their duties to the city, particularly since anyone with the slightest amount of sense would know that an event like that was the perfect time to launch an attack without worrying about the Protectorate immediately intervening.

    Hannah had arrived ready to leave at a moment's notice. Other heroes were similarly standing by or even deployed into the field after a brief appearance for the cameras. When the attack had come she had been prepared for the worst. But mercifully, rather than being met with another spiraling disaster tearing the city in half, it had been put down with contemptuous ease. Frankly, she wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign, given the details that had recently come to light.

    Still, at least the Protectorate had managed to have some capes on the scene to avoid coming across as completely negligent, even if the handling of the matter had sparked yet another round of discussions regarding the department's handling of earlier events.

    "Miss Militia." Hannah turned to see one of the capes in question hurrying towards her from one of the side hallways. The blue circuit pattern on Battery's costume flickered as she moved and a serious expression was visible beneath the visor of her helmet.

    "Battery." Hannah said, slowing her stride slightly. She was still pressed, but could not afford to draw attention to that fact. Not with what was at stake. Instead she smiled behind her flag patterned scarf and nodded to the other hero. "Congratulations are in order for your actions against the Empire and the Teeth."

    Battery nodded slightly and dropped her voice. "Thank you, but I doubt they really are. Assault and I contained the Teeth's capes until the PRT collected them, but everyone knows this was entirely the Celestial Forge." She let out a breath. "And I doubt the way I handled things will have many people singing my praises."

    "No one will fault you for following department policy." Hannah assured her. That wasn't exactly true, at least not in the public sphere. Some people would forgive her adherence to department policy, but even they would fault that policy itself, along with the person who had issued it and left it in place. Just another problem that Director Piggot did not have time to deal with.

    Battery gave a slight nod, then looked up at her. "About those policies," Hannah had to hold back her reaction at Battery's tone. "Is there a reason why they haven't been recanted? Normally I wouldn't ask, but we're operating under different mandates from heroes from outside the city. I know things have been hectic, but given the seriousness of the situation, it seems like a unified approach would be a priority."

    Behind her scarf Hannah pressed her lips into a line. "Those policies were issued in accordance with PRT procedures for emergency situations. There is a substantial oversight process to modifying and recanting them, which I understand is being undertaken at higher levels of the organization."

    That was an excuse, and she suspected Battery knew it. The primary reason why the policies hadn't been recanted was because that would have required Director Piggot to specifically recant them. The same protocols that allowed those measures to be quickly put into place made them difficult to rescind. It wasn't merely a matter of pride or ego, though Hannah could admit that was likely a factor.

    Retracting policies implemented in response to a major event required justification and proof of action on the part of the department who put those policies in place. Extreme measures couldn't just be walked back. It was a policy intended to prevent those kinds of edicts from being used frivolously, and might have worked in other cities. Places where the practice was to exercise careful consideration before blanket policies were issued, with an accounting of specific justifications that could be addressed if it was revealed that decisions were made in error.

    There was no question. Director Piggot had overused her directorial mandate. The attacks of the ABB were the exact kind of thing that mandate had been intended to address, but the director had been leaning on it even before the first round of bombings. Each successive wave of policy declarations had added another layer of justifications that would need to be addressed until the cost for recanting the policies became prohibitive, not just to the director but to the entire department.

    The director could reverse her earlier decisions, but that would involve admitting fault on pretty much every aspect of her conduct leading up to the Ungodly Hour. Given the legal and civil consequences of that kind of declaration, even the national office wasn't pushing for that measure, despite how Director Piggot was being regarded in the wider PRT. Instead, they were containing matters. Operating other teams and assets outside of the director's authority, transferring responsibility for aspects of the disaster, and handling any breaches of policy by effectively transferring accountability to a higher level.

    Honestly, Director Piggot had probably been hoping for a public breach of those policies. If Battery had publicly discarded them it would have given her the ability to update the mandates while placing the blame on a subordinate who would have been forgiven during an evaluation of their actions. Nobody could fault Battery for following the rules, but Hannah had to admit that things would have been greatly simplified if Assault had managed to open a dialogue.

    The whole situation was a problem. The higher ups were not willing to grant Director Piggot blanket clemency for her earlier actions and she wasn't willing to give them any more ammunition against her than was absolutely necessary. It had resulted in a kind of standoff where the city was too unstable for her to be replaced, but too much of a public concern for her actions to be overlooked. It meant that the director was as focused on covering for her current and past actions as she was on managing the situation in the city. A distracted director was the last thing the city needed, but it seemed there was no good way to resolve the situation, just bad ways to manage it.

    It would have been nice if politics could have stayed out of things, but Hannah had been in the Protectorate long enough to know that not even S-class threats were immune to those concerns. An appropriate comparison, given what they were dealing with in the city.

    "I have seen the public videos taken of the incident." Hanna said, causing Battery to cringe slightly. "But what was your assessment of the encounter?"

    Battery took a breath. "Such that it was? I don't think there is any aggression from Apeiron's team towards the department, but any hope that they'd overlook earlier actions by the department would be misplaced."

    Hannah nodded. The accusations leveled against Apeiron had been considerable. Early assessments had laid nearly the entire situation at the man's feet, while also disregarding his warnings and dismissing the very real threats that were building in the background.

    "Not as bad as it could have been." Battery continued. "Given some of the accusations, it wouldn't be surprising if Apeiron was openly hostile."

    Miss Militia nodded soberly. "Those were… ill advised." She said, using the most neutral language she could. "But we weren't the only ones who missed the significance of March's actions. "

    "New York." Battery said. "It's hard to believe someone like that had been running around for years, just chasing after Wards."

    Hannah nodded. "Many different parties have voiced similar concerns."

    That was not a good look for the New York office. A small mercy, since it at least made the oversights of the East North East department less of an outlier, but still, there were videos of clashes between March and various Ward teams. The explosions from her striker power coming within a hair's breadth of maiming or killing one of the young heroes, heroes who had been approved to engage her. With the very visceral image of what those blasts had done to Apeiron, there was significant concern over how New York had handled their assessments.

    As if those assessments were worth a damn in the face of March's thinker power. That insane ability that effectively scrambled any thinker-based evaluation that involved her actions. It was so unprecedented that it had been easy to miss and easier to misattribute. Another crime that was erroneously laid at Apeiron's feet and another reason for the Celestial Forge to mistrust the department.

    Really, it was lucky that the encounter had been limited to what could at worst be described as a mild dressing down. Battery was right about some capes holding grudges, usually over far less serious offenses. Another thing that she had to worry about, given the latest development in the string of disasters.

    Battery let out a breath. "So much has been happening, I guess not even the other departments can stay on top of it all."

    "It seems that way." Hannah said.

    Looking more closely at Battery, Hannah could see the signs of the same weariness and discomfort that she was dealing with herself. Battery had also cleaned up for the charity event, with a crisp fresh costume and professional touch ups to ensure she looked her best for the cameras. Exhaustion hidden expertly with a thin layer of makeup, while iron discipline held back reactions from small pains and irritations that would have healed with sufficient rest.

    Or a visit from Panacea. It was another area where the impact of the girl had been overlooked. It wasn't just major injuries where she made a difference. During a checkup the soreness of a grueling night could be washed away, leaving you ready to push just as hard on your next mission. Apparently it had only taken a few years without those consequences for the department to lose sight of the reasonable limits of cape work. Without that magical healing, the toll the job took on the less enhanced members of the team was going to build up quickly.

    Hannah watched Battery push aside the exhaustion and pain that had built up over the past weeks and force a smile onto her face. "Well, at least with so much happening I can avoid being the main story for the next news cycle." She smiled slightly wider. "Particularly with everything from the charity show."

    Hannah's response was mixed. The afternoon's event had been a rousing success on basically every level. It had brought forth a massive outpouring of support, both in donations and supplies and equipment sent directly to relief groups. The event itself had been stunning, with the coverage possibly looking even better than it had in person. National attention was being drawn to the city, and for once it was positive. It was possibly the best press the department had received since… well, since the last time they had worked with Garment.

    And that was where the other side of things came from. Battery didn't know about Garment's near certain association with the Celestial Forge. The coordination she had displayed in arranging the event, the unquestionable growth in her powers, that highly particular aspect to her tinker work that was apparently less advanced and yet more useful than virtually any other tinker tech, all were points of concern.

    But they were abstract points of concern. Potential points. Issues for analysts or the people building contingencies documents and psychological profiles. From the perspective of the department, it was a godsend. Perhaps an intentional peace offering, or perhaps another display of strength. A clear demonstration of how far Apeiron's reach could extend.

    But that was a problem for later. There were many, many problems for later, with Hannah doing her best to head off the most dire of them. As such, she didn't need to borrow trouble by panicking over an event that had been nothing but positive.

    "The show did come together exceptionally well." Hannah said, glossing over what that implied about Garment's coordination abilities. "I'm sorry you had to miss it."

    The woman nodded. "The video is incredible, but I have to admit I wish I could have seen it in person. And at least people online are watching something other than recordings of cape fights."

    Hannah raised an eyebrow and Battery nodded glumly. "Yeah, I know people are going to be picking over every frame from this afternoon. I mean, it is Survey." She added.

    "That it is." Hannah said with dry humor. Every female cape received a certain amount of attention online, and Hannah's career had stretched long enough for her to see the full range of possibilities. Survey had managed to cultivate a tremendous following with only the most fleeting of appearances. With her latest display, there was no imagining how far people were going to take things.

    It was unlikely it would completely overshadow Battery's exchange with the Celestial Forge, but between Survey's public appearance and the grandeur of Garment's charity event, the number of people discussing ENE procedure policies would be in the minority. A small blessing, but one that was fully attributed to the actions of the Celestial Forge, once again making Hannah wonder how intentional it might have been.

    Battery paused and some of the amusement faded from her eyes. "Even after a display like that, even with everything caught on camera, It's not going to deter the Butcher." She said grimly. "We're going to see a response to this. I've read the dossiers. The Teeth always escalate when challenged."

    Hannah nodded to the younger hero. "Analysis is ongoing, but the Teeth's initial response will likely be directed against the Empire." She worked to pierce through the fog of exhaustion to pull up details from earlier reports and briefings. "Arrangements are being made to move the captured capes out of the city. They will be held and processed by other departments."

    Which would save them some effort and manpower that they really couldn't spare, though that wasn't the driving reason for the actions.

    "They don't trust us to hold prisoners." Battery said flatly.

    "I believe they wish to spare the department from an attempted jailbreak, given the damage caused by the last incident." Hannah replied in an even voice.

    Really, it might not even matter if the Teeth were able to break out their capes. If the PRT headquarters was severely damaged in the attempt the department would have no base of operations in the city. At best they'd need to rely on support from the police department, which was hardly an attractive prospect at the moment.

    Battery nodded. "And the Wards' quarters are directly above the holding cells." Battery added.

    Hannah nodded stiffly. That particular design decision had been brought up several times by the Youth Guard's representative, particularly in relation to housing accommodations for Weld and Flechette. To her knowledge, there hadn't been much consideration given to the matter when the Wards were moved from the PHQ after Director Piggot took command of the team. Of course, that didn't stop people from picking over the decision after the fact, and the last thing anyone needed was for one of the team to get injured as a villain fought their way down to the cells.

    "Also a concern." Hannah said. "Arrangements are being made for transport overnight, but details are being left up to the other departments. We won't have final confirmation until the transport teams arrive."

    "Information control?" Battery asked.

    Hannah nodded. The policy meant that there would be no chance that any information regarding the relocation of prisoners could leak from the department, because the department wouldn't have it. Hannah did not like being treated as a security risk, but it was hardly the most egregious measure that had been put in place.

    Even as team leader, there were still details that she was effectively locked out of. Even Director Piggot hadn't been kept fully briefed on every development. They were juggling multiple levels of security while desperately working to keep the most critical details contained. It was unclear if the breaches were electronic or operational, so in critical matters everything was locked down, kept need to know and only handled through direct briefings. It had added even more work for a department that was barely managing under the weight of too many overlapping crises, and the pressure was causing everyone, civilian and cape alike, to run dangerously close to burnout.

    That was the current state of the Protectorate East North East. Nobody trusted anybody, and they were all very tired.

    "About that, I wanted to ask…" She began, taking out her phone and showing Hannah a heavily redacted message from the PRT national office. "I received an order to report to power testing this evening." She looked back at the message. "It's high priority, with 'briefing on arrival'."

    The highest level of security available, for matters that they couldn't risk being entered into a computer system or even handled through physical documents. And if it was power testing, then Hannah knew what it was likely referring to.

    Of course, it had taken more than half a day for her and the Director to be informed of what Dauntless had done, and what had been done to Dauntless. Or perhaps for Dauntless. Shawn had gone over the Director's head both in personally contacting Apeiron and in reporting his encounter. From what she had heard, the wider department was split on whether it was a reckless breach of protocols or one of the most fortuitous encounters in the history of the Protectorate.

    Shawn had handed over his Arclance. She couldn't believe he would take that risk, but in doing so he had apparently received insight into the mechanics of some of Apeiron's supporting abilities and what was being referred to as a direct and monumental upgrade to his abilities.

    Abilities that were apparently lowballed at Blaster Six, a four point increase in his threat rating from barely a few seconds of effort on Apeiron's part. Shawn's lance had been taken for testing while every word from Apeiron was being treated with the seriousness a potential Contract with an unstable probably mad scientist would warrant.

    It seemed the two key points identified involved Shawn being allowed to rest and the details of the encounter being kept secure from outside parties. Apparently it was more of a flippant statement about the department's information security measures, but the national office wasn't taking any chances. Dauntless had received a short debrief before being ordered to rest until the start of the charity event. Downtime issued as a direct order from the Chief Director herself.

    Quite understandably, his Arclance had been taken for extensive evaluation, all while leaving the ENE office completely out of the loop. Not until the details of the encounter and results of the testing were reported to herself and Director Piggot over a secure line.

    And of course, like everything involving Apeiron, the situation was even more serious than it appeared. Everyone knew that Dauntless's equipment only worked for him. To anyone else the spear was nothing but an unwieldy shaft of solidified energy. Except it had worked for Apeiron, and apparently to a greater extent than even Dauntless could manage. And then his enhancement…

    It had been described as granting an affinity for a type of energy, which specifically allowed the effects Dauntless had infused into the weapon to be empowered. But, because they were dealing with Apeiron, the effect didn't stop there.

    It was no longer limited to Dauntless. Or at least the portion that was due to Apeiron's influence wasn't. Regular lab technicians had been able to draw forth small electrical discharges from the weapon. Effectively, there was a base level effect that roughly matched what Dauntless had been able to draw from the Arclance prior to meeting Apeiron.

    Tagged on to the end of the report was a comment that they would be investigating interactions between the effect and other electrical based parahumans. And it seemed that had proven fruitful enough to extend to Battery.

    "I believe I know what this is referring to, but it would be inappropriate to speculate. I'm sure a full explanation will be provided when you arrive." Hannah said.

    "Right." She said, "I just wanted to make sure you knew, in case this ran long or conflicted with another operation."

    "Thank you, but at the very least I'm certain the Director would have been apprised of your situation." She said. As acting leader there was probably a notice waiting for her as well, but with everything she was currently dealing with she wasn't as on top of her messages as her role required.

    Everything she was dealing with. So much that the unsanctioned interaction between one of her subordinates and a rogue tinker that included the use of a high-level trump effect and the imposition of several additional edicts on the department was barely worth noting. Incredibly, she had much bigger problems than that to deal with.

    Hannah noted their somewhat sedate pace had nearly brought them to Director Piggot's office. She cleared her throat and gave Battery an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to get to a meeting with the director." She said.

    Battery nodded. "Right. Thank you for taking the time to confirm this." She glanced at the screen of her phone one last time before putting it away. "Assault is checking in on Panacea right now. I should have time to drop in for a quick visit before I need to report to power testing."

    "That would be good." Hannah replied. Honestly, the fact that Panacea was still willing to interact with any member of the Protectorate was a small miracle. The chance of things going back to the way they'd been before was virtually nonexistent, but even a strained relationship would be better than nothing. "I haven't been fully briefed, but I believe Lady Photon has been working to address some of the outstanding matters that have extended her isolation."

    "That's a relief." Battery said. "I wish I could tell Amy, but with the containment policies…"

    Hannah nodded. It was also probably better not to get her hopes up. The tangle of regulations and edicts that had drawn out Panacea's containment was nearly as bad as the mandates surrounding Apeiron. It stood as a combination of directorial mandates, Master/Stranger protocols, cross accusations, jurisdictional issues, and legal obstructions. If anyone could penetrate the mess, Hannah would have bet on Sarah Pelham, but once again, that came with qualifiers.

    Sarah Pelham no longer came across as the dynamic leader who had helmed New Wave through troubled years and dire conflicts. That had changed in the wake of Panacea's containment. That revelation that had split their team apart at such a critical time for the city that it had served as evidence of Apeiron's malign intentions. Even when those accusations had been largely disproven, New Wave was in no better of a state.

    There was clearly some effort towards resolution, but like so many other things, it was clear New Wave was not returning to their old form. Lady Photon might be tearing into Panacea's case and working through obstructions, but after weeks out of the public eye she was likely more focused on appraising herself with the details of the case, rather than resolving it.

    It would be wonderful if the matter could be swiftly resolved and put behind them, but she could say the same about any number of concerns. With Panacea things were not likely to be that clean or simple. Even if the girl was tolerating the presence of Assault and Battery, Hannah wasn't naïve enough to believe things could be swept under the rug.

    But once again, more pressing issues demanded her attention.

    "I'm glad you can be there for her." Hannah said honestly. "I wish you could give her my best wishes, but I doubt they would be well received, even if that wasn't against protocol."

    Battery nodded. "It's not that bad. Or I guess not as bad as it could have been." She smiled slightly and dropped her voice. "We probably have Ethan to thank for that. I would have expected him to be driving her insane, but he always seems to find a way to raise her spirits. At least as much as you could hope for in her current situation."

    Hannah nodded. "Hopefully it won't be much longer." That was as far as she was willing to go. Any further seemed like it was inviting some unforeseen disaster. She didn't know what else could be looming on the horizon, but they were well past the point of tempting fate.

    "Hopefully. I'll check in with you before evening patrol, but there probably won't be any meaningful updates." She said.

    "I'd appreciate that." It was hard enough keeping apprised of developments in the department with the new security measures. Any insight she could gain from the rest of the team would be dearly appreciated, particularly considering what was likely to be occupying her time.

    Hannah bid Battery farewell before proceeding at a brisk but unhurried pace towards the director's office. She exchanged a single glance with the assistant outside before proceeding in without announcing herself. Not something she would normally do, or something that would normally be tolerated, but they were past the point of courtesies.

    The office was a picture of measured chaos. The Director would never allow her workspace to completely fall into disorder, but the number of issues she had been called upon to manage would have stressed any organizational metric. The normally clean and neat office was overrun with files, maps, whiteboards, post boards, and several additional screens showing media feeds or protectorate analysis reports.

    This was the product of the multiple layers of added information security. It had limited what could be stored electronically, with too many reports were rated at critical importance, leaving their physical copies effectively contained to the Director's office. Only a few days had been enough for a mountain of documents to pile up. To Hannah the concentrated collection of priority information seemed like a massive breach waiting to happen, but apparently it was still significantly more secure than their previous measures.

    Director Piggot sat behind her imposing desk, now covered in paperwork, reports, and files. Despite the clutter, a central space had been meticulously cleared for a single document, the source of their latest concern, which the director was examining closely.

    The wear that was afflicting all members of the ENE office was seemingly magnified in the director's case, and unlike members of the Protectorate, there had been no need to put on a front for the cameras at the charity event. Director Piggot's blonde hair fell limply around her face which seemed both drawn and sagging. There were heavy bags under her eyes and a deep weariness seemed to cling to the woman. Despite all of that, her expression was determined and uncompromising, probably the only thing carrying her through the mountain of ever-increasing concerns that were presenting themselves.

    "Is it done?" Director Piggot asked, looking up at Hannah with hardened eyes.

    "Both agents are in containment. I personally escorted them and ensured that no communications attempts were made." Hannah explained. None were attempted, but for a matter like this they could not take any chances.

    The woman behind the desk sighed and relaxed by a fraction of a degree. A bit of the unhealthy pallor of her skin receded as the most immediately pressing element of the current disaster had been contained.

    "That's good." Director Piggot shifted the masses of paper to focus on the report that had started this. Possibly the most dangerous document in the city. "And the delay?"

    "I ran into Battery." She explained. "She was concerned about her conduct during her encounter with the Celestial Forge."

    The director shook her head. "Which stands as the least of our problems at the moment."

    Hannah nodded in agreement. There was no way to accurately describe the current mess without using profanity. Such was the magnitude of the problem that had been dropped in their lap.

    "She has also been flagged for power testing, likely related to Dauntless's augmented Arclance." Hannah added.

    Director Piggot nodded once, shifting some space on her desk to call up an email on one of the screens. "I've received the notification."

    Notification. Hannah could see that. Not a request or commission, a notification that power testing would be conducted that evening, independent of the department's authority or even involvement. More and more members of external staff were being deployed in adjacent roles to local forces, to the point where the already crowded headquarters was nearly becoming claustrophobic.

    "More external staff?" Hannah asked.

    The director made a dismissive noise. "None of our technicians have clearance for the information." She explained. "Battery will likely receive special dispensation, if heavily restricted."

    "She can be trusted to abide by those guidelines." Hannah offered.

    "That was never in any doubt." The director sighed. "But they're tying up facilities and resources over a point they have already verified."

    "The weapon can enhance the abilities of other parahumans?" She asked.

    Director Piggot gave a grim nod. "I haven't received a full report, and it's unlikely I will, but it seems initial testing was 'encouraging' and there is 'significant interest' in pursuing the effect as much as possible."

    Hannah blinked. "They're hoping to repeat the encounter?" She asked.

    A mirthless laugh escaped from the director's throat. "I doubt they expect to find Apeiron standing around in a 'generous' mood, but I'm sure they want to be prepared to capitalize on any opportunities." Hannah could see the frustration grow on the woman's face.

    "Director, I do not believe this was a strategic move on Apeiron's part." Hannah offered.

    Director Piggot shook her head. "Perhaps not specifically strategic. No one will say I was the primary target of his actions, but it's clear that Apeiron is capable of operating in a comprehensive fashion. I refuse to believe that he would be unaware of the impact he is having."

    That impact being to further deride the department's early policies towards him. A blanket mandate preventing contact had seemed reasonable, but the first time it was discarded it not only provided vital intelligence and a positive point of contact, it resulted in a nearly unfathomable enhancement of one of the most promising capes in the entire Protectorate.

    In fact, taken from a specific perspective, the same could be said about Weld's encounter. The partial healing of the Case 53's condition might have resulted in yet another series of critical concerns as the city was swarmed with capes seeking treatment, but that didn't change the facts of the encounter. Positive contact, including the first interaction with a member of the PRT, and an enhancement of personal abilities. It created the impression that Director Piggot's paranoia had held back a major strategic advantage from the Protectorate.

    And it may well have. Hannah was too busy dealing with the ongoing emergencies of the city to worry about assigning blame or considering alternative actions that could have been taken, but there were plenty of people in the higher ranks of both the PRT and Protectorate who were considering those exact points. It was quite possible that Apeiron was taking a more generous approach to acts of outreach in order to cast Director Piggot in an even worse light.

    Then again, if an apparently neutral cape's method of revenge was handing out priceless power enhancements to Protectorate heroes, it was unlikely anyone would find fault with the man's actions.

    The director shook her head again. "I am less concerned with the reflection on my previous conduct than the fact that strategic updates were withheld from this department for more than six hours."

    Hannah nodded faintly, but didn't comment. In all honesty, there wasn't much value they could have gained from being informed of Apeiron's vague actions towards the Butcher, and the news of Proto Aima's new form and expanded abilities did not meaningfully change engagement protocols. Then again, given that the standing protocol for any engagement was retreat of all local forces while a national response was assembled, it wasn't like they could change much. Going from 'run away' to 'run away faster' wasn't really worth risking information security breaches.

    Director Piggot's ire would normally be a major point of concern, but there was little chance that Shawn would face any repercussions for his actions, particularly given how they had resolved. The loss of authority was more of a concern, particularly coming from someone as reliable as Dauntless. Once again, Hannah felt like the shell of the department was splintering around her.

    "Beyond the power testing, can we expect any more outside interference?" Hannah asked. Normally she enjoyed collaborating with other departments, but things were far from normal. Her encounter with Shuffle at the charity event still stuck in her memory. The artificial division between forces, the way the local capes seemed to be isolated and contained by other departments, it concerned her. Most of the ire might have been focused on Director Piggot, but she doubted that things would end there.

    "Armstrong has finished taking responsibility for the ABB hostages." The director explained. "They will be transported to a secondary site over the course of the evening, which at the very least will keep them away from the press and any overtures towards Bakuda." She explained. "He's also taking two of the captured Teeth capes. The rest are being sorted out between New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago."

    "Chicago?" Hannah asked.

    "As a possibility. Or potentially a way to distract from the transport of the other prisoners." She said bitterly. Seeing as they were not even trusted to contain minor members of the Teeth, Hannah could understand the director's frustration.

    "But no other external actions?" Hannah asked.

    "Not beyond the deployment of the Chicago team." The director stated. "Which allows us to focus on the matter of Taylor Hebert."

    Hannah found herself taking a sharp breath. Taylor Hebert, an assault case from months ago that the PRT never should have been involved with in the first place. Despite being thrown in the director's face during a conference meeting, the matter had remained a minor issue, a point of personal pride for the director and a matter of operational policy for the department. Operational policy that had been an absolute mess around the issue, but for the most part it had only seemed to be another instance of the department coming up short on matters where they were stretched too thin. An exceptionally bad look when it came to certain people, but not anything more than that.

    That wasn't the case anymore.

    Hannah looked at the director and considered the situation for a moment. Normally she would be more deferential, but the exhaustion was wearing on her sense of propriety. Also, facing the ongoing disasters facing the city alongside the director had worn down the level of formality that used to serve as a buffer between their positions. As it stood, there was no harm in asking the question that had been eating at her since she learned the details of the case.

    "Have you learned how this case was placed under PRT jurisdiction in the first place?" She asked.

    The director's lips tightened into a line. "An oversight, firmly on the part of the agent charged with Miss Hess's case." She explained. It kicked responsibility for the situation down the ladder, but didn't address the meat of the issue.

    In most cities, the Wards served as a division of the Protectorate. In Brockton Bay they were centered in the PRT headquarters under the director's authority. Typically there was more distance between the Wards and members of the PRT, with the city's Heroes taking most of the responsibility for their deployment and development.

    Deployment was a problem of its own. The use of Wards in active combat was limited to extreme events, but looking back the number of events that had met that classification had been expanded dramatically over the years. It had obviously been the result of more generous interpretation being used to justify more aggressive deployment of the younger heroes, but when looked at from an external perspective it instead appeared to show the downfall of the city as villain activity grew beyond what the core members of the Protectorate could manage without supplementary assistance.

    That assessment wasn't reflected in the department's other reports or publicity materials, and that discrepancy had drawn attention. Pretty much everything about the department had been drawing attention. The eyes of the world were directed at the city, ready to pounce on any perceived error or weakness.

    The handling of Taylor Hebert's case might have been the responsibility of a field agent, but that would hardly be enough to justify themselves to the public. It certainly hadn't been enough for the police force. The mistake of a subordinate was understandable, the circumstances that allowed that mistake to have devastating consequences that went unnoticed was significantly less so.

    "That's not going to be enough." Hannah said in a tired voice. "Not for the police service, not for the public, and not for the rest of the PRT."

    "I'm well aware." Director Piggot said with a frown. "PRT policies are what let this happen in the first place. It was a consequence of case policy and department structure."

    Structure that the director had personally implemented, but Hannah didn't see any need to point that out. The Protectorate ENE's reputation might be circling the drain, but she knew the director was in far more desperate straits. Without the Butcher's arrival causing an extension of the city's crisis it was likely that the entire department would have been gutted and placed under intense review. No doubt that fate was still waiting in the wings, ready the second there was enough of a gap in the mounting disasters to call people to account. Until then, all they could do was attempt to navigate the current crises and avoid adding any more to the pile.

    Not an easy task by any means.

    "That explains the jurisdiction, but what about the lack of follow up?" She asked. That was an honest point of confusion for her. The Protectorate worked in tandem with the PRT, but before the Protectorate Headquarters had been destroyed, she would usually only see agents in the field, or for the occasional meeting held in the PRT headquarters. She hadn't realized how blind she had been to the internal workings of the PRT until the team had needed to relocate after the first night of bombings.

    "The PRT isn't equipped for this kind of investigation, and I'm sure you well know." Director Piggot explained.

    Hannah had to reluctantly nod. Really, it was a sign that they shouldn't have been involved in the first place. The PRT had a specific skill set and this investigation fell well outside of it. Even the most basic principles of conducting an investigation had been ignored. Nothing had been archived internally and even getting the most basic information on the case had been a nightmare. Director Piggot had needed to issue specific requests for files relating to the case to all involved parties. Whoever had handled the transfer of authority hadn't even bothered to maintain records.

    Potentially because that would have drawn attention and required someone to actually do something about the horrific event, rather than ignoring it and hoping it went away. The mere fact that someone employed to act on behalf of the PRT had taken that approach was shocking. Given the information and access PRT agents were privy to, she had expected a higher level of professionalism.

    Most people had. The conduct of the local office wasn't coming across particularly well to the rest of the country. The Brockton Bay Protectorate was being cast as incompetent and oblivious, but the PRT was drawing much more serious concerns. The kind that could lead to criminal charges, some of which might not be entirely unwarranted.

    Of course, that was the last thing they needed right now. The city was balanced on a razor's edge between impossible powers. It needed a director who was completely committed to navigating the nightmare scenarios that were developing, not one with pressing concerns about the possibility of jail time.

    She hadn't mentioned that fact, and the director had done nothing to bring attention to the situation, but they were both aware of what was happening. Too many parties looking for someone to blame, too many mistakes made in too short a time, too many bad decisions piling up. Normally a director would have a level of insulation through their position and contacts, but Hannah knew that the director was running out of allies, and the ones who remained could only do so much.

    There was also a significant faction that would be more than happy to throw the director to the wolves if it meant appeasing the Celestial Forge. Hannah was no fool. That situation applied to all of them, PRT and Protectorate alike. The same algebra that had justified maintaining the balance of power between the city's gangs could be applied with equal brutality to any of them with no regard for the human cost.

    Just like the way the department hadn't truly considered the human cost of the drawn-out gang war that had been maintained in the city. The confrontation with Shuffle stood fresh in Hannah's mind. She had seen the reports, the ABB facilities that had been raided and the captives who had been freed. What Lung had perpetrated under their noses and what they had unwittingly facilitated in an attempt to maintain a balance between the criminal factions of the Bay. It was probably for the best that she didn't need to sleep since she couldn't imagine anyone finding peaceful rest in the wake of that kind of revelation.

    She knew the stalemate in the city's power structure hadn't been as absolute as people had thought. Lung could have been stopped before things reached a critical point. It would have been costly with a very real possibility the department could lose capes in the attempt, but still, Lung was only a single cape with one point of parahuman support in his entire organization. A coordinated campaign could have pushed him from the city, or even captured him. But it was never judged to be worth the cost.

    Massive property damage, loss of life, injuries among both capes and civilians alike, a devastating PR hit that was ruled to outweigh any benefit from clearing Lung from the city, and then, in the aftermath, the expansion of the Empire. Kaiser had the ability to call in more forces from outside the city, and the opportunity to secure more territory with new income sources would have assured that course of action. The largest gang in the city would become that much larger and more powerful. More capes, more funding, more influence, and all arrayed against a weakened Protectorate.

    It had been an easy decision to justify. Had been easy. Back when it seemed like nothing but an algebra equation balancing the power blocs of the city. Hold, wait, play the gangs off each other, and take what victories they could. When Colin had captured Lung, it had seemed like their strategy was finally paying off, but that just proved the trigger for everything to come crashing down.

    If they had moved earlier the ABB wouldn't have had March or Bakuda. They wouldn't have been able to break Lung out of containment and bring the city to its knees. They wouldn't have been able to swell their ranks with forced conscription and then coordinate those forces with deadly accuracy.

    Just going off the damage caused, the algebra was clear. There were no projections of loss that could justify their earlier policies against the ABB, and that was without getting into the full scope of what they had perpetrated. The horrors of the ABB had reframed their past actions from a desperate decision for the good of the city to being borderline complicit in the worst abuses imaginable. The entire department was being tarred by that brush.

    Her earlier encounter with Gully and Shuffle had been the closest anyone had come to directly calling her out, but even in the more carefully managed press statements there was a sense that the topic was hanging over everything she did and said. The platitude filled statement Director Piggot had released had been torn apart by any news agency that wasn't in the Protectorate's pocket, and even those were being very careful to not downplay events.

    Hannah took a breath and turned back to the director. "How is the assault case proceeding?" She asked.

    "Poorly. Or well, depending on your perspective." Director Piggot replied. Another document was pulled up. "There is a restraining order being sought against Shadow Stalker's civilian identity and the police are attempting to obtain a warrant for the cell phone of Emma Barnes, which Miss Hess had reluctantly confirmed contains messages that could compromise her identity." The director shook her head. "Which is the last thing we need right now."

    Hannah nodded, but it did seem that they were encountering a great deal of the 'last things' that they needed. The entire situation with Taylor Hebert was the last thing the department needed to deal with, a disastrous oversight thrown back in the department's face in the wake of a disaster. The last thing they needed to be focused on while villain groups were moving into the city and tensions were rising between entrenched powers.

    And when dealing with that the last thing they needed was for Taylor Hebert to be attacked in her school, assaulted by another student brutally enough to cause other students to place calls to emergency services, allowing the police department to swoop in and lock down the case seemingly out of retribution for the perceived slight of the PRT's handling of the earlier assault.

    And in the middle of that situation the last thing then needed was for the girl who attacked her to be close friends with Shadow Stalker's civilian identity and fully aware of her status as a hero. And, in violation of every policy about information security, she had apparently admitted that Emma Barnes phone might have references to her hero identity on it, which would force the PRT to step in once again and obstruct the warrant for access to said phone. When relations were better, they could likely have gotten the police to drop the issue with a simple request, and potentially even ease off on the case in question, at least for a time. Now, in the wake of all the fresh tensions that had erupted, the suggestion that a Ward's identity shouldn't be entered into public record was being treated like an intolerable challenge.

    "If that wasn't enough, the entire encounter was recorded by one of the other students." The director said grimly. "And Miss Barnes was not informed of this fact until she had already made several contradictory statements to the arresting officer."

    Hannah winced. "Were you able to get a copy of the recording?"

    "Not through the police." She said. Hannah gave her a confused look. "It has already been posted online and is garnering significant attention."

    "It is?" Hannah asked.

    "Miss Barnes was listed as one of Parian's models for the show. Replaced at the last minute, but her absence was noted. It seems to have drawn attention to the video." Director Piggot explained.

    Hannah nodded. "Still, with everything that's happened, I wouldn't have expected footage of teen girls fighting to gain much traction."

    "That's not what's 'gained traction'." The director said, calling up the recording on one of the screens.

    The video began, showing a teary eyed girl with black hair and large glasses facing down a girl Hannah assumed was Emma Barnes. The pair were surrounded by other girls, with Taylor Hebert clearly penned in.

    "She's crying! She's really crying!" One of the girls exclaimed. Despite the cruel statement, the girl in the video put on a defiant expression, even as tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

    "Of course I'm crying." She said. Her voice was clear through the recording and the angle gave a clear view of her expression. "She was my mother. And she's gone. Anyone would be devastated by that."

    The redhead shifted uncomfortably before leaning in towards the other girl. "Another breakdown, Taylor? I figured you'd be resilient. Be strong enough to deal with it by now."

    "What does strength have to do with it?" The black haired asked. Her tears were beginning to slow, but the trails still shined as they caught the light, framing her face. "Not being bothered by losing a parent doesn't make you strong, it makes you deranged."

    There was anger in the statement. Defiance. But the other girl was undeterred.

    "Years later and you're still clinging to that. Expecting everyone to feel sorry for you?" The redhead mocked. "All over someone who's gone and forgotten. You're the only one who gets worked up like this. It's not like she mattered to anyone else."

    Hannah felt herself tense. That was… that kind of statement would have been detestable at the best of times, but given recent events, given the number of people who had lost loved ones to the attacks, it went beyond callous. Combined with the smug expression on the otherwise attractive girl's face, it made her seem monstrous. That smug grin faded as the other girl sniffed and then put on a sad smile.

    "You're wrong." She said with surprising conviction. "My mother made a difference in a lot of people's lives. She meant the world to them." Her smile became happier and the tears stopped flowing from her eyes. "Her students, her friends, her family. My mother would be proud of how she's remembered."

    Hannah turned to Director Piggot who briefly paused the video. "English professor at the university. Died two years ago in a car accident."

    Two years. Not in the scope of what they were looking at here, but still far too raw for it to be treated like this. The director started the video again and Emma Barnes continued to demonstrate the depth to which she was willing to sink.

    "You really think that?" She asked in an exceptionally harsh tone. "You really believe anyone cared?"

    "Your sister was named after my mother." Taylor Hebert's flat reply left the other girl speechless and cast a new and highly unpleasant context to the entire encounter. The rest of the group had fallen silent and even the girl filming the scene seemed unsure of what she was doing. Despite the uncertainty, she kept the two girls framed in the shot.

    An ugly look spread across Emma Barnes's face as she glared at Taylor Hebert. When she spoke she was spitting her words like venom. "Huh, I guess people did care about your mother." She said, "It's a shame that you killed her."

    Hannah blinked in confusion, and from the reactions on screen she was hardly the only one. The director just made an indistinct gesture as the video continued.

    "Don't you remember?" The redhead asked. "You were at my house. You were supposed to call your mom, but I guess you didn't care enough. She was dialing you when she got into that accident." She leaned in with a cruel expression on her face. "It was your fault."

    That was a considerable stretch, and once again, she wasn't in a minority opinion on that. The other girls in the video were looking confused and uncomfortable as the exchange continued.

    "Oh." That was the only response offered to Emma Barnes's statement. It didn't go over particularly well with the girl.

    "That's it? You don't even care?" She barked in a harsh and derisive voice. "You know your dad-"

    "I made a mistake." Taylor Hebert said, cutting her off in a voice of forced calm. "Sometimes, mistakes have consequences that are a lot worse than anyone could have imagined." The girl shook her head. "Missing a call isn't the kind of mistake that anyone could predict would have that kind of result." She met the other girl's eyes with a determined expression on her face. "People make mistakes, and then they have to live in the world with the repercussions. Sometimes they're minor and sometimes they're devastating. More devastating than you could have possibly imagined at the time."

    Hannah took a breath as Director Piggot nodded. She could see why this video in particular was resonating with the city at the current moment.

    "We have to deal with the results of what happened, even if we couldn't see them coming." The girl continued. "I… I should have called. But that doesn't make me responsible for the accident. No one could have seen something like that coming."

    The redhead was bubbling in anger and lashed out. "Your father-"

    Only to be cut off again.

    "Are you done?" Taylor Hebert asked in an even voice.

    "What?" Emma Barnes responded with a sharp exclamation before steadying herself. "I'm just getting started."

    "No." Taylor looked directly into the other girl's eyes. There was no animosity, only a tired sense of pity. "Are you done with all this? There's no point anymore."

    "Come on, Taylor, you know better than that." The other girl tried, but there was a hint of desperation to it.

    "I'm serious." Taylor Hebert responded in a firm voice. "After everything that's been happening, with everyone who's been suffering, everyone trying to get their lives back together, you're still doing this? Now? Even though it doesn't matter anymore?"

    As if this wasn't poignant enough to the city already. Then the girl's eyes turned hard.

    "Even now that the reason for all of this is gone?" She asked directly, and something seemed to shift for Emma Barnes.

    "What are you…" She began, then suddenly dropped off. "What?" She shouted, her voice pitching up, nearly to a screech. "What are you talking about?"

    Taylor Hebert glanced towards the circle of girls, then moved towards Emma Barnes to the other girl's obvious shock. She lowered her voice, but the other girls, including the one with the phone pressed in, just allowing the words to be made out.

    "I always wondered why you'd been making my life hell for the last two years." She whispered. "I should have realized it sooner. After all, we were on the phone when it happened, weren't we?"

    The redhead froze. Hannah could see sweat begin to bead on her body as Taylor Hebert continued, oblivious to the warning signs of the other girl's building tension.

    "I should have realized, but you know what? It doesn't matter. So many people out there have had terrible things happen to them without needing to attack others, just to make up for their own weakness."

    Hannah could see Emma's body tense, her skin go pale, and her eyes widened concerningly.

    "This has to end." Taylor continued peacefully, unconcerned with the building threat as she to all appearances did her best to deescalate the increasingly unstable situation. "The ABB is gone. It doesn't matter anymore. You don't need to keep attacking me just so that you can pretend to be strong."

    And that was it. Emma Barnes launched herself at Taylor Hebert, clawing and screaming. Her glasses went flying, rents opened on her face, and she was knocked to the ground as the attack continued. Finally, the spell seemed to break as the person filming frantically pulled back as other students rushed forward to intervene. The video cut before any resolution could be seen, but that was more than enough.

    Hannah looked at Director Piggot, feeling the full weight of the situation. "Indeed." The director said. "Incidentally, Shadow Stalker described Taylor Hebert as a 'Weird loner who probably attacked Emma first'."

    "Which likely speaks to their relationship." Hannah said. "And there was nothing about this from her assigned officer?"

    "Mapping the areas in which Sophia's oversight has been delinquent is something of a lost cause at this point." She said bitterly. "And not even close to our most pressing priority, or our most severe lapse in this case."

    Hannah nodded. This was bad. It would have been bad on its own, it was worse with the video showing the incident in detail and providing context for the abuse, and even worse with that video released online, but as the director had said, it wasn't their most pressing concern. It wasn't what had set both of them on edge and necessitated the complete isolation of the two agents who had found the document in question.

    "Catatonic." Director Piggot muttered to herself. "No follow up. No documentation. Complete dereliction of duty."

    Hannah could understand her anger, but couldn't help but wonder if this was a consequence of how centralized the department had become. With the director at the center of every action, decision, and approval, there was a distinct lack of failsafes and checks compared to other departments. Given the size of the Brockton Bay PRT, that could be somewhat excusable, but she had to wonder if this could have been avoided with a slight structural change.

    Taylor Hebert had been assaulted in January, sealed in her locker which had been filled with rotting biological waste. It had somehow taken nearly the entire first period for her to be released and the culprits were never identified.

    Shadow Stalker's presence in several of Taylor Hebert's classes had provided justification for the transfer of the case to PRT jurisdiction, with no progress having been made in the ensuing months, but that was just the background to the real issue.

    What happened to Taylor Hebert had been flagged as a possible trigger event. Completely independently of the PRT's involvement in the case, agents were dispatched to the hospital for an interview. Taylor was catatonic at the time and no follow-up was conducted. It wasn't until attempts were made to collect missing case data that the true horror of the situation became apparent.

    Agents Simmons and Cohen had been dispatched to collect the hospital's report on Taylor Hebert. The chart had never been digitized, making it necessary for them to obtain a physical copy. Fortunately, they had read it first to confirm the information, at which point they had seized the original and all copies held by the hospital and immediately returned to the PRT headquarters.

    And then they had been thrown into isolation for their trouble.

    It was a poor reward for diligent action, but the information on the chart was clear. Patient distressed. Delusional. Claims to be able to feel insects in the surrounding building. Claims to be able to direct the movement of insects. Claims to be able to control insects.

    The statements had been written off as the after effects of shock and trauma and it didn't appear the doctor in question had made any connections. Connections that were much more apparent when you looked at Taylor Hebert's height and build and hair.

    The department had stumbled across the secret identity of Lady Khepri. It turned out one of the most brutal and feared capes in the city was a bullied high school student who had gained her power less than four months ago.

    Her connection to Apeiron was still a mystery, and not one that there was any interest in exploring. In any other situation, the identity of a cape would have been a point of leverage for the PRT. The unwritten rules were a nice idea, but both sides of the cape scene discarded them whenever it was convenient.

    In fact, many PRT offices considered themselves exempt to such concerns. A hero's identity would be used to pressure them into the Protectorate. A villain's identity would be used to set up an arrest. It was a sad fact that the rules were mostly intended as a way to keep civilians out of cape matters under the guise that some overarching structure was present.

    Only for Apeiron it wasn't a guise. The Unwritten Rules were not suggestions or conventions in his eyes. They were elements necessary for society to continue, and he was perhaps the only person with the power to enforce that kind of mandate. That very day they had seen how seriously the Celestial Forge took their commitments. With some of the theories being presented, it was possible Apeiron was driven by a tinker based compulsion on the matter. Given what they were dealing with, it was not possible to overstate the risk of what they were dealing with.

    "With the information effectively contained, we should at least have the opportunity to plan our next move." Hannah said hopefully. The look on Director Piggot's face wasn't encouraging. "Unless there has been another development?" She asked in considerable concern.

    A weary smirk crossed the director's face as she pulled up a report. "This has just been sent out to senior directors at major branches."

    Hannah had to wonder if they counted as such, or were included due to actually hosting the capes in question.

    "Late this afternoon a new expression of Lethe's power was detected by Protectorate and third-party Watch Posts." The director continued. "It consisted of the complete erasure of what is known as the 'Borgles Meme' from unresistant memory, electronic memory…" The director took a breath. "And physical media."

    Hannah's eyebrows rose. "She can do that?" She asked.

    "Apparently so," the director replied. "With the effect applying universally, extending to alternate Earths, and affecting all variants of the meme." She gestured to the report. "Though I would draw your attention to the timestamp of when the effect was first noticed."

    Hannah's eyes widened. "That would be…" She paused as she considered the timeline.

    "That would be shortly after Simmons and Cohen departed the hospital with the file in question." Director Piggot said flatly. "Apeiron knows. He knows and he has made a statement on the matter."

    Hannah shuddered at the implication. Not only did Apeiron apparently know they had found Lady Khepri's identity, he had made a show of force specifically designed to counter any sense of advantage they might have believed the information granted them. Usually this kind of secret could at least present the threat of mutual destruction. The other party could retaliate, but they couldn't reverse the release of the information.

    Except Apeiron could. Not only could he retaliate to a terrifying degree, he had plainly shown that he was able to put the genie back in the bottle. At least temporarily.

    "The effect reversed itself in less than an hour, but there is no assurance that is a hard limit, particularly considering that it exceeds the duration of all previous demonstrations of Lethe's power." Director Piggot explained. "I have requested to have one of the Watch Post capes transferred to Brockton Bay, but without further justification the requests are locked in review."

    "And this is not sufficient justification?" Hannah asked.

    "At the moment, this isn't any justification." Director Piggot said. Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Taking this by the book, we have forty-eight hours to investigate and confirm this information before we are required to report it. I am taking every second of that time to ensure this is locked down and contained." She took a breath. "If there is a breach, it will not come from this department."

    That was a tall order, particularly considering the state of information controls that they had been dealing with. So far the only measures that they had any confidence in involved limiting information and containing those with access to it. That was what had necessitated isolation of the agents who had found the document, even if that was a poor reward for their extraordinary foresight.

    Simmons and Cohen hadn't done anything to deserve being isolated. In fact, they had done everything that could have been asked of them, and in doing so had prevented a potential disaster for the department. And despite that, they had been regarded as unsuitable candidates for access to priority information.

    Trying to determine who could be trusted under the new information controls was a maddening prospect, but a short list of higher security agents had been assembled based on seniority, performance, and performance reviews. Simmons and Cohen were not even considered for that list, and yet they had taken the most sensible steps when confronted with impossibly dangerous information. They deserved a commendation after this, providing the PRT didn't end up burying the case and transferring them to a remote post.

    More concerningly, if they hadn't even been considered as trustworthy, it cast doubt on the entire procedure used to vet the current agents. Hannah didn't need additional layers of paranoia and security concerns, but they seemed to be arriving regardless.

    "Do you think information like this can actually stay contained?" Hannah asked.

    "I think the national office is at least aware of how dangerous this situation is. I think if we play things carefully we can avoid triggering the kind of response that would be more than the city could endure."

    Hannah blinked. "You can't think that Apeiron would harm the city."

    "Not intentionally, but I don't believe he 'intended' to harm the city during the Ungodly Hour, and we're still reeling from the effects of his actions." The director shook her head. "He is impactful, coordinated, and unstable. In power, if not actions." She added as Hannah was about to speak up. "And that power is what matters here. I intend to keep this city from being caught in the backblast of the next time Apeiron decides to act on the full scale of his abilities."

    Hannah looked at Director Piggot, the conviction clear on her face. Caught in a horrible no man's land of command with the threat of ruination, both professional and legal, bearing down on her. She had worried that it might drive the director to unhinged actions, seeing threats in every corner like she had when Apeiron appeared.

    There were shadows of those concerns, particularly extending to the reach and significance of the tinker's actions, but Hannah believed that the Director Piggot was primarily worried about the impact of the next major incident involving Apeiron, regardless of the man's intentions. She had been a cape long enough to know that when the major powers clashed, the collateral could be as devastating as their direct attacks.

    "I understand." She said, "And you think this is the right path?" Director Piggot nodded to her.

    "We know he's watching. That he's put countermeasures in place. His motives might be inscrutable and his power unknown, but it's clear that he is focused on his plans for the city, and our response for them." The director shook her head. "We can only try to be ready for whatever the Celestial Forge is working towards."

    Addendum Joe

    "I don't want to hear it." Aisha said as we exited the Spiritron core.

    Nobody commented, though there were some meaningful looks, in addition to a bit of direct discussion between Tetra and Survey carried out over the Workshop's network.

    "It wasn't scary." Aisha said. I gave her a flat look. "It WASN'T." She insisted. "It was just really unnerving."

    I nodded at that. "It does hit a little different if you go into it with only half of the information." I admitted. Frankly, I'd never heard of someone having the movie spoiled in that particular manner.

    "They yelled everything right at the start. Were we just supposed to ignore it?" She asked.

    "You were the one who stopped the movie so that you could get a translation." Tetra said. There wasn't anything close to derision in her tone, but she still received an ugly look from Aisha.

    "I'm sorry if I can't hear Nordic languages as background noise anymore." She said, "And seriously, Norwegian? Are we going to be working through all of Scandinavia with these movies?"

    Attention shifted over to the Matrix. With me sitting out, the next random movie choice defaulted to them. They shrugged the shoulders of the armored form they had assembled their nanites into as they turned towards Aisha.

    "I have not made my selection at this time." They said, "Though I am not seriously considering any films that would require additional language modules."

    That may have been a dig at Survey, or it might just have been a flat statement. The Matrix had followed a different development curve from the other A.I.s. It was one that worked for them, but it did make them a distinct presence in the group.

    "You didn't like the movie?" Tetra asked Aisha. The girl let out a slow breath.

    "It was good. Not really scary, just freaky. Especially if you know SOMETHING is going to happen with the dog and have to watch everyone bumble around it." She looked around at the rest of the group. "I've done the slumber party horror movie thing before. I know how this goes, but still, freaky."

    I nodded. "It has a reputation for a good reason." I said. "A lot of that stuff is just gross-out nonsense. It's hard to find something with good pacing and story work that doesn't skimp on other areas."

    "The practical effects were impressively implemented, given the technical limitations of the period." The Matrix offered. "Though design sensibilities clearly favored spectacle over mechanical consistency."

    Garment made a flippant gesture. Considering the fashion elements of the film had been limited to artic wear from the nineteen eighties, she had been watching with more of a passing amusement than any real interest, at least until the monster stuff started up. That had brought on a new wave of inspiration that had sadly fallen flat on the rest of the group. I could appreciate the technical challenge in designing clothing for shapeshifting alien monstrosities, but no one was really in the mood for her Thing-fitted evening wear ideas.

    "Yeah." Aisha said, taking a breath. "Aside from all the… everything, I guess that was S-class threat before S-class threats were a thing."

    "Epidemic protocols." Survey said. "Within the fictional context of the scenario, the isolated location and desolate environment allowed effective containment of the effect. In most alternate situations, that would not be possible."

    I nodded. That was the thing, we were living in a world where the nightmares of the previous generation had disaster categorizations and response protocols. You had to wonder if movies like The Thing had been used to convey the type of situations that would eventually arise in things like Nilbog and the Machine Army.

    Or the Celestial Forge, though we weren't really at risk of uncontrolled expansion, particularly with the Matrix's continued attitude towards sub-standard nanobots. And while you could say Tetra was building towards a global life fiber network, she was doing so through divine connections rather than an expansive physical presence. And Survey was certainly increasing her surveillance efforts, as well as the reach of her program, but it was hardly an A.I. apocalypse scenario. And Fleet wasn't spread over that many vehicles, at least if you didn't count Passenger Space…

    Okay, my S-class threats were still full-on S-class threats, with Tetra fully earning her categorization as the fourth such threat to arrive. The thing was, you thought of S-class threats as things that spun out of control, not potential dangers sitting around watching movies together and only sort of expanding their reach across the face of the planet.

    "It would be advisable to begin preparing our departure for the volunteer after-party." Survey said. "Garment had expressed interest in opening the event in order to extend her thanks to those who assisted with the charity show."

    Garment instantly perked up and signaled her agreement.

    "Right." Aisha said. "My dad's meeting me there. Is there anything we still need to…" She trailed off as Garment began gesturing and calling up displays of her recent work. "Of course, new clothes."

    "I mean, the gown doesn't really fit the tone of the after party." I said, with Garment gesturing in agreement. "You'd probably be okay in your dress from the Event."

    Garment immediately signaled that Aisha would most certainly not be okay in her dress from the event and that an entirely new set of clothing had been prepared for her, Tetra, and 'Delphine', with Survey's replica droid already having changed into the new outfit.

    "At least it's casual." Aisha said, looking over Garment's designs. "Like, the fancy stuff is incredible, but it's nice to know it's not all complicated gowns."

    "High fashion isn't always complicated fashion." I said, with Garment gesturing in agreement.

    "Uh-huh." Aisha said. "And what about you?"

    I glanced at the various new outfits that had been prepared in a design that could possibly be described as Block Party Chic, but shook my head. "Going to have to pass. I'd have a harder time selling multiple new outfits in a single day." Garment dropped slightly, but conceded the point.

    Meanwhile, Tetra was looking through the provided designs and simply shifting the outer layers of her fibers into recreations of the outfits in question. It was an aspect Garment had taken into account when designing for her, since she still saw Tetra as clothing. Also a person, but the two concepts weren't exactly separate in her mind. Garment shifted her attention, giving feedback on the look of various designs before Tetra eventually settled on one of the more relaxed dresses in bright blue.

    Aisha turned her attention from the floating screens of designs to Fleet. "You getting in on this?"

    He shook his head. "Still on the clock." Meaning uniform. Nice uniform, but not exactly an outlet for Garment's creative expression.

    Aisha nodded. "What about your date? Or lesson, or whatever?"

    "After I handle the drop off. Party should run late and Garment's staying till the end. If something happens, we can send a drone." He explained.

    "Something like…?" Aisha asked leadingly.

    "Like the lesson running long." He said simply, but a hint of amusement showed he understood what she was implying. It was very unlikely that anything of the sort would happen with Rachel, at least not tonight. For later, well, that was up to Fleet, with whatever support he needed. It wasn't something I had given much thought, though based on the online reaction, he wasn't exactly short on prospects. Neither was Survey, though for her things ran in a somewhat more intense direction, to the point of blanket policies being issued on several message boards.

    I checked over the preparations my duplicates had put in place for the lesson that might be seen as a date. The plan of showing up with a pair of wolves had been dropped, though with the portal access provided by his key Fleet could get them himself if needed. Actual preparations had leaned towards Rachel's dogs, including a full breakdown of their movement characteristics from all available media and preparation of a modular collapsible saddle design to replace the practice of clinging to bone spikes.

    In the event Fleet needed his own mount, a few mechanical options had been prepared, including one that could be deployed through projection magecraft that had been built into a dedicated single charge device with the knowledge I'd gained from Mega Bomb. Those would be piloted by a version of Fleet's own program, but given the nested carrier setup he was already using in Passenger Space, having Fleet operating a vehicle that was also technically Fleet wasn't exactly a new principle.

    "You guys go get ready." I said to the group. "I've got some work to take care of, then I'll meet you at the party."

    Tybalt nodded, then slipped out to rejoin the security team on their way to the event. Garment led Aisha to her workshop and the new designs to choose from there, with Fleet trailing behind. Tetra flickered between members of the team, effectively being everywhere as connections were perfectly maintained. Meanwhile, the three facets of Survey oversaw the final preparations for the event.

    With that seen to, I extended my mind into the Workshop network, linking to the various concentrations of the Matrix's nanobots.

    'Prototype designs have been evaluated and refined sufficiently for integration into the planned nanite array.' They conveyed to me.

    Dozens of trial designs and slight improvements that didn't qualify as a new generation were spread through the nanobots that composed their being. New technologies, new materials, and new principles, all applied and evaluated in the quest to refine my nanotechnology beyond its already lofty limits.

    'Excellent.' I replied. 'Construction of the nanite arrays will have to wait until after the party.' I needed as much spiritual energy as possible for this work. 'But I'm ready to integrate every improvement possible.'

    Aisha and Tybalt deserved that, and Taylor, Flechette, and Panacea could get by with versions limited to healing.

    "I am pleased to hear that.' The Matrix replied. 'Because the Mantic Cores are complete and ready for integration.'

    I blinked, then quickly checked on what had become the Matrix's personal project. They were right, the cores had fully formed through Mantic circuits drawing power from the Dyson sphere, creating a power source that went beyond the limits of spacetime in several very complicated ways.

    It looked like the nanite project was going to be taken to a whole new level.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Nooooo! Not First!!!!

    Edit: Oh wait, now I am. Nice!

    Also, I surprising feel bad for Piggot, like damn. Also hell of a coincidence that timing lmao.
     
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    LordRoustabout said:
    She didn't know what else could be looming on the horizon, but they were well past the point of tempting fate.
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    Well at least the S9 won't come as too much of a surprise.
    LordRoustabout said:
    "Which allows us to focus on the matter of Taylor Hebert."
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    Oh good, they are finally getting to this bombshell.
    LordRoustabout said:
    She paused as she considered the timeline.

    "That would be shortly after Simmons and Cohen departed the hospital with the file in question." Director Piggot said flatly. "Apeiron knows. He knows and he has made a statement on the matter."
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    I love the running joke of Aisha's power activation's being continually misunderstood. Everyone needs to take lessons from Apeiron's number 1 fan, and figure out that sometimes strangers just want to get rid of annoying memes.
     
    You know, now that Aisha's on talking terms with her Shard, I wonder if she can directly weaponize her power. Especially with a Call Bead.
    Just imagine Lethe pointing at a foe, and just utterly scrubbing their mind of all memories.
     
    I think at this point Joe's incidental luck is basically warping things so that he looks like a mastermind. It'd the best explanation for the timing on the meme erasure and Taylor's files that I can think of.
     
    ...You know what? The ridiculous timing of the meme erase fooling the PRT is probably Joe's luck power at work. An unrelated experiment just happens to land just in time to scare ENE into hiding Taylor's identity is exactly the kind of BS you'd expect from that.
     
    KSn5Ynoh said:
    Aperion's luck is unable to do much to benefit him on account of his ungodly power, so it instead resorts to helping out his mortal allies and arranging coincidences for the sole purpose of intimidating the rest of the world.
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    Apeiron's luck based power had two choices here:
    A. Help make sure his plans go as planned
    B. Violence (Scare the shit out of his 'enemies' with his suspiciously timed power demonstrations, making him look even more menacing)

    Clearly his powers made the right decision.
     
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