A Champion in Earth Bet [Worm/Original Setting]
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End of Omega
END OF OMEGA
[X] Spoke to a number of politicians to secure immediate relief efforts to get the city back on its feet.
[X] Convinced Kenya's authorities to send the Pentagon to assist. You'll really owe Kenya after this, but it helps build the narrative for an African defense force, and the Pentagon is the most effective hero team on the continent.
[X] There needs to be justice for the victims, but you also need to think of those who are still alive. Try to negotiate a reduced punishment in exchange for them using their abilities for the continued good of the people.
[X] Support taking over the compound. A battle with the full might of the Omega Cartel might appear daunting, but a chance to take the entire organization down is worth the risk, especially with both you and Eidolon on the job.
[X] You're confident you can complete this op regardless of who gets to be second-in-command, it won't necessarily define any long-term command structure, and Eidolon has Protectorate seniority. Letting him take the lead will avoid stepping on toes and help maintain team cohesion.
-[X] Telepathy call Eidolon; ask him if he wants to command or have you do it. You're confident in his abilities and his judgment; you'll happily go along with whatever he prefers.
You glance at Eidolon - not with your eyes, but with your cosmic senses. It's been hinted that his professional pride might be taking a hit with you taking his place as the Protectorate's most powerful hero (though he clearly still has you beat in sheer versatility), and the last thing you want is for the team's effectiveness to suffer because of an emotional wedge.
Now, a team cannot function properly either if one teammate's ego warps everything, either, but there's no cause to jump to conclusions. So far, you have no cause to accuse the man of unprofessionalism.
Maybe best to just talk it out. You switch to telepathic communication. "Eidolon? If I may ask?"
He flinches, but only barely. "Avatar? Is that you?"
"Correct. Apologies for contacting you like this with no prior warning, but I wanted to know your thoughts on the matter."
"On the op? On command?"
"The latter. We both have significant experience in team leadership, but you know the Protectorate better and have seniority. I trust in your judgment here."
There's a pause. "...I have no particular talent for leadership, but I do, as you say, have experience with it. Enough to avoid the rookie mistakes. Here… Honestly, between the two of us and all the other heroes, this should be an easy job. I'm a Triumvirate member and I've been leading the Houston Protectorate for most of its existence. Politically, it makes sense for me to take the leadership position on this op."
"Sensible."
"I'm not trying to keep you down or anything. In subsequent operations-"
"I was under no such impression," you assure him before addressing Del Duque. "I take it Eidolon will be the second-in-command? His experience leading the Houston heroes seems a bit more relevant than mine as an international troubleshooter."
"Let's go with that," says Del Duque with some amusement. He's been observing you and Eidolon closely during the entire telepathic exchange; you think he's gauging you. "What are your thoughts on how to approach the compound?"
"Honestly, I favor taking it over and then taking on all comers," says Eidolon. "Not to toot my own horn, but, we have two of the world's three strongest capes. Regardless of how much of the cartel shows up, we outgun them."
"I'm inclined to agree with Eidolon," you say. "Not just because we can take them, but because we need to. Like Excellente said, this is a period of transitional chaos for Mexico. Everyone on both sides of the law is wondering what the new situation will bring. A devastating show of force and the obliteration of a major cartel right on the first day will send an important message and set the tone for the entire rest of the transition."
"Hm. Ambitious," says Del Duque. "Of course, if it doesn't go well… Double or nothing." He paces leisurely. "Very well, then. Double or nothing."
You are honestly surprised by the wealth of information the Mexican Protectorate apparently has on the parahuman abilities of the people in the compound. Eidolon says he's been using his powers to provide them with additional data, but… you're not sure. He seemed slightly uncomfortable while saying it. Or maybe you're reading too much into it.
Several hours are spent planning and preparing. And then, the operation begins.
The Omega Cartel's compound is a large building. Part fortress, part luxury manor, with reinforced walls, windows of bulletproof glass, an armored op-center room where an entire security team maintains camera surveillance at all time, and no less than four turrets armed with tinkertech weaponry that are controlled from said op-center room.
Eidolon's currently using a "banishment" power that can temporarily shunt nonliving matter to another, empty dimension. The first thing he does after dropping the "area invisibility" power (that allowed your combined team to approach the compound undetected) is banish the compound - walls, windows, turrets and all - to this other dimension, leaving only the bewildered men of the Omega Cartel at the location.
"Attack!" comes Del Duque's voice.
It ends in less than 30 seconds. Attacks from armed gunmen and hostile Blasters get "banished" automatically by Eidolon when they get close to your team. Meanwhile, heroic Blasters and Shakers, including Eidolon and you, blast out the villains with the more dangerous powers. Bulletproof heroes close in with the gunmen. Deadmask's power doesn't even go in use before he gets covered in containment foam. Unarmed, nonpowered individuals are quickly contained - who they were and what they were doing here will be reviewed later.
The third power Eidolon came prepared with is a time-based "slow beam" Blaster power. All the villains he hits with it find themselves slowed down by a factor of… ten? Fifteen? Something in that range. Which makes them easy pickings for containment foam and other tools.
...You find yourself questioning whether you're actually more powerful than Eidolon, as most people seem to think.
As soon as the living opposition has been taken down, you materialize force-fields around the locations of the tinkertech turrets. Eidolon drops the banishment of the compound, returning the building around you to your reality. The turrets don't seem to shoot automatically, but it was a valid concern. The Tinkers on the team quickly handle the op-center room, taking control of the defenses. However…
"There was a man with Deadmask," one of the heroes tell Del Duque. "He disappeared an instant after the compound did."
"Indeed?" says Del Duque. "Avatar, ac-"
"Incoming threat!" Eidolon interrupts. "I'm currently using a precognitive danger sense. There's a threat coming from this direction," he points at one of the walls. "Outside the compound, maybe."
Del Duque nods. "How soon?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Hm." De Duque considers. "Avatar, super-speed. Eidolon, take Avatar and these guys," he points at some of the team Brutes, "and look for trouble."
You follow Eidolon and the others to the edge of the compound, informing him that you've switched to a mix of super-speed and enhanced senses. The briefing on the Omega Cartel indicated that they'd displayed in the past an ability to deploy capes suspiciously fast, so a rapid retaliation is not entirely unexpected… But as you prepare for anything, your enhanced senses catch something inside the compound:
Del Duque, inside the room where Deadmask is foamed, stands with his hands behind his back. "I know you're there."
A moment of silence before another voice speaks. "Y'know, I'm almost sure you're bluffing," it says in an amused tone… then a man appears as if out of thin air. Tall, rotund, thin black mustache, features that suggest mixed Hispanic-Asian ancestry, wearing a brown leather jacket, some device you cannot identify on his left wrist and a probable tinkertech gun at his hip.
"So why didn't you try calling my bluff?" asks Del Duque, not looking like he's preparing for a fight.
"Between the Silver Scion and Eidolon, you probably could find me if you really tried," the rotund man chuckles. "But you have a reputation as a reasonable man, Del Duque. There's no reason for us to fight."
"Singul!" Deadmask's voice comes from inside the containment foam - you guess there's some room around his head if he can shout like that. "Get me out of here, and all your debts are fucking gone!"
"That I'd have to see," says Del Duque, still sounding unworried.
"Listen, Del Duque!" Deadmask goes on. "Good trick you pulled here. I can respect that. But you have to take your opportunities where you can. Work with Singul, get me out, and I'll get you three hundred million pesos! Or ten million dollars, whichever you prefer!"
"It's good to know one's services are valued. I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
"Don't be an idiot! Singul! Talk to him!"
"I don't know, Deadmask," says Singul, "Doesn't sound like a smart fight to pick to me."
"You owe me more money than you could sell all your fucking organs for, Singul!"
"Don't exactly need to worry about it if you're in the Birdcage, do I?"
"You son of a…" Deadmask moves on to a string of profanities at this point, which Del Duque and Singul both ignore.
"It's always refreshing to meet a cape who doesn't rush into unnecessary fights," says Del Duque, "but why exactly should I let you go? You're a smuggler with a fairly long rap sheet."
"Ah, come on, Del Duque. We both know you've got much, much bigger problems to worry about."
"You shot a man last month."
"He shot first!"
"That's not what the cameras showed."
"He intended to shoot first." Singul grins. "But, if you want me to make it worth your while…" He pulls from his pocket… a pencil and a post-it block. He writes something, though you can't make it out from there without completely dropping super-speed to enhance your senses.
Del Duque examines the post-it. "Hm. Interesting. I'll have it looked into." He turns his back to Singul.
"That means I can go?"
"Curious. I could have sworn I'd heard someone."
"Heh." Singul pressed a button on the device on his wrist, and becomes invisible again.
And that's when your enhanced senses pick another thing up. A gas pocket moving outside the compound. It's as colorless as the air around it, but the temperature's all wrong.
"Invisible gas cloud moving over there. Permission to stop it?" you whisper to Eidolon.
"Granted," he says, barely wasting a moment.
You place a force-field around the cloud. It struggles against the field and, when that fails, compresses itself and take a human form. "Let me out of here, you fucker!" she screams.
"She's on our files," operational command informs you via earbuds. "Does burglary, assassination and spy work for Omega."
Well. It's easy enough for you to safely knock her out, but if she was coming toward the compound…
Minutes pass. Del Duque and the others are working on securing the compound. And then you sense it - the sudden teleporting of twenty… no, nineteen individuals inside a building a couple hundred yards away from the compound. And now one of them has teleported away.
You're informing Eidolon of this as another group teleports into another building. Again, the teleporter leaves as soon as he's deposited them there.
Eidolon wastes no time contacting Del Duque. "Enemy teleporting in reinforcements to surrounding buildings; moving in to intercept." He turns to you: "Can you take out the teleporter next time he shows up?"
"Probably."
"Do so."
While you were talking, a third reinforcement group was brought in.
But when the fourth shows up, you're ready. In a tenth of a second, you fly a hundred feet to get a clear shot through a window, and send in a blast that detonates inside the room the teleporter just appeared in (you could just send a blast through a wall, but that would require a blast powerful enough it might kill the people inside).
At the same time as you blasted, Eidolon did something to the building the first batch of reinforcements appeared in. You can't tell exactly what, but the people inside - including all but three of the teleported villains - lose consciousness over the next ten seconds. Meanwhile, your blast has knocked out both the teleporter and half the villains of the fourth batch.
Then the fight begins.
There were a bit under eighty villains among the teleporting reinforcements, and another eighteen villains show up over the next ten minutes via a combination of Mover powers and vehicles, along with nearly two hundred unpowered but heavily armed men - though assault rifles, grenade launchers and missile launchers are pretty useless when aimed at anyone within range of Eidolon's banishment power. Many end up trapped inside a metal dome you create. Eidolon's slow-ray hinders several villains whom ops identify as dangerous. One of the Mexico Protectorate heroes is a Blaster who can generate and briefly store energy orbs that act like guided missiles once she assigns them targets; with the battle proper starting, she manages to take out seven villains rather quickly. One enemy speedster manages to get inside the compound and reach Deadmask's room, but gets taken out by Del Duque - despite the massive difference in speed, Del Duque is able to maneuver her into tripping at high speed, leading to a head-on collision with a wall.
Which is not to say that all goes smoothly. One of your Brutes comes into range of a villain with unknown powers, and is killed instantly when it turns out said villain has the Striker ability to control the body temperature of anyone they touch; their Brute power is insufficient to save them from their own flesh being at boiling temperatures. One heroine suffers extensive third-degree burns from an enemy Blaster. One of the American heroes gets hit by a Master effects that drives him into mindless berserker rage and almost kills a teammate before being contained.
Still, in the end, your losses are minor compared to those suffered by the cartel. Del Duque is able to quickly organize an effective defense of the compound, helped by the tinkertech turrets, while the combination of Eidolon's powers and your own proves too overwhelming even for dozens of villains working together. Once the current batch is neutralized, ten, twenty minutes pass. It doesn't look like further reinforcement is coming, and meanwhile, the team's healer has taken care of the burn victim. With Del Duque's permission, you focus your attention on fixing the mind of the Master's victim - thankfully, the damage does appear fixable. That is not always the case.
"...Ninety-seven villains captured, including Deadmask and four of his top five lieutenants. 266 unpowered men and women arrested," Excellente summarizes that evening. "By our best estimates, that leaves between twenty and thirty villains who never reached the compound. Normally we'd be concerned about attempts to break their comrades out, but… that's not going to be an issue I believe."
You'd rather hope not. Once you were done securing the compound and assisting the casualties, you spent several very busy hours helping the Protectorate sort through the arrested, placing the villains in various Lockboxes depending on individual powers (and risks of synergy with the powers of fellow inmates), going with permission through the minds of dozens of unpowered arrests to determine if they should be released or properly investigated…
But in the end, nearly a hundred villains and and even larger number of unpowered criminals were arrested. A message was sent. The dismantling of the Omega Cartel Will make things just a little bit easier for Mexico's heroes, and hopefully tells the other cartels to tone it down a bit.
"Well, it looks like this went about as well as we could have hoped," Excellente muses. "Good job. Omega won't be coming back. From the looks of it, in the hours following your attack on the compound, over a dozen places they owned got raided - weapon stashes, drug stashes, you name it. Rival cartels cannibalizing Omega for parts."
"No surprise," says Del Duque. "Did we beat any of them to the punch?"
"Other than the main compound itself? A few places. We seized over 200 kilos of cocaine in Tepeji, and raids on Omega-owned brothels got a lot of people out who weren't there by choice. Including dozens of kids. This is a victory, gentlemen, and you have my congratulations."
"Thank you," Eidolon says politely. "Now what?"
"We have a situation in Merida that can use your help," Excellente tells him, then turns toward you. "As for you… you have no need for sleep or rest, correct?"
"Correct."
"Well. I want you to patrol Mexico City, specifically the highlighted neighborhoods," he says, giving you a map. "Focus on locating weapon caches. We can't remove all the cartels, but we can force them to tone down the violence in the streets."
You spend the next nine hours patrolling the streets of the national capital with three of the local heroes. A combination of long-range, low-light, wall-passing vision and the mental super-speed needed to analyze all you see makes those nine hours eventful - you stop one mugging, one burglary, one case of police violence, two cases of domestic violence and three rapes, take note of five cases of suspected domestic and/or child abuse to be investigated during daytime, find and release two girls (one teenager and one preteen) that were held in captivity in someone's basement, locate three notable drug caches (the largest one containing almost four kilograms of cocaine), and raid multiple weapon caches for a grand total of slightly over three hundred firearms and a comparable amount of ammunition, as well as some explosives.
"You really are as good as they say," a teammate named Angel Verde comments on the way back to HQ. "I think we put a bigger dent into crime in a single night than I normally would in three months!"
"Don't get too excited," says the one named Asalto. "In a city this big, that's a drop in the ocean. Those dirty cops will walk. Muggings and rapes happened in plenty of other streets. The junkies will find other suppliers. One busy night isn't gonna make a difference on its own."
"Made a difference to a bunch of people," Angel Verde counters. "And we'll be here the next night as well."
"It's important to keep in mind that the job is far from done," you allow. "At the same time, we shouldn't let how much is left to do blind us to the good we do manage. Our victories kindle our hopes, keep us driven in the face of overwhelming odds. Celebrate last night's victories, prepare for tonight's battles."
Once again, you are thankful that a quick burst of super-speed allows you to quickly handle all the paperwork for last night's activities. You've specified that, while you're going to be based in Mexico City for the foreseeable future, you still require ample time for your more international activities, in particular your work with the Guild.
You also take a moment to check on the news.
The Mexican news cycle is unsurprisingly focused on their nation's joining of the Protectorate and the myriad aspects and complications of the whole matter. Right now, a significant portion of that media attention is dedicated to the destruction of the Omega Cartel; Excellente's already given a media address explaining how Omega overstepped their bounds with their attack of the army base, how there was a degree of violence the nation would not tolerate from the cartels, how the operation combined both Mexican, American and Canadian heroes, and how the twenty Mexican heroes transferred to the Houston Protectorate were just part of a major successful operation against the neo-Confederate gang known as the Freedom Congress. Public opinion of the Protectorate ratification seems poised to go a few points up in the polls.
In Cuba, the news mention a law enforcement victory with one of the most powerful and violent villains in Havana being caught. There's speculation about the rest of his gang deliberately cutting him loose, retreating early in the fight.
In Nigeria, there's some opposition, both at the political and grassroot levels, to getting involved with Kolwezi - many Nigerians arguing that their nation is too fragile to waste resources on foreign affairs when several of its own cities are already held by warlords.
In Pakistan, an entire gang of villains that had fled the Kashmir region and tried to take some territory in Karachi were discovered by law enforcement, disabled and in various states of injuries. A drop in the bucket when nearly a thousand villains operate in the city, but…
In the United States, things are getting busy in Boston. You decide to check up on Weaver later today.
In Europe, the upgraded Brigade is getting set up. Much like the Mexico ratification, it's got some critics and some hopefuls.
In Vietnam, bits of border violence are happening that some fear may threaten the recent truce between some of the warlords.
In Chile, several hundred civilians were killed during a battle between rival warlords in Santiago.
In Indonesia, a police commissioner was arrested by Red White over connections to the Flesh Lords.
Well. Back to work.
"Lockbox 18 is now fully operational," Dragon confirms as you reenter the atmosphere, having placed the satellite prison in low Earth orbit. "Again, I have to thank you. Without your powers, the Lockboxes would have taken years of hard work and tens of billions of dollars to build, and that's before getting into the necessary political capital."
"It's a step in the right direction," you say, leaving it clearly implied more steps must be taken, "but I could not have done any of it without you and the other Tinkers."
It's far from perfect. Some villains, like Skylance, can still escape from any prison short of the Birdcage, and are thus confined to uninhabited dimensions (Fuji-Sama, meanwhile, has been transferred to a Lockbox). The tinkertech involved requires significant maintenance work (though Prochnost is getting handsomely paid to help with that). And while you're not the only person in the Protectorate who can take prisoners in and out, the number of capes able to do it is still troublingly small.
But there's no doubt that it offers a very valuable middle ground between the life sentence of the Birdcage and the mostly symbolic use of regular prisons for supervillains bound to escape them. The Protectorate and several allied nations are already starting to make use of the Lockboxes, and the European Brigade has been given access to the system.
You also take a few minutes to check on Weaver and Naguib. They're doing as well as can be expected, you suppose.
"Don't get me wrong. The people of Nigeria have my full sympathy. But the Japanese economy is already stretched to the breaking point handling the Kyushu refugees. With Skylance gone, we are finally able to address the problem, but that still leaves two million people who need to be housed, fed, clothed," says the prime minister. "I will strive to convince the Diet to offer a measure of support, but I neither promise nor expect much - especially since Japan already contributes multiple heroes to the Guild."
"I understand the difficulties you face," you reply. "However, when you speak to the Diet, please tell them this: Before the Sundering, Japan was one of the most powerful and prosperous nations on Earth. After the Sundering, two decades passed with little to no improvement. Now, Leviathan is dead, Skylance is gone. If Japan makes a significant contribution to the welfare of other nations - if it provides great assistance to the rest of the world - well, what better way of telling your own people that a new page has turned, and that your nation is not staying stuck in a pit of despair? What better way to restore hope and optimism?"
He considers your words for a while, then gives a calculating smile. "...I believe I can work with that."
You've been seeing a number of politicians the world over today. You believe that between them, they'll provide sufficient material aid to get Lagos back on its feet quickly.
Notably, Israel has pledged fairly significant relief efforts for Lagos and Kolwezi both, at least for a country its size. From your reading of Earth-Bet's geopolitics, while Israel has a peace treaty with the Palestinian State, it lives in fear of the various parahuman warlords plaguing the Middle East, and would very much like to see a stabilized international community it could call upon for help should things go South.
"We are already spending significant resources and taking a major political risk with Kolwezi. Now you want us to risk our single best cape team on the other side of the continent?!"
Present at the meeting are certain Kenyan politicians, Kenya's director of parahuman affairs, the Nigerian ambassador, and Narwhal. You see their point… but Kenya's Pentagon would be an extremely useful team to have in Lagos.
"I understand your concerns. Kenya has plenty of its own problems to deal with. But remember that we are trying to make Africa as a whole safer, and that can only be accomplished together. Nigeria and the Guild will both owe your nation a debt of aid in return."
"A debt the Guild will repay as soon as possible," says Narwhal. "I'm sure you can think of a few things we could help with. And that's before getting into the benefits the Pentagon is getting from working with Dragon and other foreign Tinkers."
Very true. Leonardo has been practicing with his version of Prochnost's robustness specialization, upgrading the tinkertech force-fields the Pentagon uses - which in turn frees Fortress, their Tinker, to spend time working on additional gadgets. By all accounts, it's been a mutually profitable collaboration.
The meeting takes several hours, but is ultimately successful: The government agrees to have the Pentagon participate in the liberation of Lagos. In exchange, they expect assistance with parahuman affairs from Nigeria and the Guild both in the near future… and more immediately, they have you spend the necessary time afterward cleaning up the "Brown Spot", an agricultural area several miles wide that had to be abandoned seven years ago when a battle with a Shaker who could manifest poisonous gases left dangerous levels of toxicity in the soil. It's only a tiny fraction of Kenya's total farmland, but it holds some symbolic value.
Your second day in Mexico City, rather than a full-out battle with an entire cartel, involves some high-visibility appearances, a speech in front of city hall, patrolling both the fancier districts and (at your request) some of the poorest neighborhoods… and freeing Espada.
Espada was an independent heroine who appeared on the scene in 2006; her power allowed her to cleanly bisect any nonliving object she touched. She partnered with fellow independent hero Stop, a Striker with a power similar to Clockblocker's, except it only worked on living things and lasted until he touched the time-frozen person again. The pair achieved some degree of visibility in 2007 when they fought, defeated and captured a cartel-affiliated Tinker who'd been using an armored urban hovercraft.
Unfortunately, less than two months later, the duo and a third hero who'd joined in the intervening time got into a bloody battle with villains; the third hero was killed and Espada grievously injured. Stop used his power on her to prevent her from bleeding to death, but was himself killed before he could unfreeze her. Her prone, bloodied, unmoving form has remained in the middle of the street for over four years now.
It's less awful than what's happened to Grey Boy victims. But there's no reason to let it go uncorrected. Which is why, flanked by a healer cape, you unfreeze the heroine. She'll have a lot to deal with… but at least she's free and alive.
Evening falls upon Mexico City. Your patrols have resulted in several further arrests and rescues. The next few hours are spent with the Guild and a number of allies, finalizing preparations for the Lagos battle.
"Your request has been considered and approved," says a Nigerian representative. "The Doctor and Harvest will be captured alive if at all possible, and given the opportunity to serve in civilian capacity for a few years as an alternative to prison."
"I still don't like it," says Doctor Metal. "They're murderers."
"I don't like it either," says Captain Hydro, "but they can help hundreds of thousands of people, and Nigeria's in a fragile state. We can't be picky."
"There are limits."
"Well, yeah. It's not like we're recruiting Lustucru."
The Pentagon is present, discussing strategy with Nigerian capes. The newest Guild recruits - Dauntless, Ninja Roja, Centuria, Wing Warrior, Go-Go - are all present. You've got a few more hours to prepare - the Guild and its allies have been going over this plan for days.
And then… well. You know the plan.
Singul:
[ ] You're concerned about whatever was going on between Singul and Del Duque. Corruption among law enforcement is infamously problematic here, and you don't know what Singul gave him to convince him to let him go. Just to be on the safe side, discuss the matter with Excellente.
[ ] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
[ ] Del Duque has a solid track record and you've mostly gotten a good vibe off him thus far. Just trust that he knows what he's doing and avoid bringing it up.
Lagos:
[ ] Decapitating Strike: Generally speaking, the Lagos villains aren't fanatics. Prioritize taking down the major faction leaders, and most of their men should surrender, or at least lay low while you retake the city.
Pros: If successful, reduces enemy organization and need for fighting.
Cons: IF successful. Even then, villains going to ground likely to become problem in the future.
[ ] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
Pros: Maintains strong concentration of hero forces on battlefield. Makes use of the Pentagon's established strengths.
Cons: Risk of villain factions having enough time to coordinate forces for counterattack.
[ ] Schmuck Bait: Take one part of town using mostly Nigerian heroes, making it look like national operation. Keep Guild and Pentagon in waiting to ambush mounting counterattack.
Pros: If successful, cleanly eliminates large portion of opposition.
Cons: Big gamble, relies to a large extent on them not seeing it coming.
[ ] Write-in.
Forecast's numbers have been used to veto a number of alternative plans. However, she says the numbers keep changing, indicating at least some degree of precognition is involved in some other factions.
[X] Spoke to a number of politicians to secure immediate relief efforts to get the city back on its feet.
[X] Convinced Kenya's authorities to send the Pentagon to assist. You'll really owe Kenya after this, but it helps build the narrative for an African defense force, and the Pentagon is the most effective hero team on the continent.
[X] There needs to be justice for the victims, but you also need to think of those who are still alive. Try to negotiate a reduced punishment in exchange for them using their abilities for the continued good of the people.
[X] Support taking over the compound. A battle with the full might of the Omega Cartel might appear daunting, but a chance to take the entire organization down is worth the risk, especially with both you and Eidolon on the job.
[X] You're confident you can complete this op regardless of who gets to be second-in-command, it won't necessarily define any long-term command structure, and Eidolon has Protectorate seniority. Letting him take the lead will avoid stepping on toes and help maintain team cohesion.
-[X] Telepathy call Eidolon; ask him if he wants to command or have you do it. You're confident in his abilities and his judgment; you'll happily go along with whatever he prefers.
You glance at Eidolon - not with your eyes, but with your cosmic senses. It's been hinted that his professional pride might be taking a hit with you taking his place as the Protectorate's most powerful hero (though he clearly still has you beat in sheer versatility), and the last thing you want is for the team's effectiveness to suffer because of an emotional wedge.
Now, a team cannot function properly either if one teammate's ego warps everything, either, but there's no cause to jump to conclusions. So far, you have no cause to accuse the man of unprofessionalism.
Maybe best to just talk it out. You switch to telepathic communication. "Eidolon? If I may ask?"
He flinches, but only barely. "Avatar? Is that you?"
"Correct. Apologies for contacting you like this with no prior warning, but I wanted to know your thoughts on the matter."
"On the op? On command?"
"The latter. We both have significant experience in team leadership, but you know the Protectorate better and have seniority. I trust in your judgment here."
There's a pause. "...I have no particular talent for leadership, but I do, as you say, have experience with it. Enough to avoid the rookie mistakes. Here… Honestly, between the two of us and all the other heroes, this should be an easy job. I'm a Triumvirate member and I've been leading the Houston Protectorate for most of its existence. Politically, it makes sense for me to take the leadership position on this op."
"Sensible."
"I'm not trying to keep you down or anything. In subsequent operations-"
"I was under no such impression," you assure him before addressing Del Duque. "I take it Eidolon will be the second-in-command? His experience leading the Houston heroes seems a bit more relevant than mine as an international troubleshooter."
"Let's go with that," says Del Duque with some amusement. He's been observing you and Eidolon closely during the entire telepathic exchange; you think he's gauging you. "What are your thoughts on how to approach the compound?"
"Honestly, I favor taking it over and then taking on all comers," says Eidolon. "Not to toot my own horn, but, we have two of the world's three strongest capes. Regardless of how much of the cartel shows up, we outgun them."
"I'm inclined to agree with Eidolon," you say. "Not just because we can take them, but because we need to. Like Excellente said, this is a period of transitional chaos for Mexico. Everyone on both sides of the law is wondering what the new situation will bring. A devastating show of force and the obliteration of a major cartel right on the first day will send an important message and set the tone for the entire rest of the transition."
"Hm. Ambitious," says Del Duque. "Of course, if it doesn't go well… Double or nothing." He paces leisurely. "Very well, then. Double or nothing."
You are honestly surprised by the wealth of information the Mexican Protectorate apparently has on the parahuman abilities of the people in the compound. Eidolon says he's been using his powers to provide them with additional data, but… you're not sure. He seemed slightly uncomfortable while saying it. Or maybe you're reading too much into it.
Several hours are spent planning and preparing. And then, the operation begins.
The Omega Cartel's compound is a large building. Part fortress, part luxury manor, with reinforced walls, windows of bulletproof glass, an armored op-center room where an entire security team maintains camera surveillance at all time, and no less than four turrets armed with tinkertech weaponry that are controlled from said op-center room.
Eidolon's currently using a "banishment" power that can temporarily shunt nonliving matter to another, empty dimension. The first thing he does after dropping the "area invisibility" power (that allowed your combined team to approach the compound undetected) is banish the compound - walls, windows, turrets and all - to this other dimension, leaving only the bewildered men of the Omega Cartel at the location.
"Attack!" comes Del Duque's voice.
It ends in less than 30 seconds. Attacks from armed gunmen and hostile Blasters get "banished" automatically by Eidolon when they get close to your team. Meanwhile, heroic Blasters and Shakers, including Eidolon and you, blast out the villains with the more dangerous powers. Bulletproof heroes close in with the gunmen. Deadmask's power doesn't even go in use before he gets covered in containment foam. Unarmed, nonpowered individuals are quickly contained - who they were and what they were doing here will be reviewed later.
The third power Eidolon came prepared with is a time-based "slow beam" Blaster power. All the villains he hits with it find themselves slowed down by a factor of… ten? Fifteen? Something in that range. Which makes them easy pickings for containment foam and other tools.
...You find yourself questioning whether you're actually more powerful than Eidolon, as most people seem to think.
As soon as the living opposition has been taken down, you materialize force-fields around the locations of the tinkertech turrets. Eidolon drops the banishment of the compound, returning the building around you to your reality. The turrets don't seem to shoot automatically, but it was a valid concern. The Tinkers on the team quickly handle the op-center room, taking control of the defenses. However…
"There was a man with Deadmask," one of the heroes tell Del Duque. "He disappeared an instant after the compound did."
"Indeed?" says Del Duque. "Avatar, ac-"
"Incoming threat!" Eidolon interrupts. "I'm currently using a precognitive danger sense. There's a threat coming from this direction," he points at one of the walls. "Outside the compound, maybe."
Del Duque nods. "How soon?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Hm." De Duque considers. "Avatar, super-speed. Eidolon, take Avatar and these guys," he points at some of the team Brutes, "and look for trouble."
You follow Eidolon and the others to the edge of the compound, informing him that you've switched to a mix of super-speed and enhanced senses. The briefing on the Omega Cartel indicated that they'd displayed in the past an ability to deploy capes suspiciously fast, so a rapid retaliation is not entirely unexpected… But as you prepare for anything, your enhanced senses catch something inside the compound:
Del Duque, inside the room where Deadmask is foamed, stands with his hands behind his back. "I know you're there."
A moment of silence before another voice speaks. "Y'know, I'm almost sure you're bluffing," it says in an amused tone… then a man appears as if out of thin air. Tall, rotund, thin black mustache, features that suggest mixed Hispanic-Asian ancestry, wearing a brown leather jacket, some device you cannot identify on his left wrist and a probable tinkertech gun at his hip.
"So why didn't you try calling my bluff?" asks Del Duque, not looking like he's preparing for a fight.
"Between the Silver Scion and Eidolon, you probably could find me if you really tried," the rotund man chuckles. "But you have a reputation as a reasonable man, Del Duque. There's no reason for us to fight."
"Singul!" Deadmask's voice comes from inside the containment foam - you guess there's some room around his head if he can shout like that. "Get me out of here, and all your debts are fucking gone!"
"That I'd have to see," says Del Duque, still sounding unworried.
"Listen, Del Duque!" Deadmask goes on. "Good trick you pulled here. I can respect that. But you have to take your opportunities where you can. Work with Singul, get me out, and I'll get you three hundred million pesos! Or ten million dollars, whichever you prefer!"
"It's good to know one's services are valued. I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
"Don't be an idiot! Singul! Talk to him!"
"I don't know, Deadmask," says Singul, "Doesn't sound like a smart fight to pick to me."
"You owe me more money than you could sell all your fucking organs for, Singul!"
"Don't exactly need to worry about it if you're in the Birdcage, do I?"
"You son of a…" Deadmask moves on to a string of profanities at this point, which Del Duque and Singul both ignore.
"It's always refreshing to meet a cape who doesn't rush into unnecessary fights," says Del Duque, "but why exactly should I let you go? You're a smuggler with a fairly long rap sheet."
"Ah, come on, Del Duque. We both know you've got much, much bigger problems to worry about."
"You shot a man last month."
"He shot first!"
"That's not what the cameras showed."
"He intended to shoot first." Singul grins. "But, if you want me to make it worth your while…" He pulls from his pocket… a pencil and a post-it block. He writes something, though you can't make it out from there without completely dropping super-speed to enhance your senses.
Del Duque examines the post-it. "Hm. Interesting. I'll have it looked into." He turns his back to Singul.
"That means I can go?"
"Curious. I could have sworn I'd heard someone."
"Heh." Singul pressed a button on the device on his wrist, and becomes invisible again.
And that's when your enhanced senses pick another thing up. A gas pocket moving outside the compound. It's as colorless as the air around it, but the temperature's all wrong.
"Invisible gas cloud moving over there. Permission to stop it?" you whisper to Eidolon.
"Granted," he says, barely wasting a moment.
You place a force-field around the cloud. It struggles against the field and, when that fails, compresses itself and take a human form. "Let me out of here, you fucker!" she screams.
"She's on our files," operational command informs you via earbuds. "Does burglary, assassination and spy work for Omega."
Well. It's easy enough for you to safely knock her out, but if she was coming toward the compound…
Minutes pass. Del Duque and the others are working on securing the compound. And then you sense it - the sudden teleporting of twenty… no, nineteen individuals inside a building a couple hundred yards away from the compound. And now one of them has teleported away.
You're informing Eidolon of this as another group teleports into another building. Again, the teleporter leaves as soon as he's deposited them there.
Eidolon wastes no time contacting Del Duque. "Enemy teleporting in reinforcements to surrounding buildings; moving in to intercept." He turns to you: "Can you take out the teleporter next time he shows up?"
"Probably."
"Do so."
While you were talking, a third reinforcement group was brought in.
But when the fourth shows up, you're ready. In a tenth of a second, you fly a hundred feet to get a clear shot through a window, and send in a blast that detonates inside the room the teleporter just appeared in (you could just send a blast through a wall, but that would require a blast powerful enough it might kill the people inside).
At the same time as you blasted, Eidolon did something to the building the first batch of reinforcements appeared in. You can't tell exactly what, but the people inside - including all but three of the teleported villains - lose consciousness over the next ten seconds. Meanwhile, your blast has knocked out both the teleporter and half the villains of the fourth batch.
Then the fight begins.
There were a bit under eighty villains among the teleporting reinforcements, and another eighteen villains show up over the next ten minutes via a combination of Mover powers and vehicles, along with nearly two hundred unpowered but heavily armed men - though assault rifles, grenade launchers and missile launchers are pretty useless when aimed at anyone within range of Eidolon's banishment power. Many end up trapped inside a metal dome you create. Eidolon's slow-ray hinders several villains whom ops identify as dangerous. One of the Mexico Protectorate heroes is a Blaster who can generate and briefly store energy orbs that act like guided missiles once she assigns them targets; with the battle proper starting, she manages to take out seven villains rather quickly. One enemy speedster manages to get inside the compound and reach Deadmask's room, but gets taken out by Del Duque - despite the massive difference in speed, Del Duque is able to maneuver her into tripping at high speed, leading to a head-on collision with a wall.
Which is not to say that all goes smoothly. One of your Brutes comes into range of a villain with unknown powers, and is killed instantly when it turns out said villain has the Striker ability to control the body temperature of anyone they touch; their Brute power is insufficient to save them from their own flesh being at boiling temperatures. One heroine suffers extensive third-degree burns from an enemy Blaster. One of the American heroes gets hit by a Master effects that drives him into mindless berserker rage and almost kills a teammate before being contained.
Still, in the end, your losses are minor compared to those suffered by the cartel. Del Duque is able to quickly organize an effective defense of the compound, helped by the tinkertech turrets, while the combination of Eidolon's powers and your own proves too overwhelming even for dozens of villains working together. Once the current batch is neutralized, ten, twenty minutes pass. It doesn't look like further reinforcement is coming, and meanwhile, the team's healer has taken care of the burn victim. With Del Duque's permission, you focus your attention on fixing the mind of the Master's victim - thankfully, the damage does appear fixable. That is not always the case.
"...Ninety-seven villains captured, including Deadmask and four of his top five lieutenants. 266 unpowered men and women arrested," Excellente summarizes that evening. "By our best estimates, that leaves between twenty and thirty villains who never reached the compound. Normally we'd be concerned about attempts to break their comrades out, but… that's not going to be an issue I believe."
You'd rather hope not. Once you were done securing the compound and assisting the casualties, you spent several very busy hours helping the Protectorate sort through the arrested, placing the villains in various Lockboxes depending on individual powers (and risks of synergy with the powers of fellow inmates), going with permission through the minds of dozens of unpowered arrests to determine if they should be released or properly investigated…
But in the end, nearly a hundred villains and and even larger number of unpowered criminals were arrested. A message was sent. The dismantling of the Omega Cartel Will make things just a little bit easier for Mexico's heroes, and hopefully tells the other cartels to tone it down a bit.
"Well, it looks like this went about as well as we could have hoped," Excellente muses. "Good job. Omega won't be coming back. From the looks of it, in the hours following your attack on the compound, over a dozen places they owned got raided - weapon stashes, drug stashes, you name it. Rival cartels cannibalizing Omega for parts."
"No surprise," says Del Duque. "Did we beat any of them to the punch?"
"Other than the main compound itself? A few places. We seized over 200 kilos of cocaine in Tepeji, and raids on Omega-owned brothels got a lot of people out who weren't there by choice. Including dozens of kids. This is a victory, gentlemen, and you have my congratulations."
"Thank you," Eidolon says politely. "Now what?"
"We have a situation in Merida that can use your help," Excellente tells him, then turns toward you. "As for you… you have no need for sleep or rest, correct?"
"Correct."
"Well. I want you to patrol Mexico City, specifically the highlighted neighborhoods," he says, giving you a map. "Focus on locating weapon caches. We can't remove all the cartels, but we can force them to tone down the violence in the streets."
You spend the next nine hours patrolling the streets of the national capital with three of the local heroes. A combination of long-range, low-light, wall-passing vision and the mental super-speed needed to analyze all you see makes those nine hours eventful - you stop one mugging, one burglary, one case of police violence, two cases of domestic violence and three rapes, take note of five cases of suspected domestic and/or child abuse to be investigated during daytime, find and release two girls (one teenager and one preteen) that were held in captivity in someone's basement, locate three notable drug caches (the largest one containing almost four kilograms of cocaine), and raid multiple weapon caches for a grand total of slightly over three hundred firearms and a comparable amount of ammunition, as well as some explosives.
"You really are as good as they say," a teammate named Angel Verde comments on the way back to HQ. "I think we put a bigger dent into crime in a single night than I normally would in three months!"
"Don't get too excited," says the one named Asalto. "In a city this big, that's a drop in the ocean. Those dirty cops will walk. Muggings and rapes happened in plenty of other streets. The junkies will find other suppliers. One busy night isn't gonna make a difference on its own."
"Made a difference to a bunch of people," Angel Verde counters. "And we'll be here the next night as well."
"It's important to keep in mind that the job is far from done," you allow. "At the same time, we shouldn't let how much is left to do blind us to the good we do manage. Our victories kindle our hopes, keep us driven in the face of overwhelming odds. Celebrate last night's victories, prepare for tonight's battles."
Once again, you are thankful that a quick burst of super-speed allows you to quickly handle all the paperwork for last night's activities. You've specified that, while you're going to be based in Mexico City for the foreseeable future, you still require ample time for your more international activities, in particular your work with the Guild.
You also take a moment to check on the news.
The Mexican news cycle is unsurprisingly focused on their nation's joining of the Protectorate and the myriad aspects and complications of the whole matter. Right now, a significant portion of that media attention is dedicated to the destruction of the Omega Cartel; Excellente's already given a media address explaining how Omega overstepped their bounds with their attack of the army base, how there was a degree of violence the nation would not tolerate from the cartels, how the operation combined both Mexican, American and Canadian heroes, and how the twenty Mexican heroes transferred to the Houston Protectorate were just part of a major successful operation against the neo-Confederate gang known as the Freedom Congress. Public opinion of the Protectorate ratification seems poised to go a few points up in the polls.
In Cuba, the news mention a law enforcement victory with one of the most powerful and violent villains in Havana being caught. There's speculation about the rest of his gang deliberately cutting him loose, retreating early in the fight.
In Nigeria, there's some opposition, both at the political and grassroot levels, to getting involved with Kolwezi - many Nigerians arguing that their nation is too fragile to waste resources on foreign affairs when several of its own cities are already held by warlords.
In Pakistan, an entire gang of villains that had fled the Kashmir region and tried to take some territory in Karachi were discovered by law enforcement, disabled and in various states of injuries. A drop in the bucket when nearly a thousand villains operate in the city, but…
In the United States, things are getting busy in Boston. You decide to check up on Weaver later today.
In Europe, the upgraded Brigade is getting set up. Much like the Mexico ratification, it's got some critics and some hopefuls.
In Vietnam, bits of border violence are happening that some fear may threaten the recent truce between some of the warlords.
In Chile, several hundred civilians were killed during a battle between rival warlords in Santiago.
In Indonesia, a police commissioner was arrested by Red White over connections to the Flesh Lords.
Well. Back to work.
"Lockbox 18 is now fully operational," Dragon confirms as you reenter the atmosphere, having placed the satellite prison in low Earth orbit. "Again, I have to thank you. Without your powers, the Lockboxes would have taken years of hard work and tens of billions of dollars to build, and that's before getting into the necessary political capital."
"It's a step in the right direction," you say, leaving it clearly implied more steps must be taken, "but I could not have done any of it without you and the other Tinkers."
It's far from perfect. Some villains, like Skylance, can still escape from any prison short of the Birdcage, and are thus confined to uninhabited dimensions (Fuji-Sama, meanwhile, has been transferred to a Lockbox). The tinkertech involved requires significant maintenance work (though Prochnost is getting handsomely paid to help with that). And while you're not the only person in the Protectorate who can take prisoners in and out, the number of capes able to do it is still troublingly small.
But there's no doubt that it offers a very valuable middle ground between the life sentence of the Birdcage and the mostly symbolic use of regular prisons for supervillains bound to escape them. The Protectorate and several allied nations are already starting to make use of the Lockboxes, and the European Brigade has been given access to the system.
You also take a few minutes to check on Weaver and Naguib. They're doing as well as can be expected, you suppose.
"Don't get me wrong. The people of Nigeria have my full sympathy. But the Japanese economy is already stretched to the breaking point handling the Kyushu refugees. With Skylance gone, we are finally able to address the problem, but that still leaves two million people who need to be housed, fed, clothed," says the prime minister. "I will strive to convince the Diet to offer a measure of support, but I neither promise nor expect much - especially since Japan already contributes multiple heroes to the Guild."
"I understand the difficulties you face," you reply. "However, when you speak to the Diet, please tell them this: Before the Sundering, Japan was one of the most powerful and prosperous nations on Earth. After the Sundering, two decades passed with little to no improvement. Now, Leviathan is dead, Skylance is gone. If Japan makes a significant contribution to the welfare of other nations - if it provides great assistance to the rest of the world - well, what better way of telling your own people that a new page has turned, and that your nation is not staying stuck in a pit of despair? What better way to restore hope and optimism?"
He considers your words for a while, then gives a calculating smile. "...I believe I can work with that."
You've been seeing a number of politicians the world over today. You believe that between them, they'll provide sufficient material aid to get Lagos back on its feet quickly.
Notably, Israel has pledged fairly significant relief efforts for Lagos and Kolwezi both, at least for a country its size. From your reading of Earth-Bet's geopolitics, while Israel has a peace treaty with the Palestinian State, it lives in fear of the various parahuman warlords plaguing the Middle East, and would very much like to see a stabilized international community it could call upon for help should things go South.
"We are already spending significant resources and taking a major political risk with Kolwezi. Now you want us to risk our single best cape team on the other side of the continent?!"
Present at the meeting are certain Kenyan politicians, Kenya's director of parahuman affairs, the Nigerian ambassador, and Narwhal. You see their point… but Kenya's Pentagon would be an extremely useful team to have in Lagos.
"I understand your concerns. Kenya has plenty of its own problems to deal with. But remember that we are trying to make Africa as a whole safer, and that can only be accomplished together. Nigeria and the Guild will both owe your nation a debt of aid in return."
"A debt the Guild will repay as soon as possible," says Narwhal. "I'm sure you can think of a few things we could help with. And that's before getting into the benefits the Pentagon is getting from working with Dragon and other foreign Tinkers."
Very true. Leonardo has been practicing with his version of Prochnost's robustness specialization, upgrading the tinkertech force-fields the Pentagon uses - which in turn frees Fortress, their Tinker, to spend time working on additional gadgets. By all accounts, it's been a mutually profitable collaboration.
The meeting takes several hours, but is ultimately successful: The government agrees to have the Pentagon participate in the liberation of Lagos. In exchange, they expect assistance with parahuman affairs from Nigeria and the Guild both in the near future… and more immediately, they have you spend the necessary time afterward cleaning up the "Brown Spot", an agricultural area several miles wide that had to be abandoned seven years ago when a battle with a Shaker who could manifest poisonous gases left dangerous levels of toxicity in the soil. It's only a tiny fraction of Kenya's total farmland, but it holds some symbolic value.
Your second day in Mexico City, rather than a full-out battle with an entire cartel, involves some high-visibility appearances, a speech in front of city hall, patrolling both the fancier districts and (at your request) some of the poorest neighborhoods… and freeing Espada.
Espada was an independent heroine who appeared on the scene in 2006; her power allowed her to cleanly bisect any nonliving object she touched. She partnered with fellow independent hero Stop, a Striker with a power similar to Clockblocker's, except it only worked on living things and lasted until he touched the time-frozen person again. The pair achieved some degree of visibility in 2007 when they fought, defeated and captured a cartel-affiliated Tinker who'd been using an armored urban hovercraft.
Unfortunately, less than two months later, the duo and a third hero who'd joined in the intervening time got into a bloody battle with villains; the third hero was killed and Espada grievously injured. Stop used his power on her to prevent her from bleeding to death, but was himself killed before he could unfreeze her. Her prone, bloodied, unmoving form has remained in the middle of the street for over four years now.
It's less awful than what's happened to Grey Boy victims. But there's no reason to let it go uncorrected. Which is why, flanked by a healer cape, you unfreeze the heroine. She'll have a lot to deal with… but at least she's free and alive.
Evening falls upon Mexico City. Your patrols have resulted in several further arrests and rescues. The next few hours are spent with the Guild and a number of allies, finalizing preparations for the Lagos battle.
"Your request has been considered and approved," says a Nigerian representative. "The Doctor and Harvest will be captured alive if at all possible, and given the opportunity to serve in civilian capacity for a few years as an alternative to prison."
"I still don't like it," says Doctor Metal. "They're murderers."
"I don't like it either," says Captain Hydro, "but they can help hundreds of thousands of people, and Nigeria's in a fragile state. We can't be picky."
"There are limits."
"Well, yeah. It's not like we're recruiting Lustucru."
The Pentagon is present, discussing strategy with Nigerian capes. The newest Guild recruits - Dauntless, Ninja Roja, Centuria, Wing Warrior, Go-Go - are all present. You've got a few more hours to prepare - the Guild and its allies have been going over this plan for days.
And then… well. You know the plan.
Singul:
[ ] You're concerned about whatever was going on between Singul and Del Duque. Corruption among law enforcement is infamously problematic here, and you don't know what Singul gave him to convince him to let him go. Just to be on the safe side, discuss the matter with Excellente.
[ ] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
[ ] Del Duque has a solid track record and you've mostly gotten a good vibe off him thus far. Just trust that he knows what he's doing and avoid bringing it up.
Lagos:
[ ] Decapitating Strike: Generally speaking, the Lagos villains aren't fanatics. Prioritize taking down the major faction leaders, and most of their men should surrender, or at least lay low while you retake the city.
Pros: If successful, reduces enemy organization and need for fighting.
Cons: IF successful. Even then, villains going to ground likely to become problem in the future.
[ ] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
Pros: Maintains strong concentration of hero forces on battlefield. Makes use of the Pentagon's established strengths.
Cons: Risk of villain factions having enough time to coordinate forces for counterattack.
[ ] Schmuck Bait: Take one part of town using mostly Nigerian heroes, making it look like national operation. Keep Guild and Pentagon in waiting to ambush mounting counterattack.
Pros: If successful, cleanly eliminates large portion of opposition.
Cons: Big gamble, relies to a large extent on them not seeing it coming.
[ ] Write-in.
Forecast's numbers have been used to veto a number of alternative plans. However, she says the numbers keep changing, indicating at least some degree of precognition is involved in some other factions.
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- Location
- Asia
It's alive! Hooray! After several months! Now... Let's kick ass those bastard that dare to make the World suffer!
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I mean, Eidolon clearly holds the versatility advantage, but the Avatar has got more sheer power, I think. Avatar can move at high speeds and throw out laser blasts of unparalleled might without sacrificing what versatility he has; Eidolon can bypass durability entirely with the right powers, but doesn't control which powers he gets and typically needs to hold a slot to prevent some punk with a gun from shooting him.
...I am concerned, and would like to investigate this ASAP.
Awww... rest in peace, unnamed Brute.
And to I Can't Believe It's Not Behemoth... rest in pieces.
Ironically, he probably would have done that without payment. As necessary trades go, can't beat "paying" a service you'd have done anyway.
That probably didn't do good things for the tourism industry in that city. Nobody wants to go on vacation to see a beaten, bloody time-stopped superhero.
...I hope.
Wait, what?!
...oh wait, that's Lagos, not Lavos. Phew, okay, we're good. One world-ending cosmic parasite is enough.
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HolyDragoon
Call Gespenst!
- Location
- Portugal
Meh, I think the Avatar would go full hardcore on Lavos if it ever showed up. I mean, Giant Space Flea from Nowhere, unlike the flying Oscar.
Lavos' lifespan would be measured in the amount of time the Avatar took to find his gimmick... if it didn't just disintegrate everything in one blow.
Lavos' lifespan would be measured in the amount of time the Avatar took to find his gimmick... if it didn't just disintegrate everything in one blow.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I mean, unless the Avatar intercepts it in atmosphere, it'll still kill a lot of people wherever it lands, and it'll distract from the many, many, many things we already have to do.
I'm glad you decided not to use "Spanglish" for the Mexico City's Heroes, that's a common mistake many english speakers make when portraying mexican or latin american people.
Just for the record, there's nothing wrong or offensive with "Spanglish", but that's more of a MX-USA frontier dialect so to speak.
Just for the record, there's nothing wrong or offensive with "Spanglish", but that's more of a MX-USA frontier dialect so to speak.
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Yeah, on the 'Eidolon vs. Avatar' as most powerful cape debate, I definitely get the impression that the avatar is more 'powerful', especially since he has a large investment in biggatons, with his ridiculous durability, blasts etc.
However, Eidolon has more versatility, and more powers that are difficult to resist, like the time stop. Really, the differences between the two nicely reflect the differences between M&M and Worm.
I wonder if some worm effects don't permit saving throws...
However, Eidolon has more versatility, and more powers that are difficult to resist, like the time stop. Really, the differences between the two nicely reflect the differences between M&M and Worm.
I wonder if some worm effects don't permit saving throws...
- Location
- Canada
Nice! It's wonderful to see this again
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well, that was fairly nice. I'm guessing E88's Gehellschaft reinforcements haven't' arrived, otherwise there would have been note of the conflict given where Taylor is stationed, but she's just "doing as well as expected given the circumstances"
I'm avoiding getting into too much detail about Taylor's story here, since, well, that's what The Brave Little Spider is for.
XelianEmperor
Fragile. Handle with care
Sees update
Re reads the whole thing
Great update. This story makes me feel fussy inside
Hopeful for a quick update
Re reads the whole thing
Great update. This story makes me feel fussy inside
Hopeful for a quick update
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The good thing about updates after awhile is I forget much of the details of the story/quest itself. Ergo, I have an excuse and nudge to reread.
Excuse me~
Excuse me~
- Location
- Leeds
[ ] You're concerned about whatever was going on between Singul and Del Duque. Corruption among law enforcement is infamously problematic here, and you don't know what Singul gave him to convince him to let him go. Just to be on the safe side, discuss the matter with Excellente.
[ ] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
[ ] Del Duque has a solid track record and you've mostly gotten a good vibe off him thus far. Just trust that he knows what he's doing and avoid bringing it up.
Lagos:
[ ] Decapitating Strike: Generally speaking, the Lagos villains aren't fanatics. Prioritize taking down the major faction leaders, and most of their men should surrender, or at least lay low while you retake the city.
Pros: If successful, reduces enemy organization and need for fighting.
Cons: IF successful. Even then, villains going to ground likely to become problem in the future.
[ ] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
Pros: Maintains strong concentration of hero forces on battlefield. Makes use of the Pentagon's established strengths.
Cons: Risk of villain factions having enough time to coordinate forces for counterattack.
[ ] Schmuck Bait: Take one part of town using mostly Nigerian heroes, making it look like national operation. Keep Guild and Pentagon in waiting to ambush mounting counterattack.
Pros: If successful, cleanly eliminates large portion of opposition.
Cons: Big gamble, relies to a large extent on them not seeing it coming.
[ ] Write-in.
Forecast's numbers have been used to veto a number of alternative plans. However, she says the numbers keep changing, indicating at least some degree of precognition is involved in some other factions.
[ ] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
[ ] Del Duque has a solid track record and you've mostly gotten a good vibe off him thus far. Just trust that he knows what he's doing and avoid bringing it up.
Lagos:
[ ] Decapitating Strike: Generally speaking, the Lagos villains aren't fanatics. Prioritize taking down the major faction leaders, and most of their men should surrender, or at least lay low while you retake the city.
Pros: If successful, reduces enemy organization and need for fighting.
Cons: IF successful. Even then, villains going to ground likely to become problem in the future.
[ ] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
Pros: Maintains strong concentration of hero forces on battlefield. Makes use of the Pentagon's established strengths.
Cons: Risk of villain factions having enough time to coordinate forces for counterattack.
[ ] Schmuck Bait: Take one part of town using mostly Nigerian heroes, making it look like national operation. Keep Guild and Pentagon in waiting to ambush mounting counterattack.
Pros: If successful, cleanly eliminates large portion of opposition.
Cons: Big gamble, relies to a large extent on them not seeing it coming.
[ ] Write-in.
Forecast's numbers have been used to veto a number of alternative plans. However, she says the numbers keep changing, indicating at least some degree of precognition is involved in some other factions.
- Location
- Right Where I Am
[X] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
If Del Duque can be trusted things should work out best if we do trust him. If he can't be trusted, well, the Avatar has decades of experience with people, and should be able to get a decent read on him just from experience, not even counting what use he might get out of his powers. It also might discourage Del Duque to do anything bad that he might be planning if he knows that the Avatar is aware enough to keep an eye on him.
I figure that the Steamroller one can work if we make sure to get each part of it right. Properly plan out each part, as much as we can with the time that we have to work with, so that we do our best, and we should be able to cause a massive improvement there that can be more easily maintained when our main focus has to shift elsewhere.
The just taking down the leaders could leave too much to fester even if things do get a bit quieter for the time being. They'll also have the time to refortify themselves into the city, and plan for any future followup to more properly remove them.
The misdirection seems too likely to backfire since there is, at the very least, some precognition helping that side.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
If Del Duque can be trusted things should work out best if we do trust him. If he can't be trusted, well, the Avatar has decades of experience with people, and should be able to get a decent read on him just from experience, not even counting what use he might get out of his powers. It also might discourage Del Duque to do anything bad that he might be planning if he knows that the Avatar is aware enough to keep an eye on him.
I figure that the Steamroller one can work if we make sure to get each part of it right. Properly plan out each part, as much as we can with the time that we have to work with, so that we do our best, and we should be able to cause a massive improvement there that can be more easily maintained when our main focus has to shift elsewhere.
The just taking down the leaders could leave too much to fester even if things do get a bit quieter for the time being. They'll also have the time to refortify themselves into the city, and plan for any future followup to more properly remove them.
The misdirection seems too likely to backfire since there is, at the very least, some precognition helping that side.
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[X] You're concerned about whatever was going on between Singul and Del Duque. Corruption among law enforcement is infamously problematic here, and you don't know what Singul gave him to convince him to let him go. Just to be on the safe side, discuss the matter with Excellente.
Lagos:
[X] Decapitating Strike: Generally speaking, the Lagos villains aren't fanatics. Prioritize taking down the major faction leaders, and most of their men should surrender, or at least lay low while you retake the city.
- [X] Consider the possibility of using Strangers and Changers to replace the leadership to aid in the rest of the operation.
An avatar backed massive superhero team has a real chance for a clean stealth Decapitation strike. We should use that capability to mitigate causalities.
Lagos:
[X] Decapitating Strike: Generally speaking, the Lagos villains aren't fanatics. Prioritize taking down the major faction leaders, and most of their men should surrender, or at least lay low while you retake the city.
- [X] Consider the possibility of using Strangers and Changers to replace the leadership to aid in the rest of the operation.
An avatar backed massive superhero team has a real chance for a clean stealth Decapitation strike. We should use that capability to mitigate causalities.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
If Del Duque is corrupt and things go wrong, at least we can honestly say we made the attempt to settle it peacefully and gather information before acting. As for Lagos, I'd rather risk a coordinated counterattack than risk having villains go to ground and slip under the radar later. We've spent weeks planning this, while even if they manage to coordinate, they'll have had significantly less time to plan around us. Yeah, there's probably precogs involved, but ours is almost certainly better, so if we're having interference, their precog probably isn't faring any better.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
If Del Duque is corrupt and things go wrong, at least we can honestly say we made the attempt to settle it peacefully and gather information before acting. As for Lagos, I'd rather risk a coordinated counterattack than risk having villains go to ground and slip under the radar later. We've spent weeks planning this, while even if they manage to coordinate, they'll have had significantly less time to plan around us. Yeah, there's probably precogs involved, but ours is almost certainly better, so if we're having interference, their precog probably isn't faring any better.
- Location
- Right Where I Am
Part of my reasoning for going for the more thorough yet risky option is that this is supposed to basically be the first act, the first impression, of an Africa that can actually work together to police itself. This is as much a public relations action as it is a policing action. People need to see this working in a way that could inspire them to believe in it. If that doesn't happen then this dream of an African defensive force that will allow this continent to actually pull itself up out of the hell that is has been stuck in will likely die, or at the very least require a lot more to get it to go again.
The decapitation strike could possibly serve that purpose, but I say that we go for the gold here. We have some of the most powerful heroes in the world working together on this, and that's along with the force multipliers that are their combined thinker powers, personal experience, and teamwork.
The decapitation strike could possibly serve that purpose, but I say that we go for the gold here. We have some of the most powerful heroes in the world working together on this, and that's along with the force multipliers that are their combined thinker powers, personal experience, and teamwork.
- Location
- Malaysia
[X] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
Ah, trust. Where preparing for a lack of trust possibly makes you untrustworthy in turn.
Privately confronting Del Duque about it allows us to address the problem if he is corrupt and keeps us from jumping to conclusions if he isn't. If he is on the take, this action may tip him off, but this is the Avatar we're talking about. We can ascertain if he's telling the truth, we'll know to look at him if we find any more funny business, and there's nowhere he can hide if he decides to leave town.
Also, going from his and Excellente's info profiles (Informational threadmark), Excellente has a bit of a sore spot about corruption, and he could react poorly if he thinks his long-trusted second-in-command is on the take, especially if he isn't.
And Del Duque's Thinker power is a non-issue, since it works with human body language. We're not human.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
Pros: Maintains strong concentration of hero forces on battlefield. Makes use of the Pentagon's established strengths.
Cons: Risk of villain factions having enough time to coordinate forces for counterattack.
Plays to everyone's strengths, keeps the villains on the back foot, and since they'll have significantly less time to plan + precog interference, the cons seem less impactful compared to the other options. Just make sure we hit the faction that is most able to predict and mount a counterattack first and work our way down from there.
Ah, trust. Where preparing for a lack of trust possibly makes you untrustworthy in turn.
Privately confronting Del Duque about it allows us to address the problem if he is corrupt and keeps us from jumping to conclusions if he isn't. If he is on the take, this action may tip him off, but this is the Avatar we're talking about. We can ascertain if he's telling the truth, we'll know to look at him if we find any more funny business, and there's nowhere he can hide if he decides to leave town.
Also, going from his and Excellente's info profiles (Informational threadmark), Excellente has a bit of a sore spot about corruption, and he could react poorly if he thinks his long-trusted second-in-command is on the take, especially if he isn't.
And Del Duque's Thinker power is a non-issue, since it works with human body language. We're not human.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
Pros: Maintains strong concentration of hero forces on battlefield. Makes use of the Pentagon's established strengths.
Cons: Risk of villain factions having enough time to coordinate forces for counterattack.
Plays to everyone's strengths, keeps the villains on the back foot, and since they'll have significantly less time to plan + precog interference, the cons seem less impactful compared to the other options. Just make sure we hit the faction that is most able to predict and mount a counterattack first and work our way down from there.
Dmol8
The Undead Unhinged Lunatic of the Web
- Location
- Belgrade,Serbia
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Both Excellente and Del Duque might react poorly to you listening in on the latter and then going above his head. Just ask Del Duque in private what this was all about.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
-[X] Use Forecast's (and other friendly precog's) power, your own understanding of precognition you got when you mindscanned the Simurgh, your own probability manipulation and your own large experience with mind games to plan out a First Strike that will give you the highest chances of winning this fight with as few casualties as possible
Trust but verify Del Duque and let's use the fact that the Avatar has over half a century of experience with superpowered Mind Games to fuck with the enemy's precogs. Because what is the point of playing a seasoned hero if we don't put said seasoning to use?
Edit: Clarified that yes I want the Avatar to use his probability manipulation against the enemy precogs.
[X] Steamroller: Strike one part of town hard and fast. Establish control. Move on to the next. Rinse, repeat.
-[X] Use Forecast's (and other friendly precog's) power, your own understanding of precognition you got when you mindscanned the Simurgh, your own probability manipulation and your own large experience with mind games to plan out a First Strike that will give you the highest chances of winning this fight with as few casualties as possible
Trust but verify Del Duque and let's use the fact that the Avatar has over half a century of experience with superpowered Mind Games to fuck with the enemy's precogs. Because what is the point of playing a seasoned hero if we don't put said seasoning to use?
Edit: Clarified that yes I want the Avatar to use his probability manipulation against the enemy precogs.
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Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Dmol8
Sounds good.
Sounds good.