Hymn of Harmony
or Melody of Escalation
Seventh Arc 7.1
-May 15, 2011-
-PRT Headquarters: Lab-
There are good ways to wake up and there are bad ways. This skipped bad and shot right into worst possible way ever. The lab was empty save for Astra. The robot was armed with just about every weapon in the lab in a configuration that screamed Sonata did it. There was a force field dome protecting Cocona and I. How well it would work against an Endbringer was anybody's guess. I tried to sit up, but it was an effort. My body was stiff from the coma-like state we were in. I cast my senses out and was almost floored by how powerful they were. It was like I could feel everyone in Brockton Bay all at once. Each one a single note in the great melody that if I could just listen a bit longer...
"Taylor..." Cocona's voice dragged me back from the abyss. I forced myself to turn to her. She was moving sluggishly. The Core was helping me to regain my strength, or at least giving me enough energy to ignore my own infirmities. I made my way to her side.
"Can you move?" I asked her tenderly.
"A little. Ugh...my body doesn't want to respond..." She shifted a bit in the chair, but otherwise was stationary.
"Astra? Take Cocona and get out of here." The robot nodded before coalescing the bubble around my lover.
"Be careful...please..." Cocona stared at me. "You belong to me, got that?" I smiled back. The possessiveness made my heart skip a beat. We belonged to each other. I wouldn't forget that.
"I don't plan on doing more than shooting a trespasser on my property." I said with a wicked grin. Astra opened the outer door with her precious cargo and flew away. This wasn't my Cosmosphere so it wouldn't be as easy I made it sound. Wait. Maybe it would. I had two Songs that would help with this situation, but I needed more information. According the alert blaring across the terminal the battle had been going on for nearly fifteen minutes at this point. That was a lot of time considering the power of the opponent.
Behemoth.
This close to the ocean and I was expecting Leviathan, but the removal of the Simurgh must have disturbed the order. The sight outside was something out of a Godzilla movie. Behemoth, an amalgamation of the beasts of the Earth, was currently engaged outside the city by giant mecha. Dragonzord and Mecha Godzilla were battling it out with the titanic beast. Force field generators had been set up around the city, erecting a massive glowing blue dome. It wasn't looking good. The fliers were little more than annoyances. The Brutes couldn't land definitive blows due to it's radioactive body.
"Thank god you're awake! I've screamed myself hoarse, but all it did was piss him off!" Despedia called out over the chat channel.
"Mou...my Buster Cannons failed too...the only thing that's worked is 2Fast4U. The amplifiers are seriously helping, but I'm starting to run dry." Sonata thankfully didn't have to use her own power. The run dry part was probably from hitting the reactor's draw limit.
"Oh! Alexandria's joining the party!" Newtype reported. I looked closer on the monitor. That was a big sword. At least it was sort of sword like. It looked more like someone jammed a crap ton of generators together, welded them, and hooked up a glowing blade.
"What the hell is that monstrosity?" My inner designer was offended. Highly offended. This seriously wasn't the time! Whatever it was, the damn thing was effective. If it didn't rely on the core only for it's power the way that sword was slicing pieces off would have killed it. They clearly had Behemoth pinned down for as long as he allowed. Now Armsmaster said before that he had the infrastructure set up. My awareness was able to tap into the system he set up and expand outward. The scary as hell rescue raptors that Sonata built were nearby. Each piece of tech that had an amplifier built into it was brought under my control. I climbed into my armor and prepared to Sing. The side door was still open and I used it to get outside to survey the battlefield in the distance.
"When I give the signal have everyone move away from Behemoth. I am preparing to Sing the Song that my daughter made for me." I informed them over the channel. Sonata yelped an uncharacteristic "Oh shit!" that actually made me smile despite the situation. My focus turned inward as the melody came forth. It was strangely melancholy, but with a note of hope. I let the feelings wash over me as the sweet painful nostalgia of enduring love flowed through me. In my mind's eye I saw my birth mother, Annette Rose Hebert, smile at me alongside of Mir. Their faces shifted to my own and down to Sonata. My surety crystallized. My child was in danger. I cast my thought out along the connection to Behemoth.
"Surrender." My Will demanded.
[DENIAL] He roared as energy began to pour off of his body in terrible waves. Alexandria, Dragonzord, and Mecha Godzilla were driven back. The caustic power simmering with all of his spite. I pointed my hand almost in a gesture of invitation. Invitation to his own destruction. My eyes opened and I stared straight at him.
"Now." I told them over the chat. The damaged machines cleared the strike zone even as Alexandria swooped in again to strike with her sword. The energy build up was growing painful. I felt the percentages continue to climb higher and higher. My weakened body was informing me that if this Song did not get used I would have more than a coma to look forward to.
"Make her move! Somebody!" I couldn't keep the desperation out of my mental voice. The Core was reacting as it poured more power into the Song. I could only hope they made it in time.
-Earlier That Day-
The Endbringer sirens were almost used when Mecha Godzilla returned. The giant war machine had come from outside of the city this time. Bigger, more heavily armored, and ready for round two with Dragonzord. The BB Dragonzord was now smaller than it's opponent by almost ten feet and in mass. Uber and Leet had ensured that their giant pal was even stronger now. Motor Boss was frustrated all over again because they were essentially right back at where they started. The smaller machine was more agile and hit hard while the larger was less agile and could take the hits. Their battle nearly made it into the city when a sudden tremor caused both combatants to freeze.
The Endbringer sirens blared as Behemoth emerged from the ground with far more speed than previously seen. There had been almost no warning. The two machines were stopped as their pilots gaped in terrified incomprehension. The earth shattering roar of Behemoth was surprisingly drowned out by the answering scream of deviance from Dragonzord. Mecha Godzilla in a strange solidarity let out it's own cry of rage.
"You're fuckin' kidding me?" Motor Boss stared in confusion.
"The machine spirit is not satisfied. This beast interrupted their contest." Leet stated with surety.
"Well big guy, if you want to face an Endbringer..." Uber trailed off as the mighty machine's presence let his pilots know just what he thought of Behemoth. The villainess couldn't deny that Mecha Godzilla almost felt angry. She gritted her teeth at this pseudo mystical bullshit, but the fact was that her machine wasn't settling down. Engines revved and generators hummed as pseudo muscles warmed.
"The only reason I'm doing this is to prove whose the better Tinker. Got it asshole?" She demanded.
"Let's go!" The dynamic duo and their very large costar joined the battle. Guest star Mecha Godzilla let out a mechanical shriek of dark glee as it rushed the beast. Behemoth let out another bellowing roar as he charged the smaller challengers. The initial crash briefly drowned out the sirens as the multi ton war machines proved their mettle and metal by withstanding the unbelievable strength of a true monster. The people of Brockton Bay were galvanized into action. Emergency Services scrambled to evacuate the citizens. The PRT had mobilized in force to aid the police in ensuring the evacuation was handled in an orderly fashion. They had been caught with their pants down in a very real sense. The Protectorate did what they could to gather capes for the battle, but it was slow going.
Armsmaster, much to his chagrin, had nothing prepared to fight Behemoth. Dragon and Sonata were repurposing Astra into a solid defense for the still comatose girls. If it had been Leviathan they would have had to try and get them off the Rig. It was too late to do anything, but hunker down and pray. Despedia, despite orders to the contrary, took off for the battle.
"Despedia! Get back here!" Dragon's voice was like a whip-crack.
"That asshole is not getting any closer!" She retorted before closing communications. The sight of the war machines doing battle with their titanic foe gave her an idea. Fight smarter, not harder. Let the ones designed for close quarters warfare handle it. She grinned ferally as her flight speed increased. Hyper glide was easily capable of extraordinary speed. Using her shield as a make shift air skimmer allowed her to simulate true flight. She gathered her power, allowing emotion to overtake her, and called up the force from deep inside. Instead of the normal scream a howling shriek emerged. A sphere of nearly transparent energy rocketed downrange at her target. Behemoth screamed in startled pain as the globe of annihilation carved through his spine.
"Wow that birdy's got some pipes!" Leet crowed in appreciation.
"New plan! Lock him down!" Uber ordered. Dragonzord went from actively punching and striking to area denial.
"Tch...fine! We'll do it your way!" Motor Boss hated taking orders from anyone, but this wasn't the time. The larger machine joined it's metal brethren in hemming in the monstrous beast.
"Thanks guys..." Despedia murmured before calling up another shriek. The deadlock continued as the large machines played the world's most dangerous game of Tower Defense while the comparatively tiny girl carved enormous trenches out of Behemoth's body. He was desperately trying to avoid showing his back to her as the parts afflicted were not regenerating properly.
"It's not pretty, but this should do..." Back at the Rig, Armsmaster completed the Endbringer Slayer. When they got out of this he was going to change the name, but little did he know Dragon liked the title. He would rework the design to not be so slipshod. The weapon was designed to be used by his personal mecha.
"Is it finished?" Alexandria strode into Armsmaster's lab. The blue armored Tinker nodded. She didn't reply, just grabbed the massive weapon.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"When I get outside could you activate this for me?" She let him know what the plan was. The heroic Tinker frowned slightly, but understood the reasoning. Alexandria would be far more maneuverable than him. Her legendary invincibility would serve better than his robotic creation.
"Standing by for activation." Armsmaster informed her. The strongest woman nodded. She needed to use both hands to hold the weapon, but her strength made lifting it trivial. Alexandria used her Mover rating to the fullest as she barreled towards the conflict, the sword humming to life. The blade was easily fifteen feet in length and glowing a solid green. It demonstrated it's absolute lethality when with the first swing it removed half of Behemoth's face. Despedia flew back to gather her strength. She could feel a harsh tingle starting in the back of her throat. This wasn't the time to crap out now. While Alexandria and the two mecha dragons kept the Endbringer's attention, she built up energy.
"What are you doing!?" Newtype's voice came over the channel.
"One last shot and I'm gonna make it count!" She fired back. The swirling mass of energy caused micro tears in her throat as it spun faster and faster. Her pink eyes shifted to glowing acid green as the energy continued to rise higher and higher.
"Des! Release it! What would Aria say if you killed yourself!? What would that do to her? ...To me?" Lisa pleaded. She couldn't bear to lose even one friend. The white haired cape acknowledged the worry.
"Just watch me...I won't die here..." She promised. The release of sound echoed and reverberated madly as the shriek flew, straight and true, and carved a massive chunk out of Behemoth. His front and back left shoulders slid to the ground with a titanic crash. A glowing orb was seen briefly before it burrowed further into the creature's body.
"Good shot now get to safety." Alexandria flew by the younger cape with genuine appreciation in her eyes. Despedia nodded tiredly before gliding as fast as she could back to the city.
"You totally rock Aunt Des." Sonata told her. The feeling of satisfaction burned in her chest. That bastard wouldn't forget her anytime soon. The younger girl's contribution had been to use 2Fast4U directly on Alexandria. Her turret mounted Buster Cannons weren't even annoying the monster.
"Hey...Aria and Cocona are waking up!" Newtype called out excitedly.
"She's already evacuating me. Sorry guys, but I'm not even able to stand up." Cocona apologized.
"That's fine. We're not doing too badly. I've passed on what Despedia observed that the beast has some strange core." The blonde cape said.
"That core is it's weak point!" That changed things. The information was passed on to Alexandria and the metal dragons. The flying cape's response was to start cutting into the beast and limit the places the core could hide. Unfortunately the further she went, the denser the flesh became. That just meant she had to swing harder. She didn't notice the blade glowing brighter or that the metal was starting to stress.
Alexandria was not about to lay off as long as it looked like her fancy sword was working. Armsmaster jury rigged several reactors, generators, and amplifiers together while overclocking a nanothorn emitter. It was hideous, but also hideously effective. The Triumvirate heroine refused to quit as long as she drew breath. She had already refused to stand down twice. Despedia grit her teeth in frustration. They could see Aria hovering by the Rig. The glowing nimbus that surrounded her was growing more pronounced and the Song grew more distinct. They could feel her strain through the connection. Functionally unlimited power was great, but bodies were significantly more limited.
"Are you sure I can't knock her out?" Des asked plaintively.
"Yes. That wouldn't exactly help things." Newtype stated plainly. Even if she was thinking the same thing.
"We just have to wait for that hastily slapped together thing to burn out. At the rate it's going I can't see it lasting much longer." Sonata tried to reassure them, but worry colored her tone. Despedia squeezed her shoulder.
"If it doesn't then I'll break it." Her speech was coming entirely through the chat because her actual vocal cords were damaged. Fast healing was working, but it would be an hour or more before she had a voice.
They watched with trepidation as the mighty woman continued her reckless assault. The calls for her to stand down were increasing while Behemoth continued to draw up power. She struck a vast overhead blow only for the entire machine start sparking ominously. The sparking advanced to shaking with alarming speed. The nearly shredded Endbringer almost seemed to shake with amusement as the weapon exploded violently. The amount of force released sent the powerful woman plowing into the ground. She stared up at the monster grimly. Alexandria gambled and lost. The Triumvirate cape stood up only to get suddenly plowed into by a white and gold mecha.
"Up we go!" Newtype said over the comm as she flew away with her cargo.
-Back with Aria-
The build up of pressure had become intolerable. Sweat poured down her face as the core burned like a hot coal deep inside. The manifestation was happening without her input. If Alexandria didn't move then they would be forced to find out just how invincible she truly was. When the heroine's weapon exploded there was a tangible feeling of relief. Doubled as Newtype cleared the woman from the strike zone. The angelic woman formed in the air with a serene smile. The smile turned to one of implacable judgment as both hands were thrust forward.
"Ethereal Blast!" The Song was released. A veritable river of multidimensional power, capable of hitting of multiple planes simultaneously, roared like a raging torrent. The blast of blue white light crashed into the severely mutilated Endbringer. Behemoth let out a sharp cry of indescribable agony as flesh was simply annihilated. His core hung suspended in mid air as the flow of energy wore it down like water would a pebble. Taylor mentally reached out to the connection and grabbed hold. The physical core wasn't needed. All she needed was the link. To the outside world it appeared nothing had changed. Behemoth, however, was most definitely dead.
"Mission accomplished..." She smiled faintly before all at once blackness slammed down and her consciousness was lost.
AN: I didn't want the Endbringer battle to be a blurb like the last time. Hopefully this is more exciting and satisfying.
