Heatstroke 10.1
Saturday, June 25
"Mistress. Update on investigation of Coil."
You freeze in your motions, and as a result the plastic staff in Samantha's hands lashes out and sweeps your legs out from under you. The impact of your butt onto the hard ground drives a frustrated huff out of your lungs, and you shoot her a glare that she weathers effortlessly. Yes, maybe this is partly your fault for asking your Guardian Beast, who is naturally talented with spears along with just about every other close-quarters weapon, to help you improve your abilities with your scythe, but that doesn't mean she needs to take quite such enjoyment out of beating you like a drum. "Really, Sam?"
"Distractions are part of the battlefield. If you can't block them out, you'll give your opponent an opening."
"And maybe I'll take advantage of other openings and talk Lacey into canceling the cable." The threat to her soap opera time finally gets you an expression of contrition, no matter how forced it looks, and you turn back your Device. "Sorry, Storm. You were saying something about Coil."
"Mistress tasked me with identifying identity and background details of Coil. Search and correlation complete." A dozen screens flash into existence, the foremost showing a facial photo that looks to be from some kind of official identification. So this is what Coil looks like underneath that mask. Gaunt cheeks, thin lips in a bored frown, cleft chin, buzzed haircut. Overall, he is not an attractive man; there is just something vaguely skeletal about him. "Birth name, Thomas Jonah Calvert. Born October 10 of year 1972, in Gordon, Wisconsin. Attended local education centers, minor role in secondary school football sport team. Enlisted in United States Marine Corp in 1990, dishonorably discharged two years later due to evidence of abusing captured enemy soldiers and reports of murdering civilians during Gulf War conflict."
"Well, he sounds like a peach," mutters Samantha.
"1992 through 1997, records difficult to obtain. From information gathered, employed as mercenary in various countries. Developed reputation for combat against parahuman warlords in Africa and South America. Reputation cause for recruitment into Parahuman Response Team early 1998. Promoted to squad leader. Certificates of merit due to combat effectiveness until 2002."
Perfect Storm pauses, and you have to wonder when it developed a sense of the dramatic. A moment later, you sigh and play along. "What happened in 2002?"
"Assault and takeover of Ellisburg, New York, by parahuman Jamie Rinke, alternate identity as villain Nilbog. Multiple combat squads and individual parahumans deployed. Summarily defeated. High casualties. Parahumans fled upon realization of deployment futility. Two survivors of ground forces. Calvert and Emily Sandra Piggot, former director of Brockton Bay PRT."
The two PRT survivors of the failed attempt to reclaim Ellisburg were both working in your hometown at the same time? You would think it is the perfect example of it being a small world, but something about this smells too much like a setup of some kind. "Any contact between Piggot and Coil while they were in Brockton Bay?"
"Negative. No contact found." That is good enough for you, and it continues, "Calvert served six months in prison following Ellisburg, official cause substantial dereliction of duty. Actual reason classified. During retreat, killed commanding officer so as to hasten own escape. Tried for murder, found guilty, sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment. Early release and sealing of prison record contingent on signing non-disclosure agreement regarding Ellisburg operation."
"Wait, wait, wait. This guy murdered his commander while running away from Nilbog's monsters, and they cut his prison sentence short so he'd keep quiet? Why? What could he know that was so damning they'd do that much to shut him up?"
Perfect Storm lets out a two-tone whistle you've come to associate as its recent attempt to translate a shrug. "Unclear. During imprisonment, had one visitor. Identified as Wayne Kent, investigative reporter. Hypothesis: Calvert in process to sell information to Kent for publication.
"Background of time period indicates waning governmental support for Protectorate and PRT. Emergence of multiple A- and S-Class parahumans. Scandals over abuse of power. Details of Ellisburg conflict highly dangerous to public relations."
You think you understand what Perfect Storm is implying, as does Samantha. "If it got out that the capes at Ellisburg ran, in that environment it could have spelled the end of the organizations. They hid it, and they figured letting him out of prison and shutting him up in the process would be the better alternative."
"Correct. Between six and eleven months after release, all parties involved in arrangement besides Calvert died. Various official causes of death, but premeditated murder by Calvert high likelihood."
"No shit, Sherlock. Where is he now?" you all but demand. The more you hear about how the PRT couldn't keep control over this monster, the angrier you become, both with him and the PRT in general. They knew what he was when they first recruited him, and again when they decided to let him out of prison. This was their mistake, and yet it was everyone else who has been forced to pay the piper.
"Moved from Brockton Bay to Chicago following Simurgh attack. Officially consultant for PRT but put in command of troops sent from Chicago office to reinforce local PRT due to tactical ability. Returned to Chicago day before Mistress's apartment destroyed."
Samantha snorts. "Nice little alibi there. So we know the who, and I can guess the why based on what flavor of bastard he is. Once Tattletale told him what she had told you, that was probably enough to piss him off and make him decide to murder you to cover up his tracks. He didn't move openly because he knew it wouldn't work. He's part of the PRT, so he has access to the same information on you the Protectorate does. Instead of hitting you while you were out and about as Calamity Witch, he tried to kill you when you were supposed to be home and not looking out for danger.
"Now we just need the how."
"That much, I think I've figured out on my own," you tell her with a frown. "Something about the whole situation just sounded familiar, so I did some digging. Remember that first time we talked to Dragon? She was working on a report about the bomb Tinker who turned a bunch of students at Cornell into stone. From what I can figure out, that Tinker goes by the name of Bakuda. If her first bomb could do that, glassing a building after having a few months to practice would be relatively simple." You sigh. "What are we going to do about this?"
"I hate to say it," Samantha says slowly, "but I'm worried what would happen if we tried to go to the Protectorate or the PRT. Coil is in a position of authority, part of the team, and while we are heroes we are also only minimally affiliated with them. They would have to investigate on their own before they trusted what we told them, and that would give Coil time to escape or manufacture an excuse or something. And that's if they are willing to believe us in the first place considering how much of the evidence is sealed. I trust the Protectorate here, but it isn't like we have spent any time with the unpowered side of the organization. They don't know us, and we don't know them."
"So it's up to us. The three of us against Coil, Tattletale, and Bakuda. Those are just great odds right there." Your smile is grim. Tattletale you can handle with one hand tied behind your back, but bombs are another issue entirely. Not to mention you have no idea what Coil's own power even is. He, on the other hand, knows much more about your skills than you are comfortable with.
"Maaaaaaybe. Maybe not." You turn a questioning stare onto Samantha and her self-satisfied grin. "Whoever said we couldn't call for a little backup of our own?"
You didn't think I'd make you take Coil, Tattletale, and Bakuda on all by your lonesome, did you? You can bring up to THREE people with you. The only restrictions are that they have to be characters named in this quest, and it has to make sense for Taylor (the character herself) to ask them for help. For instance, despite the fact that you (the players) know Alexandria wants Taylor on their side, she does not know that, so she wouldn't go pestering the Triumvirate unless you can give me a convincing argument.
This will also be a percentage-based vote, where a character needs to get a simple majority (>50%) of the votes to be eligible. Now get to it.
