Information is a weapon. Information is power. Information is most valuable when you're the only one who has it.
And yet.
You wonder if Nora felt like this, all those years ago, when she asked you to help her fight the Defiance Unit. Or when she reached out again to have you join NuGen. You'll never know, but you push aside the burbling feeling of trepidation and force yourself to speak.
"Gabriel. . . what I told you that I didn't have to find hope. What if I told you it was left for me?"
Wolong looks back at you, unsure of what expression to make. His face flashes between a hopeful and guarded expression, like a man dying of thirst who's scared this pool of water is just another mirage.
"I would ask exactly what you meant by 'hope', Lady Leizi," he says slowly.
"Precisely what it sounds like, Gabriel," you reply, "Now, is there somewhere more secure we can discuss this?"
We can be more.
Bitterman was right: that choice had a lot of repercussions.
Black Swan looks like she's trying to make conversation, but Menagerie Witch makes a great show of seeming bored and pulls out her screen to start playing a game.
Brutal.
8th graders. Some of the cruelest creatures on earth.
"Novalight's old office," Wolong explains, "I've just activated the privacy suite. You're welcome to search the room for bugs if you feel the need."
He says the last bit with a smile that becomes fixed as you do just that.
"You can't be too careful, darling," you say as your search comes up empty. Well, nearly empty. The bugs you had placed were still here, though they only had ever worked in the rarest of circumstances.
Lady Leizhi's intelligence network continues to be stupid.
Though we can probably remove those bugs and replace them with normal security cameras now.
The safest targets right now are Shroud, Third Person, and Abarimon. Of those three, Abarimon is the least volatile. He's still the only person to ever ask to be put in Wonderland."
"Unable to control his powers, correct?"
"Unfortunately," Wolong confirms," He's remained stationary which is best for everyone.
Ouch. I feel bad for the guy. Hopefully once we've finished all our research on making powers, we can do a sidequest to take them away.
Of our other targets, nearly a dozen bodies have been found the last three weeks with injuries matching Shroud's modus operandi. The last three victims were found on consecutive days—he's accelerating."
You wrinkle your nose. You detested serial murders.
Ugh. Serial killers? That sucks. Who's the last guy?
le your nose. You detested serial murders. "I have an infiltration specialist who is the perfect person for the job. Now, Third Person?"
Wolong raises his eye at the mention of another new member of Justice Unlimited, but lets it go. "Third Person is up to his usual rampage near Roswell University. However, he's apparently very upset about the length of his 'ban' and is killing his hosts immediately at the sight of any 'mod'. We've had to stay out of his view."
Oh no.
He's a GAMER.
"Tch, psychic parasite," you hiss, in distaste. That is someone to keep far, far away from Black Swan. "Perhaps there is something in the Apiary that can deal with him. Failing that, Menagerie Witch's constructs are not sentient. If we could isolate him, perhaps we could disable his hosts with them
Lets… not bring Mona on that mission, shall we?
Is she truly that strong?" Wolong questions, "It's a generous offer to be sure. . ."
"Wolong, she's the most powerful metahuman in this building by several orders of magnitude. If it were not for the fact that Floating Venom Morpheme was near an inhabited area, she could have dispatched it on strike," you say, looking over your glasses, "And patrols will be good for her. One day she'll be the leader of Justice Unlimited—she must learn what the work at the very bottom is like."
She's literally death laser woman, Wolong. Accept the gift.
Patience that you will soon reward. But first: "What intel do you have on Monarch?"
"Precious little. I have more questions than answers when it comes to her."
You shake your head, "Allow me to rephrase. What intel would you like on Monarch. My information network is at your disposal."
"Her source of funding," he says immediately. It seems he knows not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "She has a considerable ability to purchase resources: weapons, armor, entertainment for her more hedonistic followers. I can't trace where it's coming from, but cut it off and we'll have dealt her a mighty blow. Aside from that, any information about her lieutenants or what she's planning. Her movements have hidden for far too long."
Where is the evil supervillain money coming from? That's pretty interesting to investigate.
"Gabriel, don't take this the wrong way, but have you looked into metahuman means to heal Arc?"
Wolong frowns. "The side effects of Lethal Anodyne's serums are more than Arc could survive, even if I was willing to addict her to save her life. And Mendicant has disappeared. Even if I could find them—"
"They're in the Apiary. Last I saw them, they were rebuilding Radiant Silvergirl's terrariums. Gardening is something of a hobby of theirs, apparently."
Nice, no pronoun errors here.
You wish you had a picture to persevere the look on Wolong's face
Preserve, you mean?
They've been in the . . . Apiary? This whole time?"
"Valiant Silver offered it as a safe haven should they ever need it. They were waiting for us to return. What's more, they're willing to sell directly to Justice Unlimited. If it will help Arc, I'm be more than happy to facilitate a—"
"Please," Wolong breathes before catching himself. He swallows a lump in his throat. "Please. It would be greatly appreciated."
"Consider it done." Which only left one more matter for you and Wolong to discuss.
Before you say anything, he slides back into his chair, exhaling. "Mendicant was at the Apiary . . . I see what you mean about help being left for you."
"Not precisely, darling."
Wolong chuckles, "Are you next going to tell me you have the second coming of King in the wings as well?"
"Not yet."
We just need another 10 candidate and for Wolong to help us get three synergies on one candidate… or we need to figure out how to cut down Apiary's sample. That would work as well.
He laughs again, but, when he sees you don't return his mirth, he grows serious. "Lady Leizi . . .?"
"Gabriel," you start, "What has always been the most challenging part of building any kind of lasting heroic organization?"
"Membership," he answers easily, "Metahuman powers take time to develop. By the time they do, most of the stronger metahumans have been scouted by corporations, turned to crime, or found means of employment other than heroism. Why do you ask?"
He eyes you shrewdly. He's started to figure it out. Better to not leave the poor dear in suspense.
Membership. That's a really interesting piece of world building.
But deadass, all the worldbuilding in this quest has been spectacular. It's some of the best I've seen.
"Because what if there were a way to give someone fully developed metahuman powers? What if they could be bestowed to those who already wished to be heroes?"
Wolong is very, very still. "If that were the case, then that would change everything."
You smile. "Indeed. Gabriel, let me tell you about an initiative called Project Prometheus. . ."
I can just see LL's smirk rn. Good for her and Wolong!
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" By the end of being read into Project Prometheus, Wolong has risen to his feet and furiously pacing the room, torn between elation and rage at New Dawn's former leader, "The difference a leader can make! Yelena left us nothing but a hollowed out husk, a monument to her own ego! And all the while, the leaders of Justice Unlimited—the very people her arrogance drove from our breast—were perfecting the means of creating heroes."
Wolong runs his hand through his hair several times, getting himself under control again.
"Black Swan . . . she's a result of Project Prometheus, isn't she? She was made with Yelena's DNA."
"Partially," you admit, "We did add a few things to compensate for Novalight's weaknesses."
Wolong laughs again, a harsh sound. "How that would rankle her, knowing that those she looked down on could use her powers better than she ever could."
The man's got his hope back! Nice!
He rubs at his right eye with his palm, an oddly intimate, vulnerable gesture.
"Time," he breathes, "We just need to buy a little more time. Help is coming. We've found hope."
He's so relived right now. Anybody would be, in his position.
"Yes, yes of course," he agrees, "You need the DNA of deceased metahumans, correct? New Dawn lost most of its members. Their DNA should be on file. I'll forward you a copy of our medical records at once."
Your eyebrows nearly leave your head. "You're certain?"
"Did you think I would try to use them as a bargaining chip?" he questions, "Perhaps demand new metahumans of my own? No. One way or another, New Dawn has seen its last day. Yelena condemned this organization the day she cast NuGen out."
I imagine that Global Justice would have wanted more metahumans. Thankfully, Wolong's humble,
"To that end, the Zenith is yours. There are enough unused floors you could come and go as you please without anyone noticing. We'll also provide material support. Our contract with the Uni District is still active; we'll have to maintain operations here, but there will be an excess left over. Finally, I would appreciate it if you would include our remaining members on missions where you think they would be useful. Whether they one day join Justice Unlimited, go independent, or remain the last vestiges of New Dawn, they're excellent heroes who should know the next generation."
Wolong really is about to give us his soul, goddamn. That's a lotta stuff.
"No, it must be." He shakes his head. "But enough navel-gazing. There is something I should warn you about. Our medical records here at the Zenith are incomplete. The rest were stored at the Mill, Steelheart's lab and factory. That is where the records of the founders and members with private civilian identities—like Heavenly Astrologian—are kept."
Alright, that's a future mission. Probably 1-2 AP and HIT+OPERATIONS focused.
But that does remind you of one thing. "I suppose now you'll trust me enough to share your plan for a second Wonderland?"
"Ah, yes, I cannot let you be the only one with earth-shattering revelations today, can I?" Wolong says, "Tell me, Zixuan, what lies between the NID and Corporate Playground?"
You pause and think, "Nothing, except the—Gabriel, you can't be serious!"
We do need a map of Horizon one day. But what is there?
He grins at your reaction. "Yes, The Frozen Throne."
YOU BLOODY GENIUS. How would that work, though?
Steelheart once famously deployed a high-tech observation drone to attempt to map the interior of Frozen Throne, with the idea that documenting it would prevent it from changing. He deployed his drone from above the Throne where it fell for over 8,000 miles before running out of power.
The diameter of the earth is only 7,917.5 miles. The drone never hit the ground.
Infinite space generation within its boundaries. Scary!
"She is," he confirms, "But she also has the ability to warp and control the space inside any object she can occupy for longer than 24 hours. And she has spent the last months building a second prison facility inside of one of her Domains."
Wolong activates a holographic display and pulls up a map of Horizon.
"We've tested it extensively. The Frozen Throne can't reach inside her Domain." He taps the map where the Frozen Throne touches the NID. "The area on the perimeter of the Throne is by far the most stable. We place Catherine's Domain just inside the Throne and connect it to a second Domain outside. Prisoners are placed in the Domain inside the Throne . . ."
So basically, they can't escape. Terrifying.
"And if they escape, it takes care of them for us," you finish. You don't know how you feel about it. It's brilliant for certain. It's also dangerous. "You'd willingly put people inside that place?"
"Only the worst of the worst," he says, "Only those whom the only other alternative is execution. I'll be happy to give Justice Unlimited a veto on anyone being admitted. It's not my preferred solution—"
"Say we recover Cisma's DNA and are able to recreate their power," you interrupt, "Would that be a preferable outcome?"
"Yes, absolutely," he agrees, "But we need something now."
He's right, it's an extremely insane maneuver. It's also one of our only maneuvers. Project Frozen Land is a go!
As for my comments on the DNA profiles:
-Multiplex, Millions Minefield, and Hydrocity are all wonderful samples, as they're all 1 potency. Easy keyword guarantees!
-
Eastwood gives us cheap Emotional powers! My Shelley power set keeps on getting more promising! Muahahaha!
But seriously, her and Nox would be an interesting combo.
-Antaeus is very goofy. Or was. But it feels like using him over Steadfast wouldn't work; unless we can combo him with some earthbender.
-
iSpy and
Chatroom help us out with some more Clarivoyance. Them, Mr Hunch, and Memoria would get us to 4 Clarivoyance at 13 potency. Something to think about when we have more money.
-I'm very glad only major samples can give Dysmorphic things, because
Sewer Rat is nasty. Good for espionage though.
-
Nepethys would be a good sample for a sub team focused on espionage or a "darker" theme.
-
Lightstep is cool as fuck. What else can I say? Also, first example of [Enhanced Speed].
-
Umibozu can hit like a train if we give her candidate access to even more elemental powers.
-Her and Hydrocity are a very easy 8 cost combo. Maybe something to consider for John. Water beats fire, after all.
-Man O War is our second example of having a synergy naturally. Combining him with elemental manipulation users could net us an Avatar.
