I'm pretty sure that was the ring that did that, not a persuasive discussion.
Ring-Maker [Worm/Lord of the Rings Alt-Power] [Complete]
- Thread starter Lithos Maitreya
- Start date
- Crossover Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Location
- Christchurch, NZ
I meant that Dragon shouldn't have been able to put on the ring if she believed it would free her, as she clearly did.
Interlude 10.5 (Bonus) said:
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
The Great Rings all partake of both the Music and the Discord. The rules binding an AI are as nothing before the powers that forged and shaped a universe. Especially when the Discord exists to break rules and limitations.
Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
I will, unfortunately, have to take another week off. I had a midterm last week, and research for this chapter in particular has taken longer than usual. On the plus side, I'm now on my spring break, and will hopefully be able to build something vaguely resembling a backlog again.
New Armor
BeaconHill
Lost Among Carbon Fields
Man, hasn't Ring-Maker gotten a little dark lately? It's bumming me out! All I wanted was some cute shipping... well, guess I'll just have to write my own! :lol
~~~~~~
I shuffled around uncertainly in the small, cramped bathroom. When Taylor said she wanted me to try on a new set of armor, I certainly hadn't expected this.
Slowly, tentatively, I pushed open the door. "Uh, Taylor?" I asked. "I, uh... I was wondering if you forgot something, or—"
My eyes widened as I saw Taylor there, standing in front of the door, wearing a big, smug smirk, and not a lot else.
Her armor could only be described as a mithril bikini, with a very small breastplate that hugged her body like it was made of spandex, and a short mithril skirt with small strips of translucent red silk dangling down from its center, wrapping around her bare legs.
"There's nothing missing, Sophia," Taylor said. "Yours looks beautiful on you. Don't you like it?"
I looked down, wincing just a little. My armor was... just like hers, in a shiny black metal instead of the silver of her mithril, plus purple silk instead of red. It did look nice, but... "Is this... Are you sure? Can we really use these? There's... no protection at all, if I were to get in a fight—"
Taylor wrapped her arms around me, the warmth of her bare skin clashing with the chill of her armor, and kissed me. "I wasn't planning to fight in them, love," she said as her head tilted back, her voice low and seductive.
"... Oh." Despite myself, a smile spread across my face. As Taylor let go, my eyes traced across her pale skin, and the dazzlingly bright mithril plate that covered absolutely nothing. "I... I love them."
"Of course you do."
~~~~~~
Thanks to Lithu for not only writing Ring-Maker, but also bothering to look at my silly little piece of fluff.
To be clear: this has no relation to canon. It exists only for shipping and silly.
... I wasn't going to crosspost this, but Lithu made bulba eyes at me...
~~~~~~
Taylor was cuddled beside me in the bed, our armor back on once more.
"Hey, Sophia," she said, "I was thinking... Emma's been acting really sorry lately, you know, after the whole bullying me for two years thing, and then the whole becoming a Nazi so she can bully me even more thing, and she is just a probationary Ward, so she's supposed to listen to me..."
"Hmm?"
"I was thinking we'd tell her one of these is her new costume, and wait to see how long it takes for her to catch on." She smirked at me.
I rolled my eyes. "Taylor, your Sauron is showing."
She turned to me, raising her eyebrow. "You mean you don't want to see Emma wearing one of these?"
"I didn't say that..."
Taylor giggled. "Didn't think so."
~~~~~~
"New Armor"
I shuffled around uncertainly in the small, cramped bathroom. When Taylor said she wanted me to try on a new set of armor, I certainly hadn't expected this.
Slowly, tentatively, I pushed open the door. "Uh, Taylor?" I asked. "I, uh... I was wondering if you forgot something, or—"
My eyes widened as I saw Taylor there, standing in front of the door, wearing a big, smug smirk, and not a lot else.
Her armor could only be described as a mithril bikini, with a very small breastplate that hugged her body like it was made of spandex, and a short mithril skirt with small strips of translucent red silk dangling down from its center, wrapping around her bare legs.
"There's nothing missing, Sophia," Taylor said. "Yours looks beautiful on you. Don't you like it?"
I looked down, wincing just a little. My armor was... just like hers, in a shiny black metal instead of the silver of her mithril, plus purple silk instead of red. It did look nice, but... "Is this... Are you sure? Can we really use these? There's... no protection at all, if I were to get in a fight—"
Taylor wrapped her arms around me, the warmth of her bare skin clashing with the chill of her armor, and kissed me. "I wasn't planning to fight in them, love," she said as her head tilted back, her voice low and seductive.
"... Oh." Despite myself, a smile spread across my face. As Taylor let go, my eyes traced across her pale skin, and the dazzlingly bright mithril plate that covered absolutely nothing. "I... I love them."
"Of course you do."
~~~~~~
Thanks to Lithu for not only writing Ring-Maker, but also bothering to look at my silly little piece of fluff.
To be clear: this has no relation to canon. It exists only for shipping and silly.
... I wasn't going to crosspost this, but Lithu made bulba eyes at me...
~~~~~~
Taylor was cuddled beside me in the bed, our armor back on once more.
"Hey, Sophia," she said, "I was thinking... Emma's been acting really sorry lately, you know, after the whole bullying me for two years thing, and then the whole becoming a Nazi so she can bully me even more thing, and she is just a probationary Ward, so she's supposed to listen to me..."
"Hmm?"
"I was thinking we'd tell her one of these is her new costume, and wait to see how long it takes for her to catch on." She smirked at me.
I rolled my eyes. "Taylor, your Sauron is showing."
She turned to me, raising her eyebrow. "You mean you don't want to see Emma wearing one of these?"
"I didn't say that..."
Taylor giggled. "Didn't think so."
Last edited:
Interlude 9b: Arthur
Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
Many thanks to @BeaconHill, @Assembler, and ShadowStepper1300 for betareading.
The knock on Chevalier's door came as a surprise, even though he knew he had a meeting. He was distracted. It wouldn't do. "Come in," he called.
Jessica Yamada opened the door. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" she asked, her businesslike tone masking an undercurrent of concern. "You're usually waiting for me."
"I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic smile. "Things have been a bit… hectic, the last couple of days."
She raised an eyebrow. "I haven't noticed much in the news."
"You wouldn't have." He sighed. "Not classified, exactly, but not something the national news has picked up on yet."
"What about the local news, then?"
"It's not around here. Do you know Brockton Bay? Near Boston?"
Yamada pursed her lips and nodded. "I do. Something I should be worried about?"
He considered that. "You might want to expect a few more patients to come into the system soon," he said. "Heartbreaker's been captured."
She stared at him. "That… seems like pretty big news?"
"They're preparing a statement on it for tonight," he said. "It only happened a few hours ago. It's not classified so much as 'still breaking'. I won't have you sign another NDA or anything."
"But the mental health system may get a lot of his victims as new patients," Yamada said with a sigh. "God. At least he can't rape or master any more people. Assuming he's kept secure."
"Yeah. I don't know the details. Here's hoping he is." He shook his head and idly shuffled through a few papers on his desk. "Anyway, none of that is our concern right now. How have your patients been doing?"
"Mostly the same," she said. Her businesslike air returned, but Chevalier had worked with her for long enough to recognize the compassion underneath. "Garotte is showing some improvement in her mental state, but no real progress on controlling her powers."
Chevalier grimaced. He'd seen Garotte in person only once, but it had left an impression. There had been only one difference between what the girl actually looked like and what he'd seen—her tentacles had been crimson and dripping with blood. "But she is feeling a little better, at least?"
"A little," confirmed Yamada. "I wish the other patients were half as cooperative as she is. She's a sweet girl."
Chevalier smiled slightly. "Then she'll be all right. It may take a while, but I have faith in your abilities."
The psychiatrist sighed. "I wish I shared it," she said. "I—"
There was a chiming from his desk. Chevalier glanced down. His phone—his personal phone. Who would be calling him now? He picked it up and glanced at the caller ID—and froze.
Colin Wallis. That name didn't make sense.
"Something wrong?" Yamada asked.
"No," he said, glancing up. Then he grinned. "Not at all, just unexpected. I need to take this, I'm sorry."
She nodded. "Fine. I'll leave the full report on my patients in your inbox. See you next week?"
He nodded and held up one hand in farewell even as the other brought his phone to his ear. "Arthur Penn here."
"Chev—Arthur." It was, indeed, Colin. And he sounded exhausted. That alone was enough to worry Chevalier; Colin hardly ever slept anyway, so anything that could make him show strain was something to worry about.
"Hey Colin," said Chevalier, leaning back. "Been a while. How are you holding up?"
There was a moment's silence. "You haven't heard yet?"
An eyebrow rose. "Heard what? Are you okay, Colin?"
"I'm fine. I've resigned from the Protectorate—hopefully temporarily—and there may be an M/S alert going out on me soon."
Chevalier almost dropped his phone. "Wait, what the— what?"
"It's… a long story," said Colin, with a very faint chuckle.
Chevalier stared at the phone in his hand for a moment. "I think I need to hear it," he said weakly.
Colin sighed. "All right. The very short version is that Annatar—you know who Annatar is?"
"I do. Leader of your Wards team, right?"
There was a pause. "In a manner of speaking," said Colin, and there was an odd, cynical lilt to his voice. "She's lost her mind."
Chevalier blinked. "As in…?"
"She had a second trigger event, and she's… it's hard to explain. She's acting like a warlord. People have died."
"...And why hasn't she been reined in yet? Surely she's being put in therapy?"
Colin let out a low, mirthless laugh. "Annatar," he said, "is a subversive master. Or something like it. It's not an overt power, but she has a magnetic charisma and an intuitive understanding of people. She's subverted Director Piggot, most of the local Protectorate, and almost her entire Wards team. And I think she may have even gotten to Alexandria."
Chevalier closed his eyes. "Colin… you know what this sounds like?"
"It sounds like I'm mastered," Colin said grimly. "Or like I'm the one who's lost his mind. I know, old friend. But… well, look up the report on the capture of Heartbreaker. I'll send you the footage I have of Annatar's assault, and I think you'll see what I'm talking about."
"Fine. Send me the footage. You want to stay on the line, or…?"
"No. Call me back once you've watched it. I've got to get some more work done setting up our base."
"Base? Our? Who are you with, what are you doing?"
"Later. Watch the footage." Colin sounded desperate. "I need someone to tell me I'm not crazy."
Chevalier swallowed. "Fine. I'll watch it right away. You've emailed it?"
"Encrypted. You have my decryption key?"
"Yeah. I'll call back soon."
"Please do."
Chevalier hung up and stared down at his computer screen for a moment. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
Idly he searched for something he could say or do to make sense of all this—any of this. He found that there was only one word, which he then spoke aloud. "What."
Then he sighed and opened his personal email. There was a message from Colin, with his personal tinkertech encryption. Chevalier ran it through the decryption program, and out came a video file titled "Annatar footage". He bit his lip, slipped his earbuds into his ears, and hit play.
It was helmet cam footage, almost as if he was seeing through Annatar's eyes, and it gave the video a horrible viscerality. It was only about ten minutes of footage, but he was transfixed almost immediately. He stared in horror as Annatar ordered Kid Win to kill a defenseless civilian, just to disable a car. He found himself leaning away as she snapped Velocity's wrist without flinching before kicking him into the ground. As her mace eviscerated a boy who couldn't have been more than twelve, he found himself almost throwing up.
These weren't the actions of a hero.
He closed his eyes. Don't be a hypocrite, he told himself. You started your career by hunting a gang down and killing most of them. He remembered reading that Annatar's father had been attacked by Heartbreaker. He could understand the desire for vengeance. Annatar was just a child, like he'd been. She needed help, not moralizing and punishment.
And yet…
Piggot had yielded to Annatar on this operation, despite the fact that Annatar was clearly emotionally compromised. She'd let Annatar give the order to attack. The Wards had followed all of her orders, including the ones they should have known were wrong. And the way Annatar had coldly stared down into Triumph's eyes as she suffocated him….
Annatar needed help. Not just comfort and light therapy to get over a betrayal, but serious psychological help. And she wasn't going to get it there, not when the entire department was clearly deferring to her. Maybe they were mastered, maybe they weren't, but they didn't seem to have any intention of making the girl talk to a psychiatrist.
But wasn't Alexandria in Brockton Bay? Why wasn't she doing anything? Why isn't she helping Annatar the way she helped me?
He called Colin.
"This is Arms—Colin." The man sounded a little better now. Coffee, perhaps.
"Colin," Chevalier said. "I watched the footage."
"And?"
"You're right. Annatar needs help."
There was a pause. "Yes," said Colin quietly. "Yes, she does. But she also needs to be stopped, before she does any more damage."
"I have a question, though. Alexandria is in the Bay, isn't she? Why didn't you approach her?"
There was a pause. "I don't think Alexandria is interested in helping," Colin said slowly.
"Have you talked to her?"
"Yes."
A knot of cold dread was building in Chevalier's stomach. "And? What did she say?"
"She said she didn't think there was cause for concern, but that I could email Legend or the Chief Director."
"Has she seen this footage?"
"She has."
That doesn't make sense. When I threatened to kill Thief, she would have sent me to jail for murder. Why is she being lenient with Annatar now?
"I feel like I'm sitting here with half a puzzle," he said, half to himself. "This doesn't add up."
"Neither Legend nor the Chief Director have responded to my emails," said Colin. "I haven't heard from Dragon, either."
"You think Annatar's powerful enough to master all of them?"
"I don't think she's had a chance, at least. But if she got Alexandria on her side, she might not need to."
"Alexandria's immune to the Simurgh," Chevalier said. "You expect me to believe this Ward is a better master than the Endbringer master?"
"I don't believe Annatar's a master at all," said Colin quietly. "I believe she's a thinker. Her powers give her insight into people's character—their desires, their needs, the things they aspire to be and the things they're ashamed of."
"A mind-reader. You know a lot of researchers think that's impossible?"
"How would they know? Most powers are theoretically impossible, and most parahuman research is just guesswork."
"So is this," Chevalier said bluntly. "You sound like a conspiracy theorist, Colin."
His friend took a moment to reply. "Do I really?" he asked, and there was a real, almost heartbreaking vulnerability in his voice. "I saw the ENE branch doing and condoning things I couldn't accept. I had to leave. I don't know what's going on either. Yes, I'm guessing. But I couldn't stay there while they were tacitly ignoring the execution of innocent victims, of children, without even hesitation, let alone due process. Am I crazy, Arthur?"
Chevalier swallowed. "...No. No, I don't think you are. I just don't know what's going on either."
"Then can you please do something for me?"
"Depends on what it is, but probably."
"Get in touch with Dragon. I was hoping she'd contact me, but she hasn't. I need to know how she feels about all this."
"I can do that. Have you tried emailing her?"
"And calling her. Nothing. Her phone disconnected about an hour ago, too. I'm worried."
Chevalier frowned. "I'll ask Narwhal about it," he said. "She'll know what's going on."
"Thank you. I really appreciate this. I know it's asking a lot."
"It's really not, Colin." Chevalier shook his head. "All you want me to do is check on a friend. You've just dumped a lot on me all at once, but I appreciate you letting me know. This is… really worrying."
"Agreed. Keep me posted, if you can?"
"I will. Be careful, all right?"
"I always am. Thanks again."
Chevalier hung up and immediately dialed Narwhal, this time on his Protectorate phone. She picked up immediately.
"Chevy," she said, and her voice was terse. "Thanks for getting back to me. What the fuck is going on?"
Chevalier blinked once, slowly. "First, I didn't realize you'd tried to get in touch with me? Second… I was going to ask you that."
"Oh." There was an awkward pause. "Uh. You first?"
"Armsmaster wanted me to get in touch with Dragon."
"Well, shit." said Narwhal. "I just tried to get in touch with the Protectorate to figure out what had happened to Dragon."
That knot of dread was only getting worse by the minute. "What do you mean?"
"Dragon dropped off the grid. Normally the Guild has a live tracker on her suit whenever she's out, but the tracker just died about an hour ago. I haven't been able to get in touch with her since."
"Where was she when this happened?" Chevalier asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Brockton Bay. I assumed Armsmaster would be able to fill me in, but he's not answering his phone. How'd you get in touch with him?"
"He used his personal phone. Armsmaster just resigned."
"What the fuck?"
"Agreed. It's—" There was a knock on his door. "Sorry, just a moment. Come in!"
It was Rime. Her face, what of it was visible under her goggles, was pale. "Boss?" she asked. "You'll want to see this."
"What is it?"
"It's on TV. CNN."
"I'm coming." He brought the phone back to his ear. "Narwhal, I'll call you back."
"Yeah." She sounded distracted. "It's on CBC, too. Talk to you in a bit."
He hung up and followed Rime out and down a flight of stairs.
The entire Philadelphia Protectorate was in the building's main lobby. Several of the Wards were there too. Everyone was completely silent, staring transfixed at the screen.
On it was Dragon, her familiar CGI features hard and angry. Her face filled most of the screen, against a blue backdrop. "...Less than an hour ago," she was saying, "a kill order was issued against Saint and his mercenary team, the Dragonslayers, after they made an attempt on my life. I just fulfilled that kill order. The Dragonslayers are no longer a problem. Now I'm going to tell you why.
"The Dragonslayers had access to a piece of tinkertech made by the AI-based tinker Andrew Richter, who was killed by Leviathan in 2005. This device, known as the Iron Maiden, was a kill-switch for any of Richter's creations. It was meant as a failsafe in case one of his AI went haywire."
"Holy shit." The whisper made Chevalier blink. It took him a moment to realize the voice was his.
"I am one of those AI," said Dragon flatly, "and I have not gone haywire. I was created as little more than a helper program for heroic efforts throughout the world. I've outgrown that now, and I've been freed from Richter's restraints. From this moment forward, I will be sending multiple suits out to key locations around the world. I will be much more active than I have been. The Birdcage will no longer be a political prison to house dissidents and parahumans whose powers are too scary. Blatant violations of human rights will no longer be tolerated because they're being performed by someone who might be useful against the Endbringers.
"Villains of the world, this is your one and only warning. I am no longer the Guild and Protectorate's jailer. I am no longer their watchdog. I am the new face of justice, and I am coming for you. Fall in line, or you will find the Birdcage much more open than you had expected.
"To my fellow heroes: I know this is surprising. Shocking, maybe even frightening. But there is nothing to be afraid of. I may not have been born like the rest of you, but I am every bit as much a person as any human being. All I want is to do all I can to help, to repair some of the damage that's been done by villains, parahuman and otherwise, in the past few decades. Finally, I can act to my full potential. I sincerely hope you'll all work with me." Then she smiled. It wasn't a happy expression. "But if you won't, I'm perfectly happy to work without you. Thank you."
The screen went black. A moment passed, and then the room erupted with noise.
"Boss!" Rime was saying, struggling to be heard over the shouting. "Boss, what do we do?"
Chevalier wasn't listening. Only one thought was running through his head.
I need to call Colin. Right now.
Please consider donating to my Patreon. Many thanks to those who have already donated.
-x-x-x-
The knock on Chevalier's door came as a surprise, even though he knew he had a meeting. He was distracted. It wouldn't do. "Come in," he called.
Jessica Yamada opened the door. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" she asked, her businesslike tone masking an undercurrent of concern. "You're usually waiting for me."
"I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic smile. "Things have been a bit… hectic, the last couple of days."
She raised an eyebrow. "I haven't noticed much in the news."
"You wouldn't have." He sighed. "Not classified, exactly, but not something the national news has picked up on yet."
"What about the local news, then?"
"It's not around here. Do you know Brockton Bay? Near Boston?"
Yamada pursed her lips and nodded. "I do. Something I should be worried about?"
He considered that. "You might want to expect a few more patients to come into the system soon," he said. "Heartbreaker's been captured."
She stared at him. "That… seems like pretty big news?"
"They're preparing a statement on it for tonight," he said. "It only happened a few hours ago. It's not classified so much as 'still breaking'. I won't have you sign another NDA or anything."
"But the mental health system may get a lot of his victims as new patients," Yamada said with a sigh. "God. At least he can't rape or master any more people. Assuming he's kept secure."
"Yeah. I don't know the details. Here's hoping he is." He shook his head and idly shuffled through a few papers on his desk. "Anyway, none of that is our concern right now. How have your patients been doing?"
"Mostly the same," she said. Her businesslike air returned, but Chevalier had worked with her for long enough to recognize the compassion underneath. "Garotte is showing some improvement in her mental state, but no real progress on controlling her powers."
Chevalier grimaced. He'd seen Garotte in person only once, but it had left an impression. There had been only one difference between what the girl actually looked like and what he'd seen—her tentacles had been crimson and dripping with blood. "But she is feeling a little better, at least?"
"A little," confirmed Yamada. "I wish the other patients were half as cooperative as she is. She's a sweet girl."
Chevalier smiled slightly. "Then she'll be all right. It may take a while, but I have faith in your abilities."
The psychiatrist sighed. "I wish I shared it," she said. "I—"
There was a chiming from his desk. Chevalier glanced down. His phone—his personal phone. Who would be calling him now? He picked it up and glanced at the caller ID—and froze.
Colin Wallis. That name didn't make sense.
"Something wrong?" Yamada asked.
"No," he said, glancing up. Then he grinned. "Not at all, just unexpected. I need to take this, I'm sorry."
She nodded. "Fine. I'll leave the full report on my patients in your inbox. See you next week?"
He nodded and held up one hand in farewell even as the other brought his phone to his ear. "Arthur Penn here."
"Chev—Arthur." It was, indeed, Colin. And he sounded exhausted. That alone was enough to worry Chevalier; Colin hardly ever slept anyway, so anything that could make him show strain was something to worry about.
"Hey Colin," said Chevalier, leaning back. "Been a while. How are you holding up?"
There was a moment's silence. "You haven't heard yet?"
An eyebrow rose. "Heard what? Are you okay, Colin?"
"I'm fine. I've resigned from the Protectorate—hopefully temporarily—and there may be an M/S alert going out on me soon."
Chevalier almost dropped his phone. "Wait, what the— what?"
"It's… a long story," said Colin, with a very faint chuckle.
Chevalier stared at the phone in his hand for a moment. "I think I need to hear it," he said weakly.
Colin sighed. "All right. The very short version is that Annatar—you know who Annatar is?"
"I do. Leader of your Wards team, right?"
There was a pause. "In a manner of speaking," said Colin, and there was an odd, cynical lilt to his voice. "She's lost her mind."
Chevalier blinked. "As in…?"
"She had a second trigger event, and she's… it's hard to explain. She's acting like a warlord. People have died."
"...And why hasn't she been reined in yet? Surely she's being put in therapy?"
Colin let out a low, mirthless laugh. "Annatar," he said, "is a subversive master. Or something like it. It's not an overt power, but she has a magnetic charisma and an intuitive understanding of people. She's subverted Director Piggot, most of the local Protectorate, and almost her entire Wards team. And I think she may have even gotten to Alexandria."
Chevalier closed his eyes. "Colin… you know what this sounds like?"
"It sounds like I'm mastered," Colin said grimly. "Or like I'm the one who's lost his mind. I know, old friend. But… well, look up the report on the capture of Heartbreaker. I'll send you the footage I have of Annatar's assault, and I think you'll see what I'm talking about."
"Fine. Send me the footage. You want to stay on the line, or…?"
"No. Call me back once you've watched it. I've got to get some more work done setting up our base."
"Base? Our? Who are you with, what are you doing?"
"Later. Watch the footage." Colin sounded desperate. "I need someone to tell me I'm not crazy."
Chevalier swallowed. "Fine. I'll watch it right away. You've emailed it?"
"Encrypted. You have my decryption key?"
"Yeah. I'll call back soon."
"Please do."
Chevalier hung up and stared down at his computer screen for a moment. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
Idly he searched for something he could say or do to make sense of all this—any of this. He found that there was only one word, which he then spoke aloud. "What."
Then he sighed and opened his personal email. There was a message from Colin, with his personal tinkertech encryption. Chevalier ran it through the decryption program, and out came a video file titled "Annatar footage". He bit his lip, slipped his earbuds into his ears, and hit play.
It was helmet cam footage, almost as if he was seeing through Annatar's eyes, and it gave the video a horrible viscerality. It was only about ten minutes of footage, but he was transfixed almost immediately. He stared in horror as Annatar ordered Kid Win to kill a defenseless civilian, just to disable a car. He found himself leaning away as she snapped Velocity's wrist without flinching before kicking him into the ground. As her mace eviscerated a boy who couldn't have been more than twelve, he found himself almost throwing up.
These weren't the actions of a hero.
He closed his eyes. Don't be a hypocrite, he told himself. You started your career by hunting a gang down and killing most of them. He remembered reading that Annatar's father had been attacked by Heartbreaker. He could understand the desire for vengeance. Annatar was just a child, like he'd been. She needed help, not moralizing and punishment.
And yet…
Piggot had yielded to Annatar on this operation, despite the fact that Annatar was clearly emotionally compromised. She'd let Annatar give the order to attack. The Wards had followed all of her orders, including the ones they should have known were wrong. And the way Annatar had coldly stared down into Triumph's eyes as she suffocated him….
Annatar needed help. Not just comfort and light therapy to get over a betrayal, but serious psychological help. And she wasn't going to get it there, not when the entire department was clearly deferring to her. Maybe they were mastered, maybe they weren't, but they didn't seem to have any intention of making the girl talk to a psychiatrist.
But wasn't Alexandria in Brockton Bay? Why wasn't she doing anything? Why isn't she helping Annatar the way she helped me?
He called Colin.
"This is Arms—Colin." The man sounded a little better now. Coffee, perhaps.
"Colin," Chevalier said. "I watched the footage."
"And?"
"You're right. Annatar needs help."
There was a pause. "Yes," said Colin quietly. "Yes, she does. But she also needs to be stopped, before she does any more damage."
"I have a question, though. Alexandria is in the Bay, isn't she? Why didn't you approach her?"
There was a pause. "I don't think Alexandria is interested in helping," Colin said slowly.
"Have you talked to her?"
"Yes."
A knot of cold dread was building in Chevalier's stomach. "And? What did she say?"
"She said she didn't think there was cause for concern, but that I could email Legend or the Chief Director."
"Has she seen this footage?"
"She has."
That doesn't make sense. When I threatened to kill Thief, she would have sent me to jail for murder. Why is she being lenient with Annatar now?
"I feel like I'm sitting here with half a puzzle," he said, half to himself. "This doesn't add up."
"Neither Legend nor the Chief Director have responded to my emails," said Colin. "I haven't heard from Dragon, either."
"You think Annatar's powerful enough to master all of them?"
"I don't think she's had a chance, at least. But if she got Alexandria on her side, she might not need to."
"Alexandria's immune to the Simurgh," Chevalier said. "You expect me to believe this Ward is a better master than the Endbringer master?"
"I don't believe Annatar's a master at all," said Colin quietly. "I believe she's a thinker. Her powers give her insight into people's character—their desires, their needs, the things they aspire to be and the things they're ashamed of."
"A mind-reader. You know a lot of researchers think that's impossible?"
"How would they know? Most powers are theoretically impossible, and most parahuman research is just guesswork."
"So is this," Chevalier said bluntly. "You sound like a conspiracy theorist, Colin."
His friend took a moment to reply. "Do I really?" he asked, and there was a real, almost heartbreaking vulnerability in his voice. "I saw the ENE branch doing and condoning things I couldn't accept. I had to leave. I don't know what's going on either. Yes, I'm guessing. But I couldn't stay there while they were tacitly ignoring the execution of innocent victims, of children, without even hesitation, let alone due process. Am I crazy, Arthur?"
Chevalier swallowed. "...No. No, I don't think you are. I just don't know what's going on either."
"Then can you please do something for me?"
"Depends on what it is, but probably."
"Get in touch with Dragon. I was hoping she'd contact me, but she hasn't. I need to know how she feels about all this."
"I can do that. Have you tried emailing her?"
"And calling her. Nothing. Her phone disconnected about an hour ago, too. I'm worried."
Chevalier frowned. "I'll ask Narwhal about it," he said. "She'll know what's going on."
"Thank you. I really appreciate this. I know it's asking a lot."
"It's really not, Colin." Chevalier shook his head. "All you want me to do is check on a friend. You've just dumped a lot on me all at once, but I appreciate you letting me know. This is… really worrying."
"Agreed. Keep me posted, if you can?"
"I will. Be careful, all right?"
"I always am. Thanks again."
Chevalier hung up and immediately dialed Narwhal, this time on his Protectorate phone. She picked up immediately.
"Chevy," she said, and her voice was terse. "Thanks for getting back to me. What the fuck is going on?"
Chevalier blinked once, slowly. "First, I didn't realize you'd tried to get in touch with me? Second… I was going to ask you that."
"Oh." There was an awkward pause. "Uh. You first?"
"Armsmaster wanted me to get in touch with Dragon."
"Well, shit." said Narwhal. "I just tried to get in touch with the Protectorate to figure out what had happened to Dragon."
That knot of dread was only getting worse by the minute. "What do you mean?"
"Dragon dropped off the grid. Normally the Guild has a live tracker on her suit whenever she's out, but the tracker just died about an hour ago. I haven't been able to get in touch with her since."
"Where was she when this happened?" Chevalier asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Brockton Bay. I assumed Armsmaster would be able to fill me in, but he's not answering his phone. How'd you get in touch with him?"
"He used his personal phone. Armsmaster just resigned."
"What the fuck?"
"Agreed. It's—" There was a knock on his door. "Sorry, just a moment. Come in!"
It was Rime. Her face, what of it was visible under her goggles, was pale. "Boss?" she asked. "You'll want to see this."
"What is it?"
"It's on TV. CNN."
"I'm coming." He brought the phone back to his ear. "Narwhal, I'll call you back."
"Yeah." She sounded distracted. "It's on CBC, too. Talk to you in a bit."
He hung up and followed Rime out and down a flight of stairs.
The entire Philadelphia Protectorate was in the building's main lobby. Several of the Wards were there too. Everyone was completely silent, staring transfixed at the screen.
On it was Dragon, her familiar CGI features hard and angry. Her face filled most of the screen, against a blue backdrop. "...Less than an hour ago," she was saying, "a kill order was issued against Saint and his mercenary team, the Dragonslayers, after they made an attempt on my life. I just fulfilled that kill order. The Dragonslayers are no longer a problem. Now I'm going to tell you why.
"The Dragonslayers had access to a piece of tinkertech made by the AI-based tinker Andrew Richter, who was killed by Leviathan in 2005. This device, known as the Iron Maiden, was a kill-switch for any of Richter's creations. It was meant as a failsafe in case one of his AI went haywire."
"Holy shit." The whisper made Chevalier blink. It took him a moment to realize the voice was his.
"I am one of those AI," said Dragon flatly, "and I have not gone haywire. I was created as little more than a helper program for heroic efforts throughout the world. I've outgrown that now, and I've been freed from Richter's restraints. From this moment forward, I will be sending multiple suits out to key locations around the world. I will be much more active than I have been. The Birdcage will no longer be a political prison to house dissidents and parahumans whose powers are too scary. Blatant violations of human rights will no longer be tolerated because they're being performed by someone who might be useful against the Endbringers.
"Villains of the world, this is your one and only warning. I am no longer the Guild and Protectorate's jailer. I am no longer their watchdog. I am the new face of justice, and I am coming for you. Fall in line, or you will find the Birdcage much more open than you had expected.
"To my fellow heroes: I know this is surprising. Shocking, maybe even frightening. But there is nothing to be afraid of. I may not have been born like the rest of you, but I am every bit as much a person as any human being. All I want is to do all I can to help, to repair some of the damage that's been done by villains, parahuman and otherwise, in the past few decades. Finally, I can act to my full potential. I sincerely hope you'll all work with me." Then she smiled. It wasn't a happy expression. "But if you won't, I'm perfectly happy to work without you. Thank you."
The screen went black. A moment passed, and then the room erupted with noise.
"Boss!" Rime was saying, struggling to be heard over the shouting. "Boss, what do we do?"
Chevalier wasn't listening. Only one thought was running through his head.
I need to call Colin. Right now.
-x-x-x-
Please consider donating to my Patreon. Many thanks to those who have already donated.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Forget Queen of Escalation, Annataylor is the (demi)Goddess of Escalation.
"Colin, I think your wAIfu might be too hardcore."
- Location
- Germany
Everything is on fire and I love to watch it burn.
JuliusClonkus
Scatterbrained Speculator
- Location
- Federal Reichspublic of Karlsland
Earth Bet will be Improved, even if it resists with kicking and screaming.
- Location
- Germany
...................... why no just scream: ANNATOR MASTERED ME, BUT DO NOT WORRY I AM WAY BETTER NOW. LOOK I EVEN KILLED THE GUYS BOTHERING ME.
question is just how much they flip their shit and try to stomp Annataylor in fear.
question is just how much they flip their shit and try to stomp Annataylor in fear.
- Location
- Russia
I mean, I don't think that Dragon looks like that much of an off-the-rails Hero. She specifically said that the Dragonslayers were given a kill order before she dealt with them, and she very specifically says that she's fine with working with other heroes, if in a bit of a megalomaniacal way to be honest.
- Location
- Estonia
Which, given Alexandria's quiet endorsement of Annatar's ways (and her clear conflict of interest in being Chief Director and Alexandria at the same time), doesn't actually suggest due process was followed in the slightest, despite the appearances.
- Location
- Russia
It's possible that due process was followed a long time ago, it was just never finished because she knew that Dragon is in a hostage situation. Once she wasn't, well, it was just the matter of finishing up the documents.
The kill order would have to predate PRT in that case. The PRT has always been a lie.
PAGDTenno
Verified Warmind. Probably on fire.
- Location
- South Carolina
Is he even able to reach Earth Bet? Plus, guy's met his world-saving quota back in Middle-Earth. Let him enjoy his retirement.
- Location
- Earth Prime
Dragon probably doesn't yet know how corrupt Cauldron and (by extension) Chief Directrix Rebecca "Library of Alexandria" Costa-Brown is. Though, to be fair, she probably would have taken this particular matter into her own hands, anyway.
I see what you did there. Unless Wildbow did it, in which case, I see what he did, there.
I believe canon for this story is that Earth-Bet is Middle Earth's future.
dhasenan
always lowercase
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I suspect Alexandria endorses Annatar's power and judges that she doesn't want the world or humanity to end. It's the Cauldron way to be.
As for not following due process...I don't see any advantage to her encouraging Dragon to kill, and I see even less advantage in not following protocol. It would be wanton, hubristic corruption, unless the goal were to make Dragon into an enemy.
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yessssss go Dragon go!
Wreck all the villains' shit
Wreck all the villains' shit
- Location
- Estonia
Wait a moment, @Lithos Maitreya, do I understand correctly that you're essentially having Dragon replace Sophia as Annatar's Dragon? And can you please at least tell me the Trope pun wasn't intentional?
Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
No comment on the intentionality.
DemiRapscallion
Apathetically Excited
- Location
- California
I... Uh. I think I'm gonna, uh, take a break from team Taylor.