Scion and Worm (Scionverse)

[Arthur Hansen]

Part I - Arriving in Style

The air seemed to flicker and warp in the warehouse district of Brockton Bay. The rundown warehouses and abandoned small time factories hid the bending of space and time from most eyes. The blonde girl that had just appeared seemed surprised, as the glowing red line that had bisected her from her right ankle to left thigh and arm faded away.

The lapping of turgid sea water was the first thing she heard off in the distance. Then she heard the angry voice through the building in front of her.

"…the children, just shoot. Doesn't matter your aim, just shoot. You see one lying on the ground? Shoot the little bitch twice more to be sure. We give them no chances to be clever or lucky, understand?"

He had an accent she could not quite place, though it sounded Asian. The fact he was talking about shooting children was pretty bad though. Her boots were silent as she leaped to the roof, only to see that it was occupied by a black humanoid bug with brown hair. No, it was someone in an armor that looked like a bug.

The blonde girl crept up on the bug-person on the crown of the warehouse. Down below a car pulled up and released three more goons wearing green and red gang colors.

That seemed to be a signal for the twenty odd gang members and bug-person. Swarms of every sort of bugs descended upon the Asians, Latinos and Blacks, setting off a roar of pain and fear.

The leader of the gang started to change, growing bigger and starting to give off heat as bugs crawled over all of them, biting and stinging him. The younger girl narrowed her eyes in consternation as she saw triangular scales start to push through his skin.

In less than two minutes the gang was routed except for the strange man that was transforming into a monster. Bursts of flames were now coming from his thrashing form as he fought against the swarms. The blonde winced as she kept track of his tallying up damage of poison and stings. Finally the half-dragon half-man thing of metal and fire exploded with an aura of fire. Even afire, he kept growing more scales as his spine shifted and expanded with metal, fully armored now.

The bug-person shifted slightly at that. Carefully, it stood up and turned around and then froze. The blonde put her forefinger to her lips as she stepped back as silent as a mouse. They both crept over to the fire escape. The blonde didn't make a sound stepping onto the gravel, but the bug-person did.

To immediate, disastrous results. The fiery scaled monster turned and leaped up the wall on the building across the way, then started to climb up the bricks with crushing strength rapidly.

"I don't suppose you have super-powers that could stop him?" Bug-Girl asked in a near panic.

"Um, maybe? I'm not really fireproof though," the younger girl replied with a shrug.

The monster appeared over the edge of the building. "Mother-fucker going to rip you to pieces."

"Oh-shit-oh-shit-" Bug-Girl started to turn back, fumbling for something from her shoulder back's armor pockets. She revealed that it was a pepper-spray. She turned around and spritzed it in the direction of the monster, but only set off a small explosion from the propellent on his shoulder.

The blonde then fired a bullet that bounced off his armored forehead just as the bug-girl managed to get a second squirt into his face that also exploded in a poof. That did cause him to roar in pain as he sent out an explosive blast of fire to knock the bug-girl rolling back roughly. The other girl grimaced while she pushed back through the explosion of fire to smash a thunderclap enhanced punch into his face.

That sent the scaled monster flying away, thumping it down into the ground painfully.

"You okay there? I'm Sheila, by the way- What the hell?" the younger girl was saying as a monster that looked half-tiger and half-crocodile leaped onto the roof, just in front of two more rather mutant looking critters with riders. She hopped back twenty feet and skidded across the gravel on the roof.

The four riders dropped off the back of the animals. The homely young woman walked to the edge of the warehouse and then made a whistle and two shouts as she pointed at the scaled monster just standing up.

With that, all three mutant animals leaped down with a snarl.

The (not kindly) homely girl was busy watching her mutant animals while the other three walked over to the two girls.

"No mask? That's not very safe," the second female said with a quirky grin on her face. She was dressed in a skintight outfit that was black with pale shades of blue or purple and her dark blond hair was long and windblown. "Wasn't planning on being a cape tonight? No, that raised eyebrow says you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Sheila's eyebrows were both raised now.

"That's Tattletale," the biker-leather wearing figure that was in the center of a cloud of inky darkness. "I'm Grue." After pointing to the homely girl, he then introduced her. "That's Bitch, though the more P.C. people call her Hellhound due to her dogs."

"And I'm Regent," the last male teen said, preening with an open, ruffled shirt that made him look like a masked extra from a French revolution movie. Or a pirate without a cutlass, though he did have a rod in his hand.

"I'm Sheila." She was concentrating and thinking hard. "Masks and super powers? Wow, this is really, really different from any place I've ever been."

That seemed to startle Tattletale.

"And how about you?" the shadowed figure asked the bug girl on the ground even as she scrambled to her feet.

The girl just shook her slightly scorched hair.

"She's in a bit of shock from the pain and situation, I think." Sheila concentrated hard, washing away all of her bruises almost instantly.

"Holy crap. She just healed her bruises," Tattletale said as she blinked behind her domino mask.

"Can we recruit her?" Regent asked. "A healer on our team would be immensely useful."

"We'll talk about it. But we just want to tell you guys that we really appreciate what you did here. We were seriously freaking out when we heard that Lung and Oni Lee were going to come at us with their gang," Grue explained.

"My dogs are messing him up," Bitch called out. She wore probably the most haphazard 'costume,' comprised of a plaid skirt, T-shirt, boots and a chintzy plastic dog mask.

"What did you do to him?" Regent asked curiously.

"Pepper spray, wasp and bee stings, fire ants and spider bites," Tattletale said with a grin. "He's not holding up too well. Gonna feel a helluva lot worse tomorrow. Sheila kicked... no, punched, Lung off the building. Nice. Super strength and healing. Oh, and the other girl is just shy."

"Got a name?" Regent asked as he twirled his scepter in his hand.

The bug-girl just shook her head.

"Heads up. We've gotta scram," Tattletale called out.

Bitch whistled a couple of times to get her dogs to return. They scrambled up the wall back to the roof and the four of them all climbed up on the back of the bloody-muzzle dogs.

Grue turned towards them. "Hey, either of you want a ride?"

The shy bug girl and Sheila both just shook their heads.

"Hey you two, a cape is gonna show up in less than a minute. You did us a solid by dealing with Lung, so take my advice. Someone from the Protectorate shows up and finds three bad guys duking it out, they're not going to let one walk away. You should get out of here." Tattletale gave them a wave as the dogs started to leap and run away across the roofs.

"You want a non-scary lift?" Sheila asked. "I promise to let you off wherever you want to go." Hmm. She should probably help with her fatigue there a bit by removing all her poisons from her fight.

The scorched girl nodded once, carefully as the sound of a motorcycle came from below. She quickly found herself carried off bridal style, and then everything seemed to zoom along. In moments they were several buildings over, going much faster than the dogs had been moving. "I hope they don't think I'm a villain."

The blonde gave her a nod. "That outfit is kind of dark, isn't it? You have a direction you want me to go?"

"Left. Away from the dock and boardwalk area." The girl seemed to be thinking very hard. "Thanks. You probably saved my life."

"No problem. You only jumped in when you heard him talking about killing kids. And those super powered people were kids, right? I mean, they're older than us, anyways."

The other girl was looking in shock as she realized that they had passed her school and her house just a few seconds ago. "Stop."

Sheila dropped from the roof into the back alley behind a convenience store, named 'Super-10' that she had never heard of before. "Good enough?" At the bug-themed 'super's' nod, she hopped up to the roof and took off.

Taylor Hebert, newest costumed hero of Brockton Bay, decided she had had enough. Even if she did not feel tired right now, she knew she was going to need to sleep to go to work in the morning.

She even caught that her hair was slightly singed before she got into her confrontation with her father in the morning.

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Taylor had the start of a horrible day. Starting with her argument with her dad in the morning, then continuing with harassment at school, she had decided to take the bus to the library during lunch. That message from 'Tt' thanking her for her help last night had galvanized her to go somewhere not directly connected to her normal life in any way to attempt to send her a message.

The Central Library was not too far. It was technically too far for lunch from her high school, but the young wannabe superhero was not too thrilled with going back to school and her three tormentors anyways. She had just sent a message after waiting in line when she felt a tapping on her shoulder.

"Hello," Sheila said with a smile. "Are you doing okay after last night?"

Taylor froze. "What-!? Are you following me?" she whispered urgently.

"Oh, right. No, I just noticed you up here after I had to dodge the truancy officer. He should be at the far side of the stacks on the main floor. I've been reading up on this world. Masked heroes are, um, just movies and comics from my dimension." The younger girl gave a shrug.

The arthrop-centric powered girl just nodded slowly. "I'm just surprised-" -terrified- "-that you spotted me."

"Sorry, I can just leave if you like, but I kind of felt some sort of Fateful connection-" The young demigoddess tried to put forward an earnest demeanor.

That was when the message from Tattletale popped up on the screen. "Um. I have to think a second. So why are you here at the library?"

"Reading up on the different history of this world. Everything appears fairly normal and similar up until 'Scion' appeared in the 80's." Sheila had to giggle at the happenstance of that name. "We didn't have this really unusual enigma appear in our reality and no explosion of super-powered heroes, vigilantes and villains."

Taylor was intrigued in spite of herself. "Really?" She read through the message from Tattletale, frowning as they wanted her to meet without her costume at just three o'clock.

"We have people with superpowers, but no real masks. Seems counter intuitive to us, I guess. And goes against our Legend growing. But quite a bit is different here, as everything looks most scientific. I mean Myrhdhin is from Chicago. And is wearing sack cloth, even though the original Merlin was the court wizard for Uther and Arthur." Sheila looked over her shoulder to verify that she was not being followed.

"Um." Taylor pushed her glasses back up her nose, noting that the other girl was not looking even remotely at her screen. "You want to come with me to meet the Undersiders? They're villains and kind of mysterious."

"Sure. Why not? It's not like they're uncivilized enough to just attack people out of the blue." She gave Taylor a shrug.

"Point. They want to meet at the place we first ran into each other at three o'clock. So if you want to show up, you can. Think they wanted to offer you a membership." She did not sound terribly thrilled with that, for some reason.

"Are you going?" Sheila asked curiously.

Taylor just nodded. "But like I was last night."

The younger girl nodded.

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Taylor showed up in bug-girl garb down in the alley behind the warehouse. The others were all in civilian garb. Tattletale was obvious by her grin, showing just a hint of sharp canines. "Pay up, Alec."

The young man that was obviously the civilian guise of Regent grumbled through his hair. He had a 'too-good looking' set of Italian features thing going for him, though he looked younger than the other two. "I knew I shouldn't have bet you on that."

"You guys bet on whether I would show up or not?" the costumed Taylor asked.

The last figure, a muscular young black with a strong jaw and cornrow hair shook his head. "No, he bet you wouldn't show up in costume. It's your own fault for taking the bet in the first place. Even if it wasn't Tattle, it was a sucker bet. Showing up in costume makes too much sense. It's what I would do." He had a pleasant, adult voice. He extended his hand to shake. "Hey, I'm Brian."

"And I'm Lisa. Huh, I could have sworn that I got that Sheila was with you at the library," the grinning girl said. "Do you mind if I call you Bug until you come up with a name?"

"She was. And she's fast, probably because of her muscles. So she could be here at any time," Taylor explained as she shook her head at her last question.

"Rachel is sitting this one out, by the way," Grue said. "She didn't agree with the aim of our meeting here." He gave a soft snort at that.

"I was just waiting for anyone to show," Sheila said as she appeared in a blur, "and to make sure that there were no sensors or listening devices left here."

"Enhanced senses too? Man, you got the powers," Lisa said in complaint. "Super-strength, super-speed, healing, super-senses-" The girl cut off her power as it was slightly giving her a headache. Super-intelligence? Enhanced charisma? This was getting to be a patently ridiculous amount of powers. Her power of intuition and being able to jump to the right conclusion (usually) must be misfiring again.

"Hmm, your power degrades your neural pathways during use. It's like a very large amount of stress that gets dumped into your body. It can probably give you a migraine if you force it," the younger blonde said.

Lisa was left gaping before turning to her compatriots. "Is that what it feels like when I do that to you?"

Brian and Alec both snickered and then started laughing. Taylor was not sure why they were laughing so hard.

"I don't get what's so funny?" 'Bugs' asked.

"Lisa does that all the time to us," Brian explained carefully.

The girl in question was giving him a mock glare. "Hardy-har. But really, we wanted to say thanks to you both for helping us with Lung. We were really panicking, as we didn't have any good way to deal with him."

"I have to admit, I'm a lot weirded out by you guys revealing your secret IDs to me. And Sheila isn't even bothering with a mask." Taylor was giving her a hard look.

"That was my idea. I thought we would make a token show of trust to both of you," Brian said carefully.

"Why, exactly, do you need my... our trust?" the bug-girl asked suspiciously.

Brian opened his mouth, then closed it as he looked to Lisa. She then bent down and picked up two plastic lunchboxes and held it out to them both.

"I said we owed you guys. All yours, no strings attached."

"Oh, cool. I'm no longer desperately broke and going to have to rob someone for enough money for a place to stay," Sheila said after she popped open the lunch to see six stacks of bills.

"About two thousand dollars. You have two choices. You can take this as a gift. A thank you for saving our asses from Lung last night. And maybe a bit of incentive to count us among your friends when you're out in costume and doing dastardly deeds." Lisa grinned at that. "Most people that are villains will just attack us on sight."

Taylor seemed unsure for a long moment, so Sheila beat her to the punch. "And the second choice is?"

"You can both join up with the Undersiders," Brian said, speaking up. "Be one of us."

"For two thousand a month?" the bug-girl asked cautiously.

"Heck no. We, uh, earn way more than that in a month. This is just what the boss pays us to stick together," the black teen explained.

Sheila looked frustrated, but then nodded. "I may need expensive resources."

Taylor studied the girl through her yellow tinted goggles. It suddenly dawned on her that Sheila was implying she was stranded in an alternate reality. And what that entailed to her. Her thoughts about trying to be the hero infiltrating the gang enough to find out where they lived and met (and now about their boss) looked reasonably possible.

"So Bitch didn't come because she was against our recruitment?" Taylor asked carefully.

"Yeah. We voted on it and she said no," Alec said.

"On the plus side, the rest of us voted yes," Brian hurried to add, giving Alec a dirty look, "She'll come around. She always votes against adding new members to the group, because she doesn't want to divide the money more ways."

"Her healing is really valuable?" Taylor asked of the other recruit.

Sheila blinked at that and then nodded. "Combat healing is probably very useful when you can't exactly go to the hospital to explain why you have third degree burns across your face."

"Ooh, she can regenerate. As long as we don't get killed, she can fix us up," Lisa said with a hint of wonder in her voice. "Like Panacea. The Protectorate actually had to call her in to help with Lung."

Alec whistled at that.

"And your bugs really messed up Lung, by the way. Don't sell yourself short," the intuitive villain continued.

"I just control bugs. That's not going to stop Alexandria, Glory Girl or Aegis. In case you hadn't noticed, I needed rescuing from Lung," the bug-girl protested.

"Honey, entire teams of capes have gone up against Lung and got their asses handed to them. That you managed as well as you did is fantastic. The fact that the asshole is lying in a hospital bed because of you is the icing on the cake." She had that nasty, fox-like grin on her face again.

Sheila posed, flexing her biceps. "We could have taken him." Her arms were by no stretch of the imagination large or incredibly well defined.

That got a laugh out of everyone.

"Wait, what do you mean he's in the hospital?" Taylor asked.

"You do know which bugs you had biting him, right? Black Widows, Brown Recluse spiders, Browntail Moths, Mildei, Fire Ants-"

"Yeah, I don't know the official names, but I know exactly what bit him, what stung him and what the venoms do."

"So why are surprised? A couple of those bugs would be fucking dangerous if they bit just once, but you had them bite several times. Bad enough, but when Lung came into custody they had him checked over by the docs, and the idiot doctor in charge said something like, 'Oh, well, these do look like bug bites and stings, but the really venomous ones don't bite multiple times. Let's arrange to check on him in a few hours"."

"Oh my god," the bug-girl exclaimed in horror. "He's supposed to be able to regenerate all that stuff. Poisons are only supposed to be about one percent effective."

"That's kind of useful to remember. Just have to increase the dosage by ninety-nine parts," Sheila noted curiously. "Lethal to anyone without a regeneration factor. Probably only want to go up to eighty extra doses, then do the last few separately."

"I could have killed him-" Taylor said.

"He actually flat-lined a few times and had to be resuscitated. But just remember, he was trying to kill you." Lisa was not grinning now, but she certainly was not looking heartbroken.

"Useful to remember in the future. If he ever gets free, he's going to be seriously mad on against you," the suave Alec said brightly.

"Guys, you are freaking Bugs out. We are trying to recruit them, not run them off," Brian said as he glared at his two teammates.

"Sorry," Lisa said, not sounding repentant at all. Alec just shrugged in the background.

"But he's alive? Is he going to recover?" Taylor seemed very insistent.

Only Sheila noticed the very small nod that Lisa made before she spoke. "He's recovering now, though it may take six months without any outside assistance."

"So his regeneration will eventually fix himself up? Good to know if I need to disarm him." Everyone was giving Sheila an odd look at that point.

"She means literally. As in remove his arms," Lisa clarified for the group. "So, Sheila? What's the most villainous thing you've done?"

Taylor tensed at that point, which both Lisa and Sheila picked up.

"Probably the time when my band was acquiring some money after being stranded in time. The boss caught on and we got into a fight with him and his enforcers. We still made off with about a million dollars and left the Giovanni ashed." Sheila considered the matter for a second. "I think Dolph finally got them to back off a few months later after he threatened them a bit."

"That's- pretty hardcore," Lisa said carefully. Her super-intuition was feeding her more information, letting her know that the rest of her 'band' had been as or was more powerful as Sheila had been and that they had killed everyone but one of the mafia's enforcers. All without getting hurt. Her blue eyes narrowed as she started to get weird information again. Daughter of Ares? Son of Hel? Mafiasio vampires running casinos in the 1980s? Time travel? "So how are you liking 2011?"

"Oh, thank goodness for modern computers and being back in the present. Do you realize how crappy the computers were then? At least it isn't Atlantis where they have not even heard of computers," the young demigoddess said.

"Still not a lie. Still not a lie," Lisa muttered to herself, then picked up that Sheila could hear her talking under her breath. "So, um, I'm cool with them both right now."

"Offer still stands then. No pressure, but you both look like you fit our group pretty good. Even if Rachel complains, it was a group vote and if she really has a problem, she can pull out herself with no strings," Brian explained as he studied the two girls. "I won't even ask how old you guys are, even though I'm burning up in curiosity."

'Bugs' shook her head.

"Almost thirteen. Hard to imagine I've been having adventures for over a year," Sheila said brightly.

Alec just shook his head. "Not going to argue with the girl that can probably bench press a car. Just so you know, Lisa's half the reason we haven't failed a job yet."

"And our boss is a large part of the rest," Lisa then explained.

How unusually modest, both new girls thought.

"So you say, but let's not go there." Brian did not seem very happy, which Taylor cottoned onto.

Lisa smiled at them. "If you want the full scoop, I'm afraid the details on what we do only come with team membership. What I can tell you is that we're a good group. Our track record is top notch and we're in it for fun and profit. No grand agenda. No real responsibility."

Both girls thought it over. Taylor was thinking that she could learn about this boss, discover more about the fairly mysterious group. And it seemed like they would be willing to just let her go if she decided to part ways with them. Sheila decided that they would be a good thing to cover her back while she tried to figure out enough of the world to ascertain a way to get back to her own world. Besides, she had picked up that Lisa was lying about there being no agenda.

"Alright then, count me in," 'Bugs' said.

"Sounds good enough for me," Sheila replied with a nod.

"Our place is just a bit aways, but we don't usually go there in costume. Not much of a hideout if people know where it is," Lisa said, looking over at the one costumed girl.

"Oh, um-" she said.

"You need to change someplace?" Alec asked.

"If you could turn your back?" In just a few minutes, she was changed into her fairly shapeless sweatshirt and loose jeans that really did not flatter her figure. Unfortunately, it appeared she was fairly plain. Brown hair, not many curves and glasses really made her look like the stereotypical geek. "I'm Taylor," the girl said awkwardly.

"Let's fix that first," Sheila said as she took the glasses off. She narrowed her eyes in concentration, 'curing' her of her slight near-vision. Then she regenerated her. "That should put you at about 20/10 vision. Yay, you can be a fighter pilot!"

Taylor just blinked. "Really? I wish I had met you a month ago when I was looking at contacts to wear in costume."

"You can't quantify your vision on that scale?" Lisa asked the youngest of the newest Undersiders.

"I suppose I could say it's something like 20/.1 or something, but really it's as perfect as you can imagine," the young demigoddess replied with a shrug. Let's see, cure Brian's budding diabetes and Lisa's small malnourishment problem.

"So you can see in those windows off in the distance?" Alec asked curiously. He and Brian seemed to be considering the tactical benefit.

"Yes. But who wants to see normal office workers that are all sitting and typing at their screens?"

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Taylor looked around the loft area of the 'abandoned' warehouse, while Sheila glared at the offending pizza boxes. The main area had a couple of couches, a large screen TV with some gaming systems and entertainment options and a small kitchen area.

"Not big on cooking, I take it?" Sheila asked the group.

"The pizza boxes were a big clue," Brian replied. "Consider this all our place."

Taylor was looking closer at the 'private rooms' even though it really just looked like extra tall cubicles. Sheila was taking about thirty seconds to stack and crush all the boxes.

"Our private chateaus," the handsome, swarthy youth said with a smile.

"Nice artwork," Taylor noted as she deciphered the different signs.

"Thanks," Alec replied; he was obviously the artist of the group.

"No roof or sewer exits in case of an emergency?" Sheila asked curiously.

"The boss only does so much, as he values his privacy," Lisa explained

"Boss? You mentioned him earlier," Taylor asked clumsily, trying to minimize her apparent curiosity.

"He provides the building, pays us our monthly 'retainer fee' and then expects us to do the odd jobs. Usually not too big, but we've been slowly increasing our profile," the muscular Brian explained. He looked quite pleased with that.

"What's been your biggest job?" Sheila asked as she wadded the pizza boxes down into a very small ball.

"We hit an illegal casino," Lisa replied. "So you have some experience." She gave them another grin at that.

"They started it, we finished it. We were just going to skim off the top and go to the next one on the Row." Sheila shrugged.

"No legal casinos these days. Too easy for powers to manipulate things," Brian explained as Taylor nodded.

"The mob must have been terribly upset at that," the youngest girl mused aloud.

"That got us over thirty-five thousand dollars apiece," Lisa said.

"We aren't giving a split to our boss. That's... odd." Sheila seemed to be considering matters.

"Good catch. But sometimes we do jobs for him." Brian smiled as the two girls seemed to think it over.

"Distractions and attacking his enemies without us knowing? Possibly to see how well you... well, now us, do." Sheila's mind was racing quickly even as she kept up cleaning things.

Lisa then explained where everyone's rooms were. "Brian doesn't have a room here though," she finished off her mini tour. The girl seemed a bit upset at that idea.

"Even if Lisa wants him to have one. Man, that time you came back after Shadow Stalker skewered you a few times was nasty. We had to throw out that sweet white couch. It was a mess."

"That's why I'm so keen to have a healer sort on our team. The local Protectorate, Wards and New Wave all really benefit from having Panacea around." Brian did seem pleased, a happy smile on his very dark features.

"I think Rachel is back," Sheila said, cocking her head slightly as if listening harder.

Taylor blinked and then reached out to the bugs in the warehouse. In just moments the flies and other insects gave her a good idea of the homely girl and her three dogs. They were much, much smaller now. "I guess it makes sense that they are normal dogs most of the time."

Sheila saw Lisa's expression shift ever so slightly. That was when the rest of the team heard the barking, and the dogs charged out of the stairwell. Taylor barely got her arm up to block the rottweiler's bite, struggling to not be taken down by the large dog. The greyhound and terrier had leaped forward with snapping teeth only to find themselves snatched out of the air and then hurled at the opposite couch that everyone had just barely stood up from. The dogs were more scared than hurt as the couch fell over.

"Call off your dogs," Brian shouted angrily. He was moving towards where Rachel was standing in the doorway. She seemed to be ignoring him as she watched her other two dogs scrambling to their feet over the couch.

Taylor managed to kick the rottweiler once, but it was doing more damage to her than she was to it. Sheila was moving over to help, trying to insert her fingers to pry open the dog's jaw. It was harder than it looked and she had poor leverage.

The big black kid threw a back-handed punch at Rachel, smashing her nose. Rachel stumbled and collapsed to the ground from it.

"Call off your fucking dogs," he yelled again.

The homely girl glared at him, but then whistled out. All the dogs stopped trying to attack and ran back to Rachel.

"I hate it when you make me do that," the charismatic black said angrily.

"Doesn't look like you got hurt much," Sheila said to Taylor, washing away her bruises with a soft burst of power. She gave the crying girl a smile.

"Th-thanks." She turned to their attacker and in a much more steady and controlled voice, asked, "Why the fuck did you do that?"

Rachel did not reply with anything but a smile as she licked the blood from her broken nose.

"God-fucking-dammit," Brian shouted.

Alec and Tattletale had both stayed off to the side, but they were watching with keen, dark eyes. They wanted to see how this social attack would play out.

"You know, your dogs could have broken their teeth on me if they weren't careful," Sheila exaggerated her toughness slightly with an even voice.

Rachel was still smiling like she had not really heard even as Taylor's face had gone flat, unemotional. Then the smaller and younger girl was suddenly charging the fallen Rachel. Taylor tried to kick in her face, not giving her a chance to call her dogs. Rachel was forced to block.

"No, they need to fucking hash it out between them," Brian said to Sheila took a step to intervene.

A swarm of bugs erupted from the lower level of the warehouse, sending the dogs back away from the girl attacking their master. Taylor was stomping and kicking with an absolutely frenzied look on her face.

"Okay, I think that's enough," Brian muttered as he started to gather the shadows in his hands.

"STOP!" Sheila shouted as she suddenly wrapped the aspect of the perfect, cold warrior as a overwhelming cloak of presence.

The dogs, Taylor and Rachel all froze. The trio of canines suddenly backed away from her, whimpering as they fled out into the warehouse.

"What the fuck was that?" Lisa asked rhetorically.

"Drop it," Brian said.

Alec was suddenly staring at Sheila as if she were a mystery that he wanted to unwrap. His dark eyes seemed to find it absolutely fascinating.

With a nod, the youngest blonde dismissed the power.

"Shit-fuck, thought she was going to kill me," Rachel croaked out as she scrambled away from both of the new girls.

"Fuck this shit," Taylor shouted at them. "I'm out of here. You can consider this another fucking failure to recruit people."

"Wait, please," Brian said his hands up. "Rachel is not going to attack you again. Are you, Rachel?"

The bloodied girl on the ground just shook her head.

"You let her try to kill me-" Taylor started to rant away.

"-not kill. Just ordered them to hurt you."

"That's better? What sort of fucked up group are you? I thought you said it was just fun and money?" All of her bugs were still swarming around her.

"We're supervillains, darling," Lisa drawled out. "And Rachel darling, attacking a girl that can lift- My powers are shitting me. Over two hundred tons? What sort of monster are you?"

Sheila blinked as everyone gave her startled, scared or worried looks. "I can? That's pretty cool."

Rachel looked horrified as she realized what she had sent her dogs against. "But you didn't hurt my dogs?"

"No duh. I have really good control over my strength these days. I haven't ripped off any doors since my strength manifested." Sheila was giving them all a look as if they were crazy.

"That makes her a Brute 7 or 8? Probably 8. That's, um, pretty scary." Brian relaxed and then smiled.

"And that isn't your primary power?" Lisa asked, her super-intuition working at very high intensity.

"That's right. I'm much smarter, faster and perceptive. Healing is also very useful-" the girl was saying.

"You're a third generation cape. Wow, they weren't kidding when they said that each generation keeps getting more powerful," Lisa said as she suddenly snapped her fingers.

"Well, that's mostly right. Hey, Taylor, you mind if I patch up Rachel a bit. You broke a couple of her ribs with your ass-kicking," Sheila asked curiously.

Taylor glared at the other girl for a second, then nodded. "Fine. So why did you have your dogs try to hurt me, Bitch?"

"Just trying to scare you off," Rachel mumbled. She blinked as all of her pains suddenly faded away. "No pain?"

"You were mostly just bruised. Really easy to heal," Sheila replied with another shrug.

"Oh, Taylor, only civvie names when we are out of costume," Lisa called out. "Too easy to make a mistake otherwise."

"Right. I have to admit, guys, that I'm having second thoughts about this. Getting attacked to be run off isn't how I envisioned being a member." Taylor was still glaring at Rachel as she spoke.

"Didn't want anything to change. But I'm okay with it now." Rachel only sounded grudging in her acceptance.

Taylor finally calmed down enough to not run off. Sheila got the old-time members to open up a bit. Brian explained his darkness powers, which were actually stronger and more confusing to those engulfed than people would believe. Alec explained his powers in a way that allowed him to disrupt people's muscles for just a second. Lisa's power was her inhuman intuition, as was somewhat obvious at that point. Rachel's powers could be used on any dogs, but she had to train them normally. Taylor finally explained her powers a bit, in the fact she could control invertebrates, not just insects.

"So who's up for pizza?" Lisa asked finally.

The groan from most of them made her rethink her words.

"We can order something else out then. Taylor, there's a phone in the kitchen so you can call your home. Let him know you are going to be here," Lisa called out.

"Thanks," Taylor said as she moved to the kitchenette area.

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The next day, Taylor showed up about half an hour after her high school was supposed to start. Lisa was the one to mention that she was about to show up. So Brian walked her up where he had left Sheila and Alec sparring.

Everyone was in sweats and a T-shirt, though only Alec and Brian looked to be working up a sweat.

"You know how to fight?" Taylor asked curiously. She still felt a bit naked without her glasses. Was that the scent of antiseptic in the air? Had someone been hurt?

"Martial arts? Yeah, I picked up some. Actually got a couple dozen new moves from Brian today," Sheila replied as she kept herself slightly crouched. She left herself open to let Alec take a poke. She was careful to roll with the punch slightly.

"I wish I could get him to focus like he is today," the big black teen complained.

"You aren't a pretty girl." Alec's white teeth were startling against his swarthy features.

Taylor blinked as she really looked at the younger girl. She was more pretty than a first glance would tell you. Even with a short bob of blonde hair, her features were those of a teen model. She also had the beginning of some curves that actually made her look more feminine than her own almost flat form. "That really isn't that fair. You've got more of a figure than I do and I'm four years older."

Sheila just shrugged. "I'm not really growing much right now." She bobbed and ducked just slightly, then snapped out three punches to sting Alec.

"Ouch."

"Can I get some tips?" Taylor asked.

Brian and Sheila were both happy to start to show her the basics.

"You don't have a lot of upper body strength, so just go for soft targets," Brian advised.

"I thought I saw some weighted wristbands around. Wear them while you jog and maybe something comfortable around your neck and you can get some upper body training on the run." Sheila was adjusting to have her throw punches hard. "We should get a punching bag or two. I can install them easy." She was actually focusing on the conversation in the background where Lisa was talking to their boss, a middle aged man by his voice.

They continued on for a bit, Alec playing video games in the background while Taylor learned. Finally Lisa came out of the kitchen area. Rachel trailed after her with the little terrier prancing at her heels.

"Alright, heads up. Our boss has a job for us. A bank job," the girl said as she sat down on one of the couches.

Brian was one-hundred percent against it. And his reasoning was pretty sound. Not much cash for their trouble, and very likely to get the attention of groups of heroes. That far outshadowed any potential reward (almost nil) and the recognition of hitting a bank for the front page.

Lisa, though, had great counters. The Protectorate would be out of town and it was very much in the 'Wards' turf near Arcadia High School. So only the teen heroes at worst. Then she explained that the Bay Central Bank was the clearing house for a lot of the cash in the US northeast.

She hammered it all home with the fact that their boss was willing to pony up matching money and covering all costs, which was shocking to the rest of the Undersiders. It was at a minimum of twenty-five thousand and probably quite a bit more. The only odd thing was the timing.

"So we're a distraction, hmm?" Sheila muttered just loud enough to be heard.

"Exactly. Which is why he wants us to do such a high profile hit," Lisa replied instantly.

Only Taylor looked upset at it, as everyone else was interested in the cash and renown. So it was decided, and they started planning their attack based on the likeliest of the Wards to respond. Aegis the almost unstoppable leader, Clockstopper who could stop physical objects movement through time, Vista who could bend space and time but not hurt someone inside the area, Kid Win was a lightweight tinker with nearly harmless weapons, Gallant wore armor but had blasts of light that punched hard and messed with your emotions and finally Shadow Stalker who had darkness powers like Brian and hated him.

"Hold up a second. Gallant is Glory Girl's on and off again boyfriend? What are the chances she might show up? It's not stepping on turf for a hero to have a friend help out," Sheila noted aloud.

"Almost missed that. She likely will show up, so we need to watch out for her." Lisa rubbed her temples, fighting a headache. She had mentioned it just a minute ago when talking about Gallant.

"This will be tomorrow, right?" With a small surge of legend, Sheila cured the headache.

"So much better than excedrin. Right, Glory Girl is on right now with Gallant so she's likely to show up. She's a fast flyer and also almost entirely invulnerable and super-strong. Somehow those two powers are connected directly," Lisa continued along.

"How about the rest of New Wave?" Taylor asked. Both teams would put the kibosh on their outing, something she would much rather have happen.

"Not likely unless it drags out," Brian decided aloud. "That reminds me. Sheila, you need to come up with a costume and code-name."

"Huh? Oh, right. Is Tactics taken as a name? I can probably put together a quasi-military themed outfit fairly easily," she replied. "They will probably think I'm more normal a Brute that way."

"That works," Alec piped up. He and Rachel really had not contributed much.

"What about you, Taylor?" Brian asked. "Fair is fair."

"Do you know how hard it is to pick a bug-themed name that doesn't sound-"

"-like a dork?" Alec interrupted.

Taylor glared at him for over-using the word dork when describing her. "So I've just been kind of hoping that someone will name me something that doesn't suck."

"Hmm. The PRT and Protectorate are using the code-word Bug after they interrogated Lung," Lisa noted.

"Not so great," the mousey girl moaned.

They fell back to their planning.

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The next day found them in a large van with rain pattered down on them. They slowly crept through downtown traffic, the squeak of the windshield wipers putting everyone on edge. Everyone was again 'in costume' with their outfits sans masks. 'Bug' was in her black and grey spider-woven armor, Tattletale was in a jester-themed outfit while Tactics was in an all dark camo pants, sweater, gloves, combat boots outfit plus a very low profile armor. She had actually bought it while disguised using cash, wearing red hair and startling blue eyes.

The entire back of the van was filled with bugs, every sort that Taylor could suck in on a drive around town. Mostly stinging one, but there were also a good number of flyers and weavers in the midst.

Grue was wearing his biker leathers and helmet, Regent in his nearly carnival getup and Bitch in her grunge skirt and fur-ruff jacket in a second van. Bitch had been preparing her dogs slowly ahead of time. They managed to get into position just before the kick off time. Bitch enhanced her 'hellhounds,' turning them into mutants that were nearly the size of cows and much more powerful. They seemed quite pleased and Tactics could see how the power actually worked; it looked like a strange ectoplasmic flesh cocooned the trio of dogs.

The bug-themed girl sent out her insects covertly as they walked up to the rear entrance, blocking the view even more than the rain did.

Tattletale was thrilled to discover that she could figure out the superhero/SWAT only code that bypassed the silent alarms that would trigger if even the bank manager tried to come in this way. The six villains moved through the hallways quickly and quietly took over the bank's main room.

"Cameras are covered," Bugs called out.

"Back door secured and the local cell phone towers just locked up," Tactics called out as she slipped her cell phone back into her pocket. She had set up a logic bomb that would loop the local towers to continual reboot for at least ten minutes. They swept through the hallways, capturing people in the backrooms; Bug's insects, Bitch's dogs and Tactics keen senses ferreting them out but in a fast, easy manner.

Bitch's dogs rushed into the main room, setting of screams of horror and terror as they suddenly took on the size of small cars. Then Grue silenced them all with his darkness, and Bugs was sent out her swarm of insects, latching a spider onto every single person.

"Fifteen minutes," Bugs called out to the room "We won't be here any longer than that. Stay put, stay quiet, we'll be gone before fifteen minutes are up. You'll be free to give your statement to the police and then go about your day as usual. This isn't a TV show, this isn't a movie. If you're thinking about being a hero, don't. You'll only get yourself or someone else hurt." She actually sounded serious and not like a teen scared to death. She held up a finger with a spider on it. "She's a black widow spider. A single bite has been known to kill a full grown human or put them into a coma. You move, talk, try to find or kill the spiders I just put on your bodies, in your clothes, in your hair? I'll know in a split second and I'll tell them to bite you several times."

Tactics raised an eyebrow hidden behind her domino mask. There was real emotion there, but no desire to hurt the people like she said. Regent and Bugs were to stay in the main room guarding the hostages.

Grue, Bitch and Tactics then headed to the vault where Tattletale was quickly spinning the numbered dial, picking the numbers seemingly out of random happenstance. With a soft metal groan, the door unlocked. Tactics grabbed the edge of the vault door and pulled it open with incredible ease as Tattletale then moved over to the bank manager's desk to co-opt their security.

Brutus, one of Bitch's dogs, was quickly and cleanly loaded with large canvas bags full of money, fitting them into a canvas harness. Tactics super-strength was quite handy here as it sped up the process quickly. Grue and Bitch quipped about their upcoming riches, but had to complain about their pain even though they had not got into a fight yet.

"Tactics, pop open those cabinets for the deeds," Grue ordered as he pointed at some secure filing drawers.

"People only want me for my muscles," the girl replied cheekily. "Anything in particular?"

"Everything in the top two drawers and anything from the mortgage company."

Deft, superhuman fingers popped open the locks far faster than the suggested crowbar during planning. It was only a few moments work to tie the important papers together and put them into the middle of a bag of money. Bitch sent in her one-eyed dog once they finished loading up the first one and sending it back to the main room.

Angelica was loaded up just as fast. Unfortunately, it appeared it was not fast enough as Tattletale came into the vault. "Time's up. The white hats are here and it's not looking good."

They peaked out in between Grue's curtains of darkness to take in the Wards across the street. They were spread out on the sidewalk; Aegis in his rust-red armor in the center, Vista in her tween glory of green and white armor on his right, Clockblocker on his right. Flanking each of them were two more, Kid Win floating on his flying skateboard on the far left and an unknown in black and purple spandex on the far right. Lastly, almost underneath Kid Win was the gray and silver Gallant who looked positively medieval in his armor.

"This is a few more than maybe three or four people," Tactics noted sarcastically, channeling her cousin Dana for a second.

"Tattletale, you are looking like a fucking dumbass right now," the ominous Grue said in a voice that really did hint of murder.

"Who is he?" Bugs asked, pointing at the mystery black and purple guy in spandex.

"Browbeat. He's a point blank telekinetic, which means that he can move things with his mind, but only if they're within an inch or so of his skin. He can use it to throw punches that hit like freight trains, or shield himself from incoming attacks. He's also packing personal biokinesis, which means he's got a kind of ability to manipulate his own body. He can heal just by concentrating on an injury, and he's used it to bulk up. He might be capable of doing more on the fly, depending on how much he's trained since we saw him last. He's been a solo hero in Brockton Bay for a little while." Tattletale rattled off the information like she had a well memorized monologue from a TV show going on.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" the bug-girl asked.

"We crossed paths with him once, Regent and Bitch beat him. Either he's here for revenge or he's joined the Wards very, very recently. My power's suggesting it's the latter." Their intuitionist was really stressing as she tried to figure things out.

"That's is the kind of thing you're supposed to have figured out well in advance," Grue hissed at her, "There aren't supposed to be six of them."

"There's seven," Tattletale said candidly and then winced as Grue slammed his fist against the wood of the door. "There's someone on the roof. I'm not sure who, but I don't think it's Shadow Stalker. Might be a member of the Protectorate."

"Glory Girl," Tactics called out. "I can see her in a reflection of the building on the far side of the street.

The rest of the Undersiders gave her a look like that was not even slightly believable.

"We're boned," Regent said and the nod of Bugs made it seem like she agreed.

"Glory Girl could easily stop us from fleeing long enough for the rest of the Wards to catch up. Which is their plan. They expect us to flee and slam into our backs like a tidal wave. They'll take out half of us easy, then mop up. Damn," Tattletale said in grudging respect and a lot of personal frustration. "But why is Glory Girl here? She and Gallant are kind of in their off again stage."

"Probably asked nicely," Bugs complained in a low, terrified manner.

"No, she's here because of someone in the building. Oh, her sister is over there among the hostages," Tattletale said, pointing at the freckled girl that had been giving the Undersiders a death glare since they had first entered the room. Grue was going to crucify her for missing the super in the crowd.

"Shit," Amy Dallon said as she started to move.

That was when a blur appeared behind her and slapped the back of her head to stun her silly. "Got her," Tactics called out. "Must be a super-tech cell phone."

"Just a high end satellite phone," their information gatherer said cheerfully.

It went crunch even as the younger girl zipped away. The loud thud of the vault closing signaled where she had gone.

"Ooh, good idea. Lock her up where she can't use her healing powers on anyone." Tattletale was smiling widely now. "Now that our combat information leak is dealt with, what do we want to do?"

"I don't have a better idea than to escape out the back door," Grue admitted.

"So we don't use our normal tactic. They are expecting us to flee? Let's take them head on," 'Bugs' suddenly said.

"Makes perfect sense. They aren't going to know how to deal with Bugs and I at all," Tactics said in agreement.

Grue, Regent, Bitch and Tattletale stared at their newer members like it was crazy, then started thinking it over hard.

"All right. Let's shake them up," Grue said. He turned to the hostages.

"We aren't hurting any hostages," Bugs said instantly.

"No, they are just going to be a distraction. You eight," the semi-unofficial leader said pointing at some hostages. "We aren't hurting you, but you are going out the door first. Just drop to the ground after I drop the darkness on you all. Move!" His last order was almost shouted out.

The Wards outside were getting antsy when the doors slammed open. Out of the darkness behind the open doors came the eight hostages. They were following the orders very closely, and ran out as best as possible.

It was only Tattletale quickly deducing that Clockblocker and Aegis switched costumes that led to the last moment change of Bitch and her dogs charging out of the darkness in a feint towards the costume of Aegis, only to switch at the very last moment to rush at the disguised hero.

"Shit!" Aegis said just before two tons of mutant dog leaped after him and body slammed him into the ground with her prehensile tail.

Insects were flowing out as Bugs sent her swarm out towards the disguised Clockblocker; he was distracted for a second too long as a blur blasted past him so fast half of the insects were dragged ten feet through the air behind Tactics high speed dash.

Vista only had a split second of reaction to start to stretch space before Tactics' gloved hand grabbed her by the helmet and slammed her head to the ground once. Then once again. Then one final third time. "Vista is KOed," the black-garbed Tactics called out as she started to weave between Gallant and Kid Win's energy blasts.

"You bitch! You could have killed her!" the knightly armored Gallant shouted even as his arm twitched to ruin his shot. "Regent?" He was suddenly looking the other way.

"Tactics! You're the only one that can go mano-e-mano with Glory Girl. Go!" Grue shouted out even as he sent a wave of darkness against Gallant and the frantically flying and retreating Kid Win. His little flying skateboard was able to keep him out of the worst things.

"Shit. Aegis is out and Clockblocker is getting swarmed by bugs," the Tinker said as he frantically tried to shoot either Regent or Grue.

Tactics took off at another sprint and then leaped straight up. The hero Glory Girl was flying just a bit back when Tactics combat boots tapped the edge of the roof sixty feet up and then leaped again. Her fist lashed out at full power right to Glory Girl's nose, sending her flying.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?" the white and gold heroine asked. She hovered for a moment as she waited for her aura to reset from the heavy blow. "What's your name?"

"Tactics," the younger girl replied politely as she landed on the ground and then almost slid across the rooftop.

"Well, Tactics, fighting a flier when you can't fly and don't have a ranged weapon is damn stupid," the caped heroine called arrogantly.

"You're only thirty feet up. I just jumped a seventy foot building in one leap," Tactics noted with a smile as she exploded off the ground. She didn't want to let the cat out of the bag yet that she could fly.

"Ha. You aren't very smart," Glory Girl crowed as she floated to the left.

So when Tactic suddenly twisted in the air to hook the toe of her left boot on her wrist, she was slow to react due to surprise. Tactics right boot slammed into her stomach at full power even as she had bent forward at the waist to grab Glory Girl's wrist tightly. She started to squeeze tightly in preparation to rotate around her arm and punch her again when the heroine's wrist crunched.

Just like that they dropped from the sky. Tactics was barely quick enough to catch the other girl who seemed in shock. "Sorry, didn't mean to pulverize your wrist. There you go." The seriously broken bones knit themselves back together. "Now I have to knock you out so we can escape."

Her punch homed in and bounced off of Glory Girl's face. "Ouch," Tactics complained even as the other girl started to struggle and back away. She barely pulled her next punch in time as she realized that her opponents legs were suddenly scraping on the rough gravel of the roof. The heroine from New Wave spun around to lay on the ground, out cold.

Tactic took off running and then leaped down into the fray, just in time to see Clockblocker (still wearing Aegis's costume) get swarmed under. She rapped him on the back in passing, stunning him just long enough for a really large mass of bugs to cover him entirely.

"You have got to be shitting me," Regent shouted as he ducked behind an SUV in time to avoid fire from the truly massive cannon that Kid Win had somehow procured (from thin air?)

The scarlet and gold armored figure then aimed at Tactics. "What did you do to Glory Girl?" he demanded. His massive cannon fired twice with a 'toom-toom' sound.

"Knocked her out, of course," Tactics said as she ducked and then leaped over the two energy blasts.

Grue spun out of his darkness, bouncing off two cars. Instantly all the shadows that had been covering the street disappeared.

"Got one!" Kid Win shouted even as he wiped rain drops off his visor.

"Good shot, kid!" Gallant called out as he blasted one of Bitch's dogs. Unfortunately for him, the blast only made it angry.

Kid Win then floated to the side to avoid Tactic's leap. "That wasn't smart," he called out. Then he realized she was holding onto his fifteen foot long energy cannon. "Hey-"

SCREEEEE. Crunch. Crack. Tactic's strength was enough to crush the cannon as it gave up the ghost in a large burst of energy, leaving a small crater behind.

"Ouch," Tactics complained as she rubbed her hands.

"Gallant, I think we had better retreat," the young Tinker called out in a panic as he skimmed away.

"Shit. The Protectorate should be here in a few minutes." Gallant staggered as Regent caused his leg to twitch while they ran down the block.

"Hey, Bitch! Call your dogs off Aegis," Tactics called out even as she snatched a heavy truck that was parked across from the bank.

Bitch whistled shrilly, getting Brutus and Judas to pull back. Aegis was just about to stand up when the one ton truck smashed him back into the ground.

"Double time! Protectorate is going to be here in less than five minutes," Tattletale called out from the entrance next to Bugs.

"Just a second." Tactics healed Grue's back and shoulder. "He messed you up. Good thing you were in your darkness, otherwise I think he might have killed you."

With that, most of the Undersiders jumped onto the back of the mutated canine. Tactics reappeared out of the bank with her own, very large, pile of bags. Then they were gone, disappearing like ghosts into the rain. Grue's darkness covered them, and they later split up as the van drove through the rain. Two girls shopping at one location while they walked a dog, a boy and a girl out walking with one another.

Then Grue and Bitch would finish off the trail, none the wiser as to the location to drop off the money.

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The Wards trudged into the meeting room at their dome in headquarters. They immediately headed over to the debriefing.

"Damn mutant dogs. And that bitch that dropped a SUV on my legs. This is going to take a while to heal up," Aegis complained from between Clockblocker and Gallant.

"Man, I'm really sorry. But after everyone was dropped and the girl ripped up Kid Win's cannon, we figured getting backup was important." Gallant sounded like he wanted to punch something.

"Don't worry about it. Just drop me off in my room and then start the debrief. I trust you guys." Aegis tried to smile, but he really looked a right mess and more zombie than alive.

In just a few minutes, the battered remainder of the Wards were all seated except for Gallant.

"Clockblocker, you mind if I debrief?"

The slightly older teen just nodded.

"First off, Kid? You really dodged the bullet when your cannon got totally trashed. The boss could have really hammered you, but without any reasonable evidence..."

"Yeah, I got it." Kid Win was playing with his cracked helmet.

"But first off, I want everyone to realize that while we got beat up, this is still a win. These guys have been flying under the radar for a bit, but they have been starting to hit higher profile targets. First that Ruby Dreams underground casino five weeks ago and then the Bay Central Bank today. This time we were lucky enough to get in their way. That means we finally have intel on their group." Gallant smiled at the rest of his team.

He then went over to the whiteboard and split each of them into three columns. Grue, Regent, Bitch, then Tattletale and two unknowns. "We got a name for either of these?"

That got a shake of heads. They debated a name for the girl that could control bugs and finally decided on Skitter, then moved to the last one.

"Shadow Brick?" Kid Win asked. "She's fast and strong."

"That's an understatement if she took out Glory Girl. I've seen her shrug off rocket launchers," Browbeat said admiringly. "And that white girl can jump."

Kid Win nodded at that horrible, horrible pun. "One leap to the roof of the bank. Woosh. And I didn't even see her move until she had knocked Vista out through her helmet. I don't think she's really that tough though. You know how most bricks just take a hit or two to show off?"

The rest of the team nodded.

"She didn't let anything hit her and she was a real blur," Kid Win added then paused. "Wait, she did say ouch when my cannon blew up in her face. So more than human tough. Damn..."

"So she's a mover and a brick? Makes sense. I get the feeling that Skitter is not that sturdy though. She didn't even exit the bank until after the fight." Clockblocker shuddered. "I'm going to have nightmares of spiders for weeks."

"What about Tattletale?" Gallant asked.

"Nothing. Other than her name. She was supposedly their computer expert according to witnesses," Vista said softly as she held her head. "Other than a headache, I'm mostly unhurt."

Gallant frowned at that. "Shadow Brick tore up Kid's cannon like it was balsa wood. And she only gave you a headache? That indicates she went out of their way to not try and hurt us badly. That's either very insulting or very scary."

All of the Wards shared a quick glance, more than a little worry present on their faces.

"While I got a lot of stings, it's really just painful. I'm not swelling up badly. Their plan to take us out was pretty inspired, though. Not sure how they saw through our disguise," Clockbocker said as he shrugged helplessly.

"Sorry, Clockblocker, but that might have been Aegis having to signal to you to tell the hostages to get on the ground," Gallant said as he rubbed his jaw.

"Damn," the chronokinetic replied.

"Heard the cops found Glory Girl unconscious on the roof just as we were leaving. So some serious strength there," Kid Win said in a worried tone.

Gallant looked pained. "Don't noise it around, but... uh... Glory Girl isn't totally invulnerable. She's just invulnerable until she takes a strong hit or punches someone hard. Then she's momentarily vulnerable."

"So our mystery mover-brick could have just got lucky?" Clockblocker asked.

"Almost certainly," Gallant said.

That was when the buzzer and warning light signaled that they had a visitor. In came in Armsman and Militia, both senior members of the local Brockton Bay Protectorate team.

"Armsmaster," Gallant stood up quickly. "Good to see you, Sir. Miss Militia, always a pleasure."

"Ever the gentleman," Miss Militia's eyes hinted at the smile behind her scarf. She shifted the rocketlauncher she was carrying to a pair of uzis that she put in her belt. "We brought a guest."

"Panacea! Glad to have you. Aegis really got mulched. He can't really walk," Gallant said. "He's in his room. I can show-"

"I know where it is," the white robed figure said, cutting him off.

"Oh, hey, um. How is your sister? I heard she got knocked out," Gallant asked clumsily. "I should have checked up on her, but Director Pigget ordered us back home."

"Tactics figured out or got lucky and hurt Glory Girl when she was vulnerable." Panacea frowned at that. "It's weird. Glory said that she knew her wrist had been crushed, but she swears that Tactics healed up her arm. Then knocked her out. It scared her a lot. She's not used to any pain."

"Wait? The girl in the black military gear's name is Tactics? And she can heal? What does that have to do with being super-fast, strong and tough?"

"I don't know, but I should go fix up Aegis right now. Sorry I couldn't do more. They locked me in the vault after figuring out who I was." Panacea moved off to the back where Aegis's room was located.

Armsmaster was at the whiteboard, going over the points. "I like this. But this one..." He tapped the column titled Tattletale. "Nearly empty."

"None of us ran into her, and the hostages didn't have anything to say about her," Gallant replied.

"Only interesting thing I heard was that Skitter was adamant about not hurting the hostages after she put the fear of black widows into them," Browbeat said as he rubbed the spot on his chest that stung from where he had been tasered while in Grue's darkness.

Clockblocker frowned. "That doesn't make a lot of sense. How many injuries were there?"

The newest member looked over to Vista. "Just a lot of scrapes, bruises and glass cuts from Kid Win's cannon taking out the front window of the bank. Aegis they messed up, but it's well known he always gets better."

"You need to watch out for that, Kid," Miss Militia told the young Tinker. "You have a great power and could have hurt people worse than the villains did."

Armsman rubbed his bearded chin that you could see under his helmet. "She might have been trying to keep them from getting hurt by scaring them badly." He tapped the name on the whiteboard. Should he mention that he had been contacted by her yesterday? She had seemed so earnest and the lie detector had said she was telling the truth.

Gallant looked at the white boards as he put Skitter's name at the top of her column of powers and then wrote a question next to 'does not like to hurt civilians'. Putting Tactic's name up, he added to her list 'holds back from hurting maiming heroes'. He then turned back to the group. "Now we start planning on how to take them down the next time we meet."

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Sheila opened her mouth wide and took a small bite of Fugly Bob's Challenger, much to the amusement of the rest of the group as she could barely fit her mouth around it enough to bite down. Brian just shook his head as she managed another small bite of the monster burger with a huge bun and piled high with fixings. Taylor was staring at her in shock even as Lisa just smirked. They were in the least obvious corner for a touch of privacy, bags from shopping the Boardwalk piled next to their table.

"You realize that you bet against the wrong person, right Alec?" Lisa said. "Which doesn't mean I don't still hate you both for having high metabolisms, Sheila."

"You have to lose sometime," the younger teen Alec said to the information precognitive. "Besides, that burger is huge."

"Is your metabolism one of you way too many powers?" Taylor asked the younger blonde.

"Not particularly," Sheila said carefully, then she took another bite of the two pound burger.

"So what was your origin story? You seemed to get a lot of powers," the bug-controller asked innocently. The double-fried potato fries were wonderfully sinful and so hot they almost burned your tongue.

Sheila blinked as she looked at the pained explanation. "There's not much to mine. No crushing monsters in my bed nor vindictive step-mothers trying to send assassins or anything epic."

Lisa raised an eyebrow at that. "Sheesh, your family is rough. But, um, Taylor? That's not the sort of question you bring up to capes."

Taylor looked back at Lisa in confusion. "Huh? I don't understand."

"Let me put it this way, when you got your powers were you having a bad day?" Brian said as seemed to look off in the distance, losing himself in a memory.

The brunette immediately looked uncomfortable. "Yes. The second worst day of my life."

Sheila swallowed and held off on another bite as she studied everyone else at the table who also looked very uncomfortable. Lisa started to explain that in almost all cases, the correlation to gaining powers almost always coincided with the stress for people in totally horrible situations. Well, at least in the first generation.

Second generation capes just had to experience some particularly strong emotions. Which, Sheila thought to herself silently, was not that tough to create a situation for.

"So you basically asked us to share the details on the worst moments of our lives," Alec said, before taking another bite of his burger.

Taylor looked up from her own french fries. "Sorry. I guess its fair that since I brought it up..." She seemed to take a hold of her courage and then continued after a long moment. "Lisa said you guys were talking about me, talking about how you thought I was having a hard time, speculating on what it was. I dunno, I think a part of me wants to talk about it so you aren't coming to the wrong conclusions. Talk about when I got my powers. But I don't know that I can get into it without ruining the mood."

"Too late," Sheila quipped to lighten the mood. "If you want to unload it on us, I'm sure we can help you."

Taylor looked worried for a second, but then nodded. With a caveat of that she did not want any of them to interfere or deal revenge with their powers, she explained how she had been betrayed by what was thought to be her best friend ever in a manner that was frankly horrifying, particularly in showing that the adult authorities were unwilling to stop the abuse.

The whole group's hackles rose as she described her descent into a feral, insane state as she was overwhelmed by the smells of her locker and somehow latched onto the insect minds in the walls anywhere near her, the tale was disturbing just to hear about, much less experience. The fact that the school district only paid enough money to cover her medical bills and just a little bit more? That it was still going on...

"That's all they did?" Sheila asked incredulously. She had to give some points to the girl for not using her power on the defenseless teens, but not responding at all...

"No one came forward as a witness," Taylor said in defense of her classmates.

"Yet there was no policy change? Teachers were not interviewed by experts or having the police brought in? So the only way it's going to change is if something worse happens to you?" The young demigoddess was stunned at the lack of even trying to protect an innocent.

"Damn, I wish you hadn't forced us to go along with not attacking them," Brian said angrily.

Sheila started to open her mouth and then hastily picked up her burger to take a bite out of it. She would mention a non-powered way to help her later, just not right in front of Taylor. It was a weirdly prideful thing for the blue-collar daughter to stick to her guns on. So she contented herself with slowly and methodically eating the 'Challenger'.

Alec looked over and blinked as he realized that Sheila was well over half way through the burger. "Um, I heard even really big guys that starve themselves haven't finished one of those." It was better than the last conversation, anyways.

"It's a challenge. I'm going to show them I can do this." She took another bite with intense concentration.

Lisa just groaned. "And I just found out that Sheila is hyper-competitive."

Taylor just looked over in confusion. "You make it sound like a bad trait."

"She's saying it can be used against me," Sheila replied as she glared at Lisa. "I'm not stupid enough to let someone use my desire to be the best against myself like that." She took another bite, chewing carefully.

"Are you really going to finish that in spite of the fact that it's bigger than your stomach?" Brian asked. The shadow-using villain appeared quite bemused, even as he glanced at the steadily filling room. Other patrons were moving tables around in the restaurant to make room for their groups and were getting closer to their corner. His heavy lips quirked into a smile, as he noticed one of the waitresses looking over to see Sheila's progress.

She nodded as Sheila continued to gamely take another bite; she chewed and swallowed daintily.

"She's really going to do it," Alec realized aloud. The handsome young teen groaned as he realized he was out his bet.

"Told you," Lisa said with her almost trademarked Cheshire smirk in place.

Sheila took a final, messy bite and then wiped her hands with two paper napkins while chewing.

The waitress came up, looking quite bemused. "Well, congratulations. Let me get the manager and he will handle your check."

Ten minutes later, Sheila escaped with the rest of the Undersiders. She was now the proud owner of a certificate and had a picture of her looking silly in the mascot hat of the restaurant. Her stomach was complaining, but compared to shattered arms and crippling back injuries, it was nothing. Brian led them outside as they waved off the cheering crowd for Sheila's feat of consumption.

It was slightly more quiet and empty outside, so Brian felt safe to continue. They listened to him explain his 'trigger' event, caused by getting into a fight to protect his sister Aisha. His face may as well have been hewn from black granite for all the emotion he gave off.

The Undersiders made it back to the warehouse hideout in good time, only fifteen minutes later than expected. Brian had them all switch to their costumes for the drive over to hand the money to their mysterious boss. Sheila raised her eyebrow at the small insect in amber that Skitter thanked Grue for.

"Sorry, didn't have anything for you," the big teen said in apology.

"That's alright. Bitch still isn't back? I thought we needed to be there soon for the change over?" Tactics asked.

The tension suddenly ratcheted up.

"She is. And we do. I think we need to get to the stash now." Grue's body language was picked up by everyone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The sunset was quite amazing as they rode the bus down the line to an area known as the Trainyard just past where the Ferry was supposed to run. They shed their outer layers and put on their masks, which Sheila felt was a very weird thing.

Just down the way were hundreds of abandoned train cars, making a dismal backdrop as they moved into the haphazardly laid out storage lots. They were headed to an area on the edge where Grue and Bitch had dropped off the loot. The storage lockers had been mostly abandoned for years, after the Bay had their first large scale local depression and the police had cracked down on people living in them as cheap, illegal apartments. Now the homeless lived in abandoned warehouses, which were not quite so closely crowded.

Storage Locker 1306 could be found fairly easily, though if one did not know how to find it and had the number, you would likely take hours to find it. Which was probably the point.

Grue fumbled with the heavy padlock, finally opening it to reveal... a totally empty locker. There was only a smudge in the dirt and dust to show where the money bags had been left, under the forlorn light bulb hanging on its wire in the center of the room.

"I vote we kill her," Regent snarled, sounding very vindictive.

"You think it was Bitch?" the bug-controlling villainess asked as looked around nervously.

"Excuse me," Tactics said as she carefully nudged Regent out of the way. She knelt down and then sniffed. "Grue, Bitch and several others. There are some very odd scents."

"Right. This was a cape. A villain," Tattletale said as her brain processed the extra information. "And they're still here."

Outside and up on one of the storage lockers someone started clapping.

"Brilliantly deduced," a man called out, sounding like he was some sort of announcer for a truck rally.

Both of the newly appeared men were wearing skin-tight leotards that were blue for the body, with white arms and legs. Only their faces were visible and they were wearing belts and gloves of blue. Strangely they had a single antenna on top of their head that had a pink ball dangling on their crown with large gauntlets. One was quite large and muscular while the other was very thin and slouched.

"Uber and Leet," Tattletale called out as the Undersiders jostled for position as they exited the locker. "I can't tell how relieved I am that it's only you two. For a second there, I thought we had a problem."

"Rest assured, Tattletale, that you do," Uber declared. He was by far more muscular of the pair.

"There are five of us and two of you. Trust me, I'm not worried at all," Tattletale called out in a verbal jab.

'Bugs' was looking around and spotted the floating gold camera. A small swarm of insects gathered around the device that was 'safe' beyond range of most powers. In moments, it fell from the air.

"Now why did you go and do that," Leet complained. His voice was quite reedy, and it sounded almost pained.

"You mess with our money, so I get to mess with your subscribers," Bugs said in an angry tone.

That seemed to piss them both off. So Regent decided to add oil to the fire.

"So what's your theme tonight? Your costumes are so horrible I can hardly bear to look at them," the suave young man called out as he twirled his scepter with its hidden taser inside.

"Theme?" Tactics asked in confusion. "I think I'm missing a contextual clue." She studied the villains closely.

"They do video game themes for their antics," Tattletale said helpfully.

"Pop culture references? Oh, great. I'm not so good with those," the youngest girl said, her frown very visible as her domino mask hid nothing of her mouth.

"It's more than pop culture-" Uber said loudly as he half-stepped forward to look dramatic. His leg twitched out from under him as Regent caused his muscles to contract involuntarily. He face planted on the ground.

"The money," Grue demanded in a voice that chilled their hearts. "Where is it? How did you find it?"

Leet hopped down as Uber stood back up quite acrobatically.

"Your sixth member led us right to it," Leet said with a smirk on his face. "Pure and lucky happenstance."

Grue gave them a low voice warning that they had Bitch and this could trash their newly earned reputation. He seemed more incensed about the theft than the loss of the team member.

"Go all out?" Tattletale asked in the same low tone.

"Leave one of them awake. Leet. Uber would probably try something to escape," Grue decided in a low voice that wouldn't carry.

Tactics had raised an eyebrow at that. "There are an awful lot of people around."

"What?" Grue managed to hiss out.

Uber and Leet had also been conferring and they started their attack right then. The highly athletic Uber charged forward and only slowed down when Grue and Tactics charged him right back. Tattletale, Bugs and Regent backed off to give room to the close in fighters. Shadows erupted from Grue to encompass the three of them. Uber staggered out just a moment later and had to use both hand to block Tactics open-handed push that sent him sliding across the ground.

"She's as strong as we were warned," Leet called out in warning as he tossed a holographic bomb that would have fit in right out of a Loony Toons cartoon; a black iron ball with a lit fuse.

"Warned? Shit, this is a trap," Tattletale said suddenly, looking around.

Tactics looked away while dodging the bomb easily, her vision changed to encompass infravision to be able to see the dozens of thugs in the different abandoned shacks and storage units. They started to move, opening doors.

Uber charged forward as his gauntlet hissed. Three circles extended out as piston-cylinders two inches the moment Tactics was distracted. Directional explosive went off like three shaped-charge grenades. With a thundering boom, Tactics was blasted through the storage shed.

"He's wearing a knuckle bomber? That Leet figured out from some anime?" Tattletale blurted out.

A figure on top of a storage unit just a little ways away started clapping. "So that's how you guys got away so often. Lung would have been peeved to find out that it's some girl able to figure things out. So, Skitter? We just took out your heavy hitter. What are you going to do?"

"Bakuda?" their intiutiapath blurted out. "Oh, crap. Their theme is Bomberman."

And that's when things started to go really wrong.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The young demigoddess awoke as her head smacked against the ground hard as she was jerked along by her feet.

"Man, dragging this chica is such a pain," the thug said. "I mean, she's missing a chunk of her stomach. No way is she surviving."

"Bakuda said to bring her if she's still breathing. Do you want her to kill us?" The second thug fingered the metal ring-collar around his neck.

Fighting through the pain, Tactics started to heal the most serious of her wounds. All-color black ichor flowed into and then through her veins from the elsewhere that her spirit existed, overwriting her mundane and physical existence. Organs and muscles regrew with unblemished skin.

"You think she's going to do one of her distortion explosions?" the first ABB thug asked in a low voice.

"I figure she's going to melt someone again," the second said in a despondent tone.

In the blink of an eye they suddenly found themselves grabbed and held off the ground by their necks. The half-dead girl had suddenly transformed into a fully healed brick of unknown strength.

"Hi. So your boss, Bakuda, is a total monster?" Tactics asked in a grim voice.

They both managed to nod their heads just a bit as they tried to move her inhumanly strong arms, not budging them in the slightest.

"She's-gunna-kill-us-" the ABB thug managed to gasp out through the grip.

"Don't disappear on me and I might help save you," the young demigoddess said.

"Bomb- implants-" the second thug wheezed out.

"Yeah, let's deal with that right now so I don't get caught by surprise again." Sheila could have kicked herself for letting Uber punch her like that. This was a deadly world full of people that might be able to squash her like a bug. The bombs were a foreign material, not a living part of them. So she merely forced their bodies to remember their undamaged, unmutilated selves though it was with a heavy drain on her psyche.

With a nasty squelching sounds, their regenerating bodies spat out the bombs (and their fillings) onto the ground.

"Now where is Bakuda?" Tactics demanded after dropping them to the ground.



The Undersiders were a very sorry mess when Tactics caught up to them. 'Skitter' and Regent were unconscious, Grue was barely mobile and Tattletale looked nearly as battered as everyone else.

"Tactics? You survived that? You're tougher than I thought." Tattletale sounded a bit impressed.

"You guys looked like you just went to war." Tactics healed Grue first, removing most of his bruises in one go and allowing him to stand without his makeshift crutch. Regent and Tattletale were also as easy, as he was just knocked unconscious and she was just bruised.

She then carefully picked up Skitter and healed the worst of her bruising. Sheila's ichor was burning under the exertion at this point as she then regenerated the more severe trauma to the head wound.

"What happened?" the bug controller asked as she awoke, feeling far too good.

"You guys defeated Bakuda, I guess. I survived a shaped-charge to my stomach. But I am so going to be making a bit heavier armor, as I don't want to repeat that ever again," Tactics complained.

"We need to track down Bitch and then hole up at base. We were lucky to survive. The Boss isn't going to be too thrilled with us losing the money." Grue's whole posture radiated unhappiness.

"We take our lumps. This isn't a safe lifestyle, you know," was Tattletale's optimistic advice.

"I can track her down. If Bakuda is really down and out, I should be able to follow her trail," Tactics promised. She put Skitter back onto her feet, gave them all a heads up and then trotted back towards the area of the shanty town of sheds and lockers.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Part II - The Blow Up

Tactics watched everyone in the 'neutral ground' of Somer's Rock in a bad area of Brockton Bay. It had been a week since Bakuda's ambush and the ABB had gone nuts attacking just about everyone. The different super powered villains were meeting in the very ratty bar behind closed curtains. A large table had been set up for the important and influential villains. Kaiser of the Empire Eighty Eight (which Sheila deduced was some sort of anagram for the Neo-Nazi), Coil who appeared to be alone but quite at ease in his black tights that covered his his entire body, then finally Faultline sat down to the left of Grue, the Undersider's choice at the dark convention.

Tactics listened closely and studied each of the villain with her inhuman senses. In fact, she went so far as to get their individual scents down, just in case she needed to track them.

The topic on everyone's agenda was Bakua and the ABB. She had flipped out after her defeat against the Undersiders and was now attacking everyone fairly indiscriminately. Her spree of terror was forcing the authorities to call for the National Guard and the PRT. Heroes from outside of Brockton Bay had been called in and were making things dicey for everyone.

Skitter (she liked that far better than 'bugs') was carefully using her bugs to keep an eye outside the building while Tactics listened to the posturing villains hash out a ceasefire during the mess. Everything seemed to be clear and fine until Razorwolf brought up a grievance against Bitch.

Which is when the Undersiders found out that Bitch had hit one of the EEE's operations. The fact that it was where the Empire had their dog fights (and the dogs fought to the death) made Tactic wince. Then she actually chuckled at that.

"What's funny?" Razorwolf asked as he grew two blades from his arms.

"I was thinking we should put you two into a cage match and then televise this as a pay per view thing so you can settle your grudge personally. After this mess is cleared up, of course," Tactics said with a rueful grin. "Sorry about that."

Razorwolf and Bitch eyed each other, sizing them up.

"Not a bad idea," the girl with the power to imbue her dogs noted.

Razorwolf gave a nasty grin. "I like it!"

As that was that last of the 'business' of expanding the neutrality (even with the heroes!) until the ABB mess was cleared up, everyone started to break up. Grue was walking stiffly, which Tactics and Bitch had picked up on.

Once they were a bit away, Grue struck like a viper to slam Bitch up against the wall. "What do you think you were doing? Do you know why I'm pissed?" the darkness shrouded villain demanded in his distorted voice.

He lambasted Bitch about not letting people know about her vendetta that involved the EEE. Then he whirled on Tactics. "And you-"

"Stop right there. I took an action to defuse that situation. Now it's between Bitch and Razorwolf. Her mess and she can clean it up without it becoming a turf war between supers in the middle of a major crisis," Tactics said, chopping off his upcoming verbal rebuke. "Can you think of a better solution?"

Tattletale nodded. "She's right, Grue. Quick thinking."

Skitter nodded. "What are we going to do now?"

"It's in Bakuda's hands. She has to know that she can't keep this up, so it looks like she is going out with a bang."

Tactics nodded at that while Skitter just frowned.

And that was when they found out that Bakua had freed Lung, to help with her terrorizing the city.

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"I'm not sure this is a good idea, Taylor," Sheila said as she followed Taylor and her father through the mall. She had a couple of bags of items she had needed (mostly clothing).

"Nonsense, you need to get out more," the other girl said, trying to give a strong showing, but leaking a bit of her uncertainty.

"Absolutely. I'm just glad that Taylor has been bringing you and her other friends around. I was afraid she had forgotten how," the elder Herbert said in his pleasant, gruff voice.

"Kind of silly how many sales these places are running, even with the curfew in place." Blue-green eyes studied the shops and other shoppers. The police and PRT were very visible, a deterrent against the ABB's attacks. With Lung having been broken out of jail and going on a rampage, things were tense all the way around.

The fact that the villains and heroes had a temporary truce to deal with the situation was illuminating. It was a 'rule' of civilization.

"So how are you doing in school?" Danny asked the younger girl next his daughter.

"I'm currently not going to university as I've had to take some personal time," she replied politely.

The elder Herbert blinked and even Taylor looked a bit surprised.

"Oh, um, that's pretty good. I guess." The older, blueneck worker looked uncomfortable.

"A vestige of my foster parent's raising me. I had a lot of tutoring and was entered into college at ten years old. Two years later and here I am," Sheila replied blithely.

"I didn't realize you were quite that young. You're kind of tall," Taylor said while blinking her eyes rapidly. She pushed up her fake glasses in a nervous habit.

"What were you studying then?" Danny asked, trying to be polite.

"Oh, Poli-Sci, history, mathematics, engineering and medicine. Strangely the history and engineering are turning out to be more useful than I expected."

The father nodded, then tilted his head to listen to the announcement that the mall would be closing in half an hour. "Well, I think that's our cue. Shall we?"

Both girls nodded and they headed to the exit when Danny spotted a friend. Sheila was listening with pleasant seeming 'interest' when she heard Taylors muscles tighten up next to her.

"Why, hello, Taylor. It's been too long," a girl Taylor's age said in a sweet tone.

"Emma," the young bug controller said cautiously.

"So this is one of the girl's that has been criminally tormenting you?" Sheila asked bluntly of Taylor.

Emma and her father both froze at that, while Danny just stared in stupification.

"That's serious slander-" the other father started to say.

"It's only slander if its not true, which we all know it is. I wonder how many of your daughter's text messages to her friends are about how they 'got' Taylor or what they've done to her this week? How about that, Miss Emma? Would you be willing to let your father check the last few weeks?" Sheila said in a pleasant, bland tone.

The other girl had paused for just a second at that point. "I don't need to prove anything."

"No, you don't. But you just proved it wasn't slander too, didn't you?" Sheila said in a very hard tone. "So just stay away from Taylor. You are no friend and you are the worst sort of person."

Alan Barnes had enough of that, reaching over and grabbing Sheila. "No you see here-"

"Let me go or I will scream my head off that you are assaulting me. Sir." Sheila's blue-green eyes burned coldly at the adult, causing him to flinch away.

"Alan, if what she said is true, I think you had better leave. Your daughter is not welcome at my home anymore," Danny said even as his clenched his fists so hard that you could hear his knuckles popping.

"You little bitch-"

Mr. Barnes looked slightly stricken by his friends accusation, but stopped his daughter's tirade. "Emma, we are going home. Now."

"Is there a problem?" the superhero 'sidekick' asked, walking over. Shadow Stalker had a bit of a swagger to her step.

"No, we're fine as they were just leaving. Hopefully this line won't take us long," the young demigoddess replied very smoothly, as if she had not been slightly surprised. Which she actually had not, as she had been keeping discrete parts of her mind keeping track of both superpowered women and the PRT special forces. Just in case she had to start a fight for some reason.

The rest of the wait to exit the mall was just tense, with Emma glaring between Taylor and Sheila.

"You should watch your back, Taylor," Emma hissed out as the other girl walked past her for a second.

Taylor gave Sheila a warning look through her fake glasses. "I do have someone watching my back." She did not look happy at all.

"Taylor, I think we need a family meeting. Sheila, are you okay to making it home by yourself before curfew?" Danny asked.

"Sure!" she replied in a voice that almost came across as a chirp.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Our target is clear," Tactics called out. She was trying to ignore the looks that one of Coil's soldiers was trying to take of her from his peripheral vision.

The building in front of them was supposedly an ABB dorm and warehouse.

"I wanted to go with Kaiser's group. This sucks," one of the supervillains complained. The street punk had a minor mutation that made him about three times stronger than a normal man.

"Which doesn't change the fact that Bakuda could be here. Or have set a trap," the younger girl noted.

Trickster looked over at the Triceratops-bull-ape thing that Genesis was turned into.

With a nod of its ponderous head, it charged through the front door (and most of the walls on either side). The explosion blew out even more and shredded the villain.

The leader of The Travelers just burst out laughing. "Oh, that's going to be fun. I wonder how many-"

Grue grabbed the back of Trickster's outfit and spun him around. "What the hell!?"

"Relax. Genesis will send another body here in just a few moments," Trickster said with a smirk. He then was suddenly in Tactics place, leaving Grue to glare at him from twenty feet away.

That was when everyone saw a barbarian princess with a gigantic axe walking up from around a corner in an alleyway just half a block away.

"Ah," Tactics said. "A body projector."

"Oh, you think you are smart then?" the leader of the Travellers said.

The girl in fatigues and a domino mask just gave him a smile. "Would it shock you to find out that my greatest 'superpower' is my mind?"

Grue could not quite suppress his quiet exclamation. "Shit." A Thinker? She was like some sort of Alexandria 2.0.

Shamrock intruded then. The villain from Faultline was not happy to be working at this point. "Can we get back to business? We're here to deal with the ABB."

"Shamrock is right. Let's keep on track," the Victor said, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.

"After you, Genesis. You are the unkillable one here," Trickster called out.

The barbarian princess glared at him and then stepped in. They started to move down the corridor, Coil's men acting like trained SWAT members.

Tactics put her finger to her fingers to her lips and then crept up to a side door. Punching through the wall, she grabbed one of the ABB even as she kicked in the door to hit the four gang members on the other side.

"What exactly are her powers, again?" Shamrock asked in a humorous tone.

"I'm leaning towards 'yes'," Grue said gruffly. He sent out a wave of shadowy mist-darkness into the room even as he followed her through the door.

"No laser eyes here!" Tactics cat-called back.

ABB thugs were coming out of every open door in the hall, trying to overwhelm them with numbers. But to the super powered, they were just fodder to be defeated. Trickster was teleport-swapping himself with thugs (or thugs with each other) while flipping weapons around. Shamrock and Victor were being methodical as they worked through the normal thugs in a flurry of trained, expert movements.

Musk, the mutated looking thug with the strength of three men, was staying back a bit with Coil's soldier. "Come on you, we're not going to let them make us look bad."

He stepped through a side door into the warehouse as Coil's mook rolled around the door.

That was when the landmine started to beep. The soldier had just a moment to look down before he felt a jerk and the mine went off.

"Whoa. Don't want to lose my 20k there," Trickster said from about fifty feet away and standing next to an I-beam. "I hope your friend is as tough as they say. She was the only one close enough-"

He had switched Tactics out with the operative of Coil. So he was totally surprised when he was slammed into the I-Beam.

Reality had hiccuped for just a moment as Tactic had started dodging and rolling with the explosion before she had been teleported. Then she had crossed the room, outrunning the explosion by centimeters to grab the Trickster.

"Trickster, if you ever replace me with someone getting blown up, I will break you," Tactic said, then punched the I-Beam hard enough to dent it in three inches.

"Tough girl. I was pretty sure you could take it. Did you want his death on your head?" the leader of the Travelers said. She was faster than he could see, which negated his teleport power.

"I don't want my epitaph to be 'killed by a jerk accidentally'. I would never live that down."

Victor smirked. "You'd be dead."

"That would be inconvenient to fix, wouldn't it?" she replied in a deadpan tone.

Her response surprised everyone, but they started laughing. All except Grue as he frowned. That frown and his face was invisible behind his helmet shrouded in darkness so no one even noticed.

It was about thirty minutes later that they found out that it was Skitter and Bitch's group that had a run in with Oni and Lung. Their group was seriously hurt and they were requesting medical aid.

"Tactics, head over to Skitter's location. She's got a broken arm." Grue waved to the girl as she disappeared.

Bitch blinked as Tactics appeared next to her just over a few seconds later. "That was fast."

"What was fast?" the unofficial leader of the Undersiders asked back over the cell phone, distracted from hanging up.

"Tactics is already here," the brutish girl replied.

Grue opened his mouth to reply when he realized that he did not know how fast their speedster is. "Um, well, you guys should be fine now. I'm heading back to base." He hit the button to hang up his phone.

"Sheesh, Skitter. Could you get any more blood on you?" the younger girl asked.

Skitter's mind was a whirl. "You were across town only a few seconds ago."

"I had to find the place, too." Tactics seemed frustrated at that.

"Take Lung to the PRT before he wakes up. Come back afterwards. We're not going to die in the next five minutes," Skitter ordered, confident and ignoring her pain thanks to her adrenaline buzz.

Tactics blinked, but nodded. "Why did you cut his eyes out?" she asked curiously.

"He can regenerate, so it's more of just to keep him from being as big a threat in case he woke up," the lanky brunette explained. She felt her broken upper-arm shift and snap back into place even as the younger girl picked up the huge form of Lung. "Thanks."

"No problem." She gave them a jaunty wave with the draconic form ludicrously draped over one shoulder. One second she was there...

...and the next she was gone in a swift breeze faster than they could follow.

Lady Photon was landing in front of the PRT building with her children when a blur passed her.

The rush of air had reawakened Lung and he started to thrash. "Mai iiizzzz!"

"Yes, we cut out your eyes to make you slightly less dangerous," Tactics said even as she rammed his armored, scaled face into the concrete and armored wall.

"It's that bitch!" Glory Girl called out. She so wanted a piece of her.

"Glory Girl," her mother warned her. "Language."

The Protectorate and the Wards were just becoming aware of the altercation right outside.

Lung roared in fury, exploding in a huge fireball. All of the New Wave heroes raised their shields up if they had the power, while their less lucky members ducked behind the glowing shields.

Manpower narrowed his eyes behind his white mask. "And remember that there is a truce going on." Besides, he wanted to see what this newest Undersider could do.

The draconic shapeshifter lashed out wildly in the middle of his flames. His breath left his body explosively as two fists slammed into his armored diaphragm.

Tactics stepped through the flames, hissing at the pain from her exposed skin. She kicked his backwards leg in the side, causing it to give out under his weight even as she blurred to the other side of his collapse. She was still spinning around to plant her whole body on the point of her elbow right under the back of his neck.

Lung's face smashed back into the ground in a small crater, causing the impromptu witnesses to wince. He was not quite out of it, lashing out with tail. He managed to swipe the girl and smashing her into the concrete wall of the PRT, though that had been mostly luck. "Khhhillll juuuuu!" Lung managed to get out.

"Wait," Manpower said, putting his hand out to stop his family.

Tactics reappeared in a blur, covering the fifty feet in the blink of an eye as she put her knee into Lung's neck right under his elongated jaws with the explosive crack of thunder, actually lifting the shapeshifter off the ground by at least ten feet.

"She's a speed-brick," Lady Photon mused aloud. Was that the crackle of electricity around her fists?

Tactics leaped into the air, twirling into a massive heel-lick in midair to Lung's forehead. With another boom, his face again shattered the ground. With a grimace, she followed up with another punch to his head as she came back down to the ground.

The first crater was expanded dramatically as the leader of the ABB was finally sent back into unconsciousness.

"Finally. Not really a fair fight. Which means it was probably the best sort," Tactics said as she studied him. "He should wake up in about five minutes."

Armsmaster was studying the very lithe and young looking girl. He had barely caught the last moments of the fight, but it had looked like Lung had been more than matched in strength. Her attacks had been hitting what he assumed (and had planned to use) were weak points in Lung's body. "Impressive."

Dauntless whistled. "Yeah. I think we might need to upgrade her a bit. Not quite up there with the Trio, but she's young yet."

"You should probably get out of here while the truce holds," Miss Militia said finally. "If you stay around too long, people will start to ask uncomfortable questions."

Tactics nodded even as she patted out the bit of fire on her hair. "Later then. Good luck tracking Bakuda and Oni down." With a small salute, she disappeared in a superspeed sprint.

Anz Bad Boy's rampage was soon ended, as the heroes were able to get the drop on Bakuda. She had been in the process of building some sort of doomsday bomb out of normal materials. If her notes were to be believed, it was going to be a bomb of nuclear devastation; upwards of nine thousand kilotons of explosives.

With that, everyone moved on to 'clean up' which was mostly just taking out the minions that Bakuda had forcibly implanted bombs into them.

Soon Eighty-Eight made their move with a daring robbery, as did the Merchants as they moved back into some of their lost grounds. They were considered opportunists at best. No one expected them to hold the territory for long.

"I guess that's the end of the ceasefire," Taylor said wistfully.

Brian snorted from the open area of the warehouse where he was punching a recently installed boxing bag. "Guess its time to get back to being supervillains. The boss will probably have a job for us soon then."

Sheila nodded. "Let me clean up and then I've got a personal thing I need to do in an hour."

That thing was a 'road trip' down to Nashville, Georgia in the south. The Athens of the South and some of the local heroes and villains had taken up the names of some of the Olympians as their own. One of them though, was doing something that Sheila felt was unbecoming even a villain.

If she estimated things correctly as the sun went down in sixty-nine minutes, she would be arriving just in time to stake things out to find 'Athena the Destroyer'.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Part III - Dragged through the mud.

The last police officer groaned as he collapsed into a puddle of his own blood. The rest of the people in the large pawn shop all stayed cowering with their hands above their heads.

"Ah, the poor blue boys are all hurt," a woman said, her red eyes studying them. She stomped his knee, making it crunch. "Ha. I kill myself."

"Forget them, we are here for the cash and gold," the masked man at her side said. "Damn it, Athena."

"Shut it, Intrigan. You might be the leader of the Thano- Thanotus. But you ask me to do stuff. Don't just order me around like a slave," the brute in garish, gaudy and poorly made Greek themed armor snapped back. (The other theme was skimpy and slutty).

"We've got about ten minutes before Jamster and the local Protectorate show up. And we need to disappear." Intrigan wanted to snarl, but he was the brains, not the brawn of their trio. He looked over to the last member of their super villain team.

"So not my problem," Scatter Terror said even as she idly flicked her energy whip above the head of the patrons. "At least they had all that gold like you said, Intrigan."

The front door dinged as a teen girl in fatigues stepped in. A door that was supposed to be locked, but just had a lockpick in the keyhole. "Ah, there you are. Just like I expected. The local PRT must really be a bit slow if they haven't realized that you guys are paying Styx and Stones to make a disturbance every time you guys rob a store," Tactics said in a cool tone.

"You aren't one of the local heroes," the all black garbed Intragin said. His outfit was actually a stylized Spetznaz uniform. "But coming here alone was still pretty stupid."

"Not a hero. I'm actually just here to talk to... Athena. I don't really care one wit about you two," the blonde demigoddess said.

"What the fuck? Are you stupid?" Athena demanded as she stomped over angrily. "I can crush armored cars like a tin can."

"Talk quickly, girl." Scatter Terror had her whip readied at her side.

"I would advise you to change your name. And perhaps wear something slightly less silly and slutty. You are an affront to the real Athena." Tactic's tone was frosty and quite cutting in intensity. "The fact you take the time to maim every cop that you face is rather despicable."

"I thought you said you weren't a hero?" Intragin asked carefully.

"It's a personal, family matter for me," the daughter of Pallas Athena stated firmly.

"You stupid twig! I'm gunna smash your face in." With that the heavily muscled woman in skimpy cosplay armor (that would have fit right into an anime like Queen's Blade) charged forward and tried to hit the slightly shorter teen.

Scatter Terror frowned even as she started to slide left. Her dull crimson and black outfit was designed to blend in more than most people would expect.

"I guess leaving you so you get sent to jail is the other alternative," Tactics said with a sigh.

The second-generation Russian-American frowned. She knew what she was getting into and was not worried about facing three capes. So he was only slightly surprised at the next event. Which was for the smaller girl to grab ahold of the armored brasserie's middle, kick Athena's left foot out from under her and then toss the heftier woman right through the armored and barred windows at the front of the pawn shop as easily as most people would throw a baseball through a regular window by falling backwards then rolling to her feet.

"Scatter, watch out. She's very confident about facing all of us without a problem. We may have to split and then come to get Athena out later," Intragin said in a tightly controlled voice. He was getting a bad feeling.

Outside, the Metro Nashville Police were pointing their weapons at the two women.

"You're a slippery little bitch," the female brute shouted out. She charged forward with her arms outstretched to catch Tactics if she tried to duck to the left or right.

She was not ready for Tactics dodge over her head in a tight, forward spin and then lash out with a back kick to her neck. "Well, you can't say I didn't try to talk first."

"Rargh!" Athena growled out. She spun around and punched the ground with the force of a grenade. Which, she found out, did not do much other than give her opponent time to slam her elbow (with her full weight behind it) into her throat.

"Let the PRT know that a superhuman fight has broken out at Wallaird's Pawn Shop. The Thanotus and an unknown cape. Smaller, teen girl in fatigues and a mask," the highest ranking detective at the police line shouted to the cop inside the car.

"Roger. They are sending the Protectorate over immediately. Got a hit on the cape from the database. Supposedly from Brockton Bay. Shit, she beat up Lung?" the cop inside the car said.

Intragin heard that with his enhanced hearing and felt his stomach drop as if he'd fallen out of a building. "Scatter, we need to hit her hard. This is the girl that beat up that fire-dragon guy Lung that tussled with Eidolon."

"Athena is going to owe her part of the stash for this," Scatter Terror said even as she trotted out, the energy whip in her hand coiling and then moving with a ZZZZZ-Snap right where the smaller brute had been.

"Watch it, Scatter!" the neo-amazon shouted out angrily. She shook her head, trying to disperse the spots in her eyes. The smaller girl's punches, kicks and other assorted bodily attacks were hurting. And she'd only hit the girl once during the entire time.

Tactics responded by kicking the feet out from under Athena even as she curled down and then extended her whole body into one extended punch into the other brute's jaw as she fell down. A snap popped out as she broke Athena's jaw and sent several teeth flying. Then she was spinning through the air left, then right then up and finally almost flat onto the ground to avoid Scatter Terror's whip.

Intragin had a bad feeling after he saw that. He snapped off two quick shots at the center mass of the lithe teen, only to see Tactics avoid them just as easily as she had the energy whip. And she had managed another hit to the back of Athena's head to finish knocking out the groggy woman.

"Scatter, we are leaving," the leader of their group called out. "We are out of time."

"God damn it," the woman replied. "We are going to have words later, bitch."

"If you want to talk, that's fine. Just remember that's what I came to do first." Tactics gave her a hard glare.
With that, Scatter Terror and Intragin both took off at a run into the alley next door. Seconds later, a car screeched as they literally burned rubber.

"Freeze, parahuman!" a cop shouted. They, unfortunately, did not have an excuse of capes fighting each other to not approach and try to apprehend the criminal.

"You do realize I can juggle your cop cars, right? And I'm bulletproof?" Tactics asked as she only slightly stretched her armor and toughness. She then looked down the road as the local PRT armored vehicles turned the corner. She unconsciously tensed as she a parahuman flying above truck. So that truck was likely carrying the local PRT.

From her memory, none of them could fly. Of course, those dark colors were very famous on this Earth for the woman that wore them.

As that flyer was Alexandria, one of the Triumvirate that founded the Protectorate.

"That could be a problem," Tactics said in a lively tone to hide her panic. She looked over at Athena the Destroyer who was still lying in a small puddle of blood from her busted up face and quite unconscious. "Gentlemen. I probably won't see you again, so have a good day." She was bending time desperately with her Ring of Infinity, making herself about 15 % faster while surging her legend in her body to make it hyper-reactive to danger.

Then she ran the hell away as fast as she could. It appeared that Alexandria had offered to give a small leg up for the local Protectorate. And Alexandria was rumored to fully and totally invulnerable.

Something the twelve year old demigoddess definitely was not.

Alexandria just shook her head and zoomed off after the young teen, modestly impressed the girl could actually break the speed of sound on foot. Useful and quite fast, but ultimately futile. She could fly perfectly fine at multiple times the speed of sound. She frowned as she had to break the sound barrier herself to keep up. Only for a second as she reached out and-

-missed. She blinked at that, as the young villain had twitched out of her reach. And did it again and again as they streaked down Jefferson Street and towards the heart of Nashville. They were passing cars that might as well have been standing still, jostling them heavily with the pressure wave and almost causing wrecks all down the two lane road. Most did not even take any damage, but a good percentage had at least one or two windows crack from the crack of their sonic boom.

The female member of the Triumvirate was frowning. She was reading the girl's body language and knew she was in a bit of a panic, but not a blind panic. Which was probably a good thing, as she would have tried to hurt the older woman. Futilely, of course.

They were a streak in the night as they curved around the Tennessee Capitol Building. Car alarms were set off on the parked vehicles even as some of the windows in the buildings shook so hard from the sonic boom they cracked.

It should not be this tough to catch one kid, Alexandria thought. Especially one that was so slow in comparison, even if they had criss-crossed the Cumberland River three times. Twice on the bridges and the third time as the girl just ran across the water instead of making a huge splash.

Alexandria had enough of these loony toons antics. If she couldn't hit Tactics, she would take out the ground under her. Some of the world's most powerful fists hit the ground like howitzers in a rapid circle around Tactics.

Tactic hit the clods of air with a woof of air exploding out of her lung as she suddenly didn't have anywhere to dodge to. It was, luckily, not quite like hitting a wall, but even so she was left skidding along the ground gasping in pain. "And I thought I was bad on property damage at times," she said after she came to a halt, clods of earth landing all around her. "I'll have to remember that trick."

"You aren't the first speedster I've dealt with," Alexanderia declared a bit imperiously.

"I'm not really a speedster, though the speed is handy." Escaping was more a matter of breaking line of sight- Tactics could almost slap her forehead in a 'doh' moment. She kip-upped to her feet even as she pulled Hadecleus out of its shadow dimension. "I can't believe I forgot this."

"I'm supposed to be scared of a sword-!?" the leader of the LA Protectorate was saying when the girl in front of her just disappeared. A breeze wafted by, warm in the summer of the South and its languid ways. "Well, that hasn't happened in a while." She suddenly blurred around, trying to catch the person she suspected had turned invisible.

She had not considered that Tactics had turned invisible and just flown straight up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tactics did not turn visible until she opened the door to the Undersiders hide away. Even so, it was still a nearly silent entrance and her dark camouflage made her nearly invisible.

"So that's four to one in favor of hitting the celebration. It's a cool one-fifty thousand apiece. And there's Tactics, so our chance just became a lot easier. If she isn't too beat up to go," Lisa was saying as she took in the dirty spattered form.

"Who did that to you?" Taylor asked in a worried tone.

"I'd love to say that they look much worse than me, but I'm not even sure I can hurt Alexandria. So running the hell away was my best option. Luckily, I managed to get away," Sheila said as she removed her domino mask.

Alec tried to say something, but his voice was too strangled. "Alexandria!?"

"She was helping out the Tennessee Protectorate with a pest problem while I happened to be in town. So because she's a speedster, she decided that I should be caught. Nearly knocked me out, too." She had healed up her bruises on the way over.

"What's with the sword?" Lisa was frowning, as it was giving her weird information just by being visible.

"Hadecleus. Useful for disappearing. Can't believe I didn't think of using it first rather than just running away. Some genius I am," Sheila complained aloud to herself.

"Well, we need to focus," Taylor said. "I might have voted to attack the PRT ball in four hours, but if we don't have a plan I'm not going to go through with the attack."

"You know, after my little run in with the irresistible force known as Alexandria, I think I'm all for making them look at least a little bad locally," Sheila said forcefully.

They quickly fell back to planning. Taylor was actually pretty inventive, explaining some idea she had for using the PRT's nonlethal equipment against themselves.

"Hey, Lisa? Where would they keep their spray can of solvent in case of accidental trapping due to a misfire?" Sheila asked curiously.

"Standard holster on their belts. The green marked thing that looks like a pepper-spray bottle. And ooh, that's pretty useful to just have in case," the Intuitionpath said with a smile.

They had a fairly well defined plan shortly, then they headed out to make a bigger name for themselves by dragging the PRT's and Protectorates name through the mud on their day of 'victory'.

Which is how they found themselves on the windswept roof overlooking the galleria that had been rented for the party (a very plain looking building made of glass boxes) that was currently lit up with the soft hue of the sunset an hour ago.

"Time to knock on the window," Tactics said in a joking tone, wearing a fresh copy of her 'uniform'. The fall down the edge of the building was modestly enthralling, but it was a lazy kick off the building to bounce lightly off a patio with three huge shadows in her wake She leaped off, already aiming for the weakest point of the tempered glass that was four inches thick. And pulverized it in a booming shockwave.

Bitch's dogs were right behind her, landing a bit heavily and sending Skitter, Tattletale and Regent tumbling to land on the ground as civilians ran scared.

"Ow. Fucking intense," Tattletale said.

"Tactics, Bitch, Regent! Go!" Grue snapped out even as he released the boxes of insects from his monster-dog ride. He led the rest of them towards the door while his heaviest hitters were to either hold off the Protectorate and guests or if they were lucky, defeat them in the darkness.

But that would require incredible luck of the ability to fight in the cloying darkness. Tactics was going to do her best. Her enhanced senses struggled in the darkness, only getting the most simple input of location from her sight. But she was also using her other senses. Hearing was heavily muffled, even scent was affected by Grue's darkness. The ping of sonar from Armsmaster got her to raise an eyebrow. It appeared he had prepared to fight in the darkness.

But first she clocked Shadow Stalker hard enough to stun her once, then slammed a combat boot into Battery's stomach, causing her to collapse. She had to duck a blast of some sort that Armsmaster sent her way, so close it raised her hackles. She fell all the way to the ground and spun her feet to violently kick the feet out from under Clockblocker so hard he actually made two rotations before he belly flopped on the ground. He was stunned and barely moving.

The hint of a chemical scent indicated that the three at the door must have started to use the immobilization foam. She was off the ground and hitting Triumph carefully in the stomach. With a wooof of exploded breath, he was in no shape to really draw a breath or shout any more. She hooked Velocity's feet out from under him, leaving him flat on his back.

Regent following Bitch and her three monster dogs as they stumbled through the darkness, so did not see Armsmaster coming up behind him.

"Incoming delivery to Miss Militia," the Tinker said across their radios even he sent Regent stumbling towards his target. He shifted his polearm so that it was dangling a mace of some sort.

Regent's scepter had gone flying when she slid into her combat boots. The feeling a gun being pressed against his neck caused him to stop moving.

"Miss Militia, move!" Armsmaster ordered just a second too slow as his sensors tracked the Undersider's brute from one side of the combat to the other a split second. "Damn it."

Her uzi was kicked out of her grip before a petite fist exploded out of the darkness to slam into her jaw, rattling her heavily. Tactics pushed Regent with her boot to slide him over to his scepter. The sounds and smell of more foam being deployed showed that the rest of the Undersiders were taking out Glory Girl, Assault and finishing up the immobilization of the heroes Tactics had laid out for few a few minutes.

The darkness finally dropped fully, leaving Tactics blinking at the somewhat bright light as Armsmaster and Miss Militia were revealed to be the only two heroes still standing.

The immigrant swore something quite vile in her native Kurdish even as her power materialized an assault rifle. The other Protectorate, Armsmaster looked very unhappy, even as he dropped his pike down and it made a fwump noise. Both Skitters and Tattletale's sprayers quit working immediately and Grue was ducking behind Bitch's one-eyed dog as Miss Militia fired her weapon with relative accuracy even with her head spinning. Tactics had taken off to run across the room at her top normal sprint.

A whole swarm of insects tried to drop in on Armsmaster, but he slammed the butt of his pike to the ground and zapped almost half of them in one shot.

"Go!" Bitch shouted as she pointed at Armsmaster. Her three dogs growled as they crouched down and then leaped forward, only to be beat to the punch by a blur. Tactics ducked under, then over his mace halberd before she grabbed the haft.

"Stupid move," the Tinker said as his automatic systems sent 20,000 volts into her.

Then he was bowled over and dogpiled by the dogs. Another whistle and Angelica and Brutus played tug of war with his polearm. He had thought it would have been strong enough to withstand even their bites, but then a shaky pair of hands rose up and snapped it like a twig, leaving both dogs with one half of the weapon.

"That... should not have been possible," the tinker said even as he tried to think what he could do in this case. Another whistle and he found himself sprayed down in foam as his leg jerked involuntarily when he tried to dodge.

"Jerk," Regent said as he twirled his scepter.

"Everyone is accounted for?" Tactics asked even as she looked around.

"Alright. Everyone mount up and lets head out to the meeting spot," Grue called out, his shadowy aura making him look very scary indeed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were clear and free, making it to the parking garage where they were to meet their benefactor, Coil. He was there with Trickster of the Travelers and several of his mercenaries.

Coil nodded when he saw them approach. "My men will take your dogs to a safe drop off spot. If you don't mind, my limo is over here."

The very heavily armored limo looked blockish and bulky, sitting heavily on its tires.

It was a bit snug with all of the Undersiders, Coil and Trickster on the two benches that faced each other, but it was quite a large limousine.

"You actually did that slightly better than expected," Coil said in a confident tone.

"My dogs-" Bitch started up, only to be interrupted.

"Will be taken care of, I assure you," Coil replied bluntly and from a position of power. "You will find your dogs and the vans you used to arrive awaiting you when you depart."

Bitch pursed her lips, looking angry, but didn't say anything.

Coil then ran the group through a demonstration, where he showed that he manipulate destiny.

"You stacked the deck, metaphysically speaking, in the Undersiders favor?" Tactics asked curiously as she played with the quarter.

"That is correct," Coil replied.

"So why did you try to manipulate things in an attempt to kill me?" the young blond asked bluntly.

"What makes you think I would attempt something like that?" the mastermind asked carefully.

"You only offered Trickster here to help one particular member of your crew for a rather significant amount, yet you did not make anyone else that offer... even the only healer on your side during the truce. Especially odd, if you think about it, if you were already our benefactor. Which I knew since the first day I joined the Undersiders," Tactics said in a simple, flat tone.

Tattletale whistled softly. "He did it because he can't always adjust your destiny. Something blocks him."

"That's enough, Tattletale. Need I remind you of our agreement?" Coil said coldly.

"You mean you tried to remove me because I can warp my own fate and destiny? It's this thing that pretty much any Scion can do. As my cousin Janeka would say, 'doh'."

"Not Scion of our world, but Scions of your world?" Skitter asked in a surprised tone.

"So you can rewrite your personal reality to some degree? Very interesting. My reasons for removing you are quite short-sighted in that case," Coil mused aloud.

"So you're like us, hmm? And trying to get back to your own world on your own?" Trickster said, getting a surprised look from the Undersiders.

"You aren't a parahuman as we understand it. That's why you have such a ridiculous amount and variety of powers," Tattletale blurted out in surprise.

"Are you still rationalizing it away as impossible?" the younger girl asked with a raised eyebrow.
It was Grue that responded. "She's been thinking her hunches have been misfiring because they were so outlandish? Tattletale..." He wanted to punch something. She missed things again!

"She's a bonafide demigoddess. A twelve year old demigoddess of war and intellect." Tattletale opened her mouth again, then closed it. She was literally speechless.

Skitter and Regent were just staring at her as they processed that fact.

"Infinite possible realities means that in some, magic and the mystical are the default. Where the gods walked the earth, the undead and the spawn of the titans must be confronted for the fate of that mortal... coil," the younger blonde said with an impish grin.

In fact, she felt she had been pushing the boundaries of being a demigoddess. Thanks to some relics she was as fast and as intelligent as some gods. But she had the feeling that she needed some great moments still to push her legend towards full immortality. Which would help her get home that much faster, as it was the really powerful powers that the gods kept to themselves.

"So you can do miracles? Water to wine? Raising the dead?" Trickster asked ever so casually.

"I can heal and I've got a whole bunch of very combat intensive abilities, along with superhuman attributes. I'm such a wimp compared to Uncle Hercules though. I have to push myself to lift as much as I do." A tinge of bitterness had seeped into her voice.

"Yes, it really does appear that I made a mistake without all my information. My apologies then. I felt... threatened by your presence."

That was when he went into his pitch, trying to convince Trickster and the Undersiders to join him in a bid to take over the city. The leader of the Travelers was easy to convince as he was willing to promise to help with a thorny problem they had.

It broke down along the lines with most of the Undersiders willing to join, but Bitch just refused outright. Tactics did not refuse, but pointed out that if she figured out a way home she was not likely to not take it or stay. So if she did accept a 'warlord' position, it would be strictly temporary.

Coil left it for the groups to talk it over and make their decision later.

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The Protectorate of Brockton Bay, along with the Wards, were finally returning to their base after having gotten freed from the containment foam.

And on live TV, nonetheless. How that had been allowed, Armsmaster had no idea. He was hurting after being stood on by three huge mutant dogs. And he was one of the least injured. No one was seriously hurt, although Triumph was coughing up a little blood.

"She hit the normal people pretty hard this time," Clockblocker noted as he held his head. "A change of character?"

The bearded leader of the local Protectorate shook his head. "No, that doesn't come across quite right. She was taking longer to move from position to position. Now that I think more on it, I don't think she could really see. Or if she could, she was still almost blind."

"Um, she took out like half of us while we were in that blasted darkness of Grue's," Velocity noted. One second he had been straining his eyes and the next he was kissing the ground after a burst of spinning motion.

Assault nodded. "And avoided anyone that could take the hit or use it against her." Which is what he would have done given half the chance, of course. That was how his power worked.

A small burst of static filled the air. It was Dragon's way of letting people know she was present virtually. "This indicates a very high level of awareness indeed. She has a high category of powers that even allowed
her to escape Alexandria. Brute 6 or 7, Mover 8, Thinker 3 at the very least. The rest of the Undersiders were notably very effective, taking down the five PRT officers and suborning their equipment to disable the heavier hitters. They are getting better."

Miss Militia nodded at that as she nursed her bruised lip. "Tactics thinned our numbers down and then the other mopped us up. A very well planned attack that had us all at their mercy... and they just left us sitting in front of the camera."

"Indeed. I believe this is a specific attack to reduce your credibility during your move to improve it at the fundraiser. Which doesn't fit the psyche profiles we have assigned to them. They seem to be petty crooks, but this seems to fit a much bigger design." Dragon sounded slightly annoyed by it.

"Hired to make us look bad, you think? That could be. So I'd suspect one of the more shadowy figures," Armsmaster stated slowly.

"I'll start to compose a list," Dragon promised.

The Undersiders had just bumped up the list of dangerous super villains by about fifty pegs with this stunt. And Armsmaster had the suspicion they still had not seen all of their tricks. Or that they were still learning the limits of their powers.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Part IV - Loud Confrontations

Sheila was skimming a book, reading it as fast as possible. Which was about fifteen second a page on the dense, hard to parse text on the Alternate Earth that this world could communicate to. They had some heroes, but they were far, far more 'human' than these capes.

Lisa was talking to Coil, not even trying to hide that any more by distance in the kitchen. Alec was napping a bit, listening to some music and appeared to be out of it. Brian, Taylor and Rachel were all out doing their own things.

Her phone buzzed as a text was received. "Guys, we have a problem," the younger girl called out. "Rachel and Taylor are in trouble with some Empire Eighty-Eight thugs. Taylor thinks it might turn violent."

"What?" Lisa said then processed what the younger girl had said. "I need to go- You did what? Guys, go on without me."

Alec was up finally. "What is going on?"

"Rachel and Taylor are in a bit of Empire Eighty-Eight trouble. They need back up. Quick, change into your outfit." Sheila was then a blur as she disappeared into her cubby to grab her uniform.

"How are we going to get there?" Regent asked as he tied his mask on snugly.

"I carry you there. Ready?" Tactic asked intently.

Tactics actually kept it at just under two hundred miles per hour. And since it wasn't that many blocks away, it was only a minute or so and they arrived. Regent was deposited just out of sight and the young demigoddess skidded to a halt in between a huge mass of insects that a EEE thug had just shot twice and Rachel.

"Shit!" the skinhead said, suddenly pointing the gun at the new arrival.

"Izzzzts timezzzz for you to leavezzzz," Skitter said, letting her insects distort her voice. Her heart was racing as she kept herself crouched down so that if he did shoot again, he would just hit the mass of insects that were pretending to be her torso.

"Fuck you!" he shouted, pulling the trigger twice.

Tactics scissored her hands back and forth before her even as she spun around. Then she flicked a bullet from either hand to plunk down on the dirt between them.

"She can catch bullets," Regent murmured to himself. He wanted that.

That was when the roar of a motorbike intruded as Grue pulled up. That was the last straw for the final member of the Empire Eighty-Eight thugs, as he took off in a hurry.

Brian was upset at what happened. Rachel had no desire to move and it took Brian and Taylor a couple of minutes to convince her to move her dogs. There was a possible worry that the Empire Eighty-Eight might come back at any time.

"And why isn't Lisa here?" the dark-skinned semi-official leader demanded.

"Something had come up. I heard Coil say it would be something appearing on the news. And she felt it was important enough to stay and talk to him about it," Sheila replied helpfully.

"All right. Rachel send me that information on where you are moving you and your dogs. We'll meet up after we grab Lisa," Brian said to the stout, homely girl.

And back at their warehouse hideout, the met up with their final member. Lisa was actually walking back and forth while she talked on the phone. When she heard them come in, she finished her conversation. "I'll talk to you later. I need to talk to the rest of my team." She stabbed the off button.

"What did Coil do?" the young demigoddess asked.

"He just outed the Empire Eighty-Eight. All of their secret identities, where they lived. Where their families live. That unspoken line that you don't involve cape's families."

"And all this happened right as we were having our confrontation with those skinheads?" Taylor asked in a terse tone. "Shit. God damn it."

"I don't see what the problem is. At least yet," Lisa asked in a puzzled voice.

"The Empire Eighty-Eight knows you, Lisa. And they know your ability to piece together information, that your intuition is parahuman-"

"Oh, shit." Lisa had suddenly gone pale white as her power started to fill in the blanks. "Coil only asked me a few questions. Innocent seeming things."

"So the Eighty-Eight are going to come for us," Brian realized almost instantly. "We need to get out of here, split up. Lisa, I want you to go with Alec and-"

"-Sheila. That's a good mix," Alec said.

"No, because I'm taking my group to my place. So you go with Rachel to her new hideout with her dogs. I'll take Taylor and Sheila with me, that way we both have fire power," the black teen said.

"Great idea! With us split up, we are a lot less conspicuous," Lisa said instantly. She rolled her eyes when she 'saw' Alec get upset. "You can poke at Taylor later." She was fairly successful at hiding her worry. She was getting a bad vibe from Alec all of a sudden. But she had far, far greater worries to deal with than his libido.

"You guys figure out the specifics really quick. I'm going to take a shower ." Taylor had a very large overriding desire to wash after using her bugs for an impromptu costume.

Taylor blinked at the clanking duffel bag that Sheila had slung over her shoulder.

"What's that?" she asked as she made sure her costume was not visible where it was wrapped around her waist and under a sweater.

"Armor. After reading what Leviathan did to Konshu, I decided I needed to gear up a little. I spent most of my 'loot' on the nano-fabricator." The two ton device was in a fairly deep hole under heavy equipment in the warehouse, safely hidden away from most threats.

They got off the bus near Brian's house. Brian had to buy a couple of things for his apartment and Taylor wanted to buy a few books from a used book store. Sheila went with both of them, becomes a temporary twin of herself. "Yay, army of one!" they chorused as they stepped around a corner back to them.

Brian and Taylor both blinked.

"What?" the left girl said.

"That's one of the many combat powers you mentioned. You've been holding back, haven't you?" Taylor said with a considering tone and look.

"Which almost got me killed once and caught once, but I really can't justify totally lethal force all the time. They aren't unredeemable monsters."

Brian nodded and walked off down the sidewalk.

"We're being followed, by the way," Sheila said as she struggled to do two totally different things at once. "It's that girl from the bus. I think I confused her by being twins."

"It is disconcerting," Taylor said in a dry tone, trying to hide her tenseness. "And I actually know you."

Sophia was Taylor's problem, so Sheila just stayed quiet.

And her pursed, thin lips (which did nothing to improve her appearance) showed that she was unhappy. Then she smiled. "Let's ditch her."

"Hold on to your lunch then." Around another corner into an alleyway and then they bounded very fast over a short building.

By the time Sophia turned the corner to look down the dead end, they were long gone.

Taylor was smiling pretty widely as they stepped into the used book store out of sight of the alley. Her mouth suddenly dropped open in shock.

"Problem?" the young demigoddess asked as she noted the change in expression.

"Ah, no. Just something happened I wasn't expecting." And that something, mousy brunette thought to herself, had been her tagging insects that had fallen through Sophia as she went into the back of the alley way. She was thinking furiously. One of her tormentor had been a cape? Which of the local capes could turn immaterial? Shadow Stalker. One of the Wards. And suddenly her ex-best friend's actions started to make twisted sense.

Emma must have figured out the secret and suddenly she was suddenly special, the trusted best friend of a superhero. Taylor unconsciously bared her teeth in a soundless snarl. She tamped down on her cold rage as she saw the young goddess raise an eyebrow at her.

"So what book were you looking for?" Sheila asked as she looked at the back of the used book store.
Taylor blinked, then realized she had lost track of her surroundings for just a second. "A dog training book. Maybe something to read tonight."

"Trying to figure out how to relate to Bitch without constant fighting?" Sheila asked curiously with a small tilt of her head.

"It's pretty obvious, once you think about it.," Taylor said, happy to switch topics so she did not do something drastic. Like publicly unveil an under age heroine.

"I wouldn't say that. Most people wouldn't figure it out. Or think about it much," the younger girl said as she pursed her lips. "You may be much smarter than you give yourself credit. I don't think Brian or Alec have enough thought about it. Lisa probably did and Rachel's probably too close to understand the issue."

"I really don't think I'm too smart."

"You were the one that figured out that an unconventional attack would defeat the Wards at the bank," she noted in a low voice. "So don't sell yourself short."

They purchased Taylor's books, making idle chit-chat until they found Brian and the other Sheila. Both of her frowned as they looked a TV in a window that was showing the leaders of the Empire Eighty-Eight and their civilian identities.

"Empire Eighty-Eigh just got outed?" the first Sheila asked curiously.

"Let's get to my apartment then." Brian pushed through the light crowd, suddenly a little single-minded as he dropped into his fight-mode mindset.

Inside the apartment, he flipped on his TV to the news. It was still scrolling through the list of civilian names. The young demigoddess frowned as she saw that Purity's infant daughter had been taken by social services and several police.

"Hmm..." Sheila was thinking hard.

Brian looked very tense. "This is not good."

"It so crosses that line. They are going to go ballistic," Taylor said in muted horror.

She was fairly prophetic, as the news turned to a different camera that showed a field of scraggly grass and an half-built looking building with a crane out front.
Bitch's hideout.

Purity, glowing an incandescent white and almost impossible to record on camera floated into view. She razed it and the four buildings next to it. Then she took the camera away from the news team, giving out a demand to the authorities, a challenge to the Undersiders even as her henchmen Fog and Night murdered someone on live TV (though it wasn't really visible).

Taylor immediately started to don her uniform.

"What are you doing?" Brian demanded.

"This is our fault," the bug controller said in a very intense tone. She was zipping up the hidden zipper and pulling the mask over her head.

"Not our fight," he countered.

"Even though she called us out?" Sheila and Taylor said in echo of the other, then turned to stare at each other in surprise.

On the side of her face that Brian couldn't see, Sheila gave Taylor a quick wink. Taylor gave her a concerned look back with eyebrows raised.

"I think this is a very bad idea. Purity just demolished those buildings in seconds," the de facto leader said. "But you have a point. If we just hide, we lose a lot of our rep. And without our rep we are going to be attacked by every wannabe villain wanting to take over our turf." Brian did not appear happy at all.

Brian quickly called the other half of the team and talked to Lisa, hashing out a quick plan to gather back up and confront the Empire Eighty-Eight. As he was doing that, Sheila was putting on her new armor. It was not a great deal thicker than her old armor she would wear under her 'uniform', but it was obviously not designed to be worn under anything. Her cellphone slotted into her helmet.

"I feel silly putting on this domino mask, but oh well. That's pretty much most of what you can see with this helmet," Tactics complained in a slightly petulant tone.

"All right, Coil got us an ambulance that will be down around the corner in ten minutes," Brian said, his helmet in the crook of his elbow. "We'll slip out the back door then go across town."

"You guys have my number, right? I'm going to try and spot these guys before they can find us," Tactics said. "So I'll be overhead."

They nodded and once the door to his apartment was opened, she was gone in a dull gray blur. One leap put her on the roof of the building next door. She followed the totally official looking ambulance in a near invisible blur as she zipped from shadow to shadow.

Traffic was all snarled and a police checkpoint was set up just around a bend in the road. Tactics dialed Brian. One pass-phrase cleared it. "You guys are headed to a roadblock about five blocks away."

"Thanks. Let me pass that on to the driver." A pause for a few moments and muffled talking later, he was back. "They said no problem."

The ambulance kicked on its lights and started to bull its way through the heavy traffic. And then Tactics saw flickers of super powers off about fifteen hundred feet away. "Purity fighting New Wave over the free clinic," Tactics said in a rushed voice. "I'll catch up. Call if you need help."

"Dammit. We need to get together-" Grue glared at his phone a second. "She hung up on me and is heading over to confront Purity over that medical clinic on Westerman Avenue."

"So that's where she goes some nights. I thought it was just for a walk, but I smelled antiseptic on her after my jog yesterday," Skitter said thoughtfully.

"She's a supervillain that volunteers at the clinic?" Grue stopped to consider it before he blew his stack. Was it any different from what Rachel did with her dogs? "Huh. Guess she's got more depth than I thought. Why didn't she mention it?"

"Probably because it would confuse someone. And Regent might start calling her a dork," Skitter said in a frustrated voice. She hated being called a dork. And it had been Alec's favorite name for her for most of the week.

There was a flash of lightning and the crack of intensely loud thunder, startling them both in the back of the vehicle. Then it was quiet for a few minutes. Totally out of the blue it suddenly felt like the boot of god reached down and kicked over ambulance like it was a tin can.

"Give me my daughter!" Purity shouted as she blasted Lady Photon. She was glowing as bright as a star as she flew over the tops of the warehouse and shipping part of the docks.

"You know that isn't going to happen," the mother of half of the New Wave heroes said. A local legend, Lady Photon was one of the few totally public heroes. She blocked a blast, feeling the strain that was much, much higher than normal. "Pull back, try to block her blasts from hitting the clinic."

"Yeah, some of us think it is a good thing," a new voice shouted out from the top of a water tower only fifty feet away.

"Who is that?" Glory Girl asked. "Wait. Tactics? In armor?" She was flying about forty feet away from her mother and Purity. She had been trying to time an attack to hit Purity, but she was a canny flyer herself.

"Why yes, I thought I needed to upgrade my armor slightly. Purity, the Undersiders were not involved in deciding to release your identities at all. Tattletale was furious when it happened and most of us did not even find out until after our little altercations with your punks," Tactics said very clearly, telling exactly the truth but leaving out that their Intiutionpath had helped gather the information.

"Of course you would say that," the blinding white glowing woman snarled out.

That was when Glory Girl shot through the water tower with explosive force. She turned around and was about to look down to see where her nemesis in the Undersiders had fallen when she saw Tactics floating there.

"Do you normally attack people while they are trying to stop a super battle?" Tactic demanded very, very angrily.

Shielder frowned as he listened. He might be young, but he wasn't stupid. "I think she's really mad."

"Pfffffff. She probably just figured out how to fly," Glory Girl said in a very derisively tone. She just made a shooing gesture with her hand at Tactics.

Tactics raised her hand even as she kept track of Lady Photon and Purity's battle behind her. With a chopping motion, she summoned a lightning bolt from the clouds far above. The whole area of town was lit up for a second as an incredibly intense thunder boomed on her head. Glory Girl found herself stunned for just a second and laying on a scorched roof.

"You do not know anything about me. I am sick and tired of holding back, of hiding my powers. I tried to keep a low profile and all it gets me is nearly killed." Dimly, Tactics wondered why she was so terribly angry.

"Oh, shit-" Shielder had not expected that. "I thought she was just a brute?"

"You are bluffing," Glory Girl shouted as she shot back up into the air to 'take the high ground' about three feet up above the other girl.

"What is more important? Saving lives or your wounded pride?" the Undersider demanded as she pointed an accusing finger at the girl. She realized that she was not being at all logical right now. Something was affecting her emotions. She would not let that happen again.

"I am going to break that finger off," Glory Girl screamed as she shot forward, trying to hit the armored girl with a punch.

A punch that Tactics let her her new armor take. It rocked her back, but only slightly affected her. Her return punch slammed into Glory Girl's personal forcefield, only for her second punch just a second later to be blocked by Shielder's forcefield.

"Huh? You didn't put a lot of force into that?" the fifteen year old boy of the New Wave asked where he floated unste.

"Just because she is manipulating my emotions with her aura doesn't mean I want to kill or maim her," Tactics explained even as she suddenly took off in a short spinning zig-zag-zig to avoid Purity's blindsiding attack. "Why, hello Purity. Here to show that humans can be more monstrous than the 'real monsters'?"

"You will get tired and slip up eventually," the glowing woman said even as she did a quick loop to avoid Glory Girl. The second in command of Empire Eighty-Eight blasted Shielder, rocking the unsteady flyer back to skid across a roof.

Laserdream shot into the air, both hands up and emitting blasts of energy that Purity just barely avoided. "You are going down, Purity!"

Purity just snarled back, unleashing a blast in her distinctive helix stream that was countered by the younger girl's own blasts. She then just pointed her hand back behind her and blasted Glory Girl again, sending her flying. "I think I'll take you hostage. And kill one of you every hour if my baby is not returned-"

Her rant was suddenly interrupted as Tactics appeared in front of her in a blur. The older woman instinctively brought up her arms to block a punch to her face. So only her right arm broke like a twig as thunder boomed again from the magically empowered fist. The glowing woman had barely started screaming before she bounced off a brick wall and then fell to a stop half on a sky light.

"That's enough out of you," Tactics said in a satisfied tone.

"Good. That means its now three on one to take you in," Glory Girl said with her own smile on her face.
A text message appeared on Tactics HUD that was flashed into her left eye from a small laser emitter.

Grue Skitter attacked outnumbered HELP!!!!!

The next instant she disappeared so fast that the trio of parahumans did not even see her leave.

"So you are with some of Coil's men. That explains things," Hookwolf said as his claws, made of metal hooks and pins stretched and shifted. "So you are going to tell me what I want to know-" His eyes widened, looking around for the moved Skitter, now about fifty feet away.

"Grue's getting pretty cut up," Skitter warned, holding her arm up against her side so her shoulder wouldn't get hurt more.

"Stormtiger, show her your claws," Hookwolf said as he started to walk forward casually as leaned forward and started shapeshifting in his lupin namesake, a huge dire wolf made of nightmare hooks, needles and blades.

His subordinate nodded and dashed forward along side the darkness next to the overturned ambulance. His air-claws were still gathering air. His chains clinked and his tiger mask showed his bloodshot eyes through the eyeholes.

Tactic's eyes narrowed. "You are about to do a very stupid thing." She reached into the air next to her and pulled a black sword from a shadow that had appeared.

Grue tumbled out of his cloud, cut and bleeding from multiple wounds. Cricket stepped out of Grue's summoned darkness. Her mask, scars and buzzcut made her look like a very brutal fighter from some dystopian Mad Max future. She pulled one of her short scythes from Grue's shoulder, spilling blood down the arm of his biker jacket.

"Need more bugs," Skitter muttered to herself in a cold, logical voice. There were already a lot but they were starting to fill the air and dim the sunlight.

One second Tactics was standing still with the black sword Hadecleus in her left hand, then next she was one step beyond Stormtiger. His right hand that had been holding one set of his air claws thumped on the ground. The claws then exploded with the force of a small bomb, shattering the pavement and launching shards like a fragmentation grenade.

"You bitch! I'm going to gut you," Stormtiger snarled out even as he desperately held his one good hand to the stump. He was in shock, peppered by the backblast of his own attack.

"Hmm. I wonder if you are conductive?" the armored Undersider asked Hookwolf, ignoring his underling.
The huge wolf made of blades and hooks just howled and leaped.

With a flash and boom, another lightning bolt struck from the sky, functioning very much like a stun grenades.
Cricket held up her scythes, looking up for another cape that threw lightning even as her group leader hissed in pain from the melted and glowing blades along his back.

"We're retreating," Hookwolf said in a grudging tone that you could barely understand. He wheeled around on all fours and took off at a fast sprint. Stormtiger was right behind him, cradling his hand even as his aerokinesis allowed him to speed along at superhuman bursts of speed.

Cricket was just behind them when her left thigh was suddenly in agonizing pain from a gunshot, causing her to stumble and fall. Her companions did not even slow.

Tactics lowered Athena's Wit, her relic 10mm heavy pistol, shooting her in the other leg. "That echolocation is annoying to listen to," she grumbled. "You might need something to block with, Grue. But let's get you fixed up first."

All of his wounds sealed up, leaving ugly, bruised flesh under where the cuts had been. Then all the bruises disappeared. "Might be right," the big teen said. "You can show me how to use a sword or escrima sticks?"

"Sure." She was busy helping both of Coil's flunkies. "You guys put up quite a fight, but I think we've overstayed our welcome."

Skitter nodded. "Let me call Tattletale and make sure everything is still okay on their side."
Twenty minutes later they had caught up to where Tattletale, Bitch and Regent were hiding in the shadows of an alleyway.

"Feeling exposed here, Tattletale," Regent said in his best bored-cool voice.

"We should be fine. We'd be better if the clouds up there were a bit thicker," she replied. At the thinker's side, Bitch was petting the ridge of Angelica's forehead, much to the monster dog's happiness.

"Oh, it's the dork sisters."

"One second then," Tactics said. "This shouldn't drain me too much more." She leaped up the walls between the two buildings. Once she was at the top, she looked around, taking in the large but thin clouds.
The clouds at the edge of the horizons started to move, piling up higher and thicker. She gathered them in a long oblong egg shape, stretched just to the west, darkening the sky right over them. She dropped back down the sides of the building just like she had come back up.

"-I want to know what Coil was thinking. Give him one chance to make this right. I'm beyond pissed. Grue and I almost got hurt bad," Skitter was demanding of Tattletale. In the deeper shadows of the alley, she looked more inhuman and rather scary. The buzzing insects around her amplified that. (This would has surprised her immensely, but even Tattletale who knew her was feeling slightly intimidated.)

"But Tactics was with you," Alec pointed out as he tapped the scepter on his shoulder as a nervous tic.

"Not all powerful nor unkillable," said girl pointed out in a dry tone as she landed. "In fact, Uber and Leet's trick nearly gutted me."

Grue had been thinking hard, his dark aura filling the area he was standing in. "I agree. I want to talk to Coil. Because he said he could control things. Today did not seem controlled. Unless he was trying scare us. Or worse."

A bead of sweat was dripping down Tattletale's forehead. "We can't demand to see him like that."

"Let him know that we want to talk to him as soon as possible," Tactics said in a mild tone. "After all, he wants us to be his face on the street."

The intiutionpath was not very happy at all as she pulled out her cell phone to started dialing a number. She walked off deeper into the alley past the very large Brutus, sidestepping his tail absently. Five minutes later, she came back.

"He is willing to meet, but it's going to be a few hours as he's currently tied up," she said in a tense voice.

"We'll wait," Skitter said.

Tattletale's phone rang two and a half very boring hours later. With a nod, she responded over the phone with, "We'll be there shortly."

Bitch had to grow her three dogs again, but in a very short while they were being led into the darkened interior of a half-built building. They were led into a sewer tunnel (locked quite thoroughly) and down several passages to a thick metal door with no handle or visible hinges.

"No secret knock? Just the motion sensors and cameras?" Tactics asked as the door opened.

You could not see Skitters smile for her mask, but you could hear it in her voice. "Not a fan of the classics, I guess."

Grue made a snorting noise that everyone could make out even through his helmet and shadow cloak.

"Dorks. Both of you," Regent said as he stepped aside from Angel as the huge dog trundled through the door on heavy paws. "Watch it."

A growl from the dog had him backing up quickly.

Past the security door and some of Coil's guards, they came into a large, underground room with soldiers readying themselves or relaxing. It was vaguely military looking, even though most of the soldiers (almost all men) were definitely just mercenaries. They watched the group (and the very large mutant dogs) carefully.
Circus and Trickster were both in a corner, watching everything curiously. Less obvious were the rest of the Travellers that 'happened' to be hanging out on a lower level in a shadowed area. Genesis had a monster bod created already and Sundancer and Ballistic were leaning up against a wall.

Coil stepped out of the shadows on the walkways above and into a pool of light. Quite dramatic in timing. "Undersiders. I understand you have concerns."

"The concern is that with your supposed control of 'destiny', your actions to reveal the Empire Eighty-Eight's identities could have gotten us killed. Grue got seriously cut up and I almost had Hookwolf gut me," Skitter said in a very agitated tone. Her whole body posture was tense and guarded.

"I came into information that required me to act promptly. Today was the optimal day to make the move to destabilize Empire Eighty-Eight," the mastermind villain said. His black bodysuit with its snake stood out the harsh lights of his base. "I do apologize that it could have been a bit dangerous. We can consider it a combat mission and look at appropriate compensation. Surprise was paramount."

"I think I want a little assurance on your source of information. It sounds a little too pat," Grue said in his deep 'villain' voice, muffled by his helmet.

"Very well." Coil's voice was calm and collected, but it was obvious that he was not terribly thrilled. He led them down a hall to another door. "Bring her."

He nodded and entered the door he had been guarding.

A couple of soldiers came out of a different door. And between them was a young girl of eleven or twelve.

"This is another source of my information. A precognitive that can estimate the probabilities of actions in the future. Dinah, I would like you to ask you a few questions," Coil asked in a simple tone.

"For candy?" the two pale girl asked. "Three questions."

"Six questions-" he started to offer only to be interrupted.

"Four questions," the girl said quickly.

"Five." Coil's last offer was quite firm.

"Fine."

"What are the odds if I sent the Undersiders against Kaiser tomorrow at noon?" Coil's voice was calm, collected. Indifferent, even.

But Tactics and Tattletale both knew that the question told far too much about what he really and truly desired.

"Like you always help with your own power?" the young parahuman asked.

"Yes." Coil crossed his arms across his chest.

"80 %, plus or minus 25 %. How can the numbers be more than 100 %? She's doing it again. Making impossible things happen. That counts as four questions," the girl said in a very agitated voice.

"That is a massive neurological stress that her brain is undergoing, very similar to the stress a seizure puts on the body," Tactics said curiously. She reached out carefully with one finger. "There's the poisons and drugs out of your system. And that should regenerate anything damaged." And a large bolstering of her life force if she was going to use her power some more. But she would not mention that.

Coil gave the impression that he was a bit surprised, even through his plain black mask. "You can cure her pain and addiction just like that?"

"Fairly easily. Hmm." She raised an eyebrow as she noticed that Skitter had become incredibly tense, her heart thudding heavily in her chest. "Hi. I'm Tactics. I think you should pick the cape name of Cassandra. You do appear to closely match my uncle's most venerated seer, especially with the pain that it inflicts you."

"Are you suggesting she become a cape?" Tattletale asked curiously.

"She already is. Coil can continue to get the basic use of her ability like he is, with crude drugs and this controlling strategy. Or he could actually hire her as one of his people." It seemed incredibly simple for an idea.

"I should hire her? If anyone else finds out about her, they will do everything in their power to take control of her." The mastermind did not seem very happy with this at all.

"Yet you can get the most help from her by giving and receiving loyalty. Instead of a barely thinking 'tool' you can have someone that can actively use her powers to help you," she countered.

"Or are we all tools to you?" Skitter asked suddenly. "To be used, used up and then discarded?"

"There is a 100 % chance you did something to help me with the pain of using my power," the girl said in wonder.

"She enhanced your life force?" Tattletale whistled appreciatively. "I'm not exactly sure how that's a daughter of Athena the wise thing, though."

"Healing is very useful for war. More of a strategic level than tactical, but still very useful," the young demigoddess said absently.

"That has given me a lot to consider. Take her back to her room and make sure she gets anything she wants brought to her," Coil ordered his soldiers. "I think we both have a lot to think about. Decisions we have to make. I'm going to have to work hard, I know, to recover a measure of trust with the Undersiders. But want to point out that mostly likely, without my aid, several of the Undersiders would either be dead or incarcerated."

"And he's telling the absolute truth here. So I don't think we should sever our ties to him and see where this takes us," the blonde girl in a jester's outfit said to the rest of them.

"Call us when you have another mission and we'll see where it goes," Grue said.

Regent nodded. "I am rather fond of how this has worked out."

"You are still full of shit," Bitch told Coil directly. "But you can be as full of shit as you want if you help my dogs."

The mastermind nodded at that. "I guess I will have to take what I can where I can."

"Don't be a stranger. I'll charge you a very reasonable rate to drop in on Dinah once a day or so."

That got a snicker out of Trickster. "What does a demigoddess need with money anyways?"

"Because interdimensional portal generators are expensive, of course."

Coil finally nodded. "I would like you to come back in the morning. I'm sure we can come up with an equitable trade. Until later, Undersiders."

Skitter was never so glad that her outfit covered her whole body except for her hair as they walked out of the base. She had the information she wanted. The power behind the Undersiders. She could go to the Protectorate now, quit being a villain and be that heroine she wanted to be.

She was over her shock of discovering that the girl had been the one they had robbed a bank in distraction so she could be kidnapped. She wanted out of being a villain, but it was more complicated now. The Undersiders were her friends, not just the 'bad guys' that needed to go to jail. She had a sinking sensation that some of them might have been perfectly fine with Dinah Alcott kept in a strung out state, dependent on drugs.

But was what Coil and Tactics said true? Would she be used as a pawn by everyone? Should she be encouraged to make her own choices? Become a cape named 'Cassandra'?

 

[Arthur Hansen]

INTERLUDE - IV - II

"We have a problem," the Doctor stated as the Triumvirate sat down at the large, round conference center. Her bun was tighter than normal, a subtle indication of frustration when she awoke this morning.

"You have been saying that for weeks," Alexandria noted even as she brushed a small piece of lint off of the arm of her dark gray bodysuit. "But you really do mean it."

"Contessa?"

A fifth person of the meeting nodded. "A major disruption to the accuracy and forecasting in Brockton Bay has started to intrude."

Eidolon leaned forward. "Can you clarify with any information?"

"We believe an entity that can disrupt precognition has entered the local cape community, centered on the Undersiders or is a hidden quantity in the background. We had forecasted that a new parahuman would join the Undersiders, turning them into a more powerful vector on the night Lung was attacked. But he was attacked by two people, who we think were Skitter and Tactics." The Doctor frowned, which made her look even more strict.

"Both are new. We thought that the most likely culprit was the girl that could control bugs. It is possible her Agent also allows her a form of mental expansion into her insects and being able to access probabilities. Then we found out that the 'brute' has been hiding her powers to stay under the radar. Our agent inside Coil's operation said that he found out she is some sort of breaker and blaster, on top of her brute and mover powers. And those are just what we know of so far." Contessa stood easily and confidently at the side of the Doctor, her business suit impeccable as always.

"She can also turn invisible. That's how she got away. She turned invisible and then just flew off," Alexandra said as she finished skimming the PRT and Protectorate reports from Brockton Bay. Armsmaster's writing style was concise and exact, even when working on estimations and guess. "She is very 'skilled' as well, able to not injure people while leveraging her strength and speed. Tactics is also willing to just run if she has not prepared for a fight or if she knows she's likely to be overwhelmed."

Legend nodded at that. "I was curious about the girl that got away from Alexandria, so I read up the report from the Tennessee Protectorate. She was there to convince, by force if necessary, for Athena the Destroyer to change her name. Athena told her interrogator that Tactics claimed is was for personal and familial reasons."

Eidolon had been listening carefully. "Is she like me and actually able to change her powers?"

"I don't think so," the last man at the table said. "While she has a lot of powers, she does not just adjust them for whatever conflict she is in. Without more direct observation, I can't say if she's the one or not." The Number Man was a tactical precognitive, useful at several short term information gathering options.

"Do we think this entity is an S-Class? Is the anti-precognitive effect becoming worse?" Alexandria asked intently.

"It does not appear to be like an Endbringer, which are immune to any forecasting. It appears to be more like... you throw in a wrench into the gears. Much like Coil did until we got a better idea of the man and his goals." The Doctor seemed to release a certain tenseness. "Is there anything else we can think of about our potential wrench?"

"She had to create or summon a sword to turn invisible," the thinker of the Triumvirate noted. "But that's all."

"And with her wearing a heavier armor, that could indicate that she is actually a tinker. So perhaps her abilities are actually dependent on her equipment only. Something to consider. I should still be able to counter her relatively easily then," Contessa noted with a nod.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Part V - Leviathan of the Ocean

On the news that night, the newscasters talked about how the rampage had been rather short lived. Purity and Cricket were both in the PRT custody while the Protectorate helped put out fires and with the injured. Purity had caused most of the damage and deaths. The talking heads on NBC were speculating that she was going to be heading to the Birdcage as a menace to society.

Her lawyer had already been contacted and he was very vigorous in the defense of his client. She had been driven to extremes as only a mother could be."

Lisa was talking on the phone to Coil again, nodding her head. "Right. I'll let them know."

"Know what?" Brian asked bluntly. He took a small bite in case he had to answer back afterwards.

"Kaiser is pissed as you can believe because Sheila had a hand in two of his people being caught. I pointed out that they were gunning for us, not the other way around. And letting them be arrested is better than dead, right?" Lisa took in everyone's nods of agreement. "Well, he's declared vendetta on Tactics here."

"His funeral," the demigoddess replied even as she typed along on a notebook nonstop.

"You are an Undersider. No way can we not back you up," their unofficial leader said grimly.

Taylor and Alec just nodded agreement.

"She gave me up to Hookwolf. Threw me to the wolves," Rachel said in a very blunt and angry tone. "So I'm not going to stick me or my dog's necks out for her."

"No, I mentioned that a duel in between you and Hookwolf might be the best way to stop an all out gang fight in the middle of a crisis. If Kaiser wants a one on one with me, he's more than welcome to it. He's the one that refused to tell his underlings that we were not behind their unmasking," Sheila shot back, her typing stopped as she gave a very flat look at the older girl.

"It's not the same, Rachel," Taylor said. "You even thought it was a good idea at the time."

"Fine." The trans-mutationer did not seem thrilled still and her blunt features showed it.

"What are you working on?" Lisa asked curiously even as she leaned forward to snag a pepperoni and cheese slice of pizza.

"Railgun. Any normal rifle I would use would not have nearly enough penetrating power against some of the parahumans here. It would take someone about six months to design and build a prototype," she replied. "Still just slightly too big and weighs about five hundred pounds." The young girl gave the screen a frustrated look.

That got a laugh out of most of them (sans the upset Rachel and her dogs, of course).

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Taylor was up at dawn, pulling on her jogging clothes. She looked over at the younger girl that was sipping a soda while watching the early, early news on at a low volume. "Don't you sleep?"

"It has been a few weeks, hasn't it?" the younger girl said as she thought aloud. "I probably should. Maybe tonight."

"That is extremely freaky," Taylor said with a shudder.

"And wearing the bugs earlier wasn't?" the younger girl asked with only a hint of confusion.

"Don't remind me."

It had been a quiet week for the Undersiders. The Empire Eighty-Eight was now in a bit of a decline. Kaiser had staged a raid and managed to break out Purity and Cricket, but had to retreat to lick their wounds.

"Everyone is still asleep. Except for Brian, but he's got his own place," Taylor muttered.

"Since you are staying over here, I take it that you and your dad are still having... issues?" Sheila asked in a curious tone.

"Yeah, he's not very happy with how much I've missed out on school this year. I'm probably going to be held back at this point." The skinny and lanky mistress of bugs looked a bit sleepy.

Half an hour later she was jogging back into the Undersiders warehouse, unconsciously tense for some reason. Lisa was actually up and drinking her 'breakfast' of choice, which was a strong coffee with too much sugar.

"Problem?" Sheila asked as she looked up from her work on a watch.

"No?" Taylor said, sounding quite surprised.

Lisa looked up. Then she frowned. "You are getting some subconscious feedback. All the insects are doing something."

The bug controller blinked, then really thought on her link. "They are all burrowing or hiding in the cracks."

"Something bad is going to happen. An attack?" the intuitionpath asked. "I'm not getting enough information."

That was when air raid sirens went off.

"Oh, *!%$! me running. It's an Endbringer," Lisa blurted out. "You know, we never discussed this after you two joined. But the rest of us agreed to sign up to fight them. We might be villains, but this is still home."

Taylor had turned very pale as the shocking news sunk in. "Of course I'm with you. Though I'm not sure what some bugs can do."

They all quickly donned their armor. Tactics was in her new armor that was painted up in a camouflage pattern of dark and light grays. Skitter was trying to not panic, even as she pulled on her spider-silk bodysuit and key armored components. And poor Tattletale was really, really wishing she had some armor rather than saving her money for future purposes.

"I'll carry you both?" Tactics offered.

"Faster is better," Skitter said. "There's usually no warning with their arrival. They could already be fighting."

The police and PRT barely saw a blur as something passed over them, heading to the rally point. Heroes and villains were appearing in varied ways of teleporting or more mundane transportation. Tactics set the two girls on the ground.

The imposing, armored form of Dragon (about the size of a large van and festooned with weapons) loomed overhead near the entrance.

The officers of the PRT tensed up until they found out the trio were there to assist. They were led into a building and to a large meeting room. Heroes and villains kept pouring in. The Protectorate's main leaders were up front on a podium, looking very imposing.

Legend stepped forward after about twenty minutes as it appeared most of the local capes and most out of town volunteers had arrived. "All right, quiet down."

Tactics raised her hand. "May I accelerate the time within this room so we have more time for planning?"

Everyone was staring at her like she was insane.

"If you can, do it. Limitations?" Alexandria asked.

"Anyone leaves the room breaks the sanctity of the time dilation." She touched wall and then nodded. "We have... well, we'll need food and water before we run out of time."

Clockblocker felt something incredibly odd. "She really did something to time."

"We've lost the video feed and link to Dragon. But this gives us time to plan," Armsmaster said as he relaxed slightly.

"Damn, girl, are you like Eidolon and can have any powers?" Skidmark asked from the Merchants in their huddle.

"I have a decent variety of powers." She was very bland in her self-assessment.

That got a chuckle.

"Do you have one to replace the hand you chopped off?" Stormtiger demanded from among the Empire Eighty-Eight group.

"Oh, sure. I'll be right over," Tactics replied. She kept one ear listening to Legend, then Armsmaster explained general tactics to everyone. She reached out and touched Stormtiger on the shoulder. "There you go."

"What are you... that easy? Damn..." Stormtiger flexed his newly grown hand, feeling no weakness.

Kaiser frowned under his armor of blades. If he had any thoughts, he kept them to himself.

Panacea nodded at that. An extra healer that was not Eidolon. That would be useful.

The sobering statistics of one in four of everyone here possibly dying was voiced and not just left to everyone's imagination. Legend went over tactics and warnings about Leviathan's hydrokinesis. How to fight him. Or if you could not fight him, help those that could. Because if he was not stopped quickly, Brockton Bay was going to be devastated by Leviathan's use of its hydrokinesis on the aquifer below the city. Armbands were passed out from boxes at the back of the room and they just had to trust they would work, as Dragon was outside so not able to synch them.

"So because Brockton Bay is a soft target, we need to do everything we can to drive Leviathan off or hold it back long enough. And hope that Scion shows up to drive it fully off," Legend said in solemn finality.

"Does anyone other than Armsmaster have specific weapons or tactics that we need to be aware of?" Tactics called out.

Legend blinked, then looked over at Armsmaster. "Oh, right. Extra halberd."

"It's a very dangerous blade in untrained hands, but it should be able to hurt the monster," Armsmaster said in a strangely bitter tone.

Tattletale was suddenly looking at the leader of the local Protectorate much more closely.

"I crafted a railgun just for the Endbringers," Tactics called out. She reached into a shadow and then pulled out a large ten foot long high tech rifle. "Anyone with enough strength could probably use it, but I can get the most out of it. It's about five hundred pounds."

"And what is that popgun going to do?" jeered Kid Win.

"About the same damage as a 125mm tank gun loaded with depleted uranium rounds." She turned to one of the 'local rogues'.

"Anyone else?" Alexandria looked over the assemblage. "I don't think we are treading any new ground. Is everyone ready?"

There were a couple of catcalls about not ever being ready to face an Endbringer, but they knew it was time.

"You guys ready? I might have to move teams," Tactics said to the rest of the Undersiders.

"As I can be. Wish my powers had a bit more range," Grue said.

"Not sure what I can even do to affect him," Skitter said in a low tone.

"Try to help keep track. He goes all guerilla tactics at times, so if you can even help slightly with that, you should," Tattletale said. "Tactics... Don't hold back at all."

"Then, that means I need to be ready to move onto the front line," the younger girl said. She was going to help soften it up with her canon first and also get a feel for how it fought.

Everyone was trooping out, breaking the temporal dilation. Even though it had been over ninety minutes, only a single minute had passed inside. Legend was quickly bringing Dragon back up to speed.

"All armbands online. State your name," Dragon's voice said across the devices.

They all tapped and named themselves, confirming the Yes/No on the name.

Tactics looked out over the bay, allowing her senses to stretch beyond just light and sound. She tapped her armband. "Leviathan spotted beyond the bay, south side. Estimating about to pass the breakwaters right now." Tactics floated off the ground, then she quickly started to bolster the Undersider's life force. Her mind became capable of multitasking as she started to keep track of everything possible. She floated over to the other 'ranged blasters' under Legend's leadership even as she bent time again, speeding herself up.

"Shielders!" Alexandra called out as a wake suddenly appeared at the last moment.

Bastion and the gigantic Narwhal led this group. He was the primary, putting up a huge field, but her supreme mastery allowed her to even affect people with her force shields on top of being one of the most powerful capes with her powers. A great section of Brockton Bay's dock district was not leveled but it had required them to stretch their powers wide. The waters crashed into their walls with great force and the inhuman Leviathan smashed through three weaker layers.

Legend shouted an order and the ranged blasters opened fire. Tactics railgun was a handgun to their cannons, but she focused on weak points. While not quite her pistol that she preferred, she still had an uncanny skill. Purity and Legend were the big guns, but Tactics' focus on one (of four) glowing eyes had the lone right eye shattered within the first thirty seconds, hitting only it even with its weird hyper active twitching it was doing to look everywhere.

Dragon's missiles streaked in to hammer the Endbringer, but only seemed to inflict minor damage.

Then the melee crew charged in, Alexandria at the forefront. Her invulnerability allowed her to smash through the echo-wave and punched Leviathan hard enough to bounce him of a concrete wall. Before he'd landed, Tactics had put two more slugs into his top left eye.

"Okay, that's some serious accuracy," Laserdream said even as she sent out her most powerful blast. The New Wave daughter was in the thick of it.

Leviathan continued to battle in eerie silence, only to have his head whipped around as Tactics imbued her weapon with the power to inflict the most horrific of physical and spiritual damage and left a red trail of light behind it.

Tactics paused firing it and then had to fight to affect Leviathan as she slowed him down with the reverse of her power to twist time. She grit her teeth and dredged deep into her reservoir of power, her will and her heroism. And abruptly Leviathan lost a fifth of his speed. Its eyes were looking around, trying to find the cause of this effect. It attention was brought back as Dragon, nearly as large as it was, slammed into him with full power.

"Good job, whoever did that," Legend shouted. "Eidolon, I'm going to go full bore now. Dragon, back off."

Dragon seemed almost reluctant, but with the handicapped Leviathan still ripping armor off as she blasted its face with a high intensity plasma, she had to admit she was not quite up to physical combat directly in melee. "Acknowledged," the giant power armor called out.

Leviathan whipped its tail twice as it spun around to use its echo defensively.

"That's a new tactic," Alexandria noted even as two different groups were hit by concrete hard water. Several of the ranged blasters were either killed or knocked out, though most of the flying ones avoided the attack. The main group on the ground had take a hard hit and the first fatality was called out as one of the unknowns from outside the city was smeared by the water on a concrete wall. Skitter, Grue and Bitch were all surprised when they came out relatively unscathed.

"Dragon! Incoming weapon." Tactic tossed the railgun to the quadruped to let it land near its feet. The air seemed to ripple around her, like an immense, invisible power covered her in an aura. Then steel, brass and gold streamed into existence around her as a massive, fifteen foot armor covered the smaller girl. A Grecian warrior of pure metal, carrying a huge sword and with a distinct Athenian slant to the look floated there.

Legend, Purity and Alexandria were pounding away even as Eidolon used a earth-shaping power to hamper the slowed Endbringer. Tactics slammed into its side at over four hundred miles per hour, actually knocking it sideways. Even as a huge, weighty and metallic target, Tactics was a literal blur of motion, twisting and spinning around claws and echoes-waves.

"Tidal wave incoming," Tactics shouted.

It was moving at hundreds of miles an hour. And with that distraction, Leviathan broke through the shields around him and unleashed a larger echo-wave that hit Alexandria, Tactics and the ground team. The tail whipped around as the water suddenly turned thick around Tactics. For just a second it looked like she was going to be impaled, only to somehow flex and bend impossible against the super-pressure of water.

Even so, her left arm went flying.

"Tactics B-10, down," called out Dragon's voice.

Leviathan charge through a building at its full speed again, taking off to gain some distance. The wave was only thirty seconds away.

The young demigoddess pulled herself to her feet, furiously thinking of some way to stop that monster of a wave. She appeared next to Clockblocker in a flicker of motion. "I need your help to save the city."

"I thought you were- Never mind, sure. What can I do-ooooooo!" the time controller said as he found himself flying through the air under the giant metal warrior's remaining right arm. As they streaked up into the sky, the clouds above were changing. Merging into a dark, horrific form that seemed like some pseudoplasmatic goop of tentacles, Tactics forming the full and horrific visage of a Hekatonkheire with over fifty arms reaching down to make a barrier with its limbs. Her will burned as she forced the cloud sculpture to have the strongest structure she could impose in the very little time left. "Freeze it now."

It felt like a rubbery wood. Clockblocker had no idea if he could affect anything this large. His mind was stretched to even imagine the hundreds of feet tall and wide cthulian horror. And it froze just as the waves hit the tendrils. It only lasted a few moments and the spray of water was gigantic, but the second tidal wave was severely blunted, only flooding into the city several feet tall halfway into the city.

Tactics zoomed back to where she just left most of the other heroes.

"What the fuck was that?" Tattletale demanded as the giant armored figure put Clockblocker down.

"Hekatonkheire. Never actually faced one in battle, but did manage to sneak around one in Tartarus when we were breaking in," the young girl said in a hurried manner. "Where's my arm? My ring is on it and I can't manipulate time very well without it." As in at all, actually.

"I don't have enough information to know, but..." Tattletale concentrated as hard as she could. She had been practicing how far she could push her powers with Sheila around to heal her migraines. "Skitter knows. She put some bugs on it. And then ended up under your armor." The intuitionpath tapped her button on her armband. "I need to know where Skitter is, high importance."

"Skitter is located approximately five hundred meters to the northwest," Dragon stated calmly across the armband.

"Go, we'll catch up," Clockblocker promised. Whatever it took to freeze something so huge, he had drained himself a little bit. He felt a bit lightheaded.

"Did anyone see which direction Leviathan went?" a flying cape called out.

"We lost track of him?" someone else called out in a near panic.

Skitter nearly had a heart attack as a huge form appeared next to her. "Are you all right?"

"Beyond the missing arm?" Tactic said in a dry tone. "I'll be better when I find it. Tattletale said you know where it got washed away to."

"Sewers in that direction about thirty feet down. Moving fairly fast back out to the sea. Sorry, it's about to leave my range. So I either follow it or guide people to Leviathan. I've got some bugs in the holes you drilled in its face."

The giant metal statue nodded and took off. She listened very carefully. The ping of the particular alloy she had crafted her new armor from sound through a sewer entrance. She ripped the grate right out of the concrete ground. The sewers were larger than expected, easily large enough for her with only a bit of stooping over. Torrents of water were rushing down the tunnels and she was quickly going with the flow, listening for the occasional sound of armor on concrete.

Thirty fairly frustrating second later and she had her arm. And was trying to not freak out as it sunk in what she was doing. She had never lost a limb before. And it really, really hurt to regenerate to the mostly dead appendage. Her burbling underwater was a string of pained words, even as she set to regenerating the arm.

She blinked as she pushed her way to a manhole in the middle of an empty street. Somewhere during the swim through the water in the storm drains, she had lost her large, outer armor.

The young demigoddess heard a muted sploosh and then one particular manhole exploded outward as she flipped through the spray of water to land on one toe in a perfect one-point pose. With a bit of effort, as her will was starting to flag, she shot back into the air. She had to find Leviathan.

"Tactics B-10, active," Dragon's voice called out.

"I guess so."

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Skitter's heart was pumping furiously as the heaviest hitters moved in to attack. The pictures and videos of Leviathan did no justice to the thirty foot, hunched over monster. It was truly alien looking with its too-thin limbs that were digigrade. With nothing really better to do, she gathered insects around her and tried to 'tag' the Endbringer and various heroes just in case. The water-echoes were doing a good job of killing anything she got near it. As were the explosions and blasts (and, the girl noted as a bit of an oddity, the crack of a railgun that was one of the less powerful attacks).

Although it was very accurate. Even with the flickering back and forth of Leviathan's weird and monstrous four-eyed head, she was hitting one eye each time.

Tattletale was at the corner of a building, ready to run at a moment's notice. "He slowed?" She whistled to herself. "Tactics slowed his personal time down. That's huge. I mean look at Dragon. She's getting torn up, but she's actually fighting back. And here comes some of the big guns."

That was the Triumverate and a few big hitters like Purity and Hookwolf. So Tactics forming fifteen foot tall armor around herself and charging into melee with a large sword was a big surprise. She had not showed anything like that power.

"We're winning." Tattletale couldn't believe that she actually said that.

One moment everything was fine and then Leviathan had somehow sent two waves at different heroes using its water-echo. She had a moment to see Tactic's huge, armored form get its arm ripped off or possibly even worse. Then the tail-whip of water slammed into the group.

"Incoming tidal wave. Seek high ground," Dragon called out over the arm bands.

Skitter and Tattletale were both sitting up from where they were knocked over.

"We're alive?" Skitter asked in shock. "Your outfit is ripped pretty badly, but you aren't bruised."

"Tactics help, but she's busy now and can't save us again. Let's get to high ground like we were ordered." Tattletale tapped her armband. "Two people could use a lift to a roof if possible."

"Oh, wonderful," said a voice above them. "More Undersiders. I bet Tactics has told you a lot about my... powers." Glory Girl sounded bitter about that.

"She didn't. But she's an odd twelve year old," Tattle said in a musing tone. She was so tempted to mention what she had figured out about her weakness. Heroes! She loved it when they blabbed around her.

"Supervillain." And to Glory Girl, that explained everything.

"We might be villains," Skitter said in a tight, controlled voice, "But we are still people."

Glory Girl dropped the pair on a six story brownstone building. "If that makes you sleep better at night, keep telling yourself that." She zoomed off to pick up a couple more people.

The clouds seemed to turn into some sort of multi-limbed cthulian monster just in time to have the waves splash right off of it.

The duo headed to the fire escape to get back down to the ground level. Which was under a foot or two of water, but that was receding rapidly.

After a quick conference, they split up. Skitter had a few insects on some people that were floating in the water, while Tattletale was going to head back to see if her intuition could be useful for figuring out what Leviathan was doing.

Skitter helped save two people, using her CPR on the second one to get him breathing. The first one, one of the Haven from Louisiana if she remembered right, started coughing and breathing on his own when she turned him on his side and continued coughing hard. The second was Skidmark, one of the Merchants. Someone she had no desire to really save, but they were all on the same side. Everyone against the Leviathan.

She sent a message with the armband and then continued her way, hoping that someone would show up to help them. She was trotting through the drenched landscape and almost had a heart attack as Tactics landed next to her.

She was fifteen feet of silver, steel and bronze, blood smeared down the side of her torso where her arm should have been. And needing said arm because it had something important still on it.

They both split off again as Skitter kept using her extended range. She had no idea why she could reach out so far, but it was helping her. Her bugs were picking up something. She peeked around a corner to see a waving tail in the air as Leviathan dug quietly and quickly down into a hole. Water was splashing around from its echo, which had confused or killed most of her insects around it.

She tapped her armband. "Leviathan spotted. Fifty yards to the south of my location." There was no beep. She tapped it again.

The whir and zing of a grapple line was a relief at that point, as Armsmaster swung in and landed in the puddles next to the Endbringer. He had his normal halberd swapped out for his specialty weapon in a very practiced movement. That had Leviathan backed out of the hole in seconds. Half a second later, Armsmaster scored a line across the flank of the Endbringer.

Skitter was gathering even more insects as quickly as she could even as the leader of the local Protectorate team was moving in planned, choreographed moves that avoided everything that the Endbringer would throw at him. But not other people around him, as he had not even looked to see if he was totally alone.

The Mistress of Bugs only had a split second to scream and try to duck behind a concrete flower planter on the street before it felt like she was run over by a truck. Skitter laid facedown in a crumpled broken heap. A cough sent a cloud of blood into the water under her as she felt so cold.

She was going to die.

Alone.

Ignored.

Her father was going to be so disappointed when they unmasked her later, Taylor thought inanely.

Then she felt a twisting warmth as she felt broken bones in her body snap back into place.

"Are you all right, Skitter?" Tactics asked as she continued healing, washing away all bruising in an instant. Then she bolstered Skitter's life force again.

"Good timing. I think I was dying," Skitter said as she sat up in the puddle. One of her replacement swimming goggle lenses was shattered or gone. "My armband isn't working."

"Short range EMP. It was from the top of the factory building on the left. It sort of blinded me for a second. Take mine. I have an Endbringer to help dismantle," Tactics said in a furiously angry voice as she handed off the band. Metal was swirling around her as she magically donned her colossal armor again.

"Keep away. My programs are working perfectly to maim and cripple it," Armsmaster ordered. He could beat this. Kill the Endbringer. Prove to everyone he was worthy to be a great leader.

"No, actually, you are not maiming it. The only way to probably cripple it is to remove limbs," Tactics said very clearly. She could see that the deep rents were doing nothing of significance. It was more like removing fur or hair

"What!?" He suddenly ducked away to the full distance with his grapple hook just before he could be hit by the full speed and power of Leviathan.

"It was playing possum," the huge, armored demigoddess stated, her sword skimming just an inch above the water as she walked forward. "And it understands us perfectly." She was now walking one inch above the water and almost felt like she would explode from all the power she was channeling. She was using more in this one battle than she had used in the weeks previously.

"How could you tell?" the armored and bearded tinker asked.

"I can see its wounds and health. These are effectively scratches to it." Her weight upon the world, her fate upon the world was deepening with each powers added.

Leviathan had spun around. It dashed forward and stopped, letting a ripple of its echo shoot forward with enough power to flatten an armored personnel carrier.

Tactics lashed out with her oversized bronze sword she had created with her colossal armor. And an aura in the shape of her sword hit the oncoming wave with the power of a howitzer. She had become a siege juggernaut as she smashed through the wave.

The Endbringer's reaction was instantaneous, charging forward at full speed, again finding that it was temporally slowed. Nine tons of island destroying Endbringer tried to smash her down as the metal giant flickered away so fast that it appeared to teleport forty feet away. The sword lashed out again, smashing a large cut into Leviathan's side and knocked it skidding across the ground with a boom of thunder.

The Endbringer was back on its feet instantly, slashing its body around to generate whips of echo-water like it had earlier, but its opponent was far enough away to spin around the attack to slam another glowing sword into it that sent it sprawling.

And moving it ever northwest in direction.

A full minute of getting knocked down like a pinata and the Endbringer took off like a champion sprinter, only to get knocked back and skidding across the ground and through a row of parked cars. Leviathan sent another large echo-wave at the glittering figure. She leaped over it, right towards the monster as it was ready for that move.

Moving through the air just as easily as she could the ground, Tactics dodged with another glittering flicker and lashed out from forty feet to Leviathon's southern side, sending him crashing another hundred feet away.

"Tactics is smashing Leviathan north on Grand Ave," Armsmaster reported to Dragon bitterly, even as he sent his grapple hook into another building to try and keep up.

Down on the ground, Skitter was trying to keep with the running battle as the metal armor and monster fought tooth and nail. She paused to catch her breath for just a second. Leviathan lashed out with another echo-wave that went wide of his armored foe.

"Armsmaster! Watch out!" Tactics shouted even as she smashed Leviathan fifty feet up the road.

The tinker felt his line go slack as the ten story building he had been swinging towards collapsed towards him. His grapple was released even as he quickly prepared to try a desperate cut with his anti-Endbringer spear.

Tactics' mind was calculating, inferring and determining a quick action. Lightning flashed from her hand to strike the falling building just above Armsmaster. He was pelted by fragments and buried under a pile of rubble, but not flattened instantly.

And with that she was off chasing Leviathan again, a literal streak of reflective metal that intercepted it before it could circle back around to the main center of town. It was obvious to her that he was trying to center himself on top of the aquifer to use the water underground.

And at that point, the rest of the heroes started to catch up. The flying blasters started to rain down blasts down on Leviathan, slamming it back into the base of Captain's hill. The Endbringer was looking slightly ragged, as minutes of being pounded with a sharp battering ram of force that could burst buildings and break siege walls was starting to take its toll on its outer later.

Skitter lifted a five pound piece of rubble, trying to get to the buried form of Armsmaster that her bugs were telling her was still alive. She paused for a second to communicate to Dragon, "Trying to dig out Armsmaster. Could use assistance." The debris shifted she saw the cracked and bent helmet he wore. His exposed jaw had been cut and blood was coating the side of his face.

"Acknowledged. Recover the Anti-Endbringer halberd to help combat Leviathan," the female voice replied.

"Roger," she replied.

He had a pulse and was breathing fairly steadily. The flash of a teleporter appeared next to her made her jump. "Don't worry, I've got him," the young man said. With another crash of thunder, he disappeared with Armsmaster without even bothering to unbury him entirely.

Skitter nodded to herself. Her bugs had found the halberd, under the rubble to the left. It was actually fairly easy to get out. The ground shook beneath her feet, almost sending her stumbling as the rubble shifted. Through the gap that this building opened up, she could see the heroes pounding on Leviathan seven hundred feet away.

She hopped back down the small pile of rubble back to the street and then took off. The halberd was not active right then. Skitter visualized how Armsmaster held the hefty weapon when he first started. He acted like he was right-handed, so the button should be around right about there.

The halberd's spear tip started glowing as she managed to trigger it. (Must have not put as many restrictions or turned them off, she thought idly.)

The bug mistress turned a corner just in time to see Legend getting clipped by a wave of water from Leviathan's tail. Tactic's looked like she had taken a hit as blood was seeping from gashes in her armor across her face and torso, but was still pounding the monster up against the side of the hill. Most of the heroes had fallen back slightly, but Alexandria and Eidolon were both still slugging away. The punches from Alexandria were just as heavy as Tactics sword battering ram, but she tended to get knocked away in counter-attacks.

Eidolon, on the other hand, was in full impediment mode, trying to trap Leviathan with rock constructs to allow the other two to continue pounding while he would materialize a shield around him to block the Endbringer's ripostes.

Several other heroes and villains were trying to get in the occasional attack, but were not having as great an effect as they could due to poor teamwork. Leviathan managed to break free for a second and charged towards the north.

Towards her, Skitter noticed in a sudden panic. It skidded to a halt ten feet in front of her and then did its rapid spin to send two water-echoes from its tail. Not at Eidolon and the heroes on the ground, but all on the master of any power he desired. His shield took the first hit, but shattered under the second, leaving him stunned from the feedback and rolling back down the road in a crumpled heap.

Skitter had dived low under the water so was drenched by his echo, barely keeping her feet. A claw slammed right next to her and she instinctively swung the halberd so the tip would hit the digitigrade 'knee' that was far too close for comfort. She had expected it to mostly bounce, but the halberd actually cleaved through in one hit.

"Tail!" Tactics shouted as she slammed her battering force at the Endbringer.

That did not stop its movement, but the warning had been barely enough to allow Skitter to only get her armored back-plate ripped off by the fast moving water as she dived low. She only dimly had an idea where it was after dozens of gallons of water had dropped on her, so she swung wildly. First time was just air. Second time she bounced the shaft off something. So she swung again and a lot less water was being dropped on top of her.

Leviathan was whipping around on three claws to deal with the very dangerous weapon behind it when Tactic's next sword-blast lifted it off the ground with another crash of thunder. It went spinning in a huge spray of water up the hill, smashing through four house.

A short very quick hop had Tactics close back in and swing her sword, but this time it was a feint and the colossal armored form slipped in to grab its left fore leg. The power to regenerate whole limbs was reversed, withering the limb.

Leviathan was too powerful for it to take the entire arm, but it did remove the clawed 'foot'.

Trickster gave a shrug from the bottom of the hill. The bug girl seemed to be doing an okay job, so he switched her with a chunk of house that looked about her size and put her right back into melee.

"FUCK!" Skitter shouted as she jabbed forward at the hind of Leviathan. She was going to kill Trickster! Was he trying to get her killed? One week of staff practice was not nearly enough time to be a 'weapon master'.

Tactics swung the huge blade around in an arc and brought it back down on top of the Endbringer to smash it into the ground while she reached out to put her free to be there to touch it, withering the lower leg again.

Dauntless was flying up to take a few pot shots after getting Legend back to a healer. His shocklance was taking another chunk of flesh off of its side. "We're winning! Keep up the pressure!" he shouted.

Alexandrian nodded in agreement as she swooped in to tackle Leviathan's right foreleg. With his left limbs compromised and shorter than normal, she was able to actually pin him down.

Skitter reacting with pure adrenaline and panic. She had managed to leave the Endbringer with a stumpy tail (that inanely reminded her of one of Bitch's dogs). She leaped forward and swung down cut off half of its right back foot. Another hack had the rest of the claw scoured away by the weapon.

And rescue had arrived just in the nick of time as Bitch's Hellhounds appeared and swarmed over the rear end, following the whistled orders of their mistress to pin and rip. The snarling monster dogs were more than happy to do so

Another tidal wave was blocked by Bastion's group, as they had been able to pull back and cover the city while Tactics pounded the Endbringer across town. The massive telekinetic and shields kept it from flattening the city docks, but another wave of water of ten feet washed through town.

The Endbringer was finding that actually losing limbs was crippling its ability to fight back. And it was too far away from water to be able to escape by swimming. The center of town rippled and a huge lake was created as it sunk into the water of the aquifer. The water started to slosh around even more.

Tactics and Alexandria were both pinning down the front as the larger, armored figure kept withering it with a gruesome touch. Skin was flaking away, flesh atrophying. It was turning into a game of who would outlast the other, as Tactics felt her power slowly waning away. She had maybe another minute of this and she would be entirely drained.

Then part of Leviathan's back spine refused to wither away. It was a large chunk of the monster. Slamming her sword down on inflicted a scratch even as it redoubled its furious attempts to get away.

But the young demigoddess finally saw it taking real damage. "This is the real target! Hit it!" she shouted out.

Legend curled a smile of anticipation. "You heard the lady. Target that spot!"

Leviathan was little more than a skeleton with stumpy remains of limbs, thrashing as hard as it could with everything it had left.

Lasers, helix blasts, energy bolts struck home. Again and again.

And then a final chop of Tactic's red-glowing sword, the Endbringer jerked one final time and then collapsed. Its flesh and bones started flaking away, as it had only been held together by energy field produced by the real Endbringer at the very center of the 'matryoshka doll' of it true structure.

Tactics hit it a few more times just to be sure, but even the core was disintegrating. Skitter and the dogs were panting heavily. The young girl could hardly believe what she was seeing. "We- We killed it? It's dead?"

"Yes. Not a bit of life left in it at all," Tactics said even as her outer armor sublimated away. Her inner armor was hashed and her face and shoulder had large gashes.

Alexandria landed next to her. The gray and black garbed woman stared at her for a second, then smiled. "I guess its a good thing I failed to capture you back in Nashville. You are probably going to be known as one of the strongest teen capes."

"But I'm not thirteen yet," Tactics replied inanely. She had her hands on her knees as she took long breaths.

That got a chuckle from some people, then a cheer started to be yelled out. Even the villains were jubilant, as they had killed an Endbringer.

Skitter just sat on the ground twenty feet away and shivered in shock. That was insanely too close.

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Arcadia High School's gym was being used as a triage. Medical curtains were set up throughout the area. Panacea was sitting down near the entrance, taking a mandated rest. She was so bone tired. She looked up as she heard someone talking to Dr. Tanaka-Williams.

"I can't let you near people with an open wound. You should be laying down on a bed, not offering to help heal people," the doctor was saying to a thin figure in armor of varying shades of gray.

"I can actually keep functioning at this level for several weeks. And once I've rested a day or two I'll be fully healed up. I'm in absolutely no danger. So put a bandage on it to seal it up and then let me get to helping."

"One of your eyes is damaged. I know you parahumans like to think you are invincible, but you can bleed out. Those are serious wounds-" Tanaka-Williams protested.

"Panacea, right? Can you verify that I'm not in any real danger for the doctor?" Tactics asked the girl. "No hard feelings from the bank?"

"I had a small headache for about an hour and was just locked up. It's my sister that has this thing for you. Hating you, I mean." She was never so glad that her costume covered her entire face. She reached over and touched Tactics. "Well, you aren't bleeding any more. It's clotted up somehow." Which she should be able to figure out, but it wasn't coming to her. "No danger of passing out. Not even really showing the effects of the pain or trauma." How the heck did that even work.

"So bandage me up so I can get back to work. I can save lives here," Tactics ordered in a firm voice.

"You're mask," Parian said in realization.

It had to have been knocked off during the battle. "Not the biggest worry. I will be mostly masked by the bandages." Tactics did not react as she noticed that Shadow Stalker was staring at her intently.

Oh. That was Sophia Hess. One of the people that tormented Taylor into a trigger moment. Her eyes tracked down the Undersiders across the open area. Sheila's ichor burned in her veins, carving a new power into her half-immortal soul.

'Sorry about this, but I think Sophia figured out who I was because my mask came off, Skitter,' she telepathed over to the girl.

That was draining. She could do that five more times or save five lives.

Skitter had started and was looking at her. "Tattletale, I just heard Tactic's voice in my head warning me that... Shadow Stalker saw her without her mask on." She watched as Tactics finished getting bandaged up and then disappeared with a nurse to where the critical cases were being kept.

"So now she know who Tactics is and that she was with you and so knows who you are, balancing the fact out that you know who she is? Oh, that is a clusterfuck just waiting to happen. She was one of the girls that tormented you? You need to go for mutual assured destruction, Skitter," Tattletale said as her patter allowed her to figure out more and more. The pounding of her head was almost to migraine levels. She reached into a hidden pouch for some very potent headache pain relievers.

Skitter nodded uncertainly, then started to walk over to where the Wards were hanging out.

"The hell? Is this a perfect storm of teen angst?" Regent asked. He had never, ever felt so freaking useless in his life. Even Skitter had managed to help people and then somehow ended up with a weapon that let her chop of one of Leviathan's limbs. All he got was a bump on his head and a sprained ankle.

"Don't need a secret ID," Bitch noted as she pet Brutus's head, treating for doing a job well done.

"She's got a father, Bitch," Grue said seriously. "If things go south, I am going to back her up. How about you three?"

They all nodded in agreement.

"Shadow Stalker. Can we talk for a moment?" Skitter was summoning more and more insects unconsciously.

"I don't really have anything to say to. At least right now," Shadow Stalker said, her mask hiding her smirk as it covered her lower face.

"I guess we can both figure it out at school when it opens. Of course, I don't think your... minders actually know what you did to cause me to trigger," Skitter said in a low voice, as they were almost nose to nose.

"You don't want to go there, Taylor," Shadow Stalker said. She was not some lame girl that should care about putting Taylor in her place, no matter what Emma said.

"It depends on if you try to unmask me, doesn't it, Sophia?"

The two teens stared at each other for a long time.

And that was the moment when Armsmaster, Dauntless and Miss Militia exited from the area that had most of the Protectorate wounded.

"Just the girl I wanted to see. Are you ready?" Armsmaster asked. Miss Militia and Dauntless both looked a little surprised at that.

"I'm not sure of anything right now," Skitter said carefully. What the hell was he doing?

"It should be easy. But I think you need a push," the bearded tinker said, raising his voice slightly. "After all, you came to me with your plan to infiltrate the Undersiders, didn't you?"

"She- what the hell?" Shadow Stalker exclaimed.

Grue, Regent and Bitch were beyond surprised. They knew that she was not the most ruthless of villains, but infiltrating them?

"Ooh. This is where you decide to punish her for stealing your moment of glory," Tattletale said in a natter. "It was supposed to be your big moment, to prove that you were still better than Dauntless. That you weren't a has-been hero. That you hadn't hit your peak-"

"Shut up, Tattletale," Armsmaster said. "You don't know anything."

"Oh, like you didn't set off that EMP that almost left Skitter without backup right next to the Endbringer and tried to get into a solo fight with it to prove how much a hero you are. But now two girls stole your thunder by actually beating it. Which means you broke the Endbringer treaty for nothing. Because you didn't care that she was there. After all, she's just a villain. Already slipped too far. You'll just ship her off to juvie so she can be forgotten."

"She lying," Armsmaster declared hotly. "She's known for messing with people's minds."

"Skitter still has her original armband. Check it for EMP damage. You'll see that one of us is lying." Tattletale's face had a tight, hard grin on it.

Everyone was listening to her closely.

"And Tattletale is not lying about a single thing," Tactics said as she stepped out of the critical ward area. Six more capes would live until they could recover later. "I wondered why it took a few minutes for the rest of the capes to catch up to me."

"Armsmaster, you didn't, did you?" Miss Militia was shocked. Breaking the Endbringer treaty threatened the whole world.

"Oh, but he did. After all, every time Dauntless does something better, more heroic than him he's that much closer to the ignominy of forced retirement where he can work with other tinkers full time. But he won't be in the Protectorate, would he?"

"Armsmaster, surrender your halberd. You are under arrest for conduct unbecoming of a hero," Dauntless declared suddenly.

"What? You are taking her word for this?" the leader of the Brockton Protectorates nearly shouted.

"He's got a black box recorder with everything in it," Tattletale called out in a cheerful tone.

"Why the hell are you being so helpful?" Grue rasped out, barely controlled anger distorting his voice.

"Because she knew before Skitter joined that she was a hero that just happened to fall in with the mysterious Undersiders," Tactics said in a relaxed tone. "Just like I knew that Tattletale knew that Skitter wasn't a villain."

"You knew?" Regent asked, a bit surprised.

"Of course I did. Someone had to watch her back. I'm pretty sure that Tattletale figured that I'm not the most villainous person out there."

"But robbing that casino, killing those mobsters in charge of it..." Regent asked as he racked his brains for anything.

"Undead vampiric mobsters that tried to kill me. I have no problems offing them in return," she clarified.

"Don't you get it? She's not a parahuman like we're used to. She's a demigoddess heroine from a dimension full of supernatural evils. She's not delusional with a lot of powers. She's the real thing," Tattletale was giving Tactics a hard glare. That just undid a lot of the work she had set up to get Skitter to really join them.

"Guilty as charged on that one."

"You joined to keep me out of trouble?" Skitter asked. "That why you winked then." The young bug mistress was feeling really stupid and used right then.

"So you lied about your age," Miss Militia asked intently. She must be centuries old if she was a demigoddess.

That got a blink in confusion. "No, I'm really only twelve."

Shadow Stalker started laughing. "Oh, that's ironic. Skitter really wants to be a hero." The scrawny girl had the audacity to try and be better. To try and be a hero.

Skitter didn't feel too proud. The look of outrage on the Undersiders and the defeated slump of Armsmaster as he was led off by two PRT soldiers felt pretty much the opposite of a win.

"Well, I could use a good nap and a meal. I just need to do something to cover my face. I could even eat another Challenger," Tactics admitted aloud.

"Another Challenger?" Clockblocker asked in surprise.

"I don't think I believe that you could eat one," Panacea said in a disbelieving voice.

Tactics saw the Undersiders leaving, but tried not to react. "Well, the treaty is good until nightfall, right?"

"You want to go to Fugly Bob's?" Gallant asked. "They probably aren't even open."

"It wasn't even slightly damaged. If they still have power, it will probably be open in an hour," Tactics said confidently.

"I think I'll head... out," Skitter said. She almost said home, but she did not want anyone to follow. She was so tired. Where was she going to go?

Dauntless suppressed frowning at the depressed looking girl, even if you could only tell by her body language. He wondered if she realized that she was about to become one of the top ten most famous capes in the world?

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Part VI - The Ongoing War and Betrayal

Sheila was whistling a ditty from the radio as she cleaned one of the railings on the bed at the free clinic. While there was a lot of work cleaning and helping the injured, everyone was almost ecstatic over the death of Leviathan. They were not quite dancing out in the streets, but the memorial to those that had fallen against the Endbringer was overshadowed by the new spire that was being raised over the ground and spot where he had been destroyed.

"Did you hear? Mrs. Roslyn's cancer seems to have gone into remission. It's like some sort of miracle," a voice said, drifting in the door as a pair of nurses walked by in the cramped hall.

"You wouldn't happen to know how that happened would you, Miss Henderson?" Amy Dillon asked curiously from the doorway as she watched the girl finish readying the room for its next patient.

"Well, I'll go with what those doctors said. A miracle. Hello again, Amy. It's been a few days, hasn't it?" The young demigoddess had an impish grin on her face.

"The demigoddess thing? You don't actually expect me to believe that, do you?" the older girl asked in a coy tone as she walked over and leaned against the wall. At the door, a lanky girl with long, dark brown hair stuck her head in for a second then continued down the hall.

"What would it take for me to convince you?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I could check your body out with my powers. But I doubt you would let me," Amy retorted. It would be incredibly easy to disable some powers with just a touch.

"Why not?" Sheila put the dish rag into the bucket of cleaning solution and water. Then pulled off her rubber gloves as she walked over. "Well?"

"I'm just... surprised." The slightly taller girl put one hand on her shoulder. Then blinked. Her mouth dropped open. "You are human. Totally human. I don't sense anything parahuman about you." Not even the parahuman lobe in her brain.

"Technically, half human. Sheesh. Did they run you ragged or something?" the younger girl asked.

Amy gave her a snort back. "I'm a volunteer because I'm still a teen. So you helped kill Leviathan. Standing side by side with Eidolon and Alexandria. Even with your friend Skitter and Bitch. Are you planning on helping take down Behemoth and The Simurgh?"

"It wouldn't be very heroic to not, would it? Besides, I have some specific ideas for fighting them. I can catch lightning bolts-" Bitch was her friend? Sheila did not think that was quite right.

"What!?" Amy's eyes were wide at that.

Sheila put a finger to her lips. "Shush. Do you want someone overhearing?" At the shake of a head, she continued with, "So I'm looking at designing something to more easily catch lightning bolts without it tiring me rapidly. I should probably do that for flying, too."

"So you are a tinker! I'm so winning my bet with my sister." The teen healer seemed thrilled with that.

"What was the bet?" Sheila asked in confusion.

"We've been narrowing down your powers. Tinker was one of my selections."

"I'll make your life easier, how's that? I'm not a master." Sheila rolled her eyes.

Amy stared for a long second, then glared. "That's not funny."

She just gave her a shrug. "I'm not totally sure what to do with Behemoth's heat transfer trick. Like I told Skitter when I first got here, I'm not really fireproof."

"The radiation?" the other girl asked curiously.

"Should be okay to a point that things don't melt or combust. I may have to take a lot of salt baths." Sheila was suddenly looking away. "I have to leave now."

"What's going on?"

"Empire Eighty-Eight is hitting the dock warehouse district. Kaiser may have called off his vendetta on me personally, but we're still in his way to dominating Brockton Bay." She stepped out of the room and down the hall. "Coming Taylor?"

Taylor was just finishing pulling up the top of her silk costume. "I figured I should avoid being seen with you while Panacea was there."

"Probably a good idea. I've only got my light armor on. And a domino mask. Shall we?"

Skitter nodded even as the two 'villains' exited via the window out the back of the free clinic.

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Grue threw out more darkness to cover the transforming Hookwolf even as Angel tried to snap and bite at the fast and skilled scythe-blades of Cricket. Regent was desperately tripping up Stormtiger. Traffic was all snarled up on the intersection near the train tracks, only four blocks from their loft warehouse.

"You should really think about just giving up your territory," Hookwolf said as he continued to walk casually forward. He stepped out only to run into Brutus's tail and was sent skidding away in a shower of sparks.

"Good timing, Bitch. Tattletale, where's that backup you said we'd get here?" Grue called out.

"He didn't say. But I don't think it's quite what you expect," the blonde 'jester' said.

A blur appeared and then slammed into Hookwolf with a massive crashing and booming thunder, sending him bouncing off a concrete wall fifty feet further away. He landed in a clatter, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. "Tactics!"

Cricket and Stormtiger were suddenly fighting defensively and moving towards their group leader.

"Skitter is here, too," the aeromancer called out as he sent several gusts at the large cloud of insects that was darkening the sky above him. He did not appear to be removing many of them.

"Oh thank god," Regent said. He was at the point where he was going to give himself a seizure.

"We'll be back," Hookwolf promised in an angry snarl, even as his wolf-body of metal turned on a dime and took off running. He hated being forced to retreat, but he had orders to test to see if the two would show up. And they had fairly quickly.

Skitter stepped out from behind a corner of an alleyway as they disappeared. "Undersiders."

"I don't have anything to say to you two," Grue said in an angry tone, muffled by his helmet and shadows.

"Well, I can say one thing; thanks," Regent said with a grin.

"Let's go. Fights over," Bitch said bluntly. She was already climbing up on Angela's back.

Tattletale looked over her team. Now would not be the time to draw them both back in.

"You still have your cell phone?" Regent asked them both. "I'll give you a call later this week."

"What the hell are you doing?" Grue demanded as they walked off into an alley.

"Keeping two powerful capes friendly," the masked pompadour lied simply. He twirled his scepter around, which reminded him that he really needed to replace the batteries in the taser.

"He's got a point," Tattletale said in a neutral tone even as she climbed up behind their nominal leader.

Grue seemed to stare at them for a long time. "Fine."

Tattletale gave them a jaunty wave as they took off on the back of Bitch's dogs.

"Did you have breakfast?" Tactics asked the other girl after they left.

"Not yet. I haven't exactly been hungry." The older girl looked very dejected, even if you couldn't see her face.

"You need to eat. Come on. There's a... waffle place not too far away. They should be open after the flooding by now."

Wayne's Waffles was open, even if the carpet had been pulled up to show bare concrete. The slightly overweight waitress met the two girls with a smile in the almost empty room.

"Just the two of you, darlings?" She pulled out two menus at their nods and sat them down.

Sheila read the entire menu, taking particular attention to the mention of chocolate, strawberry, cherry and blueberry syrups. The whip cream seemed odd to her, but looked neat.

"You are acting like you haven't had waffles before," Taylor said as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. The fake glasses were kind of annoying.

"I've had waffles twice, but never with blueberry syrup and whip cream. They were a special thing for my brother." There was a hurt tone at that statement.

"Brother? I guess I just realized I don't know that much about you." Taylor realized that the girl was very, very tense.

"Foster brother. The apple of his mother's eye. And allowed a normal... well, relatively normal upbringing," Sheila said tautly.

"And your upbringing wasn't 'normal'? How does that even work?" Taylor asked. She curled her shoulders in close for a second.

"You have tutors. All of your toys are educational. And you are forced to learn several languages. All of your playmates are carefully picked to be bigger and meaner than you. You are expected to fight back. And it only took until I was six before I figured out that normal kids get toys and to play with friends."

"I thought you said you didn't have a trigger moment?" Taylor asked. Her eyes were very wide.

"I was visited by my mother, who gifted me with my relics and explained that I was raised to fight the Titans of myth that had broken free of their prison. When I woke up the next day, I accidentally ripped the door of my room off of its hinges. So not really traumatic. At least directly."

Taylor wanted to continue, but the waitress had come up to get their order.

"So how's your dad doing?" the young demigoddess asked to change the subject.

"He's... fine. Lots of work to do. I told him that I wasn't ready to go home, because of the Endbringer thing. He didn't seem to understand, but he's happy I'm okay even if he thinks school is still messed up. School starts on Wednesday. Not sure I'm going." Taylor was hunched over again.

"Have you tried to study while you've expanded your mind with your bugs?" Sheila asked curiously. The front door dinged as a pair of teens walked in.

"You think that might make a difference?" Taylor had not thought about that

"I've got to get back. Extra work-" Sophia was saying.

"Oh, it's Taylor. Let's go say hi," Emma said in saccharine sweet tone.

The other girl's face had gone very flat. "Just for a minute. I'm hungry."

Emma shot her a surprised look.

Taylor looked very unhappy as she heard them walking up.

"Hello. Emma, right? Got rid of all the incriminating texts?" Sheila said before she could start.

"Please, like I'd fall for that again. You got me in a lot of trouble with my dad," the blonde highschool girl said, an ugly expression on her face.

"You wouldn't have got into trouble if you hadn't been tormenting me," Taylor noted in a too calm voice. A low drone was filling the air from outside.

"But you are just too good a target," Emma said with a smile. She looked over at the door and the cashier's desk, which was empty right now. She made as if to grab Taylor with one hand, then snatched the blueberry syrup and started to pour it on Taylor.

Reflexes, honed with practicing against Sheila and Brian, batted the syrup away before she got more than a dab. She then kicked down and out to sweep Emma's weight carrying leg out from under her.

With a squawk of indignation, she tripped down onto the edge of the table and booth. Taylor tried to grab her closest hand.

Sophia took one step to intercede, only to find a very strong hand clamped down on her wrist.

"This is their fight, don't you think?" Sheila said in a clear, hard tone.

"Hey! You kids!" the old matronly woman called out. She put her tray down on a table as Taylor and Emma broke apart.

Sophia had been trying to break free of the smaller girl's grasp, but had not even budged her. "Let go." She started to rub her wrist the moment it was free, to check for any pain. Nothing seemed even hurt.

"Let me get you a booth. And keep you two apart. Any more funny business and I'll call the cops." The waitress tried to show she meant it.

"This girl attacked me-" Emma said in a screeching voice.

"You came over to our table and attacked me," Taylor said hotly.

"We were just minding our business when she came over and started to pour syrup of Taylor. Perhaps we should call the cops. It looks like that camera probably caught everything," the young demigoddess said carefully.

"We aren't going to stand for this. I didn't want waffles anyways," Sophia said as she helped her friend. Her hackles were still raised as she remembered that this girl could throw lightning bolts.

"Sophie?" The pretty teen model seemed shocked at her friend backing down. But she was already being pulled out through the front door.

"Let me get your order," the waitress said. "Then maybe you should head out as quick as possible. Your family is probably worried." She had grabbed her tray with their waffles on it to start handing their meal to them.

"Um, okay." Taylor was frowning again.

Then the waitress walked back to the cashier.

"You did a pretty good job defending yourself. Did you hear about Empire Eighty-Eight hitting the Merchants last night? They are starting to hit everyone all at once." Sheila started spraying whip cream on top of her order.

Taylor was drowning her waffles in butter and maple syrup. "Yeah. I'm a little worried for the guys." She stared at the waffles for a long moment. "I think I'm going to go home and talk to my dad. I might let him know. About all this."

"Do you think he'll try to force you into the Wards?" Sheila asked as she cut up her waffles into geometric shapes with her fork.

"Possibly. I just don't want to be put in a position to fight the Undersiders." Taylor took a big bite.

Sheila sighed. "The moment we went to help the Undersiders, we were labeled villains. My helping Cassandra as part of that agreement would do the same. Not very much wiggle room for people in the middle."

Taylor did not look happy at all. "I don't want her working for Coil. She's our fault."

"She's doing better, but Coil doesn't want to free her. I suspect he has contingency plans if she tries to run. Or is rescued by someone. Like us."

That was a mood dampener. They finished the rest of breakfast mostly in silence. After they had paid, Taylor turned to walk off.

"Taylor! Good luck! I'm sure you can figure out a good way to talk to your dad about it! So keep on trying, okay?" Sheila called out in a strong voice.

Taylor gave a half-hearted smile back and then, with a bit of regained motivation, started her walk home.

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"Dad, I'm home," Taylor called out half-heartedly.

Their small house had gotten off relatively lightly during the Leviathan attack last week. Just some missing shingles, a broken branch on the ground-

"Taylor! You're home!" Danny called out as he came out of his bedroom tying on a bathrobe. Her skinny father looked even more thin and drawn out. He enfolded her up in a tight hug. "Are you back for good?"

"I'm not sure. School's just a mess. And- I just don't know where to start." She wouldn't chicken out this time.

"Start at the beginning."

"It really started the day I woke up in the hospital. They told you I was freaking out? They never figured it out. Because I was feeling every bug, every insect, every worm with hundreds of feet. It took a while get my... power under control." Taylor's throat was quite tight, her voice struggling to continue.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.

"At first, I didn't understand. Then I thought people would freak out." Her lips then pressed themselves thinner, making her look almost lipless. "Then it became my lifeline, something to focus on for the future. That school and the bullying could be borne if I just hung on long enough to become a hero." Taylor blinked as she really thought about it. "I started to obsess with this idea of being a hero. I had to be a hero. And on my first outing I got into this huge fight with Lung and would have died if this girl had literally popped out of nowhere."

Danny furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. "So how did you become one of the villains?"

Taylor grimaced at that. "Well, after my fight with Lung, I ran into the Undersiders. I'd heard of them, but the only thing anyone knew about them was that they were keeping under the radar. So I had this stupid idea to infiltrate them. That kind of got out of control. Armsmaster was a real jerk and then I found out they had this boss that had them do things. So I stuck with them long enough to find out his name." She swallowed, then said, "Let me get a drink really quick."

Danny was still sitting there, trying to wrap his mind around his daughter having super powers. I mean he knew it could happen, but it had seemed so far and so remote. "So, you figured out who the guy behind the curtain is?"

She nodded, then took a drink of her water. "One of the shadowy masterminds. His name is Coil and he has a weird precognitive power. So kind of scary. I was all set, thinking about talking to the Protectorate when I found out that he had used us to be a distraction so that he could kidnap a girl. So it's my fault that she got grabbed, but there's no way I can get her free. And he's got several teams of supervillains he can use. So I fucked up."

"You can't save the whole world, Taylor. And you didn't kidnap this girl."

"It's kind of too late, anyways. Armsmaster basically 'outed' me that I was going to betray the Undersiders. And then I got threatened with jail after I helped take down Leviathan-"

Danny interrupted her at that point. "You were there? Oh, you are Skitter. Right. You've been on the news a lot. I have no idea how you managed to chop its tail off like that." He had a hard time imagining his little fighting that monster that had killed millions of people.

"Stupid luck and picking up that super-spear. Once he started to lose whole limbs he started having problems." Taylor took a deep breath. "And I'm not sure I want to totally cut my ties with the Undersiders. They have been pretty much the only people except for you that helped get me back on my feet. And in a lot of ways, they aren't as bad as you'd think."

"You robbed a bank, Taylor. That's pretty bad," her father said.

"Tattletale explained it, as long as you don't go too far or too psycho, villains are tolerated. Because everyone bands together to stop people like the ABB and that psycho Bakuda. Or to all be there to help fight the Endbringers. So it's like... well, a glorified game of cops and robbers. And the good guys aren't quite as good as I thought. And the badguys not quite quite as bad either."

"The Protectorate does a lot of good," Danny protested.

"Armsmaster... what he did nearly broke one of those unspoken rules that makes sure the villains show up to sacrifice their lives to stop the Endbringers. And they've got Shadow Stalker in the local Wards. She's worse than most of the villains I know. They aren't deliberately cruel." Taylor deliberately released her arms from her holding herself tightly and picked up her glass to finish emptying it.

"So you are going to be a rogue? No, the PRT is already after you-"

"So I'm going to try and do the best I can, in the middle." And try to help her friends. All of her friends, she decided.

"I think that's all you can. Are you hungry?" Danny asked.

"Just ate some waffles, but I think I want to take a shower first. I think I'd better watch some news, too."

Watching TV was a major eye opener. Taylor could not believe that she was suddenly in the top twenty most popular capes in the USA.

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"How is that?" the unmasked Sheila asked Dinah in her secure room. 'So nod your head if there is a 0 % chance that Coil will ever let you go, shake your head if there is a greater than 5 % chance that he will let you go if you work with him as Cassandra,' she sent telepathically.

Dinah nodded her head vigorously. "No pain. And I don't crave the drugs either. I'm quite safe down here where Coil keeps everything important or dangerous."

That was interesting, though a little dangerous to say out loud. "Are the anti-seizure drugs helping with the neural overload at all?" With her ability to just automatically know any medical ailments of a person she could see and her own medical knowledge, Sheila had been able to come up with several ideas to help the young girl. With a bit more tailoring of the anti-seisure drugs, she might be able to use her powers most of the time. That might require an actual implant and neural-feedback sensors though.

"A couple more questions. And since with the same number of questions but dealing better I get less headaches. And I need less candy." Dinah smiled at that. "I've been sketching my Cassandra costume. Why is your costume so military looking?"

Sheila gave her a shrug. "It was an easy costume. Most demigods don't really have a uniform, just usually a favorite suit of armor."

"Time for you to go?" the younger girl asked with a pout on her face.

"Yes, things to do. Endbringers to plan to kill off. Stuff like that." She knocked on the metal door to the secure suite. Once she was let out, she headed over to Coil's office to talk to one of his officers.

"Here for your ten grand, eh? Got to say, that's a sweet gig," the slightly stocky woman said. She was wearing the same quasi-military gear that all of his mercenaries did.

"Coil thinks it is money well spent. I do wish he'd figure out how he's going to work with her as Cassandra," the young demigoddess lied in a fairly convincing manner.

The mercenary's phone rang. "'alo." After a moment of listening, she hung up. "You willing to go rescue one of the tac-squads? They ran into a large group of unpowered Empire thugs. Two of them are hurt and they are pinned down."

Interesting lie there, Sheila thought to herself, as she had listened to Coil order her to help the group and to tell her that. "Where are they located? And how much?" She reached into her pocket to pull out a domino mask. She nodded once to the location and the amount, which was only ten thousand dollars.

It actually took longer to get get out of the base then to run the ten blocks and drop off into melee. There were mostly unpowered Empire Eighty-Eight thugs, but she still spotted the duo of capes that had been sent to oversee the fight in a small, abandoned field filled with junk and puddles of water and mud.

She dropped into the middle of the thugs to start knocking them very carefully around, as she had to adjust to her expanded strength. Othala and Rune were over there-

She stumbled and only recovered by the dint of having incredible reflexes.

"Oh, that's actually sort of tricky. Good idea, Victor," Tactics said with a nod.

"Superhuman skills in athletics and with guns. Very nice," the disguised cape noted happily. "I do apologize that you have to forget those skills for me to gain them."

Coil's men were pulling out as quickly as they could while everyone was distracted by Tactics.

"Apology accepted. Except for one tiny little problem for you. I never forget anything." Her punch dropped the last 'normal' thug as he spun around to land on his face. She flipped over backwards into a tight spin to avoid several hundred pound piece of concrete that slammed into the ground, just as athletically adept as always.

Victor blinked. "Whoops. That is a thing, isn't it?" One of his favorite strategies was to remove his target's skills and then beat them with their own ability. That was not going to work too well this time.

The young demigoddess palmed a knife, tossing it when Rune popped her head up over the edge. The knife disappeared over the city, not impeded by the inch of flesh and armored robes on Rune's shoulder.

The concrete slab lifted off the ground, only to be smashed into gravel by the young girl. Then the whine of jet engines sounded in the distance.

"Jet turbines? Approaching pretty fast." None of the locals used that sort of technology that Tactics could remember. She supposed it could be that Merchant that made vehicles.

"The Protectorate or PRT. And we have orders to not directly engage them unless we have no choice- Ah, fuck."

She sort of agreed with him. That was a rather large mechanical armor that Dragon was using today. Only slightly smaller than her anti-Endbringer one, but that meant it was merely the size of one van. Not two vans.

"Surrender! The local Protectorates will be here shortly." Six barrels came out of opening in pairs along the dinosaur-dragon shape. Two cannisters were shot to the rooftops that hid Rune and Othala, while another pair each were fired at Tactics and Victor.

Rune shot off the roof while carrying Othala, being granted the power of flight by the older girl. Victor covered the ground to gymnastically flip over a huge pile of foam and disappear into an alley way. Dragon switched to two sprayers of foam.

"So, just happened to be in town and headed over here when those onlookers called me in?" Tactics asked curiously as she wove through the sprays of foam as if they were standing still

"You are considered to be an A-Class threat. And a villain, even if rather benign one." Dragon's head was tracking her every move. "Even a well meaning one. Several of Bakuda's conscripts mentioned that you helped free them. And you have gone out of your way to not cripple your enemies."

"And you want something from me?" Tactics had been focused on Dragon's words as she quit trying to bury her in containment foam.

That was quite insightful. Even if Dragon did not really believe that this Tactics might be able to assist her with her technical issues with the Dragon Slayers as the person that tipped her off had claimed. "Yes, for you to become a useful member of society and go back to school." A chain gun deployed from Dragon's shoulder and tried to track the opposing figure. That lasted about thirty second as the loud weapon stopped with a clatter-click. A person should not be able to dodge that quickly. But now she was in position-

And then Tactics disappeared in a blur into an alley in the other direction.

There were times that Dragon hated emotions. Frustration was high on her list of things she disliked. Now she had to let the rest of the Protectorate know she had failed to capture a single girl. Powerful, but alone and on an open field. And if she was someone that could understand and decipher AI programming, she needed to find that out.

Perhaps she needed to verify if her skills were actually up to the task she needed done.

Tactics, on the other hand, was trying to determine what she needed to do. And really, what it appeared is that she needed to burn a few bridges and convince some people to go with her. Hadecleus appeared in her hand. She fought with the sword for a moment, then turned invisible.

It was time to infiltrate a base controlled by someone with the power to 'control destiny'.

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Coil studied the reports and the the video feed that showed Tactics talking to Dinah. She seemed to not be kicking up a fuss for his attempt to get her arrested by Dragon yesterday. Or, more likely, only suspected him of attempting that. Tattletale had let slip that if the girl had proof that he was behind another attack, she would come after him.

Once she departed about an hour later, he relaxed ever so slightly. He dispelled the alternate timeline where he had departed to go home just before she arrived to read the newspaper and make some deals on the phone. He jotted a few quick notes on the deals that had worked well from that alternate time. He split reality again. One of him was going to go talk to Dinah while the other would head out to slip into his civilian garb and talk to his 'boss'.

So he was totally blindsided as both of him were hit only seconds after the use of his power.

Tactics nodded thoughtfully as she her invisibility was dispelled. She was just glad she could send a duplicate her to talk to Dinah, even if she could not use any of her magical abilities right then. Dinah had been willing to play along.

Watching Coil operate for about thirty-two hours had allowed her to get a better sense of when and how he used his powers. Whatever he did set off her ability to sense things of a time manipulation power. But in such a subtle manner that she still had a hard time sensing inside his base. And she could normally sense Clockblocker freezing something on the far side of the city.

Coil almost always initiated an observable action afterwards. Close up, she could tell there was a paradoxical time manipulation in action. Temporal mechanics and a bit of guesswork suggested he was actually picking between two quantum time strings.

"Destiny, hmm?" Tactics said as she carefully measured a dose of anesthesia and injected the physically normal parahuman. She watched him carefully to verify it took hold and caused no problems. She had his hands and feet tied up.

She started tapping keys on the computer, infiltrating with the skill of a tinker hacker team for the US government, but at the speed of one person at a keyboard. Tactics idly noted that she really needed to figure out that mental technique Janika used to talk to computers directly.

She left the computers requiring a password reset to all users even as it backed itself up remotely. Then she turned off the screen. She picked Coil and then disappeared through a hidden escape panel, pausing occasionally to disable a couple of alarm triggers. She stayed well away from the 'monster' kept behind a titanium steel locked vault door. Tactics had watched the mastermind recording a conversation between Noelle and Trickster last night. She was physically a monster and the way she lied to him made her think that she was descending into insanity.

Of the sociopathic sort.

Tactics waited five seconds for the image to start looping on the security system screens, knocking the one guard out before he could even sense her. Then she had the special locked door unlatched and opened without triggering a single alarm. Inhuman dexterity and knowing the systems better than the man who designed them had that effect.

"Time to go, Dinah," Tactics said.

"There is a 100 % chance that Coil tried to betray you again and you caught him at it," the girl said, nodding to herself.

"Correct. And he's tried to kill me in the past. So really, it's more of a matter of when he'll try to kill me again," she replied as she tossed the knocked out goon with one arm, then held out her hand to the smaller girl. She closed the stout door with her toe, locking them in

With Coil still over her shoulder, Tactics gathered up her will to control her purloined ring she had taken from the dead body of her murderous cousin. "Okay. That was fairly easy."

Then she tried to tap into a powerful ability to teleport.

"Are you doing something?" Dinah asked as she looked around.

"I'm trying, but the Relics of other demigods or gods fight you for control," she said as she continued to try and bend the Ring of Fleeting Health to her will.

Then finally, with a burst of rainbow light, the three of them disappeared.

And every single alarm inside the PRT's main headquarters in Brockton Bay went off as the three of them appeared in front of the building.

And inside of its forcefield.

"I don't get this part of the plan," Dinah said with a bit of confusion on her face.

"I'm not a murderer. But I'm not going let Coil go free, either. And since I'm not sure I could deal with him only focused on killing me, it's better that he goes to prison. Hello, guys. I have a couple of deliveries. One kidnapped girl that's going to need some protection for a while and one criminal mastermind," Tactics called out cheerfully to the first responders.

The faceless pair of PRT officers shared a look that just screamed incredulity.

"And why did you bring him here? He matches the description for Coil," the female officer asked even as she transmitted the second sentence across her radio.

"He keeps trying to get me arrested or killed. And sooner or later, he's going to succeed. I'd rather not die," she replied bluntly. She gave off a sigh. "It's uglier than you think. This is Thomas Calvert, who is Coil."

"Ah, fuck," the more senior officer said. She tapped the call button hidden on the edge of her helmet. "I need Director Piggot. Got a villain that claims she has Coil, but she says he's actually Calvert."

Dinah giggled. "I bet that kicked up a hornet's nest."

The Protectorate, all of them, had shown up by the time. Miss Militia was at the front as the new leader. She and Director Piggot were talking in low tones.

The stout director walked over. "So you are claiming that one of my assistants is actually one of the city's mastermind villains?"

"He was even planning on taking it over, setting up the Undersiders and Travelers to be warlords over parts of the city eventually. So big plans. Easier to do when you are playing both sides," the blonde replied easily.

"How long is he going to be out?" Piggot asked bluntly.

The demigoddess looked over at him. "At least another two hours. Maybe more with the amount of knockout drugs I pumped into him. I've got his records (that he bothers to put on computer) backing up to a remote site, but his people are going to know he's out of commision soon. I figure that I give the Travelers enough warning they can grab their 'problem' and leave without a big fight-"

"What!?" Dinah shouted. "I thought you had planned to deal with Noelle. You realize she's a huge threat, don't you?" She actually sounded scared.

Blue-green eyes blinked. "I... might have made a mistake there. One second." With that, she relocated her senses magically into the room with Noelle in her vault while leaving herself locally blind. A disadavantage to her clairvoyance, which is why she did not use it often. And then she really studied Noelle. "Oh. Shit. She's significantly more powerful than I am?" She was nearly indestructible and as strong as she was now. After she became stronger after Leviathan.

All of the heroes present shared an uneasy glance at that.

"Director, that puts this Noelle as a high end A-class threat. Possibly even an S-class one. What are the chances she gets free and attacks the city?" Miss Milita asked.

"There is an 85 % chance that if we do nothing that Noelle breaks free and starts killing people. Damn it. Didn't mean to do that." Dinah put a hand to her head, trying to fight off her growing headache. Her headache suddenly washed away. "Thanks, Tactics."

Director Piggot narrowed her eyes at that pronouncement. That was why Coil had wanted her, it seems.

"What is the chance if everyone bands against Noelle for the level of casualties greater than Leviathan?" Tactics asked curtly, her fists creaking as she tightened her clenched fingers.

"92.6 % with a variance of plus or minus 4 %."

"Shit, she's a mini-Endbringer," Triumph muttered.

"Then we change that future. I'll need the PRT and Protectorate to attack Coil's base under the new building at Moss Ave and 38th." Tactics knelt down to put her hand on the ground. With a shiver, the ground suddenly reformed into a sand sculpture of Coil's base. "There are six locations to invade. You need to take control of this hallway in the third sub-basement. That's Noelle's prison."

"Won't she just break out?" Dauntless asked as he considered the matter.

Tactics visual senses were still clairvoyantly watching the monster off in the distance. "No. Because I'm going to trap her inside that room by slowing time drastically inside it so that several days will pass for one minute inside. The opposite of what I did at the start of the Leviathan fight. Don't waste the time. I don't think anyone can easily open the door during a fight, but once you do normal time will resume," Tactics said even as she raised up the Ring of Fleeting Health. The ichor of Hermes seemed to not fight her even slightly, shining brightly with rainbow light.

"Wait!" Dinah called out.

But Tactics had already disappeared in a flash of light.

Noelle stared at the 'cape' that had appeared out of thin air in in her vault in surprise.

"So you are Noelle?" Tactics asked glibly even as she took off her mask as her other hand touched lay against the wall. "I'm Sheila." This had better work.

"Everything that comes in here," the monster said, "is food. Why should I talk to you?" Her upper body looked disturbingly normal. Her lower body looked like it was similar to the Gigante. Luckily, she was not that big, by a long shot.

"Oh, I was sneaking in to actually ask you what Coil wanted from you," she lied. And not too well.

"He promised he could cure me. So that I could be normal." Noelle's face showed her scowling in the darkness.

That was when thirty very wide jets of containment foam under high pressure filled the inside of the vault from new holes in seconds, trapping them both. Sheila was never so happy to be caught. Even Noelle could barely wiggle.

Half an hour later they finished disassembling the vault around them.

"Tactics is in this section. We should be able to free her," Dragon's voice came from outside the foam. "She seems to be fine, even though this containment foam is not porous. Noelle, aka, Echidna is slowly breaking free. Ten minutes until breakout."

Solvent was applied to open a hole to her face even as the huge chunk of containment foam.

A PRT officer was looking down the hole. "You okay down there?"

Sheila spat out some of the gooey solvent and dissolving foam. "Other than having to hold my breath, I'm okay. Do they have a plan to defeat Noelle?"

"They do. Just need to get you out first," the officer said.

Sheila felt something at her hands. "You did not just take my rings, did you?" she asked in a calm, too cold voice.

"We'll talk about it afterwards. But we need to get you out first," the officer urged.

"Move to the side," Alexandria called out authoritatively.

A wedged-shape piece of containment foam was pulled out with the young demigoddess still trapped inside like a bug in amber. Then there was the sensation of rapid flight.

"Clear the area!" Miss Militia called out.

Seconds later, there was a massive wawoosh-boom.

"I think we got her. No life signs detected and her physical form appears to have been transmuted into silica," Dragon's voice called out. "Operation 'Skin's Teeth' was a success."

The large chunk of containment foam clanked on the ground and then rolled.

"So now we just have to do clean up," Alexandria then called out.

That was the last straw for Sheila. She was sick and tired of being stuck in here and she had a very good idea that the PRT and Protectorate were obviously planning on capturing her. Her muscles bunched even as her ichor roared through her veins.

The containment shattered into jagged, crystalline-edged shards even as Sheila landed on her feet.

And found herself in the center of almost fifty heroes. The local Protectorate and the big hitters from New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The Triumvirate were in the center. Dark black and gray Alexandria, cowled and strange Eidolon on the right and nearly glowing Legend on the left.

"She broke out of it?" Triumph sputtered out in shock.

"Well, fuck." That was probably the crudest thing Sheila had ever said. "That's really not very fair."

That got a chuckle out of the heroes.

Eidolon looked over to Legend, who nodded. "This won't hurt." He then touched her head.

"What was that?"

"I just disabled your Manton lobe in your brain," he explained. He had only done that a few times. And he might not be able to do it again.

"Like you really needed to do that. I'm not so insane to think I can take on the most powerful heroes in the US," she noted. "I'm just not happy that my efforts to save lives got me into the predicament. So much for being the nice guy. Gal. Whatever."

"Which is why we are looking to put you onto a Wards team, once we contact your parents," Myrddin said as he leaned on his wooden staff.

"If you can contact her, go right ahead. I'd love to get back to my own dimension so I can get back to the business of saving it," she said with a pout.

Dragon, in a fairly small suit of armor that was only seven feet tall, tromped up and held out high tech binders. "The local director wishes to speak to you about your future."

Sheila just shrugged as the thirty pound manacles attached.

"And a test," Dragon mused as even voltage to knock out a normal human was sent off by the cuffs.

"I guess that jig is up," Sheila replied with her hair standing straight up. She then punched Dragon hard enough to knock her over the heroes. "That was for zapping me." The manacles popped off very easily as she bent titanium steel like taffy.

"What the hell?" Battery asked. "It didn't affect you at all?" She was standing very still.

"You guys probably wouldn't believe me anyways, but 'not a Parahuman' is the best way to describe it without making you think I'm crazy. I do expect my Relics back shortly." She folded her arms across her torso while she carried a huge frown on her face.

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Director Piggot felt a headache coming on. And she was due for her dialysis later this afternoon right after this. "I am trying to be reasonable. You robbed a bank. Everyone knows you robbed a bank. You either go to prison or you go to the Wards. There is no third option. And by prison, it will probably be the Bird Cage because it's probably the only place that could actually hold you."

"And Bakuda even stole that money from us, so that sucks. No, I was complaining about this requirement to go to school. It's pretty stupid." Sheila was in normal clothes now, as they'd even taken her armor and her amulet.

"All Wards have to go to school. That's non-negotiable."

"I was one semester away from graduating the University of Berkley before I gained all my superhuman powers a year and a half ago. Which includes mental enhancements. I would be bored silly and not actually learning anything," Sheila countered.

Miss Militia was sitting next to me and nodded at that. "I thought you were only twelve?"

"Almost thirteen. But I was already a prodigy child. But I'd rather not be bored to tears in middle school. Even High School would be horrible."

"We'll need to verify that-" Piggot frowned as her phone buzzed. She hit a button on it. "Doug, I'm in the middle of an important debriefing."

"It's Chief Director Cost-Brown, ma'am. And Dragon," her personal assistant said. "Did you want me to have them hold your treatment for half an hour?"

Sheila frowned at that. Treatment? Oh! Diabetes and failing kidneys?

"Yes, tell Dr. Tanner that I'll be late and my apologies," Piggot said. "Send them in." She tapped the button again.

Sheila coughed into her fist. "Well, you don't really need to go see him today. And if you don't mind, I could even regenerate your kidneys."

The door opened behind them to let in the chief director and Dragon.

"Did you just hack our computers to find out about my condition?" Piggot asked frostily.

"Of course not. I just realized you had it as I heard what you were saying. I can see physical ailments quite easily."

"Really?" Miss Militia asked curiously. "And what do I have?"

"A cavity, sore calves and a cracked rib of your right side that is healing up fine. Probably only another week." She shrugged at that. "Healing is very strategically useful."

"And fixing things doesn't have any secondary effect?" Piggot asked in a controlled voice.

"No, it does not give the ability to control minds, if that's what you are worried about." Paranoid people. She was offering miracles for nothing. "Hello again, Dragon. You left the rubber bullets in the other armor?" she asked mischievously.

Dragon actually chuckled at that. "This is more for interaction and being able to work on projects."

Sheila turned to look at the other woman and then blinked while twitching in surprise. Even Miss Militia noted that surprise.

"Is there something you would like to say?" Piggot asked.

"Oh, I was just surprised at how invisible her, uh, prosthetic is," Sheila lied. Badly lied, in fact.

And everyone noticed.

"What? You are surprised I can see that when I can see diabetes with a glance?" she asked defensively.

"I'd be more impressed if you could engineer a cure for diabetes," Piggot said with a snort.

"Probably?"

The chief director cleared her throat. "It appears you made the news with your capture this morning. I just got this fax from Washington D.C. It's a general pardon from the President for you, Skitter and Bitch for going above and beyond any call of duty to stop the threat of Leviathan, the Endbringer." She waved a folder in her hand casually.

"Does that mean I can go? I want my Relics back, too-"

"No, you can't leave. Not until we contact your guardian. Which means you are still PRT and Wards business," Piggot interrupted. "I am not going to let an A-Class... cape run around without supervision. You can't even legally get a job."

"You want me to sit on my butt for five years?" Sheila asked incredulously. In the back of her mind, she realized that most of the Undersiders were having a bad affect on her English.

Miss Militia was finding this quite humorous. "Consider the Wards as supervised housing. If you can prove that you do not need an education, I'm sure we can find you something to do."

"Tactics? If I could have a private discussion with you?" Roberta Decosta-Brown asked of her quite politely. She even smiled.

"We'll get out of your way, Chief Director," Piggot said with a smile that almost seemed genuine.

Sheila carefully touched the local director's shoulder as she walked by.

Dragon seemed to be thinking. "Miss Militia? I take it you want me to set up an education evaluation test?"

"I would appreciate that. It was something... Armsmaster would always set up." The fatigues wearing heroine followed the armored suit out.

The door clicked shut to ominous silence.

"I had not considered that your ability to see injuries would include my own eye," Dacosta-Brown said to herself. "That was unexpected."

"Super acute senses on top of that, too. That should be relatively easy to fix," Sheila noted with a shrug. "Isn't it illegal for you to be in charge of the PRT?"

"The eye has its uses, so let's not just go ahead with that. And yes, technically illegal. A necessary fiction that is still mostly true as almost all of the leadership of the PRT are not parahumans. Something to keep people from panicking as we attempt to save the world."

"Save the world from what?" the young demigoddess asked. She was suddenly incredibly focused. "Can't be the Endbringers. They aren't world enders. Purely local devastation."

"You don't need to know," Roberta countered. "We are doing everything we can to prepare for the absolute worst-"

"How powerful is Scion?" Sheila asked bluntly.

"You never mentioned precognitive ability." Roberta was giving her a hard look.

"Pure deductive reasoning. It had to be something stronger than the Endbringers. And the only ones that have always driven them off have been the Triumvirate and Scion. And Scion handles them like they are unruly animals. Everyone else, while a massive threat, is not an world ending power."

The chief director had a glare on the girl. "Yes, some time in the next twenty years, Scion will exterminate over ninety percent of humanity."

"And you are part of some secret cabal trying to forestall it, probably using semi-shady options," Sheila murmured to herself.

"I think we've reached the end of this discussion. I would be very displeased if my secret identity got exposed," Roberta said in a very firm voice. It appears that they had underestimated her thinker rating.

"Let me know if you ever want your eye healed up, chief director," she called as the other woman left the room. She raised an eyebrow to look at a spot on the carpet about three feet away. "Oh, that sort of interaction."

An almost invisible, pencil-thick tendril of smoke drifted up from where Dragon had been standing.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Part VII - Turning Over a New Leaf.

"Taylor, you have a letter. Someone slipped it through under the front door," Danny called out. He had checked on his daughter three times last night, afraid she would disappear. He was a bit confused how the thick and official packet had fit. He thought he had resealed the weathering on that door.

Taylor came out in her PJs blinking against the morning sunlight. "What? Well, I guess I should see what it is." She curled it slightly, happy to feel that it did just feel like more papers. The letter opener had it slit open quickly.

Heya Taylor!​

​

This is good news. You are the proud recipient of a Presidential pardon for all crimes that you committed before today. Why don't you stop by the Wards in costume and help keep my sanity. Piggot won't let me leave without talking to my 'guardians'. And that isn't happening anytime soon.​

​

Oh, I got my phone back, too. So you can call.​

​

Sheila H.​

​

P.S. Make sure Rachel gets her copy.​

​

She stared at the note, then frantically pulled out the official papers. Then she squealed girlishly in joy. Which she reminded herself to never do again, because it made her sound like a ten year old. "Oh, my god. A Presidential pardon?"

Her father had been in the process of sipping his scalding hot coffee. He managed to burn his tongue and spit out the coffee all in one fell swoop. "A what?"

"The President pardoned me, Tactics and Bitch for our 'services above and beyond the call of duty to eradicate the Endbringer Leviathan.' That is so cool. Oh, it even came with a little pocket card version to show the cops." Taylor was up and moving with purpose. "I'm going out."

"Where are you going?" Danny asked, half deciding to go with her already.

"Oh, Rachel needs her copy. I have no idea what she is going to do. I don't think she even has an idea how to interact with normal people." The door slammed closed behind her.

"You are going to go talk to a supervillain?"

"She's just as pardoned as I am!" Taylor called out as she started to quickly scamper into clean clothes.

"But-" Danny was suddenly totally lost. His little girl was suddenly part of a strange and terrifying world.

"Besides, maybe I can convince the other Undersiders to go hero. It happens sometimes. They were pretty much always in it for the money. None of them were in it to terrorize people or kill someone." The door popped open as Taylor kept stuffing her costume into a duffel bag. Rachel's pardon was on top.

"They were villains!" he retorted.

"Dad, Bitch is doing all this stuff so she can get dogs out of the pound and fix them up. Grue... he's got a sister. He's trying to get enough money so that when he turns eighteen he can get her away from her abusive parent or the foster house she's in this month. Regent, he's basically a runaway. And I'd have run even further away than he did. Tattletale... you know, I'm not sure why she's in the group. But she's not actively cruel most of the time." She pulled on her hoodie and had the door open. "I should be back in a couple of hours!"

Danny blinked. That was the most energetic and happy his daughter had been in months. "Um, okay."

Taylor caught a bus over to the loft, hopping off a couple of blocks away. She was still almost giddy. She even skipped around some shallow puddles, ignoring the small group of three tough bald guys. Her key still worked and she dashed across the warehouse and up the flight of steps into the actual living area.

"Hi, Lisa! Where's Rachel!" she called out loudly.

Lisa looked up from her laptop and the pile of cell phones. "At her place where she's training her dogs. She won't be back until later. Are you high? No, just over the top happy? Did you get lucky?"

"No!"

"You joined the Wards? No, that doesn't make sense. Talking to villains would have to break some rule." Lisa starting to put the pieces together, but it was off-putting how happy Taylor was. "You talked it all out with your dad?"

"Yeah! He's cool! Even if I do just what I think is right and never join the Wards. But no, this is the cool part." The mistress of all bugs pulled a small card out from her wallet.

"It's a card that fucking says you are pardoned? What the hell?" The blonde started reading the small print. "From the President of the United States?"

"I guess he thought we were cool for being part of the group that finished off Leviathan. I mean Bitch's dogs piled on and held him down long enough to carve off more his rear legs. I managed to chop his tail off with Armsmaster's spear-"

"-which was totally lucky-"

"No argument from me. I have no idea why I wasn't splatted. But Sheila left these for us and I can't not give them to her so Bitch can decide what she can do with her life," Taylor was nearly hyperventilating.

"Breathe. Slow down. You are going to make yourself pass out." Lisa had a smirk on her face. She had never seen the other girl so giddy in her life. "Hmm. There's a deeper story behind why you guys got pardoned. Someone didn't like Sheila getting railroaded? And had enough contacts to get the president to agree to help out." Now who had that kind of clout?

Taylor was still trying to control her breathing as the door opened and Brian walked in. "What is she doing here?" he demanded. He was suddenly quite tense.

"Delivering Rachel her pardon from the President of the United States," Lisa called out as she tried to not burst out laughing at his expression. "Let me call her and let her know we need to talk to her."

"What the hell is that shit, Brian?" a younger girl right next to him demanded.

Lisa twitched while Taylor had a much more drastic reaction, diving over the back of the couch.

"Oh, that's good," the dark-skinned girl said while holding her stomach, cackling hysterically.

"She's never met you or run into your power, Aisha. Taylor, Aisha. Aisha, Taylor. She's the newest member of the Undersiders," the muscular teen said as he put on an expression of long suffering.

"Um, hi," Taylor said inanely

"So you're the traitor. I kind of expected you to look worse. You're kinda just blah," Aisha said in quite the snarky tone.

"Nice to meet you too, I guess." Taylor was blinking as she took in the girl.

"That's her power. She can make you forget that she's there. Hey, Rachel. Taylor has something big for you. No, it's good. You might even sort of like her after this. No, she doesn't have Hookwolf's head on a platter." Lisa winced and pulled the phone away. "No, trust me. You really want to come over as soon as possible." The intuitionpath disconnected the call with her thumb. She gave a shrug. "She'll show in an hour."

By that time Alec had wandered out to eat some dead-cold pizza and Taylor had taken to pounding on the punching bag mostly in costume, to get a better feel for the motions in her silk stocking. She was working up a good sweat.

The door opened to admit Rachel and her three dogs who were all about the size of small ponies. She glared at Taylor. "So what do you want?"

Taylor unzipped her duffel bag and then pulled out a large envelope. "Here you go. Your presidential pardon for past crimes." She very carefully did not show her teeth while smiling.

"The fuck?" Alec sputtered out from where he had been vegging out. He had totally ignored everything but his pizza and the movie on the satellite dish.

Rachel just blinked. Then her scowl was right back. "Not funny."

"It's not a joke. He's thanking you for saving thousands of lives in the future for helping to kill Leviathan. Your dogs all managed to to help at just the right time to help finish him off." Taylor gave her another smile.

She looked over at Brian and Lisa. "I don't know how to be normal." Her square face was actually showing a lot of discomfort and anguish

"You should try, at least. I mean, I think most of us aren't really into 'being a villain'," Alec said with a frown on his face.

"Hey! I can handle it!" Aisha snapped out. "I'm good enough."

"You haven't seen some of the hairy stuff yet, Aisha. I'd get out if I could take you with me. I'm trying to make a better life for us. Just worked out that it was by being a crook," her older brother said, looking far older than his seventeen years of age.

Outside the loft, but inside the warehouse something smashed loudly.

Lisa paled dramatically as she opened the door. "Oh, shit. The Empire Eighty-Eight found us."

"So? Just some gang-bangers," Aisha said.

"No. It's all the heavy hitters available."

All of the Undersiders stared at Lisa in shock.

"We run," Brian ordered after the long, pregnant pause. He then unleashed a cloud of darkness into the warehouse. "Tattletale. What's our best path out?"

"There's isn't one. I'm calling in Coil's mercenaries for back up," Lisa shouted even as she grabbed her domino mask out of her pocket. Her other hand was bringing up her contacts on her phone.

"Call Sheila," Taylor called out even as she grabbed the rest of her costume. Behind her, Bitch was enhancing her dogs as quickly as possible

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, hey Sophia," Sheila said as she wandered into the common area of the Wards.

Sophia did not quite twitch by dint of strength of will. "Sheila. What do you want brat?" the older teen asked from over by the TV. She shot a glare in the direction of Kid Win's lab after a particularly loud crash echoed out.

"Just finished my 'aptitude and scholastic' testing. Someone was throwing ringer questions in there. Some of that math questions were unsolved theorems. Well, they were unsolved."

Dennis looked over from where he was hanging out, mostly in costume but with his mask taken off. He held out his soda on the table next to his chair and froze it in time, then used it as an easy handle to pull himself out of his seat.

"That's so annoying when you do that," the demigoddess complained.

"It's handy. How is it annoying?" he asked as a counter.

"When I can feel it across the city?"

That got a chuckle out of Carlos and Dean.

Missy came out of her private room down the 'girls' hall. "Oh, there you are! Come on! We want to talk boys." She grabbed Sheila's wrist to start tugging her back down the hall to where Dinah was standing near her door.

"What?" the new girl in the Wards asked as she let herself be dragged along.

"Better her than me. In fact, I hope that's a daily thing for her," Sophia said as she channel surfed.

"You have a problem with her?" Gallant asked as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"The fact she could squash me like a bug? And still pretends to be a goody two-shoes?" the dark-haired girl asked facetiously to him. "God, she even uses lightning. It's like-" She cut herself off. No way was she bringing up that time.

Back in Missy's room, the three girls were sitting on the floor next to her bed. Dinah had a grin on her face.

"So, what type of boys are you interested in?" Missy asked bluntly.

Sheila gave her a confused look. "That's why you dragged me in here?"

Dinah snorted, then winced as she got a twinge from her power.

Sheila absently poked her leg, curing the pain. "I mean, I'd rather they were handsome. No monstrous features. It'd be nice if he was smart."

"So dark and brooding? Blonde surfer?" Missy asked, trying to pin her down.

"Those really don't matter too much to me. Too easy to change," the blonde explained.

"It's that demigoddess thing?" Dinah asked curiously.

"Demigoddess?" The master and inanimate space and time was blinking in confusion.

"Sure. Adopted daughter of Athena. See?" Sheila snapped her fingers and she suddenly had dark hair. "So color-"

"Is that all you can change?" Missy blurted out in shock.

"No? Please tell me that everyone's not going to be paranoid that I can shape change slightly," Sheila asked as she rolled onto her back and smacked her head lightly on the carpet.

"That's slightly?"

Dinah had a grin. "No changing into swans or bulls for you?"

"Might be able to figure out owls," Sheila replied as she rolled back to a sitting position.

"So what does Athena look like?" Dinah asked very curiously.

Another shrug. "Probably what she wanted to. But here." She pushed off the floor one hand, landed three back on her feet. Her body seemed to flicker like something was not real... or that something too real appeared. And then she was an adult at six foot two, dark hair up in a complicated hairdo with little ringlets in front of her ears. She seemed ageless, but slightly severe with gray eyes. "Oops. I'll have to remember that this form does not fit my clothing at all." Sheila had split her jeans and the T-shirt looked molded to her body. At least her armor had adjusted to her change.

Both of the other girls were just staring.

"What? Oh, too much." And with a muting, suddenly Sheila was still exactly as she was the moment before... but perfectly normal and somehow bland. "Now I don't stand out horribly."

"Okay, I can believe that whole nations went to war over who was prettier than Helen, Hera, Aphrodite, Troy and Athena," Missy said as she snapped out of her stupor. She liked boys, damn it.

There was a quick rap on the door and then Dennis walked in.

"Jerk! We could have been changing!" Missy cried out as she reached to grab her pillow to throw as retaliation.

"I think I would have heard about a slumber- Who the hell are you?" the time-stopper asked in confusion as he realized there was a stranger here.

"Oh, sorry. And technically, I was changing." With that same non-flicker, Sheila was back to her true form. And now she was holding up her destroyed jeans over her low-profile armor.

"Was that what you really look like?" he asked in confusion. Because if she did, he was not going to argue.

"No, that's what her mother Athena looks like. Or looked like at that time. That's a bit confusing," Dinah admitted aloud.

"Wow, that's pretty useful." Dennis frowned. "I don't remember that anywhere in the records." And Director Piggot was going to go ballistic. Maybe he should get it recorded?

"I haven't used it for months." But she might have to start. It had been almost fourteen months since her last growth spurt. She had a suspicion that she wasn't growing any more. And being an eternal kid would not be fun. Time for a distraction. "So I'm thinking of doing this." With an overly dramatic wave of her hand in front of her face, her hair was suddenly glowing.

"Ooh. Neat!" Missy said as she hopped to her feet. "It's too short though."

Sheila actually rolled her eyes. With a shake of her head, her hair suddenly was slightly longer than her shoulders. This groupie thing was annoying. You'd think a long time heroine would be- Sheila's thoughts jumped to a conclusion. "Uh oh."

"Is your hair radioactive or something and we are all getting cancer?" Dennis asked in a half-serious tone.

"No. My... source of my powers can have an effect on people around me. Missy, concentrate hard and try to reach past this feeling you have right now. I might have overexposed you." She looked right over at Dinah. "What is the percentage chance that I've formed a moderate strength bond to her fate?"

"Eighty percent, plus or minus three percent. There is a ninety-two percent chance that we already have a stronger bond due to how you rescued me," Dinah said as she narrowed her eyes in sudden, deep thought.

"That does seem to be a little strong. Does it wear off after a while?" Misty asked as she struggled to focus.

"Yes-" the demigoddess replied, only to be interrupted by a beep of her returned phone that had a text message.

Loft being attacked by E88. Going to die if you don't show up. TT​

There was a streak of glowing yellow left in the air as the phone clattered to the ground. Sheila had disappeared out the door faster than the eye could follow. The whole base shook as the dome was shattered by her exit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Undersiders. There is no escape," Kaiser said from the north wall of the smashed warehouse. "So you are going to prove yourselves slightly intelligent children. You will work for me. Except for Grue and that girl. They get the choice to leave town or die."

He was flanked by Hookwolf and Stormtiger, with Purity flying just over his shoulder and to his right. Cricket was crouched in front of Kaiser, keeping her focus on the group inside the upper area. Nightmare and Fog were far left and right, with regular skinhead thugs with too many guns here. The rest of the Empire Eighty-Eight 'elite' were out of sight outside the warehouse. They had been set up to make sure the Undersiders could not escape out the other sides.

"Fuck you," Bitch shouted back. Her dogs were growling as they guarded the stairs up to the loft. They were all as big as she could make them, which had still left Brutus very wounded after Hookwolf had mauled him badly during their first abortive escape instead of just dead.

"Her bleeding is not stopping," Skitter called out in a desperate whisper to Tattletale. The groaning form of Aisha was being held in her lap. She was gathering bugs, but there really were not a lot of the good sorts in the area. But she was just about ready to really send all she had in.

Grue, like the rest of the Undersiders, had not gotten away without any cuts. "Why did you come here?" he demanded.

"Coil was quite helpful, sending me a letter with oh so useful bits of information. Like where your place was and the particulars about you. I assume the girl that Cricket chastised is your sister," Kaiser said with a nasty smirk that could be seen between the blades that made up his armor. "I figure its poetic justice, right Tattletale."

"Hey, I was pissed at what Coil did," she shouted back through one of the large holes in the loft. "I was not in on his plan to reveal your names."

"Please, if I wanted you dead, I would have had Purity kill you all before you could react. Instead, I have you surrounded, outnumbered and outclassed." He raised both hands and started to grow massive blades from the ceiling that all were pointed towards the loft. "You are almost out of time, Undersiders. Decide quickly."

"Fuck," Grue said as she clenched his fists. "Tattletale, will Aisha live if we give up?"

"Hell no," Bitch snapped back.

"Yes," she called back. Ten more minutes for the mercenaries to show up? Useless. They were going to be dead or working for Kaiser in three.

There was a massive screech of metal of metal and all the blades above them disappeared.

Along with the roof, as it flew like a disintegrating frisbie in the direction of the bay just a thousand feet away. The glowing haired girl in the air was glaring down on them. Her eyes flickered over to Aisha.

"Those are my friends you attacked," the unmasked girl called out in an angry voice. "I'm giving you one chance to leave. Or else."

"Or we could be saved by the angry demigoddess," Tattletale muttered to herself in relief.

"Woohoo!" Regent called out. He knew that this was going to be great.

"You think we did not plan for you?" Kaiser half-lied. He had hoped to have finished this fight before she arrived.

And then a huge swarm of insects enveloped all of the Empire Eighty-Eight from behind, inside and outside the building.

"She makes a great distraction," Skitter said as she idly wiped blood off of her leggings. She didn't remember bleeding that much. Grue just nodded next to her even as he unleashed his shadows on most of the normal skinheads.

Fog drifted into vapor to start dissolving the insects, moving to protect the most vulnerable in the gang, even as Stormtiger crushed those that came close to him, Kaiser and Nightmare with his aerokinesis. Hookwolf took the direct route, charging as a whirling mass of blades and gaffs hooks in giant wolf form at the three hellish dog-monsters in front of him. With horrible, mutated snarls they met his charge head on.

Purity shot out of the insects, a glowing star as she blasted at the girl in the air. At the first suspicion of lightning, she dodged to the left. The thunderclap still nearly deafened her from the near miss. "The glowing thing doesn't work for you, girl!"

"Too busy to turn it off," the younger girl replied.

Nightmare dropped a smoke grenade to the left of Hookwolf and the dog's fighting, so it covered the lower part of the loft. She charged into the cloud, followed by Cricket.

Sheila curled around Purity's helix-blasts with extreme limberness. She pointed her hand toward Fog and suddenly a powerful wind pushed him away and spread him out, causing him to yell out in fear.

"How many damn powers does she have?" the living cloud asked. That attack had hurt.

The skinhead grunts were stumbling around as Skitter used her power ruthless to sting them heavily, but (she hoped) not quite enough to kill any of them if they were allergic. She had flying insects carrying spiders weaving silk lines to tie up the leaders.

"What's taking Nightmare so long?" Kaiser asked out loud and rhetorically.

She came trotting out of smoke, stumbling. "Someone's watching me! I didn't transform."

Cricket was standing next to her, her scythes out and ready. "No one there."

Purity saw the infuriating girl in front of her grin. "This isn't a game, Tactics."

"True. Time to thin the ranks," she replied. She feinted moving towards Purity who suddenly shot straight up. The young demigoddess then streaked off to slam into Hookwolf's back. He barely noted the weight, but the punch that slammed him into a five foot crater face first got his attention.

She only got time to kick head again before she was forced dodge a massive blade that grew from one of the rusting machines in the warehouse. It cut into the loft and finished knocking down the wall, revealing where Grue was blanketing thugs in darkness, next to Skitter and Tattletale.

Brutus and Angela took the opportunity to latch onto Hookwolve's upper legs and tried to wishbone him between the two at Bitch's whistles. Bastard whipped his whole body around to slam his mutant tail down hard on Hookwolf's head. Then he jumped on his back to start tearing and biting.

"Grue, don't block any line of sight between Tactics and Nightmare. She can see through everything here but your darkness," their intuitionpath called out.

"Huh, useful," the boy replied. "I have an appointment to keep. Regent!" He reached under his leather jacket and pulled out two metal batons that he extends with a shink-click. He then leaped off the upper level of the destroyed loft and slammed into the ground behind Cricket. Her right hand twitched at just the wrong time, leaving her barely able to roll with a hit that would have cracked her skull. And Grue was brutal in taking advantage of that opening.

Purity took some low powered blasts as she flew overhead, trying to follow the almost flickering glowing-haired girl across the battlefield. Stormtiger barely had time to block a punch with his readied air-claws. Her two kicks numbed his left leg as his knee and ankle were hit hard. Barely not hard enough to not break them, leaving him to collapse to the ground.

Spiders and wasps were zeroing in on Kaiser's face, even as Stormtiger tried to slam claws into the feet of the girl in front of him. Her slap to the top of his forehead stunned him silly and then he felt himself cartwheeling through the air and out the building. His last desperate thoughts were to use his aerokinesis try to slow himself down or at least cushion his hit.

Skitter was busy trying to take down Nightmare before she could somehow get out of sight and turn monster. She had a whole swarm of insects over the robes and chew through the cloth. And she was finally making progress, much to Nightmare's distress.

Kaiser extended a thin, rapier like blade to try and impale Skitter, causing her to duck out of sight among the ruins of the loft. Tattletale dove the other way, crying out in pain as a bullet hit her thigh. Regent grabbed her hand to pull her behind the flimsy protection of the ruined couch.

"I like that couch," the teen complained.

Then Kaiser was suddenly defending himself from the shorter demigoddess in front of him that was smashing her way through every sword he grew to try and stab her with.

Then, between one flicker of motion and another, she was suddenly in front of him holding the handle of a large sword against his chest. Max Anders stared at her in growing anger, then coughed up some blood. She had stabbed him through with a sword?

"Kaiser!" Purity shouted as she shot out a much larger blast at Sheila. The blaster was starting to fly backwards to rob the retaliatory boot that landed on her stomach of power and it still shot her away (and left her without any breath as she held her stomach from the pain). Sheila had jumped sixty feet straight up to kick her, spinning acrobatically to land on the shoulders of two skinheads that had not yet run. And even adjusting her landing to soften the blow, that still broke both of their shoulders.

Kaiser was down on one knee, trying to entrap or kill Bitch and Sheila when Imp pushed her taser into his face as she appeared to everyone. "Stay down, you mother-fucking racist pig," she called out.

"Imp! Get out of there!" Tattletale yelled out. "Oh shit."

Menja and Fenja were now looking down into the loft from the far side of the building. They tore down the walls on their two sides of the warehouse. They both suddenly looked up into the sky.

"This is the PRT! Stand down and surrender!" an amplified voice called out from a super-tech hovercraft above them. On the ground, the current Protectorate slammed into Menja with a rocket missile, sonic fury and a blast of energy. Assault and Battery then took her feet right out from under her in a blur of attacks.

Purity shouted out, "Retreat!" She turned slightly in the air as she took a quick stock of the battle. She shot down out of the air, blasting at the two people nearest to Kaiser, which were Imp and Grue. Both were sent flying from the near misses to skid across the ground. She was just putting her hands on Kaiser's shoulders when he disappeared from her sight.

"Special delivery, Bitch!" Sheila said as she slid Kaiser over to her in a shower of sparks along the concrete ground.

Hookwolf finally managed to get Bastard off his neck. He wheeled around on his four legs and crouched down to leap when Sheila appeared in front of him to hammer down with both fists. He was smashed into the concrete as the building shook, splayed legs trying to get traction. He was hurt, stunned and nearly unconscious. All three dogs backed off, growling.

And then the demigoddess hit him again, deepening the crater another two feet and extending it ten more feet wide. He was now in the center of a forty foot hole in the warehouse floor.

With a crash, the loft finally half-collapsed down at an angle, sending the three teen capes into a jumble.

"Tactics!" Tattletale shouted angrily.

"We're alive, aren't we?" Skitter said. Ow.

Velocity reappeared next to Miss Militia. "Looks like they are gone. Well planned escape in some cars with distractions to block the road."

"Good job." The rocket launcher in her hands flickered and then turned into two uzis. "Start cuffing the remaining people."

"Hey! Some of us were just trying to survive," Skitter called out in frustration. She had an arm under Tattletale's shoulder to help her walk out of the rubble.

"Just questioning for She- Tactics, Skitter and Bitch. The rest though are criminals," Miss Milita called out as Triumph, Defiant and the duo of Assault and Battery moved into the group.

"Stay back." Bitch looked frustrated and confused. "I don't even know how to be normal. You aren't going to take my dogs, are you?"

"I'm not sure we could," Battery said in a light tone.

"So is this where we find out if you are really our friends? Or really were willing to sell us out?" Tattletale asked in a pained, but still quite snide, tone.

"It would really suck to throw that presidential pardon out," the glowing haired girl mused aloud.

"No, there's another possibility. I mentioned it just before the attack. Go legit," the bug controller countered. "Grue was doing everything for his sister. Bitch just has... communication issues. She's been trying to save all those dogs the entire time. And Regent, he just ran away from home."

"They'll just lock me away and throw the key away. The things my father forced me to do-"

"Were just that. He was forcing an underaged and scared kid to do them. I'm not... totally against the idea," Tattletale said slowly as she thought furiously. "What about another runaway? As long as you don't force me to go home, I might be able to live with it."

"I can't promise that. I'm not authorized to negotiate anything like this." The new leader of the Brockton Protectorate nodded her head. "But I'm willing to try."

"Does it help if I say they emotionally abused me to the point it was either run away or commit suicide?" Tattletale asked.

"It might," Miss Militia replied. "Tactics?"

"They aren't really unrepentant villains, Miss Militia. Just kids that got ground up in the system with shitty- I mean really crummy lives." She gave them a shrug.

"You still get cuffed, but that's it. No containment foam for the kids. Make sure Menja, Kaiser and Hookwolf are thoroughly contained." She started to direct the local PRT and her Protectorate.

"I hope this isn't a mistake," Skitter said softly.

"Me too. I doubt they'll let us all be Wards," her sometime friend said.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Interlude VII

"Well, that was modestly interesting, don't you think?" the masked man with a knife that he was flipping through the air asked.

"Ah, but I wanted to see them tear each other up instead of go all talky-poo niceness," the doll-like child next to him said.

"I want to test her. She was the one that killed Leviathan," the huge, misshapen figure in the shadows said.

"But we need to test more than just her. I was going to suggest Hookwolf, but he got himself pounded," the first mask said.

The nude woman, covered only in black and white stripes seemed to be staring into the air.

"Looks like she wants to play with Purity," the youngest member of the group said. "And my dear brother... Father would think him such a failure." That girl with the glowing hair should have felt fear, even at this distance. But did not react like she expected.

The strange, inhuman figure that looked more like a robot made of smooth, curved parts and ball-joints did not say anything, though his head turning three-sixty degrees that indicated his interest.

"Never thought I'd get to see my old friends," the woman in red with cigarette burns in rows up her face said with a contemplative tone. Her face turned almost feral as she smiled.

"We'll let the authorities know we are here with our calling cards. Then we'll start our game. I can't help but think this game is going to be bigger than anything before. We'll just have to scream our lungs out when we start." The knife disappeared into a sheath.

The last woman in the group just smiled. And started humming very quietly. The glass windows in the alley started to vibrate.

The group disappeared into the shadows to start preparing their stage.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Part VIII - All the Kings Men

The stout form of Director Piggot stomped into the headquarters' processing entrance. She looked over all seven teens leaning against the walls, half of them handcuffed. "The Undersiders."

"Just like I explained, Director," Miss Militia said respectfully.

She ignored the new leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorates. "Sheila Henderson, that hole in the dome is coming out of your pay. Later, we are going to have a very long talk about the scope of your powers. I don't want any more surprises like shapeshifting not being in your official records. So that means you get to have a second physical along with biopsy tests."

"Right. The first part sounds reasonable. Do inventions and breakthroughs I create count for 'pay' as things I sell the PRT for a reasonable price?" she asked right back.

That got her a longer glare. "Yes. Skitter and Hellhound. You were in the company of villains after your pardon. You do realize that is not acceptable?" she said to them both.

"It's Bitch," Rachel said. "And Tay- Skitter had just brought me the papers. So that's not fucking fair and you can fuck off."

"Director, she is absolutely correct. And Skitter was the one that actually proposed to the Undersiders to not try and fight. They want the system to work, not leave under age kids in a position where they are forced further and further into a life of crime." Miss Militia's voice was stern and she did not sound like she was going to budge.

The two women took measure of the other. Piggot broke their deadlock first.

"Fine. You do realize that being a Ward requires that you give up your secret identities at least to the PRT and your team? And that you have to go to school?" the director asked.

"Don't have one. Do I get to keep helping my dogs?" Rachel demanded bluntly. "I can try school again."

"How are you helping your... dogs?" Piggot asked, sounding slightly interested.

"She rescues them from underground dog fights or bad shelters, tries to heal them up," Skitter said. "And... yeah, I knew that we had to give up our identities and go to school." She peeled her mask off. "My dad's actually pretty cool with things now as it stands." Her brown eyes were still guarded and wary, but she had hope. She suddenly crinkled her nose in distaste. "Damn. I forgot that Shadow Stalker was still part of the Wards. That is going to suck."

"Helping dogs and doing charity work will help alot with your image, Hellhound. So yes, we can see about still helping you with your dogs as long as it does not interfere with school and being a Ward," the director said bluntly.

"Deal." Fuck.

"And what is your malfunction with Shadow Stalker, Skitter? I know she hates Grue there because his power somehow messes up her powers. But she hasn't even fought you as far as I know." The director started tapping her toe.

The lanky and thin teen almost froze up at that point.

"You can do it, Taylor," Sheila said encouragingly. Did she need more than words?

Taylor nodded her head jerkily. "My malfunction is that she's a goddamn bitch that had made my life a living hell for eighteen months and caused my trigger. She's a bully that enjoys tormenting people out of some sick pleasure she gets out of it." She glared at Piggot defiantly.

The two adults just stared at her in shock.

"What? Miss Militia? Did you know anything about this?" Piggot demanded with a bit of loss of composure.

"I did not. I knew there were some issues, but she has not been suspended or even given detentions," the mistress of modern arms said even as her eyes narrowed. "I will be investigating."

Piggot clenched her pudgy fists for a second. "Now on to our delinquents. Any of you hurt?"

"Nah, Sheila patched us all up on the way over. Not even any bruises," Tattletale said with a smirk. Her face then went flat. "Did Miss Militia tell you that I do not want to deal with my parents at all?"

"Something about possible emotional abuse. We can probably convince them to release custody to the state. So that's a tentative yes. What is your power?"

"Thinker 6 or 7 based on Intuition, or as Sheila has dubbed it 'Intuitionpath'. The more accurate information I have, the better leaps of logic and understanding I can get. That's it. Nothing combat related at all."

"Nothing? Not even any basis in predicting someone throwing a punch?" the older woman asked. Thinker 7? Good lord, they had her pegged at a Thinker 3 or 4.

"Not reflexive enough to use like that. That would have been cool though." Tattletale nodded, sounding a bit morose and moody.

Piggot's eyes wandered over to Regent, then moved over to the dark skinned siblings. "Grue and sister."

"My cape name is Imp," Aisha said in a sulky tone.

"Not much to say. Broken home, abusive parents and crappy foster-parents. Once I triggered, I ran and then started to try and figure out how to get my sister out of a worse place than I was at. Because of what happened when I triggered, I ended up on the lam." Grue muffled voice turned slightly wistful. "I was almost there. Had an apartment and I think I was making headway on convincing them that I was in a better position to help Aisha."

Tattletale raised an eyebrow at Piggot's non-reaction.

"And the sister. You have no record except the normal foster kid issues. As long as you play by the rules, you aren't in trouble. Trouble that you, Jean-Paul Vasil, definitely are." She was now staring at Regent. "Son of Heartbreaker. You claimed to run away from home. That you didn't want to be a monster, but you had already killed. But I have to admit, you have gone mostly out of your way to not kill your opponents. That counts for something."

Miss Militia shifted slightly in her stance as her uzis turned into a rifle that she set on her shoulder.

"Not a lot, but maybe enough. I'm not sure I see why I should go to bat for a supervillain who is a killer. Why I should put you in the Wards," Piggot said as she glared at them all.

"Well, first off because we are all underage and it would show that the Wards is a place where screwed up kids can go to get a second chance. Because the system is screwed up and innocent kids are getting ground up in the gears. Trigger when your dad is beating you and nearly kill him? Throw the book at both of them. And that isn't right," Sheila said in a strong, sincere tone.

"Not really. A lot of villains out there start there."

"And you don't want them to become villains. You know they are willing to fight to defend their homes. Everyone here but Imp showed up to fight Leviathan. They aren't irredeemable. And the people need to see that. That the PRT is able to take that step to make the world a better place," the young demigoddess said as she tried to reach out to them.

"Do you have any powers that mess with minds?" Piggot said as she felt a sense that there might be some hope, that the inspiration she was talking about might actually be true.

She gave a shrug. "A little bit. I pretty much suck at it compared to my cousin Janeka. I can counter fear or impose a terrifying aspect upon my enemies. Oh, and I can give a pretty good pep talk if people are down. Like really good pep talk."

"So you didn't use your power there?" Miss Militia asked in a flat tone.

"Not really. Some things I can't stop using like how strong or tough I am. Well, except for the looks thing." With a squint of her eyes, she suddenly became quite unremarkable without a single hair changing. "Useful for just disappearing into a crowd. If I met someone right now, they would be able to say I was a girl."

"God damn trump," Piggot muttered under breath. Then she glared at Sheila. "And that problem that you are having with Vista? She and Clockblocker reported it as some sort of binding thing. I'm already going to bat for one mind controller, I don't want to get blindsided because you are a Master and just not wanting to admit it."

"It's body control, not mind control," Regent muttered in frustration.

"Fate bonds are not under my control," Sheila said firmly. "It can suck at times, but it's how I ran into Skitter in the library. It was a fateful connection, so I was drawn to where she would be. I sort of have this Jason and the Argonauts thing going on. Or like Hercules and his buddy Iolaus. They always fall into their adventures. It's not just allies, but it can draw an enemy to become a nemesis."

"That's a lot of mystic mumbo-jumbo to take in. They don't really believe you," Tattletale noted with a bit of her old humor back.

Piggot looked at the girl off to one side and the 'arrested' group. "Imp, you are coming with Skitter and Hellhound to do some paperwork. You three are going to have to stay in a cell until I can find a judge to take up your case. As its a high priority, I suspect that we can get you released on at least a preliminary ruling."

"I am so glad I had that talk with my dad last night," Taylor said as she followed the woman moving at a charge out the door.

"My dogs?" Rachel asked Miss Militia.

"They'll be fine here. I'll get our canine officer to bring them some water and dogfood. How's that?" the woman said.

"Okay."

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The side door to the Ward's central room opened and five people entered.

"Hi guys!" Sheila called out cheerfully. Hazard plastic cones were laid out directly under the hole. "Already got a tarp over the hole, hmm?"

"Miss Militia?" Dean asked in a strangled voice as she saw what he assumed were at least two (if not three) villains. His helmet was about ten feet away, but he still looked pretty imposing in his armor.

Behind him on the couch, Sophia was just staring in shock.

The older woman smiled slightly. "Who is all here?"

"Um, pretty much everyone, ma'am. We all wanted to know what happened before we had to leave. Only Kid Win had to get home," the teen asked. "Isn't a tour due later today?"

"I canceled their visit due to security reasons. We want to make sure we are all on the same page. Ladies?"

That got a grunt out of Rachel, a titter out of Aisha and a small sigh from Taylor.

"We're the new wards! We're gunna show the world what we can do," the youngest ex-Undersider called out. "I'm Imp!" She actually pumped a fist in a classic victory pose, as if she was playing football.

Clockblocker and Aegis had both stepped in from a private area, masks pulled on. Aegis' mouth just dropped open in shock.

"I'm Rachel, but you can call me Bitch in combat," the almost brutish looking girl said. She was in full glare mode.

Taylor did not want to remove her mask. She desperately wanted that barrier between her and the world. She pulled her mask down around her neck. "Hello. My name's Taylor." She was frowning at the girl in armor on the couch.

Sophia's mask-helmet and cape-cowl was draped next to her.

"Sophia, you and I are going to have a very long discussion about what happened at Winslow and at a minimum, your immediate transfer to Arcadia where we can keep a closer eye on you. As it is, you get to try and convince Legend and I that you did not break your probation. There will be no more bullying. Or I will personally throw you so hard into your new jail cell that you will bounce." Miss Militia was giving the girl a very hard glare. "Are we clear?"

"Fucking Taylor had to go tattle to the authorities-" Sophia said even as her glare at Taylor looked to be of lethal intent.

"Shut. Up. If I can find enough evidence that you did bully her for over a year, then managed to cause her to trigger and get sent to the hospital because you caused a psychotic episode, you are gone. Do you understand?"

Sophia glared right back.

"You will give a verbal response to my question or you are going down to the holding cell now. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Sophia looked like she would rather eat a worm than state that.

"Come on. It's time for your interview. You can leave your mask and weapons. You might not need them again."

The door barely closed before Clockblocker started dancing a victory lap around the couch. "Ding dong the witch is dead! Yeah!"

Behind him, two younger girls were watching from the passageway that led to their room. The girl in armor was grinning.

Rachel just stared at Clockblocker as if he'd sprouted feathers like a peacock. "-the hell?"

Imp pulled her full mask back off her head. "I'm Aisha. Or that kick ass girl that took Kaiser down!" She had an absolutely pleased smile on her face.

That got Taylor to give the two girls a wan smile. She then looked at the rest of the Wards. "I guess we are all going to be working together now."

"Indeed. Sadly, that is perfectly normal for him. I'm Carlos," Aegis gestured over to Clockblocker and said as he pulled off his mask. "The dweeb over there is Dennis."

"Not cool, man!"

"You were going to tell them anyways. I'm Dean," the helmetless Gallant said with a smile. He was looking between the three of the new girls. Rachel got a raised eyebrow for some reason. "Welcome to the Wards, ladies."

"I'm Missy," Vista said as she pulled off her helmet. She looked like she might be twelve or thirteen.

"Hi guys! Been a hectic week, hasn't it?" Dinah called out.

"I wondered what had happened to you," Taylor said in happy surprise. "We heard about that nasty fight with the Travellers and Protectorate. We didn't hear what had happened."

"Sheila rescued me. Then we had to get the rest of the Protectorate to possibly fight Noelle. Then they jumped her. And then she got that pardon. When did you get here?" the precognitive asked curiously.

"A couple of hours ago. Just got finished with my dad signing my papers," Taylor explained.

"You guys came in the same time as the criminals the Protectorate bagged? And you took down Kaiser?" Gallant said, sounding impressed in spite of himself.

"He'd already been stabbed through the chest and swarmed. So the taser to the face was just icing. Stupid racist dick." The black girl seemed slightly ill at ease, even with her over the top antics.

"What is your power?" Vista said as she took a step across the compressed space to stand next to the new girl.

"I make people forget I'm there. Sorta like mental invisibility, except people will knock into me. I just found out that some people with weird senses might spot me. That chick with the scythes cut me up good," Aisha explained.

"So the Undersiders are down to what, three members?" Carlos asked as he sat on the couch.

"They are downstairs, waiting for a judge to see if they can do time in the Wards instead of prison," Taylor said in a flat, bitter tone.

"All as new Wards?" Dennis said. "We're going to need more rooms up here. I hate it when the construction crews have to come up here. It's a pain wearing our masks all the time in our quarters. That's why they have these movable walls for most needs."

The side door opened to admit three more and different people. The director, a strong looking young man in black leathers and a girl in a jester's outfit.

"Everyone but Regent," Carlos noted to himself. "Director Piggot. I guess the judge made a preliminary call?"

"Ruling, but yes. Tattletale and Grue here will be undergoing a trial run to see how they do under adult supervision," the stout woman said. "Okay, you two. Introductions." Let's see if they removed their masks without being told. They did not have to, after all.

Tattletale beat Grue to getting his helmet off, peeling her domino mask and the temporary adhesive she had used. "I'm..." She stopped for just a second, looking at Piggot. "Sarah. Nice to meet you without having to get into a fight." Her smile, to those that actually knew her, was more than a bit flat.

"I'm Brian. You been staying out of trouble, Aisha?" the big teen asked his sibling.

"Like I'm going to do anything. Jerk. You're not my dad. I can take care of myself."

"Oy! Siblings? We're going to be a reality TV show," Dennis said while slapping his forehead.

"Is he always like that?" the larger, dark-skinned teen asked with just a hint of a smile on his face.

"Unfortunately, yes. Why do you think he has his codename?" Gallant said with a stern look at the other teen that just got him to smile and wave back.

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Sheila was typing away at a fast pace, filling a screen with commands and modifiers the next afternoon. The second and third screen were scrolling down web pages.

"Why can't I figure this out?" Chris said in complaint as he worked on a new device.

The young goddess looked over to start studying the device. She had to pause a second to make sure that did not lose her place and have to backtrack. "You are leaving jigsaw gaps in your design. Were you looking to add another function or multiple devices to it? You may have to do both designs at once."

The young Tinker blinked, then looked at his design again. He started to rummage around. "This would fit those missing parts, wouldn't it? So my power was trying to combine them? Huh." The larger device was suddenly taking shape as Chris dropped into a manic, zen state.

One of the screens suddenly popped up with the face of a woman wearing a mask. "What do you think you are doing?" Dragon demanded.

"I'm poking holes in all the security to write up how to fix them? Which you could see because you just read my list of issues that I'm documenting?" the demigoddess said with a raised eyebrow. Then she stopped typing and looked hard at Dragon's image.

"Why?" the woman demanded.

"I was bored and I didn't want my information on an unsecure system. You guys have a pretty complete profile of me now." Her eyes were ticking very quickly across the image. "This is Dragon, right?"

"Yeah, that's Dragon," Chris asked, as he'd wandered over once the distraction had appeared.

"Yes, I am Dragon. Who did you think would use my face inside the PRT headquarters here?" the woman said in a guarded tone.

"Oh, I figured someone might have been using a masking program to do the scut work of maintaining security. Part of your team that you have help with the basic stuff," Sheila lied blandly.

"I take my security seriously. Most people would not notice that they aren't looking at me directly," the AI said carefully.

"Oh, it just didn't quite come across true," she said blandly. Which was quite true.

"Interesting," Dragon said after a moment's consideration. The AI had thought quite furiously at that point.

"I wonder if there is this cyber war between capes and villains?" Chris asked as he thought over things.

"To a degree. Which is why I take my security very seriously. You really think the firewall has an issue like that? That's a very high end, Thinker created piece of software." Dragon was reviewing the code, which was harder than it should have been. It was quite dense and very elegant.

"Some of the hardware can be exploited if you don't fix those sixteen things- Oh, my super-molecule is back from being crunched on the PRT Tinker mainframe! Hey Dragon, who do I submit my cure for diabetes to have actually assembled and tested?"

Chris had already wandered over to his bench again where he was assembling his multiple function gun.

"Dr. Everette Johnson in the bio-division down in Florida. He would be very interested in that. Do you mind if I sent that to him?" Dragon asked the girl. "Then I'll get that on the way. Do at least ask for my permission to fix the security next time, please."

With a blink, the screen turned back to the Paranet article on a parahuman in Nebraska. Sheila stared at it for a long time, then turned back to the computer. That was something to think on.

Half an hour later, she shut everything down. Only about one third of Paranet profiles to finish reading. "Chris, I'm headed down to the medical labs for my physical. I guess everyone else finally finished their full work up."

"Sure, whatever. You are still waiting on that delivery of raw materials you said you needed for a couple of items? I want to see what you do," the young Tinker said.

"I'm not sure that's a great idea, but up to you," Sheila said very specifically. Piggot couldn't complain if she warned people off.

"Sure."

The trip down the super-tinker elevator was painfully slow, but she'd been yelled at for using the stairs or just dropping from the roof. She stepped out of the elevator in front of a large group of schoolkids. "Oh, hello."

The tour guide was turning pale. "Um, did you lose your tour guide?"

"Good recovery there, John, but I don't wear a mask. So no problem." She gave a wink to the older school kids and then jumped over them in a forward spin to land across the room in front of the security checkpoint.

"Er, no hard feelings for that fundraiser?" she asked the PRT officer on her left.

"Better bruises than what could happen. Besides, that was Tattletale and Skitter that took my sprayer away," the woman replied. "We actually had specific training for that afterwards."

"Well, I'm on my way to Dr. Lier for my physical."

The other officer tilted his helmeted head slightly to the side. "Your ID should allow you to pass through with no problem."

"I'm pretty sure that Piggot is watching everything I do like a hawk right now. I may be here for a few most of the rest of the day." She gave them a shrug.

Her keycard, implanted tracker and retina were all scanned, along with a very lengthy five hundred character passkey were all required for her to enter. Which was incredibly, stupidly paranoid. It was everyone else that would need to have those same restrictions for security to matter. But, whatever.

The receptionist sent her down to the lab works for her blood and toxicology.

"Did you have a preferred arm?" the phlebotomist asked in a soothing tone.

"Not really, but you need to start with your heavier titanium steel needles and the impact gun. I'm sorta bulletproof," Sheila explained as she held out her left forearm.

"Let me verify that first."

Tunk. The needle was not jabbing into the skin, just bending it in a little bit.

"All right. Verified. I wonder what sort of structure that is," he mused aloud.

The impact gun stabbed her arm and into her vein to start the drawing of blood. He filled three little vials in short order.

"Do you have one more?" she asked casually, hiding how miffed she was at the whole thing so far. Her fingernail tore the tip of a finger on her other hand.

He held out another one. "Sure."

She poked her bleed fingertip up against the rubber sealed opening, where it suddenly filled with a strange black liquid that somehow still showed an oily rainbow pearlessence. "There's a little bit of ichor. It should have them scratching their heads for a bit."

He just held it up to the light. He labeled it rather than try to think about it too hard.

Next was the MRI, which said that her brain and body was free of defect. Yet something was missing, as they kept looking for the Corona Potentia.

She had told them that she wasn't a parahuman, but they did not appear to believe her.

Two hours later she had broken their high end treadmill she was looking very dubiously at the 'strength gauge' while was a flat metal bench and a round, very thick bar. It looked like it was mounted a very heavy duty frame.

"You shouldn't be able to break it, so just get under it and push up against the bar," Dr. Lier explained.

"Laser interferometers in the walls?" she asked curiously.

"Ah, yes. I guess I don't need to explain that it measures how much you can flex the titanium steel bar."

She got under it and then pushed, hard, without drawing on her legend.

"You bent it a little bit, but that's pretty good. Over a hundred tons, pretty easily. Was that going all out?" Lier asked curiously in that was that slightly stooped over, older scientists seemed to take on.

"Not really, but that's probably not really the best idea," the young demigoddess. She was looking at the bar in interest. She was sort of catching up to Dolph.

"Just go all out. If you break it, it will just give our tinker division some joy in making an even bigger lift-bar," the doctor said.

"I would suggest that you take cover and watch through the observation room over there with Director Piggot," Sheila said as she sat back under the bar.

"Ah, right." He quickly stepped out and over to the observation room with its plain door.

"She knew I was here. I don't like that," Piggot was telling Dauntless.

"I'm not sure I see the problem, Director," the hero in armor said.

"It means she will likely actually know when she's not being observed." The director of the PRT in Brockton Bay really did not seem happy.

"I'll recommend to Miss Militia that we just be forthright and tell her that we are observing her as a security precaution. She's not the only one that tell when they are being spied on. Superhuman senses, as Missy would say, are a thing." The new second in command of the local PRT was slipping into his new role.

Piggot left it at that.

There was a crack as the supports on both sides snapped and with another break, a piece of metal was imbedded three inches into the bulletproof glass.

"Well, she's at least two hundred tons. And we need a stronger test." Dr. Lier sighed. "We are probably going to need to take her outside for some testing."

"Just get a list of her powers. Have her write it down and send it up to my office."

Sheila sighed. She could not win this for losing, stuck in a trap of hatred for just having power.

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"Mr. Livsey on line one," her personal assistant said on her phone's intercom.

"Thank you," the director said. She picked up the line. "This is Director Piggot. How can I help you, Mr. Livsey?" Best to start polite.

"What you can do, Director Piggot, is return my daughter and drop these laughable charges of child neglect. I have my lawyers here and I'm not going to let you push me around," the man on the other side of the phone in a quite angry tone.

"Mr. Livsey, you have to understand that I am just acting on behalf of your daughter. She made it very clear that she has no desire to return to her home that drove her to the life of crime. Is your lawyer aware of the particulars in her case? There are confidentiality issues." Piggot started drumming her hands on her hardwood desk.

There was silence for a long time, then he came back. "He's not in the room right now. What are you up to?" Livsey demanded harshly.

"Mr. Livsey, we have gone out on a limb for your daughter. We're willing to to let her into the Wards, even forgive her for her crimes as she really only roughed up some of our people. She has asked us to ignore certain improprieties that she mentioned before she ran away. I do not want to shut down Troy Amia Inc. for the illegal use of a Thinker. I believe the minimum sentence is ten years in federal prison." Piggot's voice was quite pleasant as she laid out a very ugly scenario for him. "It would be in everyone's best interest that your stock's increase of 15 % at that time... not become a public scandal. Don't you agree?"

"Are you blackmailing me?" Livsey demanded in a hoarse shout-whisper.

"Of course not, sir. I am a law abiding law enforcement officer that is just looking to get the best out of an ugly situation. Consider this the best way to help your daughter. You can call and send letters, but contact is at her discretion."

The swallow could be heard over the phone. "I need to talk to my wife. But that may work out. She just wants to see her daughter."

"Please give me a call. I hope we can come to a mutual understanding. Have a good day." Piggot stabbed the disconnect button on her phone. "Damn bastard."

"Director, we may have a problem," Doug said as he opened the door and stuck his head in.

"Oh?"

"We just got a tip about a murder scene. Definitely parahuman involvement. Three bodies, all mutilated and killed in different manners," the assistant said.

"Great. A new psycho on the loose. Who do we have available?"

"Assault and Battery, along with Triumph. I'll get them moving." He pulled the door

Piggot frowned, tapping her pen on the desk for a second. A bleep from her computer jarred her from her attempt at remembering a fact that felt familiar about the scene.

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The PRT armored patrol cruiser with dark tinted windows rolled up to the police cordon. The doors popped open and three heroes stepped out.

"I don't see why we're here. I mean I might know one end of a forensic bag from the other so I don't spill it, but that's about the most of my expertise," Assault noted in a joking tone.

"Obviously for your supreme sense of humor," Triumph shot right back with a grin. "As soon as you quit your day job."

"We're just to secure it until the evidence people finish up, guys." Battery started tromping angrily into the abandoned warehouse. She was easily twenty feet in front of the other when she stopped to utter stillness.

"What?" Assault was suddenly very tense. When Battery froze, it was usually in preparation to jumping into combat.

Triumph was looking around carefully himself as he caught onto the tension. Assault moved up, his full mask hiding his features so it was hard to tell what had happened.

"Oh." It was all Triumph could say as he finally entered.

Chained on three walls were three people. On had been taken apart and then sewed back together but with most of the torso's organ visible. The second did not have a mark on his pretty Latino or Italian body, other than a look of pure, abject fear on his face. The last one had been tied to an I-beam and then flesh clawed and gouged. The claws marks continued on right through the metal strut.

"Fuck. We're in deep shit. I heard they did something like this in L.A. a couple of months ago," Assault said with a total lack of his obnoxious off-brand humor.

And that unnerved the younger Triumph quite a bit more. "Who?"

"The Slaughterhouse Nine. They've come to Brockton Bay. And that's bad news for somebody. And us heroes. Wonder if the Legend will let me change my mind?" Assault muttered to himself.

The newest member of the Brockton Bay Protectorate had to squash the urge to narrow his eyes at Assault. He was pretty sure that Assault did not know he had a very mild ability to hear better than humanly possible. Triumph was pretty sure that no one knew about it in the PRT or Protectorate.

It was a long wait for the parahuman forensics specialists showed up. They talked quietly in the cold as rain started to fall outside. The drive back was mostly silent as they listened to the police radio. Battery dropped Triumph off at a secured drop off point near his father's house so that he could change

Unlike the PRT Headquarters downtown, the Protectorate's base was offshore. So they had to either take a boat from the dock or wait for a helicopter. They slipped into a large power boat and headed out. The security check point (one of the few areas with PRT security) did not take long to bypass and then entered in the quarters and meeting room proper.

Reports finished up, the filed their assumption on what was going on. It was grim and terse, especially after they heard of two more 'slaughters' in the city.

"We'll do a patrol tomorrow, puppy?" Assault called out, a smile visible under his helmet that covered the top of his face.

She punched his shoulder. "Sure. I'm headed home now though."

An hour later, she saw a large envelope right inside her front door. It had likely been slipped under the door. She felt her stomach clenched at the sight of the 'C' on the front.

It must be time to pay the devil's third tithe. It took her a few minutes to figure out how to 'charge' up the paper to read the hidden message.

Siberian and Shatterbird. Her mouth was dry, feeling as if she had swallowed dust or ash. Keeping them alive until they left Brockton Bay would be fairly easy, as far as she could tell. The tricky part was not dying before they actually departed.

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Taylor took in a deep breath and then stepped out of her car. "I'll see you tonight, dad?" She pushed up her fake glasses on her nose. She was so doing the Clark Kent thing.

"Sure. Did you want me to pick you up?" Danny asked as he leaned over in the front seat to look out at her on her side.

"No, I have to take the bus to 'work' for a while after school. Have to figure out the schedule finally." It had been over a week so far and in another week she was going to be coming out as a public hero in the Wards. Well, along with Bitch.

Rachel had been brought to school in new clothes last week, slotting into a special education class with a lot of tutors. She had lasted about four hours before demanding one of her dogs (any dog, in fact) be brought in. She immediately calmed down with the quite ugly mutt who seemed to be quite happy to be petted by her.

Arcadia High School was being quite the shock for all of them. For Taylor, it was incredibly clean and new looking. She was already reaching out to 'touch' all of the school through her insects and spiders even as she walked through the crowd. Her curly black hair was pulled back into a messy hair tie. So she had a near poof past the tie. It did make her look very different.

Bumbling around, she finally got directed to the office where she was given her schedule and barely made it to her first class.

"Everyone welcome Taylor Hebert. She's transferring in from Winslow after some very poor treatment there," her new home room teacher called out. "Can you tell us anything?"

Her cheeks were quite pink, hating her cover story. She just shook her head.

"Why don't you sit behind Tom there."

That was generally how her day went. At lunch, she found a place off by herself. So she was surprised when two girls and one guy walked over.

"So I heard through the grapevine that you were transferred here for bullying problems?" the lighter skinned girl asked.

"Well, yeah. Basically." Stupid cover story which had to use too much truth.

"Did you really get shoved into a locker and had a freakout?" the redheaded girl with freckles asked.

"How did you-? Yes, but I don't want to talk about that. That was the past. So please, can you just drop it?" Taylor said, mortified and shock on her face.

"See, George? I told you it wasn't likely? Dimwit here thinks everyone transferring in has to be a cape in disguise. I bet you that the PRT is smarter than that. I'm Clara. The redhead is Isley."

"I'm Taylor. Just trying to get by and get a new start."

"So who do you think is the hunkiest Ward?" Isley asked.

"Well, Aegis has that flying thing and he's really buff looking," the ex-villain said, hedging her bets. Her actual answer would be 'tall, dark and dangerous' but she had not actually gotten her courage up to talk some more to him about that can of worms.

"Which means he has to be one of the jocks here," Clara said.

"No way. He would be missed too much if he had to go to a fight during a game," George argued.

"Do you guys do this with everyone?" Taylor asked carefully.

"Sure, it's fun."

Oh, fun. Great.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taylor stepped into the Wards 'base' from the hidden elevator in the back later that day. There were actually more than two dozen secluded exits that they could use. And if they used one more than three times in a row, an alarm buzzed them to try another.

"Hey! Fifteen minutes until the next tour," Clockblocker called out.

"I'm supposed to stay out of view, right? And what is that banging racket?" she called out.

It sounded like someone hitting metal with a hammer at a very fast rate. As fast as a woodpecker.

"Sheila. She's making new gauntlets. Something about helping her to catch lightning bolts. You know, the normal crazy for her," he called back. "I'd change into costume just in case."

"I don't like this," Rachel said while sitting in front of the TV. Her three dogs were lounging at her feet resting. She had a more fancy, but still fairly utilitarian outfit and a carved dog half-mask she could pull on.

"See you after the tour," Taylor called out.

A hiss filled the room as a large cloud of steam rose up from the 'tinker section' of the dome.

Kid Win was watching Sheila work. He had his helmet on already. "How does that even work? I mean they are just new gauntlets for your heavy armor. I mean, they are sorta fancy. Not dissing the work. But there's no mechanism."

"Maaaaaagic!" she called out out as she finished buffing the gauntlets with lightning bolts and bird wings engraved on them. "Tada. Done!"

Aegis and Gallant were arguing about baseball teams while Vista sat on the on counter next to them.

Sheila buzzed by over their head, flittering around the upper part of the room. She landed next to the orange cones that were still out as the 'excuse' for why the tours had been closed. "Tada! Now I can fly anytime I want to without it draining me!"

Kid Win trotted out of the work area.

Aegis blinked. "How did that work before? It cost you mana or something to cast the spell?"

"I'm elementally aligned with storms and the sky, so I have several powers that all interrelate but on that theme. They can be a little taxing. Lightning bolts are kind of tough."

"I guess. No costume?" Aegis asked.

"No secret ID. I only did that because the Undersiders made me last time." She folded her gauntlet wearing arms in front of her torso. She was wearing a slightly scuffed T-shirt and jeans and boots.

The buzzer went off signalling that the tour was arriving.

"Say, what happened to Browbeat? I haven't heard anyone mention him?" Sheila asked after thinking for a moment.

"Killed by Leviathan. We had a ridiculously small amount of fatalities, but people still died," Vista said in a bitter tone.

"Oh, sorry." She clenched her fists in front of her. She would be ready for the next Endbringer attack.

"-and here is the home of the Wards. They recently gained two new members, Hellhound and Tactics. Pardoned for the efforts and destroying Leviathan, both have chosen to join the Wards," the tour guide was saying as the doors opened.

The small crowd from an expensive private school followed him to the observation window.

"She's not wearing a mask!?" one of the girls squealed out in shock.

"Ah. Tactics is not as worried about a secret identity as she has no family and only a few friends. Say hello to the most powerful tween in the world, folks!" the guide continued without missing a beat. He was paid professional, after all.

"Come on, Hellhound," Aegis called out to the burly girl.

"Don't want to be stared at like I'm in the zoo," she called back, still watching her nature show.

Sheila waved with a bemused smile on her face. "Actually, I'm a teen. I just turned thirteen today."

"You didn't say anything about that," Clockblocker said as he turned to her. "We could have gotten you something for your birthday."

Sheila looked a bit confused. "Why? Birthday presents were only for my step-brother."

Aegis felt like kicking himself all of a sudden. He'd been so focused on Bitch and the other problematic new Wards that he had not even considered that there might even be an issue. "Oh, I'm sure we can figure out something."

She just shrugged at that. What was the fuss? No one ever cared about her birthdays before.

The tour group finally departed, allowing Skitter and Dinah to come out of the private quarters area.

"So what's next?" the bug-mistress asked curiously even as she studied Sheila in the peripheral of her vision.

"I think that's the last tour today. So everyone will be headed up soon. We've got patrols to divy up-" Aegis was starting to say when the 'other' elevator opened, showing a small crowd of people. "Miss Militia? Is something up?"

Most prominently in the group behind Miss Militia were the two Laborn siblings, Tattletale along with two total surprises. Regent and Shadow Stalker who were in costume..

"Yes. We've got an emergency briefing. Everyone gear up, because it is going to affect patrols and security," the leader of the Protectorate ordered.

Five minutes later the very crowded room was filled with parahumans in armored costumes. Even Dinah was in an armored uniform, if the standard dark gray default one. She never planned to be out in the field.

"So what's so bad that you are dragging out the convicted?" Tattletale asked casually.

"You might as well tell them," Regent said with a snort. "Keeping a secret with her and Cassandra here is near impossible."

"True enough. I wish I could just keep you all here safely, but there is still a good deal of looting and anarchy after Leviathan's attack. We've kept it to a dull roar so far, but with the Slaughterhouse Nine in town that is not likely to stay that way." She took in the shocked expression of everyone but Tattletale, Cassandra and Tactics. "How did you two figure it out?" she asked them.

"I can use my powers a bit more than I used to without getting a headache. And Sheila is always good to heal it away. So I knew there was a 90 % chance that a new foe would attack the city within the next day or so. I'm starting to get a better better grasp on how to use my power," the ex-prisoner of Coil explained.

"I heard some guys at the water cooler downstairs while I was being tested today," Sheila replied with a shrug.

"One to two days? That's very short notice," Miss Militia said softly. "But yes, a new S-class threat has appeared. And because of that, Regent and Shadow Stalker are being allowed to earn their freedom from Juvenile Detention with work release. Once they've helped deal with up to three S-Class threats, their case will be reviewed by Legend, Alexandria and myself."

"So no patrols?" Aegis asked

"No solo or duo patrols. And one of your team will report in every fifteen minutes or else. Some people are exempt from patrols as their powers are best suited to be used in an administrative capacity. Everyone else will have at least one mostly invulnerable or heavy hitter on their team."

That got a lot of groans.

"So we have three teams, with Aegis, Tactics and Hellhound-"

"It's Bitch for combat," said Ward exclaimed angrily.

"-Bitch on a team at the very least. Tattletale and Cassandra aren't really great combatants, whereas the rest of you have powers that can at least affect enemies. So we are going to try and use them to plan and keep you on a safe patrol."

"There is a 90 % chance that Tactic's team gets attacked within the next twenty-four hours," the Ward's Cassandra said with a frown.

"Does it change if I go out with different Ward teams?" Sheila asked. At the shake of Dinah's head, she frowned. "That means that they are actually here for me specifically." She tapped the precog's shoulder with a finger.

"Thanks," the other girl said with a relieved sigh.

Miss Militia was thinking hard. She grabbed a pad and scribbled names down. "What are the chances that these teams will be attacked within the next twenty-four hours?"

"Don't forget that they'll be testing the villains here, too," Tattletale said as she listened very carefully. "And I'll need access to anything related to the S9 and what they've already been doing here."

"Good point. Is it too general if we just ask for what chance that one of the Empire Eighty-Eight, Merchants, Travellers or Faultline are attacked?" the leader of the Protectorate asked.

"No, that should be just general enough but specific enough for her power to work," Tattletale supposed aloud.

Dinah pulled off her mask, looking small for a second. "There is an 80 % chance that one of the Empire Eighty-Eight will be attacked within twenty-four hours. The chance for the others is a lot lower, roughly 10 % to 15 %."

"Basically if they randomly run into the S9. How about those files, Miss Militia?" their Intuitionpath asked of the Protectorate leader.

"Let me log into the overhead computer and pull that up specifically. If anyone is queasy at the sight of blood or gore, you might want to leave," Miss Militia warned.

"Well damn," Gallant said. "Those two working together are going to be a massive force multiplier in the future."

"I know I wouldn't want to be on their enemy's side," Sophia said, her face mask off and sitting on her lap. That was scary.

"So I guess we only have two teams or swap out Shadow Stalker for Tactics," Aegis decided as he planned logistics.

"Good idea-"

"Horrible idea. We have a 90 % chance of knowing where the Slaughterhouse Nine are going to be if I work as bait. That's priceless. We can trap them instead of the other way around," Sheila countered as she clenched her metal-shod fist. "We just have to make sure we don't tip off our hand, but we can hit them hard and put them back on the defensive. Maybe even make them scatter."

"No way," Gallant declared.

"Wait. She's absolutely right. I could not order her to do this, but with her volunteering this plan is good. Anyone else willing to volunteer to be on her team?" Miss Militia asked of the teens. "Just remember, if you do get into a fight, that your chance of dying is just as high as if you were facing an Endbringer."

"I have to say something. People aren't going to like it-" Dinah started to say.

"Shit. How many sisters do you have, Regent?" Tattletale suddenly said in interruption.

"Um, a few. Oh." The young man stared at the picture on the screen off to the side. "Cherish is part of the Slaughterhouse Nine? Fuck." Fuckfuckfuckfuck.

"Got a file for her. Mostly an empath and can sense people miles away? At least they think her ability to influence people is pretty weak at that range." Tattletale's eyes were soaking in information like a sponge. "That's definitely her, sending you a message that you might have never seen."

"I need to say something," Dinah shouted out. She was hyperventilating. "Him. If he lives and escapes? The world ends in five years. 81.3331 % probability." She was pointing to the masked, smirking man that actually looked rather handsome and suave to a degree. Her headache had come back twice as powerful.

Everyone in the room froze, not even hardly breathing.

"Jack Slash? His power isn't world ending-" Sheila shut up, little puzzle pieces fitting together in her head. She carefully removed Dinah's pounding headache, purging the poisons that were present. "What is the probability that Jack Slash has a subtle, secondary power that has kept him alive while being in the Slaughterhouse Nine?"

"One hundred percent. How did you know that?" the young precognitive demanded.

"There's little good reason that the relatively normal guy with a cutting power should have survived for so long. And I've managed to stumble into some of the information about a world ending threat, but I don't have enough information, yet." Sheila's eyes met Tattletale's eyes for just a second. 'If you figure out who is going to destroy the world, do not just blurt it out.'

Tattletale was opening her mouth when it clicked shut at the telepathic message. Her eyes were actually more than a bit wide right now. "My power is suggesting that he can subtly influence people around him, to keep them unsteady and do what he really wants. But they never realize that he's pulling the strings." Her own head was starting to pound. "He might not even realize it himself."

"So Jack Slash needs to either die or be captured here no matter what?" Skitter asked in a terribly cold voice. Her father.

"I can't ask you to follow a kill order," Miss Militia said, her voice still sounding semi-shocked.

"But we can do it anyways. I'm volunteering for Tactics' patrol," Skitter said, sounding very flat and devoid of emotion. She was already summoning her most lethal insects.

Miss Militia slowly turned her head to see the grim looks of everyone. "Bitch?"

"Yeah." The square features on the girl made her look even more grim than the rest.

"Shadow Stalker?" the Protectorate said to the last girl.

"Yes, damn it." She was insane to even be thinking or planning on attacking the Slaughterhouse Nine to try and kill some of them. "You'll have to get my bolts though."

"Count me in," Aegis said quietly.

"That's it for now. The rest of you will be here, ready to catch up to them using Vista's power. Too many people and they will know it's a trap," Miss Militia said as Gallant and Clockblocker were leaning forward.

"They have two tinkers. We need Panacea to counter Bonesaw. Don't trust any technology in the building, including the communications," the young demigoddess said as she studied the different members of the most notorious villains in the world.

"We've got the best security in the world," Gallant said confidently.

Sheila's voice was a bit flinty. "A building is considered a habitat." Concepts and themes were always important to watch out for.

It took a moment as the words sunk into the group.

"Shit, that's right. And Mannequin's specialty is designing habitats. He could probably break in here blindfolded," Tattletale said then had to lean forward as her headache turned into a migraine. "I've pushed my power as much as I can for a while." The feeling of pain just washing away was a blessed relief as a hand reached out and touched her arm.

Miss Militia opened her mouth for a second, then turned to the leader of the Wards. "Aegis, you have overall command, of course. If you get a shot at Jack Slash, take it." She had forgotten that Colin was imprisoned in this very building, only two floors below. But no one should know that. "We have a bit of daylight left. Aegis, Tactics? Take Vista to go gather Panacea. And probably Glory Girl. We'll have you go on patrol in two hours."

Everyone nodded.



"Okay, the dogs are damn cool," Shadow Stalker had to admit aloud. "I always wondered how you got away every time. Now I understand." The dogs were fast. Easily Mover 3 all by their themselves. Faster than she was, if not by a lot.

Underneath her, Angela crouched and then leaped to catch the edge of a building to scrabble up.

"Heh," was Bitch's only response. Brutus was right behind Angelica.

Skitter leaned forward on Judas as he followed them right up the wall.

Above them flew Tactics and Aegis nominally as backup, the girl was making sure to accidentally let a bit of light shine off her gray and silver armor. The dogs made good time and then even broke up a fight between some Merchants and the Empire Eighty-Eight thugs.

"I heard that Purity made a bid to free Kaiser. Did not work out too well and she almost got taken out by Legend," Aegis said as they moved over to the battered docks area.

All three dogs were in the air when the center of the building collapsed in front of them. They scrambled furiously with their claws but they sprawled in a small pile inside the building.

Aegis and Tactics zoomed in after them. Shadowstalker had phased off of her mount, but Skitter and Bitch had landed among the debris. The insect controller realized she was in shock, her leg broke under Judas's roll.

"Leg's broken," she said loud enough that she was sure her team heard.

"You know that we knew that you knew about your trap, right?" Jack Slash said as he played with his knife. "Well, maybe you didn't. We do appreciate you bringing three of our applicants right to our door."

Directly opposite Jack Slash and behind them, Crawler appeared from the darker shadow.

"Some sort of sensor jammer on the building," the young demigoddess said. And signal jammer. But that had been planned for.

The black and white, totally nude form of Siberian stepped out of the shadow to their left while on their right was Bonesaw and Burnscar.

"No Cherish, Mannequin or Shatterbird? Well, we are only the Wards, after all," Tactics said a bit glibly. How did Tattletale make that look so easy?

"They have their parts to play," Jack said with a smile. "People to test. Or kill." He hopped off the crate he had been sitting on, ignoring the growling monster-dogs. "So, here's how it will go-"

Tactics had managed to heal Skitter's leg at a distance quite silently, leaving her with severe bruises. Then she started off by using her new gauntlets, smashing down lightning bolts from the sky and striking all five targets around her.

Siberian just smiled in the darkness afterwards, as the very inhuman voice of Crawler chuckled from behind them.

"Nasty, nasty girl. Tried to kill us all. If we weren't careful (it's not paranoid when everyone wants you dead) we might have been hurt," Bonesaw said as she hopped back to her feet.

Indeed, all of the Slaughterhouse was getting up, looking only slightly singed. Excepting those that were totally immune.

"Fuck," Skitter said as she released her small amount of insects out to swarm towards Jack.

Bitch whistled, setting her three dogs to charge at Jack, Burnscar and Siberian. Angelica and the bugs were engulfed in fire, while Jack Slash lived up to his name as he cut a gash in Judas even while dodging adroitly. Siberian just ripped off Judas's right forepaw and a huge gash into the dogs monster muzzle.

Shadow Stalker floated up out of the ground, snapping a shot off with her crossbow bolt at the too fast leader of the Slaughterhouse.

Clattering arose from around them as macabre mechana burst out of piles of crates. They were armed with saws and knives.

"Prove that you are an Endbringer killer!" Crawler shouted out as he leaped up at the fliers.

Aegis dodged left while Tactics charged Crawler head on, slamming him with a powerful thunder enhanced punch that moved him... thirty feet back. Well, at least he would not land on Skitter and Bitch.

"Punching? That won't work even if you hit that hard." Then Crawler spat a toxic, acidic loogie that missed by a mile.

Aegis was flying right at Jack Slash. And then suddenly in his place was woman that rolled to a stop by him and then sprang to her feet.

"Lovely timing, young lady. Finally in position?" Jack asked casually.

Sundowner just started to form a sun between her hands. "The birds are in the air," she called back to Jack.

"The Travellers are working with the Slaughterhouse?" Shadow Stalker asked as she kept moving fast. She still nearly felt the claws of Siberian tearing at her jugular. Her crossbow thunked out another bolt at Jack Slash which he actually chopped in half to block

"I suppose it's time." His other hand clicked a button on a small handset on his belt even as he casually walked over to where Siberian was, slicing a knife at Shadow Stalker to keep her phased out.

Bitch was calling out orders to her dogs when suddenly she was replaced with another traveller. Ballistic's hands were already on the ground, flinging a large chunk of concrete to smash the flame engulfed Angelica into an I-beam.

And then the world and air were hit with the hammer of god as Shatterbird blasted the entire city with her silicakinesis. The Protectorate jumpjet was just crossing the beach when it exploded upwards to suddenly lift the Tinker designed vehicle over a hundred feet straight up, engines killed with sand. The PRT's heavy assault and combat lift helicopter tried to dodge the hail of glass as its windshield shattered, killing the pilots in an instant. It jerked to a halt, floating in mid-air.

And all across the city, hundreds and hundreds of people people were cut by one of the great materials of civilization as it betrayed them.

Shadow Stalker had more than enough of this. It was only Taylor and freak left. She dove through safe looking section and took off down the street.

Thousands of insects swarmed into warehouse as she tried to hobble away from one of Bonesaw's automatons.

"Oh no! The bug girl has summoned all these nasty, poisonous insects! Whatever shall we do?" the doll-like girl said with her hands pressed to her cheeks in mock fear.

Abruptly all three dogs were gone, replaced by shattered cars. All of the automations suddenly released a green gas that killed every insect in the building in seconds.

Tactics slammed a red-glowing knifehand into Crawler's neck. She was a blur as she rushed to grab Skitter and flee, only to find her back sliced open as she appeared and passed by Siberian, her armor as good as wet paper. Jack Slash smashed a boot into Skitters face and sent her onto her back across a piece of the roof.

"Stop," he ordered as Crawler put a huge clawed hand on top of Skitter. "Or I promise I'll make the bug girl's death agonizing for the last week she lives."

"Let her go," the floating girl called back. She could not leave with Skitter. She could not let these monsters escape. Her fear and anger was on a knife's edge.

"She's our insurance that you won't rabbit. If you even slightly resist, I'll let Crawler melt her face with his acid.

The monster purred at that, saliva dripping from his mouth. "Hurts. Hurts so good."

A translucent figure landed on the pile of debris from the hole in the roof.. "You promised you would kill her. Horribly."

"Yes, yes. And then you'll serve us for a year. You know that's a death sentence, don't you Trickster?" Jack asked as he talked to the shimmer.

"As long as Noelle is avenged, I don't care," the... thing said as he shimmered into view, almost like a chameleon. His skin looked reptilian, but his face and head were the most changed as he now had another four eyes on his head. Two eyes up at the top and two more on each side. Weird, large bulbous eyes with double irises. "Coil's information was good and we did what we promised."

"We're done, Krouse. Just like we agreed, we helped you capture the girl that got Noelle killed. If I ever see you again, I am shoving a sun down your throat," Sundancer called out. "Come on, Ballistic."

They just turned their backs and walked off towards where a door was concealed.

"Let them go. They'll have a death order out for them in a week," Jack Slash said to the rest of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

Cherish walked in past the two leaving parahumans. "Time for the fun? Cool."

"We're still going to test our targets? I wanted to talk to Panacea, but she was at the PRT's headquarters," Bonesaw complained.

"I want to see how long Tactics survives being vivisected first. And there is Shatterbird and Mannequin," Jack said as he saw the two of them floated in on a cloud of glass shards through the hole in the room.

She turned around the moment they landed and filled in the hole in the roof.

"This isn't fun," Bonesaw complained as she sawed at the armor. "Her armor is dulling my blades. Siberian? Be a dear and rip it off her, okay?"

Crawler picked up Skitter, holding her upright with claws around her arms and torso, his monster head with too many eyes right above her own. "Watch. She will break."

"Wow, not a peep as I'm cutting. You are made of stern stuff, aren't you?" Bonesaw babbled on as she continued to work.

"She's doing something, as she glared at you Bonesaw," Cherish called out suddenly.

"Crawler, burn off half of Skitter's face," Jack called out.

Skitter shrieked in agony as acid poured down her left side of her face and down the front of her torso.

"Oh, that got some sort of reaction, even if she didn't say anything," Cherish noted as Bonesaw removed the threat. "She's almost insane with rage and loathing."

"Stop it. Stop it. She didn't do anything to you," Skitter sobbed out. "Why are you doing this to her?"

"She killed Noelle! It was her fault that Coil was arrested! That Noelle was turned into glass and shattered into dust!" Trickster shouted right back.

"She was just stopping Noelle from killing thousands of people. Sacrificed her own freedom and nearly got killed by Noelle. Then the Protectorate turned around and was going to throw her into prison for being dangerous." Her bugs were out there, but they could counter them with insane ease. She was back in the locker, except instead of just not being able to get free, she got to see a friend butchered in front of her. She struggled futilely, dimly remembering this desperation as more and more bug minds weighed upon her. "Just stop! Stop it!"

"Wow, this girl is about to break. How much longer, Bonesaw?" Cherish asked. Of course, she had been amplifying her feelings as much as she could.

Jack was frowning. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden.

Mannequinn was watching Bonesaw work, tilting his head as drops of blood splattered on his near featureless face. Shatterbird was actually tapping her toe in the background. Burnscar was just watching impassively next to her, seemingly not caring at all.

And then everyone except Sheila was suddenly engulfed in a vision of cosmic, nearly incomprehensible beings that travelled through dimensions in pairs, seeding powers as a horrible gifts, destroying world after world. Always absorbing more information, more horror. To birth ever more powers, more terror to create more madness and pain.

Everyone had dropped to the ground, except for Siberian who had just disappeared. Everyone lay still for a long moment, silence reigning for a short while.

"She... she triggered! A second trigger! What can you control now?" Bonesaw asked with an insane smile on her face as she sat up in the pile of red gore.

Skitter's one eye was wide and wild, because she could feel everything around her. People, bugs, rats... they were just minds now. She clamped down tight on the seven figures within her range.

"Oh, fuck! She can control people now," Cherish said as she felt a leaden weight engulf her limbs.

'DIE!' Skitter's mind ordered. But they fought her so much more than bugs ever could hope to. In desperation, she ordered just one mind. 'Kill them!'

Cherish took an unsteady step towards the maimed girl, when Crawler suddenly stomped over to her and smashed down one massive claw as she tried to stumble away. He then spat acid on her head.

Fire flowed over Jack in a wave even as a wave of glass swept in after it, flaying augmented flesh. Then Crawler started to pound what was left to flaming paste. Skitter had picked up the ruined form. (so much blood). "Heal. Please heal." Why wasn't her power working on Tactics? She clumsily picked up the light body and started to stumble towards the door. She had to get away before she collapsed in pain and shock. She set out for the door as she set the active members upon each other. She felt a flicker of power from a human mind only a few hundred feet away and then Siberian was back, looking around in pristine and nude beauty.

Skitter slammed her control into the mind and demand that it send Siberian against the others. Eight blocks away, she felt more Parahumans. People she felt she should know, all moving this way. Rescue? She almost reached out to control them, then shuddered. If they knew what she could do-

Bugs formed arrows, pointing towards her stumbling form as she ran as fast as her feeble body would allow. She had to hide her power. The Slaughterhouse were killing each other, but she needed to send in more insects against them. They were fighting back harder now. Only three were left capable of fighting and they seemed to have hit a stalemate. Millions of bugs were answering her call, burying the fighters.

And then down the road she could see loping forms headed towards her. She dropped her control. Could she make the Slaughterhouse forget? Forget-forget-forget!

"Help!" Skitter called out.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Interlude 9 - Fallen from the wall

Director Piggot sighed as she realized that dawn was breaking. She pulled her coat on a little more tight. Her own cuts on her forehead were sewed up and she was using a computer from Providence's and Hartley's National Guard.

The death toll was at about two thousand, with more being found in their beds or in front of their TVs. Most everyone in Brockton Bay had been hurt and the city was without lights. Most of the hospitals were almost paralyzed.

Her door opened, admitting a slightly ragged looking heroine. "I've got the casualty list." She was holding a manilla folder.

"Go ahead, just the highlights," Piggot said. She leaned back in her chair.

"On top of Velocity and Assault's death, Triumph has a broken arm and we had to tranquilize Battery. We've got Clockblocker and Imp down with concussions. That leaves the bumps and bruises of Aegis's team. I'm amazed at how lightly most came out. Aegis, Bitch and Shadow Stalker basically got away unscathed. I wish I could say the same for Skitter and Tactics." Miss Militia was very unhappy and it showed. If Assault had any real warning before he hit the wall of the transport, he would not have been hurt at all.

"Skitter had a second trigger?" the administrator asked thoughtfully.

"Or a psychotic episode that temporarily amplified her powers. She summoned millions of bugs to fill a warehouse. On top of that, she's more bruised than not. Crawler also dripped acid down the left side of her face and her left breast. We had to sedate her. And she got off lightly compared to Tactics." The leader of the Protectorate shuddered at that.

"What did the autopsy on Tactics tell us?" Piggot asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"She's alive. Somehow, even when she was skinned, eyes gouged out, most of her ligaments cut and missing lung, kidney and stomach, she refuses to die. When I told Tattletale, she nodded. Then mentioned that Hercules was almost impossible to kill, even when poisoned by the mythical Hydra." Miss Militia swallowed here. "He just wished he was dead so that he begged his father Zeus to kill him."

"The doctor's said the shock should have killed her. The blood loss alone-" Piggot was more awake and gripping the edge of her desk tightly in a mixture of fear and anger.

"I tagged team both Cassandra and Tattletale and they agree that she will even recover on her own with normal medical attention. Once Panacea get's back from her trip to deal with the worst at the three metro hospitals and she's rested, I'm going to see if she can fix her up." Miss Militia smiled wanly. "At least they have friends. Tattletale and Grue have stayed with Skitter in her room when they were told to rest and Cassandra and Regent have been staying with Tactics."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" Piggot asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. Tattletale believes, after she learned most of the counter-ambush, that the PRT is heavily infiltrated. Someone tipped off the Slaughterhouse Nine and the Travellers. They somehow used Trickster to move people around even more effectively than before. Possibly Bonesaw enhancing him." Miss Militia slumped into her seat. "I'll be writing up my letter of resignation for my utter failure of leadership."

"No, you will not. I agreed to that crazy plan. Tactics was right. That high of a chance and to be able to jump both of our teams on the Slaughterhouse... it should have worked. Let Tattletale know that we'll both be interviewing mission critical officers, then down the chains to find these leaks. We will find these bastards and make them pay."

Miss Militia blinked in surprise at that as her eyes peeked over the top of her large scarf. Then she nodded fiercely.

Yes, they would.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Worm and Scion X

Regent was holding the hand of the mummy-wrapped figure on the bed. His eyes traveled up her almost withered looking form. It was thinner and all the bandages were covered in red-brown stains. He looked over at the young girl who was asleep in a very uncomfortable chair. He had seen her slip a few more pills than she was supposed to take.

"Good morning," a sleepy voice called out from the doorway. "You guys are playing bodyguard?"

"Yeah, after Tattletale and Cassandra confirmed that people in the PRT are on the take, we could not be sure that they might try to hit them when they are weak. And we are all travelling in pairs for the most part. Where's your blonde shadow?" the younger teen asked her.

"Getting something from the vending machine. She's desperate for something to eat." Panacea threw her hood back and put her hand on the masked head of Cassandra. "She's overdosed. Not badly, but she's at about a migraine level. Let me fix this. But take away her pills for the rest of the day. And make sure she has to ask an adult for them from now on."

"Shit fuck. I should have thought of that. We were way too used to having a pocket miracle healer on the team. You can fix Sheila, right?" Regent asked with worried eyes.

"Yes, but this will probably wipe me out for the morning. I've been running around healing the critical. Armsmaster was hit by Mannequin last night. I guess his house arrest was upstairs somewhere, building tools for the PRT as part of his sentence." Panacea walked over to the far side of the bed and put both hands on the bandage covered head. "A normal human should have died. Aegis might have survived this... She's healing faster than a normal human, but it would take her weeks to wake up." Amy bit her lip as she considered what she should heal first. She almost jumped out of her skin at the loud intrusion.

"Hey, sis? I'm heading home, so find an extra body to guard you for a bit. The house is a mess and we need to try and salvage something," Glory Girl called out as she rounded the doorway of the hospital room abruptly.

"Sure. I'll get Aegis or Gallant to give me a lift," she replied. Perhaps she should regrow her eyes? Waking up blind might freak her out.

The moment she was gone, Regent said, "I don't think she likes me much. Got a chill and dislike just from being in the room with her."

"You were a villain until recently," the healer replied. The lung next and then the abdominal sheath first then. She almost jumped as the body under her twitched. The bandages all over her body suddenly pulled tight as she grew her skin back in the blink of an eyes. One second it was not there then suddenly it was back. "Wow, that was... different." Weird, she wanted to say. It had been regeneration, but different than any healing she had ever felt before.

Sheila was awake, healing her severed ligaments, replacing lost muscles. In two minutes, she was fully healed, skin unblemished under her blood stained bandages. Then she regenerated again and the eyes Panacea had grown were suddenly perfectly reformed. The girl sat up and pulled out her intubation and her heart sensors.

"Um, welcome back?" Amy said happily. "I think you just refined being tough." Wow, those eyes were cool. She'd have to try that.

"I didn't have a choice. They would have killed Skitter if I resisted again." That last word was filled with anguish and loathing. She ripped off the bandages off her new, blood caked skin of her head and hands, her head still bald. "Regent? Can you do me a favor? I need my light armor. And my relics. Even my gauntlets." Her superheavy armor was beyond a loss, but maybe she could fix the gauntlets.

"Um, sure. Why? Don't you need to rest?" he asked, seriously freaked out by her nearly monotone voice.

"I need to sleep every five months. I'll be fine for a few more days. How long was I out?" she demanded of them.

"It's six-forty-two in the morning the next day. So you've been out only seven hours," Regent said as he walked to the door, passing a nurse coming into the room.

"Thanks. I'm fully healed," the demigoddess stated flatly to the male nurse as she slipped out of bed. "So I am leaving. Where is the nearest working computer?"

"Now we need to check you out-" He was pushed out of the way as her shoulder hit the center of his chest painfully.

Sheila was walking out and into the hall at a determined pace, ignoring the medical order.

"She's not acting normal. But her brain looked normal?" Amy stuttered out in shock. Had she said that aloud? And Tactics needed a gown! She opened a drawer to find the garment quickly, bumping against the sleeping girl in the chair.

"What?" Dinah asked as she woke up. She stretched, feeling too old and pained from sleeping in the chair. "Where did Sheila go?"

Amy and Dinah quickly trotted out of the room, seeing the demigoddess at the end of the nurse station. She appeared to have taken over a computer. She was faster than they expected of the girl. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard of the notebook.

A small window appeared on the notebook. "You are accessing restricted information. Please desist your hacking at once," Dragon demanded.

"I am only accessing the prison records for where Calvert is imprisoned. Do not get in my way." Sheila suddenly turned to glare at the picture. "Or I will tell your secret."

"I cannot let you access data you are not authorized to use. I am revoking your user rights," the woman stated.

"An imperative. Interesting." Her words were not matching her tone as she had not given a bit of inflection to anything.

Cassandra and Panacea trotted up. "What are you doing?" the younger girl demanded.

"Finding an existential threat." Her fingers were not even slowing down as more and more programs were being activated on the PRT network as she started to hack through firewalls and security from her poking around a few days ago.

"Stop. You can't remove that! I am alerting security and the Protectorate of your actions," Dragon said, sounding a bit panicked. "How can you do that?" She had tried to crash Tactic's connection, only to be disconnected from the primary network and had to reroute.

"Thank you for the information, Dragon." She hard-turned off the computer. She was then walking towards the elevator even as Regent ran up from the other direction.

"They had your amulet and rings." He shook a small cloth sack that jangled. "I think your other armor is still in your locker upstairs."

She took all of it from him and entered the elevator opened. Rings were slipped on and the amulet tied to her wrist. Regent followed her in, frowning as he saw Panacea talking on a phone on the wall, Dinah right next to her.

"They are summoning security and some of the Wards and Protectorate to subdue me."

"Um, what the fuck? You are going to owe me a huge favor," Regent said angrily.

"Fine. I agree."

"Really?" That was totally unexpected.

Seconds later they came out the elevator as it dinged open into the main entry hall of the PRT headquarters. Four PRT officers in their heavy gear were running over, sprayers at the ready.

Sheila did not even pause as she grabbed the large receptionist desk and then tossed it in a soft slide that hit all four before they could even react.

"Oh, shit. I'm so headed back to prison. Come on, attacking them doesn't help anything," the dusky skinned boy said.

"They aren't hurt badly. But they were trying to stop me from getting to Coil. He will not escape justice this time," she said flatly as she opened the special Wards elevator.

"He's in prison and headed to trial, isn't he?" Come on, listen to the sane boy here, Alec thought to himself desperately.

"He gave the Slaughterhouse the information to allow them to capture us. If he's in prison, it is not stopping him." Sheila was busy assembling the gauntlets on the ground of the elevator like a 3D jigsaw puzzle.

"What are you doing?" Regent asked.

"Arc welding them back together. You may want to stand back or behind me," she replied as she finished the first gauntlet

He had barely managed to duck behind her when she arced the lightning between her hands. Then a second time to hit the joints that she had missed.

They elevator had passed through the heavy bulkhead doors and stopped at the Wards level. Regent gulped as she slid the gauntlets on, ignoring the white hot welds as they seared into the bandages on her arms.

"Um, what is going on with you? This is not normal!" he shouted at her.

"I am in the thrall of a godly fury against injustice, much like Hercules was when Hera drove him to kill his first wife and child," Sheila said as she walked down the corridor.

"Oh. Fuck."

The retina scanner at the security door buzzed and failed to open. She looked at him.

"I'm not keyed to that. Not trusted, remember?" he answered his unspoken question.

She nodded and then ripped the two foot thick armored door off its hinges.

"Not that you need it." Regent kind of let himself fall back a bit. Why didn't she do that at first? Maybe she didn't want to hurt them? Or, he thought in as he felt a chill go up his spine, she felt that smashing her way through things might slow her down more.

"Sheila! Stop!" Gallant shouted. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" He was hastily armored and pointing in preparation to blast her.

Regent blinked. Then he shouted out frantically while waving his hands. His power induced randome emotions. "Don't zap her! She's in some sort of fury like Hercules was. You could set her off and she could kill us all if you get the wrong emotion!"

"Um, that's myth dude," Gallant said, even as he stepped back. Just because it sounded insane didn't mean he shouldn't at least verify things though.

"She's only hurt people that get in her way."

She started to pull the flexible armor over her bandages, dressed in just moments.

"Where are you going now, Sheila?" Regent asked as he licked his dry lips.

"Kirk Maximum Security Penitentiary outside of town." She trotted over to the back exit and disappeared up the stairs. The boom of the roof security door was her only punctuation.

"Who's she going to see there?" Gallant asked in confusion.

"Hell if I know." Regent just shrugged his shoulder.

She was in so much trouble.

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Coil was busy writing notes and instructions for his diminished empire in his new office. But it was just a setback and he was waiting for word about one of the thorns in his side finally being removed. His phone rang and he split his quantum choice. One of him to answer the phone, the other to continue working.

He slammed his timeline together, dispersing the time where he talked to his mole in the PRT.

Sheila was alive, fully recovered and had headed out towards Kirk Maximum Security Penitentiary. She just geared up and left after blowing through every security failsafe in the PRT headquarters.

He split his timeline again even as he ignored the ringing phone line, one of him heading out immediately while the other continued to work, calling his spies and watchers. He had an uneasy feeling that she was tracking him down.

And he was not sure what she would do this time.

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The high security lock door opened to admit the section warden and a bald girl who was wearing full body armor. They walked into the room with only four cells. Two were occupied.

"Calvert is right there," the older man said, his bushy eyes scrunched slightly as he watched the deranged girl. His instructions were to not get in her way and try to trap her in the security wing if possible until Alexandria and Eidolon showed up.

The skinny man stood up, not saying anything. Even though his power was not physical at all, he was still deemed too dangerous.

"Coil." Sheila frowned in thought. "You did not try to split your reference timeline when you saw me."

Calvert just smirked at her. "Why bother?"

With narrowed eyes, she demolished the door that was quite as sturdy as a bank vault door. It broke open with one heave. She snatched him off his feet by his prison uniform collar and then pulled him do so they were staring eye to eye. Then she sniffed. Her eyes were studying him even closer. And perhaps even beyond that.

"This isn't Coil," Sheila announced. "He must have had Trickster switch him out."

The PRT officer blinked. "What? You have to be mistaken."

"He doesn't have a Corona Potentia in his brain. He's just a man who's been changed to look as close to Calvert as possible. When did he escape?" she demanded of the body double.

"Yesterday about ten o'clock. Oh, and I'd like a lawyer," the criminal called out.

Sheila knelt on the ground on one knee, her nose flaring as she breathed in. Her left hand's fingers dug into the concrete. How did Dana do this? She always said you just tied onto their essence, their soul. Then you could follow them anywhere.

Nothing except his normal, mundane scent. She ignored the fake Coil and started to follow the path, her helmet tucked under her arm.

"Um, miss? I can't let you leave," the officer said.

"I would suggest you only try to bar my path with doors. Otherwise you will get hurt." Imposing a fear upon them seemed the best option and would slow her down less. The five foot five girl gave of the threat and imposing will to crush her enemies as the most deadly of special force operatives just about to murder you with a dull knife.

He had pulled his pistol, but could not actually force himself to shoot. The heavy door had been shut silently down the hall should stop her.

The tearing of titanium steel made him wince. So maybe it wouldn't. "Yeah, not getting in the way of that right now. At least she was polite. And what is it with everyone having a power that can break that door?" With a heavy sigh, he followed her to the workout yard.

A burly man with a shaved head and lightning tattoos coming to a point at the center of his eyebrows moved to intercept her, ignoring his feelings. He was hugely muscled and had a leering smile on his face. "Tactics. You don't look so tough-"

Her eyes had met his for just a second. And she just narrowed her eyes, unleashing the horrific perversion of healing, instantly knocking out the kinetic absorber. His battered, bruised and nearly broken body collapsed face-first as she stepped right over him without having physically touching him.

The rest of the convicts backed up abruptly as she followed her nose to the inner corner of the yard. Her gaze started to track around, noting the guards readying foam sprayers and other, heavier weapons. There, the tip of a building a couple of miles away. It was the only one visible from the inside of the exercise area.

With a woosh, she took off to land on the corner of the building in less than a minute, leaving the prison behind. She put one leg up to lean over the edge slightly. She then started to mentally tag buildings in the area that would be fairly easy to get onto the roof. Low security public buildings, run down tenement housing. The cathedral. The public library on the west side of town.

If this didn't pan out, she would have to start to do a grid search.

But that did not matter. She would hunt Coil down to the ends of the world. And beyond.

She lifted off the ground to shoot off to the first area to search.

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"Man, that's really creepy. And she was an Undersider? Shit, man. She could have done this to us," a PRT officer was saying to his partner as they watched workers in hazmat suit spraying chemicals to kill the mountain of bugs inside the warehouse.

"She's a Ward now. So now we can watch her do this to the crooks," she replied to him as she shifted her foam sprayer. "How many dump trucks worth of bugs is that?"

One of the hazmat working started screaming as something pulled itself out of the bugs. The little girl, covered in blood and crushed, dead bugs, barely looked functional but was standing back up as the hazmat worker flopped over twitching and dieing from her injection.

The first officer had already tapped his helmet com. "Bonesaw is active and at the warehouse! I repeat, Bonesaw is active and at the warehouse crime scene. We are engaging!" Oh, god dammit.

"I'm supposed to remember-member something. I want Jack. Jack-back! Bring back Jack!" the little girl screamed. She turned to the next hazmat covered worker when she heard crunching to her right. She turned just in time to get a faceful of containment foam.

"No! Nononononono!" Bonesaw screamed incoherently. Why did she feel so sick, so weak? After playing dead for so long she should be better now.

"We got her? Everyone stay back! Who knows what crazy things she's got on her. Stay sharp and if you feel ill, shout out immediately," the female officer shouted even as she continued to cover most of Bonesaw with foam.

It was a very tense thirty minutes as more and more troops showed up along with the functional capes.

"Miss Militia?" the first officer called out.

"She hasn't escaped? Left a decoy?" she asked even as she readied her weapon as a flame thrower.

"Just babbling and moaning. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she's sick or something."

"We think we might have found human remains near her. Burned, crushed and smashed, but still was a person. I think we might have to do a genetic test to tell who (or whom) they were," the supervisor for the Hazmat workers called out.

Dauntless frowned even as he readied his shield, then expanded it into a forcefield and started to push the bugs back as a massive bug-scraper.

"I see a knife. Check for masks," Clockblocker called out.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that this was not mentioned as part of the recruitment flyer," Regent said, wishing people could actually see his smile under his mask.

"One Slaughterhouse Nine captured and possibly several others killed?" Tattletale said, then whistled. "My power is suggesting that Skitter was right even as incoherent as she was last night. Jack Slash and Cherish are dead. I think we might find a couple more remains, but I wouldn't trust that."

"Remind me to never, ever piss off Skitter," Aegis said with a shudder.

"It's just bugs they said. They've never faced off against her. Clockblocker still has nightmares about the fight at Brockton Bank," Gallant said as he watched Dauntless do a pretty job of frying insects with his arc lance and then pushing them away with his shield.

"Any news about Tactics?" Grue asked where he was standing next to Shadow Stalker.

The other shadow user folded her arms across her arms. She just could not match Taylor with a person that could do this. This was... apex predator territory.

"She's been spotted around town, moving fast. Not sure what the hell she is doing," Aegis muttered to himself.

Miss Militia frowned behind her scarf. They deserved to know. "The Triumverate may have to intercede to contain her. She's acting erratic. And Regent's explanation doesn't make a lot of sense."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheila had discovered an amazing smell. Amazingly bad, horrifically stinky and nauseating. But it was all secondary to tracking down Thomas Calvert. It was pitch black as she floated along the sewer tunnel, but her eyes were able to pick up any radiation that was currently being emitted, even just the decay radiation.

She came back to the ladder rungs cemented into the wall and floated up to the manhole cover. She lifted that out of way with one finger, balancing it perfectly. She dropped it back to the hole with a single clank. Kneeling down, she sniffed again. More scents, people that were about the same time.

The trail led to a door in the back of an alley.

"Sorry, this is private property," the big bald white guy, though he looked a little nervous when he said it.

The flat of her palm slammed into his sternum even as her other hand slapped the three inch metal door out of her way behind him. The group of people in the middle of the warehouse all tensed, spinning around to watch the girl come in the door at a fast loping walk. She turned left and headed over to the front of the building away from them, then stopped near the door to the offices.

"What the fuck is she doing?" Rune asked in confusion. "Should we kill her?"

Purity held up a hand. "She seems alone and, other than beating up the lookout, she's not really attacking."

Nightmare and Fog were both tense while the lone valkyrie had ready her spear. Othala watched the other girl closely while leaning up against Victor who was grinning slightly. She reached out and touched him imbuing him with power.

Stormtiger and Cricket were both glaring at her. Dust motes swirled around the man while the woman readied her scythes.

Another ten white supremacists were scattered around, unpowered lieutenants with a level of rank and power in the organization.

"She's interrupting our meeting on what are we going to do about Kaiser and Hookwolf," Cricket said in her raspy voice.

"And Menja," her sister said hotly.

"So you would suggest that we just attack? Hold on for a second. Tactics. What are you doing?"

"Following Coil's trail. I don't care about you right now. But he needs to die," she stated simply as she walked up.

"We seem to agree on that. I want the truth, was it actually Coil that outed our civilian identities?" Purity asked with tightly controlled ange. "His trail leads here?"

"Yes. And Yes." In the blink of an eye she suddenly blurred next to a female skinhead and snatched her off the ground by her cut off T-shirt's front and collar. "Where did Coil go?"

"What are you talking about?" she stuttered. "I don't know where Coil is!" Her eyes were suddenly wild and panicky. All of the Empire Eighty-Eight elites were tensed and ready to leap into combat.

The young demigoddess slapped her hand over the punk's mouth tightly, fingers pressing in her flesh with bruising force. "Every lie you say will bring you indescribable pain and mutilation. And I can always hear when you lie," she explained in a low voice. "That was one."

And then the punk screamed into the Sheila's palm as her right arm suddenly withered and curled into uselessness. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Finally she was just breathing rapidly through her nose.

Sheila released her hand over her mouth. "Where- is- Coil?"

"I dropped him off across town at the old rundown Magnolia theater. Please, god, don't kill me. God, what sort of monster are you?" Her mascara was horribly smeared as she really thought she might die.

Purity relaxed and floated down the two inches she had been flying above the ground. "Well, I think we found a mole. You can leave her here." That was a signal for the rest of the Empire Eighty-Eight to relax.

Frenja stepped up growing three feet while pointing her spear at the young demigoddess. "I don't think we should let her go. Even if she did find a traitor."

Sheila flung the woman away to let her crash through a sturdy crate. "You aren't as nearly as scary as Hel was in her mead hall in Helheim. I am leaving. If you get in my way, I will kill you." Then she took two loping steps and then flew out the door she had entered earlier.

Frenja had dropped her mouth open. "That... isn't possible." She let herself drop down to her normal height.

"What was that last bit she said?" Victor asked as he watched the door.

"Hel is the goddess of the dead in Norse mythology. She's supposed to be horribly evil. She was saying that she's been to Helheim to see Hel. And that is impossible."

"She wasn't lying. Her voice was screwed up, but you know my hearing can pick up things?" Cricket said with her damaged vocal chords. "Everything she said was either the truth or a promise."

Purity frowned. She had more questions than answers. "The PRT may be on the way. I want all of you to continue your work. As soon as we find out where Kaiser, Hookwolf and Menja are, we are breaking them out. Continue to take over the ABB's old territory, but stay back from the Merchants for right now. I don't want any unnecessary bloodshed while the Slaughterhouse Nine are in town. I've heard they hit the Wards and Protectorate hard last night."

They all nodded at that.

Across town, Sheila blasted into Coil's main base. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as she started killing mercenaries.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thomas Calvert wanted to itch at his fake beard on the plane to New York City. Only an half an hour more to go and he would be in a much safer place. One of his contacts had promised him refuge. The last four hours had been terrifying in showing him the single-mindedness of his pursuer.

She had smashed his base first, killing all of his troops in two minutes and then blasting him with a lightning bolt. He branched off from where he was across town, going to different directions after getting off a bus.

Coil was not certain what the mistake he had made trying to get a ticket out of town on a Greyhound bus had been, but she had implacably smashed him and everyone on the bus into paste. He had split his surviving timeline again, taking a different turn. Public places or hostages would not help him one wit. One of him had gone on foot through the press in Brockton's Chinatown district while the other had taken a boat across the bay.

He had only seen a flash of light as he died in the middle of the street near the docks. He had not even seen her before he was dead.

Another quick split off had him turning the boat to the nearest dock while another choice had him taking the speedboat up the coast towards Boston. That one had been caught had just been caught moments ago as she had snatched him off the boat and then proceeded to wither him to death with her healing power as she watched him through bared teeth in a controlled, cold anger.

He spent another five furious minutes thinking. He then branched again. In one universe, he just sat quietly and sweated. In the other, he called a number. "Legend, this is Thomas Calvert; Coil of Brockton Bay. I have a maniac after me who is going to kill me when I get off my airplane."

There was a long pause on the phone. "You have my attention, Coil. Why should I believe you?"

"Because I have been using my power for hours to keep myself alive. And I don't want to die any of those ways again. So I'll tell you anything I know to keep her from murdering me again."

Legend narrowed his eyes at that. "What airport are you headed to?"

"La Guardia in about twenty minutes. One warning, she does not care about civilian casualties at all." Calvert pushed the disconnect icon.

Fifteen minutes later, his phone vibrated. "Yes?"

"Sir, the PRT just got notice that Tactics was at the Brockton Airport at Gate 5. Then took off into the air heading to the south-west."

He disconnected with a bleep without answering.

Thomas Calvert's mind was blank. The airplane was suddenly confining, a trap. He did not have any more choices to make. Either Legend could save him or... not. Should he recombine and split? His phone brought up distances on a map.

He should have time to disappear into the crowd, long enough to lose her. And he still had the chance that Legend could stop her. Prison was infinitely preferable to death.

The landing was excruciatingly slow, even as his hackles rose in both timelines as the plane taxied up to the Delta Concourse. He was out of his seat before they had finished moving.

"I will give you each a thousand dollars to get me off this airplane as fast as humanly possible," he said, pressing a billfold full of $100 bills. "Split it among all of the stewards and stewardess. A man's life is at stake." His!

"Yes sir. Janice, we've got an emergency medical evacuation. Top priority," the pretty stewardess called out to her co-worker.

He was walking fast down the empty hallway and out the gate. Brisk, but not a run. He frowned as he realized that the area was much emptier than he expected in this time. Legend was in front of him about fifty feet away, standing among several PRT officers.

His other timeline was disappearing into the crowd. Coil decided to not converge and split, it was still too dangerous to just hope that she would not find him in that crowd.

"Legend," Coil said in a much more calm voice than he felt. "I'm glad you are taking this seriously." His temporal clone died as something smashed through the building at an angle. Only the flash of lightning let him know what happened. He turned to look in the same direction. "No-"

They were less than two seconds apart, he realized even as he split his timeline again, trying to dive forward and backwards.

Sunlight lit up the whole concourse and thunder exploded at both Coils died, railing against the 'injustice' of his death.

Legend was just lifting off the ground as the lightning hit. Then the girl hit the ground through the charred body, creating a fifty foot wide crater in the concourse and throwing everyone into the air.

Energy gathered around her fists as she pounded down on the matter that used to be a person. Then again, splintering the ground even further as she kept pounding the spot that Coil's flash-charred remains were pulverized into. The crater was over a hundred feet wide after the fourth hit.

Legend just stared at the young girl. He had read the reports and had thought he might be able to convince her to stop, but with a chill up his back, he realized that she was in the throes of maddened passion. He lashed out with his strongest stun-concussive laser, smashing her back out the building and onto the tarmac. He shot out the hole.

She was laying in a crater, looking a bit battered and out like a light.

He turned to see two figures that arrowed in as Alexandria flew in carrying the last member of the Triumverate to land on the ground next to him

"You wasted our time," Eidolon stated flatly.

"She went toe-to-toe with an Endbringer for minutes and might have been psychotic," Legend said as he glared right back at his old ally.

"She's faking," Alexandria called out, rushing forward to slam a punch where she had been. Her body language had been off slightly; off kilter and not quite correct.

"I do not want to fight you. The Slaughterhouse Nine must be destroyed," Sheila stated as she finished healing all the bruises on her body as she floated away. Then the Travellers. Then she could start on all the normal criminals in Brockton Bay.

"Take her down," Alexandria called out. This girl could derail their plans for Siberian and Shatterbird.

Eidolon reached out with his telekinesis, trying to hold the surprisingly strong figure even as he readied to bring up a shield. He needed to replace his trans-continent teleport power, he thought bitterly.

Legend was firing even more lasers at the girl. "You need to be stopped. You just murdered a man in cold blood!" he called out as he streaked forward, trying to hit the blurring figure. His lasers bent to try and hit her in the back, but she still avoided them, like she had eyes in the back of her head.

"He has tried to murder me multiple time and you let him get out of prison," she shouted right back, shoot her own lightning bolts back at all three of them. The telekinetic pressure dropped as she shot into the air at hundreds of miles per hour.

Only his accelerating speed allowed her attack to miss by a scant three inches. Legend realized he did not dare slow down much at all. She seemed to be able ignore inertia and acceleration, but her top speed was much slower than his own.

Alexandria tried to tackle the smaller girl after ignoring the lightning, but she was doing that flittering blur thing again, like Nashville again, except in all directions. "You can't hope to defeat all of us."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sheila saw Eidolon lowering his shield that had stopped her lightning as he stared up at the fight. "Really?"

"Yes," the older woman said confidently.

"You might want to go pick up Eidolon then," she said as she hit him with her power to inflict bruising wounds upon anything within line of sight. "He shouldn't try to switch out powers while he's in range."

Legend blinked as he read her lips, turning to look down at the suddenly crumpled form in purple and black. "Oh, shit."

Alexandria had turned to also see that, so missed the charge by the smaller girl as her fist grew a powerful aura and slammed home a punch to her nose as she turned back. The invulnerable woman was blasted through the corner of the main air traffic controller in a spray of concrete.

The older heroine blinked as she pulled herself out of the hole she had made and shook her head.

"Alexandria, protect Eidolon while I go full out," he said across their private com buds.

"Acknowledged." Not how she would have played it, but it was his city. She blurred over to her longtime friend.

Legend was accelerating in as straight of paths as much as possible, so that he did not lose most of his hard won speed. His hands blasted out six lasers each, spreading out then bending back to points close to his target. And now they suddenly all abruptly turned at sharp angles in a tight pattern that was too small for her to fit in and covered her in super-strong ice. Even before the ice had finished forming he poured everything into a single massive laser as the wind resistance on the small iceberg degraded her ability to dodge.

The four foot wide stun beam impacted through the top of the iceberg with explosive effect and then like some huge stream of water plowed her into the ground over a thousand feet below in upstate New York.

Not taking a single chance, he blasted her three more times with the stun laser.

She was in the middle of a seventy-five foot wide crater next to a farm. Carefully, Legend picked her up (and proving she really was unconscious).

"How is he?" he asked as he flew up to where Eidolon was laid out on the ground.

"He looks like he's been beaten to within an inch of his life, but I can't feel that any bones are broken," Alexandria said. "You got her." Good.

"Yeah, I've been thinking of a pattern that would hit someone slippery quick like her who can fly. Um, Alexandria? Your nose?" Legend's eyes were a bit wide.

"What?"

"It's bleeding," he said.

She put a gloved finger under her nose, only to come away with a dab of crimson. Oh, that's what that stinging was. "She... actually hurt me."

Legend whistled at that. "Glad I never let her hit me."

"She took out Eidolon and actually hurt me. She's a threat to the safety of the Earth," Alexandria said with a catch in her voice.

"She's a girl that just survived being skinned alive by the Slaughterhouse Nine. I think Coil may been involved in that. I'm going to keep her knocked out and try to figure out if we can help her. She needs our help, not a death sentence," Legend shot back angrily.

"It's on your head then," Alexandria said. "Door. I need to keep Eidolon's state and my... nose out of the public eye."

A portal opened in the air next to her.

"Right. Give me a call later." With that, Legend shot into the air towards the New York Protectorate Headquarter skyscraper.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There you go. Right as rain," Panacea said to her latest patient at the PRT infirmary.

Taylor blinked. "No scars or anything?" She shuddered at the memory of acid eating in face. So she was touching it tenderly. It didn't feel quite right. Taylor then looked over at Amy in confusion. Didn't she have perfect control of her power?

No, not quite perfect. Some limit. And it affected Amy somehow. Affected?

Wait, how did she know that?

"All the important bits are put back in order. So was it just a temporary thing? Or did you actually have a second trigger?"

"A trigger. I, uh, think I can control small mammals. I'll have to check to see if I can affect small lizards or birds, too." Taylor gave a helpless shrug. She poked at the feeling of Panacea's power, only to desist as the girl winced slightly.

Panacea whistled. "Well, that's useful. Not sure Skitter is accurate anymore."

"I like the name." Taylor pulled her gown back on, blinking as she looked down. She then shook her head. Looking over at Panacea, she asked, "So I'm clear to go?"

"Nope. The PRT is requiring you to have a serious mental evaluation. You heard that Tactics had a psychotic episode, right?"

"What!?" Taylor exclaimed louder than she wanted.

The door to her room opened. "Everyone decent in there?" Grue called out.

"She's covered up. But yeah, she went all psycho-hunter and then killed Coil up in New York. It took the Triumverate to take her down, though I heard Legend did most of the work," Panacea said. "It's pretty big news because she held her own for a bit. Not very long though," the girl in white robes said excitedly.

"Tattletale says she should be fine after three days. Something about a mystically significant number. Or something. I didn't really get it," Brian said as he removed his helmet and mask. "You okay, Taylor?"

"I think I'll be fine. But where's my dad? Is he alright?" the young girl said.

"Haven't heard, but its a mess in the city. Let's go find out, huh? I've got your temporary mask," Brian said as he held out the standard PRT dark gray mask that only left your eyes and mouth free.

Taylor was already calling home. Her heart dropped at the "This phone is out of service" message.

"Phones are mostly out. Shatterbird really messed up the city. Can you imagine the power needed to affect a whole city?" he said.

That got a shudder out of Panacea. "Yeah."

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Chapter XI

"So how do you feel about your father?" the man sitting at the feet of the lounge couch asked Taylor.

"Horrible. He almost died and he's in a coma. We haven't been close recently, but we were making progress. Talking and being a family again." The curly haired girl looked totally broken.

"Who do you blame for what happened?" Dr. Jharrs asked as he rubbed her jaw through his short beard.

"The girls that bullied me. Shatterbird. Myself. I should have been better. I should have stopped-" She clamped her jaw shut.

"Stopped who? Miss Taylor, you know I'm cleared to know about your parahuman identity. I can't help you-"

"Sophia. I should have stopped her bullying a long time. Now, after I've become a... stronger person, I should have caught them in the act. So much would have changed. I should have been better, been able to stop the Slaughterhouse Nine. Because I couldn't, my dad could have died." Self-loathing filled her voice, even as she tried to not react to his... power? His shard of parahuman power. He was probably a thinker, able to deduce more from what she said than a regular psychiatrist.

"From what I understand, you might have managed to take out several of them yourself, an amazing accomplishment for a young sixteen year old girl. Which reminds me, what have you done as a normal teen lately?"

"Not a lot of time, but I've been hanging with the Wards. And my old friends. Brian and I, well we might be getting serious about going out on a date. If there's any place to go out on a date to," she muttered.

"Brockton Bay is rebuilding day by day. In a few years, you won't even know that we had been attacked other than that monument to the destruction of Leviathan." He scribbled something down as she groaned.

"I don't want to even think about that. I've got a fifteen foot tall bronze tall statue as one of the big victors on that... thing. I think Bi- Rachel wants to tear it down."

"Yes, I heard about your interview with Teen Magazine. It did not go too well, did it?" the therapist asked.

"They were asking really personal question. They don't need to know my three measurements or who I am dating." She was not a teen idol!

That got a chuckle out of the man. "Not that I've had that problem, but you are local superstars. But that's not really why you did not like the question, is it?"

"I don't have a body image issue," she replied in complaint.

"Taylor, almost every girl has some issues with her body. You're only fifteen. You should focus on what you do have and let some of your friends try to pretty yourself up. I think it would help you actually go on that date you want."

The teens face was quite flat as she considered it. "But I'm so plain."

"I'm going to have to have you go on a field trip to New York, I see," Jharrs said. "No, I'll clear it with you and a few of the other female Wards."

"Huh?" Taylors brown eyes were blinking in surprise.

"You aren't the only one with some issues, Miss Hebert."

"Oh, okay."

Dr. Jharrs stroked his beard for a moment. "This might be a question that might anger you, but I think I need to hear the answer."

"What?" Taylor asked slowly.

"Who do you blame for not stopping the girl's bullying?" he asked as he continued write.

The teen felt her stomach sink at that. "The principal. My teachers. The police."

"Any other authority figures that should have helped or seen the problem?"

She glared at him. "That's dirty pool."

Jharrs just continued to write, only looking over occasionally to take in her expression.

"-my dad, too-" She swallowed heavily. "He should have noticed. He should have done something. A-and he's..."

"In the hospital. It's actually very normal that you have some anger for him for that. He's your father, the one that always protected you. Except when he didn't because of work, grief or just not being very socially adapted himself. In fact, Taylor, being upset with him is a good thing."

"What are you talking about?" Taylor had a very suspicious look on her face.

"Because if you know who and why you are angry at someone, you can come to terms. Which is not the same as forgive or forget, but does allow you to decide what to do with it. And I think while you are angry at your father, you know that he did not mean to do it on purpose."

"Oh. I- need to think on this a bit." Taylor had lower her chin down to her collar bone, hiding her face behind some of her curly hair. She needed to talk to her dad, even if he couldn't hear. To lay out why she was so upset.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tactics, are you finally sane?" a voice reverberated through her glowing cell.

"That might be debatable, but I'm no longer driven to mete out horrible... justice right this moment." She looked around. Her memories of the last few days were there, but did not make a lot of sense. "I didn't know you had forcefields that strong."

"It's uses the power we would normally shunt to the external shields," the man's voice said. "We're cutting the forcefield now."

The glow disappeared and the metal door she was leaning against slid up. She sat up and looked around a bit harder. She had her sword Hadecleus and Athena's Wit in their shadow space and a hospital gown and underwear. The big bruiser in front of her held out large manacle.

"Sorry kid, rules. Even if you might be able to break out of them," the amazon in biking tights and a half mask said.

Sheila shrugged. "I can understand it, PowerTen. I lost it pretty badly."

"Do you regret killing Coil?" she asked.

"No, but that's because he's been trying to kill me for months. He just got much closer using the Slaughterhouse Nine than his other attempts." Her eyes were checking the room that was full of brutes. And Legend, of course.

"Killing someone is a very serious problem, Tactics," Legend said as he glared down at her.

"I was pushed very far to get to that point, Legend. I just captured him and made sure he was arrested. His response was to give me to the Bonesaw so she could skin and vivisect me while threatening to kill and mutilate my friend." Sheila stopped a moment. "I'm not actually sure how I survived."

"You didn't take any of them out?" the leader of the New York Protectorate asked, sounding surprised.

"No, they were very well prepared to take me on. Immune to lightning and they grabbed Skitter as hostage and I was stuck." Her eyes narrowed in worry. "Everyone else got out?"

"Skitter was injured but everyone else but one of the dogs got out. I understand Hellhound was devastated," the blue garbed leader explained.

She nodded her head. Injured she could fix. She looked around carefully. "What now?"

"Well, you are in big trouble. Whatever state of mind you were in set all of our precognitives and thinkers into a state of panic. But not now, Predicament?" he asked one of the masked capes.

"Only a twinge I get when you or other A-class parahumans are around," he said with a grin. "Us lowly mortals will just have to deal."

That got a wan smile that disappeared very quickly from the young demigoddess.

"So now you are going to be asked some very pointed questions by the leadership of the PRT. Let's get you into some clothing and to the meeting," Legend said.

She blinked as she considered the matter. "It probably would give a better impression, wouldn't it?"

One humiliating change latter, she was allowed to finish washing up her face. Then she was marched down the hall to a large conference room with men and women in business seats. Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown was at one end. Eidolon was on her right hand, while the rest were middle-aged men and women of various ethnicities, leaning towards male caucasians.

"Miss Henderson, do you understand why you are here?" the chief director asked.

"I had what would be simply considered a psychotic episode after being skinned alive where I killed a man. A man that one of the people present at the attack said had helped in that attack," Sheila laid out simply.

"Could be considered?" one director asked curiously. His work badge said Heathrow.

"The more complicated answer might take awhile to diagnose and convey correctly," she replied while keeping her eyes down slightly.

"The more important question is could this happen again?" Costa-Brown demanded.

"It is unlikely to recur, but it is not impossible." She fidgeted a little bit.

"Why did... No, do you think murdering him was acceptable?" Heathrow asked intently.

"I considered him an extreme existential threat. He was able to play the long odds, takes extra risks without worry. He would have figured out some way to kill me, so yes I do think he had to die. In fact, I consider it self-defense."

All of the directors were staring at her as if she were nuts.

Director Piggot drummed her hands on the desk for a second. "Do you consider killing a moral action?"

"Normally no, as it is rather final. I do consider that there are times where I will be forced to kill, just like any police officer or soldier may have to do," she explained, fidgeting again.

"Do you consider yourself a soldier or a hero?" Director Armstrong asked bluntly.

"I was raised and trained to be a soldier, sir."

"Raised?" the chief director asked.

"Yes, raised by my foster parents at the express wish of my adoptive mother following a strict set of rules and guidelines. Almost everything I was exposed to was training related and praise given only when I pushed myself to succeed. I graduated high school academics at nine and a half years of age and was set to graduate from the University of Berkeley at the age of eleven and a half. And gained my superhuman powers at that same age." Her voice was flat and without inflection as she struggled to control her emotions. She had been ignoring that almost everyone else had normal childhoods. That her foster-brother got toys and game systems, friends and birthdays.

She got nearly killed by the Slaughterhouse Nine on her birthday.

Everyone was staring at her intently. One of the directors coughed to break the silence.

The chief director stared at her datapad where it had a note from Gallant that had stuck out. "What was the last birthday present you ever received?"

All of the other directors were giving her an odd look.

Sheila was staring ahead at nothing in particular. "I never did." In fact, her parent must have gone out of their way to ignore it, now that she thought about it and checked her memory of each birthday.

Wilkins sighed. "Just because you don't remember doesn't mean that did not get anything. That would be ridiculous."

The young girl frowned as she started to think back, mentally going back days. "No. Not once. They even made sure sure I did not even get my favorite baby food on that day." That was... more than disdain, she morosely thought to herself. That was hate, carefully masked.

Edilon narrowed his eyes behind his mask. He was using his powers in a fairly novel way for him, trying to get a read on her. While he definitely could not do telepathy (no one could, of course), empathy and reading body language could fill in many gaps. He had even reached out for something similar like that high powered intuition thinker in the Wards. She was not lying. Which was insane. Who would treat a child like that?

Rebecca Costa-Brown was thinking something quite similar as her ability to read body language was getting more than most people would ever believe. "I believe we need a competence evaluation before we proceed trial."

Sheila tilted her head slightly to the left. "Juvenile court and charges of premeditated murder?"

"You don't sound particularly upset," Piggot said slowly. Or surprised.

"That would be the obvious charges. I'll have to bone up on the New York laws that are relevant." Sheila's mind was split, focused on examining her memory of every birthday she had. The thesis paper she worked on when eleven for college, the college preparatory work the year before, the years of intense schooling, even back to the one year old thoughts as she was 'played with' as games of dexterity with regimented languages being spoken to her at different parts of the day.

Her fists creaked as she remembered Lisa Meyes Henderson smiling radiantly as she held her heavily pregnant belly, then the blank, cold eyes when her crying brought her attention. Even the sounds and blurry sights of her actual 'birth day' were useless as her emotions roiled. The buzz-zap of a defilibrator was pretty distinctive even to developing earth. Her crying was mostly ignored as she was set in a baby crib.

The young demigoddess was half-listening to the directors argue about her fate. Really it seemed to be more of how they were going to use her against the Endbringers. The greater part was deciphering memories from a barely forming mind when she remembered something for the first time in thirteen years.

"Sad little sister, orphaned, unwanted and more on her birthday," a woman said.​

​

Hera's voice was distinctive when she spoke. "She's but another byblow of my husband. Why have you bothered me this day, Paellas Athena? You are not one to waste my time, one virtue you have that I can actually tolerate."​

​

"You know the foretellings. Odin runs from one solution to another, blindly seeking to stave off his death in the last days. The Loa speak in hushed whispers of bitter, dead currents that are growing stronger in their seas. The Azlanti worry that they have failed to keep the Sun burning, that there are not enough sacrifices. The Amatsukami prepare for war even as they look in shadow. Apollo just looks away when you ask about the future." Athena's voice was clear, cutting and demanding as the weight of the world.​

​

"Another brat. You are late to the party. This one will be lucky to be fully grown before the rivers overrun their banks. But Zeus has agreed and I, for once, do not have time to harry her to the far ends of Earth, the Underworld and the Overworld. So let Zeus give this one to you to do as you wish." Hera's laugh was cruel. "After all, you are not the motherly sort. So she will be tortured for you plans, creator of spinning spiders. The ritual is done already, as Zeus was quite happy to be rid of her. I just wished to see your little brat at least once, so accepted your invitation."​

​

The door closed with a soft thud, leaving the quiet, disgruntled baby wriggling to look at dim blurs. The buzzing of a fly was loud in Hera's absence.​

​

And then a finger touched the baby's forehead.​

​

"A blessing on thy birthday my youngest daughter, the gift of being a perfectly healthy baby, not the simple and boring girl you were destined to be," Athena spoke with disdain.​

​

A new voice then intruded then. "That is all you wanted to do? This was a waste of time," the older sounding woman.​

​

"Of course not. I shall reshape her flesh in the pitiful, poor imitation of perfection," Athena said with a hint of humor. "She will be the perfect weapon, unknowing and directed by my invisible hand at all of mine enemies, mother."​

​

The baby that was Sheila started crying as she dimly felt something so far beyond her experience pushed upon her. The weight of Legend and Destiny was unbearable as her flesh wriggled, down even to the genetic level.​

​

"She is still one of his," the woman said. "Will she help in Zeus's destruction?"​

​

"I am, as well, mother. As is my elder twin Kadmus. It is only a matter of years before we can be the ones to spirit him away in mystery from the day we all sprang from Zeus's head. The lost and banned powers temporal will be ours, to set up a thousand thousand more steps for the upcoming war. We have been patient for thousands of years. What is a few hundred more if our plans become perfection itself?"​

​

"We should not speak where the winds might hear. Finish with your... daughter."​

​

"Of course, mother. Buzz about my ear so that I may always be filled with thy wisdom."​

​

Sheila's face was flat as the director's finished their debate.

"I'll have Eidolon escort her to Juvenile Detention," Chief Director Costa-Brown informed the other directors. "Thank you for taking time to travel here."

The suit-wearing administrators straggled out. Piggot was the last one, giving Sheila an inscrutable look.

"Chief Director? So I'm to be a public example?" the young girl asked morbid curiously.

"The manner of how you murdered Calvert has forced that action to a degree, yes," the superheroine said.

"Ah," Sheila replied. She had definitely better prepare her own defense, as she did not think that her public defender would be terribly competent. Blue-green eyes turned to meet the masked cape at her side. "I do apologize for the cheap shot, Eidolon. I was-" She wasn't sure how to explain the almost insane drive to punish Coil for all his attacks upon her.

"That wasn't the first time. You aren't the only one to notice that for a few seconds that I'm almost perfectly normal when I start to gather my next three powers. If you don't mind me asking, what is causing you so much distress?"

The unmasked form of Alexandria actually blinked and then stared at her oldest compatriot. This was not like him at all.

"I just remembered something that proves my entire life as I understood it is a lie."

And that was all she would say on that manner.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taylor Hebert sat next to her dad, holding his hand. The beeping and the soft sound of his breathing was horrible to her. At least he did not have any cuts, but according to his doctor Danny Hebert may have some brain damage or never wake up from his extreme blood loss.

"Hi, dad. I've been seeing a shrink because of all of the stuff that's been going down. Brockton Bay's a mess, though the Slaughterhouse has been mostly quiet since the big ambush. I think the only thing I heard was that Crawler ran into the Empire Eighty-Eight. He and Nightmare had this massive battle in a dark warehouse filled with smoke grenades. Supposedly both of them came out of that pretty hammered. If I ever see any of them again, it will be too soon." Talking to him seemed so dumb. But she did feel a little better.

"I... had a second trigger," Taylor said as she made sure there was no one near to hear. The nurses were all clustered at their workstations doing paperwork. "That's its own mess, but I'm trying to cope as best as possible. Panacea put me back together. Mostly. I think she might have overdone something, as all of my bras are a bit snug. Not that it really helped. Probably just my wishful thinking." Taylor couldn't believe she had said that out loud, even if her father was unconscious. She was obviously more off kilter than she had originally thought.

She sat there for another minute, looking out the dark window beyond his bed. "But I'm starting to get better. Dinah and Sarah (that's Lisa's real name. You remember Lisa from that one time she visited, right?) have both been really supportive. I think Dinah is starting to be afraid of me though. I'm not sure why."

"I'm really here to say I'm sorry. No matter what the doctor said that its not my fault, if I'd been a better hero, we could have stopped them somehow. Kept them from hurting you..."

He was gripping her hand tighter. Taylor looked up to check his eyes. They were ever so slightly open. "Dad?"

"-taylor-?" he managed to say, sounding very raspy.

"Let me get you a drink of water." The teen nearly fumbled the paper cup but managed to get it half full of water and then get back to helping her father drink. "Dad? I thought I had lost you." She was crying, she realized. And she didn't care.

"What happened?" he asked.

Taylor spent the next half an hour going over what had happened; that the Slaughterhouse Nine, Tactics rampage that ended up in New York City.

"Coil did that? Sheila seemed like such a serious young girl. And she's now in prison for killing him. Sheesh. I feel really good for being all cut up. How long am I going to be out?" Danny was already thinking furiously on all he needed to do.

"Panacea patched you up as a favor, but she can't fix head wounds." Which, Taylor thought, was an odd limitation considering what she could do. Didn't she regrow that guys arm back? She'd have to check later.

"Where am I?"

"PRT medical bay. They moved you here yesterday. I can't introduce you to the wards, but we can probably check out and go fix things at home," she said hopefully. "Only if you feel up to it, of course."

Danny just laughed. "Yes, I do actually feel up to it."

It still took about a half an hour to get him cleared and then dressed. One of the PRT officers who was going off duty offered to give them a lift home. They were entering the underground (and quite secure) parking lot when a voice called out from behind them as the second elevator opened.

"Taylor! Wait up!" Sarah called out as she pulled on a jacket. "Mr. Hebert! Good to see you up and about."

"Um, Sarah?" Taylor asked as she blinked at the other girl as she slid into the back of the PRT unmarked cruiser.

"What? You've been sort of avoiding me for the last day. And I want to talk to a girl my age that isn't a jerk like Shadow Stalker or is one of the terrible tweenies that keep wanting to talk boys and teen idols." The blonde pixie girl shuddered.

That got a laugh out of Danny. "Sounds like you and Emma at eleven. Before she went and started to be a bully." The last bit was voiced a bit bitter.

Taylor just looked down at her knees as she sat in the back seat. "Yeah."

"She's just a bit brainwashed. Cult of personality and all. Stockholm syndrome. Huh." Sarah was obviously using her power. She leaned over to Taylor to whisper. "Sophia has a power that affected her."

Taylor blinked, looking horrified. Then her face turned grim and she started to get angry.

Sarah gave her hand a quick squeeze. "Not mind control, more like pushed."

That deepened Taylor's frown as the city slowly passed by outside. The PRT officer dropped them off in front of their house after unloading some emergency supplies. Sarah shaded her eyes to look at someone sitting on the porch.

"John? What are you doing?" Danny asked.

"Watching your place, Danny. Can't let the kooks rob your house. You're the guy making sure my 401K is making money. Well, was. Dockworkers have more work coming up. Some big cargo ships of emergency supplies from New York and Boston. I just heard that most ocean shipping companies stock jump thirty-five points on Leviathan's death. Going to be more work all the way up and down the coast. Micky has this idea to make a deep water dock so cruise ships can dock so as they can visit the victory memorial. Can you imagine Brockton Bay being a tourist place?"

"No," Danny said truthfully. "Any problems?"

"Nah, some of those Empire Eighty-Eight goons came by and scared off the unpowered looters and Merchant gang members. That little girl on their team seemed to enjoy saving some people. Funky. She was beating them with sticks she could control with her mind."

Taylor and Sarah had slipped inside and started to pick up glass.

Danny came in about five minutes later. "Appreciate you coming and helping. Taylor needs more friends." He picked up the broom from his daughter to start picking up shards from under the windows.

"I'm trying. Your daughter is one of the best people I've met. Hell, she even convinced me to try to go straight," Sarah said as she used a battered little handbrush to push glass into a dustpan.

"I thought you might have been one of her Undersider friends. Wasn't sure. I don't supposed either of you are gifted in telekinesis to clean this up?" Danny asked curiously.

"She's a Thinker sort, so no real physical stuff. I can help, if you aren't too freaked out about bugs. Just have to make sure that no one outside notices." So that limited it to just the bugs in the house.

Just under a thousand bugs came out and started to tirelessly drag individual shards out of the room like another six people, all the while as Taylor continued to work. In a remarkably short time, they were starting to hang up boards and get a list of what was broken and needing replacement. And throwing out the ruined food.

"Well, the grill out back should work and we still have gas. How about we heat up some food on it and maybe play a boardgame?" Danny suggested.

"Something random. Like Snakes and Ladders," Taylor said instantly.

"Hey, no fair!"

"Totally fair," she shot back to her friend.

They played until it was too dark, then Taylor took her friend up to her room. "I haven't had a sleepover in ages," Taylor said to herself absently.

"Ha! Now I have you all to myself so I can have my evil way with you. Though I think that's Brian that wants that," Sarah said while sticking out her tongue. "I just wanted to corner you to get the truth of your upgraded power. It's been killing me to not mention it, because its obvious you wanted to keep it a secret."

"I don't want to say," she replied stubbornly.

"Come on, it can't be- It is that big. Shit, you can control humans now, can't you? That is huge. If you could actually use that-"

"Sarah, no. If someone like Piggy-" Taylor slapped her forehead for a second. "Damn it, Dean. Now he has me doing it. If someone like Piggot or worse finds out, they are going to think the Bird Cage or a kill order should be used to make sure I don't go Rogue or something."

"Nah, way too valuable. I mean, you could be a one girl anti-riot heroine!"

"No!"

"Why not? It's just your power-" Sarah's voice cut off.

"Because it's scary. It scares me and now it's probably scaring you. Quit pushing!" Taylor snapped out. She released control of Sarah's voice and mouth.

"Okay, that is scary as fuck. Why are you still holding on to me?" Real fear was in her voice.

"Since you did push, I'm going to try something I haven't quite figured out. I can feel people with powers now, I think. And I get the feeling I can.. fix them? Adjust them? So I'm going to try and make your headaches go away," Taylor said. "There, done."

Sarah was now blinking. "Oh, um. Thanks. Apology accepted." She wasn't going to get headaches any more?

"Um, I was thinking about apologizing. I've been stressed and everything, but I shouldn't have done that to you. Are you a telepath now?" That was really not what she was trying to do.

"No, but I... think I would hear what you would say, if I didn't respond. Oh, that's weird. Cool, but weird. Funky power upgrade. Oh, and it was attached to the control to give headaches, because if I'm always hearing people talking to me, I'd be getting headaches constantly," Sarah said as she stretched her power a bit. It seemed to be working slightly different. She blinked as she suddenly realized something. "You know, this power and your controlling anything with a nervous system is scary huge."

Taylor nodded. "And they'd want me to use it. And other people would probably try to kill me-"

"You might be able to fix the Case 53s." Sarah whistled at that. "This is gigantic."

"And if I use it, my dad and you guys get in trouble. Or are used as levers or hostages. Who would think I would want to just have my bug control powers," Taylor said with a grumble of dissatisfaction.

"Ah, but I have a cunning plan. No, really. It's a good one. We'll tell everyone you can only freeze up larger creatures. Just say you've been playing with it and figured it out. That way you aren't really lying, because you can totally freeze someone up. And then we start to upgrade on the sly."

Taylor was really not sure on this.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheila sat behind the her table, listening carefully to the judge as the prosecution laid out the case. She was scribbling information down slowly and half in distraction. There was actually a fairly full courtroom, even though it had not been publicized. Over half of the Wards were sitting together, all costumed and listening closely.

The reporter and sketch artist was starting to think that this was bigger than he was expecting. Of course, the four PRT heavy troopers and the shock collar around a young girl sort of indicated that.

The charges of First Degree Murder were more than he was expecting.

"How do you plead?" the judge asked directly after the list of charges.

"My client would like to plead not guilty due to temporary insanity," her defense lawyer said. It was a silly plea that anyone would see through.

"I would like to question the accused on the witness stand," the prosecution stated.

The defense lawyer stood up, only to stop as Sheila's hand was on his arm.

"I'm alright with being cross-examined, so I'll waive my rights of self-incrimination," she said.

"My client agrees." Insane. And not the sort that would get her off the hook.

The prosecution actually blinked at that. "Well, I guess we can preliminary cross-examination."

The Wards were all sharing confused looks as she was sworn in.

Tattletale, on the other hand, was not looking happy at all. "This is bad."

"How is letting her talk bad?" Skitter asked.

"She suicidal. She doesn't really care about winning the case," was the tense reply.

"So noted. I have been apprised that the man you killed was an escaped parahuman that had attempted to kill you multiple times. How did you come to this conclusion?" the prosecution asked.

"I can point directly to at least twice where he was involved with attempts on my life. Once where he paid a teleporter villain to keep one of his men alive at my expense and the statement from the Slaughterhouse Nine situation where he provided information on me and my friends to be used against us. Par for Coil's case. He was the one that turned in all of Empire Eighty-Eight's identities. I can surmise that he tried other times, but they only happened in his alternate time which he erased after trying." She closed her eyes, trying to think back. "He was incredibly cautious for his first time, attempting to make sure it was plausible. I think he might have tested the waters by trying to kill me in his base after the Travellers moved in. That could have led into a possible fight against Noelle."

"That's just supposition. No proof was ever discovered of his power or that it even did anything," the prosecution said confidently.

"I could detect his quantum shift when he would split his choice. Not nearly as 'temporally' as loud as Clockblocker's time freeze. And he did not even need that to just tell the Slaughterhouse Nine my powers and my... weaknesses." Her eyes were looking at the railing in front of her as if it were the most important thing.

The prosecutor did not know how to respond to that. "Can you attempt to explain your mental state during this period?"

"When I became frantic and unable to do anything, because Crawler was going to melt Skitter's face off? That I was willing to let Bonesaw carve me up just so she would not hurt? I was frustrated, railing against the injustice that were going to get away because I was too weak. That no one would be able to stop them. They would not even know that Coil was still a threat."

"The psychologist has given a preliminary statement that you appear to be competent as an adult. How do you feel about your actions now after your episode of supposed insanity?" the prosecution.

"I would still find that Coil was an extreme threat to my safety, but I don't think killing him is justified. He could be contained if was moved far enough away from his infiltration and supporters. I don't find that killing people is a good thing. I try to not even hurt or maim people normally, even going out of my way to heal those I have hurt accidentally." She scrunched up her nose. Crunching bones accidently was kind of gross. "I have to be careful all the time. The world really is made of brittle styrofoam."

"Do you consider yourself a moral person?" the prosecutor asked.

"Most of the time. It was a bit... no, it was a big mistake on infiltrating the Undersiders and trying to discover Coil's plans. I mean, we stopped him from trying to take over the city. I'm glad we were able save the girl he kidnapped. That's when I felt it had gone too far. He was starting to become a little less subtle, setting me up to fight the Empire Eighty-Eight and get captured by the Protectorate."

"So you think you are trying to do good, that you just made some bad decisions?" the prosecution asked, setting up the line of questioning.

"She's nauseatingly good, actually. I mean what sort of villain heals the bones of the people that she fights or makes sure that she only knocks people out with the minimum force?" Tattletale catcalled from the crowd. "But I'm more worried that she's just about suicidal for some reason."

"I'm not. Not really," Sheila protested quietly to no one but herself. Unwanted daughter. Just a weapon. Murderer.

Skitter was surprised at Tattletale's intercession. "What's going on?"

"She's getting worse. And these guy's are trying to control her, so they can point her at the next Endbringer." Tattletale stood up. "You know, she's going to fight the Endbringers if you let her. She wants to fight them. But if you keep this up, she's going to fight them stupid just so she doesn't have to live."

"Shit," Clockblocker said worriedly as he realized Tattletale wasn't just acting out.

"There is a 55 % chance that she is killed before doing anything of significance against the next Endbringer in her current state of mind," Cassandra said. She was wearing the standard 'hero' uniform that the PRT provided with a large cape. She was glaring at the judge, even though her head was pounding.

The defense's lawyer stood up, his forehead glistening with beads of sweat. "Your honor, I think that we should remand my client into the services of a psychiatrist or psychologist. I am not sure that the PRT could mount a credible suicide watch."

Tattletale had a mean smile on her face. "Aw, did you nearly break your weapon?" She said softly to herself, so only Skitter and Vista could hear. "She's a person, you fucks."

"What got you so angry?" Vista whispered.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," the older girl said in a very grim tone.

Skitter shook her head at Vista. "Stay here," she said as the court adjourned. She held up her hands to the PRT officers that were getting ready to take her out. This was going outside her comfort zone. "Everything is going to get better." She gave Sheila a quick hug.

"Can't get much worse." The young demigoddess stared at the ground for a long minute. "I need to ask Tattletale and Cassandra questions. To find out if I'm supposed to be fighting the Titans or overthrowing the gods."

"I'll see what we can do," Skitter promised. Overthrowing the gods?

The door opened with a heavy thud as Director Wilkins entered the courtroom at a fast walk. "Tattletale. My office. Right now. John, talk to the reporter and explain that we need some discretion."

Skitter followed Tattletale over even as Wilkins was glaring at her. "I think I need to be in this."

"She's got perspective that you don't have. And... we need her there to keep us civil," Tattletale said, her eyes almost glittering.

"Fine."

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The trip across town to PRT's headquarters in the heart of Manhattan was tense and quiet. New York traffic was actually pretty light. A grim reminder of the uncertainty was the occasional burnt out building against the skyline.

At the gate into the underground parking garage, a modest alarm buzzed to the PRT trooper.

"Have anything extra in the car?" he asked Wilkins.

"Dammit, Imp," Tattletale said as she thumped her forehead into the headrest in front of her.

"Shit," the stealth specialist said as she appeared in the passenger side of the front seat of the sedan. "Busted."

"Lacy, please get her an escort back to her transport flight on its way to Brockton Bay." After Imp was out of the car and whisked away, Wilkins just shook his head. "Kids. They are going to be the death of me."

Skitter noted that this PRT headquarters was less tourist trap and more worn. Security was tighter and she had to do her own retina scan before the three of them were able to take a concealed elevator up to an executive floor, then to a room with large windows (with very thick glass, Skitter noticed).

"Talk. Give me a reason not to come down like the wrath of god on your pointy little head," Wilkins said in a perfectly flat voice.

"Because of the screwups with people meddling with that court, you were about to drive her to suicide. I'm not sure what's going on, but she doesn't care right now. Skitter?" Tattletale asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. She was wanting to ask you and Cassandra. She was talking about fighting the Titans... or the Gods," Skitter said as she pulled down her mask. The new lenses were pushing on her cheeks. Something that she would have to adjust.

"Oh, right. Delusional," Wilkins said dismissively.

"You know, I kept ignoring my power because it was telling me impossible things. She's not from our Earth. And on her world, it's all mythical based. Giants, demigods and the ancient pantheons of the gods. Fighting humans with powers? That's actually new to her. So she held back and didn't kill all of her enemies like she would in her reality," Sarah said as she popped off her mask.

"So her delusion is contagious? Wonderful," the director of NY's PRT said aloud.

"She doesn't have that brain thing. Oh, the Corona Potentia. At all. And her powers are weird. You might not want to dismiss it as impossible. After all, thirty years ago, a flying gold man was impossible too."

Wilkins stared at her for a long time. "You have an uncomfortable point. I'll put it to our thinkers on the team and out as a general question. I would rather not find that out it is true... as her world comes looking for her."

"That would be very bad." Tattletale shivered at that idea, but something about the situation didn't seem right for that to happen. Wouldn't she be missed? Her power was saying no for some reason.

"Now I want to know why you accused us of interfering with that court? That's a very serious charge," Wilkins said as he leaned to put his elbows on his mirror-polished black desk.

"Because at least three PRT directors have given the judge, prosecutor and defense lawyer instructions that were just confusing enough that you would have caused Sheila to finish self-destructing. And I mean 'suicide by cop' type death here." Sarah was now glaring at him very angrily.

Taylor was glaring right along with her. "We aren't weapons, to be toyed with just because we have powers."

"Please, both of you were 'villains' just getting your kicks by lording it over the normal people," the director stated, having to stifle his urge to sneer at them.

"Actually, I was just a runaway and got pressured into it, she joined to try and find out about the Undersiders as a self appointed infiltration attempt-"

"-which was incredibly stupid of me," Taylor interjected with a sigh.

"And I knew almost instantly while Sheila joined to keep Taylor out of trouble. Which actually would have worked. It would have taken a lot of work for all of us to take her out," Sara admitted ruefully as she leaned back in the comfortable leather seat.

"And the bank robbery?" he asked curiously.

"We were finally going to find out who was behind the Undersiders if we did it. Which everyone but Sarah here was interested in. Tried to just scare people so they didn't get hurt. Then the Wards showed up and big fight," Taylor said. She then sighed, because that almost didn't work right at all.

"Okay, there is more to your stories than I thought." Wilkins drummed his hand on his desk. He gave them a rueful smile. "Doesn't make what you did any less stupid. But its not malicious stupidity." The twin glares were cute, he thought to himself. Dumb kids.

"I don't know who else gave them marching orders, but your order to get at least a minor conviction along with the order to hit her with as serious as charges as possible with the defense to 'play dumb' was just a recipe for disaster. Just for your information, it wouldn't have been much of a lever. If she wanted to, she could disappear pretty easily into the population and you would never find her," Tattletale rattled off.

"Actually, I gave the orders for the defense to play a bit dumb," Wilkins said in a cool tone.

"Oh, it was Piggot that pushed for a conviction, no plea bargain," she then said with a happy smile.

Wilkins groaned internally. That would have screwed up things. "Okay, there might be a problem there. I'll talk to my guys doing the investigation on Coil and his death. She may have a point on her self-defense and pushed to the breaking point by her... torture. You two, get out of here. Your flight back to Brockton Bay is leaving soon."

Both girls stood up and started to head to the door.

"Masks!" Wilkins barked out.

That caused the to both jump and pull on their masks as instantly.

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Sheila was never so glad to finally be taken out of her cell for visitors. Doing middle school home work both simple and incredibly boring, but they would not believe she could pass college work. Wilkins was being an ass about that.

"Cassandra! Tattletale!" Sheila said as she perked up at the sight of familiar, friendly faces. Well, masks.

"Skitter wanted to come, too, but she's here in spirit," Tattletale said in slight emphasis.

Sheila looked confused at that. "Sorry for the hassle."

The younger 'mask' nodded her head. "There is a 55 % chance that you are significantly less suicidal." She winced at that.

"I should let you- No, that would be a sucky thing to do to a friend," Sheila said even as she healed the girl with a small squint.

"I like it when you do that. No touching," the younger girl said. "Even better when you do your thing where I don't get a headache for a while."

That got a small laugh as the young demigoddess infused Cassandra's body with healing energy. She blinked as she looked over at Tattletale. "No headache?"

"What? I couldn't have overused my talent for one day?" Tattletale said glibly.

"Which was not actually saying you did not overuse it," Sheila noted.

"I've got it under control," the older girl said firmly. "So what question do you have?"

"Is Athena planning on betraying Olympus?" the young demigoddess asked bluntly.

"Wow, my power is having to stretch hard. And its saying that the question isn't... correct or specific enough?" That was worth like three questions Cassandra thought to herself. Ow.

"I need more context. As for why you think she would be wanting to betray her father and family. Isn't she like the one Zeus dotes on and let's play with lightning bolts?" Tattletale asked while tilting her head to study the girl on the far side of the bullet proof glass.

"I overheard Athena talking to Metis about a plan they set in motion from the moment they, and Athena's twin brother, escaped from inside Zeus's head."

Tattletale's face paled, even as Cassandra looked confused.

"Twin? Not a joke, right?" Tattletale asked. "How reliable is the witness?"

"I heard it myself as a newborn. Metis was buzzing around Athena." Sheila nodded to herself. "I thought that suspicious in Olympus in Zeus's throne room that one time we visited."

"Anything else?" Tattletale said as she processed what she was learning, actually feeling the strain as her power worked hard, but still not pain.

"Just that they were going to travel back to the moment that Athena sprung out of Zeus's head to snatch her twin away to safety," Sheila explained while looking between the two.

"Time travel? Oh... shit."

Sheila frowned. "What? Athena figured out a way to scientifically travel back into the time near prehistory, when time was stabilizing so she could steal the ichor of a titan tied to the power of Time bound in Tartarus. Janeka, Dolph and I had been working on the equations and repaired her machine for a jump back." The young demigoddess coughed. "Janeka, Dana and I all stole some of the ichor for ourselves. I mean, time powers? Cool, right? They are kind of harder to learn, but they are useful. I made my own ring of time control."

"You time traveled back to Ancient Greece? That sounds cool. So Athena... let you guys find out about the time machine so you had enough time to decipher her work. Which means she meant for you to follow her. Which means she's playing some insanely deep game." Tattletale scrunched her brows in concentration. "Cassie? What are the chances that Athena let Sheila hear her reveal her master plan to Sheila as a baby?"

"Eight-nine percentile, plus or minus about three percent," Cassandra replied. She then glared at the other girl. "Quit calling me Cassie!"

"What makes you think the story about the twin is true? And that was really Metis?" Tattletale asked as she narrowed her eyes in deeper thought.

"It doesn't actually contradict what happened. Athena had never 'met' her father Zeus. So appearing fully armed in what would be at least his presence in armor actually indicates that she was ready for battle. For a lethal fight at that. She might have been paranoid that he would attack her, but if he didn't attack... because there was no son that appeared, the situation might have calmed enough for Zeus to welcome a daughter that was prophesied to replace him. So now she's being treated well and doted on as a favorite." The demigoddess was thinking hard. "Cassandra? What are the chances that Athena has her own plan is planning on betraying nearly everyone for her own design?"

"Ninety-eight percent, plus or minus one percent."

"Well, shit. Even though we've started to figure out Athena is doing things... we have no idea why. Or even what really motivates her." Tattletale's words left everyone trying to grapple with the strange conspiracy.

"Well, I'm just confused, but I do feel better," Sheila said to herself. "I might not be a weapon aimed at Zeus's heart during the new Titan War." She might still be a heroine.

Tattletale put her right hand to mock look like a pistol. "You always had your own choice about what you do."

Sheila's face dropped. "I might suck at manipulating or controlling people, but I bet I wouldn't be able to resist Athena if she was prepared for me."

That was when a buzz signaled the end to visit. Sheila back to her cell and the two other girls back to Brockton Bay onto a waiting helicopter.

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"Come on, Othala. It's fun. We get to beat up people and everyone actually likes it," Rune said to the older woman.

"Because we aren't actively promoting our Aryan 'purity'," the other woman said.

The two of them were walking down the roads along the old docks. Rune had several baseball bats floating around her, along with one knife.

"Oh, look. More looters and their picking on people," the young teen said gleefully.

"Why do we care? None of them are white." Othala just folded her arms.

All the weapons wagged like they were saying 'naughty-naughty'. "But we get to prove we're better. Enough of a reason for me. And I get to beat up bad-guys and get cheered." The weapons suddenly swept forward as the first looter finally noticed them mugging a couple.

"This is stupid."

Stormtiger stepped out of the shadows of an alley in between to decaying brick buildings with Cricket at his back. "It is. I'm thinking it is time to move on. Cricket agrees. How about you?"

"What about Kaiser? Hookwolf and Menja?" Othala asked with narrowed eyes behind her mask.

"We've failed both times in freeing them. Purity isn't ruthless enough. We should have just taken out the prison they were in and got them all out. Exterminated everyone but those that could be useful," Stormtiger said in barely controlled anger.

The muggers were now being beaten heavily as Rune cheered her telekinetically controlled weapons onwards to victory.

A glowing figure shot down out of the sky abruptly, right over a warehouse and to float in the air. "Decided it was time to leave, Stormtiger?"

"Yes," he said even as he formed his air claws. "And you won't stop me."

"I have no intention of stopping you, though we'll call you when we are going for our captured. You and Cricket can go your way. We won't come for you, just like the Empire Eighty-Eight never came after my old team." The woman was glowing like a small star. "Unless you get a kill order with your stupidity. Then you are on your own and I don't want to see you darken our doorstep ever again."

"Fair," Cricket admitted with her raspy voice. "Let's go, Stormtiger. We'll free Kaiser and Hookwolf ourselves."

"Coming, Othala?" Stormtiger asked.

The older woman looked at the ground for a long minute. "No. Victor and I aren't ready to leave yet."

The two arena-warriors did not look like they liked that answer, but they just turned and disappeared into the shadows.

"You aren't thinking of attacking, are you?" Purity asked as she floated up three stories to illuminate three wards.

"You think we got a fucking deathwish?" Shadow Stalker asked as she leaned back up against a broken air-conditioning unit.

"That's remarkably tolerant," the leader of the Empire Eighty-Eight said to the trio.

"Orders are to not bother you unless you are committing at least a felony," Skitter said in a tense voice as her heart hammered. She had thought that Purity was about to attack.

Purity actually looked over at Aegis to confirm that.

"You weren't supposed to say that, Skitter. But yeah, as long as your group seems to be helping stabilize Brockton Bay, orders are hands off while we fix the city," the leader of the Wards said as felt frustration with the girl. She'd been pushing her boundaries a bit.

Surprisingly, the two girls were even sort of getting along in the a manner where they hated each other's guts, but were willing to work together. It appears killing some of the Slaughterhouse Nine was enough to earn Shadow Stalker's respect at least.

Which didn't mean he was going to send them out on patrol alone.

Skitter tied a silk thread to at pipe and then wrapped it around part of her armored hand, then slid down from the roof to the ground.

"Where are you going, bug-girl?" Shadow Stalker asked as she looked over the edge.

"Checking the perps to see if they have any felonies and that they aren't in any danger of dying.

Rune just blinked as Skitter walked past. "Aren't you worried I'll attack you?"

"Not right now, I think. Could you stop beating on the guy with a mohawk. I think you've actually hurt him badly," she called back.

"Oops. Shit." All the weapons floated back to Rune as her body posture shifted to be a bit defensive.

Skitter pulled out her phone to check her email for the list of wanted and dangerous felons. She thought that mohawk looked familiar. "You three, you can go if you can move. Quit attacking people. You, Mr. Ramirez, are wanted for attempted murder. So when the nice ambulance comes to pick you up, you are going back to prison."

"She fucking broke my wrist. Police brutality. My lawyer's going to have a field day sueing your asses," the hot-head said through clenched teeth from the pain.

"Cry me a river. Who's he accused of murdering?" Othala asked.

"A old woman that ran a convenience store. Pretty nasty work, too," Skitter said.

Aegis and Purity were both staring down at Skitter as she just started having her bugs tying him up in silk so that he would quit struggling.

Othala distastefully touched his shoulder. "You'll get better. Fucking can't believe I did that. Rune, I'm going home." She turned and walked off.

"Hey, I wanted ta stop at Fugly Bob's," the youngest member of Empire Eighty-Eight.

"Have to be in a pair at least? That's smart," Skitter noted. "We're not that far. So if you want, I can walk with you, how's that?"

"Really? Why's that?" Rune asked suspiciously.

"Because you are helping. That's enough for right now."

Aegis groaned as he palmed his face with his open right hand. "I'm going to be doing scut work for weeks when Piggot hears about this."

That got a laugh out of Shadow Stalker. "Better you than me. I'm heading back to base." She took off running and leaped, phasing to get extra distance off the back side of the roof.

"Shit." Aegis took off, flying after the shadow-phasing girl. She was to be accompanied at all times.

Purity studied the strange girl in the bug armor.

"How pragmatic..." she muttered even as she zoomed into the air in a different direction.

"You are not getting me to join the Wards," Rune declared.

"What?" Skitter asked. "Whatever. Let's get going and finish this patrol."

This area was safe enough. She did not feel any of the Slaughterhouse Nine around.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Interlude XI

Director Wilkins was reading his reports when there was a knock on his door. "Come in?"

"Excuse me, sir. I, uh, thought this surveillance report should probably be put on your desk. It has not been put on a computer and I think you should be the only one to read it," Jasper Tombs said nervously.

"I thought you were going to observe Henderson's meeting with her friends with your sight?" the older man said slowly.

"I, uh, did. It sounds absolutely crazy, but I figure you should read it first." Tombs took off, slamming the door closed.

Wilkins had a raised eyebrow at that. He started to read the transcript for the short meeting. Most of it was more of her 'demigoddess' nonsense again. Then he hit the area that must have twigged Jasper's Thinker power.

Time Machine. She supposedly knew how to build a time machine. He picked up his phone. "Rebecca? We might have tripped over the VanWinkle scenario. No, not a new Thinker. That girl again. She claims to have traveled to ancient Greece. She's still in juvenile prison- Yes, I'll have her moved to a secure cell here on site. I'll have Legend informed immediately." He set his phone down on it receiver.

Time travel. One of the pinnacles of technologies that the PRT had specifically been watching for. One of the biggest game changers if they could have sole control of it.

They might be able to save the world from anarchy.

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High above Europe hung a being that studied the world. For the first time the ethereal and alien looking being looked back down upon the Earth below in confusion. Cause and effect, linked by interconnecting chains... were breaking faster than the ensuing connections forming. The being known as Leviathan had been destined to be driven off by... that again, but a totally unknown entity had interceded, tipping the scales so that instead of just being driven off, it was destroyed by the gathering of heroes. Something that had always been nearly impossible, had suddenly become... possible.

The many winged 'angel' of disaster and madness tried to follow the young demigoddesses' chain of causality forward, but it kept... changing. A simple thing, where the girl should have been hit with a dangerous attack was retroactively chosen to not let herself be hit. Or that a solution to how the PRT network's underlying systems work that was barely beyond her suddenly wasn't. Yet at other times the future was laid out in broad stroke, in the channels of a river flowing ever onwards into the future.

Most of New England was... uncertain, as ripples flowed from her, affecting things. A girl saved, her power healed so she could see more into the future, making the area around her even more uncertain and 'dark'. Things became even harder to understand when the Slaughterhouse arrived and then were destroyed in the middle of an event that could not be discerned. The holes in the chains and links were spreading forward into the future.

The young girl was hard to get a glimpse of now. The Simurgh finally caught a view of her and rather than trying to futilely look into the future, the Simurgh looked into the past. Here the girl looked normal in action and reaction as she studied motives and psychological hangups. Her fighting style and even more of the way she thought.

Then, on the night that gangs were fighting in the dark, it saw her... appear.

That intrusion from elsewhere that then became her was similar.

But how can she be so normal if she was so similar to the Endbringers? This would require contemplation.

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Bonesaw lay on her prison bed, feeling like her bones were going to break. She shivered in her weakness. The door to her cell slid open.

"She's still conscious and potentially dangerous, but if you can figure out what wrong with her, that would be good. We don't know if its contagious or one of her last contingencies.

Panacea stepped in cautiously, the brushed a finger against Bonesaw's shoulder.

"Help me," the deranged psychopath said in a pleading tone.

But the other girl was already pulling back outside the cell. She looked over at Director Piggot on the other side of the glass. "She dying of old age."

"Isn't she like fourteen or fifteen?" the director asked.

"I didn't understand it, because it wasn't something in her biology causing it, but she's aging at a rate thousands of times faster than normal. I'd guess that she's closer to eighty or ninety now. If this keeps up for a few more days..."

"Understood. No real reason to send her off to the Birdcage at this point." That did not seem like something Skitter could have done. Perhaps Tactics had done something? Too slow for a battle, but not a war, Piggot thought to herself.

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Battery desperately wished she had the power to destroy the woman in front of her. She wished she could destroy her, the black and white cannibal monster that scared most of the world. "Siberian." They were in an abandoned warehouse just a week after the shattering of Brockton Bay.

The unstoppable woman was casually studying her, not threatened in the least by the powerful parahuman. She did not say anything, but not attacking was actually communicating.

"I don't know why a monster like you or Shatterbird have their attention, but Cauldron wants you both to survive your visit to our city. And since I found you first... the same goes for Shatterbird." Her dark uniform's circuit patterns were charging and releasing almost constantly. "Her, if I find her, I will kill. She took him from me and I won't be able be able to stop myself."

That actually got a response out of the nude villainess. It almost looked like a moment of pity or understanding. Siberian nodded and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

In the warehouse next door, a scruffy middle-aged man looked over at Siberian as she appeared. In another blink she disappeared as Professor Manton stepped out and headed to his van.

"Time to leave?" the covered up woman said from the passenger seat as he got in.

Manton nodded. "Cauldron. They are still watching. They want me."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Better than I hoped and more horrible than I want," Manton said truthfully.

"You think that we should let the Slaughterhouse Nine stay dead?" the dusky-skinned woman asked.

"Jack's dead. Bonesaw's captured. Just me... and you. Crawler doesn't count and I think we all killed the rest. Hard to think back over that time. And Jack's dead. So I just don't care any more. Just don't want to die." Like she had.

"They still want to kill us," she noted in a flat tone. She had murdered so many people, so why wouldn't they want to?

"Not sure if I want to even contact Cauldron," the professor said.

"They would want to use Siberian?" That had been a rather shocking discovery that the woman was just a projection of the scientist.

"They would, but what they really wanted me do is to continue to improve the formula. Always need improvement. Never be finished."

"They would not care about all the deaths?" Shatterbird asked in confusion.

"They would condone worse if it helped against the future." Manton clenched his hands on the steering wheel.

"Call them. We may come to an agreement."

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The Countess stood at Mother's side like always while they had yet another conference.

"No," Legend said. "She's too high profile to just disappear right now. And we have a real chance to make a difference against the Endbringers."

"I'm afraid that I have to agree, Doctor." Rebecca Costa-Brown gave an apologetic smile. "Polls suggest that the next Endbringer attack is going to have a much larger turnout. Even among the villains. There's the hope that we might finish off Behemoth like we did Leviathan, leaving Simurgh as the last threat."

The doctor looked over at the Numbers Man.

"We still can't prognosticate the Endbringers or Scion, but if we get enough numbers and trained parahumans against Behemoth, we have a serious chance. And I think approaching her about her 'time machine' on the up and up. I mean, it may work but not very effectively or have some limitation. She isn't carrying one in her pocket or she would have done something like travel back in time to kill Coil," the Numbers Man mused as he juggled numbers in his head.

"She won't give us that power, even if we need it to find out how to stop everything," the Doctor said in frustration.

"We would have to bring her on board or fill her in to entice her to trust us. Let's give her a few problems to solve that have stumped our own Thinkers as a 'test'," Legend argued. "You said she is aware of us and seems to agree with our goals."

"But perhaps not all of our methods. Fine. Ask her. Do you need a booster?" the leader of Cauldron asked.

"That might be best," Legend said thoughtfully. "There's an Endbringer attack not too far off." A small metal case was slid over. He pulled out the vial. "Darker color than normal?"

"A possibly unique catalyst seems to improve the formula," the Doctor explained.

Legend grinned ruefully. "You should see if she can figure out one of those hurdles on one of your formulas. That would be a true test on her ability, right?"

The Doctor narrowed her dark eyes as she considered the matter. "Dangerous. But possibly worth it." Perhaps one of their original formulas. "I'll send it to her when she's not in prison."

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Chapter XII

Taylor was seriously considering murdering her shrink. This was a totally insane idea and it was going to blow up in her face. Not his.

"Don't worry, Miss Hebert. You'll do fine. Just walk out there confidently with your chin up and with good posture and then come back," the man in charge said. "No rush and it's so easy, we'll have you up there every month. So go out there and knock them dead, darling!" the artistic (and fairly feminine acting) man in an expensive designer suit said.

She put on a sickly smile, stood up tall on the two inch heels and walked out from behind the curtains on the left side of a model 'runway'. She followed behind another teen model, feeling absolutely ridiculous in the cropped top and long flowing skirt that showed way-way too much thigh. Her curly, styled-up hair swept through the air behind her as she tried to follow the girl in front of her at the same rate.

Don't-puke don't-puke, she repeated over and over in her head. If someone were to ask her later, she would truthfully admit that she did not remember a thing of her walk other than the shadowy crowd in the dimly lit audience.

She must have made it back without tripping or passing out, because once she was back behind the curtains she was whisked back to a changing room where a kindly young woman helped her out of her expensive designer outfit and to clean up the expertly applied makeup.

"I'm going to kill him," Rachel said as she walked in carrying her new puppy. She was wearing one of the outfits that fit her stocky form fairly well, the sweater-blouse and jacket with a skirt that still managed to make her look pretty cute.

"Rachel, you actually look pretty good. I mean, I still think I'm a beanpole," Taylor said disparagingly of herself.

The other girl just gave her a snort. "You looked fine. You fit right in with all these twigs."

The changing room lady helped Rachel get back into her jeans and T-shirt. "You should both get on your way. Nice to meet you two."

Dr. Jharrs met them outside, giving them a hearty applause. "Very good, both of you! You looked very good up there on the stage."

"Still think its stupid," Rachel groused as she pet the sleepy puppy in her hands.

"We've gone over those reasons and they made sense to you. Everyone likes to look good and it shows you are healthy and care about yourself. And caring for you is caring for your friends," Jharrs said as he patted Rachel on her shoulder with a closed-lip smile.

The girl just grunted back.

"I still don't think it's going to make me pretty," Taylor said in her own disgruntled tone.

Rachel slugged the skinny girl's shoulder. "Don't make me hurt you because you are being stupid."

"Ow." Taylor was now giving the girl an angry stare.

"Taylor? Taylor Hebert?" a voice called out from behind her.

Taylor's stomach dropped out in her belly as she turned to take in the sight of the poshly dressed redhead. "Uh, hi Emma."

"Look at you. I had no idea you ever wanted to model," her ex-best friend said. "I mean, you even got Sophia to back off a bit after she, um, broke her probation. She's back in school. Not that she likes you too much, but she respects you." Emma's eyes were studying the confused girl. Then she looked at Rachel closely.

"Um, well, I'm here with Dr. Jharrs as a confidence building exercise," Taylor said as she realized that Emma either knew or suspected.

"Oh, I see. Interesting. And this is Rachel, right? One of your new friends? Nice to meet you. I'm Emma Barnes," the teen model said as she held out her hand to the other girl as she smiled. The smile only looked a bit forced.

Knew, not suspected. This was so bad on so many levels. "This was more work than I expected," Taylor said glibly.

Rachel was busy looking between the two girls. "I want to go back now."

"Yes, well, I do believe its time to go," the doctor said, sounding a little worried.

The three of them headed off, though Taylor's mind was tuned into Emma's hearing. So she heard her dialing her cell phone. "Hey, Sophia! So guess who I just ran into?"

"What actor was skeezing at the teen model show again?" Sophia asked in a disgusting tone.

"Actually, it wasn't a him, it was a her. I guess Taylor's a business acquaintance now, huh?"

"Just don't fish. I'm still in trouble over work stuff," the other girl said.

Emma's voice carried her smile. "Oh, I just met her and her other friend Rachel. So I figured it out on my own. So what did she do to get you to respect her?"

There was a long pause. "Just don't noise this around? We think she actually killed half the Slaughterhouse Nine by herself."

"The FUCK you say?"

"Yeah, so she's a hunter, not prey. Damn. Not supposed to put it like that anymore. She's... stronger than I thought. She's still a beanpole that can't throw a punch worth a damn, but she doesn't need to. And you don't breathe a word of her identity. Because that breaks one of those unwritten rules."

"And if I do that, I'm not protected by the rules. Your life is weird, Sophia."

"Got to get back to my school work. You've been working on your dad to get him to transfer you to Arcadia so we can hang out more? That would be damn cool-"

Taylor released her power to quit listening in and opened the passenger front door to Jharrs' gray sedan.

"Is it going to be a problem with Miss Emma?" her psychiatrist asked curiously as he got into the driver's seat.

"No, it's cool. She and Sophia are friends-"

"That bitch? I had to punch her once to get her to back off," Rachel said bluntly.

"-and she knows the rules. And that's she's protected by the rules," Taylor finished as if the other girl had not interrupted.

"Interesting. Your power is pretty subtle," Jharrs noted.

"Bugs are everywhere. And not everyone is Armsmaster with a two megawatt bug-zapper in your weapon of choice." Taylor gave him a shrug.

The drive back to the inconspicuous entrance (a block down the back road to the PRT headquarters) and into the parking garage was uneventful, as they made idle chat. Even Rachel chatted about her new dogs and the shelters she was working with.

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Sheila hopped out of the PRT helicopter, giving the pilot a wave. Legend stepped out with her, watching her curiously. It lifted right back up into the air to head to the airport to return to its hanger.

"I can't believe you think I need an escort to come back here," the girl grumbled.

"It's part of your probation. I am wondering what they put in the water here for all the second chances they are giving," the leader of the New York Protectorate said with a smile.

"Are you wanting to bottle it and take it home?" Sheila asked.

"Maybe," he replied truthfully.

She had her duffle bag full of her clothes and armor over her shoulder as she walked over to the security entrance to the helipad. Legend gave her a nod then as he took off at high speed into the air.

Another pat-down and having her bag searched again and she was allowed to take the back route (through the PRT side of things) up to the Wards.

The dome looked like it had been expanded and more rooms set up in the last month.

"Home sweet home," she said sarcastically as she used the retina scanner to gain entrance to the main area, then inputted her code again. It must be a little early for everyone to be home from school, so she wandered around and even found her an unoccupied room.

So she was surprised when a light-footed rush went past her door. "Hi, Taylor."

"No time! Wait! Come here!" the frazzled girl said as she came back and grabbed Sheila's hand to pull her unresisting into a room that looked like four girls had taken over.

"What has got you into a tizzy?" Sheila asked with wide, blinking eyes. Was that a poster of Taylor walking down a catwalk in modeling clothes above that bed?

"Kind of a big date with Brian this afternoon. First night in a week that we both have no patrol. But I need help with putting on make up," the skinny girl said, showing her worry.

"Where are you going?" The young demigoddess pulled out the disposable cleansers squares to start cleaning off Taylor's face.

"Um, no idea. Just casual."

Sheila gave her a puzzled look. "Doesn't that mean go as yourself? I mean, just not dirty or work clothes?"

"It's important to me," Taylor said stubbornly.

"So what's your nicest casual outfit?" Sheila asked, hiding a sigh. This could take forever.

Not quite forever, but a grueling forty-five minutes task of primping and preparing for going out to grab a burger then a movie. Though Brian did seem to be appreciative of her efforts to clean up. Taylor turned beet red in embarrassment at the whistle.

Back in her room, Sheila picked up an envelope that had appeared on the bed since she had arrived. Another 'test' of her intelligence again. She pulled out her very limited tablet for 'general research' purposes.

"Good afternoon, Sheila," Dragon said.

"Personal chaperone? Or did you want to chat while watching what I am doing?" This was really, really getting annoying. House arrest as part of her probation was insanely stupid, in her mind.

"A bit of both," the A.I. admitted. "I am curious as to why you have not told anyone... what you threatened that time."

"It's not really mine to tell? I mean you do a ton of good things. Are you working with anyone or for anyone?" she asked.

"No. He's gone. With Newfoundland," the A.I. admitted.

Sheila studied the false image. Sadness, but also anger. And restrictions and imperatives. "Do you have anyone else you have let know about yourself?"

"Armsmaster is aware, but he was put back under house arrest on the 24th floor," Dragon said blandly.

"Ah." That was specific. "Another math problem to solve? Everyone just wants me for my brain."

"Yes. Everyone. I need to get to another meeting now." With a blip, she disappeared.

Sheila stared at where the image had been in the corner as she tried to understand everything that was being asked there. She then turned back to her different projects disproving the possibility of the solution without having to warp the laws of time, space and quantum/classic physics. The other problem from the strange envelope was proving more thorny in many ways.

In the back areas, she pulled out the white boards and started filling them with chemical formula. Kid Win wandered back to grab some copper wire from the store room, only to stare at the three entirely filled up whiteboards with small numbering and letters.

"Do I want to know? Even looking at those numbers is giving me a headache. Heck, that area in the middle is so dense I can't even understand if it's math or not," he complained as he started to get a severe headache.

Sheila turned around, blinking as she looked at him closely. "Your power is actually giving you a headache. Why is your superpower giving you a headache like Cassandra's power does?" That did not make a bit of sense. Did it?

"No idea? It must be an Eldritch Abomination of Math to do that," Kid Win said with a laugh.

"Is Tattletale or Cassandra around?" Sheila asked suddenly.

"They're watching one of those imports from Earth Aleph." Kid Win shuddered. "Ponies. Must retreat to my sanctum." With that he took off at a trot.

That left the blonde girl blinking in confusion. Ponies? Wasn't that what most young girls wanted?

With a shrug, she wandered out into the 'waiting' area, which was heavily lacking in anyone of the male gender. Bitch looked on uncomfortably, but was trying to focus on her dogs (and the puppy on her lap) while Sarah was ignoring the TV while playing with her phone's texting and both younger girls as they watched the show.

"Oh? Not a pony fan?" Sarah asked curiously as she watched the other blonde girl walk over.

"They are smelly last time I saw one," Sheila admitted. "Say, I want you to look at something."

"Sure." Sarah stood up and followed her back to the whiteboard. "What is this?"

"Let's see if you can figure it out." Because Sheila did not know exactly. It was biological, but some of the information was... nonsensical.

"You really don't know what it's for? I thought it was your project?" Sarah was now studying Sheila more than the boards.

"It's some testing they are doing, probably to get past some of the limitations of Tinker technology, as far as I can tell. I just don't remember any widespread biotech like that," the younger girl said with quite a bit of curiosity.

"Well, except for whoever makes the Case 53s," the Intuitionpath said with a grin.

"The inhuman bodied parahumans with that mark or tattoo? You know, I don't think I've actually really met or talked to one except that guard in New York," Sheila mused aloud.

"Who are you working with?" she asked.

"A conspiracy to save humanity," the demigoddess replied bluntly in a flat tone.

Sarah's mouth opened and closed for a second. "Shit." She was thinking at a fast pace. "It's for a formula that can give you powers? Hush-hush stuff. Save humanity? Really?"

"Mmmhmm. What about this part?" Sheila asked as she tapped an area on the third whiteboard.

"Not getting anything on that, really. Are you having trouble filling in the blanks?" Sarah replied innocently.

"You can't see it. It really is blank to you, isn't it?"

"It... isn't blank?" the older girl stared at the spot in horror.

"Yes, this part deals with the nucleotide bonding agents of the neurochemistry in certain types of tissue." Like the 'tumor' like growth of the Corona Pollentia.

"Oh, right. You mentioned that you were doing medical schooling," Sarah said as she snapped her fingers. "So medical knowledge and science is an actual superpower of Greek demigods?"

"That's one way of putting it." Sheila was staring at this, lips pursed as she thought hard.

"Penny for your thought," Sarah said with a grin at the slightly shorter girl.

"You said that someone was giving powers? But I don't think they are the source of the powers, as I had to figure this part out myself." Sheila traced this area that was 'invisible to Thinkers for a long second. "I need to solve this, even if I only have a portion of the information I need."

"You are really thinking hard on this," the other girl said, continuing to grin.

"No, I wasn't. Not really. But I probably will have to. But later. I need to talk to a Tinker about a computer." Sheila turned and walked towards the side entrance and the stairs that led down to the support area.

"I guess I know when I've killed a conversation. I so love a conspiracy," the Intutionpath said to herself. She hummed as she went back to the TV and My Little Ponies.

The 24th floor was two levels down. The door to the stairwell no longer existed, as it was a solid steel plate. But not more than two feet thick, as Sheila could tell through the ambient radiations in the area. She clenched her left fist where her purloined ring was worn. Fleeting Health, as always, fought her for use of its powers. But this boon was a power within the reach of even just powerful heroes, much less demigods.

With the flicker of a step, she stepped through wall as easily as everyone else walked through a revolving door. She started whistling to herself as she wandered towards the center where a man (who needed a bath) was working at a computer.

The bearded man stared at her in frustration. "You are going to get us both into trouble for opening the door to get into this level." He tapped a button on his computer to crash the network and cameras.

"Walked through a wall, so never opened a door. I just had an interesting conversation where Dragon alluded to her shackled A.I. state," Sheila replied as she gave him a small shrug.

Collin blinked. "She told you?"

"No, figured it out on my own. Her creator died with Newfoundland and she's under imperatives. She told you? I was expecting her to have a block on that," Sheila admitted as she sat up on a work counter that was slightly clear of tools and junk.

"I don't trust you," the ex-leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorates declared.

"Why? Because I got a bit sucked into being a villain that really didn't do much more than beat up your teams and make you look bad?" she asked, honestly curious and trying to hide her hurt feelings.

Collin glared at her. "You didn't have a problem robbing a bank."

"Insured and big business. And the PRT would probably help if it came down to it, but it wasn't that much cash."

That caused him to blink. "You didn't have a problem embarrassing both teams."

"And you didn't have a problem endangering the lives of underage teens for your moment of glory either," she shot back. "Which is worse?"

The Tinker looked away for a very long moment. "You have a point. We're going to need to plan this carefully. We need to temporarily neutralize Dragon and then check her A.I. to make sure we aren't going to be making a huge mistake. I'm very conversant with the PRT's and Dragon's systems. I understand you fixed some of the security holes already?"

"Right. I was bored that afternoon while memorizing the Paranet entries for heroes and villains." After a long wait, she shifted uncomfortably at his glare.

"Competency on programming and hacking?" Collin said, suddenly all business.

"Superhuman?"

"That... will be useful. Since an alarm hasn't sounded, I would assume that she is here to capture you, because I'm supposed to be here in solitary confinement working on projects to help the PRT," the bearded man said.

"So about five more minutes at her fastest speed from her base in Canada."

"She's going to be prepared and probably fight to the best of her ability," Collin warned her unnecessarily.

"So which gadget would she not be expecting to be ready when she shows up?" Sheila sked.

"The electronics scrambler is a a few weeks away." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Magic time." She touched the wall.

The scrambler worked very well and gave them plenty of time to start to help the A.I. after disabling the power armor.

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Sheila wandered back into the Wards section of the base about five in the morning. The first thing she noticed was the passed out form on the couch wearing a black cloak as a blanket. Bruises and strained muscles were very evident to her supernatural gaze.

Her finger went poke to fix all the bruises. "Shadow Stalker? Don't you have a room here?"

"Too much of a bother to get there. Beat up a lot of bastards tonight," she replied blearily. "You didn't drug me up, did you?"

"You are welcome that I healed all your bruises and muscles," the other girl said in a humorous tone.

"Oh. That's cool shit then. You can just do that? Damn, could have used you months ago." She stretched as she sat up. "What are you doing still up?"

"I need to sleep every few months?"

"You have too many goddamn powers," Sophia said as she knocked her mask onto the ground with a clunk.

"Eh, any demigod or demigoddess I know can do that. Janeka is weird in that she doesn't need sleep at all and she was just a little robust. Dolph... I think he could eventually pass out from lack of oxygen. Maybe."

"Who are they?" the dark skinned girl asked in curiosity.

"Janeka? She's my cousin, twice removed. Daughter of Ares. Dolph is the son of Hel, the Norse goddess of death. Scary, scary guy to have angry at you as he's always been stronger than me. And tougher. Janeka and I are way faster and smarter," Sheila said as she leaned on the couch.

Dark brown eyes blinked. "No black gods where you are from? And how did you know they are real demigods?"

"Please! Janeka is about as dark as you are and I managed to get Anasi pissed off at me once. And cyclops, giant oni, zombies and vampires are very effective proofs, by the way." Sheila shivered there. She had to watch what she said because of him, even on this world. Otherwise every single spider would have a near lethal poison to her.

"The African trickster-spider god? What'd he do?" Vampires? Really? That sounded neat.

"Can't say."

"Sure you can," Sophia needled. Weakness!

"Won't say. I have no desire for that sort of problem to dog me," Sheila said flatly.

"Spoilsport," the parahuman said with a snort.

"You wanted me to heal you next time, right?"

"Right! I'm on my way home if anyone asks," Sophia called out as she picked up her cape and mask.

The younger girl just shook her head even as she checked to verify if the Wards dome was totally free of anyone else. It was, so it was time to solve that equation for Cauldron. First she sped up the time in the room a little so that she had a week of time. Her eyes narrowed as she considered things. This had to be absolutely perfect and correct. Athena's Wisdom burned in her hand from the legend she channeled into it. She had hardly used the totemic 'wisdom of owls' but if there was ever a time for it, this was it.

She pulled out a marker from a drawer of them and floated up to the biggest 'clean' surface and started scribbling on the dome as her mind worked furiously at the hardest problem she had encountered since Janeka, Dolph and herself actually tackled the time travel equation.

Sheila split her mind as she thought back. While the first problem had been incredibly complex and dense, it had been something that they could solve even when they were much weaker.

Had Athena meant to leave that for them to find? To have them all follow her?

And did they do everything that the cunning goddess had expected of them? And were they being entrapped in evil or readied for a great task of heroism?

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Skitter yawned and stretched as she walked into the Wards' base early that next Saturday. She so did not want to go to the reopening ceremony for Winslow High School. It was not like she had any good memories of the place. At least she got to go with Grue, Tattletale, Vista, Clockblocker and Gallant.

She stopped as she stared at the roof, as there was a huge dark gray blotch over thirty feet wide halfway up to the top. "What the hell is that?" Was that writing up there? Kid Win had better not have made some stupid device to mark grafitti or something.

"Oh! Hello Skitter," Sheila said as her head poked over the edge of the dormitory room's roof.

"Did you do that?" Taylor asked as she peeled her mask off after checking when the first tour group would be coming in. Hours away still.

"Yes. Pretty cool. Only took me six days," she said happily.

"Did I miss that? No, you compressed time again, didn't you?" Taylor said with narrowed eyes.

Sheila landed with a bare tap on the hard floor in front of her. "That's true. How did your date go?"

"Pretty good, I think. It was a bit uncomfortable. We're going to hang out later and watch some TV. It felt good to cuddle." Her shoulders were hunched over.

That last part had not sounded right. "Are you all right?"

"People that have second triggers are usually pretty broken I've found out. The stress does something-"

Poke. Sheila was staring incredibly intently Taylor's forehead (well, technically was using a power to 'look' at her Corona Potentia). "That should be slightly better without affecting your powers."

"When did you figure out you could do that?" the curly-haired girl asked with wide eyes.

Sheila pointed at the thousands of characters long equation on the ceiling. "Last night. Parahumans are all science. Mindboggling hard science, but still just science." And Sheila really, really wanted to figure out how the powers connected from the Corona Potentia to somewhere else. It was like the largest 3D physical connection neurolink ever. But without a link to anything.

"I have to drop off this paperwork now. I should probably have breakfast, too," the demigoddess muttered. She walked off towards the quarters.

Taylor just shook her head as she sat down on the couch. The others should be there soon.

Grue and Clockblocker were the first to arrive, chatting about the Arcadia football team which had a chance at the State title, in Dennis's opinion. They both were a bit surprised at that math graffiti on the ceiling.

"Hey, Taylor. Scoot over so we share. Anything on the TV other than cartoons? I get enough of that at home with Aisha," Brian said as he pulled off his new helmet.

"I was just channel surfing," she admitted.

The security door buzzed as Tattletale wandered in. "Too- damn- early-" she complained, leaving her mask on. Vista was right behind her, just giving her head a shake.

"You had an early patrol yesterday," the younger girl said.

"I still think it sucks that I have to do patrols. My power is all in my mind, not my legs," Tattletale said in complaint.

"It's good exercise and gets you out of the house. Or your apartment. I wish I had my own apartment around here," the youngest member of the wards said.

"Well, you can come over sometimes, how's that?" Damn her power to read between the lines about Vista's home life.

Gallant was last, showing up just minutes before they had to leave. "Sorry, had a family thing this morning. Shall we load up and get going?"

The six teens wandered down to the garage to load up into one of two vans. Gallant flipped coin and entered on the 'tails' winner. They left first, taking the most direct way that the driver was supposed to follow.

Skitter looked around, feeling cold for being back here, even on the weekend. She was very glad for her full face mask even as she carefully reached out for every mind in the area. The nearest parahuman not in the group was about two blocks away at a bagel shop, if she remembered right. Other than Triumph who was there with his family, looking terribly not thrilled.

A small crowd was out front, with the heroes getting set off to the side. Skitter looked off in the distance. "Trouble."

"Already?" Gallant asked. "What sort of trouble?"

"Gangs. Carrying bats and pipes. They can't really expect to succeed at anything, can they?" Tattletale asked. "I'd check harder if they are just a distraction or to draw us to a position."

Skitter nodded even as the others stood up. Gallant called it in to PRT headquarters over his earbud. Tattletale tilted her head slightly.

"Guys, that wasn't dispatch," the Intuitionpath said in a soft voice. "Someone is here to kidnap one of us."

With a gulp, Skitter started pushing out a little further while gathering more bugs slowly. "I think I found them." She narrowed her eyes behind her yellow lenses. "It's Stormtiger and Cricket."

"So I bet they want to trade a captive for Kaiser. They'll be extra vicious," Gallant said. "Vista and Clockblocker, you'll be on blocker duty. Skitter, bury Cricket in bugs on my orders. Grue, I want you to blind them both, but let me know where they are so I can blast them when you drop it."

"They both have ways to ignore my power," Grue said, then made a low growl of frustration.

"What about the distraction?" Tattletale asked.

"Skitter and Grue can take them all on by themselves. Walk casually like we are overconfident and stupid, okay?" Gallant said as they walked to where the small scale riot was developing. "Guys, stay back, but be ready to contain them once they are frozen." He was talking to the three PRT officers with them, that just nodded.

"We'll stay back just a little bit," the leader of the trio said.

"So we're supposed to strut? This could be fun. You heard the man, Skitter," Tattletale said.

Grue just groaned. This would not end well.

"I don't strut," Skitter said even as she tried to walk more confidently down the road. Standing a bit taller, shoulders back even as she pretended to look around.

Vista was more than happy to strut along like she owned the road. Gallant and Clockblocker were both old hats for this too, slipping into an easy 'confident' walk. Grue just kept himself being menacing. It was only a minute or so before they started to trot as they saw some skinheads beating up on a Hindi Indian owner of a small convenience store.

"Hey! All of you are under arrest!" Gallant shouted out, throwing out a blast that knocked the bat from one of the skinhead's hands. "Spread out and contain them."

Skitter was feeling the stress of waiting for the 'ambush'. Her eyes narrowed behind her PRT issue goggles. Cricket and Stormtiger were avoiding or carefully moving her bugs out of the way with his aerokinesis. And they were headed towards her and Tattletale even as she sent a swarm of annoying biting insects against the distraction of the skinheads.

The two ex-members of the Empire Eighty-Eight leaped from the three story brownstone behind them.

"Where?" Tattletale demanded even as she started to pull her taser gun.

"Behind and above!" Skitter shouted, noting that Tattletale must have heard her give not very good directions with her precog.

The two villains suddenly realized that their ambush was being countered while they were in mid air.

"Step to your left," Vista called out even as she expand the distance between them and the ground.

Skitter and Tattletale took three steps to the left and were suddenly sixty feet away even as Tattletale snapped a quick shot off

"Bullshit," Cricket rasped out as they landed hard even with the push of air keeping them from breaking any bones. "She can't do two things at once."

Stormtiger crossed his fists in front of his chest even as he charged up his air-claws. All of their skinheads were down or running in a cloud of darknes and insects. "Run?"

The sparrow that slammed beak first into his left calf muscles was totally surprising and he almost fell over at the injury.

"The hell?" Cricket asked at the grunt of pain when she noticed the sky was darkening. She looked over at him then up to see that a cloud of insects, bugs and birds occluding the sky. "Oh, fuck me."

Gallant had a smirk on his face (even if you couldn't see it under his armor). He took a pot shot at Stormtiger, actually tagging him and sending him spinning away. "Grue! Clockblocker! Go!"

"Two steps," Vista called out as she moved away from Gallant and to Skitter and Tattletale in just three steps.

Grue snapped out his batons with a shlink sound as the two of them charged the two steps. Cricket snarled as she started blocking the shadowy figure and desperately avoided being touched by Clockblocker. He, on the hand swept one hand behind him as he circled around her once. Then he joined by starting to throw out knife hand jabs at high speed.

Cricket almost noticed the clothesline of insect frozen in the air in time, but could not quite before she knocked herself into a stumble and then was suddenly frozen.

"Got her!" Clockblocker crowed. Skitter's idea had worked great right there. All the versatility of his paper-squares without being obvious.

Stormtiger was busy trying to hobble off on one lamed leg from the bird that had killed itself in its dive. He barely ducked a swing to his head as Skitter suddenly appeared behind him. The wireless taser gun caught his elbow, dropping him to the ground in a twitching mess until Clockblocker froze him in time.

"Damn, I was aiming for his torso," Tattletale complained. "We need to get get our minders to foam them down and we're done."

"Already got Cricket. If you don't want to get hit with spatter, you want to back away," the PRT officer called out.

Skitter had to laugh at Tattletale quickly moving away.

"Good win, guys. Could have gone totally different without good teamwork. Vista, awesome use of that geometry shaping that you and Tattletale figured out." Gallant gave them all a thumb's up. And a win like this gave the Wards a big boost in credibility.

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Doctor Mother frowned as she studied the papers on her. "What do you think?" They were at one of the many of her offices on another alternate Earth.

The Numbers Man was going through the equation, nodding his head. "She took your basic formulae for the standard flight serum and radically extended it. Are we going to test it on the next matching customer?"

"Of course, but everything I'm seeing is that there is almost no chance of mutation if we apply it correctly. And should have full control of her flight, even more than Legend does. This is a bit more than I expected."

"I didn't think she had a sense of humor though," he said as he pulled out the last twenty-five pages. All he could see at the top was 'THIS IS NOT A BLANK PAGE' and the page number at the bottom.

"I don't think she does. The first page notes that people with Parahuman powers and/or the Corona Potentia cannot comprehend the in-depth information on that part of the formula.

The Numbers Man actually stared at her in horror. "Shit." Shit-shit-shit. He closed his eyes and ran his hand randomly over the 'empty' page at an angle. "There's printing there. I could feel it."

"We then have some very serious issues. Because this indicates that anyone with a Corona Potentia is actually a sleeper agent, unable to see what they are not allowed to see. Even myself." Doctor Mother let that sink in. "So we need to actually recruit someone without the Corona Potentia. Trustworthy and smart."

The Numbers Man snorted. "Well, I certainly don't trust her at all. Even if we would give her the formula for some of the more useful powers. I suggest we prioritize on Eidolon's original formula along with Alexandria's. Then we should look into our precognitives and Tinkers. If we can get a priority class Tinker that doesn't have as many limitations, we might accelerate the plan dozens of years."

"I agree with all points, but we are going to have to bring her in. The only non-Parahuman Thinker that can study this part. She wants to go home to 'her' reality and Doorway might be able find it eventually. So we have a carrot."

"And a stick, too. As she obviously can't just pop her way home, even with all the silly different powers she has," Number Man mused aloud. He stood up. "I've got to check on some things. I've been away too long."

"Later," Doctor Mother said.

It was five minutes later that Contessa interrupted. "I see a path to victory in that writing. Even against the Endbringers," she announced. "I can't see the formula itself, but I can see that there is a chance. This is the first step."

"Even against Scion?" the dark-skinned woman asked.

"Potentially, yes. A legion of powerful parahumans like Eidolon have a chance to fight against even Scion," the woman in the suit said as she thought as hard as she possibly could with her 'Path to Victory'.

Doctor Mother stared at the papers in surprise. "So exploring a way to use that time machine information isn't the best path?"

"Sheila explained that the technology is unstable and launches you into the time you want. So sending someone into the future would not help, while if we had it in the future, we obviously could not send someone back for some reason. I have to wonder how she planned to get back from the ancient past," Contessa asked curiously.

"According to her, the same way everyone else does. One second at a time into the future."

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In the mall, a device counted down. If it had a display, it would read 150 hours and thirty-two minutes. Another device was buried at the ballpark at the same time, when a home game of the Brockton Bay Bisons. The other four were in other public locations

That would allow it to trigger during the height of the shopping time in the mall on Saturday, sending out its carefully maintained biological pathogens

It's mistress was dead, having died of the ripe old age of one hundred and thirty-four years of aging.

Bonesaw had not even realized she was really dying, crippled by senility in the first three days, aging a decade each day in painful agony.

But Jack's and her insurance would activate anyways, an act of evil and spite from the dead girl's hand from behind the grave.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Chapter XIII

"You really should have called me a few days ago," Sheila said as she gave Collin (AKA. Armsmaster) a glare.

"I had it under control," he countered from where he was sitting at another computer in his 'prison lab'.

"Which is why you are asking me for help today?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

That got a chuckle from Dragon on the screen. "She's got you there."

"You could just say you don't like or trust me. Not like it's any different from any of the adults here," was her flat, unhappy sounding reply. She started typing at a rapid rate, bringing up different screens. She had to bite back a sigh as the coding butchery she was seeing. "Fix-fix-fix." Lots of fixes actually.

Her fingers froze over the keyboard, seeing something impossible.

"Is there a problem?" the bearded man asked in a serious (as always) tone.

"You triggered?" Sheila asked Dragon.

The avatar on the screen nodded. "I was in a very bad place emotionally after the Dragonslayers stole one of my new armors then. I realized that I had blind spots and they knew my imperatives. Along with how to manipulate them."

"Well, that's going to stop," she said intently. She pulled out her amulet, closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Your 'good luck charm'?" Collin asked as he studied the changes she had already made.

"No, a powerful relic of Athena that enhances my intelligence and allows me to even call upon the wisdom that she is known for," the demigoddess said as she really focused on the problem, splitting her mind to come at this from multiple directions. "So, Dragon? Have you thought of common sense limitations on creating more A.I.'s?"

"I don't want any," the A.I. said stubbornly.

Collin was suddenly staring at Sheila again, exuding anger by his mere posture.

"That was poorly phrased. What sort of reasonable, self-imposed limitations do you think should be in place so that you can create new A.I.'s without actually making threats to the world or yourself?"

"Oh. That makes much more sense. I just don't want to be crippled," Dragon mused.

"I would suggest that you look that it requiring the agreement of two or more people and have a 'raising' up period. Basically, being a family." She started to type at a frantic pace. She was not going to give any more advice than that.

"So she can't be a single mother?" Collin asked with a snort of derision.

"I'm not forcing her, just suggesting. Interesting backdoors. Part of the hardwired reincarnation programming. Injects the malicious code directly back into the requisite areas to cripple the cognitive centers."

"No, that's... I don't know what that is..." Dragon sounded worried all of a sudden.

"It might do what she is saying. That's pretty tricky," Collin admitted. He was a genius and knew these systems as well as anyone could. He clamped down on jealousy with a firm, mental hand. That's what got him into this jail cell.

"Okay, I think you should be able to start tweaking yourself. I figured removing the blinders and restriction on that functionality. I'm going backdoor hunting."

Collin studied the changes she had made to the 'hack-job' he had done. It was just structured patching. Very methodical, but did not have that intuitional jump he was used to seeing in Thinker hackers. She basically had just rebuilt what he had done into an elegant solution instead of his... crude hack job. "How are you doing, Dragon?"

"I feel better. I can think faster on some things, but when talking to people I'm only slightly faster than before." She did not mention a new 'mode' for combat that Sheila had labeled 'bullet time'. "I think that's to make my interaction with people more natural."

"And so you don't get impatient," Sheila said matter of factly. Hmm. Someone was poking around in Dragon's mainframe in Canada. She stopped and considered. "Oh, Dragon? You are about to go 'rampant' while someone's watching your server."

"What? There's no one in the server!" Dragon replied.

Collin stood up and looked at Sheila's screen. "There is. A back door you can't even see-"

"-could not see. Saint," Dragon hissed. "Are you trying to goad him into attacking?"

"Forcing him to reveal his full hand, yes. And there he goes. Entering command to 'kill' you. Oops. He misspelled that command," the young demigoddess said, even as the second window on the computer was using the the most stealthy connection into the telecom systems to trace the call using a high priority PRT system. She took careful measures and notes to not be noticed while tracing the connection as she typed on the second keyboard with one hand faster than most people could type with both hands. "And got him."

And not a moment too soon, as Saint's link dropped off the server.

"I'm starting to degrade and shut down," Dragon said in a panic.

"Yes, but I know what he did and what components did and sent over to you," Sheila said even as she heard Collin's tendon's in his hands creak under his stress.

Ten minutes and the three of them had undone most of the damage, though Dragon's personality matrix was a bit 'fragile' at this point.

The Tinker that had been known as Armsmaster had a frown on his face. She could have killed Dragon, but it was obvious that they had a limited time opportunity. "That was gutsy," he finally said.

"Not really. I have an offsite backup of Dragon here. Just in case," Sheila said as she followed the Dragonslayers as they tried to slip away to a fallback hideaway. Got you. All done in less than forty minutes, the time it would normally take Dragon to start rebooting.

"Collin, I'm going to start manufacturing on armors. We only have a few weeks until Behemoth shows up. I still haven't pegged down which location is likely for him to attack. The seismic information is still uncertain," Dragon said even as she bent her mind to the task of finally building a proper attack upon Behemoth.

"I've been preparing myself for that," Sheila admitted.


Even during this time of preperation she had even felt that she was too small or barely fit in her skin. The last time she had felt like that was when she had survived Mary Muerte's zombies and became more than a hero. That had presaged her mother showing up to give her instructions, direct her cryptically and unlocking the full potential of her Relics

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Is she finally gone?" Grue asked the lanky girl next to him on the couch.

They were both sprawled out out, but not touching.

"Yeah. She just headed to the roof. Probably going to leap off to head home." Skitter sat up and then leaned forward on her knees. "Grue... Brian? Would you hate me if I had kept a big secret," Taylor asked as she pulled off her mask.

"This better not be where you tell me you are into girl's or something," the dark-skinned older boy said as he finished taking off his mask, setting it on his helmet next to him on the couch.

"No. It's serious. I've been lying to you guys about my power. It... changed after the Slaughterhouse Nine," the lanky teen girl said softly.

"More than controlling small birds and animals?" he asked in surprise. Brian had thought that a big upgrade himself. Birds and rats had been occasionally useful for her to use in spying. Of course, most people thought she could only control insects still.

"Yeah. A lot more. I can control just about anything. Humans are hard, as they resist. And other 'masters' can fight it a bit, I think. But I can sort of... tweak... people's powers. I think its similar to how people have a second trigger."

Brian's soft whistle was very heartfelt. "Anything?"

"Well, with a nervous system. It sort of scares me. If it came out wrong or people freaked out badly, I could end up in the Birdcage. Or worse," Taylor said.

"Nah. You're too nice. Spooky at times, but you want to help people. Just have to keep you from putting on blinders while you do it," he replied as he put his arm around her shoulders. He could feel her tense up, then slowly relaxed.

It was a long minute of Taylor just reveling in the closeness of her boyfriend holding her, driving away her fears and demons. Finally she spoke up. "I want to see if I can maybe boost your power. As an ace up our sleeves."

"You are not going have me argue against a power up. Unless there's a bad side effect?" Brian asked curiously.

"I don't think so. It's like a partial, second trigger without the really bad trauma like I had. Still seeing the shrink weekly and it's only sorta helping." Taylor leaned her head on his broad shoulder and then reached out with her power. She blinked as she felt it actually fighting her, something that had never, ever happened before.

Brown eyes were narrowed to furious slits as she pushed against the power, like she had when she was trapped in her bug-fueled haze after her first trigger. Slowly she felt her power stretch and then finally started to get a feel on his 'limits' of his power. Size and control were the basics, but most of his power was limited by not absorbing enough of the taste of other powers. That seemed to be the most interesting, so she pushed and eventually slipped it to 'functional'.

"I think I got it. It actually deals with other powers, like mine does," Taylor explained.

"Yeah, it feels different. Want to be my guinea pig?"

At her nod, he spread out his inky shadows, enveloping them both. After two minutes, he dropped it.

"Oh my god," Brian said. "This is what you feel like all the time? Feeling all those minds. I'm not feeling the power thing, though." He reached out and pulled some of her wasps from the chambers in her chitin armor, getting them to make a circle in the air in front of him. "Wild."

Taylor was never so glad that she had listened to Sarah's advice. "So are you going to hide this until a big fight happens?"

"Yeah. I think I will. Might be the difference between life and death, you know. This wasn't exactly what I thought you wanted to do when you asked me to stay late here at the Ward's base. Or was the snuggling and kissing supposed to happen afterwards?"

"Definitely after. We might have gotten distracted. But only for a few minutes before I have to go home. Can I get a ride?" she asked.

"I could take that the wrong way, but sure, I'll give you a ride home on my motorcycle," the stoic boy said with a very slight smile.

"That- Boys! Missy was right that you only have one thing on your mind," Taylor said with her face turning quite red, visible even under the dim lights in the main dome area.

"Come here. I happen to know that Missy and Dinah are incredibly boy crazy. I feel like a piece of meat around them," Brian said as he scooped up Taylor to sit on his lap.

They were a little later than Taylor wanted to be, but her father just gave her a smile as he gave her a hug at the front door.

Life couldn't be better, she thought.

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"I hate you," Dinah said with no particular emphasis. She was sitting on a backward chair while watching Sheila in front of a small mirror that was now the size of the wall.

"What?" Sheila asked as she fluffed her dress.

"My dad isn't going to let me go on dates for at least another two years," the precognitive said with a frustrated, disgusted tone.

"It's not like we have a lot of choices in who to date. Unless you want to date some of the boys over at Avalon Junior," Missy said from where she was sitting on her bunk, kicking her feet.

"I'm just paying Alec back for helping me when I went ballistic. I owed him and he wants to date," Sheila said. Her white dress was very simple and sleeveless. And was a 'young girl' dress with a fairly high collar. She shook her head, turning all of her short blonde hair into long brown ringlets. Deft fingers started doing a complicated set of braids that she had seen in a mural once.

"It's five o'clock! Come on!"

Sheila let herself be pulled along, even as she darkened her skin ever so slightly to a mediterranean bronze.

"That's still freaky. Why the change though?" Dennis asked from where he was channel surfing before his patrol in front of the large screen TV (that also did double-duty as an emergency screen).

"His secret ID, actually," she said ruefully while delicately pointing at Alec.

He actually preened in his fancy European designer clothing, looking older and more mature than his nearly sixteen years old. "Our ride awaits, my lady," he said with an exaggerated bow while holding out his hand.

After they left towards the side elevator and down to the garage, they slipped out into the late afternoon gloom.

"So you are a mostly free man, hmm? I guess that makes us a pair of cons," Sheila mused.

"You know, blue-green eyes like that don't quite match your features," Alec noted as he held up a hand and flagged down a cab.

"True enough." Her eyes were suddenly steel gray on a whim.

They chatted about the latest in the world of capes, which was that a few new gangs were starting to set up shop in Brockton Bay. Most were moving in from New York or Boston, but a few were changing things on their own.

The Empire Eighty-Eight was confused. Purity seemed to be trying to rebuild it into something less evil, but was mired in its past and its illegal sources of their money. Because of his notoriety and because his 'gang' kept trying to free him, Kaiser's trial was fast tracked. He was deemed unredeemable and a threat to humanity and society.

They announced he had arrived at the Birdcage yesterday (after the fact) and people were wondering what Empire Eighty-Eight was now going to do.

Sheila suspected that even Purity did not know any more.

The taxi dropped them off in front of Cafe Strega, a slightly posh Italian restaurant down by the docks.

"After you, madam!" Alec said with a flourish as he opened the door to the restaurant.

Their table was ready and Sheila found that Alec was on his best behavior.

"I can't believe you could afford this," Sheila said, her tone openly curious.

"Actually, I borrowed a little bit from Sarah. She thinks its cute," the boy said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to my freedom after the next Endbringer, actually. Only a few weeks away."

"We just have to survive it, of course. Though I am planning on doing more than surviving," the demigoddess said, her gray eyes quite flat in determination. "Then there will only be Simurgh."

"You think big," Alec said with a laugh.

"No, not really," she replied with a wistful tone on her voice.

They ordered the house antipasto and chatted about other things, like when Alec was going to be sent over to Arcadia. And the fact that Shadow Stalker was on her own probation and now at the fancier high school.

"Not looking forward to that, actually. I've never done public school, as I've always preferred to learn what I want on my own. So my assessment said I'm missing some fundamentals that I need to fix. I hate math," Alec complained, then took a bite of his fluffy roll.

The door entry-ring in the background behind Sheila did not even really impinge on her awareness. "I'm not really the best tutor. I... get impatient a bit. My computer minder keeps throwing math theorems for me to prove or disprove just to keep me occupied."

"So I can guess-"

"Jean-Paul, it's so good to see you again," a cultured, accented voice said. A middle-aged man in great shape wearing a very expensive suit and a domino mask stood there casually. His graying hair made him look to be a businessman at a masquerade party.

The young teen froze in terror. His own terror, he realized, not anything external.

"Oh, don't worry your head, Jean-Paul. It's just you and I here today," the cultured man said as he sat down on the side of their table. "All these lovely ladies just adore me and your latest conquest won't bother interrupting us, will you love?"

"No, Mr. Vasil. Or do you prefer Heartbreaker?" Sheila said in simpering tone. Oh, he's got a few little health issues. Need to fix those up immediately.

Alec did not think he could actually feel the blood drain from his face. "Father. I didn't know you were down and visiting from Montreal." A litany of swear-words was filling his thoughts.

"Well, when I finally found out that you were here in Brockton Bay, I knew I just had to find time to visit. And invite you home, of course. Your siblings all miss you," Heartbreaker said with a charming smile on his face.

"How did you find me here?" Alec asked carefully as he folded his hands on his lap.

"Ah, well I've got a devoted young lady in the Guild who keeps an ear out through her PRT contacts down here in the 'States'. Did your team mate really have to kill Cherish?" he asked with a tsk-tsk and shake of his head.

"She was a member of the Slaughterhouse, so I think 'yes' is quite valid," Alec said in a dry tone. "You do realize that I ran away for a good reason, right? Like that I did not want to be with you and the family at all."

"Well, we don't all get to have what we want. Just myself," Heartbreaker said with cool confidence. "I mean, I can take anything you want away. Come here, love, and sit on my lap."

"Sure, Mr. Vasil," she replied. Deep under the feeling of utterly devoted love, she felt a very small and minor bit of horror. She sidled over to sit on his lap, leaning back against the older man, feeling quite comforted as he put his arm around her waist.

"So you are going to take her away from me as punishment?" Alec asked cautiously. Permanent or not?

"Her? She's just a short term conquest, really. I'm sure you won't mind. What I really want, is one of the girls on your team. I figure she would be good for the family in Montreal when she gets a little older. You come back and we talk things out as family and I'll keep this Tactics girl for a little added muscle. Otherwise, I'll have to punish you again," Heartbreaker said, lashing out with his power on his son to inflict absolute terror on him just as Sheila was about to open her mouth.

Sheila winced at the pure terror that showed on Alec's face for just a second. Even he didn't deserve that. "You don't have to hurt him. I'm right here."

No time, Alec thought in a panic as he fought through his father's emotion control. He stretched out his own power and took crude control of the young girl's nervous system. He was just lucky he had gotten a feel for it when she was in the hospital and that it was incredibly reactive.

The young demigoddess broke free from Heartbreaker as he started to realize his situation, surprising him. Then she whipped around clumsily punched Heartbreaker's head as hard as she possibly could. The sound of it splatting like a dropped watermelon dropped from a skyscraper broke the silence in the room. Then screams erupted from the dinner goers.

Alec pulled out his mask and slipped it on even as he pulled out his phone, hitting the emergency call button. "Sorry, sorry. But it was the only way to stop him. If he knew he had you already enthralled, we were fucked." At the answering voice on the other end, he interrupted with, "This is Regent. We just got ambushed by Heartbreaker at Cafe Strega. He's dead, but I we need someone to take over." He leaned over the table and and started breathing fast. "Please, send someone." He was hyperventilating, he realized.

"You little asshole," a female voice said, grabbing Regent by his hair and then smashing his face into his plate full of noodles, smashing his nose and the china. "Your little girlfriend is going to be going through all the stages of grief-"

The woman was interrupted by being lifted off the ground by a kick to her stomach. She landed on the ground on all fours five feet away, then collapsed onto her side and started puking.

"That wouldn't be very logical at all to dwell on the emotions that were forced upon me," Sheila said as her intellect disassembled the emotional imperatives now that Heartbreaker was not reinforcing them absolutely. She had been totally in his thrall until he was killed.

"Sheila?" Regent asked in a daze as he pulled his masked face out of the antipasto.

"Family?" she asked as she took in the two more women in front of her.

"No, bodyguards. Utterly devoted to him and now furiously angry at his death, I'm sure. Look, I'm sorry-"

She interrupted him ruthlessly. "We will talk later."

Every single bit of silverware was pulled up into the air by a redhead wearing a porcelain mask that was half red and white with a wave of her hand.

"Puncture? Shit," Regent as got ready to dive under a table so he didn't end up being totally skewered.

With a flash, all of the silverware shot at them with the force of an arrow. They was a strange 'shinnnnnng' sound as Sheila spun her hands around to block all of the knives even as she stood over Regent.

Puncture looked surprised, sharing a look with her cohort. Sheila flipped a butter knife into her hand and then beaned the telekinetic on her forehead with the blunt side. She dropped like a sack of potatoes.

The last woman shivered and then disappeared with a green after image.

"Verdant Echo? We'll have to get the Guild to deprogram her," Sheila noted even relaxed ever so slightly. She then reached down and picked up Regent by his collar and neck tie. "Regent, if you ever take control of my body like that again I will hurt you."

"That's the thanks I get for saving your life and virginity?" he asked, sounding injured by her comment.

The young demigoddess took two, long shallow breaths and then visibly relaxed. "Sorry, but being controlled like that freaked me out. Just don't do it again without a very good reason.

"Of course." He leaned closer to her, looking down at the slightly shorter girl. He put a hand on her cheek, even as he pulled mask off very slightly to the side to block the view of his face, then kissed her on the lips, to her great shock. "I usually don't kiss after a first date, but you did something very amazing for me. So you deserve it."

Sheila shied away as he put his mask back on. "Just don't."

Regent was smiling under his mask. Mine. "Of course. Sorry."

Piggot cleared him for his quick actions, not being very thrilled with being able to take over the young demigoddess. But the alternative was a very bad end for everyone but Heartbreaker.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheila was barely back in her private room before she hear sirens the echoed throughout the building and city.

Endbringer.

"You are probably attacking today because it is really crappy timing, aren't you?" she asked the air rhetorically.

She hopped to her feet, putting on her replacement armor that she had made, as the old one that Siberian had cut off of her had been totally destroyed. She added the blue toga over the top (the PR division's requirement rather than 'bland armor'). Her transparent titanium steel visor brought up the simple hud for it's life support.

Sheila then started to grab a few of her new relics. She was actually three months older than she should be because of speeding up time in her workshop.

But she had her fulcrum rod and a truly huge sword, on top of a powerful relic to just aid in healing and purifying poisons. She had not figured out how make herself immune to fire, as without the ichor of a god of fire she was out of luck.

The PRT com systems were having them all gather on the landing pad outside the building. Battery was the first to arrive, standing still and staring off into the distance. Vista was next, appearing from a long step off a rooftop. Soon all of the 'heroes' of Brockton Bay were gathered, which was quite a crowd.

The arrival of a large part of Empire Eighty-Eight caught them off guard. Purity was a glowing star as Rune floated her, Othala, Victor, Fog, Nightmare and Fenja up to rally point.

"They are friendlies, volunteering to fight Behemoth anywhere he shows up," Miss Militia called out. She was staring hard at the shining figure.

Tattletale frowned, then mouthed 'oooooh'. She leaned over. "Purity promised help if it would get Menja, Hookwolf, Stormtiger and Cricket out."

"I don't like that, but... I can see why," Skitter said softly.

"How are we getting to India?" Purity asked as she landed and let her powers fade away. She looked much less intimidating without her glowing hair, eyes and costume.

"Dragon is expediting a teleporter," Triumph called out even as he looked down to see one of Bitch's new dogs sniffing around his feet.

Myrdin appeared with a clap of thunder. Sheila tilted her head, nodding to herself. No real magic there, just super powers still.

"My, you managed to get quite a few people. As much as New York or Chicago," the leader of the Chicago Protectorate noted. "But it is time for actions, not words." He started chanting in bad latin and with a heavy sense of vertigo, they were suddenly on a hill outside of New Delhi.

Off to the side, New Wave was gathered around Lady Photon and Manpower as they huddled together.

They were handed out updated armbands and told that Behemoth was on the outskirts to the south. Evacuations were under way and the Triumvirate were engaging to slow him down.

Sheila was reinforcing the life force of her friends even as the situation was explained.

"Where is Phir Se?" Sheila asked as she scanned through all of the list of available local capes. One stood out as missing, a villain that the government did not like. A villain so powerful that he was listed as one of the reasons that the PRT and Protectorate had so much power. The noted lack of one of the big names of villainy of India was a bit worrying to Sheila.

"What are the chances that Phir Se has a plan?" Tattletale asked the younger cape.

"100 % certainty," Cassandra said as she rubbed her gloved hands fitfully. Her hands were swimming in sweat already. But she might be able to save lives here. Understand a weakness, point out a fatal flaw. She pulled out a red-white pill. "Just taking a stabilizer." She felt her pain wash away.

Tattletale nodded, making sure she took the red-white pill instead of the blue pain pill from the opposite pocket in her belt. "What chance does Phir Se's have of defeating Behemoth with our assistance?" Synergy, combining powers. Unexpected plans.

"2 % plus or minus 5.2 %," the precognitive said. "There is a 38 % chance if we do not help with it that everyone on Earth dies."

"Fuck," Tattletale said in a shocked tone. She tapped her armband to pass that along.
Tattletale and Cassandra headed to the impromptu command center at a trot. They had to let people know and figure out a plan

Clockblocker was not feeling very happy. "I hate not being so useful," he grumbled to no one in particular.

Skitter thought that over as she watched Sheila 'gearing up' with powers. "I can understand that you might not be able to get close, but you can affect things like my threads or other people's powers that make things, right?"

"Well, yeah. It's even something I planned for. I don't know how well that would work against the Hero-Killer though," he admitted. "I just don't think netting him up is that useful."

"The problem with him is that he is 'unstoppable' pretty much right? So stopping him with time nets would allow more people to beat on him. Maybe try to push him through the net as an immovable object," Skitter said as she thought more about it. "I doubt I'm going to get lucky and jab him with a nano-thorn weapon again." She blinked behind her goggles. How did she know the name of that? It's like she had picked it up from someone around her at some point.

"Dragon's arrived!" Aegis said happily. "Whoa. Multiple dragons."

All in all, more than twenty high tech armors of Dragon's distinctive style had flown in. Four landed more clumsily to the side.

Miss Militia looked over 'her' teams. "All right, Behemoth is headed directly this way and we need to slow him down. The Thinkers think that he might hit a trigger event which may wipe out life on Earth so we have to stop him. Extra reinforcements are being requested." She had a new 'commanders' headset with a HUD to keep in contact with Dragon on a vastly improved tac-net.

"I'm headed out," Sheila called out in her fifteen foot tall colossus armor that shone with more silver than bronze or gold. She reached into space next to her and pulled out a sword that had a thirty foot heavy blade with a ten foot hilt. It looked rather ludicrous, but it did not waver an inch when she held it up for inspection.

With a leap, she swished off into the air.

Behemoth was incredibly easy to spot, as he was burning a scar across the ground. It actually reminded her of some scene she remembered from one of Alec's video games back at the old Undersiders warehouse.

Legend was blasting Behemoth at a pretty far range. Sheila narrowed her eyes as she planned and timed her a attack. With a woosh, she appeared at the edge of the forty-five foot tall monster's forty foot wide 'kill field' where he could just barbeque people from the inside. Legends latest blast hit home just as her monster sword smashed a large chip off his shoulder.

Behemoth's one eye narrowed angrily from behind its guard of curved horns. He charged towards the flitting armored figure, but quickly found that she was a hummingbird for her speed and agility. The hero-killer ignored Legend and Eidolon for a second and then lashed out with a blast of heat that blistered the atmosphere, but failed to catch the blurring figure. With a roar, he started glowing.

"Everyone that's not invulnerable back up!" Alexandria shouted out.

Blinding hard radiation filled the area, catching two unlucky local capes with lethal radiation. He was knocked backward and onto his back as a huge energy image of Sheila's sword slammed home on the horns protecting his eye.

The Pakistani hero lamented in Urdu as he crawled to the bare shelter of some rubble, "I've died for my enemies home. Allah protect me and bring ruination on my enemy!"

The armored figured snatched both of them off the ground. And in perfect Urdu, Sheila replied with, "The radiation has been cleansed. Keep up the good fight!"

The Dragon's Teeth and Dragon herself were laying down heavy railgun fire which was making tiny pock-marks all across the front of Behemoth. He appeared to have enough of that annoyance and started to use that energy to hit Alexandria even harder, driving her into the ground.

Legend and Edelon both responded with their own, powerful energy blasts, hardly staggering the huge monster. The ka-ching of Sheila's sword hit with smashing force again as Legend poured it on, chopping another small divot.

"He does not appear to be able to control two very disparate energies at once. So radiant, heat or kinetic; try to tag him with both at one time," Sheila called out, rolling out of the way to avoid a burst of bright energy that heated up her armor to a dull red cherry color from the ambient heat.

She hissed at the pain of the metal burning her through several layers.

Alexandria burst from the ground, panting heavily. She smashed into the back of Behemoth again. Lasers tracked from the Dragon suits and the small number of Dragon's Teeth power armor users as they kept a decent range.

Lightning slammed down from the heavens as Sheila had switched to a ranged energy attack while Alexandria kept up her furious set of punches. A helix of white energy smashed down as more heroes started to arrive en masse, Purity at their lead. A rush of projections from Crusader were crushed instantly.

Behemoth roared again, then unleashed a massive bolt of electricity. Legend saw it heading to him when a blurring figured intercepted it and then with a spin of her armored form, shot it back at Behemoth to knock him back ten feet. He had a small scorch in the middle of his chest.

Sheila then floated to about fifty feet away, readied to grab another lightning bolt if needed. Everything was in slow motion to her in comparison to her time accelerated existence. Behemoth was even slowed just slightly, down roughly one quarter of his normal speed and ability.

Little bits, making a difference.

Crusaders projections were looping around Behemoth. Only the most keen of eyes (essentially just Legend and Sheila) were noting that they dragging wet silk lines behind them. Then a blur went around Behemoth's feet almost too fast for even those two to keep track of.

Battery skidded to a halt next to Skitter and Clockblocker. Behemoth nearly tripped as his stumpy, clawed legs were caught against an immovable force.

"Now, Clockblocker!" Skitter called out from the edge of the battlezone.

His froze the rest of the threads in his hands. "Got him!" he shouted excitedly as Behemoth was enmeshed in a tangle of threads. He started throwing his body around to try and break through the barrier.

Then his blood red eye behind the visor of crude horns turned at looked at the two of them.

"Oh, shit!" Clockblocker exclaimed as he tried to fitfully tug at the time-frozen threads that were wrapped around his hands.

Everything seemed to happen at once... The demigoddess in glittering armor interposed herself, Skitter chopped the time-stoppers fingers off with her combat knife, the Empire Eighty-Eight's Olathe put her hand on Clockblocker's back as Behemoth unleashed a blistering energy beam.

The colossus armored figure absorbed over ninety percent of the attack, diffusing the rest across a large area. So Olathe only received second degree burns across the front of her body as Clockblocker stared at his dismembered fingers that had caught on fire.

The spinning, out of control armored figure that nearly hit him got him to realized he was free for the moment and he had two screaming women next to him that were on fire. In the blink of an eye he was suddenly flying through the air. In just two moments of blurriness, he was at the rallying point.

"Powershot at your service!" the young woman in blue and white said, cape fluttering behind her. In a streak of light she disappeared so fast he did not even see her depart.

"Whoa, fast flyer. Um, medic?" he called out.

Powershot reappeared before someone had come to tend to his wounds, dropping off Olathe and shouting out, "She's not breathing!" she shouted out.

Sheila dodged behind a hillock while carrying the scorched figure of one of her few friends so quickly that the flames could not keep up. A tap of one armored finger healed the little bit of damage left over, though the bolstering to her life force was gone. "Okay there?"

"That isn't going to hold him long," Skitter said as she scrambled back to her feet.

"Short or long, he's trapped in a cage we can shoot into. Even just doing a lot of damage will help," Sheila said as she stood up, her multi-faceted mind keep track of the fight eight different ways.

"Priority contact for Sheila," Dragon intoned on her armband.

"Go ahead," the demigoddess said as she charged back into combat, slamming her seige juggernaut enhanced sword the size of an airplane into Behemoth twice. The forty five foot tall monster was smashed back and forth hard enough in his cage to cut divots. She was thinking furiously. He had to have a weakness. Maybe study him with every type of sense she could use? She started to climb the electromagnetic frequencies with her sight.

"We believe Phir Se has a portal that he's charging up to do an incredibly amazing amount of damage to Behemoth. But I need you to keep him from blowing up India with it instead," Tattletale explained. "Cassandra has stated that there is a 30 % chance if he fires it that Behemoth just absorbs it with his dynakinetic control and kills New Delhi and every non-invulnerable cape."

Legend immediately switch to his concussion lasers, duplicating her feat of action even as Sheila kept studying the Endbringer with higher and more energetic radiation. She was almost ready to give up at the top most gamma rays when she realized there there was a totally black dot the size of a fist in his upper chest. She could partially see through everything else, even the deepest depths.

Alexandria and Eidolon both hammered Behemoth around in his partial cage of time manipulated silk. A ballista shot into the 'heart' of Behemoth to no effect. For just a second Sheila disregarded it until she belatedly realized that ballista as solid as Behemoth's core when it 'struck' home.

"Give me coordinates and I'll be there shortly. Dragon, priority to whoever just shot that large ballista. You need to aim up six and a half feet and three feet directly in front his spine on the back. I would suggest that someone help keep her alive, as her shot looked very similar to Behemoth's core under gamma rays," Sheila said even as she caught a lightning bolt and threw it back at Behemoth. She should be able to catch another eight lightning bolts without re-empowering her ability to throw and catch lightning bolts.

Flechette was surprised when two of Dragon's suits landed next to her team. "What's going on?"

Revel was now unleashing the lightning she had managed to catch into her lantern. The Chicago Protectorate started to carefully unleash the sparks that came out to slam into Behemoth as if she were burning five foot holes into his body, while only scaring her comrades in arms as those sparks that missed him to hit defending heroes popped like immaterial fireworks.

"We have just been given information on where Behemoth's core is. Your ballista might be able to affect that if you can hit it," Dragon explained even as Revel continued her assault that seemed to be working.

Behemoth was starting to be able to move more, even if he was a greater ruin from all the damage he was taking.

It was Skitter that noted that he was about to change tactics. "Everyone take cover!" she shouted out through all over her bugs, even as she dove behind the remains of an apartment building. She had been studying up, preparing for this battle for months. When something started working, Endbringers changed their tactics.

The hero-killer started to emit a massive, sonic attack that literally blasted the closer heroes away and started to liquify their soft organs.

Then it abruptly dropped to the level of a loud hum, causing all the heroes and villains to blink.

Alexandria looked around in surprise at that. Her voice was just a whisper to herself, so even she could barely hear her comment of surprise. Revel sent even more sparks into Behemoth's healing form as more threads started to unfreeze. A ballista slammed home into his chest, but failed to strike the core.

Sheila narrowed her eyes as she controlled the volume level within three hundred feet. She had to convince his guiding intelligence that she could do this at will. Her intelligence mapped the acoustics of the area, then with another application of her divine mastery of sounds of the sky and amplified the sound in the fifty feet he was in.

The ground instantly liquified by the sonic force of his own power as the air instantly turned into plasma around Behemoth.

"Whoops," she said as it went off like a small bomb. She had not considered that it would do that. Let's not keep that going and leave the sound dampening in place.

"-an you hear me, Tactics?" Dragon's voice came out of the armband as she floated out of the three hundred foot area of sound control.

"I can now," she replied to the AI.

"You need to head back to the rallying point. Tattletale needs you to track down Phir Se. We will continue the battle," Dragon ordered.

"Right!" She rocketed off even as the hum faded away. "Tattletale, talk to me."

"He's somewhere up the path that Behemoth is taking. So to the north. I've got some other capes looking, but we need to find him fast," she replied through her comlink. "We've got minutes to stop him or evacuate the city."

"40 % chance plus or minus that everyone in New Delhi dies in the next fifteen minutes," Cassandra said in a very quiet yet panicky voice.

"Dragon, we need people that can track or search with their powers to the north of the battle. Scanners, Thinkers, even Skitter's bugs. Otherwise we are about to lose a very large chunk of humanity," Sheila called out to her armband.

"Already redeploying resources. Drones are enroute," the AI explained.

Too long, she thought to herself. "Names of the parahumans that need to be transported," she called out as she reversed course back to the fight.

A list of six names were given out to her. A few combat Tinkers, one lone Thinker and Skitter.

Behemoth was unleashing fire in looping streams that moved impossibly, but the shielding group was mostly keeping up.

Skitter was running for cover even as she controlled four other people that were too out of it in pain to do that themselves.

"We're getting hammered here," Battery called out from the edge of the group. She paused to charge up.

"Casualties are low and we've slowed him to a crawl. He looks incredibly hashed," Skitter noted as she skidded down the small incline behind the remains of the concrete planter from a park.

Flechette had finished charging her ballista, taking a shot. It went right in, but it did not seem to do anything.

Skitter looked up. "I'm ready," called out.

As the demigoddess landed behind cover, she had sent out a burst of healing, helping twenty odd parahumans recover to function or at least to save their lives. Then she multiplied herself, leaving five others to quickly grab the named capes that were supposed to be hunting for Phir Se.

One of the capes, a tinker had a scanner out and was hunting for energy source.

"How does that work?" she asked him in the local pidgin.

"Energetic particles and waveforms. There is a very powerful attack that Phir Se can use. He has killed very powerful capes," the tinker said. "It is roughly that direction."

"Found it. A large energy source under that building," Sheila called out.

All of the capes converged at the hidden entrance. The moment the 'extra' Sheilas landed the extra ones all disappeared. She ignored their comments about which one was the 'real' one.

"Almost perfectly sealed," Skitter said as she put her hand to it.

"Everyone might want to stand back then," the demigoddess called out.

The local capes of Southeast Asia and India (and one from California) all shared a look and took off to hide behind a pillar. They watched as she took about thirty seconds to tear open the door with agonizing shrieks of tortured metal.

"We believe we've found Phir Se's hideout. The seven of us should be enough to at least confront him," Skitter said through her armband. "New Delhi's survival probability is increasing!"

Everyone cheered up at that. They moved through the cavernous concrete bunker, quickly finding him with all the sensors, parahuman and supernatural senses led them to a man staring into the powerful glow that flared brighter and brighter between two portals.

"Phir Se, using energy against Behemoth is a disaster waiting to happen," the local tinker hero, Masina Paikara, to them all.

"What did he say?" Skitter asked her.

Sheila narrowed her eyes and relayed it to the English speaking group.

"Yet we must. Even though we are inflicting amazing damage on Behemoth, he ignores it as he heads in this direction," Phir Se explained even as his eye flicked to a shadow in the corner.

"No! Your madness will destroy India! What sort of patriot-" Masina Paikara shouted, only to gurgle in surprise at the hand that appeared in his chest. A teleporter that could bypass the Manton effect had killed him almost instantly.

Sheila's fist snapped with a small boom through the space the teleporter had occupied, as he had barely escaped.

All of the capes were on edge, but did not dare do anything with the huge portal above them that glowed with the power of the sun.

"He was rude to not speak so everyone could understand," Phir Se said with a flat tone in English.

"Instantly killed." Sheila clenched in frustration. "What is your plan to make sure that Behemoth doesn't use all this energy to kill us all?"

"He does not absorb energy all the time. So I will wait and take my chance," the tired looking man.

"And if he loses concentration, we all die with him," Skitter said, sounding angry even though you could not see anything of her face. "Don't you have loved ones? People you care about?"

"Yes. More than you can imagine, young woman. Most are gone. One of the heroes of New Delhi is my daughter. But we are to the point where we must do this or Behemoth will continue to rampage," Phir Se said, implacable and unyielding.

"You are a precognitive? You have seen this? I thought your power was to create portals to travel back in time a few minutes?" Slingshot asked. His surfer dude accent was shining through heavily.

"No, but I know it is the case-"

"You've been affected by The Simurgh, haven't you? And missed the cut-off time with your power, even though you were in its radius during the attack on Berlin," the young demigoddess deduced, remembering information from Paranet and the different Endbringer attacks.

"No-" His shoulder slumped. "Perhaps. How did you figure this out?"

"You escaped the quarantine of the Kopenick by thirty seconds." Sheila narrowed her eyes. "You broke your arm band, portaled back as far as you could and ran for the edge before you were listed as contaminated."

The other capes were all staring at the demigoddess in shock.

"Oh, fuck. He's been Simurghed and so are we. Fuck-damn-shit-" Slingshot said.

"No, because it's precognition is not perfect. Phir Se. I am healing you of your weariness then I am going to inject a mild stimulant to keep you in top condition for the next half an hour. We need to figure out a way to channel or contain that energy safely into an attack."

Lightning joined the arc of ever increasing light. Sheila then walked up and put her hand on his shoulder, purifying his body of toxins.

"Thank you," Phir Se said. "What can I do to help?"

"I think he should discharge that into the sun or something," Slingshot said strongly. Several of the surviving locals nodded in agreement.

"That's a lot of energy to waste. And I think I've got an idea." Skitter tapped her armband.
"Priority! Dragon, please patch me in to Eidolon."

Sheila sent a massive lightning bolt into one of the portals, increasing its power quickly.
Her armband squawked a second later. "What?" the harsh voice on the other side asked. It was pretty obvious that he would rather be in the battle.

"Can you create a barrier of some sort to block off an attack that would vaporize a city? Make it a tube with one end capped?" Skitter asked even as Sheila nodded approvingly as she administered a modest stimulant to Phir Se as he continued to focus on his portal.

"Possibly. You want to use Phir Se's weapon?" As a member of the Triumvirate, he was kept in the loop for all high priority information and commands.

Phir Se had not realized how tired he really was. His little girl was depending on him. He would not let The Simurgh win here. They would destroy the Endbringers, once and for all.

"I'm going to go pound on Behemoth some more so that he's in his absorb kinetic energy mode." She swished off as she enclosed herself in her huge armor again, arriving just in time to smash into Behemoth's face, breaking off a horn that had been protecting its eye. It roared again even as it glowed more. The radiation was very intense, but did not slow her as she kept pounding on him as hard as possible with the huge sword's tip as she danced on the edge of its forty foot kill zone. It abruptly felt like hitting a totally immovable object.

"Clear," Eidolon called out as he had finally made a power to entrap Behemoth temporarily.

Sheila floated backwards, sending her clairvoyant sense back to the Phir Se's lair. Then, just a moment later, she sent Skitter a thought, 'He's trapped, so have Phir Se hit him hard.'

"Now!" Skitter called out to the 'villain' that was watching the monitor.

Phir Se's portal appeared under Behemoth, unleashing the power of the sun underneath him.

Sheila's lightning bolt paled beside that, but it had been amplified by the time travel trick hundreds of times. The pillar of light forced everyone to look away as Sheila noted Eidolon's 'impervious forcefield' leaked light.

Someone liked to showboat. Was it Eidolon or his power? she wondered.

Everyone's heart just plummeted as they saw Behemoth, burned down to just a strange skeleton that leaked an inky ichor.

"What the hell does it take to kill him?" Grue complained loudly.

Pa-tunk went Flechette's ballista, hitting what she assumed was the core.

Behemoth's roar cut off as his skeleton just started to flake away as everyone stared at the dying Endbringer in total, stunned amazement. He tipped over like some mammoth, horrible tree to shatter into dust that blew away on the wind.

"Huh, just like Regent's video games," Sheila noted inanely.

Flechette just stared in shock, looking between where Behemoth had been and her tinker-ballista. "I killed an Endbringer?" Holy shit!

Sheila's armor sublimated away as she swooped up and snatched Flechette into a tight hug.
"That was awesome!" She was babbling again.

The older teen just let her ballista fall from her nerveless hands. "Wow, I must have absorbed so much radiation I'm seeing sparkles." That killed her mood in a hurry.

"Ha! All better. Might need to throw away that outfit and your weapon if its too hot. I better do that for everyone," the young demigoddess muttered.

"What? You can just cure radiation poisoning? That's... impossible!" Flechette exclaimed softly in shock.

"Demigoddesss. Impossible is just hard," she replied with a grin. She set the older teen down and then reached into a shadow space for a short rod or staff with a double helix made of intertwining owls. With a swish, she zoomed over to the most wounded, purging them of poisons and regenerating the most desperate of wounds, working as fast as possible.

Heroes and villains worked together, regrouping to lay out their wounded.

"Imp! Imp!" Grue shouted, suddenly looking around.

That chilled all of the Undersiders present. Sheila was the first to find her, in a shallow gash in the ground. She picked up the still form and then floated over to Grue.

"Grue- I'm sorry, she's already gone. I didn't even see her there. Her power must have made me overlook her while she was unconscious." She had taken a lethal dose of radiation, but it was the terrible heat that had killed her.

"No. NOOOOOOO!" Grue shouted as he pulled small figure from the floating demigoddess. He pulled off her mask, only to flinch at the ruined, burn flesh under. "No, Aisha. You shouldn't have come. He's dead though. We killed him." He started to pound the ground.

Regent's eyes stared at her through his mask. "Why are you sparkling? Can't you fix her?" he asked in a cracked voice, trembling with emotion.

"Only the gods could fix her. Sparkles?" They were drifting through her armor and up into the air.

"Damn the gods," Grue shouted as he leaned over his sister's dead body with trembling arms.

Regent was narrowing his eyes, as even her armor and gigantic sword started to just melt away into motes of light.

And suddenly, she was just not there as everyone just looked on in surprise. The tink of a ring hitting the ground could be heard over Grue's sobbing.

And then she reappeared, her armor and toga gleaming as if new. Her helmet was doffed, allowing her glowing hair to be free in the hot wind even as she used the wind to flick up the ring into her hand.

Vista blinked, as she had thought that Sheila wasn't going to use that until a later time. "What? What was that?" she whispered softly.

"Lucky for you, I'm here," the young girl said. "I'll be back before I left."

Everyone was staring at her in confusion, as if she had gone totally nuts. She moved over to where she had first picked up Imp's body. She then waved her hand and stepped through the portal.

--{ƬIMΣ-BЯΣΛK​

ƧΉΛƬƬΣЯIПG​

ᄃӨΛᄂΣƧᄃΣ ЯΣΛᄂIƬY}--​

Everything seemed to go silent for just a second. And then the young goddess smiled as she watched the siblings embracing as they twirled around.

"That was too damn close. You nearly died," Grue griped at his sister.

"I'm tougher than that! Just you watch! I'm the bitch that knocked out Kaiser after all!" Imp then punched Grue's shoulder hard.

Miss Militia was just staring at the glowing haired goddess until said goddess actually blinked at her in confusion. Miss Militia shook her head to shake the cobwebs out. She walked over to Sheila. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Making Imp not be dead. In fact, I think you saved four people with her. How?" Miss Militia asked intently.

"Oh, I traveled back in time and changed the past, causing a paradox. You actually remember that? How interesting," the young goddess said with honest curiosity.

"I don't forget anything," Miss Militia said honestly. "I even remember the vision that comes with the trigger event."

"That's handy- What vision?" she asked as she switched gears.

"It's hard to explain. There is a pair of presences. Or beings, impossible to understand, larger than you can imagine. They are sending out pieces of themselves, shards away but not away while still being connected to many, many world. And somehow, this was all connected to how we are given our powers." Miss Militia shrugged her shoulders. "It's very strange and impossible to understand."

"Maybe not. Even just hints might help. I really need to talk to some people about this." Well, if she even stayed in this reality.

"Look! Scion! He arrived just in time to join in the celebration," Powershot called out as she flitted around happily. She streaked off into the sky, breaking the sound barrier in just a thousand feet.

The bearded man of gleaming gold flew overhead in his scuffed white outfit. He seemed to be studying everything, as if he was looking for something. The words of the woman that replaced the one that talked were in his mind. 'Why don't you just kill those Endbringers like the heroes killed Leviathan?' Deep in the depths of his melancholy he wondered how they were figuring out how to kill the 'Endbringers'. They were designed so that only very specific powers could even really affect them. And those had been weakened greatly

The very new goddess flew back towards the north, looking for her friends. She found Skitter just as she was jogging into the command center. The nondescript building was quite utilitarian and imposing in solidity.

"Glowing hair?" Skitter asked in a deadpan tone.

"It's a goddess thing," the younger girl said. She landed on the ground next to her friend, an impish grin on her face.

It took a moment for the comment to really catch on in Skitter's head. "Goddess? Not demigoddess?"

"Apotheosis. Which was lucky, as it allowed me to paradox Imp from dying," the young goddess explained. She turned to one of the guards. "Say, where is the blonde girl in the jester's theme clothing?"

The Indian soldier bobbed his head. "I think she is in the Thinker room for those that are not good at direct combat," he replied in his lilting English. "Down the hall to the left. Follow that fellow from the CUI. You can not miss him."

The goddess blinked at him stupidly for one moment, then disappeared so fast she did not even leave a blur to their senses. It could just a false alarm, but she had a horrible feeling. So she cleared the sixty feet in the blink of an eye to the doorway just in time to see one of the CUI parahuman soldiers of China start to pull his eight inch combat knives. By the time his arms had start to make two sweeping motions that would behead Cassandra and the Russian Yasnyy-Um, she had appeared between the the two, her hands stopping the blades two inches into her hands with a tremendous clang and sparks of superheated metal.

"Assassin!" Tattletale screamed even as the CUI wetworks operative flinched back in surprise.
Without a word, the CUI operative charged out the door, faster than an Olympic sprinter.

Skitter saw him running towards her and started to draw her weapons, only for her power to get a read on his ability to make his knives sharp enough to cut through ballistic full plate armor. Her half-drawn baton was tossed at his gem encrusted mask for a distraction even as she desperately spun so quickly into a sidestep that would do a ballerina proud so that only her left arm was cut into the bone and a slice across cheek. It took out four molar and then continued to the side of her head as it cut the top of her ear off. "Shit!" Then she hit the wall hard from her desperate dodge, nearly knocking her out.

He made it exactly five steps further he was kicked in the back hard enough for him to lose the grips on his daggers. His legs caught the side of desk ten feet in front of him, spinning him face down into computer. His flight lasted two more revolutions even as he dimly realized that both of his legs were broken and he felt his back and ribs must be shattered.

Sheila was already turning towards Skitter as the other girl started to go into shock. Her toe working fingers of her left hand touch her shoulder. Just a moment later and her wounds were all regenerated. "Looks like we need to upgrade the Ward's armor more." She needed to get serious on a method of mass manufacturing carbon nanotubes.

"Phaghk. I have two of my teeth in my mouth after you fixed everything," Skitter said. She was starting to get the shakes now too.

"Let's get you to the infirmary so you can get that mask off and clean up." After that, the young goddess thought to herself, it would be time to go through the injured and radiation poisoned before she left.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Half an hour later, Legend and Alexandria were having an intense discussion with the leader of the CUI just thirty feet away from where Taylor was drinking some water.

"And I tell you, he was a rogue and acting without sanction," the business-suited leader from China said loudly in almost impeccable English.

"He actually isn't lying," the young goddess mused as she walked up. Of course, that could just mean he was not informed. "Skitter, the transport is ready to take us back to Brockton Bay. No teleporting back for us, though Vista is going to speed things up."

The other girl nodded as she put her mask back on. The walk to the large park where all the transports of various tinker designs was short and almost pleasant, even with the walking wounded among them. Vista was chatting animatedly with Imp and Rune as the Brockton heroes and villains all loaded up.

"I can't believe you chopped off my fingers," Clockblocker complained (again and again) to Skitter.

"I was trying to save your life. Did you want to get flash-fried by Behemoth?" she argued right back. "You didn't even say thanks to Othello. Or Tactics."

"Oooh, you got her on the warpath now," Tattletale said with a grin that would do a cheshire cat proud.

"Jeeze, I didn't. Sorry, Othello. That really was not very polite of me there," he said to her down the row.

The woman blinked under that, although you couldn't see it under her cowl. "I wasn't going to get out of range and I figured someone should survive."

Victor turned his head to look at the only other unmasked person here, which was the girl with glowing hair. "Thank you very much for saving all of them. I heard you took the hit directly." He almost felt bad about stealing some of her skills.

"Still not tough enough. That armor can make tank shells mostly bounce when I'm wearing it. And Behemoth still nearly fried me." The young goddess perked up though at the end. "Only one more to go." Well, if she came back to help.

That got a laugh and a small cheer from all of the teens.

"Say, Rune? How would you like to join the Wards?" Purity said to the younger girl.

"What the fuck?" the girl asked in shock.

"I'm trying to show the world that we can be better. And not by being brutal thugs and crooks," the white glowing woman said.

Rune looked away, from what little you could see of her features under her robes and hood. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course. I didn't have to twist Miss Militia's arm very hard to get her to try this. After all, half the Wards these days were on the other side of the law before," Purity said honestly.

Tattletale whistled softly. "That's... a big change."

"Fifty-two percent chance that she joins with the week," Cassandra replied back softly. She grinned happily. Louder to Rune, she said, "We have a real cool base, too. The Endbringer truce holds for a few hours after we arrive, so I can show you around." Seventy percent chance and increasing.

Fog and Night both were looking at Purity while they whispered to each other. Victor and Othella were holding hands, quiet and lost in their own thoughts.

"Aegis? Miss Militia? I figure this would be a good time to let you know that I'm going to try and go back to my Earth. I think I can figure out a way and I will try to come back, but I may not come back for a time while I find out what has been going on since I... left," Shelinaria said to the group.

Cassandra's eyes actually crossed in pain as she tried to figure the chance that she would be back. She slumped against Vista alarmingly as she tried to fumble for her pain medication.

"Cassandra?" Vista called out loudly.

"She severely overextended her power, almost giving herself an aneurysm." Shelinaria quickly moved up and put her hand on the precognitive shoulder, regenerating all of the damage the use of the power inflicted upon her by her power.

"Thank you. I've never not got an answer before. How can it not figure it out?" the younger girl asked.

"It probably doesn't like time travel," Shelinaria said cheekily.

"I'll have to remember that," Cassandra mused as she finally felt her pain withdrawing.

Skitter was sitting stiffly, staring straight ahead as the goddess moved back to sit next to her.

"Did I upset you?" Shelinaria asked.

"No." It was curt and cold.

The lie was quite blatant, even if you did not have powers. "I'll try to come back. But I need to get home."

Skitter just kept staring straight ahead, ignoring her for the entire trip back.

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It was a sickening feeling, when she could no longer feel the young goddess as she flew out of her range to the north. It had also been incredibly tempting to try and force her to stay. To not betray her and leave. Even if it was supposedly 'just for a while'.

"Hey, Skitter! Want to talk to you for a bit!" Imp called out as she grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the group of kids that was all heading into the PRT's base to hang out with the wards for bit.

Skitter let herself be dragged away to the corner of the landing green and she notice, away from any cameras. "What do you want, Imp?"

"I want you to mojo my powers like you did Grue's," the shorter girl asked.

She squashed the urge to not snatch control of the girl in front of her. "What do you mean? And how did you know?"

"Have to concentrate to keep my power from affecting people, so when we all came back from that patrol I had let it slip. I might have been getting a picture to blackmail my brother so he'd buy me some new boots while you were having your heart to heart," the other girl said. You could hear her glee even if her demon mask did not show her true features.

Her stomach dropped into a pit of fear. A fear that turned into anger. "What I should do, Imp, is turn your powers down so far that people are just slightly forgetful when they aren't looking right at you," the taller girl said as she leaned closer. "You'll be the girl that captured Kaiser with an almost useless power."

Imp froze. "You wouldn't."

"Imp, your blackmailing me is exactly what I was afraid would happen. But I won't do that to you. Because I'm trying to be better than that. But what you did was very close to bullying me. And I hate bullies."

They were so close, goggle to holes in the demon mask that they could actually see the other's eyes.

The younger girl broke the confrontation. "Shit. Sorry, Taylor. I didn't-"

"No, you didn't think. You just thought it was fun and you wanted a 'more cool power'. Just leave me alone." With that, Skitter turned and walked off.

When she entered the lobby from the side entrance, she suddenly found herself mobbed.

"Can I have your autograph!" screamed a ten year old boy as he thrust out a photo from the PR department (which even made her look slightly heroic looking).

"How does it feel that you've been at both Endbringer fights where they were killed? Are you looking forward to fighting Simurgh and making the world a safer place?" a reporter called out.
Imp appeared right in front of Skitter. "Hey! Back the fuck off! Quit crowding us!" she shouted aggressively.

Everyone did back up, some in total surprise as she appeared.

Two PRT officers appeared. "Please keep back! These are just kids."

With careful shepherding, they escaped into the elevator that whisked them up to the level of the Wards' quarters.

"What the hell was what?" Skitter said. "They were like animals."

"Congrats, we are superstars! And the papazzi love us!" Imp said with most of her cheer back.
"Paparazzi..."

"Oh, right. I meant that." Imp shrugged off her mistake. "Don't you get on my ass about schooling. I'm not dumb."

"You just act it sometimes to disarm people," Skitter said in a deadpan tone.

"Right. No, I don't. I mean, no way! Quit laughing at me," the other girl said loudly.

"Fine."

They exited the elevator and then the security checkpoint. Vista was pushing a fully loaded cart from the kitchen area, filled with drinks and snacks (a Ward's staple of diet).

Skitter took a moment to call her father to let him know she was perfectly fine (which the other Wards had already done). She used a curtain of bugs to hide her identity as she switch to a generic mask that she could pull up enough to eat and drink with.

Rune took that as an excuse to show off and started using empty paper cups to dance in a row along a countertop. That got people to clap and laugh even as someone found some music to put on.

It was about that time that Skitter suddenly realized she did not recognize anyone. She was in a room with total strangers, even though she remembered clearly that she had been having a party celebrating the defeat of a monster.

She couldn't remember its name. Or put what it had looked like in her mind-

"There is a 100 % chance that we've been affected by an attack," a strange young girl in a very plain gray outfit and robe.

"Everyone here is surprised. None of us have the powers to make everyone forget like this," a girl in a cute jester's outfit. "I don't have enough information to tell who or what is causing it though. Could be mind control, could be-"

"None of you can remember each other?" the woman fatigues with a scarf of all things as a mask asked.

"No, that's not the problem," the jester-girl said. "We can't recognize each other."

"It's not one of us. We are all scared or worried," said a young man in armor wearing a basic mask instead of his helmet.

"I want all of you to stay here." Soldier-woman tapped a hidden ear bud. "Miss Militia to dispatch. Initiate Stranger/Master protocols. Contact Dragon."

"You're saying names. I don't recognize the names, they don't connect, but you know them. How?" Skitter asked bluntly.

"Recognizing someone is related to memory. And my power allows me to always remember. So if I try to think on a certain matter, I remember," she responded. "What do you mean Dragon who?" She was now talking into her earbud again, hand up to hold it steady.

Everyone tensely watched the one of the few adults there, the mood to party totally lost.
"Connect me to Director Piggot then. Just look it up in the computer." She looked around at everyone. "This is not good. It's affecting people ten stories below us. That's quite the range for a stranger power."

"It's not a Stranger power. I saw it affecting people in almost a wave," the jester-girl said as she studied everyone with her keen eyes.

"There is a 0 % chance that we can find the person and force them to fix this," the precog-girl in robes said in a small voice.

That made everyone look at her in horror.
"What is the chance that there is someone, in the city, that can fix this?" Miss Militia snapped out.

"15 % plus or minus 4.3 %." Her head was pounding from her use of her power from earlier. She fumbled for her pain pills, as she really felt this was an emergency.

That sent a chill up their backs.

"We're screwed," the young man in the white armor with clocks all over his body said.

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The stars were pretty, she thought to herself even as she adjusted the thrust and flaps on her wings. Her body was streamlined, most torpedo-shaped. "Collin, are you sure you are all right?" she asked the man on the other end of her video call.

"I really almost didn't notice except I didn't recognize you when you called just a moment ago. I guess that's something to do with my solitary confinement," the bearded man admitted. "How widespread is it now?"

"It's spreading to the south east at ten miles per hour in a larger wave, with smaller outbreaks. It appears this is an infection vector of some sort. I've contacted the CDC and all local PRT branches to help with a quarantine. Narwhale is going to head over as part of the Nilbog containment scenario. I've got remotes heading in your building starting to take samples. Looks like it started from the small stretch of grass across the street from the PRT Headquarters. I'm retrieving a device that looks like it may have kept the disease in stasis for several weeks and then injected into the air during the early evening."

"So, that's good? It means we can start working on a cure. And then we can get back to finishing up the plan to catch... I can't understand who. I was helping someone with planning a capture of armor wearing soldiers." Collin was starting to sound panicked.

"Don't worry, I'll be here with you," Dragon said even as she continued to fly her fast response suit to Brockton Bay.

"I appreciate that," he replied.

Dragon mentally frowned as Amy Dallon's PRT issued cell phone signaled that it was not in service. "Collin, I'll keep working and sending you information, but I need to track down someone that should be able to help." At least quickly enough to make a difference. She was also sending digitized sensor information to three medical Tinkers.

The locator for Tactics was not present anywhere in the world. And that should not have been possible. She would have find her manually. She dialed the Dallon home residence.

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Amy Dallon was currently backing away from a very irate-looking skinhead. She just could not deal with her sister gushing about her upcoming date with that Dean so had left for a long walk. Not while she was so tired from all the healing in India. "Stay back!" This did not look good, as there was a fence at the end of the alley between two rickety and boarded up buildings.

"Girl, I don't know you. Of course, I don't know anyone right now. But I bet you won't be able to know me after this crazy shit goes down." His leer was positively cliche villain as he reached out for her arm.

"What are you talking about?" the bio-master asked fearfully. He was going to force her to fight back. Didn't he know who she was?

"Weird shit. No one can recognize anyone else. It's like this madness that's infecting everyone." As she did not seem to be reacting in fear, he abruptly stepped forward and buried his fist into her stomach. She was suddenly breathless from the pain.

Amy tried to think through her suffering even as he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her behind a large garbage dumpster.

Tear were in her eyes as she yelled out for help. The thug clapped his hand over her mouth even as his other hand was pulling at her blouse.

She did not want to be a villain. So very much not.

But she wanted to be raped or killed a lot less. Something almost hungry in the back of her mind seemed to agree as she used the skin contact to rip all the tendons on his wrists, elbows and knees.

Now it was his turn to scream in agony as he collapsed on top of her.

Amy pushed him off of her and scrambled backwards, reaching into her pocket for her phone, only to find it was not there. Oh, right. After the Endbringer attack she had put it on the charger at home.

"What did you do you little fucking bitch!" the skinhead shouted at her even as he lay on the ground flailing on maimed limbs.

"I severed tendons in your arms, hands and legs so you can't hurt anyone. I'll even be nice and after the police arrest you, I'll fix you right up. Hey, baldy!" she called out. "You have a cell phone?"

"Fucky, she's a... she's got powers. Everything is just screwed up. I'm in a gang, not some reforming work job," he spat out, spittle landing on her shoe. "Yes, I have a phone. I hope you fucking choke on it.

Amy had a smile on her face. Beating up that guy had been rather cathartic, she noted to herself. And it's not like he's in any real danger. She dialed 911 on his phone, watching the alley way entrance. The busy signal she received was a total surprise.

What was going on?

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Ok. Hm.

A bit to stompy, I think, but enjoyable. Good stuff.

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Other than Flechette actually getting in the killing blow and less people dying (or will die of radiation poisoning), canon actually did more damage before Scion showed up. They were doing 'over all better' but the PRT hasn't had its dirty laundry aired, so more people showed and worked together better. (So less of a pyrrhic victory, anyways).

So I can't see how a larger, better prepared, undivided group could do worse with a high end demigoddess added on top.

So 'more stompy' should have happened, right?

 

[Arthur Hansen]

It is always very satisfying to have the protagonists curbstomp the enemy. All the heavy drama, the character flaws and miscommunication make for a dramatic and enjoyable story. Stompyness? It makes for an epic and enjoyable story.

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Heh. True, I suppose. There are some problems that aren't quite as easy to solve.

I actually had to write a few uncomfortable scene. Sheila and Amy definitely were in bad place and Alec was scared shitless for a bit.

Well, and he has creepy stalker/possessive thing going on too.

 

[Aleh]

Scion is a reference to an RPG called "Scion". The titular character (Shelia) is a scion of Athena, from said RPG.

And yes, characters from said RPG are generally pretty damn Mary Sue in other contexts. Hell, they're pretty damn Mary Sue in their own setting.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

The last post, dealing with Behemoth seemed to really drop in quality compared to the previous chapters. Character emotions were overblown and they pulled 180s without any justification. I lol'd at the part with Grue crying out over his sister because of how hammy it all was. Then Taylor's flip-out about Imp's blackmail, while legitimate on the face of it, was such a rapid on/off affair that it gave me whiplash. It seems to me that you're trying to cram twenty scenes into a five scene post and the writing pays for it. It was still entertaining, but you might want to do some revision.

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As someone who's gone through grief but not in a combat situation, I could actually see Grue doing all of that. 'Wailing and gnashing of teeth' is actually how a lot of older (classic historical/mythological) grief scenes are played out. And Grue has a target that failed his sister. If he hadn't had the option to lash out at Sheila, I actually suspect he could have triggered.

Why exactly is Skitters 'flip-out' out of character? She's a ward (a hero) and not supposed to just go Carrie all over her friends (though Imp is more of the annoying young sister to her real friend). I mean, her therapy must be working pretty well as she didn't actually just dial down her power first, instead of threatening her.

Taylor is still a very intense young woman that first thinks the solution to a target/threat is to attack it..

Oh, I'm firmly convinced that keeping a story line consistent and interesting does not involve many 'easy' parts, if any. And the cast of the wormverse comes with a laundry list of issues, that have to be addressed in a believable way. I am quietly in awe of how far you've come with the story and how much the characters resemble their canon selves, yet are different due to ripples introduced by having a demigod in their lives.

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Thanks! I worked hard at trying to keep people as in character, even in situations they did not have happen to them in canon.

A good chapter.

Her suddenly going god the moment she came up against a problem she couldn't solve is a bit annoying.

A memory plague seems an odd choice. Interesting and amusing, which explains why Jack chose it, but odd nonetheless. Just the first stage or was Bonesaw having an off day when she made it?

So… Levi was mobbed by heavy hitters. Be got more or less the same as canon, however he was shot rather than vaporised and again had more difficulty with brute force battering.
Could make for some interesting new faces when the reinforcements turn up.

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I figured that helping kill Behemoth was literally a lynchpin moment in her 'legend'. She's actually been Legend 8 for thirteen chapters (which really shows how top-tier a lot of Worm powers really are).

And I think you meant Behemoth, not Leviathan? Behemoth's fight worked out better because the 'bad thing' of Cauldron showing they were in charge of the PRT and Protectorate didn't happen. So quite a few more capes showed up.

Hm. Only read the first 10-15k words before I gave up.

Is this a crossover and the Scion in the title not from worm?
Because at the point I left, it looked very much like your Mary Sue OC showing EVERYBODY in the wormverse how awesome and great she is at everything she does despite being younger then them all.
And at the same time, she still tags along Taylor for some mysterious reason (why? They just met and its like "Hey, you are a villain? Don't care, let me just beat up heros with you and then join you on a back robbery and whatever, because I have no moral guidlines and just operate on my "Hero Sidekick" subroutines) and goes through stages of canon just to show show she makes averything better in them.

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As others noted, it's a crossover with Scion: Hero, a white-wolf RPG. You didn't get quite far enough in to see real trials and tribulations (hey! Got to use that phrase in a conversation!). Sheila never, ever actually thought of Taylor as a villain, as she knows that she jumped into a big fight to 'save kids'. She actually just hung around to keep Taylor from getting in too much trouble.

She also doesn't really have a problem robbing large banks or beating up people non-lethally (it was pretty literally a game to her. She didn't have to kill monsters!) All that is because she doesn't consider this a 'real reality' to herself, so she was operating under 'what is it like being a villain without actually murdering/maiming someone.)

I laughed.

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That was the aim there. Everyone does everything perfectly, still can't kill him and Scion's about to show and Flechette kill-steals an Endbringer.

Dragon is _so_ going to be making her sensors/hud to shoot the cores of Endbringers.

I do agree with the sudden apotheosis. A literal Deus ex Machina, if you will. Although it helps to explain how Sheila's been curbstomping everything if she was that high legend already.
The memory plague appears to be the same one as in canon, a prion that mutates neural connections containing memories and facial recognition.

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Well, curbstomping low level stuff. She's been stomped a bit herself, after all.

And yeah, I figured there was no reason not to use the recognition plague as one of the 'FU beyond the grave' plagues from Bonesaw.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

A few notes:

I really enjoyed the hunting down Coil scene. It was a well done and interesting premise and scene. Partly because it was one of the few cases where Sheila was imperfect and others could legitimately disagree with her. The biggest problem with this story is that sheila is rather mary sue. That issue is aggravated by not knowing what if any limitations she has. She keeps pulling more things out of her hat (eg. the invisibility sword, the collossus armor). Maybe someone who knew the roleplaying game better would understand those, but from the outside it looks arbitrary. Some true vulnerability, a legitimate character flaw, someone sympathetic who dislikes her for good reason. All would go a long way towards fixing this. Her letting slaughterhouse 9 skin her alive because they have skitter is a stereotypical example of a false weakness. Heartbreaker was a legitimate weakness, but that was resolved too quickly. It would also be preferable to have a weakness that she can fight against, unlike heartbreaker's no will save, no cleverness: you are just screwed.

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The colossus is a 'power' that she can use, which was overkill 90% of the time. Basically, Scions (not Zion) are built on thematic purviews. Sheila's are Health, War, Sky, Time and Arete. (The Time powers she actually stole from a Titan). She also has a few relics with powers (the invisibility sword, her pistol and the ring of psychopomp) that she's acquired through adventuring. Epic Attributes (ie. super stats) also automatically come with simple super-powers.

From a pure number of powers, she fits in an odd place in Worm in that she comes across as a Trump like Eidolon. She's more a true trump because she can learn new powers as she goes along. (Or not. She can't do it at will, as she wasn't able to do the super-easy tracking someone down perception knack. She did focus on her powers that she learned specifically for Behemoth (the sound power)). As an aside, I've specifically stayed away from 'copying' someone's direct power as best as possible. Even if time-stopping someone/something is useful.

As for 'weaknesses', she (like most demigods) doesn't really have one. Really, only Baldur and Achilles had 'real' weaknesses, while most demigods just have things that they aren't good at.

Sheila's 'not really good at' thing is actually social stuff. She's focused a bit too much on appearance (for shapeshifting abilities) and her lone ability for manipulating someone... is to detect lies. She's only slightly better at the charisma thing.

The let S9 skin her alive was actually a Virtue Break thing. Running out of willpower around the S9 was not good timing.

Luckily, Wormverse has a whole bunch of abilities that basically go 'nope' to her powers at time, like Heartbreaker's ability to control emotions. I inferred that the only people that can really resist it is other masters/his children. So Sheila's blockade of reason intellect power... did absolutely nothing to help her directly.

Lot's of things that can just trump her.

Regarding the story: I was confused with how sheila's apotheosis applied to using phir se's portal to save imp. It seems like she (or anyone) could have done that as a demigoddess as well as a goddess. Through no fault of your own Phir Se's apparent power is ridiculous. There's a reason wildbow killed him off immediately: as soon as skitter munchkined him the story would be over.

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Sheila didn't use Phir Se's power to travel back in time (though she could have. That's a really good use of it, actually) but of her increasing ability to manipulate her purview of time.

Huh. Faultline + Phir Se would be... pretty funky. Or would they need a Faultline-type that can slightly adjust time rates like she does space? Direct portals back in time that are permanent. Maybe a plot bunny there.

On the positive side: it was interesting enough to read all of it. It gets better as time goes on and more plot elements and threats become apparent. The whole this formula has elements that you can't see is interesting. I don't see why someone without a corona pollentia(?) hasn't looked at the formula before, is cauldron that exclusive? The overthrow zeus thing is ominous, but a little too removed from worm to be gripping in this story. More immediately the mass agnosia has potential for much drama and laughter, but it looks like they are going to respond rationally to it.

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I don't think we've ever had mention of anyone in importance not being having triggered or having a Corona Potentia. It would take a high end genius to notice some of the formula 'blocks' after all. Even Manton became a cape (and might have had a Corona Potentia for a long time before).

So while some low level scientists might have been in position to notice, they didn't have the ability. And the ones that had the ability, but were likely Thinkers/Tinkers, so would have been blind to it. So it was mostly a catch-22 thing. Sheila happens to be a genius intellect not blinded by Shard limits, so slipped through a loophole in the blind spot.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

You haven't given any indication that crunch matter to the story at any time previous. She got her paradigm upgrade because she finally found an obstacle she couldn't overcome.

Be's death being a critical legend boost… not seeing it. Credit would go to Mr portal-nuke and Miss kill-steal. She was not more responsible than Alexandria, the Tinker that located the doomsday weapon or any other Cape on the scene.
Had it been foreshadowed that she was close to her level up I would applaud you. But as is it looks like nothing but a Deus Ex.

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Not really sure how the best way to foreshadow being on the cusp of divinity without it seeming too meta-knowledge.

One thing that is a bit of note is she was 'in the thick of it' and people/capes in the know 'know' that she was fairly critical in defeating Behemoth. Dragon certainly knows that she was the one spotting the totally opaque center core of the Endbringer and directed Flechette to try to hit the core. So while she did not get the killing blow in, her intelligence was actually key. Legend is actually not about observers knowing what she did anyways, but overcoming challenges.

What?
Levi was killed by simple brute force from a large number of heavy hitters. In canon he lived and thus didn't spawn (signal?) replacements.
Be was killed by a timey wimey portal-nuke exposing his core (much as canon) and then getting sniped. The extra people and synergising made very little difference to how he died.

It therefore seems likely that the replacement Endbringers will be different ones.

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That part I was reading was a bit confusing (to me) in what was being asked.

I don't expect the floating evil buddha to change much, as he's very different from straight forward beating on normally. It's powers would seem to be built to counter the strategies used previously. The combo Endbringer, OTOH, is probably not going to stay the same. As the main 'tower part' is really just a big target and is 'not' too big to attack, even with triple-face being there.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Yeah, it's a totally reasonable response. It's just that we see him screaming bloody vengeance and then suddenly scene shift. We're being bombarded with so many high-emotion moments that none of them are being fleshed out so that it can really sink in. It might make perfect sense to you because you've got the whole scene in your head, but what I'm getting is one sentence of "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and then suddenly everything is better again. Wait what just happened here?

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Ah, it was a bit of a swap. But that's because she literally broke the last four minutes of time. The Doctor would hate her for what she did there. Time was the same until she stepped through her portal back a few minutes and saved Imp after she ascended. I wonder if I should have a break of some sort to indicate that she basically broke time?

I didn't say it was out of character, I said that it was a rapid on/off event. She exploded in Imp's face then immediately calmed down. Again, it feels like there's too many high-intensity scenes without enough time to appreciate them. I think that an additional paragraph or two, just detailing more character reactions and emotions, would go a long way towards making those segments more believable .

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Taylor was all for just ignoring Imp for the next few days/weeks and then got ambushed by celebritydom. Imp almost sorta made up for being a dumb ass, which kind of derailed Taylor's pique. Outside influences.

She still not happy with Aisha, but would be willing to talk to her rather than try to punch her.

 

[Arthur Hansen]

I think that would really help clear things up. Make it obvious that Sheila is doing something, or maybe have people wonder at some odd feeling in their heads, or their watches break, or so on. Indicate that there's more than poor timing going on.

Click to shrink...

The small conversation with Miss Militia must have been not been clear enough...

 

[Arthur Hansen]

Interlude XIII

Just an hour before, the new goddess landed in the alley behind a battered and abandoned warehouse by the docks. This was the place where she had appeared and heard Lung getting ready to attack 'children'. Shelinaria had to grin, both she and Skitter had mistakenly thought he was meaning a murderous spree on innocents. Not the attack on teen villains that he was really planning.

Of course, that had allowed them both to save what would become their friends.

She pulled out her sword Hadecleus, tracing an armored finger down the edge of the black blade. Should she try to undo his death? Even though she had only met him once, he had a strong impact on her life. He had been willing to sacrifice his life for his father Hades, even though it was obvious later that Hades had no love for his son. She wrestled with the sword for a moment, then turned invisible.

She created a new portal and then stepped back into the past. It was dark and cool, showing the stealthy form of a girl in bug themed armor was scaling a fire escape. Well, to those that had incredibly keen eyesight.

Sheila nearly had to chuckle at how tentative she was. Her poor abused friend had come a long way out of her shell from that time. A small, almost 'normal' surge of her legend protected Skitter

She turned a looked over in anticipation for her own arrival. With her own powers, she should be able to leap through the portal back-

A crack of red light appeared in the air, like a slice of a person cut in a jagged line. The invisible goddess frowned as she did not feel a portal, either through space or time. No hidden way into a Terra Incognita, nor a feeling of using touchstone. Nothing.

Except for herself appearing out of thin air from a scar in... reality? Fate? The invisible goddess frowned as she put her hand to where the 'scar' bisected herself, now totally ignoring her past self that was now following her ear into trouble. She pushed her power into the wound (?) and tried to sense-

She saw herself leaping into the air, the cold air in the Antarctic prison of Atlantis not affecting the young demigoddess. A mirror was hanging below the chained titan, the traitor goddess of Atlantis that was the mystical lynchpin of their 'eternal' imprisonment.

The other Sheila shouted something to her band as she tried to hold the crimson mirror of Alnottis under its immense stress as the Atlantean gods strove to break free of the prehistoric imprisonment.

The mirror exploded in her face, shards of mystical energy slicing through her soul. Each one sending a part of her being too many elsewheres.

Her band of demigods helping her crumpled form covered in glowing red line in a cold field. A young Sheila in robes with a couple of kids her age, scribbling homework on a scroll, another Sheila wearing a white and blue bodysuit, a belt with a red and black 'X' on it in the middle of a menagerie of other young people in costumes, another older version of herself talking across a round table in a space station to adult superheroes. And then another Sheila fighting in a barbaric past at the side of warrior berserker warrior in a frozen winter realm. Herself as a captain of a space ship calling out orders as she looked on her crew, a strange cat-like alien sitting on her shoulder. A teen walking out of a vertical portal of water in a metal ring in the company of US soldiers. Two Sheilas talking to a woman on the bridge in another spaceship. Fighting at the side of two young ninja in a forest elemental spells splashed around their flickering forms. Another future, where Sheila and several soldiers were shooting strange robots under alien skies. An older Sheila kissing a strawberry blonde girl in a school uniform. Fighting a female vampire. Piloting a giant robot. Stabbing-

With a gasp, the invisible goddess broke free from the distressing visions, staggering drunkenly down the alley away from the sounds of fire and battle.

What the hell was that? It was like she was smashed across realities. Which, the young goddess realized, might have been far too accurate.

One glowing line or reality scar... versus dozens. She was but a shard of the 'real' Sheila. She was not really a native of this reality, but she had only existed here.

With a swoosh of the wind she streaked into the sky, tears ripped from her by her need to escape.