A repository to put in the plot points that I think of, and which one day I might consider writing into a full story.
Solomon's One-Shot Repository
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Taking out the Trash
New
As she stood at the end of the roof of the city, overlooking the horizons, Amy Dallon casually pulled out a cigarette and brought it to her lips. Her guilty pleasure in this crapsack workplace, one could say.
A hand slowly held out a lighter, and she dipped her head a bit to light the cigarette even as she took a drag. She turned around and came face to face with the person who held the lighter. Wearing the uniform of a custodial staff, the young teenager in front of her gave a quick nod and pulled out a cigarette himself and lit it, even as she stood aside to give him some space.
"Rough night?" Connor Kent, the one of the newest members of the janitorial staff of the Brockton Bay General Hospital asked, even as she shrugged.
"The bitch came again, and tried to guilt trip me into commiting suicide via workload, again," Amy snickered, even as Connor just raised an eyebrow. The bitch in question of course, being one Carol Dallon aka Brandish, aka her adoptive mother.
"The bitch probably doesn't even realize that the reason why I do these nonsensical working hours is to get away from her in the first place," she giggled, which was rather out of place for her, while her secret boyfriend snorted.
"She is really not as smart as she thinks she is," Connor shrugged matter-of-factly while Amy snickered.
"Please," she drew a haughty breath and looked at him in a faux imperial manner, "I am the greatest biokinetic in the world! If she thinks I cannot recognize the most basic form of emotional manipulation, then she is dumber than she looks. Then again, the fact that she has not caught on to the fact that I have cured Mark of his depression is proof enough of her hubris," she snorted, while Connor nodded in agreement.
"He is waiting then?" Connor asked, to which Amy nodded with a smidgen of pity lacing her eyes, before they hardened.
"To catch her and uncle Neil in the act, and then sue her to oblivion for infidelity and file for divorce? Hell yes, he is waiting!! He has been waiting for seventeen years, and now that I have cured him of his depression, he is going to take his pound of flesh. He wants the divorce and he will file for custody for both me and Vicky. She is going to be disbarred, branded as an adulteress, and then sent to jail!! I want to see the face of that sanctimonious bitch when she realizes that it was me who took her down. I still remember the day, when she and the rest of them broke their way into our home while violating the unwritten rules and held me hostage and forced my father to surrender!! My father drove out the fucking Slaughterhouse Nine and the Teeth from the city almost on his own, and they claimed the credit to bringing him down!! New Wave was built on a lie!! They think I don't remember, but when you are me, you can remember the very 1st day of your life. I still remember how the bitch gloated to my father about how she would raise me to hate him, and make me forget he even existed and how she would make me work for the rest of my life to atone for his sins!! What of her sins? The bitch!! Stacked up, her crimes are fucking taller than the Eiffel Tower!!" Amy almost screamed in primal rage, while Connor held her tightly till she calmed down.
"You will have your day, I promise," he spoke softly, while Amy became silent and hugged her boyfriend tightly, only to stiffen as she found his attention diverted.
"What happened?" she asked even as she noticed Connor looking at the distance with a frown engulfing his face.
"You have a crow's mouth Amy," he spoke with a thin smile, while Amy glared at him with a pout which he found cute.
"You mentioned the Nine and they are here..." he smirked, while Amy looked at him in confusion, before her eyes widened.
"Jack and Bonesaw are making their way into the hospital. Crawler and Siberian are taking position at the Protectorate HQ, and Shatterbird is at the Empire, sorry, Medhall Headquarters, and ... well, that's smart, they sent Hatchet Face to the docks to contain Lung and Lee...The man is an asshole, but no one ever said he was stupid," Connor pointed out towards Jack Slash who was slowly making his way into the lobby of the hospital.
"Connor," Amy looked at him in apprehension, even as her boyfriend looked at her, that is, really looked at her. Despite his appearance, she knew what she was asking. Connor treasured his secret zealously. She knew how strong he was. What he could do. The fact that he could run rings around the Triumvirate and that maybe only Scion or the Endbringers could even remotely scratch him. But she would not do it. It would be too much to ask, not after all he had done for her.
"What will you do?" she asked with a hesitant tone, even as she bit her lower lip and fidgeted on the spot.
"Nothing, I am just a janitor," Connor Kent, the strongest being on Earth Bet replied quietly and hugged her even as they walked down.
TWO HOURS LATER
Alexandria, Legend, Eidolon, the Triumvirate, the three strongest capes of Earth Bet stood quietly as they watched the boy standing in front of them at the door of the hospital with a troubled gaze. All around them, were dozens of heroes hastily pulled from many PRT bases around the country who were looking at the boy with undisguised awe, even as many reporters went on a frenzy of photo taking they had rarely seen.
Then again, in front of them, screaming hoarsely, with his throat bleeding raw, Jack Slash laid on the ground with the handle of a broken broomstick shoved up his rectum, and his bowels completely bloodsoaked.
"Why are you all so shocked? I am a Janitor, it is my job to take out the trash," the boy clad in the uniform of a Janitor replied flippantly, while everyone looked at him dumbstruck with incredulous gazes.
Note: This is a oneshot of a plot point I thought up. Just so, for those who don't get it, Connor is an SI, who is a copy of Superboy-Prime with all his abilities and a bit of his mindset. An anti-hero of sorts, with Panacea, who is more like an expy of Amanda Waller in this world. Maybe I will make a story of this future, or not, but just thought of putting this out.
A hand slowly held out a lighter, and she dipped her head a bit to light the cigarette even as she took a drag. She turned around and came face to face with the person who held the lighter. Wearing the uniform of a custodial staff, the young teenager in front of her gave a quick nod and pulled out a cigarette himself and lit it, even as she stood aside to give him some space.
"Rough night?" Connor Kent, the one of the newest members of the janitorial staff of the Brockton Bay General Hospital asked, even as she shrugged.
"The bitch came again, and tried to guilt trip me into commiting suicide via workload, again," Amy snickered, even as Connor just raised an eyebrow. The bitch in question of course, being one Carol Dallon aka Brandish, aka her adoptive mother.
"The bitch probably doesn't even realize that the reason why I do these nonsensical working hours is to get away from her in the first place," she giggled, which was rather out of place for her, while her secret boyfriend snorted.
"She is really not as smart as she thinks she is," Connor shrugged matter-of-factly while Amy snickered.
"Please," she drew a haughty breath and looked at him in a faux imperial manner, "I am the greatest biokinetic in the world! If she thinks I cannot recognize the most basic form of emotional manipulation, then she is dumber than she looks. Then again, the fact that she has not caught on to the fact that I have cured Mark of his depression is proof enough of her hubris," she snorted, while Connor nodded in agreement.
"He is waiting then?" Connor asked, to which Amy nodded with a smidgen of pity lacing her eyes, before they hardened.
"To catch her and uncle Neil in the act, and then sue her to oblivion for infidelity and file for divorce? Hell yes, he is waiting!! He has been waiting for seventeen years, and now that I have cured him of his depression, he is going to take his pound of flesh. He wants the divorce and he will file for custody for both me and Vicky. She is going to be disbarred, branded as an adulteress, and then sent to jail!! I want to see the face of that sanctimonious bitch when she realizes that it was me who took her down. I still remember the day, when she and the rest of them broke their way into our home while violating the unwritten rules and held me hostage and forced my father to surrender!! My father drove out the fucking Slaughterhouse Nine and the Teeth from the city almost on his own, and they claimed the credit to bringing him down!! New Wave was built on a lie!! They think I don't remember, but when you are me, you can remember the very 1st day of your life. I still remember how the bitch gloated to my father about how she would raise me to hate him, and make me forget he even existed and how she would make me work for the rest of my life to atone for his sins!! What of her sins? The bitch!! Stacked up, her crimes are fucking taller than the Eiffel Tower!!" Amy almost screamed in primal rage, while Connor held her tightly till she calmed down.
"You will have your day, I promise," he spoke softly, while Amy became silent and hugged her boyfriend tightly, only to stiffen as she found his attention diverted.
"What happened?" she asked even as she noticed Connor looking at the distance with a frown engulfing his face.
"You have a crow's mouth Amy," he spoke with a thin smile, while Amy glared at him with a pout which he found cute.
"You mentioned the Nine and they are here..." he smirked, while Amy looked at him in confusion, before her eyes widened.
"Jack and Bonesaw are making their way into the hospital. Crawler and Siberian are taking position at the Protectorate HQ, and Shatterbird is at the Empire, sorry, Medhall Headquarters, and ... well, that's smart, they sent Hatchet Face to the docks to contain Lung and Lee...The man is an asshole, but no one ever said he was stupid," Connor pointed out towards Jack Slash who was slowly making his way into the lobby of the hospital.
"Connor," Amy looked at him in apprehension, even as her boyfriend looked at her, that is, really looked at her. Despite his appearance, she knew what she was asking. Connor treasured his secret zealously. She knew how strong he was. What he could do. The fact that he could run rings around the Triumvirate and that maybe only Scion or the Endbringers could even remotely scratch him. But she would not do it. It would be too much to ask, not after all he had done for her.
"What will you do?" she asked with a hesitant tone, even as she bit her lower lip and fidgeted on the spot.
"Nothing, I am just a janitor," Connor Kent, the strongest being on Earth Bet replied quietly and hugged her even as they walked down.
TWO HOURS LATER
Alexandria, Legend, Eidolon, the Triumvirate, the three strongest capes of Earth Bet stood quietly as they watched the boy standing in front of them at the door of the hospital with a troubled gaze. All around them, were dozens of heroes hastily pulled from many PRT bases around the country who were looking at the boy with undisguised awe, even as many reporters went on a frenzy of photo taking they had rarely seen.
Then again, in front of them, screaming hoarsely, with his throat bleeding raw, Jack Slash laid on the ground with the handle of a broken broomstick shoved up his rectum, and his bowels completely bloodsoaked.
"Why are you all so shocked? I am a Janitor, it is my job to take out the trash," the boy clad in the uniform of a Janitor replied flippantly, while everyone looked at him dumbstruck with incredulous gazes.
Note: This is a oneshot of a plot point I thought up. Just so, for those who don't get it, Connor is an SI, who is a copy of Superboy-Prime with all his abilities and a bit of his mindset. An anti-hero of sorts, with Panacea, who is more like an expy of Amanda Waller in this world. Maybe I will make a story of this future, or not, but just thought of putting this out.
Silvanus Wood Works
New
As I looked at the distraught girl holding the broken flute in her hand, covered with grime and dirt, I felt a smidgen of pity at the sight. I knew of course, who she was and what she would grow up to be.
It had been three years since I was dumped into this shithole of a world, and I had stubbornly resisted socializing with anyone because I feared getting drawn into this world and making connections with whom my mind still stubbornly identified as characters of fiction and not real living, breathing human beings. But as I looked at the eyes of this depressed and shattered girl, whose eyes looked at me with a last flicker of hope in her eyes, I hesitated. Then, after recalling the final fate of this girl, I shrugged. Fuck it, in for a penny, in for a pound. I was not going to let this poor girl suffer further, not if I could help it.
"Sure Kid, I can fix this, I will make this look brand new, come on, hand it over," I spoke and it almost made the girl burst into sobs of relief.
"H..how much?" she asked in a tremulous tone, to which I waved my hand off...
"No charge ... you said this was your late mother's right? I am not about to charge a little girl money to repair a memento of her dead mother, you know ... don't worry kid, I will take care of this," I spoke out, to which she finally burst into tears, and it hit me in the gut. This was a real being, not a work of fiction in front of me. Sure, I may have read stories about her in another life, but here in front of me, was a vulnerable child who had been pushed to the brink of depression and borderline suicide.
At that moment, I made my mind. Fuck this, I was not going to let this poor kid go through that shit in the locker which I knew was soon coming. This was a rash act, I knew, but if those dumbasses and wannabe Vought mopes in the PRT were to link it to me, I wouldn't give a shit.
I walked up to the shelf behind me and pulled out a pendant with a wolf and gave it to her.
"Wha ..." she looked at me in surprise, to which I smiled, "Keep it, this is a pendant of Fenrir, the immortal wolf of Norse mythology. Consider it a good luck charm to keep you safe, and no ... it's on the house," I raised my hand to forestall her as she tried to pay me.
"Why ... are you being so nice?" she asked hesitantly, to which I smiled.
"There are shitty people in this world, but there are decent one's out there as well, you just have to know who's who ... kid ... let me give you some advice, don't be stubborn, if something is going wrong for you, abandon it and try something else and maybe you will see a change in yourself... hmm... come back in three day's and the flute will be ready," I spoke out, while she gingerly nodded and stepped out the door.
As she walked out the door, a perplexed Taylor Hebert looked at the woodworks store named 'Silvanus Wood Works' with a forlorn look and walked back to her home with a spring in her step, for a change.
As she considered the shitshow that had happened over the last few hours, Emily Piggot massaged her temple with a vigor, and cursed all gods in existence for creating Parahumans.
"What's the update?" she asked Battery, who was currently the only active cape in the PRT and had by virtue of being the sole survivor of the earlier carnage, assumed command.
"Now, after interrogating the students at Winslow, we believe we have a decent idea of what has caused this," Battery replied with a grimace in her tone, while Piggot nodded in agreement.
"Which has led to at least three murder attempts on Shadow Stalker's life as a result? Despite the fact that she is currently comatose and is in the ICU?" Piggot asked, to which Battery gave a small snarl, indicative of how enormous the fuckup of their ward was.
"So, it was that idiot ward after all," came the voice of their very much unwanted, but unavoidable superior, who was in the room much to their consternation.
"Yes, Mr. Vice President," Battery mumbled, while the Vice President of the United States waved his hand and indicated her to continue.
"Summarize the events for us, please, Battery, for the record," Piggot spoke out, to which Battery grimaced. There was no way to sugar coat this or cook the facts, considering that the VP was here and half the cabinet was hearing this discussion live via teleconference. Outside the office, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and every single law enforcement agency in the country was out running damage control and their agents were tearing apart the city's and their department's records to pieces to find out what had happened.
"It appears that Shadow Stalker in her civilian persona has conducted an extreme bullying campaign against POI 1, aka Taylor Hebert. The ultimate goal, as far as the psych evaluation goes was to break the girl mentally and physically, to the point of forcing her to contemplate suicide. We have recovered Taylor Hebert's personal journal from her home. It contains a lurid narrative of a prolonged and systematic bullying campaign, and Dr. Yamada is of the opinion that it's a miracle Ms. Hebert has not attempted suicide yet."
"Continue," the voice of the VP was like granite and Battery continued, even as Piggot's eyes hardened.
"Ms. Hebert attempted to bring this to the notice of the school. But the authorities of the school deliberately ignored her complaints, because they were more interested in gaining the stipend from the govt, that they received due to having a ward attend their school. For them, the stipend was more important than the concerns brought forward by Ms. Hebert, which they considered as juvenile attempts at garnering attention," Battery finished, while Piggot stiffened even as the VP turned towards her.
"What of the PRT agent assigned to monitor Shadow Stalker? Why didn't they flag this?" the VP asked, to which Battery lowered her head down in shame, while the FBI agent standing behind the VP spoke up.
"The agent in question, a Ms. Norris, is in custody. She deliberately ignored and falsified the behavior reports for Shadow Stalker because she didn't want her record to be tarred with the blemish of having a problematic ward as being under her charge. She has confessed to falsifying the status reports, and she is also being charged for embezzlement," Agent Scully reported matter-of-factly.
"Embezzlement?" the VP asked in confusion, even as Piggot and Battery were taken aback.
"The Prinicipal, Janice Blackwell, and Agent Norris, were siphoning off 80% of the stipend each month, and utilizing only the remaining 20% for the upkeep of the school as opposed to the whole amount. They certainly had a strong interest in keeping that money flowing, and for that to happen ...," Agent Scully pointed out, while the VP nodded.
"Shadow Stalker had to keep attending school... no matter what," he groused, while the others in the room considered his words.
"I presume this is being looked at?" the VP asked, to which Agent Scully nodded in agreement.
"The IRS has taken the lead in auditing the school's records as well as the PRT's account section. Considering that this embezzlement went on undetected for over a year, there is enough grounds to suspect collusion within the PRT finance department," Scully replied, to which Piggot tried to retort before pulling herself back with a herculean effort. She idly wondered if she would be the fourth person to attempt to kill Shadow Stalker before the day ended.
"Battery, you may continue," the VP ordered while Battery nodded.
"As mentioned, Taylor Hebert was subject to possibly one of the most extreme cases of school bullying in the history of the United States. The primary perpetrator being Shadow Stalker in her civilian persona of Sophia Hess, along with one Emma Barnes and Madison Clements. Today morning, the trio attempted to lock Taylor Hebert into her school locker which had been filled with used female hygiene products in decayed condition. The HAZMAT teams have concluded that the quantity of the material is enough to warrant a Class 6 warning," she finished while the VP tapped his fingers on the table.
"That will be bioterrorism charges if the DA can make it stick," Agent Scully added, "Which I believe is a possibility," she amended quickly as she noticed the pointed look from the Vice President.
"Once locked in the locker, Miss Hebert tried to force her way out, and none of the other students attempted to render assistance, most of them out of apathy, some wanted to see the fun, and those who wished to help were deterred very aggressively by Sophia Hess and her cohorts, and that is when ...," Battery stopped as the VP filled in, "Shit hit the fan in cosmic proportions and the situation as we knew it went FUBAR!"
"Yes, Mr. Vice President," Emily nodded in agreement. She knew now with certainty that her department was going to be dismantled, and gutted beyond repair. Whether she would be made a scapegoat or forced into irrelevant retirement, she didn't know, but she would accept the consequences. Her conscience didn't permit anything less.
"Ms. Hebert seems to have purchased a chain with a carved wooden pendant from a woodworking shop known as 'Silvanus Wood Works' three months ago, when she went there to have the flute of her late mother repaired, when it had been damaged, as it appears again due to the bullies. The pendant was in the shape of a wolf, and as per the owner, modeled upon Fenrir, the mythological monster in Norse Mythology, destined to bring about 'Ragnarok', the so called end of the world and the twilight of the Norse gods," Battery spoke out and continued, even as the VP took out his phone and began to read an incoming message.
"The woodworker has been investigated, I presume?" the VP asked even without looking up from his phone, to which Battery nodded in agreement.
"After we were made aware of the origin of the issue, we had him interrogated and subjected to a voluntary scan. It came negative for parahuman powers. To be doubly sure, we had Panacea do it as well. Still a negative," she concluded her report, while everyone considered the words.
"So, it is the girl then," the VP sighed in resignation.
"Yes sir," Battery nodded, "Upon her triggering, the pendant changed into a life sized arctic wolf which broke open the locker and Ms. Hebert tumbled out in an unconscious state, clearly injured and bleeding. Ms. Hess attempted to subdue the beast in a bout of misguided rage and paid dearly for it. The beast ripped off both her legs and arms, and mauled the other two girls to near death," Battery shuddered even as she recalled the site of the three girls who had been reduced to broken husks.
"How are they?" Piggot asked out of morbid curiosity to which Battery replied back.
"Sophia Hess is permanently crippled and disabled for life. The saliva of the wolf seems to be toxic and is preventing her from being completely healed by Panacea and is also acting as a nullifying agent for parahuman abilities which disabled her powers. The other two girls are severely scarred, and will probably have to wear a mask for the rest of their lives. Considering their actions which led to today's events, Panacea has refused to heal their scarring. She will save their lives out of obligation, but she said she will not do anything else."
"And now, we come to the crux of the matter," Agent Scully replied, as she looked at everyone.
"After the attack, the wolf carried an insensate Taylor Hebert across the city into Brockton General Hospital and dropped her in front of Panacea, giving her and the staff of the hospital a healthy scare, not to mention all the bystanders who observed it in transit. But this is where, the problem started. While Ms. Hebert was being healed, the wolf was standing guard, and at that time, for some unknown reason the Triumvirate unexpectedly arrived and attempted to apprehend the beast," Agent Scully finished, while everyone became silent.
"And they failed," the Vice President spoke after some time, which no one disputed.
"They failed," Agent Scully acknowledged. "The beast resisted of course, and the Triumvirate, particularly Alexandria, began to use more and more severe means to contain the creature, which in turn only enraged it further. The attempts by the other members of the ENE Protectorate team to assist them did not help matters any. Finally, Eidolon began to charge up some unknown ability at which point, the beast really let loose and the situation as you said it sir, went FUBAR!"
"Ragnarok, heh, that woodworker chose the right aphorism," the VP gave a wan chuckle as he looked up from his phone. "What was it you said, Battery?" he asked, even as he waved off his hand, "Twilight of the Gods, sounds about right..." he spoke in a dejected tone at which alarm bells began to ring in Emily's head.
"Sir," she made to rise up, to which the Vice President waved his hand indicating her to sit and stood up,"The message has just come in. Alexandria is dead. Legend has lost his left arm, and Eidolon his right leg. The same power nullifying agent that you all talked about, it is real. It negated their abilities, and because she could not be treated in time, Alexandria died of exsanguination. Legend and Eidolon are safe. Somehow, Eidolon generated an shaker effect which removed the power nullification effect of that toxin, but it was too late for Alexandria. WEDGDG has confirmed it beyond doubt. Your ward tortured someone so badly that they triggered her into someone capable of creating a new Endbringer. That wolf is now being given the codename 'Fenrir' and is tentatively being marked as a potential Endbringer. Potential, only because apart from self-defense and protecting Ms.Hebert it has yet to take any other aggressive action and is curled up by her bedside, waiting for her to wake up."
He stood up and made his way to the door.
"By executive order, the PRT ENE branch is disbanded and its operatives and their actions will be under review. Multiple PRT teams from across the country will lend enough personnel to ensure parahuman law enforcement is not affected within Brockton Bay. The Senate will be holding an emergency hearing to deliberate upon the creation of a commission to review the PRT and the Protectorate. Until these proceedings are completed, the DOD under the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will take over the day-to-day supervision of the PRT and the Protectorate," the VP announced his verdict and after a curt not to Emily and Battery walked out followed by Agent Scully of the FBI.
It had been three years since I was dumped into this shithole of a world, and I had stubbornly resisted socializing with anyone because I feared getting drawn into this world and making connections with whom my mind still stubbornly identified as characters of fiction and not real living, breathing human beings. But as I looked at the eyes of this depressed and shattered girl, whose eyes looked at me with a last flicker of hope in her eyes, I hesitated. Then, after recalling the final fate of this girl, I shrugged. Fuck it, in for a penny, in for a pound. I was not going to let this poor girl suffer further, not if I could help it.
"Sure Kid, I can fix this, I will make this look brand new, come on, hand it over," I spoke and it almost made the girl burst into sobs of relief.
"H..how much?" she asked in a tremulous tone, to which I waved my hand off...
"No charge ... you said this was your late mother's right? I am not about to charge a little girl money to repair a memento of her dead mother, you know ... don't worry kid, I will take care of this," I spoke out, to which she finally burst into tears, and it hit me in the gut. This was a real being, not a work of fiction in front of me. Sure, I may have read stories about her in another life, but here in front of me, was a vulnerable child who had been pushed to the brink of depression and borderline suicide.
At that moment, I made my mind. Fuck this, I was not going to let this poor kid go through that shit in the locker which I knew was soon coming. This was a rash act, I knew, but if those dumbasses and wannabe Vought mopes in the PRT were to link it to me, I wouldn't give a shit.
I walked up to the shelf behind me and pulled out a pendant with a wolf and gave it to her.
"Wha ..." she looked at me in surprise, to which I smiled, "Keep it, this is a pendant of Fenrir, the immortal wolf of Norse mythology. Consider it a good luck charm to keep you safe, and no ... it's on the house," I raised my hand to forestall her as she tried to pay me.
"Why ... are you being so nice?" she asked hesitantly, to which I smiled.
"There are shitty people in this world, but there are decent one's out there as well, you just have to know who's who ... kid ... let me give you some advice, don't be stubborn, if something is going wrong for you, abandon it and try something else and maybe you will see a change in yourself... hmm... come back in three day's and the flute will be ready," I spoke out, while she gingerly nodded and stepped out the door.
As she walked out the door, a perplexed Taylor Hebert looked at the woodworks store named 'Silvanus Wood Works' with a forlorn look and walked back to her home with a spring in her step, for a change.
THREE MONTHS LATER
As she considered the shitshow that had happened over the last few hours, Emily Piggot massaged her temple with a vigor, and cursed all gods in existence for creating Parahumans.
"What's the update?" she asked Battery, who was currently the only active cape in the PRT and had by virtue of being the sole survivor of the earlier carnage, assumed command.
"Now, after interrogating the students at Winslow, we believe we have a decent idea of what has caused this," Battery replied with a grimace in her tone, while Piggot nodded in agreement.
"Which has led to at least three murder attempts on Shadow Stalker's life as a result? Despite the fact that she is currently comatose and is in the ICU?" Piggot asked, to which Battery gave a small snarl, indicative of how enormous the fuckup of their ward was.
"So, it was that idiot ward after all," came the voice of their very much unwanted, but unavoidable superior, who was in the room much to their consternation.
"Yes, Mr. Vice President," Battery mumbled, while the Vice President of the United States waved his hand and indicated her to continue.
"Summarize the events for us, please, Battery, for the record," Piggot spoke out, to which Battery grimaced. There was no way to sugar coat this or cook the facts, considering that the VP was here and half the cabinet was hearing this discussion live via teleconference. Outside the office, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and every single law enforcement agency in the country was out running damage control and their agents were tearing apart the city's and their department's records to pieces to find out what had happened.
"It appears that Shadow Stalker in her civilian persona has conducted an extreme bullying campaign against POI 1, aka Taylor Hebert. The ultimate goal, as far as the psych evaluation goes was to break the girl mentally and physically, to the point of forcing her to contemplate suicide. We have recovered Taylor Hebert's personal journal from her home. It contains a lurid narrative of a prolonged and systematic bullying campaign, and Dr. Yamada is of the opinion that it's a miracle Ms. Hebert has not attempted suicide yet."
"Continue," the voice of the VP was like granite and Battery continued, even as Piggot's eyes hardened.
"Ms. Hebert attempted to bring this to the notice of the school. But the authorities of the school deliberately ignored her complaints, because they were more interested in gaining the stipend from the govt, that they received due to having a ward attend their school. For them, the stipend was more important than the concerns brought forward by Ms. Hebert, which they considered as juvenile attempts at garnering attention," Battery finished, while Piggot stiffened even as the VP turned towards her.
"What of the PRT agent assigned to monitor Shadow Stalker? Why didn't they flag this?" the VP asked, to which Battery lowered her head down in shame, while the FBI agent standing behind the VP spoke up.
"The agent in question, a Ms. Norris, is in custody. She deliberately ignored and falsified the behavior reports for Shadow Stalker because she didn't want her record to be tarred with the blemish of having a problematic ward as being under her charge. She has confessed to falsifying the status reports, and she is also being charged for embezzlement," Agent Scully reported matter-of-factly.
"Embezzlement?" the VP asked in confusion, even as Piggot and Battery were taken aback.
"The Prinicipal, Janice Blackwell, and Agent Norris, were siphoning off 80% of the stipend each month, and utilizing only the remaining 20% for the upkeep of the school as opposed to the whole amount. They certainly had a strong interest in keeping that money flowing, and for that to happen ...," Agent Scully pointed out, while the VP nodded.
"Shadow Stalker had to keep attending school... no matter what," he groused, while the others in the room considered his words.
"I presume this is being looked at?" the VP asked, to which Agent Scully nodded in agreement.
"The IRS has taken the lead in auditing the school's records as well as the PRT's account section. Considering that this embezzlement went on undetected for over a year, there is enough grounds to suspect collusion within the PRT finance department," Scully replied, to which Piggot tried to retort before pulling herself back with a herculean effort. She idly wondered if she would be the fourth person to attempt to kill Shadow Stalker before the day ended.
"Battery, you may continue," the VP ordered while Battery nodded.
"As mentioned, Taylor Hebert was subject to possibly one of the most extreme cases of school bullying in the history of the United States. The primary perpetrator being Shadow Stalker in her civilian persona of Sophia Hess, along with one Emma Barnes and Madison Clements. Today morning, the trio attempted to lock Taylor Hebert into her school locker which had been filled with used female hygiene products in decayed condition. The HAZMAT teams have concluded that the quantity of the material is enough to warrant a Class 6 warning," she finished while the VP tapped his fingers on the table.
"That will be bioterrorism charges if the DA can make it stick," Agent Scully added, "Which I believe is a possibility," she amended quickly as she noticed the pointed look from the Vice President.
"Once locked in the locker, Miss Hebert tried to force her way out, and none of the other students attempted to render assistance, most of them out of apathy, some wanted to see the fun, and those who wished to help were deterred very aggressively by Sophia Hess and her cohorts, and that is when ...," Battery stopped as the VP filled in, "Shit hit the fan in cosmic proportions and the situation as we knew it went FUBAR!"
"Yes, Mr. Vice President," Emily nodded in agreement. She knew now with certainty that her department was going to be dismantled, and gutted beyond repair. Whether she would be made a scapegoat or forced into irrelevant retirement, she didn't know, but she would accept the consequences. Her conscience didn't permit anything less.
"Ms. Hebert seems to have purchased a chain with a carved wooden pendant from a woodworking shop known as 'Silvanus Wood Works' three months ago, when she went there to have the flute of her late mother repaired, when it had been damaged, as it appears again due to the bullies. The pendant was in the shape of a wolf, and as per the owner, modeled upon Fenrir, the mythological monster in Norse Mythology, destined to bring about 'Ragnarok', the so called end of the world and the twilight of the Norse gods," Battery spoke out and continued, even as the VP took out his phone and began to read an incoming message.
"The woodworker has been investigated, I presume?" the VP asked even without looking up from his phone, to which Battery nodded in agreement.
"After we were made aware of the origin of the issue, we had him interrogated and subjected to a voluntary scan. It came negative for parahuman powers. To be doubly sure, we had Panacea do it as well. Still a negative," she concluded her report, while everyone considered the words.
"So, it is the girl then," the VP sighed in resignation.
"Yes sir," Battery nodded, "Upon her triggering, the pendant changed into a life sized arctic wolf which broke open the locker and Ms. Hebert tumbled out in an unconscious state, clearly injured and bleeding. Ms. Hess attempted to subdue the beast in a bout of misguided rage and paid dearly for it. The beast ripped off both her legs and arms, and mauled the other two girls to near death," Battery shuddered even as she recalled the site of the three girls who had been reduced to broken husks.
"How are they?" Piggot asked out of morbid curiosity to which Battery replied back.
"Sophia Hess is permanently crippled and disabled for life. The saliva of the wolf seems to be toxic and is preventing her from being completely healed by Panacea and is also acting as a nullifying agent for parahuman abilities which disabled her powers. The other two girls are severely scarred, and will probably have to wear a mask for the rest of their lives. Considering their actions which led to today's events, Panacea has refused to heal their scarring. She will save their lives out of obligation, but she said she will not do anything else."
"And now, we come to the crux of the matter," Agent Scully replied, as she looked at everyone.
"After the attack, the wolf carried an insensate Taylor Hebert across the city into Brockton General Hospital and dropped her in front of Panacea, giving her and the staff of the hospital a healthy scare, not to mention all the bystanders who observed it in transit. But this is where, the problem started. While Ms. Hebert was being healed, the wolf was standing guard, and at that time, for some unknown reason the Triumvirate unexpectedly arrived and attempted to apprehend the beast," Agent Scully finished, while everyone became silent.
"And they failed," the Vice President spoke after some time, which no one disputed.
"They failed," Agent Scully acknowledged. "The beast resisted of course, and the Triumvirate, particularly Alexandria, began to use more and more severe means to contain the creature, which in turn only enraged it further. The attempts by the other members of the ENE Protectorate team to assist them did not help matters any. Finally, Eidolon began to charge up some unknown ability at which point, the beast really let loose and the situation as you said it sir, went FUBAR!"
"Ragnarok, heh, that woodworker chose the right aphorism," the VP gave a wan chuckle as he looked up from his phone. "What was it you said, Battery?" he asked, even as he waved off his hand, "Twilight of the Gods, sounds about right..." he spoke in a dejected tone at which alarm bells began to ring in Emily's head.
"Sir," she made to rise up, to which the Vice President waved his hand indicating her to sit and stood up,"The message has just come in. Alexandria is dead. Legend has lost his left arm, and Eidolon his right leg. The same power nullifying agent that you all talked about, it is real. It negated their abilities, and because she could not be treated in time, Alexandria died of exsanguination. Legend and Eidolon are safe. Somehow, Eidolon generated an shaker effect which removed the power nullification effect of that toxin, but it was too late for Alexandria. WEDGDG has confirmed it beyond doubt. Your ward tortured someone so badly that they triggered her into someone capable of creating a new Endbringer. That wolf is now being given the codename 'Fenrir' and is tentatively being marked as a potential Endbringer. Potential, only because apart from self-defense and protecting Ms.Hebert it has yet to take any other aggressive action and is curled up by her bedside, waiting for her to wake up."
He stood up and made his way to the door.
"By executive order, the PRT ENE branch is disbanded and its operatives and their actions will be under review. Multiple PRT teams from across the country will lend enough personnel to ensure parahuman law enforcement is not affected within Brockton Bay. The Senate will be holding an emergency hearing to deliberate upon the creation of a commission to review the PRT and the Protectorate. Until these proceedings are completed, the DOD under the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will take over the day-to-day supervision of the PRT and the Protectorate," the VP announced his verdict and after a curt not to Emily and Battery walked out followed by Agent Scully of the FBI.
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