Blockade
As she sat in the Wards common room, Blockade idly scrolled through the channels on the TV as she waited for Reynard to arrive and for their designated time to start their patrol and swap out with Safespace and Gallop.
A set of footsteps suddenly pulled her from her mindless channel flipping.
"Hey Reynard." She called out, not bothering to turn around.
"Sup." He replied, as he walked around and plopped down on the couch next to her. Already in full costume, minus his fox mask.
"Hope you're ready for a busy night. It's been mostly small skirmishes all day, but Hunch and Roulette gave good odds for a big counter attack coming tonight."
"Oh, lovely. Well maybe it won't be so bad they have to deploy us into it."
"Please, you don't really think we're getting that lucky do you?"
He sighed. "No, but a man can hope. I still can't believe Morning Glory brought out Fury like they did last night… your old man say anything about last night? I know he tends to drop a lot of stuff around you for whatever reason."
Blockade snorted. "I don't know why, it's like some weird attempt to bond, except he still can't be bothered to talk about anything but work… he did mention some stuff though." She said, shifting in her spot.
"Well come on then spill." He said, sitting up in anticipation.
"Remember Fletchette?"
"From the joint training with New York? Yeah why?"
"If Armstrong gets his way she's coming up here, that and some new Protectorate member named Sere. Think they're trying to get ahead of the curve before things get worse."
"Just how much worse are they thinking?"
Blockade turned towards him. "Did you not read the reports they sent out today?"
"Nope." He shrugged.
"Dude, read that shit next time, seriously with everything going on now it's more important than ever. To catch you up, Accord slipped the noose last night." She said, annoyed.
"Why read when I can just get you to give me the sparknotes after the fact." He rolled his eyes. "And we knew that already."
She huffed in response. "First off, fuck you, second off, yeah, except now we're pretty sure all but maybe one of the Ambassadors got out too, and even then we can't positively identify the one body we think belongs to them. In the end all the attack managed to accomplish was a lot of property damage, not exactly the swift killing blow we think they were hoping for. And Mystic Mass beat back the Bikers pretty soundly it looks like, no losses on either side that we know of. This isn't ending anytime soon, we're probably looking at a slugging match for who knows how long."
"What about the Unmasked?"
"Spill's dead, Niviation too. No one's seen the other three of them since. No one is sure what they'll even do with Spill gone, and they never really had a big unpowered following."
"Do we even know why the Teeth went after them so hard last night?"
"You didn't hear it from me but one of the things d-Bastion mentioned is that apparently Novax told Armstrong that the Butcher said something to her during their fight that points to the attack on her kitchen being a hit."
Reynard's face morphed into an expression of disbelief. "So Butcher kills Spill over losing a bunch of Teeth on a hit he put out? That doesn't make sense, why the hell would Spill put a hit out on Novax? Sure he looks horrific, but he's surprisingly chill for a villain, they typically just want to be left alone most of the time. He has no reason."
"My money is he didn't, the Bikers, Dark Society and Morning Glory were way too prepared to move once it was clear the Teeth were moving in force. I think someone set up dominoes, and I bet they almost all fell into place until they failed to take out Accord. Speaking of Novax, apparently she also took advantage of the Teeth moving last night."
"What?"
"Yeah, three of the hostages the Teeth took from her kitchen were dropped off at a hospital last night by her."
"Didn't Armstrong apparently tell her to lay off the Teeth?"
"Yeah, didn't stop her though apparently."
"Did she… you know." He made a finger gun motion with his hand.
Blockade shrugged. "No idea, no one has talked to her yet in all the chaos and the hostages wouldn't say anything apparently to the police that questioned them. Except that there was apparently a fourth hostage that had been killed earlier that day."
He sighed. "So, she probably killed more of the Teeth and the hostages are probably covering for her…"
"More than likely."
"Great. I'll be honest, I say just let her go at them. Especially now that the rest of the villains are trying to kill each other. We can't focus all our efforts on running them out like we have before with the city on fire like it is everywhere else, let her take up the Butcher's attention while we focus on the gang war. Sure she's probably got some mental issues, even you got weird vibes off her. But, it is the Teeth. Let her loose and deal with her and her issues after."
Blockade deadpanned. "That is a horrible idea dude."
He turned, confused. "Why?"
"Because the PRT is certain she can mass produce her own tinkertech, they just aren't sure of the scale. We've talked about this. It's the entire reason they want her so bad and Armstrong is playing so soft and slow with her. Hell, have you seen the new pictures of the school? Shit got covered in turrets overnight. Or what about those APCs, the bots, the fucking ray that disintegrates shit. Or that time she told Challenger that we'd know if she built a tank? Let alone the fact that she basically admitted she was capable and willing to do so based on that statement."
"And?" He said, motioning for her to continue and get to the point.
"Dude, they literally go over this in the safety briefs anytime the Butcher is in town. Outside of the psychos that purposely sought out becoming the next Butcher, how is the legacy passed on most of the time?"
"Someone going too hard against the Teeth and killing the Butcher in the collateral, or hitting the Butcher too hard by accident not knowing her limits. Oh, or when people fight her alone thinking they can just hold back and not kill her, and when they start getting their ass kicked cause the Butcher is playing for keeps they end up killing her in a panic to avoid dying."
"So you want the tinker, who has already killed twenty-seven Teeth, whose mental state has now come into question, to launch a crusade against them and risk any of those three options that are very real possibilities? Armstrong didn't just tell her to not go after them without supervision for optics, he also told her that so the Protectorate can be there to make sure she doesn't get put in a position where she kills the Butcher by accident or in a panic if the Butcher corners her in her suit. Novax would literally be the worst possible fucking case for the next Butcher here in Boston, sans maybe Fury. Imagine the Teeth but with mass produced tinkertech, those APCs instead of their shoddy Mad Max cars, hell imagine last night except instead of their cars they drove through the city in fucking tanks. Doesn't even matter if she doesn't try and kill them again, all it takes is her using that beam she has in a panic if she gets cornered. End of the day it doesn't matter how many robots she's got so long as you can take her out, she's like the king on a chessboard and I guarantee the Butcher knows it. At the very least last night she hit them when the Butcher was busy in Cambridge."
She sighed. "Besides, We've already got the Teeth doing their usual crap, on top of at least five parahuman gangs that just kicked off a full out gang war. That's not even including what everyone else might get up to. The Four tried claiming turf during the Games two years ago, they might make a play again with the city in chaos. Blasto has been unusually quiet even before all this kicked off. Groups that got kicked out in the Games like Soldat might come back, Damsel might come make another play as well. That's not including all the other assholes that might take advantage of the power vacuum now that the old power bloc is fighting itself. Hell, didn't the Elite put out feelers back in 2010 before Accord and the rest told them to fuck off? They might take advantage. Novax playing chicken with the Butcher is the last fucking thing we need to worry about on top of everything else."
"Okay, okay I get it. Novax becoming Butcher bad, not worth the risk letting her run loose against them. I take it Bastion was ranting about this to you at some point since last night?"
She groaned. "Yes, annoyingly, but I do agree with him here."
"Did he say what's going to happen if she doesn't stay away?" He asked, curious.
"I honestly think they might just say fuck it and try and pull her out of her suit and bring her in. I know Armstrong tries to be very reasonable and assume the best in parahumans but I don't think we can run the risk of a Novax Butcher in the background of a gang war and rampant Teeth. Diverting personnel we need elsewhere every time she tries hunting them down on her own if she doesn't listen is just not sustainable. And we can't just ignore the rest of the gangs turning streets into warzones and try to single out the Butcher, but we can take her off the board if we can just corner her in her suit. Better to remove that entire variable all together so we don't have to worry about it on top of everything else if you ask me."
He huffed. "Well if they do remind me to call out sick that day. I don't feel like fighting Miss Mini Machine Army."
Blockade snorted. "Dude, cut it out, you already got in trouble once with Challenger for calling her that, it's bad taste. Besides, you'd only even go if they needed your power for her and no offense, unless you're teleporting in with a confoam grenade and leaving. I don't see it happening. Especially with alternatives available."
Reynard leaned back, sinking into the couch. "Eh true. Man, I know the odds are stacked against us but I really hope things stay quiet tonight, at least we don't have to man the console while all this is going on."
Blockade's earpiece suddenly buzzed, as a PRT Dispatcher suddenly brought the radio channel she'd been ignoring to life. "Break, all units be advised we've got multiple reports coming in of cape activity. BPD Officers have positively confirmed the presence of Ambassadors moving into Eagle Hill."
"For fucks sake." She snarled, before shooting Reynard a glare. "You just had to say the Q word didn't you! Come on, let's get to the car pool." The two of them began rushing their way over to the PRT side of the connected buildings.
"Break, all units be advised more reports are coming in. Audible gunfire in South End, callers reporting mass movement of Mystic Mass. Morning Glory members are engaging as they push in."
"Bastion to Console, Capes?"
"Negative at this time."
"Won't be negative for-."
"Break, capes now being reported on scene from both parties. Gunshots are also now audible in Eagle Hill by BPD. Officers reporting a… dinosaur flying overhead?"
"What? Console, has there been any movement from Blasto?"
"Negative, no reports of any creatures seen leaving Blastergem territory."
"Could be the changer, Genesis. Accord may have hired the Travelers like we thought he would." Challenger's voice jumped in.
"Do we have movements from the Bikers?"
"Negative."
"Moment we do, I want to know. Aerobat, Dovetail, get to Eagle Hill. Me and Chubster will join you. We might have three groups of capes there it sounds like, we're going to need to be there in force. Is Baldr on duty yet?"
"Not yet, he and Shortstop were due to swap out with Dovetail and Aerobat in the next fifteen."
"No one is swapping out now, the moment they are available send them to South End. What Wards are out?"
"Safespace and Gallop. They were due to swap out with Blockade and Reynard who should be suiting up now."
"All four of them to South End with Challenger. Challenger, keep them in reserve supporting the Troopers unless you deem otherwise necessary."
"Copy that."
"Sounds like we're going to South End." Blockade said.
"So it does." He replied, exasperated.
"Shift Commanders are designating squads for both scenes. Unit's responding to South End, swap to channel two. All other units remain on channel one."
Blockade and Reynard both pressed a button on their communicator, switching the channel.
"Wards, comm check." Challenger's voice came through shortly after changing the channel.
"Comms green." All four Wards spoke in unison.
"Safespace, Gallop, how far are you from South End?"
"Not far." A female voice responded. "Maybe an eight minute run."
"Sit tight where you are, Troopers will pick you up on the way, don't go in alone. Blockade, Reynard, hitch a ride with the Troopers leaving from HQ."
"Got it." Blockade replied.
"How many squads am I getting? Who are the squad leads?" Challenger asked.
"Two mam, rest are either going to Eagle Hill or in reserve in case the violence spreads. Lieutenant Ramirez and Cromwell, mam."
"It'll have to do. Ramirez, pick up Safespace and Gallop on the way, Cromwell grab Blockade and Reynard on your way out."
"Copy." Two voices responded.
The two of them finally reached the PRT car pool. A PRT Trooper waving them over to an armored van. "Let's go, come on!"
They rushed over, hopping in the back with seven Troopers, as they closed the doors behind them.
One of the Troopers, Lt. Cromwell, going by the name patch, slammed his hand twice on the metal barrier that sat between the driver and passenger seat and the van's back. The vehicle jumped into motion shortly after.
Challenger's voice soon came over the comms again as they began leaving. "Console, where is BPD forming up to push into South End?"
"Corner of East Berkeley and Washington."
"Copy, alright everyone you know where to go. Safespace moment we get on scene, find a place to set up your zone to send civilians caught up in the fighting to, and to stage EMS. Gallop, you're coordinating with BPD to get trapped civvies out. Ramirez your squads with me until we get a better idea what capes are where. Blockade, stick with Cromwell and support his squad as necessary with your force fields. Reynard, your running interference as necessary. Console, do we have eyes in the sky yet?"
"BPD is sending up their air assets. Falcon-2 is currently slated to be enroute to South End."
"Got it, connect them in once they are in the air."
Blockade and Reynard sat in silence as Challenger continued to bark out commands. Allowing the Troopers to talk to each other over the vans sirens as they rushed to the staging point.
Eventually the Lieutenant broke the silence as they neared their location.
"Weapon check!"
The sound of Troopers checking rifles, confoam sprayers, and various pieces of their equipment filled the back of the van. Each Trooper gave out a confirmation as they finished.
"Listen up, remember our priority here are the capes. The unpowered gang bangers are the BPD's job. We're nonlethal against the capes unless told otherwise, if an unpowered shoots, shoot back. If one tries to pull a gun on you, shoot first. Do not make me call your loved ones to tell them you didn't make it home tonight, understood? If anyone has to go home in a body bag, make it them, not you."
A flurry of nods from the rest of the Troopers.
Shortly after they arrived at the staging point. The armored van came to a stop as they disembarked. Looking around a number of police cars surrounded the intersection. Down the streets both ways she could see some more placed at specific distances around the edge of South End. A slowly forming perimeter.
Amongst the intersection she could see BPD officers preparing themselves. The BPD's own armored vans used for SWAT brought out, no doubt to use as mobile cover.
A second PRT van rolled up. From the back she could see Safespace and Gallop exiting out the rear. Safespace running to a building, looking to find and establish a safe zone no doubt.
Challenger pulled in not long after, bringing her motorcycle to a stop before hoping off.
There wasn't much waiting after that. With the PRT and heroes now present alongside the BPD they were ready to move in to try and break up the violence.
They began splitting into groups. Officers preparing to move in and break up unpowered violence. Challenger and PRT Troopers alongside them ready to divert to any cape sighting as they became known. Gunshots continued to go off in the distance as they began moving.
A beam of light caught her attention. She looked up, the BPD helicopter finally overheard. It's spotlight beaming down as it began moving over South End. Looking to find and direct the forces on the ground to the epicenter of the conflict.
Reynard began teleporting between roofs. Ready to swoop in and run interference. Gallop, running through with BPD Officers, looking for civilians trapped that needed to be pulled out of danger.
Blockade moved with the squad under Cromwell. Several streets down from where Challenger and the other squad would push in.
As they moved she began creating her force fields. She couldn't create them in the air freestanding like her father. Hers had to have an anchor, a solid surface to coat or attach to, from which they could extend out to about eight feet before needing another anchor point to attach to. However, unlike her father, hers were much more flexible in their shape, allowing her to form a single field in a complex pattern or shape rather than having to layer multiple fields on top of one another in conjecture like her dad had to in creating his funnel to contain the missile strike against Fury. She reached out with her power, generating and molding her fields, attaching them to the front of the Troopers weapons and armor, molding them to form shields on the front of their guns and foam sprayers, then she did the same for the police officers moving in alongside them and her own tower shield. It wasn't difficult to maintain and keep them up once she formed them so long as they were within her range, only the initial forming and molding took any real form of concentration.
As they began pushing down the street they began to come across the first of the gang bangers. Most of which began to run and disperse at the clear sign of a cape present where they had none. One however, a Morning Glory Irish member, had a different idea. Running out of an alley, Molotov in hand, chucking it in the direction of the PRT van before ducking back into the alleys and running off.
Blockade saw it coming, layering another field across the vehicles front just in time before it impacted. The flames helplessly slid off of her field. A few police officers gave chance into the alley.
Their advance continued. The fighting on this street in particular was light.
"Falcon-2 to PRT Console. I've got eyes on the main fight, located right underneath us right now. Got eyes on multiple capes."
"Challenger, do you-"
"I've got eyes on the police heli. I'm moving that way. Falcon-2 keep a high altitude, if it looks like anyone is targeting you peel out. Reynard, follow behind. Do not engage unless I say so. If so I want you only running interference, no funny business brat. Console, ETA on Baldr and Shortstop?"
"Ten to fifteen minutes. Break, BPD dispatch reports losing contact with officers two streets over from Blockades location."
"Shit, Blockade take the Troopers with you that way and check on them. Reynard, if she calls out contact with a cape, break off and head her way."
Blockade and the Troopers pushed through the alleys, towards the last reported location of the officers, finding them laying in the street.
All four police officers were dead. Blood seeping from their uniforms. The road almost pitch black, the street lamps had all been smashed, the light they provided gone. Blockade and the Troopers moved forward cautiously.
"Console we've found the officers dead. Street lamps are busted. They've been slashed to pieces."
"Copy, cape presence?"
"Negative at this tim-"
Her head darted to the left, just barely catching a shadowy movement before a winged vaguely humanoid shape appeared behind one of the Troopers. Its arm morphing into a blade and slashing down towards their neck.
"Look out!" Blockade screamed, as she quickly layered a field across the man's neck. The shadowy blade bounced off.
The Troopers spun in alarm, the flashlights attached to their weapons shining light towards the creature that was already darting back, ducking behind a parked car quickly. But not before they could get a good look at the creature. Winged humanoid nightmare fuel made out of a black wispy shadow substance. Not a creature, a cape, Mystic Mass.
"Shit! Console! Bezieal is on scene!"
"Form a circle! Keep your lights on the shadows!" Lt. Cromwell screamed.
"Reynard! Reroute, get to Blockade!" Challenger yelled.
"We need more light!" She yelled, before her head darted over to the armored van that had followed them. The sound of glass smashing filling her ears as Beaziel broke the headlights. A Trooper quickly turned, spraying foam at the cape as they flew into the air and back towards the darkness. The foam hit, then passed through his shadowy form before he ducked behind a building disappearing once more.
"Save your fucking foam! It won't work while he's still in his breaker state!" One Trooper yelled.
He appeared again, on the opposite side of the street, jumping out from the darkness. His arm formed a blade, this time the Trooper saw it coming, turning and using the field attached to his gun to deflect the blow.
Blockade was close, close enough to swing at the cape. She shoved her mace into the creature's chest. It wouldn't do anything, kinetic attacks didn't work against Beaziel when he was in this form. But other attacks did, cold, fire, electricity. She hit the switch for the taser embedded in her mace. It crackled and Beaziel let out a shriek as he recoiled back. Light covered him from the Troopers flashlights as he took off into the air once more before diving behind cover and disappearing once more.
"Console, I need more light! Can the police helicopter divert and shine their spotlight overhead!? Beaziel has too many shadows to work with!"
"Standby."
Another movement in the shadows. Beaziel once more jumped out, slashing, before retreating from the light and back behind cover into the darkness.
Over and over, Blockade and the Troopers held their defensive circle as Beaziel continued to try and breach their perimeter. Being deterred by a mixture of light, Blockades fields, and tasers from the Troopers and herself. Until finally about a minute later they heard helicopter blades overhead. As the police helicopter came overhead, light poured out from its spot light as it illuminated the street.
Beaziel screeched, as he emerged from shadows that no longer existed. Holding his head, before the sound of footsteps hit the hood of a car nearby and then almost immediately after behind her.
Baldr and Shortop stood on top of a parked car, staring down Beaziel. Who at the sudden lack of darkness and the arrival of additional support, turned and fled. Flying off into the night, the helicopter followed, keeping the light on him to ensure he didn't double back in the shadows until they were sure he was leaving for good.
Blockade turned, just as Baldr and Shortop dissipated, the illusions dismissed, she then turned to Reynard behind her. "Took you long enough."
"Hey, I got here in the end, didn't I? I had to make a quick pit stop on the way. Some officers were getting pinned down pretty badly."
Blockade ignored his excuse, calling out over the radio. "Beaziel has retreated."
"Copy, Challenger has engaged the main force. She and the Troopers need support."
"Blockade, Reynard, bring that squad and come to my location. I need them here, stay in the rear and support the Troopers when you arrive." Challenger's voices came through, sounds of fighting in the background.
"Got it! On our way!" She responded.
"Load up! Let's go!" Lt. Cromwell shouted, as the Troopers and Wards filled the back of the van. Doubling back to roads that had already been cleared before taking off in the direction of the main fight.
"What the hell was Beaziel doing out this way alone?" Reynard asked.
"Who fucking knows, who cares. We can figure it out later." She responded.
When the van came squealing to a stop they once more filled out the back. Blockade instantly began reforming her fields that she had dropped while they were driving. Looking out at the fight. A mixture of Morning Glory and Mystic Mass capes fought in the background. But her concerns were those that had engaged Challenger and the Troopers.
She saw Challenger, making a swing with her massive axe that many would find difficult if not for her brute rating as she fought off a giant creature that resembled a purple praying mantis with crab claws for hands, Coruela, before dodging a shot of a weird blood like substance shot her way, Capillary. Both capes from Morning Glory. Challenger seemed to be holding both off for now, the Troopers weren't helping her, not that they should. Helping Challenger would only hamper her, the main aspect of her power required as few combatants, ally or enemy, directly involved while fighting. A combat thinker power that scaled the longer she fought her opponents, only its effectiveness tapered off the more people she had to account for, her ideal scenario was one on one fights, but a one on two was more than manageable for her here.
Farther back she could see a couple more capes fighting two more from Mystic Mass. One cape, whose appearance rapidly cycled through various forms. Several depicting biblically accurate angels, randomly creating constructs armed with swords or spears.
Alongside her three Babel's constructs, a Mystic Mass tinker. Clockwork golems created in the depiction of angels. Steam pouring out from within. She saw a cape from Mourning Glory, Longstocking, as he landed a kick on one of them. The brute's powers only affected his legs, making him a glass cannon, but he was a dangerous one. The construct immediately destroyed, failing to dodge, as it flew back and through the building behind it and then the one behind that one. She could see the destruction continue as rubble sailed backwards through more buildings several blocks back.
"Where is the rest of Mystic Mass?"
"Break all units be advised Bikers have left Brookline. Appears to be headed towards Mystic Mass territory."
"Nevermind."
She looked over to the other squad of Troopers. Three of them were down on the ground, bleeding. She soon saw why, as the Troopers began opening fire at a furry form running around the edge of the battlefield with nonlethal rounds.
Grudge, the changers form resembled an elongated coyote, or at least it did most of the time. Her form constantly shifted, grew, morphed to best suit the terrain as she moved. She was circling the Troopers, looking for openings to dive into and rip pieces out of them. Her torso would extend and shrink, extra arms sprouting and then receding. The paws would grow, sometimes fingers or claws growing to better grip the ground as needed. Whatever changes necessary to optimize her movement.
"Blockade, Reynard!" She heard Challenger yell. "Get the injured Troopers out now!"
Blockade rushed forward, morphing more force fields on the weapons and armor of the Troopers as she moved forward to the ones that were downed.
She grabbed one of them, pulling them to his feet and supporting them as they stood.
"Come on, let's get you out of here."
Two of the Troopers that had come with her grabbed the other two, and they began moving them out of the fighting. Reynard meanwhile, began teleporting around Grudge, creating illusions from the nodes his teleporting left behind to confuse and disrupt her movement.
As she moved out she heard something hit the ground behind her, she turned just in time to see Baldr land in front of Grudge, punching the cape in the snout. Grudge, upon recovering, began reassessing. Baldr was weak as far as Alexandria packages go, and his flight was average at best, but his durability was top tier. Unless Grudge had something incredibly esoteric or a weapon made from the one material that subverted his powers they couldn't harm him.
But if Baldr was here that meant…
She looked in the air, Shortstop hovered in the air, probably carried in by Baldr, as his body vibrated as he built up a charge. A group of unpowered members fighting further back didn't notice him. A mistake, as finally he finished charging. Suddenly his form rushed down in a straight line, hitting the ground in under a second.
The longer the charge, and the shorter the distance… the bigger the boom.
Energy exploded out from his body as he suddenly came to a stop, as a wave of force flew out and sent all of the gang bangers flying.
Blockade turned her head away as she continued getting the injured Troopers out. More of the Protectorate was here now, with hope more of the roster would be getting called in.
They pulled the Trooper a few houses down, finding a place to set them down as she began helping the Troopers provide first aid. One of them called for a van to come and extract the Troopers.
"I'm going to listen in on the other channel, let me know if they call for me." She said she was curious about what was going on in Eagle Hill.
A Trooper nodded and she swapped back to the main channel.
"-eed BFD on standby. The building is cooking off with ammunition, it must have been a weapon stash."
"Console copies, notifying BFD."
"Where did Genesis go? Has anyone seen them?"
"No idea, the rest of the Travelers have moved down another street."
"Are they leaving?"
"Don't know, they might be going to target another building with Sundancer."
"Bastion, what do you want us to do? Focus on the Travelers or the main fight between the Ambassadors and Dark Society?"
"Shit, we need to-"
"Break! The Butcher is moving!"
Fuck. Blockade thought, the last thing they needed was to have to spread themselves even thinner to deal with the Butcher.
"What?! Where!"
"Novax sent in an automated call. Butcher and two vehicles are headed to Arlington, she thinks they are going to hit the school again. She doesn't want support, she says she can handle it and we won't get there in time."
"I don't give a fuck what she thinks! If she gets cornered and kills the Butcher we are going to have a much bigger problem than this fucking gang war on our han- Shit!"
"Bastion? Status?"
"Sundancer just hit another building! I can see the sun from here!"
"Bastion she's right. We can't spare anyone right now. We already are going to have to deal with the Biker's moving on Mystic Mass again." Chubster called out.
"Novax reported the Butcher was already halfway to the edge of Arlington at the time of the call. Not even Dovetail would make it that far out on the edge of the city before the Butcher reaches Novax."
"Damnit! Divert the police helicopter, I at least want eyes up there. We are not getting left in the dark again!"
"Bastion are you sur-"
"Fucking do what I told you dammit!"
"Falcon-1 rerouting."
A crash dragged her attention as she turned, watching as a crushed car sailed through the sky and went through two houses.
"Fuck!" She yelled. "Stay with them, I'm going to check if any civilians were inside."
She rushed over to the destroyed homes. Breaking in, searched for anyone crushed or injured.
No one home. She was thankful, she didn't want to have to drag any bodies out.
She returned to the Troopers, eventually being forced to run back to the now moving fight to help extract two more Troopers that had gotten injured. This time thanks to Capillary, who has turned up the pressure of her streams to a point that was very much lethal.
Intermittently she changed the channel back and force to listen to the other channel. As they contemplated how they were going to even further divide heroes and Troopers to now cover South Boston as the first reports of Biker's fighting the few Mystic Mass capes that had stayed or pulled back to defend their own turf.
She swapped back to the other channel as she helped provide first aid once more, just in time to hear Console.
"Break. We have multiple calls coming in from Arlington, Butcher just shot up a homeless camp and left. She's headed back to Malden."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me right now." Her father snarled. "Novax?"
"No word sir."
A few more minutes passed.
"Falcon-1 I'm overhead at the homeless camp, I've got no eyes on Novax."
"Console to Falcon-1, call just came in from a nearby hospital. Novax just called them, reporting that one of her APC's would be dropping off GSW victims from the camp."
"Console repeat that, did you say one of her APCs?" Her father asked.
"Affirm, that was apparently the exact wording used by Novax."
"Then she has a second one… Falcon-1, go towards Malden. Look for the Butcher or a Novax APC."
Some time passed, Blockade silently hoped Novax wasn't doing what she thought she was doing. They didn't need one more problem to worry about tonigh-
"Falcon-1 I have eyes on the APC. It's pursuing the Teeth."
Fuck.
"Fuck! Someone call her and tell-"
"Break! APC spun out, Butcher took out two tires. Novax is disembarking, Butcher has engaged Novax!"
Blockade's heart dropped. This was the last thing they needed tonight.
Sometimes it can be easy to forget just how ridiculous situations can get when parahumans are concerned. Like the situation I was in now. For a girl who has the blueprints in her head for a silo that can print nuclear missiles like candy, I never thought I'd be in a position I'd have to say this. Fuck bows and arrows. Or at the least the specific monstrosity of a bow and the arrows the Butcher had in particular.
I had been gaining on the Teeth, slowly but surely getting to a point where I'd have them in a straight line to take a shot, when that damn helicopter came overhead. It quickly gained altitude, I'm sure because it realized the Butcher was present and didn't want to risk getting shot at. But its presence at all must have made the Butcher assume something was up. Not long after she doubled back, and in short order punctured two of the APC's tires, causing it to spin out.
As my APC came to a stop I sallied out the MKII and Enforcers from its rear. The Enforcers took up defensive positions as I scanned for the Butcher. I didn't see her. Nor did I pick her up on any of the Phantom's sensors. Did she go into a building? Perhaps. Regardless, the MKII turned on its shield and quickly reclaimed the two massive arrows that had punctured the rubber tires before it began repairing the first tire.
Wherever the Butcher was, that caught her attention. She must have been waiting to make sure I couldn't continue to follow, and the sight of me fixing the issue like it was nothing must have made her realize simply popping the tires wasn't enough.
A flash of fire behind the MKII, the Butcher appeared, a giant maul in hand, swinging down on the MKII. I was ready for her, my suit quickly turned and twisted out of the way. The arm with the nano-constructor swinging around, a reclamation beam striking the head of the maul, turning the metal head into mass.
"No toys Butcher."
I looked for her bow, intent on finally getting rid of the damn thing for good only it wasn't on her. Must have left it behind wherever she had been before.
The Butcher snarled. "Another husk." She swung her fist, a right hook.
"I'm going to make you pay for what you did. Every life, every drop of blood." I responded, venom dripping from my voice as I blocked with the left arm, the shield flaring in response.
"Oh? Kill me will you?" She said as she ducked my rebuttal, a jab aimed at her temple. "Your dolls betray your words."
I could only imagine she meant the Enforcers, who hadn't fired a shot since her appearance. An intentional decision, most of the non-lethal measures the Enforcers had relied on pain. Something the Butcher simply didn't feel. I had some new countermeasures for them, but they'd only be effective shooting her in the eyes, plus none of them had an angle at the moment. I could have started moving one to get a shot, but I had something else in mind as an opening move.
"Not you, you'll have your day for regrets, but you won't die by my hands." I spoke, as my suit and her traded another punch or two. "I'd prefer not to be a killer when I can help it, but I'm beginning to think I just might make exceptions for assholes who go around wearing human bones."
I didn't expect her to keep up this dance of punches and words for long, even now the little talking we had done had only gone on for a few seconds. Then, it was a question of if she would disengage the moment she thought she'd bought enough time, knowing I wasn't here, or if she'd take time trying to destroy more of my units before she left. More importantly, whether or not she'd commit to trying to rip my suit apart. That would be problematic. Not because we apparently had an audience, that police helicopter still watched from overhead. No, because of the power generator in the MKII.
An ACU brought with it its own personal power source, in order to be self-sufficient. Except the ridiculous energy requirements tackled with the size restraints lead to a reactor that while powerful, would be incredibly volatile. An ACU getting destroyed was the equivalent of setting off a strategic nuke.
The MACU, despite my best efforts, would have the same problem. Not to the same explosive scale, but the same problem nonetheless. Attempts to fix the issue had led nowhere, neither I nor my powers could, or in its case, maybe, was willing to find an answer.
Annoyingly, this problem was also inherited by the MKII on an even smaller scale. If the Butcher destroyed it, it would explode with enough juice to level an intersection. There was no failsafe I could disable like my other units, and more concerningly I wasn't convinced the Butcher would survive if she was caught in the resulting explosion.
Against anyone else this wouldn't be as such a big deal, but the Butcher? It was a losing scenario in more than one way. I had realized after our first fight I needed ways to deter and chase her off in case we fought more before my plan was ready.
Countermeasures like this.
"Unless it wasn't obvious already, consider this a declaration of war."
Popping noises sounded off from the APC in rapid succession, as tiny canisters shot out from select points on its armor. Said canisters exploded into visible green gas as they shot haphazardly around the APC, covering the immediate surroundings.
Knockout gas, or at least an early version of it. Gas weapons designed for non-lethal use weren't something that originally came in my arsenal equipped for mass machine warfare. The best I had managed so far was an altered version of nitrous oxide. The gas used for normal anesthesia. It was more potent and colored so I could keep track of where it had been deployed, but it came with the same problem that created the need for anesthesiologists. Too much would kill.
A problem, but so long as I dragged someone out once they were down quick enough they would be fine. Even altered to be more potent than normal, it would still take a time to fully knock someone on their ass. And the Butcher could just teleport away, but I wasn't expecting this gas alone to be my silver bullet, not yet. I just needed it to serve one purpose, one message to the Butcher for now whenever we clashed until then.
Back the fuck off.
As the gas landed the Butcher quickly looked around as the green gas, a flurry of facial expressions going across her face as I could only assume she began to come to the quick and correct assumption that breathing it in would be bad for her. She breathed some in, by accident I think, from a cloud that drifted in from behind her. A cough, and then she was gone, teleporting away. Good, but I wasn't convinced that was enough to get her to leave for good just yet.
The APC's grenade launcher spurred into action, firing grenades around itself. All of which exploded on impact leaving behind clouds of regular smoke for cover.
The Butcher reappeared on a rooftop just as the Enforcers and MKII began to move, an arrow let loose, it curved towards its target. One Enforcer found the arrow pierced through its eye soon after, destroyed. She began to knock another arrow, only this one wouldn't be curving anywhere as the Enforcers and my suit hid themselves in the smoke.
Can't target what you can't see.
Normally smoke wouldn't be enough due to her bloodsight, but she'd find no blood here, only oil. But I could see her, both from the air and from the thermal imagery coming from each Enforcer as they lined up a shot before opening fire.
Black paintballs collided with her face, as the Enforcers went for her eyes. Since the pain from pepper balls wouldn't be enough to fully blind her, filling her eyes with paint would have to do.
Her face became covered in paint, more importantly so did her eyes. I saw as she swiped at her face, trying to wipe the paint off and out of her eyes that was obscuring her vision, but the stream of paintballs didn't stop. Then she was gone, repositioning.
The APC shot out more smoke grenades, to increase the cover on the field as the MKII took the opportunity to finish fixing the tires.
A moment went by, and then another, still no Butcher.
Did she leave? The shattering of a window and an arrow that impacted a tire on the opposite side of the APC destroyed that line of thought. A second arrow flew just as the Enforcers turned to the window, piercing a second tire on the opposite side.
For fucks sake, I should have built these things with tracks. I could still drive if necessary with the flat tires but I wouldn't be able to catch up with the Teeth. Probably the fucking point. This was all one big delaying action.
I grit my teeth, coming to the realization I might not get the retaliation tonight I was gunning for.
My APC's turret turned and the grenade launcher fired several smoke grenades into the window as Enforcers turned and sprayed paintballs as they located the Butcher inside the smoke with their thermals. Another arrow flew out, shooting into one of the clouds of smoke an Enforcer was firing from, missing.
I waited for another arrow but it didn't come, repositioning again I assumed. Another broken window and another arrow flying blind into the smoke, this one coming close but missing once more.
I needed to get out of the street, it was too open, giving her too many avenues of attack. I gave the order and my APC began slowly rolling backwards towards an alley a short ways back, the grenade launcher shooting more smoke grenades to keep increasing the cover for my bots and gas canisters shooting out in repetition.
Gunfire greeted me as I began to move, that damn minigun no doubt. Coming from the ground floor of a building to my left, glass shattering as she fired from inside. Spraying in the general direction of the APC's left side where the MKII was located. Its shield flaring everytime she was lucky enough to hit her mark. The last thing I needed was the MKII's shield to give out, and while each bullet in their own isn't a big deal, enough in quick succession?
With a minigun it would be death by a thousand cuts. Except those cuts were firing at six thousand rounds a minute.
All of my Enforcers turned with the APC's turret and all of them opened fire with a mix of smoke grenades and paintballs. The gunfire stopped soon after the first shots were fired back. Only for it to start again, this time coming from the floor of a different building, a store of some kind.
Fuck this.
It looked empty, the lights were off, and I didn't see anyone inside, closed sign up on the door. The APC turret turned and two of the missile tubes opened and fired. Both missiles carried a payload of my gas instead of the usual HE package. They streaked through the street and into a window of the store before exploding into gas, filling the entire store. The gunfire stopped just before they detonated and didn't continue.
As I fucking thought.
My APC reached the alley, backing in as it continued to layer smoke and gas as it went. The MKII and Enforcers took cover behind it just in time as the Butcher opened up from another building in front of the alley with her minigun. Bullets bouncing against the APC's front armor. Enforcers peaking around the sides, spotting the Butcher with their thermals firing their paintballs in return.
Eventually the gunfire stopped. The Butcher appeared in a ball of fire several rooftops away, covered in paint, whipping it from her eyes best she could, before disappearing and reappearing again further down the road.
She was leaving. I went back to making repairs before reclaiming the lost Enforcer while my Phantom took off to relocate the Teeth. I had lost precious time to catch them before they were back in Malden.
My Phantom found them, fuck they had started really hauling ass when the Butcher diverted. I didn't think I'd catch up to them before they had regrouped with the rest of their filth. I sat back, contemplating. Was it smart to continue into Malden…
I slammed a fist on the arm of my chair. Breathing in and out as I did my best to control my emotions. No, annoyingly it wasn't. Not without a plan of attack, especially when I considered the annoyance that was the Butcher, countermeasures or not. Nothing was stopping her from holding her breath and teleporting into melee, landing a few hits, and leaving somewhere safe to breathe. Only reason she probably didn't do it here was the stakes for her were so low she simply didn't need to, considering all she had to do was buy time. Even if I did manage fine, went in and kept the Butcher at bay while I handled her Teeth, I didn't want to do too much damage. Not yet. If I dealt too heavy a blow the Butcher might decide to cut losses and leave, it wouldn't be the first time the Butcher had been run out of town, at least for a time. I didn't want that, I wanted to put an end to her, for good. And for that, I still needed time to prepare the pieces on the board the way I liked them.
Like pissing her off with small precision strikes, tackled with not showing myself like she wants to hammer home the fact she can't kill me. I'd need her irate for what I had planned, only that part was now more complicated. I had planned to do that by targeting the rest of the Teeth, and it seemed she was now doing the same by targeting the people I was caring for.
Two people lashing out because they couldn't kill the other. Me to avoid insanity, and her because she couldn't find me.
Begrudgingly, I turned around, with a silent promise this wasn't over. I'd strike back, once I had a better means of deploying bots and vehicles quickly, with the precision strikes I had originally planned. My air transports very quickly jumped to the top of my priority list.
I had homeless camps to clear and resettle at Fort Bluff, and figure out permanent twenty-four seven patrol routes. It had occurred to me that it was more than the homeless that had made use of my kitchen. Other people that lived in Arlington had as well, if I made the homeless out of reach for the Butcher there was no guarantee she wouldn't start targeting people at random in the streets. I'd need to plan to protect Arlington at large, just in case. That and I need to figure out what the fuck was happening in the rest of the city. I had the MKII look up before entering the back of the APC, staring at the damn police helicopter still in the air, before entering through the back and setting off.
It was April 6th, two days since the attack on the homeless camp, and the day just before the fourth night of the gang war that had kicked off deeper into the city. The city had continued to degrade since then. The same night as the attack Accord had gone on the offensive, hiring the Travelers it seemed as they burned countless buildings in Dark Society territory. Various stash houses from what I could figure out. Meanwhile Mystic Mass and Morning Glory continued to clash with the Bikers striking wherever they saw weakness, yet Mystic Mass had been holding their own.
As vicious as their opening move had been, Accord had seemed to be outmaneuvering them ever since after the first night, burning stash houses to his opponents ability to arm their unpowered muscle. The third night had been more of the same. Only the Travelers had swapped to targeting stash houses in Morning Glory territory as the Ambassadors engaged Dark Society and Mystic Mass and Morning Glory continued their clashes. The Bikers continued to take opportunistic strikes against Mystic Mass where they could.
No one knew, or at least I wasn't sure, where Accord and his Ambassadors were operating out of since the incident with Fury, who also hadn't made another appearance. Sacred Heart, Boston's biggest independent hero team, appeared to have started working alongside the Protectorate. Helping cover parts of the city. Meanwhile the Teeth continued to plunder Malden and the immediate vicinity. They didn't make another move the night after their attack, towards me or anywhere else outside the area they had set down roots. But there had been a fight between them and the Protectorate. Whether they stayed in Malden again tonight was yet to be seen.
A curfew had been put into effect after night two. By sundown it was now unlawful to be out on the streets, both as a way to better crack down on the violence and to keep people off the streets as night so far had been when the majority of the fighting took place. There had been talks on the news that the PRT had been bringing in additional assets and even heroes, the specifics of how much and who weren't clear.
I sat looking at the PHO forums. It could be a surprising source of information… at times. When the people there weren't being batshit insane. But, ultimately it was just another way to hear rumors off the streets in a virtual fashion, the current thread I was reading had spiked my interest. People claiming The Four had begun claiming Somerville. They had nothing to back that claim up, but if it was true, doing that in the middle of the gang war?
It was a power play. Either they were hoping they could hold onto it and keep it in the hectic chaos or it was the opening move before declaring for a side. Now that I thought about it, didn't I find somewhere that they had tried claiming territory back during the First Games? They weren't very friendly with Accord back then either, and I was pretty sure Accord was the reason they lost out on the turf they had claimed then.
I had spent the day and night after the attack on the homeless camp ushering anyone willing to move onto the open space outside the school that laid underneath my shield coverage. A village of tents sprouted into existence over the course of the day, and an Engineer had been set to wall off the entire section of land the school and park had been built on with a twelve foot perimeter fence with gates for access. It wasn't anything fancy, very cheap all things considered as I had finished it already, but it was meant to limit the directions people could enter without at least a modicum of effort if I didn't want them in.
My investments into my mass extractors were paying dividends, which allowed me to increase unit production. Three more lobbers, upgrades to the Phantom with a second underway, Enforcers reached their desired thirty count, an air transport, and by the next morning I'd have two new units. Two Busters and a Liquidator would be finished.
I looked at the time the timeline I had set up. The MKII reactor was a few days away, by my current rate it would be done by April 9th. I needed it for the Butcher, to do what I had planned would power stall me and fail if I tried it right now. More importantly though, the MACU. April 8th, I'd be ready to start its construction. It would be costly, in both resources and time. From the Quantum Controller, to the C&C, the armor, antimatter blaster, and the resource allocation unit which doubled as the reactor. My current estimates put its construction in the range of about ten days, maybe less, assuming I could keep a healthy level of my incoming mass going straight to the project without any major distractions. Which I couldn't guarantee until my plan for the Butcher was complete. Regardless, it was so close I could taste it. I was itching to step inside it, to control everything from inside of it. I couldn't explain it, but managing everything from the bunker felt… wrong in some way. An ACU, or the closest I could get to one at this juncture, that is where I belonged.
The sooner I had the MACU, the better. Besides it wasn't just the Butcher I was planning for. An Endbringer was due next month, Leviathan most likely, I intended to participate. With the MACU, I'd be able to push out enough units to make a difference… maybe even produce and maintain a small handful of actual tier one u-
A call brought me out of my thoughts, the PRT.
I answered.
"This is Novax."
"Novax, this is Agent Krin. Are you able to meet? The Protectorate needs to speak with you, immediately."
What?
"Why? I gave you guys this line for a reason? Why can't it be done over the phone?"
"I'm not privy to the details I'm afraid, beyond it has to do with the current state of Boston. They want it in person for operational security."
That felt off. The current state of Boston? I hadn't heard from the PRT still since my automated call, no, scratch that, since I'd last spoken to Armstrong.
Fuck it, I was curious.
"Where do they want to meet?"
"Aerobat will meet you, I'll forward you an address and the time."
She did, near the Wellington Trainyard, an hour from now.
"Let him know I'll see him there."
An hour later the MKII was picked up by the air transport, the craft raising out of the same landing pad the Phantom used, extending out to just slightly longer than two APCs once it was in the air as it magnetically latched on and raised the suit. It was now my fastest available form of transportation. I could have taken an APC, or brought other units with me, but I had set up permanent patrols around Arlington since the Butcher's last attack. I didn't want to pull units away just in case if I didn't have to, and a meeting with the Protectorate wasn't a reason to.
It dropped the suit off a little ways away from the meeting point, before raising back into the air to circle around the trainyard until I was ready for it to pick me up. I didn't feel safe leaving it sitting around without guards, keeping it out of reach should be protection enough regardless.
I walked to the meeting point, a warehouse near the trainyard where I found Aerobat inside.
"Aerobat."
"Novax."
He was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. They looked… conflicted.
Odd.
"You needed to talk to me?"
"Yeah, we've been busy. Wanted to do so sooner, meant to reach out to you more after the attack on your kitchen but… well… the city is bad right now." He paused.. "The Teeth."
"What about them?" I said, warily.
"Armstrong told you to lay off without Protectorate supervision, you haven't." It wasn't an accusation, but a statement. "Novax, we're concerned. It's not just about optics like Armstrong talked to you about, it's about you. We don't want you to get killed, and we really don't want you killing the Butcher by mistake. That would make the bad situation in the city even worse, you need to lay off going in on your own. We-"
"What? Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not going to kill the Butcher."
"Novax, you filled a street with gas the last time you fought the Butcher. You fired missiles."
"It was empty and it was knockout gas, and the missiles carried a payload of gas not explosives."
"Most gases capable of knocking people out can kill in high enough doses if you aren't careful. And you aren't the first to go after the Butcher claiming they will be careful not to kill them, they either fail, end up dead, or become the next Butcher in either an accident or a panic. Going after them alone isn't safe, robots or not."
"Well I'm not them. I have a plan, and I know what I'm doing. I just need the time to execute it."
"So you admit you're going after them again? Does that plan include the Protectorate?"
I grit my teeth in aggravation. "You have barely touched the Teeth since they arrived. And no, it relies on the Butcher being hyper focused on fighting me. The Protectorate being present might harm the plan in that aspect." Besides, you wouldn't approve parts of it anyways.
The last part of my response seemed to bring the conflicting look in his eyes to the rest of his face as he rubbed his hands over his face. "A whole gang war kicked off kid, and we were there in Cambridge that first night, and we heard about the camp too late and were stretched too thin to get there in time. We've talked to and gotten Sacred Heart to help us cover parts of the city so we can send assets their way. Like yesterday."
"You said you'd reach out if you went after them."
"You didn't listen before, so the decision was made to not." He sighed. "Novax, we need you to come in, please. There are people really high up the chain above Armstrong with eyes on Boston right now and all the ways that this can get worse, your vendetta with the Butcher, while justified, is enough that they are concerned with how you are going off on your own after we've told you not to. And they don't have the same patience Armstrong has. Especially not while the city is the way it is. What your tinkertech can do scares them, and the thought of the Teeth or a Butcher with it is even scarier. Just… please will you agree to come in, hear us out and-"
"I don't want to be a Ward, I've told you this already. And I can handle the Butcher, I don't-"
Aerobat's face changed, as he put his hand to his ear and began to speak. "Just wait, give me a little more time! I can-"
Who is he talking t-
A thunk to my right grabbed my attention before I could finish my thought, as a grenade impacted my suit on the right side. Exploding into foam that quickly began to harden around the legs and the suit's right side. I engaged my shield, deploying the nano-constructor to reclaim the obstruction when the sound of a drawstring came from somewhere else in the building as a metal dart sailed through the air and impacted the left arm mid movement. My eyes widened as the shield immediately overloaded, and the bolt continued, right into the nano-constructor where it fused inside of it, destroying it in the process.
"This was ridiculous to even try, the only reason we even did first was because Armstrong insisted. She's too stubborn and you were getting nowhere." A familiar voice chided, coming from elsewhere in the warehouse, as people hidden around the warehouse began moving in towards the center.
…
…
Fuck.