Fastforward
Location: Continental United States
Date: January-8-2011
He sat on the park bench tapping his foot as his head darted around him. Looking, searching, waiting.
His mysterious benefactor wanted to meet. To lay out some sort of… job offer. What? He wasn't sure, but if it meant good pay and continuing his tinkering he didn't care. Whoever they were, they clearly had the funds and the means to get him what he needed.
The question was why?
He had a good guess what they wanted, considering his speciality.
Time Dilation. Chances are they'd want him to build them a chamber. That question was the easy one. The real question is what the hell did they want it for? Better yet, how did they know what he could build before he had even built anything yet?
Granted he wasn't actually sure they knew that, but they had to have known something for them to even reach out the way they did to begin with.
He'd only managed a small one so far. About the size of a microwave. That and the initial living expenses and finding a place to do his work had drained almost all of the initial funds he had been given. But at least he had a proof of concept. Plus, not having to wait as long for bananas to ripen was rather nice…
He checked his watch. They were late… he didn't even know who he was suppose to look fo-
Something hit the bench next to him. He turned, another briefcase.
He jumped to his feet, looking around, only to find no one. The park was still empty.
He looked at the briefcase, reaching down and opening it. A note inside.
"Direct cooperation is no longer most beneficial. Continue your work. Create a bigger example, funds provided. New investors will be introduced in time."
He blinked. "The fuck?" He looked further inside. It was filled with money, again.
He sighed in aggravation. Before taking the briefcase begrudgingly and beginning to leave. Why the fuck did they still make him wait out here. No, better question, just what the fuck did 'direct cooperation is no longer most beneficial' mean?
What had made them change their mind?
Challenger
Everything she never wanted. That's what she got out of Bastion's little fuck up. If she could castrate the fucker and get away with it she would.
Being interim Protectorate leader sucked ass. Especially with the city in the middle of a gang war. She'd practically begged for them to shove the job Baldr's way, he was already on the leadership track. Except they didn't think he was ready yet. That the situation was too volatile for him at this state, that she would be better as a bridge until they found a permanent replacement.
She couldn't wait for someone to take it from her. God, leading in the field, that part she was fine with. Everything else though? Extra paperwork, meetings upon meetings, and responsibility over the Wards.
She did not want to be in charge of the kids. Not that she had anything against them, she liked the brats, but she did better as more of a fun aunt. Who taught you how to break the rules and not get caught while still staying safe. Not as the figure of authority.
She was walking through the Ward's common room, dropping off something for Weld when he came in later. When she spotted Flechette, sitting on the couch looking downright miserable. Poor girl had gotten chewed out alongside Bastion and Sere. In her opinion she should have been given more slack, but at the time it happened it wasn't her call to make, and the assripping had come from above Armstrong.
Bastion's attempt at being a gloryhound had really fucked them over. They were supposed to try and talk her into coming in and then dangle a warrant over her head if she refused. Telling her they'd pursue it if she left, not try and take her then and there. Intercept her the next time she sallied out. Of course now they knew that wouldn't have worked, but still. Armstrong's choice, a choice she could see logic in, calling Independents into meetings to ambush them with pre-signed warrants on the spot wasn't a good look. Granted, not PR that would destroy them, they'd survive if it came out, but still. Besides, being that upfront might not have completely burned their bridge with Novax.
Only that asshole was worried about his career, and utilized a freshly transferred Ward and new Protectorate member to try and put a feather in his cap. If Novax had actually been in that suit he probably would have gotten his way. But instead all he had done was make a mess.
Armstrong had tried reaching out a few times afterwards, to try and pull off some miracle of words. She didn't think it was worth trying considering the Chief Director's sudden heavy handed stance, and Novax's refusal to even pick up the phone didn't help either.
"You doing alright kid?" She asked.
Flechette looked up, before glancing back down to the floor. "Alright I guess…"
"Anything you want to talk about? I have a few minutes until my meeting at least."
"No… not really. Just… hasn't been the kind of transfer I was expecting so far."
Challenger hid a grimace from coming to her face. "You getting along with the other Wards? I know things have been hectic, but have you gotten to know any of them?"
"Not really, I know them all from joint trainings when I was still in New York, but…"
Challenger really didn't know what to say, so she swung the conversation in a direction that she knew she could handle.
"How about a spar?"
Flechette looked up, confused. "What?"
"A spar! Me versus you and some of the other Wards. One on one wouldn't be very fair. It can be a team building exercise and all that. Things are kinda chaotic but I'll find some time during the day when it's quieter on the weekends."
Flechette blinked. "Uh, sure, I guess. Why wouldn't a one on one be fair?"
"Combat thinker." She responded, pointing towards her head. "Ramps up the longer I fight, the upper limit depends on how many people are involved, enemies impacting it more than allies, but one on one my upper limit practically makes me a combat precog. I know what move you're going to make before you do."
"That sounds… really handy."
"Yeah, great if I can single people out so long as they are in my weight class. Don't mean shit if you see the swing coming if they're faster and hit hard enough to turn you into paste. Bit of brute in me helps though. When I was back in Brockton Armsmaster was obsessed over it. I can't tell you the amount of times he recorded my fights or ran scans during spars. Said he was going to make an algorithm based on it. Wonder if he ever got around to that… Anyways, getting ahead of myself. Sound like a plan?"
"Yeah… sure. Why did you transfer from Brockton anyways?" Flechette asked, curious.
"New scenery, Boston seemed pretty nice. That and Lung."
"Lung?"
"Villain in Brockton. He ramps up the longer he fights, like me. Except he's physical while I'm mental. Bad power interaction, our powers turned into a feedback loop. He'd ramp up in response to me and as my power ramped up in response to him he'd start ramping up faster and faster in response to me ramping in response to him ramping up and... Well, you get the point. Bad place to be if you're not on his side and we were facing each other down. Better for me to head for greener pastures."
She slapped her knee, to break up the conversation in a way that made her feel old after she did it. "Anyways." She checked the time. "I should get going, meetings… But I'll figure out a time to get your Wards together for some mandatory bonding." She smiled.
"Okay." Flechette responded, awkwardly.
Challenger got up and walked away.
Well the ending to that couldn't have been anymore fucking awkward.
Challenger sat down in the conference room. Armstrong strolled in joining her shortly after.
There's been too many people with the word Arm in their name in my life.
"Challenger" Armstrong nodded.
"Armstrong." She replied.
"Still enjoying your new job?" He gave a pained smile.
"Loathing every second." She smiled, just as painfully.
"Sounds like you're settling in just fine then." He joked.
She snorted. Armstrong could be a snarky son of a bitch when he wanted to be.
"Any word on an actual replacement?" She asked.
"Not yet, afraid you will be stuck with it for a while longer."
She sighed. "Chipper…"
They both settled in, waiting for the conference call to begin. Eventually, the call came and they connected.
"Director Armstrong, Challenger, glad to see you both looking good."
Armstrong smiled. "Thank you Dragon. Hope you are doing well yourself."
"As good as I can be, Director. The Chief Director should be joining us shortly and we can get things underway."
"Did our agents manage to get good data for you?" Armstrong asked the Tinker.
Challenger had been wondering about that herself. Dragon had begun getting more involved with the Novax situation. Sending one of her own drones to Boston. It had gotten them footage of at least part of Novax's final fight with the Butcher. Dragon hadn't sent a suit to Boston or anything else major but the drone was helping keep tabs on the Tinker without murdering the BPDs budget on helicopter fuel.
She had also sent along some tinkertech scanners of her own design. Small enough an undercover agent could use one discreetly. They had agents use them to get scans of the one eyed bots Novax mass produced, by crossing them in the street on their seemingly random but automated patrol paths.
Whether that data held anything promising or not came down to Dragon's analysis.
"They did." Dragon responded, breaking up her thoughts. "I'll wait till things are fully underway to explain what I've found. That way I don't have to repeat myself."
"Understandable." Armstrong said back, nodding his head.
They talked back and forth bantering. Mostly about other parts of Boston and some of Dragon's ongoing projects. One big one a joint project with the Protectorate lead up in Brockton Bay. An attempt to make a prediction algorithm to determine when and where Leviathan, the Endbringer expected to attack next month, was likely to strike.
Finally, the Chief Director joined.
Chief Director Costa-Brown's face appeared on screen. "Apologies for the delay. An urgent matter needed my attention. In the sake of time and my other appointments I'm afraid I'll have to cut the pleasantries. Armstrong, start us off. I want the full report, even if it's something I may already know."
Armstrong sat up in his seat, straightening his back. "As we are all aware, as of two days ago the Teeth have effectively been destroyed. April 9th Accord's Ambassadors and the Travelers launched several strikes against Dark Society and Morning Glory. A break from the current trend in the city of gangs keeping their capes in during the day. Shortly after we scrambled available PRT and Protectorate resources, Novax moved into Malden against the Teeth. This does not seem like a coincidence, Think Tank backs that up as well. Regardless, Novax engaged the Butcher directly with another one of her suits, which we believe was manned by her personally based off the recording Dragon's drone managed to capture."
"I thought we had… unfortunately, determined Novax was not personally piloting her suits?" Costa-Brown asked.
"We believe she broke this pattern in order to keep the Butcher from disengaging as willingly. She was witnessed being injured near the end of the fight and was bleeding from her shoulder. Before being chased into the back of one of her APC's. A few minutes later Novax emerged, alarmingly bloodied more but otherwise alive. The Butcher… Well, we know where the Butcher is now."
Challenger's mind jumped to the post Novax had made. A simple link that showed a recording of the Butcher encased in some sort of tinkertech pod the Tinker claimed kept her sedated and alive. A prison specifically made for the problematic cape. A prison Novax was so far refusing to hand over to the PRT.
"Do we have numbers on how many were killed?" The Chief Director asked in return.
"Almost all of their remaining unpowered members. As well as the rest of the capes with the exception of Spree, who we believed slipped out along with a very select few others. Where they have gone since we are unsure, but the last sighting we had of them showed Spree wounded. Assuming he hasn't already passed on from his wounds he's likely still in Boston hiding, at least until he's somewhat healed again. Our analysts don't think he is in any condition to leave the city based on what we know."
"Dragon, any luck finding where that video was uploaded from? Or anything in regards to her tech?" Costa-Brown asked, changing topics.
"I'm afraid not on the video front. I haven't been able to trace it back to its source. However, I believe I have made some minor headways on the other front. Thanks to my drone present during the fight, the scanners I provided Armstrong and the wrecked robot that managed to be recovered."
Challenger had almost forgotten about that. One of the many bots sent swarming into Malden the night before Novax took on the Butcher. Undercover agents had taken a risk driving into Malden that next morning recovering wreckage from one of the drones.
Dragon continued. "I think I can tell you with some level of confidence that a large amount of Novax's crucial systems are quantum based."
That was news.
"Something you gleaned from the wreckage?" Armstrong asked, curious.
"No, in fact the wreck was honestly a complete dead end. Beyond some of the alloys used in its construction and some evidence further supporting that Novax's construction technology rearranges atoms, it unfortunately told me nothing. Every important system was completely fried beyond repair or my ability to attempt to reverse engineer it. That girl has some obscenely intricate fail safes in place to prevent her tech from being examined. To gleam anything worthwhile I'd have to have an intact drone which I think we all know is easier said than done. No, this was from the scans your agents were able to get covertly."
"Elaborate." Costa-Brown said.
"The scanners I provided to Boston were not the best, considering the size requirement to be used covertly. However, the data it generated was enough that I can confidently say that the network used to both control her drones and seemingly transport material is quantum based. In particular I'd say her ability to move material is likely through quantum tunnels. Something that is currently known by mundane science in terms of quantum mechanics, but not achievable outside of tinkertech."
"Okay, and how does knowing this help us?" Challenger asked, curious where Dragon was going.
"Because with this I think I know what happened with the Butcher. When Butcher and Novax entered the rear of the APC my drone was able to detect a large energy spike, and then a second shortly before Novax exited. I now believe that those energy spikes were likely some form of teleportation based around the same technology she may be using to transfer raw material."
Costa-Brown frowned. "If she has teleportation technology that will only further complicate bringing her in. Something even more important now after the Teeth."
"I mean." Challenger spoke up. "I'll be honest I know I'm just here to fill in this chair until you guys get someone better qualified. But do we really need to bring her in? I mean, couldn't we just… I don't know, act like we want to bring her in for looks and just… not? I mean, Bastion really screwed the pooch burning our bridge with her as harshly as he did but… She did us a favor as far as the Teeth are concerned, even if she was a little… too violent for the court of law. And considering the Butcher was the main driving factor in swapping to a hard approach with Novax, and she's currently on ice…"
Costa-Brown leveled a stare at her. "It's even more important now than ever. Bastion's error aside, Novax is still a problem, now in new ways. I'll agree, Novax taking down and removing the Teeth from play potentially permanently is a win, especially now that the Butcher concerns are seemingly out of play assuming her tinkertech is reliable. That's not the problem, it's how she did it. Her outright slaughter of the Teeth as a vigilante completely spits in the face of law and order in the United States. Having a vigilante that powerful gunning down villains and criminals uncontested is the exact opposite of what the PRT wants or needs."
She paused before continuing. "We have kill orders for a reason, and the Teeth lacked them due to the Butcher. And regardless if their members would have received them without her, kill orders are strictly for parahumans. The vast majority of the people Novax killed in broad daylight were not. In the eyes of the law they still had the right of due process should any of them tried to surrender, something we already know she's ignored in the past. Not to mention that she didn't engage the rest of the Teeth until after the Butcher was removed. Yet she still engaged with overwhelmingly lethal force after the fact, with no attempts to subdue anyone. Despite the fact she's proven capable of doing so before."
Challenger shuffled in her seat as the Chief Director continued. "While the vast majority of the public are thrilled in the areas the Butcher has been known to travel, there are still public concerns about a violent vigilante exercising that level of force. Increasingly so the further away you get from the areas the Butcher directly impacted. A concern the PRT shares, we can not allow a violent vigilante to murder as they please uncontested. Regardless if it was morally right for them to do so, legality demands they be brought in."
Costa-Brown sighed. "Novax has shown zero indication that she is nearing a ceiling or limit as of yet. She continues to grow, and based on the report I read yesterday about her now also setting up in another part of Boston, expanding. We also have zero indication beyond her word that she won't do something like this again, and next time I guarantee the next group won't be as clear cut morally as the Teeth. Not to mention the view this gives the public about the PRT if we simply ignore her after this. We do not tolerate violent vigilanties, that's the standard, Novax isn't getting special treatment. She's already been compared to Dragon, we are biting this in the bud before she starts getting called a second Gavel as well and we get put in the hot seat for ignoring her."
Interlacing her fingers in front of her, Costa-Brown finally finishing. "Going forward we acknowledge and agree that the Butcher being taken down is a good thing. But we maintain our stance against the unsanctioned violence utilized by Novax in her campaign. The shelling of buildings, filling the streets with murderbots and firing missiles within city limits. And stress the need for her to at least hand off the Butcher if she won't turn herself in. Which she is still refusing to do."
Challenger blinked her one good eye. "Alright then." Talk about a mouth full geez. "What are we going to do if she leaks her meeting with Bastion though?"
Costa-Brown snorted. "Who cares? Bastion is in trouble for being an idiot and likely burning the bridge and her willingness to even talk, should we need to, likely beyond repair. But we can take a PR hit, some independents or villains may lose some trust for a time. But that is likely easily fixed by pointing to Novax and the fact her death toll is now nearing triple digits. Teeth or not. I've talked it over with PR, it's survivable, and it's all she has on us if she tries it. She may win the opening battle, but we will win the war if it comes to it."
Costa-Brown turned to Armstrong and Dragon. "Either of you two have any more… concerns regarding Novax."
"No, you've made your stance exceedingly clear, Chief Director." Armstrong responded, his voice tense. Challenger knew he was still fuming about the Chief Director sticking her hands in Boston's business. He was convinced things would have turned out differently if he could have done things his way.
"As Director Armstrong said, Chief Director." Dragon chirped right after, her voice also strained.
"Good, now then. Armstrong, what do you lack or need to make a move on Novax."
Armstrong cleared his throat. "A lot. Novax implied she was residing inside the school she had taken over. However, the Think Tank when asked to verify gave… conflicting reports. There is a chance she isn't there at all. The only good news there is that we are still pretty sure she is located somewhere in or near Boston. But we have no way of finding where that would be beyond hitting the school and trying to find some sort of clue there. Which would be… problematic."
"How so?" Costa-Brown asked.
"The homeless population has taken a liking to Novax, for numerous reasons. And Novax has… adopted them in a way. There is a large number of civilians living around the school as a result, and while I don't believe it was Novax's intention in bringing them in, it has effectively equated to them acting as human shields. Any assault on the school will have to take that into account, not to mention the considerable defenses she continues to build that would require a considerable force to break. Plus, now with the Butcher contained by her any assault will need to progress with caution to not release a life pod we have no idea the exact location of."
"Which is now complicated even further if Novax can just teleport out of the school or wherever she is located if we close in…" Costa-Brown muttered.
"That is something I may have a solution to, Chief Director." Dragon spoke up.
Costa-Brown turned her attention to Dragon. "Go on."
"Assuming I am correct in the source of Novax's teleportation technology and its existence, it may be possible to create a jammer to prevent its use."
"Jamming the teleporter and her network of moving material?"
"No, likely only the first. If I am right on how Novax is moving material the tunnels necessary wouldn't need to be very large. In fact if she is truly only moving atoms and energy they could be incredibly tiny with a very small energy footprint. A hypothetical jammer, if I managed one, would best be described as a fishing net. A small fish like the tunnels she may use to move material, would simply slip through. But something like a teleporter moving people or in Novax's case, robots. Would have a much larger energy footprint, and in turn be a much larger fish, too large to slip through. It would likely be possible to negate or at least restrict any potential teleporter."
Costa-Brown hummed to herself. "And this is something you could attempt to create now?"
"No, I would need more data. An up close scan of it in use if it exists. From some of my more sophisticated tinkertech, or from another tinker who I consider to have an acceptable equivalent, such as Armsmaster. Even if we confirm for certain she has a teleporter right this minute I wouldn't be able to even attempt such a jammer without that data."
"There is also the concern of Boston's current state." Armstrong jumped back in. "Even if she had that jammer right this minute and we knew for certain Novax was inside the school. The amount of heroes and personnel that would be needed to focus on her would be blood in the water for every gang in the city. We'd need outside assistance to even attempt it. Or the time to first get the rest of the city under better control. But even then outside help would be required."
Armstrong rubbed his temple. "Even that would require some time to accomplish, and by then an Endbringer will be right around the corner. And regardless of how problematic Novax is or isn't, you'll find me hard pressed to commit heroes and resources to uprooting a tinker that dug in right on the eve of an Endbringer attack."
Costa-Brown sighed. "Fine. Then we will simply have to put off uprooting her directly."
She paused, before continuing. "Hinder Novax where possible, whether that be reducing her numbers or preventing future expansions after her most recent one in Somerville. In the meantime continue planning for a major operation to uproot her in Arlington. Hopefully she is there, but continue to search for any clue or hint to confirm or lead us to her actual location if she's not. Dragon will be lending her assistance in the matter from a tinkertech standpoint."
The Chief Director turned her direction to all three of them. "How likely is it that Novax attends the next Endbringer attack?"
Challenger and Armstrong looked between each other, surprised.
"Uh, based on what we know about her I'd say very likely." Challenger responded.
"In the event she does, she'd have to have some way of moving her own assets to wherever the attack is located. Assuming this teleportation technology does exist, and is capable of reaching the distance, we will use the opportunity to get the data Dragon nee-"
Challenger interrupted her. "Uh, Chief Director? Isn't that a massive breach of the Endbringer truce?"
"There is nothing in the truce that dictates one cannot passively collect data while standing next to another attende's creation." Costa-Brown retorted. Before turning to Dragon. "Unless another opportunity presents itself sooner, can one of your suits discretely collect the data you need if she utilizes it at the next attack?"
Dragon's face looked uncomfortable. "I mean… yes I could but-"
"Good, do it then. Regardless of how anything we've discussed progresses, we will circle back after the next Endbringer attack under these assumptions. Barring any concerning developments by Novax that force our hand sooner. Continue to monitor Novax's development, and Armstrong, get your city under control. Dragon, if the opportunity presents itself and we confirm Novax has access to teleporters, get that data and get us a damn jammer. That's an order, understood?"
"...Yes Chief Director." Dragon eventually responded.
Oh boy. Challenger thought. I'm sure this will go just fucking swimmingly.
Dinah Alcott
Dinah sat watching the television. Well… not watching really. More like disassociating in its general direction. Her parents sat behind her, talking about the news. About current events and then future events. Plans in the late summer for a holiday trip they had been planning and looking forward to.
The trip wouldn't happen, she'd run the numbers.
She didn't really care much for trips nowadays. It was hard to look forward to a future trip when you knew the end of the world was approaching. What that end was, she wasn't sure, only that within twenty years at the latest, the end would come. The numbers on humanity's chance for survival… fluctuating.
Regardless of when, beyond within twenty years, the date wasn't fully set in stone. There were a number of times it could happen, as a result of a number of possible catalysts.
Two to four months. That's how long they had, until the earliest catalyst would set the end in motion. But it could be stopped. And it was looking more and more likely that the best case scenario for circumventing the apocalypse, at least for this catalyst, was going to occur.
There were several outcomes that stopped it this time. But only one that both stopped it and best increased their odds of surviving when it did come. Granted then they'd only be safe for about two years until the next catalyst took its shot, but it was just that little bit more time to prepare. And the increased odds… were statistically significant.
Regardless, she'd run the numbers. She'd seen the branching outcomes, she knew what was likely coming.
She sighed, looking out the window in their living room.
Whether the end of the world was subverted this time or not, one thing was still true. Everything comes at a price. A better chance for survival wasn't free. If things continued how they seemed…
Humanity would pay their price, and it was not cheap.
Blockade
Strolling into the common room, Blockade couldn't help but spot Flechette sitting by herself. It hadn't even been a full week since her fellow Ward had transferred in from one of the New York teams. She hadn't had a very good time from what she could tell since getting to Boston, having been roped into her dad's bullshit almost immediately upon arrival. She looked in between her and the way to the kitchen, she'd only come in here for a snack before she was due to patrol but… Challenger had asked her to make an effort to talk to her…
Fuck it.
She walked over and plopped down next to her. "Wassup?"
Flechette looked up. "Uh, hi?"
"You've been doing alright?" She asked, awkwardly.
"I've been better." Flechette shrugged.
Blockade nodded back, pursing her lips. "Sorry to hear." God this was so fucking awkard.
Flechette nodded back, and the two of them sat next to each other in awkward silence. Until finally, Blockade spoke up again. "He's a fucking dick."
"I'm sorry?" Flechette asked, confused.
"Bastion, my dad. Massive dick, certified narcissist. He used to be a bit better before his scandal, better at putting on a facade to make people like him then. But he's always been a self-absorbed asshole. As long as I can remember him." She muttered. "Whatever he said to use you like he did with Novax, I'm not surprised, but none of that is on you. Regardless of who may or may not have yelled at you over it."
Flechette blinked, before relaxing back into the sofa. "I still don't know how to feel about that meeting you know." She started. "He talked about Novax like she was going to be the next incarnation of the Nine. Made it seem like I'd be doing Boston a favor, then after the fact, getting yelled at I felt like shit. That I had somehow spit on the trust of independents everywhere… and now that Novax is finished with the Teeth… I don't know what to think."
Flechette sighed. "What kind of person do you think she is? Not whatever the psyche profile says, but the actual person sitting behind the screen. I get the Teeth are horrible... er, were horrible I guess. But… to actually do it, to hit a button and sit back and watch dozens of people get gunned down on your order."
She glanced over towards Flechette. "I don't know… she was always hard to read. Kinda weird looking back knowing there was likely never a person there to begin with. I know there have been talks that her power could have fucked with her head a bit, like Accord, but we have no way of confirming it. Just interviews with people that used to know her on what she was like, the accounts don't add up to the person that went on a literal warpath a few days ago apparently. Granted that might also just be PRT analysts and old acquaintances of hers talking out their ass about a person they don't actually know enough about that they think they do, but who knows."
Silence lingered between them for a moment, before Flechette continued the conversation. "What's going to happen to your dad? I know he's not the Protectorate lead anymore, but…"
"Transferred far away from here I think. Not with the city as it is though, probably once things calm down."
"Will you go with him when he does?"
"Fuck no. I planned on transferring out of Boston first chance I could to get away from him. But now… I like this city, if he's getting thrown somewhere else I'll keep my ass right here."
"Is he really that bad? As a dad I mean." She asked. "I mean, sorry, you don't have to answer tha-"
"No, no, it's fine. I don't mind ranting about him. It feels good to get it off my chest sometimes. To answer your question he's always been a dick. As long as I can remember. But he got worse when I was six when my mom died, and even before then he wasn't great behind closed doors. Never hit me or anything, but words hurt enough."
She sighed, leaning back. "I hate him, I really do. He's always treated me like deadweight, only really ever cared about his career. Not even sure he really cared about my mom when she was still around. Sometimes, I just wish I could bash him upside the head with my fucking mace I get so damn angry at him. But then… but then he'll have a singular moment where it seems like he cares. And I'll be dumb enough to think things might be getting better now that I'm however much older at the time. Then he goes right back to usual and I feel like an idiot for thinking anything changed to begin with. For hoping I had a normal fucking dad and not him. "
"Sorry…" She said, like she didn't know what else to say.
"Don't be, it's not your fault." Blockade shrugged, before sitting up. "You want to play something?"
"Play something?"
"Yeah, rather than sitting here talking about depressing shit. We got a pretty good selection for the game console. We could play some, at least until I'm due to head out."
Flechette smiled. "Sure, why not."
Challenger
"You doing alright Challenger? Or should I say boss lady?" Aerobat smiled.
Challenger scoffed from her seat at the conference room table. "Do not, call me that batty boy." She smiled. "Ready for tonight?"
He seemed to be in better spirits. He'd been down in the dumps ever since Bastion.
"Only if things stay quiet. Meeting with the big lady go well?" Aerobat asked.
Challenger frowned. "I'd say no, something stinks."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything to do with Novax. Our stance stays, and she wants us to impede Novax wherever we can until after the next Endbringer attack. Then it's figuring out how to mount an effort to remove her. I can get it, to a point. Novax is by definition a violent vigilante, and she's not helping herself by taking over a parking lot in Somerville and refusing to hand off the Butcher. Even if just ignoring her was an option I can get why someone like her would say no. But something felt off ever since the Chief Director first stepped in. Armstrong had the situation in hand, and if it turned out he didn't we would have changed our approach anyhow. But if I didn't know any better I'd almost say it seems like she wants the PRT and Novax at odds."
Aerobat blinked. "Why the hell would she want that?"
Challenger shrugged. "I don't know. But whether that's true or not, something about this whole situation feels off. You should have heard what she told Dragon to do…"
"Well?" Aerobat asked, waiting to hear.
"I'd tell you if I could. The Chief Director wants it hush hush, need to know. Better if I don't drag you into it to be honest, but I don't like it. I'll tell you that much."
"That bad?"
"In my opinion, yeah. Trying to decide if I should say something or not… But I'm honestly kinda worried what kinda hellfire might rain down on me if I do."
"Well then… Think things will stay quiet a third night in a row?" Aerobat asked.
She shrugged again. "No idea, I'm not complaining though if they do. It won't last though, eventually one of them will make a move."
Things had been quiet since Novax had handled the Teeth. Current guess was all the other groups were being cautious, waiting to see what she'd do next before they committed to anything else. No one wanted to risk getting the Teeth treatment, but eventually they'd stop waiting and start making moves again.
The answer so far had been Novax taking over a parking lot in Somerville. They hadn't attempted to stop her, primarily because of the sheer amount of robots she had dropped in, plus her suit. The explosion caused by the last one was still present in their minds. Besides, the Chief Director hadn't ordered them to stop her from expanding at all costs at that point, and no one was willing to risk it without more support before that order was given. Heavier hitters that could more easily deal with the tinker.
Now as a result, a section of a shopping center parking lot was now walled off, and another domed shield overhead. As well as a building in the center with one door and no windows. What she was hiding inside they had no idea.
Regardless, Novax now patrolled parts of Somerville as well, and the Four had made no attempt to contest. The group's fighting style of poisoning the entire field was useless against Novax's drones.
Not to mention they were still pretty sure Accord and the Travelers distraction the day Novax took on the Butcher was intentional. Which brought up the question of if it was a one off deal or the beginning to something bigger. And if so, why the hell was Accord not making moves and instead holding back like everyone else. Unless he was taking advantage of the quiet to do things behind the scenes.
"Well I'll gladly enjoy the peace and quiet as long as it holds." Aerobat said. "Though you're probably right, it's only a matter of time before things kick back off. Only question is where, and how."
Midr
"We can't keep just sitting on our asses." He said to the room. "We need to take back the initiative."
"And if Novax gets involved now the Butcher isn't there to distract her? Unlike how a certain someone was certain would hold true until we had at least gotten Mystic Mass off the board." Digger snarled, looking Compulsion's way.
Compulsion chimed in. "An unexpected road bump-"
"Road bump? Motherfucker it's more than a road bump! I don't give a shit if it was expected or not, I don't live here. Boston is nothing but a business stop with a short little fuck I hate with a passion, and I have no intention of sticking around if it means running the risk of getting the Teeth treatment from Boston's newest violent vigalante."
"There is no evidence that Novax will continue the same lethal level of violence that she used against the Teeth."
"No but there is plenty of evidence that she's not going to sit on her ass and watch with the Butcher gone." Midr interrupted. "She's practically already run out The Four from Somerville. They don't have the right kind of firepower to contest her little expansion even if they tried, and they're smart enough to know it."
Compulsion stood still in silence, before speaking. "What about Blasto-"
"Blasto isn't going to help dumbfuck. How many times do I have to explain it to you? Your grandplan isn't going to work idiot!" Digger yelled. "All the dude would want from you is better lab equipment, and he's not going to give Accord an excuse to send the Travelers to lob a sun into his current one. He's more than content to keep working on whatever special project he has going on in peace while the rest of us tear at each other's throats. Even more so now if it runs the risk of Novax."
"He's right." Midr added. "We all know Accord's Ambassadors and the Travelers making all that noise when they did wasn't a coincidence. Novax and Accord had already found the common ground to come to some sort of arrangement before, now with the PRT and Novax at odds, chances are it's coming into bloom now."
"Then taking Novax off the board now mi-" Compulsion began, before Digger cut him off with a laugh.
"What the fuck is this creepy fuck talking about? You want us to take on that girl's little fortress? How, with what? Throw Fury at Novax's tinkerden up in Arlington and saunter in behind her?"
"Do you have a better idea?" Compulsion responded, his sing song tone gone. Guess it was a show after all.
Digger barked a laugh. "I have a great idea, it's called you guys are on your own. We're done, you go ahead and do that and I'll watch with popcorn from New York as you guys get the same treatment as the last group to attack that school while it was crawling with the homeless." He stood from the position he held leaning against the wall as the room was filled with the sound of his boots as he walked out.
The rest of the room stood in silence as he left.
"Well, things seem to be going great here. Hey, Adalvard. How much are we getting paid for this again?" Woodsurfer said, breaking the silence.
"Enough. For now." Adalvard responded.
Midr frowned in their direction, the two leaders of the Iron Wolves. His contract with the mercenaries had already elapsed a day without them actually doing anything. He could practically feel the money burning away. He turned his attention to Compulsion, it was hard to tell what the creep was thinking with his face coverings.
"You're not as smart as you think you are, you know that." Compulsion turned his way. "Digger is right, throwing Fury at Novax isn't the solution. That school is crawling with homeless people living inside her walls. We do that and people Novax cares about will die. She's already shown what she's capable of if someone makes that mistake. Plus she's announced to the world she's contained the Butcher, and she's keeping her to boot. We have no idea where that life pod is."
Midr sighed in frustration. "Not to mention we can't just throw Fury around. The Protectorate doesn't have a heavy enough hitter here to hurt her when she gets going, and it takes them time with bureaucracy to authorize firing an intercity missile. And they only ever do when they have Bastion on standby to minimize the collateral. But if we start throwing her out too often or at the wrong target the Protectorate will bring someone in who can. And need I remind you that Legend is only a few hours south of here?"
"As that may be, we have to do something. Neither of us have the luxury of just picking up shop and leaving Boston so easily. We're in too deep, whether we like it or not."
This motherfucker. He was right, they were both too invested in Boston to just leave. He regretted ever signing on with the creepy fucker.
"Well targeting Novax isn't it. If she comes at us we'll have to handle it the best we can. But no poking the bear. With any luck the Protectorate will try to interfere with her just as much as they do us. Or better yet, she won't be as present of a threat towards us as we are fearing. We focus on our regular targets."
"Then do exactly what was getting us nowhere before? Throwing ourselves at Mystic Mass only to be harassed by the Protectorate, Ambassadors and the Travelers. Meanwhile those that don't get sidetracked get turned back when Heaven's Light rains down on them like a holy disco ball. You say you don't want to risk Fury but Fury might be the one thing we need to finally make them crack. And the Protectorate hasn't done anything to impede Novax."
Midr grumbled. "Utilizing Fury again will be my decision and mine alone. Ultimately it will be us who gets the most heat anytime she takes the field, I'm not going to make a decision like that lightly. And the Protectorate aren't going to barge into hitting Novax when she's got the Butcher in some pod without knowing they won't accidentally release or worse, kill them by accident. Same reason as us there. Why they didn't stop her in Somerville I don't know, but it's probably only a matter of time before the Protectorate drops the hammer. We need to focus on our other problems before they do, because we don't want to have to poke our heads up when it happens."
Compulsion crossed his hands behind his back. "Then something needs to change with our approach. I am getting sick and tired of Sundancer burning down stash houses only for them to slip any attempts to track them or the Ambassadors back to where they are hiding."
"We may be able to help with that." Adalvard spoke up. "If you need someone tailed, Diskan has a drone that might be able to manage it. His speciality is defensive drones, but he does have one he keeps that manages as far scouting goes. It might do the trick to finding where they are resting their heads." He finished, pointing in the direction of his tinker teammate.
Midr looked in his direction. "See if you can manage it next time they show themselves. Wiping the Travelers off the board will make our lives a lot easier. In the meantime-" He turned to Compulsion. "-I will consider bringing out Fury again. But if we do, only once more, and it won't happen if I think doing so will bring someone like Legend to town."
He stared down Compulsion. Trying to figure out what was going on in the overconfident man's head behind his bandages.
"I suppose that will have to do."
I sat and watched as several construction arms moved in a flurry. Like the spindly legs of a spider weaving a web. Only these legs fired construction beams from its tips, and instead of a web, the MACU was slowly coming to life. It was April 12th and it had been three days now since I had finished with the Teeth. The Butcher now sat in the Bunker with myself. Sound asleep in the life pod I had constructed her.
Eventually I'd find an even more secure location to lock her away, but the bunker was the best place for the time being. I didn't want to risk her getting loose if the school got hit. Even if her presence acted as a deterrent, yet again I didn't need her to actually be there to accomplish that.
I had released a simple video and statement once I had gotten her into the pod. To make sure there wouldn't be any misconceptions that I had become the next Butcher, and to make it clear I wasn't going to hand her over. I didn't trust giving any of my technology over to the PRT, and I didn't trust another tinker to build a substitute. Plus, ultimately the deterrent that she posed as an unknown variable worked in my favor to deter future attacks even without her there so long as I didn't reveal where she was held.
A day after my final assault I had sent a large detachment to Somerville to claim the mass point that laid there. Quickly throwing up walls and basic defenses. Nothing as robust as Fort Bluff, but enough to make people think twice. Thankfully it was smack in the middle of a large parking lot. I did my best to take as little space as I could, but technically it was still rather illegal. But, it would be for the greater good. I'd give the space back in a few months, once I had enough mass income available that I could sacrifice giving spots like this up. I'd even redo the pavement for them when I did, so really whoever the owner was would be getting a net positive out of the arrangement.
I had expected the Protectorate to try and stop me in some way, prepared even. But surprisingly they just… didn't. They definitely had eyes on me as I did, but for some reason they didn't make any moves. Not that I was complaining, but I found it odd.
Could they be planning something… unsure. If they were, the information was out of my current reach.
The hacking suite had seen decent progress, and I was getting info about the PRTs movements now to a point outside of the Phantoms. But the only thing better than knowledge is the other side not knowing you have it. I could probably do a lot more against their cybersecurity than I was, the only thing was if I did it wouldn't be subtle. More like slamming my way through a brick wall, it would be noticed.
I didn't really want them to know I was beginning to seep my way into their systems, so I was keeping it slow. Easing my way in as I managed to get the software to be more sophisticated, pushing the boundary of what I could achieve without setting off alarms.
In the meantime I had other problems.
The Teeth's demise had brought quiet to the city. At least for now. The gangs apparently were spooked enough to not make any moves, and Accord was taking advantage to help shore up Mystic Mass and negotiate with the Travelers to keep them in town longer.
We'd come to a finer agreement as far as my assistance was concerned. I didn't want to be so openly associated with picking a side in a gang war if I could help it, and intervening too often in a way beneficial for him would draw too many eyes eventually. So the deal was simple, if Fury was deployed I would come knocking. His trump card in response to theirs.
Otherwise I was free to focus on the MACU and prepare for the next Endbringer attack. That and feeding the hungry. Something I was able to do in Somerville now on top of Arlington.
The end of the Teeth had left me… conflicted. On one hand I was glad it was over, that they couldn't hurt anyone ever again. But on the other hand… My powers after the fact had filled me with… euphoria. Like it was rewarding me for doing what it wanted, it Pavlov and I the fucking dog.
That had ruined any sense of victory I held. Just another reminder that my powers were meddling with my head more than I was okay with. The decisions I had made were mine, but I'd be lying if I didn't think the changes it had brought and the influence I did my best to block out didn't impact my decision making in any way. I wanted my decisions to be mine, not my powers.
But, in a way that ship had already sailed. It was a fact that certain parts of my psyche were just… different, or gone since day one. Parts cut out and something grafted in its place. Violence didn't phase me, killing either. It had already set the building blocks from day one to make me more willing to do what it wanted me to do it seemed. It just had to give me a nudge.
I hated that, and I'd be damned if I just gave in that easily. I'd be lying if I made some pact now to disavow killing an enemy ever again. Stuff like the Nine existed, I knew there would likely be a situation where it would be necessary again. But that didn't mean I should become lax after the Teeth. I needed to reel myself in even more, I felt like I was near a cliff's edge. I didn't want to fall any deeper.
I would remain in control… like I was now.
I was in control… right-
I shook my head. Of course I was.
As a result I had done the best I could to block out the good feelings my power tried feeding me in the aftermath of the Teeth. Focusing even harder on other projects. Designing things to fight Leviathan. Air power, that was my next goal. Cheaper designs for planes or gunships I could get made in time for then, allowing me to hit the oversized lizard wherever he went. Not to mention more reactors, I had some being built alongside the MACU just because the need for more power was so high. Especially for the swap over from nano-constructors to protocrafters. Plus I'd need more to manage enough gates to get my units to wherever the attack will happen. But all of that was future stuff, for now, MACU. It would be finished on the twenty first, until then I needed to find a way to keep myself busy.
Boston's gang war had opened back up the next couple of days. Not to the same degree that they had been though. But the violence was kicking back up regardless, easing its way back to what it was before. I kept tabs on things, and kept my line open for Accord. I was his answer for Fury after all. I still intended to get to the bottom of who had put the Butcher up to what she had done, but that would come in time. Not like they would be going anywhere.
Well, except for the Bikers. They had fled town it seemed, but Accord was certain Digger wasn't the one behind the Butcher's attack. His finger still pointed to Compulsion.
Regardless the next few days I focused on letting all of my resources I had coming in flow into the MACU. Seeking out fights would lead to units I'd potentially lose and need to replace, which would take mass and energy away from my new toy.
The PRT seemed to finally be doing something about my expansion into Somerville. Anytime my Enforcers went more than a few blocks away they would make an attempt to intercept. Rather than allowing them to engage I simply opted to pull my patrols back for the time being rather than risk creating even more distractions when all I wanted was to sit and wait for the MACU like a giddy kid on Christmas Eve waiting for their presents.
But beyond that, they were still leaving the outpost alone. And they wouldn't even go anywhere near Arlington.
Fine by me.
"You okay kid?"
I snapped up in my chair. I had been dissociating. Looking up at Markus through the MKIII's camera. I had sent the suit down into the bunkhouses to check with people. Something I hadn't actually done since… well since I lost the MKII.
"I'm okay." I said.
"You sure?" He asked, concern in his voice.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Markus took a deep breath. "Kid, you've killed… a lot of people. Even when they're bad people, that shit leaves a mark. I've been meaning to check on you ever since you… finished with the Teeth. But you haven't come out since then. I'm worried, a lot of us are worried."
The MKIII's head turned towards him. "I'm… I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine. Kid you seem like you've been spiraling ever since the Butcher came to town. You've barely spoken to anyone beyond the necessities out here. It seems like you're closing yourself off."
Have I been spiraling? I thought.
"I'm not spiraling."
Markus started to say something. Before stopping, sucking in air and letting it out in a sigh. "I don't want to lecture you kid. But, I think you need to talk to people more."
"I talk to people."
"Keyword was more. How much human interaction have you had since you put the Butcher in a box?"
"Uh…" Beyond a few short meetings with Accord none. "Plenty."
"Kid I know a lie when I hear one. Look, I'm not going to ask you to let me go full therapist right now and try and unpack whatever state your head is in after these past few weeks. But I am going to ask you get out of that fucking school and have normal conversation with people down here more often. If not for your sake ours?"
I sat in silence for a moment. "I'll try coming down more often. I can't promise anything though, I've been… busy. Big project."
"Good. Better than nothing, you gotta take better care of yourself kid. And that is the adult in me talking. Whatever is up, you can't just close yourself off."
"Yeah…"
Was I really closing myself off that much? It's not like I wasn't doing anything… I was busy. That's different…
Digger and his bikers leaving town had a bigger impact on the war than I thought. Granted they were basically replaced by some mercenaries called the Iron Wolves, but their fighting style was vastly different from the hit and run tactics the Bikers had employed.
Accord had been making gains though. The Travelers had come to some agreement with him to stay longer, the details I wasn't privy to but ultimately not my problem. And Mystic Mass had continued to hold out with assistance, and the firepower their leader, Heaven's Light, wielded. I had seen the light show in the most recent push from one of the Phantom's that were overhead to provide video feed to Accord. Allowing him to provide assistance to his capes over radio from far away.
Watching the gang leader work was… rather mystifying. The guy knew how to give himself a sense of presence. Draped in dark robes, white porcelain mask, barbed crown, cross in one hand and a bible in the other. Waltzing out onto the field, chanting latin prayers as he called down countless beams of light across the field. Definitely knew how to fit the part of gang leader of a dark Christian themed gang.
The Four had moved down to Hyde Park. But despite choosing new grounds to try and set their roots in they hadn't attempted to get involved again so far. Good, otherwise Accord might ask me to chase them out to somewhere else. He still hadn't needed to call in my direct support, outside of information I provided him from my Phantoms. Morning Glory still hadn't brought out Fury a second time, so I was left to my devices to await the MACUs completion.
Walking through the bunker, I eventually stopped in front of the almost complete MACU. Staring up at it.
Soon, only one more day and I'd finally get to step inside. I was excited, needless to say, the need to be inside was growing by the hour. The past few days I had been thinking more and more about what Markus had said. He was right, I had been closing myself off since the Teeth. Almost every waking hour I had been forcing myself to focus on some project, anything but leaving myself to my thoughts.
I still wasn't sure I wanted-
An alarm went off bringing my train of thought screeching to a stop. The alarm wasn't a bad one, just that I had a call coming in. I rushed back to my console to answer. It was Accord.
"Accord, what can I-"
"Where were you? They're pushing again."
"Yes. I'm aware, I saw the alert. I wasn't directly at my console to look, but I already have a Phantom overhead in that area for you to tap into its camera fee-" I stopped, as I actually looked at the Phantom's camera at the latest fight breaking out near Mystic Mass territory. It was the biggest commitment I'd seen them send since before the Butcher had been handled. They even had… oh shit.
"I take it you see the problem now?"
I sighed, pressing buttons to bring units to life.
For fucks sake.
"So much getting to sit back until the MACU is finished…" I grumbled.
"This was our final agreement." Accord chided with irritation.
"I know, not annoyed at that, annoyed at them." I glanced back at the video feed, at the monster in the middle of the street, ten feet tall and growing.
Fury had come back out to play, and it was about to be my problem to deal with her.