Contracts 7.1
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The week following the return of Lung and the ABB wasn't as bad as the first or the second day, but it still was bloody. Explosions continued apace, with at least four a day, and the Asian gang did great damage to the city, especially the E88-held regions. There were skirmishes every day and large battles every second night, but no one managed to stop Lung. Worse, the wounded were piling up against him, and every single attempt was more and more costly.
Which led to the meeting today, in a small desolate bar found in one of the worst parts of the city, ten days after the start of hostilities.
Somer's Rock.
I hadn't known before earlier today, but Somer's Rock was neutral ground for the capes in the city, the one place where the various gangs might talk to each other. I'd been surprised there was a mechanism in place for something like that, but it seemed it was actually an old tradition. Marquis supposedly had been the one to declare the bar neutral ground a dozen years ago, and still it held.
The Undersiders and I were early, but surprisingly still not the first. That honor was reserved to the E88 who, judging by the number of glasses on the table, had been present for at least an hour.
Kaiser, the man who lead the Empire, was alone at the center table, looking like a knight in full plate armor. Behind him in a booth were a trio of his capes, the size changer Fenja, the flying artillery Purity and the metalmorph Hookwolf. It was only a portion of the capes under his command, but rumor was these were the only Empire parahumans still viable in combat. Menja, Fenja's sister, was rumored either dead or seriously wounded after taking on Lung nearly alone.
Grue went straight to the center table, while the rest of us took a corner both. I made sure to have clear sight of the door, since I had a mission here.
Speak of the devil, I thought.
Coil walked in, alone. Another might be surprised at him coming without any backup, but I knew better.
This wasn't Coil.
I could see the glow around everyone, could see their powers, but not around the Undersider's secret boss. The man in the snake suit was simply a normal human. Still, the fake Coil took a place at the center table as if he was sitting down for dinner, right beside Grue.
Tattletale looked directly at me as he sat down. I shook my head and whispered just loud enough for her to hear through my helmet. "Not a cape."
She looked back down at that, and I could hear her swearing under her breath.
Faultline was the next coming in, right on time. She surprisingly went the long way around, seemingly only to snarl at Tattletale when she passed right in front of our booth. She then took a chair opposite Grue, right next to Kaiser. The rest of her group, which included two Case 53s, sat behind her in another booth. I looked at Sveta beside me, and she nodded. She hadn't yet made contact with the pair of them, but the look on her face meant it wasn't going to be long in coming.
I'd expected that to be all, but another group came in before talks started. I didn't recognize them, something which I supposed meant they were from outside of town. They were all in red and black, the four them, which included a large ape-like creature. I'd have thought a Case 53, but it wasn't glowing, so it it something different, without powers. Coil introduced them as the Travelers, confirming my hypothesis, and their leader, a man in a tuxedo and top hat who introduced himself as Trickster, bowed before taking a seat on the other side of Coil.
"This is everyone, as Lung won't be showing, being the subject of this meeting," Kaiser said, opening the discussion. He turned to look at everyone. "All of us have faced the ABB in one form or the other, but only now have they gone beyond being a nuisance. More than a hundred dead and three times that in wounded, including students, businessmen and candidates for mayor. Open fighting in the streets. There are even talks of the army being deployed in Brockton Bay. It can't go on."
"I agree," the Coil impersonator replied. "The ABB won't be able to maintain this rhythm long, which might have been a good thing, but even a single week more could mean there wouldn't be enough left of the city for it to matter. There are rumors that Bakuda is currently building some form of superbomb, and trying to hold the city hostage as she did Cornell."
"She's the danger here," Grue said, joining the conversation. "We've each faced the ABB before, so we all knew it. Lung was the only reason the gang didn't disappear. They could hide behind his monstrous strength." He shook his head. "But he was only one man, and couldn't be everywhere. Bakuda is the one who's given the ABB the ability to do real damage."
There were nods all around the table.
"Everyone seems to be in agreement, then," Coil said. "The ABB cannot be left to do its business the way it has been doing."
"I propose an alliance," Kaiser said. "All of us against the ABB. No infighting, no skirmishes, no nothing. Our territories stay the same until Lung and Bakuda have been taken down. We concentrate all our forces in making sure the two of them are removed from the city, however that is."
"I would actually recommend more," Coil said. "We limit our illegal activities to the bare minimum and enforce the same in the lands we hold. That will leave the PRT and the Protectorate free to focus their full might on the ABB. I'll even contact the authorities to make sure that they know of this."
Everyone nodded. I wasn't surprised at that; the only group left whose parahumans held territory and dealt directly in crime was the E88, and they were having enough problems as it was. Coil, from what I understood, mainly had a protection racket going on, we Undersiders were flush with cash after the bank heist, and Faultline was a business owner and a mercenary. There wasn't much crime to affect at the moment.
I was surprised when Faultline rose from her chair. "This is all good, but I unfortunately can't be part of this. I'm already under another contract, and I don't have time for this. If the ABB is still a nuisance once I'm done with my current job, I'll be happy to help you provided my rates are paid. I'll keep things low and calm, though." She walked out the bar, and the rest of her group followed. "Good luck with that," she said as she went out. Beside me, Tattletale's eyes went wide.
"That's too bad." Coil sighed, turning to the other leaders. "How about you, Kaiser."
"I can agree with that." The E88 cape answered.
"It sounds fun," Trickster said with a smirk from his place beside Coil. "I'm in."
"That's pretty much…" Grue started, only for Tattletale to rise and tap him on the shoulder. "Yes?" he asked.
She turned to look at everyone. "Faultline's under contract with the ABB."
All eyes turned to her. "Seriously?" Grue said.
Tattletale simply nodded.
"That's an issue," Coil said. "For all their limited power, Faultline's crew are professional mercenaries. Fighting them while hitting the ABB might be too much."
Kaiser turned to Grue. "Let's ask the newcomers at this table," he said. "You trust the information your team member brought up?" he nodded. "Then you take care of it. While everyone else will be hitting the ABB, your job is to keep Faultline and her team from interfering. Or do you think this is too much for the 'masters of the escape'?"
That was the nickname the newspapers had given us. The heist hadn't been first page material, but only because Bakuda's rampage had started the same day.
Grue didn't even look back. He simply nodded. "Fine. If that's what everyone wants. We won't hold back if the ABB attacks us, though."
Both Kaiser and Coil nodded, and the meeting wound down after that. People exchanged contact information, then everyone went their own way, including the six of us.
"You better be sure of what you're saying, Tattletale," Grue said once we were a mile or so away from the bar. "You end up wrong this time, and our reputation's in shreds."
"Ninety nine percent sure," she replied. "If she'd been under another contract, she'd already be gone outside the city. Only reason she'd stay was if her contract's in Brockton Bay. And who else would give her team a contract now?" She looked away. "I could read it in her. She was sizing up everyone, as if she was planning on fighting us. I don't see many more reasons for that."
I nodded. What she said made sense. I had the feeling the ABB went all-or-nothing, and hiring mercenaries fit that.
The six of us stepped into a van and drove off.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"So, what did you find out?" Brian asked an hour after the meeting. We were three around the table in my base, Lisa, him and I. Coil had finally given the Undersiders an exact date for their new lair, which was three days from now. He was late, true, but he'd said that the place he'd been preparing had ended up being damaged in one of the detonations.
"Quite a bit, but not the exact detail we wanted," I replied, scowling a little. "The Coil there was an impersonator without powers, so still no clue about his powers. I did, however, get a good look at everybody else. Anyone in particular you want to know about?"
I did a little trick at the meeting. While I was there, T was with my father and he was using his powers on her. That was one of the details I'd noticed recently: anything that affected my powers, be it switching powers around or boosting them, also affected T, even if she wasn't present. The opposite was also true.
Lisa and I had hoped to find out about Coil's power that way, but it seemed the man was too paranoid for a plan like this to work. The both of us had informed Grue about it without telling his why, and he'd given the OK. We still found out quite a bit, though not what we wanted.
"Are you writing it down?" Brian asked seriously.
I nodded, pushing the papers I had in front of me. "I'm not done yet, but soon enough."
"I'll read them then," he said, then turned to Lisa. "I still don't get why knowing Coil's power is a priority. There were at least five capes there more dangerous than him."
"Yeah, but we at least have an idea of what their powers are," Lisa explained. "Coil's is a mystery, and that's the kind of thing that gets you killed."
"OK, OK, I get it," he said, raising his hands up. "Anyway, the current priority is Faultline's team. It would be good to know Coil's ability, but they're the ones we'll have to fight."
Both Lisa and I nodded.
Brian turned to Lisa. "Any more details about their contract? That would be useful to prepare for battle."
"There's three possibilities that come to mind:" Lisa started. "First, backup, like Kaiser said. I personally don't think that's the valid one, since Lung has been fighting alone since forever."
Brian nodded. "Agreed. It's possible, but not the most likely."
"Second, defense. Lung hired Faultline to protect something. If that's what he did, I'm pretty sure you can guess what they're protecting."
"Bakuda," he snarled.
"Bingo!" she said with a smile. "Like was said earlier, Bakuda is the lynchpin of this operation. She falls, the ABB's done, so this option seems pretty plausible."
"And three?" I asked.
"Three's breakout or something similar. Backup, but not for combat," she continued. "That one will be tougher. We'll need to stop her from breaking the pair of them out, something which her team is very talented at. Won't be easy to do."
Lisa then shrugged. "Every other option I can think of would've already been done by now if Faultline was under contract. She's not one to wait on the sidelines, looking for a better time. You agree?" She looked at the both of us.
I raised my hands in defeat. "Seems valid, but I don't know Faultline that well. I'm not the best to ask such a question."
Brian was longer to reply. "Makes sense," he finally said, face tight. "So, only thing to wait for now is the first assault by the allied forces. We'll have to be ready, but at least we'll be able to remove one of the three options off the table."
Lisa and I nodded again, her with a smile. We'll be ready for them, I thought.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Contracts 7.2
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As I'd been doing for the past few nights, I used a good portion of the hours after sunset to search the city. Preparing a visit from Slenderman required both time and knowledge of where I'd meet my prey, so I needed Bakuda to be found as quickly as possible. Sveta had tried using her power to help, but found no result with the maps she'd been given either physically or on the computer. It seemed to be some form of restriction she had, but now wasn't the time to test the limits of her powers.
It was my third day spent on extended searches, after six of smaller ones, and from the looks of it I was having no more luck than I had been having the past few days. I did, however, have an extra lead to track down.
The Palanquin.
With the results of the meeting at Somer's Rock earlier today, I went and asked Tattletale for as much information as possible about Faultline and her group. Not about their powers, since I already knew everything about them, but about their personalites, their histories and whatever other info she possessed about the Striker's crew.
Including the location they worked from.
The issue with the Palanquin was that it was a nightclub, and as such had its busiest hours while darkness covered the city. With my age I couldn't go in as a civilian. Which meant I had to scout the place in shadow form.
Not as easy as one might think.
I started with the top floors and cleared them without difficulty, especially since they were nearly empty. The VIP rooms were busy, passionately so in some cases, but I wasn't there to be a voyeur. The rest of the top floors were nearly abandoned, with only a janitor present.
The dance floor, however, was an issue.
With the disco ball and the lasers there, My field of view would have been bizarre in normal form, let alone shadow state, to say the least. Added to this bizarre sight was the annoyance/pain that came whenever one of those light beams passed over my position on the ceiling. As such, it took a good thirty minutes before I could confirm that no one matching a member of Faultline's crew was in the building. I was pretty sure that if I hadn't been in shadow form, I would have lost my lunch trying to look at everyone dancing. The effect wasn't disimilar to when Grue used his power on his costume, only applied to my shadow sight.
After leaving the club I continued my rounds in ABB territory and its surroundings. By now this was almost half the city, which meant hours of work. It wasn't completely useless, as I managed to stop a couple of robberies by ABB gang members, but there was no sight of my real objective.
Sighing inside, I made my way back to base and to my workshop. I'd done what I could for the moment.
Time to do something more interesting, I thought. I loved the feeling of creating something with my very own hands, ans that was exactly what the doctor ordered after a few hours of tiring searching.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
I didn't work with T very long before she left for her own round of patrolling. Each of us did a single such round every night, me first and her second. It allowed us to have two different points of view, all the better for finding Bakuda. I'd made sure to tell her about Faultline, as a second check there couldn't hurt.
In terms of tinkering, most of what was on the drawing board was done. The fact that school was closed had been of great help. I'd finished Apparition's breastplate, the last missing part of her costume, which gave me the illusion I was quite a bit more 'gifted' chest-wise than I actually was. Slenderman's new suit was also done, completely this time. I wasn't going to be leaving with generic gloves and shoes when I went out now. In terms of toughness, this version was pretty much the same as the previous one, only quite a bit more fire resistant. Once complete, I'd sprayed the suit with a liquid that left a flame retardant film behind. This was in preparation for fighting Lung at some point in the future. Right now, however, Bakuda had priority.
What I was working on now was the costume planned for a third identity, which I nicknamed Arsenal. Unlike the others, this was an actual set of power armor rather than a suit. The frame and the exterior were already done, so it could already be worn, but the systems I'd planned for the inside weren't even ten percent complete. The only thing fully built was a voice modulator which would give me a somewhat deep, masculine voice.
I'd planned on Arsenal being 'officially' male, so that specific piece of equipment had priority.
The reason I was working on Arsenal's armor before any new project was because I would need it when the PRT interviewed me regarding my rogue affiliation request.
Some might be surprised, but affiliating with the PRT did not require a real name and identity. It did, however, require proof of one's abilities, which sometimes meant extensive testing. More than sixty percent of the rogue capes affiliated with the Parahuman Response Team were either Tinkers or Thinkers. Brutes were the least represented type, even below Trumps.
Tinkers tended to have the easiest time getting such a request accepted. For two reasons, Lisa had said. First, because the PRT wanted Tinkers. They could make equipment for use by non-capes, which was the entire composition of the PRT, contractors not included. And they wanted that very badly. Second was because Tinker-made equipment was easily recognizable, as were plans made by such. Rarely did Tinkers have to prove their abilities to build devices when they came well-prepared.
That was what I planned. I wanted to have enough equipment with me to make it clear enough I was a Tinker that no one would doubt it. I wanted that interview to be as short as possible, to give myself the smallest chance of screwing up. Once that identity was secure it would be easier for me, but for now I wanted to be careful.
Picking up the arm of the suit, I opened it and started soldering chips and resistors inside. This was going to be a Tinker's suit, so integrated tools were par for the course. The blowtorch attachment, similar to the one on my first costume, was already installed if not fully connected. By the time T came back, I was done placing a multi-headed screwdriver inside the index finger of the right hand of the armor, finished with the connections of the blowtorch, and well on my way to adding a soldering iron.
"Back," she said as she reverted from shadow state inside the workshop.
"Any results?" I asked. I didn't expect anything, but hope springs eternal.
"As much as you think," she replied with a scowl, taking a seat at a workbench. "Aside from a few unpowered criminals, nothing."
I looked at the clock. Two fifteen in the morning. "Time for me to go," I informed her.
"Before you leave," T asked. "Do you know if I'll need to be going to school on Monday?"
"I don't have a clue, actually." I logged onto the computer set up at one end of the room. "Let me check."
T and I had originally learned about school being closed on the Brockton Bay Bulletin's news site, so I went there to check. There was no news about the reopening of the school, so I turned toward T. "Nothing in the news, so I'm pretty certain we're still off."
"Thank god!" T said. "I'd take Arcadia over Winslow any day, but a full day tinkering before either of those."
I nodded. "I hear you." I was about to shut down the computer when I noticed something.
Uh, seems I have a message, I thought.
I didn't check my email often these days, at most once a day. I currently lived with everyone who might send me one, and my father wasn't the type to communicate with his daughter using anything but phone. Even Kid Win primarily chatted with texts, it seemed.
The email ended up coming from the PRT. I hadn't given the PRT my own email address, just gave them one I built specifically for Arsenal. I did, however, make it so that it would forward emails in such a way that, after a couple of stops, they ended in my own inbox.
The message, in simple terms, gave their excuses for taking so long to reply, then set up a time for an interview next Wednesday.
I wasn't surprised that it had taken this much time, as it was clear from the events in the city that the PRT had bigger fish to fry. I also had no issue with the proposed date and time, as it would give me plenty of hours to finish Arsenal's suit. I almost logged on directly to Arsenal's account for a reply, then decided it might be less suspicious if I did that tomorrow during normal working hours.
"Weren't you going?" came T's voice from behind me.
"Yes, but the PRT finally replied." I answered.
She raised a single eyebrow. "On a Saturday? Surprising. I suppose you have an interview?"
I nodded. "Next Wednesday."
She turned and took a good look at the armor I was building. "More than enough time to add some more to this. A flight pack, perhaps?"
I sighed. "I told you before that I wanted to have better materials to work with before I built anything like that." Flight was something I'd liked the one time I'd gotten a lift from someone, but I wasn't going to tinker something until I had the materials for a device that would last. Falling to my death because I'd built a flight attachment that was too flimsy was an experience I didn't want anything to do with.
T raised her hands in surrender. "OK, OK, I'll let it go. You can be certain however that, as soon as I have some time off, I'm going to be building myself one."
"Suit yourself," I said, turning into shadow. T and I were starting to have more and more differences in opinions, I supposed due to the fact that she felt she could take more risks. We still didn't know what would happen if she died instead of her time running out, but I didn't feel like testing it. Knowing Brockton Bay, I was pretty sure I'd find out one day or another, but wasn't going to try hurrying it up.
"Night," T said, waving as she turned around. I did the same with one of my shadow tentacles, then slipped outside through the sewers.
As I did every time I went home, I did a quick survey of the events hapening on my path. As usual, there was nothing requiring my attention, and I slipped directly into my room. Undressing with my shadow powers didn't even take a second, and I was comfortably laying on my pillow before five minutes were done.
I wonder how exactly the interview will go, I thought. While Lisa and I had gone over other cases like mine, there were few common points between them. I suppose I'll have to see.
That was the last thought of my day.
Contracts 7.3
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I was surprised to find Lisa and Sveta waiting for me outside of my workshop on Wednesday. Lisa wasn't generally a morning person, so I knew something was up. Sveta, on the other hand, was up with the sun, so her presence was less exceptional.
"Hello, Lisa," I said, keeping the door as closed as possible. T was dressing somewhere behind me, and I didn't want to expose her.
"Morning," the Thinker replied. "Mind if T or you come with me to check something?"
I didn't mind, but I was still curious about what. It might help me push back the stress from my pending interview. "Sure, I can come as long as it doesn't take too much time. Where are we going?"
She looked around to see if there was anyone else, then turned to me. "Coil sent me the location and path to the Undersiders' newest base," she whispered. "I wanted to sweep it thoroughly for bugs or dangers before I had everyone move out of here. You have some form of jamming device, right?"
"Sure we do," T said behind me. After a quick look to make sure she was decent, I opened the door fully. "It'll be a good test, actually." She handed me the device.
I grabbed what she was offering me. "You know what to work on, right?" I just wanted to make sure.
My clone nodded. "No worries, I've got it. I'll make sure to have the display working before one."
"Perfect." I turned away from the other me. "Lead on, then."
There wasn't a lot of interesting conversation in public this time. Sveta and I stayed silent while Lisa chatted about light subjects. She ended up directing us to an abandoned apartment complex.
"That wasn't what I expected," I said, and Sveta echoed my feeling.
"Even the place I slept in after I escaped the asylum was better." The former inmate did a quick scan of the place. "Looks like some of the ceilings will collapse soon, even."
Lisa smiled. "You haven't seen anything yet," she said, leading us deeper into the building. "Jammer up."
I withdrew the device from my pocket and put it back once it was turned on.
The Thinker went in one of the apartments at the bottommost floor, then turned into a room on the side there. Pulling open one of the wardrobes, to my surprise, she revealed an elevator inside.
"What?" I asked.
Lisa's grin only got wider.
Below there were two floors, both well lit and meticulously clean. The first was composed entirely of bedrooms with a pair of bathrooms, while the other was a combination of a large living room, a kitchen and a padded training room. I was speechless. I couldn't even imagine the cost of something like this!
Lisa tested the three couches in the living room, then bounced back to Sveta and me. "You like?"
I nodded mechanically. "It's… a little much, actually."
"Coil never skimps on the equipment, I'll give him that," Lisa said, then she turned to the third member of our group. "Sveta, can you do your sweep of this place? Take your time; it's better to be certain than to go fast."
"Sure," Sveta replied with a smile, than started meticulously going over everything. It wasn't long before she scowled and moved to one of the sofas. After a few moments of searching, she retrieved a small device from between the cushions.
"Really?" I said, scowling like Sveta. I hadn't expected Coil to go for something that blatant.
Lisa only grinned widely. "Perfect," she replied. "That's one of mine. I brought it up and placed it incognito just to make sure you could find it. With last Sunday's issue about the maps, I had to be certain."
"Oh," Sveta said, then thought for a moment. "Right. Mind if I destroy it? It'll interfere otherwise." she indicated at the tiny device with a movement of her head.
"Go ahead." Lisa said, nodding.
Sveta squished the listening bug between her two hands, then tossed what remained in a trashcan before going back to her sweep. She looked everywhere I could think of in the room, then turned back to us. "Nothing else here."
"Perfect," Lisa replied.
I just smiled and did a thumbs up at Sveta. "Mind if we chat here while you check?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Go ahead. I won't be long." She then went to the kitchen.
I turned to Lisa. "So, what's happening with the rest of the alliance? How are things going?" Lisa was the one serving as contact for the Undersiders, naturally.
"Badly," she replied. "Out of the seven places that were targeted for combined attacks, five were empty and the other two were traps. No cape casualties yet, but a few serious wounds. Hookwolf barely survived one of Bakuda's booby traps, and Cricket ended up with a broken arm and leg when a building fell on her. It's starting to get ridiculous." She scowled. "The current theory is that they have a traitor in their midst, but they haven't managed to find out who. We're lucky not to be involved, since both Coil and Kaiser are looking someone to pin this on."
"That's… worrying," I said, frowning.
"Yeah," Lisa agreed. "The alliance is hanging by a thread, and everyone is blaming everyone else. Only good thing is the ABB has diminished their rate of attack, so the damage everywhere is lighter." She sighed. "And on your side, how is it?"
"Not much better," I replied. "I must have gone over every place in ABB territory at least twice with no results. The Palanquin is no better; no trace of Faultline or any of her capes. I'm starting to think you were right about her group being recruited to defend Bakuda. That's the only reason I can think of for them to be absent for so long."
"Agreed," Lisa said. "Question is, where?"
That tension stayed in the air until Sveta came back. "No bugs or traps. Floors are clear." She then saw our expressions. "Everything OK, Taylor, Lisa?"
"Just the ABB again," the Thinker explained. "The alliance isn't getting the results it should, Bakuda's no closer to being found, and Faultline's crew is still missing. It just seems like nothing's advancing right now." She stopped for a moment. "Thank you for the scan, though."
"No problem. Want me to do some more patrols?" Sveta asked, turning to me.
"You don't mind?"
"Everyone has to do his or her part, right?" she answered. "I can deal with a few hours off the Internet." That was Sveta's main hobby.
"Thanks, that would be very helpful," Lisa said. "We'll plan those patrols later today, back at Taylor's place."
"I'll have to excuse myself, though," I added, taking a deep breath. "I'll be out early in the afternoon, and I have no clue when I'll be back."
Tattletale's body language was questioning for a second, then she remembered. "The rogue affiliation interview! Right, I'd forgotten about it with the ABB." She smiled. "Don't worry; you're gonna do fine."
"I wish I was that sure about it." I sighed. "I never thought I'd enter a PRT office walking under my own power, let alone willingly."
Lisa rose and gave me a hug. "With what you can build, Taylor, you'll knock them dead. They'd have to be insane to reject you." She then put an arm around Sveta's shoulders while keeping the other around mine. "Now, let's go. It's not that I don't like your place, Taylor, but sleeping on my own mattress tonight instead of a pneumatic one is exactly what the doctor ordered for my mental health."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The interview with the PRT was at two, and I was planning on being early just in case. Thankfully, my newest costume did not go over the size limits of my shadow form, and as such I was able to walk out of an alley not two blocks from my destination.
Thank god, I thought. I wouldn't have wanted to walk halfway through the city like this.
One thing was sure, I was drawing attention. As such, I didn't dally and walked through the main door directly to the receptionist. "Arsenal, meeting at two," I said in this identity's male voice. It was barely one forty-five, but I wanted to make a good impression.
I was led to a conference room where, surprisingly, the tinker-made chairs were solid enough to support even my power armor.
Director Piggot, the woman whom my father had met, arrived right as the clock above the door hit two. Behind her was Armsmaster, in his armor but without one of his famous halberds.
"Good afternoon," the director said with a curt nod. "I'm Emily Piggot, and I lead the Brockton Bay PRT. I don't think I have to introduce Armsmaster here…" Said man did an even smaller nod. "Who will be helping me judge the value of your services. Also present, though remotely, is Dragon, who will also be taking part in this interview."
"Good day, Arsenal," a voice rang through the room from the speakers above. "I'm very interested in seeing your work."
"Noted," I replied, though inwardly I was sweating. The greatest Tinker in the world, along with one of the runner ups, checking my devices? I was thankful the two of them couldn't see anything of my face and how I was nearly hyperventilating. "I'm surprised to have the PRT director here to meet me along with the Protectorate regional leader. Especially with the current issues in the city."
"I try meeting every one of our rogue affiliates, and planned the meeting in accordance. Protectorate capes must have downtimes, also." The director looked straight at me and went directly to business. "So, tell us what you have to offer. Why should the PRT be affiliating itself with you of all people?"
I took a deep breath inside my suit. This was the most important part of this interview, the sell. I needed to prove that I had something the PRT wanted badly enough to deal with me. I opened my suit's forearm to reveal a keyboard and screen there, then typed to bring up the relevant file. A projector opposite the screen sent out the image as a 3D hologram.
"This device is what I call a healing beacon," I started explaining. Lisa had recommended that I open with this one. "This version has a range of only a dozen meters and is without the other attachments of the original device I was planning, but within that range it boosts cellular regeneration, closing wounds quickly. It is ideal for most forms of trauma medicine, doing in an hour what would normally have taken days or weeks."
I saw the surprise in Armsmaster's body language and wondered if it was a good thing. "You have a prototype?" He finally said.
I nodded. "Not with me, though," I added. The image stayed perfectly still while my arm moved; proof that T had done a good job with it.
"Tested?" he continued.
"On both myself and others, human and animal." Healing Bitch's dogs proved that enough.
"I see this version is meant to be plugged in a wall," Dragon added. "Would it be possible to make it mobile?"
I nodded again. "The original version is mobile, so yes. I'm lacking the resources needed to make the miniaturized power supply. I'm also running right up to the edges of what I can accomplish without access to better equipment and materials, so I can't build the add-ons that could improve the beacon."
Both Dragon and Armsmaster went silent, the second becoming even immobile. This state lasted for about a minute, before the male Tinker turned to director Piggot.
"Director, can you come with me for a minute?" Armsmaster said, pointing toward the door.
Piggot scowled, glancing down at her legs for some reason. "This better be worth it, Armsmaster." She rose and moved outside the room with the male Tinker.
"Is there something wrong with my device?" I asked, suddenly uncertain.
"Quite the opposite, actually." Dragon answered. "You do not have to worry. Should the PRT not accept your affiliation request, I will pay and equip you as necessary out of my own pocket. I think we can come to a valid agreement, you and I."
"Really?" I replied, surprised.
"Yes," Dragon voice rang out. "Simply looking at casualty reports for the last year, a single copy of this device would reduce the death rate in both PRT and Protectorate operations by at least twenty-seven percent. And that doesn't even factor in hospitals and the like. There may actually be a bidding war for the first of these devices, and it could easily enter the millions if the results of testing match the specs you've provided. I wouldn't lose money backing such a project."
Piggot and Armsmaster came back to their seats then. "The PRT will accept your affiliation request," the director said, face serious. "We have a few more questions, if you will?"
I nodded mechanically while I was boggling inside. The greatest Tinker wanted my stuff enough that she'd back me even if the PRT didn't?
Armsmaster was the one who spoke. "Do you have knowledge of what your specialization is as a Tinker, Arsenal?"
It took a few seconds before I managed to answer the question. "Personal equipment," I replied automatically, then continued. "Anything meant to be worn, held or used by a single person."
Armsmaster's jaw went a little slack this time. "Are you sure you wouldn't accept a Protectorate position? Someone like you could go pretty far up in the Protectorate hierarchy." I had indicated against that in one of the fields on the PRT rogue affiliation request document.
That shook me out of my surprise. "No," I answered, my voice confident. "I'm a lone wolf; I don't take well to orders. My identity is also something I keep to myself only." Not to mention I was too young for such a position.
The director asked for a few more pieces of information, along with both Dragon and Armsmaster. The three of them didn't have any issue with the requests I made: my identity as Arsenal was signed up as having access to the PRT suppliers, I had workshop space under my name with a list of equipment under order, and there was a lump sum waiting for me in a bank. The only problem was that I didn't get away without an order for a dozen beacons to be fulfilled before the end of the year, with at least one done before the last of May.
I got out of the building before four, still shocked at how well it went. I'd expected they'd want access to what I could build, but not to that point.
Contracts 7.4
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Having a new identity meant that, once again, T and I worked separately.
As they had been in regards to my placement in Arcadia, the PRT were once again very prompt in getting what I wanted. It took less than a day before the Parahuman Response Teams delivered me the address of my new workshop, along with a few of the deliveries I requested. The money had also been wired to me, but that was very low on my list of priorities.
The place the PRT had found for my purposes was a factory building which hadn't been abandoned long from what I gathered. It was selected because it already had some of the machines I'd asked for during the interview. Not everything of course, but having an industrial press on hand would have been quite useful for some of the devices I'd already built.
I ended up passing the day after the interview examining, organizing and generally making myself comfortable in what would be my new workspace. The place was clean enough at least, though severely lacking in usable furniture. I would once again need to buy chairs, beds, and everything else.
"Arsenal, are you available?" Dragon's voice rang through the building.
I hadn't been expecting her. I did a quick check of what I had unpacked, seeing if there was anything that might identify me. There wasn't. I was wearing my suit, so my identity was as secure as I could make it. "I am." I answered.
"Good," her voice spoke from speakers somewhere. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to make sure everything was going well."
"I have no problem with the place or with the equipment already on site, but it's only a start." I looked around. "Are there cameras installed?"
"If there are, I am not connected to them. I never monitor people inside private spaces unless given authorization to do so. I am speaking to you through the intercom system, which is still working." There was a second of silence. "If you look to the the left of the door leading to the main hall, you'll find one of the microphones there."
With those directions, it didn't take me long to find it. "Noted," I said when I was in front of the device. "Can I ask why you're calling?" I doubted it was to see if I found my new accommodations viable.
"I was wondering, when you would be able to have the first of your healing beacons ready?" the Guild Tinker asked.
"I did promise a working beacon before May thirty-first. Any reason why you need a more exact date?" I countered.
There was a moment of silence. "There is an Endbringer attack expected some time in May, and odds are favoring Leviathan being the one attacking. While he is the least dangerous in terms of cape deaths, chance of survival is still only seventy-three percent. Most of the injuries he causes, outside of drowning, are blunt force trauma, something which this beacon of yours could help with. A great number of our casualties die on the way to hospitals and the like, and your device might at least keep them stable long enough to get treatment."
With everything that had been happening in my life, I hadn't thought a lot about the Endbringers. I could understand now why Dragon and Armsmaster had been in such a hurry to have my beacon working. I'd had to argue to get at least a month before I was supposed to deliver one, and I'd done so mainly because, with the situation in the city being what it was, I wasn't sure I'd be able to work on these beacons efficiently or get everything I needed.
"I can try to have the first one done as quickly as I can, but that really depends on when I receive the necessary materials," I replied out loud. "I can start on some parts quickly enough, but I don't know how much time that'll shave off the total process."
"That will have to be enough," Dragon said, and I could hear a wistful tone in her voice. "Thank you. I've sent a message to your email account. Use that address to contact me in case you need something urgently. I'll try my best to have it delivered to you as soon as possible." She was silent for a second or so. "Have a good day, Arsenal."
"You too, Dragon." The light of the intercom before me shut off, and the speakers went silent.
I turned back to my current improvised table. I had work to do, and it just might save lives if I did it fast enough.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
It was early evening when I arrived back at base, and I was surprised to see that T wasn't around. I knew her patrol schedule, and she wasn't supposed to be out until later. It was the very reason I had come at this exact moment.
Sveta however was there eating, so I went to see her.
"Want a bite?" she asked as I came forward.
I shook my head. I'd just eaten before coming here. "Thank you anyway. I was just wondering where T might be." If I wanted to have a beacon built as fast as I could, her help was necessary.
"Out checking the Palanquin. We have a lead," she replied after taking a bite.
I was instantly curious. "Do tell."
"I noticed today when I did my own rounds that my danger sense told me I could possibly meet Newter in the sewers, with the likelihood rising the closer I got to the Palanquin," Sveta explained. "I discussed this with T earlier, and we came to the conclusion that Newter comes and goes out of the Palanquin, using the sewers, probably to keep his boss up to date with what's happening."
She took another bite. "T decided to wait in the sewers right under the Palanquin until she could track Newter back to wherever his team is lairing."
That… was rough. I had done some travel in shadow state, but the idea of staying still for hours watching for someone felt like it would be horribly boring. I'd do it if necessary, and it was, but it wasn't an experience I'd look forward to.
Hopefully, it would give some results.
Sveta and I chatted for close to three hours, waiting anxiously for T's return. In the end, it was nearly midnight when my clone turned back to physical state in the middle of the room. She had a wide smile on her face.
"I've found Bakuda," she said.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"So you've found Bakuda," Grue said. Sveta, T and I had moved to the Undersiders' new base. Only Brian and Lisa were currently awake, but it looked like we'd be waking up the others before long.
My copy nodded. "In the Smithson Building, yes."
"That's some nerve," Lisa said from her spot on the couch. "Not even four blocks away from the PRT building."
Brian nodded. "Continue."
"I followed Newter there. Every member of Faultline's team is there, along with a few ABB guards," T explained. "I haven't seen Bakuda myself, but there's a sealed room in the back where I could hear welding in the background. I couldn't see anything inside due to the light, but a woman came out of there requesting parts for Bakuda, and one of the Asian guards dashed out instantly."
"Between that and Faultline, I'd say that's enough for the Undersiders to move out." Lisa then turned to Brian.
He nodded. "I don't think we'll have any better info, and I'm tired of waiting." He looked straight at T. "How ready did Faultline's team seem?"
"Three of them awake, two asleep last I saw them. Patrols, though they stayed in line of sight of each other." She shrugged. "Not much I can say, outside of that."
"Good enough," Brian said. "Lisa, wake up Rachel and Alec. T, Taylor, I suppose only one of the two of you will be coming?" The both of us nodded. "Then, whoever's coming, get suited up, you too Sveta. We meet behind the Smithson building in an hour, OK?"
"Right," Sveta answered, and all of us dashed toward the elevator. Sveta, T and I stayed in while Brian and Lisa left for the bedrooms.
We three quickly made our way to base. Walking, since Sveta was with us.
"So, which of us is going?" T asked as Sveta went into her room to change.
"I suppose you want to go?" I asked her.
"For sure!" T replied. "You're not the only one who wants to make a difference."
"Then you go," I said, turning to my workshop. "I have something else to do. Don't worry, I'll be taking part in this my way."
T grinned. I knew very well that she felt she wasn't a big enough part of whatever important stuff was happening. "Perfect." She rubbed her hands together. "I'll get dressed."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
[T]
"This better be worth it," Regent said just as I arrived. The Undersiders were already present, and Bitch's dogs were by now big enough to go toe to toe with a human.
"We take down Bakuda, our reputation's made," Grue said. "There won't be anyone disagreeing with us. Even better if we take out Faultline at the same time."
Tattletale grinned at that, and I remembered she had something against Faultline herself.
"Now, the plan," the Undersider leader continued. "Apparition, where are they situated?"
"North end," I answered. "The Best Buy that closed two months ago? In there."
"Good." He nodded. "We'll approach from the east. Everyone will have his own designated target. Each of you, your job is to take that person down, then help the others. No killing, no excessive maiming…" He glared at Bitch. "But do what you can to make it fast."
"In order…" He turned to me. "Apparition, Labyrinth is yours if she appears. The longer she stays up, the more dangerous the terrain'll be, so speed is of the essence. Regent, Newter is yours. No one among us can approach him, so keep him busy."
Regent smiled and bowed.
"Alarm, you and Tattletale are on Gregor. Be careful, he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve from what I gathered. Delay him as much as possible. If you can keep him off helping the others, that'll be enough."
"Bitch, you're up against the boss, Faultline herself. She can't affect living matter, so your dogs are perfect for dealing with her." Rachel's grin was all the answer Brian needed.
"I'll be tackling Spitfire, as she's the most directly dangerous." His voice was grim from behind his helmet. "Now, Apparition, get us inside."
"With pleasure," I said, slipping through the glass to unlock it from the other side.
Grue was the first in, and he put a carpet of darkness a few meters both above and around us. "Let's go, Undersiders!" he cried out as he made his way forward, trusting his shadow to cover the sound. Behind him, Bitch's dogs and their mistress followed. I closed the march, since I could catch up easily in this light.
Look out, Bakuda, I thought. We've caught up to you.Contracts Interlude: Battle
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
[Faultline]
I never should have taken that contract, I repeated to myself for the hundredth time.
Normally, a defense contract like this one wasn't an issue: long hours, good pay, limited action. Defending non-combat members of the ABB wasn't a problem either. Three weeks was more than usual, but the payout was worth it in my eyes. Working for Lung wasn't the kind of work I preferred, but mercenaries had to take whoever was paying. I'd expected a few clashes with the E88 and maybe Coil, but nothing more. There had been a few arguments about price, but little other than that before the contract was signed. I'd suspected that Lung was planning an offensive against the E88 soon, and wanted to have some of his businesses protected now that his lieutenant was gone.
And then the next day, Bakuda started demolishing Brockton Bay.
The job went from little combat to everyone in the city coming after them in less than four hours. I'd nearly broken my word right there, but feared what retaliation the team would face. None of us were on Lung's level, and Bakuda would turn the Palanquin into a crater. And with what I'd learnt about the ABB, the team wouldn't escape unscathed.
I'd discussed it with the others, and they reluctantly agreed with me to stay on the job.
It would have been easier though, if it wasn't Bakuda they were charged with protecting. The Asian Tinker was a pain to deal with, on every level. It was clear that people, even her own ABB guards, were no better than props in her eyes. If it had been left to her, there would have been enough explosives in the former store we were using as a safehouse to give an Endbringer pause. Worse though was the fact she only really listened to one person, Lung, and Lung alone. There had already been a dozen arguments, and if the ABB leader hadn't intervened, I would still be arguing with her.
Our second target to protect was much less of an issue, compared to Bakuda. She worshipped Lung as if he was a god, which didn't endear her to any member of the group, but she at least listened and kept to herself. After the Tinker, it was a breath of fresh air.
I took another look at the cameras and microphones we'd installed, and saw nothing. Everything was quiet and dark.
A little too quiet, actually.
Background noise could tell one much, and learning to pay attention to it did a lot in evading ambushes. I made sure to always listen to such things, as it has more than paid for itself, dozens of times.
It seemed this time would be no exception.
I took a closer look at the monitors before I noticed the issue. On the one screen showing the east side, I finally found a moving zone of blackness. A few moments later, another small light disappeared into the darkness, and I had confirmation.
The Undersiders. It couldn't be a coincidence.
I turned to Gregor, who was seated on a chair a little behind me. "Gregor, we've got incoming. The Undersiders. Wake up everyone, and get the message to the Tinker."
He nodded somberly. While Gregor was good and reliable in combat, he wasn't someone who looked forward to fighting. "We take specific equipment?" he asked.
I thought about it for a moment. "Get the night vision goggles and bring me a taser. I don't know if the goggles will counter Grue's shadow, but we waste nothing by trying."
The man nodded again and moved deeper into the abandoned store.
I turned back to the screen and couldn't help but smile a little. I'd known someone would end up tracking Bakuda down since Lung sent us to the meeting at Somer's Rock, and I'd hoped Tattletale's group would be the one to do it. Getting one over the smug bitch would be a perfect end to the day.
Not that this was the only reason. In terms of raw firepower, the Undersiders were the least powerful group that could possibly end up fighting us. The four of them, with Tattletale being a Thinker, was something the crew could handle. Though it might be prudent to keep an eye out for the two new members that were at the truce meeting; they'd be inexperienced, but unknown capes would present an unpredictable element. That is, if they weren't support members.
Still, compared to the possibility of fighting a dozen E88 capes, I'd take on the 'Masters of the Escape' any day.
Gregor came back with Newter, Elle and Spitfire. Everyone was silent and serious, as they tended to be before battle. Only Newter had a slight smile on his face.
"We've got the Undersiders incoming in less than three, so everyone to their position. Our targets are the Undersiders, and we've gone over their abilities and viable tactics enough that I know you won't need a last minute reminder. Be careful, take care of each other, and strike fast."
Everyone nodded and took their places. I did the same, putting on the goggles Gregor had brought.
Showtime.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
[Sveta]
The air was heavy as we advanced into the building. I looked everywhere, watching out for danger, but nothing reddened. I'd expected Bakuda to have the whole place trapped to high hell, but there wasn't a bomb in sight. As such, it barely took five or so minutes before the six of us arrived in front of the closed store T had pointed out.
Grue looked at everyone in turn before dropping the shadow hiding the store's entrance, and instantly the door bloomed red in my eyes. "Danger!" I cried. "Coming from the door."
"A bomb?" Tattletale asked. Beside her, Bitch growled and her dogs followed suit.
I filtered in turn for bombs, explosions and the like, but nothing came up. "No," I replied. "Something else."
Apparition stepped up. "I'll check it out, and try to distract anyone who might be waiting for us on the other side of the door," she said. "Follow me in as soon as Alarm gives the OK."
She waited until Grue nodded, then sank into shadow. All of us tensed, preparing to charge in. I stared at the currently red door, waiting for the color to clear.
I was the first through the door when it did, ramming it off the frame with all of my strength. "Go, go, go!" I yelled, then found myself rolling to the side instantaneously as one of Bitch's dogs broke apart the doorframe as he ran in. The other dogs were next, followed by the rest of the team.
Taylor had told me that my power reacted automatically to attacks, but this was the first time it happened, and I froze for a second as I landed. I then shook my head and looked around.
"Above!" I cried this time, and everyone scattered from the door. Bitch whistled as she did so, and Angelica (if I remembered correctly) jumped straight up to meet Newter who was coming down. The dog hit the orange colored man hard enough that he was knocked further back into the room, but the canine fell to the floor and didn't come back up. Obviously as a courtesy of Newter's spit, given what I had learned earlier of the man and his abilities. I could see a few drops fell here and there on the floor, but none had come close to anyone else.
There was suddenly a burst of flame further in the room, and a second later Apparition appeared beside me. "Tried and failed to knock out Faultline."
Grue waved his hand, filling the rest of the room in shadow. It barely lasted a second before slash-like holes appeared in the darkness, each wreathed in red and blue energy, and the whole thing evaporated after a few moments.
That… I thought. That wasn't expected.
The whole place devolved in chaos not an instant later. Each of us Undersiders ran toward their pre-assigned target, but in some cases this didn't help. Gregor dodged Lisa's taser and swung at me, which triggered my automatic dodging and aborted my attack. He then ignored me, rushing toward his boss. He followed that by shooting a stream of something right into Brutus' face once he was close enough, and the dog went down after swaying a little. This didn't deter Bitch in the least, as she jumped straight at Faultline to start punching.
Regent managed to send Newter sprawling before he jumped back into the fray, and to keep him down with his power. Newter was fighting it though, and you could see in Regent's body language that this was taking more effort than expected.
Grue was going after Spitfire, but his shadow kept disappearing in a slowly growing circle around Labyrinth. The young Shaker's power was somehow cancelling Grue's in her radius, and the disparity would only grow with time.
I tried fighting Gregor as I was supposed to, but this gave no appreciable result. Either my swings hit nothing but air, or my power reacted and stopped me in the middle of an attack to evade.
I felt useless there, and wasted precious time trying to figure out something better to do. Then I remembered my power, filtered for 'being useless', and looked around.
The dog? I thought. That was what my power was showing as the least red in my quick scan of the room.
I ran there. Maybe I could wake her up?
A few slaps did nothing, and neither did shaking her. I did belatedly realize I could lift her, then an idea flashed in my head. I turned to see Newter was now next to the wall and using it to push himself up.
I didn't wait a moment and tossed the still-large dog straight at Regent's opponent. Bitch growled and turned toward me, a lapse that allowed Faultline to whip her hair in the dog controller's face and escape her hold. By the sound Bitch made, it hurt quite a bit.
Angelica was as tall as a human when she made contact with Newter, and the man folded instantly. Regent had made sure he couldn't dodge, and he was now stuck under a few hundred kilos of dog. Regent gave me a thumbs up and I smiled under my helmet. One down, I said to myself. Next!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
[Bakuda]
"Move it you slackers!" I yelled in Japanese at the six ABB thugs under my command. "We need everything packed as soon as possible. You're still in the room when I leave, good luck with the traps!"
Said thugs piled my important tools and delicate masterpieces haphazardly in boxes as fast as they could, making mistakes all the while. I kicked a man who dropped one of my devices to the ground.
"Be careful, idiot!" I yelled at him. "There's explosives everywhere in here! The rest of you, faster!"
Lung had forced me to use this particular place as a workshop because, while it was hidden, it gave us easy access to a loading dock. Not only was this a great way to send the fruits of my labor out, but it allowed for easy packing of my workshop in case an escape was needed. Some of the equipment I would have to leave behind, since it couldn't be moved with only six people, but most of it would be following me out.
Most important was the halfway done superbomb that Lung had ordered. There were still a few days of work left on that one, and leaving it behind would be a waste.
"Finally! You done?" Tian Yan asked, looking down at me. "You were supposed to be able to evacuate in less than five minutes!"
I scowled. I hated the fact that Lung respected this newbie more than me. Her power was weak anyway. I answered regardless, since the ABB boss had put her in charge. "One last load and we go," I said between gritted teeth.
She glared at me. "Be quick, slowpoke."
I turned around, growling inside, and yelled at the grunts to follow. That bitch had something against me, I knew it. Another one of those wannabes who thought themselves better than me without reason.
The last load was leftover tools and materials, along with a few unfinished grenades and the like. Thankfully, it wasn't long before the ABB guards had everything transferred to the truck. I went and started taking a seat in the front, only for Tian Yan to push me out.
"You ride in the back!" she ordered. "I don't want anything blowing up while we're on the road."
I bit on the insult I was about to hurl, and obeyed without answering.
"The rest of you, go back inside and shoot down the intruders! They'll pay for going after us!" She cried out. "ABB forever!"
"ABB forever!" they repeated with equal fervor, and ran inside to join the battle.
I took one of the few open spots in the back, and waited. There wasn't anything I could do in the dark like this. There was a small opening where light came from the driver's section, but talking to that slut was the last thing I wanted to do.
The truck started a few moments later, and we were on our way. I released a breath; at least Lung wouldn't be able to hold this delay against me.
Then the truck stopped dead, and even the light in the cab disappeared.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*