Welcome to Wyrm, a Parahuman radio serial. This series is a fan project paying tribute to Wildbow's web serial Wyrm and contains graphic violence, strong language, and adult subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. We are really serious this time, folks.
This is far and away the most screwed up episode we have ever done. Hi, guys. You're back. After what you pulled, you got to be kidding.
Angelica, heel. Bitch immediately wheeled on me. She kicked down the dog gate and an instant later, her fist connected with my cheekbone to send me sprawling onto the ground. It spoke volumes that Melissa stepped forward so she could defend me.
Criminal didn't. The dogs tentatively passed through the open gate but hung back in deference to their master. I deserve that. Deserve that, too.
Wait, wait, stop. Fuck you. It's irritating enough that he wants to start giving orders and calling himself our leader. I'm not putting up with it from you, too.
I do what I want, and what I want is to beat her face in. Brian, a little help here? Why did you bring her here? To talk.
She was going to fuck us over. No, I wasn't. Rachel, enough. Taylor, Lisa said you were.
And when it comes down to the two of you, I'm going to choose her. What Armsmaster said made too much sense, and a few of the little things about you suddenly are clear. No, I... I mean, I wasn't going...
I was going to betray you, but... I'm going to fucking kick her tail in. Past tense. I changed my mind.
You changed your mind? Dealing with Armsmaster, realizing what an asshole he was, it was kind of a wake-up call. I'd already begun to think of you guys as my friends and what we were doing, it wasn't so bad. Most of our fights were against Lung's gang.
I... I changed my mind after we raided the fundraiser and talked to Coil. I went home and when I started thinking about something I emailed to the protectorate, I realized I couldn't. It would have meant explaining things to my dad and leaving you guys.
I couldn't do either. That wasn't all that long ago. That sounds pretty fake to me. It's the truth.
I'm not good at this, at talking to people or convincing them. All I can do is tell you how things were from my perspective and hope you'll see I'm sincere. Is that all you have to say? And...
I'd like to be back on the team, if you'll have me. I seem to recall you leaving a huff over our last conversation with Coil. What's changed? You have to understand, I was angry at myself as much...
More than I was angry at you guys for letting that thing with the little girl happen, for not connecting the dots. But I thought about it, talked to Lisa, and I'm open to talking about it if you're willing. And why should we believe you, after all this? I can vouch.
Taylor can vouch for herself. You remember when we were on our way to your apartment and what happened? Which? The thing with the bully, or...
After that, um... The awkward conversation? Hey, dork. He's not the only one you have to convince.
You can't omit details and leave us in the dark here. Yeah, I wanna hear this. I... Let Brian know I was interested in him.
Romantically. It was the truth. I knew it. I totally knew it from the second I saw you at his apartment.
You're fucking doing that to get me to let my guard down. Bullshit. What? I said the bullshit.
Taylor said it herself. She sucks ass when it comes to lying and being smooth. She lied while nobody was keeping her cover act a secret. I didn't lie, exactly.
I just didn't tell you. I'll never pay attention to that team drama shit, and I picked up on the fact that she liked you. It was so obvious, it was irritating. That covered an act.
And even if it wasn't, it doesn't say... It doesn't mean anything in the end. You don't really believe that. You're pissed at us.
I don't blame you. I'd be pissed at us, too. But you're only calling her a liar because it's a hell of a lot easier to be angry at her if you think the person you befriended was a fake. Don't pour your power on me.
Who says I am? All we want is for things to go back to the way they were. It's not that easy. No.
You're right. It's not that easy. But if you'll have me, I'm willing to work my ass off to make it up to you. I'm pretty good as a member of this team.
You know it. If you want to monitor my every move, fine. Any restrictions you want to put on me, fine. I'll even give up my pay from Coil on any jobs we do.
Whatever you want. Why? Why come back? Because I've been to the shelters.
I've walked the streets and seen what the Merchants and Chosen are doing out there. I want to resolve this thing with Dinah. Whether I like it or not, I know that's the fastest way to get to the point where everything's okay. Working with Coil.
I want her back on the team, obviously. If we're voting, that's where my vote is going. Mine, too. You're wound up, Brian.
Maybe it's Taylor being gone. Maybe it's Ichidan or Dad getting attacked. Maybe it's the general situation with the city. But it's getting miserable to be around you.
Taylor's always the one who was on the same page as you. She'd be someone you could work with and talk to, at least. You'll be happier in the long run if she's around. And we'll be happier if you're not so fucking crabby.
Besides, if she's giving up her pay, then it doesn't even cost us anything. It costs us a lot. If Miss Powers' attention fucks up our team chemistry, especially if we start fucking up in the field because of it... So, you're voting no?
Do I get a vote? No! Oh, come on! I don't want her on the team.
I don't want... No, what the fuck are you, Rachel? Outright, for one. We need her.
We need the firepower out there. At the very least, look at the objectivity. I think I have to say we should keep her. Which is three votes for and one against.
Bitch threw the piece of clipboard she was carrying into the wall hard. She sat in my general direction and then stalked over to the far end of the room. Thank you, Brian. Don't thank me.
Alex, right when he says we should probably get over this. Maybe we'll even become friends again and get to the point where we can talk about it. But this isn't going to happen today. And definitely not right here and now.
Okay. I had told myself I would rise above the likes of Sophia and Armsmaster. I was all too aware of their flaws. And first and foremost among them was arrogance and pride.
So I'd swallow mine. No problems. Seems like a good place to set up. City's trying to restore order one area at a time.
Maybe doing more harm than good. This building's been declared uninhabitable. Which isn't exactly doing anyone any favors because most places in the city are just as bad or worse. And a lot of people don't have anywhere else to go.
Anyways, they're kicking everyone out. Trying to clean up as best they can. Get rid of that trash. Do what they can about the infestation of rats and bugs.
Might still be a few people around, but I doubt anyone's going to be poking around enough to find us before 11 or so tomorrow morning. Then we have time to do what we need. I hurried to a side to hold the seat in place as you have to build the limp body from over your shoulder and set it down. Shadow Stalker nearly tipped over.
Rachel put down a second smaller box next to the one Tattletail had brought. She began searching Shadow Stalker. Removing crossbows, cartridges of ammunition, and two small knives. GPS hasn't been activated.
They probably won't turn it on until Looker and Tell she fails to return from patrol. Can you stop them from activating it? Or maybe we could have Skitter's bugs or a dog carry that thing somewhere else? I can turn it off.
Give me a minute. Groo, make sure she's tied up properly. Already on it. Captain of the field, Groo.
Making sure it isn't tight enough to cut off her circulation. Ah, you and Esra on its stuff. I didn't take you for a bondage traitor. Just get the generator!
I just sat down! Stand up and get the generator! Fine! Once the wires were in place, used duct tape to secure them.
The LEDs at the end of the extension cords lit up as we plugged each cord into the generator. Including one leading to the fridge. I couldn't be sure if it was to ensure steady current through the wire or because he wanted a working fridge. Now we just have to...
She's awake. She's sitting there pretending to sleep and I hope that we'll say something. It would be clever. Might even work if I wasn't here.
Not bad. Electrical cords. I strongly advise you to avoid using your power to pass through them. And in case you're thinking of dropping straight down through the floor, don't.
We've got extra lying under the chair. You'll be a little groggy. The fight took a lot out of you. And we tased you.
And I took the liberty of sticking you with one of your own tranquilizer bolts. Huh, you don't hold back. Says the person who tried to slit my teammate's throat. Huh, tough costume I don't expect your problem, or provocation, whatever.
Just fuck it. But there's going to be consequences. Fuck! And you're going to apologize to Kid Win.
I don't want you assaulting him again. Stop, stop fucking testing me. I'm too tired for this. It wasn't Kid Win.
Nice job, Shadowtail. Who was it? Mmm, fuck off, it's me. Hey, who was it?
Clockblocker? Uh-oh. Heads up! Trap!
Cover's blown! Go! Weld changed his hand into what looked like a metal baseball bat, long enough to reach from his wrist to the ground. He swung at Shadowstalker, but his club passed through her.
Fearless, she got close and punched metal arrowhead, one of her crossbows, into his right eye. He stepped back a few steps, one hand going to his eye, and she threw herself at him, bringing her knees to her chest and then kicking out. Her feet slammed into his chest and pushed him farther back. Weld only shied her back a short distance, and it was Shadowstalker who landed hard on her back.
Grow and Regent were already free of their cuffs. The three PRT uniforms closest to them lying down on the ground. Tattletail was grinning at four words at the end of the hall, closest to the elevator. Kid Win, Clockblocker, Fletchit, and Vista.
Time for some fun! The laughter didn't belong to Tattletail. Heads up! They got someone with a strange classification!
We did? Vista was working to distort the ends of the hallway, the front doors and the elevator at the end of the hall into an impassable terrain. Fletchit fired two shots at Gru, rooting his feet to the ground. Fletchit was waiting for a third shot when I rushed over the fire axe, splitting the metallic string on her crossbow and throwing the contraption across the room.
The girl with the horns was on our side. Wait, I could almost remember her, some relation to Gru? Then it slipped from my recollection and I was distracted by the fact that Fletchit was disarmed. Her weapon broke.
How would that happen? I couldn't afford to worry about it. I had to focus on contributing. I released the bugs from beneath my costume, throwing them out from beneath the panels of my armor and the compartment at my back where I kept my equipment and weapons.
What the hell? This again. Get them off me! The bugs found their way to Vista, Fletchit, and Kid Win, the only young heroes with exposed skin, at roughly the same time as they managed to get beneath the masks and protective clothing of the two PRC uniforms that were holding me.
The funhouse mirror distortion at the exit stopped straining as Vista's concentration broke, and Fletchit dropped one of the small lengths of pointed metal that she had been withdrawn from her belt. Ah! They're burning me! How?
This was the chemical that made hot peppers burn your tongue. It was also the active ingredient in pepper spray. I had discovered that I could use hairspray to coat the abdomens and stingers of the bugs and dip said abdomens and stingers into some of the stuff. I figured out how to use my bugs as delivery mechanisms, smearing pepper spray onto the fresh stings and bites.
I could jam their abdomens into people's noses, mouths, and eyes to cause intense burning and pain to the point that it made them nauseous. It was good to see that it worked. I was pinned down. I was rooted to the floor by the new girl's shots.
Clockblocker climbed over his allies and too heavily armored for the bugs to rush me, and all I could do was throw up the darkness. Clockblocker emerged out the other side, and the darkness dissipated behind him, revealing Gru frozen in time. Even the shadows smoldering against Gru's body faded. The other PRT officer that was holding me broke away when the girl with the horned mask drove the wooden end of a fire axe into his shoulder.
Regent made Clockblocker stumble, and the horned girl shoved the PRT officer into the boy. They both fell into a heap. Hey, I got this phone thingy! They won't fire!
Who exactly are you again? The phone cannon is linked to the pattern of his gloves. You need to be wearing the fire wrist. See?
Fletchit threw a dart at the phone cannister, and both Imp and Tattletail backed away as foam began spilling out of the hole, rapidly expanding to partially cover the uniformed officer. She threw a spike of metal into every other cannister on the other fallen guards. Foam interrupted into a pressurized spray, jetting up at an angle to hit the wall, creating a growing barrier a few feet in front of me, partially blocking me from reaching the rest of the combatants. Regent reached out, causing him to fumble and drop it.
A second later, he fell to all fours. A backfire, so easily? Shadowstalker had been fighting with Weld, with Reach coordinating all of her movement. Both heroes were on the ground, struggling.
Shadowstalker raised her crossbow in my general direction, then moved, almost staggered one step to the side. From her new vantage point, she targeted Regent. Her movements weren't fluid, and her shot flew past him. It hit Tattletail instead with a glancing blow, breaking across her collarbone.
What? Shadowstalker, is that you? For a fraction of a second later, I was in control again, and Shadowstalker was attempting to repeat her maneuver from earlier, driving an arrowhead into Weld's other eye, moving quickly and with as much grace as ever. He swatted their hand aside, and she entered her shadow state to avoid his follow-up.
Bitch's dogs, not quite maximum size, but still the equivalent of unnecessarily burly jungle cats joining the fight, each with some added natural protection. Weld spun the base of them, and Shadowstalker abandoned her fight with him, using the opportunity to finish reloading her crossbows and fire one into the helpless Vista. At least the girl wouldn't be in further pain from what my bugs had done. Wait, Shadowstalker's conscious in there?
Since a little while ago, but that's not what I'd be scared about. We got started fighting with Weld, and it didn't seem to be a fight they would win. They were faster, they had the advantages of numbers. I even suspected they were stronger.
Despite that, when it came down to it, Weld was a walking, talking statue. They could hit him hard enough to knock him down, but they couldn't set their teeth into his flesh or deal any lasting damage. When Weld hit them, though, the hits were felt. Still, their intervention did allow us to turn our focus to the others.
Vista was out of action, as was Clockblocker. I felt hands at my back. I flinched, but they held firm. A second later, I felt my cuffs come undone.
Imp, right. Kidwin had pulled himself together enough to draw a small blue pistol from his waist. He didn't fire it, though. Instead, he slapped his chest, and the armor there opened up, revealing a circular depression.
He slammed the little blue gun there. Two pear-shaped pieces of metal that had been attached to the armor on his shoulders raised into the air, floating. Abruptly, the pieces of metal jerked so the smaller ends pointed at us, and they each belched out blue sparks the size of softballs. I didn't see the need to dodge.
The shots weren't fast-moving, and both seemed ready to collide with the walls on either side of me. What I didn't expect was for their trajectory to slow, then stop altogether before they hit the wall. Picking up speed, they headed back toward Kidwin. Heads up!
Imp and Regent turned just in time to avoid the boomeranging projectiles, but the distraction nearly cost them as the guns above Kidwin's shoulders blasted off another two sparks. What the hell is this? The bugs were dying in droves with residual electricity, but Kidwin, at least, was largely incapacitated. His eyes slowly nearly shut.
The fact that he couldn't use lethal force led me to employ some extendable assets. Shadowstalker, charge Kidwin! That would shut up my control. That left one option.
Bentley, get him! Recklessly, the dog charged Kidwin, slamming into him, taking the full brunt of the swarm of electric orbs. Fletcher was caught in the assault as well. Good boy!
Good boy, Bentley! So the next thing I knew, I was being slammed into a wall hard. For one moment, I thought it was Weld, but no, it was Bitch. You do not give orders to my dogs.
You do not get a say in whether they are good or bad. Do that again and I will order them to chew you up and spit you out. Bitch, not the time. And got the elevator open.
Let's move. What about Gru? Bitch, the dogs and Shadowstalker will be here to protect him. Fine.
Get her, cameras. I found the surveillance cameras that were spaced at regular intervals around the room and covered the lenses with bugs. We exited the elevator, stepping into the ward's headquarters. To think that if things had gone a little differently, I might have wound up here.
Tattletail was at the computer in an instant, punching in codes, then gibberish filled the screen. This should be every document the PRT has on file for their teams, barring the most secure documents, which wouldn't be kept accessible, even in this isolated network. Now, get this arrow out, please. How long?
Two That's a model Dragon designed for speed, meant to get places fast. It's not really that serious a combat model. Well, that's good. Except that this can still totally kick our asses.
Probably. The bad news is, the Protectorate is about a minute away, Gru's still out of action, and there's pretty much no chance we're going to get out of here before then. Evade! Dragon alone loaded four streams of containment foam into the lobby, each of the shoulder-mounted turrets gushing like fire hoses.
Only Flexi this strike struck us, but they expanded into blobs quickly. Each blob was tacky, sticky, and any attempt to wipe it away just smeared it and exposed more surface area to the air, making it expand more. Weld moved to block our retreat, but Shadowstalker had stepped up to fight with him, with one of the dogs, Bentley, joining her. The way Rachel was having Shadowstalker fight, there was no self-preservation or defense, which worked out being a more effective combat style than anything else in its own way.
I gathered some bugs on anything that looked like a sensor, last panes are opening in the armored vehicle, and then set the rest to gathering on the shattered glass that littered the floor of the lobby. Six or seven bugs could lift a decent-sized piece of glass if they were on the ground, while anywhere from twenty to thirty could fly with one if I mentioned it right. I had a few hundred to employ with more still arriving. With this glass, I did my best to catch and block the outlying flecks and drips of spray as it flew through the air at the periphery of the streams.
She's at a disadvantage. This heat is multiplied to serious crisis at a moment's notice to deal with dangerous foes. She's packing too many lethal weapons. That's a disadvantage?
She's not about to kill us. Bad PR, especially for a notable hero traveling into another country to fight Rachel and knowns like us. So we only have to worry about her non-lethal weaponry. And she doesn't have many.
I said just then enough bugs had caught the foam of one pane as their individual pieces of glass. I directed them to carry the glass down to Dragon. The glass stuck to lenses, vents of hot air, vents where air was rushing in and small regions segmented areas. Dragon didn't seem to notice or care.
Can she see me? No way she got here this fast. She's based in British Columbia, on the other side of the continent. This has to be remotely controlled, like the one she used to fight Leviathan.
Which means the only eyes on you are digital and... She's not. What? There's someone in there.
I tried using my power on her, experimenting, and I felt some kind of nervous system. Too much material between me and it for me to do anything. And I wouldn't really try it while I'm controlling Shadowstalker anyway, so I'd probably backfire. The gift shop dotted out from the wall of the lobby some.
The glass panes arranging into showcases more of the pictures, action figures, and memorabilia, three broad windows. Then they met with one. This layout gave them some cover from Dragon's attacks. Even with the push of the spray served to break the windows, the extension of the foam at the edges of the frame soon blocked the worst of it off.
If anything, it was closing the windows off. Only the pane of glass facing us was left unbroken and largely free of foam. Sensing this, Dragon started to advance further into the lobby. She sent one foot down directly on a pile of foam and lifted it up again with no difficulty.
So she's piling that thing then? My power works on her? We can't be sure. Don't risk it.
We were gonna come down to our backs to the wall by the window. Imp, no! Dragon's cockpit opened wide, and she spewed something like an igniter to the accelerator onto the lobby. She cut off our escape route.
Weld leaped into and through the flame, his bulk hand swinging wildly. On the third swing, he saw Imp duck behind the attack, then stumble back out of his reach towards us. Nah! How is he coming after me?
Dragon can see you, you twit! And she's brilliant and aggressive as Weld! And what the hell were you hoping to accomplish? I could have figured something out!
Dragon's setting the whole place on fire. Doesn't she care about property damage? She prefers to keep her data secure and pay out of her own pocket for any damage. Betting this place is slated for some major renovations anyways, given the state of things.
More of my bugs set sticking pieces of glass down on top of the lenses and sensors. That was apparently enough for Dragon, because she stopped spraying the foam altogether and started using two turrets to deploy some sort of vapor. It surrounded her, and the work I'd done to stick things to her began to come apart as the foam turned runny. The least group was awake, a well-placed blast of darkness let him slip in.
Light of view! Yeah, but we got the stuff, had to wait for you. Go for the gift shop, we'll meet you outside. Bentley, go!
The windows in the stereo were barred up, so I cut new on them with the lightning cannon. Something was wrong with this, and on top of that, Dragon had spotted us. Finally, the bolts holding the bars to the window frame melted. The entire room shuddered as Dragon forced her way in through the display window.
Her back legs began working their way towards us, the front of her body staying stationary. This made her back arch, and her head and shoulders mounted to her torso gradually shifted to point downwards. It would be seconds before she was spraying foam down from directly above us. The way that Tattletail gun reached a crescendo, and blindingly bright arc of electricity flew from the side of the barrel to skip along the floor.
I worried it would ignite something, but it winked out before it could. Tattletail lunged for the shelf next to the magazines, grabbing a head and torso model with Miss Militia. She jammed it in between the trigger and the trigger guard of her gun, forcing the trigger into a depressed position. Then she lobbed the setup over the back of the shattered bookshelf.
The lightning lit the wall and the ceiling before the gun crashed to the floor. No! I got the sense Dragon was pulling her punches to avoid murdering my teammate, because the attack was slow. Tattletail stepped past, stepping on the bookshelf to clear the window.
Or maybe it had something to do with the bugs I had gathered on her sensors. I took cover behind a busted bookshelf, using it to delay the foam long enough to get out the window. I tried to go underneath Dragon, but changed my mind when the crackle of visible electricity flashed down her mechanical limb. I ran the opposite direction, a plank of wood shielding me against another spray of foam.
I was out, and Shadowstalker was waiting for me outside. Dragon moved forward, bar more of the window with the bulk of her body. Her upper body and head now pointed towards us, almost out at an angle. The stream from her shoulders reorienting to block off the escape routes available to bitch, Bentley, and I.
So, I did something risky and borderline stupid. I lunged forward and stepped onto the metal foot of Dragon's armor suit, like Regan had been planning to do until he discovered it was electrified. I was glad that I didn't burn my foot or have to get it fried or go numb. I was damn glad I didn't die.
With all of this consuming my intention, I was caught off guard when something large rushed against me while I was mid-leap. I felt a lack of traction as my hand made contact with something soft and squishy. My hand, arm, and shoulder were caught in the containment foam. It had set with contact, bonded to my costume, and I was pinned face down on the ground.
What did I see as I raised my head as high as I was able? Bitch was astride Bentley, who'd grown large enough to ride, and they were leaping out the window. I could only see her eyes behind the plastic of her mask, and everything else was communicated through her bearing. It hadn't been Dragon that knocked me into the foam.
That one was trapped and betrayed, alone with one of the most powerful capes in the world. I have a solemn responsibility to protect that data. I can't help you there. One of my teammates has it.
Where are they taking it? Hmm, your teammates left you behind. I've read the file on what happened after the ember ring attack. Hard feelings?
Something like that. If they aren't going to be loyal to you, why protect them? Because someone else was depending on it. But I wasn't going to say that out loud.
Move the insects away from my suit now. Why would I? Now! Dragon moved back and her body collided around the spot where the gun had fallen.
Segments feeding into loosely interconnected one another, forming a dome-shaped encasement. Two shoulder turrets began dispensing foam directly downward into the dome. Count yourself fortunate, Skitter. I've never killed a criminal without explicit permission and all the file paperwork.
And I'm not about to start with you. I'll be in contact. What? Think about what I said.
Take a look at those priorities of yours. The whole meeting overtook the moment the gun detonated. A large portion of her suit was destroyed, as was one of the limbs. And Dragon fell to one side.
She'd saved me? Regent had said Dragon was inside, piloting it, hadn't he? I stepped closer, trying to see if she was okay. He was right.
There was someone, or something, in the suit of armor. It looked like a fetus. The features were crude, barely People are going to respond to that. It might be the nudge they need to start responding to us with lethal force.
Think of how different tonight would have played out if Dragon and Miss Militia hadn't held back. Sure, whatever. I don't know why you're arguing with me. I agree.
We should get rid of her. What did you do back in the old days? Kept three people I used regularly with my sister's help, but this is fine. Look, watch.
Shadowstalker stood, lowering her hands and arms from around her head and walked over to the door. She faced Regent. I'm letting you go. And then he did.
She dropped to all fours on the ground, grunting. A second later, she was loading her bolt, spinning to point a crossbow at him. She stopped before firing. There's a catch.
My power, once I figured someone out, it's a lot easier to control them after. Anytime you come near me, I can do this. I can use my power and retake control in the blink of an eye. He had her raise her crossbow and point it at her temple.
It was a tranquilizer dart, but the meaning seemed pretty damn clear. Next time I get control, I'm keeping you for a whole day. Maybe two if I feel like pulling an all-nighter. And here's the funny part.
I'm going to do it even if I'm in civilian clothes, if my power tells me you're in range. You won't even know when it's coming. You're now a liability to the wards, and you'll never know when or where I'm going to get control again, unless you leave. Skip town.
Join another team. She nodded slowly. The movement was jerky, which was peculiar. Was he giving her limited control over her own movements?
Now let's walk you off to the other end of the city before I release you. I don't think you're quite stupid enough to try and follow us, but I think my teammates would be more comfortable if they were sure. Good enough? Shouldn't be mad enough to come after someone else in a group, but yeah.
Let's go deliver the stuff. Coil sat in the black leather armchair, with a laptop set on the table beside him. Dinah was there too. She sat at the base of his chair, picking at the threads of her white dress with a dazed single-mindedness that told me she had probably received her candy pretty recently.
Undecided. Tattletail informed me that you were successful, despite complications. May I see it? Right here.
Hmm. Data's corrupted, sir. Looks like the download was interrupted at the 97% mark. Can you fill in the blanks?
Probably. Will take some time. There's encryption. Good encryption.
Maybe a few days with both of you working on it. Uh, most likely. It's Dragon's work. Let's assume it'll take a week minimum.
Perhaps Tattletail will be able to assist. Yes, sir. Priority number one, I want the data on the Slaughterhouse Nine. I felt a chill, but didn't say anything.
Was he intending to hire them? The Slaughterhouse Nine? It is some of their members have been seen in town preying on the locals, disrupting recovery efforts. The recent chaos makes the city a playground for them.
One of my teams is bound to run up against them soon. How likely is it? Can you ask her? I suppose.
Yes. Likelihood that one of my groups encounters the Slaughterhouse Nine. Who? Uh, Coil opened up his laptop, typed some things in.
He showed Dinah a picture of a girl, Aisha's age, wide-eyed, a spray of dried blood painting her face at the diagonal. Bonesaw. He shifted pictures. A dark-haired woman with a beak-shaped helmet.
Shatterbird. No portrait this time. A still from a surveillance camera. A misshapen silhouette, not even humanoid.
Crawler. His body was in pieces, each section wrapped in a hard-shell ceramic or plastic or white-painted metal. His joints were a mix of loose chains and ball joints. A tinker with a body modification fetish.
I couldn't say how much of the transformation was his own power and how much was Bonesaw's work. Madigan. A woman, naked, her body painted in alternating stripes of jet-black and snow-white. The hero killer, who had gone up against the Triumvirate dozens of times and left without a scratch.
The Siberian. Younger. Maybe an older teenager, or a young-looking twenty-something. She looked almost normal, but then I saw the cigarette burns marking each of her cheeks.
Burnscar. The next one I hadn't even heard of. The man didn't wear a mask. His face was as much scar tissue as flesh.
And he didn't look like he'd been handsome to begin with. Hatchetface. A man. Beard and mustache immaculately trimmed with a serrated edge.
Good-looking, if you look past the fact that he was a mass murderer. Held a small kitchen knife in the photo. Jackslash. There were parahumans who were fucked up before the powers entered the picture, like bitch.
And there were parahumans who became monsters after they got their powers, like Bakuda. Then there were the really dangerous ones. The people who had probably been monsters before powers were even on the table, and then they got worse. And then there were the Nine.
Murderers who viewed themselves as artists. The sort of people that drew other lunatics to them, just because they wanted to see what Jack or Bonesaw would do next. The one group of villains out there whom heroes were instructed to kill. What is it, Pat?
It's him! Who? Him! Jack?
You're going to have to explain this to us, Pat. What about him? He's the one who makes everyone die. What?
Everyone here? Everyone. I don't understand. Can't explain.
Try. Sometimes it's in two years. Sometimes it's in eight. Sometimes in between.
And if he's alive, something happens, and everyone on Earth starts to die. Not that everyone doesn't die anyways, but they die really fast when that something happens, all one after another. And in a year, almost everyone is dead. So I said everyone, but that makes sense in a few sh- Pat, I think we understand what you're saying.
Quiet now. Unless you think of something important. We need to consider this. His power's not all bad, I don't think.
Space warping effects so that any blade he's holding has an edge that extends a tremendously long distance, all with the optimal force behind the swing. Swings a knife, cuts through an entire crowd. Does make sense that he'd be able to murder everyone on Earth. Unless he somehow cuts the planet in half.
No, he doesn't. I think we need more numbers if we're to understand this, Pat. What is the likelihood that he succeeds in this to one decimal point? 83.4%.
You said if he's alive. What if we killed him now, to one decimal point? If I use my power. 31.2% chance someone kills him before I leave the city if you use your power.
If he doesn't happen until 15 years from now if you do. So it's still happens? Yes, always happens. He's the catalyst for something else then.
Is it always successful, Pat? This something that kills everyone on Earth. Not always. Not all the way.
Sometimes more people live. Sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands, sometimes billions. But millions or billions always die when it happens. If I were to send the travelers, how likely would they be to kill him?
Please, Pat, this is important to one decimal point. 22.6%. 30.9% chance some of them die. And the undersiders?
11.9% chance they succeed. A 55.4% chance they die if they fight those people. Oh, God. Kovacs, I strongly recommend you get what information you can on the group.
Any details in the PRT records would be invaluable. Lose sleep if you have to. We should contact normal heroes, let them know what's up. I'll look into that.
That said, I think the numbers illustrate one thing. You are not equipped to fight that group. If you encounter... 60%.
60%, Pat? 60% chance the undersiders encounter some of those people. Oh, Christ. So you're likely to encounter them.
When that happens, you run. Cede any territory. Abandon any job. I would rather you were alive than successful.
Got it. In the meantime, we move on to the next phase of my plan. You may be wondering about this location, how it is similar to the new headquarters I had provided you. I've outfitted these areas to be your stations, points from which you will operate, work to seize and keep territory.
I have several more. If you're amenable, I would have each of you take one of these stations for yourself. Gru, this station would be your location, shared with Imp, which I assume is alright. Big place with a lot of beds for two people.
More on that later. Rest assured, I can provide staff, help. I expect you'll wish to find and recruit people of your own. Contact me about funds.
I'll ensure that everyone you hire is well paid. Regent, your territory is near Gru's, close to the water. Bitch's absence. Inappropriate stuff.
She'll be back. Oh, shame. Your other headquarters, where I moved your collected belongings, that will be her station. Two pair of humans showed up for the Endbringer fight, and I got in contact with them.
They, alongside some other personnel I recruited, will work under her, Barker and Biter, who are best to be fearless and should have little difficulty managing the dogs, even when Bitch's abilities Hey, like a fantastic movie with the detail and the immersion cranked up to 11. I felt her shudder and the revulsion as I paused, felt her out a bit more. Almost forgot you were in there. So I bet you're wondering what's up.
Funny thing about having this control over you. I can feel your emotions, your body's reactions, like a really, really good polygraph test. I wasn't even half done saying my piece back there and I got onto the fact you were too pissed and too angry to back down and walk away. There's no way you're going to leave town if I let you go, right?
Right. So I'm taking it upon myself to ensure all this goes smoothly. My teammates have other shit to worry about and I'm kind of enjoying flexing my powers. So I'm dealing with the situation myself.
You and I, we're going to go another route. I fished in her belt and pockets and began withdrawing the contents. Mostly crap I couldn't use, which I threw off the building. Eventually I found two cell phones, a crappy civilian one and some sort of high-end ward issue smartphone.
The smartphone was password protected. That was more Lisa's thing, but I did have one trick. Holding her fingers above the keypad, I let them follow through with the most natural feeling sequence of numbers, muscle memory. Now let's see.
Contacts, Weld, Clockblocker, Vista, Fleshit, Kidwin, Bording. Nothing I can work with here. Director Pigot? No.
Too well informed. I started searching through the other one. Found someone by the name Emma Barnes. No password on all your civilian info.
Thinking it's Alan Patero. Is it stupidity or arrogance? What if you lost it? What if it got into the wrong hands?
Now I had a strong suspicion as to who this Emma girl was. A quick read of the received text gave away Shadowstalker as a name. I already knew that. Taylor let it slip before.
I tried to test to see if I could and to see if it irritated her. It worked on both counts. Lots of texts sent to an Emma, some sent to Madison. Others, relatively few, to a mom, a Terry, and an Alan.
Some were inane. Others I just didn't understand. Then I found one that confirmed my suspicions about who Emma was. What are you doing with her bag?
In art class at the moment. Was thinking I could fill it with paint when teacher leaves the room. Put it in lost and found. Her art midterm is inside so she might look for it and find it and she'll be all, yay, I found it.
She looks inside and sees it's fucked. What is it to make her cry? That was awesome. Blew my mind.
Crying herself to sleep for a week. She told me she did after her mommy died. You are so evil. Yeah, yeah.
Can I use that one on her? Saving that one for posterity, by the way. Won't have the same bites to it. Really, it was a surprise.
That slow realization of what I meant. Teach me, oh master. It won't be as good, but I was thinking of that day. I think I remember you were listening to music we were listening to when she got the phone call about her mom.
We should wait a while and then see if she cries again if we play it in the hallways right before class. We can't just get in trouble for listening to music. Yep. I can't believe you're a friend.
She was lame, but not depressing and lame at the same time. Huh. You are not a nice person. Let's see.
I thumbed through the phone's menus until I found an email option. The smartphone in her other hand, I did a search for local high schools. Hmm. What school do you go to?
Arcadia? No. Immaculata? No.
Glendalen? Nope. Winslow? Her breathing hitched.
Bingo. I searched for the website for Winslow High School and whistled tunelessly to annoy Shadowstalker as I found the teacher's emails. I began entering them into the recipients field. I began the process of attaching the text to the email.